Just Riding Along...Bikepacking.

From day one, my plan for the Troll has been to utilize it's versatility. Mountain biking, commuting, grocery runs, trailer pulling, all in one machine. Another aspect that it is fully capable for is bikepacking. Essentially, backpacking on a bicycle. Sounds good to me.

Version 1.0

Last week for a night ride, I had the chance to try out the Troll with racks. Using an old rack and panniers that I had laying around, I had the chance to ride it loaded to see how everything worked. All worked together nicely, but it was not as functional as I would like. The front panniers and Salsa rack worked superbly, but the rear rack was lacking. My big issue was that using the connected style rear panniers (ex. saddlebag) I could not use the platform of the rear rack to lash anything down. That is what I call wasted space, and I do not have time for that. So, rear rack and bags are now back on the T500. Way more functional for that bike.

Version 1.1

After the rear rack was removed, I found my old Specialized seat bag. Not as elaborate as a Relevate Designs seatbag, but it does expand more than shown in the photo. I think with this setup, strap my tent and sleeping pad to the top tube, and maybe add a small lumber pack, and I should be good to go for a quick overnight trip. Now with the weather acting like summer, this needs to happen sooner rather than later.

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 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 21.

Today's ride was supposed to start at 5am. Every night, I set my alarm about three different times, all around 3 minutes apart from the next. This morning, however, 5am came a little earlier than expected, and since there was a steady downpour, I was back to sleep in a hurry. I do enjoy riding in the rain, but a warm toasty bed is hard to leave for the cold, wet pavement. So I hit the snooze button.

This was a blessing in disguise though. The rain cleared, the sun started to peek through the remaining clouds, and the temperatures hovered around 60 degrees. Not your typical Ohio December weather. With a couple errands to run, and the favorable weather, I loaded up my daughter in her trailer, and off we went.

The weather at the start of the ride was a little gloomy, but soon at our destination of the Little Miami river, the sun came out, and we hung around the bridge for a bit. Due to the recent deluge of rain, the river was running high:

After hanging out on the bridge, it was time to head back into town and finish our Christmas shopping. Downtown Milford has a variety of stores to fill any need that you might have. Our destination was the local outfitter Roads, Rivers, Trails. They have a great shop in the heart of downtown, with quite the variety of gear to suit pretty much any need that you would have. Great shop that I highly recommend. After picking up our gift, it was home for lunch.

This was a great way to still get my daily ride, and include my daughter as well. She loves being on the bike, and this was our first "real" ride utilizing the trailer. She seems to be comfortable in it, and it did keep her entertained as well. It was also more of a leg workout than I thought it would be, pulling all of that extra weight. What little climbs that I encountered woke up the leg muscles really fast. I look forward to using the trailer a little more...

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...

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: