Friday, October 31, 2008

Logistics, Night Moves, and Food Day Cookies

The weather here has been unseasonably temperate for the past few days. Usually, it gets a bit nippy when the trick-or-treaters hit the streets. But today, we hit an afternoon high of 70. Best to take advantage of it while it lasts, and there's no time like the present.

Of course I did the 'park and ride' today. But it was a bit different than usual.

My department was having a food day to celebrate Halloween. Now I don't usually participate in "food days", but one of our managers was giving me hard time yesterday and guilted me into bringing something. So on the way home I picked up the supplies for making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and cooked up several batches last night.

This created a slight logistics problem.

I certainly didn't want to pass up the great weather today, but I felt obligated to bring in some food for food day. But where was I going to carry all this? I have one rear rack on the Quickie Blue Fixie, which gives me enough room for my Carradice Nelson Longflap and my lunch bag. Because most food days are usually only sweets, cookies (ahem!), chips, and assorted junk food, I wanted to bring my lunch just in case. I might have been able to strap all this on the bike somewhere, but I had visions of two platefuls of cookies hitting the trail, scattering and breaking into a million pieces. I'm sure the raccoons, squirrels, and other various and sundry critters wandering the trail would have been deliriously sugar rushed.

When all else fails, wife to the rescue!

My generous and lovely wife graciously offered to meet me at work with the cookies. But, she had to be at an 8 am meeting. So that meant I had to meet her at 7:40 am, NO LATER, so she could make the meeting. That meant I had to leave the house at 5:30 am, meaning I needed to get up no later than 5:00 am. Maaaan, that's early.

Now that's either dedication or just plain dorky weirdness. You can keep your opinions to yourself :>)

So I was on the trail by 6:00 am-ish. Yeah, this time of year it's still quite dark that time of day. Luckily, I've figured out a dual headlight system that lights the way adequately. I have two battery powered LED headlights, and managed to figure out a way to mount both on the QBF. Each light by itself is somewhat anemic...enough so that someone could see you coming but not really sufficient for bombing down an unlighted trail in the pitch-black wee hours. Both lights together, however, provide sufficient illumination to see more than a few feet in front of me and are plenty bright to scare most critters off the trail. The poor raccoon fleeing down the trail this morning as my lights were blazing, bell ringing, and reflectors reflecting, must have thought I was some macabre wheeled halloween spectre. I'm sure they aren't used to seeing humans on the trail so early in the morning.

Long story short, I made it to the cookie rendezvous on time, and the cookies were delivered undamaged.

And food day was saved! :>)

-Speedblend Guy (thanks Gravelo)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Leaves and Temperatures

The weather is taking a turn for the worse, as far as my bike commuting plans are concerned.

In order to get to work by 8-ish, I have to be on the bike before 7 a.m. The temps this week are forecasted to be around 25 degrees around that time of day, but are supposed to warm up to mid 50's, low 60's by the afternoon...sunny and no precipitation. I don't generally like to ride below 40 degrees, even when I'm wearing my cold weather gear.

I wanted to brave the 25 degree morning temps but was vetoed. However, my vetoer offered to drop me and my bike off at work, then I could ride back to the trailhead in 60 degree afternoon temperatures. I'm definitely thinking about taking her up on that offer.

I like that invigoriating morning ride. Probably not below freezing invigorating, though :>)

-Dwight

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Soma Double Cross

Took a little recreational ride over the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge today, then a trip south on the Wabash trail to the Mineola steakhouse for a couple of beers. Beer is a food!

I wanted to measure the mileage from the Wabash trailhead to my work. I've been parking my truck at the trailhead and bike commuting to work, and I was curious about the distance.

The bikes I've been riding lately are computerless. I've been commuting on the Quickie Blue Fixie, and the Rambouillet has been getting an inordinate amount of attention as of late. I decided this morning I'd take my Soma Double Cross, which of course has a cycling computer mounted along with some other tasty bits.

My Soma is actually a fusion of an old road bike I bought several years ago, along with a few new parts. A little background, perhaps?

A few years ago, I purchased a Giant OCR2. This was the first road bike I'd owned since college, when I terrorized the campus on my black 10-speed Zebrakenko Golden Sports. It had some decent components, 105 rear derailleur, Tiagra front, STI brifters, Xero 20 spoke wheels and hubs, Truvativ Touro crank. The frame is aluminum, 'compact geometry', sized XL.

It fit OK...not great. It may have been a bit large for me but I have long arms so I had no problems reaching the handlebars. The stock saddle put my wedding tackle to sleep so I purchased a new 'ergonomic' model with the center cutout. This was only my second bike at the time, so it got quite a bit of use.

I'd been reading about the advantages of steel frames, and had been drooling over the Rivendell bikes on their website. Since I wasn't yet willing to shell out the bucks for one, I purchased a 62cm 12-speed 80's vintage Schwinn LeTour on eBay at a very reasonable price. This bike probably hadn't been ridden more than a few times...it still had the original Schwinn tires with hardly any wear (although they were seriously weatherchecked). I replaced the tires, did some minor tuning and it was ready to go.

I fell in love with this bike. It fit me so much better than my Giant, and the ride seemed so much smoother...less harsh than the aluminum bike. Although it was heavier, I preferred the fit and ride and spent quite a bit of time on it. I call it my 'Pepe LeTour', although it definitely does NOT stink :>)

Because of my experience with the Schwinn, I decided to take the plunge and purchased my Quickbeam from Rivendell. Again, another bike that I absolutely love. The QB fits me perfectly and though it's a bit heavy it's a wonderful ride.

The Giant OCR languished in my basement. I definitely wanted to go steel and decided I'd find a decent multipurpose steel frame at a reasonable price, and swap out my OCR components. I looked at several frames and narrowed it down to either the Surly Cross Check or the Soma Double cross. I found a local dealer selling Soma frames and struck a deal. He would install a new headset and bottom bracket, and do the component swap. I dropped my bike off at the shop and waited in anticipation.

Several weeks later, my bike was finished! I picked up my new Soma and my old OCR frame and I've never regretted making the swap. It's kind of a 'light tourer'. I could classify it as a randonneur or maybe an Audax bike, since it has road bike components but I've outfitted it with a Tubus cargo rack, fenders, headlight and tail light, and a mounting bracket for my Carradice Nelson Longflap. I'm planning on using this for a commuter bike when I want to coast and shift.

I've posted some pics on cyclofiend.com, so check it out!

http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2007/cc353-dwightdau0807.html

BTW, it's 13.7 miles from the trailhead to the parking garage at my work :>)

-Dwight

Friday, October 24, 2008

Dorky and Weird

My wife is very proud of my blog. She's so proud of it in fact, that she introduced several of her co-workers to it.

To which they responded, collectively, "This blog is dorky and your husband is weird."

I'm not offended by this statement. Actually, I really don't mind being 'dorky and weird'. Really. And they are absolutely correct…however, I'd like to put that statement in context. If my interest in bikes seems a bit extreme to some folks, maybe that seems weird to them in their world. A grown American man riding a bicycle? Is he trying to be Lance Armstrong? Building your own bike? Wrapping and shellacking your handlebars? Mulitcolored Rivendell Pasela Speedblend tires on an orange bicycle? Seems dorky to me!

It's easy to judge. The lady down the street who has 50 cats must certainly be weird. The kid with the thick glasses and mismatched clothing who'd rather read a book instead of playing video games is definitely dorky. But they seem to be happy, anyway.

I'll blog and ride my dorky bikes until my legs fall off, with a weird, silly smile on my face.

To each, his (or her) own :>),
-Dwight

Saturday, October 18, 2008

I HAVE RESPECT FOR BEER

When the wife and I go out, I usually have a beer with dinner.

Pairing beer (or wine) with food is always fun, and enhances the flavor of the food. But beer is a food all by itself, isn't it? Sure!

What's in beer? Water, mainly. Add some hops, malt extract, yeast, and grain and you have nutritional content. If it has nutritional content, it's food. Thus, beer is a food.

The relatively mild alcoholic content of one beer acts as a mild sedative, allowing you to more fully enjoy the experience and unwind after a hard day. Multiply that by two, three, or more and it begins to improve your mood and affect the hearing. Ever notice after you've had a few beers you talk louder? And get more affectionate? I LOOOOVE YOU BUDDY!! YOU'RE MY BESTEST FRIEND EVER!!

Lite beers? Screw 'em. It's not the beer that makes you fat, it's the pizza and fried breaded cheese sticks you washed down with your lite beer, hog. I like a good stout or porter myself, Guinness is one of my perennial favorites. Beer you can almost chew. Beer with color.

So the next time you enjoy a colorful, real non-lite beer, remember, you are getting some good nutrition too. After all, why do they call it a 'cereal malt beverage'? Cereal is a food, isn't it?

I rest my case. I'll go back to my Fat Tire now :>)

-Dwight

Friday, October 17, 2008

Park and Ride

After my Great Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge Adventure, I wondered if I could actually commute from the Wabash Trace trailhead to work. Yesterday, I decided to give it a try.

The wife was concerned. "That's a long ride", "You'll have to ride through downtown traffic", "It will be cold", and so on. She worries a lot, but that's just because she loves me :>) Nevertheless, I was determined to try.

There were some logistics to consider. I certainly couldn't ever bicycle commute the entire way from my small rural town. And, in the past, even if I did live close enough there wouldn't have been a way for me to safely cross the Missouri river into Nebraska.

With the new bridge, I can park near the trail system and ride nearly all the way to my work downtown without having to deal with vehicle traffic. After exiting the trail, I would only need to ride a few blocks on city streets and if I timed it right, the traffic would be light. I began to formulate a plan...

My employer provides a workout facility in the building, along with lockers and showers. I could wear my bike clothes, then change and shower at work. Another convenience...one of the bank parking garages has bike racks inside, nice and dry and security patrolled. Since I have a number of bikes I can choose from, I chose the Quickie Blue Fixie. I wrote about this bike in an earlier post. It's nothing fancy, an old Schwinn frame converted to fixed gear. It looks like a beater, but it's really a good ride. The paint is chipped and scratched, with no expensive wheels or other components that would make it especially attractive to unscrupulous 'free bicycle procurement artists'. I have a decent cable lock as well, nice and thick with a heavy duty combination lock.

I'd already set up this bike as a potential commuter. I added some Planet Bike clip on fenders and a Pletscher rack knock-off. These parts probably set me back about $20...not pretty, but very functional. Again, not real attractive to anyone who'd be looking for expensive components. I needed a bag to carry clothes, bike tools, wallet, security badge, sunglasses, etc, etc. I already own a Carradice Nelson Longflap bag, and a quick release I'd purchased from Rivendell. The quick release consists of a stainless steel bracket which clamps to the seat rails, and a quick release skewer and shaft modified to fit through the bag mounting loops. The skewer fits into slots milled into the bracket, and also acts as a carrying handle for the bag. It's as easy as dropping the skewer 'handle' into the bracket slots and closing the quick release. I just had to move the bracket from my Soma to the Quickie Blue Fixie.

I needed to carry my lunch bag with me as well. Not a problem, the rear rack has a spring loaded clamp that fits perfectly under the handle of the lunch bag. Easy!

My plan: I'd get up and dress in my bike clothes, load the bike in the back of my truck, grab my bike bag and lunch bag and drive to the trailhead. I'd park, then ride the trail to work. Stop at the fitness center, shower, change clothes. When I got off work that evening, I'd just do it all in reverse.

This actually worked out pretty well. It took me a bit longer than I'd anticipated, since it took me awhile to get organized to make sure I had everything I needed for the day. I made it to the trailhead and got on the trail around 7 a.m. It took me about 45 or 50 minutes to get to work from there. It was dark when I started, but I have a headlight and taillight installed on the QBF so it wasn't a problem. It was about 40 degrees so it was a brisk ride when I started. I dressed in my inclement weather gear, jacket and bibs along with skull cap, balaclava, and cold weather cycling gloves. My fingers and exposed parts of my face were a bit cold, but as soon as the sun started coming up they warmed quickly.

There were no other cyclists on the trail with me, but I did see quite a variety of wildlife. A buck deer passed directly in front of me and I saw several others, along with a few squirrels and a fox. And I got to pass over the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian bridge as well, a bonus! Once I left the trail, it was a direct shot to work, a few blocks in light traffic. From there, I parked the bike in the garage and it was a quick walk to the fitness center. After I was done there, I made it into work about 8:30.

I felt great riding to work. I was wide awake and invigorated when I arrived, not groggy, grumpy and half asleep as I usually would be if I'd driven the entire way myself. I was going to do it again today since the wife had to work late this evening and we couldn't ride together. I got up this morning, dressed in my bike clothes, grabbed my stuff and walked out the door...

...and it was raining.

No bike commute today. But I'm definitely going to make this part of my routine, when I'm not carpooling.

Weather permitting, of course :>)

-Dwight

Monday, October 13, 2008

Ride Report: The Great Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge Adventure PART 2

At last, I'd reached the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge...

As I moved closer, I was amazed by the size of the bridge and the amount of traffic. Hundreds of people were moving across the bridge sightseeing, taking pictures. A few intrepid bike riders were moving across with the pedestrians, so I decided to join them. Starting from the Iowa side...

A good view of the suspension supports and cables

A support close up

Looking north up the Missouri River

And a southern view

A view of the park under construction on the Omaha side of the bridge

Over the river, on the Nebraska side


Another view, off the bridge from the Nebraska side

A view from under the bridge

The bridge definitely moved and swayed under the weight of the pedestrians, coupled with the wind that day. It wasn't alarming, however, and the views were fantastic.

Visions of a daily bike commute over this bridge are dancing through my head :>)

-Dwight

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Ride Report: The Great Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge Adventure PART 1

To give you a little background, I'll start with a news article:

Images: Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge To Open September 28
POSTED: 12:27 pm CDT September 11, 2008
UPDATED: 2:36 pm CDT September 11, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. -- Council Bluffs city officials announced on Thursday that the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge will open to the public on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Part of the celebration will include a festival that will last from noon to 3:00 p.m. which will take place on the Council Bluffs side of the river, at Playland Park.

“This is a truly historic occasion,” said Mayor Hanafan and Mayor Fahey in a joint statement. “The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge connects two strong communities and two great states with a monument that is as practical as it is artistic, one that will be a source of identity and pride for generations.”

The ribbon cutting will begin with a joint performance by two metro high schools: Monticello’s Regiment from Thomas Jefferson High School and Omaha Central Eagle Marching Band.
The bridge will officially open to the public shortly after 1 p.m. when Mayor Fahey and Mayor Hafanan cut a ceremonial red ribbon.

Metro Area Transit buses will be there, that's because MAT is adding a new Playland Park bus stop.

Council Bluffs is currently working on a plan to select the first person to cross the bridge.
This weekend, the public is invited to see the official lighting of the bridge on Sept. 13. This time the celebration will be on the Omaha side of the river and will begin with music and other festivities at 4:30 p.m. and end with a fireworks show scheduled at 9 p.m.
The $22 million bridge is the nation's only pedestrian bridge linking two states and one of the longest pedestrian spans ever constructed.

Both the grand opening of the bridge and the lighting ceremony are free and open to the public.

Of course, I had to go check out the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. But I hadn't intended to.

I originally intended to ride the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. It's a rails-to-trails project, starting in Council Bluffs, Iowa heading south through several small towns ending up near the Missouri Border. You can read more about it here: http://www.wabashtrace.org/

However, when I started from the trailhead this morning, I saw a sign pointing in the general direction of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. I figured why the heck not? Instead of heading south, I took the trail heading towards the river.

It was a bit windy today, but the temperature was in the upper 60's - low 70's and no rain. Of course, I took the Ramby. She rode like a dream.

The trail heads west, around Lake Manawa, then north into Council Bluffs. Of course, I followed the path and ended up in downtown CB, where the path promptly ended. I've never been on this trail before, so I rode around a bit trying to get my bearings. The trail didn't continue any further north, so I tried heading west on a few side streets. I ended up in a Union Pacific rail yard and a mobile home park, but no bridge...not even a sign.

Time to backtrack. I headed back toward the Lake Manawa area. As I passed over Highway 92 (a.k.a. South Omaha Bridge Road), I saw some construction on what looked like a trail. I decided to give it a shot.

This looked promising. I rode west on a trail under construction which eventually turned into concrete slab pavement. I crossed a street past the Metro Crossing shopping area, past some soccer fields and onto the Iowa Riverfront Trail.


This trail headed into west into a nice wooded area:
Which of course ended up going through an industrial area and past two Council Bluffs casinos, Ameristar and Harrah's. There were a couple of nice Missouri river views, though.
...looking North past the Ameristar casino. You can see the riverboat on the right.
On the way past the casino, I took a picture of the Omaha skyline. That tall building is the First National Bank Tower, and I work for them. I don't work in that building, but I work at the tech center which is in the same general area.
No bridge yet, though. Since I have quite a few pictures, one post is going to be quite longish. So stay tuned for some bridge pics. Trust me, it's pretty cool!
-Dwight

Friday, October 10, 2008

Stick on decal? Not quite.

I may have mentioned in earlier posts my downtube decal issue.

The downtube decal on the left side of my frame is a bit frayed. I knew this before I'd purchased the frame...the owner was very forthcoming and honest about the condition of the decal. Apparently, he'd transported the bike in his van and the left side of the frame rubbed against the seat. It was a minor issue to me, since the blemishes were minor and appeared to affect just the decal, and not the paint.



Not the best picture here, but you can see the discoloration on portions of the decal. You can actually feel the surface of the decal around the edges, a slight fraying. Nothing huge and something I absolutely wasn't concerned about. The bike is still beautiful and rides like a dream, frayed decal or not.

I was a bit curious, though. Could I easily replace the decal? I contacted Miesha at Rivendell, asking if I could obtain a decal and installation instructions, if possible. She got me in touch with Keven, who asked how the decal was damaged. Unfortunately, decal replacement isn't easy. Apparently, the frame is clear coated after decal installation and the only way to have the decals replaced is to strip, repaint, re-decal, and clear coat.

So much for a simple stick-on decal replacement. I don't think I'm ready for a repaint, just having assembled my bike. There's nothing wrong with a bit a beausage, anyhow!

-Dwight

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Quickie Blue Fixie

It was an impulse buy.

Last winter, my wife and I were visiting Kansas City for a little respite. I was on 'sabbatical' at the time (read: unemployed), and I was on the verge of finishing my Masters degree. Can we please just say I was a student? :>)

In my internet travels, I'd stumbled on a little bike shop in downtown KC and decided we should stop by and take a look. At one time, Acme Bicycle Company of Kansas City http://www.acmebicyclecompany.com/ was a Rivendell dealer but now hand crafts custom steel frames of their own. The shop is located in an 'artsy' district of downtown KC, and once we were in the neighborhood was fairly easy to find. A large gathering of old bicycles and bicycle art surrounds an otherwise nondescript and aging cinderblock building.

From the moment I entered the cluttered but accessible shop, I was blown away by the variety of vintage bicycles and hardware of every imaginable brand, condition, and vintage. Tons of vintage lugged steel bikes and frames parked and hanging everywhere, and various display cases, racks, and shelves full of used parts. One rack held a stack of old Rivendell Readers for sale. I saw a frame in a vise in the process of fabrication, bare metal, brazing and torch marks clearly visible. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

Behind the counter, I noticed a well-ridden Rivendell custom. This bike was the owner's daily transportation, and she was nice enough to discuss the bike, bike riding, frame fabrication, and their philosophy of bike building at length, and in bike-nerdish detail. It was so nice of her to spend so much time with me I just couldn't leave without buying something.

Against one wall, I spied a blue fixie conversion for sale, vintage lugged frame, bullhorn bars, single front brake. It appeared to be the right size, and with a quick measurement confirmed the seat tube length was 62 cm. The owner cheerfully agreed to let me take the bike out for a test drive..."now this is a fixed gear bike, have you ridden a fixie before?" I'd been riding my QB fixed for at least a year up to that point, so I figured I was qualified enough to take this bike for a quick spin. A quick tire inflation and I rode up and down the alley adjacent to the shop, and the bike felt just fine.

There was a little voice in the back of my head saying, "Now what are you going to do with this bike?" It sounded a lot like my wife's voice, actually :>) I really didn't have a good answer, except for the fact that I still had space in the downstairs rec room and maybe I could use this bike for a nice 'round town bomber. Yeah, I wanted it...and the voice actually agreed with that notion. So carpe diem, I heated up the credit card and stuffed the bike in the trunk of our Malibu.

I submitted some pics to cyclofiend.com, take a look!
http://www.cyclofiend.com/ssg/2008/ssg152-dwightdau0408.html

I've pimped this bike out since the pictures, adding a cheap Pletscher rack knock-off and some Planet Bike black clip on fenders. Someday, hopefully, I'll use this as a commuter bike. Right now, it's just my fun bop-around town bike. I've ridden it on some longer rides, but she really isn't the best long distance runner. It's a blast, though! I just have to remember to keep my feet on the pedals.

-Dwight

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Shellacked!

I didn't like the color of my bar tape. I thought it would be closer to Ramby's color, but it was just far enough off it really didn't match well. Unfortunately, my LBS didn't have any natural cork tape on hand, only the blue color. My Quickbeam has natural cork tape shellacked amber, matching the Brooks B-17 Honey Champion saddle almost perfectly.

So what the heck. Let's shellac the blue tape and see what happens. Start with some Zinnser Bulls Eye Amber shellac, using a disposable foam brush for minimal cleanup. You can see the small sample of bar tape I used as a test. It looked fine, but I really wouldn't know the results until I saw it on the bike.

I started to apply the shellac to the twine and tape on one side...see the difference? I think it looks much better.

After applying shellac to both sides, the bars look like this:

After the shellac dried, the bars took on kind of a greenish antique patina. I'm thinking they would really match the dark green B-17 saddle well...not that I'm going to run out and buy one but that's just an observation. It would certainly be much cheaper to find and buy some natural cork if I wanted to match my saddle perfectly, but this looks just fine to me and is a unique look amongst all my other bikes. So I'll go with it for a while.

More pics on the way...

-Dwight

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Wrap them bars right! Footwear optional!

I decided the black tape I used to temporarily hold my bar tape in place for the Ramby's maiden voyage was horribly ugly, and just completely out of place. Looks nasty, doesn't it?
I'd purchased some hemp twine from Riv some time ago, and this was the perfect opportunity to give my bars a good wrapping. To start my wrap, first I remove my shoes and socks :>) I make sure my wedding ring is clearly visible so my wife doesn't think I'm 'straying' whilst perfoming bike maintenance :>)) Then, I make a loop with the free end pointing toward the outside of the bars. I start wrapping from the outside towards the stem:
Once I've finished my twine wrap, near the end of the bar tape wrap, I thread the end of the twine through the loop...

Then I grab the free end of the twine I left sticking out toward the outside of the bars, and pull tight.

Trim the loose ends with scissors, and this is the result:

If you do both sides, it looks MUCH better....


This really isn't difficult to do, with a bit of practice and it looks and works a heck of a lot better than plastic tape!

Stay tuned and watch me give these bars a good shellacking!

-Dwight

Friday, October 3, 2008

Ron Burgundy, The Legend

Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Classic quotes:

Ron Burgundy: I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly...

Ron Burgundy: Don't you know I'd never say f*ck. F*ck.

Ron Burgundy: [after jumping into the grizzly bear pit at the San Diego Zoo] I immediately regret this decision.

Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale's vagina.

Ron Burgundy: I'm gonna punch you in the ovary, that's what I'm gonna do. A straight shot. Right to the babymaker.

Ron Burgundy: The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show... [kisses his biceps]
Ron Burgundy: and see if she likes the goods.

Ron Burgundy: [to Veronica Corningstone as the news has just gone off the air] You're a real hooker. I'm gonna slap you in public.

Ron Burgundy: [to Veronica Corningstone] I'm gonna shoot you with a BB gun when you're not looking. Yep, back of the head.

Ron Burgundy: I'm proud of you fellas. You all kept your head on a swivel, and that's what you gotta do when you find yourself in a vicious cock fight.

Ron Burgundy: [after smelling the Sex Panther cologne] It's a formidable scent. It stings the nostrils. I'm gonna be honest with you, Brian, that smells like pure gasoline.

[addressing someone off-camera, who we can't see]
Ron Burgundy: How are you? You look awfully nice today. Maybe don't wear a bra next time... No, I was talking to you. No, not her. I don't know her name. What is it? Lanolin? Lanolin? Like sheep's wool?

Ron Burgundy: [doing voice exercises] The arsonists feet were oddly shaped.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

A trip down memory lane on crappy bikes of yore

I was discussing a bike build with a fellow rider, firing off some long lost odd neurons somewhere way back in my psyche.

I remembered a couple of old bikes from days past. When I first learned to ride a bike it was an old hand-me-down from three older brothers, a blue Sting-ray type bike (I don't think it was a Schwinn, but maybe a close copy), banana seat, wheelie bar and everything. I learned to ride it in the back yard. I'd have to admit, I learned to ride a bit late in life at the ripe old age of eight.

When I was in my early teens, the country was in the midst of the 70's bike boom ten-speed craze. I wanted a 'real' bike, but for some odd reason I didn't want a 10 speed. We lived on a gravel road and I was afraid that skinny ten speed tires wouldn't cut it. My 12th-ish birthday present (or maybe Christmas, I don't quite remember which), I got a campus green Schwinn Varsity with fat tires and a 3 speed Sturmey-Archer hub, completely pimped. Full steel fenders, Pletscher rack, Cateye bottle generator with a tailight and this huge square headlight, and a big plastic mechanical Stewart-Warner speedometer that went way up to 50 or 60 mph. Rest assured, I never got the bike going nearly that fast, especially not on gravel!

I must have ridden that bike up and down that gravel road past our house at least a million times. It was extra cool to ride at night, bottle generator whining against the rear tire. If I felt extra adventurous I'd ride up the hill to the next intersection and ride on the dirt road. When I was in eighth grade, a friend with a 10 speed and I decided to take a road trip. We hit the county roads...in fact some of the roads I ride regularly today. I'd say we probably rode at least 40 or 50 miles that day, the longest distance I'd ever ridden up to that point. The Schwinn performed quite admirably.

As soon as I was old enough for a learner's permit, the Schwinn went into the shed. I had cars and motors on the brain, typical rural farm kid mentality. I never thought about bikes again until I hit college.

I had a car in college, but of course you couldn't park on campus. Plus, it was a long way to walk from my off-campus dive to school. I could take the bus, but of course I would be tied to their routes and timetables.

A bike! Lots and lots of bikes on campus. No need for a parking space and plenty of convenient bike racks placed right where I needed to be. One of my roommates and myself went to the Bike Barn in Boone, Iowa and picked up a couple of bikes. His was a brand new bike, an expensive Italian brand. I cannot for the life of me remember what brand of bike it was, but it was shiny and red and really nice. My ride was a bit more pedestrian. I picked up a used Zebrakenko Golden Sports 10-speed, black, with stem mounted shifters and a huge shiny chrome pie plate. I think it set me back about 125 bucks.

His bike was stolen approximately 2 weeks after we bought them, chain cut and bike gone. He then proceeded to buy a 70's vintage Honda 750-4 motorcycle, which of course was much more difficult to carry off :>)

My bike lasted through 5+ years of college (Leisurely curriculum). I locked my bike up as well, but the Zebrakenko wasn't nearly as interesting to potential thieves and the cheap chain I used to lock my bike was more than sufficient to keep it secure. The bike recieved much gratuitous abuse, curb jumping, left out in the snow and rain...all the normal things an early twenty something might do. Maintenance consisted of squirting WD-40 on the rusty drivetrain, hopping on the bike and riding it.

Even with all the indifference towards the care of my bike, it never let me down. I may have made a couple of minor adjustments, and certainly changed several tubes, but it was always ready to go. I rode the crap out of that bike, but I never really rode it for pleasure. It was a transportation device and for that, it definitely paid for itself and then some.

When I got my first real job out of college, I took the bike with me when I moved to Kansas City. I even attempted to ride it to work several times. This proved dangerous and impractical, and I ended parking the bike under the stairs of my apartment complex where it promptly sat and rusted. When I moved, the bike stayed. For all I know, it's still there!

I wouldn't even think of parking one of my bikes outside now, and I've tinkered more with the bikes I have now in the last couple of years than I ever tinkered with that old Zebrakenko. I'm kind of wishing now I'd kept that bike, along with the old green Schwinn.

Maybe I'm just a bit sentimental, after all!

-Dwight