Further to yesterday’s post, I mentioned in the comments that my local Target was once a velodrome:
Furthermore, the subject of bike parking (or lack thereof) also came up in said comments, prompted by my recent Outside column about how to lock your bike:
Well, this morning I had occasion to not only visit my local Target:
But also to avail myself of the somewhat limited, yet nevertheless extant, bike parking out front:
My own advice notwithstanding, I left my saddle bag, my water bottle, and my handlebar bag in situ as I shopped, and perhaps the ghosts of track racers past were guarding my bicycle because they were all still there when I returned:
I also relied entirely on the Tex-Lock available from Osloh (see their banner in the right-hand margin or bottom of your screen for a discount code):
I have no idea if this would be sufficient to secure your bike if you were to lock it up in Midtown all day, but it’s been my “go-to” lock for local errand-running and recreation, because it’s light, it’s easy on your frame, and it’s long enough to lock like four (4) bikes at once, as I confirmed this past weekend during a family ride. Here it is coiled up like an Everglades Rat Snake (no, I’m not a Snake Fred, I just plugged the phrase “orange snake” into a popular Internet search engine) in my handlebar bag:
After stopping at Target I kept riding. One of the more beguiling aspects of life in this part of the world is that one minute you’re on bustling W. 225th Street, and the next you’re staring down one of those oversized squirrel thingies:
Or lost in deep and impenetrable bamboo forests:
Indeed, it’s an ideal locale for a semi-professional bike blogger to ply his trade.
*ENGAGE SEMI-PROFESSIONAL BIKE BLOGGER MODE*
As the sun burned through the clouds, I removed my Ortovox Civetta rain jacket [$335] and placed it in my Chrome Doubletrack Handlebar Sling [$60]:
Which is easy to access while riding thanks to its magnetic closure:
*DISENGAGE SEMI-PROFESSIONAL BIKE BLOGGER MODE*
Oh, and remember the swan family in Van Cortlandt Lake I watched grow up last year?
Well yesterday I noticed they’ve started a new generation:
Part of me finds this cycle of life profoundly beautiful, and another part of me is totally creeped out by how inbred they must be.
Best not to think about it.