My new ride

Yesterday I picked up my new Surly Steamroller at Circles Bike shop. As you can see from the photos, the custom camouflage paint job and classic Lino drop green handlebars make this one very PUURRTY bicycle! This marks my introduction to track bikes and fixed gears. Since I'm a 44 year old chicken and not some 20 something hipster, I've set my flip flop gears to freewheel and installed front and back brakes for added safety. When I feel confident enough I'll switch to fixed gear and practice falling on my ass. The ride this morning was all together different (which I expected). Track bikes position the body for optimal speed and not necessarily comfort. It will take some getting used to. The smaller drop down handlebars leave little space to move the hand, and I went back to using strap clips instead of SPD clips. After a few minutes, I started to get into the groove and noticed how much faster the bike responds to my body movement. And this baby is fast! This will be my city bike for rides downtown and occasional day trips to the countryside. My Surly Travelers Check will remain my choice for long trips, hilly rides and for BBQs. Enough yapping. Time for a ride.

This name is making me Cranky!

For almost a year I've been blogging under the pen name PedalPapa. I got this name form my much younger Japanese cycling friends. But lately I'm starting to feel my age, so I've decided it's time for a new name. One that better reflect my personality and love for things cycling. The name....Crankee, a nod to that most important piece of metal found on all bicycles, and a slight reference to how I feel most of the time. There you have it...I Am Crankee!

Trick O' NUTs

The Halloween themed NUTs alley cat race went off well last night. Many of the riders came dressed in their Halloween best. Dirty organized the race this time and as usual he was off the chart with his antics and comedic presentation. Here are a few picts I managed to take before and after the race.

Riebo as a little ducky

Sie Chan as the wicked witch

Neko & Dirty doing what they do best

Halloween Alley Cat

This Saturday we will have our monthly NUTs alley cat race. Meeting place as usual will be at Shirakawa park. If you can, wear something spooky. See you there!

NUTS! Fes 2009

The 2008 NUTS! Fes cycling event-rave-performance art-whack fest was a blast. It seems we may have had a little too much fun the last time, causing the local Inuyama residents to deny us permission for using their camp site for this year's repeat performance. No worries, the pedal monkeys at NUTS found a better place for the 2009 NUTS! Fes, and the party will go on! Grease your bikes and get ready to pedal on October 24th, 25th to the town of Yaotsu in lower Gifu prefecture (map here). You can find more detail about this year's event here. On the menu we'll have the usual mix of cycling, races, battles and silliness. In addition, we'll performances by 5 bands and a slew of DJs. The event will be held at a restaurant/Inn, so no need to bring a tent. Indoor sleeping area will be provided for about 100 people on a first come first serve basis. Just bring a sleeping bag and warm clothing. Tickets for the NUTS! Fes are available here or you can buy them at Circles bike shop in Nagoya City. There will likely be an arranged group ride from Nagoya City to the event location. I'll post again when I have the details. Hope to see you all there!

Alley Cat Surprise

Last Monday night the NUTs group held the monthly alley cat race in downtown Nagoya City. I expected to see the usual bike nuts eager to ride and drink afterward. Little did I know that we would be joined by about 100 fellow cyclist from around the world! To make a long story short, Izuru san organized a group ride of about 100 visiting cyclist in Japan for the CMWC event in Tokyo (Cycle Messenger World Championships). The group met in Kyoto and rode up to Nagoya Monday night in time for our Alley Cat race. I had never seen such a large group of smelly, tired and jet lagged cyclist in my life. I was immediately conscripted as an interpreter/organizer. Many of the guest cyclists joined in the evening's race and met at Cafe Palwr. We helped organize sleeping arrangements for those who needed it. I really enjoyed meeting so many fellow cyclist from just about every continent I can name. The next morning the group was off on their journey to Tokyo for the big event. I hope they made it all there safely. I won't be in Tokyo for the CMWC event, but we have a couple local guys racing and I'll be rooting for them.

Cycling BBQ at Shonai Park

Just in case any of my cycling friends are in the area, today I will be in Shonai Park by the lake with my Surly BBQ Cycle. Stop by, say hi and taste my ride.