When I began to ride bicycles again as an adult, I invited my friend John W. Robot (a.k.a. JohnBot) out to ride. In the summer, I’d ride to “College For The Easily Amused” – the Twin Cities (Spin Cities) local yo-yo club that we are both part of. Yes, we’re nerds.

John said he didn’t have a bike, but another one of our yo-yoing compatriots led on that he does in fact have a bike that he bought in Japan. My curiosity was peaked, so I kept pressing John about it. He said it isn’t very useful because it’s a folding bike, and it’s very small. My crazy modder/engineer mind now demanded to see the bike because I knew we could turn it from a novelty into (slightly more) useful transportation.  This bike has some neat quirks including a drum-brake that everyone I’ve spoken to claim will last the lifetime of the bicycle (or rider).  It also has the front and back brake levers reversed from what I expect… a trait that John insists keeping because it’s part of the bike’s character.

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No I don’t mean rename it, Fridley already has a Main St. which was probably named because of its proximity to the railroad.  But if you look at Mississippi St., it truly has the potential to be the main street of Fridley.

Located on it are: city hall, the police and fire department, Fridley’s library, the Fridley Historical Society museum, Hayes Elementary School, several churches, and a few home-based businesses.

Now the bad news: this STROAD is too fast and too wide to provide any value to the businesses and residents on or near it.  It is home to a dumpy strip-mall which is almost impossible to get to as a pedestrian. Mississippi St. could easily go on a road diet.

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My favorite age for babies is 3-9 months. They can’t yet walk, so they’ll really only get into trouble with things in an arm’s reach. They (hopefully) sleep through the night. They can hold their head up, so I feel more comfortable man-handling them during diaper changes and play time. 3 months has also been the magic marker when my wife goes back to work. So whether I want to or not, that baby is going to be in my hands quite a bit more now.

Many have asked me how I get work done at home with the baby at home with me. For my part, I only work part-time. It would be near impossible to work a 40 hour week with a baby at home and still maintain a relationship with my wife.

For the baby’s end of the bargain, the key is sleep.

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I find it amusing that some of my cycling friends have just discovered Strava, right at a point when I’m looking to leave. When they ask why, I cite Strava’s recent decision to shutdown API access to all but a select few app vendors. I had an inkling why access to the new API was limited, and I’ve confirmed it. Now I’d like to explain the correct way to do it, and how to monetize it at the same time.

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Remember when I said I’d never buy clip-in shoes & pedals? I lied. The reason being: I signed up for the Introductory Track Class at the National Sports Center here in town – and they require clip-ins.

I got the shoes and pedals at a store called Scheels, which I would never had heard of if it weren’t for my 4 year-old son’s love of the Choo Choo Bob Show (they’re a sponsor). A set of Eggbeater pedals and Giro shoes were both on clearance, so I was able to get out the door with both for under $100. With the class over, consequently, they are for sale.

NSC Velodrome – A Finite Resource

Our local velodrome first opened in 1990. It is the only outdoor wood-plank velodrome in the western hemisphere. It is also located in Minnesota so you can imagine the weather it has had to endure over twenty years. Needless to say, it is not going to last forever – some say as little as three years. I encourage anyone and everyone in the area who enjoys cycling to at least attend an event, and if your curiosity is sufficiently peaked, try the track class for yourself, before it’s too late.

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