Happy Father\s Day!

 Happy Father's Day!

Guitar Ted is taking the day off today to enjoy his family for Father's Day. If you are a father, I hope you take a moment to reflect on the blessings and responsibilities you have as a Dad. 

I know sometimes days like these can be bummer reminders of bad experiences and fathers lost. I can sympathize having lost my Dad several years ago now. However; whether directly or indirectly, you are affected by fathers out there, and today is the day to celebrate the good and pray for the not so good regarding fathers out in the world today.

I'll be back tomorrow with a regular blog post. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

A Story About A Freedom Machine

Yesterday was Father's Day, and for many it is a wonderful time to remember, to honor, and to share with those that are fathers and have touched other's lives. Not necessarily "biological" fathers either. 

But for some of us, days like yesterday are difficult. Not everyone has a "father", and many of us had bad experiences with their fathers, or had tragedy associated with their father, which brings up a lot of emotions at this time of the year. 

I am one of those that has difficulty with Father's Day.

My relationship with my father was troubled from an early age. It was a situation that worsened to the point that I tried to get away from the house whenever I could if I thought my father might be around. 

My method, my mode of escape, was the bicycle. It was a Holiday Station store 20" cruiser with high rise bars, a tall "sissy bar", slick rear tire, and was lime green with a bass boat black sparkle banana saddle. The model name was "Hugger", as I recall. I rode that thing until I was waaaay too big for it! It took me all over my home town. 

Fortunately for me, I grew up in a time where parents weren't hovering over their offspring, trying to protect them from....well, everything, and really, it probably was too far the other way when I grew up. I could be missing in action for hours upon hours. I just had to be home before the Sun set.

Anyway, the bicycle represented freedom from pain. Freedom from abuse. A chance to forget the realities between the four walls of our home back then and just be. That was what the bike did for me back then. It was what I needed to survive. To stay sane. 

So, I fell in love with the bicycle, and it was my main mode for getting around way up into high school. I did the typical 20's thing, like most folks my age, and ditched the bicycle for four wheels. But I had dalliances with bicycles all along for different reasons, and those old feelings of peace and calmness would come back. 

Eventually I bought my first mountain bike and that happened when I was about 28 years old. Been on those two wheels ever since pretty steadily. And through every bad thing and every day that reminded me of a past I didn't want to remember too much, that bicycle brought me some peace of mind, some mental clarity. 

So, yesterday was a tough day for me, but I am a father now, so that part is what I try to focus on and be better at every day. So, I was okay yesterday.

I hope you were too.
 

A Story About A Freedom Machine

Yesterday was Father's Day, and for many it is a wonderful time to remember, to honor, and to share with those that are fathers and have touched other's lives. Not necessarily "biological" fathers either. 

But for some of us, days like yesterday are difficult. Not everyone has a "father", and many of us had bad experiences with their fathers, or had tragedy associated with their father, which brings up a lot of emotions at this time of the year. 

I am one of those that has difficulty with Father's Day.

My relationship with my father was troubled from an early age. It was a situation that worsened to the point that I tried to get away from the house whenever I could if I thought my father might be around. 

My method, my mode of escape, was the bicycle. It was a Holiday Station store 20" cruiser with high rise bars, a tall "sissy bar", slick rear tire, and was lime green with a bass boat black sparkle banana saddle. The model name was "Hugger", as I recall. I rode that thing until I was waaaay too big for it! It took me all over my home town. 

Fortunately for me, I grew up in a time where parents weren't hovering over their offspring, trying to protect them from....well, everything, and really, it probably was too far the other way when I grew up. I could be missing in action for hours upon hours. I just had to be home before the Sun set.

Anyway, the bicycle represented freedom from pain. Freedom from abuse. A chance to forget the realities between the four walls of our home back then and just be. That was what the bike did for me back then. It was what I needed to survive. To stay sane. 

So, I fell in love with the bicycle, and it was my main mode for getting around way up into high school. I did the typical 20's thing, like most folks my age, and ditched the bicycle for four wheels. But I had dalliances with bicycles all along for different reasons, and those old feelings of peace and calmness would come back. 

Eventually I bought my first mountain bike and that happened when I was about 28 years old. Been on those two wheels ever since pretty steadily. And through every bad thing and every day that reminded me of a past I didn't want to remember too much, that bicycle brought me some peace of mind, some mental clarity. 

So, yesterday was a tough day for me, but I am a father now, so that part is what I try to focus on and be better at every day. So, I was okay yesterday.

I hope you were too.
 

Father's Day Weekend

University Avenue construction showing the new Sergeant Road Trail underpass.

First off, if you are a father or serve as a father figure, I hope that you had a great Father's Day. Secondly, if you were here looking for reactions to the firing of Jim Cummins from the DK200 by Life Time Fitness, see the second post for Saturday over the weekend. Right now that's all I have to say about it.

Now then, over the weekend I did not go out on any long gravel rides preferring to stick close to the G-Ted Headquarters to (a) be close to shelter should it rain and (b) spend a lot of time with my family. It would kind of make sense to spend time with the humans that made you a father in the first place, yes? I think so, and I was very happy to do it. My children are very important to me.

So, adventures close to home were what I did on a bicycle over the weekend. First up was an exploration into what was going on with the new construction on University Avenue and the Sergeant Road Trail which are near to where I live. I decided to take the Ti Muk 2 since it had rained heavily on Friday evening and Saturday morning. In fact, it looked as though it might rain at any time during the day. I figured a quick look at the construction site and a tool-around the neighborhood was all in order and should be fine. So, I headed off in that direction first. While the site is all dirt, I figured that due to all the recent dry days, that the moisture dropped by the overnight storms would be absorbed quickly.

I spent about a half an hour clearing the mud off I gained from going from this spot to the paved trail.

So........yeah. I got stuck. Like really stuck! The mud was so wet and fluid in one spot that the front wheel of the Ti Muk 2 was sinking so fast I could see it happening. Like the old quick sand scenes in old time Western movies. The Ti Muk was about to become part of the muck! I had to get pretty physical with the bike- yanking and lifting- to get free of the mire and then I ended up nearly sucking my shoe off in the same mud. It was touch and go there for a few minutes!

Then it was mud clearing time. I'm always amazed at how quickly a bicycle tire can attract mud and how long it takes to get that mud off the bike. I know mud and tires do not have a magnetic attraction, but you'd swear that they do. I kept clearing off handfuls of mud, thinking I was about done, only to find several more handfuls of mud. Then I would find several more handfuls. What?! Was this mud replicating as fast as I could pull it off? It would seem that way.

After I cleared off as much mud by hand that I could, I sped off down the trail, throwing clods of dirt and mud like an old time manure spreader. I ended up running through tall grass and mud puddles alternately to clean up as much of the tires as possible. That worked and by the time I was satisfied with the cleaning operations, it started to sprinkle, so I high-tailed it back to the house and parked it for the day.

Spiffed up the Pofahl Signature. Check out that radioactive pink glow on the fence from the tape!

On Father's day proper I spent some time taking care of the Pofahl Signature rig. The Single Speed Century pretty much killed the old blue handle bar tape, and it was time to replace it. I had the option of going with red, black, or pink. I had been holding on to this Marque Cycling pink tape (out of production) for about two years waiting for inspiration to use it. Well, that happened Sunday.

I also had to address the 'knock' in the seat post. This could turn into its own blog post, but the deal is that where the post clamps is 27.0mm. Where the seat tube flares out underneath that has a larger inner diameter. The action of riding sways the seat post, with the clamp being the fulcrum point, so to speak. This allows the slightly smaller 27.0mm diameter post to hit the inner wall of the slightly larger than 27.0mm diameter inner seat tube which makes a small 'clank' when pedaling in the saddle.

I wrapped the bottom of the post with electrical tape, which damped the 'clank' until recently when the tape finally failed during the Single Speed Century. Removing the post and putting on a run of new electrical tape should solve that issue. I haven't ridden it since I serviced the post, so I'll have to wait to see if I was successful again in taking care of that or whether I may have to try it again. It is hard to get that first bit of wrapped post past the seat collar area without pushing the tape back.

I did ride the bike before this, so I didn't feel compelled to go out again after the servicing. Plus, I still need to look at the hub's innards. That Industry 9 hub has never been serviced in 14 years! I probably should get around to that. Also, the eagle eyed of you will have noticed the new Bike Bag Dude Garage Top Tube bag on here. It's a great bag, and will see duties on multiple bikes.

Well, that's about all I did with bicycles over the weekend. I had a great Father's Day, and spent a lot of time with the family. Hope your weekend was good too.

Father's Day Weekend

University Avenue construction showing the new Sergeant Road Trail underpass.

First off, if you are a father or serve as a father figure, I hope that you had a great Father's Day. Secondly, if you were here looking for reactions to the firing of Jim Cummins from the DK200 by Life Time Fitness, see the second post for Saturday over the weekend. Right now that's all I have to say about it.

Now then, over the weekend I did not go out on any long gravel rides preferring to stick close to the G-Ted Headquarters to (a) be close to shelter should it rain and (b) spend a lot of time with my family. It would kind of make sense to spend time with the humans that made you a father in the first place, yes? I think so, and I was very happy to do it. My children are very important to me.

So, adventures close to home were what I did on a bicycle over the weekend. First up was an exploration into what was going on with the new construction on University Avenue and the Sergeant Road Trail which are near to where I live. I decided to take the Ti Muk 2 since it had rained heavily on Friday evening and Saturday morning. In fact, it looked as though it might rain at any time during the day. I figured a quick look at the construction site and a tool-around the neighborhood was all in order and should be fine. So, I headed off in that direction first. While the site is all dirt, I figured that due to all the recent dry days, that the moisture dropped by the overnight storms would be absorbed quickly.

I spent about a half an hour clearing the mud off I gained from going from this spot to the paved trail.

So........yeah. I got stuck. Like really stuck! The mud was so wet and fluid in one spot that the front wheel of the Ti Muk 2 was sinking so fast I could see it happening. Like the old quick sand scenes in old time Western movies. The Ti Muk was about to become part of the muck! I had to get pretty physical with the bike- yanking and lifting- to get free of the mire and then I ended up nearly sucking my shoe off in the same mud. It was touch and go there for a few minutes!

Then it was mud clearing time. I'm always amazed at how quickly a bicycle tire can attract mud and how long it takes to get that mud off the bike. I know mud and tires do not have a magnetic attraction, but you'd swear that they do. I kept clearing off handfuls of mud, thinking I was about done, only to find several more handfuls of mud. Then I would find several more handfuls. What?! Was this mud replicating as fast as I could pull it off? It would seem that way.

After I cleared off as much mud by hand that I could, I sped off down the trail, throwing clods of dirt and mud like an old time manure spreader. I ended up running through tall grass and mud puddles alternately to clean up as much of the tires as possible. That worked and by the time I was satisfied with the cleaning operations, it started to sprinkle, so I high-tailed it back to the house and parked it for the day.

Spiffed up the Pofahl Signature. Check out that radioactive pink glow on the fence from the tape!

On Father's day proper I spent some time taking care of the Pofahl Signature rig. The Single Speed Century pretty much killed the old blue handle bar tape, and it was time to replace it. I had the option of going with red, black, or pink. I had been holding on to this Marque Cycling pink tape (out of production) for about two years waiting for inspiration to use it. Well, that happened Sunday.

I also had to address the 'knock' in the seat post. This could turn into its own blog post, but the deal is that where the post clamps is 27.0mm. Where the seat tube flares out underneath that has a larger inner diameter. The action of riding sways the seat post, with the clamp being the fulcrum point, so to speak. This allows the slightly smaller 27.0mm diameter post to hit the inner wall of the slightly larger than 27.0mm diameter inner seat tube which makes a small 'clank' when pedaling in the saddle.

I wrapped the bottom of the post with electrical tape, which damped the 'clank' until recently when the tape finally failed during the Single Speed Century. Removing the post and putting on a run of new electrical tape should solve that issue. I haven't ridden it since I serviced the post, so I'll have to wait to see if I was successful again in taking care of that or whether I may have to try it again. It is hard to get that first bit of wrapped post past the seat collar area without pushing the tape back.

I did ride the bike before this, so I didn't feel compelled to go out again after the servicing. Plus, I still need to look at the hub's innards. That Industry 9 hub has never been serviced in 14 years! I probably should get around to that. Also, the eagle eyed of you will have noticed the new Bike Bag Dude Garage Top Tube bag on here. It's a great bag, and will see duties on multiple bikes.

Well, that's about all I did with bicycles over the weekend. I had a great Father's Day, and spent a lot of time with the family. Hope your weekend was good too.

Prioritizing

Capping off Father's Day with some fellow Dads.

So, while many of you reading this may not be fathers, I am. It is a distinct honor, privilege, and responsibility that I do not take lightly or for granted. I am beyond humbled, stoked, and blessed to be a "father" to two children and to represent being a father to a few others in this World.

So, bike riding, while an awesome activity, and central to who I am as a person, is secondary to being a father. This having been that weekend designated for chaps like myself, I decided to not be selfish and to engage in being the Dad that I am to the two people I have been gifted to be that person to.

It was good, but I did sneak a bicycle ride in. I went for a capper to the weekend that included a fixed gear ramble over to Lark Brewing, a local brewery, and met up with two co-workers of mine from the shop that are also fathers. We traded stories of fatherhood and more over a flite of fine brews and then I aimed my non-coasting rig back to the homestead.

Anyway, all this to say that there are some things in Life more important than cycling, and being honored and entrusted to being a father is one of those more important things. I hope that no father out there feels cheated for having to accept the accolades and/or being the dutiful Dad that this past weekend seeks to impose upon us who are blessed in such a manner.

Prioritizing

Capping off Father's Day with some fellow Dads.

So, while many of you reading this may not be fathers, I am. It is a distinct honor, privilege, and responsibility that I do not take lightly or for granted. I am beyond humbled, stoked, and blessed to be a "father" to two children and to represent being a father to a few others in this World.

So, bike riding, while an awesome activity, and central to who I am as a person, is secondary to being a father. This having been that weekend designated for chaps like myself, I decided to not be selfish and to engage in being the Dad that I am to the two people I have been gifted to be that person to.

It was good, but I did sneak a bicycle ride in. I went for a capper to the weekend that included a fixed gear ramble over to Lark Brewing, a local brewery, and met up with two co-workers of mine from the shop that are also fathers. We traded stories of fatherhood and more over a flite of fine brews and then I aimed my non-coasting rig back to the homestead.

Anyway, all this to say that there are some things in Life more important than cycling, and being honored and entrusted to being a father is one of those more important things. I hope that no father out there feels cheated for having to accept the accolades and/or being the dutiful Dad that this past weekend seeks to impose upon us who are blessed in such a manner.

Happy Father's Day

I spent some time with my son Friday evening and Saturday.

Father's Day- Usually we see how Father's Day is pitched in the media and socially. Ya know.....Dad gets to grill out, catch a ball game, or do whatever special interest thing that a Dad would do, alone, or with other Dad's. I don't get that at all.....

To my mind, Father's Day should be spent with those that "made you a father" in the first place. Ya know...... your kids? 

Those special little lives, (or now, not so little), that qualified you to be a "father" in the first place. They are just looking to you, if you are a father, for a clue, an example, and to be influenced. Be that guy today....

I usually don't get to far off the subject of bicycles here, but today, it feels like this is the time to maybe put something a little more important than bicycles ahead and post about that. We could all use more Fathers being good fathers.

Anyway, that's all I have to say today. That and....

Happy Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day

I spent some time with my son Friday evening and Saturday.

Father's Day- Usually we see how Father's Day is pitched in the media and socially. Ya know.....Dad gets to grill out, catch a ball game, or do whatever special interest thing that a Dad would do, alone, or with other Dad's. I don't get that at all.....

To my mind, Father's Day should be spent with those that "made you a father" in the first place. Ya know...... your kids? 

Those special little lives, (or now, not so little), that qualified you to be a "father" in the first place. They are just looking to you, if you are a father, for a clue, an example, and to be influenced. Be that guy today....

I usually don't get to far off the subject of bicycles here, but today, it feels like this is the time to maybe put something a little more important than bicycles ahead and post about that. We could all use more Fathers being good fathers.

Anyway, that's all I have to say today. That and....

Happy Father's Day.

Project LTHT: Update

Ingawanis Woods are really canopied over now.

I had a bit of a time window open up on Fathers Day yesterday to squeeze in a ride at Ingawanis Woods. So, I loaded up the Singular Cycles Buzzard and headed up. It was sunny, humid, and quite breezy. It was supposed to be raining with possible severe thunderstorms, so I wasn't complaining!

When I arrived, it was apparent that even if it had rained recently here, it didn't phase the trails one bit. In fact, I would guess that it didn't rain up there at all, since the trails were rock hard dirt. That and the fact that they had been recently groomed meant it probably would be fast. Turns out that this was spot on. I was flyin'!

The trails up here are always interesting in a good year with decent moisture. That gives the trees a lot to work with and since this little patch of land has been wooded for a long time, the canopy is pretty thick. I remember before the logging up there several years ago that you could ride when it was raining lightly and never get wet in the middle of Summer! Since the logging, it hasn't been as spectacularly dark under the trees until this year. I've noticed that in spots it is back to the usual near night time-like darkness, especially when the Sun goes behind a cloud. There still is a ways to go before it will be like "the old days"!

The Eagles weren't around today, but it was a beautiful scene anyway.

The "Bottoms" have dried up now so that they are rideable again, so I went down through there for the first time since late last Fall. I had to stop to see if the Eagles were home at my usual viewing point, but they were no where to be seen yesterday. It was okay though, as I love to take in that view whenever I get the chance.

So, Project LTHT is really shaping up to be a great bike. The new fork is really tweakable. I was messing around with some different settings and found that you can turn it into just about anything you want, feel-wise. I could make it fairly stiff, and have it sit up into its travel, or I could make it plush and super smooth, or anywhere in between. The seated position, which I never liked with the Diamondback Mason, is really very nice on the Buzzard. It climbs just fine if you use an "active" climbing style and don't just sit there in one spot on the saddle. The gearing is low enough for anything around here. The wheels and tires are phenomenal on this rig. Call them "mid-fat", I guess, but the On One tires are huge on the Dually rims and these might be the best tubeless combination I've yet tried. I pump the tires up and they literally go several weeks before needing topped off again.

The "strobe effect" was in full effect once again!

There is always room for improvement though and this bicycle is no exception. For one thing, the sub-par Specialized dropper post is merely "okay" and sometimes sinks down a hair when seated over average bumps for a while. The weight of this bike is North of 30lbs as well, which isn't that big of a deal, but you always wish for "less" there, right? Typically I don't think about the weight of the Buzzard as it sits, but if I had long climbs over and over again, I would likely start to think about that.

There are a couple of things I need to sort out as well, like just how to set up the SLX brakes to eek out a little better modulation, and then there is the aforementioned fork, which I have to dial in just right yet. More experimenting means more rides which should equal more fun. That's a good thing, right?

Well, I do know that the ride yesterday was super fun, fast, and oddly enough, easy.  The legs and lungs were working really well, which I was a bit surprised at due to my somewhat sporadic training of late. I'll take it. Hopefully I feel as good at Odin's Revenge.

Project LTHT: Update

Ingawanis Woods are really canopied over now.

I had a bit of a time window open up on Fathers Day yesterday to squeeze in a ride at Ingawanis Woods. So, I loaded up the Singular Cycles Buzzard and headed up. It was sunny, humid, and quite breezy. It was supposed to be raining with possible severe thunderstorms, so I wasn't complaining!

When I arrived, it was apparent that even if it had rained recently here, it didn't phase the trails one bit. In fact, I would guess that it didn't rain up there at all, since the trails were rock hard dirt. That and the fact that they had been recently groomed meant it probably would be fast. Turns out that this was spot on. I was flyin'!

The trails up here are always interesting in a good year with decent moisture. That gives the trees a lot to work with and since this little patch of land has been wooded for a long time, the canopy is pretty thick. I remember before the logging up there several years ago that you could ride when it was raining lightly and never get wet in the middle of Summer! Since the logging, it hasn't been as spectacularly dark under the trees until this year. I've noticed that in spots it is back to the usual near night time-like darkness, especially when the Sun goes behind a cloud. There still is a ways to go before it will be like "the old days"!

The Eagles weren't around today, but it was a beautiful scene anyway.

The "Bottoms" have dried up now so that they are rideable again, so I went down through there for the first time since late last Fall. I had to stop to see if the Eagles were home at my usual viewing point, but they were no where to be seen yesterday. It was okay though, as I love to take in that view whenever I get the chance.

So, Project LTHT is really shaping up to be a great bike. The new fork is really tweakable. I was messing around with some different settings and found that you can turn it into just about anything you want, feel-wise. I could make it fairly stiff, and have it sit up into its travel, or I could make it plush and super smooth, or anywhere in between. The seated position, which I never liked with the Diamondback Mason, is really very nice on the Buzzard. It climbs just fine if you use an "active" climbing style and don't just sit there in one spot on the saddle. The gearing is low enough for anything around here. The wheels and tires are phenomenal on this rig. Call them "mid-fat", I guess, but the On One tires are huge on the Dually rims and these might be the best tubeless combination I've yet tried. I pump the tires up and they literally go several weeks before needing topped off again.

The "strobe effect" was in full effect once again!

There is always room for improvement though and this bicycle is no exception. For one thing, the sub-par Specialized dropper post is merely "okay" and sometimes sinks down a hair when seated over average bumps for a while. The weight of this bike is North of 30lbs as well, which isn't that big of a deal, but you always wish for "less" there, right? Typically I don't think about the weight of the Buzzard as it sits, but if I had long climbs over and over again, I would likely start to think about that.

There are a couple of things I need to sort out as well, like just how to set up the SLX brakes to eek out a little better modulation, and then there is the aforementioned fork, which I have to dial in just right yet. More experimenting means more rides which should equal more fun. That's a good thing, right?

Well, I do know that the ride yesterday was super fun, fast, and oddly enough, easy.  The legs and lungs were working really well, which I was a bit surprised at due to my somewhat sporadic training of late. I'll take it. Hopefully I feel as good at Odin's Revenge.

Happy Father's Day

Me and my son, Jacob (Caught with his eyes closed!)

I decided to take my son out on a bicycling adventure Saturday, because the forecast for Sunday didn't look too promising. We had a good ride and my son learned a few things, so that's always a good thing.

Here's to you, if you are a Father. I hope the day brings you good things. Thanks for being the best Dad you can be. It matters a lot.

Here's to you if you have a father. I hope that whomever he is, that he is a blessing to you. Fathers come in more ways than just genetically, so think about that.......

Here's to you if you aren't a father. There is no shame in not having your own children. And just like above, that doesn't mean you can't be a "father" to someone.

Whatever the flavor, have a great Father's Day and enjoy yourselves out there!

Happy Father's Day

Me and my son, Jacob (Caught with his eyes closed!)

I decided to take my son out on a bicycling adventure Saturday, because the forecast for Sunday didn't look too promising. We had a good ride and my son learned a few things, so that's always a good thing.

Here's to you, if you are a Father. I hope the day brings you good things. Thanks for being the best Dad you can be. It matters a lot.

Here's to you if you have a father. I hope that whomever he is, that he is a blessing to you. Fathers come in more ways than just genetically, so think about that.......

Here's to you if you aren't a father. There is no shame in not having your own children. And just like above, that doesn't mean you can't be a "father" to someone.

Whatever the flavor, have a great Father's Day and enjoy yourselves out there!

Catching Up Here....

Ah....this bike rack is too small!

Well, I have a few tidbits I wanted to catch up on before time got too far down the road on me. So, here are a couple of things that have happened recently around here....

Father's Day: Best Dad's Day I've had in awhile. I got to do a little grillin' ahead of the day, and on the holiday proper, it was a gloriously sunshiny day which I enjoyed by going for a ride with my Son. I rode By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk and boy! Does it ever need a cleaning! Oh well- I didn't let that stop me from enjoying a good time with my Son, and I even got in some slow speed grinding when we stopped at an abandoned school yard. Jacob played on the playground equipment while I made laps in some of the deepest pea gravel I've seen in a while. Just about mimics going through deep, fresh snow. Only it sounds a lot differently!

Mrs. Guitar Ted even got me a new tool chest! How about that? Yeah, it was a really great day. Thanks to all my family for making it a memorable one.

Speaking Of The Mukluk: 

I had a few e-mail exchanges with a fellow from Oz recently. He's a bag maker, and I have made arrangements to have a bit of a frame bag sent out for some upcoming adventures. 

Australian frame bag goodness.

In fact, this bag maker, called Bike Bag Dude, already has the frame bag done. I have an image he forwarded to me here. This bag is custom fit to my Mukluk and has a two zipper opening with a "false floor" that can be removed to make the interior a cavernous hold area for satellites and  transportation of small furry critters. (Well- no, not really! ) But the bag does have the false floor and can be made to be one big bag, or a two compartment affair.

This is the "Standard" bag and weighs 445 grams fully lined in an orange, which I figured would make it easier for my dim eyes to find stuff inside of it. Colors are chosen by the clients, and this one is a light grey to match the titanium Muk. Bike Bag Dude can also do an ultra-light version which is unlined, if you are super-freakish about weight.

There will be a couple of accessory items to go along with this, but I'll leave that for later. This frame bag will be doing duty at an upcoming long distance gravel event, and of course, lots of Winter time shenanigans as well. Triple D again, perhaps? We'll see.....I am excited to give this stuff a whirl and find out how I can utilize it for my adventures.

Project Two Six

Project Two Six Update:

It has been a while since I have talked about Project Two Six here. That is the Schwinn High Sierra that I refurrbed into a "townie". It has been a great little utility bike around the town here.

It has the rare roller cam style brakes on it, which you either know all about, or you think they are "weird U brakes". I have a boss on the front fork that is slightly mushroomed, and I do not have the proper milling tool for that repair, so the front brake is a little weird, but the back brake works like butter. One of these days I'll address that front brake and get it operating correctly.

The 1 X 5 drive train is simple, effective, quiet, near maintenance free, and has never given me a problem. Friction shifter, of course! Brooks Professional by way of Captain Bob is not really the "right" saddle for this bike, ( a B-67 would be better, or a Flyer), but doesn't it look "right" on there? It works well enough for me, so I am in no hurry to replace it just yet. I stuck a pretty upright Tioga stem on this with a Salsa 17° bar and Ergon grips with old Deore DX levers doing the brake duties. There used to be some nutcase that sold crazy cheap deals at QBP's open house back in the day. That's where the levers came from. I think I paid a buck for them and they came out of a bucket! This was waaaaay before Frostbike days. What was that guys name? Anyway....

I did a lot of detail filing on this crown

The biggest surprise for me about the bike is the Continental Winter Contact tires. These things are Winter specific with a special softer compound and all these grippy edges. I figured I would burn them up and swap out to other tires in a big hurry, but they have lasted. They show no appreciable signs of wear after three years of errands on pavement.

The rack and panniers are the self same set that I used for two overland self contained tours in the mid-90's. The wheels are off an 84 Mongoose Mountain Pro and have drilled out rims, just like the newer fat bikes. (What's old is new again!) Everything here is bolt on. No QR levers in sight, so the theft issues are less with this ike. Not to mention I had it powder coated in a textured military green color, which really makes it drab and  not noteworthy.

Anyway, it has been a great bike and really, really useful. The geometry is a knock off of the early Marin style mtb's. I figure this is my "poor man's Ritchey Timber Comp". I'll likely never get to ride one of those!

Well, that should about do it. Thanks for reading!

Catching Up Here....

Ah....this bike rack is too small!

Well, I have a few tidbits I wanted to catch up on before time got too far down the road on me. So, here are a couple of things that have happened recently around here....

Father's Day: Best Dad's Day I've had in awhile. I got to do a little grillin' ahead of the day, and on the holiday proper, it was a gloriously sunshiny day which I enjoyed by going for a ride with my Son. I rode By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk and boy! Does it ever need a cleaning! Oh well- I didn't let that stop me from enjoying a good time with my Son, and I even got in some slow speed grinding when we stopped at an abandoned school yard. Jacob played on the playground equipment while I made laps in some of the deepest pea gravel I've seen in a while. Just about mimics going through deep, fresh snow. Only it sounds a lot differently!

Mrs. Guitar Ted even got me a new tool chest! How about that? Yeah, it was a really great day. Thanks to all my family for making it a memorable one.

Speaking Of The Mukluk: 

I had a few e-mail exchanges with a fellow from Oz recently. He's a bag maker, and I have made arrangements to have a bit of a frame bag sent out for some upcoming adventures. 

Australian frame bag goodness.

In fact, this bag maker, called Bike Bag Dude, already has the frame bag done. I have an image he forwarded to me here. This bag is custom fit to my Mukluk and has a two zipper opening with a "false floor" that can be removed to make the interior a cavernous hold area for satellites and  transportation of small furry critters. (Well- no, not really! ) But the bag does have the false floor and can be made to be one big bag, or a two compartment affair.

This is the "Standard" bag and weighs 445 grams fully lined in an orange, which I figured would make it easier for my dim eyes to find stuff inside of it. Colors are chosen by the clients, and this one is a light grey to match the titanium Muk. Bike Bag Dude can also do an ultra-light version which is unlined, if you are super-freakish about weight.

There will be a couple of accessory items to go along with this, but I'll leave that for later. This frame bag will be doing duty at an upcoming long distance gravel event, and of course, lots of Winter time shenanigans as well. Triple D again, perhaps? We'll see.....I am excited to give this stuff a whirl and find out how I can utilize it for my adventures.

Project Two Six

Project Two Six Update:

It has been a while since I have talked about Project Two Six here. That is the Schwinn High Sierra that I refurrbed into a "townie". It has been a great little utility bike around the town here.

It has the rare roller cam style brakes on it, which you either know all about, or you think they are "weird U brakes". I have a boss on the front fork that is slightly mushroomed, and I do not have the proper milling tool for that repair, so the front brake is a little weird, but the back brake works like butter. One of these days I'll address that front brake and get it operating correctly.

The 1 X 5 drive train is simple, effective, quiet, near maintenance free, and has never given me a problem. Friction shifter, of course! Brooks Professional by way of Captain Bob is not really the "right" saddle for this bike, ( a B-67 would be better, or a Flyer), but doesn't it look "right" on there? It works well enough for me, so I am in no hurry to replace it just yet. I stuck a pretty upright Tioga stem on this with a Salsa 17° bar and Ergon grips with old Deore DX levers doing the brake duties. There used to be some nutcase that sold crazy cheap deals at QBP's open house back in the day. That's where the levers came from. I think I paid a buck for them and they came out of a bucket! This was waaaaay before Frostbike days. What was that guys name? Anyway....

I did a lot of detail filing on this crown

The biggest surprise for me about the bike is the Continental Winter Contact tires. These things are Winter specific with a special softer compound and all these grippy edges. I figured I would burn them up and swap out to other tires in a big hurry, but they have lasted. They show no appreciable signs of wear after three years of errands on pavement.

The rack and panniers are the self same set that I used for two overland self contained tours in the mid-90's. The wheels are off an 84 Mongoose Mountain Pro and have drilled out rims, just like the newer fat bikes. (What's old is new again!) Everything here is bolt on. No QR levers in sight, so the theft issues are less with this ike. Not to mention I had it powder coated in a textured military green color, which really makes it drab and  not noteworthy.

Anyway, it has been a great bike and really, really useful. The geometry is a knock off of the early Marin style mtb's. I figure this is my "poor man's Ritchey Timber Comp". I'll likely never get to ride one of those!

Well, that should about do it. Thanks for reading!

Barns For Jason: Father's Day Version

My friend Jason just got back from a stellar trip riding beaches in Alaska. I'm sure the scenery he saw up there was majestic and awe inspiring, so what I have here is probably not very interesting, but hey! It's what we've got, and it is my "welcome back to the Mid-West" for him........oh! And Happy Father's Day to Jason and all you dad's out there today as well.

Barns For Jason: Father's Day Version

My friend Jason just got back from a stellar trip riding beaches in Alaska. I'm sure the scenery he saw up there was majestic and awe inspiring, so what I have here is probably not very interesting, but hey! It's what we've got, and it is my "welcome back to the Mid-West" for him........oh! And Happy Father's Day to Jason and all you dad's out there today as well.

Some Riding Happened

Well I got in a couple of good rides over the weekend despite having plenty of goings on with regards to social events. One wedding to attend with reception and, of course, Father's Day. Getting two great rides in was unexpected and I consider it a bonus for the two days.

Twas a threesome for the 3GR

3GR Report: I moved the time for the 3GR to Saturday morning due to my children coming home from their grandparents house Friday evening. I set the time for the Saturday running of the event at 8:30am.

I arrived at the same place we've been meeting at to find a bit of a surprise. Craig Irving had driven up from Mt. Vernon to ride with us! That was a humbling thing, and I was hoping that he wouldn't be the only person to have come over to ride. Thankfully, he wasn't, as Robert Fry also showed up just before we were to leave.

Having these two experienced gravel/randonnuer riders was a treat, and it meant that we weren't going to go very slow! The route was a slightly modified version of last week's route. We did not go up Symons Road this time, but rather, we took Big Woods from the Big Woods Lake to Mt. Vernon Road, then East across Highway 218/27 and then we had to zig-zag over to Leversee, up to Bennington, and back West to Big Woods to go north. (Big Woods is truncated by the 4 lane HWY 218/27 as it bisects the gravels on its way Northeastwards.) This actually added a bit of mileage to the route.

Oh yeah.....that was on top of my mileage riding over to the ride!

Skies looked threatening.

We carried on at a brisk, (but not too hard),  pace all the way North to Camp Ingawanis' South Side, skirted the woods up there, and then we went back South on Ivory/Streeter Roads. Once back into the open, it was a headwind and the rollers on Streeter Road which took us all the way back to our turn at Mt Vernon Road.

Everyone's bikes and bodies held up well. It was a unique ride for me since I wasn't the only one with Clement X'Plor MSO tires on the ride, or RetroShift shift levers. Craig was sporting both on his well used Surly Cross Check. He was pretty complimentary towards both products, having just had success with using them down at the Dirty Kanza 200, which he completed.

After we rolled into Cedar Falls again, we stood and chatted some 20 minutes until I had to beg leave to attend to my growling stomach. Then I went to Cup Of Joe, had an organic muffin, 8oz of Joe, and then hit the trail back home.

I'm strongly considering moving the 3GR rides to Saturday mornings, which work a bit better for me. Yay or Nay? Say so in the comments if ya have an opinion on the matter.

Pretty dry out there again.

Father's Day:

Like I mentioned above, I actually got out to ride on Father's Day as well. I went to the South side of Camp Ingawanis, of course. A few things to make note of from my point of view were as follows:

• It is crazy dry out there! I stopped to make some small adjustments to the Fuji test bike and looked about me. What I saw was a bit disconcerting. In a "normal" year, the underbrush would be at its maximum growth by now. Trails would be overgrown, weeds would be towering, and green would be the dominant color in the woodlands. That isn't the case at all. In fact, things are wilting, turning yellow and brown. Green stuff that would be flourishing is stunted, or dead. Not good!
• It's amazing how good suspension bikes are getting for 29 inch wheels nowadays. The geometry is pretty dialed on a lot of them, and the "monkey-motion" is controlled, stiff where it needs to be, and reliable. I think the days of wonky feeling suspension bikes, with noodly frames and poor performance are pretty much gone now. Refinements will be the name of the game from here on out. Take that Fuji Outland 29 1.0 pictured there as an example. Besides making some nit-picky comments, there isn't much not to like there.
• The tree dwelling inchworms and there webs have finally disappeared. In their place are thousands of black and orange winged butterflies. (Maybe the same, metamorphosed creatures?) I don't know, but the butterflies are far more pleasant to deal with. Interestingly, when you come around a corner, they all seem to be on the ground. Then they take flight, helter-skelter all around you. It's like a black and orange confetti parade. 

Hope your past weekend was a good one!

Some Riding Happened

Well I got in a couple of good rides over the weekend despite having plenty of goings on with regards to social events. One wedding to attend with reception and, of course, Father's Day. Getting two great rides in was unexpected and I consider it a bonus for the two days.

Twas a threesome for the 3GR

3GR Report: I moved the time for the 3GR to Saturday morning due to my children coming home from their grandparents house Friday evening. I set the time for the Saturday running of the event at 8:30am.

I arrived at the same place we've been meeting at to find a bit of a surprise. Craig Irving had driven up from Mt. Vernon to ride with us! That was a humbling thing, and I was hoping that he wouldn't be the only person to have come over to ride. Thankfully, he wasn't, as Robert Fry also showed up just before we were to leave.

Having these two experienced gravel/randonnuer riders was a treat, and it meant that we weren't going to go very slow! The route was a slightly modified version of last week's route. We did not go up Symons Road this time, but rather, we took Big Woods from the Big Woods Lake to Mt. Vernon Road, then East across Highway 218/27 and then we had to zig-zag over to Leversee, up to Bennington, and back West to Big Woods to go north. (Big Woods is truncated by the 4 lane HWY 218/27 as it bisects the gravels on its way Northeastwards.) This actually added a bit of mileage to the route.

Oh yeah.....that was on top of my mileage riding over to the ride!

Skies looked threatening.

We carried on at a brisk, (but not too hard),  pace all the way North to Camp Ingawanis' South Side, skirted the woods up there, and then we went back South on Ivory/Streeter Roads. Once back into the open, it was a headwind and the rollers on Streeter Road which took us all the way back to our turn at Mt Vernon Road.

Everyone's bikes and bodies held up well. It was a unique ride for me since I wasn't the only one with Clement X'Plor MSO tires on the ride, or RetroShift shift levers. Craig was sporting both on his well used Surly Cross Check. He was pretty complimentary towards both products, having just had success with using them down at the Dirty Kanza 200, which he completed.

After we rolled into Cedar Falls again, we stood and chatted some 20 minutes until I had to beg leave to attend to my growling stomach. Then I went to Cup Of Joe, had an organic muffin, 8oz of Joe, and then hit the trail back home.

I'm strongly considering moving the 3GR rides to Saturday mornings, which work a bit better for me. Yay or Nay? Say so in the comments if ya have an opinion on the matter.

Pretty dry out there again.

Father's Day:

Like I mentioned above, I actually got out to ride on Father's Day as well. I went to the South side of Camp Ingawanis, of course. A few things to make note of from my point of view were as follows:

• It is crazy dry out there! I stopped to make some small adjustments to the Fuji test bike and looked about me. What I saw was a bit disconcerting. In a "normal" year, the underbrush would be at its maximum growth by now. Trails would be overgrown, weeds would be towering, and green would be the dominant color in the woodlands. That isn't the case at all. In fact, things are wilting, turning yellow and brown. Green stuff that would be flourishing is stunted, or dead. Not good!
• It's amazing how good suspension bikes are getting for 29 inch wheels nowadays. The geometry is pretty dialed on a lot of them, and the "monkey-motion" is controlled, stiff where it needs to be, and reliable. I think the days of wonky feeling suspension bikes, with noodly frames and poor performance are pretty much gone now. Refinements will be the name of the game from here on out. Take that Fuji Outland 29 1.0 pictured there as an example. Besides making some nit-picky comments, there isn't much not to like there.
• The tree dwelling inchworms and there webs have finally disappeared. In their place are thousands of black and orange winged butterflies. (Maybe the same, metamorphosed creatures?) I don't know, but the butterflies are far more pleasant to deal with. Interestingly, when you come around a corner, they all seem to be on the ground. Then they take flight, helter-skelter all around you. It's like a black and orange confetti parade. 

Hope your past weekend was a good one!

Getting Back In Gear

Back In The Saddle Again

So, I got home and tried a bicycle ride. It went well, actually. I did about an hour and a half of bicycle path with no real pain. The knee felt weaker, but not bad. The next morning, Father's Day, was okay. A bit of stiffness, but still, nothing to fret over.

I even did an errand on the Xtracycle, but for the most part, I stuck close to home to spend time with my family, you know- Since I am a father and all. It made more sense to me to hang out with those that allow me to be a father, and love me for that, than to selfishly go out and do whatever I wanted on my own. I mean, that's what being single was for, no?

 

After we ate supper, I went on another "training" ride with my son. He's getting the hang of it all. He'd keep yelling at me, "Hey Daddy! Did you see me turn that corner? That was good, huh?" Yeah.....I was glad I told him I would ride with him today. A solo gravel adventure is good too, but not in the same way, ya know? 

I don't feel as though pretending to be single, and carefree is what celebrating Father's day is all about, but your mileage may vary.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I look forward to re-habbing the knee further and getting back to 100% again.