20 August 2009

hmmm. when did this happen?



Can't help but wonder... was this before, during, or after the dirt road ride?

Maybe I should have washed my bike sooner.

10 August 2009

Can't keep me off the dirt



Sometimes you just have to get your road bike dirty ;-)

(ascending Adney Gap Road off Dillon's Mill just after descending Wades Gap.)

23 June 2009

Ft Lewis...

So. in over 5 years of living in roanoke + more since being in school in blacksburg, I have never rode a bicycle at Ft Lewis Mtn, Havens Wildlife Mgt area.

The other day.... I-an said lets go.

Go we did. Parking at the Kiosk rather than the school, we headed out for a 17 mile tour in the wilds of Ft. Lewis. Make no mistake, these trails are not 'groomed' for mountain biking. This is wildlife management, aka hunter territory. Beware of large rocks smack dab middle of the trail!... sections that just kind of disappear until you stop and lock around!... fallen trees.. This ain't no IMBA land!

I-an and I had a great time. Quite a gem in land. High enough elevation to see some unusual vegetation and habitat for Southwest Virginia. A great mix in the stale of summer.

Up the fireroad... get your stopwatch on... or just enjoy the ride :-)

This can't be mt rogers.. but look at the moss, rocks and hemlock...

Fallen trees.. par for course.

Just before the final descent.

a gratuitous pic of I-an's Rig.

Go get your ride on.. just do it before hunting season!

18 June 2009

the Wienermobile!

Some things you just can't pass up... like a chance to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!



That's right. One six official Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles recently found its way to Roanoke, and I just happened across it. You know you are jealous.

Click to learn more from Kraft food's Official Oscar Mayer Wiener website.



And just in case you thought I wouldn't get to go inside.... oh yea. Relish that you hotdog!

20 May 2009

Magic Hat Wisdom

From a bottle of Magic Hat's Wacky Cat... quite tasty I might add ;-)

'Just Relax and Read the Caps'

Perhaps words of wisdom for my upcoming first 24 hour mountain bike race, the 24 Burn near Wilksboro, NC. I'll be part of a 4 person team... 3 single speeds + 1 geared. Warren and I are key players with multi laps whilst the other two help expand the gap and give more rest time for Warren and the Forest Leprechaun.

19 May 2009

Tour de Floyd 2009

The 3rd annual Tour de Floyd. My first. What a beautiful day.



Two wheels.. new friends.. beautiful views.. delicious cookies.. fresh perspectives.. on the list for next year.

18 May 2009

staring commute

So, awhile back, one particular ride into work, it seemed as if there were more than usual stares and double takes. 'What gives?' I thought to myself.




oh yeah! I had an extra wheel tied to my back... must have looked strange to those not in the know. I was just trying to make do without driving an automobile just to transport a wheel. ... Wait a minute.. that's preposterous! Make do without driving an automobile?!!!

08 May 2009

22 April 2009

Atmos Helmet Matte Ti

Here are a few pics of the Giro Atmos Helmet, Matte Ti, Size Medium.

About one year old; only occasionally used / worn. Included are a fresh set of pads.

Chin Strap liberally cut to accommodate my head with a cycling cap for winter riding. Should fit most medium sized medium heads :-)





20 April 2009

HiFi Pro Ebay Item Pics

Hello Friends-

Following are the same photos posted on ebay but able to enlarge for more detail. Also included, per request are close-ups of the light frame scratches and cable housing rub. Not to shabby for a 2 year old mountain bike with starting bid at over half off the retail price. PLEASE NOTE - The flash in the pictures really accentuates the scratches which smooth out when waxed / cleaned with product such as Pedro's Bike Lust. This bike has been well cared-for and scratches are from normal 'wear and tear.'

Ebay auction Item number: 260394478545 found at this LINK HERE.




















Attention Please : Questions regarding this ebay auction should be addressed via ebay message/email. That way, the answer may be posted on the auction sight for all bidders to see, assuming the question / answer is sensible to post for all to see. -- Thank you and good luck bidding on your new bike!

09 April 2009

tough day.

Without tough days..

it's hard to grow.
hard to put good days in perspective.

here are five positive things to counter balance the day.

01) full moons and nite riding on mill mountain
02) thankful for the folks I helped better enjoy cycling today.
03) thankful for a job, let alone a job that I enjoy!
04) friends that listen... even if it's via voicemail
05) thankful for the smile on someone's face today.. even if it didn't go the way I hoped.
06) bonus - thankful for my music mix on my mp3.

08 April 2009

Dragon's Tale 2009

ummm. my first Dragon's (Back) Tale official event...

Why I chose single speed?! uh, I have a Superfly SS... so why not!

7 hours and 16 minutes of forward movement attempt to complete the 40 miles.

02 April 2009

the optic nerve of things...



So whilst ponder what would happen if my eyeball popped out of it's socket and into my honest tea bottle of coffee...

We decided said eyeball would hang by the optic nerve but could be moved around... allowing said individual to literally stare one's self in the eye! Well, at least stare yourself in in the other eye!

Here's a pic of a 'Bigfoot Staredown' from www.oregonbigfoot.com. Check out the art gallery and Peter Oberdorf's work... from where I linked this bigfoot pic. Or just ponder your own eyeball for a bit.
btw. my 10th grade Geometry Teacher, Mr. Muruz, had a glass eyeball and had the desks arranged at corner to corner angles rather than front to back; so he could see the students with his good eye.

12 March 2009

Origami w/ a plastic bag

Discussing folding plastic bags at work... someone thought of plastic bag origami.

We chuckled a bit. Then I took the plunge not expecting to find much by image google searching "plastic bag origami." The results rolled in. Why i'm stunned, i'm not sure.



Apparently, they mostly reference instructions on how to 'football' fold a plastic grocery bag to take up less space. My thoughts... just use a reusable canvas shopping bag.

"ooooh... mr. cable... why won't you go there. Uhhh.. i'll be right back."




Here's a more creative use of plastic bag origami... as a wreath. Check out the Craftzine blog for additional recycle / reuse ideas.

10 March 2009

Thin Ice Haiku


Where does my ice go?
In freezer, filled trays did place.
Like socks, disappears.

06 March 2009

been strugglin' lately...

Do I blog or do I ride?

Hah! Of course.. I Ride!

Especially when I have a special limited edition Gary Fisher Superfly Single Speed!! (yes, its a dedicated SS w/ horizontal drops and no SIS cable bosses.) Just over 20 lbs, and that's with a suspension fork and gank old triple crank converted to single from a Fisher Sugar (so the crank is at least 6-7 yrs old but it's got style... of some sort).

So back to riding... The pics are piling up a bit, though, so more later on the SFSS!

08 February 2009

Simple City Ride

For whom the Bell tolls.
Full Moon Lite so Brite, tonite.
Simple City Ride.

patience..

My lonely parts now have a common soul.

The Superfly SS Frameset arrived last Friday!



So why isn't it built yet!?

No excuse. but the brakes and crankset are not here yet. Perhaps other bikes should give so a new one can enter the fold? Well, was going to, but sometimes you can only do so much. Brakes should be here this coming week, and I have scrounged up a crankset assuming the BB will work.

03 February 2009

working on my truck. again.

Okay. So really about a month or so ago, it was time to deal with my lack of quality park brake action on my truck. With the help of my friend James, it was determined the root was from old, sticky, corroded brake cables & housing. (sound familiar with your left out in the elements v-brake and canti-brake systems with lacking response?) The solution, new park brake cables... which go into the rear drum brakes... which means overhauling the rear drum brakes. Simple says James.

Well, simple was true, but as usual with unfamiliar system repairs; time was involved. Think about installing bicycle shift cables and derailleur adjustment.. for your first time.

The drum brake rebuild kits included instructions.
Here they are in all their simpleness:
Note that the instructions are multi-lingual. That's right. Not even a full page to instruct how to overhaul your drum brakes. Pictures are worth a thousand words, but really, it was a little more involved than the instructions suggest.

Oh wait. Here's another instruction sheet. Oh, never mind. It's just a warning to remind you to replace this particular part.. properly.

Is it any wonder there were parts left over?! Even after replacing all the parts in my drum brakes and installing the new cables?!


Alas, though, I can once again park safely on inclines; and without applying chalk blocks. (Thanks once again for your help, James.)

27 January 2009

peanut butter baddness

No. Not talking about bad as in 'Who's Bad?' I'm talking about the peanut butter related products recall going on with this tainted peanut butter issue going down.

Seeing a report about possible effected / recalled peanut butter associated Cliff Bars (click Here for more), I remembered, "Oh yeah, i've got some cliff bars in my pantry."

Maybe I should eat them more often. Two of the three Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch were past expiration / best-buy-date while the third was not in the date range for the tainted peanut butter recall. Well, as Meatloaf says, " two out of three ain't bad." Seriously, the packages aren't bloated (a lesson I learned in identifying bad MRE's) so the 'expired' are probably still okay?

Sad to say, my friend Laura, aka: Michigan, did not fair as well as I did. Click the link to read her blog post and tainted peanut butter experience.

Oddly enough, though, it was most likely Salmonella that kept me from turning into a tubby mc'tubberton. My Junior(?) year of high school (go Ralston Rams), as I was starting to get pudgy around the mid section, I got a bad case of food poisoning. After a weekend in the bathroom, I ended up in the hospital with a check-in weight of under 100 lbs, having previously weighed around 130-140 lbs. The IV needle they stuck in my hand was gauged big enough for blood transfusion just in case. Well, after not quite literally dieing, the fat never came back, and a few years later, Uncle Sam pitched in with adding weight via muscle mass. I've been active, healthy, and lean ever since.

But I digress. Who's bad? the Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band. That's who.


Well... that is unless you're "who's fat?" (sorry. embedding was disabled but you can search video google 'who's fat Weird Al' yourself.) In the process, though, I found the McDonald's Rap.



Kind of reminds me of Lazy Sundays. That was 'bad.'

22 January 2009

Dave the Destroyer

Today was not an ordinary day at the shop (East Coasters) for the Forest Leprechaun.

Today... behold... an appearance from 'Dave the Destroyer!'

-insert smoke, explosions, fire, and rabbit from 'Search for the Holy Grail.'-



Recent remodeling at the store has brought about a certain 'Clampettiness' appearance behind the shop. If you aren't familiar with 'Clampetty,' think Beverly Hillbillies and your redneck neighbors with junk out back.

Today, 'piles to the left and piles to the right' did not leave me 'stuck in the middle again.' Instead, Dave the Destroyer was unleashed! He called upon his friends 'Hammer' and 'Big A$$ Screwdriver' while keeping tabs on the whereabouts of 'SawsAll' should things really get nasty.

Well, the 'broom sweeping' commenced. Although, 'SawsAll' was never called into the fray, his assistant 'Hacksaw Bob' made a brief appearance. One of the young ladies from next door even added joined in with some 'Office Space' style kicking! (she said it felt Gooood.)

The result... a much more tidy appearance. Sure there's a few large pieces of plywood, but nothing our friend 'SkillSaw' can't overcome during the sequel and final chapter.

It's a much more tidy world. Thank you, Dave the Destroyer.


btw. Here's a pic of someone claiming to be Dave the Destroyer. Well, perhaps there may be a second Dave the Destroyer out there. Boccie is pretty tough...

13 January 2009

Lonely Parts

Sigh. originally projected in Jan. Now possibly March. My parts are lonely and want to be grouped together.

Notably missing... disc brakes (front & rear) and crank set.

08 January 2009

Road Bike Sickness?

dave was horribly sick w/ sinus congestion last Tuesday. So much so, he went home from work (shortly after arriving) and slept most of the rest of the day.

(dave's currently feeling better than like his head is full of bread dough and is progressing along gently.)

Let's see. what has been out of the norm of late that might have contributed to this ill filling... ummm I road my road bike for the first time in quite a while last Sunday.

Perhaps I truly am a dirt minded rider. Like that is any stretch of thought.

05 January 2009

it's january.. time for the road bike

Yup. Dusted off the road bike. It's officially january. Taking it easy while getting in some miles.. an maybe some more miles... and maybe some more miles... and climbing.

No Frank this year to co-conspire me out in freezing weather. - Frank is still around, just on different schedules since changing jobs. - Besides, didn't take long last year for Frank to amp up into zone whatever and leave me in the cold windy dust. Guess I'll just have to inspire myself.

Inspire is just what I did today. Couldn't pass up the 50 degree weather. It was supposed to be raining today; so I hadn't plan to ride. 3pm saw no rain in site and me outside on my Serotta Nove. Always so pleased how smooth that bicycle is!

Saving grace this year... as a member of the Roanoke Valley Mountain Bike Patrol, I'll be doing at least one mountain bike ride a week on Mill Mountain.