From the beginning:

Nate and Ty are Students at the U of U and were enrolled in Summer School, Their Dad Gary is Retired and ready for Adventure, and I am always looking for ways to get on a bike tour. Two and a half weeks ago at a family party I convinced them to go on a bike trip from Canada to Mexico instead of school, and my wife allowed me to go with them for the first 2-3 weeks. fast forward to now.

The Vanvrankens did most of the planning, and I showed up. They planned to take the Amtrak, and I thought that sounded cool since I had never been through the Sierras via train. 2-3 days of train travel seems less intense than it really is, we are 1.5 days into it and would have flown if we had to do it again. Don’t get me wrong, we are having a blast and are loving it anyways. 3 days to get somewhere that could take 3 hours – don’t do it unless you want the experience. We packed most of our warm clothes in boxes that we have checked – and would have definitely dressed warmer for the train, it has been really cold.

We plan on starting our tour on Monday afternoon in Vancouver Canada, then riding down the San Juan islands. We will make it over to the coast, then just ride down until Tijuana. Should take about 6 weeks.

What would you like to hear about the trip?

David loves checking in hundreds of new models.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we here at the BW like to ponder our many blessings. One of those blessings is David, our receiving guy. You see, we just got in our big pre-season order from Ritchey, chock-full of all kinds of new 2011 models. David (with some help from Greg and Oran) has been going through that huge order, piece by piece, getting all the new models ready to be listed. You’ll also notice him working on lots of Camelbak stuff. Yeah, that’s right. We said Camelbak. We’re now a proud dealer.

More big pre-season orders are on their way. So look out world! We’re going to be shipping out all kinds of goodness to a front porch near you.

I don’t know how many of you are reading this. Maybe thousands. Millions? Mom, are you still reading this? ‘Cause I’m going to pose a question at the end, and if you have some insights, comment, deal?

I’ve been home from Europe for two and a half weeks and I can’t feel my big toes. It started just outside of Munich, I think. They just started getting numb on the long days and then melded into being numb all the time.  It wasn’t really a problem because they didn’t hurt or anything, but now, now it’s just awkward. I’ve stubbed it like 20 times and it’s not hurting. It’s wrecking my world.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to cure my numb toes? Or how to prevent it from happening again?

Maybe you have toyed with the idea of keeping your trusty steed out of the storage closet for the winter. Well quit toying with the idea and keep your bike from sharing its winter with lawn chairs and mice. Now is the time to make the commitment to ride your bike as often as you can this winter. We know what you are thinking: are we crazy? No, we live in Utah; we know cold. We also know icy streets, white out conditions, wind chill and rain. Not to brag, but we know Jack Frost and all his trickery. We want to pass on a few words of advice from our years on the winter roads so you can stay fit and happy on your bike without regret nagging at you all winter.

When it comes to base layers, less is more, and the type of fabric is key.  Always remember this: cotton kills. Cotton may be great for all your summer riding, but it won’t cut it in the winter time.  Wool and synthetic base layers will wick away moisture and keep you warm, but don’t go crazy with them. With your legs pumping away, your core will stay warm no problem if you have a good jacket. Its the arms and legs you need to focus on the most.

Cannondale Jacket

You need more than a good jacket for commuting. This doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy the burliest down coat on the market.

A jacket that is breathable, weather proof and will shield the wind is ideal, since the elements are going to be your biggest competitors this winter. The Cannondale L.E. Max Jacket is a good option for those who want to stay visible, warm and stylish.

A great pair of gloves will keeping you riding, since cold hands are what keep people off their bikes the most. Avoid any frost nip, bite, or meal by investing a couple dollars in gloves like the Giro Proof Cold-Weather Cycling Gloves, which are rated 30-0 degrees. The Giro gloves are a good option, but if neoprene is more your style, the Neo Work ‘n’ Sport gloves will keep the elements at bay and your fingers functioning.

Giro winter gloves

If you are like us and carry a few extra pounds around, you may not think you need tights. But let us entice you with something that will keep you far warmer than any pair of  jeans, cordorroy-poly-cotton-spandex-shimmy-shake-pants.  Tights man, it’s where it’s at. Sure, they fit a little snug, but what are you trying to hide?  A pair of warm tights will keep your joints happy, your muscles warm, and will save your work pants from getting stuck in your chainring…again.  Our tights page has so many styles, you could get lost. So we’ve picked out a few that we support for winter riding.

Bellwether Windfront

If you want the option of wearing shorts or knickers under your tights, the Bellwether Thermaldress tights are the best option. They don’t have a chamois and have reflective piping so you stay safe while commuting when the day light hours are shorter.

When the weather isn’t at its most extreme, or you want something a little lighter with a chamois, Bellwether Thermaldress Bike Tight With Pad deliver it all: warmth, chamois and comfort.

Some people are shy about parading around town in a pair of skin-tight tights, we understand. Bellwether understood the need for a more flattering fit  too when they designed the Windfront Bike Tights. A looser fit, but tight around the knees to keep the joint warm, the Windfront is flattering and winter worthy.

Headsweats Sweat Tech II

Helmets are breezy; this isn’t the best thing when it is 15 degrees outside and you are bombing down hills. Cold ears and foreheads are the makings of a cold weather migraine. Keep your ears from turning into icicles with a Neoprene ear warmer or a winter scull cap. If you want a balaclava to keep your face covered up, we support that too.

Your bike might need some extra gear to keep it working in the winter so invest in a good pair of fenders, keep your bike clean, and lube your chain at least once a week.

If you decide you really want to sissy out on winter, get a trainer.

Session 700 solid color

When a company like Fyxation comes out with a tire like Sessions 700 , we dedicate a blog post to it.

Born out of the necessity for a tire that addresses the road conditions of city cycling, the Session 700 is a tough 700c tire. Made with a poly-aramid fiber bead (not metal), a 120 TPI, and carbon-black material on the dual compound, and white walled tires.  The Session 700 virtually bomb proof. The poly-fiber bead is designed to keep you from getting pinch flats while the carbon black on the solid black, dual compound and white walled tires keeps your tread riding for longer without the worry of flatting out while on the town. For people who are into skidding, the carbon black is a good option since you won’t have to worry about skidding your tire out from under yourself due to the traction pattern and long lasting power it possesses.

We wanted to make sure the Session 700 tires were worth every dime, so we had one of our guys, Eric, put them on his custom GT Pulse and take them bombing down the hills and around the streets of Salt Lake City.

White Wall Sessions on Eric's GT

With over 80 miles on his white-walled Session 700 tires, Eric reported he was “able to lean into turns a lot more and hit them faster. The ride was a lot smoother and less shaky than with other tires. Skidding is a lot easier with these tires too.”

The full-colored Session 700 tires are made of a softer rubber but still have superb traction and the same tread pattern as its dual-colored and white-walled counter parts. The colored Session 700s are made in black, white, green, pink and orange. To get the full education on Fyxation’s tires, check out Tires 101.

If matching your grips and bar ends to your tires is your thing, Fyxation has you covered. Their BMX and Track grips come in eye popping colors that are sure to be seen in traffic and match the tread of the tires.

Fyxation Grips

Be sure to pick up a pair of Fyxation tires, grips, bar-ends or a saddle on Bikewagon’s Fyxation page.

If you want to see more photos of Eric’s sweet ride, visit our flickr page.

Most trade shows give away all kinds of things to grab your attention and to win you over to their brand. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Interbike is no different.

Jon ready to win some Swag.

There is an amazing phenomenon that occurs when you throw someone a free shirt in a crowd of people. Friends become enemies and strangers become intense competitors. People will push, shove and trample over whomever necessary just to get their hands on a simple shirt. The most amusing spectacle of all, though, is that once you fight off everyone to get the shirt and finally realize what it is and what size it is, you can’t beg anyone to take it from you. After all, it isn’t the shirt that people are after, but the battle. And everyone loves to be the winner.

When it comes to winning swag, the one thing I have learned is that you always have to stay positive. My grandma has been telling me for years that the most important thing I can have in life is a positive attitude. When I was young, discussions on positive thinking were about as much fun as eating some of her whole wheat pancakes. She always told me to be grateful for the things that I didn’t yet have but was soon to receive. I thought nothing of what she had said and just went about my life as normal.

Then a year ago, a friend won a sweet GoPro HD helmet camera at Interbike. My initial feeling was jealousy. For some reason, my grandma’s words came into my head and I thought, “I can’t be jealous of him but be happy for him.” So I put on a positive attitude and went to the show the next day grateful that I would be walking away with a free helmet cam for myself.

My group wanted to head out at about 2:45 to make the trip back to Salt Lake, and they would be giving out cameras at 3:00. I knew that I was winning a camera and had to stay till 3:00, so I delayed as long as I could. When the guy got up to give out a free camera, he looked at me and I told him in my head, “You want to give this guy (me), a camera.” After a while, guess who walked away with a free camera?

This year at the show, Kyle got pretty jealous after I told him about a rack that I had won from Yakima. I told him that getting jealous would get him nowhere, and that he needed to use positive thinking. Guess who walked away this year with a free camera from GoPro? Now it doesn’t always work, but after a few raffles, contests and more than a thousand dollars worth of free swag in 13 months, I think that positive thinking has been going pretty well. So thanks, Grandma, for the important lesson, but I am still not going to eat your pancakes.

Ritchey’s got some sweet new red and silver handlebars coming out:

Crank Brothers continues to expand their beautiful lineup with their latest addition, carbon stems:

Ergon’s coming out with some cool platform pedals, as well as gloves to match their grips:

And Fizik is releasing some custom heat-molded shoes. Unfortunately, their 1st-year production will be very limited, but they look awesome, so you have something to look forward to.

The buzzword at Interbike 2010 is “urban,” and the bike fashion show certainly reflected that movement:

At the end of the day, we stumbled upon the air guitar competition Yakima was holding. Jon, Nathan and Paul all jumped in to try and impress the crowd. They rocked it, if we do say so ourselves. Check out the vid:

Unfortunately, another conetstant had a few more compadres in the crowd, so his cheers were a little bit louder. But Yakima still hooked us up with some sweet consolations.

For more updates, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. And check out our Flickr pics, too.

The four of us that were left took the night train back to Budapest. It was just like we left it.

I think I changed a lot because of seeing Romania. It’s the farthest I’d ever been from home. I’ve stuck pretty close to the West so far in my life, so being that far away gave me a new perspective on what it means to feel familiarity.

Bike fashion show

We checked back into our hostel (here is a link to the Groove Hostel, if you want more info) and had quite a time explaining in Hungarian that we needed cardboard to pack our touring bikes. We’ve been riding Lapierre Passports.

We packed. We reflected. It was cloudy and cold outside. I was glad I wasn’t next to the trail. Those nights of rain and cold were tough. Outside our window was the strangest thing: a bike fashion show. I included some pics. Of all the streets in Budapest, Hungary to have a bike fashion show, they picked our street. It was a wink from the bike gods. We walked along the Danube. I said my good-byes. I thought of Sidhartha. I thought of Vienna. I thought of all those dragonflies in Slovakia. I thought of my bike and bike parts. I thought of this blog and all the secrets I’ve told. I thought of home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this. You should check back regularly. Deal? I’ll be contributing one post a week about my experiences as a bike commuter and, as you’ve read, everything that comes along with it.

Stay safe,

Dave

So, we’ve been following the Danube. If you’re thinking you know where that is, but are like me and really don’t, check the map. We’ve ridden through valleys, plains and cities. I’ve seen more in the last three weeks than possibly the twenty-five years before it.

I used to live on my bike. I used to know how to get across town using only the bike trails. You know, the ones that run through vacant lots, past crazy dogs and behind fences. The trails the kids use. My bike was my car. But then the car came and I didn’t have time anymore. On this trip there has been a reconnection with my bike. How can you not feel connected spending so much time with something? Actually, I think the reconnection came when I couldn’t get the clip of my shoe to fit in my pedal and jammed the pedal into my shin. I don’t think you ever forget that kind of pain. To put it in the common tongue, this trip has been rad.

The People's Palace in Bucharest

If you’re wondering about the title of this post, I’m referring to the book by Herman Hesse. In it, Sidhartha finds peace in the river. I think the Danube has done similar things for me. Read that book, it’s a treasure.

We rode around Budapest for a day. This place is a close second to Vienna. Oh, sweet Vienna. We grabbed some of the local goulash right next to the parliament building. Another amazing moment of food on this trip. Really, anything that isn’t cold bread with some kind cheese and a slab of salami is amazing now. Sadly, Jon and Melissa had to jet early, so it’s just the Majors crew and me. Kimball is still eating my gummy bears.

Dale and Kimball takin' a break in Slovakia

More from Dave in Europe:

I’ve learned out here on the trail that I don’t know a lot about a lot. It’s been hard but rewarding. The crew I’m with is filled with sharp tools. We rode into Bratislava, Slovakia. The buildings were grey and efficient. It was cloudy, which seemed fitting. The people seemed guarded and reserved. At the local super market we got our usual regiment of yogurt, bread, cheese, salami. I got some gummy bears. Kimball, the one-and-a-half year old who’s leading the trip, likes to share them. It took me a second to warm up to that plan. Those gummy bears are gold out here on the trail.

Slovakia street

We made our way through town. A lot of tourists were there. We took a trip to the train station (the next step in our trip is the train down to Budapest), but it ended up that they had sold out of bike spots. That’s where the day’s fun started. We figured out that we could ride 25 kilometers to another town to catch a train. The problem was that we only had an hour and a half to do it. This was possible, but we had to push it. We were all sweating. Moving that packed bike is nothing easy. What I noticed was that the path was straight. We figured it was a retired railway line. Maybe it was the communism that had been here, but people here are 20 years behind, because I had never seen so many rollerbladers.