Sunday, December 28, 2008
Mark My Words!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
This Just In...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Headset Press
Sunday, November 2, 2008
How Do I Copyright This?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Fixed On Gravel Part 2
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fixed On Gravel
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sastre, I Knew It!!!!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
One Man's Group Is Another Man's Pain Cave
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
OK, OK, I'll Play!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Chi-town Hustle
My best guess on this one is that it's a NYC Fixed of some kind. I say that for a couple of reasons. One, it has no graphics. Two, it has a one piece crank. And C, the seat post is just a pin. No head integrated into it. It has a clamp like a department store bike. Nice though, I'd take it.
Nice clean Steamroller.
Motobecane gettin' some love with the bullhorns, and check out the ghetto singlespeed! With plastic pie plate! Respect!
An older Miyata. Running the free side of a flipflop hub. I'd take this one too.
This old raleigh looks like it could be one of my bikes! Another ghetto singlespeed, coral colored 2.1 tires, and I know you saw the bars first! Not the most ergo lever setup, but undoubtedly a workman's bike. Guess whether I would take it or not.
Fuji Gran Tour running freewheel with full brakes. Spartan but comfy. Nice.
There were a few off-the-rack fixed/freewheel bikes locked up too. This Giant is the only one worth posting though. Love the geometry and proportions on it. Plus anything army green is cool. Among the other "bought bikes" were a Cannondale Capo, a Raleigh Rush Hour, and a Schwinn Madison. There was a metric crapload of old old Schwinns in the racks around town. Duh, it is Chicago after all. I felt like a person with hoarding tendencies when I had the anxious rush to want to save them all!
Another vacation where I find myself wishing to be on a bike, and having no bike at hand. When will I ever learn? I would love to go to Osceola with my bike and enough cash for a ticket to Union Station, take Amtrak into Chi-town, ride all damn day in the traffic, and just go nuckin' futs and have fun! It would be worth it. Bounce back here soon for my delusional fantasy post about what it would take to messenger in Des Moines for a day. Later! Travel Gravel!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Let Carlos Ride...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My Day Of RAGBRAI
Continuing North out of GJ I rode about a mile or so on pavement before peeling off and hitting some gravel for the rest of the trip to Ogden. Along the way I ran into Jason Parkin from KCCI Weather. I remembered seeing him at the 24 hour race last year (he was walking through the pits at about midnight with his camcorder) so I stopped to chat with him. He was telling me how cool he thought Banner Lakes is, and said he was weirded out at the 24 and didn't know how people do that kind of race. I said that beer helps and he should give it a try. I don't think he is interested. Jason, if you are reading, put up a 2 person co-ed team with Matinka! That could work!
I had a good ride, got in about 60 miles of gravel, 15 or so of pavement, and got home in time to go to a movie with my wife and kids. Next year I hope I can do more, even if it means a day or two of road bikes. Crazy huh? I have to admit, it would be fun to pass people all day. Later!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
How Do These Things Happen?
It will span this set of pillars on a 10 foot wide deck, and feature spiraling square I-beam boxes over the top. I will try to get an image of it and post it. Those are Purple Martins swarming around the hiway bridge in front of me. Cool to watch, and none of them crapped on me!
This is a section coming out of/going into Woodward. As I rode down this mile or so stretch there were two crows chasing an owl from tree to tree. They would fly 40 yards at a time, diving down on the owl. A puff of feathers would waft gently down after each volly. Again, cool to watch, and they didn't crap on me!
Coming back into Boone I took the hill that RAGBRAI riders will be cussing on Tuesday, only I rode the shoulder (to keep it a gravel affair.) At the top was none other than my DAD! working on repainting a sign that he maintains for the Lincoln Hiway Association. He's been plugging away at this damn thing for two weeks, working only in the cool part of the day and between re-hab and naps. Ahh, retirement. Someday! Later! Travel Gravel!
Me and my Pops!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Seven Oaks Sunday
Monday, July 7, 2008
29ers Roll Over Things Better
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I Need Feedback
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Where Has YOUR Blog Been Seen?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
People...Please!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Crushed It Today
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A Good Reason To Watch The Road
Friday, May 30, 2008
On The Cheap
Monday, May 19, 2008
Technically, I'm Not Dead
Luckily I pulled through and will probably ride Tuesday. I did watch Breaking Away a couple of more times, and it spawned an idea in my head. Why not do a smaller version of the Little 500? It would be a blast, and there is a perfect location right here in Boone. It is the 4H horse arena at the fairgrounds. This is a 260' X 140' arena with a dirt/pea gravel surface. Little to no horse droppings, and I'm sure nobody would care if we rode bikes around in it. A format something like this could be a great workout and would no doubt be FUN ON A BIKE!
Race 1: 2 Lap Time Trial, use best lap time for bracket seeding.
Race 2: Bracket Race, 2 riders at a time, 2 laps, winner moves to a new bracket.
Race 3: 2 Person Teams, 10 laps, 5 each with a handoff.
Race 4: 2 Person Teams, 50 laps, open format. Rider changes at will.
Race 5: Figure 8 throwdown, anything goes?
I have daydreamed about this for a long time and still think it would be a blast to do. No need for fancy bikes. Flat pedals would be best. I want to see skids like the one Moocher rips when he hands off to Cyril. That is some bike riding right there. He skids a 40 footer, stands up over the drive-side, dismounts, and gives a smooth handoff in one fluid motion! Cyril's handoff to Mike is less fluid. Here's a look at the grounds:
The little white building is a restroom, there is a metal roof over the poles to the right of that(read shade), and Regal Liquors is a four minute ride from here. Could be a fun way to spend a Sunday. Any thoughts?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Finally Got Out
Monday, March 31, 2008
With A Heavy Heart...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Here's one of those bikes...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Frost Boil Forecast
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Shortest Post Yet?
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
$6.97 Experiment
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Gotta Brag A Little
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
BRR?
Friday, January 25, 2008
It's Gonna Be Sweet
Overnight towns:
Missouri Valley
Harlan
Jefferson
Ames
Tama
North Liberty
Tipton
Le Claire
The rest is elementary. Start the day in the host town, promptly find the first gravel road out of town, and follow it until you feel like turning. Spot a town on the horizon (church steeples and H2O towers are the easiest to see) and head for it to re-fuel. Repeat until you find the next host town. Set up camp somewhere, find a shower, eat. Repeat daily.
I have for sure the first 4 days clear, and may be able to slide into the remaining days if fate will allow. I am taking Paul J.'s advice from my attempt last year and finding someone else to haul my gear. I could do any of the following. Enter to have Reggie haul my stuff for a price:( or strike a deal with a shop that is on the route to haul it:) Or convince someone to ride with me and hope that one of their wives will find it enjoyable to set up camp and wait around for the guys to make it in?
Anybody like the sounds of riding primo Iowa gravel, away from the crowds, not once hearing about where Lancy Pants is, doing your own thing and bucking the status quo, riding Dirty RAGBRAI before the hipster-kids figure out that this is the way to do it, and telling the stories years ahead of them? Wanna ride through Templeton and stop for shots at the distillery? Wanna ride your bike where it is possible that no other bike has EVER laid tread? Lewis and Clark can kiss my ass! No map quest sheets, just turn where it feels right, spot some trees in the distance and hope for hills! Ride no-handed for a few miles! Get chased by farm dogs! Hope not to see nude hog farmers! Stop and ask strangers for water and see their faces when you explain that you have brought RAGBRAI to them! They will give you the shirt off their backs. That's the kind of people you'll find out there. Car Up? More like John Deere up!
Count on sufferage, but embrace it, you'll be making RAGBRAI history! Later! Travel Gravel!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Fresh POWDER + Repaired Skibike =
On the bike front, I am still hoping to buy some Alien fixed wheels soon. I have so many bikes I can put them on it's just plain silly. These wheels are completely blacked out, single sided threading, and deep profile. Love at first sight. I'll add a dozen or more bikes to FGG by myself. Speaking of FGG, Dennis is closing in on 7,000 bikes posted to the site! WOW! I'm lucky to have discovered it at about #56, so I have seen every one of the bikes over the last few years.
Roller project is coming together pretty well I think. One of the guys in our repair shop gave me 6 sealed cartridge bearings that he had from some glider rockers, so my $ total will drop from about $30.00 to about $5.00! Score! Can't decide if I should go for the rails in solid Asian Pine with heart grain, or plywood turned on edge to show the layers. I think the plywood for the defined lines, plus it's probably stronger when stood on edge. Additionally, I will have to press the bearings into the wood rails, so plywood makes the most sense to me. I hope I have enough old chain around to run the front and middle rollers around some 32 tooth chain wheels. Making it a fixed gear roller set? I will probably die trying to ride them, but then, I have survived so far on the ski bike, and everyone thought I was a goner for sure! Later!
No "Bike Of The Week" lately because my super efficient wife took all of our pics off the hard drive and put them on disc! It may be a while before I find the damn disc! ARG!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Need Someone's Help
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I'll Say It Too...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Flip The Switch
I was driving to Ogden today on "Old 30" and right when I got to the top of the big hill going down to the river I caught a look at the slopes of 7 Oaks, framed in the "V" of the river valley, and realized that it moved something in me. Like a flash point. It triggered that little voice in me that says' "Go time!" when I am driving there for a race. That little jump you get in your manparts, the rush of energy throughout your body! Palms sweating and pulse climbing. Wear your HRM TO the race some time and check it out. It made me think of all of the places that I have raced over the years and what other flash points there are out there. Some of these include:
Decorah - I always come in from the West on Hwy 9, and I'm fine the whole trip until I get to the top of the hill that drops down to the four way stop. Then it hits me, and a surge just shoots up my spine! Go Time!
Iowa City - The long white fences around the horse pasture, North Liberty I believe, and BAM! Go Time!
Fort Dodge - Top of the hill by the hospital, Go Time!
DSM - Top of Euclid, westbound down the hill, Go Time! Probably not a lot of races to run there in the future, but always will be a flash point.
Webster City - Going to Kendall Young and you drive under that first railroad bridge. Go time!
Galena - Going back a few years here, but having raced the Cactus Cup twice and Chestnut Mountain Classic, I made enough trips there to know that every time I saw the sign for Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant it was Go Time!
Millville Minnesota - Coors Light Classic. Another old race that I ran 3 or 4 times back in the day. Always a quiet ride up, but once the road started to drop out from under you in Wabasha County, it was all over but the crying! Go Time! 4+1/2 hour mud race!
There are probably more that I could name but you get the point. Welch Village, raced it twice but was lost both times so no real landmarks. Volga's Vengeance, awesome but only raced it twice (one of which was my first race ever!) Also, there are races I have never done that would surely have a flash point. Sylvan Island, Sockum Ridge, Trans-Iowa! There are many miles to go before I can rest.
I don't know much about sports psychology, but I would wager that this has something to do with the fight/flight thing. Some guys are pumped up for a week before a race, I wait until 3 miles out to get psyched?! Maybe it's the procrastinator in me( I put the "pro" in procrastinator), or denial, who knows. If you have a similar flash point please leave a comment, however long. I would be interested to hear from others. Later!