Memorial Day

I used to ride out to Pt. Loma and visit Pete's grave on Memorial Day, but I haven't done it for the past few years, I don't think.

I hoofed it up to the car parts store and bought a whole set of allen sockets since they didn't have the single one I needed. So now I have TWO 5mm. Typical. Anybody need one?

Also typical, when I got the whole thing assembled I find the bottom bracket spindle is too wide, so the whole chainline is WAY off, the front shifter won't even shift off of granny!

So now I have to buy a new bottom bracket, I guess. Anybody need a bottom bracket?

I found a website that has pictures of broken spindles and crank arms. Scary!

Day before Memorial Day

I fooled around with the new parts for the Schwinn today. I decided the bearings were ok on the old Specialized hub, so popped on the freewheel, no problem. That was the EASY part.

I took off the chain, then realized I should have loosened the pedals and the cranks bolts while I had something to torque against.

After much grunting and cursing I got everything apart.

I replaced the granny on the new crank with the 24t granny.

I bolted everything up, except the pedals.

I really am anal about torque specs., so I have to look them up and tomorrow I will torque the crank bolts down. But of course I have to go buy an 8mm Allen socket...

Maybe I will get one of them crow-feet wrenches so I can torque the pedals, too. But then I would have to do COMPLEX MATH calculations because of the offsett!! Yikes! Forget that!

To sum it up, it ain't done yet!

I also weighed the bikes today, on my super-accurate bathroom scales.

James 29 lbs.

Schwinn 27 lbs.

Blackwind 31 lbs.

What's a Blackwind? It's a plumping pipe pig from Harriet Carter or some such mailorder. It certainly FEELS a lot heavier than the Schwinn, what's the deal?

Weekly Mileage Statistics:

Schiwnn -- Zip City
Jamis -- 55.8

History

I was thinking, you probably want to know what bikes I've owned over the years.

Here they are:

Eska -- Black Czech single speed. Too big, kept falling off. Was in 3rd grade.

Schwinn -- Blue paperboy model. Was always breaking down, bought used from Way's Saw & Cycle. 8th grade, probably.

Schwinn -- Red Three speed. Actually was my mon's. I thought the brake pads were supposed to rub on the tire... Eventually stolen from outside apartment when I was in my 20s.

Schwinn -- Purple Sting Ray. Bought on layway, with loot from paper route. Gold seat, spring loaded sizzy bar, Bendix 2-speed transmission. 8th through 12th grade. Don't know what happened to it.

Huffy -- Yellow ten-speed. Wife bought it (used), never rode it, so I started riding it. Paited it white, look very nice.

Schwinn -- Blue Passage touring bike. Bought new at Zumwalts. Braze-on broke, Schwinn replaced frame with red '84 Voyager frame. I think the only orignal parts are the rear cantilever brakes. Has 35,000 miles or so on it. Circa 1985 to now

Jamis -- Blue whatever-it-is. Bought new at Performance when bottom bracket broke on Schwinn last year. 2005 to now

Of Fark, Bike Paths, and Speed Limits

Ran across this on fark.com. Bicyclists on the Monon Trail in Carmel City, which I assume is in Indiana, now have to obey speed limits or suffer official wrath. No problem for me, I rarely get over of 15mph anyway. Plus, I don't live in Indiana! Seems like resonable idea, though, with all the runners, kids, and dog walkers on these multi-use paths. Just don't call them BIKE PATHS!

Started reading Barbara Savage's Miles From Nowhere for the zillionith time. I found a copy in the free box at the library and grabbed it, even though I already have a copy.

Bike To Work Day

Rode the Jamis to work today, just like usual (except for yesterday).

Saw one other bicyclist.

Seemed like a few more motorcyclists were out there, though.

Did NOT win a t-shirt again, this year.

Mother's Day

Yesteday I rode the Jamis over to Kelly and Ryan's house for a BBQ. I took the lights as I figured it would be dark by the time I left. It was. I carbo-loaded on brownies and cookies before I left, as it's a whole couple miles to my place, and I didn't want to bonk. Plus, you use up more carbs when it's cold, right?

There were several other people there who ride:

Steve, who races.
Ryan, who would like to race, I think.
Jessica, Ironman triathalete.
Kai, who rides slow, like me.
A lady who was sunburned that is involved in Teams In Training.
A fellow whos name, I am embaressed to say, has slipped my mind, that ride with the big kids.

Weely Mileage:

Schwinn -- zilcho
Jamis -- 65 or so

Clutter

In my collection of JUNK surrounding my recliner I STILL have the box in which Performance sent back the broken bottem bracket that they REFUSE to recognize as something they sold me. It still has the bottem bracket in it. Now, why am I keeping this thing around? I'm not sure. It has a certain mechanical beauty to it, even though it is broken. Actually, that is part of the beauty. It IS the beauty.

Maybe I can make a lamp out of it...

MTBRR

Stands for Mean Time Between Road Rages...

I've taken to eating an apple on the way home from work. I usually toss the core into a trash can at a bus stop. Today I threw the core at an SUV that made a oncoming left in front of me, just a little too close for comfort (serving close).

Other than that, the biking has been going this week.

More Picture Madness

I'm a sucker for creating work for myself. I don't quite know why I'm doing this post. Like you wanna SEE this stuff?

Anyway, let us see how the randomcrap.net thumbnails work out... (LATER: They didn't)


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This is checking the chain wear. "1" is "13", so "0" is "1". Understand?

As far as I can figure out from my research on the intarweb, these are the wear limits:

up to 1/16 inch -- Ok.
1/16 to 1/8 inch -- replace chain and freewheel.
1/8 to 1/4 inch -- replace chain, freewheel, and chainrings.

Looks like mine chain is 3/4 of an inch over. Whoopsie!


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A nice pic of the old crank for the archive. Refer back to the "Accident" post last year to see the gouge on the left crank arm.


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A close up showing chain stretch and and worn teeth.




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Hey, are those freewheel teeth supposed to be THAT pointy? I guess you can tell which gear I use the most!


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And here are the new parts, waiting to be installed. Waiting, waiting, waiting. And they will CONTINUE to wait, as none of the THREE freewheel removers I have fit the new freewheel. Welcome to bicycle mechanics!

Finally, the cow ride!

It was a nice cloudy Sunday so I did the cow ride. This will probably be the last Schwinn ride on the old crank/chain/freewheel. Adios, mis compandres! You have served me well.

I rode out Magnolia in El Cajohn, which is a fairly sucky ride in some places, and I bet it is REALLY sucky on a work day. I rode all the way the El Nopal, (what does that mean?) and hung right.


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There were a couple interesting street signs along the way.





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I really need to find out what that means! (LATER: Nopal is a kind of cactus)





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I saw the ostriches at the egg farm. I wonder if they sell ostrich egg there? The birds did not seem very intereseted in me.




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This woebegone bus reminded me of the ones we ride on going to the Del Mar Fair.




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These building seem scary to me the first time I saw them.


I found a bike path that headed over by El Capitan High School.



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If I had been looking for SHEEP, this pen near El Cap would have been my turn-around point.


I proceded on Maple-something and hung a left on El Monte (I won't mention the dead possum on the way. No, I did not take a picture!)


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If I had been looking for HORSES, this corral on El Monte Road would have been my turn-around point.



I saw a lot of flowers along the way, and about ten bicyclists, too.















































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And finally, the cows! I can turn around and head back now!




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On the way back I saw a HUGE piece of granite with a flag stuck in it. Unfortunately I guessed wrongly the power of the sun, but I got a very dramatic picture, instead of one with detail.



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I made a little detour to get this restaurant that I saw the last time.




Well, this blog has certainly turned into quite a little image mess! Hope I can get it straighted out someday! This image formating is a wierd thing. (LATER: Looks ok on I.E.!)

But, thanks RandomCrap.Net for Free Image Hosting Even though the site is blocked from City Schools, but not County ISP...

LATER LATER: It took me four hours to get this entry up, and three point five to do the ride... and I STILL have no links for the flower-big-images!

Weekly Mileage Totals:

Schwinn -- 38.29
Jamis -- 65.12

Tubesday

I felt up the tire (The one I FIXED Sunday) on the Schwinn yesteday morning before hopping on the Jamis to head to work.

It was soft.

Very soft.

So today I fixed it AGAIN. This time it was leaking near another patch. I DO tend to reuse tubes till they are nearly covered in patches. Well, not really, but there are five on this one I think. No sign of anything sharp in the tire. I couldn't tell if the leak was from under the old patch, or through it. So I just patch over it. Nearly a double layer!

I'm using a cheap patch kit (Not a Rema), made in China, no offence (grrrrrr....). The glue tube has stripped its threads and probably will dry out, I'm thinking. I put the chalk leak-marker in a tiny plastic bag I found, because chalk dust is getting all over everything in the patch kit.