Bobbin and Sprocket

Mlle Moto's First Day Out

2012-03-03T18:45:00.001-05:00

Today was the big day! I've finally got the Motobecane back on the road!

First, we went to work.

And she got to sit out by the street trying to attract attention.
I tried out riding with toe clips in loafers:

Which works out just fine. :)

After lunch we went for a quick jaunt.

I'm discovering that, for now anyway, I need to have the handle bars higher than the saddle. Otherwise I get a sore neck and shoulders. This might be also because this bike is too tall for me. You'll notice that I have the saddle as far down as it will go. This gives me just the right leg extension and if I lean a little I can sit on the saddle and put a toe down. But I can't stand over the top tube without being on my tip toes.

On the way home I spotted something I must have ridden past thousands of times! There are some very old steps just at the side of the road.

If you go up them, you're overlooking I-26. Perhaps there was a house there once?

I would have never noticed them had the flowers not caught my eye.

So far I'm really liking this bike! It's light and spritely but just a little twitchy. I hope to correct that by eventually doing a 650b conversion. And I may or may not keep the drop bars. We'll see.

Too long for Twitter

2012-02-16T16:20:00.001-05:00

I had to share this. It's one of those "boss is away so we will play" sort of days at work today. The old ladies I work with are telling stories and dirty jokes. I'm going to share one of those jokes at the end of this post, but first I wanted to tell you about the silliest reason I've heard yet as to why they think I need to have my own car, and not just bikes. And I apologize if I'm writing in a southern accent. It takes awhile for it to wear off. :) Anywho, here goes: So the little old ladies are tellin' stories about cars they've had and get to talking about ex-husbands somehow and such. One of them ladies says to me "now that's why you need to get you your own car. 'Cause you never know when your husband is gonna run off on you". Well, I told them that sounds like an excellent reason NOT to have any cars at all. He won't get too far too fast if all he's got to run away with is his trike. :)

Ok, dirty joke time:

Teacher at school asks the kids to tell what hobbies their parents have. One girl says her mom reads books. Another kid says his dad builds model trains. Another boy says his dad eats light bulbs. The teacher says "What!? How does he do that?" The little boy says "well every night they go in the bedroom and close the door and I hear dad say "turn out the light and I'll eat it. "" :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My First Flat!

2012-01-29T12:20:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I took a ride out to Jonesborough and back. It's not a long ride - around 12 miles or so round trip.

Not much to report on the ride. It was sunny and in the low 30's. I did spot a bike rack in the Woodcraft parking lot! That's the first bike rack I've seen on this side of town. Makes sense though, there's a bike lane along that stretch of road.

This morning I discovered that the Fuji's rear tire was flat! Completely flat. I hadn't noticed a problem when I was riding the day before, so maybe it was a slow leak? I pulled thd wheel off the bike and found this:

Can you see that? A teeny tiny little sliver of wire. It had poked through right in the center of the tire into the inner tube. So I pulled thd tire and tube off, found the hole and patched it with Slime Skabs .

This package had come with the Terra Trike and had been laying in my tool since.

They're quite easy to use. Just scuff up the area on thd tire where thd patch will go, peel off the patch and stick it on.

I've got her all back together now. We'll see how the patch holds up.

Getting Muddy

2012-01-23T13:12:00.001-05:00

On Sunday The Husband and I finally got to go on a ride together! It's been months since our last ride. The temperature was in the upper 50's (F), and the day started out with blue skies. But by the time we got ourselves out the door it was overcast.

The day before it had rained. HEAVY. And the creek that the Greenbelt follows had overflowed on to the path leaving many spots like this:

Long stretches of mud, about 2-4 inches deep. And long puddles too.

We had a blast riding through it all! The bikes got filthy:

For the most part we stayed clean and dry (yay for fenders!) My boots got some mud spray, probably from riding too close behind.

I didn't have any problems riding through the muddy stretches or through the water. My husband mentioned that he experienced some fish-tailing on the trike. But over all both functioned just fine.

Riding through the puddles cleaned off some if the mud, but when we got home we still had to hose the bikes off. Oh, they were filthy! But it was fun. :)

Subsurface Adventuring

2012-01-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I got a chance to try out something I've wanted to do for a long time: Scuba dive! Recently a scuba shop opened up near me, and they offer FREE introductory classes. I had to jump on that opportunity.

It's a very scaled down class. Just teaching the basics, enough to put you in the deep end of a pool and let you swim about for about an hour.

They taught us how to add and release air from our vests to determine our buoyancy, how to breathe, the importance of constantly breathing, and not holding your breath, especially when ascending/descending, and how to clear water out of the mouth piece, should it come out of your mouth underwater.

Then we all went under and followed the instructors to the deep end of the pool and played around! They had a hula hoop down there to swim through, some toy torpedos to throw around. We tried out a "egg and spoon" race with ping pong balls that we would try to keep under the spoon. We did hand stands and flips and blew bubble rings.

I had a blast! Definitely worth getting up early for on a Sunday.

Cold Saturday Ride to Nowhere

2012-01-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

Just felt like I had to get out and ride. Anywhere. It was a chilly ride, in the low 30's, with cloud cover, some wind and snow coming in.

Most of yesterday's snow had melted by mid afternoon, but they're calling for another 1-2 tonight. You can see some coming down just over those hills!

Rode out to the lake. It's really low. Seems like every time I go there it's lower.

If you look really closely there is a little cold duck swimming near the bridge. :)

As usual, when out riding in the cold I'm fine. Usually just a bit warm. But as soon as I get home and settle in I get COLD. It doesn't help that any part of me that has surface fat seems to radiate cold! I'll get in and change clothes in case what I was in is sweaty, pile on warm things, fix a hot drink, find a feline to snuggle, anything but here I am, an hour later and I'm still cold! How do you warm up after a cold ride?

First Snow! But No Bicycling.

2012-01-13T21:27:00.000-05:00

We got our first snow today! Not much, just about and inch, but snow just the same! I was all excited and ready to get out and tae the long way to work this morning, but sadly it was not to be.

First thing I discovered was that my U-lock had frozen shut! Also, my break levers and shifter as well. My front wheel was also frozen to the porch! In a panic I went to the kitchen and put a cup of water in the microwave thinking that I could melt the frozen parts. But, then I learned that the temperature was not expected to get above 30, so everything would just re-freeze while I was at work, leaving me with the same problem. Hairdryer! I rushed to the bathroom and got the hairdryer, and was able to free up the front wheel, rear break and u-lock, but by then I had about 10 minutes before I needed to be at work. So I brought the Pashley in to thaw and started my walk to work.

I'm not sure I would have been able to ride up and out of my parking lot. There might have been only about a half an inch of snow covering it, but there was a sheet of ice underneath! Later I learned that a neighbor had made several attempts in their car and kept sliding back down before finally giving up and going home.

The street was fine once out of the parking lot, and I had a lovely walk down the hill to work (I work just at the end of the street, only about a half mile from home). But once at work I got to thinking. Like a lot of you, I would LOVE to be able to replace my car with my bikes. And I do get to use my bikes as my primary form of transportation. But here's my thought: If I leave the car out in the rain all day, and at night that rain turns to snow and everything freezes, the brakes and transmission don't freeze. I don't want to have to bring my bike in for fear of it not functioning in the morning. Is there a way to prevent frozen brakes and shifters? I suppose I can try towel drying those parts and drying out the u-lock before locking up for the night. I had thought for sure that if this bike could function fully incased in ice then the Pashley would with just a little moisture. Ah, well, lessons learned then. :)

A Three Hour Tour

2011-12-11T20:59:00.001-05:00

After a morning full of vacuuming, carpet shampooering and cleaning up this disaster:

(Tycho, who loves to knock things down, destroyed one of Brad's terrariums.) I HAD to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

I decided today to find a new favorite route (they all become favorites, so why have just one?) and headed out towards Jonesborough. Equipped with both my DSLR and iPhone, I still managed to take very few photos. :/ Once I'm out there peddling I just don't want to stop! And that's just what I did today. I Started out on Boones Creek rd, which has a bike lane that doesn't last for long. It might be 3-4 miles, if that. Then it just ends at an intersection. On the opposite side of the intersection, where the bike lane would be, there is just a lane wide paved shoulder that is unmarked as to what it's usage may be. So that's where I rode. The road is a two lane highway at this point with very few passing zones, a 45-55mph speed limit and lots of hills making it difficult for drivers to see any oncoming traffic. But it's a lovely ride. Several guys in trucks honked and waved, several people in cars gawked. Always fun to be the weird girl on a bike. :)

I got almost to the "Historic" part of Jonesborough when I spotted a road to my left that called my name. So I went for it. I didn't even bother to check the name of the road. It turned out to be a narrow, unlined little back country road. Several small farms and a tiny little neighborhood. A couple little county churches. It probably would be a beautiful street to ride down spring through summer, but today, even with the sun shinning it wasn't much to see.

But curiosity had me, so I kept going and suddenly found myself at an intersection that I knew!

I used to take this road out to the donkey farm! I've always loved the view from the top of this hill.

So I decided to take a detour and go visit the donkeys.

Then I found out that a lady I know who lives about two miles from the farm had bought two of the donkeys. So I rode over to her farm to visit for a bit.

Chessie and Rocky have settled in quite nicely into their new home. And are SPOILED ROTTEN, like every donkey should be. :)

About this time I was getting a bit tired, and knew that laundry and dishes awaited me, so I headed home. When I left my house, around 1:00pm, it was about 47F. I had on jeans, knee high wool socks, converse sneakers, long sleeved shirt, tweed blazer and mittens. Jonesborough is down in a hole and about 10F colder. Everything on me was fine except my feet! I could barely feel them by time I got home. So note to self, NO canvas sneakers this time of year, even if it's warm when I leave home. :)

Don't, Don't, Don't Let's Start

2011-12-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the excellent list of Don't's ? For those who haven't, check it out! It's a fantastic list of 41 "Don'ts" for women cyclists from 1895. I thought it would be fun to go through and do a "Don'ts" get to know you:

Don’t be a fright. - Well, if you ever spot me on a Sunday morning when I haven't had my tea yet and am on a donut mission...

Don’t faint on the road. - Yeah, good plan. What about beside the road?

Don’t wear a man’s cap. - Too late

Don’t wear tight garters. - Again, too late.

Don’t forget your toolbag - Oops!

Don’t attempt a “century.” - Only b/c I haven't had the time.

Don’t coast. It is dangerous. - But I live on top of a ridge! I HAVE to coast. Down anyway.

Don’t boast of your long rides. - Well there's no point boasting about my short rides.

Don’t criticize people’s “legs.” - What about their "brains"?

Don’t wear loud hued leggings. - Yup. Do that.

Don’t cultivate a “bicycle face.” - HA! I Like to check out people's driving face.

Don’t refuse assistance up a hill. - Like anyone would really offer. Sheesh...

Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit. - I pretty much always wear clothes that don't fit. And yet I'm a seamstress. You would think I would do something about that.

Don’t neglect a “light’s out” cry. - Or a "last call" cry. Have one for me!

Don’t wear jewelry while on a tour. - Any? At all? I've got some I can't take out.

Don’t race. Leave that to the scorchers. - And the NASCAR driver wannabes.

Don’t wear laced boots. They are tiresome. - Tiresome yet HOT! Definitely worth the effort. :)

Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you. - But they are I tell you! I see them try to take pictures as they drive by!

Don’t go to church in your bicycle costume. - Not a problem. But there was this one time that I had to change out of the torn petticoat part of my "bicycle costume", and I did it right in front of a church. :o

Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers. - Only fezzes are acceptable with bloomers.

Don’t contest the right of way with cable cars. - Right.

Don’t chew gum. Exercise your jaws in private. - Hey hey! ;)

Don’t wear white kid gloves. Silk is the thing. - I prefer wool, but sure, ok.

Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?” - Oh come on, you can tell me. What DO you think of my bloomers? ;)

Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys. Um...

Don’t go out after dark without a male escort. - I'm going to call my headlight my "male escort" now.

Don’t without a needle, thread and thimble. - Don't anything, ever?

Don’t try to have every article of your attire “match.” Heh, I'm lucky if I pull off coordinated.

Don’t let your golden hair be hanging down your back. - Not a problem for this brunette!

Don’t allow dear little Fido to accompany you - Only Felix

Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers. - I never could get them to light that way anyway.

Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know. - There's enough discussion of bloomers in this list as it is.

Don’t appear in public until you have learned to ride well. - Only ride in very tight circles in your living room until you can ride well enough to be seen in public.

Don’t overdo things. Let cycling be a recreation, not a labor. - YES!

Don’t ignore the laws of the road because you are a woman. - Don't ignore the laws of the road b/c you are a CYCLIST.

Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.” - I don't have a brother. Can I try out dad's?

Don’t scream if you meet a cow. If she sees you first, she will run. - What if the cow broke out of it's field and is running down the road at you?

Don’t cultivate everything that is up to date because yon ride a wheel. I've never been good at "up to date".

Don’t emulate your brother’s attitude if he rides parallel with the ground. - Only if he rides perpendicular to the ground.

Don’t undertake a long ride if you are not confident of performing it easily. - B/c then you might have to walk the bike. The shame!

Don’t appear to be up on “records” and “record smashing.” That is sporty. - And they don't play very well once smashed.

Do You Decorate Your Bike For The Holidays?

2011-11-28T20:13:00.001-05:00

I know it might be a little bit cheesy, but when my boss gave me these little Christmas decorations, I couldn't resist adding them to the Pashley basket.

Though, with just two little decorations and a bit of garland, it still seems a bit sparse. I've got the Bobbin theme, just need the Sprocket!

My 35th Black Friday

2011-11-25T17:43:00.001-05:00

Today is my 35th Black Friday. What better way to spend it than out and about on bikes! I loaded up on chocolate donuts for breakfast, we got the derailleur (kinda) working on the trike and headed to the Greenbelt.

Practiced some Panda shots. I still haven't quite got the hang of it.

But I'm getting better!

Or not. Let's try this standing still.

There we go! Obviously I need more practice. ;)

Quiet Week

2011-11-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

Took a short ride out to Boone Lake Wednesday afternoon. It's the lowest I ever seen it right now. Where the Fuji is at in this picture is usually about 4 feet deep.

There's a little playground there. The ground under the swings is so dished out from kids scraping their feet when they swing that I can't even touch the ground.

If only I could have found a way to carry this pretty piece of driftwood home!

The mittens are coming along. Slowly!

Tesla has taken to riding the Fuji.

Talula, Gno and Oliver are curious about bikes, but not enough to really give it a try.

Catching up!

2011-11-02T23:50:00.001-04:00

You would think that with modern convinces like smart phones and such and increased free time since I'm only working one job now I would be able to post regularly. Yeah, no such luck!

Quick recap of things going on here:

I went to SAFF (Southeast Animal Fiber Festival) and was very proud of myself. I did NOT bring home another fleece to spin! Didn't even look at them. I did get some lovely corriedale wool that will become a sweater for The Husband, and some yarn to knit me these:

(Not my actual pair, but I bought the same colors)

And I bought a big handwoven in Ghana basket to hang from the rear rack on either bike. Here it is on the Fuji:

I also knit a snake for my 3 year old niece who had to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor.

So far so good on her recovery. And she loves her snake. :)

I discovered that a knitting needle dropped just right into a kitteh's fur can look like it went right through the kitteh:

And Tesla still enjoys hanging out on the Pashley.

Bike Date: Kingsport Greenbelt

2011-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

The Husband and I had a bike date today! It's the first bike date that we've had. It was a gorgeous 75F with sunny skies. We strapped his trike to the roof and my fuji to the back of the car and off we went to the Kingsport Greenbelt.

It's a lovely multi-purpose path that meanders through the woods and meadows, following a creek the whole way.

We started at the Historic Exchange Place where you have to cut through the Exchange Place property on an unpaved, rocky path before you reach the Greenbelt. From then on it's paved.

We saw ducks:

And lots of people out walking/jogging. Tons of people out on bikes! I might not see many people using the roads here to ride their bikes, and now I know why. They're all on the Greenbelt!

We rode about 14 miles total. 7 to and 7 fro with a stop at a Marble Slab that conveniently backs right up to the path.

This was a great first bike date! We've decided to make a habit of going to the Greenbelt. Now if only I can figure out a way to carry the Pashley out there...

Little Story About My First Time Calling the Police on a Motorist

2011-09-23T21:11:00.000-04:00

First off, sorry for the silence! Hadn't really realized that it's been almost a month since I last checked in. Oops...

Also, don't really have any photo's to illustrate this story, so here's one of the Fuji playing in some leaves. It is the first day of fall after all. :)

So on my ride out to the barn this afternoon, I spotted a big red pickup truck in my rearview mirror. I take note of it and think nothing of it. Suddenly I hear a police siren! I check the mirror again, but no cop, just the big red pickup. Then the truck roars around me, the driver flipping me the bird! I was just a bit dumbfounded. Did that truck have a police siren?!? Big red 4X4 with deer hunting stickers all over the back window. Surely people can't just go around with police sirens in their personal vehicles. At this point I felt my hand coming off the handlebar to return the fowl but I caught myself! And since my hand was already up I made the "call me" gesture at the guy. Suddenly his hand shot back in the truck and he floored it. I guess he thought that meant I was going to call the police. So I thought that might be a good plan. When I got to the barn I called the police. They took my report and description (unfortunately didn't get a license plate number) but they did seem interested that someone was going around with a police siren in their truck.

Scenic Route

2011-08-31T16:45:00.001-04:00

I finally got back on my bikes today after dealing with the first nasty head/chest cold of the season. It feels so good to ride again!

I'm beginning to really like this route as compared to my usual. It's got a longer, steeper hill, but strangely it seemed easier today. Granted, this was the first time riding the Fuji up it. Maybe there's something about this bike that makes it easier to ride uphill? The only other bike I've ridden on it is the Kettler, which is also a 10 speed mixte, but has 27" wheels with skinny little 23mm (?) tires. It's aluminum whereas the Fuji is steel with 700c 35mm. I dunno. Maybe I'm still just sick and delusional. :)

Also, I just found this image amusing:

Bicycle, field of tobacco, school. Three things that are never encouraged to go together. Really only two should. :)

New Wheels!

2011-08-17T21:19:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie to say that I finally got new wheels installed on my Fuji! Sun CR18 700c.

Also, as you can see I put Schwalbe Delta Cruisers in cream on.

They've been such a pleasure to ride with on the Pashley and the Hercules that I just couldn't see trying another tire.

And they've got their first 5 miles of black road stripe on them.

I'm just so happy to be able to stop now without being jerked back and forth. My original rims had gotten a couple of dents in the rear. So when braking it rode really rough. Like going down a gravel road with washboard. Also, being chromed steel, there was no stopping in the rain. Which is a little bit more excitement than I really want! :)

I wish that I had taken a before picture of the freewheel sprocket when it came off the old wheel. It was encrusted in 35 years of hardened grease and grime. My husband has an ultra sonic cleaner. We filled it with a cleaner/ de- greaser that he uses in the shop a lot called BH38. We placed the freewheel in it for about 10-15 minutes. It took two cleanings, but it took all of the grease and dirt off!

My chain is still gross, but will probably be replaced soon anyway. Now I just need a good rain to ride in to see how well the brake pads will stop these wheels.

Trying out the Ghetto Pannier

2011-07-23T22:24:00.001-04:00

I had to make a quick trip down to the grocery store for some kitten food, English muffins and peanut butter. I still haven't put any cargo capacity on the Fuji besides the Swiss army ammo bag, and I could only fit the one plastic bag with the English muffins and peanut butter in it and still have room for my keys and phone/wallet.

Normally I would also put the U lock in the bag as well. It wouldn't fit, but I did discover that it sits nicely on the VO rack. The curve of the U lock matches the curve of the rack perfectly. :)

That just left the bag with 10 cans of kitten food. I remembered awhile back Velouria of Lovely Bicycle wrote about a solution to this very problem.

Just tie them on to the rack! I had to tie them to one side and let them hang to the opposite, otherwise the bag was hitting my chain.

You can see that tying it on the far side keeps it up and out of the way.

I really enjoy riding at night, even if it is just to get a few groceries. Of course it would figure that some dumb redneck tries to ruin my fun. On the ride home a jerk in a beat up truck going the opposite way yelled out for me to "get on the sidewalk, retard!" Well, really, who's the retard then, Hrm? It would be called a sideRIDE if we were meant to ride on it. :) The funny thing is, this is the same sort of guy that will "hoot n' holler" approvingly when they see me in the daytime. I wonder if since it was dark out if this guy thought I was another guy, and therefore not worthy of his approval. Who knows. These "good ol' boys" out here can be real hypocrites.

Change of Guards

2011-07-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

Awhile back I made a set of guards using elastic bands that were crimped together to for a "netted" pattern. I've had a good deal of interest in this design, and have sold a few too! Sue of Bikes in Motion put one on her Raleigh Sport with a clever modification to the attachment design.

I've never been really happy with the way the little clips that I had originally used for the guard.

They look great, but only seem to work well on some fenders. I've been trying to talk customers out of them, with some luck, but have decided to just stop offering those clips all together. In the long run, hooks in drilled fenders or binder clips (with the inner "leg" removed once the guard is installed) are the most secure method of attachment for any kind of dress guard. So I've been looking for better solutions. Here's what I've got:

Sturdy hooks. I've found them in black and silver. These are really strong. I can barely bend them, and I've got strong hands for a girl. They're shaped in a way that once hooked in to the fender, they lay flat, unlike an S hook would. They can also be hooked into binder clips, for those who get squeamish at the thought of drilling their fenders.

Then, just yesterday, I found these!

They are a much smaller gauge hook that comes with the nice swivel barrel and can lock into itself. Which, if you were to drill your fenders just right you could snap the hook shut, but I don't really see that as necessary.

As much as I enjoyed designing and crocheting the crochet dressguards, I am no longer going to be able to offer them as a ready made, or even custom made item on Etsy. I honestly just don't have the time to work on them anymore, and if I'm going to dedicate some time to offering dressguards, I would rather it be guards that are sturdier and can fit any bicycle. I will still be offering the PDF pattern on Etsy and Ravelry for anyone who wants to make their own. Also, since the elastic guards are faster to make and I've done away with the expensive fiddly pretty clips, I can offer them at a better price!

New Rear Rack and More Dressguards

2011-07-03T23:51:00.001-04:00

My new rack for the Fuji arrived yesterday! After much searching around for a simple rack with legs short enough for the Fuji's small frame I finally just went for if and got the VO Constructeur rack.

I had to forego the traditional method of attachment (drilling holes in the fender and screwing the rack to the fender) as the tangs are too long to clear the quick release on the hubs.

I really didn't feel like messing about with cutting, filling and drilling, so I went over to my LBS and got a bracket that mounts to the frame where the rear fender bracket mounts.

Which has worked out well, ANC saved md from drilling. I guess I was just in an instant gratification mood that day. :)

It looks much better, fits much better and I hope that in the long run it will work much better than the rusty old Pletscher rack I had on before.

Also, I've been assembling guards! I've got two sets of the Netted guards almost ready to go out, and will be starting another set in a lovely cream color with hooks! I'm excited to see how that one turns out.

Holiday Weekend

2011-07-01T20:27:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie to wish everyone safe and fun Independance Day (or just a safe and happy weekend if you're not an American). There might be only a little riding and tinkering for me this weekend as we are having the sibling - in - laws over for a LOTR on Blu Ray (!) marathon to celebrate Middle Earth's freedom from the forces of evil.

Though I do need to try and finish up some Dressguards for a few folks as well now that some supplies finally arrived.

Happy weekend!

So Close! The Fuji is Almost Complete!

2011-06-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

I've got her close enough now that I've been commuting on her for the past week. A lot of the work lately has been working out the little things. Getting the derailleurs just right, trying to find a rack that fits, trying out saddles, researching lighting.

For the saddle, I've decided that the Brooks B67s is perfect. I had been trying out a B17s all week, and just could not for the life of me get comfortable on it. I think that my bottom side is just made for sprung saddles. :)

Tressostar tape in orange with, oh I don't remember, 5-6 coats of my husbands house blend of shellac. He's does a good bit of woodworking, so he keeps it on hand. Tektro Inverse Brake Levers, which are really easy to install. I LOVE the way the look and feel.

I took the original Suntour stem shifters and got some VO Thumb Shifter Mounts to mount them to the handlebars. Oh, the handlebars are VO Porteurs (yeah, I know, went on a little VO shopping spree) installed upside down.

Kool Stop MTB break pads, which I'm finding work better than I thought at stopping the chromed steel wheels.

Mounted my Cateye on the fork with a Minoura Besso mount. It's a temporary solution. I would really like to find some lights that I can mount to the fenders.

And of course, I painted in the lugs, because how can you resist?

Getting Closer!

2011-06-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

I spent my afternoon like this:

But I FINALLY got the fenders on the Fuji! I bought the VO hammered fenders (45mm). I love the way they look and fit, but OMG they are a Pain to install! Worth it in the end though.

They look great and don't rattle or rub the tires. The fit is spot on.

I got new pedals too.

The same pedals that come on the Pashleys. I like having a nice grippy pedal that I can wear flip flops on, and not get my heal chewed up if my foot slips off.

Next up will be thumb shifters, more shellacking on the handlebars (I would like to get them a little bit darker. Closer to the saddle.) A rear rack and lights too.

Fuji Dynamic 10 Progress

2011-06-11T21:47:00.001-04:00

I finally got a minute or two to put a little work in on the Fuji. She now has VO Porteur bars and Tektro RX 4.1 Inverse brake levers.

Right now I've got the brake cables held temporarily in place with painters tape until I get the placement for the thumb shifters decided on.

Not sure what Talula is looking at in the background, but so far I'm quite happy with this set up. Fenders, new pedals, rear rack, thumb shifters and lighting left to go!

Donkey Post

2011-05-31T22:06:00.001-04:00

Two new baby donkeys were born today! A boy and a girl. Thought I would share the cuteness with you.

Days like this are why I do what I do! :)

A Little Grocery Shopping

2011-05-29T16:17:00.001-04:00

Twice today I've headed down the hill to the grocery store. First was for our Sunday morning tradition of fresh made donuts, coke and OJ. I've got my system down for picking up those items, but later on we decided that we needed ice-cream, deli meats, cool whip and spinach. All things that need to be kept cool. It's a balmy 90 degrees out, so I wasn't sure about bringing home ice-cream. The rest I figured would be ok. It takes about 10 minutes to ride home and figured it was worth a try.

So I bought one of those insulated grocery bags that they sell at the store. It fits on the rack and the triple bungee holds it down. The bag did want to slide some to the right side of the rack. So I looped the bags handles through the leather latch on the Swiss army bag to hold it still on the left.

Worked great! Now I have no excuses left for not buying ice-cream. :)

Never Saw that Coming...

2011-05-21T23:18:00.000-04:00

I was playing around with saddle angles today on the Pashley. Over this past week it was starting to feel like I was sliding off the back of the saddle and so I was nosing it down a little. In my enthusiasm, I apparently favored one nut when tightening, pulling the bolt through the clamp and causing it to round out the square hole that it goes through. You can see that the bolt has flat spaces at that fit into the square holes. This keeps the bolt from turning around in the clamp, and when one gets pulled through, neither flat is in a hole.

So, while trying to back this mistake out, I got both nuts cross threaded on the bolt since it wasn't staying still in the clamp! Go me! And boy did I get the nuts cross threaded on there good. So my most wonderful husband, whom I now owe a chocolate malt, came to my rescue and sawed the bolt in half, by hand! This was the only way we could free my saddle from the clamp.

So, lesson learned. With the Brooks type clamps, don't tighten from just one side. Keep the bolt even.

Bike To Work

2011-05-20T21:51:00.001-04:00

Bike at work.

Some work.

Work playing around and not working.

Pashley after work. Near someone else's work.

Rain Wear for Bicycles

2011-05-14T20:47:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to share this for awhile now. A month or so ago I made a saddle and grip cover set.

I didn't use any sort of pattern, just took some measurements and traced the saddle for the basic shape. These are made from a water resistant outdoor fabric with a PVC lining.

I learned a lot about sewing through PVC. It's sticky, and needs a lubricant of sorts in order for it to feed through the sewing machine. I tried baby powder, and that just got messy. Then I got smart and used tissue paper. It fed through much better, but my machine still complained. Definitely a job for the treadle machine. Shame it's in pieces right now.

Anyway, I was inspired to make something waterproof to keep my saddle and grips dry while I'm at work. I don't have anywhere covered to keep my bikes, and plastic bags just looked bad.

I have the Brooks leather grips on the Pashley. I've discovered that after being out in the rain, once they dry the leather washers shrink in a little, leaving gaps in between. This is easily corrected my tightening the screws in on the ends of the grips, but not something I want to have to do every time it rains. Has anyone else had this problem with the Brooks grips? Did you find some way to prevent the shrinkage?

The covers just slip on over the grips, and have elastic in the open end to draw them in, helping to keep water out.

The saddle cover was the most difficult part of the project. Between the machine throwing fits over sewing through the PVC, and trying to make curves it just was not fun. But it turned out well!

If I were to make one again (I did buy more fabric, in case I wanted variety) I think that I would make the gusset a little wider so that it comes down over the springs more. This one just does cover them.

So far these have worked out nicely! They've been in some real downpours now and haven't leaked or blown off. Since I haven't gone and made another set yet I guess that means I'm pretty happy with them. :)

Miss Violet Goes Blond. Has More Fun As A Result.

2011-05-10T22:55:00.001-04:00

As many loop frame bicycles before her, Miss Violet has gone blond! And is loving her new looks.

I decided to swap the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires that she came with out for some Delta Cruisers after reading Velouria's report on how much of a difference they made to the ride quality of her Pashley.

I had Delta Cruisers before, on my Herclues and was quite happy with them.

But I didn't have anything to compare them to and hadn't ridden the Hercules on any other tire.

I do have to agree, the Delta Cruisers are much more shock absorbative than the Marathon Plus. Since I find that I don't need to brake for every little bump in the road now the Pashley seems to be much zippier. It's giving me a better opportunity to really ride and just enjoy riding instead of judging the road surface constantly. Also I've noticed that I can definitely feel a difference in turns. Especially low speed turns. The tire seems to glide across the pavement. These tires also work well off road.

We went out tonight testing The Husbands new headlights. While trying to find dark places to test them in we went along this little wooded area that follows a creek. We take this detuor occasionally, and previously the ride beside the creek was terribly rough. The Delta Cruisers helped smooth this route a lot! So I am definitely pleased with the tires. Not so much with the packaging though:

I ordered this set through Amazon. Seriously Amazon, TWO boxes? Two HUGE boxes?!?

Two huge boxes with an single tire each! *sigh*

Changing tires on the Pashley is quite easy. The owners manual has easy to follow instructions for removing both wheels. I was able to easily remove the wheels, the chaincase being the only tricky, but not difficult part.

As for dirt. The Cream Delta Cruisers only seem to get road dirt in a narrow area just in the center of the tread.

The sidewalls are still free from grime. Even after riding in freshly mown grass they still look nice! I was expecting to have green tires after that.

So, all in all I am very happy with these tires. I can see why Velouria keeps using them on so many of her bikes, and why so many others have made the switch on theirs.

Meeting the FrankenTandem

2011-05-08T21:43:00.000-04:00

Some friends of ours came to visit today and brought along their newest bicycle. The FrankenTandem.

That's Susan, trucking along on it. It's a single speed, coaster brake tandem that consists of two mixte frame bicycles welded together. She picked it up somewhere in NC and just thought it was too cool to pass up. And it is! For someone's homemade tandem.

We both rode it around for awhile. It was fun, but a little terrifying at first! It just doesn't look like it would be safe to ride, but it held up. We even got The Husband on it!

After playing around with The FrankenTandem, Susan tried out my Pashley. She liked it a lot, even though my 17.5" frame is WAY too small for her.

She also took The Husband's trike for a spin, and I managed to not get any pictures of that. Oops! But she really liked it and had a great time on it.

Fun day all around. Lots of sunshine and bikes and too much lunch. I'm beat!

Creepy Gardening

2011-05-03T22:18:00.001-04:00

So the other day The Husband was riding along a path in our appartment community and came across this:

Which at first glance looked like some sort of stuffed animal burial grounds. Bur on a closer look it was discovered to be someone's garden that they had decorated with old toys.

You just never know what you might find on a ride!

We're going to need a bigger stable...

2011-05-01T15:37:00.001-04:00

Because the Husband finally got himself some wheels! A Terra Trike tadpole recumbent.

He loves it. And it's quite speedy! Here he is zooming:

You can read up on that here: http://www.dailycypher.org/

Since then we've gone on several rides together. I'm trying out my various bikes to see which are best with his. So far, while he builds up stamina, the Pashley seems to be the best. We'll see how long that lasts!

In other news, the Fuji now has tires:

But is going to need a new chain. And there is ANOTHER mixte in the house!

I'll take some better pictures of it soon, but since it's just a frame I'm going to give it all new components, and a new paint job. Obviously it will need a fork as well. Once I have that, I'm going to have it stripped and powder coated. I'm not sure of the color scheme though. What do you guys think?

And So it Begins

2011-04-17T16:04:00.001-04:00

The restoration of the Fuji starts today. I ordered new tires (Schwalbe HS 159 Gumwalls), new tubes and Kool Stop MTB brake pads. Then I spent this lovely sunny day out on the front porch scrubbing the filthy wheels.

And removing the nasty old tires.

The wheels cleaned up very nice!

They're all shiny now and waiting for the new tires.

Cat in Rack

2011-04-16T17:02:00.001-04:00

Well, front basket anyway.

Tesla would'nt get out of the way when I was trying to get Violet through the front door, so I picked him up and put him in the basket. I wasn't sure at first if he would fit. I have the smaller Pashley basket, and he's a 15lb Maine Coon. But he fit, and even made himself as cozy as he could. Maybe we've got a new tradition?

Inspiration

2011-04-14T18:13:00.001-04:00

Today I rode Hedwig for the first time since the Pashley arrived. It's amazing how different a bicycle can feel if you haven't ridden it in awhile! Like putting on your street shoes after roller skating. She felt so small and light. And she is, compaired to Violet, but I wasn't expecting to feel that big of a difference.

Which got me thinking. I've had my old Fuji mixte sitting in the kitchen since last July.

The original plan was to rebuild her with new alloy wheels instead of the original chromed steel. Mainly to increase braking in the rain. But I now have two bikes that brake wonderfully when wet, so why bother replacing the wheels on the Fuji? By using the perfectly good wheels that she has, I can actually afford to fix her. Riding Hedwig today inspired this thought. I found that I love the sportier feel of the aluminum mixte frame, and love the heavier, sturdier feel of the Pashley. So how about a middle ground bike? A heavier lugged steel mixte for those sunny days.

Now, it's just a question of whether of not to keep the drop bars.

Sunday Ride

2011-04-10T21:03:00.001-04:00

After doing quite a lot of laundry today I decided to get out and go for a little ride. It was in the mid 80's today! How could I pass that up?

Right as I took that last picture, Violet took her first fall. I thought my heart was going to jump right out of my chest to try and catch her! She didn't suffer any damage though. Just some mud stuck all over the rear axel/ indicator chain window.

She's one tough gal. :)

I'm not the only one out there!

2011-04-02T20:33:00.001-04:00

I had to go out and run some errands by car today (I nearly got blown over on the Pashley on my way home from work!) and lo and behold I spotted someone riding a bike! In regular clothes! In a ball cap! Talking on his phone! In the Bike Lane of Doom!

See him on the corner? I was cheering him on from the car. Ok, Bike Lane of Doom. For one thing, it follows along side a 4 lane highway with cars traveling between the posted 45 and 60. It makes the cyclist cross over the on and off lanes for I-26. Cars in those lanes are either gaining speed to merge with traffic on the interstate, or gaining speed to merge with traffic on the highway. Either way you've got drivers trying to get up to speed to contend with. More power to that guy for braving that cluster f***.

Then when I reached my destination I spotted this:

Someone rode to the craft store! And discovered when they got there that there is no bike parking. Or even anything to make do with. I've so far counted 3 shopping centers in town that have bike racks. And one with a No Bicycles sign. :/

Anyway, back to the bike. I love the shade of green it's painted.

And check out the lugs!

It says Volkscycle XV. I'm going to have to look that one up. Sounds like someone else has an interesting vintage German bike. I wish I could have talked to it's person. I wandered around the store looking for someone that might look like they belong to it but didn't find anyone. Which I suppose is good. That means that there is another person in town riding a bike in regular clothes. Also it means that there isn't someone willing to shop in the craft store in Lycra.

Rainy Spring

2011-03-31T17:17:00.001-04:00

I've only had one sunny day of riding since Violet arrived! Which I suppose is a good thing. It's kept me from being afraid to use her in weather she's designed to be ridden in.

Spring is starting to show here, even though it doesn't feel like it. It's a chilly day, and I heard rummor of the S word tonight. Bleh!

Meet Violet Smith/Beaudelaire

2011-03-27T14:47:00.000-04:00

Isn't she pretty! I couldn't decide which literary character to go with, so I named her after both. As you can see, I got a smaller basket for her. I had heard complaints about the larger basket, and since I don't really need to carry a lot up front and also need to be able to manage the hills through the country side out to the barn, I thought I would try a smaller basket out. Also, I added my other Swiss ammo bag. I've been really happy with the one on my mixte. I think that eventually I will want something bigger, but for now this will do. And of course, I sprung for the Brooks grips.

Now for the first impressions. WOW, she is a beast. Heavy and solid. Heavier than my Hercules, I do believe. But not so much that I can't handle her. I haven't tried to put her on my bike rack on the car (is that even possible with a loop frame?), but if I ever want to get her out to my bike shop I'll need to. It's just way too far away to ride (if I want to have time to do anything else that day).

For a heavy 5 speed, I'm surprised at how well I can get her up hills. I think that she may climb hills easier than my mixte! It has to have something to do with the gear range. My mixte is light and has 10 speeds, but I was able to get Violet up a hill that I have trouble getting up on my mixte. Now, she came with the new SA 5 speed hub that has the wider gear range. Maybe that has something to do with it, maybe it's the thighs of steel that I've developed over the last year, or some combination of the two. Maybe it's some sort of new bicycle delusion, who knows. But it was a pleasant surprise!

Her dynamo light is brighter than I expected. Brighter than the Cateye that I've been using for the last year. I went ahead and put my Cateye on at the front axle, just to see if that helps even more, and if anything gives me a light that is always on so when I stop I can stil be seen from the front. I think that I may eventually put a light on both sides.

I'm sure that I have plenty more "getting to know you" to do with Violet. I'm hoping that soon I can plan a leisure ride so that I can focus on the bicycle and not getting somewhere on time.

Maiden Voyage

2011-03-25T22:47:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say that my Pashley got her first 12 miles or so today. I am VERY pleased with her performance. Even on hills.

More on that and first impressions later. I just wanted to share a quick picture of her at the Donkey farm and to say that I do believe I am in love!

She's here!

2011-03-24T18:29:00.001-04:00

Look what came today!

Details to come later. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

While We Wait

2011-03-22T17:06:00.001-04:00

My Pashley should be arriving sometime this week! It's about all I can think about right now, so in the mean while here's some pictures of the Donkeys enjoying a pile of gravel:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

2011-03-15T17:23:00.001-04:00

... is the first spring rain I got caught in. But boy was it worth it! I would have missed out on this if I had driven.

I had stopped at my usual spot to get a sip of water and blow my nose. I turned around to make sure my blinkie was on before going through the tunnel and saw this huge rainbow!

You can even see the end of the rainbow. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Elastic Dressguards Prototype

2011-03-14T18:44:00.002-04:00

Please excuse the crappy cell phone picture, but I thought I would share a teaser. I've been working on 2 designs for dressguards made from elastic bands. One is just many strands, like what is pictured above, and the other is netted. I'm still testing out materials, but so far I am quite happy with both versions. More to come in a few days, so stay tuned!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Other World

2011-03-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

2011 Fiber Fair at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.

Here is a glimpse into my other world. The bobbin part of Bobbin and Sprocket. Today was the annual Fiber Fair at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton, TN. I only got to be there for the last hour of the event. Usually I'm there for the whole day demonstrating handspinning (the REAL, practical spinning. Not this silly indoors in a gym on a stationary bike "spinning" nonsense), but since I now work on Saturday mornings I couldn't make it out there until almost 3pm.

Here are friends of mine participating in a "Fleece to Shawl" demo that we do every year. Basically there are several spinners and a weaver. The spinners have to keep the weaver supplied with yarn. There are several spinners spinning single strand yarn, and one spinner who takes those single strands to ply them into a 2 ply yarn. That then gets passed along to the weaver who weaves them into the shawl. I missed getting a picture of the shawl before we all had to pack up to go, but here are some Alpaca:

And some big bags and piles of wool:

I also ended up bringing home the park's spinning wheel to work on. It hasn't worked properly in years, and I could use a third (yes third! I own two spinning wheels and that still isn't enough) for my class that I teach there.

Here it us hanging out with my newer wheel. Didn't have space in the living room for all three.
So, looks like I've got a different sort of three speed to wrench and get running before next Sunday. :)

Yesterday's News

2011-03-02T16:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was on Let's Go Ride A Bike answering some questions about bikes and their accessories! It was fun being interviewed and sharing my experiences with them. Go check it out!

DIY Thumb Shifters

2011-02-21T13:08:00.006-05:00

After the Flacon thumb shifters failed last week, I had put stem shifters back on. I found that I missed thumb shifting, and looked around for some more but I'm impatient. I wanted them back NOW. So I made some. :)

Well, I guess I didn't actually make them. But I did take the original stem shifters and put them on the handlebars. I reversed the levers (the left lever on the stem became the right lever on the handlebars and vise versa) and I used two stem clamps (the original and a matching spare clamp for the other side). I bought some new cables and housing, and some screws and put together something that works.

Actually, they work better than any shifting setup I've had on this bike!

I've had it this way for about a week now, and have had no troubles. I like that the levers are a bit longer than what you typically find on thumb shifters. I suppose in a way this is kind of like a po' folks Paul Thumbies set up, only with using stem levers instead of bar end levers.

Shock to the System

2011-02-17T16:21:00.001-05:00

Wowzers! It got up to nearly 70(F) here today! People have been breaking out the tee shirts and flip flops, the dudes across from me ditched their shirts to blind us all with their pasty torsos, and I finally didn't have to ride in barn boots!

No socks too! Everyone was out enjoying the warm spell.

It really is kind of a shock to the system. I guess that's why ye olde ipod (which I still want to call a Walkman. Does anyone else do that?) coughed up Billy Idol's "Shock to the System" first thing today.

Shifter woes

2011-02-14T23:26:00.001-05:00

My poor mixte, Hedwig, seems to be plagued by shifter problems. First it was her original Shimano Altus stem shifters that just wouldn't hold the cable anymore.

I replaced them with some Falcon thumb shifters, which I really liked. Until today when part of the plastic housing broke and allowed the cable as well as it's housing to be pulled into the shifter when I would try to shift. This got all mangled and just wouldn't shift anymore.

With it being such a beautiful day out today, I just couldn't pass up on a ride so removed the thumb shifters and replaced them with another set of stem shifters that were graciously given to me not too long ago (thank you!).

Everything went smoothly, and I was on my way out to the barn when I started having trouble shifting again. I limped her the rest of the way there and discovered that the cable had started to fray apart at the shifter!

So, I reluctantly called my husband to come rescue Hedwig and me. At that point there was nothing I could do anyway.

Now, I've come to really like thumb shifters, but am wary now of buying cheap. So, should I just replace the cables and continue using the stem shifters, or go ahead and buy good quality thumb shifters? I'm leaning toward investing in good thumb shifters.

Don't leave home without it.

2011-02-09T21:01:00.001-05:00

It being your headlight. Today I left mine at home.

I had unclipped it from it's bracket in order to tighten down the screw that holds the bracket together, then completly forgot to clip the light back on before leaving for the barn. Doh!

Lucky for me my husband was able to bring it by before I had to ride home blind.

New members of the herd

2011-01-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

New baby donkey!

She doesn't have a name yet, but she is incredibly adorable.

Also, we have a sixth feline now.

He followed us home so we took him in and made up flyers to try and find some lost peoples for him, but nobody called. So we took him and had him checked out at the vet and had him nuetered. His name is now Tycho, he's about one year old and the only white one him is that one whisker.

Now if only the newest addition to the bicycle herd would get here!

Face Warmer

2011-01-24T09:01:00.003-05:00

With all of this Winter Wonderland and arctic temperatures we've all been having, I needed to find a way to keep my face (mostly my nose) warm.

So I came up with this:

It's a variation on Calorimetry, with some more drastic short row shaping to make it fit over a face more so than on a head. I used a rather sproingy superwash merino wool of indeterminate origin. It also keeps my ears warm! I really only wear it at night, if it's in the low 20's (F) or below, since it does kind of make me look like a bank robber or a bike ninja. But hey, it does the job!

I think I'm on to something...

2011-01-09T21:04:00.003-05:00

I think that I've found a perfect hook for guards with drilled fenders.

Even if they don't start out as hooks.

But look at how nice that comes together!

Icicle Bicycle

2010-12-28T21:58:00.004-05:00

When I got off of work this afternoon, I got a rather... hilarious shock. Apparently something either on or above the awning that I lock my bike up under started to melt in the sun, and dripped all over my bike and re-froze, incasing most of my in ice.

It was covered from handlebars to just past the saddle. I'm still uncertain as to how the water got on as much of the bike as it did. I've ended up with wet grips before when it rains, and with the last snow and ice I had just one frosted grip from something dripping on it, but nothing like this!

I had to spend a few minutes chipping the ice away so that I could at least work the rear brake and the shifter. My saddle was also coated, but it took just one elbow to the leather to break the ice off. It seems to be just fine, and in fact appeared to be dry underneath. Aside from ice breaking off and flying out of the wheels and the various noises accompanying that, it rode home just fine.

I've got her thawing out and drip drying over some towels in the kitchen tonight. I guess this means that I ought to start bringing some sort of tarp with me!

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-17T09:53:00.003-05:00

I finally got to ride to the barn again! The snow started melting off a bit and the roads cleared up. It was really cold, in the low 20's during the day and low teens to single digits at night, but since the sun came out on Wednesday that helped melt slush off the road.

These horses that I pass everyday were happy to see some grass in their pasture again.

On Tuesday, while it snowed, the Donkeys apparently decided to stand out in it all day. They still had snow covered backs on Wednesday.

Then, on Wednesday night we got an ice storm. It was very pretty, seeing everything covered in a shell of ice, but it made travel and work outside very difficult. The boy donkeys didn't even dare leave the barn because their dry lot was like an ice skating rink! The girls were a bit braver. Or more determined to eat their hay.

First real snow!

2010-12-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

Today we woke up to our first real snow for this year. Now, granted it was only about 3 inches, but every little bit counts! This means that this morning I got to go on my first real ride in the snow.

The only bicycle I have to ride right now is my mixte, Hedwig. She did fine, with a little slipping where car tracks that had re-frozen where. I had to walk her down one hill that is very steep. It was covered in ice, but on the whole, the ride was uneventful and quite fun. My Kool Stop MTB brake pads work really well!

Once I got home this afternoon, I realized something that I had not considered. All the snow that I went through was now packed up in my fenders, and frozen to my wheel, and I needed to bring her in through the living room into the kitchen.

I tried to brush it all off with the broom, but that just barely got it off. Does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning up a bike before bringing it in? I ended up just wheeling her through as per usual, letting her drip dry on a rug in the kitchen and going back through to clean up the snow that came off on the trip through.

Despite the mess, I really enjoyed this short trip in the snow. The only thing that I wish was different on Hedwig for this kind of riding is her tires. She's got these skinny little road tires that don't have much for tread.

One more reason I'm looking forward to my Pashley! I'm really excited to try her out in some snow.

Just some pictures...

2010-12-11T10:03:00.004-05:00

Of tractors with Holiday lights.

I'm hoping to catch photo of the glow-in-the-dark manger scene that someone has set up in the back of their pick up truck. Ah... rural TN.

And frosted cows.

I caught some nasty cold this past week. It was one of those colds where you're probably too sick to go to work, but you tell yourself that you can make it and go anyway. I managed to ride my bike to my AM job (since it's only a 5 minute ride from my house), but I just didn't have the physical strength to make it the 5 miles through the mountains to the barn. So I drove out there all week. Better luck next week!

DIY Day

2010-12-05T16:36:00.006-05:00

Ever since I brought Hedwig home, I have loathed the rubber Schwinn branded grips that came on her. I suspect that they were not original to the bike, and were added to her at some point by one of her previous owners. They felt gross, and were too long and hung over the ends of the handlebars by about half an inch. They had to go.

Many moons ago I bought a small tooled leather wallet. It kind of looked like someones scout project, with plastic cording stitched around the edges. I found it at a local thrift store, and liked the tooling enough that it had to come home with me. I knew it was destined for some craft project, I just didn't know what yet.

Today that little wallet became new grips for Hedwig. I cut the wallet in half, along the crease unstitched the plastic cording so that the insides would come out. After I had just the two front halves, I sprayed a little 3M Spray Mount on the backsides of the leather, so that it would hold still on the handlebars while I stitched them on.

Once they were stitched on I rubbed a little Proofhide in, to darken them up a bit and stuck a cork in the end of each side the the handlebars . Lookin' good so far! I'll find out tomorrow how well they work out.

Delivered by a Turkey, not a Stork

2010-11-25T11:58:00.003-05:00

For about 6 months or so now, I've been saving up for a new bicycle. I've needed something sturdy, with brakes that will be sure to stop in the rain and snow. With lights that won't die on me in the night. Something that can carry a load, and yet still get me through the hills. Something that I can also ride in both business clothes, and also can carry me out to the barn. It needs to be comfortable and attractive as well. I started saving, not knowing what I was going to end up buying, and the only way I can actually save money is the old fashioned way. Cash. In a box that I can't get the cash back out of without destroying. A piggy bank, that isn't a cute little pig.

So I made this box and it has set on my dresser for the last 6 months collecting whatever amounts of cash I can spare. Yes, that's an Oma pictured on it, for inspiration. I went back and forth on whether or not to buy and Oma or a Pashley. The Oma's are wonderfully tough and would be ideal for bad weather and carrying loads. The 8 speed hub might even make the Oma a practical bicycle for commuting in the hills. However, I chose the Pashley. I have wanted a Pashley for a LONG time. Longer even than I've been riding. The practical reasons that I chose the Pashley are this: Being slightly lighter and having a smaller frame that is closer in geometry to my Hercules, which would have been perfect if not for the total lack of brakes in the rain.

Today is my birthday, and knowing that I had saved up about half of the funds I need for my Pashley, my husband gave me the best present ever: the rest of the money + some for accessories! AND my Pashley has already been ordered. However, I won't be receiving it until probably sometime in Janurary, as the shop we ordered it from thought that they still had one in stock, but were mistaken had had the wrong color. So mine will be coming in on the next shipment. But still, I'M FINALLY GETTING MY PASHLEY! :)

So, that means that the time has finally come to open the box.

And get out the money. :)

Pining for my Bicycle

2010-11-16T21:01:00.003-05:00

For the last two days I've had to take advantage of our newly repaired car to run some errands that I just can't do by bicycle. Mainly hauling summer gear from the barn and bringing in winter gear. Also, taking one ginger feline to visit her favorite vet. This means that I haven't been able to ride my usual 10 miles to the barn and back. Though the car is handy for hauling things, and transporting irate felines, I've come to the conclusion that I HATE driving. It makes my back hurt. It makes me grumpy. I've missed the cold night air, the adrenaline, feeling the blood pump through my veins, the sounds and smells of the night. Cars take the magic away.

Otters and New Boots and Tweedy Capes, Oh My!

2010-11-07T20:37:00.004-05:00

Saturday afternoon, on my ride home from Job1 I saw two otters playing in the creek near my house! I stopped and watched for probably 20 minutes or so in the COLD and flurry-ish weather. I have never before seen otters in the wild, and with an apartment community that backs right up to the creek I would have never thought that they would want to hang out there. It figures that I didn't have my camera with me (not having a secure place at work to keep things like that I pretty much just go with keys and phone). After watching them for awhile, and getting really cold, I rushed home to get the cameras. Of course, by the time I got back someone was there walking their dog along the creek and the otters were gone.

So I hung out for a little while longer in hopes that they would come back. But they didn't. I'll keep an eye out and see if I spot them again.

I also have a new pair of winter boots! I had originally planned for these to be barn boots, which they will ultimately have to become, but since it's not quite cold enough for them at the barn I figured that I can enjoy them as every day boots. They're Keen Winthrop boots, which have all leather uppers and are wool lined. They're water proof, and I tested that out in this puddle to make sure. I'm hoping that these will keep my toes from turning purple this winter!

I also got a new/vintage wool cape. I love wearing capes. This one is a dark brown and ivory twill that looks tweedy from afar. I'll try to get some full cape pictures at some point. The mittens are a set that I knitted about 5 years ago. They're the Frostrosen mitten kit from Nordic Fiber Arts, altered just a bit so as to be flip-top mittens.

Tradition

2010-11-04T21:50:00.003-04:00

Every evening when I get home from work, Tesla greats me at the door, receives some love, and then wants to take a bike ride from the front door into the kitchen. He purrs the whole ride. :)

Halloween day ride to the lake

2010-10-31T19:01:00.003-04:00

Today, I finally gave Hedwig new shifter cables. I bought them about 2 months ago, and just now got a chance to change them out. So to test them I took a nice ride out to the lake. It had been awhile since I had ridden that way, and had never ridden Hedwig there.

The water had gotten quite lower since last time I was out there! I knew it had been dry, but I hadn't realized it was that dry.

I never would have thought it when I first brought her home, but I'm loving this little Kettler Mixte more and more everyday. And to think I was going to part her out to fix up a Fuji! Glad Brad talked me out of it. Still need to replace the grips, and find some better tires. These are a bit harsh.

Stormy Fall day

2010-10-25T22:03:00.001-04:00

Guard change

2010-10-24T17:19:00.003-04:00

I've made a small change to the clip system on Hedwigs Guards. What do you think?

2010-10-21T22:21:00.011-04:00

All this week, when riding Helena to work, I've been hearing what sounded like something hitting my spokes. It sounded like it was in the front spokes, and I kept looking and never found anything. I was beginning to think that I was just picking up the occasional leaf, or the strap from my bag in the front basket was hanging down or something. Well, today I discovered the problem.

Apparently I had lost one of the clips that holds my guards on. Today, on my way home from Job 1 I heard the usual tick, tick, tick of the invisible something in the spokes, followed suddenly by a tick, crunch, tick, tick. The bit of guard that had been loose all week finally got caught and yoinked the clip next in line right off! So, now I've got a very dirty guard. Figures that I didn't Scotchguard this set! Meh. Oh well. :)

Also, since the days are getting shorter, my rides home from the Barn in the evening are always in the dark. I was apprehensive about this at first, but since I've been riding home in the dark everyday for just over a week now I've discovered that I like it BETTER than daytime riding! There is this wonderful calm that settles in once the sun has gone down. The night animals start to come out. I've so far encountered a barn owl, deer, two raccoons and a skunk.

It's also proving interesting dressing for the ride home. Temperatures can vary greatly here, depending on altitude, if you are near water, which side of the hill you happen to be on. I'm discovering that even though it doesn't feel like I need a hat, scarf and gloves at the Barn, once I ride down the hill and get about 1/2 mile away it is quite at lot colder than where I started. There is a creek through there, and it's in a bit of a valley so that may have something to do with it.

I do like the look of a bicycle with warm woolies at the ready. :)

Fall is falling

2010-10-17T21:16:00.002-04:00

Hedwig got a new Brooks B68s. The B72 that was on there really wasn't working out for me. It kept getting caught in my back pocket every time I would hop up onto the saddle! The B68 is very nice, doesn't get caught in pockets and sits lower than the B72 did, so now Hedwig's 20" frame feels almost like it fits! (I still can't really sit on the seat and touch a toe to the ground, but I have very small feet, so that may be an issue as well).

And it's that time of year again. Broke out the ol' wellies, which aren't too bad to ride in, so long as it's plenty cool out.

Settling In

2010-10-04T21:02:00.004-04:00

Now that I have been at my new job for almost one month, I'm FINALLY starting the settle into the routine. Now it is also time to start settling back into the routine of getting some posts up here. So, until I have something interesting to say (like about my search for and acquisition of a new saddle for Hedwig, realizing that this new saddle could be the answer to being able to reach the pedals on a DL-1, should I ever come to own one, and transitioning from commuting to one job in business clothes to commuting to the other in barn clothes), here are some pictures from a foggy Sunday morning ride to the Barn:

New Guard!

2010-09-25T20:01:00.002-04:00

Available through my Etsy Shop as a Ready to Use Item, or as a PDF pattern for the DIYrs! The PDF is also available on Ravelry!

I'm still here!

2010-09-16T22:49:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the long silence. I've recently started a new job, and it's taking me awhile to get back into the swing of working full time again. I've still got the donkeys, so never fear, there will still be donkey photos every now and then! I just decided that I should have something more to do in the mornings, and thought I would fill it with the opportunity to make some extra money to go in the Pashley savings. I'm still working on crochet skirt guard ideas, and have finalized the last design. I just need to find the time to get some pictures to share with you!

New Guard Idea

2010-08-27T12:18:00.003-04:00

Almost...

but not quite. Maybe it needs more strands.

And a little more lace. What do you think?

Swiss Army Ammo Bags Revisited

2010-08-22T18:39:00.003-04:00

I've been using these bags for a couple of weeks now, and am LOVING them. They are a little heavy, being made from thick leather and waxed cotton, but they are wonderful. They are very waterproof (everything inside stayed dry even when they got dunked in the flood waters last week) sturdy, roomy and just plain good looking. So, since I've decided that I love them, they needed a better way to attach to the rack besides the belt I stole from Husband.

Here's what we came up with:

It's held on with 2 leather straps (actually, another leather belt that was sacrificed for the project) that are bolted onto the bag.

Here's how we did it:

Materials:

Swiss Army Ammo Bag(s), 1 leather belt about 1.5 - 2 inches wide, 16 (8 per bag) washers (we used stainless steel), 4@ 1/4-20 x 1/2 hex cap screws, 4@ 1/4-20 x 3/4 (or even 1" depending on how thick your leather belt is) hex cap screws (which we forgot about and had to cut down some other screws we had) and nuts. An awl for poking holes, ruler, sharpie or other marker, heavy duty scissors,rolling cutter, exacto or something to cut the belt with.

Step 1:

Cut the belt into 4 equal pieces of about 9" or so.

Step 2:

Take 2 washers. Line the first one up to the end of the leather, and butt the 2nd washer up to the first. Make sure they are centered on the leather. Using your marker or awl, mark the center of each hole. Then at the opposite end of the leather, take just 1 washer and do the same.

Then, using the awl (or a drill), make holes in the leather.

Step 3:

Now, holding your bag up to your rack, find and measure the space available for your leather to loop over. Not all racks are the same. For my bags to fit both the rack on my Hercules and my Pletscher rack, the leather strap had to come in 1 5/8 from the stitching to where I put the mark for the hole.

So, take your 2 washers, and place them on the bag bringing the center of the washer to whatever your measurement is.

Step 4:

Once you've marked for holes on both sides of the bag, use your awl (or you can cheat like we did and use the drill press. I suppose you could make an electric hand drill work as well) and make holes.

Step 5:

Lay the leather on the bag, back side up (if your leather has a front and back), lining the 2 holes on the leather up with the 2 holes in the bag. The end of the leather with 1 hole should be towards the top of the bag. Place a washer over the bottom hole, and put one of the 1/4 screws through it and the bag.

On the inside, place another washer on the screw and then the nut. Tighten that nut down. Fold the leather over (the front of the leather should be showing now), and repeat the order of washer, screw, washer nut as for bottom hole. No need to tighten this one down all the way, just enough to hold it all together. Repeat this for the other side.

Step 6:

Attach to your rack. Unscrew the nut and remove it, washer and screw from the top set of hardware. Loop the leather over your rack, and replace the hardware assembly as before. Repeat for the other side of the bag.

I know that this is not the easiest mounting system, especially if you are inclined to want to remove the bags with any frequency, but it is definitely a sturdy way to attach them. Also, it's silent. Now metal hook to bounce and clatter around. I pretty much let them live on the bicycle since this time of year I'm mostly using Hedwig, so the Pain in the Assness of the mounting system isn't a big deal. If I were to be in a situation where I wanted to take them in stores with me, or move them between bicycles often, I probably would have bought heavy duty snaps and put them where the single top screw is. I can still do that if I decide that I want to move them between bicycles more often.

Hedwig... Chickened Out on the Swim

2010-08-19T21:03:00.003-04:00

Well, that doesn't look good!

This is about 3/4 of a mile from the tunnel. Hrm. We got some rain today, but I didn't think that it was as much as the storm we had on Tuesday.

The scenery only began to get more and more submerged the closer I got.

Umm... now what? I tried to walk her through, but this time the water was MUCH deeper. And moving a lot faster. I got to just under the tunnel and the water was already at about mid thigh (which on little 'ole me is about 21"), and the ground was still sloping downward. So we turned around and rode home to get the car (and take a different route to work. I wasn't about to try and drive through that either!)

Hedwig Takes a Swim

2010-08-17T22:41:00.007-04:00

Yesterday evening we got hit with a really good thunderstorm. We haven't gotten much rain lately, so it was a welcome rain, but it made for a bit of a challenge on the ride home. I've ridden in some heavy rain, so that didn't bother me. What I saw turning on to this road was a little troubling:

It's flooded! In the 4 years that we've lived here I've never seen this road flood. There is a creek that runs near it, and signs that say the tunnel further along is impassible in high water, but I was beginning to think that maybe the creek had changed or something since I had never seen any high water here. Well, I was wrong. The water was about 4-6 inches deep along the whole stretch to the tunnel. I sat and watched a couple of cars brave it first while I took some pictures.The headlights in this picture belong to a motorist that I call Subaru Chick. I pass her almost everyday, and every time she smiles and waves enthusiastically. She makes my evening commutes cheery.

Things looked a little more dramatic once I got to the tunnel. Honestly, if I were in a car I would not have driven through. I decided to walk through the tunnel, since the current looked a bit rough. Also, I was concerned about snapping turtles. I see them hanging out in this area often, and didn't want to encounter one in the water. There is a little elevated curb along the left side, and I was able to walk on that while walking Hedwig beside me.

The water was over her bottom bracket for most of the way through, but once I got to the end the water was MUCH deeper. About 15 inches deep! I had gotten back on her from the curb, and started to ride the last 5 feet or so out of the tunnel. The water was just at my pedals at their highest point!

This ditch on the other side of the tunnel is about 4 feet deep. It's like river through there! It goes on for about a mile and a half through this little valley until the landscape gets hilly again.

See that fire hydrant in the corner of this picture? It's half way submerged! Nothing like a little challenge for your commute. :)

Guard your skirts! It's here!

2010-08-11T23:35:00.003-04:00

Finally, the crochet skirt guard has been tested and deemed worthy for your enjoyment! You can find it on Etsy as either a finished set hand crocheted by me, or for the crafty DIYrs, a PDF is available there, and on Ravelry as well.

Enjoy! :)

Crochet Skirt Guard Test Ride/ Excuse to Ride to the Lake

2010-08-08T22:11:00.003-04:00

Today I met up with my friend, Audrey, for a bicycle ride to the Boone Lake. I live about 4 miles from the lake, and had never ridden bikes there. We've driven there, and taken the kayaks there, but had never been there by bike. So, since she doesn't bike ride much (spends all her time she could be on a bicycle on horses) we decided that it was about time she got off of one saddle and on to another.

We lazed about in the water for an hour or so, then let our inner 8 year olds out and hit the playground. Nice way to spend a Sunday morning. We left just as everyone else started showing up.

Today I rode Helena, since it had been awhile since I had ridden her, and I wanted to test out the new crochet skirt guards and rear bag (more on the bags later). The guards work out beautifully! My little clips that I need more of stayed on and my skirt stayed out of the spokes and brakes. I'm even happy with my hair tie solution holding it to the dropouts. So it looks like it's good to go!

Surplus

2010-08-06T23:15:00.003-04:00

I love military surplus. I really don't know why, but I have always been attracted to OD green and leather. I've owned and loved many a pair of combat boots, field jackets, tents, ammo boxes and bags. To me, good surplus store is just as drool worthy as any yarn shop, bicycle shop or antique store. So here are my newest surplus finds:

A pair of 1964 Swiss military ammo bags. When I saw these I immediately knew that they had to go on Hedwig. Or Helena for that matter. I NEEDED them. And actually, I really did need some panniers anyway, so why not re-purpose these?

Since I won't be able to get to the hardware store until Saturday, and I was impatient, I stole one of my husbands belts and strapped them on. I've been using them like this for 3 days, and am very happy with them. Not so happy about strapping them on with a belt, but that will be corrected in time. :)

They measure about 11"x9"x4. In one I keep all the things I need to get to everyday (wallet, phone, ipod, advil, snacks, camera, etc.) In the other I've got my raincoat (which is a full trench coat with hood), ball cap, safety glasses, gloves and some plastic bags.

They hold quite a lot more than I really expected, or need to ever carry to go to the barn. They feel very rugged. The canvas is quite heavy as is the leather. My husband is jealous. I'm going to get him one next week.

Nearly got hit by a cliche'!

2010-08-05T19:21:00.002-04:00

So I'm sitting in the left turn lane waiting for some traffic to pass when a tiny little chick in an enormous Escalade who was about to make a left onto the street I was on, apparently couldn't be bothered to turn her steering wheel enough to place her car in the lane intended. Instead, she was just going to cut right across the left turn lane, and ME to make her turn. She screeched to a stop right in front of me, jaw dropped, eyes wide and totally forgot how to drive her car! At first she attempted to back up onto the street she was trying to leave, but couldn't because of the cars behind her. That made her more flustered, so she cranked the wheel around, waved and yelled "Oh my god I'm so sorry!" at me, and drove her car past me on the wrong side into the ONCOMING lane! I realized after she had finally gotten sorted out that I had just stood there over my bike in the turn lane, hands on hips, glaring at her the whole time. I apparently have no fear of being hit, and will stare down and intimidate drivers. Must come from years of working with big dumb (but cute and lovable!) animals. Perhaps this is something I need to work on. :)

Oh yeah...

2010-08-05T12:41:00.003-04:00

MUCH better:

Unfortunately I only have 4 of these hooks and need 16 all together for this size guard. Then I will ride it around on a bumpy road to make sure they stay on. I also changed the shaping for the brake space. It has more clearance now.

Now I just need to find time to get to the hardware store and pick up something to attach it to the dropouts (I'm using a hair tie right now).

Firsts

2010-08-03T20:32:00.004-04:00

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. This morning I rode over to my vet to pick up a prescription for our sick kitteh. I had just thrown on some flip flops since it's about 1/2 a mile from my house. I had stopped at the stoplight at the end of my street, and when it turned green, right as I was pushing off someone honked their horn, startling me and my left foot slipped forward off the pedal scraping a good bit of flesh off. I hadn't really noticed until I got to the vet how bad it was, since I was on the road. I just pushed off again and rode on. But once I got there and took a look it was pretty nasty. Bloody and already turning purple. I'll spare you guys photos. It doesn't hurt to ride on, but smarts quite nicely when walking. So that's my first official cycling injury since my teens.

On my way home from work this evening I was passed by *gasp!* another cyclist! Who waved as he zoomed past! That's the first time I've seen another cyclist on that bit of road, and the first in a VERY long time. Then, as I watched him approach the light way off in the distance, I saw him make a left on red without stopping. Sigh. Oh well.

Skirt guard. It's giving me hell. It's beautiful and I love it, but the bloody thing won't cooperate attachment wise. Right now it's attached to the fender and looking good (figured out something that works well, and looks pretty good too without drilling) but now it's giving me problems attaching at the hub end, but only on the chain side. So really it's not the guard, but the chainguard that's the culprit. So I'm stepping away from that for a few days whilst I ponder what to do.

Berry Mixte and Guarded Skirts

2010-07-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

First off, aside from just throwing the crochet skirt guard on and attaching it with file clips (I have the other clips that I'm going to use once I paint them black) I would say that this project is finished! (For those who were interested, I am going to set up an Etsy shop where you can commission a custom guard. I am also working out another, simpler lace guard.) I need to fidget with them and make them look a little straighter, but they seem to do the job. I'm going to see if I can arrange a real test ride soon.

Also, Hedwig the Mixte makes a rather good pack bike. I am house sitting for my boss this week, and I managed to get all of his mail, newspapers and an Amazon box on the Pletscher rack along with the raincoat that I already had back there.

Then, I noticed that his Blueberry bushes had quite a lot of fruit on them, so I helped myself to what was there. The only thing I could find to bring it all home was a pretzel barrel. Worked out well! I was afraid that I might loose the barrel on the ride home, but it stayed put.

I'm going to be eating blueberries for FOREVER. I already have pounds of them in the freezer. :)

Pletscher Problems

2010-07-23T12:09:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I bought a Pletscher rack for Hedwig. Unfortunately I discovered that I was going to have a hard time getting it attached to the frame, as you can see here:

When the rack is sitting level, the holes sit right over the tubing. Hedwig's aluminum tubing is just a little bit bigger than the steel tubing on other bikes (like my Fuji, which the rack fits fine on). So, since I was trying to mount the rack about half an hour before I needed to leave for work, I just mounted it as low as it would go, which just barely let the screws clear. It put the rack at an angle, which at first I was fine with.

I just added my bag, which wanted to slide under the seat some, and off I went. It's been that way for a couple of weeks now, bothering me a little more everyday and yesterday I finally had it. The problem was that because the bag wanted to slide under the seat, it was also being semi divided in the middle by the narrower bracket end of the rack. The bag wanted to hang on either side of it, making it difficult to get things in and out of it. So I brought it into my husband's shop and we brainstormed.

We tried several things, some involving wooden blocks, and drilling out new holes for the original hardware. None of those ideas would work. Then we noticed the little tapered points up near the seat and decided to try just zip tying there.

And it works! So long as I don't try to haul enormous loads on this bike, I think that this is going to be just fine. We may switch out the plastic zip ties for metal, or some other metal wire intended to support heavy loads (and not stretch). Now, since the rack is level, I don't have room to put the bag on the back of the seat and still have room for my rain coat on the rack, so I hung my bag from the side of the rack. Which I really like, and am formulating a little scheme to make some custom panniers.

With zip ties. :)

Getting closer!

2010-07-19T22:52:00.004-04:00

Well, here it is!

Please excuse the use of file clips, as my other possible solution has not arrived yet. I have to say I'm very happy with this design. It looks a bit more elegant than the previous, is easier to adapt to different sizes, and is easier to shape around caliper brakes. I may still dink around with this one some to create a little more room for the long brake pads I have on this bike, but other than that I am quite pleased!

Now I am just wondering how well this will work in the long run, since I used cotton. Will it want to sag if it gets soaked in the rain? Should I wash and dry in the dryer to "pre-shrink" it before use? I've soaked it and blocked it heavily, so in theory that should have taken out any stretch the yarn may have had in it. I guess I'll just have to road test it and see.

Guard 2.0

2010-07-17T22:49:00.002-04:00

So far so good! This one has been a pain in the arse, but I think I've finally got it behaving. :)

Skirt guard status update

2010-07-16T21:51:00.002-04:00

Sorry, no pictures of anything new right now. The guard is still taped to the bicycle. BUT, I have ordered something that may be the ticket for attaching it to the fender. I am waiting for that to arrive, and have decided not to crochet the other side until I know if this is going to work or not. Just in case I need to make some minor changes. In the mean time, I've been playing with some other crochet skirt guard ideas! I've got two other patterns that I'm working out, both of which are wider at the top (so as to go further back along the fender), and can easily be made to fit bicycles with either 26 or 28 inch wheels! They're not flowery like guard 1.0, and a little more open. I stared at the first one so long that it's now starting to remind me of old crochet curtains or something. So I'm designing some that have less surface area and are a little more classy. Check back soon! I may have some pictures before the weekend is out. :)

So... now what?

2010-07-14T11:33:00.004-04:00

I've just finished crocheting 1/2 of a skirt guard for Helena!

Yes, the ugly old plastic air filter screen/ skirt guard is still zip tied on, and it's duct taped to the frame and fenders right now. I needed some way of holding it there while I took a picture.

So far, I am mostly happy with it. I've already thought of some design changes (which, if I were to incorporate into this one would mean ripping the whole thing out and starting over. NOT gonna happen.) So right now I'm left with the problem of how to attach it. I don't want to drill holes in my fenders, so I need to think of a way to get it to stay in place there. I think that as far as attaching it to the frame, I'll just add some braided strands that can tie to the frame. There will be much pondering on this before I crochet the other half.

They're breeding!

2010-07-10T19:18:00.007-04:00

So, last weekend my parents and 3 year old niece came to visit. We had a great time hanging out on the porch, and watching the firework display that DH put together. It was part birthday celebration for him, part 4th of July celebration, and part celebration of his first REALLY BIG CONTRACT. We are very excited about this, and it means a very busy 12-14 months for us. But since the parents were coming to visit, they took the opportunity to clean out from under their house and brought me my mom's old mixte!

It's a 1973 Fuji Dynamic 10. I've had it sitting in the back of the "stall" for the last week waiting for a chance to start cleaning it up. That rack on the back is the bracket for an old child seat that my mom used to ride me around in! Dad can't find the seat, and I'm not going to need it. Ever. So I took the mounting rack off. It also had this guard that covers both sides of the rear wheels. I suppose to keep kid legs/feet out of the spokes. Might make an interesting template for a skirt guard, so I'm keeping it. The seat has been chewed up by mice or something. Also, it's really grimy. So today I took it out on the porch and set to work.

I started with the rear derailleur, since it was the nastiest part. I had to chip off years of dirt and crap out of the cogs, but it cleaned up nicely!

Once I got all that off and cleaned it up with an old toothbrush and some soapy water it was much better. Everything seems to move nicely and nothing looks bent, so hopefully everything is fine there.

Then I moved on to the frame, brakes, brake and shifter cables. There was just dirt and mildew on all of that, so cleaning it was easy. Luckily there was no rust to be found. There are a few places where the paint has chipped off. I may see how close I can get with a touch up enamel.

So far so good! I'm thinking that I will be in the market for some fenders and another brooks saddle and I already have a Pletscher rack (just need to find some mounting hardware). I may just leave the drop bars on. Might as well see how I like them. They'll need re-wrapping. Probably in leather.

Just a few random things

2010-07-03T15:33:00.005-04:00

"New" rusty pedals for Hedwig. The original pedals were meant to be used with clips or straps or something. Whichever, they were a hassle since they hang upside down and were too narrow to use with the Keen sandals. My heel was always hitting the crank arm. So I picked these up at my LBS. They're rusty, but they do the job. I'll clean them up at some point.

And what on earth could this crochet thing be? Couldn't be bicycle related, could it? ;)

The cabled knee high socks from the Rambouillet/Merino cross are coming along nicely. I've got both socks just past the heel now. I HOPE to be able to get a couple more pairs of these knit before winter.

Tesla does not approve of knitting.

Catching a breeze

2010-07-03T14:22:00.002-04:00

So in between cleaning house and scouring another fleece and preparing for weekend guests, I decided to take a little ride on Hedwig in a dress to see how well that works out on her. I had never ridden a mixte in a dress or skirt so I wasn't sure if anything was going to get caught in brakes or fly up too much or what. It worked out just fine, even though the skirt blew around and up quite a bit. Not enough to cause any indecencies, since I lucked out and the hem wanted to catch on the nose of the saddle. Which is good because if it blew up anymore then all of Victoria's secrets would be given away. I was a hit with the local boys too. A truck full drove past and I heard one of them shout "hot damn!". :) Now that's what I call encouragement to get out there and ride.

Three Feet

2010-07-02T12:13:00.002-04:00

I REALLY wish that all motorists would obey Tennessee's Three Feet law when passing cyclists. I understand that where I live and ride, there are very few cyclists, and most motorists are unaware of the laws regarding cyclists, but the POLICE should at least be aware of and follow the laws! Twice this month I've been passed by a cop (don't know if it's the same cop or not) that passes me as close as they can without hitting me. It's always been a very slow pass, but definitely within about a foot and a half of me. Close enough that they are still completely in the same lane with me. When it happened yesterday there were 3 more cars behind the cop that followed his/her example and did the same thing! Come on cops! I pay taxes, and YOUR SALARY, so let's not kill me, ok?

Sunday Evening Ride

2010-06-27T21:18:00.003-04:00

I decided to take Helena out to stretch her... wheels... this evening. It was interesting, after riding Hedwig to the barn all week, to feel how different Helena rides. She is much more comfortable, with her upright seating and her weight makes her feel much more steady. Her braking isn't as smooth or grippy as Hedwig's, and she squeaks and rattles quite a lot, but I forgive her. :) Also, I was reminded of just how much I love the Sturmey Archer 3 Speed hub. It's so nice to be able to shift from a stop, or while coasting. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of shifting with the stem shifters on Hedwig.

So, I rode out to the lake again, since it had been awhile, and it's a lovely ride. Didn't see any horses this time, but I did discover this little lake side path:

It's just a narrow, bumpy little trail that has several little "campsites" along the way. All of which are posted No Overnight Camping. So I suppose that these are all fishing/drinking/make-out spots? But they all have nice views of the water, and Helena just had to pose at a couple. :)

Once we got home, I made a little treat. This has become a favorite on these hot summer days, so I thought I would share the recipe!

You'll need:

Frozen fruit. I'm using blueberries, since I've got a freezer full right now.

Skim Milk

Sugar

Glass

Spoon

Fill the glass with however much fruit you want. I usually do about 1/3 of the glass. Add about 1 tsp of sugar, more or less to taste. Next, pour in just enough milk to not quite cover the fruit, then stir. As you stir, the milk will start to freeze, forming a sort of ice cream. Enjoy! :)

2010-06-25T11:47:00.004-04:00

There has been a lot of talk about cycling in the summer heat, and how people deal with it and what they wear. My situation is a little different than most bicycle commuters, and maybe just a little bit easier (depending on your idea of easy!)

I live in southern Appalachia (northeast TN). Our days lately have been in the low to mid 90's with a LOT of humidity. My commute is only 5 miles one way, but it's a VERY hilly 5 miles. It's like riding a roller coaster! There is about .5 mile of flat road, in a little valley. The rest looks like this:

Which makes for a gorgeous ride, but there is no chance of taking it easy and not pedal hard. When I was only riding Helena, I would have to walk her up some of the hills, but now with Hedwig I can actually ride up! But no matter what, either way, when I get to work my shirt looks like this:

So, since I work outside and get filthy and sweaty, I change into "barn" clothes. This time of year that consists of gym shorts and another tank top. Usually with a bikini top underneath (to save my bras! Swim suits are easier to washout every evening too).

Then I hang my good clothes out to dry on the bike so that I can have another set of dry clothes to change into for the ride home (which will be soaked by time I get there, but that's fine since I shower and change as soon as I get home anyway). :)

Busy, Busy!

2010-06-22T21:36:00.007-04:00

So busy, that I'm just going to give a quick review of the past few days.

Hedwig got new tires on Saturday!

I had to drill out her front wheel to fit a Schrader valve.

Her rear wheel for some reason had previously been drilled out for a Schrader. Not sure why her previous owner didn't bother to do both. Actually, I didn't use a drill for the job, my husband showed me how to use a taper reamer. It takes a little elbow grease, but you can sneak up on just the right fit. Unlike a drill, where you have to pick out a bit that is close and just go for it.

I also gave her new brake pads. The old pads seemed fine, but were a little squeaky. So I put a set of Koolstops that I already had on the front, and some other softer long pads on the back.

This set up seems to work really well! I use the rear brakes for most of my slowing and stopping on flats and both for stopping on a downhill.

In fiber-y news, I've been spinning up some Rambouillet/Merino cross that I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool year before last.

It's a very nice fleece. A bit on the short staple side, but nothing I can't work with. I'm going to have to only hand card this, I think. I suppose I could try running some through the drum carder just to see what happens, but I'm quite happy with the results from hand cards.

It's also very sproingy! Lot's of very fine crimp.

I'm spinning it up as a 2ply in about a DK weight. I plan to knit a pair of knee high cabled sock with it (actually, I've already got it started, just haven't gotten a chance to take a picture!)

Also, we are very excited! My husband just got a contract on a very big job! More on that later, but at least we know that we'll be able to keep a roof over our heads for the next 12-14 months. :)

It's a Girl!

2010-06-18T09:21:00.005-04:00

For about 2 weeks now we've been expecting one of the Jennets, Eli, to have her baby. Well, Wednesday evening at around 9pm she finally did!

This year she had a beautiful little girl! She looks just like her momma too.

By the time I got out there yesterday afternoon, she was up and running around in the stall.

Too much cute!

Then, on my ride home, I found this turtle hanging out in the road. I've seen too many animals pancaked along this stretch, so I opted to move it somewhere safer.

I took it for a little ride in my basket. There is a creek and woods behind my house, far from roads. Much safer for Turtles.

Meet Hedwig!

2010-06-16T21:55:00.005-04:00

Don't we all love unplanned bicycles? Yesterday I found this little Kettler Alu-Rad mixte.

It's an all aluminum bicycle, made in W. Germany (so pre-fall of the wall?) and was too cute to pass up. Upright handlebars, fenders, dynamo front and rear lights (which don't work, but that can be remedied). At first I was thinking that I would use it for parts for another mixte that I have, but once I got home with it, my husband fell in love with it's looks and talked me out of it.

It's incredibly light weight, airy, and seems to be capable of going much faster than I am comfortable with. Since it has been pardoned from being cannibalized, and is now an official pasture mate for Helena, it needed a name. I left that job to my husband. We decided that it needed to be German, since that is where she was made, and decided to continue using H names, so he picked out Hedwig. Not necessarily like the owl character in the Harry Potter books, though she is light and lofty like a bird, but because I will be able to battle the hills much more efficiently.

She is going to need a little work before I can take her out to the barn, but since the tires hold air, I couldn't resist just going up the street. Just a mile or so. :) It took me a few minutes to remember how to shift a ten speed, since I hadn't ridden one in about 15 years. I was surprised at how much easier it became to get up my hill! On Helena, I'm in 1st and sweating and breathing heavy by time I make it up. I didn't even break a sweat or get even a little bit winded by time I made it up on Hedwig. She is going to need new tires (27 and 1 1/16?!? Anyone know where I can find that size? Would something else work? I hope I don't end up needing to replace the wheels as well.) tubes, break pads (though these aren't bad) and some of the sprockets in the rear cluster have chipped teeth. The it's just the little things like a new saddle (I'm thinking a black Brooks B72), and get rid of those rubber grips in favor of something else.

Light Up

2010-06-11T23:16:00.002-04:00

The last few evenings this week I have passed a couple out for their evening bike ride. They appear to be about mid to late 40ish, and ride in full uniform (lycra, helmets, gloves, goggles). It's usually about 8:15ish when I encounter them, so the sun is almost set and it's getting dark. The first time I passed them (they going down the hill I was huffing my way up), I almost didn't see them. Not because I was looking at the road, or focused on trying to make it up the hill, or enjoying the scenery, in fact I was sitting quite upright and leisurely pedaling along looking ahead and occasionally checking my rearview mirror. I didn't see them because they had NO lights on their bikes. None at all. It was almost dark, that bit of road is particularly dark due to thick overhanging tree branches. I don't even think that I noticed a reflector. I was maybe 15 feet from the first of the two before I saw him. This is also the time of day when not all motorists have turned their headlights on, so if I couldn't spot the cyclist, god help the motorists that come upon these two. I also noticed that they don't have any mirrors on their bikes. None on the handlebars or helmet mirrors. Helmets! They've got those! Like that will save them when the speeding kid in the little import with the booming stereo come roaring down that dark tunnel of a hill and creams them.

Sensible Footwear

2010-06-09T12:40:00.010-04:00

I have a lot of boots. Most of my footwear are boots. I can't remember the last time I owned a pair of sneakers or sandals. I have work boots, barn boots and rain boots,

dress boots and casual boots. Normally this would be just fine with me, but since taking up cycling as a mode of transportation, and with hot muggy summer days, I've discovered that sometimes boots are just not the right shoe for the job. I had been riding in flip flops, which are fine for most of the ride, but are difficult to keep on when trying to get up the hills. So I've been doing a little shopping around and finally found the perfect summer shoe:

Recently, while reading a post by Dottie at Let's Go Ride a Bike I was reminded about Keen sandals. A friend had recommended those to me a long time ago, and I had completely forgotten about them. So I tried some on, and I was sold!

These are SO comfortable. And water proof too. I didn't buy the cycling specific sandals, just the regular waterproof closed heel shoe. As Dottie said, they are ugly as sin, but I think that I have found a winner! (I can see myself now trying to wear these with handknit socks come winter. Talk about fugly!)

Rain. Bleh.

2010-06-09T10:54:00.003-04:00

Well dang. It's raining. It's supposed to thunderstorm all day. I am slowly resigning myself to the fact that I may just have to bite the bullet and drive the car to the barn today. :( After last Friday's brakeless adventure, I suppose that it's the saner thing to do.

BUT that also means that I can hang around the house a little longer and so some knitting! I'm very excited about the piece that I' working on. Photos to come soon! :)

* EDIT*

So, I went ahead and risked it, and rode anyway. My husband urged me too (b/c he knows that I will be grumpy if I don't ride). It was fine and actually stopped raining all together, so I'm glad that I did! I had planned, if it started raining enough that the brakes wouldn't work, to just get off and walk. So that may just be the plan from now on.

Cherry Picking

2010-06-06T15:17:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine has several cherry trees in her yard. I rode over (unfortunately not by bicycle, as she lives about 30 miles away and I had to get home in time to go to work) last Thursday for some knittin' and pickin'.

We got a good deal of picking done. This is just a small sampling of what is now in my freezer. I made a little knitting progress as well, all of which I ended up ripping out last night. Last minute design change. We'll see how that turns out later.