bike stuff

So I've been riding my bike. Sort of. I've really just been messing with it for the last few weeks. Since we moved, I haven't been able to really ride that much, but I'm excited to try out some of the new routes around my neighborhood. I came to the realization that I don't understand why derailleurs never really work, and since I'm no expert, I will never really be able to make them function properly. So I'm converting my mountain bike into a single speed. I really just used a few gears anyway, and I'm not really planning on going to ride any trails or anything... Since my bike is more of a commuting machine it makes sense to just fix the thing and strip all the stupid parts that just get in the way. It'll make the dang thing lighter too. I'm going to ride the bike around campus this year (because of a super ridiculous parking situation), and making an ugly bike even uglier is the way to go.

Last night I tore the rear wheel apart. I took off all the nonessential parts (everything), and now all that's left is finding that "magic gear" ratio that will allow me to ride around comfortably. I'll need some new brake levers, but I'm sure there's some available in my parent's garage somewhere. After adjusting the chainline, everything should be good to go. I'd post some pictures, but I'm too lazy.

update

Well, we moved. We moved all our junk and we're in our new place. Nothing much to note though. It seems that we've been spending too much time at Ikea however.

Summer crawls on.

Man, I'm tired.

ride

I went for a ride yesterday, mainly to check if my brakes really worked, but just to get out of the house and do something. I ended up riding down to my parents house about 5 miles away, and from the start, it looked like it was going to be a great ride. I left the house around 8pm because by then the temperature had finally dropped from insane to somewhat tolerable. Halfway through the ride I saw some awesome clouds pushing their way westward, bringing a serious headwind that sucked the speed out of me.

Some cool things that I saw on the way:

A rusty chain
A dead raccoon
An orange lighter
A red ball
A Leatherman Wave tool (I picked this up quick! sweet!)
Numerous beer cans and random crap.

My ride wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I took some back roads and rarely saw a car pass me. The roads around here have really become dangerous as more homes are built out west, and the increased traffic has made the streets a traffic nightmare. Lucky for me though, our city has a nice bike path that runs through town.

Watching Live Earth this morning- a huge concert with just about everybody, playing all over the world in support of the environment. I hate the inversion and smog that constantly covers this valley because of lousy weather and fumes contributed by vehicles. I hate hearing about how our environment is taken for granted. I don't expect to see an oil tanker run aground in Utah lake, or a glacier to melt and flood downtown, but seriously... human impact on the world is going to become more of an issue in the years to come. Not just an issue, a bad situation.

bike 4

After some serious brain power and effort, I managed to attach my new handlebars. I reconnected and adjusted the brakes and shifters and this morning went for a short ride. I haven't been on a bike in 3 years. And yet, it all came back to me...

I went up and back my street pretty quickly, just to check the gears out and get used to the saddle (yeeouch!). The brakes needed some more adjustment, and the seat height seemed about right. So I came home and climbed the stairs to my apartment and was going to puke my brains out. I wanted to die. I'm never riding again...

Until I get home from work tonight.

After my stomach settled, I watched some quality programing and ate one of my favorite cereal creations: Trix/PB Crunch/Crunch Berries. It was almost like I was eating a PBJ sandwich... in cereal form.

bike 3

Still waiting on some parts to come in the mail... it seems like forever (it'll probably come today). I haven't really done much to the bike in a week, just cleaned more grime and trying to rig a rubber band/Velcro system to attach my GPS to the stem or handlebars. Kinda lame if you think about it.. having a bike sitting there in the hall in pieces. Everything should work out once it all comes together.

Some more bike related stuff:
After looking around for some parts I came across www.fixedgeargallery.com/

One gear? why? well, I'm not quite sure but the cult of the fixed-gear is gaining members daily, and taking an older bike and converting it to a fixed-gear racing machine is the hip thing to do these days. Owing to the bike messenger underground, fixed-gear bikes are now becoming more common. If I come across a cheapo bike in the future, I'd like to make one.

On a side note:
Moving soon. We found a new place out west, and it will give us some room to breathe. I'll get a room for myself to store all of my music projects, guitars, books, equipment, and experiments. My wife will get a room to put all her stuff in. Looking forward to living there, not looking forward to moving all our stuff.

done.

By formal decree from my wife:

She does not appreciate the game we've been playing lately. While it may have been funny at first, all the gay jokes have got to go. I withdraw from the stupid game and would appreciate it if people would leave me and my wife out of it.

If there was anyone that I offended, or mistreated I apologize. I'm done.

job

I hate my job. I need a new one.

bike update

Well yesterday I went and bought some cheapo tires and some tubes and went to fix my bike. I spent the better part of the afternoon removing the grime and gunk that had built up around the sprockets and derailleurs. The bike cleaned up really well and I didn't see any serious damage or wear considering how old the bike actually is. Getting the tires on was a complete girly struggle for me. I don't know if it was because I am a little sick, or just because I haven't repaired a tire in a long time, but it took me forever. I guess I'm just dumb. With the tires on, and the chain on a gear, I went up and down my street really easy, and the bike didn't make any crunching sounds or weird noises. The derailleurs need some serious adjustment, and the brakes need to be tightened. I'm still going to replace the handlebars to make it more of a touring/commuting bike monstrosity, but that will have to wait until later because I'm going to have to order the parts. I'll post a picture later.