This will be a very brief first post.

Does the world need another blog? Probably not. Does the world need another blog about bikes? Well, maybe it does. I am starting this blog because I can't really find anything like it out there on the interwebs, and I figured I might as well give it a go. I expect this blog to go absolutely nowhere in terms of viral-ness or monetary compensation, and with such low expectations, I can only be pleasantly surprised, right? Right?

Okay, okay. So what the heck is this blog about, and why should you, dear reader, give a flying flap about it? Well, most simply put, it's about the duality of, a) riding your bike to work, and b) being frugal (i.e., a "broke-ass penny pincher"). If you expect reviews of thousand-dollar bike frames and $300 panniers, then man are you in the wrong place! What you'll find here are my musings and tips about how to get on a bike and roll into work safely, on time, in style, and on a damn budget. I'm a pragmatist, however, and I know when and where I ought to spend my dollars. So this will not be a blog about cheaping out for cheaping-out's sake. This will be a blog about how to leverage the small amounts of money most of us have at our disposal towards a fun hobby that is also a practical means of travel.

So, why should you listen to me? Well, you probably shouldn't, but just so you know where I'm coming from: I'm not a crazy bicycler guy. I have no aspirations on the Tour de France, I don't wear spandex, and I didn't give a crap when they outed Lance Armstrong as a souped-up, chemically enhanced, lab-created biking machine. I'm also not a hipster/scenster. You won't hear me talk about my "whip", how to coordinate facial hair with grip tape, or how I attached a mobile boombox to my bike. What I am is a guy who has been using a bike to get around town, mainly to and from work, for coming up on 18 years. I've commuted in 6 cities, from the West Coast to the East, in major urban centers and suburban sprawl, and in snow, rain, and 110 degree temps. And I did it all while on a student's budget (what can I say, it took a long time to get my PhD!). In other words, I'm a thrifty bike commuter, and I think you should be one too.