Blogs - Derailleur

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO RIDE

‘IF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH HELL, KEEP GOING’

TJ
May 21, 2024
12:52 pm

MIDGES! BLACK GNATS! THOSE LITTLE BLACK FLIES! They are prolific. They are in endless and countless clusters. There must be millions of them, just on your ride alone. There seems to be a certain time...

IT IS PART OF SUMMER

TJ
May 14, 2024
9:14 pm

It is Sunday night. You look at the weather for the upcoming week. It looks good, except for Wednesday. On Tuesday night, you remember that Wednesday is not going to be good. You check, and...

IT IS HARD TO RIDE WITH A CONSTRUCTED CHEESE PLATTER

TJ
May 10, 2024
11:27 am

There is one ride I would put in my top three. Umm, it could be my number one. The ride you have after you leave a party. I had a beauty the other night. A...

CHIP, THE GUY EVERY CYCLING COMPANY ON INSTAGRAM USES IN THEIR ADS

TJ
May 6, 2024
9:08 pm

You have seen him before. On multiple occasions. Perhaps as many as five or six times a day. Seven days a week. He has no name. But I named him. You have never met him. ...

BAADER-MEINHOF

TJ
May 2, 2024
8:51 pm

I experience this ‘phenomenon’ now and then on my rides. It is hard to define it without giving an example. I had to GOOGLE my ‘phenomenon’ and see if a word came up. It did. ...

RIDE THE RIDE, GLIDE THE GLIDE.

TJ
April 30, 2024
4:38 pm

You know what is fun? Gliding down a hill, and you start to pick up speed at the speed that you were already saying ‘WOW’ to. It is even more fun when it is a...

IF VIVALDI CAN BE RECOMPOSED, WHY CAN’T CYCLING?

TJ
March 19, 2024
6:00 pm

I have been Cycling for years. But I came from a different sport. I was lucky, that sport set me up nicely to ride. There were ‘things’ from it that I was able to transfer. ...

NEXT TIME

TJ
January 6, 2024
9:07 pm

My bike makes a different sound. It seems to be a sound that dogs pick up on. Dogs seem to have a way of picking up on odd things. It is something I have been...

BREAKING CHARACTER

TJ
January 13, 2024
1:57 am

I have some good friends. None of them ride. I mean, they have bikes and all, but they don’t ride, ride. They love one specific thing I do. I do too. It makes them laugh,...

A WELL-ROUNDED LEG

TJ
April 25, 2024
3:17 pm

I am back. I am riding again. I started a few weeks ago. Right back into it. I even did something ‘daring’ on the first day, 100 Metres in. Funny, eh? It never leaves. It...

JUST A ‘THING’

TJ
April 21, 2024
12:48 am

There are ‘things’ that happen when you ride. You keep these ‘things’ to yourself. They would not mean much to anyone else. But they mean something to you. Nothing life changing. Just a ‘thing’ that...

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO RIDE

admin
March 9, 2024
5:40 am

No matter what you do, there are rules, formalities, etiquette, and customs. They are there to show you ‘how things are done.’ But ‘how things are done’ can change and should change. No sport in...

WILD life

TJ
April 14, 2024
10:37 pm

I like riding this time of year. I love riding this time of year. Spring rules. There is so much to it. You are so much more in tune with all that is going on...

THERE IS AN ‘i’ IN Tim

TJ
April 10, 2024
4:34 pm

I played hockey as a kid. I remember one coach. He was good. Every kid was important. No kid was more important than any other, no matter their ability. He was a big fan of...

TRUST

TJ
April 5, 2024
5:09 pm

I have this Post up on DERAILED COUTURE. It should be on DERAILLEUR too. Every so often, I like to look back at my posts on DERAILLEUR and DERAILED COUTURE. Check in. See if there...

I JUST WANT THE GOOD

TJ
April 2, 2024
4:21 pm

If you spend a lot of time on your bike, ‘incidents’ are going to happen. It is inevitable. I don’t like incidents. I don’t want an incident. Incidents stay with me. They stay with me...

HANDS DOWN, FOR SURE, NO DOUBT, ABSOLUTELY, MY FAVOURITE BIKE STORY

TJ
March 28, 2024
3:50 pm

Some wonderful things have happened on my rides. I try to be conscious each time one happens. Lock them in my head. Some people would call it luck. But luck has nothing to do with...

STUCK ON ON

TJ
March 26, 2024
4:21 pm

I stay out of view when I train. I stay out of view when it is ‘ON.’ I like to be alone. I am at my best when I am alone. I don’t want anyone to...

SHOULD I FAKE A FLAT?

TJ
March 24, 2024
3:55 pm

The ride is over, and I am close to home. I am riding up to a light. It turns red. I stop. I know you are not supposed to listen to strangers’ conversations, but there...

LOST IN TRANSLATION

TJ
March 21, 2024
11:01 pm

I have rides that could be labelled ‘dubious.’ But to me, they are the opposite. Trustworthy and certain. There is no way I could describe the routes in words. It would be impossible. Nobody would know...

LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

TJ
March 18, 2024
3:25 pm

The hot days. The really hot days. You have already broken a sweat, and you are just locking your door. You have not even started your ride. Ten minutes in, you begin to think about...

TRUE DETECTIVE

TJ
March 16, 2024
4:14 pm

I remember being in grade school, and a teacher whose name I still remember said, ‘There is nothing wrong with silence.’ It took me a while to get that one. Now I get it, too...

MIC DROP

TJ
February 26, 2024
2:08 am

I have a post called BYOB. Build Your Own Bike. It is a short and simple post. I combined my favourite elements from the types of bikes I have ridden into one. It worked. I...

…YOU JUST WANT TO RIDE

TJ
March 15, 2024
1:14 am

Is it okay to love to do something, but have no interest in it? ZERO. …You just want to ride. You want to leave it this way. You want to keep it this way. You...

THE DAILY WITH THE DAILY

TJ
March 13, 2024
4:53 pm

I have a problem with something. Haha, I actually have a lot of problems. But I will just focus on this one problem for this post. I have a problem with letting things get ‘out...

CHECKMATE

TJ
March 11, 2024
3:56 pm

Do you have the kind of life where if something is going to happen, it will happen in the extreme? I do. From my place, there are about three different ways to get to where...

WHY I RIDE NAKED

TJ
March 9, 2024
12:47 pm

I carry the minimum when I ride. My minimum. House key, debit card, and a piece of ID. No phone. I carry the minimum for a reason. I like to make every ride, more than...

FROOT LOOPS

TJ
March 7, 2024
1:07 pm

I love a good quote. A good expression. A funny saying. Complicated ones. Simple ones. They are good at capturing things. A moment. A thought. A feeling. A situation. They are good for making you...

MECHANAFRIEND

TJ
March 2, 2024
9:44 pm

I had a little life-affirming ‘thing’ the other day. One of those where you say to yourself, ‘Ya, you know? I must be an okay guy.’ Corny, but you know? Sometimes you need the odd...

I GO 100KM/H INSIDE

TJ
January 31, 2024
9:49 pm

I have a friend. A good friend. We have been friends since grade two. She is into Meditation. Really into it. She travels the world. You can tell she meditates. Just by her glow. Just...

5% FOR HIM, AND 95% FOR HIS DOG

TJ
January 27, 2024
2:07 am

I put a post up a while ago. It is called SAM. The jest of it was that there are people you see on your rides. People not on bikes. People you see lots of...

I WILL TAKE THE SWIMMER

TJ
February 17, 2024
4:27 pm

I like to play games in my head when I ride. Location? Anywhere. Number of players? One. Audience? Zero. Just me. What would you do ‘ifs?’ Stupid scenarios. How to solve them? How to get...

OFF THE RACK

TJ
February 14, 2024
2:50 am

I am going to try and explain something. This may not be the best way to go about it, but it works. It happened the other day. You are in a store. You see a...

TIME FOR CHANGE

TJ
February 11, 2024
5:52 pm

Have you ever thought about changing something? Not something small, something big. Like changing the way you approach your rides. Changing the focus. Changing the focus from distance to time. I think boat engines have...

WEAR IT OUT

TJ
February 20, 2024
4:12 pm

When you are trying to figure things out, you are going to ride through some ‘shit.’ ‘Shit,’ you must get rid of. ‘Shit’ you can get rid of on your own, and ‘shit’ you can...

WHOA!

TJ
February 8, 2024
10:21 pm

You should be down. Down on the ground. Your bike on its side, and you on your side. But you are not on the ground. You are up. You are still riding. Your heart has...

THE TJ VERSION OF RISING ABOVE

TJ
February 7, 2024
2:04 am

It is such an easy thing to say. ‘Rise above.’ But it is hard to put into practice. It is hard to put into practice because when you are in an ‘incident’ where you mentally...

TATIANA

TJ
February 4, 2024
10:30 pm

I did this other sport for a long time. I had a coach, Tatiana. She was from Uzbekistan. She was an Olympian. She told me that when she was young, everyone in the town she...

THE RITZ RIDE

TJ
February 2, 2024
10:19 pm

Every year, I do this ride. Last summer, I did it twice. I don’t know what day it will be. I don’t know what ride it will be. I cannot plan it. But I do...

I HEAR THE THUNDERSTORM

TJ
January 29, 2024
5:31 pm

I put a post up called STATE OF THE ART. I explained how an art installation on one of my rides changed how I look at art. This one is along the same lines. But...

TEN KILOMETRES IN, YOU ARE ASLEEP

TJ
January 28, 2024
5:36 pm

Do you fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow? I do, but I have a little phase every so often. It takes a little longer. I do not stress out about it. I...

EMBRACING THE FREAK

TJ
January 26, 2024
2:26 am

I have a good friend. She is full of wisdom, great quotes, lots of laughs, and oblivious to how entertaining she is. I am honoured we have a similar trait. She has embraced hers. I...

‘IT’S KINDA BRING’N ME DOWN’

TJ
January 24, 2024
6:55 pm

I am going to slough this post off to ‘my current state.’ There is a song I like. It is an ‘oldie.’ A friend turned me onto it. There is a line that goes, ‘You...

BYOB

TJ
January 23, 2024
2:29 am

I think you have seen some of the photos attached to my posts. I don’t like to have my bike ‘front row centre.’ But some locations are nice, and haha, ‘if I just put my...

MERCI BEAUCOUP

TJ
January 22, 2024
2:58 am

I am on a kind of ‘Pilgrimage.’ It is a simple one. I am keeping it to myself. I am not preaching it. I am just working on it. I should have started a while...

SELF-MEDICATED

TJ
January 20, 2024
10:44 pm

You know those days? The days when everything seems to be ‘off.’ It begins early. It begins as soon as you get up. You drop something. You spill something. A milk carton in the fridge. ...

TABLE FOR SIX

TJ
January 20, 2024
1:32 am

I got back from a ride at 2:00AM. I left at 1:00PM. I actually got back at 5:00PM. …Without my house key and debit card. The moment I checked my last pocket, I pictured them...

DRAFTING TABLE

TJ
January 18, 2024
9:46 pm

Architecture is easy to critique, it is everywhere. Good, bad, beautiful, WOW, WTF, ingenious. Buildings in the city, homes in the country. You pay attention to it when you ride without really noticing you do. ...

PARTNERS

TJ
January 17, 2024
4:49 pm

The nice thing about riding is that you are in tune with nature. It is almost like nature is kinder to you because you are on a bike. It ignores you when you are in...

RIDING THROUGH A BLIZZARD

TJ
January 16, 2024
5:19 pm

The first one you see, you notice it, and then quickly forget. The second time you see one, you spend a little more time on it. You can see yourself putting your bike against the...

STATE OF THE ART

TJ
January 15, 2024
5:22 pm

Rides are interesting, eh? What you get out of them. What you put into them. The way you ride. Where you ride. What you see. What you choose to ride. The things you notice. The...

THEY COME IN THREES

TJ
January 15, 2024
1:42 am

Sometimes it happens while you are stopped. Other times, it happens when you are moving. Your immediate reaction is denial. It does not last for long. You have a flat. There are times when you...

THE OUTFIT

TJ
January 13, 2024
8:27 pm

Do you have a favourite pair of shorts? You like the other ones you have, but one pair stands out. You know you should have bought two. You cannot find them anywhere online. You want...

F1

TJ
January 10, 2024
2:30 am

I am not sure why it took me so long to write this one. It should have been in the first two or three. It plays a huge role in my rides. I end up...

2B PENCIL

TJ
January 8, 2024
5:13 pm

I flew home for Christmas this year. I had missed too many. …Covid, Blizzards. I was not going to miss this one. I am now on the plane, it is all over. I am heading...

…NOT THAT I AM KEEPING SCORE

TJ
January 5, 2024
5:56 pm

There are different types of rides. I am going to stress the ‘different.’ I am not talking about the pace, destination or the route. I am talking about what makes the ride different and gives...

I DON’T NEED A HAIRCUT

TJ
January 3, 2024
9:41 pm

It is early afternoon. You are out on a ride. You know you have a few things to do. Things to do that have nothing to do with cycling. You do not have a specific one...

CHANGING THE ‘DID’

TJ
January 2, 2024
5:02 pm

One of the things I am working on is the two different kinds of ‘DIDs.’ I am trying to drop one and transition to the other. It is taking time, and I am still not there...

TAKING A BREATHER

TJ
January 1, 2024
2:21 am

Every so often, I will click on the site. Read a couple of posts. I have not forgotten them, but there are little parts that I have. I click on the video and try to...

THE lululemon HILL

TJ
December 30, 2023
9:47 pm

There is a good hill not too far from me. I call it the lululemon Hill. I have never really looked for the name of the street. You ride for a while on this one...

THREAD THE NEEDLE

TJ
December 28, 2023
9:06 pm

It is good to have confidence in your bike and yourself. You know what your abilities are. You know what your bike’s abilities are. Then there are the rides when it gets thrown out the window. ...

A TURTLE LARGER THAN SNOW WHITE

TJ
December 24, 2023
2:08 am

There is a white house with a black roof. I ride by it on one of my routes. It sits on about an acre of manicured grass. Off in the corner is a pond. It’s...

STEEPLECHASE

TJ
December 23, 2023
2:40 am

I live in a part of the world where there are lots of churches. Lots. None of them are small. They are all massive. At some spots in the city, there is one on each...

NOSTRADAMUS

TJ
December 22, 2023
2:40 am

Okay, I know this is a stretch. I cannot predict what I will be doing five minutes from now. But this changes when I get on my bike. I don’t know my Villains or Superheroes...

FISH STICKS

TJ
December 21, 2023
4:55 pm

Do you have something on your rides that? Hmm? How do I ask this? Something that… Something that might be on the edge of a phobia. Something you are not too fond of. Something you...

THE CORKSCREW

TJ
December 20, 2023
2:48 am

It crossed my mind to not say a thing and just put this video up. It is all you need to see. Then I thought I should give you a little context and clear up...

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

TJ
December 18, 2023
5:09 pm

Here is a little less than a thousand more. Short and sweet, not a big fan of photos of myself. I mean, I will look at them and all, but I will quickly move on...

HOUSE ARREST

TJ
December 17, 2023
2:07 am

It is raining. It is pouring. You are eager to get out. It is going to happen, it may not happen, it is happening, it is not happening, it is happening, it may happen. You...

DING DING DING DING DING

TJ
December 15, 2023
9:35 pm

There are some long ones in the area I live in. Really long. Trains, that is. So long that halfway in, two more engines appear. They sometimes stop. Then slowly get moving again. You listen...

OH NO, I COULDN’T

TJ
December 14, 2023
2:18 am

It is a Saturday around 7:00 PM. The ride is over, you have said goodbye, and you are now heading home. You still have another forty-five minutes to go. You are hot, a little tired,...

YOU KNOW HOW CATS ARE, EH?

TJ
December 12, 2023
1:53 am

This one is nothing to be proud of. I used to do it now and then, but when the Pandemic was in full swing, I started to do it regularly. Going to the washroom outside. ...

S A M

TJ
December 10, 2023
4:58 pm

Swinging Arm Man I swear if you rode past him, you would say, ‘WOW, that guy really swings his arms when he walks.’ I know SAM is getting the utmost exercise and all the power...

RIDING IT OUT

TJ
December 8, 2023
9:50 pm

I hope you are a happy person. I hope you have things on the go that give you pleasure. I hope you have some good people in your life. There are times when things are...

YOUR TOTAL IS $17.28 SIR

TJ
December 6, 2023
3:34 pm

You put it all on the counter. In fact, you are eyeing one more purchase before they finish ringing you through. A ‘Kinder Egg?’ ‘$17.28 Sir,’ the cashier says. Don’t look at what you bought,...

STRANGER IN THE NIGHT

TJ
December 4, 2023
1:39 am

You are sitting on the couch. You have the remote in your hand, and going through the channels. Then, out of the blue, you get up. ‘It’s happening.’ You get your bike lights and attach...

SHIT, A SNAKE

TJ
December 2, 2023
5:38 pm

I say this in my head so often that I work on trying not to say it. I say it on a path I like. I say it on a path that I have been...

RUFF RUFF

TJ
December 1, 2023
3:30 pm

You could be dying on a hill. You could be at your last breath. You could be chasing someone. You could be at your last kilometre. It does not matter, it always brings a smile. ...

Spy vs Spy

TJ
November 30, 2023
9:37 pm

I used to buy MAD Magazine all the time. Oh man, I loved that Magazine right up until its end. You were always guaranteed a chuckle. You knew what you were in for. Each issue...

CYCLING CONDIMENTS

TJ
November 28, 2023
2:24 am

When you lock your door to head out for a ride, are you already excited to return home? It is not like you don’t want to go on a beautiful ride, it is just that...

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN RIDES AGAIN

TJ
November 26, 2023
6:32 pm

Let me set the scene. It is a dark stormy night, and the power just went out. Haha, joking. Let me set the scene. It is a weekday afternoon. You are about halfway into your...

DON’T MISS IT

admin
November 22, 2023
5:38 am

I remember the day. I remember the group I was with. I remember exactly where I was. Out of the corner of my eye and across a field, I could see a spectacular home. It...

THE SOCK APPROACH

admin
November 18, 2023
5:39 am

I met a nice elderly woman the other day. I was riding, and she was out for a walk. It was at one of those intersections that you seem to never get. If you miss...