Category > Cycling on the Cheap
I am back after a long absence to bring you once again an edition of bicycling on the cheap. I have been seeing quite a few ads from various people who will do a winterization of your bicycle for $$. That is great for those of you who don't want to get their hands dirty or have lots of change in their pockets. For those of us who either don't mind getting greasy or can't afford not to, here are …
Living in Central Illinois has its disadvantages for winter cycling. Beyond the cold, it is typically wet, with rain, sleet, ice, snow, and a mixture of them all, sometimes all in the same day. Add dirt, mud and the copious amounts of salt, cinders and sand that often get dumped on streets, it can make your proud ride a complete mess. Stop riding? Nope. Enter the lowly but noble winter beater, a bike that is mechanically and structurally sound, but …
The problem with having a bike on campus is that there is nowhere to store it during the winter. If you have a cheap bike, indoor storage could cost more than the bike itself. If you are planning on not riding much or at all during the winter and you have to store your bike outside, there are a few tips to keep the bike usable in the spring. If you do nothing, your bike will probably be unusable in …
When you hear the name Huffy, what comes to mind? If you ask the average person, they would probably say bicycles. Ask a cyclist, and they would probably say heavy, poor quality bicycles purchased at a department store. But that was not always the case for the company based out of Dayton, Ohio. There are certainly some quality or dependable — and in some cases, collectible — bicycles made by Huffy. They have also made some decent "basic transportation" bicycles …
One of the best ways to ruin your bike frame is for your seat post to become stuck in the seat tube otherwise known as a stuck seat post. In this article, I am going to show ways of getting a seat post loose. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE! The best way to get a stuck seat post out is to not get it stuck in the first place. Simply liberally apply some grease on …
Flats suck, plain and simple. A friend and fellow cyclist has had two flats in about a week and I've had two flats in the past month. The last one for me was, of course, at the most inopportune time (aren't they all). I was riding home from the Bike Project at 10 p.m. last night on St. Mary's Road through the south part of campus. My rear wheel hit one of those nasty potholes that line campus roads and …
In a previous Cycling on the Cheap article, I talked about mud flaps. The thing is that without fenders, well there is nothing to attach the homemade mud flaps to. It also seems like there is no end to the rain we have been getting, so let’s look at some options for fenders on the cheap. Fenders can be relatively cheap or prohibitively expensive. Bike shops and most discount stores sell fenders, but what fun is that when you can …
There are few things that produce more debate than that of the value of wearing a helmet whether you are riding a bicycle or a motorcycle. So for this edition of Cycling on the Cheap, we will explore the debate on helmet use while bicycling. REASONS TO WEAR A HELMETMedical Studies — According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, wearing a helmet is 85 to 88 percent effective in preventing or lessening head and brain injuries. The general …
I've heard lots of times, from friends and family: "You bike to work? You're crazy." Whether or not I am crazy is up to debate, but not because I ride to work. I often hear myths regarding why you shouldn't ride to work or anywhere else. I am here to dispel some of those myths and get you on your bike this Friday for National Bike-to-Work Day. Myth #1 — It's too expensive to buy a bike. Well, chances are …
It's been very wet lately, and riding in rainy weather can really make you want to stay inside. You may have fenders on your bike, but do they really do as good a job as they could. Also even if you stay relatively dry, you still have all that mud and gunk gumming up your drivetrain which — trust me — can get very expensive, since all that dirt accelerates wear. The solution is simple: buy some mud flaps for …
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@Jason: You’re right about that. I get groceries at Schnucks (they carry what I buy, which I can’t say of any other single grocery store in town), and if they have a beer I’m in the market for it’s usually a quarter or two cheaper per 6-…
Best Neighborhood Bar (& Grill) : Urbana - My ‘hood- the ‘Boom! http://www.boomerangbarandgrill.com Go on a Wing Wednesday or Fish Friday, or see a band play some night. Local blue-collar Urbana terroir galore. My only beer snobbish gripe is lack of a pale hopped ale, but you…
The one thing that’s bothered me for a while about the Friar is that, for most commonly purchased adult beverages, you can actually walk down the strip mall to Schnucks and get them cheaper. It makes no sense, but there it is. I suspect it’s because Schnucks…
Maybe I complained enough in person. One time I even explained to the (wholly uninterested) clerk how to navigate the Illinois Statutes web page, and Savoy’s Municipal Code database I wouldn’t know because I only go there when I want to pay 30% more for anything, which is never.
@Rob: You seem to have the weirdest experiences. I’m in Friar Tuck every other week (don’t tell my mom that I’m a lush). They never fail to ask for my birth date but never my age, they never card afterwards, and they often allow me to use…
This column affords me a long-awaited opportunity. I’ve wanted to write my own column called Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors. but I always thought it’d be too pithy. Here, I can say Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors and not feel bothered to stretch it out to 750…
Ha! Exactly. You, sir, are welcome at the bar in My House.
Why wait ‘til 3 pm?
I’m excited to go tonight- should be very fun!
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“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
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The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!