This infinitesimally tiny corner of the interwebs will be used for my ruminations and stories of riding bicycles in all four seasons of the year. Particularly noteworthy is the harshness of our winters. Northern and northeastern Minnesota, USA, where I reside, have winters that can be compared more to that of Alaska or above the Arctic Circle than to other states in the contiguous United States.
I’ve been riding bicycles all of my life, not counting the first three years of development. And those 8 years of awkward development between age 22 and age 29. I’m not sure what happened during those years and why I stopped riding bicycles. Somehow the Universe corrected itself and I started riding again. I’ve been riding ever since.
A move to Northeastern Minnesota in 2001 motivated me to increase my desire to spend time outdoors moving my body with the use of bicycles. Thus began a period of increased growth and experimentation with different types of bicycles and learning to ride in any and all weather conditions. Prior to this move I had been primarily a two or three season user of two wheeled travel. In July of 2002 I sold my beloved 4wd Toyota Truck. I wanted to see if I could get around for a year without it. Part of the decision was due to me not using the truck very often. It sat parked and unused most of the time. As of this writing in late December of 2015 the experiment is still taking place 13 1/2 years later.
When I’m not on a bicycle I spend time moving outdoors while walking, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and winter camping. Those stories may find there way to the pages of this blog as well. Most all of my adventures take place within a 100 mile radius of my home near the head of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior.
Happy Riding,
Doug Robertson
four season cycling 
Hi Doug. I am also interested in a Jones SWB bike and read your review. I am trying to determine size and figured you’d be a good person to ask. I have owned Rivendells and usually go by PBH to determine sizing. My PBH is 78cm so I am assuming a Jones SWB in size small would be best. I know you opted for the small. Does that sound about right? Thanks, Sean (Austin, TX).
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Hi Sean, The best thing about buying from a bike company like Jones is you can call and talk directly to the man himself, Jeff Jones. Or send an email and they will set up a call appointment to talk with Jeff. He would be the one to talk to about sizing. That’s what I did. While I’m familiar with Riv’s PBH sizing, I’ve never taking my own PBH measurement. I don’t size my bikes like Rivendell and I doubt Jeff Jones does either. I’m 5’7″ with a 29″ inseam. Jeff said I could go with a small or a medium. It was up to me. The small would have a shorter reach to the bars, and the medium I would be more stretched out. That’s as close as he came to recommending a size to me. With the sloping top tube either size would provide enough stand over height.
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Hey Doug,
I retired and moved to Superior, Wisconsin. We should get together for a ride and/or coffee sometime.
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Hi Kent, Sure thing. These days I’m only able to ride very short distances due to some undiagnosed health issue and/or aging issues. But we can figure something out. I’ll send you an email.
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