keep track of...

what obama does with his promise of accommodations for cyclist. this is from the obameter, that was set up by the st. petersburg times.

amitabha...

as the snow begins...

snow ride to the video store...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to fall this weekend, michelle and i thought that the best idea was to rent some movies and munch on some pop corn. so instead of digging out the car; i took the bike to the video store.

staying on the main roads wasn't too bad. i just had to find a groove made by a car and i was set. as i started bouncing between streets; that's when it got tricky. i was sliding all over the place. as i came to a main road, i was lucky enough to draft behind a post office vehicle to the drive just before my turn. i hung on him like stink on shit. drafting behind the cars today was good. they weren't going that fast, so i was able to anticipate where and when they would turn. as long as i followed their tire path; as it kicked up snow and left a small 'path' of road.

took a longer way home...which sucked. back to a main road that i knew would be plowed somewhat. then i hit a part of the road where the plows just came from; so that was good.

took a spill just as i needed to turn into my drive, but snow is soft. although if i keep this up...a thunderwing would be a good idea.

now...time for some drink and a movie.

amitabha...

i was able...

rear brake view...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to take the new shorty six's out for a little ride. some minimal off road testing as it were.

the conditions were pretty crappy. hard mud, mixed with softer mud. the temps have been around thirty to thirty-four. so you are able to guess what i was dealing with. rode over some ice which would have gone up past my rims if it broke. snow-like conditions. slushy.

the bike felt great, and i'm very happy to have it back; but also...the brakes operated like a charm. responsive, yet not too grabby. and no front end vibration. sweet.

amitabha...

got back the...

reincarnation of the planet cross...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

planet cross over the weekend. had rear brake bosses put on for single speed freewheel action.

took it out the other day on a forty-four/twenty. good spin. however seems like a high gear for the road; which is o.k. by me. i am looking forward to taking it out for a cross ride (pictured wasn't really a good cross ride) and seeing how it handles. the bike felt great; as usual.

put the new avid shorty sixes on there. work great. set up nice. no vibration. good stuff.

amitabha...

from a different...

flat bar fixed...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

perspective; and that is riding a fixed road bike with a flat bar (o.k. really it is a riser, but we won't squabble over that).

the frame set was a 'gift' (i still owe beer) from diamond dave. a trek twelve-twenty. it came with seatpost, saddle, headset, and stem (crankset and pedals too, but not in use right now). i put on my seventy-four dura-ace crankset, time pedals, brake lever, front brake, and wheelset. real cheap handlebars, and money into grips. it is set up forty-two sixteen. it was a little tricky getting the gearing set up simple because of the dropouts, but with a chain that i'm able to shorten with half-links; i was good.

this is so i am able to look cool when i roll down into tremont with the hipsters. otherwise, i have ritchey bullhorns on it with a different stem; so i'm just able to do a quick switch and go. i'm not completely sold on the saddle yet, but i'll see how it goes.

but set up in hipster mode, is fun. it's something different. so soon i'll be able to do the tricks i see in the videos. i think the blue to purple fade with the green and yellow grips just make it stand out. don't you?

amitabha...

on january second...

first ride of thousand nine...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

we hit west branch for the first ride of thousand nine. we were at first unsure of such an adventure, simply because of the 'mixed' signals of the sign postings. the main sign stated that the trails were closed; however the other signs (and site visits) stated that the trails would be open again after december thirty.

so we took a long drive to the park office, and wouldn't you know it...no one was there. mine and your tax dollars at work. so we hit the trail anyway.

the ground was hard, except in some very few spots; namely where all the hunters were walking from the previous days. the trail itself was slow. we really felt like out-of-shape slobs; which we might be. it was not as cold as i thought that it would be. in fact i had to shed a layer.

i stayed in the granny gear the whole time, and just played with the rear. we only rode half of the trail, simply because of all the gun shots we heard...the semi-automatic rifle shots were not comforting at all. got to love hunters. don't get me wrong...i have no problem with them, but really?

anyway...here's to another year...cheers...

amitabha...

from the last ride of the year...

rest break...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

happy new year...

amitabha...