Bicycle Delivery Service

 
Mrs. called yesterday and said she needed a ride.
She had the truck, but said she would prefer to ride a bicycle.

I loaded up the Donkey and met her at the end of her workday.

I tried to STUp, but I didn't know how

Cargo hauling LEVEL 3 achieved, please proceed

Passenger in-tow action shot

A.C. thought everyone should know that Mrs loves meat, even though she never eats it

Concerned Mechanic

Little wrider found a length of chain on the garage floor from the latest project.

Adjustments

He was immediately concerned and set about to "fix it", rubber gloves and all.

Repair

Checking his work

Current Work In Progress

Not even my bike . . . 

American to Euro BB adapter

. . .  we'll see how long it takes the real owner to notice.

Bartering with a Gypsy

Tire swaps, de-decaling, broken fenders, heat guns and political signs.
Take America Back 2010  2012.

There's been a Gypsy around town for a while.  I hadn't run into until last week, but we had established a mutual respect for each other's presence on the internet (okay, I can't say for a fact he respected what I write here, but he'd at least made an effort to comment on things a time or two.) 

Allman had crossed paths with him at a local shop.  I figured we'd meet sooner or later, but with the days getting longer you could bet he'd soon be headed off down the road.

Last week Allman pointed me toward a Craiglist ad for a good deal on a fat tire that quite literally had my name on it.  Suffice to say it was Gypsy  selling off his winter tires before he left town. 

A couple days later I got a random phone call.  Gypsy was looking for a very particular tire for an atypical bike project he had on his hands and wondered if I had some on the Dummy.  I didn't, but I had something in the same niche.  He offered to buy them before he left town.

A cohesive bit of confusion on two wheels

I'd read that he had a some tires I'd been pining for ever since I gave a set away and offered a trade assuming he might like to save his dollars for his travels.

Didn't take me long to get them dirty

Yesterday he came by, stories, ideas and tires were traded, along with a few other rather random bicycle bits.

Ultimately we were both more than satisfied with yesterday's exchange of goods, and no money changed hands . . . .  as it should be when dealing with gypsies. 

click the picture if you want to follow his journeys

Dummy, Donkey Day

I had some science to get done this weekend.
I thought I had help lined up, but it fell through at the last minute.
Allman had plans to go fishing, but those fell apart so I invited him and his Dummy to come help with my field work.

He was game, and a pleasant day of off-road cargo biking ensued.

Donkey and Dummy

Fat fronted Donkey

A few puddles, but mostly dry trails

You never know what might happen in the mountains so it's good to be prepared.  Allman chose to bring a spare helmet and an extra set of wheels.

A few snowy sections, but not as bad as I had anticipated

We had day of variable weather: Wind and snow, followed by sun and blue skies

Springtime in Alaska

Well That Sucks

My beautiful wife's beautiful bike has a crack in the frame.




Shortly after we started dating my (now) wife bought a lovely titanium 29er from a fantastic, small local shop.

While putzing around in the garage the other night I noticed a small crack in the weld where the seat tube meets the seat stay.

Crack, right along the weld

To make things better neither the shop that she bought it from nor the company that built the bike actually exists anymore.

I emailed the guy that used to run the shop and asked him for his insight.
Being that the frame is titanium it looks like we just need to find a framebuilder who is willing to and has time to do the repair.

That's what the weld should look like

It's a bummer, but it could be worse . . . it could be aluminum or crabon fibre . . .  or it could have failed in the middle of a big ride.

As it stands she has had many happy miles aboard the bike, and the issue appears to be fixable for a few dollars.

Sad, but fixable . . . I think

In all honesty I am a bit proud of my wife.  She cracked a Ti frame.  I don't personally know anyone else who can say that.  . . .  and it's not the first frame she's cracked.
 She busted welds on a steel frame shortly after we married.

An understated bad-ass, that's my wife.

Look Out When He Gets Those Training Wheels Off

Photo by: Julia Ioffe

What's That Thing Called?

Yep, you read that correctly

Tacos

I went out tonight.

I don't "go out" that often.

On the ride home I decided that some tacos sounded good.

I rode over to the taco place, the doors were locked so I rode through the drive through.

I rolled up to the window and they said they couldn't serve me because I wasn't in a car.

I asked if they would serve me if I locked my bike up and walked up to the window.  They said "no".

I pointed out that gasoline cost nearly $4.50/gallon and asked if I really had to go home and get my truck if I wanted some tacos.

They said I did.

I rolled around back and gave a $5 bill to the first car that rolled up and asked them to buy me a couple of tacos.

The second car in line was a cabbie, he asked what was up.  I told him and he said he would have driven me through, no charge for the flag drop or mileage. 

Rolled back to the drive through window.  Got my tacos AND exact change from  the kindly (and seemingly amused) motorists.

I enjoyed those tacos, and the rest of my ride home thank you very much.

Flavor

Same trail, slightly different flavor.

 

Went to visit GSC and SHeck for some banana bread today.

Road Bikes and Lunch Buffets

I got the Bridgestone out for a test run yesterday after finishing some off-season upgrades.
New (second hand (actually third hand I think)) wheelset/9spd cassette and some bar end shifters has brought the RB-1 well into the mid-1990's.  Still tweaking saddle and handlebars, but really enjoyed the illusion of speed the bike gave me.

I don't see why not.

I ran into a couple different patches of snow on the trail over to GSC's, but the bike handled itself rather impressively and plowed right on through.

Local street toughs.  Don't let their smiles and kind words fool you.

This morning Little wRider and I rolled out to do a Chariot hand off with Mrs.
We encountered this pair of brightly dressed street toughs blocking our path.  Fortunately some quick thinking and smooth talking on my part enabled us to get by with out being roughed up too badly. 

Thai food?      Don't mind if I do.

We found Mrs. had happened to pause her commute directly in front of a delicious smelling Thai restaurant to chat with Kousin Kristen.  Obviously this led to an impromptu lunch buffet.

Rotors and Records

I finished up the semester on friday.
Provided I pass quantitative methods it will officially be the end of coursework for my master's degree, and quite possibly for good. (Not feeling the need for a PhD at the moment).

I've still have research and thesis work to complete, so LOTS of work ahead, but it still felt like a significant milestone.

So how do I indulge myself and celebrate?

With a large dose of bikes, that's how.

Spent friday evening in the garage swapping rotors around, and throwing this new Ashima rotor in the mix.  I figure with 160mm rotors all the way around I end up with the ability to readily swap front wheels between five different bikes if need be.

To add to the celebration I watched Graeme Obree's story of tackling the hour record in the Flying Scotsman.
I remember him breaking the record, then losing it, then . . . . .  well you'll just have to watch it yourself.

I've been meaning to see the movie for a few years, just haven't slowed down enough to indulge in movie watching in a long time.
Favorite part: When Francesco Moser pulls the stick out so to speak and starts cheering for Obree.

Rotors and Records

Saturday night went from moose burgers on the grill to some wrenching and riding with old friends.

Allman, GSC and I met Mrs. for her commute home.

Been too long since we've had a late night rally around town with friends.
Honestly doesn't get much more fun than that for me.

WoW!

Allman is in the market for a folder or coupled frame to facilitate his jet-setting lifestyle.

He forwarded me this gem.

a 3spd IGH with a rear derailleur.  He'd be a fool not to buy it. . .  even if every other part on it is sorely outdated and in need of replacing.