Whee!

For the last two years I have been looking to score a deal on a nice old Carlton Raleigh... one that I could restore and convert into a 'Country Bike' (thats what European touring type bikes seem to be called these days)

So, the other day I took a quick look at Craigslist and saw this posting for an old raleigh 10 speed for $49. The owner said in the ad that he thought it was a valuable bike. The picture was too fuzzy to tell what model it was, but it looked like my size. "What could it be?" I thought... "Competition? Super Course? International???" (I would have died and gone to heaven if it was an International)

I called the owner. He said the bike was still there, but I was the fourth caller already. I told him I wanted to buy it, sight-unseen, and I wanted to pick it up right away before someone else did. He told me he wouldn't be home until after 9:30pm.
At 9:45 I arrived at the house and found a beat up old 1974 24.5" Gran Sport. Not quite what I was hoping for, but still, the Reynolds 531 frame, Stronglight (Model 93?) crank and Brooks B17 saddle made it worth the price of admission.

Overall, it's pretty rusty, but nothing serious. The chrome on the rear triangle is in decent shape, but the chrome on the fork is pretty bad and I may have to paint over the fork. Covering up the chrome on the fork will detract a little from the classy looks of the bike, I know, but the fork is just in really rough shape.
After stripping and re-painting it is going to look awesome!

Utilitarian cycling in Rhode Island!

I spotted this awesome pedi-cab bike outside a restaurant in my neighborhood! Of course I had to stop and talk to the owner.

Jamie lives only a few blocks from me. He frequently takes his two children for rides on the bike path's, in parades or, like he was doing today, out for lunch at a local restaurant.

This Main St Pedicab  has an electric assist motor for the hills and a high-power lighting system for nighttime riding.

Jamie also used to be a hardcore bicycle commuter too (52 miles round trip!)

While I was talking to him everyone that walked by and saw the pedicab said 'Cool!'

Cool indeed!

fixed gear pics

My old pink Bridgestone 550 has a new black paint (spray can) job.

The pre-1990 Bridgestones are nothing like the Grant Peterson cult classics from the final days of Bstone. This one has a short top tube, no fender eyelets, no tire clearance for anything bigger than a 700x25, and the headset stack height is so ridiculously low (and it has no spacers) that I cant find one to replace it! Still, I LOVE the way this bike rides, feels and handles.

The Lego skeleton has been hanging from the mirror in my VW for years. Once the car died, It only seemed fitting to make it a headbadge for my new ride.

 

car free!

My old 1997 VW Golf finally died. It's been spiraling the drain for about a year now, and I kept fixing it but now it's just not worth it anymore.

I've been on a lot of adventures with this car. Folk festivals, mountain bike festivals, more snowboard trips than I can even count, camping and road trips... 

I'm gonna miss it. 

I'll really miss my Windells Snowboard Camp decal. 

So. I'm now car free... not completely by choice, but I'm ok with it for now.

Recovering from broken rib

Its been 6 weeks since I got a broken rib in jiu jitsu. It still hurts, but I did get back to riding the bike last week. wow! have I gotten out of shape while waiting for the rib to heal!

Last night, while riding home in the dark (fully lighted and blinking like a Christmas tree, mind you), some old geezer yelled out the window of his Volvo "Get outta the road you fucking nut job!!!"
Nice.

I really care less and less about being courteous towards motorists. Despite doing everything in my power to be a visible, predictable, law-abiding bicycle commuter, I still have at least one near-death encounter every week because of some motorist doing something completely stupid, careless or aggressive (0r a combination of all three) towards me.

I don't think that Critical Mass is the answer... It's not going to enlighten any motorists. It only seems to piss them off more.
The only thing that is going to give folks a clue, is when gasoline goes to $22 a gallon and 80% of the population starts riding bikes. Only when they have been FORCED to ride a bike on the road with stupid, aggressive morons driving Hummers will they understand how it feels to be treated so callously.

more signage

This one is just awesome! Speaks for itself really...

Avoidance

Today I rode home from work slowly. I took turns I don't normally take and I stopped at all the lights.
I didn't want to go home.
I watched my feet turn circles on the pedals. I looked at clouds in the sky and I saw this funny sign for a yard sale. I'm not sure what the sheep has to do with selling used junk on your lawn, but it made me laugh anyway.
I needed the laugh.

You see, I knew that at my house a celebration dinner was being prepared and people would be arriving. It is my birthday. The only thing I hate more than it being my birthday... is celebrating that it's my birthday.
Things just never go right on my birthday.
This morning, for instance, I got a flat tire on the way to work. It's the first one I've had in almost a year. Why today?

I don't like getting older and, normally I do a pretty good job of fighting off the years... I excersise, eat well and keep a very kid-like attitude but the last few weeks have been tough. Hell, the last few years have been tough! and its starting to catch up with me. I just feel OLD today and it's bumming me out.

Anyway, the party went OK. Although the dinner I was really looking forward to didn't turn out quite right. But, I sort of knew it wouldn't...

is it stupid to think a cargo bike is cool?

Oh man, I really don't have the money right now, and even if i did my wife would surely kill me for buying another bike, but I would LOVE to go pick up one of these awesome cargo bikes that someone is selling not too far from my house. Heck, for the price I should just buy both.

What a sweet machine for going grocery shopping on!
(That really is a stupid statement, isnt it?)

rivendell bumper sticker

Funny. Saw this old looking sticker on a car in a parking lot the other day.
'Wear Wool, Sit on Leather, Ride Lugged Steel'
The small print at the bottom says 'www.rivendellbicycles.com'

god bless Grant for changing the world.

Is this too dangerous?

Crap! It happened.
I started thinking about things.

Lately, I've read way too many stories about bicyclists killed on city streets and its got me a little scared.

Now, I firmly believe that most bicyle deaths happen to cyclists who were not being smart.
You know... No lights at night, unattentiveness, riding unpredictably and violation of traffic flow. (This DOES NOT mean it was the cyclists fault but, sadly, many of these fatalities are preventable)

Sometimes however, a good cyclist, a cyclist who was alert, riding defensively and doing everything right gets killed anyway.

Everyone has the internal dialogue that says "It won't happen to me". Its a survival mechanism thats millions of years old. It's the only way we can get out of bed in the morning and walk out into the world. "Sure there are big carnivores out there and they're gonna eat one of us... but not me. It won't happen to me"

Steve Irwin no doubt thought that same thing on the day he went swimming with the stingrays. And why shouldn't he think like that? He arguably had more experience dealing with dangerous animals than any other person on the planet.

I certainly have better bike handling skills than most mortals. I have years of experience riding a bicycle in traffic. I am physically fit and hyper alert.
It won't happen to me.

But then I start remembering all the close-calls I've had over the years, and how they could have turned out.

I have a wife I love very much, and we want to have children someday soon. I don't really want to leave this world for a very, very long time. Sure, I might be better, smarter and faster than every other cyclists out there but, drunk drivers never seem to pay attention to those fine traits and can ruin everything in a second.

Should I choose safer routes to work? Should I wear safety vests and cover every inch of my person with reflective material? Should I get rid of the fixed gear bike?

Should I take the bus and not ride at all?

the urban machine

Well, after commuting on my Bridgestone 550 fixed conversion for a while I was pretty much hooked. The bike is one of my favorites. Not just because it is fixed, but because this is a really great frame! it is light, comfortable and handles amazing! better than many other bikes I've owned (and I've owned some really top-end road bikes!)

But, I decided I wanted to give it an even leaner and meaner urban look.

Step 1. Apply torch to braze ons and remove them from frame.
Step 2. Sand down pink finish.
Step 3. Apply black semi-gloss spray paint.

I was really worried about putting heat to the frame to remove the braze-ons. I don't know much about metallurgy and metal working, but I do know that too much heat is always bad and I didn't know how to tell if I was approaching "too much".
So, I started heating the shifter braze-ons and as soon as it started to get a little red and glowy near the seam, I grabbed it with the pliers and gave a little tug. *pop* off it came. Nice! The tubes don't seem any worse off after the heating.













Ok, it's ready for the paint!
Updates to follow...

Ha!! I just noticed something.
After I popped off the first shifter boss, I dropped it onto the tray on my workstand and went to work on the second shifter braze-on. A few seconds later, out of the corner of my eye, I see the first boss fall from the tool tray and hit the ground. "That was weird" I thought, because I hadn't bumped to stand or the tray. I didnt give it much though because I was busy with a flaming hot torch in my hand.
When I was cleaning up I realized that the scorching-hot braze on had melted its way right through the tool tray! The second one melted halfway through before cooling and embedding itself permanently in the plastic!

Seattle?

The future of my current job is a little shaky these days... the result of corporate restructuring after a big merger. My position may remain, or it may move to another part of the country. I would have the choice to move with it if I so wanted...

Out of the two new HQ locations I could relocate to, there is only one I would even consider. Seattle, WA.

Aside from leaving friends and family behind, another major drawback would be the weather. I've heard horror stories about the continual rain and grey skies but, there seems to be a huge bicycle commuter population in Seattle? So, what gives? Are the horror stories just blown out of proportion, or does everyone just ride with fenders and raingear daily?

I'd like to hear some of the Pacific Northwest Pro's and Con's from any Seattle/Bothell/Redmond folks.

my new fashion accessory!

Ok, its not really bicycle related, but, I'm soooo excited about this that I just had to post it here...

Last night I got my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!!!

To get this belt took 14 months of hard workouts, 1 broken nose, 1 cracked sternum, 1 broken toe, 2 popped elbows, several sprained fingers and countless bruises, mat-rashes and muscle aches.

Throughout my adult life I've practiced a LOT of different martial arts and I've earned a lot of different belts but none of them compare to this one.

back to it

I didn't ride much during February or March because... well, I just wussied-out when the worst of the winter weather came rolling in (I worked from home a lot during that time), but now I'm back in the saddle.
The legs are very weak and rusty and I'm still not super confident on the fixed gear so, the commutes are going slow.

frostbite

crap.
On Sunday I got minor frostbite on my nose. It's swollen and the skin looks kinda funny. I didn't do it on the bicycle though, we went snowboarding at Jay Peak VT this weekend and the low temps and windchill were just crazy. Temps at the base were around 0 degrees and the wind chill knocked that down to around -20.
Now, I'm probably always going to have to be extra cautious in cold weather to avoid more damage, which might mean wearing a balaclava or face mask. I hate both of those options.
crap.

thoughts on fixed gear bikes

I have been running little errands on the fixed-gear bike but I was nervous about commuting through the city on it. Today I jumped on and went for it.
Not so bad. I had to use my front brake only once, and that was at the bottom of the hill at the end of my street.

Here's what I learned on my fixed commute.

• 99% of the time it's no different than any other bike. I guess I don't coast much.
• The remaining 1% of the time is 'exciting'. Some would call it scary.
• 'Sudden stop' is deprecated, and is replaced by 'swerve' or 'crash'. You decide.
• My commute time was significantly slower because I was being so cautious.
• My legs are sore. Riding fixed uses different muscles, especially when going down hills and trying to slow down.
• My lockring needs to be tighter.

mind numbing

Ok. first off. I don't like golf, never have, probably never will, too boring and the thought of watching it on TV is mind-numbing.
Well, I've found something even more boring... watching people doing trackstands. Youtube is filled with video's of people doing trackstands. There's even a trackstand contest that goes on for about 8 minutes. Boring! Watching grass grow is more exciting.
Sure, a trackstand is a slightly nifty trick and it impresses non-bicyclists for about one minute, but c'mon... really.

don't believe the widget

Since the Northeast is experiencing an arctic cold blast, I havent been bike commuting much lately. I've been opting to work from home instead.
This morning though, I check my Dashboard Weather Widget and it says it's currently 40 degrees in Providence. Sweet!
I dress for an above-freezing commute and head out the door.
Within 2 minutes I'm thinking "This sure doesn't feel like 40" so, I stop and put on my vest. By the time I'm halfway to work it's obvious I've made a mistake... my hands, feet and face are frozen and the wind is whipping through my wool sweater, making my arms cold.

I get to work, go to weather.com and check the current conditions for Providence, RI... 21 degrees, with windchill it feels like 10 degrees. Nice. I make a mental note to never use the weather widget again.
At lunchtime I walk over to the Walmart (*blech*) they just built near my office and I buy a pair of thin dress socks to wear under my regular socks, and some glove liners to augment the thin knit gloves I wore today. I'll also wear my work shirt under my sweater for the ride home, that should help block some wind.

The ride home was not so bad. The temperature was actually a little colder than my morning commute but the wind had stopped so I was able to cruise a little faster and, just having warmer hands and feet made everything ok.

new blinkies

I was at the local bike shop tonight and I saw they had these tiny little blinkie lights, the Sigma Micro's.

I picked up the white one to keep in my messenger bag as an emergency front light.

Holy crap is this little sucker bright!
It certainly isnt as bright as my Princeton-Tec EOS, but on a dark country road a motorist will still see this blinkie from a mile away!

It has one terrible flaw though. Due to the way the top part of the light's lens is scooped out, the person riding the bicycle can also see the blinking LED. This was so distracting I wanted to turn it off after only 1 mile. I got home and put a small piece of black tape over the top part of the lens... that helped. Putting it under the bars might also help hide the blink from the rider. This design is great for a rear blinkie but, someone should have thought it through a little better on the front version.

Still, these little lights are so small and lightweight that they're worth the $12 even if you just carry them in your saddle bag in case you end up riding home in the dark when you weren't planning to.

fixed ride

A good friend of mine used to call me 'iconoclastic' because I was always bashing on anything popular or trendy. I feel that the more popular something is, the more you should be wary of it.

I guess I have officially lost the title of iconoclast now that I have built a fixed-gear bicycle.

In case you havent been paying attention to the bicycle world lately, fixed-gear bikes are all the rage with the urban hipster crowd. Apparently they have been led to think that fixed-gear bikes are cooler than regular bikes, and riding one gives you punk rock street cred.

So, what on earth would possess me to follow the crowd and build a fixed gear bicycle? Well, I have always loved the stripped down look of a track bike. I want the extra leg workout that a fixed gear will impose and, lastly, I like challenging myself to master things that are difficult. I like challenges.

I picked up this pink 1986 Bridgestone 550 for $100 a few months ago. It fits great and it's in almost new condition but it's been sitting in the basement collecting dust. Now it's a fixed gear!

dog stories

This happened a long, long time ago...

About 9 or 10 of us were out on an early sunday morning ride. The pace was pretty leisurely and we all talking while riding three abreast down the quiet country roads. Tim, one of the groups strongest riders, was in more of a 'training' mode than we were and he was cruising about 75 yards ahead of the rest of us.

Suddenly, from out of a backyard on the left, came running one of the biggest Rottweiller's on the planet. The dog was moving insanely fast and heading straight for Tim. Tim's head was down and he didn't look up or show any sign of alarm. He must have been mesmerized from watching his front wheel because he didn't know the dog was coming.

I stood up and started sprinting... I don't really know why. In a flash I was right on top of the dog, my front wheel almost hitting his back legs. The dog was so focused on Tim that it didn't know there were other cyclists behind him.
A few more strong pedal strokes and I starting passing the dog on it's right. I leaned down towards the animal and yelled at the top of my lungs.
The dog simultaneously dodged left, away from the terrible noise that just assaulted his right ear, and spun it's head to look in my direction. The animal lost it's footing, tripped and tumbled. With it's legs splayed out like a deer on ice the dog skidded to a stop in the dirt on the side of the road.

Behind me, the rest of the cyclists rode past the dog laughing and swearing at it while it just sat there looking very confused and frightened.
We had to fill Tim in on the story because he was oblivious to the whole thing. By the time he turned around after hearing me yell, he had missed everything.

Everyone chuckled for the rest of the ride and had fun making up new nicknames for me, like; "Jeff, the dog conquerer", "dogslayer" etc, etc...
Good times.