RULE  1: Purchase a bicycle that is the same style or at least a similar style that your riding partner or buddies will be riding.

This rule is made to keep the fun factor up when you’re riding. It is no fun if you are riding a different style then your friends. You know the friend that has the mountain bike and you have the hybrid bike and they head off the paved trail to explore this dirt path that they saw and you struggle with your hybrid to stay upright as they ride off. This rule levels the playing field for everyone involved. Everyone in the group will have the same advantages and challenges as the other riders in the group. This way a rider won’t be at a mechanical disadvantage from the rest of a group. (Different wheel sizes roll at different speeds, different bicycles are geared differently.) This rule is especially important to follow in relationships.

Rule 1 B: Purchase a bicycle for the majority of your riding. If you are only going to be riding off road 10% of the time, don’t purchase a bicycle that is perfect for the 10% of riding you’ll be doing. Purchase it for the 90% of the riding. If you have some epic trip planned for the 10% of the riding style, rent a bike for that ride.

RULE 2: Always buy a bicycle one step above where you think you want to be.

Bicycles have come a long way since many people have purchased a bike. At Crofton Bike Doctor we are going to do a great job of helping the customer pick out the right bike for their riding and then properly fit them. I can’t tell you how many times I have had people who came back and said “I was only going to ride once or twice a week for 5 miles and now I am riding two to three times a week with at least a ten mile ride.”  For many of these customers they feel they outgrow their bikes sooner than later. Sadly for many customers they have never ridden a properly assembled and properly fit bicycle. When they do a new world is opened to them.

Did you know? The shop you choose to purchase your bike from will have a great influence in how your bike works and fits. Bicycles are not like microwaves that are ready to work out of the box. Bicycles require about forty five to sixty minutes of assembly time. Then you have the additional fitting time.

RULE 3: I rather see you purchase the right accessories with your bike then spend all of your money on the bike and have nothing left for accessories. (This rule sort of contradicts rule 2.)

A bike is going to be a lot more fun to use with the right accessories then without. I always recommend that customers figure out what accessories they will need to purchase and then back that out of the budget with the remainder being spent on the bicycle.

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog on the “Right Accessories”

With these rules and a trip to your local bike shop you’ll be on your way to a great ride on a new bicycle.

Sometimes it is a struggle to figure out what to wear for my ride. Lately I always keep pulling out three of my favorite cool weather cycling accessories; a vest, arm warmers and knee warmers.

For me this time of year it is still generally a safe bet that I start by putting on a short sleeve jersey, a base layer and bib shorts. Then I start having the internal debate of what else I want to wear. The beauty of the arm warmers and knee warmers is that if it warms up during my ride I can always take them off and easily stuff them in my pocket. The vest is perfect for keeping that morning chill off of you and can also be stowed if the sun warms me up enough. If the weather is going to warm up during the ride I will always dress with these items to offer flexibility.

I have a general rule that if it is below 55 degrees that I want my knees covered. This was a recommendation from my physical therapist and I never break this rule. When it drops into the 60’s I almost always end up with a vest and some arm warmers I may or may not wear the knee warmers.

For years I used to be a fan of a light jacket for cool weather. Recently I grew tired of all the extra wind age it creates and flapping noise it makes and have gone back to the flexibility of a vest and arm warmers. I searched for years for a properly fitting jacket that I like and was always unsuccessful. If you are a fan of a light jacket I encourage you to look for one with a double zipper so you can vent from the bottom of the jacket and not create a big sail when venting from the top.

Another benefit of the vest is that on a day that it is going to stay cool during the ride I will sometimes trade the short sleeve jersey and arm warmers for a long sleeve jersey and a vest. The vest keeps the chill off of me and then I can shed that if I get to hot. Many of my cycling friends will still be wearing arm warmers when I have donned the long sleeve jersey.

When days I know it is going to stay cool during the ride I’ll trade the knee warmers for my knickers, but if you don’t have knickers the knee warmers will continue to do the trick. I do love my knickers and I will ride wearing them well into the low 40’s.

Riding is always about layering, this time of year especially. If you want to learn a little more about dressing for cool weather, check out my other blog entry here.

Dressing for cool weather just comes down to personal preference. I encourage you to experiment to discover what works best for you, but you’ll never be upset that you own arm warmers, knee warmers and a vest. Many cyclists know the value of arm and knee warmers but have yet to discover the practicality of the cycling vest.

Tonight time presented its self.

I had someone mention to me about a company that offered really great deals on cycling clothing. The person said that the pricing “is almost too good to be true.” This individual had even ordered from this company and was happy with the first products that they received.

My initial thought was that this was an overseas company, typically in China, that goes to the factory that makes the product and has them reproduce the same items without the creator/manufactures authorization. Your purchase is made overseas with your money being spent overseas and not helping the American economy in anyway.

Factories in China are becoming more notorious for reproducing things they are making for international companies and reselling them. I have a friend who was looking into having a factory produce one of his products. He was told by more than one person to:

1. Not have everything for the product produced in the same factory.
2. Don’t tell them what the parts are for.
3. Expect them to lose the tooling for the product.
4. If he had everything made in the same factory to expect to see the same product for sale in the near future under a slightly different name but identical to his product.

Pretty scary stuff to think about.

When I jumped online a little after 10:30pm on the Sunday night of Labor Day weekend I was surprised to find the chat being marked as on-line which lead me to believe more that they were an overseas company.  I know consumers are expecting companies to be accessible 24/7/365 but we aren’t their yet and likely not for a company of this size.

I looked around the web-site to see if they said where they were from but I couldn’t confirm it on the site. So I decided I would Chat with the company and see what they said about their products. (A copy of the chat is below.)

They confirmed what I thought. They use the same factories but do it without the authorization of the company. When asked if they were “authorized products” I was told they weren’t.

I understand that people like to save money but sometimes it comes at a cost. Many consumers don’t realize that they are not getting genuine items. This website had just about every pro cycling team kit on it as well as the Lance Armstrong Foundations Livestrong kit. In this case the Livestrong Foundation isn’t realizing any revenue from their logo being used, neither are any of the other teams or companies. I am a big fan of the Livestrong Foundation and this upsets me that someone is capitalizing on the foundation without paying a fee for it.

In cases like this it is the consumer who often loses since they end up not being covered by a manufacture warranty, aren’t receiving “genuine” products. These may not be a concern for every type of product purchase. Many are likely to consider it important with electronics but maybe not so important on a cycling outfit.

When presented with these “opportunities” the consumer hopefully weighs the risk versus the rewards and the importance of the creator or designer getting their share. This is a big area of discussion and much has been written about this sort of thing as it relates to the music industry. The major sports franchises have also been battling this for years with licensed apparel sales. This issue continues to grow on almost daily bases.

Our country’s economy is built on people getting paid for their ideas and creations. These people need support to run their business. They utilize other companies and employ people to assist them. Thus jobs are created. Lots of this seems to be slowly eroding away; as this happens it will continue to hurt the individual’s ability to earn a living from their work and further damage the economy.

In the long run that savings may not be as great as you think. It could come at an even larger cost.

Chat from Sunday September 4, 2011:

Fixing a flat is something that is relatively easy to do especially if you have the right tools. Even if you don’t know how to fix a flat you will have what you need to make the repairs. That way when a fellow cyclist comes along they will be able to assist you. They may not have the right tools to fix your bike but since you are prepared you will be all set. It is in the cyclists creed to offer assistance to a fellow stranded cyclist. If you don’t know how to fix a flat you should head to your local bike store for some lessons. We offer classes throughout the year as do many shops.

So here is what I carry in my fix a flat kit:

1. Seat/saddle bag
2. Spare tube
3. Patch kit – Park VP-1
4. Pedro’s Tire levers
5. Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus Inflator
6. Spare 16 gram CO2 Cartridge
7. Pedro’s Multi Tool with screwdrivers
8. Park Tire Boots

If I get a flat I always replace it with a new tube. If I get a second flat I then have two tubes to choose from to patch. I pick the better or easier of the two tubes to patch. When I ride my road bike I use a CO2 inflator. When I mountain bike I use a mini pump designed for a mountain bike. These pumps push a larger volume of air. I used to use a frame or mini pump for the longest time. They are reusable and less expensive than a CO2 system in the cost per use. Unless you have the patience of a saint you’ll likely be unable to inflate a road tire to 100 plus psi. That isn’t a problem with a CO2 system it is quick and easy and great for group rides when you don’t want to hold others up. They make CO2 systems for mountain bikes which use a 25 gram cartridge called Big Air.

I like the Ultraflate Plus inflator because it is a system that has a trigger that makes it easy to control the air flow. Some people will prefer a more minimalist system to save weight. Look at the different options available to you and pick what will work best for you.

One thing I recommend doing is once you have picked your inflation device take it home and get familiar with it. Try using it in the comfort of your home. So when the day comes that you need to use it you’ll be comfortable doing so.

Saddle bags come in different sizes depending on what and how much stuff you want to carry. One of the features I look for in a saddle bag is a place on the outside to hook a flashing light to for those rainy rides, dusk and night rides.

Another thing that I used to carry in my kit was a luggage tag that I had my emergency contact information and medical information on it. I printed it out and slid the paper in the luggage tag and sealed it with packing tape. Now I have upgraded that  system to a RoadID that I wear. One advantage to the luggage tag is you can place a lot of information on it. What is nice about the RoadID is that it is attached to you and doesn’t require a first responder to search for your information. RoadID also offers a way to register your tag to a web site that will allow you to have more information available.

I’ve started carrying tire boots for those bigger cuts in the tires. In the past I have used dollar bills or old energy bar or gel wrappers. Tire boots just do a better job and make it easier to get the job done.

Getting a flat on a ride really sucks, but it is even worse when you don’t have the right tools and equipment to fix it.

Have a great ride!

The experience started off great and the company seems to have a lot of stuff right, what they don’t have is the simple act of customer service mastered, the phone call.

Learn more about my experience here.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/revell-service-center-annapolis#hrid:pbg3-Bk-GI7fgDPNofFDoQ

Many people have asked me: How, at a time like this, can you stay in Japan?

We have two choices: to become paralyzed by a fear of what may be, or to go on living and finding pleasure in Life.

It isn’t “every person for themselves” here.

Despite the current uncertainty, watch as these three women share their smiles, their laughter, their wisdom.

They have not forgotten how to be happy.

But do not mistake this for stoicism, for putting on a brave face.

Their Joy for Life will not be taken away.

The reason I can stay? It is a time like this.

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/DocumentingIan

Blog

http://ianthomasash.blogspot.com/

Film
www.jakenotfinishedyet.co.uk

***********************
March 17, 2011

I suppose that it is human to panic in a situation that one doesn’t fully understand and can’t control.

Is it all hype, this talk about radiation from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima being detected in Tokyo?

Can we trust what the government is telling us, that there is “no immediate threat”?

Why is the evacuation zone recommended by the American Embassy THREE TIMES that of the evacuation zone the Japanese government is recommending for its own citizens?

I attended a private press conference at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan to find out. Speakers included one of the engineers who worked on the design of the safety systems at the very plant that is so dangerously out of control and an expert on the effects of radiation on the human body.

I was floored at what they had to say.

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/DocumentingIan

Blog

http://ianthomasash.blogspot.com/

Film
www.jakenotfinishedyet.co.uk

He attended a press conference about the reactors. Very interesting stuff. His best yet in my opinion. Keep praying for the people in Japan.

All the best,

Ernest

Dear Friends and Family,

In addition to the countless aftershocks, we had a fairly big earthquake last night.  What’s the difference?  Well, the earthquake we had last night was on a different fault line so it wasn’t an aftershock of the earthquake we had last Friday.  Great, just what we needed.

I do want to clarify something very important.  Compared to the people in Sendai that have been so affected by the tsunami, we, in Tokyo, have absolutely nothing to complain about.

With the nuclear reactor misbehaving, though, things are getting slightly worrisome here.

I have been thinking about some of the LUXRIES I have learned to live without.  We have been asked to conserve energy because of the short power supply, so I only use one small light at night.  I haven’t had my heating on since this whole crisis began.  I make do with whatever I find in the stores to eat.  We can live perfectly comfortably even without these things; how wasteful we have been!

And like I said, compared with the people up north, we are so fortunate!

But when I went to the LUXURY goods district of Ginza in Tokyo today, I was shocked at some of the blatant ways some corporations are wasting energy at a time we have all been asked to conserve!  I got on my soapbox and just had to name and shame the bad guys.  Here is the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4iZfr1_cx0

Ian x
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/DocumentingIan

Blog
http://ianthomasash.blogspot.com/

Film
www.jakenotfinishedyet.co.uk

 Dear Friends and Family,

 Another sleepless night due to pretty bit aftershocks found me awake at five and watching the constant news coverage of the unfolding events at the nuclear power plant. 

 I am trying to do my part:  I have had the heating off in the house day and night.  I use no lights during the day and only use one at night.  I am not buying excessive supplies.  What else can I do?

 All of my appointments and work for this week have been cancelled.  But rather than waste the day worrying in front of the TV, I decided to go out again and film.  This time I went to Hiroo, an area with a large expatriate community.  I had heard what some Japanese people in my neighbourhood were thinking yesterday: 

Let’s stick together and share our supplies. 

 What is on the minds of Tokyo’s foreign guests?  Have a look by pushing the link above, or by going here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P4JZJLUENk

 Also, I will be posting my updates and videos on my newly revived blog, which you can find here:

 http://ianthomasash.blogspot.com/

 Love,

 Ian