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Bike Giveaway!

This bike is too small for me and I’d like to give it to someone who is need of a bike.

This isn’t a fancy bike - it’s an 8x2, 26” REI brand Junior’s CX bike, but would work as a small adult road, cx or training bike. It’s currently got a training tire on the back that would need to be changed out before it’s ridden on the road (for safety purposes) but is otherwise mechanically sound.

Please feel free to nominate yourself, a neighbor, a friend or anyone else. I’ll pick someone in the next couple of days- ideally would love to give this to a front-line or essential worker.

Please send me a message letting me know a bit about the person and why they should get the bike!

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Humanoids of Surly Feature

As long time readers know, I’ve been a fan of Surly Bikes for a long time. Basically since I started riding bikes as an adult. So when they reached out to me a bit ago to ask if I would be interested in being featured on their Humanoids of Surly Blog, I was over the moon!

The blog post came out yesterday and the response has been overwhelming. I don’t know what weird little corner of the internet I exist in, but thank you all for making it so supportive, friendly and welcoming.

Check out the Surly blog here and look for more fun stuff soon!

Humanoids of Surly Blog Post

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Why I love using a trainer to ride indoors

I had an indoor bike trainer a few years ago – it made a really good door stop and dust collector but I really didn’t ride it much… it was hard to set up, loud, and I had no idea what sort of resistance level I was working with. If you asked me what brand it was I couldn’t tell you – I had bought whatever seemed decent in an attempt to keep riding through the Seattle winter. Clearly I didn’t listen to my friends and all the internet advice that told me to spend a few extra bucks for a Smart Trainer. I ended up hating the trainer and hardly ever riding it.

Fast forward three years and I’m back on the trainer game, this time off to a much more successful start. I’ve got the Saris M2 Smart Trainer and have already logged nearly 200 miles indoors! While it’s not a replacement for carefree days outside in the sun, it’s a darn good backup when it’s raining, too smoky to breathe, or you know, a global pandemic.  Read on for details on how you can win a Saris trainer….

Ready to jump on the trainer!

Ready to jump on the trainer!

Why I love my trainer

Here’s a few other reasons why I’ve become a convert to using a Smart trainer:

  • Easy to set up

  • Connects with online cycling apps like Rouvy and Zwift, where you can ride in real-time with friends and strangers!

  • Realistically simulates real-world riding, including hill climbing and descending

  • It’s actually a really good work out!

Setting up your trainer

A quick word on the setup. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am literally the least handy or mechanically inclined person in the world. My curtains literally fell down a day after I put them up. So when I say this trainer is easy to set up, I’m not lying. From box to riding, it was about 15 minutes, including the digital connections! It’s got fancy integrated cadence, speed and power data and dual ANT+ FE-C and Bluetooth sensors, so you really don’t need any other connections too.

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I do think a lot of people would do a double-take at seeing my touring bike on a trainer, but you know what, ride what you got, right? Full disclosure, I bought a cheap road bike that I intended to use as a trainer bike, but it’s really ill-fitting. So with a quick tire change (**very important – make sure if you’re using a trainer you’re using either a smooth tire or a tire intended for use on a trainer!**), I was able to use my Surly on the M2 trainer. Sure I don’t need the racks and fenders and safety pizza, but why not ride my favorite and most comfortable bike?

It’s honestly kind of funny – when I’m riding outdoors I hardly ever pay attention to speed, watts, cadence – I’m out there to ride.  But indoors, I guess because there isn’t scenery to look at or bakeries to stop at, the stats are pretty fun.

The Saris M2 is a “wheel-on” trainer, so you can use your current set-up (as long as your tires are smooth.

The Saris M2 is a “wheel-on” trainer, so you can use your current set-up (as long as your tires are smooth.

I’m really looking forward to continuing to ride my trainer and improve my fitness with it. Most winters, I don’t ride very much and then every spring, it’s a bit of a slog to get my legs back into riding shape for touring and bikepacking season. I’m hopeful that riding indoors will keep build my endurance and stamina throughout the winter so when the good riding weather comes around again, I’ll be able to go further and recover faster!

Want to join me in the trainer fun? Well, lucky you, I’ve partnered up with Saris and Machines for Freedom to help promote the Ultimate Indoor Cycling Giveaway! Go here and enter to win a slew of really amazing prizes including:

MP1 Nfinity trainer platform
H3 direct drive smart trainer
TD1 trainer desk
1-year subscription to ROUVY
PLUS! Machines For Freedom Essential Cycling Short
*The Luxe Cropped Base
*The Summerweight Long Sleeve Jersey in the new Moonlight Print
*The Twilight Jacket
AND! New Insulated Water Bottles in Palmera to stay hydrated!

 

Kailey Kornhauser and I will also be hosting a series of Friday rides at Noon PST on Zwift we’re calling “All Bodies on Bikes.” These will be no-drop virtual rides where we can sweat together virtually! Find me on Zwift (Marley Blonsky), follow me, and I can invite you to the meetups!

Good luck and see you on the trainer!!  

Giveaway link: https://www.saris.com/page/saris-x-machines-giveaway

 

A Much Overdue Life Update

Wowee I am overdue for an update! You know how sometimes life changes in really big, unexpected ways and then it’s like you’re on a rollercoaster and it’s really fun and you just don’t want to stop or slow down to reflect? Yeah, that’s where I’m at.

But it’s time. And I’ve got a lot of time on my hands these days, now that we’re back on another round of COVID lockdown. So, in no particular order, here is what has been going on the last few months.

I broke up with my partner, which also meant ending our engagement.

I moved to Capitol Hill into a gorgeous apartment that I’m in love with.

I adopted two dogs.

 It’s funny, when you condense it down into three sentences, all these changes seem pretty manageable. But it’s been a lot of really big changes.

Overall, these changes have all been for the better, even though breaking up with somebody that you love is heartbreaking and not something I wish on anyone. For both his privacy and mine, I’m not going to go into details, but please know that he is a wonderful man who has all my respect in the world.

I will go into details on my new apartment and the doggos though! The rental market in Seattle is really soft right now and I was incredibly lucky to find a nearly 750 square foot, one bedroom unit that’s actually affordable.

The apartment is a perpetual work in progress

The apartment is a perpetual work in progress

It’s in a historic building on the quiet part of Capitol Hill, built in 1927! There are some really fun details that they’ve kept as they’ve remodeled throughout the years, including a fold-out ironing board in the kitchen and the original toilet! I love thinking of how many people have pooped on that exact same toilet!

The building is also pet friendly, so as soon as I was settled in I started my search for a dog. I quickly found a pair of bonded senior best friends who were in need of a permanent home and soon found myself as a brand new dog mom!

Lacey and Daisy Mae

Lacey and Daisy Mae

I feel like I won the dog lottery. These girls are the absolute sweetest pups ever. They warmed right up to me, cuddling on the first day and settling right in. We’ve quickly established a pretty good routine (I think?? I don’t actually know since I’ve never done this before…) and I’m definitely spending way more money than I thought I would. Who knew vets and food and toys and all the things were so expensive?

Of course you can follow all of their adventures on Instagram.

I’ve also got a few exciting things lined up in the bike world. I’ve seen a first cut of the film All Bodies on Bikes that we’re making with Sweetgrass Productions, Zeppelin Zeerip and Shimano. It’s looking so good and I can’t wait to show everyone when its released this spring. I’ve also got a fun promotion coming up in December with Machines for Freedom and Saris, so keep your eyes on my Instagram for details about that.

Pedaling away on the trainer

Pedaling away on the trainer

One of my goals for this winter is to be more engaged on my blog and to finally update the recommendations section of my website. I have a good friend helping me with some website changes and hopefully she’ll be able to hold me accountable to more consistent content. Please let me know what recommendations you’d like to see and if there’s any gear reviews you’re looking for!