I felt pretty secure having checked my bike with the skycap when I reached the Jacksonville airport. In fact, I tipped him a few $2 bills that I had stashed away in my glove compartment so he would take extra good care of it. Whether it had been the skycap’s fault or not, as I would find out later, those 2’s were not put to any sort of good use.

The morning of March 2nd I woke up in the capital city of Fiji feeling great. I took a couple of days to recover from the jet lag before I decided to do any significant riding. I ate and then took a 70 minute bus ride to the top of Viti Levu for a ride down the south eastern side of the mountain. After I unloaded my bike I did all my standard checks to make sure everything was kosher before making my beautiful descent. Everything felt good, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I grabbed my I-pod, put in my ear buds and cranked up the “Expect To Hear From Me Again” album by one of my favorite artists Paul Bogush Jr.

I was about 12 miles into the descent when the unthinkable happened. I was about halfway through the song “Me” when I started to feel a sort of cracking, or giving away of the bike from beneath me. I quickly glanced down and noticed that the top of my frame had cracked completely in half. This was alarming, due to the fact that I was travelling at 55 mph and was in no position to make a complete stop. I did not panic. I slowly applied my front brake, this slowed me down somewhat, but at the same time it also allowed for the frame to shift and completely break off in the front. I shit you not readers; the moment that the top of my frame and handle bars broke off I thought I was dead as disco. At approximately 45 mph I went over the top of my Cannondale and flew into the offroad vegetation and down an 85 foot embankment. When I came to, after what I was told was a 12 minute lapse of consciousness, I rolled over and realized that where I had landed was actually a ledge of a cliff. If I had gone an extra 5 feet I would have dropped 3, 450 feet to the next available landing space.

I ended up in the hospital in Suva with a broken collarbone, punctured lung and a laceration to my kidney. It should go without saying that I did not make my scheduled flight back to Jacksonville. During my stay I often thought about what caused my frame to crack the way that it did. It could have been the laser cutting that was used to manufacture the frame, or else the the years of use and turbulence from the flight could have affected the integrity of the metal fabrication within the frame. All in all it took about a fort night for them to release me from the hospital. I have been home for about a month and half now and am still recovering, but sooooo thankful to be alive. That was my closest experience yet.

As for the whereabouts of my Cannondale and I-pod, they were never recovered from the crash site. They now reside in the jungle canopies of Fiji, or maybe a local kid found the frame and welded it back together while listening to Paul Bogush’s best song “Star Story.” I guess one can only dream.

The above picture was taken by a local and depicts where I would have gone if I had rolled five feet further.

The post Crazy Frames appeared first on Bike Jax.

Photo credit: Wouter de Bruijn via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

We live in a crazy world where absolutely no one can agree on anything. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the world of politics and…BIKE PARTS! Yes, there has been an ongoing battle for years and years as to whether parts made in the USA are better than those made overseas. I often think of the unlucky bastard that had to rest his buttocks on one of the first mass produced bicycle seats back in the early- to mid-1800’s, he must have been angry all the time. Fortunately, for us crazy road bikers that spend the entire summers strapped to our bicycles technology has come a long way.  Now back to the debate!

 When thinking about bike parts, or any other part that is manufactured by a machine for that matter, there are many things that need to be considered. Foreign Vs. domestic? Price? Is there a difference in quality and craftsmanship? Where the hell is Tajikistan? I know, that is a lot of questions that need to be answered, but fear not if anyone can make sense of it all it is this crazy bike blogger.

 If you are a company, there are many benefits to having your parts manufactured both domestically and overseas. Let’s start on the foreign side. If your company took the time to move its whole production operation to some dank factory on an island off the coast of Japan, then chances are that the price you are paying per unit is a lot less than it would be if manufactured in the U.S. However, per a lot of patriotic people, there is a down side to offshore production. The main disadvantage is that of quality control. It is obvious that if you own a production factory in a small third world country half-way around the globe that management of quality control may be an issue from time to time. There are language barriers, sketchy material vendors, and logistical hurdles to maneuver, just to name a few. However, if you are manufacturing your products in the good old U S of A you may have to deal with those issues on a far lesser scale. This then begs the question, is there a PRICE to be paid for the convenience of domestic production?

 Ah yes, you turn over that package of brake pads and it reads made in the USA. Makes you feel good, doesn’t it? There are many benefits to the home sourcing of factory goods, but cost-savings can’t be one, right? Don’t be so sure, these days the average overseas factory worker’s wage has gone up 18-20% per year. Hmmm, well I just booked a one-way flight to Yemen, so all future posts will be originating from that wonderful country. Another benefit to domestic part production is that of quality assurance, basically if your production is being made within your home borders it is easier to tell if there are any potential problems that need addressing. Finally, having a quick response time is nothing to be shunned. Ask the production manager of the company whose sprockets are made in Mongolia if he ever has problems relaying his client complaints. He will yes 100% of the time.

 In closing, like politics, domestic vs. foreign part production is all a matter of opinion, no one is ever right, but somehow no one is ever wrong either.

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Photo credit: Karsten H.68 via Foter.com / CC BY-ND

I’m so annoyed. I saw this blog written by this biker/tech geek who took some leftover cable ducts and turned them into bike chain cleaners. No, seriously. I can’t find the post anywhere and it’s driving me crazy. I’m starting to wonder if I dreamed the whole thing. Stop gaslighting me, internet!

Anyway, this dude works all day long installing horizontal and vertical cable management systems. His life revolves around two things: (1) making sure server farms don’t have crazy messed up cables and (2) biking. One day he cut up a piece of duct and had this little chunk left so he brought it home. He hot-glued some Nylon brushes to the duct ‘fingers’ and voila, an easy-to-use bike chain cleaner. That’s pretty cool, since bike shops can really overcharge for that kind of stuff so if you can make a chain cleaner out of stuff you have lying around, I say go for it.

To clean his dirty bike chain, he simply holds the wire duct in one hand, places the chain so that it runs through the brushes, and cranks the pedals to turn the chain with the other hand. All the grit, sand, pet hair, old leaves and other debris just falls right out.

I think I can make one of these from memory but I’d sure like to find that post. If you find it, paste it in the comments, please!

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Wild parsnip. Photo credit: wackybadger via Small Kitchen / CC BY-SA

Today kicks off the start of a long weekend and I anticipate that many of you will be taking vacations and will want to cruise around on bike trails. I just came across an article about a weed that grows along the trails that can burn your skin. If a lizard skitters across the bike trail and spooks you, be sure not to take a header into this shit! It’s called ‘wild parsnip’ or ‘poison parsnip’. It looks like Queen Anne’s lace…but it ain’t. Apparently the sap can burn you pretty badly and give you photodermatitis. Gives a whole new meaning to ‘road rash’ doesn’t it?

If you take your kids out on the trail, be sure they know not to touch the stuff. And if you come into contact with it at all, wash the sap off ASAP!

Poisonous Plants in Florida

Wild parsnip doesn’t grow in Florida (or Georgia or Alabama.) We’re lucky, right? Wrong. We may not have poison parsnips here but we have plenty of other shit that you don’t want brushing your leg while biking on a trail. Poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, nettles — we got it all. Plus, in Florida we have the dreaded manchineel tree, which is about as hostile to humans as sharks, bears and Cincinnati gorillas (too soon?). Floridians know to stay the fuck away from manchineel trees. If you’re visiting from out of state this weekend, do as Jacksonvillians do and stay the fuck away from manchineel trees! They are an endangered species (good riddance! Why should we protect those fuckers?!) but they are around. Do. Not. Touch. Them. Unless you want to ruin your holiday weekend.

Manchineel tree. Heed the sign. For serious. Photo credit: globalreset via Decorators Guru / CC BY-SA

RAGBRAI

I know some people are planning on doing RAGBRAI soon. (I will do it one of these days). If you’re going to do it, you especially need to take heed of warnings against wild parsnip. I hear a shit ton of it grows in Iowa. Fun times.

Enjoy the 4th, everyone. And be careful not to tangle with our natural, plant-based predators.

The post Skin-burning Weed Grows Along Bike Trails! appeared first on Bike Jax.

A cog made by Experimental Prototype. So pretty.

It’s raining in Jacksonville right now, so I’m killing time by looking at bike parts online. While searching, I came across a really cool site: hellore.se/experimentalprototype. It’s a site for a Swedish company that makes experimental bike parts. I’m not ashamed to say that when I saw their photos of shining Titanium cogs beautifully machined on a Mitsubishi EDM machine, I wept.

The website for the company, Experimental Prototype or “EP”, is pretty barebones, and it reads like somebody took the original Swedish text and ran it through a version of the AltaVista Babelfish translator from 2005. But the parts on the site look gorgeous, and the site says they make custom bike parts. I have toyed with the idea of building my own bike from scratch…if I ever go through with it, I might ask these guys to build some parts for me.

I like to highlight bike parts manufacturers like this when I can. There are a lot of people out there who are working hard to create the gears that keep us moving. They deserve a shout-out!

EDIT: These bike parts — like most bike parts — are made with waterjet cutters. I don’t know where I got EDM from. Oops. I guess I thought those two things were the same, but it turns out they are quite different! Color me slightly embarrassed.

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We Floridians are extremely fortunate because we have a great place to ride: the beach. The sun, the sand, the sea air — it all makes for lovely bike outings. However, certain natural elements can be tough on bikes. Sand. Water. Salt. Those things can cause some problems for your bike. But taking the following steps can help you protect your bike from damage without giving up all that beach fun.

1. Clean it as soon as you get home. Take some detailer and wipe down your rims, frame and spokes to make sure any salty spray from the sea doesn’t sit on it and cause corrosion. You should also clean your chain to make sure there is no sand or grit in it.
2. Customize your bike with corrosion resistant parts. You know you’re not stuck with the parts your bike came with, right? You can swap our your existing rims with aluminum alloy rims, which are the best choice if you want to avoid rust. I suppose if you really want to protect your bike, you could hire a company to apply some corrosion resistant barrier coatings to it, but that would probably cost a lot and it might be hard to find someone to do that job.
3. Bike to the beach but not on the beach. One surefire way to protect your bike at the beach is to park it at a bike rack a safe distance away from the sea and sand and lock it up. Avoid bringing your bike onto the sand and letting it rest there.
4. Choose a wet chain lube. Our friends up north who ride in the winter use wet lube to avoid corrosion from road salt. I think this is a good idea for any of us who will be riding near or on Florida beaches also.

Do you have any other tips for protecting your bike while riding on the beach? Drop them in the comments!

The post Biking on the Beach: Bike After Care appeared first on Bike Jax.

When you’re biking, signaling your turns can help protect you and help the motorists behind you understand what you’re doing. But at night, even the best signaling can get lost in the dark. That’s why an Azerbaijani designer (oh that former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan — such a hotbed of great ideas!) came up with a device that projects displays on your back while you’re riding, replacing hand signals with bright, light images. It’s basically like adding brake lights and turn signal lights to your bike — only they’re on your back and controlled by your phone.

So. Freakin. Cool.

I haven’t tested the device for myself, so I can vouch for it’s reliability. But I am intrigued by the idea and am hoping to try one out soon.

I love smart technologies like this. I love anything composed of the kinds of high tech parts that have to be made in modular cleanrooms. But I also believe that when choosing gadgets, you have to be thoughtful.

I have to say this device seems a lot more useful than those bike computers that measure mileage. If you know where you’re going and can count, you can figure out how many miles you’ve ridden. Plus, it’s way too easy to get distracted by one of those things. If you’re on mile 98 and looking down every three seconds because you want to watch it flip to 100, odds of an accident go up.

This projector, on the other hand, mounts to the back of your bike so it can’t distract you while you’re riding. Instead, it helps drivers behind you and makes you safer. It’s been featured in lots of blogs, but so far I can’t figure out where to buy one. Commenters don’t seem to know either. If I figure it out, I’ll be sure to post the info, toute suite!

The post Cool New Gadget Might Make Biking Safer appeared first on Bike Jax.

Sometimes readers write in with questions and I do my best to answer them. Here’s my most recent answer to a reader question.

Q: Dear Jack,

I’ve heard that they make bike chain lubes with Teflon now. That sounds pretty cool. Should I switch to Teflon lube for my bike? I live in Jacksonville and ride out 50 miles per week.

Signed,

Teflon or No Telfon?

A: Teflon — the same stuff that’s in the non-stick coatings that keep your fried eggs from sticking to the pan — can help your bike chain last a lot longer. That’s right — Teflon’s not just for cookie sheets any more. There are a wide variety of spray-on bike chain lubricants that contain Teflon. Dry Lubricant from Finish Line is one example. Dry Lubricant is great if you’re biking on dirty, dusty roads and ‘moderately’ wet conditions. That sort of lube might be better for places like Arizona or Utah. More desert-y kinda places.

In Jacksonville, because we’re by the coast and we get plenty of rain every year, you’ll need something that won’t wash off as easily. Wet Lubricant from Finish Line may not have any fancy Teflon in it — just some unspecified ‘water repelling polymers’ — but it will help keep your drivetrain running, even on those days in September when we get 7 inches of rain.

So, reader, here’s my advice: before you decide what kind of lube to get, take a look at your rain gauge. I know that Teflon lube sounds great, and it is, but it’s not necessarily right for you.

The post Should I Use Teflon Bike Lube? appeared first on Bike Jax.

30 Days of Bikingis a thing they do up north in Minneapolis. Every April, people pledge to bike for 30 days consecutively. I’ve been thinking: there’s no reason Floridians can’t do this. It sometimes snows in April in Minneapolis (seriously — why does anyone live there?!) but here we’ll have warm breezes, sunshine and palm trees. I’m going to do this 30 days of biking thing. Who’s going to join me?!

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Photo credit: mr brown via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Folding bikes are cool, especially for people in the following demographics:

• People who live in cramped, NYC 5th-floor walkup apartments.
• People who fly and/or ride trains a lot.
• Some combination of the two.

I have a buddy who just bought a bike shop and is trying to decide whether he should stock folding bikes. He’s reached out to me and some other mutual friends to put the word out and help him gather data.

Please vote as soon as possible!

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