Last Saturday I answered a call to help John Greenfield move his apartment via bike.

Here are the movers, in the alley behind his house. We had eight trailers, I think, ranging from my little Action Packer to Steve’s 6-foot Bikes At Work trailer, which can (and did) haul up to 300 lbs. We […]

…when riding a fixed-gear.

Actually, the skirt was form fitting so not a problem at all, and the boots lace so high that there was no danger of the laces getting caught in the drivetrain. Toe cages weren’t really made for jackboots, though, maybe.
I like this one. I look like Max Fischer.

Check out this bike that the friendly neighborhood crackhead sold me for $10. It has a totally homebrewed front end, solid rubber tires and humongous spokes. Vern thinks it was used to haul a wheelchair. What do you think?

Well, that didn’t take long.
Mere weeks ago I was proclaiming my love for gears and joking about “fixie freaks.” But one or two sentences in defense of fixed-gear riding from Alex, along with this passage from Sheldon Brown’s site, was all it took to convince me to convert the old Bianchi frame Jay gave […]

1. Tote 50 pounds of bananas:

The best part was the look on the clerk’s face when I told her I didn’t need any bags.
2. Gather a few friends
(or in this case, a few Windy City Rollers)

My derby lovah and Co-President of UPWGSD, the Union of People Who Get Shit Done, Loco Chanel

My […]

I recognized the guy on the bike while watching the video–Tom Sachs, who lived across the hall from me in my freshman dorm. Nice to see someone I went to college with doing something useful with his life…

Rode to work in a crazy storm this morning. I only saw one other bike, a gal on a Schwinn with no raingear who didn’t look nearly as happy as I felt. I had my Burley jacket (besides my bike, the most money I’ve ever spent on a bike-related item and totally worth […]

Last week I took a few days off, initially to read up on Quickbooks and take a long bike ride or two, though I also ended up getting a last-minute (and heinously evil) commercial art job that managed to take up an entire day. I’m trying to earn a buncha extra money though, so […]

Morning, at Star Lounge, with many, many pounds of artisanal cheese.

Afternoon, Pilsen block party, home-made pinatas.

This kid cried “I killed Mickey Mouse!” More block party here.
Evening, Wicker Park Fest, my friend, journeyman musician Oliver plays accordion for the worst band I’ve ever seen in my life. Oliver stole the show, as usual, which […]

Cycloning at Clybourn and Fullerton:

Bike salute!

I bailed at 8:30, but the Mass rode on and on and on.

Yesterday’s bike ride was just the usual to-work-and-back route, with a couple of surprises, as I was heading west on Adams and about to make my usual turn north on Wood.
Then, this:

Did I? Oh yeah, you betcha.
I dried off in the backyard at Star Lounge and put this in my brain for two hours:

Admittedly, not […]

View of the Museum of Science & Industry from Jackson Park
Once, I’m ashamed to say, I went to a hypnotist to try to lose weight. I didn’t lose weight. In fact, about the only thing I got out of it was confirmation of the fact that I am an incredibly contrary and self-conscious […]

The feeling I get riding my bike. Ahhhhhhh:

Yesterday instead of doing what I normally do at quittin’ time, which is sit at my desk and stare, zombie-like, at my monitor consuming the nutrient-free brain candy that is the interweb, I went for a ride.
I always have SOMETHING to do after work, it seems. […]

I spent the last 8 Sundays at West Town Bikes in their “Build a Bike” class, overhauling an old Schwinn Suburban that Kevin Womac at Boulevard sold me for 25 bucks.

I shoulda taken some “Before” pictures to show what a rusty mess it was. Did you know that a spray of WD-40 and […]

This morning I had a notion to get up early and take a long leisurely bike ride along the lakefront to Hyde Park, just for shits and giggles. Instead, I slept for another hour. Ah well.
However, after having a cup of coffee at Stab, sucking back some water, eating a bagel, and getting […]