I’m now securely in “Old Guy” mode, ready to brag about the longevity of my beautiful old steed, the Miyata 618 tourer, circa 1988. Roger Levy at Freewheelers is getting hold of some fine replacement wheels that soon will grace the Miyata – and get me ready for a planned tour through NE Pennsylvania and Downstate NY (i.e. big hill country). The wheels now on the bike are 20 and 23 years old, respectively, and they’ve experienced too many ruts, potholes and cobblestones to recall, and without a broken spoke or rim, but not without a repairable dent or two. Still, I don’t feel confident enough that they’d hold up for another long, remote ride, so I’m shelling out for some nice lighter-weight newbies: 36-hole Alex rims with Quando hubs, etc. But actually, though all wheels are mortal, 20 years is only early middle age for a decent bike. It’s easy to forget, especially as one is bombarded with ads for the latest and greatest techno development (or more often, marketing ploy), just how good the touring bikes of the 1980s were – and remain. I’ve test-ridden some really fancy uprights and recumbents of recent vintage, but none is more pleasant and efficient than the ole 618, all things considered (especially real-world pavement conditions). It pays to stick with a good thing. But hey, if anybody wants to donate a Surly or Cannondale or Trek or Fuji or Rivendell tourer, etc., to yours truly, I won’t bar the door. One can’t have too many examples of this design, probably the best all-round bike configuration of our era.

Watch this. Don’t worry, it’s short.

Skills, man.

Ride as the Romans ride.

This is turning out to be my favorite spring ever, and a large number of the great moments this season have involved my Xtracycle, The Chicken Avenger. Whether I’m driving around friends or family, blasting some music out the back, or getting admiring nods from cagers, I’m constantly enjoying this bike. It’s probably the best vehicle I’ll ever own.

My brother Ryan gets a ride to the grocery store. 

Rohan set me up with an account, so I have written two short/sweet articles about Bike Safety and Bike Locks for the Albany Bicycle Coalition’s website. They are by no means thorough, hence the “101″ suffix, but they are better than nothing.

Nice Day for a Bike Ride
(In 4 parts)

Ride to work
First day in the seat since my whiplash injury.
A few aches, but I’m feeling okay.

Ride home
Three teenage guys are blocking the path.
Two move, but one stays square in the middle and looks me right in the eyes.
I know a challenge when I see one,
and I’m not in the mood for it.
There’s room for me to pass, but barely.
As I pass, I sarcastically say, “thanks for moving.”
Not really smart.
But ignoring men who harass me gets old.
The guy mocks me, “thanks for moving.”
On a good day, I figure I can out-bike someone who’s bikeless.
But my first day in the seat, with an achy back, is not really my best day.
I’m a little concerned they’ll take chase.
I look in my rear view mirror. No sign of them.
I hear “Fuck you!” yelled at my back.
I want to flip them off, but I refrain.

I start to fume, reflecting on every rude act I’ve experienced or heard about over the past few weeks.
I’m pretty sure that the phrase, “Kids these days,” pops in my head.

As I near my home, I see a boy on his bike, meandering along the sidewalk.
He cheerfully yells out, “Hello!”
I say hello, though not so cheerfully.
Undaunted, he says, “Nice day for a bike ride!”
Smiling now, I say, “Yes, it is!”

Ride to yoga class
Feeling stronger now.
I come upon a couple of young boys on their bikes.
One says hello.
The other rides up alongside me.
I say, “are you gonna race me?”
He smiles and starts pedaling.
I shift my gears and start to pull ahead.
He says, “Oh, you’ve got gears, that’s why you’re faster.”
I smile and keep moving.

Ride home
Twilight.
Sounds of the neighborhood as I pass by.

Yep, nice day for a bike ride.

This? Rocks.

I can’t believe nobody has bought this yet. It’s been up for weeks.

This is my new bike. It’s a Trek Allant. I got it from Downtube in Albany. I’ve been riding it to work and loving it. I sit upright, instead of all hunched over. It’s smooth and agile, nimble, unlike my beastly mountain bike. As you can see, it’s got fenders and a rack. I had mixed feelings about the grips. They look weird to me. But they’re really comfortable. They provide a lot of support, and cushion my hands when I hit a pothole. Which I try not to do, but I mean, it’s Albany, right? My only “complaint” with the bike is that if I have to stand up to pedal up some hill, the handle bars are not really angled for that and it’s hard to keep it in a straight line. Fortunately, it’s easier to just downshift and slide up the hill.

Here’s my “vision.” The ABC website puts some useful content up there. Things like “how to ride safely” and “how to keep your bike from being stolen” and “how to buy a new bike.” Then they make up little cards and tags bike, like this.

On the last Critical Mass, I rode a bit with Rohan, who runs the ABC website. He agreed that they really need some content up there and offered to sign me up. I agreed. I haven’t heard anything. But seriously people. You can’t spend all your time and energy bitching at the government because they won’t make you a dedicated bike lane. You have to help people have fun riding their bikes.

Yehuda Moon creator Rick Smith posted this on his Web site this week:

April 11, 2009

Dear Readers,

I regret that this will be the last day of ‘Yehuda Moon’ for a while. I ran out of time and can’t continue with the comic.

Thank you to all who read and shared and contributed to the comic. You are amazing and your support and enthusiasm for bicycling and bicycles is thrilling. I’ll be stopping all current PayPal monthly subscriptions for you by April 12, 2009.

See you down the road.

I, for one, am crushed. Rick, we hope you’re back soon!