Just Riding Along... Ends and Beginnings.

Just finished boxing up the Xtracycle Freeradical for it's long journey to Minnesota. Shipping this piece off it bittersweet. I really enjoyed the cargo option, it was very useful. But it was not as versatile as I needed it to be. Hence the sale. So, the end for the X, but the beginning for the Troll. The X's departure will keep the Troll ball rolling. After dropping off the X at the post office, I will be heading over to my local shop to have them install my headset to further along this process.

So goodbye Xtracycle, you were fun. But your replacement is going to be even better...

Just keep spinning...

Just riding along... Riding with the moon.

Last night was gorgeous. By gorgeous I mean temperatures close to fifty degrees, and a mostly clear sky with a full moon. A night like that calls for one thing: Bike ride. A couple friends were summoned, some "essentials" were loaded into the HaroX, and off we went down the trail.

All three of us had lights on our respective bikes, and also headlamps, but once on the trail, it was unnecessary. The moon was out in full effect, casting a gentle glow over the entire bike path, enabling us to let our eyes adjust and ride on without using any artificial light. This was not the longest or most extreme ride that I have done this year, but quite honestly it was one of my favorites. Around fifteen or so miles in around 2 hours, the pace was light, with a few stops and conversations. After the ride it was winter seasonal beer sampling time:

The beers on the agenda for the evening were two highly enjoyable brews, 21st Amendment Brewery's Fireside Chat, and Cincinnati's own, Rivertown Brewing Company's Winter Ale. Both beers were heavy on the spice, and both had a nice winter beer flavor. After a few of these, I didn't mind the cooler temperature.

I think that a ride like this should happen a little more regularly, maybe when the weather starts turning warmer again. Hopefully this was not the last of the nicer weather, but looking out the window today says otherwise...

Overnight bike camping....

On Wednesday, I set out on my first bike camping trip. My plan was to ride from here in the Milf, up to John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs along the Little Miami bike path. Just a basic bike path overnighter. I finally today mapped it out on the website Map My Ride, Click to see the route. Overall it was a great experience. Lots of miles, thunderstorms, friendly people, beautiful surroundings, etc. Such a great learning experience. Hopefully this is the first of many. Here are a few pictures from the trip, I didn't take too many, forgot that I had the new camera with me...


Photo from my HTC Evo along the path.


Campsite at John Bryan state park.




Under the I71 bridge.


Old factory on the bike path.

So what did I learn from the trip?
1. Putting in this many miles for me was very humbling. My knees are a little tender as I write this.
2. Always practice setting up your gear at home before you leave, that makes setting up camp in a thunderstorm a little easier.
3. Recumbent bicycles are everywhere, and they are a little creepy.
4. People love the Xtracycle. Even if they do not understand what it is. I should get paid for how much talking about my HaroX that I did. Lots of people wanted to stop and chat to try to understand just exactly what was going on with my bike.

Cant wait to head out on trip number 2!

XTRACYCLE!!!

Just ordered my Xtracycle conversion kit! Cant wait to get the ball rolling on this long overdue project of awesomeness!

New plan!

So I seem to change my mind more than a woman buying shoes, so here is the new plan. Instead of the big dummy frame, I am going to buy an Xtracycle conversion kit for my old Haro hardtail.

Here is my reasoning:

-The xtracycle conversion kit, complete is around $500, half the cost of the big dummy frame!
-With my leftover cash, I can find another MTB to tool around on when I get the chance.
-After a while on the conversion, sell the xtracycle frame on eBay and then buy the big dummy frame, hopefully on next year's closeout.

So that is what I am leaning towards at the moment. I am going to wait and see what the new big dummy prices are going to be, once they are released after Interbike, which is in a couple weeks.

I am also excited to continue using and abusing my trusty old Haro hardtail that I have had since 2003. I would love to know how many miles this bike has on it! Not enough just yet!