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So the first of many projects is almost to an end. After way too much time, I completed the build on my cousin's Trek. I can't even remember where this frame came from, but I had her in mind immediately when I found it. It turned out pretty well (I am not completely happy with the tyres) and I think it will give her a good start at riding the roads of nearly rural MN. Hopefully she will let me put some bigger tyres on it to cushion the ride, but she has had a true road bike in mind, so sporting the 32's right away didn't seem quite appropriate. It was also tough not too don fenders and a rack right away. Have to remember this is not my bike.
Bike Specs:
Frame: Old steel Trek 80's ish
Wheels: Tiagra hubs, Bontrager Fairlane rims, DT spokes
Tyres: Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 (should be Panaracer Pesela 28, or 32's)
Brakes: Shimano DuraAce centerpulls (I had never seen these before, great fender clearance)
Crankset: Shimano 105
Derailleurs: Shimano 105 rr, Ultegra ft
Brifters: Shimano Ultegra
Handlebar: Modolo Custom (nice and flat on top)
Stem: Sakae riser
Saddle: Ritchey Pro Ti rails (gotta have a nice saddle)
Extras: Tressostar tape (over another wrapping of tape), not sure what pedals she'll choose yet.
We are finally getting some decent weather here in the midwest. The last couple days have started cold but managed to at least warm up during the day. These are the days that really make me think about how much I miss summer. It's too bad mother nature uses dimmer switches. A nice quick transition would be much more tolerable.
I switched back to the Pake C'Mute for c'muting. I might have to change it up this year as when I start riding it, my miniscule 6 mile ride leaves a lot of saddle time to just be dreamt about. This is the bike I primarily rode last year including a couple of "longer" rides (>100). It seems to be a truck of a bike, taking time to build up steam but wants to keep rolling. I am not doing it justice with such short hops.
So I am readying the Cross Check for my daily rider. It will also receive a rack and some panniers but they will be able to detach without a wrench. The more aggressive riding position shouldn't be an issue on the shorter jaunts, and it will have a little more get up to keep up with the guys from the shop. Just have to decide if I keep it single or run it fixed.
Along with that, I have a bicycle to create for my cousin. It's a project I have been slacking on for too long. A nice old Trek road frame that should fit her great. I have managed to procure a Shimano 9 speed drive train, and along with a mix of vintage and new parts, should suit her well for the time she has to get out and ride. A stop to the bike shop today will be warranted so I can make sure the frame is in alignment.
Then if I can get my mom's frame painted, that will be able to be completed. At least I have the excuse that I can't finish the paint until we have some warmer weather. I tried painting in sub 60 temps a couple years ago and I think the paint stalls in the drying process and remains tacky for life. That is going to be a great set up when it is all finished.
After those are done, I have another bike for yet another cousin in the queue. An old Gary Fisher that will be "hybridized" (spellchecker was just fine with this word) for a nice 'round town'r. I can't decide what type of setup will be good for that one. I would love to Albatross it, but I don't think he is going to go for that. I might just do it anyway, and see what happens. Worse case, he doesn't like it and I have another Albatross in my inventory. Always look on the bright side...of life (whistle appropriately).
I didn't pay much attention to the weather last night, and was a little surprised with the snow that was on the ground when I awoke. We have had a few very nice days recently, so it always is a disappointment when the snow returns. It always does in March. I have been wanting to ride my regular commuter so I didn't let the weather change my mind, I loaded up and went to work. I ride right through Como Park on one of my routes, it keeps me away from traffic and I can take a breather on a bench if I need to.
Not that it was a lot of snow, but when you are set in spring mode, it is a bit disheartening.
That being said, with the weather warming up, the thoughts are turning to longer bike rides, overnight camping rides, dusting off the other bikes, and promising again to not wait so long before cleaning the winter bike. So long studded tyres, we'll need you soon enough. I appreciate your grip, but wow! those Panaracers ride loads better. Not to mention the 35's are way more comfy than my skinny 28's.
We made some national news last night with our "spring" weather. I knew it was going to be some rough going for the ride home, and I almost put on my pogies. Should have listened to my gut.
I rode to work yesterday in a light rain. It quickly turned to sleet as I continued north. I thought of my goggles still in their case, sitting on my dresser of bike clothing. But I had extra layers with me, it shouldn't be a problem. If anything, I could wear my safety glasses home. Throughout the day, the rain turned to snow, then back to rain, and then to mix it up, a little more snow. Temps kept falling from 2C, to around -12C when we left the shop.
Studded tyres are the best! There have only been a few times during the winter I have needed them and last night was one. No one went down, but it was close making the turn to the bank to drop off the night deposit. The wind was quite impressive and nearly blew me over coming around the corner. A bonus was being able to ride with the wind on the way back to the road that leads home. I was able to cruise for about 1/2 mile with no work at all.
One small stop to make Dan gloves from some extra socks and we trudged our way home. For all the wind, blowing snow, and partially frostbit fingers, I had a great time. Turning into the wind again, about 3/4 of the way home, I had difficulty because I was laughing and the wind and snow were making my teeth hurt. I couldn't help think of Trans Iowa. It is a great bench mark as nothing since has been able to compare to the beating we took. I know there are days when my mind is not in the right place, and the wind beats me down into a grumpy mood. I remember actually being angry at the wind for causing me such misery. I am hoping that I am growing out of those times and I can have fun, with snow or whatnot blowing in my face at 30mph, struggling to keep my laughing to a minimum to save my teeth.
I was able to attend the North America Handmade Bicycle Show this past weekend in Indianapolis. Ken, his brother Paul, and I drove down Friday. We were barely into WI when Paul asked me, "What kind of bikes do you own?". It was almost Madison before we exhausted the rideable inventories for all of us. Unfortunately, I was working through a cold over the weekend, so I battled fatigue almost the whole time. I know I couldn't concentrate completely but still had an amazing time looking through all the great bikes and amazing craftsmanship.
Turns out, I took just shy of 200 photos. Most of which only interest me and goofy bike people. My favorite, was taken in the hall right next to the exhibit hall. It was completely empty with the exception of the photo area at the far end. Not wanting to intrude, I stood at the entry, about 75 feet away and took this. You can't keep cyclists off their bikes! One of my favorite things about this photo is it turned out almost exactly the way I wanted. Shooting a fairly inexpensive digital camera, my shutter lag time has been hard to get used to. I don't think the silhouette could be any more perfect from my vantage point.
We had a great time hanging out with folk from Hiawatha Cycles and closely tied with Curt Goodrich Bicycles. (CONGRATULATIONS!!) If only we would have stayed a little longer to have a top shelf drink. It was nice that the bar in our hotel seemed a hot spot for bike folk. We enjoyed a lot of people watching there and then just a short elevator ride before crashing hard.
Seeing all the amazing work done, it sure stokes the fire to get some custom stuff going. I sure hope I make the time to do some projects this summer. Nothing like immersing yourself in something you're passionate about for 36 hours to prod you into action. I'm already looking forward to going again next year.
My wife was in another accident last week. We hadn't yet fixed the car from the fender bender she was in last fall, and now our car is totaled. The most fortunate thing is that no one was hurt. The unfortunate thing is that we have to buy a new car. This was a less than pleasant experience for us 2 years ago. We bought a car that we thought we would have for many, many years. We didn't even make it to many. That was barely even years.
I am looking forward to my Blacksmith Guild meeting this evening. We are holding it at a machine shop that restores antique bicycles. They are supposed to have several high wheelers restored and it should be most interesting. I hope to attain some good pics.
I just wish I could make it work to replace the car with another bicycle. It just would make those trips to Des Moines a lot longer than they already are.
We had a very successful third Lour de Toren yesterday. After a slightly rocky start of pushing the start time back and a slight issue of the starting point address, 4 of us met up at Brewberry Coffee for the pre-ride meeting.
Stage 1: I'm not sure how we ended up with the plan, but the first stage was a gruelling slog up to the Groveland Tap. There was some debate if it was over 5 blocks or not, but clearly it was enough for our already weary bodies. We recharged with some oatmeal stout and cheese curds. While there, Dan, Gabe and Michael met up with us. Now seven strong and able to create a more effective pace line, we pounded out into the quickly evaporating afternoon.
Stage 2: It was nice to ease into what would be longer stages toward the end of the tour. This stage found us bounding our way across St Clair all the way to Snelling. A harrowing right, and the technical section of the "race" was upon us. Having to deal with Snelling Ave traffic is never fun. Fortunately, there was only a breakaway of two, and the peloton rolled comfortably to Gobe's. A much needed rest with Summit EPA was much appreciated after that stage.
Stage 3: Now it started to get hard. The calculations were made, and we figured we could squeeze in Costellos into the route. Down Randolph we flew. There was pandemonium amongst the riders as Joe took an alternate route that the rest of the peloton didn't realize was an option. As we wound our way around Edgecumbe and then Lexington toward Selby, we had our first mechanical of any LDT. It was extremely lucky that the weather cooperated with us, with 30 degrees and barely any wind, it didn't make us suffer waiting for the downed rider. The hard fast rule of the No Drop ride didn't bring us down too much. And with a second flat, we limped down Selby to the third stop. Amazing how people will perk up with Bells Two Hearted. Autumn and Alex met up with us here. Unfortunately, the two flats took their toll on Michael and he had to drop out. He also thought he knew what the next stage was about.
Stage 4: Save the best for last. All good downhills must come to an end. And the end it was. We left Dan and Gabe to ride in their own pool playing group. Essentially, stage 4 was an uphill time trial. Everyone set off at a pace that I didn't think we could keep. If it hadn't been for that light at Lexington, I'm sure I would have been dropped well off the back. Things strung out pretty far for a while, but as riders approached the top, we grouped together again. Being a school night, we lost a couple near their house on our way to the Longfellow Grille. 10.1 miles at the end of our ride. I don't know if that mileage can be exactly accurate as we only had one computer, but I would say that's close enough. Unfortunately, some businesses close a little early on Sunday night. We happened to end at one of them.
So, it wasn't a great stage 4 ending. Marty decided, he had had enough, and with the real need for some food, we ended up at Pizza Luce. The last bit of drama coming from a lost key and the need to cut a lock in order to get home. And even though we are not supposed to have support, we technically were finished with the ride. So the cable cutters my wife brought us were allowed. Though we could have used the key we later found wrapped around the chainstay of Joe's bike.
Best Lour de Toren ever!
