Pack Rat

The bikes are packed up and ready to go. The amount of disassembly required to cram them in the boxes surprised me a bit. The hotel room build when we arrive will take a bit more time and effort than I anticipated. As long as there is plenty of beer, I will be OK.

Hard to believe that there are two bikes in there.

I feel like I have to clarify that you are looking at my garage. I do not have bikes on the wall or greasy, green carpet in my house!

Later.

Shake It

We took the travel bikes out for a shakedown ride yesterday after work. Going back to my racing days, you never want to enter a race with a freshly assembled bike. I think the same principle might apply to taking a bike to a foreign country—we don't want any surprises.

The bikes performed just fine. The only issue I noticed was my front hub loosening up a bit.

The ride itself was fun. The bugs and allergens were out in full force, so that part wasn't so great.

I am somewhat nervous about this trip, so an hour on the bikes helped ease my mind a bit. I think being a long-time cyclist makes it more difficult, though. Under normal circumstances, say a road trip, I would be prepared for anything. My car would be filled with spare parts, tubes, tires and every tool necessary for any repair. That won't be the case on this trip. We will be stripped down to the bare essentials, and the thought of it makes me feel naked.

Still, even if we were to have an issue, the worst that could happen is we sit on a beautiful beach and drink beer. That's about the best plan B you can have.

Later.

Hello Tahoe

Due to my son's weekend basketball games and baseball practice, we have not been to Tahoe in a while. Easter gave us a weekend free of sports, so we headed up.

I had a small window of time to get a ride in this morning before we had to go to Reno to order a new security door.  Not knowing how much snow was on the trails, I took the Pugs.

Conditions were pretty dry on the lower slopes, although the sand underneath was slightly damp and packed, which made for easier climbing. There is still enough snow on the upper slopes for picturesque views, though.

I climbed for a couple miles and over 1000 feet before finally hitting some snow. Since it was 45 degrees, the snow was soft and very slippery. There were also lots of tracks and holes, so climbing was nearly impossible. After walking through a few drifts, I gave up.

On the way back down I hit the first drift at high speed, like I have in the past, and nearly killed myself. My front wheel immediately came out from under me. I didn't crash, but it was a close one. Snow has an entirely different quality when it is below freezing; the traction is actually quite good. When thawed, it isn't fun to ride on.

Back on solid ground I opened it up and flew down. Downhilling on a fat bike is so fun.

That's about it. Short ride, short story.

Later.

Complete

I finished assembling my travel bike this morning. It's not as cool as Jen's but it will do.

It's mostly all the same parts as before, but I did treat myself to a new crank set. The old Truvativ cranks that came with the bike were creaking like mad in Monterey, and I can't handle any noises emanating from my bike. The new Shimano Zee cranks look pretty bombproof and should stand up to anything I (and baggage handlers) can throw at them.

It's been a long, costly project but I think it will all be worth it. I can't wait to do some foreign exploring with them.

Later.

One Down

I finished up Jen's bike today. What a cool little ride. Everything went together very easily, and the bike rides smoothly and quietly. I couldn't be happier.

Time to start building mine.

Later.

Powder

Well, the frames came back from powder. No, not the really white guy from the movie:

From Performance Powder Coating in Orangevale. They turned out pretty good:

After a little overspray cleanup with a razor blade, the stainless couplers look really cool:

Space check—Jen's little frame fits in the case with with room to spare:

Now it's time to start building.

Later.

Dukes Up

I am sitting here drinking a beer and nursing my knee. And counting my blessings.

I went for a ride today, and I felt pretty good. Unlike yesterday, I had good legs and actually enjoyed my ride.

Two miles from home I was passing by our local Bel Air. I made it past the two main entrances. As I was passing the rear entrance, behind the store, where you rarely see anybody, I reached down for my water bottle. An Acura MDX came flying out. I looked up. The driver saw me and slammed on the brakes. The bumper stopped six inches short of my lower leg.

She mouthed "sorry" to me and I shouted the F-word as I rode by, my way of saying, "I accept your apology!"

The truth is I was more mad at myself than her. I let my guard down. I didn't keep my dukes up.

I have survived 28 years on the road by being ever vigilant. I see things before they happen. I scan the horizon like the Terminator:

Idiot driver right, unpredictable pedestrians ahead.

But this time I slipped up. If that bumper would have hit me, I was probably looking at a torn up knee or an unpleasant tib/fib fracture.

It was only after I had returned home and showered that I realized I had hurt my knee. I must have flinched when my friend tried to rearrange my bone structure.

Sometimes a close call can be a beneficial, a refresher course in vigilance, a reminder to keep your dukes up.