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Blogs are a funny, fickle mistress. You produce content. You struggle to maintain the balance between journalistic/artistic integrity and SEO so that people can find you. You throw out terms like “journalistic/artistic integrity” as if you actually had them. You try to be funny. You try to speak to your readers.

But at the end of the day there really is no predicting which of your works will catch on and which won’t. It is nearly impossible to predict which of your stories might get posted to reddit, providing yet more eyes on your stuff. One Facebook share gets thousands of page views, another zero. Such is the Wild Wooly Web. Keep reading →

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It used to be that every once in awhile television shows would put out a “remember when” type episode. If it was a sitcom, the characters would find themselves sitting around in a livingr oom or coffee house or something, reminiscing which would lead to flash back sequences of footage from past episodes. I always figured these were the episodes thrown together when most of the writing staff was on vacation or something.

I guess you could say that this post is kind of like that – only I am the writing staff and I’m not actually on vacation. Keep reading →

Bike Shop Girl: A blog for the ladies

Bike Shop GirlI recently discovered the blog Bike Shop Girl and I’ve been quite impressed. As a fellow blogger, I first noticed its beautiful layout and design, ease of use and the presence of quality, original content. I was also excited to find a site that was focusing on the much-underserved community of women cyclists.

Bike Shop Girl is me, Arleigh Jenkins. With over 12+ years of bicycle industry experience from running bike shops, seasoned bike mechanic & fitter, to avid bike commuter and racer; you can say I’ve done almost everything. I started Bike Shop to reach more women and make their cycling experience better.

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Twitter for Cyclists

Ahhh Twitter. One could create a pretty strong argument that Twitter’s popularity among cyclists is a direct result of EPO. One could also argue that it is simply the easiest way to share your race success with your friends and fans while still gasping for air at the finish line.

So, in a fashion not unlike Follow Friday (but clearly not #FF, because that is all messed up lately) I thought I’d throw out some of the names I follow. This list is by no means complete, nor should you assume that someone that I do not follow is not worth following. But of you are looking for something else to consume data on your smartphone’s data plan, here’s some good ones to follow:

Pro Cyclists and Teams

  • Jens Voigt @thejensie – #ShutUpLegs had to be a thing.
  • Chris Horner @hornerakg – Because who doesn’t want to wonder why the hell ‘akg’ is in his handle
  • Emily Kachorek @EmilyKachorek – Bad ass cyclist from VanderKitten
  • Vanderkitten @vanderkitten – Because they’re full of bad ass cyclists like Emily Kachorek. And they also seem to have this whole social media thingy nailed.
  • Jonathan Vaughters @Vaughters – Has some funny stuff to say sometimes. And knows a thing or two about cycling
  • Johan Bruyneel @JohanBruyneel – He says a ton of funny stuff too. Unfortunately it is usually when he is actually being serious.
  • Alberto Contador @albertocontador – We all need a reason to work on our spanish.
  • Team Sky @TeamSky – They taught me that Brits race bikes too.
  • Fabian Cancellara @f_cancellara – Apparently his tweets are sexier than everyone else’s.
  • Cadel Evans @CadelOfficial – It is fun to read his tweets with an Australian accent.
  • Phil Southerland @PhilSoutherland – Because diabetic cyclists kick ass. I know from personal experience.

Cycling Media Folks – Bloggers, journalists, photographers, etc

Tweet away folks…

 

Cycling blog roundup

If you are reading this, there is a fair chance you are a fan of cycling blogs.  Obviously I am…  So in true Follow Friday (#FF) fashion, I thought I share some of my favorite cycling blogs.  Well – favorite other than JustAnotherCyclist.com or VeloReviews.com that is.

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Rate your favorite bike photos

The popularity of the movie The Social Networksomewhat loosely inspired by the actual history of Facebook – exposed a lot of folks to the idea of presenting two random photos side by side, picking which of the two you like better.  It is an interesting idea.  After watching the movie, I actually thought “Wouldn’t it be cool to do that with bicycle photos.”

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Jan 10 Lunch Links

Collection of cycling related points of interest on the web.  How else should one spend their lunch time?

Seth Rogen appears on ‘Today’ riding a stationary bike.  Today is attempting to encourage their viewers to get into shape – apparently Seth is there as a representative of the hipster crowd.  There is even a reference to Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Speaking of PBR and hipsters – let’s play Bike Polo.  The overall rule is “don’t be a d***
New Orleans rolls out what apparently is their very first striped bike lane.  The result?  More folks riding bikes.
The unfortunate death of a descending cyclist marks.  Be careful out there friends.
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Rainy day bike stories

It is rainy here in Sacramento.  Supposed to be rainy tomorrow too, which likely means no group ride.  The pro tours are off for the season, cyclocross is in a lull.  What is your intrepid cycle blogger to do?

Why scour Google, of course – in true blog style.

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Possible Flooding on American River Bike Trail

If you frequent the American River Bike Trail, be especially cautions for the next few days.  Engineers have begun releasing a large quantity of water from Folsom Dam in an effort to reduce the lake level.  They are attempting to create water storage potential in the lake ahead of the predicted stormy weather that is said to be heading this way.  This additional release may raise river levels as much as “4 to 5 feet” according to local news.  This will potentially flood parts of the bike trail.

Keep reading →

Podcasts of Note

Cycling’s online resources continue to grow.  Websites, forums, blogs – they’re everywhere, for every possible facets of the cycling world.  But if words and pictures aren’t your thing, and you are more of a listener, then there are a plethora of cycling podcasts available.  I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites below.  This list is by no means comprehensive, and rather represents my own personal tastes.

VeloReviews This podcast is the audio extensions of the cycling website VeloReviews.com.  Featuring three regular hosts with varied background, the shows regularly cover fitness & training issues, as well as bike maintenance and wrenching.  It is also one of the few cycling podcasts that has a woman as a regular host – giving a voice to women  specific issues and concerns.  For the latest podcasts, see the page on VeloReviews, or search on iTunes.

FredCast The first cycling podcast I ever listened to.  David Bernstein produces the FredCast, and has worked himself into something of a icon in the online/new media cycling world. From coverage from the floor of Interbike, to the latest product recall information, David’s FredCast sets the bar with this very polished and professional production. see the FredCast website, or again, look to iTunes.

The Spokesmen Taking the format of a “roundtable” discussion, The Spokesmen podcast regularly features different representatives from new media, as well as the greater cycling industry.  Another of David Bernstein’s productions, the shows rotation hosts feature a couple of regulars.  Among these are Carlton Reid of BikeBiz.com and Quickrelease.tv, Neil Brown, blogger on versus.com and founder of Carolina Cycling News and “The Masi Guy” Tim Jackson of Masi bikes.  Other members of the Spokesmen have included Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious, and Jeff Helfand of VeloReviews (above).

Two John’s Podcast While composed mostly of racing news, the Two John’s has a personality and feel all its own.  Definitely one of my favorites, with an underlying wit and humor all its own.  The podcast has found a home for itself over at missingsaddle.com.