Book Review: A Dog In A Hat

I have to admit I am much more into urban cycling than bike racing. However after I read A Dog In A Hat, the new book by Joe Parkin, I found myself much more interested in the crazy world of European Cycling.

Written almost as a series of diary entries, Parkin takes us through the wild, hard working, and often crazy world of European cycling in the 90’s. Told from the perspective of a transplanted American in Belgium, Parkin reveals that cycling is not what it might seem to you and me on the TV. Drugs, shady deals, grueling training, and brutal conditions all make for an entertaining story.

The book is written in such a way that you feel a part of the drama, and while Parkin is not Lance Armstrong, and doesn’t win every race (or really hardly any races at all), he is a strong competitor and you find yourself rooting for him. I especially enjoyed the tales of crazy drugged out competitors, wild inside deals so that the home town boy could win a certain race, and the eloquent descriptions of just how much suffering it takes to be a good racer.

If you are looking for a book that can really get you into European cycling, or if you just want to read an entertaining tale of racing, drugs, and an American in a strange land, pick up this book.

Don’t be surprised however when you get to the end and feel a little let down. Parkin never really breaks through and doesn’t ever really get the “Big Win.” It is a tale of love for the sport, and of a talented man who does his best. It is however written in a a fast and entertaining style. You feel the excitement, and you will enjoy the well realized descriptions of the land scape, the race, the crashes, and the pure joy in knowing that you did good enough to continue to compete in the toughest racing circuit in the world. Parkin does a great job of bringing the reading into his world, you won’t be sorry.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Taking A Look At The People Who Make BostonBiker.org Great

Sure BostonBiker.org wants to be your one stop shop for all things bike in Boston, sure I spend way too much time scouring the nets/streets/email lists to keep the event calendar up to date and brimming with the latest and greatest goodies, and sure I am fantastically handsome, but the real stars of BostonBiker.org are the bloggers.

In case you didn’t know ANYONE is able to sign up for a fully featured, FREE, website though BostonBiker.org. If you look over there on the right you can see a list of all the people who already have, in order of when they last updated their sites.

We have an amazing array of people who have chosen BostonBiker.org as there platform of expression. We have bicycle retailers, advocacy groups (two!), personal bloggers, indoor racers, outdoor racers, you name it, if it has to do with bikes in Boston it’s here.

With that in mind I thought I would highlight some of our more active bloggers, I read there stuff every day, you should too! In no particular order here they are.

Allston-Brighton Bikes
This new, but growing fast, bicycle advocacy group sprung up in the Allston/Brighton area this year. They are already off to a good start, with monthly meetings, a planned helmet giveaway, and other events in the works. Keep an eye on these people, they are doing good work in AB. If you live in that area be sure to check out their site and get in contact with them.

DotBike
Dotbike…one word “WOW!” These people came out of nowhere to take Dorchester by storm this year. Monthly meetings, monthly rides, amazing website, great events, T-shirts, stickers, working with the city to improve bike facilities, working with the T, they even got mentioned in Bicycling magazine! If you live in Dorchester, bike through Dorchester, or have ever heard of Dorchester you need to check these people out. DotBike is a force, and anyone thinking of starting their own group would do well to check them out.

What I think
Everyone has their opinion, and What I Think is no different. Their fun sense of humor, and sometimes raw emotion make for excellent reading. Throw in a mix of bicycle racing humor, and bike industry insider gossip and you have a very excellent read. What I Think actually used our “import” feature to take a previous blog and import it wholesale to BostonBiker. If you want to import your blog simply sign up for a site, export your old blog (or use the tool we have) then import it into our system. All your old posts, pictures, everything will magic themselves into our system. If you blog with BostonBiker for a while and find that you don’t like it here, you can also use our Export feature to move your entire blog to a new home.

Right On Ride On
Another personal blog, Right On Ride On is a great at finding interesting tid bits from all over the web and sharing them with the readers. I always like checking out this site for the latest in bicycle related goodness the whole net over. Recently Right On has also been posting some interesting rides, and cool DIY projects.

Boston Bold Sprints
This winter there was a fun new racing activity in town. Two people, two bikes, and 1 minute of vomit inducing indoor sprinting fun. Bold Sprints was so much fun, and promises to be again, from what I have heard they have plans of brining it back this winter for more indoor racing action! Do you have a racing event and need a central repository for all your results, pictures, news, and events? Give Bostonbiker.org a try!

s-class
Wow, this one surprised me a bit. This mysterious person is making and giving away AMAZING bike hats. Something you would expect to pay $25+ for, he/she/them are giving away FOR FREE. I have been hoping and looking for one of those cool paper bags hanging on my bicycle. So far no luck. Give it a look, it looks like the project is just getting started. These hats are CHERRY, see a sampling below. If you like them perhaps you can beg whoever is behind s-class to send you one. Dear s-class if you read this, my head is without hat, perhaps you can send me one? You know just saying…

This is just a sampling of the people on this site, If you want to join the growing community of Boston area cyclists sign up now! It’s free, we offer lots of fun features, and I have been known to build custom themes for people who ask nicely. So what are you waiting for? Join now.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Wearing Wool: The New High Tech Fabric Grows On Sheep

I am not what you would call a “road warrior” kind of cyclist. I don’t own a shiny plastic jersey, I ride in jeans, I don’t even have spandex shorts. I don’t have a gortex, mega ultra super rain jacket, with poly-vinal double ply super plati-nylon weave, or any of the other really pricey plastic clothing I see other people ride around in. While I am sure these things work very well, I am a simple kind of guy, and also one on a budget.

So when I heard about Jones Wares, and their use of wool in cycling and outdoor gear I was intrigued. Here is a product that is grown, not made in a lab, my eco-hippy half liked that. But then I started to think, isn’t wool itchy, won’t it smell funny, won’t it irritate my skin? I guess the only way to find out would be to try out some of the products.

Lucky for me the good people at Jones Wares sent me some nifty wool arm warmers and hat. My first impression was a good one, they sent the items in the least amount of packaging possible while keeping it safe (again my eco side loves things like that). Most of the packaging was recyclable, and the arm warmers and hat came in Black (my favorite color). So far so good.

I took them out of the bag and slid them up my arm. Pro tip: don’t pull so hard that your hand slides off and punches you in the face (twice), as this is not the “cool” way to put them on. A gentle tug will do. The wool was smooth and warm, and I didn’t suffer any itching or redness (I was sure to swing my arms around in several directions like a mad man to see if they would fall off, verdict: they won’t).

I was a little skeptical of the hat, it was super thin, and looked a little “weak” for winter. Boy was I wrong. Not only did it keep my head just as warm as the thick army surplus hat I had been sporting, but it also fit under my helmet way better and allowed for a much more natural fit. I have since retired the army surplus hat for snow ball fights. Again I didn’t suffer any itching, or redness, the wool was super smooth merino wool and came down just enough to get the top part of my ears so they wouldn’t get cold in the wind.

As you know, Boston is a very cold place in the winter, as you might also know (if you are a cyclist) you can still get wicked sweaty cycling around even if it’s 9 degrees outside. I commute to work every day. So when it is sloppy out, or super cold out, or raining cats and dogs, I have a fun time.

My normal cycling setup was long sleeve shirt, with short sleeve shirt over it, with hoody over that with light jacket over that. The arm warmers provided the same sort of solution that a long under shirt did, only it was way easier to slide them off when I got hot. This allowed me to manage that cold start of the ride while being just fine at the end (you don’t even have to slide them off, you can just slide them down). Pro tip: Wool arm warmers absorb snot just as well as your other t-shirt, feel free to use them as a hanky.

I have been using the arm warmers and hat for about a week and a half now. In that time I have taken them out in 9 degree weather, pouring rain, snow and a general mix of winter time horrible. They have held up very well to the daily abuse and have not started to stink (yet, given time everything stinks). Plus I have to admit, they look pretty cool. At the modest price of $28 they are a pretty good deal. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a natural fabric alternative to the super expensive hyper plastic world of high tech cycling gear.

You can find more information about Jones Wares at their website, or you can check out their brand new site here at BostonBiker.org.

We will do a product review for anything that people want to send us, but be warned just because you send us free stuff doesn’t mean we will give you a positive review. If you think your products are up to a critical eye, and a field test contact us and we will give it a try.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet