BUT – I have now found out that I am not alone in my adoration for the Wolverine 1000 Mile boot. None other than The Flying Tomato himself was seen sporting my exact same boots while being interviewed on NBC.

Why yes – I am cool.

Wolverine 1000 Mile boots in brown. It's what us cool kids wear.

Since I am a self-proclaimed “foodie”, I follow a few sites that focus on food. Some of my favorites are:

• The Pioneer Woman Cooks
• 101 Cookbooks
• Smitten Kitchen
• The Amateur Gourmet

It was the last one on the list – the Amateur Gourmet – that caught my attention with a recent post regarding a meatloaf.

Now, about meatloaf. If there is one food (other than your typical Midwest hotdish) that I remember growing up, it was meatloaf. For my mother, this was a staple for supper at least once per week. It’s not that we were poor and needed to stretch out the beef we could afford (as all meatloaf are born from – why else load up good meat with a bread and egg filler?). It’s just that the flavor was easy to appease the whole family. Plus, it was such a staple in the region, we never thought anything of having it so frequently.

The Amateur Gourmet featured a recipe from the well-known Craft Restaurant in New York. This was very intriguing to me, as Craft is known for taking many of the classic American food staples and bringing a level of perfection into them. I was dieing to try the recipe at home. Below is how it all came together (with the detailed recipe at the bottom).

The prep work started by making a soffrito - which is simply a long, slow cook of the classic onion, celery, and carrot that is a standard base to a lot of classic recipes.

Sweating these down takes a fair amount of olive oil and a lot of time - mine cooked in the pan for well-over one hour.

The second major prep activity was to take some shiitake mushrooms and cut them down to thin slices.

These are sauteed in some butter until they lose a lot of their moisture and just start to brown.

The third and final prep work centered around the breadcrumbs. I chose some Panko crumbs and added a little olive oil to the same pan that cooked the mushrooms (hopefully picking up a little extra flavors).

The crumbs only took a few minutes to get nice and toasty - with hints of dark brown delicious goodness.

All this time, the soffrito was cooking down and took on a nice, caramel color.

With the basic preparation complete, my next step was simple assembly. You can't get much easier than a meatloaf - as all the basic ingredients are dumped into the same bowl and gently combined. Note that fresh oregano is a must, so try to find some before whipping out the dried stuff in your spice cabinet.

In the video on the Amateur Gourmet site, they show how to easily shape the meatloaf both for presentation and even cooking using plastic wrap. Once ready, it's placed on a baking sheet with parchment paper and tossed into the oven at 350deg.

While the loaf was cooking, I whipped up the sauce and had it ready to apply to the top of the loaf for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

The final loaf came out of the oven right at the expected time - with approximately 45 minutes of cooking. I always use a thermometer when cooking meat so I am careful not to either under or over cook it.

Once it rested for about 20 minutes to cool down and let the internal juices find their home inside the loaf, I was able to enjoy my slice with a nice Petite Sirah from Ravenswood.

How was it? I can only say that it was perfect. It captured everything that you would expect in a meatloaf. It used all the classic ingredients and provided the flavor that you would want to see from a meatloaf. It wasn’t exotic, yet it was nicely balanced in how the sauce complimented the flavor of the meat.

The sauce is a little spicy, so if you attempt to make the recipe, you may want to watch how much cayenne pepper you load into the sauce. As the recipe states, it’s a good balance. But, be sure to taste the sauce before it goes onto the meat to ensure it matches expectations. The addition of the soffrito and shiitake mushrooms offer a subtle, but obvious critical component to the meat itself. Thus, I would encourage you to go light on the sauce, so you get these flavors to come through and not be overwhelmed with a ketchup-based sauce.

This is a great meatloaf recipe, not because it offers some exotic flavors never before experienced. Instead it tastes exactly like you’d expect meatloaf to taste – only with the perfect level of polish to make it REALLY good. It’s not a quick meal to make, as I started it at 3pm and was ready to eat around 6:30pm. But, the preparation work on the soffrito, breadcrumbs, and mushrooms are the things that set this apart and should not be skipped.

Here is the recipe if you are going to try it yourself:

Damon’s Favorite Meatloaf

by Chef Damon Wise
serves 6
1 ¾ lbs ground beef
¾ lbs ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dark soffrito [Note: cook red onions, carrots and celery in lots of olive oil on low heat until it's all a deep, golden brown: 45 minutes to 1 hour. Whatever you don't use, you can keep in olive oil and use in soups, dressings, sandwiches, etc.]
½ cup toasted bread crumbs, soaked in milk
1 ½ shiitake mushrooms, sautéed
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 t soy sauce or tamari
2 T dry mustard
2 t fresh oregano, chopped
2 large eggs

GLAZE
2 cup ketchup
¼ cup soy sauce
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T honey
2 T smoked paprika
1 t cayenne

350° for 45 minutes ( 160° internally ) – after 30min, add glaze and finish the rest of the 15 min back at 350°

If you’d like to see this assembled by the chef at Craft and the Amateur Gourmet, here is a video:

But, I’ve had some recent revelations that have led me to pursue items of quality in my clothing over bare-bones cheap. I’ve also been thinking about staples (not the little metal wires that hold paper together) – the basics that everyone should have as they move through life. For guys, these are things like a well-worn pair of blue jeans, a well-fitting white button-up shirt, or a pair of classic charcoal wool pants. These items never are removed from the latest trends, because they always work. They are the foundations for building varied looks around and offer versatility that many other clothing items don’t facilitate.

Classic boots look old from the day they are purchased and only gather further patina with age

So, I decided that a missing staple in my wardrobe was a great pair of shoes. Not just good – but great. Oh, I’ve got a couple that I enjoy (like a pair of Kenneth Cole black shoes that I picked up at DSW), but nothing which could truly be called “classic”. My current shoes are all utility-only and will likely be discarded when they serve their limited, useful life. They aren’t built to last (even with the greatest of intentions) and eventually become embarrassing to wear due to a ragged appearance.

Although I could have pursued the safe route of a good pair of dress shoes, I really wanted to find something more casual. My current shoes are divided into three categories:

• work shoes (decent, business friendly formals)
• athletic shoes (great walkers/runners but not terribly fitting for environments outside the gym)
• outdoor working (hardy, well-structured work shoes for hiking, climbing, or yard work)

I was hoping I could fill a gap that was a casual look that could be used for running around town on errands or a casual night out for drinks. In particular, this shoe would most often be matched with jeans. I also wanted something that I didn’t worry with some ugly environments – such as running around in woods or walking through areas with puddles and general unfriendly environments. There is nothing as restrictive as having any equipment – clothing or otherwise – that limits your mobility.

So my focus steered away from typical shoes and turned toward boots. But, I wasn’t looking for the Doc Marten style of boot with thick soles and general rigid construction. Instead, I was hoping to find a very classic, all-leather boot that looked like it came out of an LL Bean catalog from the 1930s. As I said earlier in the post – I wanted a classic staple and not a style that would mark a specific decade or trend.

Mid-height boots never lose their appeal - regardless of the decade

My first inclination was to look at Red Wings Shoes. There is something about purchasing an all USA-made shoe and finding something that had a local Minnesota connection was even better. Most of Red Wing’s product target the manual labor, working class and offer extremely effective functionality with the essential elements of a classic boot. But, they all looked like work boots and I didn’t really find anything that fit quite what I had in my mind. The closest match was in a style they called the Iron Ranger. Once I saw it, I knew what I was targeting in a new boot for me, as it balanced the classic style of a run-around boot, without looking too much like I should be a lumber jack.

But there was something about the Iron Ranger that turned me away. One – I couldn’t find any store that seemed to carry them in the Cities. There might be a store out there that has them, but they are hard to find. The official Red Wing store in Maple Grove only carried their work line and didn’t have it available to try and see if the style matched my expectations. I was able to find them online at Zappos.com, but I really like to give shoes a try on my actual feet, versus ordering them online and turning them back when the size isn’t quite right.

So I kept looking.

My search eventually turned to another classic American brand called Wolverine. Like Red Wings, Wolverine shoes have been around for a century and have offered products that focus on high quality/craftsmanship and not the cheapest materials/labor available. Although their styles also cater to the workforce, they were advertising a new line they called their 1000 Mile Collection which fit well with my vision for classic boots. Within the varied styles in this collection – their namesake “1000 Mile” version became the one I sought.

I expect these Wolverine 1000 Mile boots to only improve with age, even if I won't

The only local place that seemed to stock them was the Len Druskin store in the Edina Galleria. Granted, both this shop and mall’s clientele didn’t relate to my romantic vision for buying rugged, timeless boots, but if they could facilitate the exchange, I was willing to bear the snooty environment.

Although there was a healthy sticker-shock to the price, once I had the boots on my feet I knew they were the right ones for me. Price-be-damned, I whipped out the credit card and became a new owner of Wolverine 1000 Mile boots in classic brown.

Although it may sound silly, I fully expect that these boots will be with me for the rest of my life. They are that type of thing that only gets better with age and more sought due to the quality they preserve. Construction of this boot is nothing short of amazing. There is nothing used to build the boot but leather and lace. Stitches are meticulously placed and obviously counted. The leather is thick but will soon give way to the detailed organic shapes of my feet – supporting them in all the right places.

They are, as I intended, true classics. With care, I hope to pass them down to coming generations – but not until after they provide me a few decades worth of service.

I decided to head out to Glenwood since I had not seen my Grandfather since early December. Original plans were to get back together around Christmas, but the weather chose not to cooperate and I never made the trip. Since then, the struggles of being a single dad, a homeowner, and assorted responsibilities never provided an open day to hit the road. Fortunately, Saturday was available and we headed out.

I have a feeling that every picture of Erin for the next five years will look exactly like this

The plan was to show up in town right around lunchtime. Grandpa Gene has been struggling with a few ailments as of late, so he wasn’t too thrilled in heading out for a meal at a local restaurant. Instead, I stopped by Tom’s Food Pride and bought some assortments from the grocery store – including fried chicken, potato salad, mixed fruit, and chips. It was all good comfort food and fitting of the overcast day and cold temperatures in the area.

For 90+ years old, my grandpa is doing OK. He is definitely a “glass half empty” guy and paints a picture that is full of misery and struggle. But he still lives alone, has his wits about him, and does a nice job of taking care of himself.

Shortly after lunch, Grandpa stated he received something in the mail that he needed to fill-out. I looked through his stack of papers and found a survey from the state that was intended to review the various forms of assisted care he receives. He has weekly house cleaning, weekly nursing, and additional contact with the state agency. I convinced Erin to help him with this and chuckled as she read each question multiple times (usually followed by my Grandpa pausing for a second and then asking “What??”) while I did a little deep-cleaning within his apartment.

The state-provided cleaning service is OK for the superficial basics, but doesn’t take the time to go beyond the heavily-used surfaces and get into areas that are a little more out-of-the-way. The top of the refrigerator had a thick coating of dust and grime. The inside of his toaster oven needed a good scrubbing and removal of crumbs. The walls around the sink were splattered and in need of a wipe-down. The type of cleaning that had been done regularly was similar to telling a teenager to wipe a counter top. They will strategically wipe around anything placed on the counter, without lifting something up to get underneath it.

I dug through his refrigerator to see if anything needed to be replaced. He gets most of his meals delivered from the local Senior Citizens Center, but he also has a few basics for breakfast or other snacks. I found some old heavy cream (expired in Dec 2009) and some bacon that showed an expiration date of May 2008. This stuff immediately went into the garbage and I added it to a list things to replace by running to a few stores before leaving. I also noticed his kitchen rug was slippery with no rubber backing – so that also went to the garbage and a stable replacement was purchased.

At over 90 years of age, Gene does okay for himself

He had received his tabs for his truck (yeah – it’s a little scary that he still drives his own vehicle), so I went outside to get them adhered to his license plate and make him “legal” on the road. His truck recently gave him some problems due to the cold temperatures and very minimal, in-town driving (his fuel filter froze), so I decided to fire it up and take it down the road for a little test drive. It seemed to run OK (it reminds me of my old truck – as it shares the same under carriage and interior) and I stopped at a gas station to fill it up for him. As much as I worry about his ability behind the wheel due to his age – I still think any accident he would get into would probably be the fault of the other driver.

Erin and I headed back mid-afternoon and decided to detour slightly to Hutchinson to pay a visit to my brother’s family and his five boys. In typical fashion, they were all going different directions, but seemed happy to have someone over to break up the monotony of playing with their brothers. They are all great kids and each one proudly displayed some of the things that have been capturing their attention lately – various books, toys, or games. Their household is a radical departure from mine, as my daughter has always been quiet and usually finds things to occupy herself. A house with five boys is always in-motion and nary a minute goes by when someone doesn’t ask for their mother’s or father’s attention.

Although a good trip, it led me to contemplate what will happen when I get old. I hope to live a long, healthy life of activity that keeps both my mind and body in steady engagement. I also hope I don’t outlive so many of those around me that I have little left but to sit around, waiting to die. There is something to be said for going out of this life in a “blaze of glory” versus a slow fade … I can only hope I strike the right balance.

This is because I live in the west metro which is still “rural” enough in spots to allow for limited traffic. The roads are fairly newly paved in the area and most have been expanded to include wide shoulders. All of this translates into minimal interactions with automotive vehicles – a wish for anyone riding a bike.

Plus, there are lots of cyclists on the roads at all times. This truly makes for safer riding, because car drivers have an expectation that they will encounter a cyclist on the road and are a little more “aware” of my presence than in locales where a cyclist is a rare sight. I’ve always thought that I would get killed by the driver that didn’t realize I was there, versus any other type of accident involving a car who knew I was on the road.

Since I spend my outdoor riding in places that house a lot of other riders, I am able to categorize those who I meet into some clearly separate (and stereotypical) groups.

Enthusiasts (like me)

How can you not help but SMILE while on a bike?

I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many cyclists I encounter who are out there for similar reasons as I am. We enjoy the bike for what it is (a bike), like to pedal hard and work up a sweat, and don’t really take the experience too seriously. We’re out there for fitness, but choose something that allows us to see lots of country without the harsh treatment to our bodies (like running). When I meet these type of people – be it in either direction – I’m almost always met with a smile and a simple wave of the hand saying “enjoy your ride – because I sure am”. The equipment we ride is varied as I’ve seen both vintage and some state-of-the-art rides, but we’re never too hung-up by the details that make up the bike. The bike is simply an enabler for the experience and is meant to get out of the way so that all of the other benefits to riding can shine through.

Legits

Although more rare than the Enthusiasts, there are a fair share of real riders putting on their base miles while traversing the rolling hills of the west metro. I usually encounter them during the extremes of a day – such as late in the evening as the sun is about to set or during a heavy rain. These are times when no reasonable person should be on the road riding a bicycle, but Legits are generally not reasonable people when it comes to riding a bike. Nine times out of ten, these riders are really friendly and will pass along a simple smile and a wave of the finger. But, you can also see in their body posture that they are there to ride and are highly conscious of the effort they put into the pedals. They are likely more self-absorbed in their riding to pay too much attention to others around them.

Pro Wannabe

Sometimes these riders can be hard to distinguish from the Legits, but there is a single give-away they all share. When you meet Pro Wannabes on the road, they don’t wave but they do look very closely at your bike. Not you – but your bike. (Now I know how women feel when men stare at their chests.) They are trying to determine if your bike could possibly be any more advanced than their current ride. They will take great satisfaction when they realize they, in fact, have the far superior bike (usually measured by how much money they invested in their carbon tubulars) on the road. They usually ride in small groups – two or three riders – in order to have someone else to comment to about how crappy the bike was that the other guy was riding.

If this is your view, you should not be taking your ride so seriously.

Lance Mobiles

These cyclists are very easy to pick out, as they are wearing and riding exactly what Lance happens to be wearing and riding in that particular professional cycling season. When Lance was riding for US Postal, they all had red, white, and blue US Postal Jerseys (with matching shorts) and a US Postal branded Trek. When Lance moved to Discovery, they had to buy new cycling gear to keep up with the blue/green color combination of team and bought the latest Trek to match. Lance’s retirement caused a stir in this group (with many moving over to the CSC-branded jerseys/equipment). But, Lance’s comeback with Astana and now Team Radio Shack has given them a new direction in cycling fashion and another excuse to by a new Trek. When their Team Radio Shack jersey is dirty, they will quickly don a replicate TDF Yellow Jersey in Lance’s honor.

Its pretty rare that Lance Mobiles will ever acknowledge another rider on the road, since they are too busy trying to ensure their pedaling cadence is above 90 RPM.

Century Group Riders

This group has always puzzled me, because I have wondered how overweight people are able to put so many miles on a bike without shedding a few pounds. I did not understand it until I met one firsthand and realized it was all due to cycling technique. I pulled up alongside this rather large fellow and he quickly asked if I had ridden some recent 100 mile ride the previous weekend. I said “No”. He stated he had and went on to tell stories about how he and his girlfriend partake in multiple 100+ mile rides throughout the summer. As I road next to him, I quickly realized how he accomplishes this task – by coasting every possible chance he gets. On the flats, he will pedal a little bit and then coast. Up a hill, he will slow down to the lowest gear and enter a slow cadence. Once he’s crested a hill, he will coast all the way down until the flat appears and he needs to pedal again to keep some degree of momentum.

Century Group Riders can be really nice, friendly people, but are boring as hell to ride alongside.

Triathletes

When I started this list, I stated that I would classify “riders” and did not use the word “cyclists”. This is because Triathletes are not cyclists.

Triathletes are an interesting bunch and I criticize them because they represent (to me) all the things that cycling is NOT. When I meet them on the road (always on their aero-bikes and dedicated to their tucked position), they never wave to or acknowledge other riders. They seem to be “putting in the miles” that are probably part of a 8-week training plan from an online training coach and are biking with a pure performance goal in mind. They are always on a bike that results in wobbling steering and rarely ride in groups. When there is a group of them, they each ride 5-6 bike lengths away from each other so they don’t crash into themselves (thus, they might as well ride alone). Looking at their faces, they usually express some degree of pain. I have never seen one Triathlete smile on a bike. They seem more focused on the detailed wattage statistics from their cycling computer than the wonderful sights and sounds of the natural world around them.

If I want to avoid Triathletes on the road, I simply head out on a day where there is some wind, mild rain, or any Monday. I have NEVER seen a Triathlete on the road on Monday. Evidently, every training program in the entire world lists Monday as a “rest day”. If I cover the same course at the same time of day on Tuesday, the Triathletes are back in full force. But Mondays – not a single one.

Well, I better stop before I offend too many people in this post. But, those are the stereotypes of people I encounter while riding my bike through the west metro countryside. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people say similar things about me. But, when I see other riders, I try to be nice, smile back at them, and give a simple wave of the hand to say “it’s a great day for a ride”.

For a Minnesotan, skates are merely an extension of the feet.

Skating outside is a mainstay in Minnesota. I’ve had my share of indoor skating (in a climate controlled rink with smooth, flat ice) and it doesn’t hold up to the real thing. I cannot even recall how young I had been when I first put on a pair of skates, but I do remember that there were always an available pair tucked back in the closet – either too big or too small – since I had two older brothers who could pass down their well-used gear.

Small skates meant thin socks, cold toes and sore feet. Big skate meant extra socks, lace-wrapped ankles, and sore feet. Yet as a kid, any discomfort was easy to ignore during a game of tag on the ice with the neighborhood friends.

Evidently, teenagers no longer appreciate pictures taken by their Dad.

Growing up on a lake in Minnesota meant that donning skates and heading out the back door was just as natural as breathing. We’d usually need to spend the first 40 minutes with a shovel in-hand trying to clear a rink. Since this happened after school during the short days of winter, this also meant that we’d have to turn on a spotlight from our boathouse to see the fruits of our labor and were always skating well into the dark of early evening.

The size of the rink was always a function of how much we could tolerate before dumping the shovel in the snowbank and just enjoying the skates. After clearing the snow from the ice, it was always a crap-shoot regarding the condition of the ice we would find under the snow. We’d always start the clearing at least 50 feet from the shore, since the ice near the shore was simply too rough to enjoy skating. Out further, we could at least find a few patches of smooth ice, but would inevitably encounter some major cracks that would result in some harrowing skating. The worst kind of ice to find was where a thin ice layer sat on top of a hollow pocket (due to thaw/freezing cycles) that would result in the skates breaking through and tripping you up. All of these conditions resulted in training your balance to encounter anything with skates on your feet.

Caribou Coffee knows just how to market to a Minnesotan

Today’s skate wasn’t quite so bumpy, as the folks in Wayzata do a nice job with flooding a large baseball field with ice. I wouldn’t be surprised if they would have run a Zamboni at some point after the first flooding. It’s not “indoor smooth” but I didn’t need to give too much thought to catching my skates on a bump/crack that might put me on my butt. What started with less than ten people when we arrived at 1pm, turned into nearly 100 people when we left at about 2pm. Temps near 30deg were just right for an afternoon at the outdoor rink.

We capped the afternoon off with another Minnesota favorite – hot chocolate at Caribou Coffee and home for some homemade chicken soup.

This is what we are supposed to do in Minnesota during our long winters and gives us the experiences to tell stories when we get older – although my daughter will never understand what it takes to make her own rink.

The Avett Brothers

Austin City Limits has done me well over its years. It’s given me exposure to some of my favorite artists – like Lyle Lovett, Gillian Welch, Jamie Cullum, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ben Folds – and epitomizes that music is best when experienced live. The program emphasizes the use of acoustic instruments over heavily-amplified ones and features artists who not only perform music well but are also at the foundation of its creation, with writing and arrangement duties. It also shows off the talent of true “entertainers” who know how to take a crowd through a journey with their music. The artists who show well on the program illustrate that music goes beyond its simple sounds and needs to be seen how it is expressed by an artist as much as being heard to truly enjoy it.

When it comes to musical styles, I’m all over the place. I generally stick to a singer/songwriter focus but really do not care which musical genre this falls. This can be found in rock, punk, folk, alternative, jazz, bluegrass styles – just about anything (sometimes even in really good pop songs). I find myself drawn to finding new music via podcasts and other online resources instead of purchasing music that I am stuck listening over and over.

Thus, television programs like The Grammys or the AMAs don’t really excite me and present artists who are overly commercialized and are often a small part of the creation process (can you say “Adam Lambert“?). Although I understand that they can produce some highly successful commercial music, it doesn’t appeal to me the way a hard working guy/gal with a simple guitar and stories to tell.

When I saw The Avett Brothers on Austin City Limits this weekend, I knew that I had found a gem. If you haven’t heard of them before, here is a nice video captured for an NPR program called All Songs Considered – Tiny Desk Concert. It features three songs and illustrates their dynamics in style quite well.

It’s a group like that has all the elements that I really enjoy in music. First, they incorporate a stand-up bass. To me, there is no greater, penetrating sound than a hand-plucked bass. It rounds out music in such a way that you can’t help but feel it deep inside your chest. They also use a cello which I think is a perfect complement to an acoustic guitar. A cello can “sing” behind the plucky melody of a guitar and add a great context to the music. Thirdly, they use percussion without needing a dedicated drummer. As having some past experience with drums, this should probably bother me, but The Avett Brothers use their separate bass drum and hi-hat in such a great way to add color to their music – it’s hard to complain. Finally, they use family to provide a natural blending of harmony to their voices. The two brothers – Scott and Seth – bring together different inflections in their voices but come together with their third interval harmony that gives immediate “americana” labeling to their songs.

I immediately bought their latest album – I and Love and You – from iTunes. It’s pretty mellow compared to some of the live stuff I’ve found online, but is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It’s fun to stumble upon something that can quickly open my eyes and breathe some life back into my love of music.

Having been actively engaged with cycling for over 25 years, I’ve participated in the evolution of pedals to not only know why clipless pedals are called “clipless pedals”, but have firsthand experience with the pedal technology that has lead up to the removal of clips.

I really shouldn’t be too arrogant about this experience, after all, most people know what toe clips are on bicycles. But – I’ll be willing to bet – there are only a small percentage of cyclists today who have actually used toe clips and dedicated cycling shoes on a road bike. It is an experience that is not for the faint of heart and takes some nerve to make a connection with a bicycle that cannot be undone. I’ll explain in a minute.

My older Speedplay were an exercise in simplicity paired with great functionality

But first, let’s explore my evolution through pedal technology. Like all kids growing up, I got to experience the freedom of a new bicycle (a mid-70s Schwinn Tornado) with the classic flat pedals. These pedals are the ultimate “get on and go” technology as you are just as comfortable pedaling with or without shoes. For a kid, a simple platform pedal (hopefully with no protrusions for uncomfortable barefoot riding) is all any bike needs.

As I moved up to the world of ten-speeds, I started to realize that there was a whole half of the pedal stroke that was being neglected. Platform pedals only support power on the way down and facilitate a gentle, power-free ride on the return half of the rotation. That’s rather wasteful and it wasn’t long until I was trying to find some toe-clips to attach to my pedals in hopes of harnessing this extra opportunity for power. By the early 80s, the clipped technology was pretty far along, but my measly budget forced me into the basic rat trap style pedal with a spring steel clip and nylon straps. Paired with my standard Nikes, this was a big improvement over the platforms but far from race caliber. Tennis shoes – with their flexible soles – are far from the best way to transfer power from legs into the bike.

My biggest shift at the time came in the form of dedicated bike shoes. This is also where my story turns dangerous. Dedicated cycling shoes at the time had two main features. First, their soles were rock-hard stiff. The whole idea was that all the power in your foot needed to be put directly into the bike’s crankarm and there was no room for flexing. If you ever saw anyone dismount a bike at the time after riding a few hours with these shoes – you would see how they could barely walk due to the pain inflicted on their feet. Those soles really sucked. Effective, but sucky. The second feature was around the interface between the sole of the shoe and the pedal. Built into the base of the shoe (usually with an adjustment for position), was a block with a narrow slot. The idea with this slot is that it would mate with the narrow ridge of the pedal and thus slide the shoe onto the pedal and create a secure connection. The toe clip’s job was to simply push down on the top of the shoe to keep it secured inside this rigid slot. There was no movement between the shoe and the pedal. A quick tightening of the toe clip strap and you were “one with the bike” with no chance of breaking away. If you crashed, the bike was coming with you with no separation. It was effective, if not harrowing. For the several times I laid the bike down using these shoes/pedals – it was always securely attached to my feet even after sliding 20 feet down the road.

Although they appear similar, the cleat technology of the new Speedplay Zeros yields significant improvements in the pedal-to-shoe interface

Jump ahead 15 years and I first entered the world of clipless pedals probably around 2001 when I returned to cycling. The vast majority of pedals on the market at the time were based on a ski-binding technology and provided the secure connection between the bike and the shoe, but still allowed the rider to get out with a twist of the foot. But, when the foot was in the pedal, it was usually in a rigid position and generally didn’t “float”. I had read about an alternative technology on the market from a company called Speedplay, who offered a pedal that still provided a secure connection but also allowed your foot to pivot on top of the pedal and freely move around without impacting the connection. I bought some for my Old Steed™ (even though they were considered “triathlete” pedals and not for real cyclists). They worked great and gave me a real appreciation for how simple and important good pedal technology is to the whole riding experience. It is not only great for steady power transfer during a ride, good pedals also make it simple to get on/off the bike with ease and become an unconscious part of the experience. Just like the old platform pedals on my kid’s bike, my Speedplay pedals just worked.

But, after several years with the old Speedplays, I wanted to upgrade due to some wear and tear found in the old pedals. After too much calf-stretching exercises on the pedals, I found that they have a slight bend to them. I also found it became harder and harder to generate that first “click” as the cleat snapped into place. They still worked great, but were showing their age and didn’t seem to fit with the newness found in the rest of my Tarmac.

In my next round of pedal evolution, I was going to be willing to try anything. Outside of the Speedplay technology, most other road-based pedals are still based on the ski binding concept and have not really changed much over the past 5 years. Sure there are minor improvements and exotic materials to be purchased, but I’m not a “weight weenie” and don’t really find value in spending multiple times over for the same, basic technology in titanium or composite. I’d rather take the 80 grams in additional weight and stick the extra $200 back in my pocket.

In my search for replacements, I found that pedals are like religious beliefs. Everyone has both an idea why their choices are superior and why the alternatives are a surefire path to hell. “Shimano SPD-Rs are great!” “Shimano SPD-Rs suck, Looks are great.” “Float eliminates ankle and knee pain.” “Excessive float will cause tremendous leg problems.” Every choice has a host of opinions on both side, so I thought I would stick to what I have direct experience and get another pair of Speedplays.

I think I might regret buying the white color, but it goes well with my white saddle and handlebar tape

Thus, I bought a set of Speedplay Zeros in stainless steel spindle material and white finish. Penn Cycle had them for sale for less than most internet warehouses, so a quick Saturday trip and my new bike was sporting the Zeros.

They are a basic upgrade from my older Speedplay technology and work on the same principle of a floating interface between the shoe and the pedal. But, they have a few extra upgrades – like micro-adjustment to the float in both directions – that make them a noticeable improvement over the old ones. Some short hours on them while connected to the trainer indicates they are a nice addition to the New Steed™ and will be felt during the ride. The connection is solid and I can feel that they allow for a nice transfer of energy with no slop. My first few steps into them took nearly all my weight to get the “click”, but a simple cleat lubrication and a few times in/out have resulted in a quick and confident step-in process.

As much as I’d like to say that I hope to get the same eight years of life as I received on the older Speedplays, I actually hope to wear them out and replace them in less than four years. This would take a tremendous increase of miles in the saddle, but it aligns well with my goal of increasing my outdoor mileage for 2010 and beyond. They are good pedals and match my new-found purchasing prowess to buy quality over price. They cost nearly as much as most people spend on an entire bike, but that comes along with being a cyclist and not just someone who rides a bike.

Why yes, I am with Coco

The truth is the post-news variety show is a dying entity, as most people I know get their daily fix of quirky news snippets via the internet throughout their day. The information is just old by the time 10:30pm roles around – plus, I’m probably already watching a made-for-internet show, like Tekzilla, via internet versus tuning into broadcast television at a fixed time.

I feel bad that Conan O’Brien seems to be the fallguy for this current media state. From a business perspective, NBC is justified in doing something to increase viewership during this timeslot. Conan is quirky – at the very least – and presents humor that does not conform to a typical 10 o’clock news-watching audience (who happen to be older and live mostly internet-free). But the reinstatement of Leno is just wrong. It’s wrong due to the quality of product he produces. Leno is safe. Leno is boring. I can’t find myself laughing or even smiling at his show. It’s obviously not targeted at me – but it saddens me a little that there is such an audience willing to accept a lesser, safer product from NBC. Conan represents a progression of this medium – Leno represents a regression.

Conan ended his run at The Tonight Show in an epic way – by performing his own guitar solo to a star-filled rendition of Freebird. Like Conan, those who joined him in his band were not the most popular, or most broadly accepted musicians. But there were all known as “musician’s musicians” with a lot of respect for their mastery of their craft. As a comedian, Conan is truly a master of his craft.

Conan left with a well-stated reflection on his current situation. It offers some tremendous advice from which we could all learn, thus I will repeat it below.

All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.

- Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show Host, 23 Jan 2010

He is a class act and I look forward to his next endeavor in media. It is sure to be progressive.