BB Bearing Beyonce Upgrade & forced to ride Gears & Suspension

So I've been riding my Superfly Single Speed... a lot... regularly...

At the 3rd Disco Race, though, folks noticed I looked a little different.  I tried to distract them by dressing in theme... seems I was the only Funkadelic / Expert to do so this night, too....  bonus points for me :-)

Well.. the plan didn't quite work.  Most immediately noticed that not only did my hair look like Wake's previous Disco, but my bike also looked like Wake's bike.  Its true.  I was on my Superfly 100... yup, my own Superfly 100 since about December of 2009.  Full Suspension and gears all the way baby.  An awesome bike in all its rights that I really enjoy riding!  Not my first choice for my only chance at the Disco Series, though....  I am a little 'single speed meshugana'...

Sigh... Alas, all this aforementioned riding on the Superfly Single Speed left my drive-train feeling like some torturous work-out machine at the RAC.  Now as much as I'd like to improve my leg strength... I had to draw the line somewhere.  Without gears, the resistance was limited to the rear hub, Chris King B'lingle Speed specific, yeah right, or the crank-set / BB, Shimano XTR, not likely, but more likely than the hub.  I like this simple stuff.

So I figured... since I was prepared to change my BB... why not pull a Beyonce Upgrade and replace the bearings in my cups w/ ceramic bearings?!

Well... thanks to the Enduro BB ceramic upgrade kit, Enduro removal / press tool, some paper instructions, and expert mechanic advice & experience... well lets just say my cranks never spun so smoothly!!  - that's right.. 2 exclamation points!

Should you ever want such smooth crank rotation?  Just stop on by this place called East Coasters Bike Shop and let Gary (Roanoke) or Ian (Blacksburg) help you on your way.  --

Come on... you know you want it... yes you do... it will increase your speed and bling factor almost as much as this vintage, orange, superfly, 'Luxurious Matte Jersey.'  Say it with me now.. 'Ceramic Bearing Beyonce Upgrade.'  That's good.... yeah... real good.

I mean.. for real.. you can trust a 'Disco Forest Leprechaun' can't you?!  I'm betting you can ;-)  After all, the Leprechaun is now friends with Churchhill Charlie Horse of Churchhill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Single Speed Shifting

How Single Speed'ers Shift Gears...

Good riders know to shift before the stress hits the drive-train.  For single speed'ers... that means more than just pushing a shift lever!  Preparation & knowing one's self is key to at least just finishing... and possibly finishing with honorable mentions.

Advocacy / Mill Mtn Easement Survey

I filled out my survey... have you?!

This is NOT an April Fools Day Joke.
Please speak your bicycling oriented mind regarding a potential Conservation Easement on Mill Mountain.
It should take no more than 5-10 minutes of your day but may impact generations to come.
Deadline is Friday April 02, 2010

Roanoke City is considering a Conservation Easement with regards to Mill Mountain and is seeking public input via survey.
Link to details and survey are below, but first please consider these points.

Definitions:
'Preservation' as a resource management term can imply keeping things 'as is' with no more human intervention... only changes by Mother Nature. This type of resource management can severely impact the ability to maintain, improve, or expand outdoor / natural-recreation opportunities, such as trails available for bicycling.

'Conservation' as a resource management term implies 'wise goal-base-use' land management with appropriate techniques / tools. Using Recreation-oriented Conservation Management can greatly ease managers and maintainers ability to maintain, improve, and expand as-appropriate natural-recreation opportunities.

Requests:
I urge you to support bicycling on Mill Mountain by expressing your concern in the survey's 'Comments Box' that "Any Conservation Easement on Mill Mountain allow for the ability to easily maintain, improve, and expand as appropriate the natural-recreation opportunities of Mill Mountain, in particular, single-track mountain biking and road bicycling opportunities." And yes, you may choose to cut and paste the above quoted sentence if it speaks what is on your mind :-)

Thanks for taking 5 minutes..
The link is here at http://www.roanokeva.gov/85256A8D0062AF37/CurrentBaseLink/N283DJ4X335LGONEN Just read the info, scroll down, and click the link to take the survey.
---If the above link does not work for you, please google "mill mountain easement survey" and chase links as appropriate.

Sincerely,
David Tompkins

Roanoke Valley Mountain Bike Patrol Leader
www.roanokevalley-nmbp.blogspot.com

Advocacy Representative
East Coasters Bike Shop - Roanoke, VA

Warm Fuzzy feeling :-)

Not to toot my own horn or anything... but two different customers at work today said they were impressed with my knowledge and ability to help them with their cycling needs.  Particularly the Trek PDX and the Gary Fisher Monona.

Now that just gives me a warm fuzzy... 'cause that's my main goal.. to get the best for my customers' cycling needs.

It is especially warm & fuzzy as I felt a little like I was 'running in circles' near the end of a 'very productive' week that included a POS software changeover, store remodeling, and major one day sale.

Props to my co-workers... we all help everything happen for each other!

Riding my Dirty Bikes

Rumor is my bikes are always so clean cause I hardly ride them.
Hmmm. let's see..
- Dirt all over the Single Speed.. been there since the ride last Sunday, added some more wednesday nite, then sprinkled a bit more thursday nite.
- Hmmm. still dirt on the tires of the Superfly 100 from the Bedford MTX Race #03.

besides... gives that cat some new scents to sniff around ;-)

Thank you, General Larry Platt. Thank you.

The Original - 

Too bad American Idols have age limits...

because that wasn't the last we heard of 'Pants on the Ground.'

and the remixes commenced.

and went way out of control...

Superfly100 in Action

More to come soon.  Things have been fast paced lately ;-)

(if you look closely, you can almost see my new Bontrager Heritage Wristband!  its on my left wrist... yeah... stylin' fast!)

Sometimes... it is about the style ;-)

Hell Yeah!

I'm getting some of these stylish wristbands!

DJ Roomba...

I'm thankful for DJ Roomba! ... and Park and Recreation!

Just to ride...

"Just to Ride"
Blowing wind, Swirling snow.
Temperatures drop below.
And still I ride... ride.

Wednesday's weather was temps in the 20's cresting into low 30's with winds around 15 - 26 mph and gusts up to 50-60 mph. My biggest struggle was the Triton fix-gear or the Simple City townie. 18 minutes to work... about 30 minutes home... the long way because I wanted to keep riding... laps in the high school parking lot and past home and down to the Memorial Street River Bridge and back.

Just to ride... Ride outside :~)
and oh, it was the Triton fix-gear btw.

In case you're thinking this was an anomaly, I also rode to and from work last Thursday, just to ride outside.

Good to Be Back

After much reflection...







And feeling like I was almost shot down...

It's good to be back... in the woods and on a bike.