Monday, June 30, 2008

26.37 miles - Greenway/Minnehaha Parkway Loop - 6/30/08

26.37 miles
avg 16.7
max 27.9
cal 865
1.34.24
Poprad

It was raining friggin' gnats tonight...I should've know when I inhaled a mosquito before I even left my neighborhood that it was going to be a buggy ride...

I have to say I like the Uptown Hipster crowd, however, if they are going to go stealth at night, they should either pay attention or invest in a small handlebar light. I got ran off the road by two lightless hipsters on Minnehaha Parkway....there were many hipsters on that trail tonight. Probably around 15 or so, without any kind of lighting....

It was a beautiful summer night and the ride was fantastic!!!

12.14 miles - SW Corridor/Cedar Lake Loop - 6/29/08

12.14 miles
avg 17.8
25.1 max
437.0 cal
0.40.51
Poprad

Again...trying to fit a ride in within 45 minutes....

Sunday, June 29, 2008

18.79 miles - Greenway to Mississippi River - 6/28/08

18.79 miles
avg 18.3
max 28.1
cal 695.4
1.01.38
Poprad

Since the wife is in Vegas, I have NOT been able to ride my bikes due to having the kids 24/7....however, yesterday I got a small reprieve and was able to spend an hour on my Poprad....the cool thing is that I met a guy who was riding a vintage Trek 8500 - light blue and yellow - that was quite a hot ride and in great shape....I offered the guy 125 bucks for it and he is going to get back to me....exciting....but I will have to sell Greenpeace to make room for the new ride, if it happens....

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Liam's "new" Pixie...Aaaahhhh, remember what it was like to be a kid!!!




We picked up this bike for free off of craigslist in Golden Valley this evening...I put a temporary adult saddle on until we find and originalish one for kids. The only other issue with the bike is the missing original Chicago Schwinn headbadge, which I will easily be able to replace very soon...


I asked Liam if he liked the "new" Pixie better than his BMX - he said he liked the Pixie. It is a cool bike....

Monday, June 23, 2008

33.63 miles - Greenway/UofMN/Ford Bridge/Minnehaha Parkway/SW Corridor - 6/23/08

33.63 miles
avg 17.8
max 31.6
cal 1183.9
1.53.14
Poprad
(My house to the end of the Greenway at the river is 9.5 miles, its 6.5 miles to Freewheel and 3 miles to Lake Calhoun)
Great evening ride into MPLS/St. Paul...I don't know if there was a Mexican Convention today, but I had to dodge little Mexican kids on Magna's on the Greenway for the 3 miles past Freewheel....The weather was great and going on the Minnehaha Parkway trail, starting at the Mississippi, in the off hours of the evening or early morning is a treat - you can really fly on all of the great speedy turns and curves....its truly a blast....

14.29 miles - Commute/Cedar Lake Extension - 6/22/08

14.29 miles
avg 17.9
max 26.1
cal 513.6
0.47.40
Poprad

Sunday, June 22, 2008

8.10 miles - Commute - 6/21/08

8.10 miles
avg 17.2
max 33.3
cal 301.9
0.28.13
Poprad

Friday, June 20, 2008

1285 total miles (approximate) 440 commuter miles (approximate)

8 miles - commute - 6/20/08

8 miles
Trek single speed

I am extremely glad that I sold my Bianchi SS. The Trek 330 fits me better and rides much much better than the Bianchi. I took it for a midnight stealth ride last night (and some groceries) and had a great ride....

$ - 17.91 miles - Commute/Errands - 6/19/08

12.11 miles
avg 16.4
max 26.8
cal 405.8
0.44.18
Trek Commuter

Great commute to work...went to Trader Joe's for dinner stuff on the way home...also I figured out what to do about butt heads who pass you and slow down...I am going to ride past them far enough ahead so that they have a harder time catching up....that's kinda what I do in a car on the highway. No sooner did I pull out of work on Cedar Lake Road some guy came up behind me - his road bike was squeaking so loud it startled me. His bike was also way too small for him, but like usual he passed me and slowed down...so I simply dusted him far enough that he didn't catch up....

5.80 miles
avg 9.5
max 19.8
cal 102.4
0.35.24
Greenpeace w/ ride-a-long

We rode, with Thatcher on his 7.2. to Liam soccer game at Carpenter Park...went and had coffee at Harvest Moon Coffeehouse and rode home....

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

20.65 miles - SW Corridor/HW101/Grays Bay/Minnetonka Blvd - 6/18/08

20.65 miles
avg 15.8
max 29.7
cal 679.9
1.18.22
Trek Commuter

My son Thatcher forgot his shoes at Grays Bay yesterday when we were fishing, so I thought it would make a great ride out to get them today. I was a bit weary because I am still fighting a recent cold....but I plopped some Alka-Seltzer and off to the races....
The western burbs can be a really great place to ride....mostly nice people....wide shoulders and some nice sight-seeing/views.
I enjoyed myself...

New Ride: 1990 Trek 330




The brochure picture is what it looked like when I purchased it for 100 bucks in pretty darn good shape....however, my plans are to turn this one into a single speed...I am halfway there...
I installed new Origin 8 track cranks, 46 teeth, 175mm, chain, seat post and saddle. Currently I have the original freewheel installed with the chain installed on the 16 tooth cog to see how the ratio works out. Next I want to get a Surly flip flop hub and rebuild the rear wheel with the original rims. As you can see the original rims are concave - very interesting. Why change them, they are light and seem strong? I also want to upgrade the handlebar to a 44cm and install some new brake levers....
I'll keep the blog abreast!!!

Monday, June 16, 2008

27.59 miles - Donovan Boys' Tour De Minneapolis - 6/16/08






27.59 miles

avg 8.6

max 27.5

cal 414.1

3.12.19

Thatcher rode: Trek 7.2FX

Dad & Liam rode: Greenpeace with ride-a-long


We travelled down the Greenway, stopped at Freewheel Bike Shop for some java and snacks. Then to the River Parkway south to the Ford bridge. We then went across the Ford to the Parkway on the St. Paul side of the Mississippi and north to the Lake Street bridge and back across to Minneapolis. We had lunch at Birchwood Cafe. Then we took the Greenway back home.


I was quite proud of Thatcher for being a trooper and listening to my safety rules the whole way and for keeping up the pace, even when we hit the last stretch past of the SW Corridor past Lake Calhoun. Liam was great also for spending 3 hours on the ride-a-long.....


Couldn't ask for a better Fathers' Day!!!!!!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

$ - 11.77 miles - Errands/Parktacular/Skateboard Competition - 6/14/08

11.77 miles
avg 10.2
22.4 max
cal 233.1
1.09.00
Greenpeace w/ ride-a-long

Friday, June 13, 2008

26.92 miles - Commute/Shady Oak Extension - Errand/Pleasure Ride with Liam - 6/14/08



13.23 miles

avg 16.3

max 30.3

cal 468.0

0.48.42

Trek Commuter


Very windy (westerly) ride to work, but going home on Excelsior was a blast....


13.69 miles

avg 13.7

max 22.7

cal 346.0

0.59.38

Greenpeace w/ ride-a-long


Took out movies back to Redbox in Byerly's. Went down to Cal Surf to check out mini skateboards for Liam - they didn't come in yet. Then we went around Lake Calhoun and back to Ben and Jerry's for a, way-overpriced but very good, couple of cones of ice cream...then home.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

14.33 miles - Commute/Shady Oak Extension - 6/12/08

14.33 miles
avg 16.0
max 33.1
cal 487.7
0.53.44
Trek Commuter

Nice ride...had an issue with my hokey chain guard, but fixed it at work....yesterday I picked up a 1990 Trek 330 steel framed bike in my size....had to drive to Wisconsin to get it....picked up a Origin 8 single speed 42t crank set at work that I installed tonight...I'll get some pics up soon!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

LESSON LEARNED...

...NEVER WEEDWACK IN SANDALS

22.74 - Visit to Freewheel Bikes on Greenway with Liam - 6/10/08

22.74 miles
avg 12.8
max 26.8
cal 578.1
1.45.51
Greenpeace with NEW ride-a-long (pics coming soon)

Thank you Craigslist again!!! We woke up this morning groggy and I checked my e-mail right away because I am trying to sell my vintage Trek 310 (which turned out great by the way - someone from NYC is buying it and I have to ship it out)...anyway, of course I check the bike listing before I check my e-mail....and lo-and-behold some rich dude from Edina is giving away a like-new Adams trail-a-bike. Its a deluxe model, yellow in color, with a lightweight fender and a very cool rack (for Liam's skateboard). Liam was crying because his leg was cramping up and we grudgingly made it to the car and off to Edina thinking it was a lost cause and there it was, laying in the grass. So we took it home (after a stop at Sunnyside Up in Uptown for breakfast) and adjusted it, hooked it up and christened it with a nice 20 mile ride. Although Liam kept saying "can we go home," I told him that we were going to go to a new and cool place that he would like...and loved it. We had Cliff bars and coffee and Liam took 16 free Nature Valley granola bars and shoved them in my pack. We watched the bikes go past while Liam chided them with silly remarks in his natural smartass way.....

...the coolest thing was that I saw a guy pass with a bike that he bought from me...it was "Luce Lined" bike that I saved from a guy in Chaska. The bike was a very tall and bombproof vintage Raleigh hybrid bike. This bike I picked up for 15 bucks as a leftover from a yardsale....spent some time cleaning and adjusting, and it turned out fantastic...I sols it to some twenty-something in Uptown for 125 bucks. He got a great deal...it was a great bike....and it made me feel good to see some guy commuting with a bike that I sunk some love into!!!!

34.94 miles - Greenway/U of MN/St. Paul River Parkway/Greenway - 6/10/08

34.94 miles
avg 16.8
max 28.7
cal 1174.7
2.04.16
Poprad

First, the view of the Mississippi River looking north from the Ford bridge is spectacular...you wouldn't even know that you were in the midst of two large cities if someone plopped you there blindfolded and had you open your eyes...it was great!! I never stood on that bridge before. The river parkway on the east side is very nice - its a totally different atmosphere than the west. That seems to be the way Minneapolis and St. Paul are - they both have a certain element all their own, even as close as across a bridge. I must say I like them both, but the Minneapolis side seems more familiar...more like home. The St Paul side gives me the feeling of myself as a tourist or visitor. It always has...maybe I am an Uptown hipster emotionally, but certainly not physically....great ride today...I just wish I didn't always have to be home and had a whole day to ride the Twin Cities....

Sunday, June 8, 2008

17.31 miles - Commute/Cedar Lake Extemsion - 6/8/08

17.31 miles
avg 18.6
max 33.2
cal 652.3
0.55.41
Poprad

Nice day for a ride...stopped by Trader Joes to get a work lunch, which I will be doing more often because I got ripped off by my co-workers for 6 bucks and went without lunch on Saturday...so that sucks!!! Otherwise, I had a great ride despite getting passed by some mofo on a Quintana Roo tri bike and having him slow down after he passed me....worse than that typical action, was the fact that his cycling form was really pathetic for a guy in a tri bike - the old wobbly legs....the cool thing was that I passed by a house on Minnetonka Blvd and the was an antique Lambretta motor scooter idling in the driveway with its cowl off. It was a powder blue beauty....

Saturday, June 7, 2008

8.05 miles - Commute - 6/7/08

8.05 miles
avg 18.1
max 31.9
cal 319.8
0.26.48
Poprad

Friday, June 6, 2008

SOLD: Vintage 1985 Trek Elance 310 (Serial Number is 208968)


I happened upon this bike last week...it came with an Adams trail-a-bike attachment on the seat post and with a riser bar setup...luckily I had my Bianchi setup with new brake levers, cables, housing and bar tape in the same size (1") quill....so I simply lifted out the riser bar and placed the setup from my Bianchi into the headset...crazily enough I am actually happy to setup my Bianchi with a straight bar....I may just list it on craigslist and see how much I can pull for it....unfortunately the "new" vintage Trek is way small for me (19") frame with a stand over of around 29"....so some lucky sap will end up with a cool old vintage Trek in excellent shape for a good price....




Tuesday, June 3, 2008

25.53 miles - SW Corridor/Cedar Lake/Theo Wirth/ Cedar Lake/SW Corridor - 6/2/08

25.53 miles
avg 17.6
max 31.8
cal 884.1
1.27.07
Poprad

I basically did the Theo Wirth route backwards for a change...the weather was just right, but I am not feeling up to par lately...probably from not enough time on the bike....

Monday, June 2, 2008

7.90 miles - Subday morning quick ride/FLAT = frustration = go home - 6/1/08

7.90 miles
avg 16.7
max 28.9
cal 265.5
0.28.24
Poprad

Like I said I flatted on the Hutch/Spur Trail and cut through St. Louis Park to get home with my ultra-lite/ultra-stupid spare tube....day after crazy hail storm...I thought I flatted from all the wood and leaf debris on the roads, but as it turns out I had a piece of glass about 5 mm across stuck in my tire!!!