I will miss these Simple Shoes. I bought them back in the mid-1990’s. They have lasted quite a long time. They’ve been comfortable and durable. They pushed the style of Converse All Stars in a new direction, back when they came out. (The Simple Shoes brand was launched in 1991.)
My friend Gary Cowman introduced me to this quintessential Californian brand. (Gary is a quintessential Californian, though he has lived in Africa for more than 20 years.) So after we left Africa for the first time, back in 1994, I had to pick up a pair. I think I even bought them at a mall in California.
I have had them re-heeled twice. My favorite shoe repairman (who I’ve never met, as his wife is the shop’s gatekeeper, and I think his command if English is lacking) even added some reinforcement around the inside achilles heel area.
But I finally had to say goodbye. They had become my junk shoes – what I would wear to mow the lawn. But the heel area became so worn out that my weak ankles couldn’t stand the lack of support. They’re on the way to the Goodwill. At least I took some pictures to be part of my digital memory.
Interestingly, the brand “Simple Shoes” has been dead for the last four years. They have had a very successful Kickstarter campaign to get back in business. (It ended just after I wrote this post. And they got more than four times what they requested!)
Look for Simple again – coming soon to a shoe store near you, I hope.
I saw these boots in a shop window in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They were not, shall we say, my style. But they sparked an idea.
Exercise. Walk. Stop and smell the roses – or at least look at the fallen twigs in your path.
Take the palm of your hand and hit the front of your bicycle helmet. If it goes up more than one inch, you need to tighten the strap. Otherwise, if you wreck and land on the front of your helmet, you won’t land on the front of your hemet – you’ll land on the front of your head.
Spin your pedals between 60-90 revolutions per minute. If you are not pedaling that fast, you are hurting your knees and reducing your efficiency. All you need to do is select a lower gear. If you don’t want to time yourself, here’s a 
Listen to your chain. If it’s squealing, it’s not happy. You need to give it some lubrication. The best kinds I’ve found are teflon-based lubes, such as 
This is a guest post by my brother, Bill Merrill. Thanks Bill!
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