still fixing up bikes... just not as many

I have not posted in a while. I've been busy doing misc. stuff this summer. Going on trips and camping. Fun though, but hadn't been doing as much bike refurbishing this year as last summer. Also, I have not been as actively seeking out projects - last year I routinely combed sources for bikes being given away and had as many as 8 or 9 bikes in the garage at a time. Now I have just three, but they're keepers as far as I'm concerned.

From a friend I did get an old Schwinn hybrid that needs a total rebuild/clean-up and an old school Magna mountain bike that is rusty but should be easier to rebuild on the cheap, as I have a lot of the needed parts on-hand... new cables and better tires, mainly. Photos of the bikes in the condition received are below.





I think the Schwinn might be a good alternative to my commuter bike, as it has 700c wheels (generally better for a road bike) and the Magna might be rebuilt to sell for someone's Burning Man bicycle. I sold two bikes I "saved" last year to people going to the '07 Burn. Cheap bikes are desired as the dust of the desert playa is very destructive to bicycles' mechanical works.

bike buckets on the bike

Here are a few photos of the bike buckets mounted to my commuter bike...

a new superhero

From the Monty Python British comedy TV show...

first bike commute for 2008

My first bike commute for this year was uneventful.

I left home for work between 6:00 and 6:10 this morning and I was at work before 6:30... probably by 6:20 or 6:25. Being downhill on the way to work, it goes fast, but I keep it pretty sane. No wild speed or risky moves. My normal schedule doesn't have me start until at least 7:00 in the morning. (I have to be in Seattle tomorrow very early for an awards presentation so I will be driving to work and into Seattle).

In the early morning today, I was photographed with my bicycle at our transit center with my boss in a vanpool van for a local business newspaper article about employees' commute options in our county.

I got off work around 4:30 and headed home (uphill ride and some walking... OK, about a third of the trip was walking). I got home just after 5:00 to the cheers of the kids and my wife, Christie, who were waiting for me in our driveway.

Today I did also try out my homespun version of a "bike bucket" I made last weekend. It's shown in the photo below mounted to the bike rack.


Here's a look at what the hooks and mounting look like. Pretty simple and easy to find parts if you know your way around a hardware store and can use simple tools. I think I did this in 30 minutes or less.


The item in the lower portion of the bucket side is a bungee cord used to keep the bucket on the bike when empty/nearly empty. If I were to modify this trial version, I would likely add another bungee or elastic straps to connect the sides of the bucket to the rack and prevent forward-back sliding. Perhaps if the hanging hooks were dipped/painted in plasticote type rubberized material this too could prevent the sliding that can occur on a hill due to the lack of friction between metal-to-metal.

year 2

Tomorrow, I plan on doing my first bike commute for 2008. It's Bike to Work month again and I'm a team captain again. Our team is the Cedar River Riders (CR2).

We have two teams of ten riders already established and hopefully, we might develop at least one more team of at least 4 riders to participate.

Winter hung on into spring for us, so it has been cold (snow a few weeks ago with hail storms the following week!) I'm eager to get out of hibernation.

Sheldon Brown 1944-2008

Sheldon Brown, of Harris Cyclery in West Newton, MA, passed away last weekend at home of a heart attack.

Many bicyclists have benefitted from Mr. Brown's website which is a treasure of technical and historical cycling data and humor he'd been keeping up since 1997.

I read he dutifully would personally answer each of the 500-1000 daily e-mails he received from fans across the 'net.

I'll leave you with a tip of Mr. Brown's that's appropriate for the time of year and climate: "One of my ways of dealing with cold weather is to cover my helmet's ventilation holes with tape. This really helps a lot, and I highly recommend the tape trick for winter cycling."

Mr. Brown leaves behind his wife, Harriet, daughter, Tova, and son, George.

other projects - Schwinn American

Latest one I've found is an old 1950s-1960s Schwinn with a 2-speed Bendix rear hub and rear coaster brake. It is an "American" model and only needs new tires and tubes plus a cable for the rear hub. Of course, it is well-worn and has "patina" with a slight layer of rust, but I may keep it that way instead of completely restoring it... like a "rat bike".

Mostly complete, I believe the only thing it lacks are fenders.