What I Want to Buy:
A NuVinci Hub. Universal Cycles, a local online retailer, has a page for them to pre-order.
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=19497
I think it would be pretty rad to not have to worry about an exposed derailure during long rides. and the way it is designed, it pretty much had infinite gears since it isn’t indexed at all.
I can’t wait to hear more about it.
See official page:
http://www.fallbrooktech.com/03_bicycle.asp
I haven’t followed “Le Tour” this year, I just can’t seem to get excited about any one cyclist. What I AM interested in are the bikes. The fast, hi-tech, sleek, BEAUTIFUL bikes…
I don’t have a favorite at the moment, but I’ll be certain to write about it soon.
-TQ
I spend the holiday weekend riding with 10 other cyclists deep into the Mt Hood National Forest into a very remote section of woods to spend two nights in nature. It was extremely refreshing, challenging, and most importantly, fun.
I took LOTS of pictures.
Betty was HEAVILY loaded with all four panniers, but to save weight and be more comfortable I took along my Hennesy Hammock as well as a regular hammock for lounging. I sleep SO well in hammocks. Most everyone else in the group brough along tents, but the hammocks became a point of interest for half the group, two other people actually brought regular hammocks, but they were unprepared for the bit of rain we had and they didn’t have any screens to keep out the bugs.
The ride itself was kind of challenging since we had to haul water from a campground that was 13 miles away. However, the next day we ended up using a filter to get water from the nearby river.
I just built a new wheel with a Shimano generator hub (DH-3N71) for Betty, the Long Haul Trucker. Purchased from a local shop, Citybikes, at a decent price, I started on the build as soon as I could. Summer probably isn’t the best time to build a lighting system since it gets dark so late, but I think it’s a good time to get the bugs worked out while it is still dry and warm.
It was fun building the wheel itself, but getting the light mounted onto the rack was a bit challenging but I over-came the difficulty. So far, it’s not really affecting my already slow speed on Betty the Tank, but I’m not too impressed with the quality of light compared to battery operatored LED system.
I’m going to keep working with this system and see if I can either get a better light with a smoother beam and doesn’t stick out like a rusty nail just waiting to get caught on something.
Matt and I just drove (sinners!) up the Clackamas River valley into the Mt Hood National Forest to scout out some potential rustic sites for some weekend bike camping. He knew of a few spots, but since we had a group of 10 or so, most of them were not ideal for bikes or groups.
On our way to the park, Matt had an awesome idea…”Let’s stash some fire wood near our site so we don’t have to carry it on our bikes! Considering the weight each bundle of wood and the fact that I carried TWO bundles last time we camped near the Clackamas, I was highly agreeable to this plan.
There was one site that was relatively close to town, a major climb to get to and had plenty of room, but the entrance was littered with all kinds of trash like burned phone books, beer bottles and countless bullet casings. Not exactly what we would consider a safe site.
We eventually found a GREAT spot to settle into about 42 miles away from Estacada which will bring the one-way trip to about 70 miles via bicycle, starting at Voodoo Donuts 2.
I think this weekend will be a bit rough, but lots of fun!
This morning, I finally broke the 2,000 mile on my bicycle. Last year, I think I was already at 3,500 miles by this point, but this year has been a bit more casual and laid back.
There is still plenty of riding to be done and it doesn’t necessarily mean anything to reach this mileage, I just find it interesting that some people think this number is insane.
-TQ
Multnomah County Bike Fair 2008 was this past Saturday.
I spent a little time at the fair after saying hello to a bunch of people, taking some pictures and buying a T-shirt from a vendor. I missed out on all the dance-troupe performances and other events but thankfully there are plenty of pictures on Flickr to check out.
Betty is so awesome at shopping. I bought a ton of groceries, paper-products and even some 48-inch lightbulbs. She handled the load like a champ. The ride home was slow, but the extra wide load gave me extra clearance from passing vehicles.
What brings me to write this up, other than the love of my bikes, is that if I examine the amount of groceries and household items I buy per trip to the store, it hasn’t really changed compared to when I use a car to run this errand. If anything, I bring back more food and less…other stuff.
It may take me longer to get my weekly shopping done when it comes to travel time, but it’s so much more fun to lug home my weekly provisions.
Keep on Spinning, baby
-Tomas-
Shortly after assembling Betty, the Long Haul Trucker, I made a silohette of a dance to put onto the fender. It took about 10 minutes and a few inches of reflective tape. It makes the bike distinctively mine and has garnered me many props by my peers.
The other day, I was unlocking my bike from the rack and I noticed someone decided to counter my dancer with Micheangelo’s David on her own pink fender. I even over-heard that it was someone in my office, but have yet to determine whom.
Last night, I assisted my friend Matt Picio in hosting a Bike Camping 101 class as a Pedalpalooza event.
He wrote up a 4-page document (PDF Here) covering some of the basics of what gear is needed and what to expect when camping by bike.
There were about 27 people in the park that listened in on our ramblings and asked questions concerning our differences in gear.
Matt had brought both of his bikes and I brought my road bike to show that one can be fully loaded and have some creature-comforts or can be slim and fast and just have the basics like me.
We consider it a success since we got lots of questions and thanks afterward.
-Tomas
