I drug an old Schwinn down from the attic and assembled it for something different to ride for a bit. I’ve built this bike up before in different configurations. This time it’s stripped down and klunker like with a basket. I need to check on that front wheel lol.
So it’s been nearly a month since my last pandemic post and it’s still mostly more of the same. Sticking to ourselves and close to home. We get our social fix by riding to c-stores for cold brew coffee consuming it on their patio tables as we people watch. We have made a new friend Steve who rides his motorcycle to do the same. We haven’t had a beer in I don’t know how long.
I have started carrying my lock again and we’ve been into the grocery store together a couple times. The bulk of our groceries we’re still ordering online and picking up curbside in the car.
We ride weekly to meet with my parents as we’ve always done still continuing to physical distance. We’ve thought about doing some traveling to ride and bike overnights within our state but but it’s so darn hot right now. We’d like to go somewhere cooler but not sure if traveling is a good thing to do yet.
We’re riding for one reason or another nearly daily. Here’s just a sampling of photos from the past month.
In this episode of About This Bike I go over my aluminum klunker.
On a recent windy day we hauled our bikes to one of our local rails-to-trails to ride somewhat out of the wind.
It’s New Bag Day. I received my custom Mini Prospect backpack from Timbuk2. For years I’ve carried messenger style bags (also Timbuk2) but last year I ordered my first backpack from them and really liked it so I ordered another in different colors that I chose.
The main compartment is a roll top and has a few pockets inside. There’s an external compartment with a few pockets and a flap closure. There is also mesh pockets on each side for water, beer or kombucha bottles or anything else for that matter. I carry a small tripod and hand sanitizer for quick easy access in one of them.
I find the bag to be comfortable and the right size for what I always carry with me plus room for a few groceries or whatever else I may bring home. That makes 4 messenger bags and 2 backpacks for me. I may have a problem.
One for the Bike Shorts series. What our days have looked like lately.
A couple things I’ve carried through the pandemic with multiple uses.
Hand Sanitizer. In addition to sanitizing hands I’ve also used it to remove sugary drink residue from picnic tables…
and to clean my hands after fixing a thrown chain that desperately needs to be cleaned.
Neck gaiter/Buff. I’d normally only wear these in the winter but this year due to the virus I’ve continued to wear them and found additional benefits I hadn’t really thought of previously.
Worn as a face mask indoors to help with the potential spread of the virus…
and it protects the neck from the sun and can be quickly pulled over the face as a dust mask when vehicles blast past on gravel roads…
or worn as a sweatband. I also pull it over my ears to cut down on the wind noise. Ridiculous headwinds seem a little easier to ride against when not as loud.
In this episode of About This Bike I go over my Schwinn Heavy Duti.
So it’s been another couple of weeks since my last pandemic post and it’s Just been more of the same. Keeping close to home, mostly riding for picnics and beverages. Had it not been for the pandemic, this spring we probably would have rode a bike overnight or 2 and traveled for rides. Memorial weekend we would have been attending the Pedaler’s Jamboree. As for our riding locally since the pandemic we’ve just traded riding for dining and drinks inside to doing it outside and mostly with home brought food and beverage.
Currently it’s pretty much back to business as usual here where we live. Everything is able to open back up. A few days ago our governour turned over the authority of virus restrictions to local governments and our local government decided against enforcing any restrictions and instead trusting citizens and businesses to voluntarily continue to follow the state’s restrictions that we were initially under. That won’t happen. Nova and I will still continue to lay low or a while.
In no particular order, this is most of our bikes past and present.
