If you’re one of the many cyclists who ride in and around the Stony Creek Metropark, the odds are very good that you’ve been passed by TJ Hill. TJ is 78 years old. And he’s ridden over 500,000 miles in his lifetime. Even now, and for decades, he puts in about 12,000 miles a year. [...]
Come Ride With Us
The early biking days in Michigan – TJ Hill’s legacy
If you’re one of the many cyclists who ride in and around the Stony Creek Metropark, the odds are very good that you’ve been passed by TJ Hill. TJ is 78 years old. And he’s ridden over 500,000 miles in his lifetime. Even now, and for decades, he puts in about 12,000 miles a year. [...]
Find your next ride here
There’s still a lot of good bicycle riding ahead as we move into the dog days of summer. There are great rides most every weekend and several multiday tours still on the schedule. Then fall comes with even more organized ride opportunitites. The best way to find out what rides are on tap for when [...]
Vassar and Frankenmuth Ride for Saturday July 31
Ready for a nice fast, flat and scenic ride through some delightful farm country with a visit to Frankenmuth? It’s the Cass River Habitat Ride for Home and there are 10, 15, 32, 64 mile routes to choose from. The ride raises funds for the Cass River Habitat for Humanity. Start time is 8 am, [...]
The Michigander is next up
Here we go… it’s time for the Michigander, with a great circle route in Northwest Michigan July 17-23 Many of the Blazing Saddles/Bike Fitness regulars ride this every year and it truly is one of the state’s best organized tours. There’s still time to ride it if you are in shape as on site new [...]
One Helluv a Ride Saturday July 10
Here’s the last long Saturday ride before the Michigander starts: The One Helluv a Ride in Chelsea, sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society. There’s a choice of 6 scenic paved routes: 15- or 30-mile Fun Rides 39 miles 64 miles 76 miles 100 miles Lunch and snack stops Entertainment Embroidered patch SAG support [...]
Saturday July 3: The Algonac Pickerel Festival 40 miler
Our next Blazing Saddles Saturday ride will be July 3 in Algonac, where we’ll do a great ride that takes us across to and around Harsen’s Island. It’s the annual Algonac Pickerel Festival Ride and it seems like a perfect event for our weekly long ride. There are two routes, a 25 Mile and 40 [...]
Mike on a Bike
Shoreline West Bicycle Tour
The Shoreline West Bicycle Tour is now history. I didn’t do this ride this year but it’s on my short list for next year. Really enjoy the MLB and have heard great things about this particular ride for a long time. Here’s a wrap up of the 24th edition of the event. Go here to [...]
Sharp Dressed Biker Dudes
The Blazing Saddles Bike Club jerseys have arrived and Tim, Larry and I did a celebratory 20-miler at Stony to give them their official debut. The colors came out great, light blue with bright orange flames. Since we put the initial order in I have heard from a couple of readers who want one. I [...]
Jerseys are in!
Our Blazing Saddles jerseys arrived today… I will be at Stony Creek at 9:30am Saturday Aug. 14 and have them with me for those who ordered… will also do a ride there… let me know if you’re coming. I’ll be out of town after tomorrow and unavailable until the 23rd.
Blazing Saddles Bike Club Jerseys on the Way
They ship out Friday so we should have them next week. I’ll make arrangements to meet everyone who ordered one. Here’s the front and back (Click to see larger):
Spinning class makes for a better biker
It’s been a couple weeks now since the Michigander and I just finished my fifth spinning class at my health club. Sam Kennedy, aka Pit Pull, is right: Spinning dramatically kick starts you to a whole new level. Sam, my Michigander buddy, has been praising the benefits of regular spinning classes for some time now. [...]
How to Change a Flat Tire
Everyone hates a flat tire. They’re messy, they interrupt a ride, they are sometimes tricky to fix. But while flats may be unavoidable, they need not be dreaded. Our BikeFitness/Blazing Saddles Bike Club bike repair expert gives us a trailside lesson – and some of her own tips – on how to fix a flat.
Videos
What to carry for on-the-trail bike repairs
Ever been caught on a long ride without the tools you need to handle a breakdown? Blazing Saddles regular Tina Laurie gives us a demonstration of what tools bikers should carry with them for emergency repairs.
Now there are doped bicycles
This is a very big deal in Europe, where at least one key pro bicycle rider has been linked to allegations that he may have a secret motor installed in the tubes of his bike that crank at very fast speeds. The problem is serious enough that Tour de France riders are going to have [...]
Getting the proper bicycle fit
On a bike ride this week with Chris Olivero, we got talking about the proper fit for a bicycle, how even the slightest adjustment can affect not just comfort but performance. Chris had just had her bike fitted from Fraser Bicycle. So when I got home I dug through my YouTube vids and found the [...]
A video tour of Oakland Township’s planned “Loop”
Oakland Township, home of the Paint Creek Trail, has some big plans for bike trails. Here’s a video preview and bike tour of what will someday be part of “The Loop” – a 24 mile tail that circles Oakland Township.
The Bicycle Ambassador of Paint Creek
If you ride Paint Creek Trail in the summer, you’ve no doubt met him. His name is David Moultrie and he wears a bright yellow shirt. A retired teacher, he helps by removing debris from the trail, handling minor emergencies, sharing info on Michigan’s first rails-to-trail route.
Why doesn’t Michigan have more bike lanes?
It’s no secret that Michigan roads are terrible. And there are very few bike lanes. Here’s a quick look at Florida to illustrate how much better it could be if Michigan would just get with it.
Past Rides
Hot and humid
We had a great 43 miler this Saturday, joined by two new riders – Matt and Larry. Larry rode a recumbent, the rest an assortment of road bikes and crossovers. Water was welcome today, with temps on their way to 90, humidity levels high, the wind stiff and challenging and lots of sunshine. I went [...]
Another Bloody Saturday
Keeping our “if we ride dirt, there must be blood” rule intact, we had lots of fun on our tour of three parks (Stony Creek, Bloomer and Bear Creek) and three trails (Paint Creek, Clinton River and Macomb Orchard). Thanks to Tim “Free Fall Sausch” there was blood from two of his limbs after a [...]
Why the Brooks B-17 is such a great saddle
I’ve been asked several times this week about the Brooks B-17 that I now have on all three of my bikes. If you’re looking for informaton on Brooks, check this helpful post from the people at Wallingford Bicycle Parts. The official Brooks site is at www.brookssaddles.com Essentially Brooks has been around since 1866. Each saddle [...]
My new Brooks saddle
My new Brooks saddle arrived today and will go on my Gary Fisher Superfly mountain bike. I have the B-17 on my Trek Madone 5.5 and my Bianchi Axis and after riding the Michigander bicycle tour last week with perfect comfort I want the same on the ‘Fly. The down side was I’ll have to [...]
Homemade bike camper
We’ve all seen truck campers, right? How about a bike camper? On the Michigander last week, I ran into Willie Hatfield, a 23-year-old University of Michigan grad who quit his day job as an engineer to travel the country by bicycle. Except he has a very unusual bike. It’s a bike camper, made out of [...]
Back in the Saddle Again
A week ago, we were pedaling 62 miles to Bay City on the Michigander. This morning, after a weekend off, I was back on the bike missing my fellow riders but delighted to again be riding on such a nice day. I perked up, though, when I ran into Annie on Paint Creek Trail. She [...]
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Yesterday, landmark Complete Streets legislation was passed out of the state Senate unanimously, and now just awaits Governor Granholm’s signature. These bills mean improved walkability and bikeability for Michigan roadways; they offer cities, towns and neighborhoods that are more vibrant places to live, work, and play; and support a state and nation that are less reliant on fossil fuels. These bills made it to the Governor’s desk through the hard work of the Michigan Complete Streets…
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