Over the years, I’ve written several pieces attempting to match the right bike with the right person. I’ve written about the right bike for aspiring commuters, I’ve written about the right bike for roadie wannabes, I’ve written about the right bike for people who want to take a spin on their local greenway and the right bike for folks curious about mountain biking. One bike I haven’t written about, though, is a bike that can do it all — a little greenway, a little road, a little off-road.
A bike I’ve long suspected to be the cyclocross bike.
In appearance, a cross bike resembles a road bike. They were developed for cyclocross racing, a pursuit created a century ago by European road racers trying to stay in shape over the winter. The races take place off road, involve mud and have various obstacles that require a fair amount of hoping off the bike, throwing it over your shoulder and carrying it. As a result, the bikes have a higher bottom bracket
Carolina dreamin’ on a winter’s day …
Things I dream of doing if the temperature ever gets above 60 again …
Run in shorts. I having nothing against running tights and I’m not an exhibitionist. But you can’t truly appreciate the freedom running offers unless you’re in shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. (And, to a growing number of runners, no shoes.)
Do This, Not That: Bypass the carpool lane
This is the third in an occasional series on seemingly small acts of physical activity that can, over time, have a surprising impact on your life. So far, GGNC has looked at taking the stairs vs. the elevator and watching TV on an exo ball rather than hunkered down in a La-Z-Boy. Today: Avoiding the carpool lane.
Curt Dobbins pursues a third cycling passion
Since he was a kid growing up in Florence, S.C., Curtis Dobbins has had a thing for bikes. Riding them, naturally, and because he was an inquisitive lad, tearing them apart and figuring out how to put them back together. He began riding seriously in high school and found work as a mechanic in a local bike shop. He moved to Raleigh in 1981 to go to N.C. State and got into bike racing at a time when Raleigh was one of the country’s hot spots (the old Capital City Criterium offered as much as $20,000 in prize money, enough to attract some of the nation’s top cyclists).
Meltdown: The movie
OK, it’s no “Race Across The Sky,” but hey, it’s our first venture into film. Check out GGNC Productions short on “Meltdown at Harris Lake: The Movie.” For more on the Meltdown, check out Sunday’s post on the 6-hour endurance mountain bike race, the third in TORC‘s four-race winter series.