as the kidz say... "PWNED"

I was chugging along from work today trying to chase an older, slimmer, shorter, Asian dude on a MTB-turned-commuter bike today.

I never caught up to him and used up my go juice trying to do that. I had to settle for gearing down and just matching his cadence... he was cookin' along like an eggbeater.

I think the worst part is I pulled out of our workplace and immediately tried cranking along and that worked OK for a while but my legs soon got really tight and fatigued... always seems like a better ride for me if I run a short, easy warm-up before I hammer it.

As it turned out, I still made it home in about 30 seconds less than my recent best time.

a winter project

Here's a Japanese touring bike from the early 1970s I picked up cheap recently. A true 10-speed with bar end shifters and a full Shimano Titlist GS drivetrain. It needs virtually everything... and the frame is nothing to write home about as it has ample rust but not any dents or other damage. Perfect for a "rat bike" perhaps... it seems way too tall for me.



I bought used 27-incher tires and new gear and brake cables, I'm waiting to find the proper road bike brake pads, and then I'll see how rideable it is. I did do some work on getting the chain lubed and the freewheel spinning more freely.

Here I am buying bar tape at a Tacoma bicycle shop.

My favorite bike blog... one of them... OK, a few of them, actually.

I am really finding the BIKE HACKS blog as a daily pleasure. It has humor, helpful low budget tips, and other views of the bicycle culture in the world.

I've also visited Bike Hugger for some of the same reasons.

Lastly, I enjoy the web site for DIYers called Instructables . It allows users to share their home-built projects, anything, really, but I tend to search for bicycle-related topics. It seems there are a lot of cyclists obsessed with building cheap trailers to tow gear behind their bikes. There are also homemade lights, ways to make your bike even more visible, and other things like that.

Worth a look at these sites as the weather grows darker, colder, and wetter.