Bike Project II

Last night i stopped by my parent's house just to visit. I needed to go by there regardless of being able to stay and visit or not because i had some stuff to pick up, but i had a bunch of time to kill so my wife and i stayed for a while.

The stuff i had to pick up were two bike frames and a stockpile of wheels and a few other parts like cranks and bottom brackets and such.
(That is my first road bike, which was too small for me and i still rode the crap out of it.)
(This is my dad's racing bike from his HS/College bike. He actually rode it up until about 10 years ago and he bought a new one.)
The first one will be for who ever. But my dad's old frame I'm making for him. It need a bunch of work but i think i can get it put together well and looking great.

With these projects hopefully i can get more people riding. I've also been working on encouraging my wife to start riding a bike to work. Its just barely over 5 miles for her. and it has almost all bike paths the whole way there. and the parts that it doesn't, its a giant *clean* shoulder. So I'll teach her to change a flat and get her hooked up. She probably won't start till there is more sunlight and a bit warmer, but regardless i think this will be great. She's got a little MTB that should work perfectly and if she keeps it up, we can get her something a bit more efficient.

• Myself (check)
• Darryl (check)
• Wife (pending)
• Zach (pending)
• Sabrina (?)
• James (?) (do you own a vehicle? i know you got that VW bus...but a working vehicle?)
  
• Alan (do you ride your bike around, like to class?)
• Anyone else?

Good music sounds so much better on headphones. I am listening to Arcade Fire's Neon Bible and i don't believe I've ever listened to this album through headphone. Its quite good, and in fact I'm enjoying it on a completely different level.
(this is not me in the photo, nor anyone i know)

The weather the past two days has been very frigid. Yesterday i got to work and it was 21 degrees and today it was 29 degrees. When i leave the sun hasn't even risen yet so it definitely a bit warmer by the time i reach work. I've been wearing every article of clothing i could find to try and keep myself warm riding in. But despite the extreme cold, I've been performing at a much better level than the past few months.

New Project

Since buying my fixed gear a while back, many of my friends have asked how they can get one, how much they cost, etc.. And like many other fixie owners i cruise www.fixedgeargallery.com occasionally, well one time i found an interesting contest and the rules are as follows-

Build-Off Rules:
You must start with a complete geared bike - road, mountain, cruiser, etc. This means it must have been at least a 3-speed to begin with, and the finished bike has to have all the parts that a bicycle needs to be ridden. If you dont know what those parts are, then this is your chance to learn.
The bike must be [or have been] purchased used. Please don't use the old: "My Dad gave me an old Hetchins Magnum Opus Mk 3 from the garage." That ain't acceptable.You must use as many original parts as possible.
You cannot spend more than $147.83* US on the ENTIRE build. This includes the purchase price of the bicycle[s]. So shop hard!

Well with that in mind, i saw some of the bikes created and i thought it may be a good idea to try and do the same but for my friends.

Anything to get more people riding bikes. And just maybe i can get people at college campuses interested for a very economical price. Darryl shall help

If you are interested let me know. I start tonight with my old Raleigh.

Winter Weath III: Black Ice

I hit 40mph behind a bus going uphill. Up till that moment i had only gotten my track bike up to 35mph. It was pretty sick. All in all i had a decent ride today. I kind of fried myself about halfway through but luckily the rest of the way was fairly in my favor, save one short climb a little less than two miles from the end.

The only problem this morning was it was just below freezing and the past two days it has been raining non stop, so the roads were slick. I was pretty careful but i did slip around a couple of times. Lots of black ice everywhere.

My legs are working again, working very well in fact. So i think i'm just going to maintain everything I'm doing at this point. I have a feeling it was vitamins, though. I need to carefully read those ingredients.

There is a joke amongst some of my friends about Michael Bay films, which include:

• Armageddon
  
• Transformers
• Bad Boys 1 and 2
• The Island
• The Rock
• Pearl Harbor

If you paid attention in your High School English class then you know a plot line or story line goes something like this:
And well the joke is, a Michael Bay movie goes like this:
Enough said.

Sabrina, you should definitely buy the new TV on the Radio album. Specially if you enjoy ANY of their other music at all.

Winter Weather ll

Equipment to obtain:

• Rain Jacket
• Fenders
• New Gloves (for colder temps)
• Tights

I think that about covers it. The past couple of days have been brutal out there. I've actually skipped the last two days of riding due to rain. One was because i didn't want to dirty up the doctors office, but today...i woke up and it was just pouring outside and about 35 degrees...yeah right.

Last time i rode and i it that cold and raining at the same time, i got naked in my front hall of my house. The last time before that, that i was that wet and cold (not riding) was a miserable day in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Regardless, i'm put to shame by Ben who despite all weather conditions rides in, though in a moment here i'm picking him up from the shop to drive him home being that i'm heading his general direction.

I love TV on the Radio...

Variables

I had an even better ride home. I was close to reaching an avg 21mph. My least favorite stretch happened to be straight into the wind, but i was feeling a bit stronger than the past couple months so i hit it harder and everything worked out nicely...I've been debating on why maybe the loss of power and the gain of power and i changed a few things both times-

• Diet
• I switched to lots of salads, or less of things like pizza. I cut hamburger and other fatty foods. Relatively no junk food (except pizza).
  
• Vitamins
• started taking them and shortly after my power dropped through the floor. my mother-in-law(a nurse) told me if there was metabolism boosters in the vitamins (which i dont know) then it could indirectly effect me, if i'm not eating too much...makes sense in turn with the first variable
  
• Position on bike
• i slammed my seat forward the other day which helps but just how much?

With that said i changed all three of those things. I'm still watching my diet but not as strictly. I haven't taken my vitamins in a couple weeks. My position is much better, though my stroke is still jacked up because of my cleat but i'm fixing that tonight

I was about to mount my bike this morning and head out but i had decidedly the night before if it was raining that i wouldn't ride in. Reason being, is because i was going to the doctor's office to have another biopsy done and i thought it might be rude to dirty up their office and chair. Because of this morning i ordered a pair of SKS fenders to eliminate wetness on days when the road is soaked. After much debate i gave in. My buddy's brother has them on his bike, apparently as do many HC commuters. Ben JUST put some on his bike after 6 years of commuting without them. He said he felt stupid for just now realizing the magic these things perform.

Oh, the doctors-
I got 5 stitches in my left forearm, which should have removed all "pre-cancerous" cells.

Again, i LOVE Dear Science by TV on the Radio

Welcome Back...and just in time.

Cycling
I finally had a nice ride this morning. It was the first time in a long time that i haven't felt like I'm getting on the bike for the first time ever. I added a couple extra turns in my usual route to try and jump up the millage without making a journey down roads i typically avoid. Only they are small gains that really equate to an extra mile or two unfortunately. I'll figure it out soon enough...
Music Review
I picked up TV on the Radio's newest album this afternoon. I attempted to purchase it on Half.com or Amazon.com but both seemed to only save me a small hand full of change and subsequently i would have to wait 3-5 business days or something along those lines. That trade off didn't seem worth it. So i hitched a ride to Bestbuy on my lunch break and purchased it the old fashion way...electronic gift cards. Anyway, onwards to the music portion...The album is very solid. Darryl attempted to allow me to hear it once on our way to Fountainhead MTB Park, but if you know Darryl, you also know he has music ADD with his i-pod. So i heard about 1/3 of a one song and then on to something else.
Again, the album is solid. I won't pronounce them the best new thing or the future of music, or whatever else i deemed them after Return to Cookie Mountain, but i will say they make great music consistently, and its consistently interesting.
Movies
I finished watching Burn After Reading, and despite all that i heard, i enjoyed it immensely. So much so, i would watch it again, probably a few times. It was quite hysterical in a Coen Brother's way. I think the problem most people have with the movie is their perception of what it was supposed to be...Trailers seem to, at times, give people the wrong impression of how a film is supposed to be (i.e. Funny, Sad, Action Packed, etc.).
Take for example: Alien vs. Predator
Most people who have seen the trailer, thought maybe this was an action packed sci-fi thriller, but if you saw the movie you would know that it is quite the opposite...its a comedy. I was under the impression my friends were under the influence when they asked me to go see it with them, not understanding the comedic genius i was about to witness. Upon laughing loudly and hearing the entire theater erupting in the same laughter i realized the trailer had misconstrued what this film really was about.
While this may not have been the best comparison for Burn After Reading's trailer misinterpretation, it will have to suffice. I think people just forget that its a Coen Brother's film. Characters no matter the actor playing them, or how invested you are into certain character, they are all expendable and we'll leave it at that. The ending of the film just makes it that much better. I'd say probably one of their best endings.

Interpol, TV on the Radio, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Gorillaz and Q and Not U.
Burn After Reading, No Country For Old Men, Bottle Rocket, Snatch

Winter Weather

Holidays are over thankfully

Wednesday's ride was great. I rode in at 630 am in very calm weather. Only to be criticized by my co-workers (like most days) for my "stupidity" on riding in that day, since we were supposed to have wind gusts up to 50mph. Well those gusts happened along with a constant wicked strong wind. I left the bike shop after dropping by for a couple hours of inventory. I got honked at twice followed by a nice guy who waved at me. I chatted with him at the light about idiots that drive cars, commuting, the bike shop, etc. I proceeded on with a gay wave as i passed the guy who honked at me.

I could tell it was super windy, due to the fact that every once in a while i would almost get blown all the way across the lane. Unfortunately i was about to turn straight into the wind. When i did, my little computer started to whimper. I think it may have been embarrassed to be on my bike? Regardless i pressed on. I had noticed earlier some flurries had started to appear but thus far in NOVA we have yet to see some actual snow that has actually stuck around for a while. Well as i continued trudging along the flurry's population grew into almost full on snow. At that moment feeling very Andy Hampsten-esque, so i decided to extend my ride farther. I also dropped by Blockbuster to pick up a movie. Right after that i turned with the wind and my pace increased dramatically.

Into the wind: 8.5mph-10mph (tons'o'effort)
With the wind: 25mph-30mph (no effort)

It was fun.
The movie i got at Blockbuster was Burn After Reading. Thursday morning/afternoon, my wife and i started to watch it. I had heard from many people that this movie sucked, which i took with a grain of salt only because it is by the Cohen Brothers who are notorious for making great movies that a lot of people don't "get" (not saying I do "get" it, but i enjoy their movies none-the-less). In this case, so far I've thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but I've only seen 1/3 of it.

Yesterday my dad and i kept our unusual streak for seeing non-typical Father-Son movies. When i say Father-Son Movies, i think things such as (recent ones) Quantum of Solace, Valkyrie, or (past) Die Hard, The Incredible Hulk, etc. But my dad and i typically change our minds right before we go in and see something else entirely...the (short) list goes as follows in chronological order:

1. Hotel Rwanda
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
3. Slumdog Millionaire

While you may say,"that's not so unusual." I'd respond, "Why, yes. Yes it is." Generally speaking my Dad isn't very emotional, nor does he typically enjoy quirky movies. So that makes the first two odd, but then Slumdog Millionaire i guess is just so good that anyone can enjoy it. For the record...i cried the entire way through Hotel Rwanda, next to someone who i don't think I've ever seen a tear form.
Slumdog Millionaire is definitely good....Lives up to the hype? That's up to you.

Radiohead is the best.