Better late than never!

Welcome to my blog! I started this page to document some of my trips, chat about old steel framed bicycles, and share some of my thoughts on what is quickly becoming a healthy addiction, cycling. Mostly though, I started this blog to help me commit to continuing down a path that started for me in March of this year. At the age of 39 years old, and in the worst shape of my life,  I decided to re-kindle a passion of mine from my youth and began looking for an old bicycle to refurbish. A friend found an old Raleigh Twenty at a local auction house for only $20 and I quickly snatched it up. I've had a mountain bike for several years but this was a whole different experience and a great way to ease myself back in to riding on the roads. The upright position, lack of rolling-resistance and comfortable saddle gave a much needed and encouraging relief from the infrequent mountain biking I had experienced up to this point.

The 1969 Raleigh Twenty

The Raleigh led to a lot of reading (thank you Sheldon Brown), which in turn led to a lot of drooling over pictures of vintage cruisers, road bikes and all kinds of bicycle porn that the internet has to offer. It wasn't long before I had purchased my very first road bike....ever! I picked up a mid-80's Raleigh Module 12-speed touring bike that, while in need of a serious bath, was structurally sound. Riding a road bike with drop bars was a weird experience for me at first. I found the bike twitchy, unstable and I quickly became fearful of potholes and loose gravel. However, it wasn't long before I found my legs on the bike and, before I knew it, was putting in more miles than I had ever done. I would find myself craving even the shortest rides, just to get out on the bike and explore.

On the trails of Rockwood Park with Alex Keleher

It wasn't long before I started to feel much better than I had in years. I lost some weight, was sleeping better and found myself craving healthier foods and water instead of cola (though coffee has lost none of it's appeal). I found myself with a sudden stack of bicycle magazines and names like "Campagnolo", "Raleigh", and "Brooks" were part of my everyday vocabulary. Yes sir, I was hooked! Over the next few months I collected some more bicycles and tested different styles in search of my bicycle identity. I found a crew of people not far from my home in Saint John who were into bicycles, albeit of a different style than my own interest, and soon I was attending bicycle shows and even biking to work. My wife now has caught the bug and is preparing for a day trip with me in late September.

Bicycling has become part of my life and I am grateful to have found a healthy hobby to obsess over. I hope you'll follow me on my journey towards a healthier life....on two wheels!