R.I.P. Arturo "Thunder" Gatti

What is widely regarded as one of the greatest fights of all time took place on May 18 2002 between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti. I watched the fight live on HBO and have to agree, it was amazing. Unfortunately Gatti was found murdered in his hotel room in Brazil this past Saturday. His wife is believed to be responsible.

This video is round 9.

Morning Ride 07-11-09

I was conflicted this morning. I wanted to watch the Tour, but I also wanted to ride before the temperatures hit 100 plus degrees. Since this stage doesn't end with a climb, I figured I would catch the replay later in the day.

I had read about a new Mexican restaurant on 8th Street called Paco & John Mexican Diner. It's supposed to be really good, and more importantly, inexpensive. I was in the mood for a plate of migas, so Paco & John's was my destination.

I was thankful for the shade as I rode through the TCU campus area. Even though I was taking it easy I was already sweating.

I find something new everytime I ride through the neighborhoods around TCU.

This is a nice little neighborhood garden. It appears to be filled with native plants and flowers. I guess that keeps the watering to a minimum.

My favorite cycling cap.

Quiet roads north of Park Hill and west of 8th.

Darn you Paco & John!!! Their website says that they open at 10 AM on Saturdays. A chalkboard sign in the window said that they wouldn't be opening till 11 AM. I was hungry so I took off looking for food.

Eqyptian Food. I don't have any idea what Egyptian's eat but I'll have to give this place a try.

I've eaten at Benito's before. It's not bad, but I wanted to eat somewhere different.

This is Ellerbe Fine Foods. It's a restaraunt as well as a market selling upscale foods as well as pre-packaged meals.

I ended up stopping at the Gallery Art Cafe on Jennings.

I was surprised to find migas on the menu. I was even more surprised that I enjoyed them. They weren't anything like my grandmother used to make, but they were tasty. The Breakfast Blend coffee was really good.

The new bike lane on Magnolia Avenue.

Texas hippies like to paint their vehicles.

This is one of the coolest houses in town. I had to sneak this photo as the homeowners were working in the garage.

Stress Relief

I arrived home after work yesterday, hot and tired. I really didn't want to do anything physical. Having eaten a Quarter Pounder with cheese and fries for lunch that day, I felt guilty and thought that I had better get off of my rear end and ride. I'm glad I did. Work has been stressful lately and riding seems to put me in a much more relaxed mood. Unfortunately I've been averaging only one ride per week. I need to resume my 5 AM rides.

Things cooled off nicely late in the afternoon.

I'm still browsing bike sites trying to figure out just what I want to buy sometime in the not too distant future. A thread in Bike Forums brought this bike to my attention, it is a KHS Green 3 speed city bike. By coincidence the bike was favorably reviewed in the latest issue of Bicycling Times magazine, although it is also being sold as the Manhattan Green. Manhattan and KHS are one and the same. It sells for around $370 and is made from simple, low-tech hi-tensile steel. I think a beat up old Brooks would be a nice addition to this bike. I could see myself riding one of these.

The Green is also comes in a woman's step thru frame.

Happy Fourth of July!

Paul's Schwinn Varsity

Random Stuff 07-03-09

Lots of random stuff today stemming from my visit to the House Industries blog. They produce fonts that you've most certainly seen because they are everywhere. Apparently they have a few cyclists working for them as they have produced some neat wool jerseys.

I clicked on a link and jumped from House Industries to Hoopty Rides, a blog by a guy who goes by the name of Mister Jalopy. In his most recent post, Mister Jalopy applied a number of House Industries stickers to an unwanted, unloved, pink 80's Motive road bike frame.

The Hoopty rides blog is interesting but I really enjoyed his other blog, Dinosaurs and Robots. Lots of truly random cool stuff here including a link to a shop selling this creepy but interesting "Blinking Dolls Eye Ring". It opens and closes as you move your hand.

And finally there is a link to what I believe is Mister Jalopy's shop in L.A. called CoCo's Variety Store. I think I would travel to L.A. just to visit this place. Lots of excellent used bikes.

Don't forget that the Tour De France starts tomorrow morning. If you don't have Versus go to Steephill.tv to find a live video feed.

Torker Cargo T

I've been eyeing lots of different bikes lately. I most likely will be buying something used (and cheap) but I can't resist checking out some of the new stuff that's out there. Although I don't have a need for a cargo bike, I really like the Torker Cargo T. If I bought one I'm sure I'd make up stupid reasons to haul stuff around. It sounds like this could actually work as a daily errand bike.

The Cargo T in gray. It comes equipped with a Shimano 3 speed hub, front and rear racks and heavy duty kickstand for about $599.

Urban Velo has reviewed this bike, which is how I learned about it to begin with.

Here's another review of the Cargo T by R.L. Policar on the Bike Commuters blog.

Looking through the Torker catalog I found another bike that I like, the T300. Its equipped with a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub and a steel frame. Basic trouble free transportation for about $350.

Pondero Tours Cowtown

Christopher (Pondero) contacted me the other day to let me know that he would be in town this Saturday, and he was planning to do some riding. We made arrangements to get together. We met up at 8:30 AM at the parking area at Riverfront Drive and University (by Panera Bread). I was surprised at how many people were riding the trail this morning. The parking area was full and there wasn't much parking space available along Riverfront Drive. Yes, I drove my bike to the starting point. Please forgive me. We rode east on Park Place, through the Fairmont area to downtown. After doing a little sightseeing downtown we jumped on the Trinity Trails on 4th Street east of downtown and rode back to the starting point. I thought this route would provide a nice sample of the riding that Fort Worth has to offer. You can click here to read Christopher's ride report.

Now this is how you dress for the heat.

I've been riding alone for the last few years and my poor riding manners reflected that. Christopher took it all in stride. It ended up being one of the most pleasant rides I've had in a very long time.