Finally got the set-up on the new bike to a point I truly like. I’ve already smoked the tires. I’m gonna have to get a pic of the tire smoke to share with you all. The build is working out well. Very aggressive fixie. You can’t see me now, but I’m cheezin’ .
This is the only clip i have from the Bike Party. Way to go guys…. it was a good time.
Just built this up yesterday and got hit durring my test ride. Surprisingly the bike seems okay. Its got a few scuffs, broke a pedal and had to re-tension the rear wheel. I put it together from parts i already had around. Lucked out to have a ratio that worked on this frame’s vertical dropouts. I miss my steel fixie, but in my situation this should work out just fine.
Tools For Routes & Weather
*Google Earth your possible route options. This can save you a lot of heartache. It’s not fun to waste your energy away on your way to work for a double shift in morning rain.
-when you have the time, its still good to explore possible route options. alleyways, certain bike paths, and some other infrastructure can be that “shortcut” you’ve been dreaming of and might not be so visible on Google Earth.
*@ Weather.com : I always check the hourly details. You might have to be willing to schedule your commute around weather a little bit. DO NOT RIDE YOUR BIKE NEAR AREAS OF LIGHTNING!!!!!! other than that, you may find yourself riding on your merry way, geared up comfortably in the middle of a snow downpour, the only person who braved the snow and ice. Some of my best times on the bike are when the town shuts down due to snow in particular, and there i am, riding with a grin from ear to ear as i notice im the only person out doors. As far as the rain, just know it’s coming.
*Summer rain tip- dress down. I know it’s not usually the cool thing to do in town, but lycra kits are the way to go. If your adding waterproof layers in the summer, you are going to suffocate yourself into being drenched, not in rain, but sweat. You will overheat. If its warm out the spandex/lycra kit will be more comfortable in a BIG WAY and there’s less to wick up water. towel off when your changing into your clothes for your shift, or event, or whatever. hang your wets off your bag, and they will be dry for your ride home.
*if you dont have a weatherproof bag, line your bag with a trashcan liner and then put your belongings in it.
-sidenote- riding in bad weather automatically makes you a bad-ass.
DESTROY!
Finally got the ol’ Paramount ready for Viers to level up. The wheels/tires/bars/stem change saved some weight, but more importantly diminished significant rolling resistance, fits him much better, and added much needed stiffer wheel response for attacking those climbs we love to ride so much. Clinch Mountain is next in the crosshairs but i hear he is setting goals for the Mountain Empire Pink Ribbon Century this year. Clinch is about 3000ft of climbs, but MEPRS is 12,000+ and that means its TOUGH….. i should know. Cody is in on it too and i feel there may be more of my pack harboring the same ambitions. Id love to see PT and his Bridgestone cresting the bigger climbs with us. Tipton , im sure, is down for the suffer-fest. Our rag-tag bunch is going to have to spend more saddle time in these Great Smokeys training this year. I’m looking forward to it!!!!!
To Patch a Flat or Knot
I’ve been doing morning road rides with a couple buddies three times a week. Its been rough but were getting better. My homeboy ‘PT’ keeps puking, and ‘Viers’ is in the process of quitting cigarettes. If that wasnt rough enough, PT busted a tube on the Bridgestone the other day, and our other buddy was out of his patching supplies. Luckily im a nut and wont hesitate to do whatever drastic measures it takes to make it home. So i looked at the double snakebite in the tube (thats right! he bottomed out hard! Damn Michellin Dynamics!!). I said f-it and cut it in half and tied it in a knot and re-installed the tube in its new configuration. We got it to nearly 70psi and rode up the Roan Groan to make it home where i fixed his issue up properly. So, if ever u have a flat so bad that patches wont do, but u have at least a travel pump,… 1. cut it (i rubbed the damaged area on the corner of a curb) 2. knot it, yup.. just tie the two ends together. 3. Re-install it making sure that the bead of the tire still lines up with the hook of the rim. 4. SLOWLY add air till u got enough to at least ride without damaging a rim. Your PSI will be very low….. but u will roll as long as ur easy on it. 5. once ur home throw the old tube away and replace it with some fresh rubber. oh and a little extra advise….. Continental Ultra Gator Skins. <— now that ive been riding them ill never have to smell another Dynamic on my wheels again!
Another ride leaves the nest. Tange 2 Focus road touring bike. Tasty original build + tasty 27” tires + my own little touches = one seriously fab rando. All that was once matt tarnished metals now shines bright.
Sometimes (most of the time) I’m on my bike because im going somewhere and poor weather has to be waned away with proper gear and a change of clothes. Other times i just let loose. who really cares if im wearing a white shirt with a rooster tail up the back? or if my jeans acquire damp seams? or if the only clean place on my face is where my glasses shielded the road grime? Sometimes i just don’t mind. its part of the experience. i don’t go out of my way to get mucked up, but i surly don’t whine about it when it happens, and boy it sure does happen sometimes. Special thanks to Justin @ Southernvelo. Keep these great shots coming, man.
This is just a crazy, surreal, picture a buddy took of me shortcutting. I have a buddy who used to say to me all the time, “okay, a ride sounds good, but none of that lance armstrong shit” (referring to lance’s off-roading in le’ tour some years ago). I found some 700x30c cyclocross tires that are going to have to be installed for the upcoming cold season. I can’t get enough shenanigans outta my bike experience if i just stick to the shoulders of roads. It keeps things interesting.
When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man’s convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man’s brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.
Stir Crazy, le Tour, And An Eerie Moment of Clarity
Friday i gouged my shin and ate shit. I havent gotten a tempo up since. Hell, i havent ridden since. I tried walking my dog. I dont do well when i cant spin my energy away. I cant pace anymore, because thats fatiguing my leg without any payoff whatsoever. So, i sit, and watch le Tour. I am a pretty big Saxo Bank fan. The Shlecks stand out in tours, but id have to say im a bigger fan of Cancellera. Since Fabian isnt an overall hopeful, I have been rooting for the young hopeful Andy and found myself yelling at the t.v. when his chain derailed as the mountain was starting to gain gradient.
I dont race. I want to be a strong rider well into old age, and putting race risk and training pressure together can fatigue one’s longevity. As i watch this battle in the Pyrenees it sets in again. that feeling deep down that surfaces when i, myself, am riding a good climb. i love the mountains. some good climbs call me out to ride just down the road from my home. These are the Appalachians, not the Alps or the Pyrenees, but its an array of climbs non the less, and i love riding here.
Bike tricks can fatigue ones longevity…….. duh!!!! i love developing the skill to do the things i do and progress in the street scene. Problem is that developing trick skills and progressing happens on a steep learning curve taught on a trial by error basis. i have few errors, but as i progress what errors i do have come packaged with an ever escalating risk factor. on top of that, i quit bmx and then downhill mountain riding for the same reasons. i dont want to add any more permanent damage to my already lucky to be alive body, and i dont want to kill this frame. i cant believe the ripper is still alive. its aluminum. last time i was on the slalom course i broke an aluminum pugeot mountain bike in half. I cracked a cannondale. then tacoed a buddies rear wheel and bent his frame. i stopped. it was a sign. tricks are seriously cool, but not so smart.
as i sit here watching the deep red gashes pulsate with pain i have all of this on my mind and cant stop thinking about my road bike and the open roads after a couple or more hours in the saddle.
Road Bikes Are Preferred For Daily Commuting
Road bikes are better than other bikes. There it is. I said it. Specifically, road bikes are better for commuting than other bikes. Of course road bikes (were gonna call this “rb” from now on) are better for road racing and road touring. Just the same way track bikes are the best thing on a velodrome and mountain bikes are best thing on mountain trails. The thing is, there are a lot more options out there. Many bicycle companies have categories specifically for this application. Truth is, i believe it is a marketing trick. Ive listened to Dave at my local bike shop time and time again selling path bikes and “hybrids” to customers new to cycling who want to commute around our town. Path bikes are for greenways and to tote around toy size dogs or even to waste the day away putting around to cafes etc. (which is the best way to use this type of bike and a spare afternoon). Hybrids come in two main flavors. Mountain bikes with faster drivetrains (for a mountain bike anyway) and road tread tires and road bikes with fatter tires and mountain bike handlebars. Now either of these bikes serves a purpose. The first is to sell to those who want a tough big boy bike. We are raised with overly masculine and overly feminine ideals. The mountain bike style hybrid is the testosterone package just the same way as 50 Cent was packaged for aggressive adolescent boys using overly masculine, homo-erotic imagery. These bikes are heavy, slow, and lack agility, but they give off a more “tough” image compared to the petite frame of a rb. Truth is i’d rather rollerblade. The second is more comparable to the rb family, but they are usually equipped with a lower end grouppo and less than awesome materials. If you want a road bike with flat bars….. put flat bars on a road bike. It makes sense for a lot of commuters.
So lets say you want to commute. You want to do it quickly. You want to have energy left after you get to point B to be able to function. You want versatility. You need to bring your laptop, or gear for hockey practice, or some tools for work, or whatever it is that is required for you to live your life. You need reliability. Two words : ROAD BIKE . Its tried and true. It’s nothing new. The big thing is that its fast. It can be equipped for versatility in the form of wide range of gears, cargo solutions, tire treads and dimensions, a variety of wheelsets, a variaty of bars, accessories, and too much other things to list. Its efficient in that the versatile gear ratios and light weight let you set whatever pace is good for you. Don’t think that fat seated cruiser, path, or hybrid is going to be more comfortable. Does hauling more weight at slow speeds sound comfortable to you? Many people get path and “hybrid” bikes and feel so defeated when a roadie blows their doors off (metaphorically, of course). The fact is your bike might weigh twice as much as his. At those percentages it becomes obvious that you feel worn out because you just wasted your energy toting your anchor around.
My main point is this : Dont let the industry, including, but not limited to, floor sales reps. and product catalogs tell you this new path or hybrid is the only commuter out there and the one for you to buy when, Truth is, you will get more for your money buying that old road bike selling on consignment over new commuter advertised packages. Of course there is more to look into if you want to avoid a lemon and get the best deal out there, but im not going into all that right now.
My mission is to promote urban cycling, commuting, and sport touring in East Tennessee and beyond. 
