getting old.....

I had a few days off and went back to work today. It was a little cold and damp - about 38 degrees, but I sweated my buns off getting to the train this morning! Not going to make it for Cycle Oregon next year like this................

And just so you know, this wasn't me, nor was this me, because you'd never catch me riding my bike on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago! (thanks to the rockford register star).

new pictures!

Got the new camera, I guess it's the shooter, 'cause these aint the greatest!

 Check out the sweet Paul components horizontal dropouts.................not to mention the Paul hub and White industries freewheel! (shouldn't have spent the cash, but you only die once!) It's got a surly fork and a salsa stem - looking at replacing at least the stem with the carbon Look I've got on the Marin - Looks like the chain got a little loose after the first ride - gotta tighten it up!

looks a little fuzzy close up! Never had a Chris King Headset before!

Here's the Ibis - note - it's not in the best shape paint wise..................

The Paul Hub and White Industries freewheel came off the Marin - I've got a Zipp front hub and a Paul rear hub to put back on the Marin as soon as I get some Stans tire sealant for the rear tire - no tube! It's hard to see, but it's got an old White Industries Crank Set (made in Japan) - I bought a White Industries bottom bracket for it but I couldn't get the old bracket off, so I repacked it - I'll change it out after I replace the bearings on the White Industries bracket.

Outrageous!!!!!!!!

this is horrible. I called in sick today and though my head's killing me, I can still read and this is just incredible.

the accident..........

It was bound to happen. On the way in to work today I was involved in an accident. Luckily I wasn't hurt. I was going north on 82nd at about 5:50 ish in the morning, and I heard some tires screeching behind me. I look over to the right, and here's an SUV skidding and hitting the guard rail. The incident happened right before sunnybrook road (I think its called), where the road widens and a turning lane begins to form (to turn on sunnybrook). The bike lane running north on 82nd goes right along the right lane, so when the turning lane begins you are pretty much riding in the middle of the road until the stoplight at sunnybrooke road.  The guy asked me if I was okay, crept along the turn lane and pulled over on sunnybrook to check out the damage. I should have went over and talked to him but I was afraid he'd be pissed that he just messed up the side of his vehicle because he swerved to avoid me. I had two different flashing lights on my helmet, reflectors on the pedals, reflective tape on my winter boots, a reflective strap around my ankle, and a bright yellow jacket with reflective stuff on that.  Other than that I got soaked! Got the new Voodoo put together and will ride it and take pictures soon!
 

Another bike!

WOW! it's all I need, but I bought another one................another Voodoo( another single speed). This one is a Wazoo cross bike, with Paul horozontal dropouts installed. Photos to come. I should have it within the next week. I haven't even put photos of the Ibis build yet! Just got a new camera yesterday, so I "think" I'll be able to take better picture. All my bikes have flaws, but hopefully the photos won't look fuzy like they have been.

feeling poor......

Yesterdays ride kicked my butt. I had a head-wind of 10-20 mph (It felt like, at least) and a driving rain for at least 3 of the 5 miles I rode on the way home, and I didn't feel that great to begin with. That sounds pretty weak, but hey, I'm pretty weak. I called in sick today, and still feel beat up as I write this. The winters here are tough to ride in, but that's what  I signed up for by not driving to work. Must get tougher! P.S. - need to take pictures of the IBIS! rode it one day last week - it's sweet!

A little off topic, but classic!

Almost a double clubbing!

I almost got hit by consecutive cars this morning. It's dark when I ride in the morning, and since the road sensor doesn't work I usually ride over to the cross-walk. Unfortunately, the intersection is so big that cars turning left have a hard time seeing someone using the cross-walk (unless they actually look) even though I've got a yellow jacket so bright it rivals the sun.

Hopefully I'll get some pictures of the Ibis up tomorrow - I've got to take pictures of the box UPS sent me yesterday with some missing parts!

Outrageous!

This is too much.............a must read I found on the bike snob today.  It's so amazing I can't comment............

Yea! a stabbing!

I take this route every day. Looks like I better "pack" something! A beautiful week to ride though, I think next week is going to be a little rainy.

The Ibis is done, but I haven't tested it nor take pictures. Hopefully next week I can do that - We're going clamming today!

a beautiful day

A wonderful day to ride! Nice and sunny. I've got most of the parts to get the Ibis on the road - all except the brakes. I should have them by next weekend and the bike should be finished by then!

Another crash

Ah..........Monday! Here's a link to an unfortunate accident - interesting spin by the police. The bicyclist “disobeyed a traffic control device” before crashing into the car just before 5 p.m., according to detective Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. As one of the commenters note, there isn't ANY device at that corner( see for yourself), so no, the rider wasn't at fault but he's sure the one who gets hurt. Love the comments as well.

this sucks!

Just read this story a moment ago. They rent a bike and don't ride it - well that's funny, instead they hitch a ride on a trolley that promptly runs over the rental bike! Now the rental company won't take the bike back (renters out 300 bucks) AND the trolley owners won't pay up for running the bike over. Now the renters have no more money to enjoy their vacation!

New pictures of the Ibis!!!!!

Here it is..........

New Ibis!!!!!!!!

Sweeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!

I spotted an Ibis Avion on craigslist yesterday and today I bought it! I'll put pictures up soon - it's a little rusty, but it'll work. Oh yeah, nice couple of rides yesterday and today!

a short week

Sick a couple of days, only did 17 miles each day for the last two............(didn't want to tackle the hill), AND I almost got ran over by some dude texting while cycling! Hopefully I can get back in to the groove next week and get some miles in!

I love this one........

Here's a sticky situation - you're riding down the road and a van gets a little too close to you (in your opinion). What do you do? Well...........this guy decides to catch up to the van and spit in the passengers face. Things deteriorate rapidly. Read the link, and enjoy. BTW, I love the comments on this.

the "hit" of the week

This is a nice article................hope they catch this fool!

Finished with the week - got a week off!

Bad news before the ride..............

Ugh - just woke up to this. Good luck on the road today!

a long week.......

 It has been a long week........... I've been too tired to post! Luckily last weeks friday/flat tire fiasco came out ok - just a metal sliver. This week the weather changed - rain, rain, rain - not too bad yet, still pretty warm, and only 3 "almost" right hooks. I'm really sore, and I don't know why. I should be used to this 20 miles a day thing, but it's not getting any easier.

 Today was a good day. I stopped to help a guy who had his bike upside down along the corridor. He lost a screw on his lower rear derailleur pulley but he found a screw to replace it. I'm not sure why he was still there to be honest - when I got there everything seemed to be in order. I played with it for a moment while I talked to him, but everything seemed ok. I mean, the screw he put in through the pulley seemed to work, so why was he still there and not riding? I don't know.   We talked for a moment about one speeds, and eventually I sped off. A few miles down the rode I thought about turning around and seeing if he was still there, and giving him my bike. To be honest, the thing he was riding was pure junk. He bought it used, and it was a department store bike - JUNK. The bike I ride to work is usually the five dollar bike I got from the D.I. but at least it's a TREK. If I see him again I'll give mine to him - and it will give me an excuse to buy another bike!

west linn death update

Ah, more info has come to light...............speed kills, my friend. I'll have fun working on tires today, and it's back to the road tomorrow!

 Then there's this little gem..... I see this all the time - not cyclists hitting someone, but blatantly disregarding traffic laws. I admit, I don't stop on right turns when I'm going directly onto a bike lane, but that's about it.  It's truly a battle out there between cyclists and motorists, and they've got a big advantage. Once again, as Roger Waters said "stay out of the road, if you want to grow old".

another cyclist killed.............

  This one in West Linn....................... Don't know the particulars yet - very sad. Very sad for me on Friday - man, I need to take the training wheels off!!!!!!! I suck!!! Friday morning I had a flat on the trek - the one I fixed just a few days before - so I pulled out the cannondale for it's maiden ride. After pumping up the tires I took off.  I got off the train and took a wrong turn while trying to take a short cut  and fell over in the road (no damage) ' cause I forgot I had the clips on and couldn't get out of them!

 On the way home my hands hurt so much from the handle bars I took the train most of the way back, and I've been sore the last two days because of the riding stance on this bike - I lean over quite a bit more than  I do on the trek.......waaaahhhh. I'm embarrassed to say the least - I was stressing at work about riding home - more like scared. I kept thinking about being trapped on the clips, running over debris in the road, falling over and getting my head squashed. WEAK!!!!

Buttercup stolen!

My first thought when I saw this was to laugh...............I mean the guy rides 3500 miles to Portland and then someone jacks his bike! But that was insensitive, so of course I laughed some more, then I saw that someone gave him her old bike to finish his journey and cannondale is sending him a new bike. Good for him! It was great someone here gave him a bike (taking some of the sting from getting violated by that thief) and then he gets a new cannondale! Of course, if this never got television coverage he would have been out like the hundreds of people who get their bikes stolen here every year and don't get jack **** in return!

bad rider...............

I chickened out today..............needed to pick up some door things for Jeanette and thought I'd get home as soon as possible. I took the max to gateway and attempted to take the train to johnson creek but all the bike hangers were full, so I rode there instead. I still did at least 16 miles, but they were the easy ones. Better luck tomorrow!

pictures of my bikes!

here are some of my bikes!

the 1996 team marin

 the 2000 Voodoo Nzumbi

the 1996 Voodoo Wanga

the 1974 Schwinn Le Tour

the 1966 Schwinn speedster

Bliss!!!!!!

Cannondale is finished! and another flat.................

  What a day! a beautiful day (kinda hot - at least 85) for the ride home, then I got a flat about 3 miles from home and instead of fixing it I just pushed it home..........  

  Joanne is out for Cycle Oregon next year, but Bobbi is all for it and Melissa wants to go as well........Bobbi is going to ask some of the folks in her unit if they want to go, and I'm sure someone will want to do it........it's going to be great!!

  Anyway, I got the clamp for the derailleur and set that up last night, and today took some pictures..................here they are! (all shimano 600 except for the headset, which is the original shimano 105)

beautiful day!

The day started off pretty well - nice and dry. It started to rain soon after I got to work, and rained until one-ish, then turned sunny. Of course,  I left my sunglasses at home, so I squinted on the way back. Had some chain malfunction as well - at Glisan I must have kicked the chain down to the second ring, 'cause when I went to take off, it had come off the back. Note to self - must clean chain........uck!

It rained!

Wow, August 31 and it was cold and rainy! It was 62 when I got home. I only almost got ran over once! This time it was at Sandy. Time to go check the mail - hopefully the derailleur clamp came today!

being rich has it's perks

Here's a good example of the perks of having a lot of money.  I wouldn't be on the road at 2:30 in the morning (unless Jeanette kicked me out!), but come on, the guy left the cyclist for dead.....better get home and sober up!

cannondale is finished! sort of..........

Just waiting for the front derailleur clamp, then it's all finished! Took about 2 hours to put it all together..and I only bled once! damn brake cables! Picture of the completed bike to follow................... 

front derailleur clamp....who knew?

So I pick up a used front and rear derailleur set (shimano 600), and I think everything is cool.....that is until I decide to actually look at them. Lo and behold, a front derailleur without a way to attach it to the frame! Silly me, I thought these things came with one -  the guy who sold these to me must have ripped me off! I go to the web to look for a front derailleur like mine and of course it doesn't have one..................you have to buy a clamp that matches the diameter of your seat tube............duh! So, a minor setback and a week or more for the finished product.............I learn something everyday!

new bike build!

Started building up the new cannondale today. It was really hot in the shed, but I managed to set up the handle bars/aero bars, and routed some of the cables where they need to go. I haven't got the 600 brakes yet, but I have a pair of dura ace 7400's, but they don't have cable adjustment screws....................I can't find any, but I found  some 7700's - I think they'll work but it'll set me back another 25 bucks or so and at least another week to get them. I think I'll wait for  the 600's to show up and run with those for a  while.

right turns...............UGH

Almost got hit twice today (better than this lady, although she caused it)- first at Sandy and then at Sunnybrook....both right hand turns......."one of these days Alice"................I think I'll buy a new camera.....Jeanette's got one but I don't like the pictures it takes......of course it's probably me.

new frame!

WEEEEEEEEEEEE............................ got the new frame today............here it is!

I'm building a bike to "hopefully" ride in the cycle Oregon next year with Joanne......we'll see. It's a 1999 Cannondale R800 - originally had shimano 105 parts, but I'm going to use shimano 600 pretty much throughout. I've got all the parts to put it together, so as soon as I get it built up I'll take another picture. Bliss........................

First Entry

Here we are................

Just a log of my daily grind.................

 I ride to work every day, at least since last year. That's not entirely accurate -  I ride to the train every day, and then home from work ( since March 2010). I usually get a little over twenty miles in.  I started riding last September (2009) when the Green line started service. I figured even I could ride two and a half miles four times a day.  I did this until March of 2010 when  I started riding home every day, increasing my mileage to 20.

 I have many bikes, but the one I ride the most is a $5.00 bike I got from the Deseret Industries.  Here it is..............

I've learned a lot about bikes since I bought this one....... I'll take some pictures tomorrow to show the route.