Brian's Bicycle Banter

Running Week 4

2012-01-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

Treadmill. 2% incline. Only covered 2 and 3/4's of a mile today. I walked the first 1/4 then ran for about a mile, proud that I was ahead of Christine, then I dropped my ipod. Stopped the treadmill and had to start the workout all over. I was running again for a while and my knees started to bother me. I think it's due to not getting enough rest. I've been working early for the last 3 days and staying up late, sleeping only 5 or 6 hours each night. But I continued on for the full 30 min. Oh well, they can't all be great runs.

458 calories, 35% from fat
Max heart rate 176 or 95%
Average heart rate 145 or 78%

Running Week 3A

2012-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

Treadmill, 2% incline. Alternated 1/4 mile laps between running and walking again although this time I ran 2 to 3 laps in a row and then walked. Christine was, again, doing a 50 minute "easy" run next to me and I kept pretty close to her on the distance up to the 3 miles. Quarter mile laps went like this -

4.5 mph
7.0
4.5
7.5
8.0
7.5
4.5
8.0
8.0
4.5
8.0 with a 9.0 sprint
8.0 with a 9.0 sprint
4.0 cool down.

Total of 3 and 1/4 miles in 33 minutes.
Calories 473, 35% from fat
Max heart rate 176 or 95%
Average heart rate 144 or 78%

I'm still amazed sometimes at how long I can keep my heart rate so high and feel just fine. No knee problems but shins still a little sore from Monday's run.

Running Week 3

2012-01-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

I didn't run last week because of Snowpocalypse in Seattle. Again on the treadmill at a 2% incline. I actually beat Christine, tonight, to the 3 mile mark but she doing a recovery run in a slower heart rate zone so it doesn't really count does it? To the best of my memory the laps went like this -

4.0 mph
7.5
4.5
8.0
4.5
8.0
4.5
8.0
8.0
4.5
8.5
4.5/7.0

So you can see I was still alternating most of my laps between running and walking except for laps 8 and 9. I admit I'm still afraid of having knee issues by running the whole time. Next run I think I'll try to run more consecutive laps. Maybe I'll run 2 and walk 1, run 2 walk 1, etc. I did the whole thing in 31 minutes so it must be a improvement from last time. From the heart rate monitor -

Duration 31:43
445 calories, 35% from fat
Max heart rate 182 or 98%
Average heart rate 143 or 77%

Running Week 2A

2012-01-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

I think I am seeing more progress here and it gives me hope. It's only been 2 days since the last run. My knees felt fine. My shins and legs didn't feel sore. So I did another 30 minute run tonight with Christine at the gym. Yes, still on a treadmill. 2% incline. Tonight I ran/walked a whole 3 miles in 34 minutes. A 1/4 mile increase from two days ago and 1/2 mile increase from week one. Small steps, but progress.
Tonight I started alternating walking at 4 mph and running at 7.7 mph in 1/4 mile "laps" for the first mile. For the second mile I walked the first lap at 4 mph and then ran two back to back laps at 8 mph. This really got my heart rate up. Then I walked another lap. For the last mile I ran a lap at 7.7 mph, walked a lap at 4 mph, ran most of a lap at 7.7 and then sprinted at 9 mph, then walked most of the last lap at 4 with a 7.7 mph sprint to the finish. From the heart rate monitor -

Duration 34:39
501 calories burned, 35% from fat
Max heart rate 182 bpm or 98%
Average heart rate 145 bpm or 78%

I keep looking over at the distance Christine ran, for the same amount of time, on her treadmill next to me and I get a little closer each time. She doesn't walk. If I can actually retrain my knees to running I might actually look into triathlons.

Running Week 2

2012-01-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

It's been exactly one week since my first day back running. My shins were still sore up until yesterday from last time. Hopefully my legs won't be as sore for as long this time. I did another set of intervals today, alternating between walking and running again.

1/4 mile @ 3.7 mph
1/4 mile @ 7.5 mph
1/4 mile @ 3.7 mph
1/4 mile @ 7.5 mph
1/4 mile @ 4.0 mph
1/4 mile @ 7.7 mph
1/4 mile @ 4.0 mph
1/4 mile @ 7.7 mph
1/4 mile @ 4.0 mph
1/4 mile @ 8.0 mph
1/4 mile @ 3.7 mph

This time I totaled 2-3/4 miles in 30 minutes. That's 1/2 mile over last time plus I added a slight incline of 2% to the treadmill. The knees feel pretty good. Only a slight soreness in the left. 66 days left until the St Pats Dash. From the heart rate monitor -

432 calories burned, 45% from fat
Max heart rate 175 bpm or 95%
Average heart rate 132 bpm or 71%

Running

2012-01-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

A group of friends, my wife (the runner) and I have agreed to all run the St Patricks Day Dash. It's a 5k. So it's not that far but the way my knees have been, when it comes to running, for the last 4 years or so it will be a challenge. I believe I just need to retrain those knees and I'm taking the same approach I did with the STP two years ago. Slow and steady. Today was day 1. I did 30 minutes on the tread mill, next to Christine, at the gym. I sort of did intervals between running and walking as my knees gave me trouble.

1/2 mile @ 7.0mph
1/4 mile @ 3.8mph
1/4 mile @ 7.0mph
1/4 mile @ 3.7mph
1/4 mile @ 8.0 mph (This gave me a little more pain but bearable)
1/4 mile @ 3.7mph
1/8 mile @ 9.0mph (Couldn't do a full quarter at this speed. I want to make progress, not damage myself)
1/8 mile @ 3.6mph
Last 1/4 mile (lap) split up into 3 increments 3.6mph then 8.5mph and ending again with 3.6mph.

2 and 1/4 miles total at a little over a 5mph pace according to the treadmill. I'm pretty happy with this for a start. It's been about 4 hours and my knees feel good right now. I know my calves will be sore though. I'll see how everything feels in the morning. In a few days I'll give it another shot and hopefully be able to make progress. Cardio wise I felt great. That first 1/2 mile at 7mph I hardly broke a sweat. I'll be happy if I can just run the entire thing without stopping for pain. I have 78 days left to train.

ROTD - Runway Runaway.

2011-12-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

As I flew into Seattle a few weeks ago I noticed some neighborhoods near the runway and thought it might be interesting to watch planes land. As it turns out you can get right up under the end of the runway, on a little road, with a bike lane and multi-use trail. But it was pretty freaking cold. It only got up to the low 40's. There was frost in some of the long shadows. I had to stop in a coffee shop just to warm up my toes. At least it was sunny. Happy Solstice. Days only getting longer now.

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=75343

Distance - 25.06 miles
Time - 2:28:31
Average Speed - 10.44 mph
Max Speed - 35.02
Odo - 4,483 (15,815) miles

Studded Snow Tires

2011-11-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

With La Nina coming back our chances are even greater of getting snow, again, this year. I've been debating the idea of investing in some studded snow tires but always tossed it out because there only about 2 weeks of the year that I would actually use them. This year I even went so far as to ask a LBS about some. I'm running 32's right now with a nice comfortable amount of space between them and the fenders. Almost all 700 size tires with snow studs are 35 and larger. That's when the shop owner mentioned making my own. Hmmmmmmmm. I was running a 700x25 up front and a 28 in the back. I still have thoooooose. The smaller size would leave just enough space for the studs.

So I googled it. Now the first thing I come across is the zip tie method. http://www.dutchbikeco.com/_blog/Dutch_Bike_Co_Weblog/post/Seattle_Snowpocalypse/ OK this may be all fine and dandy if you have a fixed gear or a bike with disc brakes but I do not and my cantilevers are not going to work with those.

Second method uses sheet metal screws and I've seen two versions of this. Version "A" involves inserting the screws from the inside of the tire so the sharp points are sticking out. http://www.singlespeedoutlaw.com/main/articles/homemadestuddedtires.shtml. In version "B" the screws are hex head and installed from the outside. This appears to work best if you have knobby tires. The screws are driven into the knobs. I rejected this because any piercing the inside of the tire had to be ground off.

The third method uses pop rivets. http://www.instructables.com/id/Pop-Rivet-Ice-Tires-for-Your-Road-Bike/ I liked this method because the pop rivets look most like studs on commercially sold bicycle snow tires. Holes are drilled (<--What?!) and the rivets are inserted from the inside with a washer on the outside. (Actually it is probably best to use an awl and pierce the tire between the cords as opposed to drilling through them.) Something is still needed to prevent the rivets from wearing on the tube such as another tube or a tire liner. I used the Mr Tuffy strips that I already own.

I'm not riding with knobby tires and my tires worked fine for the amount of snow we get here. It's the ice that gave me the most problems. We'll see this winter if this works or not. If it does, I just saved about $65.

Ferrules

2011-10-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Also another little note to self. When installing brake cables do not put a ferrule (end cap) on the cable housing that is being inserted into the brake lever assembly. According to the LBS the cable can work it's way out over time because of this. I'm assuming they mean work it's way out of the ferrule. I don't really see how that is possible but OK, next time I do this I'll leave the ferrule out.

2011-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

The clicking noise came back in my right pedal. It was nice and tight on the crank so I began to think it might be something inside. So I went crazy and took it all apart. Ball bearings, the works. Shimano PD 324 Pedal Assembly. Re-assembled and greased. Now what I didn't know is that there is a lock nut that holds the cone nut in place and it's very difficult to hold the cone nut while tightening the lock nut. I've seen a special tool that Shimano sells for this but it's more then the pedals themselves!! The right pedal was fine but the left one kept tightening (cone nut kept tightening) while I rode. I figure this is due to the rotation of the pedal on the left side being opposite of the right. As I pedal the cone nut, not being locked down, is tightening against the bearings. The right side only tightens against the lock nut. So I rode down to my LBS, thinking they would have the tool, only to find out they claim there is no such tool and that you just need to jam a flat head screwdriver in there to hold the slightly larger cone nut while tightening the smaller lock nut with a socket. Well, I had already tried that, but I don't have the nice vice to hold the pedal still in the process so I coughed up 20 bucks and had them do it. I figure it's 20 bucks for a little more knowledge and I'm posting it here so I don't forget.

2011-10-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

Rolled Tanager over 4000 (15,332) miles tonight.

Tire Liner Flat

2011-09-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

I've been using tire liners like Mr Tuffy and Stop Flats for years. About 5 years ago I was talking to an employee at a LBS and he mentioned that they don't like using tire liners because they tend to wear a hole in the tube where the liner ends overlap. I never had a problem with this a thought it was complete BS until about two weeks ago when it actually happened to me. Clearly you can see the wear, on the tube, in the shape of the overlapping tire liner end. They, Mr Tuffy & Stop Flats, even have this problem listed on their FAQ's pages. (FAQ's pages which happen to be almost identical which leads me to believe that they are, in fact, the same company.) Quoted from their pages -
"Q I've read in some reviews that STOP Flats will wear a hole in my tube where it overlaps. Is that true?
A We've read that as well, and there is some evidence that it's possible. In the early days, STOP Flats2 tire liners were trimmed by hand. Once the volume of sales was measured in millions rather than hundreds, we had a special precision cutting machine developed that uniformly trims the liners to the exact size and shape needed for maximum effectiveness. It is unlikely that the overlap causes punctures using the current STOP Flats product. It is possible that another brand of tire liner. especially the hard plastic ones is the true culprits in many cases.

Dealers have told us that they grind or file down STOP Flats2's end edges and they apply talc to the inside of the tire before installation. This advice seems to make this particular problem disappear. " -Exactly the same on the Mr Tuffy site. Just insert Mr Tuffy wherever you see STOP Flats.
Personally I believe this is a problem with lower pressure tires, like the one's I'm running now. I never had this problem with the higher pressure/lower volume tires I used to run. Is the lower pressure allowing the tire, liner and tube to flex more causing the rubbing/wearing on the tube? I don't know for sure but my personal belief is yes.

Clicking noise

2011-08-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

This last week I had three morning shifts. I've been noticing this little clicking noise for many months now. I thought it was my crank arm just tapping the derailleur as it came around (my bottom bracket spindle could really stand to be a few mm wider). However I recently observed that this is not the case. The clicking noise would happen as my right pedal came up just past bottom dead center but only under slight load. It would not make this noise up on the rack so the only time I could hear it was when I was riding which made it hard to pin point. So each day, after I got home, I would tackle something new on the quest.

First day I put the bike up on the rack and noticed that if I flexed the aluminum fender slight to the right and left it made a clicking sound. It's a sturdy fender and it has 5 attachments to the bike/rear rack including one bolt, down low near the bottom bracket. "Could there be that much frame flex, under load so as to move the fender enough for this to be the problem?" thought I. So I removed the rear wheel and kickstand, loosened the bolt, nut, and all the aluminum spacers, washers and leather washers I have in this area and re-tightened. No noise upon flexing the fender.

Day 2, noise still there. Grrr. Upon this day I removed the cranks, made sure there was no grease where there was not supposed to be and grease where there IS supposed to be. Got out the torque wrench and reinstalled to the correct torque.

Day 3, noise still there. Gah! OK, right hand crank coming off again. All the tiny bolts coming off and the chain rings are coming apart, reassembled with removable threadlocker. Crank reinstalled and torqued again. Tried to remove the bottom bracket but it was in so tight and looked so good I held off.

Day 4, noise still there. What the F? Somewhere in my bicycle repair book I noticed a torque spec for the pedal to crank arms. "Bing!" Pulled out the pedal wrench and tightened the pedals. This took all of TWO minutes.

PROBLEM SOLVED!!! START WITH THE SIMPLE STUFF. I had been switching pedals, off and on, throughout the winter depending on weather I felt like wearing warmer shoes or my clipless bike shoes.

Maximum Speed

2011-06-10T11:02:00.001-07:00

My fastest speed ever to date - 46.28mph

2011-06-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

3000 (14,332) miles on Monday morning.

Cascade Bicycle Club

2011-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I joined Cascade Bicycle Club the other night after the incident with the Seattle Police officer. I never really saw a reason to join before but now I want to support them in all their education and advocacy.

2011-05-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Replaced the chain today.
Odo - 2,942 (14,274)

New Bar Wrap - Tsukamaki "Style"

2011-05-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

Newbaum's cotton cloth bar tape, orange and white Tsukamaki style over blue base color. After about 8 coats of shellac. The orange is now almost a match for the bike and the white is a little darker then the Hillborne decals but I'm fine with it.
See more photos here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/neutralbuoyancy/5782663785/in/photostream/

Seattle Police Officer doesn't know the law.

2011-05-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

On my way home last night I was pulled over by one of "Seattle's Finest". I had just rode up a hill on Yancy and came to a stop at Avalon, ready to make a left. Avalon is arterial and Yancy is a side street. The speed here on Avalon is, at most 30 mph.
There is a stop sign for Yancy. I came to a full stop. I even put my foot down and waited for two cars, to my left, traveling Northbound on Avalon. To my right was a line of widely spaced cars moving South on Avalon. My goal is to make a left in one of those gaps. All the cars to my left have passed and I start to move, slowly across the street, pausing slightly in the middle turn lane for my chance. The car in front of the gap I'm shooting for slows down to make a right, thus closing the gap somewhat but I'm already committed, relying on the courtesy of the next driver, the fact that said driver has to also slow for the car making the turn, and that I'm in a crosswalk. The next car happens to be a Seattle Police patrol. I make my turn in front of him, so now we are traveling in the same direction but I'm pulled so far to the side of the road that you could fit another car in between us. At this point the cop chirps his siren at me. What the Frak?! I look over and he's point for me to pull over. OK, I pull over, on to the sidewalk. He pulls over, next to me, and rolls down the window.

Cop - "Stop signs apply to you too."
Me - "I did stop!" He was to far down the road to even see me when I was stopped!
Cop - "You need to yield to traffic. I had to apply my brakes to let keep from hitting you."
A) He wouldn't have hit me even if he didn't apply his brakes. He was only moving at about 25 mph and there was still plenty of space for me to get across. I'm so sorry you had to slow down from 25 to 20. Where's the courtesy?!
B) He had to apply his brakes in the first place to let the car in front of him turn right!
C) I'm in an unmarked crosswalk and he should have come to a complete stop, as well as the car in front of him, to let me pass anyway!
Me - "And I was in a crosswalk!" Arm extended, pointing at the crosswalk. There are even ramps here for wheelchairs to cross and little buckets with flags for pedestrians to carry while crossing.
Cop - "Crosswalk don't apply to you!"
Me - "OKAY OFFICER"
Cop - "If you're riding in the street you need to abide by all the rules as motor traffic." So are you telling me that if I had stopped, got off my bicycle and walked across the street regardless of how much traffic there was, you would have had to stop for me?
Me - "OKAY OFFICER" In my gut I knew this wasn't right.
The cop then rolled up his window and rode away and I continued my ride home. The same ride. The same route I take everyday I work for five years now.

So I looked up the Seattle Department of Transportation Bicycle Code (SDOT Bicycle code) online and, as it turns out, this officer is wrong. He either doesn't know the law or told me a flat out lie!
Section 11.44.100 RIGHT-OF-WAY IN CROSSWALK. A person operating a bicycle across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk shall have all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances, . . .

Then I found this in the SDOT Pedestrian Laws -
RCW 46.04.160
Crosswalk.
"Crosswalk" means the portion of the roadway between the intersection area and a prolongation or connection of the farthest sidewalk line or in the event there are no sidewalks then between the intersection area and a line ten feet therefrom, except as modified by a marked crosswalk.

RCW 46.61.235
Crosswalks.
(1) The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicycle to cross the roadway within an unmarked or marked crosswalk when the pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning. For purposes of this section "half of the roadway" means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of travel, and includes the entire width of a one-way roadway.

2011-05-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

2800 (14,132) miles on the odometer. Just 200 miles to attain my goal of 3000 for the year (3000 on the Hillborne) and 2 months left to do it. That will be easy as I roll out 50+ miles a week just riding to work. Nearly 1500 miles now on the wheels I hand built with no problems.

Possiblilities

2011-04-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

On my way home today some people pulled up in a car next to me. I heard the window roll down followed by an "Excuse me." This used to always result in the next question being something like, "Do you know where blah blah blah is?" or "How do I get to blah blah?" which 50% of the time results in my reply of "I don't know." Lately, however, I've been getting many more comments on the bike and quite often the bags. Such was the case today.
Lady in car (passenger), "Those are beautiful bags. Where did you get them?"
Me, "Thanks, I made them."
Passenger, "Oh great work! Do you sell them?"
This has been a item running through my mind quite a bit lately.
Me, "Not yet."
Passenger, "Oh well you should!"
Has the light changed yet? Has the bus in front of me started to move yet? Nope. Gears turning in my brain. Look back. Window is rolled up. Hmm. Window rolls down again.
Me, "If I could sew them up on a sewing machine I might. I hand stitched these." Hand stitching - very cool for personal hobbies, too time consuming to make money.
Passenger, "Did you do the raised pattern on them too?"
Me, Of course I did! I just told you I made them. I did it all. I did it from scratch. "Yes."
Light green, bus moving, end of story.

I've posted many pictures of my bike and the bags on Flickr to share with friends and recently many of the bicycle groups. There I've also received many comments on the bags.

Flickr Person A - These are the most gorgeous bag I've ever seen!

Flickr Person B - gorgeous bag! where did you buy it?
Me - I made it myself, thank you.
Flickr Person B - excellent! do you sell them? I'd love to get one for my husband!
Me - Sorry. At this point in time I'm not making them to sell. But if I ever do I'll let you know. Thanks again for the compliments.
Flickr Person B - :^( well, if and when you do, let me know! what a great present they would make for my husband :^)

In addition many more people have bookmarked photos of my bags as favorites, on Flickr and yet another person, whom I just met while out riding, went so far as to blog about them - http://tubulocity.com/?p=3244.

Now the question remains, can I make enough money producing these bags to justify the time put into them plus supplies? If I cut many of the details and produced them on a sewing machine I believe I could. From what I recall supplies for my saddlebags (panniers) ran somewhere between $100 to $130. That's leather, dye, and hardware. This particular bag - https://saddleback_production.s3.amazonaws.com/15807.jpg is currently selling for $347.00. It's close to the dimensions of 1/2 my saddlebags. Here's a Brooks Challenge Tool Bag - http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Shop_ProductPage.aspx?cat=bags+-+tool+bags+%26+holdalls&prod=Challenge+Tool+Bag. It currently sells for 60 English Pounds. I've seen them. There not much larger then an eyeglass case. I could easily produce this with the scrap from the saddlebags.

I have a friend, a co-worker and cycle buddy, who is currently in taking courses at the New York Fashion Academy here in Seattle. In fact this Saturday is sort of a final for him, a fashion show with his work. I may pick his brain a little about sewing machines and leather. Also I know he was working on some clothing for cyclists and also produced a musette bag. Who knows, maybe we'll start something together. This is all just food for thought. It might go somewhere with it and I might not.

2011-04-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

Twenty four miles of riding today, all to and from work.

First was the ride in to work at 9am. This was supposed to be a nice simple commute with the wind at my back but the truckers were pissing me off. Not waiting at the bike crossings, cutting me off. One driver totally rolled a stop making a left right in front of me.
(Me) (Waving arm) "Hey H E L L O!!!"
(Truck driver) Finally makes eye contact with me and shows no sign of empathy/apology.
(Me) (Waving arm turns to middle finger) "Fuck you bitch!"

We were cut out from work for about two and a half hours between shifts so thus begins ride 2, home for an hour. Uneventful. Headwind but I can look forward to the next trip back to work with the wind at my back, riiiiiiiiiight?

Nope. A storm blows in from the Northwest shifting the wind back into my face. Then I had to sit and wait for a train. Usually I ride up past the end of the tracks but today there is a construction detour routing me right across them. Apparently this is the time everyone is commuting home by bike for there are cyclists everywhere. One compliment on my "rig".

At 10pm, the fourth and final ride of the day is the best. It's Wednesday night and there is little traffic. The rain has stopped. I'm warm enough even though I've been hearing about sightings of snow all day. It's almost a dead calm. I'm full of energy and I slip into a wonderful cadence and all around me is this dramatic soundtrack of distance sirens, train whistles, the purr of my drive train, and a slight sloppy sound of my tires on the wet asphalt. But the best part was the lone guy playing, what sounded like an old western soundtrack, on the trumpet, under the viaduct. That made my night.

Odo 2500 (13,832)

Leather Paint

2011-03-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

I was at the leather store, picking up some grommets and I happened across some orange acrylic leather paint that is a near perfect match for the Sam Hillborne's paint so the trim on my leather bags got a little work.

See more - http://www.flickr.com/photos/neutralbuoyancy/5551793532/in/set-72157607896493013/

New Tires

2011-03-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

Finally wore out the Schwalbe's. Tread worn down to the puncture resistant layer. I only blew 30 bucks a tire this time. Picked up a pair of Michelin City in 700 x 32. That's only 5mm larger then my last set of tires but could it be that easy? No. Could I just switch out the tires? No. That 5mm was too much for the rear fender in it's current adjustment. This means I had to walk over to the hardware store and pick up some smaller spacers and bolts. A one hour job became 2-3.

Post Chilly Hilly 2011

2011-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

I have been taking the bus to work since Chilly Hilly because of this damn cold but as a side note my knee feels completely normal already. :)

Chilly Hilly 2011

2011-02-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Well I made it again. Chilly Hilly really lived up to it's name. Freezing rain, sleet, snow, wind. Fortunately this didn't really set in until the last 1/3 of the ride. I'm glad I took the early (7:55) ferry. Everyone loved my bike. Not 10 minutes went by that someone didn't comment on it. I took this years Chilly Hilly nice and easy.

The left knee started acting up again after only about 1/3 of the ride. I just read over all my posts following last years Chilly Hilly up to and a little following STP and I believe the knee pain is due to lack of use. I don't do a lot of long rides in the Winter. Mostly just to work and back and the occasional 20 miler. I'm 90% certain the knee needs to be conditioned to longer rides or hilly rides. However this could also be because my cranks are 5mm longer now. There's only one way to find out. Start riding. It looks like most of my pain resolved itself after about a month last year so I'll start easing in some 20 mile rides and then a 30 and a 40. I'm not training for STP so I don't need to do as much.

On the down side I caught a nasty cold. I had to work the night before Chilly Hilly so I only got about 6 hours of sleep, then got up and did the ride in the 30 degree weather, then headed over to Pyramid Brewery for my free beer, then home where I took a shower and a nap. When I woke up I felt miserable. I think I just beat up my immune system too much.

I don't know what my ride time for the actual route was since my new computer only has one tripodometer but I got the stats for the entire ride from my house and back.

Distance 44.78 miles
Average speed 10.58 mph
Time 4:13:56

Deore/Mega range

2011-02-26T00:27:00.000-08:00

I just upgraded from the 7 to the 8 speed rear cassette. The rear cassette is a "Mega range" 11t-34t. I can climb up walls with this thing. Although the 34 tooth rear cog is to large for the old Sora derailleur so that was also upgraded. My buddies at Velo Bike Shop suggested a Shimano Deore. Looks good, works good. Didn't break the bank. Chain had to be lengthened.

I also had Peter White ship a longer wire for my lights, specifically from the headlight to the tail. Now it's routed the way I had originally planned, under the downtube, drive side chainstay and fenderstay. Much cleaner look.

Chilly Hilly is the day after tomorrow.

Odo - 2170 (13,502)

Grand Cru 50.4bcd Crankset

2011-02-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

The new cranks came in yesterday. This is the Grand Cru 50.4bcd Crankset from Velo Orange. As stated on their website "Classic 50.4 BCD cranks, like the TA, Stronglight 49D, and others are still sought after by randonneurs and cyclo-tourists. These cranks offer tremendous versatility (chain rings from 26t to 62t fit). They are also light and have very narrow Q-factors, or tread.

While the new Grand Cru crank looks like the classics, we have made several important improvements. They are cold forged 7075 aluminum alloy. The rings are thicker so they don't flex as on classic cranks. The BB taper and all threading is common sizes, no need for special tools and BBs. The rings have modern shifting aids so shifting performance is much improved."

The look is classic. The shifting is nice. The Q-factor is damn low. I jumped up the bottom bracket from 116mm to 118 plus a spacer on the drive side. I probably should have went with a bottom bracket around 122mm. In the highest gear the chain ever so slightly rubs on the chain ring derailleur but I cannot adjust it anymore because the drive side crank arm just barely misses the derailleur. But it all works and the chain line looks pretty good.

The crank came with 46t and 30t rings. I've dropped from a triple to a double thus my bike is now a 14 speed instead of a 21 speed. I was having a problem where I could only use the two lowest gears, on the rear cassette, while in the small chain ring which was a 28t. I suspect there wasn't enough tension on the chain due to the rear derailleur not being able to handle the range/take up the slack. Now in the 30t I'm able to reach more of the middle gears (probably all the gears) with no problems. It's likely that without the big 52t chain ring I can shorten up the chain. But everything is working fine now so I'll cross that bridge when I replace the chain. It's almost due.

Also I jumped the crank length up from 170mm to 175. I'm not sure if I notice any difference in this yet except for the fact that the seat needed to be lowered 5mm.

Soon I'll start looking at 8 speed rear cassettes turning this bike into a 16 speed, hill climbing beast.

Chilly Hilly 2011

2011-02-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

Just signed up for Chilly Hilly again. Toyed around with the idea of the High Pass Challenge but decided I'll give Flying Wheels a try first.

ROTD

2011-02-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

I took a slightly different route to get my allergy shot today. I followed a route recommended by google maps. I don't know who at google thought that was a good bike route because there was a SERIOUS hill in the middle of it. 16% grade. I liked it though and it was a great sunny day for it.
Here's the route - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=63148#.

2011-01-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Odo 1962 (13,294)

From now on I'm keeping track of my mileage in this format. The first number being the total miles in the Sam Hillborne and the second being the total number of miles rode since I started keeping track.

Crank Length

2011-01-31T17:49:00.000-08:00

According to this guy's formula - http://www.nettally.com/palmk/crankset.html - I should be pushing 190mm cranks! Check out his site. What he's saying makes perfect sense. Currently I'm running the bicycle "standard" 170mm. It's pretty hard to find 190mm cranks, especially in a style crank you might like. I've had my eye on the Grand Cru 50.4bcd Crankset from VO Imports for some time now, in fact my order just got shipped today. A modern version of a classic crank. I made the jump to 175mm, the largest size they come in. As it is, with the bottom bracket on my Sam as low as it is, I cannot pedal through sharp corners or my pedal will bottom out on the pavement so I don't think a 190mm crank would be very beneficial anyway. I'm very curious to see if 175mm makes my pedaling more efficient and affects my knees in any good or bad ways or if I even notice a difference.

I'm dropping from a triple to a double. The large chain ring being a 46. Currently my big ring is a 52 and my middle ring is a 46 so my top speed will be dropped a bit. I really only use the 52 on steep downhills. In the long run I may jump up the big ring to a 48. The small chain ring is a 30 instead of a 28. This is a very slight difference when it comes to my lowest gear, slightly harder, but again, eventually I will jump my rear cassette from a 7 speed 12 - 28 to a 8 speed in something like a 13 - 32/34 making it actually easier to hill climb. Thus, in the long run, I should have a wider range of gears then I do now. It might also mean the rear derailleur will have to be replaced to pick up the chain slack. I will probably need a new bottom bracket to fit the new crank. The current one has 13,000 miles on it anyway.

Seattle Rivendell Ride

2011-01-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got together with about 7 other Rivendell owners for a ride around Seattle. Great group, great bikes, great weather (except for the cold, 30's). I logged 41 miles in all. My knees are sore. The soreness like after the first day of STP. I guess I need to ride more, get my legs back in shape.

We rode past an interesting place along the South side of the ship canal, between the 15th Ave Bridge and the Ballard Locks. I think it was called Fisherman's Terminal. I've never seen so many fishing boats in one place. With the noon sun and the reflections in the still water it looked like a great place for some photography so I'll have to get back there.

I got blogged!

2010-12-29T22:56:00.000-08:00

Someone else blogged about me today - http://tubulocity.com/?p=3244

2010-12-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

Raining. A lot. Hard. Booties, gloves, compromised. Flood warning in effect. Flood watch in effect. Mudslides? We'll see if the Longfellow creek floods the All Star Fitness parking lot again.

Update - Only mild flooding in the parking lot was seen.

ROTD

2010-12-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

The ride of the day was a bit of an exploration into the link between Southpark and Georgetown, then up to Beacon Hill, through the I-90 tunnel, just to the other side, back and along Alki.

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=61850

Distance 27.39 miles
Time 2:54:31
Av spd 9.41mph
Max spd 35mph
Odo 1561 miles

Wheels still true.

Sigma Bike Computer

2010-12-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

The old Cat Eye bike computer died again. This time I think it was the wire. The first time I replaced it I used the same wire so that wire lasted 12,750 miles. The computer itself lasted over 10,500. I never needed to replace the battery. I was thinking about going wireless to clean up the bike a little but I read a lot of stuff about the wireless models being affected by high voltage power lines and picking up info from other peoples computers when riding in groups so I went with a wired model again.

This time, however, I wanted to get away fro Cat Eye. I went with a Sigma 1009. It was only 32 bucks. Tells me all the same info as the Cat Eye I had with the exception of only one tripometer. Instead of a second tripometer it had a total overall time display. Sort of like a odometer for time. I was able to transfer the odometer mileage over to it. Also I can get a cable to hook it up to my PC and transfer information. Sweet.

2010-11-29T18:45:00.001-08:00

50 miles now on the wheels I built. No problems. Still true. :)

Odo - 1450

111 miles now. Still true.

2300 miles - Thumbs up!

Fenders, Wheels & Lights - Part 2

2010-11-29T00:23:00.000-08:00

Played with the fender for about 4 days getting them just right with no rattling. They're solid and beautiful now.

My Schmidt SON 28 generator hub, Velocity Chukker rims, Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ CYO T Plus front light and the Busch & Müller Seculite Plus rear light came from Peter White Cycles on the 23rd.

Christine carpooled with a friend to work that day because of crazy snow so I had the car. I cruised over to Velo which was closed because of the snow and then Elliott Bay Bicycles for spokes. I picked up some DT Swiss, doubled butted 14/15 gauge spokes and brass nipples for the front wheel and built it up that night. Elliott Bay didn't have a whole lot in the way of rear hubs in stock so I didn't purchase anything there for the rear wheel. Everything I seem to read or see on the internet recommends Wheelsmith Spoke Prep but no bicycle shops seem to sell it. The guy from Elliott Bay says he doesn't apply anything to the spoke threads or maybe just a light thread locker and just a little lube where the nipple passed through the rim. Everyone else seems to use Linseed oil or Linseed mixed with something on the threads and again some lube on the nipple. Well, it may be wrong but I dabbed a little Blue Threadlocker on the threads. I've read mixed opinions about using this but I think it will be OK. The Threadlocker doesn't completely lock the threads. It's designed to hold a nut in place but still be turned when necessary which is the whole idea here anyway. I spent a long time working on the wheel but it went together quite nicely.

The following day was Thanksgiving. No bike shops open. We ate ham, not turkey.

Friday I took off for Velo again. Picked up a used Shimano Alivio FH-MC18-8 speed hub, some DT Swiss again and a spacer for my 7 speed cassette. Built up the wheel that night. This time I used linseed oil on the spoke threads & a little lube on the nipples. My cassette didn't seem to fit with that spacer. I went back the next day and as it turns out it's the correct spacer. I just needed to remove three little bolts from the back of the cassette which hold all the cogs together. Once the cogs are locked down on the hub body these aren't necessary anyway. While I was there one of their mechanics took a look over my wheel. Checked the spoke tension and the dish. The dish was almost perfect. Probably wouldn't matter but he recommended 1/4 turn on all spokes to the drive side and a full turn all around due to low spoke tension. Wow I thought the spokes were already getting too tight. He said do that, bring it back and I'll check over it again. Great guy. So I did and I brought back both wheels. This time the tension on the rear wheel looked good but it could be pulled 1/4 turn to the non drive side. The front wheel dish looked great but again low spoke tension. One full turn all around.

So I did that, rigged up the lights and went for a short night ride to Admiral and back. Saturday I did another night ride around Alki while Christine was getting her nail done. The lights are awesome. There's a lower walkway on the West end of Alki with no streetlights. You know the part, with all the BBQ's and stairs leading down to the beach/water. Well it's dark. That headlight lit up nearly the whole width of the walkway and about 60 feet ahead. People walking were turning around; I'm sure to see what silent car was rolling up on them.

I did detect a slight thumping sound from what I thought was my rear wheel. Strangely only at slower speeds, coasting with my weight on one pedal or the other, not the middle. This could be the tire rubbing on part of the fender and I know the tail light bolt was a little long so I cut it off today. Or it could be something in that used hub so I took it apart, cleaned and repacked it full of grease. The cups, cones and ball bearings all looked real good. I did get some hair out when cleaning and I don't think that much hair gets past the dust caps. I think someone did a sloppy job. It's been about 12 miles and so far the wheels are true. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I ride again.

Odo - 1339

Fenders, Wheels & Lights

2010-11-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting around here waiting for FedEx to deliver some hammered aluminum fenders from VO. 45mm. I may or may not install them today, depending on how dorky they look with my 25mm front and 28mm back tires. After FedEx gets here I plan to deposit $400 bucks that I got for Chromie into the bank. Then I'll call Peter White and order parts for a new wheel set I plan to build & lights.

This will be my first exploration into wheel building. Here are the details -

Velocity Chukker Rims in black with machined sidewalls. 36 hole. These are 5mm wider & 2mm taller then the Deep V. Super strong.
Schmitt SON 28 generator hub, polished silver for the front.
Black Spokes, silver nipples from the local bike shop.
Rear hub? Something from the local bike shop. Silver.
Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ CYO R N Plus for the front light. This is a 3 watt, 6 volt LED light with a standard on off switch & a stand light. The LED should last thousands of miles and they are currently brighter then the halogen lamps.
Busch & Müller Seculite Plus for the rear light.
and a truing stand from REI.

(Oh it's 12:10 and the fenders just arrived.)

Fenders weigh just 1 pound together with all the included hardware.

2010-11-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

Odo - 1300

2010-10-08T14:28:00.001-07:00

Odo - 1000

2010-09-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Odo - 830 miles
Seven hundred miles in the first month riding the new frame.
That's over 12,000 logged miles by bicycle.

2010-08-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

New record riding home -

5.89 miles
Max speed of 25.5 mph
Time - 23:08
Average speed 15.1 mph
Odometer - 758.4 mile

19 seconds faster then the last record. Slight tailwind. Drafted semi-truck some on Marginal. Heavier frame, saddlebags, front and back racks.

Last Weeks Hill Rides

2010-08-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday the 10th I rode down to Gig Harbor for a friends party. It's the same route Tim and I did about a year ago. West Seattle, Vashon, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Southworth. In fact, it was almost exactly one year ago.

This time I flew solo. I picked up some Vashon Island Coffee, along the way for myself and some wine for the party. Now I'm not really a wine drinker and I may not know what I'm talking about but this stuff was good. A red table wine. I may have to find another bottle somewhere or head back over there.

Anyway the ride was just as grueling as I remember it especially "that hill" (290 feet in .62 mile, ~8.9% grade). Accurate mileage reading for the ride this time - 48 miles with 3400 feet of elevation gain.

Three days later, Friday the 13th, Tim and I rode out to Snoqualmie Falls and back. This ride took us up a new hill that, notably, must be my all time hardest (383 feet in .85 mile, ~8.5% grade). On the way back I fell into some sort of zone and was just powering along, up hills and down. This ride turned out to be about 78 miles with about 3500 feet of elevation gain.

That's about 126 miles of hilly riding in one week. The beauty of all this is it's 3 days later and I have no knee pain. Is it the bike? Is it all the riding I've been doing? I don't know but I like it.

Seattle to Portland

2010-07-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

Day 1

105 miles
~7:45 riding time
Two records broken - rode further then ever at one time which was 90 miles, rode over 100 miles at one time which just a year ago I thought I would never do.

Day one started off cold. I didn't dress for the cold. I had that paper thin jacket that they gave to me, a jersey and some bike (aka lycra) shorts. Tim dropped myself and the luggage off at U-dub, then drove home and rode his bike back. In the mean time I loaded our bags on the truck bound for Chehalis. Riders were lining up at the start line and released when there were about 100 or so.

Tim showed up, we lined up and rode off. We rode maybe a mile and saw someone with a flat. This continued for the rest of the ride about every 5 miles or so. No kidding, flats galore! I just know these people are buying thin, lightweight racing tires with no puncture resistance what so ever. Why do they do this? To save a few ounces. Why save the ounces on the bike when you could stand to loose 20 pounds of fat? And how much time did you save on the side of the road fixing all those flats? I haven't had a flat in like 5000 miles!

There was no coffee at the start line and about 4 miles into the ride we stopped at a Starbucks for some. Apparently several other riders were expecting to see coffee at the start line too because they were also stopped. At about 20 miles we'd left Seattle and the temperature started warming up. This is also close to where we saw our first accident scene; ambulance already there.

Mile post 24 was the REI food stop. This was probably the best food stop. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was just the fact that it was the first food stop but it sort of sticks out in my mind.

Forty three miles in, just past Puyallup, is "the hill" that everyone was talking about. Sure it is a long hill. Sure it's 7% grade but it didn't really seem as bad as they all made it up to be.

Somewhere between Spanaway and McKenna was the only accident I actually witnessed. Everyone was signaling for train tracks and then this guy about 100 feet ahead just went down. I'm not even sure he even tried to stop his fall. It looked like he just stayed in his cycling position all the way to the ground. I yelled crash, we all slowed down and stopped. The dude was out cold. Someone pulled his bike out from between his legs which didn't really seem like the thing to do at the moment to me; aren't you not supposed to move injured people. Someone was calling 911 and a car appeared from somewhere with some STP staff I think. There was bright red blood on the ground and more coming from the guys head. He started to moan, got on his hands and knees and then off his hands. He must have caught his eye brow or something because I really didn't see any damage to his helmet. Anyway, there was nothing more we could do that wasn't already being done so we moved on.

For a while then we did a nice long straight clip, into the warm afternoon drafting behind 3 or 4 other guys. At Yelm we jumped on the Yelm-Tenino bike trail. A couple tandems cruised past us and we jumped into their draft and what a sweet draft it was. We were doing 25 to 28 mph. Then the tandems sort of took a break and dropped down to 16 - 17 mph. After a few minutes we passed them but soon they were back at it calling out,"Here we go again guys." We passed a lot of people. I called it the Tandem Express. We lost them at the Tenino mini stop.

It was a pretty leisurely 12 miles from there to Centralia which is just what I expected Centralia to be. Crowds, music, parties but most importantly crowded camping. Just 8 more miles down the road was our quiet little camp in Chehalis. Recreation Park is where our baggage truck stopped and where we stayed for the night. There was plenty of room on the baseball field for our tent. In a building that must be rented out for events was a nice pasta, salad dinner and dessert. All you could eat for 7 bucks. There is a pool at the park with showers for 3 dollars. All the hot water was gone but it was refreshing. Afterwards we walked to the local Safeway and bought a couple pint size beers. We said only one and it's a good thing the grocery wasn't right next door because then we would likely have gone back. It was expected but a little surprising to see people turning in around sundown (9pm) and so we did the same. I don't remember this but Tim says that at about 2am someone drove past the park honking and yelling, "Welcome STP riders!" In the morning they had a nice breakfast; eggs, pancakes, sausage, coffee; this time all for only 6 bucks. Then we packed up our little camp, placed our bags on the truck and hit the road.

Day 2

97 miles
~7:50 riding time

Total for ride

202.18 miles
Max speed - 34.5mph
Time - 15:22
Average speed - 13.1mph
Odometer - 243.8

Today did not start out so pretty. In fact it was down right rough. Somewhere during the first 10 miles the fleeting thought passed through my mind, "I'm not going to make it." I quickly dismissed it. I'll make it. First I had some pain in my ankles. What, my ankles? This gradually dismissed during the morning. The real problem, however, was in my knees, or rather, behind my knees. Not my normal knee pain. I think this is more of a muscle pain then connective tissue but I'm no doctor. There are a few factors I attribute this pain to: a slightly different riding position on the new bike (which I believe is actually a good thing as my regular knee pain is virtually gone), doing all my training at a very leisurely pace and not doing the first day at a leisurely pace at all, and never before riding more then 90 miles, at one time, which I did on day one. I literally could not stand up and pedal this day. I was pretty good in the saddle but there was too much pain standing up. To make matters worse the day started with rolling hills for several miles. I like to climb shorter hills out of the saddle. This forced me to down shift and slow down. Tim rode ahead. I had no problem with this. Slow and easy. You'll make it. Hell, I was still passing people and the country side is beautiful. It was also cold all morning. I saw one sign reading 58F. I didn't really bring any cold weather gear. I expected the sun to be out and it was overcast until about noon. My fingers went numb. My toes started to go numb. Each downhill was a joy and a test, relaxing yet cold.

Tim waited for me at the first food stop. He had already ate. The food lines were HUGE but at least they had food. Every stop today I'd get off the bike and limp over to the food. I could never stop for to long or I knew I wouldn't want to get back on the bike. We rode together, again for a while and then he drifted ahead. Finally we reached the Lewis and Clark Bridge; Oregon on the other side. There is hope. I will make it to Portland. They were escorting us across the bridge in large groups, I'm assuming because of the traffic. Now I heard people talking all day about this bridge. The gaps in the expansion joints, how dangerous it was to ride across, blah, blah, blah. I don't know where these people ride, or what type of weather they ride in but this bridge was nothing. Easy.

Mile 173. Last free food stop at the town of St. Helens. After this there was a nice long flat ride for miles and while I couldn't stand up and pedal I could still move pretty good in the saddle. I was passing a lot of people and then the sun came out. I let go of the bars, reached my arms out and embraced its warming rays. I felt empowered like Superman.

Coming into Portland was a bit annoying however. We zig zagged through neighborhoods and hit stoplight after stoplight. It was like, "Hey you're here . . . but you're not here." Even after rolling across the Steel Bridge it seemed to take forever although it was less then a mile. The last mile. The finish line was nice, however. There were lots of people ringing bells and cheering you in. Tim made it in only about an hour before me. This actually worked out in my favor because he rode to the hotel and was just heading back with his Dad and a Van to pick me and our bags up.

At the hotel I got checked in, showered, had a nice dinner with Tim's parents in the city, and the next ten hours were all mine. We got some nice hot rates at The Nines and I was never so happy to have a hotel room all to myself. No alarms in the morning, no cats meowing, no one else waking up early and disturbing me, no outside noise from open windows. "Tim what time is check out? Noon? I'll see ya then. Goodnight." Room temperature, perfect. Pillows in proper arrangement. Big thick comforter over my head. Phone, silent mode. I think I slept for about nine hours, woke up, rolled over and slept some more. I woke up around nine or ten, checked my phone. There were little icons all across the top. Email, missed phone call, text message, voice message. Nice while it lasted.

Some other statistics for the ride

Uphill distance 30.87 miles
Uphill altitude 1,951 feet (That's noth'in)
Maximum altitude 463 feet
One 3rd and final personal record - 238 miles in one week.

I continued to ride to work over the next week and my legs finally came back to me. The bike handled like a dream. It's what really got me through this. I got many comments and a lot of compliments on it. It's really a great looking bike and will only look better. Almost all the other bikes out there looked the same to me. Blah blah. This one's a classic.

Birth of a Bicycle

2010-07-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Monday my frame finally came in from Rivendell. I spent all day building up the bike, cannibalizing parts from Musette. When it was all said and done I got to thinking just what parts were still original from Musette. Five. The bars, the right crank, the bottom bracket (showing wear), and the derailleurs. That's it.

At about 11 o'clock, Monday night I took it out for a short 2 mile test ride. One thing I noticed right away is this frame really soaks up the road bumps. I think it's either because of the wider wheelbase or that sweet taper in the front fork. Possibly just frame geometry.

Other advantages of this new frame: it has mounts for racks, fenders and water bottle cages; clearance for wider tires and fenders; mounts cantilever brakes which muck up less in the mud, and again, can handle wider tires and fenders; no toe overlap which almost caused me to crash on numerous occasions; it's my correct size; it's a lugged chromoly steel frame which will last years and years, is super strong, and can be repaired; it's geometry gives me a more relaxed riding position.

I've been doing some short rides, working out the glitches and I did some light paint work around the lugs. I think I'm ready for Seattle to Portland. The bike is ready anyway. Tim and I picked up our packets just today.

Musette is officially decommissioned. There's not much left of her. A frame, fork and some cantilever brakes. It's the end of an era. 11332 miles rode on that bike.

I've restarted my odometer at zero and so far I've 38.5 miles on the Hillborne.

Sam Hillborne Shipped

2010-07-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

Called Rivendell today to see if the Hillborne's were in. They are. I paid mine off and they shipped it out today. It should be here by Monday the 12th. STP is on the 17th. I should be able to get it ready by then. I'm going to start work stripping and preping parts from Musette in the next few days here so all I'll have to do when it arrives is bolt on parts and re-dish the rear wheel. I'm not sure but I think I'll need a new chain, unless I have some extra links lying around. The chain stays are quite a bit longer on the Hillborne.

ROTD

2010-06-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ninety miles today. Again this is now the longest ride I've ever done and with almost noooooo knee pain. This could be because of many factors.

My seat is about 1/8th of an inch lower then it was for the last year.
I rolled on the foam roller before riding.
I stretched and massaged my leg at about 20 - 25 mile intervals.
I pointed my toes down slightly when pushing hills and big gears. There is a pain that develops in the back left side of the knee in the tendon there. Normally I push hills heel down and I think this adds stretch to that tendon.
I took more weight off the bike. Rack, saddle bags. I even forgot my tool kit.

I ate 3 cliff bars, drank 2 bottles of water and 2 bottles of Gatorade. I did the same route, out and back, like last time but added 5 more miles to the end. Strangely I burned only 100 more calories then last weeks 80 mile ride.

Distance 90.06 miles
Odo - 11237 miles
Max speed - 31 mph
Time riding - 7:21:25
Total time - 8:25:27
Average speed - 12.2 mph
Calories burned - 4862, 55% from fat
Average heart rate 111 - 60% of max

ROTD

2010-06-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

Rode 80 miles today. To date the longest ride I've ever done. The knee did not hurt as bad as my 75 mile ride but I didn't have as many hills and I carried about 8 pounds less weight (camera, lock, leather bags). Also when the knee started up at about 60 miles I lowered the seat 1/4 inch. This seemed to help. I rode up Burke-Gilman, down the Sammamish River trail, over the Marymoor Park connection and 5 miles down the East Lake Sammamish trail then the whole thing in reverse.

Distance - 80.16 miles
Odo - 11075 miles
Max Speed 30 mph
Average Speed - 12.7 mph
Time riding - 6:19:52
Total time with pit stops and latte breaks - 7:20:18
Calories burned - 4778, 55% from fat
Average Heart Rate - 117, 63%
Max Heart Rate - 158, 85%

Sam Hillborne

2010-06-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Talked to Keven from Rivendell again today. The Waterford Hillborne’s should be delivered the end of June which is now. I’m on the top of the list for frames to be mailed out. He says Waterford's torches are blazing as we speak and they are anxious to get the it done because they have another big project after that. OK, once again I'm very hopeful I'll get this frame by July and be riding it by STP.

ROTD

2010-06-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Rode 55 miles today. Down to the end of Interurban South and back. Discovered a Blue Heron nest and a Osprey nest. I could be wrong but this one appears to be feeding off someone's goldfish.

ROTD

2010-06-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Rode 75 miles today with Tim. After several weeks of no training I felt pretty good . . . until the last 5 miles. Then my knee started in and it really didn't like those last 5 miles. This is the farthest ride I've ever done. I really need to step up my training. I'll have to do 25 miles more then this for STP and then another 100 the next day. See the route here - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=53315

Distance - 75.20
Max speed - 31 mph
Time - 6:25:43
Average Speed - 11.7
Odo - 10838

ROTD

2010-04-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Rode another 50 today. Knee feels much better. Rode out Burke-Gilman 25 miles and then back home. Humped it up Avalon pretty quick. Great weather. Warm. Checked out Counterbalance Bicycles along the trail. Nice shop. Cool people.

Dst - 50.37 miles
Odo - 10512
Mx - 30 mph
Tm - 4:09:00
Av - 12.1 mph

2960 calories, 55% from fat.
Max HR - 178 or 96%
Av HR - 120 or 65%

ROTD

2010-04-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Rode the Interurban trail south again, this time with Tim. Knee feels good. Tim and I decided we were going to register tonight. I was going to wait until tomorrow, when Christine got paid, but then I saw, on their website that they are 98% full. I called Tim and we both registered immediately. So, now I'm committed. Now if I can just keep up the training and not injure myself.

Stats for today -
Time - 4:09:09
Average speed - 12.7 mph (Up 1 mph from last time on Interurban)
Distance - 52.84 miles
Max - 35 mph
Odo - 10450

And from the Heart Rate Monitor -
Calories burned - 3060, 50% from fat
Max HR - 163 or 88%
Average HR - 125 or 68%

2010-04-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

20 miles today which puts me just 2 miles under the weekly goal of 130 although I did not do two back to back 50's. Rode to work for the last 2 days.

Next week cuts back for a bit. Only 90 miles. A 20 then a 50/20.

ROTD

2010-04-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did the same 50 mile loop as last Wednesday with Tim this time. The weather forecast was partly cloudy with chance of sprinkles. Well that's how it started out but by 3pm it was just plain rain. Rode the last 6 miles into the wind and rain. Hands got cold, numb. Toes got cold, numb. Today is supposed to be 70% chance of showers and more wind. I'm thinking about riding the Interurban again but I might just pass. I don't know, the weather is tricky. Right now it's sunny and mostly clear. I'm supposed to ride another 50 today.

The knee is tricky too. Sometimes it feel perfectly fine and sometimes like crap. Interurban is pretty flat. Still thinking about it.

Time 4:25:35
Average 11.4 mph
Distance 50.87
Max 31 mph
Odo 10315

Sam's & Waterford

2010-04-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Did the Mercer loop today with Rene and Tim. Pushed the knee a little bit more then I probably should have but we'll see. So far it's been holding up pretty well.

Total miles - 34.20
Max mph - 29
Time - 3:10:20
Average - 10.7 mph
Odo - 10264

Shot Rivendell an email a few days ago about the Sam Hillborne's and when they were coming in. They said, about a month. Grrr. But I found out that some of the Sam's were being made in the US and you could get a US Sam for an extra $250. So I called them up and asked if I could change my order to specify this. They made it so and confirmed my suspicions as to where they were being made, Waterford. :) They said that the order will take about as long as the Sam's from Taiwan, even though they aren't being shipped as far, because they have to place the order to Waterford and then they build it. Whatever, fine with me. I want an American made frame!

ROTD - West Seattle, Interurban

2010-04-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today's ride took me down part of the Green River and Interurban trails through South Park, Tukwila, Kent and Auburn. I thought Interurban would be a real boring, straight ride but I was pleasantly surprised with the bird life and wet lands.

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=48546

Another beautiful mix of weather today. More fluffy shower storm clouds with sun breaks although today there were actually showers to go along with them. I didn't bring my rain jacket (the weather said partly sunny, nothing about showers) and took shelter under bridges about 3 times until the rain passed. This usually took only like 5 minutes.

Rode into a South wind all the way out and was looking forward to riding back but by that time the spotty showers were making the wind blow multiple directions. Grr. Mostly it was with me.

Both knees are a little sore but it's more like a post work out soreness, not really pain. I may sign up for STP tonight or tomorrow. This is more miles then I've ever rode in 2 consecutive days

Distance - 50.67 miles
Max Speed - 29 mph
Time - 4:19:02
Average speed - 11.7 mph
Odo - 10229

ROTD - 50 Mile Loop

2010-03-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

Just did a almost perfect 50 mile loop. http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=48498 West Seattle, Downtown, Fremont, Burke-Gilman, Kirkland, Bellevue, I-90, International District, West Seattle.

2775 feet of elevation gain.
50.79 miles
30.5 mph max
4:28:02 time riding
11.4 mph average
10178 miles on the odometer

Stopped to help some big, fat guy put his rear wheel back on. He managed to change the flat but had trouble figuring out how the chain went through the derailleurs. Beautiful day to ride. Little wind, mostly cloudy with fat, low hanging, Arizona "monsoon" clouds. Warm sun breaks. Ate a little something about every 10-15 miles. Didn't bonk. Wasn't starving this time. Thinking, planning another 50 tomorrow before work. Knee - OK. We'll see tomorrow.

50/50

2010-03-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just sent a email to my friend. This is what it said -

"This week I need to two 50 mile rides back to back. I just google mapped a nearly perfect 50 mile loop from my house up to Burke-Gilman, Kirkland, Bellevue, and back along I-90. I'm calling it the 50/50, you know like the 50/50 ice cream bars. Not to be confused with Mad Dog 20/20. I'm either going to do it Wednesday/Thursday or Thursday/Friday. I'm not liking the 100% chance of showers on Friday so I'll probably go tomorrow. As always you are welcome to join. If I make it through these two rides without no knee problems then I'm signing up for STP."

More Fixie Gear Stuff

2010-03-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

I changed the rear cog on Chromie from the stock 16 it came with to an 18. This allowed me to replace the front chain ring from that crappy BMX 44 back to the elegant 48 it came with and allow the same (actually even easier) gear ratio.

New Chain

2010-03-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Checked my chain for wear. Used the Park tool and ruler method. Time for replacement. So this chain lasted about 2500 miles. About 2 months short of a year.

2010-03-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

Did the Mercer Island loop again today. I was going to ride straight home but didn't have enough time and had to ride straight to work. I have to remember these rides take a long time and they're getting longer. Thirty four miles total. 100 for the week. Goal reached. Knee feeling even better. Pushing it a little more. Lots of cyclists on Mercer and the I-90 bridge for this sunny Saturday. Saw one raccoon. Got hungry as hell!!

2010-03-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Rode 40 miles today. 30 miles before work and 10 miles home. The knee was feeling sore at the start but seemed to work itself out. Gonna do another 36 tomorrow to complete 100 for the week.

Rode past a bike shop in Fremont, Free Range Cycles. They had a bunch of Surly's out front so I pulled over to check them out. When I walked around the other side of the shop there it was! There was my bike!! The Rivendell Sam Hillborne, in orange, with just about all the same parts that I've purchased. So I went inside and lo & behold there were like 3 more. So I asked them if they sold just the frames. They said yes but, just like me, they were waiting on Rivendell to get the next shipment in April. But it was nice to actually see the bike in person. It looks even better then in photos.

2010-03-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Rode 24.78 miles today and completed my goal of 80 miles for the week. Did the downtown, Discovery Park, Magnolia Bluffs, return run again. Knee still good without pushing it.

Rolled the odometer over 10,000 miles.

Been stretching and using a foam roller on my IT bands for about a month now.

2010-03-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Rode 34 miles today. Knee good, mostly. Still taking it easy, for the most part.

The 700 x 40c tires, although they are technically the correct size for my rims, will not work. Maybe the rims are to narrow for that wide of a tire, I don't know. They look good going on. At low pressure the bead is set nicely. Even at max pressure (85psi) everything looks good but within 2 minutes the tire will slip of the rim and blow out the tube with the sound of a small caliper firearm.

Tomorrow I need to ride 22 miles to complete training for the week. This ride will roll my odometer over 10,000 miles.

Late November 2010. These tires seem to work just fine with my new rims, Velocity Chukkers. The rims are 24mm wide. I suspected this was the problem with the other rims. They are just too narrow for those wide tires to seat the bead right. Unfortunately these tires are too wide for my hammered alumium fenders.

2010-03-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

700 x 40c tires, retro 40's style water bottle cages, red jockey wheels all came today. That was fast!
Riding with Tim tomorrow. Going to be a beautiful day.

2010-03-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Rode to work twice so far this week. Knee is feeling much better. Not going to push it though. I'm taking off tomorrow (on the bus) and going to do two back to back 30's.

Also ordered the water bottle cages tires and red jockey wheels for the Sam Hillborne.

2010-03-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Rode to work the Bike Expo & then home for a total of 21 miles today. Took it easy. Knee still a little zingy.

93 miles for the week.

Odo - 9925.9

2010-03-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

Rode to work this morning (cold and pouring rain) and then did a little ride up Burke-Gilman with some errands downtown (just cold) for a total of 32.91 miles. The knee isn't feeling great but it's not feeling worse. At the moment it feels better then it did 4 days ago so maybe that's a good sign. I only need one more 28 mile ride to meet this weeks training guideline. I may just ride to work, the bike expo and home tomorrow and leave it at that but if I feel really good I'll do the whole 28.

Next steps back a bit and only calls for 80 miles of riding and I think I won't do a mile more.

Odo - 9904.7

2010-03-10T16:56:00.000-08:00

Took today, yesterday off of the bike. Giving the knees a break. Taking tomorrow too. Rode the bus. Yuck! The bus is up to $2 plus dollars now. I read something that said you should only raise your training level like 10% a week. I raised mine 100% so I guess this break is in order. Still planning to do the recommended miles for the week with 2 longer rides Friday and Saturday.

B-17 Standard - ROTD

2010-03-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ride of the day is sort of the same as Saturday. Up the waterfront, Magnolia, Discovery Park, Magnolia Bluffs but then into Fremont for coffee. Some sun and some snow flurries (very light) on the hills. Cold.

Picked up a B-17 standard, along the way, at Elliott Bay Bicycles. Hopefully this wider saddle will take care of my saddle sore but, of course, I have to break it in. Let 9840 be the starting mileage for this saddles break-in.

Also some mile knee pain in left knee. Took it REAL easy. Debating weather or not to actually take the bus to work tonight.

Distance 27.09 miles
Odo - 9859.7

Update - Rode to work but I'm thinking about taking the next 2 days off. This means the bus.
39 miles total for the day.

Sam Status

2010-03-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Just called Rivendell. Seems the Sam Hillborne's, in my size, won't be in until April sometime. Bummer but at least I'm not anxiously awaiting. Looks like it will be easy to get 10,000 miles on Musette now and I should be able to save up enough for the other parts that I really want to put on it.

ROTD

2010-03-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

The ride of the day was probably the most beautiful, scenic route in Seattle. Waterfront, Magnolia, Discovery Park, Magnolia Bluffs, Alki.

Left knee seems a little tender. Maybe because of the increased mileage this week. Also ass is a little sore.
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=47203

2010-03-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Odo - 9800

STP (Seattle to Portland)

2010-03-04T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's been 2 years since I last put any serious thought into riding STP but I am again. In fact, I'm pretty committed. Five factors made me decide to go for it again.

My bike is set up in a more comfortable riding position/proper fit and my new frame which should be here this month should fit even better.
I know how much my knee can take, I know to spin more and power less.
I discovered my IT bands are tight but I'm correcting the issue with a foam roller and stretches. This could have also been part of the issue with my knee.
My training focus will be more on mileage and less on performance thus reducing the risk of injury.
I'm a better rider.

I downloaded a training guide line of how many miles you should be riding each week from the STP website. For the week of February 15-22 I was supposed to ride 53 miles including two 10 mile rides and Chilly Hilly. Between commuting to work, errands and Chilly Hilly I rode 107.
This week, Feb 23-28 I'm supposed to ride 80 (one 20 and two 30's). I've been working a lot so I took a long way home, today, to make a 19 mile ride. I'm going to try to get in a couple 30's or a 40 on the weekend.

Chilly Hilly 2010

2010-02-28T16:27:00.000-08:00

2675 feet of climb.
Time - 2:17:53
Av - 14.1 mph
Miles - 32.63
Max 42 mph
Total miles from house - 43.85
Odo - 9737.6

Route - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=46987

Rode the whole thing by myself. Tim had to work late the night before and couldn't make it. I met one of Christine's old co-workers and his crew there but the first thing they did was have a prayer then he said he was going to stop at his mom's house along the way. Ditched 'em.

Started drafting this team and stayed with them for 1/2 of the ride. Took a break at the 1/2 way point. Got about 4 bites into my baked potato and the team took off. So I spent the rest of the ride hauling ass trying to catch up with them. I only caught one of them but I finished 36 minutes faster then 2 years ago.

I got a lot of great comments on my bag and Musette. This maybe her last "club" ride.

ROTD

2010-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=46897
16.5 miles round trip to my allergy doctor and back.

1488 feet of elevation gain.

Odo - 9681

2010-02-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

Odo- 9600.

Just 400 to go.

ROTD - West Seattle, Mercer Island Loop

2010-02-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=46214#
Distance - 39.02
Max - 30.5mph
Time - 3:39:30
Average - 10.7mph
Odo - 9518.5
Elevation gain - 2921 feet

Slightly different route home

2010-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Did a little twist on my route home today. When I got to the top of Yancy instead of turning on busy Avalon I kept going straight up Andover all the way past California to 44th. Very steep, topping out at 434 feet but nice quiet streets.
http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=45980

ROTD (Ride of the Day)

2010-01-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

Today's ride, done with the heartrate monitor for comparison to yesterdays. From home, to Jacobsen, Alki, California, back home. http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=45762

417 feet of elevation gain
8.41 miles
Max 29 mph
Time 49:24
Average 10.2 (leisurely ride)
Odo 9418.9
442 calories, 55% from fat
Max heart rate 160, 86%
Average 107, 58%

Ride of the day

2010-01-28T15:18:00.001-08:00

A friend, Ryan, is Tucson has been doing these daily rides on his carbon fiber excuse for a bike. His latest average was over 16mph. I looked at his route and created my own. Sort of similar. Here's the stats.

The route - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=45732 There was about 922 feet of elevation gain.

From the heart rate monitor -

1263 Calories burned, 30% from fat
Max heart rate, 173, 94% of max.
Average heart rate, 156, 84% of max.

From the bike computer -

Time - 1:08:48
Average speed - 17.3 mph. Was 18.4 until I went up the hill.
Max. speed - 31 mph
Distance - 19.97 miles
Odo - 9410.5

The temperature was about 50 F. There was no wind. Light overcast. I took all bags, lights and tool kits off Musette giving her a total weight of 32 pounds. I wore my 6 Tage jersey, tights, bike shorts, Under Armour and a thermal top. Felt good for the whole ride.

Ride of the day

2010-01-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today's ride around West Seattle with Tim - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=45722

Max - 32.5 mph
Time - 2:45:38
Average - 9 mph
Distance - 25.16 miles
Odo - 9390.5
Elevation Gain - 1768 feet

9360

2010-01-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

9360 miles now. Getting closer to 10,000. Still have until February/March.

Balloon Delivery

2010-01-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

I brought some balloons home from work for Christine. I'd been talking about doing this for years. This was a blast. People all the way were cheering and taking my photo. At about 7 miles per hour the balloons level out behind you. They have a lot of drag. The fastest I traveled was 16mph down the other side of the West Seattle Bridge. I would totally do this again.

Blog Hits

2010-01-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

Before I privatized my bike blog I was averaging 10-15 hits a day with just over 17200 hits total over the last few years. A little over 600 visits a month.

Also, since I'm not necessarily posting information for other people I deleted many posts.

Privacy

2010-01-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've been turning over the thought in my mind of changing the privacy settings on the blog so only people I choose may view it. Thus my blog will be more for family/friends and become more of a journal/log about my rides, etc. Many posts I will probably delete completely. Reasons for this? Well everyone in the world who stumbles across here doesn't need to know my business and I've come to the conclusion that this is never really going to be a that great a resource for cyclists. They could find the information elsewhere.

Ride of the Day

2010-01-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

Ride of the day - http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=44976
500+ feet of elevation gain.

7 miles.

Bike Repair Stand

2009-12-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

I finally got a bike repair stand.

Northgate Ride

2009-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=44644

Ride to Northgate Mall to buy Christine a GPS for Christmas.

1559 feet of elevation gain.

29 miles.

Parts

2009-12-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

Brakes and brake levers came for Brimstone today. I installed the friction shifters and brake levers on Musette to get a feel for them. The canti brakes will of course have to wait for the Sam Hillborne.

Bicycle Repair Man

2009-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

Shifters

2009-12-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Bar end shifters from Velo Orange came yesterday. Rivendell also has them but they are charging $88 bucks as compared to Velo's $60.These are friction "silver" shifters from Diatech.

Parts

2009-12-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

I ordered parts for the Hillborne yesterday. Cantilever brakes, brake levers & bar end shifters. A local bike shop mechanic says I can put up to 48mm tires on my current rims. I'm thinking 700 x 38. Not sure if I want some nobbies or smooth.

Also got word from Rivendell that the next shipment of Hillbornes will have double top tubes for my size, 60cm.

Arboretum Ride

2009-12-17T23:12:00.001-08:00

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=44550
1465 feet elevation gain.

24 miles.

Green River Trail Closure

2009-12-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=45050
Elevation Graph is 1 way.

So, having the week off, I committed myself to making a 40 mile ride yesterday even though everything seemed to be against me. First it was raining but I knew it would be raining a lot more in the next few days. Then I got downstairs and forgot my helmet. No biggie. Back up stairs. The plan was West Seattle to the Green River Trail and then back up the Interurban Trail.

Lucky for me I only got a block away before I remembered my map. Not so lucky for me I was about 5 miles away when I realized I had no cell phone. Now this wouldn't have bothered me to much, in fact I wouldn't carry my cell phone with me nearly as often as I do if it wasn't for my wife. I almost quit the ride right then and there. Fortunately the Green River trail passes right by our credit union's main office and they have a courtesy phone. OK I can leave my wife a message and she'll know why I'm not returning any of her texts or calls.

Things started looking up. The rain stopped. I was able to shed a few layers of clothing. I made it though all the industrial zones and freeways and was now on the peaceful Green River. Just then, as I entered Southcenter, the trail was closed. Why is it closed? They used it to build a 3 foot wide sand bag wall in case the river floods. That was the last straw. My 40+ mile ride turned into barley 30.

I did get a few shots of a beaver. Something I never saw in the wild in Arizona.

Reservation

2009-12-12T01:45:00.000-08:00

I called up Rivendell and put down $300.00 to reserve a Sam Hillborne frameset today. Their next shipment is due in Feburary/March. I wonder if I can rack up 10,000 miles on Musette by then. She's got a little over 9000 now.

Derailleurs and Chain Wrap Capacity

2009-11-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

Back on November 12th I posted about chain size and how mine changed in relation to the different chain rings/rear cassette I installed on Musette. See - Chain Length

In my continuing drive train saga I learned about the derailleur cage and chain wrap capacity. Chain wrap capacity is how much chain the derailleur will take up as you shift through the gears. Sheldon Brown has a good article on it here - http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ca-g.html#capacity The derailleur cage is that long part on the rear derailleur through which the chain passes containing the two little pulleys (jockey and tension pulleys). From my understanding, generally the longer the cage the more chain wrap capacity your derailleur has.

I could have got into trouble with this when I replaced my small chain ring and the rear cassette as this gave me a greater range. Fortunately I didn't exceed my rear derailleur's capacity. I was, however, having problems with the jockey pulley riding on the largest gear (28t) in the cassette. This wasn't so much a problem in riding/shifting but would eventually prematurely wear out the jockey pulley. Normally the "B" screw on the back of the derailleur could be adjusted for this but mine was already at it's limit. I found a solution (Downgearing Your Bike) in Sheldon Brown's site. Use a larger screw or take the "B" screw out, turn it over, and screw it in again. You gain the added few millimeters from the head of the screw. I'm sure there is a limit to this in the derailleur but it worked for me.