Feels Like Winter

While the days have gotten short and the temperatures have been cool, there has been lots of beautiful sunshine to enjoy on at least one way of my commute.

I've been riding this beast almost exclusively for the last few weeks enjoying it's midfatness on the little snow we do have.  The $30 pogies have continue to serve me well, even after 7 years.  I was riding at -5 F this afternoon with my bare hands in them for the last 5 miles of my ride.

More exciting than snow has been the overflow from frozen streams around town.  I came upon this immediately after leaving the house yesterday.  An ice damn in a culvert had water flowing out down the road in single digit temperatures.  A couple of trails around town have had a some significant overflow issues on and off over the past few weeks.  In a very dorky way, I really enjoy the dynamics of water and ice.

 Spotted this guy just off the trail riding to school today,

then heard something behind me and noticed I'd parked my bike right between the two bulls.  Fortunately the were mellow and disinterested in my existence.

The left palm of his antlers appears to have broken off at some point.

 

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.

That Kind of Question That Will Keep You Up at Night

Bought a few of these from the folks at Soulcraft. Well worth $1 to me.

Doin' a Dingle

Finished something today that's been on my tinkering to do list for a long time.

I finally put together a "double singlespeed" (aka: Dinglespeed) setup.

Two chainrings, two cogs, each two teeth apart. No derailleurs, no shifters, no cables.

The two tooth difference in the front and rear allows me to use the same length chain for both gears, I just have to shift it manually. Nice to have a go fast option for when the roads are clear or an easy peddling option for when things are snowy or the trails are steep.

For those who care it's a 32x21 and 34x19 combo.
Go ask Sheldon if you care about the gain ratios/gear inches. I'm not going to bore everyone else with that here.

I have been running the 21t the last few months, now I added the 19t

Surlycentric drivetrain

One speed at a time, but two options
Mo' betta than a flip flop

You get the idea.

Moment of Clarity

I realized this week that my parts bin has almost enough parts to build a 26" mountainbike. Just need a frame to hang them on.

There is a Surly 1x1 frame on Craigslist for $300 in my size (it's even green).
Comes with a bottom bracket and cranks, two of the three things I don't have in the parts bin. $30 more for a headset and I'd have myself a rockin' singlespeed.

Here's the part where I realize how bad I've got the bug. . . the dishwasher is broken. It conked out a few days ago. I'm pretty sure there's no way I'm going to resurrect it, but I'll fiddle with it a bit. So we should buy a new dishwasher.

Given a choice between the 1x1 frame and new dishwasher I would choose the 1x1 in a heartbeat.

I would rather have yet another bike and have to do the dishes by hand for the foreseeable future, without a doubt.

Fortunately (?) I have a wonderful wife who won't let this happen. At the moment we don't have the money for a new dishwasher, much less a bike frame. Grad school, one income, student loans, a toddler and I'd still rather be doing the dishes by hand.




Maybe if I offer to wash ALL the dishes for the next four years she'd let me buy the frame. I'd do it to you know.

Been Needing That

Life's been hectic, winter is coming.
I put in some overtime in the library this afternoon, then rolled home for some dinner and family time. Got a text mid ride that Mrs. BikewRider was out shopping.

Decided it was a good time to take the long way home. Threw a new tire on the back of the crosscheck the other day and hadn't had it on dirt yet. Cousin RyeN got a flat on an old WTB tire early in a night ride this week. We were close to home and hadn't hit the trails yet so we made a quick bike swap and cruised around the woods in the dark on SS 29ers. but I digress.

image from jupiterimages.com

Today peeled off course a few minutes from home and did a quick lap around one of my favorite little loops in town. The leaves are all down, shaping trails that are often wider than I prefer into neat little ribbons of singletrack. Wound along the creek for a bit, then cruised towards home in the fading daylight. The setting sun glowed through the tops of the naked trees, and rode faster than I ought through the dusky woods.

Got home happy. Nose running, limbs chilly, torso toasty. Dinner is on the stove waiting for Mrs. and Baby BikewRider to get home.

-Bike wRider

Unfixed my bike.

The conversion is complete.

Awhile ago I needed the fixed gear wheel I was running on my Surly Crosscheck for another bike project. Being winter I wasn't riding the Crosscheck much, and I was enjoying rolling around at -15f on my studded 29er. Puttering around in my bike shop one evening it occurred to me that I had all the parts I needed to throw gears on the Crosscheck.

I bought the bike a few years ago. It was set up as a single speed when I bought it, but it came with a full Shimano 105 setup in a plastic grocery bag. I ended up flipping the single speed for a fixed gear set up for a while and really enjoyed it, but in all the years I had owned this bike I'd never run it with a full set of gears.

Here she is with studs on.

Tonight I finally bought a new chain and finished the conversion. I am admittedly a little spooked after reading all the broken chain reviews on line, but I'm guessing it is a bunch of knuckleheads with computers and no concept of chain line underusing their front derailleurs and busting chains. She looks like a whole different animal with the extra set of cables and all. Don't think I'm about to turn my back on singlespeeding, I've still got a few in the basement. And this one will be going back to a fixie as soon as I get the time and money to build a new rear wheel. Until then this will be fun.

Now I'm thinking even more seriously about riding over the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. How long until they get the road clear?

-bike wrider