Our Amazing Bikes!

We love our beach bikes!

A little bit of history is in order. Laurie and I absolutely love attending Burning Man and one of the essentials that one must have there are fun bikes that are well-lit. Our bikes were a hit there and after moving to Carlsbad, we decided to replace our cross-country running (around Lake Hodges) with cycling along the beautiful stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a fun way to stay fit!

The bikes.

We wanted to be comfortable while riding. Nothing puts a damper on fun quite like a crick in the neck from leaning forward over a mountain or road bike for prolonged periods. Hence, we went with beach cruisers that we purchased from Beach Bikes, in nearby Orange County. They shipped them to us and we assembled just the last bits. So easy!

Laurie rides a Firmstrong Bella Fashionista (white with pink rims) and I ride a Firmstrong Bruiser (black with green rims). We're really glad that we purchased the 3-speed versions of our bikes - extremely handy for our local hills!

The lights.

Our friends at Glow Candy Bike Lights tricked out our bikes for us. This local company was started by two of my patients. You've seen their handiwork on national commercials as well as in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London! The kits are do-it-yourself and are available in several different color options. Cost depends upon how complex a kit you want to purchase.

These are awesome lights - we always get shouts of "Wow - sick lights" from those whom we pass on the road. Beyond the fun factor, they provide us with an added level of safety as we tend to bike in the evenings after work and have an aversion to getting hit by cars and such.

The Music

We love our Ugo mini-speakers that we picked up at the San Diego County Fair. These tiny, but powerful, speakers are just the right size to fit within our handlebar cup holders and provide music for our journeys. While they are blue-tooth capable, we inserted mini-SD memory chips inside with our playlists. These are infinitely safer to use than earbuds that would interfere with our ability to hear the sounds around us (e.g. cars, people yelling "sick bikes!")

Incidentally, you may have noticed a green wrist band next to the cupholder. That's my Road ID. In the (hopefully) unlikely chance that we get involved in an accident, this links emergency providers to all of our medical information.

Our bike shops

We found a great mom 'n pop bike shop right on the 101/PCH in Oceanside that we really like. Chuck and Gretchen, of Pacific Coast Cycles, are down-to-earth and have answered questions whenever they arose. We picked up our lights, cupholders, bells and basket from them.

In Carlsbad, check out the Velo Hangar. Catering primarily to professional cyclists, Gordon Yeager knows his bikes. He's been very helpful to us, as well.

Now, go out and have some fun!!!

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