Wait...Wait...What?

My weekend is pretty much like the picture, blurry, hazy and not really sure what happened. The warden let me out on parole for a few hours on good behavoir. Visited some friends in CT for a suprise 30th, 2 years late but still fun as hell. Location was the SBC brewery. Not a bad brewery, there Stout was spot on, the porter wasn't too bad, the brandford red ale was terrible as was the pilsner and last but not least the blonde ale was a little too sweet for the winter. I might of had there IPA at some point but it was lost in the mix. Brought the party back to his house and decimated his freezer, fridge and cabinet food supply, nothing was left but empty boxes, tin foil and dirty dishes. Sunday, it was back in detention but was able to manage 80 minutes on the rollers at a nice slow detoxifying pace. The Giants status, crank arms installed and a new chain so that is up and running. However, here is the latest quandry that has my mind working overtime. The rear wheel, Cane Creek has some play in the hub and has a tendency for spokes to loosen up. However the new rear mavic crossride i picked up for a steel is very nice on the eyes, trued up but definately heavier than the cane creek, much heavier. Race the cane creek and deal with the hub slop or race the mavic....hmmm...big winter decisions.

Whoohaa

Shocker, rode for a solid 60 mins this morning. At 5am with no caffeine that is a new record for this chicken legged old man. Schwinn, rollers and one bad Bruce Willis movie..made for a good start to the morning. 16 Blocks....bad remake of an old Clint Eastwood movie but it really helps pass the time....Just took it slow, every now and then dialing the saddle...Fizik Airione??, its long nosed saddle and at the moment not too comfortable. Might have to swap that out for my specialized BG saddle. The Brazilian keeps muttering among other things, "riding belgian style...." guess my hoods/bars are raised high up, that or he is just hopped up on chain lube and my beer supply. Gotta keep dialing those in. The bike rolls smoothly, alot quieter than the previous steel steed of yester-year. Thats it...till i ramble some more meaningless crap later.

100% Brazilian Assembly Required

The mechanic hard at work while I do my best as union supervisor, ie: hold the camera

The final product


Overall, the frame is tight and considerably light for a schwinn and an improvement over my Reynolds 853 frame. The ultegra group (F. and R. derailleurs, calipers, levers) shifts awsome. I think I'm gonna like the extra gear. The truvatic Rouleur crank is flashy. The wheels..crap. They must be made from iron but overall for a bike under 900 bucks, it's a pretty nice deal. Can't wait to get some miles on it!

Stripped

SLow progress on the winter rebuild....
Notice the dirt from the 2006 campaign. New rear derailleur, wheel, shift pod, all being installed this week at some point then its off to Farinas for a full tune once the paycheck rolls in. I have been impressed with their service and their tweeking seems to be a little tighter than Harris, which does a great job but I wasn't impressed with there prices last time. They do however have 8spd parts lying around, a big plus...for this old timer...notice the clutter in the backround...I think it replicates when I'm not down there. New stuff is appearing on a weekly basis.

Stripped

SLow progress on the winter rebuild....
Notice the dirt from the 2006 campaign. New rear derailleur, wheel, shift pod, all being installed this week at some point then its off to Farinas for a full tune once the paycheck rolls in. I have been impressed with their service and their tweeking seems to be a little tighter than Harris, which does a great job but I wasn't impressed with there prices last time. They do however have 8spd parts lying around, a big plus...for this old timer...notice the clutter in the backround...I think it replicates when I'm not down there. New stuff is appearing on a weekly basis.

Shhh....

Between ebay, craigslist and selling my only functioning kidney the deal has been made. With a litle help from MTBmind (Thanks) and Alan over at CBO, this will be sitting in my basement soon enough, just waiting for me to suck wind. Replace one Schwinn with another...Just don't tell the warden.

Inspiring Dirt

What I did during the CX Nationals!! I talked to the Caveman last year and this year it was another great experience. Friendly, funny and relaxed as always. A great racer to scream at the top of your for especially since he'll give a little acknoledgement back. JPow, a fun person to chat it up with and I have to say, Nice Car...a classic.

Finally got those photo's downloaded and the compound organized. Rollers are out, lungs are clear and really really out of shape. Was able to manage only 35 minutes the first day, 30 minutes the second day and 45 minutes this morning. Getting up at 5:30am is tough enough but being this out of shape is ridiculous. How can I represent ESC with this crap form. Put the Giant up on the stand and started to tear it down, so much dirt and grime.....so beautiful. Figure at the rate I am currently moving and the lack of Gus showing up to put his wrench to the bike (or when he does my beer supply vanishes into thin air and I have to hear about the epic 4 hour ride to blah blah blah..ha...) it should be done by february. Rear wheel...needs massive amount of tuning, Cane Creek, great customer support but no shop wants to touch the wheel..Keeping the 8spd riding strong this season, nothing churns the mud better, dial in and forget.....

I need an Upgrade

THe new year has come and my immune system is toast. It must not have been able to stand up to the holiday food and beer barrage and has completely given up any fight against this new cold. I know...frustrating. The holiday gear, decorations, and general shite has been packed up and stuffed away deep in the basement. Floor space has been set aside for the rollers, and trainer, and TV. The only thing holding me back is 10 gallons of flem that have taken over my sinuses. Hope to start getting back on the saddle soon though, even if I don't feel better whether its indoors or outdoors, becuase I completely miss riding the MTB and Road bike. Got the Gus all over my back to upgrade the road bike but since the Gus isn't sportin' the cash, the beater is gonna have to last a little longer. However i'm keeping my eyes open for any killer deals, even considering getting something online (IBEX Aspire, Motobecane Le Champion, iron Horse excelsior race..etc)....we'll see. Any ideas? Bengals are out of the playoffs but I expected that,damn. Gotta hope the Patriots get past the jets. Been watching some of the Belgium races, or clips of races online, it is amazing the talent/skill level of these riders, the mud, the cold, race course layouts. Utterly amazing. Anybody see the vid Transition 2 yet? Might consider purchasing that.