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[ryanfraser]

A year of fasting once a week... My Experience.

About 18 months ago, I started experimenting with fasting.  The practice of not eating for longer than a few hours is outside todays conventional wisdom, yet it was practiced widely by many in the past for various reasons including: food scarcity, for weight loss, for metabolic reset (or detoxifying), for religious or spiritual reasons, for medical reasons etc... The main reason I wanted to start fasting was to ensure metabolic flexibility.  I want my body to run on both sugar and fat, whereas most people are conditioned to run only on sugar.  Our family has been eating Paleo (essentially: whole foods, no grains) for about 3+ years, and while our macros are Low-Carb High-Fat most of the time, we do not shoot for Keto-macros... that is we are not trying to get into ketogenesis with out diet, and I am not interested in macro counting to that extreme.  By fasting, my body will naturally ride that line of being mildly ketogenic every week, which allows me to be both carbohydrate powered and fat powered when needed.   When I started experimenting with fasting, I tried doing intermittent fasting - 16 hours a day, then longer 60-72 hour fasts once a month and eventually settled in on one-36-hour-fast per week.  I have kept this up for about 15 months at this point.  Logistically, it means i eat 6 days a week and then don't eat one day... For me that one day is usually Tuesday.

A few other reasons for starting fasting is for a metabolic reboot, to maintain insulin sensitivity, foster a strong immune system and for cell autophagy... Autophagy is the process where the body repairs itself and self-eats unhealthy cells.  My extended family has a lot of chronic diseases running through it, and this is one practice that has enough evidence to me that it can be used to keep your metabolism and cells healthy.  I also believe that as humans, we are not designed to be constantly grazing food.  Our bodies need time to digest, to build and to repair itself and it can't do that if it is constantly working on digestion.  As Hunter-Gatherers we never had access to so much food so easily and our bodies are optimized to take breaks from eating.  When the digestive tract takes a break, the body is able to focus on other issues such as building up and resetting the immune system.  Since eating clean (Paleo) and fasting, I haven't gotten sick.  I even had my youngest son puke all over me when he had the flu last year and I never caught it.

These have been my experiences with a weekly 36 hour fast.  36 hours once a week seems to be the best schedule for me.  Other people take longer or shorter periods of fasting, and their experiences will likely vary.  Here are my experiences.

-Ive not met anyone else who does fasting the way I do.  If they chose to try fasting, my advice is that people need to find a method that works for them... 

-The more I do it, the easier it gets.  My body has adapted to the weekly practice. 

-My family is supportive.  Everyone knows if its Tuesday, that I am not eating.  I am the only one who does this practice in my household.  Nobody tries to tempt me with food.  They just accept that thats what I do on Tuesdays.

-When I started fasting once a week, I was 187 lbs.  I am currently 184lbs.  I have reached a low of 173lbs last summer and peaked at 187lbs again this past November.  I don't lose sleep over my weight.  If I wanted to lose weight, It would be pretty easy for me to do it since I am conditioned to run on my own fat.  I would like to stay lean but I’m beyond giving a shit about my body weight once I’m sub 185lbs.  

-I feel more disciplined in general.  If you can go without eating for a full day while others around you are eating normally, it shows you have willpower and discipline.  

-I no longer get Hangry.  Since eating Paleo, we saw Hanger go away... but with fasting it got even easier to not be hungry in the morning.  I don't have to eat right away on any day, and I usually eat because I want to not because I feel I have to.  

-On fasting days, I wake up NOT HUNGRY and am able to make it through the day without eating without any real hunger challenges.  My digestive system has gone to sleep.  I have to make sure that i don't eat anything by accident of lick my fingers after making a meal for others because once I do, it kickstarts my digestive system and I become hungry.  If this happens, and it has a few times, I will usually abandon my fast for that day/week and move on.  

-My breath tastes kind of bad on fasting days and brushing my teeth only works for a couple hours before the taste comes back... (I usually chew gum on fasting days).  I’ve heard this is because of the body detoxifying, which I guess could make sense... 

-Since becoming fat-adapted, I wake up most mornings NOT HUNGRY.  I eat a big fatty breakfast most days with Kim. It usually consists of eggs, a meat of some kind, and a mix of veggies and fruit.  It is one of the only times we get to eat together, just the two of us, so we take advantage of it.  It is more of a social meal than an “I must eat” meal.  On my fasting days, I still have a morning coffee but that is it for the day.  The rest of the day I drink water with some salt sprinkled in it.

-On Tuesdays, after having fasted 14-16 hours, I usually do a cardio/endurance type workout... usually rowing and/or biking intervals for up to an hour.  By doing this type of workout, I empty my glycogen stores that are in my muscles and blood.  At some point I run out of sugar in my system (if I still have any after sleeping) and I switch over to being fat fuelled.   

-I usually lose a few pounds from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning.  I weigh myself every morning as part of a morning routine.  Its not abnormal for me to be 4-5 lbs lighter the next day.  Most of that is likely water loss and waste.  I do not fast to lose weight or fat, but if I wanted to lose weight, adding another fasting day per week would probably be my first choice. 

-On fasting days, I become very conscious of my eating habits... and how often I typically eat out of boredom, and not out of necessity or hunger.  I find myself looking for food throughout the day yet I am not hungry.  I believe I do this because the food is always there.  Fortunately I don't give in, but if I was addicted to food (or specifically carbs), it could be very challenging.

-On the day after my fast, food flavours are enhanced.  Meals on Wednesdays are the best.

-Some people who fast have experienced a clarity of the mind while fasting... Like a fog has lifted from their brain.  I have not experienced this.  Either my mind is already clear or I might need to try fasting longer than 60-72 hours to experience it.... if it exists.  I certainly don't less mentally sharp, but I don't feel significantly better either.  

-While fasting, I become more sensitive to temperature... in particular I feel colder in the winter.  I need an extra blanket in bed to keep me warm. 

-I don't believe I have lost any strength from fasting. I’ve done CrossFit 3-4 days a week for the last 3.5 years.  At this stage in my life, 46 years old, building strength is not really my primary reason for working out.. but rather just to stay fit and healthy... however my lifting stats suggest I am stronger today than when I started fasting.

At present, I have no intention of stopping this practice.  My view and experience of it has been a net positive for me specifically.  And if the benefits I’ve read about are true, then its worth it for me to continue doing it.  I look forward to a reset each week. 

[ryanfraser]

BMX Club Circuit Zolder & Circuit Zolder are proud to present the UEC BMX European Cup Rounds 1 & 2 for the 3rd time in the club’s history. After the success of 2011 and the record-breaking 2014 running, with the greatest number of competitors ever in a European competition, our enthusiastic BMX club has once again managed to bring the European BMX season opener to Belgium.

[ryanfraser]

Jawbreaker

Most BMXers have good injury stories.  Broken collarbones, the odd broken limb, and lots and lots of road rash and shin/pedal scars.  My big one involves a broken jaw. At 10 years old I broke my jaw bone.  Kingston used to have a touring BMX freestyle team. They went around promoting the sport of BMX, which in 1984 meant both racing and freestyle.  If you did either race or freestyle in 1984 you probably did the other as well, so the promo team tried to recruit kids and their parents into the sport(s) through freestyle demos.  The team was comprised of a half-dozen 15-18 year olds, but in the Spring of 1984 they were looking for a way to attract younger riders so they asked Mike Norwood and myself to come out to a practice and see if we'd like to jump the box jump they had set up and possibly come to a few of the demos they had planned in local hockey rinks.  I went with my Dad to one their practices, located in a parking lot behind a ceramics store where the ramps were usually set up when not packed up and "on the road".  My dad doesn't know this, but this was not the first time I had been to this parking lot to ride with the big boys.  I'm just thankful I didn't hurst myself one of those times when none of the parents were around.  I jumped the ramp for about an hour, first getting smaller airs and then putting everything into it getting bigger airs.  Then I hit the ramp funny and I didn't take off straight... While in the air I could see that my front wheel was not going to land on the landing ramp.  I knew right away I was in big trouble.  My rear wheel landed on the ramp while my front wheel landed off the ramp on the pavement about 3 feet lower. I don't know if I got my hands out in front of me but I did land face to the ground with all of my weight behind me.  I was wearing a full-face helmet which was probably the only thing that saved me from breaking more of my face.  I woke to my father and couple other fathers and riders circled around me.  They had taken off my helmet.  My face was a bloody mess.  The bottom of the helmet had come back and hit me square on the chin and split me open.  I was not crying loudly so much as I was moaning. My eyes were blurry and I couldn't see very well from the tears.  I don't remember being panicky or winded but i was very disoriented and wasn't quite sure what my injuries were.  I't wasn't til I was older that I figured I had had a concussion.  I couldn't get up.  

Another father gave my dad a towel for my bloody face and my dad picked me up, put me in the back of the van and we sped off to the hospital. I remember going in and out of consciousness in the back seat looking toward the front of the car.  Dad was yelling at me over and over to stay awake.  Dad always was a pretty good yeller.  From what I can remember we ran red lights and traveled at a pretty good pace to KGH.  Next I remember waking in the waiting room of the Emergency Department, propped up in a seat holding a towel to my face.  It was here that I felt that a bunch of my teeth were jagged.  My tongue felt various sharp surfaces in my mouth that weren't there before.  A woman across from me was watching me while my dad was yelling at the counter staff.  At some point, dad brought me over and showed them my face a second time... I think that did the trick.   Dad tells the story that he took my bloody towel and wrung it out on the counter in order to get their attention.  I don't remember him doing that... but it does sound like something he would do.  At that moment, the doctor didn't suspect I had broken my jaw, they just needed to stitch me up.  I got 14 stitches in my chin and 4 stitches below my bottom lip where my front teeth had punched through.  They also gave me x-rays on my right side to rule out broken limbs.  Fortunately, I had no broken arms or legs, but i did need crutches to walk out of there on my own.  I remember walking from the van to our house late at night, my mom greeting us as we were walking up the driveway.  She wasn't upset, she just got me to my room and to sleep.

The next day we went to my dentist who surveyed the damage. 8 broken teeth.  He asked me to open my mouth wide and I couldn't, not without significant pain.  He looked at my dad and told him he thought my jaw might be broken.  Dr. Knight couldn't do a lot of work in my mouth with me having potentially a broken jaw, so we went immediately to the oral surgeon and had my face x-rayed.  Sure enough, my jaw was broken.  right side, about 2 centimetres below the joint where my jaw attaches to my skull.   Because I was young, he was reluctant to wire me, so we came back every couple of days for the next few weeks to make sure the alignment was still there.  I stayed off school for the next few days and ate everything in pureed/drink form to avoid putting stress on my jaw bone.  After about 2 weeks, i had my teeth fixed at the dentist and went back to normal eating. I had mouth exercises to do and met with the oral surgeon a few more weeks until about 6 weeks after the crash.   3 weeks after the crash, I was back racing on the track... in fact I remember stillhaving stitches in my chin at my first race back.  

That was by far the worst injury I've ever had.  I can't imagine the discussions my folks were having in private, but they never stopped letting me race, jump and ride my BMX.  Understandably, I did not volunteer to join the freestyle team but my parents let it be my decision.  I raced, jumped, and still did half pipe riding from time to time, but box jumps have never been my favourite since then.  BMX is definitely a contact sport.  Its one thing that i will never forget.  Its why I never ride aggressively without another adult (or responsible teen) there to help in case of a bad accident.  

[ryanfraser]

Have you seen my jumping mojo?

I used to be a pretty good jumper on my BMX when I was a kid.  Fully crossed-up handlebars, lookbacks, no footers, buzzing my visor on my front wheel, and can-cans were my favourite jumps that I could actually land.  These don't include the jumps I could do lake-jumping like 360 tabletops or no-handers.  The longest set of doubles I have ever jumped were 27 feet apart.  I know this because somewhere around aged 14 I started measuring jumps for bragging purposes and as metric for my capabilities.  It's fair to say that I was pretty comfortable catching some sizeable air and loved throwing in a bit of style.  When I turned 17 I started becoming a bit awkward in my jumping.  Perhaps it was because my body was becoming a bit too big for my bike or because I just wasn't spending as much time on it as I used to because of part-time jobs and dating.  Either way, I began to fall a lot more.  I still had my nerve, but falling just became more regular during recreational jumping.  Then at the end of the summer of '92 when I was 18, I cracked my face on my handlebars and broke my nose.  I was jumping a large set of triples with a 24 foot lip-to-landing and cased on the third mound.  Face meet crossbar.  This wasn't the first time I had broken my nose riding my bike, but this time time it just hurt more than previous times.  It was about this time that I hung up my helmet and stopped riding my BMX.  I pretty much went cold turkey from that day onward. A year later I was off to University, started riding mountain bikes and never really rode BMX again for a long time.  I also stopped jumping, not because I didn't want to jump, but because I didn't ride a jumpable bike anymore. 

Fast forward to now... This summer I took up BMXing again after being away from the sport for 21 years.  I was looking forward to introducing my kids to the sport, the competition, the friendships and the jumping.  The jumping was one of the things I was looking forward to the most.  On my first few outings some of the skills I was good at such as gate starts, quick acceleration and some corner moves came back pretty quickly and naturally.  Muscle memory is a wonderful thing.  But jumping?  This has not come back at all.  It's not so much the skill of jumping... I actually don't know if I still have the skill because I haven't been able to work up the nerve yet to jump.  At present the fear of hurting myself really bad is considerably heightened above what it was when I was a kid.  I've actually had a few doozy injuries as a kid due to BMXing and I can't imagine me going through anything like that again as an adult.  In short, fear of getting hurt is preventing me from taking off.  Its a really shitty feeling.  My brain knows what to do but I dont have the confidence yet to do it.  I have spent a few sessions at Joyride 150 and have come away from those practices feeling much better.  I was able to start jumping some small 8-10 foot doubles and could start manualing again. Every week my confidence has been rising and I hope the trend continues.  I have also had a couple spills at the track, and the sting of road rash is a reminder that falling sucks and I shouldn't push too hard too early if I want to keep my tattoos nice, shiny and scar free.  In retrospect, breaking my nose and then quitting the sport was probably not the best way to end my BMX career.  It may have left a lasting impression on me, one that may postpone my jumping a month or two, but I plan on jumping again soon. Still, I am pretty happy with how I feel out there and so far its been a lot of fun being on a BMX again.  Once I get my jumping mojo back, I will feel even better.  I haven't lost it, I know its around here somewhere.

[ryanfraser]

BMX racing in 2013 through the eyes of an old fart. Part 1

I am now an old fart.  Yup, its official. I remember listening to my father grump about how music in the 80s and 90s wasnt as good as his music back in the 60s, that cars weren't as nice, movies were better back in the day and blah blah blah.  Well it only took me 39 years but I am now starting to turn into my father.  I took up BMX racing again this year, along with my two boys, after a 21 year hiatus, mainly because I wanted to introduce my kids to the awesome sport of BMX racing and to help them build up their self-esteem through accomplishments on a bike.  I also felt like it was time to come back to a sport that had given me so much in the 80s and early 90s.  I always felt like a BMXer even in my 20s and 30s even though i had stopped riding my BMX in 1992.  The sport is certainly alive and well in 2013 but there are a bunch of differences in the sport, some of which are good and others I believe are not so good.  I miss some of the things that used to be in the sport, but I know the likelihood of those thing coming back is low to nil, so I will make do.  But as an old guy its kind of fun making a stink about how things used to be, even if the youngins just look at you like you're reminiscing about AM Radio.

Here are is one of the things I've noticed about BMX racing these days when compared and contrasted with my experience back mainly in the 80s.  (My old experiences were concentrated mainly in Southern Ontario and later in the Northeast Quadrant of the USA, which is where I did the vast majority of my racing as a kid.)

There are less Punks, Riff-Raff, and general Shenanigan-doers.  What the hell is wrong with kids these days?  BMX racing seems to have cleaned up its act and I'm not so sure this is a good thing.  It think BMXing has lost its bad-ass reputation, which I suggest might actually make it more difficult to attract riders of a certain ilk.  Being a bit of a BMX misfit as a kid was actually kind of attractive to me and the half dozen or so other BMXers I rode with.  We liked to be the underdogs and didn't really want to be known as proper athletes.    

I remember getting into trouble in church parking lots, campgrounds, and chased by the police on my bike for getting up to no good various times, usually for making jumps out of dirt piles, parking blocks and construction site plywood.  Without the BMX infrastructure in place and in a world of less organization and bureaucracy we made do with whatever we could find.. and find we did.

While BMXers weren't always getting into trouble I have been a part of a few memorable events.  A good example of that was at the ABA Grands in Oklahoma City in 1989.  A concert was arranged for the riders and they brought in a well known band from the region to play for us after day 1 racing.  During the concert, the band made fun of some of the older attendees for riding "kids bikes" which didnt sit well with a few well known rabble rousers in the crowd.  A segment of the crowd got downright aggressive when the band continued to call us BMXers names and make fun of us.  What resulted was that the police had to be called in because a near-riot almost started, complete with fires set in the parking lot.  Clayton John was not amused.  Imagine parents seeing this item on the late night news later that night?  Ah yes, the riots... it's all coming back to me now.

I attribute much of the tidying up, or respectifying, of the sport to the fact that BMX freestyle and BMX racing are no longer joined at the hip.  In the 80s BMXing and Freestyle fed off each other, and thus many freestylers tried racing and many racers dabbled in freestyle.   I went to a race at Woodward in the late 80s and got to see a 2-HIP King of Vert halfpipe competition when the racing was finished for the weekend.  They relied on the captive audience of BMXers to stick around and watch the show, and it was pretty darn awesome to see Joe Johnson land his first double-tailwhip on vert.  The freestylers were more into the bad-assery than the really serious racers so now that they're separated out, there is less shenanigans going on both on and off the track.  Both sports appear to have grown-up in some respect and each has their own Super Bowl event.  BMX freestyle now has X-Games and BMX racing is in the olympics.  Having made it to the big show, the olympics, racing now is a sport that attracts a high-performance rider, and less about rad style.  I miss the rad style.   

If you go to a race these days, you rarely see a trick thrown in the air and all this damn manualing may be faster than jumping, but sure doesnt have the soul of Chris Moeller throwing in a truck-driver while in 3rd place of a B-Pro main.  Once I get (If I get) my jumping mojo back, I'm gonna try throwing in some X-ups one footers during a race just to show the whipper-snappers how it was done in the old days.  Then I'm going to attach a fire extinguisher to my bike, open it up, and let it blow me around in the pits til it runs out of pressure.   Ah man, those were the days.

[ryanfraser]

OUR YUBA:

Almost 3 years ago Kim and I wandered in to BikeBike in Calgary to check out the newest bike shop in the city.  As we were walking in the shop, it was impossible not to notice the smart looking cargo bikes outside.  There was a Bakfiets and Yuba Mundo on display outside with a couple other urban bikes.  Sean, the owner, had opened the shop with the intention of offering urban-style bikes that didnt require cycling gear or were not geared to going really fast.  We had just had our 2nd child 10 months prior and we were looking for some biking options for the two of us and our two boys, who were both under 4 years old at the time.  We had both spent time in Amsterdam and had seen many Dutch-style bikes, front-loaders like the Bakfiets and a other bikes with extra seating options on the back similar to long-tailed bikes here in North America, but this was the first time we had seen the Yuba Mundo.  We took it for a ride and thought about how we could use it.  Within an hour, we had bought it and I was riding it home.  

We could fit child bike seats on it, and then could remove them as the boys got older for other things like picnic gear or other stuff for day travels.  There is also the brackets on the side for loading up luggage, boxes and other stuff.  I keep saying I'm going to build some permanent totes on the side for grocery shopping and lugging around general stuff but I have yet to get around to it... Someday.

Today, our Yuba is essentially our second vehicle... Actually for me, its my first vehicle as I ride it more in the city than I drive our car.  I ride with Matt to school almost every day by myself on the way in and then packhorsing Matt's bike back as his school doesn't have a bike rack (scroll through the pics above).  In the winter, Matt rides on the back both ways and occasionally we all get out as a family for rides to the splashpad, park or just for some joyridin'.  

[ryanfraser]

Biking has an Image Problem - Part 2

This is my second post about Biking and how the image of cycling has to change if advocates want to attract people to the activity.  I don't know if I will do any more posts but for now I have the energy to write some of my thoughts on this subject. Enjoy.

If you Google "Cyclist" on the web, you get a bunch of pictures similar to this handsome and obviously fit chap. I'm going to name him Paul after a Cyclist friend of mine from high school.  He's decked out in a jersey, some lycra shorts, racing gloves, clip in shoes and pedals with those cute little ankle socks, some Oakleys and a fancy helmet.  Thats probably an additional $200-300 investment for those stereotypical duds to wear.  To me this image says "I am trying to get somewhere and I want to get there fast."  It also says the cycling is a serious activity, possibly even a really dangerous one.  Do advocates believe this image attracts non-gladiatiors to cycling?  I don't. In fact, I think it repels people.  I believe this image that we are all familiar with is another part of the problem in attracting people to bike riding.  Its one of the reasons I call myself a biker and not a cyclist.  It doesnt represent my riding or my mindset.  

I have been biking regularly since I was about 5. Thats 34 years.  I have owned multiple BMX Bikes, Pit Bikes, Upright Cruisers, a 10 speed, Mountain Bikes, and a Cargo Bike.  I raced BMX bikes from age 8 to 18 and for a time in my 20s rode aggressive terrain in the Rocky Mountains and Foothills in Alberta.  I mostly ride quite leisurely in the city these days and I recently took up BMX racing again with my 6 and 3 year-olds.  I rode my bikes to school and later to work in my 20s and 30s.  None of my biking activities have included the get-up that Paul is wearing above.  During all those years, I have never ever worn spandex anything, nor have I rode with gloves.  I wear regular sneakers on my feet.  I wore a helmet for awhile in my 20s but then decided I didnt really like sharing busy roads with cars so now I pretty much cycle through quieter neighbourhoods, taking the scenic routes and choosing to lose the helmet.  I bike in my street clothes, and even my business clothes when on the way to work.  I rarely bike at over 15 km/h and I haven't ridden on a highway in about 15 years... I'm your typical Sunday Driver only on a bike.. every day.  I ride for fun and I ride for the utility of the activity.  It is often just more practical for me to ride my bike than take the car, and I would never do a wardrobe change for the car ride, so why would I do one for the bike ride?

If Cycling advocates want to attract families to ride, they need to quit emphasising the stereotypical cyclist image that says "I'm in a hurry and have to go somewhere fast" and "Damn, my ass looks great in these tight spandex shorts!" and replace it with images that show the everyday person or family, in everyday attire, riding for more than just morning commute where they battle car-congested roads.  What do you think will attract more people to cycling... the image of Paul above or this image below with the family out for a ride?  Which image says fun and family and healthy living more?  

(Image from www.windmillfields.com)

I choose the latter image and I believe more families would as well.

[ryanfraser]

Biking (Cycling) has an Image Problem - Part 1

With the Commuter Challenge in full swing this week, I thought I'd write about a perspective I have based on some interactions I've had.  I think Cycling advocates have it wrong on the way they try and get people to ride.  The emphasis is almost always on living a healthy lifestyle, about saving on parking, about changing mindsets towards sustainable transportation types.  Quite frankly, I just believe biking has an image problem.   

I bike with my 6 year old to his school everyday.  Rain or shine, regardless of the what time of the year, we're out there riding.  We do it simply because we love it.  We're not out to save the environment or trying to get fit.  During the Winter, Matt rides on the back of my Yuba cargo bike, and in the Spring and Summer he rides his own bike.  Its a great time for us to be together on our bikes, taking in the morning and afternoons together.  One afternoon I was parked out in front of the school with the Mundo waiting for the bell when another father came up to me to ask about my bike.  We talked about its versatility and how it really is quite a handsome bike.  He then told me how he works from home so he can be there for his son at the beginning and end of the day.  He walks daily with his five-year old son about 8 blocks every morning and afternoon to and from school, but that he would like to ride.  It turns out that he did have a bike and also had one of those chariot-style bike trailers that his son could ride in.  

Then he said something that made me sad... and it continues to bother me today.  He said "I'd love to ride my bike to school with my son, but I don't want people thinking that I can't afford a car..." He told me that he couldnt afford a car at the moment and he felt inadequate as a single father without one.  He went on further to say "... and with the trailer, people will think I'm one of those bottle-pickers that go around in the alleys looking for deposits to return."   What makes me sad is that in this man's eyes, a bicycle is transportation for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and not something for the everyman to be proud of.  He felt bikes were relegated to those who couldn't afford a motorized vehicle.  He probably views those people driving cars as successful and those who ride a bike or (gasp) take transit as those who don't have the means to afford a car.  

I've heard people say that only the poor ride transit, which I is hogwash especially in big cities where public transit is quick, vast and regular, but this was the first time I'd heard anyone say that since I rode a bike they'd infer I just couldn't afford to buy a car.  I guess telling people that cycling is healthy or that it will save them gas money doesnt mean shit when we're all out to impress each other.  Why, Rich and successful people don't ride bikes, they drive cars of course.  Cool people don't ride bikes, they ride motorcycles.  For bike people (like me), many of us see bikes as very desirable things to have and use, or even to collect because they are just so bloody fun to ride. I have 4 bikes that I ride for different conditions and while I don't have a bike hoarding problem, I sometimes do covet other people's bicycles...  I even lust after other peoples bikes.. but I have yet to lust over a car in my 39 years.  The truth is I just think bikes are pretty darn cool!  I believe that If bicycle advocates want to get more people riding bikes, bikes need to become cool for more than just bike people.  Look what has happened in Portland, where biking has become cool.  It's a way to see and be seen.  In other places where there is a push to encourage cycling, the who's who need to start riding... that includes politicians, major figures within the community, even movie stars etc... What do you think would happen if a bike company could get Brad Pitt to ride one of their bikes in a movie or a commercial?  It would likely turn some heads and make people double think whether cycling was just for the poor.  In fact it could be the permission some people need to begin riding their bike.

[ryanfraser]

MyBikeisAwesome.com Link

I have always had awesome bikes.  When I got my first bike it was like I could fly.  The freedom was addictive. I was a natural.  I never needed training wheels… it was just something I took to immediately.  Although there have been stages where I haven’t ridden much due to general busy-ness or because I thought I was getting too successful to ride my bike, I have always had a soft spot for my bikes - past and present.

If YOU have an awesome bike, send me a pic of it and I will post it on the site.  The submit button is in the upper right hand corner of this site… it looks like a pencil.

Ryan

[ryanfraser]

Kingston Trader Link

Trade log and musings as I wade through Options trading.

Follow along, learning as I go... hopefully not losing much money, and maybe making some along the way.

[ryanfraser]

Ryan's Money Rules Link

About This Blog - Disclaimer

When I was about 27 years old, our financial advisor suggested we put all our money into a High Tech sector mutual fund right before the dot-com bubble burst. After it did burst, our portfolio dropped in value about 70%. Blammo! The fortunate thing was our portfolio was only worth about $12000 pre-pop. The really bad thing was that we had worked very hard as students to accumulate that money and we were really saddened to see our money evaporate like that.  About 6 months later, we pulled our money from that advisor and went off on our own. We taught ourselves the ins and outs of investing, debt management, assets vs liabilities, tax strategies, stocks, options, bonds and all the other stuff. We have a set of rules that we have established for ourselves, and have used these rules to build up a modest asset base that helps pay the bills.  We have always strived to squeeze the most out of the money we have, and to use it wisely so as to get good value from it.  This blog will be the first time that my/our money rules will be documented.  I initially wanted to write a book about money, and perhaps someday I will, but for now I will just document some of the learnings we've come to believe are important for proper stewardship of our money.  Some of our rules buck conventional wisdom (such as what we define as an asset, diversification, rebalancing etc), but they are all based on experience and trial and error... lots and lot of errors.  We also may have a different perspective or tolerance level than other prople wiht respect to risk and risk management.  These are things you should consider before doing anything with your money. 

[ryanfraser]

Writing your own bio can be challenging. Get someone else to do it.  

Ryan is one of my favorite people.

We first met at a Limestone New Media Group meet-up in September. Our conversation then was about him wanting to start something awesome in the city of Kingston. Not too long after that initial conversation, Awesome Kingston was born.

What I like most about him is that he is part of a very tiny majority of the world. I’m not sure what the exact figure is. (Maybe 1%, haha.) The tiny majority of the human population that says they will do stuff and then proceeds to go do it.

Kingston-bred, geologist, his current project is a simple one focused on biking. If you love wheeling around, check out his new website, My Bike is Awesome.

We met up today to talk about stuff and bounce ideas around. He’s been sitting on a financial literacy book that he’s been meaning to write.

This is a public nudge for him to get started writing.

Lessons? +Nobody is going to look after you.  The sooner you realize this, the better. +Owning a good company is better than working for one. +Live as a student as long as you can. Save money, invest it wisely. 

You can get in touch with Ryan through here: Website | Twitter Awesome Kingston | My Bike is Awesome 

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