Cross pictures

I've got a couple of pictures now.

I've also got some by Luis Cotto on picasa. CCBA has them on facebook.

Here are some taken by Cedric De La Cruz of the men's 1/2/3 race:




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brrrrr..... ice bike one, friday, oct 30

two posts in a day, kickass!!!!!

brendan rocked it with the cross race and it looks like it will be a feature in the future as well with the huge turnout. making hartford more interesting is always a good thing and for the city to see people on bikes doing anything positive increases awareness and certainly moves the ball forward for all of us velocipeders. i saw a pretty good number of out of state plates at the event as well, nice.

the days are getting shorter and the nip is out in the air. maybe not as much as the picture would indicate.... but its getting colder for sure.

come join the ccba at jojo's coffee on pratt street this friday morning from 7-9 for our first icebike event of the season. this time breakfast is on you, but the chance to meet and greet others and make sure you are geared up and prepped out for the winter is priceless.

now if i could only find plans to build this thing....... Read more!

Hartford crossed

Hartford's motto is post nubila phoebus, which means "after the clouds, sun". I suppose that's true pretty much everywhere except those strange cities in the northwest. Luckily for the race yesterday, the cloud part was on Saturday and the sun part was Sunday. We had incredibly beautiful weather, but more than adequate mud to make things cyclocrossish. For those reasons, we had way more people than I anticipated. Like I was hoping for around 100-120, but 180 showed up. The C race had 53 entrants.

I took a break from the hectic registration table and enterred the C race. I had a really strong (for me) start and finally got a chance to ride the course. After the first lap, I think I may have been in the top 10. Then my deraileur caught a stick and messed everything up. So, I sadly DNF'd.

So, thanks to Melissa, Johanna, Art, Jonathan, Jason, Ben (x2), Sean, Chris, Craig, and everybody else who lent a hand. Also, to the sponsors: Ghostship, Central Wheel, Hooker Brewing and REI.

Oh, if anybody has good pictures, send them to me. I took a grand total of one. It's not even a good one. Read more!

Reminder! Hartford 'Cross!

In addition to my new kitty, Alina, something has been keeping me awake: Sunday's 'cross race. You may recall Eel 1, when people showed up and it was cool, and Eel 2, when not so many people showed up and it was still cool. Those were low-key and there wasn't much money or whatever to worry about. Sunday's race, on the other hand is a sanctioned event and there's money and there are people whom I don't know. I think I have my ducks in a row, but you never know.

People have been signing up with greater frequency this week. I just paid Riverfront Recapture $750 for use of the park. So, sign up! come watch! become a sponsor! let me get some sleep!

I hope the person who had their cool old Schwinn locked in front of City Hall is racing. And, a bike of that vintage shouldn't have been named "CrissCross", it should have been "Kris Kross". Read more!

No more bikes

Johanna and I got a new kitty, who's about eight weeks old. She's a Russian Blue and much cuter than a bike. I'm thinking that I should give up on bikes and just blog about cats. Any name suggestions?

Considering my performance at Mansfield Hollow last weekend, it may not be a bad idea.

Cyclocoffee!

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Reinstated

The weather is turning nasty and yesterday I got a really wet butt riding home. This was unacceptable.

I've been trying to wrestle the bottom bracket out of the Long Haul Trucker for months to no avail, well I've availed myself of a damaged wrench. So, I took it to the bike shop and paid $25 for two men (maybe three) to fight with it for a half an hour and get it out. I brought it back home and put the UN-54 in. The spindle wasn't as long as the old one, so I had to take the 28t inner ring off the triple. I never used that chainring anyway, so no loss. It looks a little sleeker now anyway with 48 & 38. A low gear of 38x30 is enough. I rode it to work this morning and my butt stayed dry.


UPDATE! I even took the thing off to the reservoir for some cumbersome "mountain biking" and it passed the test with flying colors. My partner was on a fixed gear; we were certainly a mötley crüe.

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Cool or exploitative?

So, I saw this video of a downhill event in the slums of Rio. The course looks cool, but I'm wondering if any of these residents were asked by Red Bull if they wanted a bike race through their homes. What do you think? It's a little more obtrusive than Danny MacAskill riding by and doing cool tricks. Do downhillers worry themselves about such things? Read more!

Vermonsters & leaves

So, in middle of an epic ride (kidding) my shifter broke on my Stumpjumper. It answered the question what the rattling was in the shifter/brake lever contraption. I thought that it was brake cable stop or something like that, because that brake lever had a little bit of play in it. But, nope, it was the shifter falling apart. So much for the reliability of XT (XT circa 1996). Anybody got one of these? I'd really appreciate it.

So, I did some hiking instead.


On Saturday, Johanna and I found the elusive summit of Mt. Hor. Actually, this preceeded my shifter braking. I broke it when we got back.


Sunday was the day of actual bikelessness. I think that if I give myself eight or nine hours, I can do all four (five?) peaks of the Franconia Ridge Trail. But, I only had time for three on Sunday. Hiking still makes my legs hurt and coming down the Mt. Flume trail is really difficult.

Fucking cycalists!

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A few items for consideration

1. >I don't want to get shot this weekend. Once again, I'm returning to Vermont. I don't usually go during hunting season. VMBA advised to wear orange or red and not ride where people are hunting a lot. VT Fish & Wildlife says that you can hunt within like ten feet of a road. Much of the land where I go in Glover is posted no hunting. However, the people who own it can hunt there and might do that. I plan to stay on roads, but some of those roads are pretty quiet and I've seen blinds near them. Any advice? Only ride at Kingdom Trails, where hunting isn't a concern?
2. Why wouldn't you want to say hi me? I'm a nice guy and look non-threatening on a bike. Last night, though, I had like a half dozen unreturned greetings at the Reservoir. I'm hurt. At the onset of the ride, there was a nice guy with whom I was leap frogging picking up blow down from the recent high winds. There weren't over the top or anything. Just "hey" to someone who's oncoming or someone whom I'm passing.
   
3. Chris is at Interbike in Providence. Cool, eh? He's also spreading the word about Hartford 'Cross. He better write up something cool for us.
   
4. Speaking of Hartford 'Cross. If you come day of with a usable part or tool for the Urban League, the $5 surcharge'll be waived.

I have no plans to run in the marathon.

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The course

Art and I went over to Riverside Park last night for some kibitzing about the course. I think we successfully incorporated both of our ideas quite well into a kick ass course. It's mostly flat, so it's going to be very fast. And, faithful to my description on bikereg, that levee is tall. It's also rideable, so we're thinking there might need to be something to make that more difficult. The other cool thing about this levee is that it creates the opportunity for some cool off-camber nasty stuff. Further, the course is going to have a fair amount of pavement. There's also a nice section that goes right along the river, though I doubt most racers will be thinking about the picturesqueness. I hope people like it.

Pictures are unrelated to post. Although, I would like you to note that this bottom picture illustrates how nice of a guy I am to trails. See, those planks there are always getting jiggled and jangled apart by the bikes that ride over them. Most people just keep going and leave them askew. If I go over them and separate them, I stop and put them back together. That's what I did here. The ring of pepperoni is not something that I would eat. Read more!

We cleaned

Thanks to everyone who came by on Saturday to help clean up the river. Isn't it impressive how there was a break in the rain that lasted the entire time we were cleaning? Also, I owe Kerri a tshirt. (Does anyone know who picked up the most trash?)

I suppose I should have taken a picture of Chris' cool cargo bike, but here are some other pictures:

UPDATE! Bianca got a picture of Chris' cargo bike.

UPDATE 2! Bianca also got a picture of the sex toy box that Kerri found (which was the most interesting piece of trash):
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The otherside

I've never lived anywhere other than Hartford County. I started in West Hartford, then lived in Avon and now I'm in Hartford. I suppose briefly I had a dorm room at UConn, but I generally slept in Middletown, West Hartford or Avon for those six months. The dorm life (at age 21) was not something I could stomach. And, since I've spent all my time here, the west vs. east of the Connecticut River rivalry was deeply imbued in me and I was taught to be a member of the pro-western forces.

Starting in around 2006, things started changing in me. I worked as the 1st Congressional District Coordinator for Ned Lamont. More or less, the 1st CD is comprised of Hartford County minus New Britain and the southern & mid-Farmington Valley. So, I got to start learning about east of the river. I met some great people. Since then, my political stuff & my job have been Hartford-based, so I've touch with some of those people over there.

However, I have expanded the network of people with whom I ride bicycles. In that expansion, I've met a lot of east of the river types, because they seem to be more friendly and inclusive in their group rides. They also stray in the interesting and accessible terrain of that side of the river. It's more rolling, steeper and taller than over here. I kinda like. They've also got a lot more dirt roads.

So, I shall lay down my arms and preach east/west understanding from now on.

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Reminder about cleaning stuff up

Hey! Don't forget that we're going to be cleaning up stuff up on Saturday down at the confluence of the Park & Connecticut Rivers. Without a doubt, it's going to be awesome.


11am - 2pm. It's in this area. I've got two tshirts to give away to the person who collects the most trash and the person who collects the most interesting piece of trash. Thank Connecticut River Watershed Council for giving me three tshrits this year (I get to keep one for myself).


In honor of cleaning, I want to go for a bike ride the next day. Not sure of the route, maybe a little dirt thrown in. Email me if you're interested.

I think that all of the water in these pictures eventually went into the Connecticut River.
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Badass hawks

Johanna and I tried to do some mountain biking today, but it didn't go very well because I thought it'd be a cool idea to ride without tools, a pump, a tube, or anything other than my wallet, keys and phone. So, I was punished by mountain bike gods (or cyclocross gods, because I was riding my 'cross bike) and got a flat.

After regrouping, Johanna decided to go for a run instead and I rode around on the old Stumpjumper. Nothing interesting, though I did encounter this sort of creepy guy. Then later, there was this badass hawk that I happened upon that had just disemboweled a duck. Damn! The fury of nature!


I couldn't figure out where the hawk had flown, so I did not get a picture of him/her. Read more!

Such a DB

A friend of mine was in need of transportation. Like many carless Hartford residents, this young man, whom I shall call Squiggy for no real reason other than the enjoyment I get from saying "Squiggy", found that area bus schedules don't mesh well with his school and work schedules. As a bike-loving man about town and veteran scrounger, I was asked to keep an eye out for a decent bike at a price ranging anywhere from free to cheap. After a few weeks, the ever-generous trash night and a friend cleaning out his garage found me in possession of two free 1990's Diamond Back Topanga mountain bikes. Neither was quite fully functioning, but there were enough parts between the two to make a decent rider. The slightly larger of the two bikes had more intact parts and higher end components, so its smaller, downmarket brethren got cannibalized. Reduce, reuse, bicycle.

I haven't really thought about the Diamond Back brand since I was in elementary school and coveted a lighter, faster BMX bike than my own ponderously heavy (but indestructible) looptail Fuji. My friend Mike had a chrome Diamond Back with black accents. I remember him sticking a black, die-cut Oakley decal on the black, hard plastic seat, creating the convincing illusion of the only custom-molded Oakley seat in town. This decision made him the most visionary aesthete in the 5th grade. DB later came out with some pretty badass snakeskin motifs on their BMX bikes, but I stopped thinking about them altogether sometime late in the Reagan administration, when a hand-me-down Viscount 10 speed made me focus on road bikes. I digress (habitually, you'll get used to it.)

The look of these two bikes is unapologetically 1990s, with splatter paint and little touches of neon pink here and there. I have this sudden urge to ride to Tower Records to buy a Blues Traveler tape when I look at them. They both have Shimano Biopace cranksets, which long ago fell out of favor, but Saint Sheldon liked them and my old Shogun had them, so I'll consider this an asset. The "DB" logo these frames wear proudly on their head tubes predates the now-common shorthand for douchebag. My favorite detail is the star-spangled "Designed in USA" followed by the pink "Made in China." Why pink? Did test marketing find a watered-down pink China less threatening than the full-strength red variety? It was obviously vital to make it known that this furrin'-made bike has that all-important 'Merican pedigree.

I did a trial assembly and took a test ride the other night. The front derailleur isn't right, which seems to be the case with every used bike I get. The chain needs a good cleaning and lube, but is surprisingly unworn, which makes me happy, as the Biopace setup calls for a different chain than any other that I have around the house. Of all the things I've observed thus far whilst riding in diagnostic mode, the most apparent is that I'm growing fond of this bike. The short seat tube/long top tube geometry is well suited to my own peculiar dimensions (short legs/long torso) I may end up scrounging up some parts and building up the donor DB frame at some point. I've been thinking about putting together a snow bike this winter, and this could be just the thing, even if it is a bit heavy. Before I devote any more thought to the donor bike, I'll be riding this one around for the next week or so, sorting it out and replacing parts as needed. Today, for example, the sidewall on the rear tire blew out on my way home from work, so some new tires just went to the top of the list. I was just thinking that I didn't have enough projects... Read more!

SSWC

I received a text message late on Friday from a blogging brother, Joel AKA Billy Hoyle. Little did I know, but he was in Durango during the Single Speed World Championships. Very cool.

I can't seem to get the picture of my phone because my card reader is acting up, but there's a picture of a bunch of single speed mountain bikes locked up in weird places and Joel's text: "Im in durango this wknd & the singlespeed championships are going on. town's nuts." I replied asking him if there were lots of men in skirts and superhero costumes and he replied "howdyouknow?"

Since I was in Connectict, I didn't do any of the aforesaid stuff. I did go on a pretty awesome dirt road (and a bit of single track) ride with Salem & Art Roti yesterday in the wilds south of Glastonbury yesterday. Since those guys are better than me, the limits of what I can ride on a 'cross bike were pushed. Oh, and another plug for Kool Stop salmon brake pads. Those things are so awesome. My bike actually stops now and stops pretty well. 'Cross races this year are going to be much different: I will go slow & stop, instead of going slow and crashing into trees.

I also went to Peoples State Forest. No bikes there.


That picture of Jacquie Phelan was stolen from her website and isn't even from 2009. I guess everyone is still hung over from the race and haven't posted any pictures yet.

UPDATE! Here's Joel's picture:

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White Castle Bicycle Drama

I am starting to suspect that fast food and bicycles should not be mixed, though, most likely, the the problem is just the fast food! After a good night of drinking, it was decided I would be forced to try White Castle for the first time. Never had it before, and was kinda excited to finally have one of them damn shooters!


We spied Issac pedaling by and he soon joined us and brought his bicycle inside as he did not have the key to his lock. As we entered, the register person and the cook noticed the bike and shouted angrily, “Get that thing outta here!” Issac again tried to explain that he didn’t have his lock and he was only waiting for us to order food.


The cook then broke into a frenzy of angry yelling and gestures, “That guy is NOT getting served. Nope!” Then more to himself as he took the order from the two people ahead of us in line, “I ain’t serving them, bringing that bike in here, don’t know what they was thinking, crazy-ass, I AINT’T serving them.” Then to us as the cook hooted and hollered in agreement, “Excuse me sir, we are not going to serve you with that bicycle in here, please take it outside. Issac relented and went outside, he smartly was nor ordering any food.

We got back to the apartment and I suffered through one of those “burgers”. Shit that was bad! The “meat” was like 3 sheets of construction paper slapped together. BLAAHHHH! Never ever again. But, those round chicken ring things…

And how do you burn off bad food or get ready for the Monday Night Ride…


Pollard, pedi-cab driver with skills, about to get some air at Mikey and Jason’s crib, errr..make that ballroom!



And here is the rest of it.

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First bike ride of the second quarter of my life or last bike ride of the first quarter

I'm not all together certain. It was my 26th birthday yesterday and I went for a bike ride on the old singlespeed. It was the first time I took it out since I broke my thumb with it back in June. Since then it's developed a new chain and a new rear cog. I'm still riding with a 20t, but I'm using a Surly cog instead of an Endless Bike Co. one. So far, it rides exactly like it did before. The Surly cog is steel, though, and the Endless Bike one aluminum. It'll be interesting to see which lasts longer. Steel is suppose to by a significant margin.


Fall is definitely arriving soon.

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Uncertain of the ironic value

Tomorrow, I turn 26 and you what that means: I have to get a new drivers license. So, this morning I went over to the DMV in Wethersfield. There's no reason for me to drive a car to Wethersfield, because it's nearby, so I rode my bike. As you can probably imagine, there aren't any bike racks at the DMV and people give you sidelong glances if you go to the motor vehicles' department with a non-motorized vehicle. Or maybe, the sidelong glances were because they thought I was getting my license reinstated after a DWI. Who knows?

My feet, waiting briefly before the head got its picture taken.

Further, if the government can make the DMV as effecient as they have, they can totally do health care. Damn! The whole thing took like six minutes. That's way faster than it was last time when I went to AAA. My pictures doesn't even look half bad.

One other bonus was that I was down at the end of Wethersfield Ave during working hours, so I could take the cool flood control cut through.


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