A good day for a Pug Crawl it was - windy, cold, and icy. We got a bit of rain and snow Tuesday night, and much of it melted on the warm roads. It then turned to ice when the temps dropped. A night of heavy winds polished it all nicely. So, I rode the geared Pug yesterday. After riding a fixed Pacer for the last week, the Pug felt a bit sluggish off the line. But after 2 minutes of riding on sections of glare ice, I was glad I chose the fatty over the fixie for this commute.…

Holy crap! Old man winter did blow into town last night and I think he was telling me not to ride my bike. When I got onto my bike yesterday morning, it was about 40F and a little humid outside. Not bad at all. Then I punctured about 2 miles into the 15 mile commute. No big deal, I had the tools and there was a nice tree stump to sit on and repair it. No signs of anything sharp protruding into the tire, a new tube installled and I'm rolling again. This ride was feeling pretty easy, since the…

Old man Winter - who I believe has been on a bender in the Bahamas for the past few weeks - is set to power slide into our fair Minnesota this week. Tomorrow the weather dice-rollers are calling for a "90% chance of snow with significant accumulation likely." When they say significant accumulation 'round these parts, folks take heed. Personally, I'm stoked. You can't really live here if you can't deal with snow. And that first dumper of the season (I said 'dump') is always so fancy. Remember this, though, dear Surly devotees, Winter makes folks into even crappier drivers.…

This comes to us from Surly pal Ron "people say I look like Angela Lansbury" Moffit: "Listen up you bums, Decorah night race this Sat night." Decorah, Iowa that is. Tassle up your racing loafers and, as my dad used to say, "Gitcherass down here!" Contact Oneota Cycles for the 411 by dialing 563.382.0421. -----

In the event you're completely out of touch with your local politicians, today is election day (at least here in Minnesota) for mayor, city council, park board and some other positions. Take part in your community by voting and knowing who is controlling your neighborhood's well-being. You have until 8:00 p.m. tonight to vote. No, Mayor McCheese is not up for re-election. -----