Stable Shift

Recently, I've been contemplating a change in the bicycle line-up. For one, I've realized that I really prefer the feel of a 26" wheel on a bicycle. I'm a short guy and it just feels better underneath me. Another factor is the fact that, as my kids have grown and are riding their own bikes, I use the Xtracycle much less than I used to.

So I think that I've made the decision to get rid of the single speed Cross check and the Xtracycle frame. If I were to do that, I would use the cash to buy a Disc Trucker frame. Also, the Xtracycle would relent to me an internally geared hub on a 26" wheel. Thus allowing me to put an internally geared system on the old Long Haul Trucker while moving the current LHT component line-up to the Disc Trucker.

Here's what the whole garage would look like:
Disc Trucker: 3x9 setup for commuting, camping and touring. Probably my go-to bike for recreational rides and catting around town.

Long Haul Trucker: 9 speed internally geared hub with chubbier tires and cruiser bars. Used for rainy and snowy weather riding and secondary loaner mountain bike.

Troll: Same ol' trusty mountain bike. Nothing new.

Cross Check: 2x9 road bike used for when I want to go fast... er... faster. I never go fast.

The single speed Cross Check, Xtracycle and the Klunker 1x6 Trek would all disappear. I'd lose three bikes but actually gain capacity in the riding that I do most often. The big miss will be the Xtracycle. But I'm a firm believer in getting rid of something that you don't use. I haven't touched it in probably a year... which means I don't really need it.

And so the Craigslist posting begins...

Get out there.

Hee Haw

Thirty four degrees and rainy. There's a point within certain weather that things get so miserable that it's interestingly fun. That's today's commute. Plus, I got to pull over and hang out with some four-legged creatures. Donkey above. Horse below.

Get out there.

Wet, Wet Rides

Last week I was caught in the rain three different times on the bike. This week's been the same thing. Water, water everywhere. It sure makes for some green photos, though!

Get out there.

I'm Alive and Well

It's been three weeks since I've been on the blog. I've ridden my normal amount of mileage (minus a few days in Haiti last week) but I just haven't been public with the rides. This week I've been rocking the single speed Cross Check.

Get out there.

The Lady Rides

My wife is super. Angie, on her own, is a really strong athlete. But she also loves bikes.

This past week she had planned a bike night with her friend, Abby. Angie rocked the single speed Cross Check and Abby took her cruiser all around Lexington as the two of them painted the town red.

And this weekend she asked if we could go for a family ride. It takes no convincing on my end. The lady chooses to ride on her own.

I married well.

Get out there.

One of Those Rides

Yesterday was a first for me. I had to get off the bike and walk... several times. Since I've been riding in my adult life, I have never had to get off the bike. Ever. But yesterday's ride was a twenty miler in the wind and rain on the single speed bike. I just didn't have it in me.

It was a commute ride from my secondary work location to my house. I've never made that ride before. Twenty miles had a lot of appeal and I didn't want the foul weather to deter me. But one mile into the ride I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it.

The first hill to knock me off of my bike was around mile eight. I was giving it everything I had but the single gear couldn't keep me upright. I guess it was the demoralizing combination of one gear, a mighty headwind, rain coming down and a couple loaded bags full of weight. Normally, I can explode through a hill on the single speed. But yesterday there was no explosion.

Pride won't stand in the way of admitting it. It sucked. Bad. But it was a rare day. I've hauled 100lbs of kids on the Xtracycle for longer distances. So I know my legs have it in them. But yesterday was miserable. Guess I'll have to make it up today.

The rain had really covered the landscape. Water covered almost all of the low spots.

That, at least, was a point of interest to occupy my mind as my body wanted to give up on the ride.

Get out there.

Rainy Coffee Stop

Rain was coming down pretty steadily this morning but that didn't mean I couldn't stop under some tree coverage for a little bit of liquid warmth.

I've been carrying a thermos of coffee around more frequently and I never regret a stop.

Get out there.

Wet Weather Gear

Lots of people let wet weather deter them from riding. They think it's going to take a lot of investment to get all the right stuff for sloppy rain commutes. Here's a few quick thoughts from my senseless mind.

Nice bags are great. Mine were expensive (to my standards) but would last me the rest of my life if all I ever did was bike commuting. There's almost no chance that water would get in there. But you don't have to spend that. For years, I had cloth bags that I used with my clothes inside a rolled up garbage bag. I don't think anything ever got wet. Go for it. You may love riding in the rain. If you love it, invest in some nice bags. It's worth a try.

For wet weather attire, I wouldn't go crazy expensive. It was 39 degrees this morning and I rode in a pair of Walmart sweatpants. My rain jacket was twenty bucks.  I've been wearing a Buff over my face to keep crap from flying into my mouth. It doesn't really keep me warm. It's just deflecting nasty road grit.

Should you ride your bike in the rain? I would probably tell you to try it. If you try it and realize it's something you may do more of, maybe think about a single speed beater bike. But a few rides a year won't be terrible. Keep your chain lubed if you give it a try. But don't be terrified of riding your bike in the rain.

Just give it a try. You don't need a whole lot to get out in the rain.

Get out there.

Bottom Brackets

I put a new bottom bracket in the single speed Cross Check last night. Truth be told, it wasn't the right size for my crank I've been using anyway. When I bought the frame from Doug, he included a bottom bracket that he'd been using with a single speed crank. My crank is made for a triple, with chainrings removed. So it was a bit too wide for this BB. So when you really tightened the crankarms on there, it wouldn't work. I could get it tight enough... but not as tight as it should be. And recently, it's been giving me a clicking sound, too. Time for a new bottom bracket.

Here's my rant on bottom brackets... I don't ever buy nice ones. For $15, you can buy a cheap one and replace it on the bike within 15 minutes. That's a pretty small investment. Even on my foul weather rain bikes, I've never had one fail in less than three years' time. So I appeal to the general public to ask; What am I missing? Should I be buying a nicer bottom bracket? What does it benefit me?

I see them as somewhat disposable. I don't take care of it. I don't repack bearings or deal with maintenance. I just put a new one in. And in seven years of riding multiple bikes through all sorts of weather, this is only the second one that I've replaced. And technically, it was a used bottom bracket.

So I ask you, what are you using and why? Anyone else have this crude mentality with bottom brackets? I suppose there's power to be gained with a nicer bottom bracket. But I really can't imagine that's much.

And a side note; I'm the same way with chains. I treat them poorly and throw them away when they're done. I replace them with a cheapo chain and go straight to abusing it. Maybe I've got this all wrong :)

Get out there.

New Territory

Today over lunch I went home with my buddy Jeff. Jeff's become an avid bike commuter with similar mileage to what I ride to and from work. Although we commute to the same destination and are riding the same distance, our rides couldn't be more different.

Jeff is riding on busy streets through a more developed area. He's got stops, turns, lights, traffic and businesses everywhere. I have one stop, one turn and lots of horses. I wouldn't say one is better than the other. Just different. Today's ride seemed to go by really fast compared to my commutes. New visual stimulants speed things up quite a bit. I've noticed myself getting bored with my commute recently. Today was a nice refresh.

Get out there.

Lunch Run

Took a ride to the bike shop with Noah during lunch. Stopped and ate at a nice little pond.

Noah's got a super new, super tall LHT.

Vandals have an ironic sense of humor.

I picked up a new bottom bracket for the single speed Cross Check and a tire for a friend. I'm all like, "Yeah, I got a tire on my back," in this photo.

Get out there.

First Opportunity

Today was the first opportunity to get out on the upgraded rain bike. Rode like a dream. I'll definitely need a new stem, though. This one is way too long. No problem, though. That's an easy fix and I've got one in the garage waiting to be used.

Get out there.

Single Speed Cross Check

The single speed Cross Check finally got some much deserved love this weekend. After building this frame up in various configurations over the years, this is one that I'm actually proud of. The photo above shows the build as of last Friday's commute. Here's the new build...

New drops, levers, tape, fenders and pedals not only give it a better look, but make it a bit more functional, too.

I was going for a full-out black build. I wanted to give the colored bar tape a lot of pop.

More of these Tektro levers. They are road levers that work with V-Brakes. I'm running V-Brakes on my LHT and this rain bike. I just don't think you can beat the stopping power that they offer at their pricepoint.

I've been working in the kitchen instead of the garage recently. Good thing I have an awesome wife that's okay with it :)

Next came new fenders. I used a set of Planet Bike Cascadias but wanted to add a little flare. For now, I used electrical tape to drop a racing stripe down the center. I figured if I liked the appearance, I could do a more permanent paint solution down the road. I really liked the way they turned out. They also have more coverage than my last set. They're a bit wider to work with the current tires I'm running and will allow for some growth in the future.

Not a great photo but you can get the impression of the bikes new look. I swapped out the smaller pedals for larger Kona platform pedals and it's an all new ride. My stem feels a little too long. So I might change that out after a couple rides. My test ride was in 16 degree weather with no head covering or gloves. So I was evaluating my potential for hypothermia more-so than I was evaluating the ride. We'll see.

All in all, I'm very pleased. I like the drop bars on a single speed. When the wind is pounding me, I can crouch down out of it a little more. Plus, my wrists have always gotten achey on straight bars. And the pedals are a HUGE upgrade. In slippery, rainy conditions, I have often slipped off and raked my shin down the pedals. It hurts. These new platforms are big a grippy. They'll be perfect.

This generation of the Cross Check may make me a bit more likely to choose it on non-crappy weather days. I'm looking forward to it.

Get out there.

Rainy Ride

The rain had me stir-crazy enough this weekend that it eventually had to be ignored. Sunday afternoon, I headed out for a ten miler on the single speed.

At one point, the rain was coming down so heavy that I decided to pull off and take some refuge under a rail road bridge.

A couple minutes after I pulled underneath the massive concrete tomb, a train rolled in. It was alarmingly loud. My break didn't last long, though. I was starting to get cold and the rain let up enough to allow visibility to get home.

I love having a bike that I don't have to worry about in the rain. One gear, nothing to break down and lots of opportunity for sloppy riding. Everyone should have a single speed bike.

Get out there.

Back Again

I've been overwhelmingly blitzed with sickness for the last week and a half. It's been miserable. It wasn't the kind of sickness that makes your tummy hurt. It was knock you out or have you writhing in pain sickness. It was kind of strange to be forced off the bike so quickly after opting out of riding for a week. It feels like I've not ridden much at all.

But today had be back in the saddle. Buckets of rain were falling down from the clouds for the entire commute. I worked my way under some tree coverage to try and get a dry moment to snap a photo.

The single speed Cross Check still needs work. When I'm on most of my bikes, I spend the ride admiring the build. On this bike, I spend the entire time wanting to change it. Maybe I'll look into selling some odds and ends to get this thing right. It needs some drop bars, new levers, fenders and tires. That's a lot to invest in the beater bike. But not loving the ride makes me not want to ride it. And I hate being tempted off of the bike. And the other alternative is to ride a geared bike through this crappy weather. That would only result in a gunked up drivetrain on a bike that would be more expensive to fix than these initial single speed upgrades.

Now I'm rambling.

I'll stop.

I'm back on the bike. It's awesome. It rained a lot today.

Get out there.

Primary Winter Ride

For the last couple days, to my delight, I've put some cold weather miles on the Cross Check. I'm considering making the Cross Check the official winter bicycle for clear(ish) weather rides. For the last several months, the LHT has been my go-to commuter. But the sprightliness of the Cross Check is a welcomed feel for this cold weather riding.

For one, I already feel sluggish in the cold when I'm weather multiple layers. I don't have really expensive, high tech riding gear for cold weather. I can totally stay warm. I just have a lot bulkier wardrobe. The slow, deliberate, semi-truck feel of the LHT becomes even more cumbersome when I'm all layered up. The Cross Check feels a lot more quick and responsive.

Another factor is tires. My only set of studded tires are 26". I'm thinking I'll put the studs on the LHT and leave it parked for the 90% of the time that I don't need studs. But the age and investment in the LHT would make it a great snow/ice bike. It just wouldn't see very many miles.

All this to say, the Cross Check is about to get some miles this winter, I think. The single speed Cross Check will do rain. The LHT will do snow and ice. And the geared Cross Check will be my primary commuter. Sounds like a plan... until I get bored and change my mind.

Get out there.

Bike Taxi

This morning I had to employ the single speed Cross Check as my taxi to get me back from the mechanic. The Subaru has been overheated as of late and I'm at a loss of what to do. I tried all the simple fixes I could think of and none of them worked. So she went in for a check-up.

It's fun to take the bike with you to the mechanic. They look at you like you're nuts as you take you're perfectly functioning machine off of your broken car. But, hey, I'll take the weird looks.

I enjoyed riding unfamiliar territory on my way back. It's always interesting to explore. But it was raining pretty heavily. So I didn't look around too much.

The rain bike has some new 'cross tires on it. They're not ideal for the road. But they actually are super grippy. I'll leave them on until I can afford a more permanent solution.

But it was a great morning riding in the rain. Let's hope the Forester isn't too expensive to fix or you'll be seeing even more cycling trips on here!

Get out there.

Bikes in the Stand

I had four of my five bikes in the work stand last night. It just got to be one of those seasons (it happens a couple times a year) when I've run nearly all of my bikes into the ground without giving them the attention they need. One night of greasy hands and it can all be taken care of. But for whatever reason, it's easy to neglect.

The Long Haul Trucker was only running seven of available twenty four gears and the rear brake was nearly useless. Twenty minutes in the stand and we're all good.

The Xtracycle had hit a bump (and by bump, I mean deep chasm) that knocked both fenders out of place and they were rubbing the tires. Fenders seem like a peripheral in bike maintenance. But they're difficult to get centered for maximum coverage and visual appeal. It also knocked the quill stem loose. But a mere twenty minutes in the stand was enough to get it back to 100%.

The single speed Cross Check had a mysterious tear in the tire sidewall a couple months back. To my chagrin, my only remaining sets of 700c tires were two sets of cyclocross tires. I took the least aggressive of the two sets and put them on the Cross Check. But when you go from a 25mm width to a 36mm width, you are going to get some rub on the fenders. So, there was one more bike I was neglecting. This one took some finagling to get it to work. The old fenders really didn't want to cooperate with the more plump rubber. Eventually, nearly thirty minutes or so, everything was spinning again.

Lastly, I needed to replace the front shifter cable on the Troll. I took a tumble into a tree on my last mountain bike camping trip and it rendered the cable useless. It's been stuck on the small chainring for a month. It worked, which made it harder to motivate myself to fix it. But, hey, if I've got the goods to run a 3x9, let's do it. A quick cable replacement (less than ten minutes) and the Troll was shifting beautifully again.

It's funny to wait so long. But when you've got multiple bikes in the garage, it's easy to just grab a different one if another isn't in tip-top shape. The only problem is when they all begin to falter. After last night, though, I'll be in good shape for a while.

Get out there.

Group Commute

There were three of us on the commute in this morning. Neil lives in my neighborhood and my buddy Derrick met me at my house, borrowed the LHT and had his first ever bike commute this morning. So the three of us rocked our way trough Jessamine county on skinny tires in the rain. I took the single speed Cross Check since the weather appeared to be a bit more dismal.

But the rain wasn't bad and the temps were cool enough to never make you overheat and warm enough to never make you cold. I love riding in this weather. And tip of the hat to Derrick, who made his first ride a rainy one. It's a great way to start the day.

Get out there.

Backpacks vs. Racks

I need to put a rack on this thing! When I put the weekend's worth of stuff, a laptop and today's clothes in the backpack, it became more than I want to handle. Maybe it makes sense for some people to carry stuff on their back. But if you're doing it because you think it's "good enough," I'd challenge you to try a rear rack and panniers. A backpack makes my back sore and it's a lot more sweaty than running a pannier set-up.

You can find this stuff cheap online and it makes commuting so much nicer. I have a buddy who runs these panniers and I use this rack. For $65 you can have a lot of cargo capacity and get everything off of your back. It may seem like a pricey leap, but once gas prices begin to get up there, it's negligible if it keeps you commuting more. When I think about building a bike, a rack is a non-negotiable. You won't regret it.

But for the sake of debate, anyone out there commuting regularly with a backpack who prefers it over a rack? I'd love to know why, if so.

Get out there.