I found a place to stay in Cincinnati: Ashley Quarters, which is right near the airport and also walking distance from PetSmart.
I’ll have Alex with me, but am planning to escape for at least a few weekends back to Boston. I’m wondering if anyone knows a good boarding kennel in the Cincinnati area. Alex has never been commercially boarded before; he has always stayed with friends or neighbors. It would be nice if he could stay with a small group of other dogs in a place where there is a lot of personal attention and human contact.
I’m also looking for a good bicycle shop in Cincinnati. I need to get a Thule bike rack for my car (and have them install it!) and also want to buy a good cross bike. Suggestions?
I can’t speak for their service, but I’ve seen this place along I-75 in my trips through the area.
http://www.petsuitesofamerica.com/location_airport.asp
I can’t say enough good things about a place here in Cincinnati called Puppy Camp -> http://www.puppycamp.com/. We take our dog there and if you board a dog with them, your dog will go home with one of the employees. No cages, he’ll hang out in a house with a few other dogs and spend all day at the camp. If I were leaving town and couldn’t find a friend to watch our dog its the only place I’d use.
Oh, and I’ve heard good things from my biking nut friend about Montgomery Cycle. ->http://montgomerycyclery.com/index.cfm
I’m intrigued by the bike- Which type of cross bike are you considering? The true “cross” bike (for euro-style cross racing… drop bars, mud-shedding design, narrow knobbies, cantilever brakes, light & fast); the old “hybrid” style (sorta like a real cross bike except straight bars, not that light, not that fast, with a suspension fork), the “straight bar road” (surprisingly high end and fast, don’t take this onto trails), or one of the wacky new “urban” bikes that are all over the place?
My colleague drops her 2 weiner dogs off here when she leaves town http://www.petsuitesofamerica.com/location_airport.asp
She is a dog lover and likes the place. They will even pickup/drop off dogs and is very close to where you will be staying. They welcome spontaneous drop in visits to check the place out.
My triathlete buds like montgomerycyclery.com on north side of Cincy- about 20-25 minutes away from Florence. Oddly enough just 2 miles from Blue Ash airport :> A bit pricey but you get what you pay for in advice. If you like Trek (I’m partial to Specialized) there is a Trek store 15 minutes further north trekstorecincinnati.com
Good places to ride- Lunken airport has 5 mile course. Loveland has nice river ride and is more quaint than Florence. http://www.lovelandbiketrail.com
Kevin: I don’t think I’m ready for the all-Lycra, racing bike, iPhone lifestyle. I probably should have said “hybrid” or “city” bike. I had a Trek that I loved back in NYC in the mid-1990s (great fit). Now have a Trek that I just hate (top of the line hybrid from 2001; somehow doesn’t fit right and the drivetrain is prone to hunting). I am really just looking for a more upright riding position than a road bike and less rolling resistance than a mountain bike with its knobbies.
I was poking around the Montgomery Cycle site and found a quasi-recumbent that looked interesting…
http://montgomerycyclery.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=5789
(Giant Revive). Anyone tried one of these?
Kevin: I think you are referring to a cyclocross racing bike, which typically does have cantis or linear brakes, clearance for 32c offroad tires and frame clearance for mud. In their purest forms, they have single front chainring, chainguard, drop bars and lack bottle cages and other extras that interfere with shouldering the bike while portaging the bike through the parts of the racing courses where that is done. Some makers add back braze-ons for cages, fenders and racks so the bikes can do double duty as a road or sport-tourer bike. They aren’t meant as city bikes like the hybrid or other kind of “cross bike”–straight bars, modified hardtail MTB frame, fenders and the like.
Lots of city-type bikes available.
If you want to travel with the bike or keep it inside the car, you might consider a bike with S&S machine couplers so that you can break the frame down for case shipping.
Philip: You’re a bit unique in that, as I remember, you have personal experience with a wide range of bicycle styles. The words Ibis, Santa Cruz, recumbent, and folding leap to mind, plus your two hybrids. Also, if I may, you seem refreshingly immune to worries of public perception, as proven by your consideration of a Giant Revive bicycle that looks like something my aunt in Clearwater would ride around the aisles of the local Wal-Mart. Can you give us a bit of insight into what the bike will be used for, and maybe why none of your previous platforms fit the bill? Does on-road comfort trump all? Do you want to keep an occasional trail jaunt as a possibility? Will you be pulling a Burley trailer with your dog, requiring additional stopping power and stability?
If we truly take your low-rolling-resistance, yet not-hunched-over requirements to heart, you’re looking at either a flatbar road or “comfort road” category. Flatbar road is pretty self-explanatory, it’s a traditional road bike in all ways except the frame may or may not be more upright, the bars and stem are definitely more upright, otherwise it’s a road racer. Comfort road is a more nebulous concept, basically it’s a road racer made specifically for our older, creakier, moneyed citizens- it looks damn near identical to something you’d win the Tour on, except a more detailed look reveals a much more upright riding position. You’ve still got drop bars and all that stuff. A couple examples of the “comfort road” are the Trek Pilot and the Specialized Sequoia, although a lot of Specialized’s more expensive bikes also feature more relaxed geometry. In both categories, my quick test is how high the saddle is compared to the handlebars- Lance would have his bars way under the seat for aerodynamics/climbing, my mom would have the bars probably above the seat in classic “sit up and beg” geometry.
Flatbar road and hybrid can be similar, but as you get closer to the true hybrids you start getting things like mountain bike brakes, wider rims, knobby tires, mountain components, and the infamous 700c suspension fork I’d suggest you avoid. If you’re just riding road, every one of those changes from road bike equipment is a hindrance (although fat slicks and granny gearing could provide comfort).
I agree completely with CHenry’s endorsement of S&S couplers for travel, although this requires both traditional tubes and a certain committment to the bike- for the cost of the couplers and installation you could definitely buy and give away a couple of low-end hybrids. And that Giant Revive will limit your choice in roof racks (i believe), as it doesn’t have a traditional tube to clamp.
Kevin: Your aunt in Clearwater probably could kick my tired computer programmers ass 🙁
I haven’t heard of good mountain biking in Cinci. and I’m hoping to do my trips starting/ending right at my hotel (i.e., right at the airport). So I think on-road comfort is #1. Avoiding, uh, urological problems is #2. Alex has tried and rejected the trailer (massive yipping). I think 10-25 mile rides at a miserable 12 mph are the most likely scenarios. I hadn’t heard about this “comfort road” category. My last real shopping trips for bicycles were back around 2001.
It sounds like you’re down to 2 options- 1) Max out the comfort/fit of a traditional bike, or 2) Buy something wacky (like that Revive, or a recumbent). I’m only qualified to give advice on #1. My personal experiences on how to make a traditional bike comfy:
Tires- You could ride a mountain bike with 2.0″ slicks running at 50psi…this would be very cush. At the other end would be a 700×23 road tire at 90psi…that’s rough. 1.25″ mountain slicks aren’t terribly forgiving either, which equals a 700×32 road tire (they go up to 700×35). If you aren’t worried about speed, a 2.0″ on the rear (the front can be thinner) will make you happy. So perhaps you need to get a 26″-wheeled MTB, simply for the tire choices.
Bars/Bar position: I’ve used a riser bar,”stem riser” (http://www.rei.com/product/700227), and a hi-rise stem on my mountain bike. A combination of these can take the meanest weight-forward off-road climbing machine to something you’d tool around in bolt-upright. The stem and stem riser are much easier to install as the bars require changing grips, etc over. Sometimes you need to adjust cables/housing if there wasn’t enough slack to allow the extra distance once raised. REI’s usually got a high-rise stem for about $20, although there website doesn’t show it.
Saddle: Very, very personal. I’m a huge fan of the Specialized line of saddles, I remember riding the original Body Geometry saddle in the mid-90’s and saying, “my butt still hurts, but i’m not numb”. I’ve tried 5 versions of their line, and find that the cheaper “comfort” saddles provide more numbness relief than their pricey “racing” saddles. Now they have widths too, making for a maddening array of styles. I figure a wide, cush saddle like the $27 BG Comfort would be a good place to start (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=EquipSaddlesRec). I’ve seen no reason to try new offerings from other saddle manufacturers, as Specialized had an intelligent design in 1990 while others continued randomly cutting holes in their saddles for a decade (but I haven’t looked in awhile). An aggravation: Specialized stuff is only available online or at stores that sell Specialized bikes (ie, not REI).
What haven’t I talked about? The bike itself! I’m pretty convinced that a fat rear tire trumps any comfort provided by a carbon frame, etc. If you’re looking for speed, the carbon frame won’t increase rolling resistance/rotating mass, but that sounds like it’s not your main concern. I’d avoid a front shock personally (unless it’s got a remote lockout), for the sake of bobbing, weight, cost, and complexity. A rear tire with a diameter of over 35cm/1.38″ necessitates a mountain bike- but maybe a 700×35 at 70psi might be okay (you can’t run a road tire at 50psi and be safe). Components…well, road stuff works a lot smoother but it should all work. Frame…you’re getting aluminum unless you’re spending $200 or over $1000.
Now the nitpicks… Manufacturers can’t resist putting crappy, heavy suspension forks on every MTB over $250 (I’d liken these forks to 35-80 kit lenses). Many of the “urban” bikes inexplicably have dual disc brakes- overkill and added complexity for little return. Many of the flatbar road bikes inexplicably have mountain bike brakes. And everyone slaps no-name hubs and/or rims on their $1000 bikes, knowing that most people only care about the rear derailleur… I think this is where I sign off, with no real solution and a comprimise at every turn.
Check out the Surly Crosscheck or the Salsa Casseroll. Many people love the Surly because it’s a sturdy all around bike and the Casseroll was built for comfort over long distances. Both are excellent for commuting and can accept a range of tire widths so they can be ridden on or off road. Both are more comfortable than a road bike and not as slow as a mountain bike.
Do you ride with your dog? One consideration would be how you’re going to attach the dog-leash/harness to your bike. As most of the recumbents do away with the triangle and are made out of non-standard materials, you don’t have a convenient 30mm(ish) downtube to attach it to, or a standard triangle-frame in the rear for the third style. I’m now puzzling out how to harness my pooch to a Linear recumbent. Also, as with that Giant bike, there are some that look less odd, like the Rans “crank forward” bikes — warped diamond-frame bikes rather than something radical. I opted for an under-seat steering recumbent in order to eliminate the stress on my back (old age) and wrists (darn computers).
Andy: I don’t ride with my dog because (a) he is too much of a cry-baby to ride in a trailer, and (b) he is 12 years old and too creaky to run alongside.
Good dog kennel, or a fun puppy camp place is Puppy Camp 513-721-PUPS and a great bike shop is bicycles and more 513-661-6777.