Question Answered!?!

I have had quite a few of you asking me what blog service i use.  It's very simple: Blogspot!  I don't use wordpress, or any of the other ones out there.  Blogspot has been very easy to use, user friendly, no ones hacked it.  I would recommend Blogspot to anyone looking to start a blog of their own.


Keep on Biking....

Buying a new bike?

About a month ago i bought a new bike from one of the bike shop in town here.  It was the Jamis Commuter 3 with a Shimano Nexus 7 speed internal, 700c tires, and chocolate brown.  I liked how it looked, and i think that's what attracted me to it.  Don't get me wrong it rode nice to, but internal gearing is different then external geared bikes.  With external geared bikes you have more gearing range then internal does.  I had to trade the Jamis in for something different, it was killing my knees, plus i need something that goes off road as well.  I didn't think everything over before i bought my bike; What terrain am i going to be riding over, what conditions, what size tire do i want/need, and is it the overall right bike for me. 

1. What terrain are you riding over;
1. Road
2. dirt
3. sand
4. ???
2. What conditions are you going to be riding in:
1. Is it mostly dry
2. wet ( are you going to need disc brakes?)
3. snow
4. or are you riding all year 'round?
3. What size tire are you needing or wanting?
1. 24"
2. 26"
3. 27"
4. 700c
5. 29"
4. Is the bike right for me overall, or am i buying it just for one thing?

What Terrain?

If you are riding on only the road back and forth to work or school, i would recommend getting a road bike. With a road bike they have skinnier tires and a bit smoother so that it has less drag then say knobby tires.  If you are doing just sand and dirt, a mountain bike will do you just fine, but if you are going to be riding on both road and dirt, i would recommend getting a newer mountain bike with urban style tires.  The mtn bike will have wider tires for going off road, but you can also pump up the tires to be road worthy and still feel like a road bike.

What conditions are you riding on?

If your riding on mostly dry surfaces and conditions, regular cantilever brakes will work just fine for you, but if you are going to be riding in the rain, snow, or anything else, i would recommend getting a bike equip with disc brakes.  Disc brakes are in my opinion easier to work on, and also the brake pads hit on the disc rather than the rim which will have mud, dirt, water, ice, etc...  the disc will not as much, and you'll have better braking power as well.

What size tire is right for you?

The bigger the tire the more tread area hits the road.  26" vs. 29ers:  A 26" tire will have an inch or two or area on the ground, and a 29er will have more like two to three inches or tire area hitting the ground (all depends on amount of PSI pressure that you have in the tire at the time).

Is the bike right for you?

Or are you buying it just cause it looks pretty.  If that's why your buying the bike, then don't do it, unless you wanna have it as a garage ornament cause that's all it will end up being after a few times of riding.  When you buy a bike keep all the info mentioned above in mind, but also keep in mind that you need to feel comfortable on the bike.  If you don't like how it rides, gears, seat height etc...  When your buying a bike from a bike shop they will go over this with you and make sure you like the bike.  If they don't, don't buy from them.  Also Walmart, Target, Kmart, or any other big box store will not help you with saddle sizing, frame size, whether or not you are comfortable on the bike or not.  Their goal is to sell, sell, sell...    If you can't afford to buy a bike from bike shop, go to a bike shop and have them help you get sized for a bike so you know what kind of bike you can fit onto, then from there you can pick which one is comfortable to you.

When you buy a bike, a lot goes into consideration before you roll out onto the trails.  Just be careful before you buy.  Don't regret you buy like i did.

Keep on Biking....

Questions: Contact me!

I have had a lot of you commenting and asking if there is a way to contact me.  Well there is, along the top of the page in the tabs is the contact me tab.  Click that and my email is on there.  That's the best way to get a hold of me for any bike questions and/or ideas you may have.  In the subject tab put "bike confession."  I check my emails at least 5 times a day.  I will get back  to you as soon as i can.  

Keep on Biking....

Fixing the oldies but goodies

I just recently got a couple of antique bikes that i'm trying to fix up and resell.

the first one i really like:

This is a Sears and Roebuck 5 speed women's frame

27 x 1 1/4

i love this chain guard, such a vintage look, well i guess it is.

Almost everything is original to the bike.  I had to change the rear derailleur, shifter and cable.  The rear derailleur had one of the cogs destroyed, and i couldn't change the cog, the bolt was too stiff to undo.  I had to also replace the rear tire and tube, both of these bike sat in a shed for thirty or so years like this.  in my opinion they are in beautiful condition.

The other bike needs a little bit more help:

this is a 1960's Huffy 3 speed men's framed bike.

26 x 1 3/8s

the rear hub needs a bit of help, i looked into the hub, and part of the pin had broken off inside.  I need to open it up one of these days and clean it out.  It won't take too much to do that though.  it's kind of fun to open them up and see what they have been through, whether they have been abused or not.  Most of the hubs i've opened up are pretty clean, but i have had one that i was able to get running, but it was on the line between needing to be replaced and barely fixable.  I have a few more that are sort of walmart mtn bikes that need to be fixed up, when i have them running, i'll tel you about them.

Keep on Biking....

Guest writers? Yes or No? That is the Question.

hello everyone,

i had someone ask "do i allow guest writers to contribute to my blog?"  my answer: YES!

If you have any information that you would like to contribute please send it to me in an email to: bemidjiyehudamoon@gmail.com, and if i like the information that you have to contribute i will put it on with your name attached, and if i have any additional info to add to it, i will add it in the same post, but separately.
Please dont be afraid to email me, i would like to hear from you.  if you have info to contribute, please do so, so that that knowledge can be spread to the rest of the world.

Keep on Biking....

Confused Sturmey Archer Hub Update.

I just wanted to update everyone about this hub, i was able to get it to work in 2nd, and 3rd gear, and i gave the bike away to a guy that i knew would really take care of the bike like it was his baby.  I know that, that bike will be on the road for years to come in the same condition that i gave it to him.  to see the smile come across his face when i told him about the bike and the problem with the hub not being able to shift into first gear, and he didn't care about that.  He just wanted a bike that would get him around, instead of walking everywhere and suffering with sore legs at the end of every walk.  In my opinion, it went to a great owner.

Keep on Biking....

I'M BACK.

"Me with my yellow Schwinn Sprint,

 next to the Nice Ride bikes in the twin cities."

Hello everyone,

I'm back from my trip to St. Paul/Minneapolis.  I went through the LCI class ((League Cycling Instructor) LCI teaches people how to be safe on a bike, and how to cycle on the road confidently), and it went very well.  I nailed all the road and parking lot skills, but i have to go back again in the fall and take the class again, my instructor wants me to come back again, he said because i need to get my knowledge of the info down, and be better at presenting in front of people (i have never been good at talking in front of crowds). 

As part of the class, we had to ride on some of the main roads with the traffic.  That was very fun to do along with the parking lot skills.  All the different people i meet that were taking the class with me were from all over Minnesota (Minneapolis, Hutchinson, St. Cloud, Bemidji, etc..., just to name a few places).  I ate out a lot just to try some of the different places down there, and one place that i ate was "pizza luca"  (i think thats how you spell it), and the pizza was the best i have ever eaten, words could not describe it.  I sat outside next to my locked up bike, and i looked down the block from where my bike was and every bike rack was full of bikes.

Almost every kind of bike was locked up next to mine, from Fuji's to Xtracycles, and seeing the same amount of bikes on the road as there are cars, made me happy to be doing what i'm doing at Shifting Gears.  

I had to stop by a bike shop to get my back brakes repaired, and i went by a bike shop called "Spokes." When i walked in there i felt at home, because they are the same thing as Shifting Gears basically.  They let me use their repair stand and repair my brakes, they would have let me use their tools, but i had my 30 in one tool with me.  

I looked at my comment page today, at all the wonderful comments that were left when i was gone.  I just wanna Thank You guys for commenting and visiting my blog.  When i started this blog last year i did not expect the popularity of it to be more than a few people from my home town, but it has gone world wide, and that just makes me happy to think that biking is that popular and so many people are looking up the things im blogging about.  That only makes me want to keep this going and blog about the things that aren't easy to find on the internet.  Please do not be shy to ask me questions about bikes or suggest something to blog about, and if i don't know the answer to it, i know a couple people that would.  I'm always looking for things to put on my blog.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Keep on Biking....