15 years of Blogging
Mon, November 16, 2020 
On November 12th, 2005 I posted my first article, and “Dave’s Bike Blog” was born.
I was a young man of 69, and “Blogging” was relatively new, there were only a few million or so blogs world-wide at the time, today there are around 600 million.
Facebook had only been launched a year before, (2004.) and Twitter would follow a year later in 2006.
It was 2002 when Google took over “Blogger” and made it a free platform under the name “Blogspot.”
it was the platform that I used initially. Blog, a word derived from Web-Log, not my favorite word, but it is too late to change it now. In July 2008 I had concerns about censorship, and switched to “Squarespace,” a commercial platform. Squarespace was itself in its infancy then.
One month later in August 2008 I quit writing, probably one of the dumbest decisions I have ever made. I had a pretty big following and decided to quit while I was ahead. At the time I felt I had nothing left to say. I did come back six-months later in February 2009. I did so because a group of bike enthusiasts, got together, and presented me with a “Tribute” bike. One of my own custom bikes that I had built in 1983.
Many of the people who contributed to this bike were strangers to me, I was deeply touched and had to write about it on my blog by way of a thank you, it brought me back, I had lost my big following and had to start all over again, which is why I admit it was not the smartest I ever did.
Here we are all these years later and I still struggle with what to write about each week, although now I have a huge backlog of articles, and often re-publish an old one. It takes me at least 4 to 6 hours to write a new post such as this, after writing, then editing and re-writing, then the time to post it to the blog platform along with any pictures and links to other articles.
I find I have to be careful what I write about. My last post in which I was trying to inject a little sanity into the craziness that was the recent election. At least it brought out some comments, which show people still read this stuff and I am not just talking to myself.
I read a story about a person who was getting abuse on an online forum. He found the abuser lived in the same town, so he suggested they meet, and he could tell him to his face the things he was saying anonymously online. The reply he got was that the other person was only 13 years old and is parents did not allow him to meet people he contacted online.
I have had some really obnoxious comments in the past, for example simply because I spoke out against Critical Mass. I suggested that blocking rush hour traffic once a month was not bike advocacy. I can accept that these comments are probably coming from juveniles, but at my age I can do without that kind of negative thought coming my way. The result is I stay away from the controversial stuff. It is a form of censorship that makes it harder to find subject matter to write about.
In 2016 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, my symptoms have actually improved, this is due largely to exercise and diet. Writing here is exercise for my brain. Thinking new thoughts, deciding what to say, causes new connections to form between brain cells. This is essential therapy as Parkinson’s is caused by brain cells dying and my body is no longer producing dopamine.
Also, I cannot allow myself to get stressed out or angry, or my tremors in my right arm get worse. Normally, my Parkinson’s does not stop me doing anything I want to do, I can control it. However, if I am to go another 15 years it will put me at ninety-nine years old. So, people, please be nice, and we will see how long we can keep this party going.
Footnote: I would love to hear from long-time-readers. How long, and what are your favorite posts?
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Reader Comments (14)
Keep it going Dave. I've followed your blogs since just about the beginning.
Dave, Please keep going. I've been with you from the beginning, thanks to the magic of rss,and enjoy your writing and insights.
Good anniversary post Dave! I’m dealing with Parkinson’s as well and I’m glad to hear you’re in control of it, instead of it controlling you.
Keep it rolling.
Hi Dave! I've been reading your blog for many years, and really enjoyed your posts. I was a bike racer in the late 80s and early 90s while I was in college. Since then, I have done various levels of cycling off and on for fitness and fun, and even a bike commute when I lived close enough to the office.
I really enjoy hearing your tales of building bikes and navigating the bike industry. Even more, I appreciate your calm, reasoned, optimistic approach to cycling advocacy and life in general. Your blog reminds me that there are good people in the world, and shows the type of nuanced thinking that I would like to see more of in the world.
Please keep writing - you are a voice of sanity and reason in a world that can at times be contentious and polarized. I value your experience and your willingness to share from it.
Good on ya Dave. I've been following since way back when, don't know exactly but I remember when you quit (devastated!) and came back (hooray!).
Good health to you sir.
My favorite post would be this, http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2014/3/12/46-big-ring.html
Actually Red Kite Prayer also wrote something similar,
https://redkiteprayer.com/2016/04/an-open-letter-to-sram-shimano-and-campagnolo/
Dave, I look forward to your posts, and am never disappointed. I appreciate your thoughts on all the topics you have covered.
Dave, I have been reading your posts since about 2010. I don't remember when. It was a discovery like riding a racing bike after years of cruisers! My favorite articles are about your experience of building frames with the background and reasons for the approach you have taken. Fit is also a favorite topic.
I have often cited your articles on the BikeFormus C&V as others have done. I always appreciate your contributions there as well.
Like you, I have more years behind be than in front. Keep going and keep contributing to this blog!
BTW: I lust after owning one of your frames!
Great to read that you’re still up for keeping the party going, Dave! I always enjoy reading your posts, and appreciate the time and care you put into them. You’re in our thoughts every time we go for a ride on one of your creations. We’re so fortunate that you decided to keep in touch with all of us through your blog, website, registry — and especially that West Coast tour. You’ve certainly given me much more than I could have imagined when I bought my Fuso in 1990. Thank you!
It looks like you're getting a lot of feedback from followers who would not otherwise comment. My personal reason for following is I own and love vintage bikes from the classic era, before index shifting, brifters and plastic frames and admire craftsmen who built those steel frames. Also, I was a refugee in the UK for 8 years, where I started cycling before I came to Canada in 1956. I'm about 5 years your junior and hope to follow your blog for another 15 years, so keep writing it. It's a good one, whether you're discussing bikes or the state of the universe.
The climb was steep, the road narrow, the air colder. Dave pedaled on, his steel bike gently moving under him as he stood on the pedals. The sun was low in the sky, winter days were short, his rides shorter than summer evenings.
Dave pulled into a turnout to take a break. Another rider pulled along side him.
“Nice evening for a ride, I love the way this bike rides. These 35 tires really make riding tolerable. You heading up the mountain?”
Dave gave a quick glance, enough to take everything in, including who was asking the question and the bike he was astride. “I am.”
“Wow, that’s dangerous. So narrow, and it’ll be dark soon. I’m heading back down because it’s Happy Hour at the Iron Door. My wife is meeting a group of us. Wanna join us? You look like you ride bikes more than I do.”
Not looking over this time, “No thanks, I’ll keep riding.” Dave clipped in and started to push off. His sudden companion said: “Well, good luck. We cyclists need all we can get. My wife hates me riding. I tell her I didn’t spend $1,500 on something I’m not going to ride, at least for a while.”
Dave didn’t respond. He smoothly clipped his other foot in and silently floated away. If all the world was dangerous, would people bother to procreate? Would they feel guilty for riding bikes when some felt it was taunting death, was foolish?
Riding bikes ascended above such opinions; it didn’t provide answers; bikes do not presume. While anyone can ride a bike, every one is an individual. And they do not ride for the same reason, any more than they all ride the same route. Dave thought: “Don’t ask why I ride, I can’t answer.” He turned the last corner on the mountain and saw the summit.
It seemed to him that maybe that wasn’t the top. Of all the times he has climbed this mountain, each was unique. How many more times would he cross this way? Must be getting old because he was thinking about it. If life is short, it is even shorter when it is easy. He could turn around right before the summit, not reach it, and save it for another day. But Dave knew reaching the top wasn’t what riding was about. It was about being on the road. And he especially enjoyed the tougher rides.
All these years of riding, of racing, the one thing that kept his balance was the bicycle. It kept the small problems small, and the made the big problems smaller. Dave hesitated, smiled, looked at the summit, shifted up to his 28, and stood on the pedals, accelerating towards the top. He danced on the pedals, the bike gyrating under his power as he sped up.
If he was going to be on the road, he would ride his best. The sky grew darker as the sun slowly set.
I thank everyone for their kind comments, and words of encouragement.
Dave.
Hi Dave, I have been a reader since 2008. I must have started reading after your "comeback". I cannot find the actual title of the blog, but the theme was how often problems become opportunities. It discussed the fire at a gift wrap factory and how that impacted your life. I live in Bergen County, NJ and know of the shop you often write about. I also enjoy your articles pertaining to bicycle construction, geometry, etc. Thanks very much. Jay
Thanks, Dave! I have followed you for quite a few years. All of your posts are interesting. However, I find the ones about bike design and your misspent youth the best.
I raced back in the mid to late 70s for about 5 years. A bad crash during a closed course crit put me off the bike for quite a few years. Now I ride for the pure enjoyment of riding, all be it at a much slower pace.
Aaron