Thousand Mile Month

Yeah, in the grand scheme of thing it's really no big deal. But it's still the first time that I've ever done that many miles in a month.

18 miles on the Pivot Mach 5 mountain bike
31 miles on the Gunnar Crosshairs cyclocross bike
954 on the Moots Vamoots CR road bike

And I had to ride 57 today to hit 1,000.

I am such a dork.

2011 Ride Stats

WARNING! - excessive gloating ahead, proceed with great caution.

A lot of time was spent pushing the pedals in 2011. 425 hours, 21 minutes and 57 seconds - if I believe the stats from my aging Garmin GPS.

During that time, 17.7 days or 10.62 typical work weeks, 7,715 miles passed beneath the tires of a few different bikes in the fleet (mostly my Moots Vamoots CR road bike). That's like riding from Carlsbad to San Diego then to Halifax, Nova Scotia, back to San Diego and returning to Carlsbad...

...with 185 miles left over. So up to Los Angeles and back as a parade lap.

And over those miles I had an elevation gain of 512,807'. 97.12 miles - or 17.66 Everests. But at least I had the benefit of plenty of oxygen and a near-perfect climate for my climbing.

458,775 calories were burned while on the bike, or converted to a standard that most Americans could relate to - 851 Big Macs®.

Virtually all of the miles were accumulated during my daily commutes to and from work, generally 18.5 miles to work and 12 from work, along with long Saturday and Sunday morning rides. Thanks to my friends Graham and Derek for joining me on many road and mountain bike rides this year.

I'm tired. And hungry. I wonder why...

Bike Lane Juju - Found Photos

Daily rides on the roads of Carlsbad and Northern San Diego County have presented me with many different and sometimes odd things in the bike lanes. Shoes, hats and work gloves are most commonly found, but it's the unique things that'll make me come to a screeching halt and whip out my iPhone to snap pix.

Back in September I noticed a couple of photos on southbound Coast Highway, adjacent to the Carlsbad State Beach Campground. Looking up I noticed that there were dozens more spread out along about 100 yards of bike lane and in the dirt.

Of course I had to collect them all, so I unclipped from my pedals and hobbled around in the dirt and placed them safely in my backpack.

A "found" ad was placed on Craigslist with a few photos of the photos, but no one responded. The photos then made their way to work, I unearthed the stash earlier this week when I was doing a little cubicle cleanup. Here are some of my favorites.

It's a pile of somebody's memories, casually disposed of or lost on the roads of Carlsbad. I'd love to return them to the owner if they could be found. Until then, the pile will likely sit on the lower shelf of the computer desk until I tire of them and send them on their way.

Cycling, Explained

Are you a fucking nut job?

No, I am a cyclist.

Sunday Best

Lately my garb of choice for my long Sunday rides has been my Moots Riders Club jersey. And the rear center pocket may just be the reason why:

The open road is my sanctuary, my saddle the pew. The Clif Shot gels and electrolyte drink mix my host and sacrament. The music pouring from my ear buds is far better than any church choir. And no praying to invisible sky god.

That's A First

Never before have I worn down the teeth on a bike cassette.

Discovered today when the fresh chain was skipping furiously when using my most commonly-used cogs (15, 17, 19 tooth). Some of the teeth on those cogs have been ground to a fine point. I guess I should have replaced that chain sooner as the cassette is quite the pricey piece. And it was only 18 months old.

A Lot Of Pedaling

The ride stats for the first half of the year:


Yeah, I slacked off and should have had the additional 96 to bring me to an even 4,000. But May was tough - due to travel I only rode 168 miles, which is what I generally get in during a workweek.

Back to the bike...

Moots - The Last Component

The last remaining component that I needed, or rather, wanted, arrived today. A Fi'zi:k Cyrano Carbon seatpost:

27.2 x 330mm for those keeping score

It's since been installed and is up to the task of supporting the saddle. With clean lines and minimal graphics, it looks quite nice clamping my Fi'zi:k saddle, plus the lower cradle is anodized in a shade not far from titanium. The branded rubber band was removed and set aside to get lost. Now I just need to give the bike a thorough cleaning and shoot some pix of it in it's dull grey glory.

Oh Happy Day

I've been fondling for the last hour it in ways that would likely get me arrested in most southern states. Or Utah.

And A Cherry On Top

Now where's my frame? And 110mm stem?

More Bike Bits Arrive

Here's what Santa-In-A-Brown Suit delivered this morning:

Easton EC90 stem, SRAM PC1091R chain and Force front derailleur. It's all coming together, I'm just waiting on two more shipments before the fun of building up the dream machine can commence.

UPDATE: And I goofed up and ordered too long of a stem. Damn. I should have followed the old saying - measure twice, order once. Or something like that.

Fork Yeah!

One more piece of the puzzle arrived today.
From China via Utah with love, I present the ENVE Components Road 2.0 fork. 1.125" steerer, 40mm offset. It should be a great match for the Vamoots CR.

Bike Build - It Begins

The first shipment of the bits to build the forthcoming Moots has arrived.

Most of the parts will come from the second cracked Plastic Bike, but some new cables, bar tape were among the necessary purchases.

Meanwhile, in Steamboat Springs, CO, progress on the Vamoots CR frame is coming along nicely:
I'm truly hoping that this is a "lifetime" frame for me, a bike that I'll still enjoy riding ten or fifteen years from now. It should be ready in a few weeks.

Not Bad For January

So maybe I've been spending a bit too much time on two wheels. Ride stats for the month of January:
Suddenly I have the urge to get in another seven miles before midnight.

Coming Soon...

...the frame that I should have bought last year.



With my recent track record of riding PlasticBikes for all of four weeks before cracks start appearing, this titanium beauty should last a lifetime.

Who Rides Bikes? Crackheads!

Fog Froth Flocks Fork

Tested: Banjo Brothers Large Commuter Backpack

With about five years of commuting with an Oakley Toolbox 2.0 backpack, the time had come to look for a replacement. While the Oakley backpack likely had another year or so of use left in it, the bag had gotten to the point where fabric was fraying, zippers were no longer working flawlessly and I was getting ready to move on. Plus, being a bag whore, I was bored of the bag.

I've always preferred backpacks to messenger bags for commuting. Sure, messenger bags are what most of the professional messengers (and hipster fashionistas) use, but for me they put undue strain on one shoulder, tend to shift around and most don't have the overall capacity that a backpack offers.

After researching the various backpacks, I selected a Banjo Brothers Large Commuter Backpack back in the fall. Banjo Brothers is a small but growing bag company based out of cycling-mad Minneapolis. Not only do Banjo bags feature simple and timeless styling, but they're also very-well constructed.

(photo ripped from WorldCyclingProductions.com)

Standing about 20" tall, 12.5" wide and 8" deep, the first impression is that this is indeed a very large bag.

Banjo touts the bag as being waterproof, and the design definitely seems to be so, with a durable ballistic nylon shell wrapping a heavy tarp-like liner that protects the contents from the elements with a fold-over top. But since I live and commute in San Diego county, I can count on one finger how many times this bag was out in even a moderate rain. I can report that the nylon is blood-proof though, as there are a few stains on the outer flap from my crash back in early February.

Other exterior features include a u-lock pocket, reflective stripes, a "blinky" light clip and wide padded straps with both a sternum strap as well as a waist strap. My initial impression was that the waist straps were too narrow to adequately distribute the forces, plus, being more of a beanpole body type (33" waist), the excess strap ends flapped about while riding. Small elastic bands would do wonders for strap management. However after the first few commutes I ended up un-clipping and removing the waist straps and haven't missed them. The bag stays in place and won't sway, no matter how large the load.

And speaking of loads, I've had a number of rides where I utilized all 2000 cubic inches of capacity - and then some.

Medium Priority Mail box and some mailing envelopes

As a frequent eBayer, I make a lot of runs to the local post office as part of my commute. With the generous capacity, I've been able to accommodate not only my daily essentials (work clothes, lunch) but also a few packages. Last week I pushed the limits...

...by strapping an additional box to the outside of the backpack. The strap was near its length limit, but the box remained solidly in place for the two mile ride.

The back of the bag is minimally-padded, so it's best to pack the bag in a manner so that sharp edges won't protrude into the rider's back. I'll generally roll up my clothes for a comfortable and form-fitting shape.

The last exterior feature to mention is the strap-mounted cell phone holder. Unfortunately this really only fits older-style phones. Smartphones won't fit. But it's easily removed, so I swapped out for a Timbuk2 2-way accessory which fits an iPhone perfectly.
I'm told that Banjo Brothers is working on a new phone pouch to address this issue.

Under the flap the bag has a one moderate-size zipper pouch that runs the width of the bag, a few pen holsters and one Velcro-topped pouch that I use for a CO2 cartridge and a mini tool.

Inside you'll find no frills, just the previously-mentioned removable/replaceable inner liner. Secured with a few Velcro tabs at the mouth of the bag, the tough material is destined to last the life of the bag. However, if it does get damaged, it's very inexpensive to replace.

One of the best features of the bag is how it has been designed to sit lower on the rider's back than most backpacks. While my old Oakley backpack would sometimes interfere with the back of my helmet, I've had no such instances in the five months that the Large Commuter Backpack has been in use.

Banjo Brothers did an admirable job designing this bag. It's stout construction and thought-out details make it an easy choice, especially considering the reasonable price. I hope to get many years of use out of this.

capacity: 2000 cubic inches
MSRP $89.99
www.banjobrothers.com

Plastic Bike, Mark II

With the demise of the Plastic Bike came many decisions. What exactly do I want? The titanium road bike I've dreamed of owning for the past 12 years or so? A cool steel rig? Another plastic bike? Do I buy a replacement frameset or complete bike?

With a tight budget, the ti bike was ruled out. Even with my industry connections, I'd still be looking at a couple thousand bucks just for the frame and fork. Steel? I love my steel Gunnar CX bike and also considered buying a Waterford, but being the techy weight weenie that I am, I didn't think a steel bike would fulfill my road bike needs and a deluxe one would still be a princely sum.

A friend and coworker bought a Cervélo this spring. I had always admired their fine rides, but for some reason the bikes and brand never really clicked with me. However, after seeing his frameset in person and checking out the details, along with spending some time on their thorough website, I was sold. Not only are Cervélos some of the most advanced carbon fiber composite frames on the market, but they're not unaffordable. Um, whatever that means.

sit back and admire those micro seatstays!

An R3 seemed to be the best choice for my riding style and budget.
It's very light, coming in at 950g (2.09 lbs), including the headset bearings.
Plus it looks pretty bitchin' to boot.
I ended up buying a complete bike as it was a much better value than the frameset. However, virtually every drivetrain component, as well as the wheels, saddle and bar/stem will be sold off to make way for nicer bits that I'm either purchasing, already have from the old bike, or am getting from friends (thanks Don, thanks Jason!).
Until all the parts arrive, I'll have a stunning frameset staring me down, awaiting the first time I can clip in and spin the cranks.

think Allie will mind relocating to the guest room for the next few nights?

(studio shots ripped from CompetitiveCyclist.com)

R.I.P. The Plastic Bike, April '07-Feb '10.

This afternoon I finally got around to giving The Plastic Bike a detailed inspection, following the little "off-bike excursion" I had on the way into work on Monday.

I knew that there was some minor damage: shredded bar tape on the left side, a scuffed pedal, saddle and shifter too. Another casualty was the "composite" (fancy plastic?) Mavic rear skewer, which was barely holding together.

Removing the rear wheel revealed that a chunk of carbon was missing from the chainstay yoke:
Which also started a crack:

(as seen from the bottom)

A similar failure, but much larger and deeper wound occurred up top at the seatstay yoke:
Prior to tearing the bike down, I threw it on the scale one last time.
Not bad - especially for a Schwinn:
It had been a bit lighter with the OEM-spec'd wheels, but those were sold a couple of months ago as I lost confidence in the wheel's carbon fiber spokes.

I was a little sad to tear this bike down, it's been a reliable, fast and comfortable ride over the last few years. I just wish the frame could heal itself as my leg has. Now it's time to decide what I want as a replacement. More lightweight carbon fiber? Sturdy, timeless steel? Lust-worthy, lifetime (and super-spendy) titanium? I just know that this was my last Schwinn as the brand has abandoned the performance road segment. Until I figure it out, I'll be hitting the roads (figuratively I hope) on the CX bike.