Friday, August 31, 2007
Colorado Road Trip - Day 2
Day 2 (Sunday) of my trip was completely off the bike and spent with the Bell family. To protect privacy I will use the initials for the Bell family (BB, AB, LB, SB)
The morning started with a run with BB and neighbor, Marty. It was nice that they invited me on there regular run. Even nicer is that they didn't take me downhill and leave me. Just kidding, the run while cut a little short (for them) due to time constraints but was perfect for me.
Later, we ran some shopping errands and had lunch at Pei Wei. Pei Wei was LB's choice and did not disappoint. I have eaten at this chain in three different cities and have had the same good food and experience at each one. It was nice that SB chose to sit by me and allowed me to help him with his chop sticks.
BB is looking into starting cycling for fitness. We went to several bike shops just to price some bikes and get information. As a very avid cyclist, I have travelled to Boulder several times in the past. One of my favorite mail-order catalog bike stores, Excel Sports, is headquartered there. Unfortunately, Excel only sells high-end, "pro", level bikes. These are really not right for BB at this time. I was very disappointed in all the other bike shops we visited. Being my thing, I have visited many bike shops in different cities of the years. Being that Boulder might be considered the "mecca" of cycling I was surprised at the low-level of service in the bike shops we visited. I admit I am spoiled by my local shop, Sunflower Outdoor and Bike in Lawrence, KS, which may be the best bike retailer in the U.S.
My specific problem with the Boulder bike shops were two. First, bike fit is very important. They seemed to give short shift to this (with the exception of Excel Sports). Second, is that none of the bike shops seemed to carry a good selection of road bikes to compare and choose from.
The rest of the day was easy and enjoyably spent playing with kids and generally just chilling out.
In hindsight, an off-motorcycle day or at least a light motorcycle day, in the middle of the short vacation trips (3-4 days) that I like to take may be ideal. One dynamic of motorcycle trips is that naturally a big part of the trip is motorcycle riding. Because of the severe limit in luggage, I am not able to do some of the activities that I enjoy such as biking, kayaking, etc. I note that my other vehicles are SUVs that allow me to take some of my many "toys' for active vacations. While motorcycling is very fun, a break after long travel days can be relaxing.
I finished an enjoyable second day with 0 motorcycle miles.
The morning started with a run with BB and neighbor, Marty. It was nice that they invited me on there regular run. Even nicer is that they didn't take me downhill and leave me. Just kidding, the run while cut a little short (for them) due to time constraints but was perfect for me.
Later, we ran some shopping errands and had lunch at Pei Wei. Pei Wei was LB's choice and did not disappoint. I have eaten at this chain in three different cities and have had the same good food and experience at each one. It was nice that SB chose to sit by me and allowed me to help him with his chop sticks.
BB is looking into starting cycling for fitness. We went to several bike shops just to price some bikes and get information. As a very avid cyclist, I have travelled to Boulder several times in the past. One of my favorite mail-order catalog bike stores, Excel Sports, is headquartered there. Unfortunately, Excel only sells high-end, "pro", level bikes. These are really not right for BB at this time. I was very disappointed in all the other bike shops we visited. Being my thing, I have visited many bike shops in different cities of the years. Being that Boulder might be considered the "mecca" of cycling I was surprised at the low-level of service in the bike shops we visited. I admit I am spoiled by my local shop, Sunflower Outdoor and Bike in Lawrence, KS, which may be the best bike retailer in the U.S.
My specific problem with the Boulder bike shops were two. First, bike fit is very important. They seemed to give short shift to this (with the exception of Excel Sports). Second, is that none of the bike shops seemed to carry a good selection of road bikes to compare and choose from.
The rest of the day was easy and enjoyably spent playing with kids and generally just chilling out.
In hindsight, an off-motorcycle day or at least a light motorcycle day, in the middle of the short vacation trips (3-4 days) that I like to take may be ideal. One dynamic of motorcycle trips is that naturally a big part of the trip is motorcycle riding. Because of the severe limit in luggage, I am not able to do some of the activities that I enjoy such as biking, kayaking, etc. I note that my other vehicles are SUVs that allow me to take some of my many "toys' for active vacations. While motorcycling is very fun, a break after long travel days can be relaxing.
I finished an enjoyable second day with 0 motorcycle miles.
