This shows why you should stop to take a picture.

There was supposed to be a pic of the vaunted VW Variant, but apparently the camera didn't cycle fast enough to take the picture, and I didn't notice because I was in motion!



The fabulous Schwinn 1500 floor pump, with pretty blue hose, presta/schraeder head, and rusty bottom, being held in the manly Park repair holder arm thingie stand.

I forgot to the Weekly Mileage Totals yesteday, so here they are.

Weekly Mileage Totals:

Schwinn -- 22.97
Jamis -- 21.92

The chunk of metal in question that caused the flat last Thurday the 23rd.

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Also on the 23rd, I seem to have mistaken a Morris Minor Woody for a pickup!! And as for the OTHER Morris Minor, it seems to be a Mini... I think there is a Renault Daphine in the drivway also, but there is a big tree in the way.

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I got the floor pump thing soldered, with only two blisters, and everything works fine so far! Hold your collectives breaths!

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A couple a poor pictures showing the bikepath/river renovations in Santee. Looks to be quite a project. The river bed is still full of crud, however.

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I saw these two forlorn-looking fancy shoes along the side of the road near the start of the Padre Dam bikepath place. I wonder how they got there?

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I am not going to mention the hooded skateboarder at Lake Murray that nearly ran into me (he was on foot) and giggle when I said "Excuse me", then later almost whacked me in the face with his fishing pole. I said a curse word at him regarding his hood and lack of vision because of.

I REALLY should stop riding at the lake, it is really not a safe place to bicycle at any pace. I know better, and in fact the Dam Ride was supposed to elimanate much of the lake route I used to do.

Here is a picture of the Delorean I shot this morning, front and rearish.

I drove today, in the mistaken impression I had a dentist appointment. Turns out it's next WEDNESDAY.

But I biked on Wednesday. It was a real nice ride to work, that is, untill some BLONDE in a a RED car ran the STOP SIGN in front of 7/11 and nearly hit me. I said a curse word. And I was wearing the SCREAMING YELLOW/GREEN jacket, too!

On the way home, coasting at GREAT SPEED down Jackson drive (in the bike lane), looking out for SUV who were quite active in the area, what with little league and such, some OLD MAN with a tiny DOG jaywalks across Jackson. Slowly. Taking his time. So I'm merrily NOT slowing down, and so we almost meet. He says, "Excuse me, sir". I said, " No problem, I'm only going 30 miles an hour down this hill and watching for SUVs because I almost got doored in this exact spot last week." Well, I didn't say all that, and of course I wasn't going 30.

After I came home I went in for a few minutes then went out to garage and noticed the rear tire on the Jamis was soft, and soon enough it was flat. Had a tiny chuck of metal sticking out of it. How nice to wait untill I got home to go flat!

There several neat cars I see as I travel to work. I shall have to take pictures sometime. There is a Volkswagen 2-door Variant sedan (I think), there are two Morris Minors, one is a pick-up. I wonder if that is the one Philip used to tell me about with the Alfa-Romero engine in it that he drove around for Tolley's? Just yesterday there appeared a Delorean with a For Sale sign on it, and today I saw an Edsel near the gas station.



The floor pump hose project is coming along. I filed away on the brass fittings and it looks good. I just have to solder the fitting together. I'm hoping solder will hold against 100psi air...

Commuted last week, didn't ride the weekend, didn't even go outside all weekend!

Got an e-mail about the Olde Highway 80 Century today. Says it's tougher than Solvang. WELL, I guess that leaves me OUT since I didn't even finish THAT one, and I'm not NEARLY in as good a shape as I was then, having had all my medical problems, whine whine (we're not all Lance Armstrong...)

Picked up a couple'o hunks of threaded brass fittings to fool with on the floor pump project. I think this will work out if I don't screw it up! Story of my life! Sure wish I had a, and knew how to use a, miniature metal lathe. Sure miss Bob L. ....


Weekly Mileage Totals:

Schwinn -- 0
Jamis -- 50.7

On a better note, I found 35 cents riding to work today.

And not the ususal scratched-up, multibly runned-over coins, either!

Bright and shiny!


I wonder if my blowing snot bubbles as I ride in the morning puts people off...

Sorry, no pictures (yet!) of THAT!

Ok, so I'm riding along to the cigarette store on the way home from work, not bothering anyone, and a van drives up next too me (not slowing down, mind you, or nothin'), and some guy is yelling something about a green jacket, some curse words, I don't know. And they drive on.

Is he yelling at me?

I've got a SCREAMING YELLOW JACKET on, but it might look GREEN to the average cranked-up red-necked yahoo.

Am I paranoid? Is this the same guy who yelled something about my jacket a few months ago in the parking lot at work (I ignored him then)?

And another thing, is it a violation of my restraining order/probation if I get cranky with someone not named in said restraining order? I'm suspecting probation--yes, and restraing order--no.

Since it rained so much last week I only commuted 29 miles (yah, right!). It totally rained Saturday (and hailed), but I COULD have ridden Sunday. But I didn't. Started reading the Illuminatus! trilogy instead.

Check out The Psycho Cyclist ! He does some serious cycling, racing, and training. I like to read his personal riding commentary, but I think he has too much cycling news in his blog. But, hey, who am I? Oh yeh, I'm the ranter!

Discovered my old San Diego Holiday Bowl Bicycle Safari t-shirt from 1993. That was my first (of two) centuries, and a very fun ride. It's a long sleeve, and it was nice to wear under the FLAMING YELLOW jacket. Especially since I left the arm warmers at work...

Got a nice note from The Cycling Dude today. Hey, thanks for stopping by!

Almost got doored today. Should have known something was going to happen when I saw the rear hatch closing all by itself in some big SUV/Van thing. Shouted a big "Hellooooo!" at the driver in question.

Amost got pasted by a guy on a hand-crank three-wheeler. I was going around 20ish, so he was REALLY moving. Fortunately I turned off before he could make his move!

Wish I had taken a picture of the odometer turning "1234" on the truck, but I still have to opportunity to do in on the Jamis cyclometer.

Smelled very wet going home, it looks like rain. I'm sure I'll be driving tomorrow!

Had a flat on the way to work today, on the Jamis this time. First flat, too. Made it to work however. It was a pain to get tire off and the tube out. It's a tighter fit that the 27 1/4 on the Schwinn, and nobody powdered the tube like I believe is a good thing, unlike many others.

I had to reverse the trusty Zefal chuck-rubber thingie for the presta stem. It was hard to pump, and I think I only got it to about 30 poinds. That is what is read when I got home on the high-kwaility presta gauge. I FOUND the presta adapter for the floor pump, too! It was hiding in a little tub of "bits" right on my work desk! Duh!

So I pumped up the tire to 80 pounds. That's about all I could with one arm, the other holding the adapter AND the air chuck.

I noticed the shiny brass air chuck I got actually seals, and one can pump up the pump, as it were, to quite a bit of pressure and then push on the center pin on the chuck to release the air, quite possibly doing some damage if one is not careful.

Will have to think about that!

Can you believe I spelled "leftist" as "lefttist" in the title of my other blog?

Did a Dam Ride today. Nice and sunny, started out a little chilly but warmed up as I progressed.

Saw a silly (motor)cyclist try to make a right-hand turn on the INSIDE of a truck that was also turning right, all in a right-hand turn lane. Idiot.

Picked up a big wire-type staple (not a Romex-type) somewhere and so had a flat when I got to the bottom of the Jackson Drive hill. I thought I had the hole pinpointed, as there was, afterall, a staple sticking out of the tire. I chalked it, and cleverly only pulled that small portion of the tube out. So I didn't have to take off the wheel, you see. So I found the hole (remember that), and then discovered I only had two big patches in the Rema kit, none of the little ones. Whoopsie! So I used one of the big ones, not even a Rema, some grosser thickish looking one. Then I put everything back and pump up the tire.

I definitely need a new pump, the Zefal HPx is getting real hard to push!

And it went flat in a few minutes.

So I took the wheel off and popped the tube out. Pumped it, found a hole very near where the new patch was. So either there were two holes, or I patched a blemish mark in the tube. Huh.

I patched the tube with my remaining patch, pumped up the tire (again!), and headed on my way up the hill. Which went well.

I also have a spare tube. I just wanted to mention that.

I went around the lake, and headed home.

Going up the Baltimore grade two girls in a blue car pulled up to me and squealed in what I can only assume was some amazement at my athletic prowess. I guess. It made me very angry, I really hate it when people do stuff like that. I could tell you a story about four teenage boys...but I digress. I didn't recognize these chicks (like I can see anything, anyway!). I fantazed about catching them at the light and spraying them with my water bottle to cool them off. But the light changed. Another of life's little opportunities to make an ass of one's self lost.

I forgotted to mention, out in Santee they have cleared all the vegetation from the bike path/river area. I had the good fortune to stop and talk to a fellow who was taking pictures. He turned out to be the project manager. He told me what they were doing, and that there would be a new bike path too. "So you don't have to ride on the road", he said. Well, that's very nice, and I am happy to see the project. It will certainly clean up the area, and provide better flood control too. It was certainly nice of him to take the time to tell me about the project, even though I probably came off with a little 'tude at first, you KNOW how I am!

I haven't been riding for a while, but I have been fooling with the floor pump. I got some 1/4 inch hose at Dixieline a few weeks ago, and today got a brass fitting to connect it to the pump. I got another fitting for the other end, but I couldn't find a schrader chuck that screwed or clipped on, I had to make do with the kind you hold on. This makes it tricky to pump the tire. You have to hold the chuck on with one hand and pump with the other. I can only get it up to about 80 pounds that way. I willl have to keep my eye out for a more suitible chuck.

This whole apparatus cost a little more than a replacement hose from the bike shop but I can now replace any parts as they wear out from the hardware section.

I would have bought a Topeak brand replacement hose for 12 bucks, but none of four dealers had one. Three did not know where of I spoke, either.

And I can't find my big brass Presta adapter!

Hopefully I will go riding tomorrow. I cleaned and oiled the chain on the Schwinn today.

It's dang handy to have a large magnet around when the little axle on the chain cleaner brushes falls into the iceplant...