The Adventures of Steve

2nd Annual Winter Camping Expedition

2012-02-14T09:32:00.004-05:00

With the extremely mild winter we have been having here in the Midwest, it seems fitting that the first day of the year that didn't get above freezing would be on our winter camping trip.

A quick trip to the woods with the Burley trailer got us quite a load of firewood to start the evening's fire.

Along with this, Big Al spotted a dead tree the Mohican State Park had just cut down into perfect length chunks right next to the covered bridge. Long-dead, not rotted, ready to be split, and close to the campsite, we had plenty of firewood awaiting us.

Jessica, Russ. T., Juan, and I packed into the cars to meet Big Al at Mohican State Park, campground B, where we would set-up camp and hike for the day. Almost there, Big Al gave us a status update, letting us know the road the campsite wasn't plowed and opened yet, but they were working on it. We stopped at the top of the hill instead and played outside for an hour or so until we heard the plow truck making his way down the ravine. From here we headed back to the cars and headed down to set-up camp before hiking.

We had lesson on proper maul technique, we set-up our tents, Russ. T. yelled st Rufus, we drank beer, and then we headed off for a hike. Russ. T. fell twice, Rigsby had a blast, Jessica loved it, Big Al laughed til he fell over, and we played under the waterfall.

When we got to Pleasant Hill Dam Big Al had the idea to sled down the hill backward on our backs. Naturally, we all followed suit, and it was blast.

We dusted the snow off, laughed a lot, and headed back to camp, but not before making a detour to a couple small caves. Jessica was really enjoying the whole cave thing until she stood up and came face to face with a bat, upon which she screamed, pushed us out of the way, and scraped her pack all the way out of the cave, only then to let us know there was a bat. Upon hearing this news, we naturally got as close as possible to get pictures, while Jessica stood outside the cave traumatized.

From here we headed back to camp, cooked food while trying to stay warm, and drank plenty of alcohol. The trick here though, we learned, was to take our stainless steel pints and put them over the fire to keep the beer from freezing. It was odd to put beer over a fire, but it was always plenty chilled enough.

To keep ourselves occupied we boiled water in a plastic container, told stories, talked about gear and our camping and hiking systems, and made the fire as big as possible for most of the night.

All in all it was a generally relaxing time. We were only cold for parts of it, and it definitely wasn't uncomfortable because of it. It is exciting that the cold keeps you on your toes, reminds you that you are alive, and doesn't let you forget to think.

Hiatus

2011-12-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

If you haven't noticed by now, I am taking a hiatus from the blog, here. I got too distracted from it to remember to enjoy the outdoors myself. Whenever I was out, I was always thinking about taking pictures, or what to write, or what to do to have a good story when I got back. Lately I have forgotten all that. I have been relaxing while out, contemplating, having more fun, not concerning myself with my next blog post, but concerning myself with whats right in front of me at the moment. And I have enjoyed this immensely.

I will more than likely post from time to time, but much less often, and in no way am I expecting it to be on a regular basis. So instead of sitting here telling you about my boots, I am going to take them and Rigsby out to explore the floodwaters of the Olentangy river...

Why Front Panniers?

2011-10-14T10:49:00.004-04:00

Having toured a few times, mostly shorter trips, I hadn't really gotten into front panniers yet. Front racks, yes, with stuff on top. Front panniers seemed unnecessary. And from a practical standpoint, they were. I got by just fine them without them. I carried everything I needed without crashing or compromising handling too much. But when Jessica wanted larger panniers for the rear of her bike, and I had access to wholesale Deuter bags, I decided for this upcoming tour I would take her Jandd Economy panniers up front of my bike, with my normal Breezer panniers on the rear.

First of all, I am excited for her to try out the Deuter Rack Pack panniers. These things use the Ortlieb system for attaching to the rack, and I wanted to test these seemingly fragile clips.

Right away, I shy away from the plastic bits that hold these things together. But it comes with a couple different shims to make it fit either normal racks, or Tubus racks, and adjusted easily enough with only a 4mm allen wrench.

Besides the attachment system, I am sold on the Deuter Rack Pack panniers themselves. Water resistant rip-stop nylon, very lightweight, pocket in front, pocket on top, attachment points for bungee on top of lid, and mesh sleeve on back. Just enough organization, not too much. But the beauty of these bags comes with the built in waterproof cover. A pocket in the bottom opens and a cover comes out. This leaves you with the benefits of a breathable, non-stinky, more durable pannier, with the option to waterproof quickly when necessary. I am a big fan of this idea. We'll see how they work next week.

But for my side of things, I needed to fit her Jandd Economy panniers to my front rack, and overload them to make sure that my drilling-holes-in-them wouldn't cause a crack in the tubing of the rack. They initially didn't fit, but have different options for placement of the hooks that involve moving some hardware and poking holes in the nylon. And this is why I love Jandd panniers. They are not trying to be fancy, they are trying to be solid. These things will last me the next decade, I am sure of it, I have seen customers at the shop prove this true. I am okay with a few more minutes of fiddling with hardware for something that I trust more when on the bike.

From here, I shoved some old textbooks inside, probably twice as much as I will carry next week, and tested it out by riding to work.

And while I was skeptical at first, and unsure of how it would handle, by the time I got to work I was laughing at how much better front panniers carried a load on my Long Haul Trucker! The handling slowed down, for sure, but it still wanted to remain upright, which was odd feeling. But I got to thinking...with more weight in the rear, the front turns more freely and the extra mass in the rear must catch up, causing a lag in handling. But with more weight in front it slows down the handling, and there is no lag because the mass in the rear can catch up easier. The oddest part was its tendency to try and keep itself upright and straight, rather that trying to turn to the side as I have experienced with lots of weight only on the back.

Another interesting observation was the feeling of moving forward more freely. With the weight on the front, the bike seemed to want to go forward, as opposed to the weight behind feeling like it wants to slow you down. This makes perfect sense, and in a practical standpoint, won't make you go any faster, but sure makes carrying a load more pleasant.

Needless to say, I am sold. I am even thinking of a practical way to carry my everyday necessities in the front as opposed to the rear now. The caveat is that you would want to balance the front panniers, where that doesn't matter so much on the rear. So carrying two panniers instead of one all the time...hmm. Doesn't seem practical. For now I am sticking to one rear pannier, a handlebar bag, and enjoying the feeling of front panniers only when I need to carry extra loads.

For the Trail Riders in Columbus

2011-10-12T00:04:00.005-04:00

Jessica and I, on our Adventure Tuesday ride, explored what was happening with Columbus's local bike trails.

First of all, yes, the Dodridge Street Bridge is still closed. And no, I don't know when it is going to re-open. Probably not for a long time.

On our way out of town, we actually took a detour from the detour and rode up Weber road to High Street, to Neil, into Tuttle PArk and picked up the Olentangy Trail there. It seemed nicer and less convoluted than the current, official, detour, which crosses over Olentangy River Road twice.

From there, we hit the connector trail from downtown to the Alum Creek Trail, heading toward the new bridge over route 33.

And this thing is long. Heading north it kind of feels like riding a rickety old roller coaster. South feels like a rickety long climb. What we found great about this bridge, though, is that it actually makes a connection via bike trail essentially from Worthington Hills all the way to Pickerington Ponds, a round trip of almost 80 miles. Our ride today was, as odd as it felt, was almost entirely bike trail, and 60 miles. We found that neat.

And speaking of Columbus's trails, I rode what is sure to become a classic winter loop this year a couple days ago. For exclusivity's sake I am not telling you where it is, only that it is part asphalt, part singletrack, perfect for drinking beer in the middle of, and requires a more versatile bicycle. Maybe something like a Surly Long Haul Trucker, for instance.

And to finish things up, here is a link to a slightly more than tentative route for the 2nd Annual Steve and Jessica Fall Adventurefest. For anyone who knows the area, please recommend nice roads to ride, or nice things to see along the way that we may be missing. A few of the things we are not missing are New Bremen's Bicycle Musuem of America, the highest point in Ohio, and Amishville, USA. We are looking forward to it next week. Carry on.

On Front Racks

2011-10-02T09:48:00.008-04:00

Rear racks on bicycles are fairly straightforward. On most bicycles, simply bolt them on after deciding how strong or how fancy you want to go. Front racks, on the other hand, are both less available, and less straightforward.

I recently switched from a Blackburn MTF-1 front rack, to a cheap XLC lowrider rack, and this sparked this post.

This is my current set-up, the XLC rack, switching over from the previous set-up...

The Blackburn MTF-1. I really liked this rack when I wasn't using a proper handlebar back. I do just have to say right now that while I really appreciate my Arkel Small Handlebar Bag over the old Trek strap-on type, when I got it it really rocked my whole set-up. I went from strapping a bag on and not thinking about it to installing a second stem and switching front racks, probably taking up about 4 hours of my time and causing half a headache. Now that it is all said and done, however, I am very happy, especially when I came across this photo of my old set-up...

And compared it to my current set-up...

...Clean, and more bar space.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about front racks... so I really liked my Blackburn MTF-1. I strapped stuff to the top of it all the time and never thought about it, although I found out when removing it that it was quite heavy, about 594 grams, or just a little over a pound. But with my new handlebar bag sitting lower on the second stem, which again, I love, I now had no room to put stuff on top and only had room for panniers on the side. Putting panniers on this didn't make any sense though, because a low-rider was much more practical. It not only lowered the center of gravity (which I doubt I would have been able to tell anyway) but made it harder to get panniers on and off, but also harder to get in and out of those panniers, because, again, the handlebar bag sits wide and low. So I pondered front racks for a bit... and these were what I looked at...

The Jandd Low Rack. Great choice, I have installed these before and they go on nicely, very little extra hardware, fairly lightweight, aluminum, and solid with the connecting arch, very well made, but not fancy, and cost about 60 dollars.

The Surly Nice Rack. Made of chromoly, easily repairable in the field, lots of extra hardware, heavy, overkill duty, and had the top rack that I couldn't use anyway. Heard great things about the rack, not so much about the hardware. Love their rear rack, not their front. Expensive. Over a hundred dollars. Nope. Would much rather have this if I needed an overkill front rack...

The Jandd Extreme front rack. Aluminum, less hardware, and equally strong in my opinion. Not as easily repairable in the field, but how much weight do you plan on carrying on the front anyway? This thing is solid.

Then, of course, the Tubus Tara rack. Aluminum. Simple, elegant, very well made, fancy, expensive at around a hundred dollars. And will gain you many cool points for having a Tubus rack on you bike. Although I will say, all of their racks are solid and very well thought out.

And to finish it off, the XLC Lowrider. Aluminum, cheap at around 25 dollars, little hardware, cheaply made, but solid. And simple....wait...no. In order to install this rack level in any way, modifications must be made. It is poorly designed but can be made better. So I choose this rack for price sake and to see how long it will last, and get to work on modifying it...

Yep, I had to drill holes in the actual tubes for my mid-blade eyelet, and trust me, I tried every which way to get them even close to level. The closest to level position works with the racks on the wrong sides, but blocks the front wheel from coming out of the frame. Nope. I am not taking my rack off to change a flat tire. So a drill bit and a Dremel tool come into play and I remove the bracket that I will no longer need, and drill a hole exactly where it will match my Surly Long Haul Trucker's fork. I have to say that I enjoy modifying things, so this did not bother me at all. I like making things my own, and not having to rely solely on someone else's idea.

When it was all said and done, after a black magic marker to tidy up my metal workings, they look pretty nice. They are certainly no Tubus rack, but they weigh less (about 460 grams), and I am confident they will get me through our next tour. I will probably have about 10 pounds in each pannier and trust that it will hold with no problems. And it only cost me 25 dollars and 2 hours of my time. I would certainly not buy these again, but they will be useful for awhile until I invest in more of a lifetime rack.

Why So Serious?

2011-09-28T10:43:00.002-04:00

After our recent journey to Michigan, riding alongside 6,000 other cyclists, I am left wondering why so many take riding so seriously? Correct me if I am wrong, but riding bikes is fun.

Many people we passed, and many more who passed us, never even acknowledged our presence as we said "hello" or "good morning." And most seemed to be in a state of determination to finish rather than enjoying the ride. It seemed as if people were thinking of the pride of finishing rather than the fun of riding it. And while I am proud of myself for finishing things, I wouldn't finish if I didn't enjoy the ride along the way. Some things I will never understand, I guess.

So, giving credit to Russ T. for singing as many bicycle related songs as he could think of during the hundred miles, remember that fat-bottomed girls make our rockin' world go 'round, and to get on your bikes and ride!

Apple Cider Century

2011-09-27T10:46:00.007-04:00

Our weekend trip to Michigan turned out really well. Being our first time to Three Oaks for the Apple Cider Century, we didn't really know what to expect, besides a long drive and probably rain. I was excited to be another face in the crowd and not have to offer vendor or mechanical support, and for the first time in 6 years, see an organized ride from the cyclists point of view.

So we registered, picked up last minute needs from the vendors, chatted with everyone, and set-up camp.

Having rained almost all the way to Three Oaks, it was nice to not have to set up the tents in the rain. I put all the bikes together and tuned them up, and we headed to town for beer and socialness. A few beers later, we headed to the ice cream social and listened to the bluegrass entertainment for the night, while I pointed out examples of Fredliness to Russ T.

After being social we went back to campsite, played on the tire swing, and headed to bed, quite the uneventful evening. The next morning Jessica made us all get up much too early, far before the sun, and we packed up. While filling my Klean Kanteen with beer, I took a quick chug, soon realizing that I had drank beer before sunrise, and I pondered how I felt about that.

After pancakes we hit the road, and about 5 miles in the rain came. Sporadic, and not hard, but it rained fairly consistently from here all the way through the first rest stop and to the 50 mile rest.

The roads were great for the first leg, and even with the rain, spirits were high. One road was freshly paved, under a canopy of trees, with rolling hills, that felt like riding on glass. I would say one of the best roads I have ever ridden, and I have ridden a few roads.

At the 50 mile rest stop, having been in the rain for almost 4 hours, we held off getting on the bikes until the rain cleared a bit, and we now had the mindset of just pushing through, unsure of what the weather would be for the rest of the ride. A couple miles after, Barb turned off on the 62 mile route, but having only 30 total miles on her bike, this was still quite the feat.

And only a few miles after this, the sun came out for the first time the entire ride, and lasted about 8 minutes before getting cloudy again. We took what we could get, and during this sunshine, I picked some grapes from the vineyard we passed.

We were going to stop and re-pay the winery by way of tasting, but Jessica wouldn't let us.

The amount of riders for the rest of the route dwindled immensely, my theory being that the weather turned many of the riders onto the 62 or 75 mile routes. At the 75 mile rest we brought out the beer to try and forget the last 25 miles we had to ride into the wind. On the way out of the rest stop, however, a Korean family at the picnic table next to us offered me some of the food they were cooking, and I couldn't say no, either to hot food or Koreans cooking out in a park, I had to see what it was like. In broken English they explained that it was kimchi and pork, and spicy. Very traditional to them. They handed me some chopsticks and a plate, and told me to eat. Right out the frying pan it was wonderful. Hot, spicy, and protein. I couldn't stay long since Russ T. and Jessica left without me, but I thanked them, and hit the road, very happy with the experience I just had, and also with hot food in my stomach. A few miles down the road I caught up with them and bragged about the food I just ate.

The rest of the ride went by fairly easily with nothing too exciting. Jessica and Russ T. finished their first centuries like troopers, and I went a couple miles longer that my longest ride. The end mileage was 105.62, and we were on the bikes for 8 hours and 28 minutes. Definitely not the fastest riders on the course, but having much more fun than most.

Surly Long Haul Trucker Overnight Camping Trip

2011-09-23T09:02:00.009-04:00

I felt like getting away for a night, so I rode to Delaware State Park for a leisurely overnight camping trip. Only 35 miles away, with the campground having running water and all, it was a fun time to play around with the bike-camping thing.

With only rear panniers and a handlebar bag I packed everything up and left. Halfway up I noticed that it was going to be a good day. It was high-noon, I had 2 beers in me, and a tailwind was pushing me all the way to the campsite.

My Surly Long Haul Trucker handled the weight well, but could have been better had I cinched down the compression straps on my panniers. I noticed this the next morning, and it drastically changed the squirrely-ness of the bike. With everything cinched down the bike felt almost like it was not loaded at all, even when standing and climbing. I had about 8 pounds of stuff in my Arkel handlebar bag, and it didn't slip at all, which I had been wondering about, so that was good.

I set up camp, and tied up a tarp in chance of rain, and also to play around with setting up a tarp. I planned on sliding the picnic table underneath if it started raining so that I could try out the real fun for the evening, cooking my soup with the soup can itself.

With my Leatherman I made holes in the bottom and top, to allow air in and heat out, respectively. I had never tried this before, but had seen other wood-burning stoves in action, and it seemed pretty straightforward. Besides the wood being soaked from two previous days of rain, it was. Thanks to the hemp wick I bought from Clintonville Outfitters the day before, I did get it started fairly easily, and within a few minutes had this...

You have to add wood really often, but after about 15 minutes of cooking I had steaming hot soup, and I thought that was pretty neat.

Next time, I will make more holes in the bottom for better airflow, but that is exactly what these quick overnight trips are for, to better figure out your system. Even if I really screw something up, I am only 35 miles away from home and will do better next time. And speaking of 35 miles away from home, as I packed up the next morning it started raining. I quickly finished packing, not wanting to pack up wet gear, and put on a wind vest over my Smartwool baselayer. I didn't bring any rain gear, and even after an hour and a half of riding into a rainy headwind at 65 degrees, I don't regret it. One of the properties of wool, and why I wear it so often, is because of its ability to hold warmth when wet. It may not wick moisture as well as synthetics, and it soaks up water and holds it longer, but even when wet, it is still perfectly comfortable. This along with a wind vest, equally soaked but still blocking the wind, was extremely comfortable. I would have been too warm in a rain jacket for sure.

And as far as the rain on the panniers, the same hour and a half of rain didn't even come close so soaking through a layer of my non-waterproof panniers. This further instilled my distaste for waterproof panniers. The thought of packing dirty bike shorts, socks, and shoes into water tight containers for days on end on tour almost makes me nauseous. But maybe that's just me. I will live with more breathability and take measures with trash bags if need be.

All in all it was a great little trip. It felt strange to go the work a couple hours after I got back, but I was in a great mood all day, that's for sure. I definitely plan on doing more of these...

But before that, we are headed to Three Oaks, Michigan this weekend for Jessica's first century! The Apple Cider Century. There will be camping, ice cream, beer, friends, and 6,000 other riders. It will be nice to be just another face in the crowd and not mechanical support on a ride for once. I am looking forward to it. And I will tell you all about it in a few days...

Away for a Day

2011-09-20T00:06:00.005-04:00

I am leaving tomorrow for an overnighter at Delaware State Park. I took a video of everything I am bringing with me, but Youtube only allows up to 15 minute videos, and I have no video editing software to cut it down. Here is a picture of everything, I hope it suffices. It should be a good time. The only real question is whether I take 2 or 3 beers?

10 Fluid Ounces

2011-09-18T10:54:00.005-04:00

Just thought I would share my current set-up on my Surly Long Haul Trucker. A set-up that I might add got me a lot of grief from friends and co-workers. A second stem...

The second stem's initial intent was to lower my newly acquired Arkel Handlebar bag. A friend and regular customer at the shop sold it to me for cheap and it was like new, but it caused a chain reaction to my handlebar situation. First, I added a second stem to get the center of gravity lower and get my light to see over the bag. While I could see where I was going, there was a total dark spot about 8 feet in front of the bike. Not enough time to react to anything anyway, but this, accompanied with the glare from the map case, made me start to think about changing it. Another bonus, I found, was that I could mount my bell on the lower handlebar and have more hand space on my true handlebars, which I absolutely loved and didn't realize I was missing. And thinking of it now, another bonus was that I could rest my thumbs on the top of the bag. This too was something I didn't realize was awkward before. Pesky, dangling thumbs were something I never even thought of, but once I placed those securely on the top of my handlebar bag while I was on the curves of my bars, I never want to go back.

I know it sounds crazy, but just think of how much we use our thumbs. It is one of the main distinguishing factor between us and most of the animal kingdom. And to think that just leaving them dangling off our handlebars is okay... I cannot explain how much more stability comes from resting there, although I would have never even thought of it had it not be spontaneously convenient from something else.

Anyway, this is my current set-up, and I like it a lot. Just this morning I added the Topeak BarXtender to get my light below my handlebar bag to get rid of the blind spot. I have yet to try it out but it looks promising. I highly recommend the BarXtender, by the way. It is easily the most adjustable, versatile ,and well-manufactured bar extender I have seen.

But the real point of this post is that this entire set-up, the second-stem and bar extender, weigh the equivalent of 10 ounces of water. Less than half a water bottle. I know it takes away from some of the cleanliness, but it adds a heck of a lot of functionality. And I like light bikes as much as the next guy, but there comes a point when practicality must take over. I ride this bike every day, carry stuff every day. I ride 80 mile rides on a regular basis, as well as pick up beer on the way home from work. In a couple days I will be packing up my tent and sleeping bag and going camping for the evening, what the cool kids are calling a "S24O." I need not change anything to my everyday set-up, just add a second pannier and leave...and I like it that way.

The Jackass Crankfest

2011-09-15T21:00:00.005-04:00

For the record, the Dodridge Street Bridge is now un-passable. Well, at least easily. And for the record, the Dodridge Street Bridge no longer exists.

And on similar notes about bridges to be torn down, we found one the other day.

I suppose the department of transportation deemed it unworthy of holding cars, but I figured it would hold Jessica and I on our bicycles. And that's about it for now.

SOG Twitch 1 Spring Replacement

2011-09-07T10:03:00.005-04:00

Well, I never planned on talking about knives on here, but I just recently had a pleasant experience with SOG Knives that I thought I would share.

I have carried around the SOG Twitch 1 for the last 5 years now. This alone attests itself to the very nice pocket clip the knife has. I hadn't even realized how long I had been carrying the same knife until this situation came up, but I use the thing almost every single day. It fits in my hand nicely, feels solid, and maneuvers well. I opt for the smaller version, but SOG does make two sizes larger. I feel like the smaller version makes people more comfortable, as I do use it around customers at the bike shop on a regular basis. Its sole usage is opening boxes, but I have used it to slice cantaloupe and avocados, score drywall, cut ceiling tiles to shape, cut plastic bottles into dog drinking dishes, pick glass out of tires, open letters, and cut off beer garden wrist bands. Now that I think about it, I even use the backside of the blade to open blinky lights, and have used the pocket clip as a bottle opener. Which is exactly why I find this knife to be the perfect everyday carry knife. That is until...

The spring wears out and the assisted opening doesn't assist anymore! The spring bent and wouldn't hold into its slot anymore, and when I gently tried to bend it back it snapped. Hmm, I thought. So I put it back together, wondering what I was going to do.

It worked just fine, but just felt dumb and slow without the spring assisted opening that I had grown so fond of. And, having had the knife for 5 years and this being the only thing ever to have gone wrong, I still felt confident it was a great product. And in the field, the knife was still completely functional, so it wouldn't let you down, just slow you down a half-a-second every time you needed it. And part of me even said "I told you so" for having something fancy in a knife that was bound to go wrong at some point. But anyway, I figured I would call up SOG and see what would come of it.

The phone call basically consisted of me telling the guy how old my knife was and exactly what had happened, him calling my knife little, and him asking for my address to send the replacement spring to, while also offering to do it for me if I could wait 2 weeks to get my knife back. I didn't want to wait, so he shipped it out for free. I used my dumb knife all week with no issues.

A week later, all the way from Washington, comes a little padded envelope with only a spring in a plastic bag inside. While chatting with some friends, I put the spring in, and it felt like new again. Simple. And here's the knife in action now.

So I sharpened it, cleaned it, and put in a new spring. Basically I gave my knife an overhaul and it feels like new again, and I still expect to have it working flawlessly 5 years from now. I have nothing but positive things to say about this knife or SOG as a company. In an age of throw-away items I was expecting an apology and a brand new knife, one that I didn't want. I was pleased to know that some companies still understand that things are better repaired, not merely replaced.

Delta Axle Rods and Bats

2011-08-10T21:20:00.006-04:00

Let me start by saying that I don't like saying negative things about products I have used. So I will try to keep this as positive as possible.

I purchased the Delta Axlerod semi-locking quick releases for my bike when I purchased my Long Haul Trucker 4500 miles and 2 years ago. It turns a quick-release into a slow-release, also known as a 5mm allen wrench. I didn't think too much of them until a month ago when the rear nut of it popped as I was installing a new tube. Something that would have been a pretty inconveniencing situation had I been, say, on the road.

Luckily I was at the good 'ol Baer Wheels and I bought a new one of a different brand, Velowerks, and I noticed right away it felt much more solid when tightened down.

In order to test things out more, I left the front one in, and it lasted another month before it did the same exact thing and popped when tightening it very lightly. These things call for 7 newton meters, and whatever a newton meter is, I promise (according to those fancy 5 newton meter measuring wrenches) I went no where close to that, or even 5, for that matter.

Needless to say, I am not impressed with the super lightweight Delta versions. They do seem to weigh slightly less than the new ones I bought, but only by a few grams. And after feeling the way the Velowerks tightened down so solidly, I am convinced these won't fail after 2 years.

On the other hand, they did cost only 15 dollars and last for two years, and are very lightweight, if that is what you are looking for. For me, however, I want to trust that putting a flat tire back on on the side of the road will not leave me cursing my stripped quick release.

I am sure that there are multiple nice versions of these skewers, because I have seen them, I am just uncertain of the brand. I am not necessarily endorsing any particular brand, but rather telling you to not choose the Delta ones for practical cycling applications.

And while I am on the topic, let me give you the low down on the 4 different types of skewers available:

The first is the standard quick release, coming in cheapo versions and the heavier internal cam type that comes with indoor trainers. The internal cam ones are much nicer. (Fancy skewers like DT can be nice too but need not be mentioned here.)

The second type is what I call slow-release. They simply use a typical size allen wrench from your multi-tool to open as opposed to your bare hand. Usually a 5mm allen wrench, it deters most thieves. They look different and that is typically enough. Thieves are not going to attempt if they are uncertain.

The third is similar to the slow-releases, but more secure, needing a tool that comes with the skewers themselves to open, not just any 'ol multi-tool. However, sometimes pliers may be able to get in latch on, and the material is typically softer (Delta makes some, and you know how I feel about that).

And finally, the fourth type are the bombproof ones like Pitlock. These ones not only have a seperate tool, but various tools so chances are slim anyone nearby will ever have the exact same fitting tool. Also, they are made of harder material. When we get these in the shop and someone has forgotten to give us the key, we immediately stop work on the bike, knowing that without several minutes of hacksawing in a repair stand we will get no where.

And that is all you need to know about locking quick release skewers. Slow-releases are enough for most and my favorite, the cheap ones with tools seem like a mediocre in-between, and the nice true locking ones are for the most obsessive or those with too nice of wheels on bikes they lock up outside.

On a completely different note, night riding on the northern section of the Olentangy River Trail is exciting when bats are swooping toward the bugs being attracted to your helmet light. Some flew with us for a few seconds at a time, and one flew right between Jessica and I. And it was a full moon. Good times.

Ride Steel

2011-08-08T10:26:00.006-04:00

Two examples to demonstrate one of the reasons I prefer steel frames over aluminum frames.

In this first example, we came across a gentleman on a bike trail who had never crashed his bike, had around 10,000 miles on it, and was simply riding along when the headtube of his bicycle separated from the main triangle.

Needless to say, he crashed.

In this second example, a high end aluminum frame started to sheer at the bottom bracket area during a ride. The frame was only five years old, and the rider only a week away from a race he had been anticipating all year. The rider explained that he had to nurse it back home with no hope of standing on the pedals, while it grinded the whole way.

On a separate occasion, different bike, aluminum frame, when a similar sheer started in the bottom bracket, only about 3 years old, the crankset dropped, dragged the ground and the rider fell to the side while trying to slow down.

Compare this same type of bottom bracket sheer to a steel frame. To start, this steel frame was not intended as the heavy duty commuter it was used for, but rather as a lightweight road bike. It had been ridden every day through rain and snow for four years carrying on occasion bags of stone for the work sites he was riding to. When this particular frame cracked the rider understood what had happened, yet rode for three days on the crack before he could get to the bike shop to get a new frame. His frame did not fail, but had rather rusted through, something that could have been avoided with a rust inhibitor of some sort. Still, it was able to be ridden without catastrophically failing.

To be fair, aluminum frames have a clear spot in the bicycle world. They are inexpensive to manufacture, and can be made very light and stiff for a low cost in materials.

The downside to this light and stiff design is that it is a harsh ride. Harsh only because you cannot design an aluminum frame to flex, otherwise it will fail prematurely. It is a property inherent in the material the prevents frame designers from allowing any sort of flex in the frame. Steel, on the other hand, can be designed to flex within normal stresses and not fatigue. This gives a much smoother ride.

While steel is definitely not the perfect frame material, and does not cover all the facets of bicycle design intentions, it has many characteristics that make it the perfect frame material of choice for the rest of us.

Dodridge Street Bridge

2011-07-31T23:54:00.005-04:00

For the record, the Dodridge Street bridge detour of the Olentangy River Trail is not un-passable. I know for a fact because students on hybrids with flags waving in the air crossed the barrier underneath the bridge to be be knocked down. However, this was on a Sunday evening, which means that workers there during the day would normally be a little upset that we were simply walking all over what they see to be a pristine work sight, full of many important and dangerous things. Much like an office worker would be upset if a city worker walked into their office and started chatting for no apparent reason. Let's learn to obey each others wishes.

For the estimated dates of completion, check out Ray George's blog at columbusridesbikes.com. I saw it there at some point. For me, it doesn't matter, but I will update you regularly on what I see as it's progress.

Looking at this bridge at this angle, I can really see why they want to replace it. With the amount off traffic going over this bridge on a regular basis, it doesn't see all so secure. I am curious to watch the progress of a new bridge being built.

The Stories We Tell

2011-07-30T21:40:00.010-04:00

And so another blog post. Been busy lately, and deciding between writing about what I am doing versus doing more of what I am doing. A funny thing happens when you start to go on lots of adventures. You no longer feel the need to write or talk about it and simply see it as the way it is. So I decide that this writing on my blog thing is not really for my own building up in any way, but rather to inform others of what I see as a completely reasonable, but often times overlooked, way of living or riding, which seem to go hand in hand for me.

I guess I am tired of people telling me what I should or should not do on my bicycle. Riding a 55 mile ride on hilly terrain in 98 degree weather may not seem like a whole lot of fun, but when the time comes, I don't let it stop me, and I don't complain. Carrying 94 ounces of water may seem unreasonable as well, until I tell you I drank it all. Twice.

The hills were long, some over a mile long. But the downhills were great. And let me tell you about the handling of my Long Haul Trucker on terrain like this, since I haven't ridden this area since my sporty road racer. Let me mention 35 mile an hour on tar and chip roads for half a mile downhills with complete confidence. And how about the 5 minutes of charging downhill through Mohican State Park. Never have I felt so in charge on these roads. There comes a point when the idea of lightweight and speed is overtaken by a feeling of certainty that nothing will stand in your way. Let this stand as my tentative Surly Long Haul Trucker review.

And let this stand as my experience with road closed signs:

This one in particular was a road washed out from the rains this year. As you can see, almost, 50 yards away the road begins again, then follows the Pleasant Hill Reservoir for a couple miles. I turned around to head a different route, then decided I wasn't giving up that easy, or riding back up the mile long hill I just flew down at 40 mile an hour. All looked clear, no city workers on a sunday afternoon. Just a path down and back up through what looked like solid ground. All would have gone well had it not stormed the night before and turned the solid ground into thick clay mud. Halfway through, my 45 pounds of bike stopped moving from the mud gunking up the wheels, and my shoes starting getting stuck in the mud as I stepped out of them multiple times. But eventually I dragged my 5 pounds of shoes and now close to 60 pounds of bike out and back onto asphalt.

I shook off some claymud, scraped some off my bike with sticks, then rode for the next few miles unclipped, with no hope of clicking in until the mud dried and cracked off.

Ignoring road closed signs have also led me to walks through fields when bridges were out, as well as getting stuck in quicksand with a trailer attached to my bike.

So my advice is this: It is a good idea to heed advice from road closed signs and follow the detours posted, but it is a much better idea to ignore them and see where it takes you. The stories are much better this way, and as I am learning, we are not much more than the stories we tell.

The Calm After the Storm

2011-07-02T08:23:00.006-04:00

After a busy week working The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, GOBA, things are finally settling back down. Waking up at 7 in the morning, pumping tires and fixing flats for riders, then heading to the next destination to work til dark and camping until it starts again is a nice break from the shop, but an 80 hour work week gets old quick.

The weather was unpredictable, but mostly good. We got comfortable with misty rain quickly, and figuring out how to strap down the tents to keep them from blowing away in the wind.

The aftermath of the big storm of the week, the one where we hunkered down underneath the tents to literally hold down the fort so they didn't blow away.

Selling a Surly Long Haul Trucker to the local sheriff lead itself to a mutual understanding that beer and bike rides belong together as well as a convenient photo opportunity and a scare to the shop mechanic that he may have to work a few more hours in the coming weeks.

And chatting with Chuck Harris and his wife about past acquaintances we both knew, and how I first came across his mirrors.

But after this long week of non-stop lines of repair work for the 2500 riders, making sure they completed the 50 miles each day, I needed to get away by myself and remember that bike rides and the bicycle itself can withstand a day of riding with no issues. Something that is easy to forget while seeing bike after bike somehow prove otherwise. Job security, I suppose. But we all need to re-calibrate sometimes. And my idea of re-energizing was getting lost above Delaware and finding my way back home.

Unsure of where or how long I was going to ride, I stopped at The Easy Street Cafe in Powell for food and a beer. Now out of town, I got lost in thought and route, and ended up coming into Radnor, a quaint small town with a really interesting cemetery.

I relaxed and pondered life while sitting on a hill in said cemetery, and decided to head east, where I came upon nothing else but the GOBA arrows marked on the road. And of course, I had to follow them into Delaware. By the time I found my way back home it was dark and I had been on the bike for almost 6 hours and covered 80 miles. I hadn't ridden that far alone for years, and it made me remember why I started cycling long distances in the first place. There is something about being 3 hours away from home on unfamiliar roads with nothing more than a compass that I think we could all use a little more often.

Touring Philosophy

2011-06-15T23:32:00.006-04:00

After a busy weekend of building up my new Burley Fox Hollow, which rides great by the way, I decided to take a long ride on my Surly Long Haul Trucker. For those who don't understand the touring bike thing: It wasn't about how far I could go, it was about how long I could sit on my bike. Does this mean I wanted to go slow? No. I push slow and steady and only end with a one mph drop in average speed from a lightweight road bike. In a 60 mile ride, I will only be able to go 4 miles further on a road bike. What that means is that by choosing my more comfortable bike I will need to ride for 6% longer, or in this case 15 minutes. So for the same 60 miles on my road bike I will be on my bike for less time. 6% less time on my bike, or 6% longer route. I tend to choose a distance with no regard for time rather than choose a time based on distance. In the former one focuses on the terrain covered. The latter focuses on the completion of an event. And just try to tell me that using our human abilities to compete with one another and not using them to explore the world around us is somehow better for our species.

So I focus on the adventure of exploring. Cases in point:

After work on sunday, a fellow LHT rider and I rode off into the country. Leaving the city for awhile, trying to see where a certain road meandered to. Knowing we would end at dark. Starting with beer at the first rest stop, we embarked on a journey we we both uncertain of, but knew would turn out perfectly fine. It would become a story. No matter what happened. Everything turned out fine, as we expected it would. Nice conversation, scenic roads, night riding, eating food, drinking beer. 60 miles.

A couple days later, Jessica and I headed to the same area, exploring roads around Delaware. Found a doggie boarding house for Rigsby when we tour. Mingled with locals at Hiney's Saloon in Magnetic Springs, and fought headwinds before flowing back to the car with the river and the wind. Great times. 45 miles.

To me, it doesn't matter how fast I do those miles, just that I do them efficiently and smoothly and have fun along the way.

This post is kind of a rant, but a rant for what I find to be one of the most underrated aspects of cycling - touring. Or adventure cycling on adventure bikes. There is something to be said about carrying a six pack of beer on a metric century, and at those times I am perfectly fine being on my bike 6% longer.

Long Haul Trucker

2011-06-10T22:08:00.007-04:00

Like a dead deer, a new bicycle sits atop the rear rack on my Surly Long Haul Trucker. The biggest fear I had in this purchase was that I would like it more than my touring bike. I wanted to not enjoy the speed and efficiency as much as the ride. I wanted to enjoy sitting and relaxing for 4 hours and not enjoy getting 4 hours over with as soon as I could. Because let's face it, thinking of how quickly you can finish something only means you don't really want to be there in the first place. And when I go out for a bike ride, the only thing I want to be doing is sitting on my bike. And that is precisely what I am doing.

My Surly Long Haul Trucker hauls my other bikes around for me. When are we going riding?

Words and Pictures, Finally

2011-06-07T11:53:00.007-04:00

Got the camera back, finally. Just in time for an anger-release-ride after helping the neighbors remove Poison Ivy from their side of the yard, on the fence between our yards, because they were old and annoying and I was trying to be the better person and stop them from complaining about our shade tree that they want us to cut down to make their side look better when they have renters come and look at their newly available duplex because they recently kicked out the family with children living there for being too messy. And I got Poison Ivy.

So I ride my bike.

Angry at my own stupidity that a shower afterward would stave off any allergic reactions, I rode hard, without any real place to go, or any route decided. But I had all my lights, and I needed dinner, so I rode to Worthington Hills Market for some food. After a banana, some trail mix, and re-filling of my water bottles, I decided I would be let down with a short 18 miler, so I headed up the hill into the neighborhood to see what would happen. At the back of the neighborhood I felt like going further, so I did. At Powell I felt like going further, so I rode further. At Steve's Dari-Land I felt like I wanted to explore roads further north, so I rode north.

After passing the huge quarry on section line road, and realizing I was almost to Delaware with only an hour and a half hours of daylight left, I decided to turn and find the road I have been wanting to ride for weeks now, Klondike road. This road follows the Scioto River and, according to a couple different cyclists, absolutely beautiful. After a couple confusing intersections, I realized they were right.

I soon stumbled upon this bridge, where I stopped, figured out which way I was going to go, and ate some trail mix. No traffic at all out here on a Sunday evening. While eating trail mix I remembered how important proper nutrition was on a ride like this. Recently only riding with typical, more hearty meals, I remembered to remember proper nutrition and hydration. In spite of Poison Ivy starting its course on multiple parts of my body, I felt great.

Later down this beautiful rolling, twisty, road, you hit Delaware County line and it becomes even better. Freshly paved asphalt dropping off straight into the river. Its a shame I need to ride 60 miles just to ride roads like this from my front door. Or maybe that's a good thing...

Check out the good ol' boys standing in the river fishing and chatting up above. It's nice to get out of the city every once in awhile.

After reaching Bellepointe, I headed back on the same roads I went out on. I stopped at the Boat dock on the corner of Riverside Dr. and Home road to use the Port-A-John, ate some more trail mix and headed back, knowing this was my last stop. I donned lights, knowing that I had an hour and half ride with only 30 minutes left of daylight. And that was okay, it cooled off quite a bit, and the mood changed, in a good way. I had forgotten about being angry at this point, and was simply enjoying the ride.

The ride back was uneventful. Relaxing. I stopped and picked up burritos for Jessica and I, and headed home.

I itched all night, but yesterday went and got a shot in my butt that turns 2-3 weeks of rash into 2-3 days. Expensive, but worth it when you work sales and have a rash on your face. It was an expensive lesson about Poison Ivy and helping out neighbors. Not sure what lesson that is, but I am sure something will come to me shortly.

And for anyone interested, here is the route. Enjoy.

No Pictures, Just Words

2011-05-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

Best ride of the year today. Exploring roads from Clintonville around Powell, heading up toward Delaware.

At work today I realized how much I needed to ride, and as I started to ride, realized how crucial my job is to other people riding.

Deer, raccoons, lightning, and rainbows. 42 miles. Good times.

Exploration

2011-05-17T20:57:00.002-04:00

Recent events have leaned me to the understanding that I may be in Columbus, Ohio for some time, possibly a few years. And this is a weird thought to me. However, with this understanding comes the further understanding that I need to know better routes to ride from our house in Clintonville. So exploration of new routes, longer routes, better routes, ensues. It has been a lot of fun, and I have been riding quite a bit, even with the record rainfalls this year.

So what have I found? Routes to Powell and back, a decent way to get out of town. A connector trail between the Olentangy and Alum Creek Trail. Not fully explored yet, you will be first to hear of the adventure that me and Clancy, our new roommate who is always up for a bike ride, get ourselves into as we find our way completely out of town with no more than a few blocks of traffic.

More than anything, I have found the spirit to explore again. I hadn't realized that the idea of moving on quickly kept me from wanting to explore the area I am in. And while the idea of staying was at first confining, the idea of exploring this area is freeing.

And that is all for now. Stay tuned for updates from TOSRV, GOBA, and the Ride of Silence. Also, stay tuned for more gear reviews, as well as more pages, one of them being simply a list of the gear I own and use on a daily basis, hopefully to help calm questions of a full adventure cycling outfit. Til then...

Mid Ohio Century (MOC)

2011-04-27T22:38:00.002-04:00

A little late, I know. And I haven't posted much lately, I know. Sorry. I have been sidetracked by life. I hope to be able to post more here soon, but for now, here's a video of the Mid Ohio Century (MOC) ride I rode a couple sundays ago. A customer at the shop told me about it the day before, so I trued his wheel and figured I would pay the $7 to have someone tell me good roads to ride with a bunch of other people too, as I was already planning a longer ride. I ended up running in a few friends, and riding most of the way with this group of riders, who said customer was also a part of. It was stupidly windy, but it was a great time. 55 miles total, but seemed much longer with the wind.

And its Down, Well its Up, But its Down.

2011-03-21T09:28:00.008-04:00

After my family coming down to visit and outfitting Mary to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail for a week, I needed to get out in the woods myself. After an invite from a customer at the shop to go to Mohican and ride a few miles, I accepted, got the Voodoo Bizango ready, and we carpooled up for the day.

Eric had found out trail conditions, and despite the muddy conditions at Alum Creek, Mohican was supposedly perfect. And it was. We started at the covered bridge, where piles of snow were still piled, and we hurriedly got ready to ride, only because it was so cold. The first part of our ride took us up the biggest hill of the whole 24 mile loop, and it sucked. It seems like the hill is about to crest, and it turns only to climb more. At least a mile of this later, we reached the top.

From here we were about 300 feet higher than where we started, and at the same level of the spot we were going to break at. I knew there were hills, but at least we had downhills along the way too. And the downhills were great. Some a mile long, perfectly banked, barely on the brakes, just flowing with the land. It had been too long since I have ridden this trail.

At the top we stopped for a break at the snowmobile trail parking lot. We came up right after a group of 5 veterans were finishing up for the day. They were all around 50 years old and having a great time even after 12 miles of Mohican. They started opening up beers and offered us one. I happily accepted, while his friend mocked him for giving me beer during our break. Quickly finding out we knew many of the same people, it became more comfortable, and we chilled in the parking lot with them for a few minutes.

Discussing our plans for the route the rest of the day, one of the guys mentioned to go back down the section we had just come up. "And its down, well its up, but its down." And that it the best I have heard Mohican described so far.

After beer and snack, we headed further down the trail, this section dropping 300 feet in 3 miles. It was a blast. Smooth, through the pines, with only a couple big climbs. At the bottom we turned on the road and headed back up to meet up with the first section we had ridden, but not before showing Eric the Gorge Overlook, to let him see what we were really riding in.

We headed back down the road and into the trail, giving us 3 more miles and only a few big climbs before the end of the day. On one of the smoothest, fastest, downhills I have ever ridden, I almost ran over another guy coming the other way. We stopped and chatted for a minute, then headed our ways, letting him know there was another guy coming behind me. I slowed to let Eric catch up, only to see him fall over in a rock garden and bend his derailleur hanger. While fixing it a group of 3 riders stopped to chat and rest, only to find out they were regulars at Baer Wheels. We chatted for awhile while their group caught up, and then we were back on the trail with only one more climb to go.

At the top, we took off back down the first hill we had climbed, ending with a mile downhill right to the car. What a great way to end. We ended up riding 13 miles, 2 of which were on the road. It took us 2 hours of riding, and 3 hours total in the woods. Very impressive for Eric's first time on the bike this year, given the terrain we were riding. On the drive home, Butler's Whiffletree greasy spoon served us well with burgers and fries, while plans were discussed for coming back later in the season to do the whole 24 mile loop...

River Flooding

2011-03-06T21:07:00.008-05:00

After hard rain all day and a beer with the boss after work, I decided I needed to explore to Olentangy River situation. Rigsby and I headed down to see what we could get ourselves into, after gearing up of course. Everything was soggy, and it was still raining and windy, 40 degrees. I put on my Vasque Clarion boots, my Marmot Spire Gore-Tex Jacket, Jessica's new Red Ledge rain pants, and my wide-brimmed rain hat. Rigsby had a fur coat, so we were ready to go.

It started with sopping through the dog park, up to 4 inches deep in water at parts, before we got to the river itself. I hadn't been in the dog park woods for a couple weeks, but I had seen how flooded it was. I was ready to try to make my way through, but didn't even know for sure if I could. Donning my camera and my Niterider Minewt 250 bike light, we headed in.

There is normally an island here about 20 feet wide and sticking up about 4 feet from the river. Not right now, and the path that normally goes by the river bank was even flooded at points. I would guess that the river was 4 feet higher than normal at this part. Large logs were floating down the river, and trash had been washed up on shore from being washed downstream from who knows where.

After standing in awe next to the rushing river, we headed out. Sure enough the normal way out was flooded enough to be over the top of my boots, so I improvised. Making my own path through the highest points, jumping over small streams, and wading through the shallow points, we finally came out to the bike trail, which was also flooded.

Rigsby chased some ducks around in the flooded parts of the woods for awhile, and I decided to head back to the house to get my Long Haul Trucker to go and see what to big dam by Ackerman looked like.

After being outside for 45 minutes in windy rain, I grabbed a turkey burger Jessica had made, my Light and Motion Arc Li-On to try and get better pictures, and headed back out on my Trucker. Making my way through multiple flooded parts of the bike trail, I made it to the roaring water flowing under the bridge at Ackerman Road, the bridge just north of the OSU wetlands, and came across the dam that normally falls about 6 feet to a shallow stream where fisherman wade in to fish. Tonight, this is what it looked like:

The dam was almost backed up to itself, and where I have walked across without getting my shorts wet before was now rushing rapids probably 4 feet deep.

I headed back to the house, still in awe at how much water this was. I hear this is some of the worst flooding we have seen in a while, and it doesn't surprise me. But after being outside in 40 degree windy rain for an hour and a half without once feeling clammy or worried about water seeping in, I found it to be time to write a review of my Marmot Spire Gore-Tex Jacket finally... give me a couple days, and it will be up. I got to the house and shedded my rain gear, only to feel like I had not had any on in the first place. And I appreciated the gear as much as the wisdom I am gaining on how to make it all work for me...

First Chaco Day of the Year

2011-02-27T23:38:00.004-05:00

Remember that post from yesterday, the one about the flooded dog park? Well, turns out that Kong Dog Frisbees don't float. Also turns out that Rigsby and Ginger wanted nothing to do with sticking their noses half a foot into the water to fetch it. So in comes me. The water was cold, yes, but I found the frisbee amidst wet dogs splashing all around me. And then I remembered why I wear my Chaco sandals so religiously...

Before all this Jessica and I rode up the Olentangy trail a few miles. On the way back a dad was teaching his son proper etiquette for riding on the bike trail. On a newly acquired adult Giant mountain bike that was a little too long for him still, the kid squirrelled back and forth but listened to his fathers direction without question. Where to ride in the trail, when to slow down and wait, when to pass, what other people's signals meant. Thinking about how excited and nervous this kid must be, I imagined it from his point of view. He was a child in a world of adults that probably confused him. He didn't know the rules, but only how to follow his dad's direction. I could only imagine what women clad in spandex running by did to his focus. It was our world from a smaller, simpler perspective. Asking himself why people are running, and why they aren't riding their bikes? I wish I had an answser to that one, because I still ask myself this every time I ride the bike trail.

News to Come

2011-02-26T22:19:00.007-05:00

A couple days ago we hiked our normal trail, this time after a hard nights rain. Not only was the dog park completely flooded from the frozen ground collecting rain water...

...but the river was amazingly high as well. The water was so high the cemetery dam was almost unnoticeable, but the large dam on the opposite side of the OSU wetlands was scarily roaring.

I now understand why there are advocates to remove the dams on this portion of the river.

Mumford and Sons - The Cave

2011-02-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Athens to Nelsonville

2011-02-20T21:37:00.006-05:00

The gear:

2004 Trek 1200
Crank Bros Multi 17
Topeak Road Morph
Extra Tube and Patches
Timbuk 2 Seatbag
Smartwool Midweight Baselayer
Marmot Spire Gore-Tex Jacket
Canari Cycling Shorts
Nike Windproof Tights
Trek Shoe Covers
Trek Toe Warmers
Cabela's Wool Socks
DeFeet Wool Glove Liners

The Weather:

34 Degrees Fahrenheit
Rain
Occasional Ice Chunks

The Ride:

Athens, Ohio to Nelsonville, Ohio, and back.

The Story:

As you already know, it was not the anticipated 45 degrees today in Athens, Ohio. I was planning on dealing with some rain, but not ice chunks falling from the sky. But regardless of the weather, I was not driving a friend home to Athens without getting in a ride. The plan was to ride to Nelsonville via route 56 to 691, and then take the Adena Bike Way back home. The plan went almost according to plan.

I started out in drenching rain, with hopes that I would warm up after a few minutes. The warmth came with with the first mile long climb on route 56. Then I started having fun, about the same time that the rain started to stop, but not before I was pretty much soaked all the way through, except for my upper portion, thanks to my jacket. Having a complete technical outfit on, though, I didn't worry too much, and I didn't feel wet. I planned on this, and in my experience, a hard road ride with waterproof pants on just makes the water come from the other side anyway.

Not having been on a bike weighing less than 35 pounds in about 6 months I was having a blast. A few nice long climbs, holding onto curves at 40 mile an hour on a long, curvy decent. All was good.

On route 691 I came across an area that had recently been hit by a tornado, and not feeling up to taking pictures of ruined trailers homes, I got pictures of what it did to the forest instead.

After taking pictures I realized I was stupidly hungry. Should have eaten sooner, but was having too much fun to think about it. Half a Clif Bar later I was on the road, and colder than I had hoped. I came to a road and my map told me it would cut a couple miles off of the route, and I wasn't really planning on stopping in Nelsonville anyway, so I took it toward to bike trail. Half a mile down the road I turned onto the bike trail only to realize that it was next to a river, in a valley, and I was headed into a slight headwind. Just then a funny noise came from my tires, but I didn't think much of it. It happened occasionally, sporadically, and then I realized that it was slush on the bike trail. I laughed, knowing how cold I was going to get, put my head down, and pedaled hard, trying to keep warm.

This worked for about a mile, until I realized that my body had used up the Clif bar already, so I ate the other half. And now I was in a predicament. I needed to pedal hard to stay warm, but my legs weren't giving it. Well shoot. So what to do? I knew I would be okay, I just wanted to be more comfortable. So I switched positions a lot. My hands were the coldest, but my right foot was soaking wet too, so I tried wiggling my toes as often as I could to keep the pain away. I sat up, flailed my arms around while riding, I put my sopping wet wool gloves inside my sleeves while sitting upright with no hands on the handlebars for half a mile at one point. Another time my hands got so numb I couldn't hold the bars so I had to stop and put them down my pants for a few minutes. What a crazy situation I had gotten myself into...

Finally I came back into Athens, laughing to myself about what had just happened. I hopped in the parked car and changed quickly, then shivered all the way to and through a huge burrito. And of course, I shivered all the way to Jackie O's for a pint of Java Stout. And finally I warmed up...

29 miles in exactly two hours. Given the conditions, I am happy with this time. And I can say that I honestly never lost my high spirits through all this. I could have gotten angry, but I don't know what good that would have done. Instead, I kept my head up, on straight, and had to tell myself that I was in no real danger of harm. I told myself to fight through the pain, and learn from it. In the past, I would have been a little more anxious and would not have been thinking so clearly. I would have rushed back somewhat nervous, merely hoping that nothing terrible would happen. This time, in spite of a little pain, I kept a logical mindset, laughing at the situation, and that kept me on track and calm. I felt like I was still in control of the situation, and I suppose this is all to say that I feel a little more wise today...

Life As We Know It?

2011-02-17T23:09:00.003-05:00

Went to the bar tonight. An acquaintance invited me, but what stuck out was what we call the homeless man sitting next to us. 68.5 years old, he told us. His body told him he didn't have much longer to live. He lives in the woods because they get along well. It is more free that way, no bills, no stress.

And I asked him if he thought it was funny that we only call people homeless if they don't live in a house. He laughed and said yes, because he had a home, even if we don't acknowledge it.

He struck a cord with me, one that not too many strike. Sitting next to me was a man who understood that people won't hire him because of how he looked. Old, and worn. He wasn't upset by this, but was only angry at those who pitied him. He had no bills, no expenses, just the woods to take care of him. I didn't ask where he found food. I am sure he caught and cooked some, and found the food pantries for the rest. And this was okay, because he was just surviving. There was no pride, no agenda, nothing he was striving for. He just liked to live, and if he was alive he was peaceful, because there was nothing else to ask for.

With Friends Like These

2011-02-14T21:40:00.004-05:00

I have worked at the shop for about 3 years now, and in that time have developed some relationships with customers that I would be sad to lose. Here's a story of one such customer:

He is slower than most, not intellectually, just his pace of life. But with his lack of speed comes a sense of compassion and optimism toward life. Greater than most. I have never seen him excited, but I have seen him happy, and I have seen him laugh. He understands that patience is rewarding, and often leaves without all his questions answered telling me he will be back later. Being rushed is not something he seems to enjoy, although he seems to have a full life.

A short time ago, after much deliberation and many conversations about his options, he opted to buy a new road bike, rather than fix up his current hybrid. I found him the best deal I could on a model that was a couple years old, ordered it in, and put it on layaway. He made regular payments, never on the exact same day or time, but in a very reasonable manner. He didn't need rules, I didn't give him any, he just had virtues he lived out better than most. We never expected to see him, but we were never surprised when he came in to make a small payment.

At Christmastime people started coming into the shop asking to buy gift cards, and mentioning his name, telling me stories about how much he had helped them out. These few people were his customers, people he worked with, and he had developed a relationship so deep with them that they knew he had a bike on layaway with us and wanted to help him out. They never knew how much the bike was, or if he actually needed to money for it, they just wanted to help out however they could.

A month later he came into the shop and redeemed the gift cards, seemingly humbled by their gesture.

Today I saw the man again, in higher spirits than most times. He made a payment on his purchase, and was happy to see the number it had decreased to. We joked about how it won't be long before he puts the pressure on me to get his parts swapped and the bike ready to go for him to make the final payment and take it home.

To me, stories like this give me hope in humanity. Someone who has the virtues to wait patiently for what he wants instead of getting it now while paying more for it later. Someone who needs no deadlines but will be there without question in his own time. Someone who values prudence and personal responsibility over following rules for rules sake. Someone who makes a decision toward joy in spite of a few hardships along the way.

You see, this man does not have the money to spend frivolously on something like this, yet he is perfectly comfortable bearing this burden for awhile, knowing how much happier he will be in the end. And from the way people speak of him, having money to spend frivolously on something like this is not something he desires or even understands. What he strives for is human relations, living out what he feels is right, and treating others with respect. While this may not get us everything we ever desire, it gets us much more. And every once in awhile, without expecting it, someone we have impacted in this way may want to give something in their means back, walk into the bike shop, and pay off the remaining $600 dollar balance on our purchase. It happened today for this man, and if we all were a little more like him it might happen more often than we can imagine. We all have something more than money. We have just forgotten how to use what we do have.