Date: July1 Tues
Mileage: 27 (RB-1)
July mileage: 27
Year to date: 1011 (that's what Excel says, so that's what I'm going with)
I was brutalized on the club ride tonight- the proverbial "Tuesday Night Worlds". Los Sprawls gave the invite. Instead of doing their morning ride they were doing the evening one. This is probably the single largest ride of the week for the club. In fact, it got so big a year or 2 ago that the racy set split off into their own gig; they actually took the "Worlds" mantle with them, but the usual club ride is still quite fast, at least for me. D and R usually take things a bit slower in the mornings, but tonight they wanted to mix it up, so we charged along an aggressive pace until I popped off. I told D that when I was ready to 'pop', I was going to do just that, and did. I got 19m in before I just had to pull of and shorten the trip home. And during those 19m, I constantly rode wheels too. It was fun, though, and good to do every now and then. Although my avg when I pulled was only 16.4, that's deceptive b/c the route is from St. Matthews, through the parks, and downtown, so it's one of constantly start and stops. It seemed like every time I look at my computer I was doing 18-23mph, but the start/stop disrupts the rhythm. It certainly felt fast.
The gear observation of the evening is that I might just be ready to part with the RB-1. I never ride it, and tonight reaffirmed why. It's a racing bike, and I don't race. It's position is quite flung over and forward, quite low. The seat sucks balls. The rear cluster is tiny and the chainrings don't help with a 53/40. After seeing days of 1.75" contis, 30c Grand Bois, or 32 Paselas, the 23c contis on the Bridgestone look a little silly with my big ass teetering on them. I'm sure I could doctor it up and make something useful, but why mess up it's true nature, that of a classic steel racing bike? I'm curious what it might bring in and on the iBob market. I'm not really doing it for the $$; I just have enough bikes and this one needs a rider that it deserves, not some butterball of commuterdom.
Showing posts with label bikes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bikes. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Poor man's Big Dummy
Date: June 7 Sat
Mileage: 20(LHT)
Mileage: 5 (LHT)
Mileage: 2 (Crosscheck)
June mileage: 128
Year to date: 709
What a fantastic day on the bike, and none of it "training". With the wife and younger gone, I have the responsibility of the elder. With that, no epic road rides or off-road slam fests. What I instead did was use the bike for every bit of transportation possible, and to great effect.
My first trip was to the house of my tennis Booster president and team captain (same house). We had to look at some catalogs b/c we'll be getting celebratory team jackets. Their house is a 7-mile trip towards the Brownsboro/Watterson area. It's part of the common club loop leaving Seneca, up Rudy Ln., down Blankenbaker and down River Rd. I felt pretty good early on and tried to actually ride semi-fast for a change. Granted, I was on the Hog (using the pannier for the catalogs), but it was a great, functional ride. After the meeting I returned home via the same route, but did an extra loop through Cherokee giving me 20ish miles. Once home, I made sure the 'dauphin' was fine and then suffered from a terribly bright idea. I needed to get some tomato plants potted but didn't have enough potting mix. Tadah! I dug out the old Burley kiddie trailer out of the garage. 'L' is 9 now, so it's been at least 4 years since it's been of any use at all. Since the small children are from days past (let's hope), I decided to use it to haul stuff, ala the Big Dummy or the Xtracycle. The carrying capacity on those is 100lb., so why no? I've thought before of doing big grocery trips with it, but today's trip entailed going to the local nursery for potting soil and a pot. That's only 2 miles away. I couldn't use the Burley with the Hog b/c of the panniers, so I used the Crosscheck instead. Like a T.
The dauphin and I had discussed eating at Qdoba, which we both love. It's one of those modern mexican-ish burrito places that the 'Ville seems to have plenty of. With only the men here, I managed to talk him into going on the bike like we did to my mom's last night. Steering clear of the busy Bardstown, we worked our way through the Deer Park neighborhood and arrived at Qdoba for a man meal. He was surprised how easy it was. Yet again I've had a troubling event take place. As his brother did a few days ago, he beat me up the Lakeside hill (towards Kroger). It's a bit disconcerting to have these little people just float up while my fat ass seems to go backwards. On the return I got a running start and beat him up the other side of Lakeside with ease. He claimed that he was too full. I didn't care. I took my trivial victory with much pride.
3 trips on the bike. 3 car trips averted. 27 bike miles on the legs. 1 fake Dummy hooked up for future use (Actually I unhooked the trailer after I got home).
er, Big Dummy-ish. It the perfect use of the Burley now that the boys are on their own.
plastic pot and large bag of potting mix
Time ATAC pedals and rubber mallet (no hex wrench)
I'll put the pedals back on if I decide to 'cross in the fall.
Updated Crosscheck with Paselas and new (old) trap pedals. It will be ridden.
Crankarm and cheap-ass pedals. I love biking in Keens in the summer. They're my most favorite ever. I've yet to test them for long mileage, so we'll see in a few weeks, but they give me no probs on 30-milers.
This is neighbor Mike's Electra. I saw it sitting there not doing much, so I went over to inquire. Note back tire. Apparently, his soninlaw works at the LBS Bicycle Sport. They bought Mike this Electra for tooling around, something he doesn't do much. His foot pump (those suck) didn't pump up the back tire, so I came to the rescue. What I was very surprised was the weight of this machine. Very light given it's beefy nature. I took a short spin and it's like no bike I've ever been on. Hands very high. Head very up. Pedals out in front of butt. I guess it's in between a traditional and a 'bent. I liked it and can see it being a very viable design for the masses out there. 'Alberto' was looking at one last year. I think they're out of his price range, although I think he was more affected by the "old lady" nature of them. Here are some other reviews.
And finally, this is a Knog. It's a cheap little blinkie tail light for a bike that doesn't have one. I thought of using one the other evening when I was out late on the C'dale. I would never put one of the commuting blinkies on it, so this seemed like a good, inexpensive idea. They have front white blinkies too. The name brand may be in a law suit. I'm not sure.
That's it. A full day. And I tweaked the front mudflap on the LHT and it's much better. I'm filthy, but very satisfied. Hope everyone else's Saturday was as good. Peace to all beings.
Mileage: 20(LHT)
Mileage: 5 (LHT)
Mileage: 2 (Crosscheck)
June mileage: 128
Year to date: 709
What a fantastic day on the bike, and none of it "training". With the wife and younger gone, I have the responsibility of the elder. With that, no epic road rides or off-road slam fests. What I instead did was use the bike for every bit of transportation possible, and to great effect.
My first trip was to the house of my tennis Booster president and team captain (same house). We had to look at some catalogs b/c we'll be getting celebratory team jackets. Their house is a 7-mile trip towards the Brownsboro/Watterson area. It's part of the common club loop leaving Seneca, up Rudy Ln., down Blankenbaker and down River Rd. I felt pretty good early on and tried to actually ride semi-fast for a change. Granted, I was on the Hog (using the pannier for the catalogs), but it was a great, functional ride. After the meeting I returned home via the same route, but did an extra loop through Cherokee giving me 20ish miles. Once home, I made sure the 'dauphin' was fine and then suffered from a terribly bright idea. I needed to get some tomato plants potted but didn't have enough potting mix. Tadah! I dug out the old Burley kiddie trailer out of the garage. 'L' is 9 now, so it's been at least 4 years since it's been of any use at all. Since the small children are from days past (let's hope), I decided to use it to haul stuff, ala the Big Dummy or the Xtracycle. The carrying capacity on those is 100lb., so why no? I've thought before of doing big grocery trips with it, but today's trip entailed going to the local nursery for potting soil and a pot. That's only 2 miles away. I couldn't use the Burley with the Hog b/c of the panniers, so I used the Crosscheck instead. Like a T.
The dauphin and I had discussed eating at Qdoba, which we both love. It's one of those modern mexican-ish burrito places that the 'Ville seems to have plenty of. With only the men here, I managed to talk him into going on the bike like we did to my mom's last night. Steering clear of the busy Bardstown, we worked our way through the Deer Park neighborhood and arrived at Qdoba for a man meal. He was surprised how easy it was. Yet again I've had a troubling event take place. As his brother did a few days ago, he beat me up the Lakeside hill (towards Kroger). It's a bit disconcerting to have these little people just float up while my fat ass seems to go backwards. On the return I got a running start and beat him up the other side of Lakeside with ease. He claimed that he was too full. I didn't care. I took my trivial victory with much pride.
3 trips on the bike. 3 car trips averted. 27 bike miles on the legs. 1 fake Dummy hooked up for future use (Actually I unhooked the trailer after I got home).
er, Big Dummy-ish. It the perfect use of the Burley now that the boys are on their own.
plastic pot and large bag of potting mixI also undertook a mechanical adventure as well. The CC has/had Time mt. pedals for 'cross purposes. It's a big limitation, b/c I don't often wear cycling shoes that much, and these pedals rope me in to either an old pair of Shimanos (15 yrs old?) or new Sidi winter boots (not good for summer). These Times are also strange in that they don't have threads/faces/sides/?? for using a pedal wrench; they only have the hex wrench head at the end of the pedal axle. The early efforts to remove these proved quite fruitless. After talking to Bob at local LBS, I tried again. The left one (non drivetrain) came off somewhat easily. The right one proved more difficult. I couldn't get good leverage b/c the chainring was in the way. I tried a bit, but to no avail. Finally, I used a Bob idea and used the rubber mallet to beat on the hex wrench until it loosened. It was a bit dicey. If the wrench or the pedal strips, whoops, deep doo doo. It came off though.
Time ATAC pedals and rubber mallet (no hex wrench)I'll put the pedals back on if I decide to 'cross in the fall.
Updated Crosscheck with Paselas and new (old) trap pedals. It will be ridden.
Crankarm and cheap-ass pedals. I love biking in Keens in the summer. They're my most favorite ever. I've yet to test them for long mileage, so we'll see in a few weeks, but they give me no probs on 30-milers.
This is neighbor Mike's Electra. I saw it sitting there not doing much, so I went over to inquire. Note back tire. Apparently, his soninlaw works at the LBS Bicycle Sport. They bought Mike this Electra for tooling around, something he doesn't do much. His foot pump (those suck) didn't pump up the back tire, so I came to the rescue. What I was very surprised was the weight of this machine. Very light given it's beefy nature. I took a short spin and it's like no bike I've ever been on. Hands very high. Head very up. Pedals out in front of butt. I guess it's in between a traditional and a 'bent. I liked it and can see it being a very viable design for the masses out there. 'Alberto' was looking at one last year. I think they're out of his price range, although I think he was more affected by the "old lady" nature of them. Here are some other reviews.
And finally, this is a Knog. It's a cheap little blinkie tail light for a bike that doesn't have one. I thought of using one the other evening when I was out late on the C'dale. I would never put one of the commuting blinkies on it, so this seemed like a good, inexpensive idea. They have front white blinkies too. The name brand may be in a law suit. I'm not sure.That's it. A full day. And I tweaked the front mudflap on the LHT and it's much better. I'm filthy, but very satisfied. Hope everyone else's Saturday was as good. Peace to all beings.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
LHT in present state: Brooks Conquest, Conti Contacts, Nitto Rando, 2 Obama spokecards, Nashbar panniers, cheap-ass water bottle
Crosscheck in present state: just-mounted Brooks B-17 honey, 32C Pasela TG, that's about all
Backyard garage bed: impatiens, hosta, 'annabelle' hydrangea, random hydrangea originally in indoor display, viburnum at end
fence bed: red-twig dogwood, lemon thyme, "carpet" thyme, 2 roses, baptisia, winterberry ilex, phlox, etc. Bushy, isn't it?
I like the 3 textures here: birds' nest spruce, 'tiara' hosta, creeping thyme, a few balloon flowers thrown in as well.
Tires
Date: June 5 Thursday
Mileage: 14 (LHT)
June mileage: 78
Year to date: 660
Yet another 1-hour ride, this time in the company of a work friend, 'Alberto'. He is one of the most unconditioned-yet-seemingly fit people I know. He looks fit, but he huffs and puffs and looks near death almost every pedal stroke he strains to achieve. It's not nice to downplay 'Alberto's' efforts. He recently bought a Marin 'Kentfield', which seems like an awfully preposterous name to me, at least as it goes for a middleoftheroad hybrid/city bike. God, I sounds pissy don't I? Am I am not in a bad mood. I appreciate 'Alberto's' efforts. We rode via Cherokee and the Beargrass Trail down to the water front. On the return trip we stopped by the BikeDepot on Market. He had actually bought his Marin from them, and I've been on a search for tire options. Right now I'm a bit unsettled with my selection on the LHT, but more so I want an option for the Crosscheck. The LHT now is shod with Conti Contact Security tires. This is a hulking tire at 900g, which is heavier than the comparable Schwalbe Marathon Plus or even the Big Apple. I'm no weight weenie, but if I have a claim of "how secure" a tire is, and it's heavy as hell, then I want the tire to back up its reputation, and so far the Contis have not. I had a 2nd flat- and that within 6 months or so, both flats coming from tiny pieces of glass. If they were hulking nails or chunks of metal, then you chalk it up to "those are the breaks", but itsy-bitsy glass should flatten an uber-tire. That said, I'm not changing LHT tires until I get more wear out of these, unless more flat creep in.
The Crosscheck is a different issue. Right now it's completely stripped down and is carrying my Ritchey 'cross towns, I believe the Speedmax. With the LHT set up as the work horse, and the Bleriot the sunny day dandy, the Crosscheck right now isn't getting the miles it deserves, so I've been brooding over tire options. Brands coming to mind are Conti again (a brand I've generally had good luck with until my last 2 commuting tires- a big deal), Panaracer, everybody's new fav Schwalbe, or I guess I could even go with a Rivbike tire. I've been leaning Schwalbe Marathon, for instance, but it seems that availability is a bit tricky. I do like to frequent my LBS, but they mostly have Contis and none of those options are particularly inspiring. B/c the CC can take a wide range of tire, I was thinking something in the 30-37 range. I have a couple other bikes with narrower tires, but I like the heft. Why, b/c I'm hefty and I've had fewer wheel true issues in the past few years. In fact, I have no wheel true issues. Plus, so much of my riding is urban these days that I just have come to appreciate the extra volume. This all brings me back to the BikeDepot. Since we were there just goofing I decided to take a look at their offerings. Most were unacceptable, but out of nowhere he pulls up a pair of Pasela 32cs. I've consistently seen nice things about the Paselas on the various boards, and I could get 2 for the price of 1 Schwalbe or Rivbike tire. An option at my fav LBS could've been a Conti Gatorskin, but the largest is 28C and I wanted to go a bit beefier. We'll see how it works out, but I think it'll be a great option for summer and early fall. If I need to go offroad I can use the C'dale, and if I get the 'cross jones in the fall, I'll just trade out. I've said before on this blog that the CC is a great option- the LHT being a moose, the Bleriot a dandy.
Mileage: 14 (LHT)
June mileage: 78
Year to date: 660
Yet another 1-hour ride, this time in the company of a work friend, 'Alberto'. He is one of the most unconditioned-yet-seemingly fit people I know. He looks fit, but he huffs and puffs and looks near death almost every pedal stroke he strains to achieve. It's not nice to downplay 'Alberto's' efforts. He recently bought a Marin 'Kentfield', which seems like an awfully preposterous name to me, at least as it goes for a middleoftheroad hybrid/city bike. God, I sounds pissy don't I? Am I am not in a bad mood. I appreciate 'Alberto's' efforts. We rode via Cherokee and the Beargrass Trail down to the water front. On the return trip we stopped by the BikeDepot on Market. He had actually bought his Marin from them, and I've been on a search for tire options. Right now I'm a bit unsettled with my selection on the LHT, but more so I want an option for the Crosscheck. The LHT now is shod with Conti Contact Security tires. This is a hulking tire at 900g, which is heavier than the comparable Schwalbe Marathon Plus or even the Big Apple. I'm no weight weenie, but if I have a claim of "how secure" a tire is, and it's heavy as hell, then I want the tire to back up its reputation, and so far the Contis have not. I had a 2nd flat- and that within 6 months or so, both flats coming from tiny pieces of glass. If they were hulking nails or chunks of metal, then you chalk it up to "those are the breaks", but itsy-bitsy glass should flatten an uber-tire. That said, I'm not changing LHT tires until I get more wear out of these, unless more flat creep in.
The Crosscheck is a different issue. Right now it's completely stripped down and is carrying my Ritchey 'cross towns, I believe the Speedmax. With the LHT set up as the work horse, and the Bleriot the sunny day dandy, the Crosscheck right now isn't getting the miles it deserves, so I've been brooding over tire options. Brands coming to mind are Conti again (a brand I've generally had good luck with until my last 2 commuting tires- a big deal), Panaracer, everybody's new fav Schwalbe, or I guess I could even go with a Rivbike tire. I've been leaning Schwalbe Marathon, for instance, but it seems that availability is a bit tricky. I do like to frequent my LBS, but they mostly have Contis and none of those options are particularly inspiring. B/c the CC can take a wide range of tire, I was thinking something in the 30-37 range. I have a couple other bikes with narrower tires, but I like the heft. Why, b/c I'm hefty and I've had fewer wheel true issues in the past few years. In fact, I have no wheel true issues. Plus, so much of my riding is urban these days that I just have come to appreciate the extra volume. This all brings me back to the BikeDepot. Since we were there just goofing I decided to take a look at their offerings. Most were unacceptable, but out of nowhere he pulls up a pair of Pasela 32cs. I've consistently seen nice things about the Paselas on the various boards, and I could get 2 for the price of 1 Schwalbe or Rivbike tire. An option at my fav LBS could've been a Conti Gatorskin, but the largest is 28C and I wanted to go a bit beefier. We'll see how it works out, but I think it'll be a great option for summer and early fall. If I need to go offroad I can use the C'dale, and if I get the 'cross jones in the fall, I'll just trade out. I've said before on this blog that the CC is a great option- the LHT being a moose, the Bleriot a dandy.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Mixed-media ride
Date: May 26 Mon
Mileage: 17 (LHT)
May mileage: ??
Year to date: 527
I made full use of the LHT's capabilities today, using it both on road and trail. I originally left on the Trek. The forecast and radar indicated big rainstorms at some point, and the Trek (with fenders) is the nominal "I don't give a crap if it falls apart" bike. Something, though, is quite wonky with the pedals and/or crankarms. You can't imagine the creaking. Yes, the pedal threads are greased and should be functional, but I turned around and came home b/c I didn't want to listen to that for hours. I grabbed the LHT b/c it was close, I don't mind it getting nasty, and the pedals were appropriate for my Keens.
I started through the neighborhood and linked over to St. Matthews, feeling the need for some pedestrian terrain. After that it was towards the park where I had to take a quick pit stop at Seneca Pks facilities. Rewinding, I found myself feeling like a car for a change. A group of 3 roller bladers (sic) had turned right into the path (well, at the stop sign in the path) of a truck, with me behind the truck. It was a case of the argument for "2 abreast". They took up the whole street and did so for several blocks. I'm not sure if they were tentative about traffic and just felt they owned the whole damn street. They eventually turned, but I hope I personally am not that obnoxious in traffic. You certainly see complaint after complaint about peletons taking more than their due in virtually every town.
While in Seneca/Cherokee I saw lots and lots of roadies and mtbikers. Almost, no every, one seemed to be in that lycra/training mode. I'm as glad as anybody that there are more cyclists, but I hope some of these same folks are hitting the errand and commuting road too.
Once in Cherokee, I threw in the "mixed use" portion, taking in 2 of the excellent trails there, in fact the same ones as I did yesterday on the C'dale. On the LHT I went more slowly, or more deliberately, but was still able to have just as much fun. If you're in Louisville, give the improved Cherokee trails a try. After that I headed towards home and at some point just ran out of gas completely. I don't have many miles in the legs, and after a previous hard day, I guess se me acabo. I crawled home, where I found 'L' ready to play some tennis. I gladly obliged, and we had another good session. A prodigy in the making? My 1 goal with that would to NOT become a psychotic tennis parent like those I've dealt with all season.
All miles are good miles.
Mileage: 17 (LHT)
May mileage: ??
Year to date: 527
I made full use of the LHT's capabilities today, using it both on road and trail. I originally left on the Trek. The forecast and radar indicated big rainstorms at some point, and the Trek (with fenders) is the nominal "I don't give a crap if it falls apart" bike. Something, though, is quite wonky with the pedals and/or crankarms. You can't imagine the creaking. Yes, the pedal threads are greased and should be functional, but I turned around and came home b/c I didn't want to listen to that for hours. I grabbed the LHT b/c it was close, I don't mind it getting nasty, and the pedals were appropriate for my Keens.
I started through the neighborhood and linked over to St. Matthews, feeling the need for some pedestrian terrain. After that it was towards the park where I had to take a quick pit stop at Seneca Pks facilities. Rewinding, I found myself feeling like a car for a change. A group of 3 roller bladers (sic) had turned right into the path (well, at the stop sign in the path) of a truck, with me behind the truck. It was a case of the argument for "2 abreast". They took up the whole street and did so for several blocks. I'm not sure if they were tentative about traffic and just felt they owned the whole damn street. They eventually turned, but I hope I personally am not that obnoxious in traffic. You certainly see complaint after complaint about peletons taking more than their due in virtually every town.
While in Seneca/Cherokee I saw lots and lots of roadies and mtbikers. Almost, no every, one seemed to be in that lycra/training mode. I'm as glad as anybody that there are more cyclists, but I hope some of these same folks are hitting the errand and commuting road too.
Once in Cherokee, I threw in the "mixed use" portion, taking in 2 of the excellent trails there, in fact the same ones as I did yesterday on the C'dale. On the LHT I went more slowly, or more deliberately, but was still able to have just as much fun. If you're in Louisville, give the improved Cherokee trails a try. After that I headed towards home and at some point just ran out of gas completely. I don't have many miles in the legs, and after a previous hard day, I guess se me acabo. I crawled home, where I found 'L' ready to play some tennis. I gladly obliged, and we had another good session. A prodigy in the making? My 1 goal with that would to NOT become a psychotic tennis parent like those I've dealt with all season.
All miles are good miles.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Lots of Surlys
I want to be with this crew. Surlys, wool, beards, grime, gravel, nary a stitch of lycra in sight. Damn, I'm moving. Hope the wife doesn't mind. Here's the link to more.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
new blog
Kent has a new blog, apparently one with writing as a focus. He always does a nice job, so it should be one to visit.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Trench of Arenberg
Date: Feb 24 Sun
Mileage: 13.5 (LHT)
February mileage: 133
Year to date: 404
I had a good time getting out for a short mid-morning ride between various family activities. I had to take L to soccer practice, of all things, at 8.00 this morning. Life is pretty jodida when you have youth soccer at such a time. It's just a game, right?
My route today took me through the neighborhoods down towards Cave Hill. I continued down towards Washington and back up Spring. All throughout this portion of the ride I was pelted by bits of snow and freezing rain. I had a pretty good covering on my legs, but my 'lady boots' protected the toes. Coming back I partook of the Beargrass Creek trail, which was a muddy mess. I pretended to be one of those famous corredores running through the Arnenberg forest in an epic Paris-Roubaix, all mud, guts and slipsliding around. I only foot dabbed once and did a pretty good job holding my line and letting the back end fishtail around a bit. I couldn't do extra miles b/c I had to pick the boys up, but I'm super-pleased to have gotten out this weekend after practically 2 desolate weeks.
It was good to have the LHT going again. It need a front brake tweak. I also made my first attempt at a homemade fender extension, using some step rubber I bought a while back at the hardware store. I'm pretty pleased with the effort and it did do a good job keeping the snow/sleet/rain/mud concoction off my feet today.
On a completely bizarre different note, I just got done watching the Real-Getafe match and what a wacked out experience that was. Getafe generated no offense whatsoever, but every last touch by Real, whether they be several misguided headers from Julio Baptista or a shot here and there by Raul, went awry and missed its target. Frustration. Then in the 64' Robben scored what seemed to be the go-ahead. The Madristas began celebrating when out of nowhere comes a counterattack, 5 Getafes up against 2 poorly positioned Madristas. Goal! Apparently somewhere during the play Raul was called offsides, but somewhere Real missed the call and almost the entire team was caught celebrating instead of running down the Getafe counter. Absolutely bizarre. No one, at least on TV, quite knew whether the ref had screwed something up or whether Real did. Perhaps both. Sin embargo, a 9 point lead- almost 11 until a 90' Xavi score- has vaporized to 2. Barca seems to be picking up steam and Real is flat as a board with half the team injured. Tough times. At least the Pistons put a 30-point beating on Shaq's Suns.
Mileage: 13.5 (LHT)
February mileage: 133
Year to date: 404
I had a good time getting out for a short mid-morning ride between various family activities. I had to take L to soccer practice, of all things, at 8.00 this morning. Life is pretty jodida when you have youth soccer at such a time. It's just a game, right?
My route today took me through the neighborhoods down towards Cave Hill. I continued down towards Washington and back up Spring. All throughout this portion of the ride I was pelted by bits of snow and freezing rain. I had a pretty good covering on my legs, but my 'lady boots' protected the toes. Coming back I partook of the Beargrass Creek trail, which was a muddy mess. I pretended to be one of those famous corredores running through the Arnenberg forest in an epic Paris-Roubaix, all mud, guts and slipsliding around. I only foot dabbed once and did a pretty good job holding my line and letting the back end fishtail around a bit. I couldn't do extra miles b/c I had to pick the boys up, but I'm super-pleased to have gotten out this weekend after practically 2 desolate weeks.
It was good to have the LHT going again. It need a front brake tweak. I also made my first attempt at a homemade fender extension, using some step rubber I bought a while back at the hardware store. I'm pretty pleased with the effort and it did do a good job keeping the snow/sleet/rain/mud concoction off my feet today.
On a completely bizarre different note, I just got done watching the Real-Getafe match and what a wacked out experience that was. Getafe generated no offense whatsoever, but every last touch by Real, whether they be several misguided headers from Julio Baptista or a shot here and there by Raul, went awry and missed its target. Frustration. Then in the 64' Robben scored what seemed to be the go-ahead. The Madristas began celebrating when out of nowhere comes a counterattack, 5 Getafes up against 2 poorly positioned Madristas. Goal! Apparently somewhere during the play Raul was called offsides, but somewhere Real missed the call and almost the entire team was caught celebrating instead of running down the Getafe counter. Absolutely bizarre. No one, at least on TV, quite knew whether the ref had screwed something up or whether Real did. Perhaps both. Sin embargo, a 9 point lead- almost 11 until a 90' Xavi score- has vaporized to 2. Barca seems to be picking up steam and Real is flat as a board with half the team injured. Tough times. At least the Pistons put a 30-point beating on Shaq's Suns.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
dedos de pie helados
Date: Jan 20 Sun
Mileage: 11.5 (9.2.5.)
January mileage: 185.5
Year to date: 185.5
Pues, I did it, I would say I enjoyed it. We have balmy 15F here, albeit with beautiful blue sunny skies. It is also listed as a 3F windchill, but I noticed very little wind, so that # is a bit overrated. Yesterday I tweaked the fixie (got it tweaked as it were), going with a 17 in the back insted of the 19 on there. After today's ride I'm further decided that it was a good decision. I originally moved from a 16 to a 19 b/c the area around the neighborhood can be hilly. At the time, though, I had no experience with fixies and didn't know of the concept of balancing the ability to climb with that of the need to descend without spinning out. I also had thought of moving the flip-flop to a comparable size that the 20 that's on there. They didn't have anything much in stock, so I left it. Who knows if the chain length will jibe or not, but I've never not had it as a fixie.
Today's uniform for said temps:
head- Descente skull cap, Performance fleece balaclava. Good choice on both parts. I forgot my helmet.
torso- C'dale fleece baselayer, Smartwool zip top, Bellweather winter jacket. Almost a bit warm but in the long run perfect.
legs- wool undies, REI black pant thigns, Performance fleece pants. Again, good choices all round. Comfy the whole time and not terribly bulky.
hands- Peal Izumi lobsters. Hand hands sweating at 15F, but warm the whole time too.
feet- Ahh, the winkest link as usual- smarwool sock, newspaper baggies, Sealskinz sox, thick wool (mostly) sox, Target cheapass shoes.
My toes were pretty red and uncomfy by the time I got home (out an hour, maybe with pic stops). i think the inner layer of wool sweated too much inside the baggies, so the wind cooled the moisture off. I remember riding to work in this type of setup, but with Lake sandals instead of the shoes and it was better.?? If I were out for longer than an hour, I would have to rethink the feet thing entirely. I don't know how the cold-climate people do it. Maybe fewer layers and a different shoe? I don't have a hiking boot capable. Really I had good luck @ 25F with the new Monkey sock and Targhees, but that's 10 degrees warmer.
I've previously expounded on my preference for winterberry. This is one, with bird nest barely visible, in Seneca Gardens.
Berry close up. Pretty nice pic.
Damn, Bamboo!!! It's a crazy plant (grass), and I think this is a runner. The left side of the house is quickly disappearing. The neighbors must love it, the thought of that weed jumping over into their yard. This is obviously a hearty cold-China cultivar.
9.2.5. fixie, including Brooks honey B-17, Banana bag and Wald basket. The front fender is still mounted by the back one not from yesterday's project. I've decided to move the fenders to the old Trek b/c it's a better beater rain bike.
New drivetrain setup. 42x17 with new thicker chain (I'm not versed as to the 2 sizes. This one is the 3/8". Is that correct?) to fit both fixed freewheel.
Mileage: 11.5 (9.2.5.)
January mileage: 185.5
Year to date: 185.5
Pues, I did it, I would say I enjoyed it. We have balmy 15F here, albeit with beautiful blue sunny skies. It is also listed as a 3F windchill, but I noticed very little wind, so that # is a bit overrated. Yesterday I tweaked the fixie (got it tweaked as it were), going with a 17 in the back insted of the 19 on there. After today's ride I'm further decided that it was a good decision. I originally moved from a 16 to a 19 b/c the area around the neighborhood can be hilly. At the time, though, I had no experience with fixies and didn't know of the concept of balancing the ability to climb with that of the need to descend without spinning out. I also had thought of moving the flip-flop to a comparable size that the 20 that's on there. They didn't have anything much in stock, so I left it. Who knows if the chain length will jibe or not, but I've never not had it as a fixie.
Today's uniform for said temps:
head- Descente skull cap, Performance fleece balaclava. Good choice on both parts. I forgot my helmet.
torso- C'dale fleece baselayer, Smartwool zip top, Bellweather winter jacket. Almost a bit warm but in the long run perfect.
legs- wool undies, REI black pant thigns, Performance fleece pants. Again, good choices all round. Comfy the whole time and not terribly bulky.
hands- Peal Izumi lobsters. Hand hands sweating at 15F, but warm the whole time too.
feet- Ahh, the winkest link as usual- smarwool sock, newspaper baggies, Sealskinz sox, thick wool (mostly) sox, Target cheapass shoes.
My toes were pretty red and uncomfy by the time I got home (out an hour, maybe with pic stops). i think the inner layer of wool sweated too much inside the baggies, so the wind cooled the moisture off. I remember riding to work in this type of setup, but with Lake sandals instead of the shoes and it was better.?? If I were out for longer than an hour, I would have to rethink the feet thing entirely. I don't know how the cold-climate people do it. Maybe fewer layers and a different shoe? I don't have a hiking boot capable. Really I had good luck @ 25F with the new Monkey sock and Targhees, but that's 10 degrees warmer.
I've previously expounded on my preference for winterberry. This is one, with bird nest barely visible, in Seneca Gardens.
Berry close up. Pretty nice pic.
Damn, Bamboo!!! It's a crazy plant (grass), and I think this is a runner. The left side of the house is quickly disappearing. The neighbors must love it, the thought of that weed jumping over into their yard. This is obviously a hearty cold-China cultivar.
9.2.5. fixie, including Brooks honey B-17, Banana bag and Wald basket. The front fender is still mounted by the back one not from yesterday's project. I've decided to move the fenders to the old Trek b/c it's a better beater rain bike.
New drivetrain setup. 42x17 with new thicker chain (I'm not versed as to the 2 sizes. This one is the 3/8". Is that correct?) to fit both fixed freewheel.The pencam is portable, but it mostly sucks. The button is sensitive, so I get 5x as many pics of the inside of my pocket and such instead of those I take. It also has that washed out quality. Oh well, it was 15F and my standards low.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Road Focus
Date: Jan 18 Fri
Mileage: 18 (Bleriot)
January mileage: 174
Year to date: 174
Another commute on the Bleriot today. I'm trying not to make it too habit forming, but damn I love the Bleriot. It's proven to be a great commuter this week since the shifting on the LHT went kaput. I need a warm day to flush out the drivetrain on the LHT, but it's only getting colder. I don't know what my winter bike friends do to keep drivetrains clean. Actually, I do. They ride minimally-geared bikes instead of using 24x. This morning was about 23F or so. I was slightly underdressed and chilly, so I busted ass and rode hard all the way to work. It worked like a charm. I managed to warm up and get a good workout in. I guess we're all looking for those fleeting good-legs days. This afternoon, at 37F, was pretty clement in the sun. I can't seem to get my layering quite right, always underdressing and keeping myself too cold. Bitch bitch. As you can see, I'm not Doug who relishes below 30F. I got 4 days in this week, though. I'll take that.
I did notice on my afternoon commute that the cold brought me a certain meditative focus. B/c it's not so nice to look around and take it all in and relish the bunnies and flowers, I found myself pedaling and not much more. I wasn't negative, but just focused on pedaling and the rhythm of it. No extraneous enjoyable distraction. Just riding. sorta liked it actually.
Mileage: 18 (Bleriot)
January mileage: 174
Year to date: 174
Another commute on the Bleriot today. I'm trying not to make it too habit forming, but damn I love the Bleriot. It's proven to be a great commuter this week since the shifting on the LHT went kaput. I need a warm day to flush out the drivetrain on the LHT, but it's only getting colder. I don't know what my winter bike friends do to keep drivetrains clean. Actually, I do. They ride minimally-geared bikes instead of using 24x. This morning was about 23F or so. I was slightly underdressed and chilly, so I busted ass and rode hard all the way to work. It worked like a charm. I managed to warm up and get a good workout in. I guess we're all looking for those fleeting good-legs days. This afternoon, at 37F, was pretty clement in the sun. I can't seem to get my layering quite right, always underdressing and keeping myself too cold. Bitch bitch. As you can see, I'm not Doug who relishes below 30F. I got 4 days in this week, though. I'll take that.
I did notice on my afternoon commute that the cold brought me a certain meditative focus. B/c it's not so nice to look around and take it all in and relish the bunnies and flowers, I found myself pedaling and not much more. I wasn't negative, but just focused on pedaling and the rhythm of it. No extraneous enjoyable distraction. Just riding. sorta liked it actually.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
I love this quote, one that begins Micheal Pollan's latest NYTimes article. I've been impressed with his foodie worldview since reading An Omnivore's Dilema a couple summers ago. I will definitely ascribe my food goals to Pollan's notion of what is "food" and what isn't. I'll put such long-term goals on that shelf with compassionate Buddhism, 100% cyclo-commuting, 100% renewable energy usage. These are things for an ideal world that some people have the cojones achieve. Me, I don't know. Maybe a little some days.
Moved some Brooks saddles around today. I mounted a recently purchased dark-brown Conquest on the LHT. This one pictured was listed for $94.00 at Ben's Cycles (home of the orange Milwaukee SS). I got mine for a sweet $50 "under the table". I even found a review on a mtbike site. Next I moved the B-17 to the Blue Ridge. That one needed a new saddle after soaking the last one and sending it decidedly leftward and way crooked.
I really wanted to ride today, even with or because of the 15F temps, but alas. The workers were here trimming the windows and I ran multiple errands mostly pertaining to the house. There's always tomorrow, hopefully.
Moved some Brooks saddles around today. I mounted a recently purchased dark-brown Conquest on the LHT. This one pictured was listed for $94.00 at Ben's Cycles (home of the orange Milwaukee SS). I got mine for a sweet $50 "under the table". I even found a review on a mtbike site. Next I moved the B-17 to the Blue Ridge. That one needed a new saddle after soaking the last one and sending it decidedly leftward and way crooked.
I really wanted to ride today, even with or because of the 15F temps, but alas. The workers were here trimming the windows and I ran multiple errands mostly pertaining to the house. There's always tomorrow, hopefully.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Cold Commute
Date: Dec 6 Thurs
Mileage: 13.5 (LHT)
December mileage: 29.5
Year to date: 2531.5
ipod: Kusula "Why Meditate?", Gil Fronsdal "Engaging in the Path"
Damn, it was cold today. I have certainly ridden in much colder weather, but I didn't quite layer properly, so I was cold both going and coming home. This morning's weather gave me 21F with a stiff wind. The strange part, though, was the misinformation supplied to me by the local faithful NPR station. At 5.30a.m. they reported 28F. At 6.05 25F. By the time I arrived at work weather.com listed 21F. I don't know about you other bikies out there, but there is a substantial difference between 28F and 21F/windy- different gloves, feet, headwear.
For today's 21F I wore the following:
head-thin polypro balaclava, thin Craft beanie
feet- thin sock, Sealskinz neoprene sock, thick wool, Lake sandals. You can put quite a bit of sock in the sandals, so they're preferred at these temps
hands- PearlIzumi lobster glove- unwearable above 30F
torso- thick Smartwool top, thin Smartwool top, Performance goretex jacket
legs- thin Smartwool tight, thickish REI loosefitting tight
The head was relatively comfy. The hands and legs too. I could've used a warmer torso ,but it wasn't too bad. The legs, though, presented big probs. Well, the 'legs' weren't the prob. As a by-product of incorporating the RBW kit instead of the club/pro lycra one, I've stopped using cycling-specific shorts. The Brooks B-17 is almost always preferable to the crotch discomfort I had with padded cycling shorts. Given this sartorial change, I failed to take into account a most important benefit cycling short have afforded me: the last layer of defense against Mr. Cold. With only 2 layers today, the unmentiontable, i.e. 'unit', was way too cold this morning. I would say I've never experienced such a temperature discomfort. If I remember, I wore a well-placed sock during last year's teens adventure. It had me thinking about some of those wind-front undershorts you see in the Performance catalog.
I survived and suffered no most indelicate frostbite. This afternoon it warmed up to 35F, but again I had only boxers (from work) and the REI pants. I should've worn the tights instead. Today's ensemble didn't quite work. I called 'BB' this morning and she had just woken up. I'll be curious to see how her commuting goes. Once you get below 30F you have to have both hardware (or softwear, as it were) and gumption to get rolling out the door. And tomorrow supuestamente 'Sheryl' is riding her new KHS urban bike to school for the first time. Gotta take a good look at that.
I'm not quite sure this is the model, but I think it may be. Jack of some trades, master of none. An aggro urban ride just isn't my taste. It doesn't have the flexibility of a road bike, nor the comfort of a hybrid. She shouldn't bought a Crosscheck, but it's not my money. If she's happy, that's all that matters. 'Course, we are under a "winter advisory" for tonight, with freezing rain and ick moving in through the night. We'll see if she's willing to make the maiden voyage in 35F soup.
Oh, one more thing. Did anybody else check out that nice crescent moon with a Venus above in the east this morning. Yet another reason to ride, aside from the freezing member.
Mileage: 13.5 (LHT)
December mileage: 29.5
Year to date: 2531.5
ipod: Kusula "Why Meditate?", Gil Fronsdal "Engaging in the Path"
Damn, it was cold today. I have certainly ridden in much colder weather, but I didn't quite layer properly, so I was cold both going and coming home. This morning's weather gave me 21F with a stiff wind. The strange part, though, was the misinformation supplied to me by the local faithful NPR station. At 5.30a.m. they reported 28F. At 6.05 25F. By the time I arrived at work weather.com listed 21F. I don't know about you other bikies out there, but there is a substantial difference between 28F and 21F/windy- different gloves, feet, headwear.
For today's 21F I wore the following:
head-thin polypro balaclava, thin Craft beanie
feet- thin sock, Sealskinz neoprene sock, thick wool, Lake sandals. You can put quite a bit of sock in the sandals, so they're preferred at these temps
hands- PearlIzumi lobster glove- unwearable above 30F
torso- thick Smartwool top, thin Smartwool top, Performance goretex jacket
legs- thin Smartwool tight, thickish REI loosefitting tight
The head was relatively comfy. The hands and legs too. I could've used a warmer torso ,but it wasn't too bad. The legs, though, presented big probs. Well, the 'legs' weren't the prob. As a by-product of incorporating the RBW kit instead of the club/pro lycra one, I've stopped using cycling-specific shorts. The Brooks B-17 is almost always preferable to the crotch discomfort I had with padded cycling shorts. Given this sartorial change, I failed to take into account a most important benefit cycling short have afforded me: the last layer of defense against Mr. Cold. With only 2 layers today, the unmentiontable, i.e. 'unit', was way too cold this morning. I would say I've never experienced such a temperature discomfort. If I remember, I wore a well-placed sock during last year's teens adventure. It had me thinking about some of those wind-front undershorts you see in the Performance catalog.
I survived and suffered no most indelicate frostbite. This afternoon it warmed up to 35F, but again I had only boxers (from work) and the REI pants. I should've worn the tights instead. Today's ensemble didn't quite work. I called 'BB' this morning and she had just woken up. I'll be curious to see how her commuting goes. Once you get below 30F you have to have both hardware (or softwear, as it were) and gumption to get rolling out the door. And tomorrow supuestamente 'Sheryl' is riding her new KHS urban bike to school for the first time. Gotta take a good look at that.
I'm not quite sure this is the model, but I think it may be. Jack of some trades, master of none. An aggro urban ride just isn't my taste. It doesn't have the flexibility of a road bike, nor the comfort of a hybrid. She shouldn't bought a Crosscheck, but it's not my money. If she's happy, that's all that matters. 'Course, we are under a "winter advisory" for tonight, with freezing rain and ick moving in through the night. We'll see if she's willing to make the maiden voyage in 35F soup.Oh, one more thing. Did anybody else check out that nice crescent moon with a Venus above in the east this morning. Yet another reason to ride, aside from the freezing member.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Shorts!
Date: Nov 20 Tues
Mileage: 36 (Bleriot)
November mileage: 278
Year to date: 2326
While some of my commuting brethren in the Great White North are affixing Nokians to their commuter bikes, I rode to and from school in shorts today. strange. the morning brought 63F, which was great weather for short and a windbreaker. in the p.m. i rode in short sleeves and shorts, with temps around 68F or so. i rode the Bleriot to enjoy its nice position in a longish afternoon. today i was experimenting on the Bleriot with saddle position. i had previously had the RBW "saddle-back tilt", but that seemed to make me fall into my bars a bit. last night i adjusted the Brooks to a flatter position and today i tested such a postion. it did help upper-body position quite a bit. i felt much more comfy up top, but i also seemed to squirm a bit more. i noticed that in certain positions i could more greatly feel my sit bones, and I would say i have a little extra nether-region tenderness that i usually have on one of the Brooks saddles. i would call it a slight draw, but the nether regions are more important in the end.
i took the long Riverwalk/River Rd./Indian Trail afternoon loop. i had a nice tailwind for parts of River Rd. and had a good game holding off a roadie for a while. he eventually caught me- and in true roadie form didn't acknowledge my existence- but I thank him for the motivation to a bit of big-gear speedwork.
great weather, but the rains come tonight, so we'll be back in wool tomorrow.
Mileage: 36 (Bleriot)
November mileage: 278
Year to date: 2326
While some of my commuting brethren in the Great White North are affixing Nokians to their commuter bikes, I rode to and from school in shorts today. strange. the morning brought 63F, which was great weather for short and a windbreaker. in the p.m. i rode in short sleeves and shorts, with temps around 68F or so. i rode the Bleriot to enjoy its nice position in a longish afternoon. today i was experimenting on the Bleriot with saddle position. i had previously had the RBW "saddle-back tilt", but that seemed to make me fall into my bars a bit. last night i adjusted the Brooks to a flatter position and today i tested such a postion. it did help upper-body position quite a bit. i felt much more comfy up top, but i also seemed to squirm a bit more. i noticed that in certain positions i could more greatly feel my sit bones, and I would say i have a little extra nether-region tenderness that i usually have on one of the Brooks saddles. i would call it a slight draw, but the nether regions are more important in the end.
i took the long Riverwalk/River Rd./Indian Trail afternoon loop. i had a nice tailwind for parts of River Rd. and had a good game holding off a roadie for a while. he eventually caught me- and in true roadie form didn't acknowledge my existence- but I thank him for the motivation to a bit of big-gear speedwork.
great weather, but the rains come tonight, so we'll be back in wool tomorrow.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Commute
Date: Nov 16 Fri
Mileage: 28 (Bleriot)
November mileage: 233
Year to date: 2277
ipod: 'Burnside on Burnside', Howlin Wolf, Bobby Bare Jr.
With the LHT needed a quick washing, lube and a new bulb for the Lumotec, and with 1 commute on the fixie and an unhappy ankle (they seems to not agree), I dragged out the Bleriot for a rare commute. One advantage was that I had no papers, and my pants were already at work, so no problems for the Carradice. I added the Niterider Trailrat and was surprised how much brighter it was than the Lumotec or the old Vistalight I've been using on the fixie. The morning brought chilly temps- the radio said 33F and weather.com 28F, so I can't quite come to terms with who is right, but I was adequately dressed:
thick wool top/Capeline long-sleeve shirt/LLBean Anorak
thick polypro tights/MUSA long pants
thick wool sox/plastic baggies/Target shoes
Descente beanie
warm gloves, the ones I wear in the 30s
I list these kinds of things as much for myself as for you dear readers. It helps to remember for future rides. in the p.m. i rode west towards Shawnee and the Riverwalk. Instead of a boring straight Hill St. trip, I jogged through a couple side streets and first ended up going by my 6th-grade school, Lyman T. Johnson Middle School. We had busing in the Louisville back in the day, so my last name meant I was bused in 6th grade. Busing in Louisville meant lots of white flight, especially to private schools and to Oldham and Bullitt Co. Johnson is in the middle of a crappy neighborhood, but I had a great year there. The classes were small, maybe 15, and you got lots of attention. It was great save the 1hr+ bus ride each way.
I continued the meandering and found Algonquin, Shawnee and the Riverwalk. I think we still have 1 or 2 weeks of color before the leaves are completely gone, and with clear skies and clear view of the river it was nothing but nice. The Bleriot was doing it for me too. I might need to adjust the saddle angle a bit, b/c it seems like I slide forward or down a bit too much but it sure is a comfy machine, and one I think I'm going to ride in a bit.
Right now at the computer I would say the temp is no better than 55F. The contractors, in true form, have stalled out. All the appropriate walls are removed, and a big sheet of plastic partially covers the new kitchen space. In the end, though, it's cold as hell in the back of the house. I'm hoping they get motivated and on the ball. We need our kitchen back and certainly need it for Xmas.
I've done good miles this week and hope to get some more in around the holiday. I'll be in Maysville for part of a couple days, so maybe a big country ride is in the air. I tend to hype those trips too much and leave disappointed as not doing mega miles, so I'll take things as they come this year. But that's next week.
Peace
Mileage: 28 (Bleriot)
November mileage: 233
Year to date: 2277
ipod: 'Burnside on Burnside', Howlin Wolf, Bobby Bare Jr.
With the LHT needed a quick washing, lube and a new bulb for the Lumotec, and with 1 commute on the fixie and an unhappy ankle (they seems to not agree), I dragged out the Bleriot for a rare commute. One advantage was that I had no papers, and my pants were already at work, so no problems for the Carradice. I added the Niterider Trailrat and was surprised how much brighter it was than the Lumotec or the old Vistalight I've been using on the fixie. The morning brought chilly temps- the radio said 33F and weather.com 28F, so I can't quite come to terms with who is right, but I was adequately dressed:
thick wool top/Capeline long-sleeve shirt/LLBean Anorak
thick polypro tights/MUSA long pants
thick wool sox/plastic baggies/Target shoes
Descente beanie
warm gloves, the ones I wear in the 30s
I list these kinds of things as much for myself as for you dear readers. It helps to remember for future rides. in the p.m. i rode west towards Shawnee and the Riverwalk. Instead of a boring straight Hill St. trip, I jogged through a couple side streets and first ended up going by my 6th-grade school, Lyman T. Johnson Middle School. We had busing in the Louisville back in the day, so my last name meant I was bused in 6th grade. Busing in Louisville meant lots of white flight, especially to private schools and to Oldham and Bullitt Co. Johnson is in the middle of a crappy neighborhood, but I had a great year there. The classes were small, maybe 15, and you got lots of attention. It was great save the 1hr+ bus ride each way.
I continued the meandering and found Algonquin, Shawnee and the Riverwalk. I think we still have 1 or 2 weeks of color before the leaves are completely gone, and with clear skies and clear view of the river it was nothing but nice. The Bleriot was doing it for me too. I might need to adjust the saddle angle a bit, b/c it seems like I slide forward or down a bit too much but it sure is a comfy machine, and one I think I'm going to ride in a bit.
Right now at the computer I would say the temp is no better than 55F. The contractors, in true form, have stalled out. All the appropriate walls are removed, and a big sheet of plastic partially covers the new kitchen space. In the end, though, it's cold as hell in the back of the house. I'm hoping they get motivated and on the ball. We need our kitchen back and certainly need it for Xmas.
I've done good miles this week and hope to get some more in around the holiday. I'll be in Maysville for part of a couple days, so maybe a big country ride is in the air. I tend to hype those trips too much and leave disappointed as not doing mega miles, so I'll take things as they come this year. But that's next week.
Peace
Friday, November 02, 2007
RL6PP
Date: Nov 2 Fri
Mileage: 16 (LHT)
November mileage: 32
Year to date: 2080
Temps: 38F a.m./50F p.m.
RedLine6PackProject. Yes, this is a ridiculous title and it demonstrates my lack of subtlety. The Redline 9.2.5. is looking brilliant in its new guise- pics must follow- with a Brooks saddle bought on sale, RBW Banana Bag and black Wald basket on the front. the '6PackProject' refers to the simple fact that the basket is a perfect size for a 6 pack of refreshing beverage. Today I had a lock, old Vista light battery and my Timbuktu bag fill with clothing etc. b/c of an after-work jaunt with co-workers, i needed both the lock and the bag to keep my stuff mobile, but in the future I would need a much smaller bag to keep sundries and just lay the clothing and papers inside. I admit the fixie isn't the most ideal for my ankle; it kinda hurt on occasion. But no pain , no gain. It was fun to get out, and fun to have what may now be my 'hippest' machine. The Bleriot is still my fav ride. The updated LHT is a great, great commuter machine. Yet the RL6PP makes quite a statement.
Mileage: 16 (LHT)
November mileage: 32
Year to date: 2080
Temps: 38F a.m./50F p.m.
RedLine6PackProject. Yes, this is a ridiculous title and it demonstrates my lack of subtlety. The Redline 9.2.5. is looking brilliant in its new guise- pics must follow- with a Brooks saddle bought on sale, RBW Banana Bag and black Wald basket on the front. the '6PackProject' refers to the simple fact that the basket is a perfect size for a 6 pack of refreshing beverage. Today I had a lock, old Vista light battery and my Timbuktu bag fill with clothing etc. b/c of an after-work jaunt with co-workers, i needed both the lock and the bag to keep my stuff mobile, but in the future I would need a much smaller bag to keep sundries and just lay the clothing and papers inside. I admit the fixie isn't the most ideal for my ankle; it kinda hurt on occasion. But no pain , no gain. It was fun to get out, and fun to have what may now be my 'hippest' machine. The Bleriot is still my fav ride. The updated LHT is a great, great commuter machine. Yet the RL6PP makes quite a statement.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday pics- Bikes
This is a 'cross bike made by the Vanilla Cycling shop and Sascha White. This is certainly more utilitarian than his usual works of art.
John Paul's Dutch city bike. That on the back, the one with jumper cables visible, is his stereo system. He didn't have it playing today. Interesting buy, JP. Shimano Nexus 7-sp to boot.
Dude's Surly Pugsley, with full XTR and disc brakes, along with some type of Australian panniers. He works at a local bike shop- one I do not shop- and sold his car to make this project happen. Da' Man! It got lots of attention amid the cavalcade of carbon 'cross. This pic is for you, Doug.
You may recognize this ride against scenic wooden fence. Quite the ride, if I might say so. It also received plenty of compliments, especially Jim's weave wrap on the bars.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
'Sheryl''s Lost Ride
I didn't ride today. The workers started on the kitchen renovation, so I had to haul some tennis stuff back to school, and carrying a tennis hopper full of balls with anything less than an Extrabike would be impossible.
I also had tennis after school, and this proved fortuitous for 'Sheryl', b/c she had a mega-flat on her commuter; it was too gashed and torn to boot, so she needed a lift, and our schedules corresponded. Also, the boys had after-school activities and needed picking up, so the confluence of the three situations created a vortex of interesting events. I'm getter there; Bear with me. About 2 months ago 'sheryl' had her "Biketown" bike stolen from her backyard. This bike was from a program run by Bicycling magazine (I'm not putting a link in. It's a terrible rag), in which people write/wrote an essay how and why they needed a new hybrid Trek bike, and the winners received one. 'sheryl', being slightly insane, won and that became her long-time commuter. It's a basic Trek hybrid, hers with a rack an fenders, but for many regular cyclists it would be unassuming, and even more so unimpressive. That said, 'sheryl' has put in more commuter trips the last 3 years- not miles mind you- than 'lance' or myself. They had to jump an 8-ft wooden security fence to fetch it. No mean feat.
I'm almost there.
We 4 were returning to our respective neighborhood, the Highlands, when it a vociferous tone 'sheryl' exclaimed, "There's my bike!! My bike!! That woman is on my bike!!". That part of Broadway is mostly 'Hood. There are some public housing projects close by, numerous eateries shucking fried nastiness, and lots and lots of bars on windows. According to her appearance, this woman certainly belonged in the area. Now it all gets a little racist. 'sheryl' was sure, so I turned around the truck in pursuit. She went down a side street, but we finally caught up to her. 'sheryl' jumped out and confronted the woman, well, sort of confronted her. By this time we were directly in front of the projects with all the homies out and about in the street, sidewalk and stoop. I think 'sheryl' wanted to take her on; it WAS her bike, but how do you confront a mean-looking tough-livin' woman directly in front of her housing project with all the peeps looking on. Disaster was imminent. The woman took off into the project with the bike leaving 'sheryl' to decide "Pursue or don't Pursue". I took the liberty of finding some references on Shepard Square. See for yourself: 1, 2, 3, 4.
We drove around the corner and found her again. She didn't give a rat's ass. 'sheryl' had filed a police report, so she was going home to call, but do you believe they'll find her again? that they'll take time from finding murderers and gang-bangers to fetch her $300 hybrid? Lightening can strike twice, you know.
Did a little projecting on the 9.2.5. You're gonna like it.
I also had tennis after school, and this proved fortuitous for 'Sheryl', b/c she had a mega-flat on her commuter; it was too gashed and torn to boot, so she needed a lift, and our schedules corresponded. Also, the boys had after-school activities and needed picking up, so the confluence of the three situations created a vortex of interesting events. I'm getter there; Bear with me. About 2 months ago 'sheryl' had her "Biketown" bike stolen from her backyard. This bike was from a program run by Bicycling magazine (I'm not putting a link in. It's a terrible rag), in which people write/wrote an essay how and why they needed a new hybrid Trek bike, and the winners received one. 'sheryl', being slightly insane, won and that became her long-time commuter. It's a basic Trek hybrid, hers with a rack an fenders, but for many regular cyclists it would be unassuming, and even more so unimpressive. That said, 'sheryl' has put in more commuter trips the last 3 years- not miles mind you- than 'lance' or myself. They had to jump an 8-ft wooden security fence to fetch it. No mean feat.
I'm almost there.
We 4 were returning to our respective neighborhood, the Highlands, when it a vociferous tone 'sheryl' exclaimed, "There's my bike!! My bike!! That woman is on my bike!!". That part of Broadway is mostly 'Hood. There are some public housing projects close by, numerous eateries shucking fried nastiness, and lots and lots of bars on windows. According to her appearance, this woman certainly belonged in the area. Now it all gets a little racist. 'sheryl' was sure, so I turned around the truck in pursuit. She went down a side street, but we finally caught up to her. 'sheryl' jumped out and confronted the woman, well, sort of confronted her. By this time we were directly in front of the projects with all the homies out and about in the street, sidewalk and stoop. I think 'sheryl' wanted to take her on; it WAS her bike, but how do you confront a mean-looking tough-livin' woman directly in front of her housing project with all the peeps looking on. Disaster was imminent. The woman took off into the project with the bike leaving 'sheryl' to decide "Pursue or don't Pursue". I took the liberty of finding some references on Shepard Square. See for yourself: 1, 2, 3, 4.
We drove around the corner and found her again. She didn't give a rat's ass. 'sheryl' had filed a police report, so she was going home to call, but do you believe they'll find her again? that they'll take time from finding murderers and gang-bangers to fetch her $300 hybrid? Lightening can strike twice, you know.
Did a little projecting on the 9.2.5. You're gonna like it.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
LHT project
The pics I took of the LHT update suck. The light isn't great, and more importantly there's shit all over the driveway. Guess they accentuate life in full instead of in "great photo heaven". Oh well.
LHT with Rando bars mounted. I added my Tektro interrupters as well with fresh cables and housing, and remounted my cheapie Cateye computer. I like the outward flare/flair of the bar. I was going to switch stems, but instead decided to keep it for the moment and see how it goes. Being a 2-screw front-face stem, I can switch out pretty easily. This is the only pic worth anything, but it sucks. Shit I can identify includes wash bucket, basketball goal base, work stand, hose, neighbor's old sandbox and spiderman thing. I spent 30min or more just washing this morning. Man, the chain was nasty and it had soiled anything on the bottom plane of the bike: chainstay, bottom bracket, fender, crank, etc.
New Rubber. Conti Contact Security 1.75" They're a good bit svelter than the Serfas, and were MUCH easier to mount.
Local cat roaming back yard. I like how 1 eye shines green and the other yellow.
B/c the rest of my pics sucked, I inserted this one outside the Cathedral of Sevilla. The outer gates reflect the mudejar/muslim influence.
LHT with Rando bars mounted. I added my Tektro interrupters as well with fresh cables and housing, and remounted my cheapie Cateye computer. I like the outward flare/flair of the bar. I was going to switch stems, but instead decided to keep it for the moment and see how it goes. Being a 2-screw front-face stem, I can switch out pretty easily. This is the only pic worth anything, but it sucks. Shit I can identify includes wash bucket, basketball goal base, work stand, hose, neighbor's old sandbox and spiderman thing. I spent 30min or more just washing this morning. Man, the chain was nasty and it had soiled anything on the bottom plane of the bike: chainstay, bottom bracket, fender, crank, etc.
New Rubber. Conti Contact Security 1.75" They're a good bit svelter than the Serfas, and were MUCH easier to mount.
Local cat roaming back yard. I like how 1 eye shines green and the other yellow.
B/c the rest of my pics sucked, I inserted this one outside the Cathedral of Sevilla. The outer gates reflect the mudejar/muslim influence.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Saturday mornings
Date: Oct 6 Sat
Mileage: 21.5 (Crosscheck)
October mileage: 82.5
Year to date: 1682.5
Is there a better feeling in life than Saturday mornings? Well, I can think of 1 or 2, but we won't go there. I went to bed last night early enough that I could get up this morning fresh and ready for a super-busy day. I and the Crosscheck were on the road by 7.30 for a quickie through the parks and the neighborhood. The rest of the day is a mess. 1. pick LHT up at shop 2. 12.45 Z futbol game 3. 3.00 L futbol game 4. 5.00 Z bdayherenthere on the ride today, mixing that up with some slowneasy when I need too. There were lots of people out, including preparations for the Highlands 5K run this morning. I had to dodge some barriers, but the bigger obstacle I had to avoid was the mass of runners/joggers in Cherokee. I experienced what I guess frustrates car drivers so. Right in front of me was a phalanx of 6-7 joggers completely blocking the entire right lane and side jogging lane, and this with others runners in the left lane! Mind you, this wasn't during the official ride but just morning time. I don't begrudge these folks one bit for taking up some extra space. But if 1 bike can't get through then you have a courtesy issue. Sounds familiar? A little later I ended up behind some of the local racer boys from Papa John's Racing team. These guys were just tootling along and I felt a little awkward b/c it was slower than I was cruising at. That said, the idea of fat me "blowing by" these guys was sort of ridiculous. Get a grip. So I inched up along side and made a joke about "blowing by" them. They were quite jovial and nice about it and said "get him back in line!". It was fun and certainly a rare occurrence, to show a pair of wheels to the best racers in the area. Oh, they were on the their 'cross machines, and I as well, except I wasn't using 'cross tires.
I just got back from the shop and now have prep work to do on the LHT. It's time for a cleaning, the new rubber and the new tape. Pics will ensue. Yummy!
Friday, October 05, 2007
Stuff
We were off today from school, courtesy of St. James' Art Fair. It's supergrande in the 'Ville, so they just gave up and let us loose (officially PD day). I spent the morning preparing for my physical. I still find it so very strange that my idea of having a physical, the first since I was 30, corresponded 2 days later with my Afib. Life is damn strange. Today's experience was allinall positive. My blood numbers were better than expected: Sugar-80, HDL-57, weight- down 5lbs since last visit 2 weeks ago, PSA- normal. My total cholesterol is high, but not HIGH. I attribute my good HDL to wine and biking, and I Love both.
After my doc visit, the afternoon proved nebulous but comfortable. Having thoughts of a ride- I'd ridden every day since last Thursday- I instead napped in the chair and did little except talk occasionally with the good wife (when she wasn't doing) and drift along. It was nice, to be honest. Oh, bike related. I took the Surly over to Clarksville, fav LBS. for bike stuff:
After my doc visit, the afternoon proved nebulous but comfortable. Having thoughts of a ride- I'd ridden every day since last Thursday- I instead napped in the chair and did little except talk occasionally with the good wife (when she wasn't doing) and drift along. It was nice, to be honest. Oh, bike related. I took the Surly over to Clarksville, fav LBS. for bike stuff:
- exchange Nitto Moustache for Nitto Rando.
- move brake levers and bar-cons and cut appropriate housings and cables as needed.
- add Tektro interrupter levers to the mix.
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