Pack Fodder

2011-11-04T10:04:00.001-04:00

Click here for DT Swiss Picture

Ok, some days, you just gush over some quality bike products. And i have to say as your typical bike commuter in the hub and burbs that I get to beat on lots of equipment. However, I have completely put these wheels through their paces and they haven't budged out of true. I just potholed when i was avoiding a wanderer (someone riding a bike with no helmet just moving left and right like there steering is broken, also known as idiots) and wasn't paying full attention. No dents, flat spots, and still true as the day they left the factory. The 1850's have some dish to them and some fancy bladed spoke that cut through the smog better i guess but whatever, they are bullet-proof. Last winters salt, the summer rains, and whatever other grime they have traveled through, they have proven reliable. A worthy purchase. I like reliable shit, simple designs built purposefully. I don't have crabon on either bike, just no need when cheaper aluminum will suffice, stand the elements and a few dings, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love some fancy EC90 or EnVE stuff but i'm realistic. I bike too and from work and those items are nice but not needed.
i'm done ranting.

Quickly, some sugar free chocolate just showed up in the office...who makes this stuff. Garuanteed it won't be touched, nor should it be!

Support

2011-11-02T13:14:00.000-04:00

I really have nothing to add since last weeks post other than a few drippings from my infected sinuses. My body has given into whatever cold bug i was passed. Nothing like a head cold to start your week. So yeah, i'm off the bike for the week while i recover.

I recently visited portland maine and am really impressed by their "support local" businesses. Way to go. In the day and age of walmarts and home depots' it's a refreshing look at local community small businesses and how to rally to support them.

time for my next dayquil dose...

Chicken Skin and Knogs

2011-10-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

I cannot recomend this product or maybe i do. I will let you know in a few hours after it gets somewhat digested, if something like this is digestable.
7-11 Chicken Roller

It was tastey after the first two bites but then the experience went downhill from there. I'm not one to quite or collect a DNF. You finish at all costs, and with that, I had to finish this culinary fast food masterpiece. Anytime "Chicken Skin" is listed as an ingreadiant, you know you are getting quality.

Speaking of Quality. Now that it is getting darker earlier and some mornings it seems like the sun has forgotten to rise. it seems that everyone is reviewing lights and i like a good bandwagon as any. So i'm running a Knog beetle front and rear. Knog lights

I extremely like the versatilty of these little buggers. I switch between what certain people call my "A" and "B" bikes depending on weather, positioning of the moon, etc. Since i'm generally running late, the hassle of some lights that require mounting brackets is a pain so the silicone loop works extremely well. The multiple flash modes is appealing depending on the mood. I want to be seen by cars, so if flash enough (insert pun here), then the job of these lights is accomplished. I'm even running another pair on the back of my helmet and backpack. All have withstood many rainy rides, dry rides and the curious hands of two destructive kids. Simple, reliable, and versatile all wrapped up in a nice package.

2011-10-25T08:13:00.000-04:00

Quick thought:
You never see hearses with luggage racks....just sayin....

Mondays

2011-10-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

Monday brings on a whole new week of crud. Had a good laugh when biking in to the sweat shop. Wheel-sucking someone apparantly not affected by the economy when they potholed hard...i mean, bone jarring hard. His wheel blew out, i offered to help but i don't have any superglue to fix his problem...cracked front wheel, some fancy crabon sram wheels. oh well. The price you pay when trying to run the redlight...

And, who left mother natures freezer door open. Seriously, frost this morning! Guess its time for the x-mas decorations...

Seriously

2011-10-21T10:40:00.002-04:00

Seriously, my apple juice is made in China.
We can't even squash our own apples any more. Screw you Motts.
Time to start reading labels. If I had a dog, i wouldn't serve he/she Mott's.

2009-12-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Knowing that you have let somebody close to you down is the hardest thing to comes to term with. But picking yourself back up and building that relationship back is even harder and time consuming though the return of that great feeling is worth every sleepless night, every gray day.

2009-11-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

There are plenty of things that I see on a daily basis that I don't question but other days I find my self wondering more.

- Skinny jeans....really...i guess the sub-category could be Hipsters but thats for another day
- Commuting to work on a trek madone 5.5 with carbon bontrager wheels....when their commute is only 4 miles, but i guess if i had money to burn i too would get something flashy and fancy but i'm realist, commuting puts a beating on your ride.
- Not being able to manufacturer anything here any more (Evergreen Solar). There is going to come a time when there will be nothing left to outsource. We have to become leaders in intellectual property AND cutting edge manufacturing before we loose out the world passes us by
- Position of lights on your bike and helmet. It does no good if the light on the back of your helmet is obscured by your back pack, which by the way is large enough to host a small expedition up Mnt Everest.
- Ipods.....can people do anything without them....strangest places i've seen them...grocery store, butcher shop, waiting for a table at a breakfast shop, listening while reading....the list goes on

The list goes on but this is all i could write before returning to my other commitments

and Northwave shoes....amazing for the price...Deore XT clipless pedals...also top notch,

2009-10-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that McDonalds will sell you organic free trade coffee in a styrofoam cup (recycle number 4-polystyrene).....
just a thought

Rode in today trying out the new Northwave Raptor shoes. Pretty sweet so far. Just have to dial in the cleats a little better and they should be all set. So far i like the ratchet system, shoe fit and comfort. Also just slapped on some new Shimano Deore XT pedals. I am done with Crank brothers for now. 4 pedals in 18 months...just got tired of having to send them back. Lets see how these handle the commute and occasional recreational ride/race. More details on the shoes and pedals as i get use to them

2009-10-08T13:59:00.000-04:00

I have been lax on updating this for one reason or another but honestly just haven't found the rythym required to rant about stuff everyday. However, with that I will say that as a bike commuter i have a dislike for drivers, joggers and roller bladers and most other bike commuters who don't know the rules of the road. On the other hand, on the occasion that i do drive to work, i have a dislike for cyclists, runners and roller bladers.....I would like to think that when i commute I respect the other people around me and always act curtious to those around me hoping that this will help paint a better picture of cyclists..however it is on a daily basis that i see more cyclists cut off joggers, bike through red lights, act with a total disregard for the safety of others, erasing any positive things i have done.

Oh yeah, just realized that my PowerBar Endurance and Recovery drinks are made not in the USA...I deal with enough bad products coming into work from out-sourced contractors that i'm skeptical of any quality control on food products: See Label below for PowerBar Recovery Drink.
Ingredients:
C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (MALTODEXTRIN, FRUCTOSE, DEXTROSE), SODIUM CITRATE, BEET JUICE COLOR, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM CITRATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE
Country of Origin:
China

Arnolds and Chocolate Syrup

2009-08-19T08:56:00.000-04:00

So, the long over due review of Arnold's. This seafood restaraunt is located right on Rte 6a, conviently located next to the famous Cape Cod bike path as well. This place is well known and every tourist has been there at some point. Yes, it is a tourist trap...but well worth it. If its fried, Arnold's has it, even a delicately fried lobster. Something i tried for the first time. Fried Lobster is unique and tough to find. I would recommend the side of fried whole belly clams before fried lobster. Arnolds has a large dining area and a seperate drink bar. The menu is predominately local fried seafood. While there I sample the Wellfleet fried scallops which were well done. The breading was even and fried perfectly. The scallops were not chewey or gray in color.....healthy scallops. There have been some sickly scallops out there, which can be identified by a grayish color to the muscle and the muscle falls apart too easily. The fried clams were good, portion size was average.

The whole bellies were not gummy, though one was gritty but out of the three portions, there was only one gritty belly, which isn't too bad at all. THe lines will be long but they move relatively fast at food rush hour. This place can best be enjoyed just prior and after food rush hour, they have mini golf nearby to keep you occupied and ice cream as well if you need a reward for biking there. Good stuff

CHOCOLATE SYRUPS: Ok....so i like chocolate...its no suprise to many of you. I have a junk food gene...So, occasionally i like to have chocolate milk. I used to use HERSHEY's chocolate syrup or Stop & Shop brand however I noticed they all contain less Cocoa and more High Fructose Corn Syrup. HOWEVER, I bought some Nesquik the other day and it contains no high fructose corn syrup but rather..regular good old sugar. Nesquik does taste slightly different in that is has a textured taste to it and its not as creamy or smooth as hershey's syrup but the overall taste is better....

Mind dump

2009-08-18T11:38:00.000-04:00

I recently stopped here again Capt Simeons . Its been a year since my last visit. THe restaraunt closed over the winter and the owners sold it to a friend who stepped in to keep the business afloat. I think thats the story or at least one version of the story that I heard from someone in the parking lot. I have heard other stories. THe location is pretty good, right off Rte 103 and the dining room overlooks a working dock and harbor. I think the room doesn't give enough of a view though. Got the usual fried clams. They were just average. One had some grit to it but otherwise, average. I liked the french fries which seemed to be cooked better than the clams. Other patrons had some pretty nice meals showing up at their tables so maybe it was an off day. The menu is rather large and has maine seafood pretty much covered. I would go back eventually, maybe try them at more of peak hour for food service and see what they can do then.

I still haven't gotten the last of the cape cod fried vacation pict up yet, I'll dump that down soon enough.

Been riding the Jamis Nova Pro lately, and its a solid ride.. ABout 7 days on that bike and my knees seem to like the position better. I'm still waiting for the call from LA to join "The Shack" team but I think i have better luck winning on a scratch ticket.

Fried Vacation

2009-08-06T09:11:00.000-04:00

So, the vacation has come and past and I finally had a few minutes to download some pooly shot photos of a few of the places we visited for the requisite fried clams. The First place we went to was The Lobster Claw.
I don't have any picts of the fried clams but heres the review. We hit this place during a peak hour for lunch and an off peak hour for a snack right before dinner time. The fried clams at lunch were well breaded and seasoned slightly. The breading was light and fried very nicely. The portion was good and the french fries were of the thin variety. The warden got chowder and something else that escapes my memory but we both agreed it was tastey. However the second time we went, the clams weren't as good, maybe the oil wasn't that hot becuase a few were a little extra chewey. However all fried seafood when not screwed up completely is still a tastey treat. The Lobster Claw was good and I would recommend this establishment over a few others. Overall its worth a stop. I didn't notice if they had a take out window or now but since its located on busy Rte 6a its probably better to eat inside. It can get really busy around lunch and dinner rush hours.
Places also frequented for a quick lunch was Finbars. Great burgers and decent hot dogs. We didn't try any of their fried treats but we did have their Fish Taco's and they were super good, an awsome value....definately a place i would go back to. It looks like it used to be an old Dairy Queen so there is only outdoor seating on some picnic tables which was pretty accomidating.
A place for sandwiches that we visiting alot was the Village Market on Main street in Orleans. I really like their Mad Russian sandwich and their California wrap. Call ahead and the sandwiches are ready when you are on your way to the beach.

Next up will be Arnolds!

2009-08-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

So, it's august and that means that Cross season is about a month away. There has been a great debate in my head if I will even go out this year or sit this one out until the knee tendonitis stops bothering me and i can get some decent biking in. With those thoughts crossing my mind. I got the Creamsicle out of the rafters and threw some air in the tires. The Jamis is ready to ride. Two days on the bike and its a nice difference. The brazilian was kind enough to let me try out some new bars, FSA RD200 shallow drop. These bars are STIFF. THe Ritcheys that came off the bike were not great. After only two days of riding the ride differences are already quite apparent. The Jamis does not accelerate as quickly as the schwinn or redline but it handles/soaks up the bumps much nicer with a more solid feeling. The Redline is twitchy and can give a punishing ride its so stiff. The schwinn road bike accelerates faster and tracks middle of the road. Thats all for now....

Food: The Meat House. I have been buying steak tips and chicken from them lately and its some good stuff. Nothing on the fried front this week. Vacation was good, hope to get a pict up a good place, albiet a tourist trap, a good place amongst the many we found while on the cape

2009-07-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

So far this week, 3 days and 3 different riding conditions. Monday was a 50% chance of rain so the Iron giant made its way to work and tuesday was the best day so the Schwinn came out for some action and yesterday it was the redline becuase its a solid, stiff and spirited ride. Knees are holding up since all bikes have the same saddle to pedal distance and they are all within 1 to 2cm of fore/aft. However i know if this keeps up the knees will bother me.

The Geax Street Runners on the Giant are starting to show some sidewall cracks due to age. These tires are about 3.5 years old and have really be used mainly for commuting and carting the elder chaos machine around town. So they have taken their fare share of abuse and done amazingly well. I will finish the year out on them and then get another set.

Gotta get some new cleats on the shoes for the crank brothers. However yesterday my road shoe developed a big rip in the velcro strap so the left shoe is fitting loosely and not snug. Time save up for some shoes. The thought will be to get a really good MTB shoe that will also double as my Cross and road shoe. Any thoughts out there?

Right now I'm really jonsin' for one of these.

I don't quite understand the price but sometimes its just worth it. I don't think there is a pound of meat in the lobster roll so why do they cost 11 to 14 bucks. I understand the picking fee but still......however taste wins out .....and they will be on the menu from the weekend. Probably will prepare my own from some fresh one bought off the Will and Wendy. He's sellin' right off the truck these days for some $$$ . Nice guy
Have a good weekend..unless i get the engergy to update it again

Back...

2009-07-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

So i got 7 days of eating my way through middle cape...or whatever reagion it was I was in. Even got some days where i put the rubber to the road as well. Was able to bike to the beach just about every day we were there, except the day it was raining, that day I chose to drive.

We ate at many fine establishments and many not so fine.
One location that we frequent more as tradition than anything else is The Orleans Inn. They have a nice cosey looking inn but what we go for is the outside dinning that overlooks the bay. The menu is pretty large and the daily specials can be quite good. Their Ginger Chili salmon is a great pick as well as their.....Whole Belly clams. Their clams were good, a thicker batter but fried to a nice golden brown. Clam size was a little smaller than I have seen but the taste was still pretty good. The bellies were juicy and flavorful but not as sweet as a colder water clam. It was a good location to eat out. The scallops were so so, but i think they had so many orders for them that I don't think they were seasoned enough and maybe were rushed through, but they portion was still generous.

More on the other restaraunts later.....

Humid bike ride back to work today. Rode the iron giant today becuase the threat of thunder showers. The rest of the week looks to be a good set of days for more riding...definately going to be testing the redline vs the jamis very soon....as cross season aproaches i have to decide which i like better, the positions fit pretty good now for both. The Redline is snappier in accelerations but it can be punishing as its really stiff.....and the jamis is more sluggish but it soaks up the bumps rather well. We'll see....
C-ya

2009-07-17T14:57:00.001-04:00

Before I go on vacation , i must rave about the new tires i'm riding these days. Panaracer Evo 3Panaracer Evo 3. These tires are super sticky....corner amazingly well, roll super smooth and have been unscathed by crappy peoples republic roadways. These tires are by far better than my Micheline Krylon Carbon and so far exceed my michelin Pro-3.
Its been a great few weeks commute wise. The redline is back in action and rolls very nicely with a new saddle as well, very cush and stable. The position is different than the schwinn and jamis, more upright and easy to power around joggers and roller bladers.
Big plans for vacation. Going to see if fried clams from the cape live up to Maine fried clams....last year I was let down but this year I'll be sure to visit a few more locations for a more thorough comparison becuase its going to take some good cooking to beat even these tastey bits and these were from my second favorite spot.
York Lobster and seafood

2009-07-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

Goin on vacation....so this thing of a blog will be quiet for a few days...but does it really matter anyways.....enjoy

THe sun

2009-06-25T12:53:00.000-04:00

Wow, the sun is out.
The rides in have been soggy but otherwise not too bad. Warmish weather helps when its damp out. The clip on fenders are pretty good too at keeping alot of road spray off the bike and body. NICE. And when it dries out, they take 2 seconds to undo.
Well since the sun is out, rather take the long route home than write about. Enjoy the sun

Soggy

2009-06-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

I hope to provide more structure to these random postings that way you can skip the parts that don't interest you (most likely the last half of any posting).

Commute/Bike: It has started off as a soggy week to say the least. The Iron Giant took a heavy beating on monday during a 45 minute soaking downpour of a ride. The elder chaos machine wanted to help dry the giant off and get it ready for the next day but i quickly learned, never give them grease or oil. It was everywhere in a matter of second but none on the bike. It was rather funny to watch though. Got the bike wiped down and dry before applying some new Squirt Chain Lube. All exposed cabling got a wipe down with Teflon silicone oil....I didn't think silicone needed Teflon but it sounded good and it has worked well so i haven't switched. Stick with what works well and what you trust. The Geax tires are holding up really well after two years of commuting on the iron giant. I hope that in the next few weeks i can get a few miles on the Panaracer Evo III and see how they handle and hold up on the busy pothole filled streets of the republic. I got them on some old Ritchey Pro wheels. These were amazingly tight to get on the rims to a point that I snapped a tire iron. The bead is amazingly tight so we'll see how they hold up. A new saddle is on the way too....90% off a sella so that should be interesting too see how it goes. I wish you could try a saddle out before buying it. Its just a matter of finding out what fits best. I have one specialized toupe but i can't afford another right now....so any imitation cheapo that is on sale will have to do the trick. The "carbon" saddle on the redline is the least comfortable seat and needs to be replaced before putting mileage back on that bike.

Food: Did get to munch down one of these the other day

Lobster rolls are something that i like to enjoy but can't figure out why they are so expensive. Are you getting 2 pounds of lobster meat in the roll. I haven't a clue but the other day it was 9 bucks for the roll and some interesting looking onion rings, more like onion fries that were tasty but not crispy enough. The lobster meat had only a very light dressing of mayo so it was good.

Rant: I understand items in very simple terms and sometime the complexity of situations is lost in translations. On the news the other day, I heard that Goldman Sachs is making record profits and will be dolling out remarkable bonuses to all employees. Wasn't this one of the companies that helped sell junk and facilitate the downfall in the market. They weren't the only player nor the biggest contributor but they do deserve the blame. I understand rewarding employee's for hard work, leadership and retention. However when you see the totals on these bonuses, it is staggering that the same people who almost destroyed a company are now getting large bonuses. These are people who offer little "core necessities" to the marketplace. You trade paper! (Speaking of paper-this makes for an easy analogy in my simple mind) However if you look at the paper industry which has been hit extremely hard you see a direct trickle down of the effect from the mill and pulp processors down to the loggers. These are workers who work extremely laborious jobs, fight to keep finding work even when the mills and pulp processors are not accepting wood, yet keep going without large bonuses or rewards. I don't want to say that a 50 hour work week at Goldman sachs is a cupcake job but at the end of the day, who do you think has to take more advil and figure which bills get paid and which don't at the end of the month. I would also have to imagine that the thousand or so ex-goldman sachs employees that got cut less than a year ago must be pretty infuriated that the executives are going to take home some record bonuses. I don't want to draw any conclusions from my nonsense just yet but at the end of the day I rather see the "logger" take home a paycheck than the management from GS. I don't pretend to understand many of politics at play in any industry and I am still wading through the information to make a better judgement but sometimes certain issues just sound unbelievable.

money pit

2009-06-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

The usual eventful june has continued unencumbered. The furnace developed a leak and my "fix" didn't seem to work. Being that i'm not a plumber and wanting to destroy my furnace, i called in a few experts to take care of that.

This week has been rough on the commute. The bike path is being re-surfaced in a few new areas and I really think it will be a great improvement. The areas already finished are pretty smooth and perfect for when you are tired and don't want to deal with the bumps.

Got some new rubber on the wheels as well. Panaracer Evo III. A pretty nice looking tire. More of an update on them when i get some mileage on them. Maybe an update after a 100 miles of commuting...cambridge potholes....jogger avoidance...Those are on some old Ritchey Pro deep dish wheels. Those things can take a beating and still hold true. Alot better than some other wheels that have been on the commuters.

Been doing some eating and biking as usual when the sun comes hot and the temps get hotter...not too mention I really like providing links to places that are solid places to support and frequent.

I go here alot for a drink and some tapas.
Chapman Cottage They have a great wine selection and bottles are SUPER CHEAP. The bartender Tumi is very nice, and the owner and chef are wonderful people. A great place to stop for a drink or three.

Also, been going here for change of pace for the fried clams.
York Lobster and Seafood Its a great place for fried clams. Their breading was nice, portions were good. Whole bellies were good. Not as good as Yorks Best but really close. I don't like a heavy battered piece, and they weren't over fried. Just close to perfection. After a long morning ride or morning with the chaos machines....a perfect mid day break. Since this is open air dining under a pavilion, i'm not sure how the skeeters will be at night but dining at the lunch hour was awesome.
enjoy

Busy week

2009-06-12T13:43:00.000-04:00

This week is the typical cliche...."where has my week gone." Well in my case, down the crapper. Between the fridge dying, broken screen door and the car going into the shop. It has been challenging. However it has made the work week fly by.

For starters they have some new pavement laid down along the river and its pretty nice to roll along on something so new and smooth. Its pretty amazing. But there have been two days that rolling to work on two wheels hasn't worked so I've been forced to drive. The lastest and greatest auto to grace our families presence is our rental car (to tide us over while the 'Ru is repaired). A Jeep Commander, 2008. I have never sat in a bigger piece of poorly enginnered junk in my life....except maybe my parents Reliant K station wagon. I could spend a week talking about whats wrong with it. But instead I will talk about its positive attributes.....do you hear crickets chirping....yes....thats becuase this car has NONE. You can't see stop lights becuase the front windshield is too small, there is less front seat room than the civic, same amount of back seat space as the 'Ru and the cargo area is 5 feet off the ground. The car has 2300 miles on it and the transmission sounds like its about to die when you have it in reverse and the motor has a rolling idle already. I am wondering why Fiat would want to buy into this, I can only hope they rally the workers, redesign many models and inject some quality into this lackluster peice of sh#$@. However since the union has them by the cajones, i'm pretty sure we'll continue to see some junk roll off hte assembly line.

Back to biking. Got some new team bib shorts. Have been trying to break them in a bit. We switched from Craft to Pactimo. I really liked the craft product line. Craft Their jerseys and bib shorts were of great quality. So with many members taking cuts in pay we went with Pactimo. Now I have never heard of them so i didn't know what to expect. For starters their race cut jersey is awsome. The cut is perfect, the material is a nice waffle style, full zipper, great jersery. One of my favorites. Their full length sleeve jersey is not the waffle material but a thicker fabric. It feels ok but once you really work up a sweat it sticks to you like glue and the logo/images on the fabric are slightly blurry becuase of the material. lastly, the bib shorts. They have a lot to live up since i have gotten acustomed to Verge and Craft bibs. The bibs have a great over the shoulder fabric, smooth, soft and comfortable. The chamois is top notch and fits perfectly. I wish it had silicone leg grippers like the the craft but the leg grippers do work, I haven't tried with leg warmers or knee warmers yet. So far i'm pleased with the line-up with the long sleeve exception. Its a product that i support and they have plenty of other items in their line-up that could be even better.

New tires...Panaracer will be on the commuter within the next week or two so i'll post some info about them shortly.

HOla

2009-06-05T14:40:00.000-04:00

The weekend is finally here!!!!
MIT graduation is today so that complicated the commute a little this morning, many nervous parents and parallel parkers. It is interesting to watch people who don't parallel park often..do so, especially around the peoples republic.

Have to rush it home and beat the expected rain. I hope that it will hold off but if not, no big deal, its warm enough out that getting drizzled on isn't a big deal. The hardest part is getting the bike inside, wiped off, dried and re-lubricated and get it ready for next week.

Shoes....Still thinking of buying a single pair of shoes that stiff enough for road, forgiving enough for hike a bike MTB Sessions and mud-shedding for CX season. Right now i have a pretty sweet pair of Adiddas road shoes that are about 4-5 years old and my MTB shoes are a pair of Answers that are pretty nice but are probably a half of a size to big when compared to the road shoes and they are terrible at shedding mud. Time to start looking at a good shoe that can do it all....and it's also time to start looking for that money tree...

2009-06-04T11:41:00.001-04:00

Its been a pretty nice week on the wheels. This morning ran across a few deer down by the river. Something i have not seen ever. Even came across the largest snapping turtle i've seen since i was a kid. This thing was a big as a hubcap.
Logged about 400 miles on the schwinn, 300 on the redline, 200 on the MTB...however i thought the legs would come around and be good for 5 days of riding but i'm finding that wednesdays ride home is always the toughest, the legs feel empty and powerless. Thursday I feel a little better than wednesday and fridays aren't bad but not great either. Slow steady improvement though.

Just since monday gas at the local pump n' serve has gone up 6 cents so i feel pretty good about keeping some money in my pocket....

This morning was Harvards graduation day. Even at 6:30am grads were all over the place. I was amazed by the number of students running through red lights and walking as slowly as possible in front of traffic and in the cross walks. I can't tell you how many had the "deer in headlights" looks I saw when they finally look up from the middle of a cross walk and see a dump truck and myself coming down the street...we had the green light....and I will admit that there are a fair share of cylcists that blow through red lights but not paying attention and stepping off the sidewalk onto a busy street without looking....

Since i like links lately. I had a cookie from them the other day and they are pretty tastey and i like cookies. I only wish that more would appear.
Geoff and Drews Cookies

Still looking into getting rid of these Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals. They are crap. I keep them in good shape however the bearings stink and the mechanism / spring that holds the cleats in place keeping breaking. THis is on top of the already really soft cleats that wear out rather fast. I really like the crank brothers philosphy and support for racers and events but i'm down three pedals now in a years time. Might switch to Deore XT on all bikes. Change is good right?

And since i finally got a camera, with batteries no less. Here is the first picture....Seriously...we can't manufacturer a steel disc in this country. Wow...I passed over 4 of these on the way to work the other day. Yes, I go so slow i can see where these things are made, but i will say that some were made in the USA, others in South Africa and Mexico.....but the point remains the same.

2009-06-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Sweet ride in this morning. Slightly cool but humid. Saw over a dozen rabbits down the NE boathouse. At least 4 wild turkeys down on river road, i really have to get a camera working for these moments. However I must say that 6:15am, i'm pretty brain dead and i'm lucky to make it work in one piece. This morning I was shocked that they have torn up a huge section of the river path, no more pavement. Almost endo'd in some soft sand but saved it at the last minute. However there a few people behind me who probably got a good laugh at that bobble. Going to have to take a different route home.

There is still something off about the front headset/fork. There is a dull clunking sound. The fork/stem are all tight and perfect, just can't figure this one out. Might have to throw a 6-pack the brazilians way and have him take a wrench to it. Still working on the cleat position. It was suggested that I just use one pair of shoes for all rides..road, CX and MTB. It may come to that but I will need to get better shoes first. Something that will work for all disciplines.

I'm thinking end of june or mid-july for some wells ave races along with some MTB events just to get ready for august cx races. I'm sure to bring a new level of suck to any event I participate in but i'll be there stinking it up. Going to try and get the elder chaos machine to go and maybe do a kids race. He would be all for it...except he has to pedal his bike, right now he just pushes it around with his feet. we will see what the summer holds

If you don't want to read my next rant about stuff I don't fully understand, I would stop reading right here. I just read that Sichuan Tengzhong Industries from China is going to buy Hummer..I didn't think it was possible to make Hummer even more un-reliable and crappy...i take that thought back....When Hummer was first introduced to the US it was in the form of the military troop vehicle...but good thing for us good ole' Arnold S. govenor of Cali said he must have one and a short time later, the average consumer could buy an H1 hummer. They were marketed on being a symbol of AMerican patriotism....i don't know how they are going to market that now...good luck.
So being a father and working on a thin budget, my chaos machines really put the hurt on most toys. It wasn't till recently that i started noticing that not of their crap is made in china. Some is made in Italy and some items are actually made here in the USA....I know....we still manufacture stuff here at competitive prices. Not every company is sold out. Here is a great example American Plastic Toy. I don't usually support many cuases but this is one i think might be worth the effort. Thats my pointless ramble for the day. Since I learned how to use the links application here are a few others:
Boston Organics
Russos Produce market

Mondays

2009-06-01T13:05:00.001-04:00

It was cooler out than expected this morning but I was glad for last evenings thunder shower as it pulled all the dust and pollen out of the air. Ride in was emotionless and boring. I'm still waiting to see how long its going to take them to repave the section of the river path however I was suprised to see the construction crew out at 6:30am.

The new glove update is exactly as I expected. The lack of a terry cloth section or something smooth to wipe off the morning nose crust off is kind of annoying. It's like wiping your nose off with 200 grit sandpaper.

Weather is looking up for most of the week. Back to riding the schwinn this week. Now i'm working on getting the cleats in the right position between my road and MTB shoes so this upcoming cross season there will be knee problems. THere were none last year however the cleat positions vary enough so that its noticeable.

Thats it for now

R & R

2009-05-27T15:28:00.001-04:00

There is nothing sweeter than escaping to vacationland for a few days of R & R. However with the twin chaos machines in tow, it's less R & R and more hanging out by the wiggly bridge, town dock and the Fort. All of which is fine by me. A weekend spent eating fried clams, ice cream with some good beer can really help recharge the system not too mention a night out with good friends talking like adults over some Tapas and wine. We had a great night here: CAVA. Food and wine pairings were perfect although it did put hurt on the wallet, it was worth every penny. Since we were having such a good time, we had to round the night out at The Rosa (Rosa's) with some pizza and mussels. Probably the best mussels in new england but don't take my word on that. An epic evening of food, wine, and good conversation. I think over the course of the weekend the elder chaos machine and I must have thrown a few hundred rocks into the harbor, terrorized a dozen or so green crabs and had at least three of the most interesting conversations with the local lobsterman.

The Giro is moving along and Levi is not. I'm not sure if he has the fitness yet or the killer instinct to really put the hurt on. Either way, its been a fun one to read and follow. The Weather this week isn't that spectacular so commuting should curtailed which is fine becuase there are too many errands to run after to work that can't be done if I were biking. Its kind of tough to strap a case of Size 5 diapers to your back (192 count) or 5 months of long overdue dry cleaning. Now that wedding season is approaching, time clean the suit and the few dress shirts. Get rid of last years wrinkles, stains, dust and spit-up (not my own). Can't beat 99 cents a shirt. But we will see, might just ride the iron giant anyways since the legs are feeling good and the temperatures are still relatively mild and nice (despite the rain).

In the next few weeks there might be an ESC sighting along the river....but I'd believe an economist before I believe that.

New Gloves

2009-05-21T08:55:00.000-04:00

With my commuting time increasing and summer temps rapidly approaching, its time for new gloves. I generally like gloves with some minimal padding, gel or extra layers of fabric material. I was using a pair of Pearl Izumi Aerator, or something like that. These gloves were light but the padding was terrible. There was a HUGE gel strip at the base of your palm that was too thick as well as a large gel pad at the base of the fingers, also to thick. The gel pad never really shrunk down over time and if the gloves were just a bit off and not fitted properly the gel pads were more of a nuisance than a benefit. However the space between the thumb and pointer finger did not wear out from riding on the hoods too much, an added bonus. A down fall of two other brands of gloves (Addidas and Sette) These full finger gloves were good for cooler days and warmer days. I wear full finger gloves becuase if you wipe out, picking gravel and sand out of your scrapes is not an enjoyable experience. Just a matter of personnal preference.

So this leads me to my latest acquisition. AXO - Kicker Full gloves. They retail on PricePoint for 9.95 right now. Price subject to change depending on what day you look at the website. These gloves are simple. The have a very light palm fabric that is thin, filled with breathable holes. There is ZERO padding....so you feel the bars and all the road vibrations 100% of the time. These gloves don't have a velco strap but rather they are the new slip-on-cuff style. I like that feature. Also each finger tip has PLENTY of silicon gripper material so your fingers stick to the levers easily. The two down sides i see to this glove are that you get what you pay for. A glove that will breath really well but not last that long. The palm material is thin and not reinforced on the high-contact areas and more importantly, where do i wipe by running nose? The Pearl Izumi's had a nice terry cloth section for booger collection, the AXO only have a synthetic leather peice that could be quit abrassive later on. However we will see how they stand up to the commute and weather. They are plain and easy on the eyes. Graphics and logos are not obtrusive. Maybe i'll get techinally advanced and take a picture and post it. Off for the weekend......

The daily Commute

2009-05-20T10:36:00.000-04:00

Since i got two young chaos machines at home....the time to train let alone race is non-existant. My commute begins at 6:15am and i'm in the office by 7am...back out the door at 4:15 and home by 5/5:15 depending on traffic. Then its family time which is currently more important than training. I want to say that in a few years i'll get back into it when the chaos machines are older and off playing soccer and more independant. I do miss the racing, the preperation of the day before, the start line nerves, but I see the bigger picture and few years off maybe with some limited handfull of events will only make it that much better later on down the road

So the long of the short is...pedals. Right now I'm commuting on the Redline and or the Giant. Both of which have Crank Brother Candy SL pedals. The Cross bike and Road bike also share Crank Brother products. The Road pedals, Quattro SLs have been pretty awsome and smooth, no problems, however it is the Candy's that are crap. I have broken three pedals in less than 12 months. The tines just open up to much and won't accept the cleat. The spring slides out of place. Luckily crank brothers has decent customer service and will repair them for free ( i just pay shipping). I think there is problem with the design on the longevity of these pedals. I might have to save up and switch all bikes back over to Shimano XT pedals. I liked the platform of the pedal but the constant un-reliability of the product is wearing thin.

Hopefully i'll get my commute photo's up and you can enjoy those artistic masterpieces.

yupp...thats a bike and me riding it

2009-03-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

*note the broken computer....not tight

daily rant

2008-09-23T12:49:00.000-04:00

I'm just gonna rant today becuase i have nothing of cycling value to add, that, and i just looked at what was left of my 401K.
No accountability is what the bail-out amends to. Seriously, everyone from CEO all the way down to greedy mortgage broker and even the buyer should be held accountable. If you didn't make enough to pay for the mortgage in the first place, how did you think that some crafty mortgage plan was going to change that, for that, you are an idiot. For every step of my work I am held accountable, if I don't meet my obligations I am held accountable and these people need to be as well. They should never be allowed to work in the banking/mortgage industry again...hello Walmart, make them work for minimum wage.

I will never support any plan that just empties the general coffers, while bathing the top 5% of Americans in absurd wealth. Rewarding the wealthy for ruining the foundations of the economy, sounds great, for the wealthy. If I mess-up on my mortgage, I get no bailout, I loose my home; if the wealthy mess-up, they cry that is not their fault...BS
If the average taxpayer has to bail out dishonest Wall Street executives, they should pay us back when things are strong underfoot. Not a promise of future stability & jobs, actual pay back...results keep this country moving forward, promises are empty.
The avarice and greed of America's wealthy is single-handedly selling out this economy, our country, and their fellow citizens. Empty heros, selfish zeros. Wall Street must learn pride, respect, and faith, & remember who you have exploited to aquire your riches.
I won't even pursue this pearl of wisdom that has been added to the Bail-out "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." NO COURT OVERSIGHT....BS....In short, the so-called "mother of all bailouts," which will transfer $700 billion taxpayer dollars to purchase the distressed assets of several failed financial institutions, will be conducted in a manner unchallengeable by courts and ungovernable by the People's duly sworn representatives (The Huffingtonpost.com)...
Did you know that $700B could buy 2.3M houses at $300K per house? (I read this somewhere so it could be crap but it sounds good at the moment) At last count there were 310,000 houses in foreclosure in the US. Why not just buy them all? It would be a lot cheaper. Then buy all the new construction that's not selling. Still cheaper. Bulldoze half of them and the housing problem is solved.
The net result is we've bailed out people and builders, not Wall St

oh yeah...Bedford race this sunday....can't afford to make it up to VT..staying local..more time for sleeping in...NICE

oh and this is a nice visit http://www.buymyshitpile.com/

2008-09-09T13:11:00.000-04:00

Two things that can make even a rainy day a good day. Good thing you can't read the cyclocomputer becuase it didn't register anything in the double digits...ahahah. Finally a shot of my favorite establishment...most have heard of ice cream rides, but those are for beginners...

2008-09-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

Riding home the other day, I hit up the ballfields for a quick few laps to get some practice in, and before I knew it there was about 10 of us riding from goal post to goal post, running, carrying, it was a pretty impromptu. I realized that there are a few things i'm good at and a few that need improvement. After only 10 minutes of continous effort I know I have to work on running, dismounting, braking, pedaling, conditioning, you might say thats about everything, however there were a few positives....cursing, being slow, and going home to open a beer before the bike had even stopped rolling, i was really exceling in those areas of training. Amesbury....hmm....conditioning says no, but the stupid in me says yes. Maybe I'll take home the coveted and highly sought after DFL award. Which way to run Tufo Elite LPS's as a front tire, tread pattern backwards or forwards, i really don't have a clue...

ESC not riding excuse 124: The air was "chilly" so I didn't ride in

I give that one a 6 out of 10....

2008-08-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I rode the squeeky pig (MTB) for a little bit and while most people go on ice cream rides, i went on a fried clam ride. Thats right, had to stop off at Yorks Best Roast Beef and Seafood on Rte 1. Their whole belly clams are perfect...however the ride home was pretty damn slow....which i then turned into an ice cream ride. hahaaha.

The Jamis has been renamed to "creamsicle." The Creamsicle made the ride to work today nice and smooth. THe ritchey wheels aren't too bad at soaking up the bumps. Pretty soon got to switch over to the mavics with the michelins jetts, just to help get around the plethora of slow roller bladers, joggers and other pathletes.

2008-08-05T14:01:00.001-04:00

Been going to Wells ave lately. So close to home, I can get in and out rather quickly and still be home in time for 99% of my day. Perfect set up and it's been going well (that just means I haven't been dropped out the back yet). Been having fun at it and meeting some good racers and some not so good racers but at least people are showing up and a core few are making it fun. I won't bore you with a typical race report which would read as standard cycling blog fare...chased a break, felt heavy legs, woke up and said why not only to say what was i thinking..blah blah blah......insert race name here, insert the names of friends (bunny, superlegs, jojo, etc), talk about the hill that killed you, the break you chased, getting spit out the back on the hill, etc....anyhow,
If the science thing doesn't work out...hmmmm
I bike by these every few weeks and two of the owners are pretty friendly so i thought I would throw them up here and add some color.......

2008-07-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

What’s better than after a day of painting the front porch, lifting some pre-fab Ikea furniture and enjoying some fine Latin cuisine….Wells Ave!!! I didn’t get my fill of people watching for the week so what better way than to attend the C-race. I haven’t been there once this year so I knew it would be all new faces. While getting ready, I noticed someone driving on the course well over the speed limit, zip into a parking spot and kit – up. Specialized Uber-carbon frame, some fancy carbon wheels and some tan lines to match. You are figuring B-race or A- racer, right? Not by a long shot, who lines for the c-race…that’s right, Mr. Carbon. That’s when I thought I was going to be in trouble. There were some fit looking individuals lined up and seems everybody has been spending their economic stimulus checks on some fancy gear.
The race rolls off, and the pace isn’t bad, the first few laps, everybody is just sitting in, a few people try and roll off but the head/cross wind pretty much hurt those out there alone. I’m just waiting for Mr. Carbon to sprint away, not a chance, there he is sitting third wheel most of the time. A few other riders to watch, Mr. Ibex likes to swerve around manhole covers and not gracefully, only was cut off twice in one lap. A few nervous line changes and the usual surge forward anytime we came near the start/finish line, apparently some loved ones were watching. Heart rate was probably pegged cause apparently my 35 minute commute doesn’t count as “structured training.” Pony boy rides off the front for about 2 laps, only to fall back in line, a few others try the same thing only to blow up and drift back into the group. I don’t even think we were really chasing or doing anything like that….come on, we are Cat 5’s, we are lucky not to have crashed at this point. If some people worked together I’m sure we would have seen them off and fight to reel them in later (maybe try that next time). With a few laps to go, I didn’t keep count, either lap 11 or 12 or 13, who knows, I ended up on front so why not give it go and see if someone comes with. I wouldn’t say I sprinted off, or lept off but rather accelerated “un-evenly” until I was far enough away where I could look back. Nobody followed and well the heart didn’t keep up with the legs and I knew I was doomed. One turn later someone else decides to come up for a chat but we both realized our suckitude and pulled the plug a lap later and eventually fell back into the end of the pack where I remained.. At least we had fun with it, not too mention it broke up the race a little. Final lap, the speed ramps up, the craziness ensues and sure enough bars tangle and 5 or so riders hit the deck. I didn’t really see it happen since I was rolling through that last turn spent and un-recovered from previous efforts. Overall it was a good morning and I wish I could do more so we will see. I have to believe that Mr. Carbon is just out there racking up a few races so he can upgrade. We’ll see what happens next time in a few weeks time. Probably try the same stunt but run it twice and see what happens. It was encouraging to see a large field and the BRC run a solid event. Also it’s funny to see everybody looking out the corner of their eye checking out each others ride and equipment to see who has the bigger wallet.

One more random useless thought...how does an apple from New Zealand cost 1.79 per pound when an apple from washington state costs the same (though they a different types, nothing exotic)?

2008-06-27T14:55:00.001-04:00

Where am i riding...right through the orange

2008-06-27T13:47:00.000-04:00

If its something bike related you want, its gonna be a pretty empty post for you then. Was able to squeek out three days commuting to work. Been riding the iron pig as much as possible. With the "chance of rain" predicted everyday, it's the best wet weather beater in the stable and it's still fun to ride. Been able to miss the rain most days but I think my luck ran out today as the barometer is dropping and its sprinkling out already but as I write this, the skies just opened up. The beast needed a wash down anyways.

YORKS BEST SEAFOOD AND ROAST BEEF
Fried clams are always on my mind when the temp his 80+ and the sun is out. So what better way to start a review than with my current favorite. Located on route 1 between the Kittery outlets and York center, it's a non-descript building with a tiny sign. Another clue is to look for the blue and gold sign that says Fried Clams. The roast beef part, I haven't tried it...who wants roast beef when you can have a variety of fried goodness. I usually avoid the rush on weekends by going before noon or after 1pm. It's a basic fried seafood menu with other grilled items as well. A large order of fried clams with another order of the Fried Seafood Combo plate is enough to fill 2 and half people (though the kid will eat more than most). The owner generally works the register and is friendly and easy to bounce questions off of when you don't know what you want. The seating area is pretty clean but i don't care becuase it's all about the food. Starting off, the fried seafood combo comes with large chunks of fried haddock that are breaded lightly, fried scallops are generally quarter sized and have been dripping juicy and tender, the fried shrimp are my least favorite and lastly the combo plate comes with fried clams which are lightly battered and fried just right to lock the juices in (they are good enough that I have to order a large order everytime). I don't know what it is but the fried whole belly clams stay crispy on the outside, are not over battered, the batter is lightly flavored and the clam is never gritty or chewey. I've been there three times this summer and it hasn't disappointed once. Those with wee-tots will be glad to know that they have a few high chairs and some pretty amazing cheeseburgers too!!! Some evenings i'll bike by and just grab a burger becuase they will fill even the most empty tanks. If you want an upscale fancy pants restaraunt, this is not the place, but if you prefer a place with local food, good fried clams, good service and a down to earth menu then this should be a stop on any trip up route 1.

A Must Visit

2008-06-23T13:47:00.001-04:00

So, a trip down to CT for the weekend brought an unexpected side trip. If you are ever in Litchfield county, this is a MUST see, especially if you have wee-tots. Action Wildlife Org . The story behind the place is something you wish would happen more often. The owner is not a farmer but rather an ex-CEO of a company that manufactured airplane seats. He is not the typical CEO, instead of taking his money and buying useless summer properties and fancy cars, he has instead bought 100+ acres of land, bulldozers, dumptrucks, farm equipment and with his own money started all the animals to start a wildlife park. We ran across him numerous times on our visit there, when he wasn't working the admissions stand or driving the Payloader (he offered even to let my son drive...how many damage can a 2 yr old really do!) he was out meeting the people. He has a pretty good array of animals and plenty of acreage for them to move around. Just glad to see somebody giving something back. Other than spending the day there and enjoying the weather. Some riding was to be had. Decided to latch on with a local ride and do some hill climbs and exlpore the sand pits around mini-lake Garda. Managed not to die but plenty of times up one hill or another, the cadence was making me dizzy. The iron pig ran smoothly, although noisier than all the fancy roadie machines of the group. I think I looked a little out of place on the MTB with skinnies but still as lively as ever. Thats it...check out action wildlife if get a chance and if you meet Jim the owner, he's always up for chatting.

2008-06-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

Pretty relaxing evenings this past week. THis was taken over looking york harbor on the way home from a quick little evening ride, to spin out the fried clams only to make more room for tastey foods. Lung infection has been beaten back with the help of pharmaceuticals and another round bloodtests to figure out where my immune system went. Exciting.
The Garden is in full swing, first signs of life are popping up. Tomatoes and green peppers are doing good. The beans are lagging behind and I think my eggplant is taking the summer off. Should have the first batch in a few weeks, with others producing goods a few weeks after that, if I staggered everything properly.

Wells ave is on for next week, probably the only weekend i'll be around for a few more weeks. Figure if I don't start stinking it up now, when will i find the time. Just a simple goal...survive the first half and go from there...use it as a jumping off point...

2008-06-18T13:51:00.000-04:00

Weekend was spent eating fried clams, fried haddock, fried clams, some clam chowder, rock tossing, learning lobsterman speak...and catching my next cold.
Did I mentioned how good the Fried Clams were. Right now my favorite place has to be York's Best Seafood & Roast Beef. Its a notch above Capt's Simeons, on par with Bobs Clam hut without all the extra tourists, better than Fosters (better know for their clambakes), cheaper than Sun n' Surf (though they have a nice view of the water). I could go on and on and maybe that will be my next entry becuase every few weeks I like to try out a few new places. Exploring the area can yield some pretty nice dining spots off the beaten path.
I've noticed more people biking to work, more than usual. I've also noticed an increase in the number of "IQ" challenged that are out on the streets as well. My favorite are the people that are riding on half inflated tires, as they just dusted off the bike and decided to ride it to work on a whim. Another favorite includes the poorly fit bike. The rider is 6 feet tall but riding a 14 inch frame, it's just awkward to see. I think i'll start writing about my fried seafood adventures over my bike adventures, becuase one of them is lacking....and it surely isn't something that has been breaded and dumped in a fryer.

2008-06-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

Who turned on the oven....monday was a fine commute home. Tuesday was a different experience. Brain felt like jello, legs went south and turned to rubber, screaming headache, water wasn't appealing...the temperature cooked my will to pedal. At least i was able to manage 40 minutes. I did however learn a new trick, aspirin on super hot days. Wish i knew about this sooner. I guess some tour riders used to take aspirin on days that it was going to be super hot becuase the aspirin thins the blood just enough so that drastic changes in hydration and electrolytes won't affect the body as greatly. However it could all be hear say and the effect chalked up to the placebo affect. Ah well At least this morning was a smooth ride in, cooler, legs were good, air wasn't all gummed up with pollen, no line for the locker room.
I'd give last weekends race report if there were one...but I decided it was better to scrape the front porch and get it sanded so we can finally paint it, that way our front entrance way doesn't make our place look like a hobo house....sacrafices. Fried whole belly clams, maybe some fried scallops on the side....would make it a good wednesday

2008-06-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

I just came across this while on lunch....not really but it was near the lunch hour...one of the funniest thing I have read lately and all the credit goes here-Scroll down till you see Jens Voigt pict: Unholy Rouler
Some of my favorites
If Jens Voigt was a country, his principle exports would be Pain, Suffering, and Agony

Jens Voigt doesn't have a shadow because he dropped it repeatedly until it retired, climbing into the CSC team car and claiming a stomach ailment.

2008-06-05T10:10:00.000-04:00

A friend sent this over and it has been a site of constant interest lately so I'll pass it on to you ChainLove
Light rain, drizzle, no motivation, thought it was going to be another trudge to work but despite the elements it was a rather solid and easy glide to work. Maybe its time to upgrade to 9spd on the MTB....just maybe.
Now that the schwinn is dialed in, might have to start riding park ave hill rides again. just maybe

Some days

2008-06-03T11:34:00.000-04:00

Some days the ride is just perfect, other days it's a death march and they come and go without warning.
Finally got a new camera so the old one has been put into the commuting bag. I always think, I wish I had camera to take a picture. Its been in the bag for 5 days of commuting and I haven't seen anything interesting, go figure.

25 Days

2008-05-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

Has it really been 25 days since I last remembered to check this thing. I'm pretty sure i've read everyone else's update. Can't say it is not for the lack of material or trying. Its been busy and to quickly summarize. Had to rally the troops to help shoot down a proposed Burger Thing that wanted to move into town. Now, I don't have anything against them but the fact that it would have been less than 2 blocks from a middle school....something about kids and burger king just don't mix. Not too mention that the amount garabge that would have ended up in the charles river. Dunkin' contributes enough already. I would also rather see a nice burrito place, or family run business go on the site, but, now it's in the hands of the town council so i'm sure they will back door it in.

Skipped out of work early and decided to head to maine. Got in two days of rides with the "man" on back. However the legs just didn't feel light and spirited. Must have been the first fried clams of the season. I thought the buttermilk batter would have been full of energy, guess i was wrong. Been out riding the schwinn as much as possible and its working well on the commute and any long rides. New seatpost has definately helped positioning and a new seat is on the way. I did but a new saddle for the ALuminum Pig, a "THE" brand saddel. I don't know what THE stands for but it should read "THE" worst saddle ever. I rather ride my busted WTB Podium over this thing. This is what i get for choosing to save 10 bucks. it will be up on ebay in the near future. Too bad you couldn't test ride a few saddles and then decide. Live and learn

A morning without coffee

2008-05-01T08:12:00.001-04:00

There is motivation in knowing that a hot shower on a cold morning is waiting for you at the end of a rather suprisingly brisk morning, or even better...coffee! The Redline didn't leave the stable due to some height restrictions of the prospective buyer, so next week it will go up again on the trading block trying to raise some much need funds. Anybody interested in a Redline Cyclocross (thats whats stenciled on the top tube-pre-conquest days), made in the USA...kinesis aluminum, super stiff, suprisingly light and nimble.
Back to the commute. Yesterdays ride home was simple, slightly windy and less crowded than usual, an excellant sign. Didn't need the car once in two days, even better. Today started off no differnt however biking by a the local Diner, I could smell maple syrup and bacon, the two worst things to smell knowing that raisan bran is no longer going to cut it. Right now, some french toast and a side of bacon is all I can think about. But that leads into the next quick story of the early morning commute, now mind you, i'm riding the squeeky tank. The squeeky tank is a bit heavy compared to the more nimble schwinn or jamis but a blast to ride however it does take a little more effort to push the pedals as expected. Right around the boathouse, i got a sit-in. This guy stuck to my wheel regardless of my speed, up or down, even at the stop lights and cross walks. Ramp the speed up, he would get stretched out but cling back on like a tick. I like meeting other fellow commuters but this particular individual did not say a word until I jumped off and headed into the peoples republic of cambridge, where he thanked me for the 15 minutes he enjoyed behind me at 32km/hr (theres a stat for you)...but at least he said thank you....and to get into work and find that the coffee machine sprung a leak...i might have to beg for spare change to get a much needed cup of joe.....

Sent out to Pasture

2008-04-29T09:32:00.001-04:00

Here is the obligatory photo. She has been put out to pasture. Sorry, no spec chart of training hours completed, Heart rates acheived while running her through the gears. The last of her kind, made in the USA redline. In an effort to reduce knee pain and keep things "tight", it was time to upgrade to something that had similar fit geometry to the MTB and Roadie Machine, not to mention let someone else get there chance to spin through the mud, jump barriers, rail the single track and have fun. So many years left in that machine but it's time to move one, no tears shed, some hesitation letting it go but bills have got to be paid and basement space needs to be freed up. Its sale will not boost the economy or lower gas prices but it will bring joy to the lucky new owner.

Its been a month

2008-04-25T09:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a month and I don't have any fancy race reports or training reports. No crazy images of my power meter output (it would barely register). No images of the hill climbs i tackled...unless it was from the window of my car. If you want to see the Giant hitting the bike path with the child seat in tow, i got plenty of those. No goals for 2008, just fun...and maybe CX season..we'll see how the health, budget and family hold up. However with renewed vigor, this arrived in my basement the other day
Full details later

The morning Commute

2008-04-02T13:20:00.000-04:00

This morning: Rolled out of bed 15 minutes early, got the Giant with Geax slicks out the door in time. Damn, little colder than I expected, legs groaned the entire way in, had to shake the cobwebs off. Going home...bigger challenge, garunteed headwind. NICE...considering my legs feel like driftwood, at least it ain't snowin'

Wait...already

2008-03-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

Its spring...already
I better dust off the bike and clear space in the basement....ok, realistically, dusting the bike off will happen..but clearing space in the basement, thats not gonna happen and all married men know why.....cause you never know when you might that chaffing dish you got 5 years ago, or a set of sushi dishes that haven't seen the light of day since they left the factory or better yet, kids toys that they no longer use. But i suppose you came here to read a little something about bikes. I got rid of the iron training wheels and picked up a pair or lightly used Mavic Cosmos from a few years ago, solid wheels that still roll smooth despite their ugly color....the price was right and I couldn't resist the opportunity...all I need now, is to get back on the saddle and of course, stay healthy

Running through my head

2008-02-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

Can't get that "Far Behind" - social distortion tune out of my head. Nothing new to write about. just the usual light sleeping disorder, snow shoveling, last minute grocery runs, looking but not riding the bikes. The only news on that front, going to try a full fit system with the crazy brazilian in the near future if time allows...all bikes going to get redone in hopes it might re-ignite something...we'll see....its back to Fox is Socks

Goin' for Broke

2008-01-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've taken a break, but the season is back and so is my new training regime...1 case of pneumonia, followed by intervals of Bronchitis. Ramping up to 3-colds, one white-cell disorder and most recently, a serious session with Norovirus......so its off for some much needed sleep restructuring and a new diet on par with evil sievel.

Gloucester Day 1 and Day 2 - Cardiac Carnage

2007-10-15T09:35:00.000-04:00

I had a pretty good registration number and got pretty close to the front during the line up. The announcer called 30 seconds, and luckily I was clipped in and she blew the whislte...no ten to go, nothing, a few people were caught off gaurd. The race up the road was pretty good, had a good position going into the dirt/grass and maintained that until the first little uphill twist downhill to the barriers. I remember seeing a few people get tangled and made it through the first few sections unscathed. Lap 2, more riders were going by me on anything that was flat, but the downhills were easy and the twistys before the sand pit was fun and the tires held up well, great grip and I could carry a fair amount of speed into almost all turns.

The sand pit was my undoing though. Not only can I not run but I could not get that stuff out of my shoes. The soles of my shoes were so caked with sand that i couldn't clip in that entire back section. I would go into the ride up and down hill before the ball field backstop with out having a shoe clipped in, what a pain. I even removed some of the tread a few nights before in hopes that it would shed dirt/sand easier. I hooked up with the crazy Keltic rider (he road through the sand pit twice) and exchanged positions with another rider (Dave - he had a good support chearing section - Zoo?), for the remainder of the race. I was at the limit just about every lap, a few times I would sit on and try and control my breathing and that helped but also at the same time, I would give up positions. I had set pretty liberal goals, not to get lapped and not to DNF. So in that regard, I met the goals. The bike help up well, no mechanicals, still shifting crisp despite the whole drivetrain being beat up.

Sections that i could have improved up would have been the run up, i kept taking a wide line through and then having to regain the lost spot or two on the downhill to the back stretch by the pit. A few times I was able to sneak back a few riders on the twisty section by the ball field, only to loose those spots back on the road. It was a solid day.

GLOUCESTER DAY 2

I really have to improve upon these race reports: here it goes
Woke up early enough to get the car packed, but then the little tornado and lady decided to go, so I had to unpack the one car and pack up the Family Truckster and head out albiet a few minutes late. Registration today was a breeze. Was able to get in two warm up laps and the course layout was identical but for whatever reason, the course seemed slower if that was possible. My starting position was pretty good, 2nd row. The whistle goes off and my start today was better than the previous days. Had a great entry into the grass and even held that going into the rocky path by the water but thats when the slide backward began and I was redlined. I couldn't be cooked this early. All those minutes of training, the week and a half off the bike..lungs filled with flemmy crud...crap. The little uphill I got rear ended the then crashed on the barriers) but no mechanical damage and going downhill toward the run-up, one rider really over cooked the turn and took out 20 feet of tape. Hit the run-up with pretty good speed but bobbled the clip in and lost more spots, was able to maintain my position past the pit area but that back stretch i think another 20-30 riders got past like i was standing still. Got into the twistys before the sand pit and got passed on the inside which threw my line off and more riders got past...sand pit, would I be able to clip back in was all over my mind. Cleats / pedals were good. (I siliconed the soles of my shoes the night before...smaht thinkin'). Still sliding backwards but not as fast. 2nd and 3rd lap were pretty similar, my legs were going good but definately lacked power and my HR would sky rocket too quickly so every few sections I had to back off to keep from vomiting, I was going into survival mode. Got passed by Dave (same guy from yesterday) and others who looked to be on good form. I did my best to sit on and hold wheels but certain sections played to my strengths but other sections just killed me. It wasn't until the 3rd lap that I noticed the wife and kid cheering, it was a pretty good feeling ( i think he had fun just yelling). On the 2nd to last lap I was with pretty much the same bunch of riders for a while just fighting to hang on and follow, you could definately see where each rider had better skills, some had power on the straights but couldn't turn with speed while others would clear the barriers with easy while others smacked each barrier with their rear wheel. While riding with that group I managed to gain on the last section by the ballfield and we hit the pavement for the final time. I got by one rider and clicked to a higher gear and really pushed it up the hill inching closer to another rider, who was going all out as well, clicked over to the big ring and got him at the line, fighting for such a lowly position may not mean much on paper but it was a mental victory none the less. Crossed the line, rolled through and almost passed out as two riders were off by the boulders getting rid of breakfast. Wasn't lapped, didn't DNF and managed not to finish last!

Pneumonia goes to Gloucester

2007-10-11T08:25:00.000-04:00

Yupp...says it all. Been sick ever since last week. The Doc thinks its pneumonia, how the hell did i get that. Either way, i can't breathe without coughing up some interesting color. I get winded walking up three steps, thinking about biking and my legs shake, I am in amazing shape. Ha. However I'm hoping to still make Gloucester, and have fun...albiet in last place. Just listen for me bringing up the rear. 125 competitors....I am setting my goal for 100th and not to suffocate on my own lung flem. NICE. Will this be my undoing...most likely. I haven't touch the bike in over a week, talk about shock to the system. Pain cave, i don't think so...Pain abyss, most definately

Amesbury Pigpile

2007-10-01T15:01:00.001-04:00

Got to the race with plenty of time to register, kit up and pre-ride the course. Where did all the roots come from! The first off camber descent was claiming riders during the practice laps so it was decided that before to many riders left their blood on it, the course was re-routed to the second descent which was measurably safer (if thats the correct word for it). Started in the back row, right side, Right from the start, moved up pretty well BUT then there was a pinch by the first tree and some hay bails. I don't remember where the hay bails came from. I don't know what happened but wheels locked up in front of me, riders hit the dirt, my bike was sideways and the front of the field was gone. Collected my bike and got going again. I immeadiately knew that I had too much pressure in the tires and I should have been 5 psi lower, easily. I was bouncing all over the roots. THe barriers, I had good form getting off the bike but due to my HR being sky high, I stutter stepped the remount and a few riders got passed and when one rider when down, it put us further back. Yeah, Yeah I know...starting position is everything. Saw one ECV crash twice in the same spot, guess it wasn't his day. After the first lap, things were strung out and in the techincal sections I could stay with most riders but it was the grassy sections where i couldn't put matching power down. Third lap I finally got around mr motobecane red, he had a good cheering section, and kept going only to be passed by the ECV guy i passed on the stairs. Tried getting back up to him but he would pull away on the straights. I could only latch back on to him in the halfpipe, quick downhills and tight turns. The maxxis mimo's held their ground well despite being balloons. The roots really took a toll on my hands, I Gripped the hoods while in the woods and road in the drops on the grass when i could, just to break up the positioning on the bars. This worked pretty well. I really like the twistys, the section leading up the barriers, and the stair run up. I did have one nice bail out when I over cooked a turn, I refused to touch the breaks and the front wheel slid out but I ended up on my feet (I believe CTodd got a nice view) so I was able to get back up and going pretty quickly only allowing one other rider to bridge up and eventually pass me on the last lap. Finished in the back of the field somewhere, don't know where as I didn't have the time stick around for the results to be posted. I'll check later this week for an update. I think if I can hold a better start position and maintain the HR redline a little longer while the field sorts itself out, it will definately help. I think I can maintain my 178 bpm HR for 40 minutes, its whether or not I can hold 185 bpm for 6 minutes till the field strings out that is another questions.....a whole lot of "ifs"....either way, the race was fun, had fun, looking forward to the next one

Over all the bike handled really well. The frame is super stiff (laterally stiff, and vertically compliant-bikesnobnyc), the brakes held up ok considering one of the pads got loose on the post (shite manufacturing but). They will be swapped out for ritchey reds this week. The eastons SL's are still true and rolled really well. They definately lightening the bike up a bit. We'll see what i can do to get ready for gloucester, till then.......

Who turned the Oven on

2007-09-27T14:28:00.000-04:00

Where did the heat come from? Managed only 90 minutes of saddle time yesterday before I ran out of water, my legs walked off and the mind shut down so I decided to head home. Didn't get any cross drills done. oh well. But I wish my ride enderd here again, and i could order up some butter dipped goodness

I wouldn't visit this place at night unless you have a sick fascination with getting sucked dry by viscious mosquitoes. Is this considered a good recovery food?

The bike is 80% ready for sunday. Haven't found decent brake pads that I like yet and the ones I ordered are making there way here by Mule. Brakes or no brakes, complete lack of skills will provide amusement for not only spectators but competitors alike. Spent today off the bike since i had to mop out my basement when the neighbors hot water tank started leaking, again! Which means the basement compound is in a state of disarray, more so than its usual organized chaos. Till Friday is a crap shoot with the weather and saturday will be spent chasing the tornado around town.

I know what my pre-race meal is going to be....do you....if I Can wait that long...hmm......

Amesbury

2007-09-25T15:40:00.000-04:00

Anyone..Anyone....
Amesbury Pines Park Amesbury, MA
Sunday, September 30, 2007

The MTB is back up on the hooks and Redline is ready to go, the Maxxis Mimo's have been mounted, race cassette mounted. Just waiting on some brake pads....but when you are going as slow as I am..who needs brakes. Anybody run a SS in CX?

Smashing Pumpkin MTB Race

2007-09-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Root66 wrapped up the MTB season with the final event at Winding Trails. This course has been historically a fast non-technical course with lots of fire roads and quick terrain. This race was no different except for more laps, less training and new tires. Got to the race just in time to kit up, register, dump the kid off and get on the line for the roll out. The whistle blows and the start was not as chaotic or as fast as I thought it would be. It was fast, but not stand on the pedals and crank till your blue in the face. Maybe thats why i was at the back of field.. The pack of 26 didn't break apart until about the 2 mile mark and then it split into three groups. Guess which group I was in! One slow guy really held up the group when he stacked it on some log rollers but I was able to get around him and two other riders in that third group where I was destined to stay. On the second lap I was able to catch riders (notice i said catch and not "pass") on the ride up through the start/finish area and that long slow rise to the single track. The new single track was pretty nice and they even threw in some jumps right at the end. They were pretty fun with soft landings. The dust that was kicked up was pretty thick, it was amazing how dry it was.
Anyhow, the second lap, a fellow MTBMINDer joined on we rolled at a decent pace passing one or two other riders...before he flattted on the third lap. I could catch people on the inclines but would loose them on anything that required braking. It was a combination of bad techinical braking skills and no traction by the tires in the soft stuff so they would pull away again. Finished the 3rd MTB race of the season with my highest placing in the sport class...a whopping 19th...sweet!!! The effort put in will hopefully pay off at the Amesbury race next weekend. Either way, good race, happy with the effort put in, good weekend!

The Race weekend

2007-09-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

Finally got the fork on the Cross bike. It rides alot stiffer and more responsive. Currently trying to dial in the braking, its getting close but it's not 100% where i like it yet. Going to try some different pads to see if it gets better. Also need to wipe down the braking surfaces as well. Been able to get out and hit the Belmont Trails on it lately and it is a blast to ride. I think with a better saddle, it will continue to improve. The Fizik arione will be up for sale asap!
This weekend, I'm going to dust off the Giant and run that tank at the Smashing Pumpkin . It should be interesting becuase I have two family BBQs to attend that weekend. Nothing like carrying a little extra weight around, but it should be a decent way to get some miles in.

Random

2007-09-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

So, I got in some sprints down by the river last night, all on the way home. Testing out a new saddle too....about 6 adjustments and its feeling good now but sunday will be the deciding factor. Even managed to get the new bearing race pounded onto the cross fork (aluminum fork is going to be better than the steel one i think). So thats ready for installing this weekend. So many things going on. Once the fork is on, might start taking the other route home by the Wildlife preserve and blasting around on those trails. Should be good to go.
Got bored so here are some photos from when I was biking a few weeks ago in either early morning around nap #1 or after the little man passed out for the night...guess where I'd rather be...my best riding is always when i'm on vacation.....

Stop playing with your Dingy

Food Review: The sandwiches stunk but thats not what you go here for...Food or more specifically, French Fries fried in DuckFat....very tastey...just avoid everything else on the menu. The taste was pretty different than what I expected, geasey but not too bad, smokey flavor and easy finish...who thought you could review a french fry with such complexity

Sunset...the mosquitoes showed up in force, only after stopping for a few seconds, had to get moving or loose way to much blood. Lycra is a mere speed bump for those little bastards, they can pierce it easily,the determined ones anyways.

It's all the Same

2007-09-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

Its been a while becuase there has been nothing to really talk about. Cyclocross season is rearing its anaerobic head so that means I should be doing sprints and practicing dismounts and "technique". It hasn't happened. I have a wife, a toddler and a job that all take up all my time. Hours on the bike consist of going to and from work and little in between. However throwing the litlte man on the back of the bike is pretty fun, i can eak out an extra hour here and there. I however did pull the trigger and buy a slightly too small Redline Cyclocross bike. The deal was too good to pass up. Kinesis frame, made in the USA (yes, the frame is older than most remember but made in the USA is a deal) and it's got some fun components, all 9spd-105 with CXP33 rims (Good training wheels). But what was the ultimate deciding factor, he threw in a complete ultegra drivetrain with it. So I got a steal of a deal. I had to do something with the money I made selling the last bike...one bike goes out the door, another comes in, an even exchange. So I have started to dial that bike and gettin' it ready for the Amesbury race. End of september. I"m gonna be terrible, it will be comical.

Actually made it to Wells Ave twice in the past month. I don't recall the previous race, i was dropped midway through and tried joining back up only to have the HR hit the roof and I was cooked, felt like puking up my nutella and coffee. Ended up at the back of the field. Last week wasn't great either but much more fun. During the mid race sprint for some Shackley product, someone on a yellow specialized put another rider into the curb, they were both pulled the next lap and spent the rest of the race on the sideline jawin' at eachother, these people gotta relax, were crash-5s, and nothing more. Then three guys decided to put on a show of force on right after the sprint when we were all sleeping and the peleton split into two groups. I was stuck in between both. I tried to bridge back up to the first group but the were really putting the hammer down. Turns out two of the guys were Triatheletes who like to TT. The second group was less organized and finally collected me but I put too much effort into sucking, that i got dropped by that group but then that group fell apart and splintered even more. I was all out of matches to burn. Eventually picked up two riders, who I dragged for two laps, one finally cracked and dropped out, the other guy helped out for a lap, and we would switch back and forth each lap, trying to collected riders. Made it back to Mr. Scattante and Mr. Ibex who linked on, but Ibex just took off and wanted nothing to do with us slow-folk so he went solo. Got lapped by the power-trio on the 2nd to last lap. Finished with a smile and a hunger for omlets with bacon and peanut butter pie.

Bengals beat the ravens in a close game...6 turnovers, and a turnover to end the game was fitting. Can't believe BC is 2-0 and Michigan is 0-2...NICE.

Registered for Gloucester..saturday and sunday. Can't wait to turn myself inside out for a less than mid pack finish...some people want a top ten, i'll be happy with top-75. ha. It's gonna be awsome even if the little man isn't awake to see the carnage. There my update for the month...boring and in-coherent

I wish my ride would end here on most days

Backwards

2007-08-29T15:30:00.000-04:00

Made it out sunday for a little repeat wells ave action. However during the warm up spin my legs weren't even drift wood, they were just going through the motions, powerless. Not a good a sign, two many hours at the beach the day before? Chasing the mumbling little man around? I was zapped. It was a super small group for the race. It started with an immediate jump off the front, he was later realed in and then dropped, twice by the group. I think overall he was lapped three times? Tucked in behind Mr. Orange and he took a 2 lap pull, and then it was my turn. My two lap pull wasn't bad but my HR went through the roof and wouldn't come back down, dehydration maybe? Pulled out, no one pulled through, slowed down, the pack slowed down, nobody wanted to come out front. Whats the point of racin' if your just gonna sit in the back and noodle around. Spent a few laps "recovering" before the mid-lap prime, wound it out pretty good trying to help Mr. Orange, but got strung out and thats when it was a downhill slide out the back. Kept fighting to get back on, only to get strung out again. Oh well, I conceded defeat and turned the remaining laps into a personal TT, trying to keep certain speeds through each section. It was not a great peformance but the intensity was good and Mr. Orange got second i think. The guy on the 80's trek really had some power but I don't think he did much during the preivous laps. Saeco, Ibex and Mr. Orange really put a show on with many pulls each. Much fun. Now its off to more than my share of family plans and booked weekends. ESC is gonna drop off the GT, just in time for CX, so thats gotta get prep'd and ready, so I can drop the hurt hammer on myself and fight for last place

The Commuter Files

2007-08-24T11:26:00.000-04:00

Managed to log 5 days on the bike, commuting to and from work but unfortunately nothing more. Its been 5 hours and change on the saddle, about 150 kms. The rides home have been the most enjoyable, doing some sprints between blocks, or from intersection to intersection. It has been my most productive week in many however now I'm constantly hungry and i've been knockin' back some tastey treats which aren't exactly considered recovery foods (or healthy) I have noticed the increase in traffic on the bike path as college students return. One observation is that the worst drivers are Lexus drivers. It never ceases to amaze me that number of crappy lexus drivers. I've been cut off, almost run over, scorned, etc etc etc, all in lexus's. This morning would be a prime example, biking in the bike lane, a crazy lady in her Lexus SUV pulls out into the bike lane, and rides right up my lycra covered ass, honks the horn at me....yet the the vehicle lane is completely empty (it is 6:15am)...not to mention that the bike lane is emblazoned with "BIKE LANE"...it was fun to start slowing down, glance over my shoulder and see her just getting frustrated...yet not a single car in the regular car lane...
I'm hoping to get back to Wells ave this week but I know that I probably won't have the same results as in the previous week. I will still manage to have fun and just get some more miles in. Maybe the 1980 Black Nishiki will make an appearence and give the Cervelo crew a run for their 11 bucks......

After 4 years and many miles, the Circuit was sold. Gone but not forgotten.

Wells Ave

2007-08-20T09:18:00.000-04:00

Haven't been back there in over a year. Was finally able to free up some time on sunday for the mini-crit. There was some seriously nice bikes on the line that morning and one really old commuter beater bike (black nishiki from 1985). It was a little windy on the front stretch or is it the back stretch, I wanted to be out of the wind, why do more work than you have too! Things didn't really start rolling until a few laps in and I was feeling good. So, I tried jumping off the front only to drag along one person who would rather only draft and not help. I did this for about 1.5 laps before I blew up and slid back, there wasn't much of a gap so what was the point, the field decided to pick up the pace so I remained pack fodder and recovered. I tried the same thing again with the same results. I then just decided to finish out the race and avoid all the sloppiness of the c-race. The final sprint I was in a good position but too many people thought they were going for the Green jersey and it was sloppy-chaos, bikes were being thrown left and right, swerving into other riders lines, sure enough, two bars tangle and one rider goes down directly in front of me. I lock up the brakes, waiting to get run over from behind (I didn't), and avoid the rider on the ground. He lost some serious butt tissue. I made sure he was ok becuase it looked like he bounced his head on the ground but he was up and moving a few minutes later. Always gotta be thinking on your feet. For the qoute Sprinters in our group...you can keep the power bar or Gu packet, whatever it was..but learn to hold a line.

Dusted

2007-08-14T15:01:00.000-04:00

This past sunday was the Root66 race at Hodges Village Dam. This has been historically a fast course with a few pieces of technical trailwork thrown in just to keep things even. The race was at peak heat, 2pm. I lined up with 17 other sport riders. They were pretty geared up and when the whistle blew they were all off in a cloud of dust. I hung back a little as to not blow up to quickly, and there about 5 riders in my group. We held together with limited passing the first 2 or 3 miles. There were some wicked fast berms you could just rail the turns and transitions. A few quick ups and downs to keep the momentum going. My least favorite section was when the single track went through this mildly logged area and it was tough to pass people, or be passed. Sticks, branches, ruts, rocks was the layout of the terrain. As the 2nd lap started I picked up two stragglers and we rode together keeping the pace up, just above slow crawl. The 2nd lap my techinical savy was a little better and i was able to shoot through lines and keep pedaling without looking like a rookie. As I rolled into the third lap my lower back began to cramp and act up. I couldn't put the power down at all. Every rock and root just cuased more pain. Still dragging along two stragglers, I hit the berms with good speed but one I misjudged the soil and slipped sideways, crashing into a tree and then tumbling into the woods. By the time I collected myself, the stragglers and a few extras had ridden by. Finishing out the last two mile, Wheeler got on my wheel and he was riding pretty well so i paced him back a few minutes before I red-lined, dehydrated and overcooked all at once, so i let him pass and i noodled it around for minutes to recover but I was bonking pretty nicely and the powerbar drink helped but not enough. Apparantly my pre-race meal was not exactly what my body needed. Finally entered the last mile of terrain and crossed the finish line a respectable 26 minutes off the leader and 2nd from last...Thats how it gets done around here!!! 2nd race of the season done, 3rd time on the MTB all year...I survived. The bike is in a serious need for a washing, so much dust everywhere. Was pretty spent after the ride that MacDonalds had to help out. A cheeseburger and Dr. Pepper for the ride home was perfect! Now it's time to recover.

Fort Rock Revenge

2007-08-13T14:48:00.000-04:00

Its been long overdue for an update but I spent a better part of the week recovering from the first race of the year. Decided to run the open class for Fort Rock Revenge race as not to get in the way of the real racers. Started off pretty well, Kept moving through the rocky sections rather well but the lack of riding anything other than the bike path to and from work was my undoing. I had no technical skills what so ever and I was taking bad lines through rock gardens, overall bad line choices really knocked off my momentum. My lower back went out and my wrists hurt so bad I could not grab the brakes which also hurt me in the fun areas. YOu might be thinking, thats alot of bitching and moaning. I will say that I bought sucking to a whole new low and had fun doing it. I was truly a novice in a field of veterans. The course was techinical with some fun bridges, powerline trails, the whole gambit. I was pretty spent when i crossed the line and out of water. I was completely gassed. The weather was perfect,everybody who helped run the race did a good job. I'll quit being lazy soon enough and get some photos up. And maybe I'll talk about the race from this past sunday....and I thought my performance couldn't get any worse...I achieved new levels of suffering

Couch Time

2007-07-16T14:35:00.000-04:00

Its been wedding time this month. However last week, managed 4 days in a row to the factory. Good rides and decent weather. The weekends have been spent keeping the car running for that moment the groom comes to his senses. Good times at the Cutter wedding. An old school night of escapades followed by more post party libations. You can't attend a cutter wedding without a little couch time. The cutter was confused in this demonstration as he thought you were suppose to sleep behind it.

Other than that, one more wedding down, one more to go. Weddings in Vermont so far have yield the best beverage selection of all weddings attended. Relaxing on the ski slopes in the summer is definately relaxing. No rushing around, no packing and unpacking, just enjoying the scenery, hiking and quietness.....and Long Trail Drafts. Ahhh Vermont....stories to follow later.

been a while

2007-07-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

I really don't have much to report on the bike side of things other than the fact that i'm riding one every now and then. It still looks like august is gonna be the month where these legs finally tear it up....to last place but at least I can say I got it done on the trails.

Meanwhile as july progesses, there has been some showdowns on the training table. I don't profess to have the skillz but as the Bread Ninja can attest, it was a throwdown with some of bristols finest upstanding citizens.

The night ended around the campfire telling stories of yester-year, "back in the day", remember when....type stuff. All good laughs and great memories. I'm sure there is more to tell but we gotta keep it PG for the little ones

All in all, a great start to the month. Don't know what happened to the night of the Mumbla's 3rd of July party, but it was another epic. Good yard, good food and company, can't beat that!! Stayed tuned for more endless crap about other crap.

Save the Date

2007-06-28T15:58:00.000-04:00

The moment I read the Press Release about the World Cup CX race being postponed for one year I knew something bad was going to happen. Sure enough. Waiting in my mailbox was another Save The Date Wedding postcard. I really have to pay the postman to chuck these things before they get delivered to my house. San Jose, CA. Its the way the business has been going.

The biking has taken a back seat to B-days, Bachelor parties and hangovers. However there is always time for an ice cream ride on these hot days. Its been toasty but not unbearable. Just stayin' one step of dehydration is all that is needed. Buffalo chicken pizza would end this day nicely. Hoping to get two races in this august. They have made the Wardens date book so i'm hoping they are set in stone...but nothing is certain the household lately. take it easy

Cookin

2007-06-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

Nothing beats an 80 degree day and a summit climb. After 12 miles of smooth maine coastal roads, the trip up Mt. Aggie was a maybe. Just had to see if the legs could carry the previous days food and drinking damage up the hill.

A solid ride to the top, slow going at first but found the rythym at the top of the climb to end at the visitors center

Headed back down and out toward the harbor. Discovered a newly packed dirt road that the schwinn handled well but the ESC-GT would have eaten up. Just motored along for a while but didn't want to risk puncture and the long walk home. Can't wait to get back out on dirt. Look at the pretty carbon weave on the fork. The first thing to get replaced on the bike is the fork. Stiffer than I thought but still not stiff enough. Gotta look to upgrade that next year maybe. We'll see what the screamin' brazilian says

The trip rounded out the weekend well. Not too mention the hordes of fried food consumed...Fried seafood along the coast....awsome

nada

2007-06-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

I miss racing......

Gone before it had chance to begin

2007-06-12T14:53:00.000-04:00

Gone are the days of epic rides after work. I hope for these days to return but in the meantime I must settle for the extended ride home through the burbs of boston. Occasionally i'll take the loop through Belmont woods and through what was some quick fun little trails that are now bulldozed flat for some more overpriced condos. Such a great little slice of land diced up for another housing development.

The weekend provided no chance of any biking, basically the brain and liver went into recovery mode as a series of events unfolded that all revolved around beer. A great weekend with friends (and beer). The little man is up to a 40 minute ride now in the Co-pilot. Passing joggers, other bikers, birds and cars provide much entertainment for him and trying to push a 50 pound bike up the shortest and slightest incline is plenty of work...I might even consider it resistance training. He is not much of conversationalist though, just a good passenger. Since nothing exiciting can be recounted, you must stroll through blogdom to find something else to bide your time, but till the days of single track return, i will continue to day dream of this....

its 5am where is your kid

2007-06-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

Exactly that, its 5am, sunday morning. Up and awake chasing the crawling demon as he terrorizes anything in arms reach.....come on. It's 5am, coffee hasn't kicked in, raisan bran brings no energy or fun to the rising sun. 2.5 hours of exhaustive chasing and playing, end up passing out on the couch with the little speedy one only to sleep through my planned start at the Wells Ave training race. Instead it was a light spin through the burroughs, passing other weary eyed individuals along the way probably in similar shoes. Tempted to do the EFTA Endurance 30 miler at the end of july, only conflict, a wedding the day before. A 30 mile MTB contest with a slight hangover and half digested wedding cake....could be the wisest decision all summer. Today it's gonna be the Park Ave hill on the way home followed by the concord ave hill to the common street hill and then home. Hello Bonkville...population..me
When I think of the Crazy Gus...I think this sums up the Gus rather well
"That's why I chose the path of metal—living fast and rocking hard. "

Its 5am..why am I up

2007-05-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

The weather has been pretty sweet lately, great for ridin to and fro' the daily work grind. Can't complain much about that. No gas money spent, good times, and even a random extended ride. The legs feel good one day only to feel like hollow drift wood the next. Endurance, stamina and all that apparently is not in my cardiovascular vocabulary. Decided to ride up the Park Ave Hill. Immense suffering, not enough water in either bottle could help, but I made it to the top, I swear I was passed by an old lady using a walker. It was all downhill from there. Even broke out the new shwag, got to break in the new shorts...pretty svelte not too mention plug the ole' MTB group. Some might say that the white in the logo blends right in with the pastey white chicken legs, yes it does....yes it does....two spindly twigs wrapped in lycra...

The new deck has been constructed in record time. 6-days. Acorn Construction moved their asses on this project. If you need a contractor, this is your guy. Hands down, easiest person i've worked with. Two guys worked amazingly fast and their work is beefy. Deck is super sturdy and easy on the eyes. Even better, sitting out, having' a post recovery beer at 9pm sitting in the lounge chair with a gentle breeze....nice. Thank you Home Equity Loan Services...

New york City was a nice trip that rounded out the holiday weekend. Actually made out pretty well with parking, 28 bucks for the day in the NYC, Upper West Side. Chilled out on a few sidewalk bars and patio's...good times.

B.O.B

2007-05-23T13:32:00.000-04:00

90 minutes of saddle time yesterday made me realize...time for a saddle change. The Fizik is nice but not plush enough...going to try the old specialized BG that was on the other bike. Who knows. Since i got nothing for ya today. I just wanted to leave you with this. Beards of Brothers....I think I just heard the Bread Ninja fall off his seat. Things that make you go hmmm.....

Booking Agent

2007-05-22T07:45:00.000-04:00

The other week it was a trip up the coast for the first fried clams and seafood for the year. If it wasn't fried, it wasn't coming near my plate. Must say, glad its summer again. Something about fried seafood in the winter just doesn't have the same allure. However there could be an exception to that rule, when there is a blizzard and the snow is really piling up, the fishermans platter is always a must. Right now, ESC is probably dreaming up something tastey for lunch...it ain't a salad, i can tell you that. Hows the fixie?

As the days pass by, the miles are slowly adding up. The river has been rather crowded lately and the streets through City of the Opinionated aren't much of an improvement. Once out in the burbs, the streets are smoother and traffic flows at better pace. The remnance of winter/spring are passing right off to summer. Better riding is ahead even if this person isn't riding any better. As we enter the full swing of summer and associated summer events, more race dates have been removed from the calender including the Nationals (this date is still 50/50) but it appears the Channel Three race is crossed-out, the Oxford Damn race is done (visitors from Texas). If it is a weekend where I want to suffer immensely, finish poorly, and still have fun, you can forget about it, becuase my booking agent has something else planned, friends from texas coming to town, a b-day party, a bachelor party, a trip up the coast to visit the in-laws, etc. Pretty soon it will be cross season and a whole new level of sucking will be in store. Could be another season aboard the trusty GT..nice...but I will have to hide the booking agents calender or arrange for the little man to attend the event with the brazilian mechanic/babysitter. Earplugs for the little man will be a must if the Brazilian is on form with his musings from the sideline.

The business of what it is

2007-05-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

I still have nothing. Its been pretty busy lately between work, home and everything in between. Finally getting the deck estimates nailed down. Hope to hear back from one more person and then....maybe proceed ahead. Been able to ride a few days here and there to and from work. Its been pretty good riding in the mornings, really sunny and nice. The bike path has recently been torn up and today they started laying down some new pavement so that should be pretty smooth riding once thats in.
Biking in the other day, past Shire Pharma, these were just lying across the road...

You gotta love cambridge!

Watchin the Grass Grow

2007-05-07T10:55:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by and there is still nothing new to report. I've been riding the Fastback for a week now and I have finally gotten used the handling. Its a solid, smooth ride with good quick responses. I however am not that solid, smooth riding or responsive. I don't have any picts for the update other than this. I hope he is having an All you Can eat buffet, cuase i'm hungry and I want some bacon. I wonder if he'll have buffalo wings too

I need a sail

2007-04-25T11:32:00.000-04:00

I really don't have much to report on
Finally got some mileage in over the past two windy days. If I had a sail I could double my mileage, however the street sweepers have been out so the amount of crud getting blown into the eyes has been cut back. Got about 70km over the past two days on the schwinn, still trying to get the position right, but no matter cause my fitness is in the crappah. No Fat tire race this weekend for visitors are coming to the compound. Spring is here and so is allergy season, gotta keep Big Pharma in business with some Flonase and Patanol Eye Care.
Thats it. Hopefully one day i'll have something to actually write about

Alt Bitter

2007-04-10T10:56:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by lately. Lately things have been pretty hectic especially with Easter and all thats associated with it. So I've been trying to keep things simple and the important things at the top of the list and everything else...who cares. Gotta keep what matters most at the top and what doesn't just gets dropped.
Finally got a second batch up and going. However during scale up we miscalculated our malt and grain requirements forcing some last minute scrambling for change to pick up a can of:

However it was smooth sailing ever since. The green beer was bottled the day before easter and it looked, smelled and even tasted very nice. I think this batch is gonna be pretty good. It might take about 40-60 days in the bottle to come around but it will be tastey.

On second note, sometimes when you are in the middle of a sugar crash, the heavans open up and turn the lights on...and this is what I found.

I must say, the donuts are good but Ohlins bakery take the edge in the donut battle. However if you find yourself at Kanes, then I would definately get a single coffee roll. Why a single Coffee Roll? Simply becuase it is the size of a cake, its huge, coated with thick frosting and great cinamon filling. Definately a ten thousand calorie breakfast.

If you are looking for a bikeing update...managed a 28km ride on monday but thats about it. Missed the HopBrook Damn MTB race by Root66 and looks like i'm gonna miss the Fat Tire too so i'm gonna have to make up some time at Wells Ave if I can ever find a sunday free or get my ass out of bed becuase this joe racer is slackin'.

I've got nothing

2007-04-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

I've got nothing this week. Haven't ridden either bike, too tired, too busy at work, too full of excuses, whatever. The motivation is zero, hopefully warmer weather will bring better spirits. Hope to bottle the German Alt Bitter this weekend before easter and have it ready for memorial day. Should be tastey. No MTB racing this weekend...obligations of the in-law variety....

Monday night rides...soon to be back in effect with the rest of the crew. Should be good times ahead. Thats the plan anyway.

Maiden Voyage

2007-03-30T19:50:00.000-04:00

No Champagne bottles broken over the aluminum skin, just a nice commute to work one early friday morning

The ride in started off nicely. The bike handled the pothole riddle pleasant street nicely. So quiet, I'm used to the old schwinn just banging and clanging along. This bike just rolls over everything, not a peep, so tight and smooth (insert inuendo here)

The only complaint, a poor QC job on the part of one beered up brazilian after some seat post an saddle adjustments. Both worked their way loose and the majority of my ride was spent standing since my tools were at work. Luckily the ride home was much smoother. Above is the complimentary art shot..shadow on dead grass

Even managed the hill by Belmont Country club, the bike was in finer shape than its owner. It accelerates amazingly well and handles the tight and twistys with no jittery-ness. Ended a nice a 34km ride with a big smile and a Blonde Hooker.
Someone from car yelled nice rear, this is what i'm sure they were talking about...carbon fiber, so sweet....

Lagging behind

2007-03-27T15:44:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by and yet the dust continues to settle on all things bike related. Though the weather was ideal for some weekend riding regardless of venue, the family was off for adventures. Sears, a fun place to spend an hour getting lost, bull crap. Needed a new battery for my drill, the new battery was 40 bucks but my drill is only worth 70 bucks, so why buy one new battery when i could but the same drill that comes with two batteries and a flashlight...hmm. Another fun fact from the adventures that was "family". You can get a baby seat tested for safety on the German Autobahn. Sure, you pay 5 times more for this brand of seats but is there really a need for it. Turns out the WRX does not like car seats as anything we try takes up the entire back seat or forces the front seat all the way forward so you eat your own kneecaps. The weekend was rounded out by the annual civic oil change. One year, 3300 miles = Oil change. Luckily things were easy and ESC was there to provide backup and make sure the floor stayed put. ESC was ready to flex his might if the oil filter got stuck though.

Got Skinnies on the Giant now, 26 x 1.6s. They roll smooth but are heavy as iron. They weigh an unbelievable ton. The Gus also stopped by for bike fitting time. The Schwinn was just not feeling right. So we spent the better part of a 12 pack figuring out stem length, saddle height, etc and after some swap overs, spacer removals, I got my position pretty close to being dialed in (close the Giant as possible). Hoping this reduces the knee tendonitis. Damn these lanky legs, spindly arms and short torso. The weather is looking good again.....

All in All

2007-03-21T07:36:00.000-04:00

The weekend ended on a high note and the week started off with my group not being canned. NICE. Thats a win win situation. Sundays show was packed with energy. For the number of shows they performed over the weekend, they still had intensity of their first show. An awsome time. The PieTasters, the second opening act....no comment but time didn't move fast enough. Monday rolled around, got through that day and managed 60 minutes on the trainer doing some half-assed intervals. However the rest of the household is sick so i'm off for a few days, might actually get back out on friday when it's rumored to hit 60......I got nothing other than that...lame

Tre'

2007-03-16T07:50:00.000-04:00

This place comes highly recomended. It was the mecca of BBQ for the trip. A trip to Charleston is not complete until you eat at Melvins. The dry rub ribs, amazing, pulled pork, chopped BBQ chicken, Quarter BBQ chicken, baked beans and Mac n' Cheese and even the burgers were top notch (I endulged quite a bit). I must say, I'm missin' it right now. Blue Ribbon will be a must for tonight, though the Ribbon is good, it is not Melvins. Speaking of other quality places not to be found around here, In N' Out Burger. That would be ideal right now. Damn

After all that food and fun on vacation it was back to New England however it was unseasonably warm out so I decided to get quick spring ride in. Being that it was pretty warm I figured most of the snow had melted and it was time for some trail riding. Got out the door with the usual suspects after calling ESCs bluff. Dusted the cobwebs off the giant while ESC dusted the plaque out of the arteries. It was pretty good until it got super muddy and the weather started getting cool. Managed to get about 1.5 hours of riding in, finishing off the ride on the waltham side of the bike path. A pretty good afternoon at a chill pace. The ride was only the begining, can't wait for full on spring.

This image has not been seen in a while...ESC out and on the trails again. Welcome back.

Vacation part Duo

2007-03-12T19:42:00.000-04:00

Let it be said that I am not one to pass up a bargain and at 6 bucks for a case of these, I couldn't resist and I am not partial just becuase I am left handed or anything.

Also, this place just looked too good to pass up and it was awsome, the southern rivalry to Flo's of Maine.

And lastly, to wash down such fine southern cuisine, nothing like a few local favorites. The Palmetto Pale ale was my favorite, smooth and tastey. Low Country Pale ale was my second favorite and the IPA was dead last, past the SouthPaw Light. It was gritty and felt like I could chew it, however I will give them another sampling on my next visit, it could have been the bad batch that sneaks out the brewery doors every now and then.

As for anything bike related....I saw some beach cruisers on the beach but that was about it. Managed to get out for 3 short runs, about 20-30 minutes depending on how motivatd I was and exercise was the last thing on my mind.

Vacation Part Uno

2007-03-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

6 days have come and gone. I thought that this sign was pretty funny when I was exiting the Charleston SC airport. Immediately met the in-laws and b-lined if for the local package store which turned out to be a Piggly Wiggle Grocery store. Yes, a Piggly Wiggly, and the beer selection was immnense. I was expecting nothing more than Bud and Miller but their selection was far and above anything around here. Vacation commenced.

The vacation spot was actually located only a few miles outside Charleston, a little slice of retiree heaven, the Isle of Palms. A very nice place with large expansive beach front homes that were not occupied as tourist season had not started which basically meant, beaches to ourselves and discounted rent. Though you can't see it but our place was one of the smallest rentals there.

The week progressed without failure. Rise to the sound of the ocean against the sand, bright sun and cool if not warm ocean breeze. NICE. Hanging out on the deck or beach for a few lazy hours, getting ready to tackle whatever the touristy crap we were doing that day. Coolest quick trip was to Fort Moultre just down the road for a little history lesson on the civil war. We were the only family van in the parking lot without the stars and bars or this oddly numbered star'd flag.

Thats all i got right now, gotta get out and hit the trails .

Its Come to This...

2007-02-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

It was either new socks or new tubes. I think we already know what was done, what had to be done! Finally got the Michelins mounted on the wheels and ready to roll. I really can't stand these Gieppeme wheels, they are garbage..but they will make good spring beater wheels. Until the potholes get filled in, the spring rains wash away the sand and salt, these wheels will have to do

Hit up Deep Ellum for some carbo replinishments on saturday evening with ESC. A great selection of rare beers on draft, not too mention there huge selection of bottled beer. Dickel and Coke, not something that comes to mind often...or for that matter, ever...Dickel You be the judge. Sunday morning woke up and hit the rollers while ESC was off drooling and recovering from a rough night of Heelys training. Even met up the Brazilian Bike Guru for an afternoon of insightful one liners and roadie wisdoms. Though to my horror in his all Campy glory, I did see some Shimano brake pads, not tight roadie..not tight...

Scheduling Conflicts

2007-02-23T14:23:00.000-05:00

Damn, was just looking over the Root66 and I noticed that the Winding Trails Fat Tire race is the same weekend as my anticipated debut of suckage at the Sturbridge Road Race. I don't have the fitness to do both so I have to decide where I can do my best inpersonation of a bike racer. Tough decisions must be made and then I must be granted parole leave for the day to attend the chosen event. Does it really matter either way.
Someone asked me how much off-season training I have been doing. I think they were little shocked to here that I've done almost nothing. If building up the bikes, putting on some new tires, usuing my deep fryer and the occasional spin on the rollers counts then it would be a different story. However, lets be realistic, married with kid(s) and a full time job should be its own race category. There will be no competing for the win or sprinting to the line, just a good all out effort to place and avoid the DNF. In the end, it's all fun.
On a seperate note, gotta think about the 24 hour race idea. One or two of the crew have expressed interest, even got the Gus on board for support and one-liners. An 8.5 mile loop, one hour lap times, it could be possible to bang out 20 laps with a group of 5 riders. Run the open-class at 24 Hours of Great Glenn. All are just thoughts on a page

Food Thought of the Day: Ice Cream cake....simple yet delicious

Training is Right on for Remote Controls

2007-02-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

The gift that keeps on giving (tilt head sideways)

I can't think of a better place to begin than with my latest culinary upgrade, which will help keep the energy stores up. Thats right, all those suckers that got flowers and chocolate, what does the warden wrap up for me, a little deep fryer, cause she cares. Whats better than some homemade fried wings after a short training ride...maybe some fried jalepeno poppers, or fried apple dumplings...maybe some homemade donuts after an even shorter training ride. Below is the secret ESC recipe which is pretty easy and I'm going to divulge to you, the reader: Butter, Salt, Butter, a pinch more salt and a touch of Red Hot, and some more butter

One spinning class, two trips on the rollers all in one week and Febuary started off strong. However as all good things, they must come to an end. The warden is got some work deadlines so it's more face time with the kid, which is fine with me becuase we are on the same level most of the time, crawling around looking for food and drooling while watching TV or reading the lastest Mountain Bike Action. After his 6 month quest to sneak up, attack, and consume the remote control. He has succeded. The remote control was always his un-attainable goal, he set up his training around grabbing that sneaky black device with blinking lights and oddly colored buttons. Sit-ups, spit-ups followed by a strict regime of pulling up on kitchen chairs, hallway sprints in the ESC custom walker, attacking cheerios with ferocious tenacity to keep his strength and energy up, followed by more skooting, rolling and screaming lung exercises. All this made him a fit, fast, crawling machine. His current crowning acheivement, ode to remote control

For those wanting to read something about bikes...the WTB Exi-Wolfs are mounted on the Cane Creek rims and ready to roll. The Schwinn is just about dialed in, just gotta work on saddle position some more and i'm ready to get smoked in late march.

Whats in Store

2007-02-12T08:34:00.000-05:00

Broke free from the constraints of work and family for a little while friday evening and had the Brazilian over for some bike talk, bike wrenching and general chat about the crazy ladies upstairs. The new Schwinn is still in top tune, yes...it's tight. The old schwinn is up on the chopping block for sale.
Even had a spare moment to mount up the new race tires. Though racing on tires I have not ridden yet will prove interesting but i'm hoping at least a few quick strolls into the belmont hills will yield insight into their grip, puncture protection and genereal handling, not to mention a chance to get them dirty. Might even Stans' these up if I ever get around to it. These WTB seem to have a side wall that goes on forever.

Sunday was a treat, even had time for 70 minutes on the rollers while catching up on the Sopranos season 6. Post rolling, cleaned the compound up, got the stuff organized, x-mas stuff is away, extra toys stuffed into bags and stored, baby stuff tucked away, beer....well the brazilian dented the supply friday night, tools hung back up, garbage amassed. The compound is back into shape ready for spring or until more stuff appears down there which seems to happen more often these days. Note, see the dust build up on the white bike, guess who's that is...(no..not ESCs, though his might be just as dusty) There will be only a quick update on the ESC training for his Century...no update.

Food thought of the day: Spicey Calamari

Rookie Mistakes in the Compound

2007-02-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Finally got a few minutes of free time. Headed to the basement, figured it was about time I take out my Easton rims and mount up the race tires for the road bike. Right now the Schwinn is running Giepemme wheels with Vittoria Rubino Pro's and though the setup is great for the trainer and casual strolls, they are damn heavy. The Easton Vista's are considerably lighter and with the Michelin Carbon Pro2 races, they will round out a nice package, not too mention i'm more familiar with their handling. I mount up the first tire, the bead is very tight and it takes some patience and muscling to get the bead set. Go to inflate the tire..rookie mistake. Regular tube in a deep dish wheel. All that work, for nada. Gotta go out and pick up long stem tubes now. Oh well, least I was working on the bike.

The Giant is back from the shop. All tuned up, or at least better that it was when i dropped it off. I might have to wipe it down as there seems to be extra splatters of chain lub or wax on some of the tubing. The rear derailleur is pretty good but I might have to entice Vuth with some cerveza's so he can put his wrench to it before first race. The Cane Creek wheels are still true so I've decided those will be the race wheels and the regular riding wheels will be the Mavics.

Wednesday, Participated in a simulated Mnt Washington Hill climb, I'll briefly say it was instant suffering followed by "Welcome to Bonkville, Population One-ME", then complete abandonment of the stationairy ride to uphill nowhere. Also of note, the ESC mentioned a century ride this spring, the EMTs have been alerted. Just the mere thought of a century ride might cause him bodily harm. Ouch...ESC...fire up the GT and dust off the rollers. Did somebody say Steak?

Food thought of the Day: Chocolate Creme Pie with Warm Peanut Butter sauce

Updation Numero Uno

2007-02-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Where has it all gone. I don't know exactly where to begin so I'll just start at some point in random time. Last thursday, decided to actually abandon work in favor of taking in a few pints before and during the Bruins game. Joined up with ESC for a few pints or a few jack n' cokes prior to game time. First game all season. It was a great 1st period followed by their slow death in the 2nd and 3rd period. There offense wasn't physical enough on the cross-checks and board hits, the defense broke down on some simple plays. Brad Boyes tried to get the team fired up with a good fight but it was short lived. Still, good to get out for a few and talk snowboarding with some of their friends (can't remember his name, ). He knows his decks and old school planks as well. NICE.

Friday...decided that once again work would have to wait. Noon-time...Spinning. What was I thinking? I haven't been healthy in months nor have I actually logged any bike miles, the only time my heart rate elevates is when I walk to get my car. Surely this wouldn't be as painful as I thought...I was wrong! It was a hills day and the instructor apparantly noticed my weakness and really pushed. I kept up for what felt like 45 minutes but only to bonk when it truly was only 15 minutes in. Had to bail out and spin at a lazy pace just to keep from puking. Maybe i'll get up that imaginary hill next time.

The weekend yielded a nice chill time. Met up with the Italians in H-square for some Border Cafe and Aidan time. The ladies dragged us to some choclatier, the name escapes me right now, but it was their downfall. Aidan sparked to life in front of all the strangers and charmed all the young college ladies. Rounded out a nice day. Saturday late afternoon was spent spinning away, once again, on the rollers going nowhere fast. 65 minutes. Sunday...65 minutes again before the big game. No comments on the game other than the Ribs, the Chili, the Jalepeno Poppers, Chips, Beer, rounded out a good evening.

Wait...Wait...What?

2007-01-30T07:35:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-20T10:44:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

Shhh....

2007-01-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

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.