Blog

  • New stickers

    I sold off most of my stock of stickers and patches recently to clear the way for new and weirder designs.

    Biketinker Blowpop 4” stickers
    Glow in the dark mojo valve 3” stickers

  • Angel Island campout

    My friend booked a campsite in December, but had to reschedule… for the most beautiful post-time-change couple days in Bay Area memory.

    First principles: What bike? Fitz or Stooge?

    Do I take the Stooge? Big ole rack!
    Do I take the Fitz?? Supposed to be my bikepacking bike, but no racks.

    My friend says SAME DAMN BIKE, and he’s not entirely wrong.

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  • Bruce Gordon show at the Marin Museum of Bicycling

    Bruce Gordon show at the Marin Museum of Bicycling

    I had seen these Bruce Gordon show bikes before, at NAHBS, at Bruce’s shop gallery, and in David DiFalco’s storage space.

    They’re still marvelous.

    Pointy deco titanium Bruce Gordon rack with Bruce’s pointy deco titanium cantilever brakes.
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  • Orange Ebisu

    Orange Ebisu

    Ellum Bagworks basket bag as a teeny tiny pannier
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  • Voigtlander Vito BL

    Voigtlander Vito BL with half case

    UPDATE: I gave this camera back to my friend for display. While it could be fixed, a $120 repair isn’t practical for a sub-$50 camera.

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  • O to the G

    Battery / First and Market

    The slow churn of this guy’s legs easing up through the crosswalk, then weaving across and onto the sidewalk caused a double-take. “Whoa. Fixed.”

    The colored rear tire has 2001/2026vibes. Style never goes out of style.

  • Alex Pretti Ride Saturday 1/31

    UPDATE: About 150 people came out for the ride, I led it, and some deputized citizens ran sweep and kept things on track. I want you to think about stepping in and making something happen when you see a need.

    Unity poster for Alex Pretti courtesy of Angry Catfish and Champagne Rodman
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  • Velo Cosmos 2026

    Every bike in the concours.

    Jacquie Phelan with her “Columbo-Ham.” She was the featured speaker.
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  • Tried and Liked 2025 #5, #4, #3, #2, #1

    5: Brifters! My first ever brake lever shifting bike. Maybe my second ever even riding one. I thought they were genius when they came out, I was just too poor and riding fixed all the time.

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  • FaffBiking 2025

    Sayonara 2025.

    Fun couple hours riding up out of Fairfax and down into Sleepy Hollow. Gorgeous day, and I didn’t injure myself!

    I always love the Gestalt Haus jackalope sausage, but the M&G burger was really calling me. Next time.

    Nicassshhio Reservoir was beautiful, and The Mighty Kia is always fun over D Street into Petaluma.

    Oh yeah, I started my day taking a cat to the vet. Here he is interested in the toy, but not fooled by the toy.

  • Trying for 2026

    Update! Both eyes now have trifocal lenses installed!

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  • Tried and liked 2025 #6

    Getting my anemia fixed.

    I broke my wrist right before New Year and spent some time in the hospital for surgery intake, and they did a bunch of blood tests. The results show up in your phone app in about 20 minutes!

    Turns out my iron levels and hematocrit were abysmal. Like “no wonder I suck at bicycles” bad.

    Call Dr Ferrari! It’s blood-dopin’ time!

    Kaiser had said, “oh your iron is a little low we might look at that in a year or two” United said, “dood you’re anemic here’s what we will do.” And then they did it.

    1. Check me for internal bleeding. “Bloods gotta be going somewhere.” Ick. This is an involved, unpleasant process. Double ick. Turns out I have Barrett’s Syndrome.
    2. Take a pill every morning, and come back in three years to get scoped again.
    3. Take iron, but not too much, since it can “irritate the stomach.” I’m pretty sure this means “make you bleed internally which defeats the whole point.” I won’t go into why I think this is the case.

    So if you feel weak and asthmatic riding bikes and your poops are often almost black… talk to a doctor about anemia!

    Normal (not great) non-anemic bloodwork
    Change in hematocrit and hemoglobin after treatment

  • Tried and liked 2025 #7

    Quad Lock phone mounts for bike and car.

    Quad Lock mount on the Fitz Porcorosso

    I have a terrible sense of direction and it takes me repeated visits to understand the spatial relations of a place. So I tend to go places I already know. Having a phone/map mount where I can see it and follow the map is a huge help for me to get around and try new routes.

    I use it more in the car than on the bike, but I hope to change that in 2026.

    Not a map

    Overall, Quad Lock is good, it needs a dedicated case, and I like the ring back thing because it aids in holding the phone easily and securely.

    The only downside is that it smooths out the movement of the phone on the bike so I don’t get “steps” in my activity app.

  • Tried and liked 2025 #8

    Paying retail money for new and stylish clothes

    Kuhl shirt bro
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  • Tried and liked 2025 #9

    Upright bars. I’ve been riding flared dirt drops for decades, but swapped in Velo Orange Tourist bars to recover from my broken wrist.

    Tourist bars on the Quickbeam in Fall ginkgo leaves
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  • Tried and liked 2025 #10

    The Sturmey S2 kickback wheel!

    I’ve had this wheel for a number of years and only used it occasionally, but after I broke my wrist right before New Years Day 2025, I replaced the fixed wheelset with this Sturmey Archer two speed kickback wheelset.

    S2 wheel in ginkgo leaves
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