Found Items

I found a Surly beer cooler sleeve on yesterday's ride. If it's yours let me know and then I can think of you when I drink a beer.

A few weeks ago, I found this Park tool kit.

I also found a fire hydrant.

Weekend Photos

We went to a farmers market on Sunday morning. What would you do with all these habeneros? Lots of vendors had baskets of these. I'd take a few, but I don't need a basket of them.

I went on a ride with my wife on Sunday afternoon. It was the best ride I've had in a long time. Here's the fixed gear next to a newish fountain at the Wabun Picnic area near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis.

I did not crash and felt more at home on the fixed-gear bike. It needs fenders.

Murphy Ride

This photo didn't do the job I expected. So I'll tell my side of the story. Today turned out to be a beautiful day in many ways. One of which is that the local off-road trails dried out and I rode my favorite -- Murphy Hanrehan in Savage, MN.

This trail is mostly a woodsey sexperience. The trail throws you into a prairie or two and the contrast between woods and prairie is breathtaking. The prairie portions are short and that makes them especially striking.

The only thing that could have improved on the ride was if I had planned ahead and found someone to ride with.



I accidentally type "sexperience" when I meant "experience." I started to correct my error and decided to leave it as a fun malaprop.

Minneapolis Diagonal Trail

I like this view, but I don't take the time to stop and enjoy. I ride through it almost every time I ride my bike to work. I have to watch out as I take the left-hand curve at this intersection -- it's a blind turn and often I see other cyclists coming around corner. If someone is not paying attention, we'll have some bike-on-bike action.

Weekend Things

This is a photo of Jim (Hiawatha Cycles) riding his very specialized tandem. He's got a kiddie crank setup on the stoker position, an Xtracycle installed with a seat for a kid, and he's pulling a baby trailer. He doesn't get going very fast, but it allows him to bring all his kids on the ride. I hope his wife appreciates what gem he is.


This is a photo of an over-the-top cupcake/birthday cake thing. What is that? A snail with legs or a caterpillar carrying a rock on its back?


We ate it anyway.

Newest Misc. Photos from Bike Rides

I've been taking photos with a new cell phone camera. If I remember to respect the light, it takes pretty good photos. The video is good too, but it's tough to hold such a small device still.

Here's my single-speed bike with a broken freewheel. I discovered this in the first mile of Saturday's Hiawatha ride.

If you look closely at the photo, you will see the freewheel hanging loose. Later in the day, I converted it to a fixed gear and then crashed. Maybe fixed gear riding isn't for me. How can I unlearn 40 some years of coasting whenever I want? If you have some experience with this subject, let me know what you think. I'm not sure it's possible to unlearn very old habits, but I enjoy riding the fixed gear bike and want to make it work for me.

Dramatic skies make better photos. Look at the plants blowing in the strong wind.

This was a sunrise shot with the sun at my back (long shadow).

I turned around and looked into the sun for this photo. Can you see the people down the path? They were kissing when I passed them a couple minutes later. It was about 7 AM.

This was another windy day. I saw quite a few riders on the Minneapolis Light Rail bike path so I pulled out the phone and caught a couple of them then the train rolled by. You can see the riders struggling against the north wind. It was a fun ride in the other direction.

Funny Contraption

This thing made me smile:

http://www.glidecycle.com/videos.html

Lots of Misc Photos

I try to take a few photos while on my rides and here's a miscellaneous sample:

This guy is lucky to be alive. I was traveling the same route as him and a couple blocks before this intersection, he was almost hit by a car as he ran a red light. He skidded, the car skidded and they avoided each other by a small margin. I guess he decided to stop at this light.

Minneapolis recently installed public rental bikes all over the city. Here is one of the racks. I pass six of them on my way to work. Some racks have lots of bikes and others are almost empty. I see a few of them on the trails. I'd like to try one someday. They look really sturdy.

I saw this sign and mural behind a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Look at the shrimp who appears happy to sacrifice itself for your dinner and the bizarrely shaped bicycle. It says Nike on the seat.

Clean Streets

It rained heavily last night and I found all the broken glass washed from the streets this morning on my late ride into work. This tree was down across the Minneapolis Diagonal Trail.

12 Year Old DUI

If you’d like a laugh, take a minute to read the linked article about the drunk 12-year old. It’s one those that should appear in News of the Weird.

Catching Up on Projects

I installed a new Tektro brake on the rear end of my 3-speed and it works. Previously I'd tried new pads, different cable and housing combos, and different brake levers, but nothing made that rear brake work well enough to count. Now it does.

I attended Minnecycle with the Hiawatha bunch. It was fun and I wanted to buy a couple hand made frames. It's something to think about.

This is a Capricorn single speed.

This is my bike rack. I built it from left over lumber and PVC plumbing pipe. The photo would be more helpful if I'd parked a bike in the rack.

A parting thought:

"Don'tmistake my silence for approval of what you're doing."

Kayak Trailer for a Bicycle

I enjoy kayaking at a lake that's about a mile from my house. I've been strapping the kayak to the roof of my van, driving to the lake, paying for parking, and unloading the kayak. When I'm done paddling, I have to reverse process and it's a bit of a hassle loading and unloading the kayak on the roof of the mini van. I don't like paying for parking and I really dislike wasting gasoline.

Here's my solution. I converted the old kids trailer into a kayak trailer. I cut the trailer's tongue in half and installed a 7-foot extension. I used PVC pipe as the extension. It was, as you might expect, a bit wobbly. So I added a steel pipe inside the PVC pipe. This corrected the problem.

It's a perfect reuse of a trailer.

New 3-Speed Shifter SLS30

I installed the new Sturmey 3-speed, bar-end shifters on my Raleigh Sprite a couple weeks ago. I also changed to a set of randoneur-style bars and Mafac levers. The previous bars were fine, but I wanted to try something different. I previously had a pair of black, Tektro aero brake levers on this bike. They worked just fine, but they were out of place.

I've been trying to dream up an appropriately clever description of how out of place they are, but I realized the reality of putting black, aero levers on a '76 Raleigh 3-speed stands by itself with no clever comparisons necessary.

The three changes are really nice. I love riding this bike. The randoneur bars are very comfortable. I think they were the original ergonomic bars. The levers feel nice and the shifter is perfect. The shifter clicks are more positive and the movement between each click is less mushy than the original shifter.

A couple people have told me they thought the shifter would only work on the Sturmey Archer SX3 fixed hub. I found out that Sturmey has two 3-speed, bar-end shifters. I have the SLS30 which is intended for the AW hub. Just in case you wanted to know, the shifter intended for the 3-speed, fixed hub is the SLSX R3B.

Her-Cu-Matic (how do you capitalize that?)

I rode the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour last weekend. My ankle seems fine as I was able to ride the grueling slog without pain.

I have a few photos that I hope to post. This is the one that caught my eye as I browsed through the photo collection today.

I want to invent something so I can create a name for the invention similar to the Her-Cu-Matic in the photo -- the Rig-o-matic or something similar.

No Serial Number?

Update: I found the serial number on this bike, thanks to this linked website. However, the paint is applied so heavily that I can't read the number. Instead, I recorded the Minneapolis bike registration sticker numbers. 1981-83: 2027124, 1978-80: 8051375

When this bike is out of the bomb shelter and on the road, it can only mean one thing; the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour is near.

In an effort to continue recording serial numbers of my bikes, I tried to find one on this machine. But I can't find it. I can't find one on my other 3-speed either.

The presence of this little house along my ride to work can only mean one thing; it's spring and I've ridden along the sidewalk that borders the golf course.

Here's an Interesting Idea

This conversion fork is impressive.

http://www.jacobsgreen.com/

How Many Butts Fit on This?

I saw this multi-seat bike a few days ago in Minneapolis (near Portland and 32nd Street). I bet some of you know the story on this thing?

Today's Lunchtime Ride

Here are a few photos from my lunchtime ride.

I found a totem pole on a very familiar trail that I haven't been on since last fall.

Bike Inventory

I've always wanted to create an inventory of my bikes and record the serial numbers, in case one is stolen.

These are most of the bikes that were sitting in the garage when I showed up with motivation and a camera. I missed two of them that were slouching in the corner and there are a few more in the bomb shelter.

Yokota Twin Peaks Tandem - T9108252

Wife's RB2 - 520223
Davidson (I couldn't find the serial number)

Raleigh Sprite - MN02711-131770 (This is hand-etched on the chain guard. I couldn't find a factory SN.)

Novara Buzz - F05031954
Fisher Sugar 293 - WTU013TO 32V
Dahon Helios - TGO111183
Maruishi Wanderer - GH73128
I had this one repainted last winter and it wears mostly new components. I'll install fenders soon. I wish I had a silver rack. If I find a nice one, I'll spring for it.

3-Speed Fixed Gear

I rode a bike with a Sturmey Archer S3X hub last night. It was really nice. I noticed a little lash, but it shifted smoothly and I could imagine enjoying fix-gear riding more if I had one of these. I have no plans to get one though.
This photo is not flopped. The drive train is on the left side of the bike. Cool.

I got this chance because I returned a couple frame straightening tools I had borrowed from Bikesmith Design. Mark (Bikesmith Design) had recently assembled this bike and allowed me to ride it.

I'll post photos of my straightening work soon.

Found While Riding

I found an ankle strap on this morning's ride. Coincidentally, the other day, I decided I needed one of these.

1st Ride to Work in More than a Year

Yesterday, I rode my bike to work for the first time in more than a year. It was good.

I had to ride my third-string bike. The starter bike is still not built after being repainted and the backup bike had an awful noise coming from the bottom bracket. I think the noise is cause to overhaul the BB bearings. I didn't jump into that job because it's a cottered crank. I need new cotters and the loan or purchase of a cotter press. What if it needs more parts than just bearings and cotters?

Each winter, I have big plans to finish bike projects during my down time, but it never happens. Then spring arrives and I hurry to complete my projects.

Here's my list of bike projects (this will help me remember):

• Straighten fork on folding bike
  
• Overhaul BB on three speed
• Finish rebuilding Maruishi
• Finish converting cross bike to geared machine
• Sell single-speed road bike (install bar tape, tires, other small items)
• Sell coaster-brake cruiser

I just saw a bike on Craig's List that I have wanted for a long time.

p.s. I removed comment moderation. What the heck was I thinking anyway?

3-Speed Barend Shifter is Here

Here's my 3-speed, bar-end shifter. I may be one of the few people who owns one of these right now. I'm guessing most people don't want to own one, but I won't let that diminish my pleasure.

This means I'm an early adopter -- a term that rarely describes me. Although, it's questionable whether the term should be used to describe someone who buys a slightly different version of a 3-speed shifter. It's like buying a laser sight for your muzzleloader or a like putting grandpa in a Wolverine mask for Halloween.

I apologize for the blown out flash thing in the photo. I'll do better next time.

Stuffed Dog

I found this photo on my cell phone. I'd forgotten that I'd taken it back in the fall.


It's a giant stuffed dog that someone abandoned in the woods behind the parking lot at work. This dog is about four feet high. It's so big that someone could be living in it.

I wish I had someone stand next to it to provide scale.

Russian Brides

Every morning I look over my spam mail folder before deleting the contents. At a glance, I can quickly determine the latest favorite topic of the spammers. Lately, I've seen lots of watch and jewelry spam. If you know me, you know that I don't go for that stuff.

I've also seen lots of Russian bride spam. I mentioned this to my coworkers and we all think it might be a nice idea to bring a helper into the house. Don't you think it would be nice to have someone dedicated to keeping the house in order? Maybe she could teach the kids a new language too?

I searched for "Russian brides" on the Google and found lots of hits. I'm surprised how beautiful they all are. Who would have known that all Russian women look like pro football cheerleaders in their underwear?

If we bring one of these brides into our house, we'll let her know that she has to wear less revealing clothing.

An Adjustable Stem Would be Nice

Take a look at this adjustable stem listed on ebay. I've always wanted one, but I bet this goes for a fortune.

3-Speed Bar End Shifter on the Way to Me

I ordered one of these the other day. I intend to put it on my orange three speed and mate it to a to-be-built 3-speed hub. That will be the coolest setup ever.
Thanks to SOMA for bringing these in stock and I grabbed the image from their site.

Strangest Conditions Ever

I rode today in the strangest conditions I've ever experienced. We have a layer of snow and ice on the side streets and bike trails and it's raining. The layer of ice has nearly turned to slush and goo. Riding on it is very similar work to riding in sand. It's hard work. I put in an hour of riding today and found I enjoyed the work -- happy misery, if that makes any sense.

I'm guessing the temps will drop below freezing and turn it into a skating rink very soon.

The single speed is working nicely, but the slush made me want a lower gear.

Vista

Vista has installed two updates in the last two days. The updates sometimes take a moment and don't require a restart. Other times, they take a long time to download, install, and then require a long restart. This eats up lots of my time. I wish they could bundle them so I don't see them two days in a row. They don't often happen back to back, but my laptop's update history shows it happens once in a while.

Generally, I believe the updates are important for security reasons. That's why I don't delay installing them unless I'm in the middle of something.

After each update, I look at the update history to see what's been installed. Today, I counted the updates that have been installed through 2009.

Guess how many?

How did you guess?

66. That's right, I saw 66 packages of updates last year. Many of the updates contained several smaller updates (sub-updates?).

Disclaimer: I use the computer my employer provided and it has Vista installed. They were going to upgrade to Windows 7, but they might be purchasing new computers. I guess that's what prevented us from upgrading.

Snow Bike or Mike Hatch Lives!

Here's my current winter bike. I installed the coroplast fenders the other night. That's a fun project. It only takes a few minutes and the results are significant. I used Mike Hatch campaign signs, just in case you wondered. I have a Colleen Rowley sign too.

As Seen on TV

We discovered this product while shopping for a gag gift for my wife's birthday. (The expression "gag gift" raises my eyebrows. Maybe the expression has a replacement.)

My son thinks it's ironic that the tool designed to help you "stop struggling with those stubborn plastic packages" is sold inside one of those darned plastic packages.
The woman on the packaging who is using her teeth to open the package must be a real tiger.

Painted Maruishi

I picked up my Maruishi touring frame from the painter this afternoon. It looks great. I think it looks too nice to take into the snow, salt, and wetness. I'll build it and ride it when the roads are clean again.

I doubt this frame looked this good new.

I also traveled with the Hiawatha crew to Madison, WI for the Cronometro bike swap. I bought brakes and a seatpost for the Maruishi to replace the broken down parts that were on it. These items were exactly the ones I wanted (NOS Diacompe cantilevers and a Suntour Superbe 26.8 seatpost). I almost bought a new crankset for it, but I waited too long and someone beat me to it.

Paint the Bike

I took my Maruishi commuter frame to a local guy for paint. I chose silver and I'm looking forward to seeing it with a new finish. I'll post a photo or two when I get it back -- maybe this weekend.

In the meantime, I cleaned my basement workshop. It's still cluttered and embarrassing, but now at least it's functional. After cleaning the workshop, I installed studded tires on the single-speed road bike I built. I have to admit, I'm not eager to get out in the ice ruts even with the studded tires.

I took some photos of the work area and this gives me a chance to show off the results of my new flash unit. I received it as a present recently. It really makes photos of people look much better if I use the bounce flash feature.


Here's my pile of discarded tires. They are all in good shape, but I won't ride them again.