2010-2013...and beyond

I think I'll be moving to this blog for the next while to focus on my two wheeled pursuits that don't focus on Cyclocross. For those go to my 'cross blog www.crossthemountains.blogspot.com.

Over the holiday I finished up the full scale drawing of my lugged steel road bike frame. It was a good exercise to go through as I found I kept making measurements from incorrect places and had to redraw the downtube about 3 times, the rest stayed mostly in tact with a few touch ups here and there. I'll start working on my practice tubes so that I don't screw up the real thing when I finally get my hands on them and start cutting and filing.

On the motorcycling front I have a tentative plan to ride to Prudhoe Bay Alaska in 2013. John Cooper, of the 2009 motorcycle trip fame, says he's in as well. This trip will actually take a lot of serious planning beyond my usual plotting out scenic roads and vague sights to see along the way. We'll most likely need new motorcycles. Dual sport, that can handle some off-road tires and the abuse that comes along with them. Some of the roads are well known for chewing up tires and causing lots of flats. We'll need to mark out specific fuel stops and places to stay. I'm not sure if we'll be able to camp as the threat of very large bears is quite real and I don't know if I have room to pack a human sized bear box (the secure boxes found in campgrounds to lock food away from bears) to stow myself in at night. Even if we don't plan on camping we'll need to pack camping equipment for use if we get stuck somewhere.

At 400 miles a day it will take a full week to get there. I think it might be fun to motorcycle there and take the ferry from AK to Seattle. This serves several purposes: it adds another fun element to the trip, it will save us some time and lastly, give our aching backs a rest. I'm pretty stoked about the trip and a possible subsequent trip several years later south of the border. Hey, if I'm going to buy a new motorcycle I better make sure I put it to good use. Cooper thinks he may just stow his bike away in my garage for another trip as well.

Jen is planning a trip to Yosemite this Sep. with several of her friends. They'll drive there and set up base camp in several spots while they take day cycling trips around the park and surrounding areas.

Lots to look forward to with projects and trips. I'll do my best to document things as they happen. My new phone, complete with camera will probably help add some visual to this 2010.

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.

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.