More Bike Building

Tonight I managed to file the miters into a couple more tubes. I'm getting faster and more exact, I can see why the pros all heavily suggest getting some practice material to work on. I'll be much more adept at mitering the tubes that count when the time comes.

That reminds me, Jen has been quite sad since she sold her road bike and bought her tri-bike because it doesn't offer the same opportunity for climbing hills and more traditional cycling. Don't get me wrong, she loves her new bike, it's a sweet carbon frame, with integrated seat post (that means you have to be pretty darn sure of the height you want your seat at before you cut the extra off), carbon cranks, aero bars, and a nice SRAM component set. Anyway, I've decided that the first bike I'll make will be hers. The cyclocross bike that I bought, mostly for the components, will do fine for a season of 'cross racing and I'll have my own bike built by next year. I'll then have an extra bike to sell or keep around, you always need extra bikes. My old blue GT hardtail has become the loaner for Jen's friends that don't have bikes and end up doing triathlons.

As promised is a picture of my new, heavy duty, work bench.

Squaw Peak

I did my usual Monday ride with my co-worker Dave yesterday. He suggested we do Squaw Peak. If you're unfamiliar with Squaw Peak it's a local geological feature. The road to the top is 4.5 miles and gives a great view of the valley with the surrounding mountains and Utah Lake. The road is unrelenting in it's constant uphill angle. Once you start up the road there isn't a single place where your legs get any sort of a break.

About 1 mile in another cyclist came flying down the road past us, he just have been enjoying that part I thought to myself. After about another mile this same cyclist rode past us at about 3 times the speed we were going and he looked like he was just out for a leisurely ride. I seriously could not have even pictured Lance Armstrong going as fast after already doing climb once.

If Dave had not been with me I would have given up at least a half dozen times, but he stuck with me, both of us just grinding away, slowly making our way up the hill. I had a few cramps pop up and I thought for sure I was done, but I was able to keep going. About 1/2 mile from the top my legs just stopped, they had no more. I checked my watch and we had been riding the Squaw Peak road for 38 minutes. Not a long time for a bike ride, even with the 35 minutes it took us to get to the base of the climb, but 38 minutes of constant killer pressure on the legs was apparently all I could take.

After a brief rest I got back on the bike, happy there was a seat to support me since my legs were complete jelly. The ride back down, though much easier did actually make my arms tired. I still need to check my brake pads to see if I have anything left, they seemed to get softer and softer the more I used them. I'm sure they heated up and melted away by the time we reached the bottom.

Once we got to the bottom I realized I still had 10 miles to get back to my car that I had left at work. Normally this 10 miles isn't too bad, about a 30 minute ride. The small hills left me weak and I had no energy left in my legs. It ended up taking me a little over 45 minutes to get back to my car.

I'll give Squaw Peak another try, but I'm going to need a few weeks of intervals to feel like I might have a shot at it.

Cyclocross and bike building

Two things on my mind as of late. The beginning of Cyclocross season is Oct. 3. There are 5 races in October, and 5 or 6 more through the middle of Dec. I was reading a 'cross article the other day and the smell of embrocation was immediately present, so much so that I wondered if the children had gotten into my embrocation, man would they be in for a surprise, that stuff is strong. Anyway, I'm down-right giddy with the thought of the new season starting and even though summer has blown by I'm quite happy about it now, bring on that fall chill and the ring of the cowbells. (I took a mental pause just now to take it all in). I've been riding with a guy from work named Dave Lindsey each Monday afternoon. We usually manage a 30 mile ride in the two hours we're out. This should help me get a decent fitness base going so I don't totally die in the first race like last year. Now... if I can just get myself to get on the trainer and do some intervals I'd be doing even better.

I bought some steel tubes and lugs about 3 months ago in my attempt to start building a bike. I just started my first practice miters last night. The problem has been mainly a time issue. The workbench in my garage was not exactly up to the challenge of filing steel tubes in the vise, so I've been working on making a new workbench. It's finally done and it's a beast of a table. The top is made of 2x4's that I glued together in a butcher block fashion. I got the idea from a Lowes website showing home projects. Framed it up with 2x8's and bolted on 4x6's for legs and I've got a workbench that will far outlast my earthly life. Seriously, this thing will last for generations. I hope some kid of mine wants it when I'm dead, because this thing took a lot of work to build.

So the workbench is up, the vise is mounted and I've begun filing some cheap chromoly tubes that I bought from an aircraft supply store. I had no idea that there were aircraft supply stores for people that make their own airplanes before I started down this path to make my own bike. Hopefully I can make a decent go of it. I have a cyclocross bike that will do just fine until I get the new frame done, but it will be awesome, once it's done and painted, to ride a bike that I actually made.

Spanish TV

I'd like to channel my inner Jerry Seinfeld for a moment and say, "What's the deal with Spanish TV?" It's really bizarre? Every once in a while if the program title seems interesting I'll turn on one of the Spanish channels. Tonight there was nothing on and I saw the program name "Don Cheto", I thought of it as Don Cheeto because it was funnier in my head than the Spanish pronunciation. I realized I've seen this Don Cheto on that channel 8 a number of times I wonder what it is. So I changed the channel and the first thing I see are two gigantic, 8 foot tall, roosters fighting in a makeshift ring. I realized that it was the cock fighting version of those Sumo suits you can wrestle in at parties. There were a bunch of people waving money around outside the ring. I'm not sure, if this was just an act to make the cock fighting more authentic looking or if they were actually betting on these to fellas in the rooster suits. There was of course about 4 women in short shorts and bustiers (is that how you spell it?) Doing a sort of cowboy dance around the stage. Picture them with the thumbs in their pockets doing a slight side to side jig. Though it wasn't featured on this particular show, you almost always have some sort of host or character that speaks excessively loudly in a sort of Mexican meets monster truck announcer type voice.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Motorcycle Trip - 09: Day 7

Day 7

Rye Patch NV - Orem UT (Home)

We were roused awake by the burning heat of the morning sun. Really, we felt like we were baking in the tent and it was only 7:30 am. It was then that we also noticed that we had really begun to stink. The sleeping bags were getting a bit off, the tent was starting to smell and I'm sure we personally didn't smell too great. Unfortunately, this was the one place that didn't have a shower so we would arrive home later that day in a rather road weary state.

We had a less than satisfying breakfast at McDonalds in Winnemucca. Not much to say about the trip between Winnemucca and Wendover. If you've ever driven it you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. We stopped in Wendover for Fuel and a Soda. We enjoyed the A/C while chatting about the scary group of bikers parked outside. They were the only rough looking group we happened upon during the entire trip. They looked pretty rough and their jackets had swastikas. It was then that John got a message from Noelle that we had an hour and a half to get his motorcycle back or he'd have to pay and extra $360 because he wouldn't be able to turn it in until Monday. We looked at our watches and realized that although we really didn't have a chance we better try anyway.

Back on I-80 doing 80 mph past the Salt Flats, the weird tree sculpture, Saltair, and nothingness. A little past Toelle I thought I saw my sleeping bag fall off. I pulled over and sure enough it had. A car pulled over and the guy told me it was about a mile back. I told John what was going on and told him to head on to see if he could make it home. I headed to the next exit, which was about 10 miles away so I could turn around. I circled back and road along looking for it but never did find it. John was told by someone that it was right near the road so our guess is that someone picked it up for me but because of the erratic driving to circle back they couldn't catch up. I still can't believe that the sleeping bag made it for 2500 miles and less than 100 miles away from home it fell off. I think the heat had let the straps stretch a little too much and adios.

Obviously we made it back alive and John got Noelle to stall the Harley shop so he was able to get there to turn the bike in. All in all it was a great trip. The most uneventful, in terms of negative things, that I've been on. Especially considering last year's trip.

Things I learned from this trip:

1) It makes a motorcycle trip much more fun when the person/people you ride with enjoy a similar speed and style of riding. Neither of us felt like we were holding the other up or getting left behind. John was great for this. After the first day, he was riding very comfortably and getting the hang of the bigness of the bike. My brother Kirk and John are both great motorcycling companions.

2) 300 miles is a nearly perfect amount to plan for a day. There are always side trips you find, or a great place that you want to hang around a little longer. But, you also feel like to put some distance behind you for the day; that you're actually getting somewhere.

3) Camping is Awesome on a motorcycle trip! From here on out I will camp as much as possible on these trips. The nights in hotels are nice, but it feels much more appropriate to sleep in tent on a motorcycle trip.

4) Nevada could disappear into a giant sink hole and I wouldn't mind at all. Not only are central and northern Nevada really boring but I don't even like Las Vegas. It's as if Vegas is trying to make up for the boredom of the rest of the state on one single street in one single city. It's way too much and when I leave I always feel like I need to be dipped in some sort of anti-bacterial solution to be fully cleansed of the place.

5) Redwoods are as cool as I though they would be and they have a weird spongy bark that pulls off if John tries to climb them. Evolution has protected them from fire and John.

6) Although I don't like listening to music most of the time while riding motorcycles, pack the ipod for trips through Nevada (see #4).

7) I know it sounds weird but I get a very good vibe from Pine forests. It feels like I should be dwelling among them, which is probably why Deer Park, WA seems like such a great place to move to, lots of pines. I really enjoyed riding through the forests along the northern California Coast.

8) Wild Animals want to kill, or at least harm motorcyclists.

9) It is better to be hot than cold on a motorcycle. I'll take 100 degree Hwy 50 any day over 35 degree canyon roads, at least for long days in the saddle.

10) Motorcycle trips need to be at least 5 days, and 7 days is pretty much perfect. Plenty of time to get out and see stuff. The rest of my trips have always been 4 days, extended weekends, and I always felt like I was ending a day or two to soon on those trips. It was really nice to keep going for a few more days this time around.

I'm thinking Colorado for next year's trip, any takers?