Just Riding Along... Taking the long way.

With gas prices hovering around $4/gal, my day to day errands on my off days are spent on the bike. Two prime examples of that today:

First, the Cannondale T500 was hooked up to the trailer and my daughter and I were off to the dreaded BMV. Since we live in a small town, this is not too bad of an ordeal, usually we can walk right in and not have to wait in line, or take the ever so slow number and wait. For hours. Not the case here in Milford luckily. After that task was over, it was off to the local playground for some slide time and a break at our usual spot on the scenic Little Miami River. This is the view from our favorite bench:

Little Miami state and national scenic river, and also my 1000th picture with my EVO.

While at our spot, a few boats were out and about cruising down the waterway, and my daughter decided at that point that we need a boat. Really twisted my arm on that one. So that got me thinking... Bikes, Beer and Boats? That might just have to happen.

Second errand of the day was on the Surly Troll. Just a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items (beer) and I decided to take the long way. Through the local nature preserve, around the neighborhood, and my quick little trip to the grocery turned into a 7 mile or so ride. Not too bad at all.

I have to say, the more that I ride the Troll the more I am liking it. I would even venture to say that I built my dream bike. What a different bike than I thought I would call my dream bike, but it is an amazing piece of bicycling culture. I recently switched over to my Maxxis Crossmark 26x2.1s, and they make this bike shine even more. The smaller tires really speed up the bikes demeanor on the trail, and also makes it quicker than it should be on the road. Very versatile, and that is the name of the game with the Troll. Rant over, here is the only picture that I took on my beer run:

All in all a good day of riding.

Just keep spinning...

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... February what?

Perfect weather today for a bike ride with my little lady. Spent the late morning on the T500 pulling the trailer on the Little Miami scenic path. Temperature hovering around 60 degrees on February 1st? Crazy, but I am not complaining.

A few more new pieces on the T500 were put into use today. Not too long ago, I picked up a couple sets of panniers from the local Craigslist. Today, I only used the smaller of the two, and they worked as a pannier should. I think though, that they will be a better fit on a front rack since they are a bit smaller, so I ordered a set of these for that purpose:

Salsa Down Under rack, pic from Salsa's site.

Also, still relatively new is the Brooks B17 Narrow, which I am really liking so far:

I am really liking how the T500 is coming together. A couple more smaller purchases will make it more complete, and ready to hit the trail for an overnight trip. Pulling weight, and being loaded down, the bike is really stable and comfortable. That is to be expected from a tried and true touring bike. Definitely one of the better cycling purchases that I have made in my lifetime.

Not a long ride today, but it was extremely nice to be out and about. Then, with around two miles to go, I felt the familiar feeling of a rear flat tire. Normally not an issue on the trail, but definitely an issue with a toddler in a trailer and no spare, patch kit, or hand pump and it is lunch time. At least it was nice for a walk. That's the great thing about cycling though, a small little ride turned into an adventure. That is what it's all about.

As for an update on the Troll, I have been back-ordered. Supposedly, I will be getting my frame sometime in March. Boo.

Just keep spinning...

Just Riding Along... Brooks and Maxxis.

So the new parts are starting to come in for the upcoming build. Every time that I order something online it is like Christmas morning when it arrives. Such a good feeling, thanks postman!

The past couple days have brought in a couple important pieces. First up was my Chris King headset from eBay. Apart from the faded finish, and some unexpected "hidden" shipping costs from the seller, it was still a great deal. eBay is a gamble sometimes, for example, when an item is listed as "Like new, excellent condition!" you would not expect fading right? Neither did I. Like I said though, it is in great shape still, and was a great deal, just a tiny hassle. Buyer beware I suppose.

Next up came two different packages. One carried my new Brooks B17 Narrow saddle. After lathering it up with some Brooks Proofhide last night, I took a 10 mile or so spin on it today with the T500. Right out of the box, I was quite surprised at how nice the Brooks fit me. Maybe it is due to me riding a little stiffer of a saddle as of late, but the Brooks was not at all terrible. If I am liking it now, I cannot imagine how comfy it will be once broken in.

The last package was one of the most important for a bicycle, tires. Those came in the form of two Maxxis Ardent 26x2.6" beasts. After installing them on my Sun Ringle Singletrack rims, I would guess that they do not measure out to 2.6" wide, but they are big nonetheless. Not a bad tread pattern as well:

I am planning on running these front and rear for MTB duties, but I do have the thoughts of putting a Maxxis Minion DHF 26x2.7" tire on the front. The Troll has big tire clearance, why not use it all up? I think with either of those setups it will make a nice "fatbike lite." This is probably a bad road to start down though, because it only ends at this:

Photo from Surly's site.

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 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 17.

Busy day today for the month of biking. Two big family functions half way across the state, but still got in a quick ride once we returned to Milford. Quick little ride with a decent climb into Indian Hill. Then a fast descent back down to Terrace Park. In TP, linked back up to the Little Miami bike path for the trip home via a short, but technical single track climb. I am a little surprised at how well the T500 climbed while off road. Luckily, the trail was dry, or I would have been pushing the bike back to the path. Once back to Milford, I snapped the photo above, and continued home. That welcomed me with homemade pizzeles, two dancing ladies jamming Bing Crosby, and a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal stout. Made me stop to realize how blessed we are to be living in such amazing times. Take time to stop and realize that from time to time. Enough of that, here is the map:

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 14.

Along the Little Miami scenic path.

Perfect weather today in SW Ohio, very unusual for this time of year. Normally, this would be the start of clearing away snow from the sidewalks, but today was around 60 degrees. Perfect day for a bike ride.

This afternoon, I started out on the T500 to get in a good ride through nearby Indian Hill to tackle some hills. After about 3 miles, I realized that I had a flat rear tire, and no spare tube, tools or pump. Luckily, I had briefly chatted with a friend at the trailhead parking lot, who graciously picked me up to spare me the torture of walking back to the house. Moral of the story: Be prepared.

After being dropped off at home, I switched out my Magicshine from the T500 to the HaroX and took off once again. Determined to take advantage of this great weather, I once again started off into Indian Hill. Not a long ride by any means, but still a bit of climbing, and one long descent which really makes the ride. After the long cruise out of Indian Hill, it was home for dinner.

Racing the sunset in Indian Hill.

After dinner, I received a call from my brother-in-law who had the urge to test out his new Cannondale for the first time, and asked if I felt like a night ride. For sure. So, once again, on the bike path for another round, this time again on the HaroX. Unfortunately, something was amiss in the rear wheel, which ended up being another flat tire. Luckily, this time, I had a spare, and the proper tools to fix the problem, and ride home without issue. Seriously, two flats in the same day? That has not happened in a while, and I cannot remember the last time that I had a flat. But at least I was prepared.

Almost the half way point for the month, here are the maps of today's rides, minus the 1st ride:








All in all, such a great time today on the bike. Even thought there were a couple flat tires, I was still out enjoying the weather, and enjoying the spin. That is what it is all about, and now this is starting to become a habit. I am cool with that. Hope you got out and enjoyed this great weather!

Just Riding Along... Day 12.

Today's installment, riding with the moon again. Clear calm night in SW Ohio once again, perfect weather for riding. Short ride, but still a ride, almost to the halfway point for the month. Enter the map:



I really like the app for Map My Ride. Very handy, and free. Not just for cycling, but for other outdoor pursuits as well. Check it out if you have not already.

I normally do not ride with my iPod, and tonight I did not have it as well. Every now and again I will wear it, but I usually like to hear the random sounds that are going on around me. Tonight however, I had a soundtrack in my head, a song that I could not shake. It flowed with my pace perfectly, and I enjoyed going over and over this song in my mind while riding with the moon. Amazing. The band is Fleet Foxes, and this is the song:

Just Riding Along... Day 11.

Coldest morning to date, finishing with a more complete frozen beard.



This morning was the most clear that it has been since I have started my month of biking. I probably could have ridden with out using my light due to the super bright moon. But, it gave me a chance to experiment with the settings/placement of the Magicshine to get the optimal light "throw."

While riding today, the T500 has been making some interesting noises, mostly from the bottom bracket. If it is starting to go, it should not be a costly repair, but it probably is due for replacement. Shimano square taper bottom brackets are a dime a dozen at the bike shop.

This got me thinking of different bikes, and I stumbled across an interesting one:

This bike is from the site Bike Nashbar. It is called their steel commuter. This is basically what I want the T500 to be. Internal 8 speed Shimano Nexus hub laced to heavy duty 36h rims, lugged(!) steel frame, 700x38 road tires, fenders and a rack. Not too bad, especially since Nashbar throws out amazing sale prices from time to time. I will be watching for this one to drop a little more.

Are you seeing a pattern yet? I ride my bike, and think about other bikes? It is a never ending cycle... no pun intended.

Ramble on...