I'm McConfused and a Little McPissed

So I'm out on a ride today. A good one. On the Surly Single Speed. A good run and the Spring wind always seemed to be blowing head on. The wind. Natures way of putting hills in places where there are none. I did about a 25 mile loop and feel like I'm in at least as good of condition as I was at the end of last year.

Great, great ride. So, I'm backing off the pace and I'm starting to think "must have burger. Must have greasy burger. Must have more than one.". My wife's been out of town this weekend so the diet has been whatever is at hand, which has been mostly oatmeal. So I'm thinking a McDonalds run wouldn't be too bad.

I'm sitting in the drive-thru lane and waited for ~ 10 minutes. When I go to place my order, I am informed that I can't go through on my bike. My blood sugar was running low and I was REALLY HUNGRY. My first thought was to say "well, fuck you very much, have a nice McFucking day, @sshole". I try to be a decent person, it's not always easy nor does it necessarily come naturally to me, so I'm glad I resisted the temptation. There's enough unpleasant shit in the world. There's no reason I need to add to the pile.

Anyway, my blood sugar is now back to normal and my crankiness factor is back to normal. I did take the time to email McDonald's customer service. Minnesota state statute awards me the same rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle on the road. Yet, my neighborhood McDonalds sets a higher standard for the dispersal of burgers. To be fair I will report back with whatever they have to say. I'm sure they'll be professional and courteous, but, I'm going to go out on a limb and say there is no rational explanation. I'll betcha'

Maybe this is some sort of cosmic justice. The cosmos figures I shouldn't be eating that stuff anyway.

End of McRant. Until ToMcMorrow.

Winter's Muck and Unfinished Projects

Had a swell round-about-town errand running/fun ride yesterday. Today looks even better although I do need to put in some hours at work today or my ass will definitely be in a sling tomorrow.

My wife is out of town visiting her folks this weekend so I decided to take some time off on the home improvement front. Lynn's bike has been in pieces most of the winter for a tune-up and conversion to single speed. Hubs: greased and adjusted. Brakes: recabled, rebuilt, readjusted. Bottom of the barrel Shimano front and rear derailer: toasted. It's starting to look pretty good. I love the uncluttered appearance with all the gear shifting doo-dads removed. Not quite finished but real close. Also managed to replace the original "off-road" tires with some 1.5" road slicks.

I pulled the wheels off of the Vanilla Pig. A winter of salt and goo has them looking pretty tough. Managed to get them cleaned up; greased and adjusted. The spokes need some cleaning with an abrasive pad as the salt/rust/whatever that stuff is had attached pretty firmly. The boys at Express Bike Shop had all the parts I needed for the weekend. I enjoy digging through their used parts. Yesteryear's cast-offs find a new home. Good quality stuff with plenty of life left is spared the landfill. The Pig will be down for a time for a complete maintenance run. If I ever manage to be able to retire I'm definitely looking at being a part-time bike wrench. I enjoy making the beat fresh again.

Enjoy your day. Get out and ride. Adios for now.

Another day, another new project

A nothing too special kind of day. another commute. Took the long way home now that we've got a bit more daylight. I've got a big project at work that needs finishing and soon. Tying up loose ends seems to occupy a bit too much time.

Once this project is done, I do intend to get started on yet another bike project. I'm going to be building up a new set of wheels. Picked up a decent pair of 3-hole Ambrosio rims on eBay. Nice double-eyelet rims. I haven't had a chance to evaluate for round and flat. That will be the true test of whether they are any good. I had picked up a set of three Campy hubs for $11 earlier and am looking to put them into service. Between the Campy and the Ambrosio it should be the total Italian package.

Plan on doing the single speed thing to the 8-speed rear hub. I will need to fabricate some spacers for the freehub unless I can find some used for cheap. Otherwise, I'm looking at spending about $30 on spacers alone. After that, I still am in need of a lockring and sprocket. So it all adds up.

I had read through Sheldon Brown's article on wheelbuiliding but remained a bit confused. Ran into an ebook, http://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php , that was crystal clear on this topic. They also included plans for building your own truing stand and dish gauge. I had my doubts about it, but the home-made tools look like they'll actually work. The author's jigs are easily built with common woodworking tools. In the end I'll find out just how easily, or uneasily, all this goes when I get some spare time.

Enough. Be well. Enjoy your ride!

New site, nice stuff

Ran across a new site this evening. And I thought I'd seen everything on the internet.

Try this: Cyclofiend

There may just one too many Rivendells for some. Frankly, I don't know how some of these people keep their bikes in such great shape. All I need to do is think about parking my bike and a nasty gouge is taken out of the paint.

Good to see a section devoted to single speed bikes, of which most are roadies. Anyway, nice stuff. Check it out.

Coming soon, my adults only pay site.

Apparently my last post contained some language suitable for adults only. The offending passage follows.

"I gave it a good hosing with WD40 about a week ago and I could see the lube glistening in the sun."

Some readers found this to have a, say, pornographic edge to it. I read it to my wife and she burst out laughing when I read it to her. This was before I told her what some of you had to say. So I'm thinking I may have a future as an Erotic Bicycle Stories writer. Yep, that's right. You'll all be laughing good and hard when you log onto my pay-only site. Yeah, that's the ticket.

My first temptation was to continue in the same manner as though I'd never read the comments. "I could hear her bottom bracket groan as I pumped the pedals, my pace ever quickening." Now we're talking. I've been waiting a long time for a break like this.

My Jr high school sense of humor tempts me to continue. For the sake of those I've already offended, I'll stop.

Anonymous took the time to respond to my question about wd40. For a guy who drinks a lot of beer, he's pretty sharp. He pointed out, and rightfully so, that my $9 chain was nothing compared to my substantially more expensive cassette and front sprocket rings. Anywho, food for thought. I surrender. It's chain lube from now on. I'm certain it will "glisten" even more than wd40.

Ride on. Be safe. The end.

March: I love you or "manic depression, a frustrating mess"

Ok, so by the time I was ready to leave work, which was 10pm, the roads were in good condition. I doubt that the City of Saint Paul played any role in this as side streets are an afterthought at most. The March Sun probably had more to do with it. It never lasts long this time of year.

While making some "adjustments" to Pig, I noticed in the sunshine that the chain was looking pretty decent. I gave it a good hosing with WD40 about a week ago and I could see the lube glistening in the sun. I'm not sure why bike mechanics tend to poopoo WD-40. It works for me and it's cheap. I do enjoy my tube of Phil grease, so I'm not a total cheapskate. Let me correct myself, bike mechanics act as though WD40 is an insult to a $9 chain, or worse, it's as though the WD40 will eat at the molecular structure of the metal and then you know what you've got, a snapped chain at the worst possible moment. Actually, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows anything about the destructive potential of this lubricant. Seriously, I'm opinionated, but I do realize I may be off base here.

Soon it will be time to retire Pig for the warm season. He deserves some maintenance. I have enough choice in bikes to take my time and tear it apart. We'll see what kind of havoc the sand and salt have played.

I was in a fairly pissy mood over the past two days. Work has been pretty demanding. I stayed up working until 2 am on Wednesday in a misguided attempt at catching up. My wife calls that manic behavior. I call it I'm getting too old for this sh!t. I'm not in my 20's any more. Not even close. Enough of that. I've never had a job that didn't have its share of stress. I guess that's why they pay me and not the other way around.

I hope to take some better photos of my bikes and whatnot this weekend. I've got a decent camera and a tripod. You all would see some decent picts for a change if I get some time to put some thought and time into it. I've never had much luck producing a good looking full bike shot. Time to do a little research on eBay and the Fixed Gear Bike Gallery sites.

You have a great weekend.

editors note: you NEED to look at VelociPete's comment.

March: I hate you.

Another pretty substantial "snow event" today. I had my mind made up to drive to work. I've thought it through and there's no way I'm giving up today. It's a mountain bike. This is essentially mountain biking.

Ride safe!

March is our friend! & Return of Swap Meet

March is Living up to its Reputation.




Plenty of packed and rutted snow and ice. Fairly nasty on the side streets. Weight back, loose grip on the bars and don't fight the bike. Works pretty well. If we had more of these conditions, I'd consider some BMX gear for protection. Seems like it's only a matter of time before the wipeout. More snow on the way tonight/tomorrow, perhaps some more over the weekend. Hard to believe I've had my street bike out for some sweaty runs in the last couple of weeks. Then again, it is March.

Return of Swap Meet



So. I'm lingering at the swap meet (see Son of Swap Meet, 2/27). I've seen enough and picked up a couple of choice items. I'm ready to go home. The Burgundy Tomassini is still tormenting me. So reasonably priced and I do not need another bike.

I have to ask myself: Are you making this decision based on fear or desire? Fear being the possible reaction of my significant other when she sees what I've done. Desire is just desire. I WANT THAT. On the surface, it seems simple enough. Fear is negative. Desire is positive. When in doubt, go with positive. Right? On the other hand, fear is what keeps the gazelle from being devoured by the hungry lion...

and now, a message from our sponsor

Ok.

Been away from the blog for a bit longer than intended. Busy with work, home projects, bike projects, impulse bidding on eBay. You know how it goes. We had a big storm blow through yesterday. School was called off, so I spent the day at home. From the looks of the newscasts, no form of transportation fared especially well. I biked in this AM. Due to the icy conditions, the Vanilla Pig was called into service. With it's studded tires the pig handles it all in stride. I do wish I would have worn my ice cleats as putting a foot down could result in a demonstration of how I'm not really capable of doing the splits. It would have also been a fine demonstration of my low tolerance for pain.

Speaking of pain, it would appear that I pulled a muscle in my chest. I believe I did it shortly after building the Surly Single Speed. In an amazing feat of brute strength, I forced my way up a fairly steep hill. Trouble is that the hill is the first thing I face on my ride in. Warming up? Stretching? I'll hear nothing of that. Short story is that this is like a sprained ankle. It's going to take some time to heal. It hurts enough that I'm fearful of sneezing. Actually I'm not fearful of sneezing. It's the accompanying shot of pain that I fear. Waaaah...

So.

I've put some more substantial time in on the Surly Single Speed (SSS). Verdict so far is that I like! I like very much. The handling is middle of the road...which is a good thing. Neither too quick or too slow to respond. Same with the comfort of the ride. Not so stiff that it beats you to death and not so compliant that you worry on long downhill runs. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Oh, and it's not afraid to go off the street and down a trail or two. Sure, it's not what you'd want for technical off-road. For anything short of that the bike manages just fine.

I am liking the gearing so far. I believe I'm set up with a 42x16. So far, a decent all round gearing for my present level of fitness. The drivetrain is silent. I seem to concentrate on the fundamentals since my small brain need not be bogged down by the gear selection decision making tree. Going too slow? PEDAL FASTER! It's all so simple.

Enough of that. I do want to get some pictures out on the new handlebar setup on the SSS. I bought the bars from NYC Bikeworks, www.bikecult.com. Purely a style decision. But... a style decision that's working out well. Let's take a look.

This first shot gives you a saddles eye view. You get the general idea of the swept back profile. I've mounted the brake levers about midway on the bars, where my hands spend most of their time.



Ordinary mountain bikey levers, not road levers, fit this bar. The plan is to cover the whole handlebar with the same grip material I've used on the bar-ends. Big comfort? No doubt.



A front view. Just because.



My $5 eBay saddle. I think I spent more on shipping than the saddle itself.



It's a no-name saddle, but it does the job. The leather is worn very nicely. The pictures don't do it justice. Burnished is the word.


I'm imagining my audience, if one exists, is going into a mental fog about now. That's my signal to shut up and let you move onto something else.

Enjoy the ride!

Are You Ready?

For "RETURN OF SWAP MEET"?

A Very Fine Day

Some days things just go well. I'm not one to ask why. I'm just glad to be the occasional recipient of one.

Somehow I managed to stay focused at work at accomplish quite a bit. I have a file on my desk titled "Pending". Anytime "pending" gets too fat, I get nervous. I took the time to sort through the file. Part of why I had a good day is what I discovered in the file. What Ifound was that if you let some low priority jobs slip, they eventually just go away. So. Probably half of pending went in the circular file. Another discovery that made it a good day is that I didn't find anything in "pending" that caused me to rapidly inhale, making a noise something like ieargh. This is following by a difficulty is expelling said inhaled air. Usually caused by some seriously spaced out deadline, typically a project for someone in a position of sufficient authority to make my life truly miserable. So, good day. Enough about work. That's something I do to make the rest of my life possible.

What really made it a good day was the ride home. Nice soft light and mild temperatures, around 30 degrees F. My first more extended long-way-home ride in a while. Some days it just works and today was one of those. Zen bike ride. Ommmmmmmm............. Seriously good. I was very pleased to realize that it was 30 degrees and it felt like a warm day. My cycling year has dramatically increased. June, July, August. That used to be about it for me. Huge improvement in my quality of life.

I can't wait until the racers are out again. I take great delight in dogging the young riders. It's frustrating when you can't shake an old fart. Problem is that I'm not as concerned about being fast as I was last summer. Problem is I'm too busy enjoying the ride. Not actually a problem.

It's all about the ride!