This is a shameless attempt to save the the most advanced civilization in
history from imminent self destruction by eliminating carbon emission,
dependence on foreign sources of fuel,obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Cycling accomplishes all those things at once and helps us develop a better
understanding of ourselves, each other and our relationship to the cosmos.

Oh, horse puckey!
I like to ride bikes, have been doing it all my life.
The rest of that crap is just a fringe benefit,
and the blogosphere gives me a chance to share my interior
monologue with virtual rather than imaginary friends.

Friday, March 8, 2024

The latest in the stable

A few months ago, my friend Leah Peterson was chatting online with a biking acquaintance, Michael Downs, and noticed a frame in the background of a photo he sent her.  When asked about it, he said he might be interested in selling it.  She sent me a photo and I immediately bit the hook. 
It's a Rivendell Yves Gomez with a limited edition paint job.  It was the first run of factory made mixte bikes after the Wilbury/Glorious became too expensive.  I got it in late fall and spent the winter getting parts together.
It came together beautifully, the cream colored fenders were raided from my Sam Hillborne and look much better with the dark green.  I added Baby Bosco bars, VO Gran Cru brake levers (which are as sensitive as the Paul levers I put on my Hunq), Soma interupter levers and Brooks leather tape to finish them off.
I had a Sugino crank which I converted with a chain guard into 1x9 drive train with a Shimano Deore derailer and pulled a Sunrace thumb shifter out of the parts bin which works perfectly.  The saddle is a VO leather saddle which wasn't being used and I may change later after some longer rides and a different seat post.
I ordered wheels from Velocity and Schwalbe Kojak tires.  Tektro brake calipers and MKS pedals from the parts bin finished that off.
To make it practical, I added a light Tubus rack and a HUGE Wald basket.  The basket  weighs next to nothing and is a great convenience
since I have a bag that was designed with that basket in mind.  After a few hours of riding with the empty basket it held $75 worth of groceries with no problem on the way home. 
I'm really surprised at how spritely and light this bike is.   The Kojak tires are extremely fast slicks and the only 35mm 650b tire I could find.  There are several 38mm and larger tires out there for 650b wheels, but I've used these before and liked them.  I'm looking forward to a lot of time on this bike
and even found a helmet to match.












 

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Growing pains.

      Remember how growing up seemed really exciting,  then you got a job, mortgage, kids and everything kinda sucked?  When you pass all that there's a new phase.  At 71, after reading for a couple hours, I've found it harder to get out a chair then it is to ride a bike 35 miles.


     This time of year is especially interesting.  When the snow has fallen along with the temperatures, I shuffle across the parking lot to the garage telling myself how stupid I am until I've ridden a few blocks and need to loosen my cuffs and pull the hood back to cool off.  

It's not a 35 mile ride this time of year,  the roads are barely cleared for cars let alone bikes so it's a unique challenge to get around town, but the sense of smug superiority it provides is well worth it.

On the other hand our city does a responsible job of clearing, or at least trying to clear the trailways.  The result is an icy mtb track protected from traffic where we can enjoy overheating under our parka for 25 miles or so.  It's a limited pleasure and a change of pace for a few weeks.

Sunday, January 14, 2024

 So winter finally arrived in Michigan.  We got what looks like a foot or more overnight but I might be exaggerating.  It will take a couple of days for the roads to be useful

so I did what any reasonable person would do, 
stay inside, don't be part of the problem and 
give one of my bikes a bath.  
Winter had been so late coming 
I hadn't bothered to put studded tires on the Brompton.
Since it was ridiculously cold in the garage I brought it inside where I could bear to work on it.  Like most bikes it's easiest to flop it over on it's back 
 and it's pretty straight forward despite looking strange.
The challenging part about Brompton maintenance is removing the rear wheel.  I'm not belaboring the details, but disconnecting the shift cable from the hub, removing the chain tensioner, getting the wheel off and reassembling the whole thing is harder than origami.  Anybody who accomplishes this without profuse swearing in several languages deserves a degree in engineering or something..from somewhere. I flunk the swear test every time.
Afterwards, the frame pump fits back in it's little spot
The handy dandy toolkit that accomplishes all things Brompton
goes back inside the frame where it hides for next time.
and it's a cute little rubics cube  with spiky shoes, 
 ready for a few weeks of crusty roads. 










Sunday, December 31, 2023

Turned what corner?

       It's that time of year, but it's nearly January and "freezing" still feels cold.  Normally, we (those of us who don't Zwift) have become calloused to cold temps and forty degrees feels warm by now.  We've had only 24 hours with snow on the ground and rainy 45 degree temps to live with most of the time.  The winter solstice has come and gone, the days are getting longer by about 30 seconds a day and we are coasting  towards spring already.  Nearly a month of winter has passed us with barely a blink of cold or snow.  Even though the spandex hamsters have retreated to their pretend cycling games, outdoor rides are demanding nothing more than a layer beneath a hoody. 

The outdoor season is normally limited to a daily commute or trip to the store on these days, but now I find myself taking a couple 25-30 mile rides a week. The smugness level enjoyed by riding ice encrusted trails on studded tires is not there this year and spring is slowly marching toward us.  At least we can hope, we still do have January and February to face.