Just Riding Along... Year of photos.

This past year I have really gotten into photography, and it didn't hurt that I bought a new camera either. Here are my favorite shots from this past year or so. Some of these I have posted here before, some on Flickr, some not at all. These are just my favorites that I have taken this year. Keep in mind while viewing, I still have lots to learn about photography. I hope to keep learning and improve. Enjoy!

First ride on the Xtracycle.

Upper Falls at Hocking Hills state park.

Hocking Hills state park.

Lower Falls at Hocking Hills state park.

Rim Trail at Conckle's Hollow State Nature Preserve.

Inside Conckle's Hollow.

Waiting for Disney's Electric Parade.

Sunset at Mohican State Park.

My daughter on her tricycle.

Pretty tree.

Cali moving the ball with her mind.

Big Red on a night ride.

Eagle statue at Eden Park.

Valley View Nature Preserve.

On the trail.

Sycamores and blue skies.

T500 avoiding the rain.

Troll ready to be blasted.

I should point out that there are three different cameras in use for these pictures. This year I used my old Olympus FE-20, an HTC Evo phone, and my Sony Nex-3. I am really loving the Sony, and in my relative newness to photography, it is funny to me that I have already found it's limits. Granted, it was a HUGE upgrade from the Olympus, but I am already thinking of another camera in the near future. Just like bikes, the proper number of cameras in N+1. If you have any comments, or helpful tips, please leave them in the comments section below!

Just keep spinning...

Just Riding Along... Day 30.

Hard to believe that this month is coming to a close. With the holidays behind us, now the year is about to move on to the next. This has been a great way to round out the year of 2011, hopefully I can continue this momentum into the new year. I really wonder however, how much I would have ridden this month if we would have had a more "typical" Ohio winter? Would I have ridden as much as I did? Not 100% sure on that one, but this has been a great month for cycling. For tomorrow, it will be a quick morning ride before work.

Spent the afternoon riding into and around Indian Hill. As you can see from the picture above, I was dodging rain with every corner. Today, the planet bike fenders earned their keep on the T500, without them I would have been completely soaked from the wet roadways. It is nice to stay dry while riding the bike. A couple quick downpours during the route, but nothing that my Mountain Hardwear jacket couldn't handle. In the unseasonably warm temperatures, the rain was a little pleasant. I am starting to like riding in the rain, which makes me look forward to this spring. Maybe I will do another month of biking then?

Just Riding Along... Day 29.

Finally, after days of trying, I was out the door in the morning for a bike ride. I have, at least for today, defeated my warm bed. It is nice to get out before the sun, and home just after the sun rises. Unfortunately due to the overcast sky, it was not a pretty sunrise, but still nice to be out and about. Almost 20 miles for the day, which is a great way to start the morning.

Just Riding Along... Day 27.

Today's plan was to be out the door by 5am. That time came, and since I took today off, and it was raining, I decided the right thing to do would be to stay in bed. Call me lazy, I am fine with that. Maybe tomorrow I will get out the door a little earlier than the afternoon. We shall see...

The cool thing about living in a small town, is that most of the time you can bike to where ever you need to go, and it will be just as quick as driving. Today was a fine example of that, getting in my quick ride, and picking up some essentials from my local bike shop, Bishop's Bicycles. Very quick little ride for today, but a ride nonetheless.

Decided to make the trip on Big Red. This bike today was especially fun, due to the steady drizzle. The roads were nice and wet, so every time I needed to stop, I slammed onto the pedal to activate the coaster brake and slid to a stop. This really put me back to my childhood, like I was a 10 year old again. One thing that my friends and I would do as kids would be to ride down the gravel road as fast as we could, and see who could leave the longest skid, and the most fishtails. Always a good time, and today, even though I was by myself, it was still just as fun. I recommend it if you have nothing to do today.

Today's purchase was from the company Planet Bike. Just a set of fenders for the T500, which it desperately needed. This has been a wet December here in Ohio, and my Mountain Hardwear jacket shows. This will make my winter riding that much more enjoyable. Plus, Planet Bike donates 25% of their profits to cycling advocacy. A company that puts their money where their mouth is, fantastic. Thanks Planet Bike!

Just Riding Along... Day 19.

I feel that this sticker sums up my month long experiment. Kind of in a dirty way, but still sums it up.

Tonight's ride, in the rain, was a quick little jaunt to the grocery store to buy some beer. Only around 4 miles total, but a nice quick ride, late in the night. This was also my first time loading up the T500, which it surprised me quite a bit. After riding it for a while with the flat bar setup, I had forgotten that it is a tried and true touring bike. I did not even notice the weight of the 10 bottles of beer strapped to the rack. True, not a lot of weight, but you would expect to feel something. The only time it was noticeable was when I stood and danced on the pedals while climbing. To get the beer home, I used a canvas reusable grocery bag, a ratchet tie down strap, and a bungee cord. Worked pretty well, but I think some panniers are in order for this bike!

At work, we are doing a holiday beer exchange. Six people bringing in six different holiday brews, and everyone take one of each. Pretty straight forward, and easy idea. My selection is from Clipper City brewing, their winter Heavy Seas. The other selection I have wanted to try for quite some time, North Coast's Old Stock Ale. I really like North Coast, so I am sure this one will not disappoint.

Tomorrow is day 20, planning on a morning ride to mix it up a bit. I cannot believe how fast this month is going, 2012 is almost here.

Just Riding Along... Day 15.

Today's ride was of a different pace. I have been putting in some miles here lately, and my tires have taken the brunt of it all. Yesterday's rides both had flats, on both the T500 and the HaroX. So for today's ride, Big Red got the call from the bullpen.

Not much on the mileage today, just had enough time to run a couple errands on Big Red. It has been a month or two since Big Red has seen any action, but as usual, pull the bike off of the rack and ride. Nothing ever really needs fixed or tuned, just pick it up and ride. Maybe since it is a beater bike, I just don't care to fix it up, but it sometimes is the most reliable bike in my stable. But it always is one piece away from a total catastrophe. That is part of the appeal though.

Today's errands had me down to the local bike shop, Bishop's Bicycles. Picked up a couple tubes for the busted bikes, and chatted a bit about the allure of a Brooks saddle. I can see a B-17 in my future for sure. From there, it was off to pick up some photos and then back home. Only around 3 miles today, but it was still time on the bike. Tomorrow morning, back at it. Half way down...

Just Riding Along... Day 8.

Today's ride was the coldest temperature for this experiment. Somewhere around the mid 20s, halfway through my beard froze to my face. That is definitely a feeling that everyone should experience at least once in their life. Bizarre to say the least.

So I have been looking into after ride "recovery" drinks. Not that I am worn out or sore after each ride, but I thought it would be a good idea to try some of these drinks out. So, today I started with this drink, Gatorade's #3 recovery drink. It reminds me of a drink that I used after mountain biking a few years ago, which I am not sure if they make anymore. I can't even remember the name of that brand. Whatever, I will try out this G3 and see how it works.

Only around 6 miles today, but a very cold 6 miles. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Just Riding Along... Day 7.

Continuing the theme for night rides tonight. Temperature in the low 30s, but luckily no rain. Tonight also brought out the HaroX instead of the T500. I feel very fortunate to be able to switch from bike to bike when ever the feeling hits. Today's ride was filled with lots of thinking about what new bike or frame to buy, but then all the thoughts came to a head with, "Be happy with what you have, that you have options." With that said, here is some bike lust for you:

Jones steel diamond frame and unicrown fork

Thanks to the current issue of Dirt Rag, this is my new bicycle obsession. Jones bicycles, you might have heard of Jeff Jones before? Let's be honest, you probably have not. He is a custom frame builder, building rigid specific frames and forks, that are meant to be ridden hard. His most noticable work would probably be this:

Jones titanium Spaceframe with truss fork

Back to Dirt Rag. In their latest issue, they have a review of the diamond frame, and from the write up, I would love to have one. I will be honest, most of Jones's products are out of my price range, but the steel diamond frame could be built for a decent price. I won't go into too many specifics, but check out Jones's website for more information. If anything, there are some amazing photos and lots to read. And be sure to check out Dirt Rag's website, lots of good stuff going on over there in Pittsburgh.

Anyway, tomorrow brings another day of riding. It has been one week straight, 3 more to go. I am sure it will be another day of thinking while on the ride, and being thankful that I have options. And also thankful that I can spin on two wheels...

If you are on Twitter, I am posting links to the Map My Ride stats @codsow. Check it!

Photos from Jones Bikes.

Ramble on...

Just Riding Along... Day 4.

New route for day four. Pleasant, unusually warm temperature at around 47 degrees this morning, I would bet that not too many of these days are left. Checking the forecast for the next few days solidifies that thought. Thankfully, I am starting to figure out my clothing situation a little bit better.

While out on early morning rides, your mind starts to wander. No traffic at 5am, so you can go from thought to thought without much thinking about what you are doing. Not that I would suggest zoning out while riding, but sometimes it just happens. Horrible songs get stuck in your head. Christmas songs are sung to the tempo of your cadence. Lots and lots of thoughts dance in and out of my mind while riding, which almost clears my head out completely. I admit, it is a nice way to start the day.

Today had me thinking bikes. What are my future bike plans? How do I plan on riding in 2012? This is what I came up with:

First, move all my Xtracycle parts over to the T500. I enjoy the bike, and by making it a cargo bike, it would be used even more. I like the idea of having a front rack along with the Xtracycle, and the fork on the T500 is just begging for a front rack. Problem solved. Now what to do with the HaroX?

All of the parts will be pulled off of the Haro, and placed on one of these:

I have been contemplating a Surly Troll for quite some time now. Click here for my last thoughts on the Troll. But now, I feel is the time for the Troll. I like the idea of buying the complete bike from Surly, but I really enjoy the parts that I picked out for my Xtracycle conversion. They work well together. I feel that they will do a great job on the Troll frame, possibly a bit better than the stock Troll. Maybe not, but I am really comfortable on the bike with it's specific parts, so that is what I am leaning towards. Also, the complete bike is around $900 more than the frame. I think that settles it. I probably will not finalize any bike ideas until 2012 hits though, so for now this is the plan. Let's just see for how long! It will probably change while out tomorrow morning.

Just Riding Along... Black Friday Ramble.

This year, for Black Friday, there was no agenda. No shopping trips for electronics, no standing in lines, just dinner in the afternoon. My only tasks on my list were to pick up trash bags, and entertain my daughter and nieces. Not a bad list for things to do. So I got up a little early, and headed out on the T500 to see how she fared on a mixed surface ride to the convenience store for trash bags.

I started the ride at our local nature preserve for a quick buzz through the little used trails. Mostly double track, with a tiny bit of single track, this little area was a nice shake down to see how the bike handled in the dirt. Not too bad if I do say, but I definitely think that some wider tires might be in the future. Lots of fog was out in the AM, so I then decided to double back into town to connect with the Little Miami bike path to spend some time on the flats.

The bike moved effortlessly, and that made my mind start to wander. It started with the Steve Jobs quote of "The computer is the bicycle of the mind." That quote is fantastic, and in turn made me admire at how great a tool the bicycle is. Sure it is a tool for transportation, but also for the mind as well. It is a tool to relax your mind. Once I had settled into a comfortable cadence, everything melted away. My mind did not have to think of what to do, it just did. Pedals up and down. My mind was elsewhere, dancing around in the fog, which was out in full force. It made me realize that from time to time, we all should take the long route to pick up our trash bags. I ended up doing around 12 miles for a trip that is only around a mile away. That is called piece of mind. That is what we all need from time to time.

Ramble on...

Just Riding Along... Bicycle shop?

For the past couple of months, and some time last year, I have been contemplating the home based small business. What type would that be? I will give you a couple guesses...

Correct! A used bicycle shop! Not the glitzy, high dollar, retail storefront type of shop that you might be thinking of, just something based on quality used bicycles that are sold out of my garage. Every time that I think about the idea, I get fully immersed in it. It sits in the forefront of my brain for such a long time that it starts to consume me. I think of all the bicycles that I could get under people for a quality price, positively impacting the planet with bicycle friendliness. I think of giving the consumer options on purchasing their next or first bicycle. Then I think too much on the topic, and start to second guess myself. Do I know enough? Can I do all of the maintenance that I think I can? What about the paperwork? What is an LLC? Then the topic fades to the backburner, but still lingers, slowly burning away at my psyche.

I feel that it is not the right time to start this project up. But then again, is there ever a "right time?"

This topic is starting to creep back into the light from the events of this week. It has been very productive on the topic of bikes, especially finding bicycles for people. It started with finding a road bicycle for my Brother-in-law. He has wanted to get into road biking for a little around a year now, but just recently gave me the green light to find him a bike. This week, that bike was found, in the form of a Cannondale R600. Sure it is an older model, but here are the highlights:

-Made in the states frame.
-Mavic rims matched to Shimano Dura Ace hubs.
-Shimano 105 component group.
-Chris King headset.

This bike is in great shape, and with the parts my Bro-in-law basically stole this bike from the seller. Amazing price, which will have a great re-sale if he decides to sell. It was a great way to start the day.

That afternoon, a friend called to see if I could check out the bike I had forwarded to him. The seller ended up delivering the bike, and selling it on the cheap for my friend's first mountain bike. It's details:

-Specialized Hardrock.
-Shimano drivetrain.
-Brand new Continental and Kenda tires.
-RST suspsension fork.

This bike amazed me with it's price. The seller not only delivered it, but basically gave it to my friend. This bike with a little work will be a solid entry into the mountain biking world. If it is not my friend's thing, then it will sell for WAY higher than he paid. After the sale, we celebrated with a flat Rivertown Roebling Porter.(Click here to read the recent review.) I have to admit, it was a great day for buying bicycles.

So that is the impetus for the bike shop revival. I even went out today and bought one of these to make bike maintenance a little easier. I had been using a bicycle stand from Harbor Freight, and it finally has bit the dust after around six months of use. It was super cheap, but I would not recommend it to anyone. The new stand seems really sturdy, and it was on sale. Double bonus.

Hopefully I can figure this all out in my head in the coming weeks. Like I stated earlier, is there ever really a right time? Only time will tell.

Ramble on...

Poor Man's Rivendell...

After spending a little more time on the T500, I have already begun planning some changes to the final set up. I have decided that this bike is going to be my "poor man's Rivendell." Have you ever heard of Rivendell Bicycle Works? Basically, they make bikes that everyone should know about. I say should, because I doubt many people do. Their models have a retro feel, but at the same time is very classy and functional. And their frames are working pieces of art in my opinion. Take a look at some of their work:

Hunqapillar

Atlantis

Bombadil

These are just a few models to give you a feel for what they are all about. Basically, they make bicycles that will last long enough to will to your kids when you die. Before that happens though, you can ride them everywhere and back, probably while carrying enough gear to keep you comfortable. So, the changes to the T500 that I am pondering:

-First, a Brooks saddle.
-More cruiser type handlebars, or possible mustache bars.
-Tweed or canvas, older style bags for the front and rear.
-Front rack to support the handlebar bag.

I think with these minor changes, it will make a fine version of a "poor man's Rivendell." With these changes though, all of the parts would swap to a Rivendell frame, which start around $1000 and go up to $2000. Quite the price tag for just a frame, but factor in the fanciness, and the longevity, and that upfront price tag is not as bad as it seems. Not a bad price for a working piece of art.

Photos of Rivendell models are from their website, go check it!

Make time to ride...

Nice weather calls for being outside. Especially this time of year in SW Ohio. These nice past few days are probably some of the last of the nicer weather. Soon, the skies will be filled with the doom and gloom of winter. Not that I do not like winter, it brings a whole different aspect of outdoor endeavors. But that is another topic, this post is all about today.

Today was my first "official" ride on the newly revamped T500. Just a short 10 mile jaunt on the Little Miami bike path. Nothing special. This is a go to ride if I am short on time, or just short on daylight. Today was neither. Just out riding, enjoying the weather, and making sure that the T500 is road worthy. And without a doubt, it is. Just some minor adjustments to the shifting, and some minor adjustments to the brakes, and all will be well with the world.

This ride was all about taking it all in. The upright stance of the bike forces you to look around, and see what you have been missing while staring at the road. I have to admit, I really liked the way this bike rode. No camera with me, just a quick Evo picture over the Little Miami. Nothing fancy.

Hopefully the nice weather will stick around a bit, this has been one my best years of cycling in recent history. Maybe this winter, it will continue...

Hope you are getting some quality saddle time during this nice spell of fall.

Ramble on...

Cannondale T500... part 2...

After putting this project off for quite some time, today, with the nice weather, I decided that the Cannondale should finally be finished. The weather was just too nice to be inside so my daughter and I spent all day running around in it. First it was a long walk for me, and a wagon ride for her through the neighborhood. Next, it was off on the HaroX to hang out at the new playground. Once home from those adventures, it was time to finish up this long overdue project. So, without further ado, I give you the T500:

This bike has come a long way from when I first acquired it. (You can read about that here.) The big change is the riding position. Drop bars are gone, and replaced with a nice mountain riser bar. This gives you a nice upright stance, so you can take in your surroundings, and not stare at your front wheel or the road. These bars make you slow down a bit and enjoy your ride a little more.

Also gone with the drop bars are the road style shifter/brake levers, which were replaced with Avid FR-5's and an old Shimano friction shifter. I am completely excited with the shifter set up, having never used friction shifting before. All I can say is smooth. Still needs a little tweaking, but overall a very nice shifting feel. No front derailleur, only 8 cogs on the cassette. I have always liked the simplicity of a single speed, so this is a logical step in the direction of gears. Speaking of gears, they are being managed by an older Shimano Deore rear derailleur that I have had laying in my parts bin patiently waiting for action once again. Eventually this will probably be switched to a short cage derailleur, but for now, this is the bees' knees.

Other parts rounding out the bike are my well worn set of Shimano XTR pedals. These guys are rock solid and in my opinion, you can not find a better pedal. An oldie but goodie Blackburn rear rack, and an equally old Selle San Marco saddle make this budget bike stand out from the rest.

This bike came together better than I ever expected. And to top it off, it came together very cheaply. The only parts that I needed to purchase were the brake levers, a couple tubes, and a new chain. Not too bad in my opinion. This bike will serve my wife (and me!) for quite the years to come.

Now if only I could lock down my next bike purchase...

Ramble on.

Cannondale T500...

Earlier this year I picked up an older Cannondale touring bike for my wife, thinking she might want to ride a bit. Normally I do not go out looking for bikes for her, but I ended up getting an amazing deal on this one. This bike has an interesting story though: My friend has had it in her basement for years, holding it for her friend who needed a place to put it while in college. But this bike was not just some recreational toy, it was ridden completely across the country! My friend's friend, bought it only to ride across the nation, and when she came back home, she stashed it in my friend's basement. Wow. Great history on this bike. So what am I going to do with it?

My plan from the beginning was to turn in into more of an "errands" bike. Sure I have my cargo bike, but sometimes it is just too much. This bike would fill that gap. Also I figured that my wife would like a road bike in this setup, but maybe later in life, as for the moment, no. Luckily, my wife and I share similar size bikes!

Road bars are gone, in their place is an old set of mountain riser bars. Since it was an older bike, it came equipped with a threaded fork. A stem adapter was installed to enable me to use the mountain bars and stem. New Avid FR5 brake levers, and an old Shimano friction shifter round out the bars. The friction shifter will move the Deore rear derailleur across the 8 cogs on the rear wheel. Hopefully this setup works, I do like a single chainring up front. Still more to do, so here are only teaser photos: