It happens every year about this time. Tired of Winter but with spring in view.
Dealing with snow can be fun at first. Turning everything around so to see things in a positive light. You know, ice dams, frozen doors. cold blowing head winds and the towns snow plow that just re-filled the opening of my little driveway I just shoveled out, twice.
If there is anything good about it, I will find it.
Like Tyler Hamilton said, "embrace the pain!" There is only so much one can take and looking at the calender has me happy that we will have warm weather soon. Nice to see January and February pass. On to March and the lion to the lamb myth.
It happens every year. In the middle of a dream, sound asleep, I realize that its not the end of February at all, but the beginning of November. I should know better by now and just laugh, but it always works best to force myself awake out of a very, very bad dream. The dream of eternal Winter!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day Trip to New Bedford
Today was a great day for a road trip, so we put the bikes in the back of the Rambler and headed South to see the other Massachusetts whaling village.
New Bedford and the New Bedford Whaling Museum are a short drive from Boston and worth the journey.
Like going back in time, the historical district is quite nice. The city has gone through major changes over the past 25 years and the museum has been completely re-done. Beautifully enlarged and modernized. The Kendal Whaling Museum's collection has been added now that they closed down in Sharon
A half scale model of a whaling ship sits in the center of a grand hall with paintings and tools all around it.
The upper deck of the grand hall allows you to look down and get a real feel of this wonderful exhibit.
Scrimshaw and harpoons and specfacular oil paintings are in many different rooms on 3 different floors.
The most impressive part for me was the 6 actual skeletons of whales letting you really get a feel of the size of these incredible sea mammals.
Ten dollars for an adult, the museum is open every day of the week and very easy to find from the highway. Easy cheap and safe parking and a great place to start a ride.
Here are some of the photos of the collection and shots around town from the ride.
New Bedford and the New Bedford Whaling Museum are a short drive from Boston and worth the journey.
Like going back in time, the historical district is quite nice. The city has gone through major changes over the past 25 years and the museum has been completely re-done. Beautifully enlarged and modernized. The Kendal Whaling Museum's collection has been added now that they closed down in Sharon
A half scale model of a whaling ship sits in the center of a grand hall with paintings and tools all around it.
The upper deck of the grand hall allows you to look down and get a real feel of this wonderful exhibit.
Scrimshaw and harpoons and specfacular oil paintings are in many different rooms on 3 different floors.
The most impressive part for me was the 6 actual skeletons of whales letting you really get a feel of the size of these incredible sea mammals.
Ten dollars for an adult, the museum is open every day of the week and very easy to find from the highway. Easy cheap and safe parking and a great place to start a ride.
Here are some of the photos of the collection and shots around town from the ride.
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Best Time to Buy a Recumbent
At Wheelworks, I'm asked often, "When is the best time to buy a Recumbent?"
Of course there is no time like the time the question is asked, but Winter is the very best time for a number of reasons.
Winter at the bicycle shop is slow. Business as usual at this time of year is reduced because of less demand and cold outdoor temperatures.
I love this time of year to take care of my customers. Of course I give all the time needed to have my customers feel cared for during the season, but Winter months allow me to really cross the t's and dot the i's so to speak.
Things like removing the wheels, removing the tires to teach how to change a flat are things covered the during the season we just don't have time for.
Test rides can be a little hard with poor road conditions and cold temperatures, but at the right time, enough training can be covered to figure out if the new Recumbent customer is suited for the bike. I like to have the bike sell itself and not force a sale just because at this time of year we need the sale.
Over all, the customer feels taken care of when there is lots of time.
Warmer days can have other customers wanting to sit in on a sale to listen as if it is an expected part of retail sales. Customers that make a point to make a appointment usually don't want strangers in on their sale. When it comes to helping them, I want things to be right.
Warmer months bring everyone out at the same time to shop for a new bicycle. I have heard it before, "Its like the customer thinks that they were the only one to notice the nice day and think that its now time to shop for a Bicycle." Much to their surprise, there are many more with the same idea. It angers them that they made the effort and the store is crowded.
Colder times and quieter bicycle shops are a great time to visit,see and learn about this different style of bicycle and sport. Changes in design over time are introduced in the Spring and being the first to place an order will have you "First on Your Block" to be enjoying your new ride!
Of course there is no time like the time the question is asked, but Winter is the very best time for a number of reasons.
Winter at the bicycle shop is slow. Business as usual at this time of year is reduced because of less demand and cold outdoor temperatures.
I love this time of year to take care of my customers. Of course I give all the time needed to have my customers feel cared for during the season, but Winter months allow me to really cross the t's and dot the i's so to speak.
Things like removing the wheels, removing the tires to teach how to change a flat are things covered the during the season we just don't have time for.
Test rides can be a little hard with poor road conditions and cold temperatures, but at the right time, enough training can be covered to figure out if the new Recumbent customer is suited for the bike. I like to have the bike sell itself and not force a sale just because at this time of year we need the sale.
Over all, the customer feels taken care of when there is lots of time.
Warmer days can have other customers wanting to sit in on a sale to listen as if it is an expected part of retail sales. Customers that make a point to make a appointment usually don't want strangers in on their sale. When it comes to helping them, I want things to be right.
Warmer months bring everyone out at the same time to shop for a new bicycle. I have heard it before, "Its like the customer thinks that they were the only one to notice the nice day and think that its now time to shop for a Bicycle." Much to their surprise, there are many more with the same idea. It angers them that they made the effort and the store is crowded.
Colder times and quieter bicycle shops are a great time to visit,see and learn about this different style of bicycle and sport. Changes in design over time are introduced in the Spring and being the first to place an order will have you "First on Your Block" to be enjoying your new ride!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
No Snow For Nantucket
Last week before heading over to Nantucket we called ahead to see if the XC Skis or the Snowshoes would be best.
We were told that all winter long, they had never had one flake of snow. It seemed impossable, but it was true!
Most of the Cape had no snow on the streets, but small piles here and there were signs that it wasent snowless this winter.
Too windy and very cold, we found nice places to sit and read.
Nice to be in a beautiful quiet place when its quiet.
A wonderful little get a way, no snow was a treat worth writng about!
Here a a few photos from downtown. Remember, click on them to see them larger.
We were told that all winter long, they had never had one flake of snow. It seemed impossable, but it was true!
Most of the Cape had no snow on the streets, but small piles here and there were signs that it wasent snowless this winter.
Too windy and very cold, we found nice places to sit and read.
Nice to be in a beautiful quiet place when its quiet.
A wonderful little get a way, no snow was a treat worth writng about!
Here a a few photos from downtown. Remember, click on them to see them larger.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
When Fast Equals Easy
The American way has us believing that fast is best. Fast anything is sexy and slow is not. As we get older, we get slower. Not all physical, when we get old, sometimes we realize that there just isn't any reason to do things fast.
Here in the United States we turn anything into a contest. There are extremes that are just plain silly. Take for instants, Hot Dogs. Every year on the 4th of July on Coney Island there is now a world famous Hot Dog Eating Race.
http://www.newyorkled.com/moreNYseasonal_4th_July_HotDog_Contest.htm
Hot Dogs were meant to be eaten slowly and enjoy, Weren't they?
Some people are born slow. There the ones that notice things that most people are going too fast to see. They take things into consideration that most of us don't. Every step is something new and a new experience.
Sometimes it drives us crazy. Like standing in line, waiting for a turn when the person in front of you is taking their sweet time counting e v e r y Penny and with very little consideration of the fast folk in back.
Narrow roads and slow drivers cause problems in a world that is otherwise fast.
Waiting until the last moment to do things is American and turns slow people into fast ones. Taking their, again, sweet time and going slow, could cause one to become fast without practice and really miss important hazards that would be otherwise noticed if the overall speed of things were to be adjusted to maybe,,, moderate?
Certain tools make moving fast easier to enjoy the benefits of slow living.
Recumbent Bicycles for one offer heads up fast riding that have you seeing things otherwise missed. Less work with less wind resistance allows you to move easier with less work and enjoy your ride.
Although the benefits of Recumbent aerodynamic design are best utilized at speed. a lighter bike is less work and easier to enjoy slow living.
Fast Bicycles equal Easy in my book. Pro cyclists ride light bicycles because there easier to go fast on. A real proof of strength would have them on heavy bikes. Say,, 150 lbs? Talk about high speed downhill action
I have heard many customers say "I don't want to go fast!" What I hear is "I don't want my life to be easy! Sell me the cheep heavy one!"
I finish by saying,"From the short time we have known each other, I like you. I just don't want you to work any harder then you really need to!
Here in the United States we turn anything into a contest. There are extremes that are just plain silly. Take for instants, Hot Dogs. Every year on the 4th of July on Coney Island there is now a world famous Hot Dog Eating Race.
http://www.newyorkled.com/moreNYseasonal_4th_July_HotDog_Contest.htm
Hot Dogs were meant to be eaten slowly and enjoy, Weren't they?
Some people are born slow. There the ones that notice things that most people are going too fast to see. They take things into consideration that most of us don't. Every step is something new and a new experience.
Sometimes it drives us crazy. Like standing in line, waiting for a turn when the person in front of you is taking their sweet time counting e v e r y Penny and with very little consideration of the fast folk in back.
Narrow roads and slow drivers cause problems in a world that is otherwise fast.
Waiting until the last moment to do things is American and turns slow people into fast ones. Taking their, again, sweet time and going slow, could cause one to become fast without practice and really miss important hazards that would be otherwise noticed if the overall speed of things were to be adjusted to maybe,,, moderate?
Certain tools make moving fast easier to enjoy the benefits of slow living.
Recumbent Bicycles for one offer heads up fast riding that have you seeing things otherwise missed. Less work with less wind resistance allows you to move easier with less work and enjoy your ride.
Although the benefits of Recumbent aerodynamic design are best utilized at speed. a lighter bike is less work and easier to enjoy slow living.
Fast Bicycles equal Easy in my book. Pro cyclists ride light bicycles because there easier to go fast on. A real proof of strength would have them on heavy bikes. Say,, 150 lbs? Talk about high speed downhill action
I have heard many customers say "I don't want to go fast!" What I hear is "I don't want my life to be easy! Sell me the cheep heavy one!"
I finish by saying,"From the short time we have known each other, I like you. I just don't want you to work any harder then you really need to!
Friday, February 18, 2011
61 Degrees Warm!
Its been a while since e have seen 61 in these parts. 61 degrees warm! Nothing cold about that!
Cloudy and warm this afternoon. Warm weather brings snow melt that reveal black walls on the roadside. Not nice, these banks of black are a far cry from the "Winter Wonderland" we remember from weeks past. Like the bugs of Summer a part of Winter we like to forget. Puddles and shoulders of ice line our favorite back roads with little automobile traffic to break them away. Cycling in straight lines is not staying dry. A good day for fenders, or what the British call "Mud Guards"
It wont be long before the Maples are tapped and boiling sap. A favorite harbinger of Spring. Buckets appear on trees you wouldn't expect to be Maple. Smoke pours from a small shed, syrup flows and fills the air with the sweet smell of New England Spring!
Enjoy the video below.
Cloudy and warm this afternoon. Warm weather brings snow melt that reveal black walls on the roadside. Not nice, these banks of black are a far cry from the "Winter Wonderland" we remember from weeks past. Like the bugs of Summer a part of Winter we like to forget. Puddles and shoulders of ice line our favorite back roads with little automobile traffic to break them away. Cycling in straight lines is not staying dry. A good day for fenders, or what the British call "Mud Guards"
It wont be long before the Maples are tapped and boiling sap. A favorite harbinger of Spring. Buckets appear on trees you wouldn't expect to be Maple. Smoke pours from a small shed, syrup flows and fills the air with the sweet smell of New England Spring!
Enjoy the video below.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
As The Colors get Warmer
As it gets warmer, we come alive.
Here in New England, as we get closer to Spring things change. Warmer days allow us to be outdoors and enjoy a beautiful ride in this wonderful part of the world.
Longer days with more light give us the feeling of hope and the feeling that there is light at the end of this long, cold tunnel of Winter.
The angle of sunlight has changed too and yields different colors to what we see. Subtle as it is, we feel the difference that is Spring on our body's, in our eyes and in our hearts. Only noticed by some and hardly ever discussed.
The color change does not lie. Spring is coming and we will be comfortable outdoors once again!
Here in New England, as we get closer to Spring things change. Warmer days allow us to be outdoors and enjoy a beautiful ride in this wonderful part of the world.
Longer days with more light give us the feeling of hope and the feeling that there is light at the end of this long, cold tunnel of Winter.
The angle of sunlight has changed too and yields different colors to what we see. Subtle as it is, we feel the difference that is Spring on our body's, in our eyes and in our hearts. Only noticed by some and hardly ever discussed.
The color change does not lie. Spring is coming and we will be comfortable outdoors once again!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Check This Out
I will always wear a helmet while riding for the respect from drivers alone, But the talk does shine a little light on urban use and how possibly folks could be lead to believe dangers that for 99% of your riding, isn't dangerous at all. For me, today the helmet will simply keep my head warm.
The title I think is only an eye grabber for a far more important issue, Bikes and Cars working together. Click on the URL below and take the time to watch this little talk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY
The title I think is only an eye grabber for a far more important issue, Bikes and Cars working together. Click on the URL below and take the time to watch this little talk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07o-TASvIxY
Monday, February 7, 2011
Good Bye Football, On to Spring
The day after the Superbowl is always like the beginning of a new year for me.
The headlines on the news are filled with reviews about exactly what we saw.
Talk about who won and why, and what was the best advertisement.
With all the ad's last night directed to folks in the main stream, it was clear we were not going to see a Recumbent ad or even a Bent in any ad at all. Cars, Beer and soft drinks with young beautiful people. seemed to have been the topic of choice for the 2 million dollar time spots watched by millions worldwide while eating fatty snacks. Mostly stupid low brow humor, I think it may have been the first time in years that we did not see Lance Armstrong. His new allocations of performance enhancing aids were most likely the reason we got to watch more about sugar drinks, alcohol and smog producing forms of transportation.
I like the Super Bowl, or is it Superbowl. It sounds the same anyway! I like when its over.
With all the Winter holidays over and we move closer to the that first day of Spring, one can only hope that we will not have to listen to Superbowl reviews tomorrow.
By the way? How come Football players keep falling down, and whats with that name?
The headlines on the news are filled with reviews about exactly what we saw.
Talk about who won and why, and what was the best advertisement.
With all the ad's last night directed to folks in the main stream, it was clear we were not going to see a Recumbent ad or even a Bent in any ad at all. Cars, Beer and soft drinks with young beautiful people. seemed to have been the topic of choice for the 2 million dollar time spots watched by millions worldwide while eating fatty snacks. Mostly stupid low brow humor, I think it may have been the first time in years that we did not see Lance Armstrong. His new allocations of performance enhancing aids were most likely the reason we got to watch more about sugar drinks, alcohol and smog producing forms of transportation.
I like the Super Bowl, or is it Superbowl. It sounds the same anyway! I like when its over.
With all the Winter holidays over and we move closer to the that first day of Spring, one can only hope that we will not have to listen to Superbowl reviews tomorrow.
By the way? How come Football players keep falling down, and whats with that name?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
An Advantage of Uprights?
posted by Danni
I would never have thought a day would come when I would have to admit that there is an advantage to riding an upright, but being the person of integrity that I am, I must admit that I have found one. You see, on New Year's Day I couldn't resist taking my recumbent out for a ride. It was such a beautiful day and I couldn't think of a better way to start off the year. The ride was amazing even though the roads were wet and sloppy. I had a wonderful time but at the end of the ride my bike was the dirtiest it's ever been.
Unfortunately, just after that ride I got ill . . . REALLY ill. I was 'down for the count' for three weeks. It was not fun. And adding insult to injury was the fact that every time I walked by my bike and saw how dirty it was, I felt even worse!!! My bike had never been that dirty for that long . . . ever! Anyway, today was the first day that I finally had the time to clean my bike.
With a beer in hand (Scott has taught me that it just isn't possible to do a good job cleaning a bike without the proper lubricants ;-) I went to work. Things were moving right along until I got to oiling and polishing the chain. I think the process took twice as long as cleaning the rest of the bike. Although I was enjoying the process, thinking of fun rides I had had over the summer as I worked, I must admit there were a couple of times when I thought that the task would be MUCH less time consuming if I had an upright.
It then occurred to me that if I rode an upright, the task wouldn't have been less time consuming, it would have been non-existent. I don't think I would have gone for a ride that day if I hadn't had a recumbent with which I could ride in comfort while seeing the world around me. What would be the point? Hmmmm, maybe I need to rethink this one . . .
Maybe uprights don't have an advantage. I guess it's all a matter of how you look at things. I mean if I had a shorter chain to clean, I wouldn't have as much time to drink beer while cleaning it!! ;-)
Once again, the recumbent reigns superior!!! Ahhh, I feel better now!
I would never have thought a day would come when I would have to admit that there is an advantage to riding an upright, but being the person of integrity that I am, I must admit that I have found one. You see, on New Year's Day I couldn't resist taking my recumbent out for a ride. It was such a beautiful day and I couldn't think of a better way to start off the year. The ride was amazing even though the roads were wet and sloppy. I had a wonderful time but at the end of the ride my bike was the dirtiest it's ever been.
Unfortunately, just after that ride I got ill . . . REALLY ill. I was 'down for the count' for three weeks. It was not fun. And adding insult to injury was the fact that every time I walked by my bike and saw how dirty it was, I felt even worse!!! My bike had never been that dirty for that long . . . ever! Anyway, today was the first day that I finally had the time to clean my bike.
With a beer in hand (Scott has taught me that it just isn't possible to do a good job cleaning a bike without the proper lubricants ;-) I went to work. Things were moving right along until I got to oiling and polishing the chain. I think the process took twice as long as cleaning the rest of the bike. Although I was enjoying the process, thinking of fun rides I had had over the summer as I worked, I must admit there were a couple of times when I thought that the task would be MUCH less time consuming if I had an upright.
It then occurred to me that if I rode an upright, the task wouldn't have been less time consuming, it would have been non-existent. I don't think I would have gone for a ride that day if I hadn't had a recumbent with which I could ride in comfort while seeing the world around me. What would be the point? Hmmmm, maybe I need to rethink this one . . .
Maybe uprights don't have an advantage. I guess it's all a matter of how you look at things. I mean if I had a shorter chain to clean, I wouldn't have as much time to drink beer while cleaning it!! ;-)
Once again, the recumbent reigns superior!!! Ahhh, I feel better now!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wow! What Wont They Think of Next?
Check this out. Soon they will have something to ride your recumbent, take pictures and report back about the great ride you had!
https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665954651&tab=featuresTab#additionalImage1"
https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665954651&tab=featuresTab#additionalImage1"
Thursday, February 3, 2011
A Blast from the Past
My how time flys! Here is a ad I did as a post card for two rides back in the Fall of 1997. (Back then, "Posting" meant going to the Post Office). It sometimes seems getting a card worked better then email.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
One Month Closer to Warmer Weather!
January went quickly. It seems like just last week we were doing our New Years Day Ride. Hard to believe we were gifted with an almost 60 degree day!
Its snowing to beat the band here in Dover. Unless there is a world breaking amount of snow melt within the next 24 hours, any Groundhog in these parts wont be able to dig his way out. I think were in for a lot more winter and more than a ton of new snow.
So beautiful and exactly I love for a Winter day off from the bike shop. One can only imagine how long the day will go today at the store. Having floor to ceiling windows never helps to speed up a no business, snowy Winter day. Clock watching floor mopping and Snow shoveling. That's all that will be happening today, I'm sure!
Its going to be a really long time before we see bare ground again, and dry, warm roads, Just another daydream of wonderful days past and great days to come.
Now, just where did I leave my Snowshoes? Maybe we can get a Sleigh! Thats kind of like a Recumbent isn't it Danni?
Its snowing to beat the band here in Dover. Unless there is a world breaking amount of snow melt within the next 24 hours, any Groundhog in these parts wont be able to dig his way out. I think were in for a lot more winter and more than a ton of new snow.
So beautiful and exactly I love for a Winter day off from the bike shop. One can only imagine how long the day will go today at the store. Having floor to ceiling windows never helps to speed up a no business, snowy Winter day. Clock watching floor mopping and Snow shoveling. That's all that will be happening today, I'm sure!
Its going to be a really long time before we see bare ground again, and dry, warm roads, Just another daydream of wonderful days past and great days to come.
Now, just where did I leave my Snowshoes? Maybe we can get a Sleigh! Thats kind of like a Recumbent isn't it Danni?
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