Category: The Bike Nerd

BROKE BUT HAPPY

I quit my job back in February with about $7000 in my savings account, the most I’ve ever had. It’s easier to do that when drawing a salary from an internet company based in NYC and you’re not paying rent, cable bills, etc.

Now it’s seven months later and my savings aren’t quite yet depleted, but some credit card debt has piled up (NY city taxes, dental work, bike, travel) and my income is nowhere near the “good ole days” of running Noisecreep.

But it’ll work out. I might be broke, but I’m happy.

DOORED

I was riding through Chinatown, minding my own biz, and some kid opened his door and I hit him. I was going slow, so nothing crazy happened, but the frame for my touring bag broke. This means the bag that I carry my 25lbs worth of stuff is broke now. Boo! Thankfully the kid gave me a few dollars towards a new frame.

This could have been a lot worse.

Providence, RI

Just two more days. Today I head to Boston, MA. Tomorrow is Portland, ME. This trip has been cruel to my bank account and credit card balance, but I will never regret this adventure (almost 11 months so far).

Once back to homebase (Stroudsburg, PA), I’ll be hard at work putting together an ebook of the adventure. I’m also planning on printing two zines: one of my tour diary. The other of photos of the people I met, along with text about each one of them.

I’ll also be “training” for my next adventure. New York City > Stroudsburg, PA > Philadelphia > New York City; in three days. It’s about 300 miles, but I want to do it. I need to sweat and feel some pain in riding. Enough buses and trains. I want to taste exhaust fumes on busy roads, pee in the woods and quite simply kick ass riding to those places. I want to do it as fast as I can, and do it on my Brompton.

Made it safely to my hosts home. We rode to a noise fest which I’m not into, so I kept riding. Made it here to College Hill… Lemme say this, the Brompton can climb. I mean, I have something to do with it, but still. Such a versatile bike!

I explored a bunch of the downtown area, and im pretty sure i saw a prostitue with a bum. I just ate a yummy bean burrito.

The long bus rides, the pricey tickets and uncertainity of staying with strangers is all worth it!

Tomorrow – BOSTON!

LAPS

I’ve been doing some laps at Central Park in recent weeks. Lots of aero bars and tourists on rented bikes.

My 40-60 mile jaunts between towns and cities are within my abilities so riding around the park is for the saddle time. I’m not trying to break any speed records, I just want to build up to 4-5 hours of time on a bike seat.

COMMUTE

Sometimes biking to work can be just as stressful as taking the subway. Aside from just staying alive on the streets you also have to remember a hundred different things. Forgetting deodorant ruins your whole day (and the day of those around you). Forgetting your headphones is even worse.

THE BIKE

In case you’re wondering what sort of bike I will be riding during my adventures, it is a NYCBikes single speed with flat bars. Right now I’m not planning on adding any extra bags or a seat-post rack. This is mostly because I don’t have a lot of stuff, but once I start hauling my laptop and the rest of my possessions (which isn’t a lot) that could change.

I wonder if doing this adventure on a single speed is a mistake, then I remember I’ve done some serious rides on this bike already. I’ve done 75 miles a few times, and a handful of 50 milers. Even the ride to Nyack, NY and back. I realize I won’t be doing these rides in record setting time, but I’ll get there.

BY THE RIVER

This is the view from the West Side of Manhattan, looking over to New Jersey. In just a week or so I will be biking there, via the George Washingston Bridge (I’m not going to cheat by taking the PATH train). After a month with a friend I will be riding the width of NJ into Pennsylvania. I’m giving myself two days to do this. I really want to give myself time to take photos and actually take in the scenery as I travel.