Bike Search/ Meet the Contestants

Novara Randonee: I really wanted to like this bike. A test ride reavealed a long list of short comings. The cockpit felt too big on a 55cm frame, the STI shifters felt cheap and sloppy and the frame lacked big tire clearance. 35mm tires with fenders would max out the available space between the chain stays. I found the ride harsh.

Trek 520: Slightly above my price point and still lacks STI sifters and disc brakes. Two bike shop guys independently said that the sloping top tube affects ride quality. I haven't ridden a 520 yet, but should.

Jamis Aurora: Good price, but came with only 32mm tires causing me to question big tire capabilities. It has the same Tiagra Dual Control STI shifters I didn't like on the Randonee.

Fuji Touring: I've concluded that at my price point, I need bar-end shifters. The Tiagra just don't feel well built enough. I don't like the way this bike looks. It also lacks pedigree. I plan to ride the bike that I buy for the next 20 years. An old Fuji will always be just an old Fuji.

This bike was a couple of hundred dollars more than most. I like the disk brakes and the included racks and fenders. Comes with 32mm tires, so I question room for larger tires and fenders. It has the same compacted frame style as the 520 so I question ride. I'm going to try to find a dealer and ride this.

Raleigh Sojourn: I rode this bike in Fargo. The 55cm frame felt good. I like the disk brakes and the price is right especially considering that it includes a rear rack and fenders and a Brooks B17. Comes with 35mm tires. Fairly good fender clearance. My only real complaint about this bike is aesthetic; it looks like some Dutch Chic should be riding it in a skirt. It's like it tried too hard to look good. Jared sent me a link of the same bike with black bar tape. It would be easy to dress it down a bit.

So far, the winner is a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I rode a 58cm frame at the Hub on Cedar. It felt comfortable, smooth, strong and stable. Great tire clearance and it comes with big tires. Both the top of the bars and the drops felt natural with factory set-up. Albeit Cliche, I wanted to throw my load and my gear on this bike and ride all day.

Obama's Address to Students is Not Allowed in my School

Next Tuesday President Obama will give an address to all of the students in the United States. We will not show it. It seems a handful of parents are afraid the President will "force his agenda" on their children. Where does all of this fear and hate come from?

The following text is a White House Press release on that agenda titled "My Education- My Future.

"At noon on Tuesday, September 8th the President will be welcoming America’s students back to school – after all, sometimes they need a little extra motivation after a glorious summer. The President has spoken often about the responsibility parents have for their children and their education, but in this message he’ll urge students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it."

Sounds like strong family values to me.

Directing that we many not show our nation's President does not represent a neutral act on the part of the district. This action implies that the President is too controversial to be shown in school. I wonder what makes this address a problem for those who object. Is it the President's politics; is it the President's race; is it about respect for the government; is it something else?

After staff protests our school leaders conceded that we may show the address to students three days late provided we send a letter home informing parents, collect a signed permission slip, offer alternative assignments for students who opt out and detail how it is germane to our curriculum. This is the same procedure we would follow to show an R-rated movie to 6th grade students.

I would title my school districts actions today as "My Education-My Future-My Ass"

There is something acutely wrong with a nation that doesn't trust its President to speak to school children. People on the right and left need wake up and smell the dysfunction. What a sad day for us all. What a horrible message we send to our next generation, when we refuse to listen to others.

Tomato Day

Earlier this year Claire read a story to me called "I'm in Charge of Celebrations." In the story a girl joyously celebrates personal holidays to commemorate special events on a personal level. Today is such a day for me.

We have loads of perfectly vine ripened garden tomatoes and two varieties of fresh basil,one green and one purple. These combined with olive oil, sea salt and fresh black pepper create a flavor memory that stays with me all year.

Next March or April, when I am trying to shake off the winter, I can look back at this picture and look forward to a favorite time of the year.

Something I've thought about many times

Fargo Air Show

In the bowels of a C5 cargo plane.

Inside a blackhawk helicopter.

Bike Mobile Completed

Thanks to Q's welder, the bike mobile is complete. I designed and made the front wheel holders, so that four bikes and wheels can all easily mount to the front of the trailer.

50% occupancy.

This picture shows the wheel mounting brackets protruding from the wooden structure. Clicking on the photo enlarges it. Details are then easier to see.

An action photo of me welding the mounts. (I pulled this image off of Q's "queasyfish" blog.)

Snails That Went Fast

I whipped up a batch of snails that we found looking lively in a local Asian store. Claire and Harris loved them. I overheard, "one for me; one for you,' as they divided up the last of the tasty little mollusks.

I boiled them for 10 minutes than tossed them in olive oil, garlic, chillies, wine and fresh basil, something to try again.

Bikemobile

Here is my version of Q's bike trailer. Building the additional frame out of treated wood, I'll stain it black later, proved to be fairly simple and ridiculously strong. I have four points where carriage bolts attach it to the metal trailer frame. Using 2x6 lumber allows me to move my fork clamps to multiple positions on the wooden frame to accommodate a variety of bike styles and sizes. The bikes in the picture have 24", 26" and 700C wheels. Notice the offset fork mounts in the bottom photo. I have a simple design in mind to make attachment points for the front wheels.

The bikemobile will make it possible to bring both bikes and camping gear on family outings in the Camry or Civic.

Here's another bike mobile just for fun.

Fossil Hunting in Goodhue County

The kids and I took a trip back to the ancient ocean covering Minnesota during the Ordovician Period. We headed South, dropped in elevation and lost 480 million years.
We found cnidarians, brachiopods, bryozoans, gastropods, echinoderms and corals.
Take a look at some of these fossils here.

Tour with Claire

Claire and I went on our 2nd annual Bike camping trip with the neighbors, John and his daughter. The picture above is Claire behind John's 1984 Trek 520.

After morning soccer games, we loaded up and drove west on 394/12 to the Glacial Lakes Trail head in Willmar,MN. A PDF link can be found here.
We followed the Glacial Lakes Trail for about 11 miles through Spicer to the town of New London. Just before the Highway 23 bridge, we split off the trail on to 9, riding through downtown New London a couple of miles. From 9 we went west on 148 for about 6 miles to Sibley State Park. All roads had wide shoulders and low traffic, so it wasn't stressful riding with the girls on them.


Sibley State Park is one of Minnesota's larger state parks on the shores of Lake Andrew. We camped near the lake in one of the last available campsites in the Lakeview campground. We were very close to the lake, sandy swimming beach and fishing pier. The down side is the campsite lacked any seclusion or character.

Next time, I'll reserve a site in the Oak Ridge Campground, also in the park. I'll trade the 1/4 mile bike ride for a wooded campsite anytime.

All of our bikes did well carrying a fairly heavy load that included fishing gear.

Claire and I both road mid-90's Trek mountain bikes converted to tourers. Her's is a 930 while mine is a 950. The neighbor girl rode a late 80's Schwinn Sprint with a rack and fenders. A nice little bike, but could have used a few more gears in the hills and wind. Notice the plastic bags. We feared rain, but stayed dry.



Claire at the end of the ride. She found the bike key hanging on the back of the car where she left it the day before.

A tree frog we chanced to see along side the trail

John and Claire are having a conversation about a woodtick.

A handful of red gooseberries we picked along the trail.

Great trip. I'd be glad to travel the route again.

pingwire.com

The Pingwire site intrigues me. It describes itself with the following lines of text:
Pingwire is an (almost) live feed of images being posted to twitter with Twitpic, yfrog, and Twitgoo. Evidently, there are people who post photos which may be inappropriate for viewers under 18 years of age.
The compilation of stuff other people find cool enough to send to someone else keeps me checking back.

I have seen scattered nudity, so it's not good for work, but the vast majority of content is ok.

On the Banks of Plum Creek

Ma and I loaded up the children and drove to Walnut Grove Minnesota for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant. The town was overrun with tweenage girls and senior citizens. Claire's read all the books, so this trip was mostly for her.
Here the Children are On the Bank of Plum Creek.


Inspired by the pioneer spirt, Claire and I made a period accurate rope bed for Laura, a rag doll we purchased at the museum. The bed is constructed using wooden pegs and rope. The expression sleep tight is a leftover from a time when people rested more comfortably on tightly strung rope beds.



We have grass drying to make a straw mattress to finish the bed.

Newest Bike in the Family/Link to Bike Snob NYC

Here is the kid touring road bike I've just finished fixing up. I bought it for Harris, but Claire loves it too. It's a 1991 37cm Schwinn Caliente. I paid $35 for the bike, overhauled the hubs and added another $50 or so for tires, tubes and bar tape.

I purchased the bike from a guy named Jeremy at Belfry bikes. He and a couple of others fix up old bikes so they can be ridden once again.

Today, I see some of Jeremy's Belfry bikes received mention in Bike Snob NYC. Bike Snob says the following on Jeremy's Cyberpunk Schwinn - Tricentenial Edition theme bike:

"This could very well be the world's geekiest theme bike.. .. The only thing that would make this bike better would be a second lever that repels girls, but the fact is that it's probably not necessary since the bike itself is sufficiently dorky to ensure the rider's eternal virginity."

I guess no press is bad press, even if it means an end to your genetic legacy.

It's cool to be able link my kids' bike, ala Kevin Bacon, to Bike Snob NYC. The Caliente is beast regardless.

20 Miles of Off Road in the City.

John, Sean and I had a blast mountain biking along the Minnesota River. The raft is a rope ferry for traveling across this little inlet, way more fun than a bridge.

Oxygen debt describes some of the climbs where I resorted to walking gear. The flat part of the ride felt down hill both ways.

What a great weekend of biking. I had three days of solid riding.

Tour to Nerstrand

My neighbor John and I did a spur of the moment tour to Nerstrand Big Wood State Park. 100 miles in 24 hours. We left Friday with a strong tailwind and returned fighting a beastly headwind Saturday.

We were mostly on Highway 3 which has wide shoulders and a fair amount of traffic. "Load Clothes Save Lives"


Here's my 1980's Fuji with the Nob trailer loaded up.

John's 1980's Trek 520 with metal water bottle and vintage pump.
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Steak, eggs and fried potatoes made for an outstanding breakfast.

A campfire lit bike.

Back Yard Movie Night

Four neighborhood families came over to watch Bugs Bunny and Friends tonight. We made popcorn on the grill and enjoyed the near perfect weather. Summer's good.

Good Things Happening In My Neighborhood Tonight.

Photos from the Summit-Criterium. Claire and I went down the hill and watched races for a couple of hours. They are being held each Tuesday for the rest of the month. We'd love to have company.

This woman is intentionally blocking the view. Some people are so rude!


Here are a few general photos from the race. Claire took these shots.



Finally a link to an earlier post on the races.

Here's What's Happening In My Neighborhood

This murder(s)took place just on the other side of the park from my house. I rode by tonight and saw the area full of camera crews.

C Squared

Since TV signals travel at speed of light, here's what Alien's would be watching in other parts of the galaxy. You'll need to click on the image to enlarge it enough to read. I found this on Dump.com.