july wrap up

july wrap up
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

orange = ride to work (21 days, 567 miles)
yellow = drive to work (0 days)
blue = dirt or road ride (6 days)
year commute stats = 121 days, 3,267 miles

faced with addiction

the lure of the drop bars has been strong lately. my accident certainly sidelined any mt biking ambitions for a while, but now all healed up and i'm still reluctant to get out on the karate monkey. it's not a fear of dirt/rocks/roots as i've taken the pacer onto terrain most wouldn't touch on a road bike. it's just something about those damn drop bars and skinny tires that suck me in.

i don't like driving to ride. i'll do it but much prefer a ride that starts off by rolling down my alley. while this doesn't make me the most social cyclist, i'm fine with pedaling silent for hours at a time sans ipod just listening to the wind. the ease and quality of roads surrounding me makes it quite simple to rack up the asphalt mileage while the mt bike sits waiting. not to say there aren't good quality trails within mere miles of my door, i've just been lacking motivation to ride them.

after racking up 140 some miles a week commuting, you'd think i'd be ready for a reprieve from world of autos and want to venture where vehicular travel is impossible. yes & no. i'm a sucker for long stretches of backroad with minimal if any traffic at all and throw in a section of dirt road skinny tire no tread two wheel drifting and i'm in heaven. the sensations just aren't the same on a mt bike; the relaxed geometry, fat knobby tires, and uber strong disc brakes shield you from much of the fun sketchiness that comes with skinnies and drops.

thoughts of cyclocrossing the karate monkey have passed thru my mind. or un-commutering the crosscheck with a mixed surface build of fatter tires and lowered fixed gearing for more scorching action. or just keeping the status quo and put the pacer thru its proverbial paces. any which way, there's no denying the drop bar addiction i'm facing, and frankly, i'm fine with it.

sunrise in the saddle

one of the definite bonuses of getting up early. i know the words have been thin lately but the camera has been at hand instead. it all balances out eventually.

tuesday, july 28th, 7:09 am

tuesday, july 28th, 7:09 am
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

steel punctures rubber
less than a half mile from work
opted for roadside repair
instead of demoralizing walk

summertime mileage

soaked from sweat
soaked from thunderstorms
ziploc bags to protect electronics
humidity and temps
both in the mid eighties
blistering sun in wide open fields
transitions to shaded woods
with rolling creek side chilled air
climbing with a tailwind
heat envelopes quickly
every pore opens vainly
couple hundred yards to summit
then relief on the downhill
another storm looming on the horizon
to douse the countryside once again

two brake levers

two brake levers
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

the fixed gear is dead
long live the fix
freewheel has returned
maybe i'll get off my lazy ass
and actually race this year

---

track bike compatible


friend of the bolt on hub


rack n roll fender extender

just another work week

hauling heavy ass loads


trying to keep clean and dry


and drinking too much coffee

sunday morning

sunday morning
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

crayons and the tour

dirt testing dan's road bike

another loop up and over neversink
this time on skinny tired bikes
my pacers familiar with the route
dan's fillet brazed frame needed testing
rail trail to start
then a steep loose stone climb
grade mellows out but line choice paramount
skree and roots and sidewall cutting rocks
fast descent on bombed out pavement
duck under the rusty gate
right hander back onto trails
followed by grunting seated climbing
pitch is minor
but effort is constant
quads have rutted and ripped the trail
press on racking up mileage
quick stop at the witches hat
grassy doubletrack
ripping fast backtracking descent
switbacked road
riding thru the city
ghetto thug bbq out in the street
cross the river
arrive home twenty some miles later
bike passes the test
maybe dan will have something to say about it

!!!WARNING!!!

!!!WARNING!!!
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

I'll take steel thank you very much.

routine

rolling down the alley
cleats find their way into pedals
just as i reach the street
fourteen miles later
with a swing of the heals
cleats are released from their captors
just as the pedals turn round
for a smooth cross dismount
off the back of the fix
feet touching the ground
for the first time
since leaving home

so my rack guy went and built himself a bike

dan's been working the torch for well over a year now
many a rack has been constructed and used heavily
frame tubes were purchased a while back
slowly they were fillet brazed together
with the finishing touches occurring only days ago
driveway spray booth later and he's got himself a frameset
bolt on the bits
and you can see the end result above
looks pretty don't it?
visit the blog or flickr for timeline pics
watch for updates as he creates more works in steel
and don't forget to order yourself something nice

maiden voyage pics

it rides like a surly

the weekend conspired against me
the new brown bike sat unused
until this mornings commute
no surprises ensued
just a good stable comfy predictable ride
fit is pretty dialed due to foresight
I actually measured my old setup prior to teardown
compensated well for a two cm larger frame
looks good with less stem spacers for sure
couple items to address though:
squealing canti is no good
re-wrap one side of bars (unsightly gap at brake lever)
slide saddle front a hair
make sure tire bead is evenly hooked on rim
- slight bump and wabble may be tire defect instead
add mudflaps and reflective tape to fenders

very pleased with my decision
to keep a crosscheck in the stable
it's a tough bike to trump

even more crosscheck pics

full set over here

built

forgot how much i dislike setting up fenders
test ride due sometime saturday
handsome looking bike i've got there

beef gravy brown

beef gravy brown
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

the new surly crosscheck has arrived

another 45 minutes of ticking

so it wasn't the bb
post commute inspection
reveals a pedal may be at fault
time retention spring seems a bit loose
felt a slight knocking
though foot was still secure
pedal swap tonight to rectify the issue
a noisy machine really irks me

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.....

non-driveside crankarm
one o'clock position
every damn rotation
for the past few days
creaking bottom bracket?
maybe
no time to look
twelve hours a day in the salt mine
have kept me busy
soft pedaled it yesterday
and today as well
resolved to investigate tonight
pulled the crankarms
they look dandy
though filthy with months of grime
non-driveside cup?
loose enough to turn without a wrench
driveside fixed cup?
loose as well
square taper bb still spinning smooth
wipe off the old grease
reapply fresh
tighten with authority
grease the spindles
crankarms cinched on
ready for the morning
hopefully silent

up before the sun

a boy named milo

a boy named milo
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

evey is innocent
mommy is to blame
sidewalk chalk is the media
and yes, it does stain dog hair

Public Service Announcement

Attention all Bicycle Commuters:

Due to recent festivities over the July 4th weekend, an increased amount of broken beer bottles have been reported on both major and secondary roadways. Following the mornings commute, please be sure to check your tires for punctures prior to departing for home. Changing a flat tire on company time, while frowned upon by some, is highly recommended.

-end transmission-

heading to the hills

crisscrossed that ridge
a couple of times
2500ft up
19.6mi total
sometimes
it just feels good
to climb

who needs cable?

who needs cable?
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

steephill.tv

bloggers are real people too

that man right there is the voice behind pavé. blog comments and emails have bounced back and forth between us for many a month yet the mere thirty mile gap separating us has never been bridged till today. a pleasant gentlemanly jaunt around valley forge was spun followed by a hefty dose of caffeine. be sure to check back with pavé as extensive tdf coverage is about to begin from a man whose seen the inside workings of PRO culture.

shame on me...

for being caught without adequate bungees. i was tragically forced to carry the box under my arm. like a commoner. i've learned my lesson. never roll unprepared when a porteur rack is present.

5 Weeks Later

The question was posed yesterday by non other than Jack London, "So, it's been a month since you were hit do you have any specific insights or perspectives on cycling in the face of that threat?"

Pay attention. To everything. And react accordingly to save your ass.

That turn signal you see flashing, doesn't mean they're going to turn in that direction. Eye contact you say? It doesn't register to the dim witted driver in a hurry. That truck ready to slow roll thru the stop sign, yup, he's only looking for car headlights at this hour. The tailgater sucking your wheel for what feels like an eternity only to pass thru a blind corner, doesn't realize the potential danger of the situation.

Mixing in cell phones, inclement weather, long commutes, teenagers, and the elderly all amplifies the stupidity I see daily.

Everyone's in a hurry, everyone's late, and if it wasn't for this fucking traffic light, or that family walking across the street, or the tractor trailer going slow up the hill, or that goddamn cop with his radar gun, or the asshole trying to turn left into the grocery store parking lot, or that fucking guy on a bike riding down the middle of the road.... I'd have been there ten minutes ago.

The potential for fast and effortless travel via car is what drives everyone crazy. It makes them take stupid risks to save mere seconds. The consequences of their actions are rarely thought thru and countless accidents could be avoided if everyone just chilled the fuck out and dropped the Me vs. World attitude.

Pick your battles wisely while on the road; hold your line, take the lane as needed, signal your turns, use lights, ride with authority, avoid busy roads whenever possible.

It's not all doom and gloom though, commuting via bike makes the drudgery of the working day all the more bearable. Junk miles my ass too, I'm racking up my base miles for a lifetime of cycling goodness.

June Wrap Up

June Wrap Up
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

orange = ride to work (18 days, 486 miles)
yellow = drive to work (2 days)
blue = dirt or road ride (5 days)
year commute stats = 110 days, 2,970 miles

ribs still on the mend after getting hit by a car on may 27th. lots of
seated climbing to start off the month. better now but aches
continue. replacement crosscheck is finally in the works.