Getting out there

Well, it’s Friday and the week-end looks like it might hold a ride or two, but it can’t compare to the three days I had last week-end.  I am not sure what you all experienced, but here in the Atlanta area we had 3 perfect days for riding.  It was clear and the top temps were in the mid 80’s, and the humidity was low.

My son and I hit the mountain bike trails on Saturday and Sunday.  We didn’t do anything extreme because we haven’t been out much and I was recovering from getting back into commuting.  We put in about 15 miles on Saturday and around 12 on Sunday.  To tell the truth, except for a couple loops, we pretty much just noodled on the easy trail.  It made for a great recovery for me and got his legs going again after a rain forced delay in the start to our riding season.

On Monday, I got out early and took the Schwinn I re-build out for its first long ride.  I did a 20 mile loop and put her through the paces.  We did some good climbs, nice flats, and the ever cherished descents.  I got used to the shifters fairly quickly and found it pretty easy to get into the gear I wanted before I actually needed it for a climb.  The lugged steel frame ate up the road vibration, yet did not seem to flex too much when I needed to put the power to the pedals.  Overall the bike performed flawlessly and I had a completely enjoyable ride.

I have to say, that I am no longer looking for a new road bike, and would recommend an old school bike to anyone looking to just enjoy touring or riding their local roads.  I realize that the Schwinn would not be a good choice for racing, but I am long past my racing days.  I know that a lot of folks are lured by the new bike look and feel, but in my opinion there is nothing that looks and feels like a good steel bike.  The tubes are refined, the ride is smooth, and a little wax makes them shine like new.

Currently in my stable:

Gary Fisher Marlin 29er Single Speed mountain bike

Trek DS 8.3 frame build up as a commuter

Schwinn World Sport late 80’s road bike

Univega 70’s 10 speed road bike (looking to sell)

Well enough about the past and here is hoping you all have a great week-end of riding this week-end.  Not sure what all I will do, but hope to get out at least once on the trails and then maybe sneak in a road ride as well.  Next week is also looking pretty promising for getting some commuting in as well.

Ride long and prosper!

Re-build

Well I got my commuter re0built and rode it for the first time yesterday.  The bike rides a lot like the Kaitai even though the geometry is slightly different.  With the longer head tube I used a lot fewer spacers and was real glad I hadn’t ever cut the steer tube.  All of the other components seem to meld well too and I thought I was even going to be able to leave the spacer off of the bottom bracket.  Everything tuned up real quick on the stand and I deemed it road worthy.

As I took off for my ride home yesterday (I haul my bike to work and then leave my car there in case I need it) and immediately I felt a problem.  The right crank arm was rubbing the chain stay under load!  There seemed to be plenty of clearance on the work stand, but there is just enough flex that it rubbed under load.  I deemed it to be annoying, but ride able so I rode on home.

Except for the above mentioned problem, everything else was fine.  As you will see in the pictures below, I left the fenders off and moved the pump under the top tube.  I didn’t feel I needed the fenders and with the cables running under the down tube there was room for the pump under the top tube.  TO fix the crank arm issue I put the spacer in that I had used on the Kaitai and that seemed to fix the issue.

If anyone from TREK happens across the lowly blog, please take note of a couple of things.  One, the DS frame is a solid platform to build a commuter on.  The only changes I would make would be to offer a model with a rigid fork and a 2×9 drivetrain.  To accommodate the compact double crank with a 110 bottom bracket you will need to narrow the chain stays to eliminate the crank arm run I experienced.

This was the original clearance

it didn’t take much to give me the clearance I needed.

Well here is the finished bike.  I decided to re-paint the fork since I had a shiny new frame, so the SURLY logos are gone.  I know everyone has their own idea of the ultimate commuter bike, but I feel I have achieved a pretty good rendition of my own.  TREK DS frame, SURLY Karate Monkey fork, FSA compact double crank, SRAM X7, 2×9 shifters, SRAM X9 front & rear derailleurs, Shimano disc brakes (stock from the Kaitai), and Forte Pro+ tires.

Black Beauty

Well I got the Schwinn done, took it out for a test ride a while back, and it rides great!  I haven’t taken it out on a long ride yet due to other priorities, the short ride told me a lot.  The old style shifters will take some time to get figured out, but they index pretty well for their age.  I plan to put some major miles on it over the summer and hope to use it this fall for the MS Bike ride here in Georgia.

I did have a couple of things that I need to figure out and tweak.  The biggest issue is that it wanted to shift when I went to climb a big hill.  It jumped a bit at the start of the climb, but settled in as I got into it.  I have a feeling that I either over shifted or under shifted a bit right before I stood up on the pedals.  The index seems to work really well when the bike is on the work stand, but isn’t quite as accurate once you put it under load.

I really like the bullhorn handle bars and the bar end brake levers.  I realize that these additions disqualify the bike as a true “re-store” but I really don’t care.  As you can see in the pictures below, this bike is a real looker with its black and white contrast and the red accents.  I have added a white bottle cage and a frame pump that fits alont the top tube since I tool the pictures.  I also hope to swap out the WTB saddle for a black Brooks as soon as I save up the money that I can blow on a luxury saddle.  This should complete the look and give me the “toy” I want for some tours, runs to the pool, and fun rides.

I put two sided pedals on the bike so I can ride it without cycling shoes.  This will help to accommodate the “pool runs” this summer.  Last year I tried riding my single speed mountain bike with sandals, and that was a mistake.  Not only did it hurt my feet, but the gearing was way too low and the tires were way too soft.  I could have used my commuter, but I had just gotten off of it and I would have still had the pedal issue.  Now I have a bike that has both the proper pedals and the proper tires for those nights when I want to swim, but don’t want to drive to the pool.

In closing, I would like to encourage you to consider an old school steel bike if you have the tools and time to restore one.  This is my third restore, I have enjoyed each one and I find the process relaxing.  If you can’t do it yourself, then find a person like me and have them restore it for you and maybe even teach you along the way.  This will allow you to obtain new knowledge and it will keep a piece of history out of the scrap heap. 

I don’t work for TREK…..

…..but I wouldn’t mind if they called.

I bought my Kaitai back in the fall of 2008 when my steel commuter frame had a frame failure at the rear drive side drop-out.  I have no idea who made the steel frame because I bought the bike used when I lived overseas and it had been re-painted.  I didn’t really want to go to an aluminum frame, but the Kaitai was the best bike I could afford at the time and overall it performed very well, once I got done tweaking it.

Now we need to fast forward to about 2 weeks ago when I was riding home from work one night.  I could hear a creak and thought I had a pedal failing or the bottom bracket needed cleaned and lubed.  I was planning an inspection as soon as I got home, but I didn’t make it that far (at least not on the bike).  I was doing a standing climbing up a small steep hill when I heard a crack and my right foot nearly touched the ground.  I got off and figured that I had snapped the pedal, but the pedal and crank were fine. 

I pushed the bike to the top of the hill and put some pressure on it and felt the frame give.  Looking more closely, I discovered that the frame had broken just above the weld around the seat tube, along the bottom bracket, and around the down tube.  I was crushed!  I have put so much time and energy into this bike and now it was toast.  After over 16,000 miles I was again without a commuter to ride.

I got the bike home and started tearing it down to expose the break which was partially hidden by the chain rings.  I then got on to the TREK website to see how the policy read for frame warranty.  I contacted TREK and they said to take it to my LBS and have them submit a claim to see if it was a warranty issue.  When I did so, all of the guys at the shop were amazed that I hadn’t gone down with that large of a failure.

To make a long story short, within a week I had a new frame and am now in the process of re-building my NEW commuter.  TREK stood behind their product and sent me a new DS 8.3 frame with no questions asked.  I was both impressed and please by the timely response from TREK, and I have always liked the service I have gotten from my LBS.  This is yet another reason to buy your bike from a LBS and skip the ones at the retail chains.

Photos of the break and the start of the new build.

Grippy Tip for Slick Shoes

I love buying new bike stuff!  I like parts, clothes, tools, basically anything to do with cycling.  I recently had to buy new shoes, which didn’t bother me; it is just a bit embarrassing to admit why.  I was due some new shoes, as the old ones were showing their age and the effects of the crash last year.  The shoes I got were on a great sale and I had in-store credit to cover the cost.  Still I have to sheepishly admit that the reason for buying them was that I forgot my old shoes at home and needed to buy new ones if I was going to ride back home.

My old shoes are walkable touring shoes that have just enough rubber on the sole to keep the cleat from grinding into the surface I am walking on.  This includes a rubber heal that does not skid on smooth surfaces.  I have gotten very spoiled by these shoes and their nice rubbery sole.  Mt new shoes and full out rode shoes with nice slick plastic composite soles that turned smooth polished surfaces into a skating rink.  I like my new shoes, I just need to get used to them and in true wrench style, tinker with them.

I quickly realized how slick the heel was the first time I tried to stop and put my foot down heel first.  My foot went one way while my body and bike went another.  I didn’t go down, but I came close to doing the splits.  I now stop and put my toe down first.

The next issue was what happens when you miss clipping in.  With the old shoes, the rubber would generally grab the pedal and I could get a pedal stroke in and try again.  With the new pedals, you miss and the smooth metal pedal hit a smooth plastic sole.  This is a bad combination as your foot slides off, the bike wobbles, and the top tube meets your crotch.

I am trying a fix for both issues, but it seems to be working better for the second than the first.  I bought some anti-skid tape like you put on steps or ramps and stuck it to the soles of my shoes.  The heel area is small and the tape seemed to wear away very quickly, but the tape around the cleat helped a lot.  As you can tell by the pictures, I unclip with my left foot exclusively so it shows the most wear.  Even with that, I was able to rest the rough part of the shoe against the pedal and have enough resistance to pedal until I could get clipped in.

I will update you all later if I decide to do something different, but this does seem to be a quick fix for a slick situation.

The Old is New

I don’t know about you, but I am falling in love with the old lugged beauty of vintage steel bikes.  Maybe it’s because I am getting a bit longer in tooth and appreciate the things from my youth more, and sentimental nostalgia is setting in, but I really love old bikes.

My first real road bike was a black steel Schwinn, Circuit.  It wasn’t lugged, but it was sweet to ride, and beautiful!  Fast forward to last year when I was given a Univega 10 speed that a guy wanted out of his shed.  I took it home, cleaned it up and restored it.  Riding it through the neighborhood it felt like I was gliding on a glass surface.  I thought it would make the perfect neighborhood cruiser until a couple of months ago when a friend dropped off five vintage bikes for me to sell for him.  In the mix, there it was in all of its lugged glory, a lugged, black, Schwinn, World Sport 14 speed.  Call me fickle, but I fell in love.

I have sold three out of the other four bikes, but I bought the Schwinn for myself.  My son and I have torn it apart, cleaned it, and I am now in the process of putting it back together.  The tires were so dried out I had to cut the wire beads to get them off, but the frame is in excellent shape and there were only a handful of paint chips.  The rear rim was a little out of true and could use a rebuild to re-center it, but the hoops and hubs are in great shape. 

There will be a few minor changes as I rebuild it, so it won’t be a true restore.  I am putting on bullhorn handle bars because I like the way they look and feel.  Two sided pedals that will allow me to ride it with either standard shoes or SPD shoes will replace the old steel platform pedals.  I am not putting the kickstand or reflectors back on, but I found a tail light that will mount to the rear reflector bracket .  The rest will remain stock.

Here are some pictures of the project so far.

Stripped down

The Mud, The Fun, & The Boy

As I have mentioned before, my son and I like to go mountain biking.  We have been a little off our schedule the past few months, but we got back to it on Saturday and got our first ride in since Thanksgiving.  The morning was bright and clear, the air cool and dry, the trails open, and the bikes ready.  Carpi Diem!

 

We took off from the house around 8:30 AM.  The sun was slowly warming the air, but the temps were still in the low 60’s.  We had gotten a lot of rain on Thursday, but Friday had been dry and trails had dried enough to be open.  We got to our favorite course and discovered that the old parking lot was closed off, and the new and improved lot was now partially open, which is a great improvement over the old lot.  We unloaded and set the expectations, easy courses, 1 ½ to 2 hours, and a moderate pace.

 

We rolled down to the trail entrance, put our donation in the box, and headed for the easy loop entrance.  We soon discovered that the trails had not fully dried, as a matter of fact; it was still wet enough that one of the alternate trails was still closed.  I let Isaac know that he would want to hang back a bit unless he really wanted to get dirty.  We pedaled on.

 

Thankfully the course was just wet enough to give us some fun puddles to splash through, a few slick spots to test our handling skills, and plenty of mud to wash off the bikes after we got home.  We both realized just how out of shape we had let our legs get.  We were made aware that we need to talk about cycling less and “do cycling” more.  We also realized that Isaac had grown a bit as we had to raise his saddle about ¾”.

 

We only pedaled for around 8 miles of easy stuff, but we were on our bikes, having fun, and being together.  That is the great thing about cycling, there does not have to be a winner or a loser, you get some great exercise, and there is a shared experience and a bonding that can last a life time.

Winter was not kind

OK, so I have been away again for a while.  I took the winter off and got back to commuting yesterday and BOY! am I out of shape!  I am not really sure how it happened that I stopped riding, I guess I just got a bit burnt out, but now I am back.

 

The ride home last night kicked my butt!  The hills seemed longer and steeper, and the flats and down hills were way to short.  The weather on the other hand was very nice with temps in the upper 70’s and a light breeze.  Over all I was glad to be back out on the bike, but I was sad that I had let my conditioning go so far down.

 

The ride back in this morning was equally as difficult.  The only blessings in the morning are that I have less climbing and traffic.  The down part is that I was still recovering from my ride home the night before.  I was also out of sync with getting ready and making sure I had everything I needed as I walked out the door.  I only had to make one trip back into the house so my departure was not delayed too much.

 

The saddest part of this whole experience is that there was no excuse for getting out of shape.  I have a bike on my trainer in the basement and my company provides a gym.  I just stopped, and I would not recommend that to anyone.  I basically took a few months where I did nothing and I am now paying the price.

 

On a more positive note, I got a smart phone and loaded “MapMyRide” onto it and it is working great!  The app is simple to use and the tracking is spot on!  It does chew up battery so make sure you are fully charged before setting off on a 2+ hour ride.  My ride home and then back in both took about 1:45 and I had over 65% left at the end from a full charge at the start.  Now I don’t need to buy that expensive GPS unit that I have been looking at.

 

Well, that is all for today.  I will be posting pics and telling writing about my 14 speed Schwinn World Sport project in the near future.

Where does time go?

WOW, I just looked and I haven’t done a blog entry since July! It looks like my blogging has been going about as well as my riding. I entered my miles for today in my spread sheet, and I am now only 907 miles behind my pace for last year! I have done less commuting since the wreck, very little mountain biking this year, and now it is supposed to turn much cooler next week which signals the coming of winter. And I heard yesterday that this winter will be colder, wetter, and more chances of snow and ice. Oh well, what can you do but keep on keeping on.

On the upside, I am starting a Tour de Cure team to ride in the Georgia event next May and it looks like my son will be joining me. I am riding today and the rest of the week looks good as well. The mornings will be crisp, but the afternoons will be in the mid to upper 70’s. I got a new bag for my commuting that has an actual laptop sleeve so it will make lugging the PC easier on the days I need to haul it back and forth. Lastly the holidays are coming which in our house means that the kids’ birthdays are coming as well.

Just a quick note about the whole Lance Armstrong thing and then I will never mention his name again. I really do not like what he has done to all of the cancer patients that he has lied to no matter how much money he raised through his lying. He may have beat hic cancer, but he then became a cancer to the sport of cycling. To all of the people who worshiped him, he has proven himself to be less than human instead of super human. I can honestly say that I may have cheered for him, I was never a real fan of his and I saw much of his true character when I read his first book. Good bye Lance, I hope that you come to face the truth, accept it, and get help.

In coming installments I hope to get pictures of my failed rear rim and the results of my first wheel build. I was also given an old 10 speed that I have restored to ride-able condition that I want to snap some pictures of. And of course I will post about experiences on the road and trails as well as the things I find helpful. For now though, I will close this installment and wish you all safe and happy riding.

Back in the Saddle Again

It has now been 3 weeks since the “Fall” and I was back on the bike last night for the first time. I would love to say that “it’s like riding a bike” but that would be cliché and in reality it wasn’t all that easy physically or mentally. I have not had a bad spill since around 1998 when I was hit by a car, but that did a lot less damage to me and I was a lot younger, s o I healed faster. It felt natural and good to be back in the saddle, but there was something different and I felt it wrap its self around me.
I have always been one to laugh things off and try if I can to be tough and just move on. I grew up on a farm riding horses and wrangling cows so there were plenty of opportunities to get bumps, bruises, and lacerations. I have fallen off of a roof, fallen off horses, ben run over by horses, bitten by electricity, smashed by hammers, cut by all kinds of objects, wrecked skiing, broke my heel, and ran a piece of a tree limb into my armpit. Most of these incidents just took some dusting and shaking off, but a few took medical attention and/or time for recuperation.
I knew that after this latest spill that I would be out for a bit, but I didn’t think it would take 3 weeks to get back out there. I had planned to ride one day last week, but decided to go the see my chiropractor instead. My one leg was an inch shorter than the other so some major adjusting was needed. The first adjustment got me half way home, and on the second application I heard and she felt a large release in my neck and the legs were back on the same plain. I was told to take it easy for a couple of days, so I knew that cycling was out for the week-end.
I am not sure how many of you use a chiropractor, but my doctor did not need to worry about me taking it easy. I had a headache Friday and was actually feeling sick on Saturday. By Sunday I my body was settling back in to its self and I was back to my normal by Monday. This is the most an adjustment has affected me, but the last time I had these symptoms was after an adjustment to fix the damage done when I went down mountain biking. I have to say that it was worth losing the week-end because I have re-gained my range of movement in my neck and I know that in a few more days more tightness will fade away.
I talk a tough game and I felt ready to ride as I changed my clothes yesterday afternoon. I joked with some other guys in the locker room and told my story to one guy who hadn’t heard yet. I stepped out into the lovely heat and humidity that is common here in Georgia and headed out the get my bike. As I walked I could feel a tightness wrapping around me. The air was thick and hot, but there was something more weighing on me. I tried to shake it off.
I got the bike off the back of the car, got my bag strapped on, turned on my blinking lights, and pulled on the helmet and gloves. As I straddled the bike the tightness grew stronger and I took a couple deep breathes to try to ease it. I clipped in and pedaled to the exit of the parking deck trying to clear my mind and to just breathe normal. Everything felt like it always did, but there was something new riding with me. Fear.
It felt good to be back on the bike even though it was hot and humid. I am not sure how much of my breathing difficulty was due to the weather and how much was due to my riding companion. My chest was tight and my breathing seemed labored and short. I was talking to myself and trying to shake the tight feeling, but I realized that it was going to be a process that I was going to need to work through.
Thanks to a friend’s suggestion I had decided to change my route a bit to avoid the danger zone which had been partly to blame for the crash. It adds about a mile to the commute, but it is flatter and more open with fewer curbs and more exit options. It helped, but I still had to process my fear.
As I cranked away the miles I felt the tightness melting away. It was a good thing, because after being off the bike for three weeks, my legs needed all the air I could give them. I took it slow and easy knowing that it was going to be a difficult ride especially with the heat. By the half-way point I was feeling tired, but felt more relaxed and the fear was fading. As I pedaled through my neighborhood I knew that I had made it and food and rest was near. Dropping down the slope of the driveway I realized that I had won and fear had been put back in his proper place.
The ride into work this morning was at a bit slower pace, but there was no tightness and my breathing was steady and unhindered.
Getting back in the saddle is not just for horsemen and cyclists; it’s for everyone when they get knocked down in life. You have two options, get up and get back into the game, or allow fear and doubt to reign and keep you down. There is a lot of truth in the saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, but only if you are willing to get back up and get back to it. When you get knocked down you need to face fear and get back up and fight back. You may get thrown again, but so long as you have breath, you need to keep getting back in the saddle.