frozen dirt

a snowy wissahickon

a snowy wissahicken
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

making first tracks in philly

just another january morning

15 degrees
wnw wind @ 9mph
feels like 5 degrees
ice beard in full effect this morning

compare that to this past monday.
good times this winter.

a well lit helmet

a well lit helmet
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

i watched the moon rise thursday night
and rode home in darkness.
i watched the moon set friday morning
and rode to work in darkness.
keep those batteries fresh
and LEDs burning.

sit back, prop up your feet, enjoy a beverage

The Daily Ritual

The five thirty am quiet is alluring
Motivation to wake is lacking
But knowing the roads wait empty
Pushes me out of bed
No school buses
No rushing running late commuters
Just long stretches of unlit asphalt
Punctuated by the random barking dog
Few folks are in a hurry at this hour
We’re all just getting where we’re going
.

just another january morning

58 degrees.
pouring rain.
windy as hell.
it's supposed to snow again by the end of the week too.

post ride edit:
some lightening flashes too.
an obscene amount of countersteering needed.
trackstanding (instead of climbing) into the wind brings a smile to my face.
.

before the rain begins to fall

22 miles of spinning on the singlespeed
rail trail heading east
rail trail heading west
2 clockwise loops around neversink mt
home thru reading
the mt bike is beginning to feel familiar again
.

out and about

out and about
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

warm enough for the chariot and the playground.

dirt bike action

predawn jaunt thru the woods
cold frosty frozen
i should do this more often
.

i'm slower than a speeding buggy

that horse had some speed. didn't catch'em till the stop sign.
.

good morning

good morning
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

all smiles at 5:30am.

more of the same

predawn grey

predawn grey
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

heavy whitening frost covers the landscape
cool calm quiet morning
pedals turn
contis hiss
lone dry link in the chain
annoys me

shoulda, coulda, woulda

shoulda, coulda, woulda
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

mt bike was pieced back together
alarm was set for seven
route was layed out
but sleep was too powerful
at least the roads will be clear of salt tomorrow

a personal reminder

not every bike i own has to be fixed
a geared rig is ok
the pacer shall live on as is
the crosscheck shall be the fixed do-all foul weather commuter
here's an idea
maybe i should ride the mountain bike more
i spend so much time on the damn road
a reconnect with dirt is due

as seen from the saddle

as seen from the saddle
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

homeward bound
•

fixed on an idea

i'm thinking the pacer might be fun decked out with one of these. ditch the shifty bits. pull the rear brake. swap around chainrings and maybe the bottom bracket depending on chainline. throw on a fresh chain too. relocate the porteur rack from the crosscheck. keep the full fenders for all weather protection.

a fixed pacer for general road and commuting duty. sounds good, right? then reconfigure the crosscheck as a fixed low gear dirt machine once again.

everyday, right about this time

everyday, right about this time
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

thirty minutes later

the boots have been repaired
the steel cables re-laced
the boa wheel thingy reconstructed
a bit tighter fit though when pulling on with thick socks
due to shorter laces
measure twice cut once

boa came thru with the repair bits
just silence from lake

when this pair of boots wear out
they won't be replaced
other lo-fi simpler options will be sought out
.

---

---
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

it's a balmy twenty four yet i lack the motivation to ride.

pedaling thru the white stuff

well ain't that the shit

snapped the other boa cable last night
j.r.a. once again
wasn't skidding
wasn't sprinting for a light
wasn't anerobic muscling up a wall of a hill
just pedaling along
still no response from lake
did warranty replacement parts direct from boa
hopefully they show up soon
the toe strap and velcro strap fix helps
but isn't all that snug

cold stretch

cold stretch
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

there's an illusion of warmth in that photo
but it's been subfreezing all week
light dusting of snow this morn
just enough to send cars into ditches
unsolicited driving advice:
slow down and stop being an asshole
my slick ribmo tires did just fine
40x16 direct drive power modulation
no need to touch the brake
just vary the cadence

all i want is warm feet, is that too much to ask for?

r.i.p. lake mxz302
the steel boa cable gave way
a distinct pop was felt and heard
just like that the boot was loose
i tried in vain to tighten
thankfully the velcro closure is fairly snug
the commute continued on
awaiting a response from customer service

also noticed on the other boot
the intact cable is rusted
seems the plastic coating cracks
water filters in
chemical reactions occur
looking to do some preventative maintainance as well

this is not my first issue with these boots
the heel stitching gave way back in 08
restitched and glued
they've held since
seems many have had issues with these boots
warm but not so sure about long term value...

december/2009 wrap up

december/2009 wrap up
Originally uploaded by fxdwhl

orange = ride to work (16 days, 432 miles)
yellow = drive to work (1 day)
blue = dirt or road ride (6 days)

2009 commuting stats
202 days on the bike
totaling 5,886 miles
only 7 trips to work via the auto
i like to pedal

up with the sun