Sad news about two bike tourists exploring the world

Heard some rather sad news today from a Path Less Pedaled retweet and the Riding a Folding Bike Around Manila blog regarding a bike touring couple that were killed in an accident today in Thailand
(Here is a news link to this story).

Peter Root and Mary Thompson wrote the twoonfourwheels blog which I had unfortunately not heard of until today.  Their passion for exploration and human interaction was evident in their writing and films (Here is a link to their videos on Vimeo).

This is an unfortunate reminder that life has a finite shelf life.  I admire Root & Thompson for living it on their own terms and living more than many people who are many years older.  And while I have been fortunate to explore much of the world, I have never done so by bike.  I hope to remedy that in the not too distant future.

Please be safe out there and let your loved ones know that you love them.  Be kind to one another.  Peace.

Review of Stanley Nineteen 13 One Hand Vacuum Insulated Bike Mug

On a recent cold bike commute to work I was drinking "damn, it would probably be better if I had something warm to drink on my ride." Concurrently, I saw a tweet from a friend of mine regarding this new concept of "bulletproof coffee." That sparked my search for a coffee mug that I could use on the bike.

There were several options that I saw. One was a coffee cup holder that attached to the handlebars by PDW.  It's pretty nice, but it's more meant for grabbing coffee from a shop as opposed to holding your own brew.

I was doing a lot of research on water bottles and came across this little guy:

The Stanley Nineteen 13 One Hand Vacuum Bike Mug.

This mug claimed to be leak-proof, was double-wall vacuum constructed and holds 16 oz. of fluid.  Sounds pretty promising.

The mug fits quite well in my hand and is very ergonomic.  And of course,  it is ambidextrous.     

Underside of lid.

Interior of the mug

Flow of your drink is permitted by pressing on the little button upon which your index finger naturally gravitates.  It was pretty stiff at first, but now that it has broken in after a couple of days it works perfectly.

The mug inside the back pocket of my C-bag.  It's too tall to allow the pocket to close, but that's ok since it allows easy removal.

The mug fits securely in my friend's standard water bottle holder.  He is also ridin' dirty.

I've been using this mug every day regardless of whether I am commuting by bike or car.  Once I'm done with my coffee I refill it at the water cooler.  I feel that I am definitely drinking more water than I usually do.

On my current trip to Denver I brought the mug along.  It was empty so that I can take it through security, and then I filled it up at the drinking fountain before my flight.  Now I didn't have to wait for the flight attendant to bring me a drink when I was thirsty... this was actually really great for when we were waiting to take off or to get off the plane.

The mug in an airplane seat pocket.  It's a little big, but it definitely fits.

Stowing the mug in the exterior pocket of my Tom Bihn Aeronaut travel bag.

After a couple of weeks, I can attest that the mug is certainly leak-proof.  There is an elastomer o-ring that provides the sealing action, so the mug should remain leak-proof as long as that holds up.  The mug is easy to sip from, especially once the button breaks in a little.  I can also confirm that drinking is very easy with gloves on.

The vacuum construction seems to hold drinks at their temperature pretty well, but I haven't done any comparison tests or anything.  I suspect that it wouldn't be better than the Hydro Flask at holding temperature based on this comparison, but I would hope that I had finished my drink before a few hours have elapsed.

In conclusion, I'd give the Stanley Nineteen 13 One Hand Vacuum Bike Mug a big thumbs up as long as it stays leak-proof (which I foresee it being for a while)!

Street Cred and Other Press Bits

A friend of mine sent me a couple of pics of a Brompton being featured on Pimp My Ride, a show on that used to be on MTV (I guess it's on Speed Channel now) that take cars and highly modifies them.  I think that is the host (rapper Xzibit) riding it in the second picture.  Unfortunately I don't know when this show aired or have any other info on the Brompton.

In other advertising news, I'm sure a lot of people have seen this commercial with a second of Brompton (at 0:19):

It looks like that particular Brompton footage is taken from the NYCeWheels video of the electric Brompton:

I hope NYCeWheels and Peter got some commission from that!

Commuting by necessity

So, my car has been in the shop for the last couple of days for some major maintenance (water pump and timing belt), so I've had to ride the 17 miles each way on the Brompton.  Having the Brompton has been very handy in this situation... I was able to drive to the auto shop, then bike away.  And I'll be able to stuff my bike into my co-worker's Camaro when the car is ready to be picked up.

However, I gotta say that I've feeling pretty beat, primarily because it's been really chilly in the mornings (mid-30's F is chilly for Arizona).  That, and my knee's been bugging me... I've changed my setup a little bit, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

My car should be ready to pick up after work tomorrow.  As much as I like to ride, it'll be nice to take a few days off.

Great cycling advice from Rivendell Bicycles

During my roam of the interwebs I somehow came across this Learn About Bikes section from Rivendell Bikes.  It had lots of quality (and very realistic) info on it.  I haven't read all of it, but here are some of my favorites so far:

Commuting by Bike

Tips for happy riding

A kit for one night out (camping)

Ride on, Tucson 2013 photos

I had mentioned this Ride on, Tucson event in a previous post.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous after having record low temperatures earlier on in the week!  There were plenty of cool bikes being ridden, including a Bike Friday tandem.  The Tucson Brompton Bicycle Meetup club was there representing with 3 Bromptons (2 more were supposed to show up, but had to cancel at the last minute).

By all accounts Patrick Dempsey was a cool dude.  He was happy to take frequent stops and sign stuff, get photos taken and chat.  Unfortunately I didn't get to talk to Tom Danielson, but I sure he was happy just relaxing and enjoying the ride.

I have a video of a lap around the course... I hope to get it edited shortly.

Early crowd at Ride on, Tucson

Rickshaw for doggies!

Extra lids 

Brompton Meetup Group members

Patrick Dempsey signing a spanish "Can't Buy Me Love" movie poster.

Patrick signing a Tully's mug for one of our Meetup members.

Road Holland apparel

Disclosure:  I am not being compensated for this post or the coupon code, just sharing my experience with the company.

I first heard of Road Holland from a review from Path Less Pedaled.  The jerseys were slick and fairly conservative... stuff that I wouldn't mind wearing off the bike.  The fabrics used have a varying degrees of Merino Wool Poly blend (Merino wool is pretty awesome).  However, my main attraction to them was that the garments are made in the USA (Miami, FL).  Finding any clothes that are made in the USA is nearly impossible these days.

The garments aren't cheap, and that's because they're not cheap.  These are very high-quality jerseys that feel really comfortable.  I'd rather pay a little more and be happy than to save a few bucks and be agitated.

Hilversum jersey with additional arm sleeves

I got an email last week from Road Holland informing me that I had been one of their top customers last year (I had bought a few jerseys).  As a thank you, they sent me a bag of coffee as well as a coupon code for 25% off (FMA25) to share with family and friends (which means you guys).  This is a limited time offer... the code is only good until the end of the month (January 31)!

Coffee!