Monday, February 28, 2011

March Break

Since I have been too busy to post or even read anything bike related online lately, I thought I would make it official and take a little hiatus from writing here while I catch up with my real life.

I am going to take a true March Break, like for the whole month of March. If you are a regular visitor, I fully expect that you will find the break as refreshing as I do. I hope it isn't too refreshing, like never come back refreshing, but that is a risk I will just have to take.

Spring approaches! Ride your bikes all over the place! Enjoy some Maple Syrup!

Yer Pal,
R A N T W I C K

PS - This post from RTP means I can take my break worry-free because the FARATS prizes have all arrived at their destinations. Thanks all who participated. I look forward to the SARATS this Fall. This time, a single Grand Prize will be awarded based on a new and super-creative judging method!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Driving Is Bad For Me


No, no, this time I'm not referring to the impotence.

I, like many cyclists, drive quite a lot too. In my case though, I almost never drive to work. Being a regular bike commuter allowed our family to go down from two cars to one and that has been a bonus. My sister is out of town this week and she gave me her vehicle, a small Land Rover, to drive while she was gone. Various circumstances including the fact that I have not yet replaced the broken blue tub and hate wearing a backpack have made it more convenient to drive in to work the last couple of days and the flexibility, ridiculous comfort and ease of driving a car again has been nice, but I find that I just don't feel right, particularly at work.

I must have become accustomed to the endorphin rush related to my morning exercise and commute, because I get to work and still feel almost as groggy as when I rolled out of bed, despite having had a shower and everything. I feel strangely full and unhealthy and almost depressed and there is no return home commute to snap me out of it. I'm pretty sure I'm not sick or anything, so all I can surmise is that driving to work (or, more accurately, not cycling to work) is now officially bad for me. That's cool for now because I love to ride.

What if I become too old or sick or both to do it (particularly in the winter) any more? I might just drop dead! I'm thinking I had better come up with some indoor alternative to cycling, you know, so I don't like, die if I have to stop for some reason. That will be tough, because I hate exercising. I like cycling, which just happens to be exercise by happy coincidence.

I know people, myself included, miss the bike when they can't ride for one reason or another, but this is the first time that I've experienced physical and mental blahs due to just missing a couple of days! I have a replacement tub waiting at home. It will be installed tonight, come hell or high water. This damn luxury and convenience is killing me.

Yer Pal,
R A N T W I C K

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

UK Cycling PSA - Bank Job

Quite a long time ago I posted this Awareness Test, a PSA from Transport for London that I thought was pretty cool. Well, today I ran across some more spots from the same people, the video below among them. I really like these PSAs because they are effective and fun without resorting to the shock tactics that can really put people off.




I like this one almost as much as the awareness test. There are more clips that are pretty good too and they can all be found here.

A final note: don't read the comments on the video's youtube page. It will just make you think the planet is stuffed full of chronically stupid people if you didn't think it already. Why is it that morons are to comment sections as moths are to flames? Please comment in the section below.

Yer Pal,
R A N T W I C K