Last Friday Katie and I packed the dogs up to the kennel, boarded a flight to Milwaukee, and finally drove up to Fish Creek, WI for our first century ride. Unfortunately we arrived quite late as our Frontier flight was delayed (again, not having much luck with departures on them [...]]]>

Door County Century Rest Stop

Last Friday Katie and I packed the dogs up to the kennel, boarded a flight to Milwaukee, and finally drove up to Fish Creek, WI for our first century ride. Unfortunately we arrived quite late as our Frontier flight was delayed (again, not having much luck with departures on them and this time I got to sit next to a Frontier employee who must have smoke 2 packs before getting on the plane) and a missed turn in Milwaukee (thanks for closing all the on ramps by the airport) and missed the dinner festivities with our parents (both sides made the drive). The next morning we ate a quick breakfast and then drove to packet pickup in Sturgeon Bay for the Door County Century. During the morning, and all day for the matter, my father was still adamant that he was only going to do the 70 mile route. Right. We let him believe that as we took our rentals, a Trek Madone 5.2 and a 5.2 WSD, out for a quick ride to make friends with the bikes.

We made friends. The Madone’s rode great – the Ultegra drivetrain was a pretty fantastic upgrade then my Lemond’s old 105 and Katie’s old Tiagra. And the frames were fast!

Bar Tape Fail!

Unlike when I stand up and hammer on my Buenos Aires, the Madone’s frame put the power directly into the wheels – and the read wheel could never pull out (damn horizontal drops). That said, when going over rough road and gravel you could really tell how plush my existing steel frame is as you felt everything on the Madone. The one thing I would have liked to have tried was climbing as I think the total elevation gain in the ride was about 400 feet, rather small compared to Colorado. My only real complaint was that the bar tape was poorly applied. The ~2 inch difference was a bit troubling to align my hands on, though it would be an easy fix.

Of course the next morning, as we were again driving to Sturgeon Bay for the start, my father started saying that at the turnoff for the 70 mile route he would decide about doing the 100. Not that Katie or I ever doubted he would do the 100. When we hit the turnoff, he kept along with us. We started out with temperatures in the mid 60′s and a well shaded course. And, what many of the rides said was an evil hill. Thankfully a less than 100′ climb was not an issue after riding in Colorado. The first 35 miles flew past without much of a thought. We kept going smoothing until about halfway through the course, when my father began to feel the distance in his legs (with IT band tightness). The pace slowed drastically but we continued on. And on. With lots of dairy cow themed cycling kits on all sides.  eally, who knew you could have more than a dozen jerseys all related to Wisconsin Holsteins? The course was very flat and almost windless, with only a long stretch of gravel road to even wake you up. Additionally the roads, at least the non-highways, were almost completely empty and those drivers who did pass were extremely courteous - score.

In due time we finished.  Not fast but we finished.  And my father did it at age 62.

Dana, Katie, and Dan on the shores of Lake Michigan during the Door County Century

Initial Bangtail Divide Climb

In July Katie and I ventured north (well, north north west) to Bozeman, Montana for a long weekend.  Seeing as my truck looks like a sporting goods store vomited inside of it, by no surprise our mountain bikes were loaded in the bed.  We went into a local bike [...]]]>  

Initial Bangtail Divide Climb

In July Katie and I ventured north (well, north north west) to Bozeman, Montana for a long weekend.  Seeing as my truck looks like a sporting goods store vomited inside of it, by no surprise our mountain bikes were loaded in the bed.  We went into a local bike shop, Bangtail Bikes, and asked for a trail recommendation.  The guy at the shop asked a few questions about what kind of bikes we ride, how often we ride, and what type of terrain we like; all good and logical questions for a trail recommendation.  Then he asked where we were from.  With Boulder being the answer he smirked and quickly recommended Bangtail Divide (Bangtail Ridge?), what he said was an 18 mile ride.  He raved about how the trail had unbelievable views and all the magazines were glowing about the it.  Sure sounded good to us!

We drove up to the Bracket Creek trailhead and headed off into the wilderness.  The first many miles were climbing, with a decent but not painful grade.  And we just kept climbing.  I think all said there was almost 4,000 feet of climbing.  Thankfully the long climb was negated by the absolutely fantastic views.

Awesome Views on Bangtail Divide

A few hours in we started wondering about the 18 miles as, while we were no longer climbing, the trail was not seeming to be descending enough to get us back to the road.  That and the rapid gunfire from some nearby gun range started to make us mildly nervous.  However there were still beautiful meadows of singletrack to ride and a fair number of posts to mark the trail so the concern was fairly minimal.  Finally we reached a seemingly endless series of switchbacks and we knew we were dropping down to the Stone Creek trailhead and the five mile ride on the road back to the truck.  Which was good, seeing as we were both running empty with our Camelbaks.

When we got back to town I quickly searched the internet and found out the trail was 26 miles, with an additional 5 miles to get back to the car.  Was it worth it?  I am sure the shop guy had a good chuckle.  And I cannot even be mad, as this turned into my all time favorite ride.  26 miles of almost exclusive singletrack with less than 20 people going the opposite way on the trail.  The views were incredible, the trail was well marked, and I had an absolute blast.  Sure there was nothing overly technical but this was a long cross-country ride.  I would strongly recommend heading out to Bozeman if for no other reason than to ride this trail.  And remember, it is only 18 miles…

Meadow on top of Bangtail Divide Trail

Last winter the rear fender on Katie‘s commuter bike broke.  It was a sad day; she came home with a stain up her back.  For her birthday I ordered a set of replacement fenders from Woody’s Custom Bicycle Fenders.  When the fenders showed up we were both awed by how amazing [...]]]>

Admire the new fenders

Last winter the rear fender on Katie‘s commuter bike broke.  It was a sad day; she came home with a stain up her back.  For her birthday I ordered a set of replacement fenders from Woody’s Custom Bicycle Fenders.  When the fenders showed up we were both awed by how amazing they looked.  Unfortunately I did not realize that we needed custom sizing to fit Katie’s Specialized Langster Seattle (the bike came with crappy wood colored plastic fenders).  Cody, from Woody’s Fenders, was extremely accommodating and exchanged them back for a set built just for the bike.  When Katie and I go back from Oregon last night the fenders were sitting on the doorstep, absolutely begging to be installed.  And finally, this evening, Katie’s bike has a set of beautiful wood fenders.

Fender Close-Up

Ahh, what a beautiful day for [...]]]> Yesterday I rode two laps at Walker Ranch.  When I started, it was 52 and partly sunny with a few clouds floating through.  When I finished, it was 46 with visibility less than 10 meters.  On the bright side, the clouds hid how slow I was going on the second lap…

Ahh, what a beautiful day for a ride!

Gee, the sky is getting dark but I'll go for another lap anyways

Hmm, it is hard to tell if I am still on the trail in this cloud

Recently I have been wanting to trade in my fixed gear (the knees are starting to hate it but if you want to buy it I’ll accept a reasonable offer) for a city bike. This, of course, leads to the discussion of what I want and need in a city bike. I [...]]]>

Origin8 Cykel 3

Recently I have been wanting to trade in my fixed gear (the knees are starting to hate it but if you want to buy it I’ll accept a reasonable offer) for a city bike. This, of course, leads to the discussion of what I want and need in a city bike. I say city bike, not a cruiser, because I do actually like to get places in a respectable amount of time.

Frame: Light and upright.  Katie rides a Specialized Langster Seattle that she loves dearly; it is light, durable, and responsive. I would prefer a frame that is light, ideally lighter than the well painted Origin8 Cykel 3 (though this bike does have a nice upright position). I do love the comfort of steel but at the price I am willing to pay I suspect light, high end steel is out of my reach. Does it need to be carbon light as the Trek District Carbon?  No, not at all. While titanium is a wonderful material, I am not likely to drop the $8,000 I would need for a Moots Comooter That does leave me with the likely frame material being aluminum. Additionally I like my frames to be traditional; bikes like the Ellsworth The Ride are a bit too much for me (something just a little off, like the Civia Loring I-Motion, would be acceptable.

Trek Soho DLX

Drivetrain:  One, three, or maybe an eight speed.  Many manufacturers offer the same bike as a single speed or internal rear hub, such as Mongoose with the Sabrosa SS and Ocho Most important here is the lack of an external derailleur; this bike needs to be designed for bike rack parking and being hauled up/down stairs.  An external derailleur is just another part that can break.  In Boulder, for all intense purposes, a single speed is all that I would need.  That said, when I lived on The Hill, I desperately wished for a few more gears when riding home.  While a belt drive (as on the Trek Soho DLX) would be nice, as with a titanium frame it is probably an unnecessary expense.

Handlebars:  Wide mustachio or or flat bars with a decent back sweep (like on the Globe Daily 3).  I intend to ride this bike upright and want my handlebars to reflect this style.

Wheels: 700 or 29er.  I need something that can run slicks most of the year and hand knobby CX tires in the winter (though this is more related to clearance with the frame).  As for sizing, well, big rolls better.

Swobo Baxter

Brakes: Disc.  I love the stopping power with disc brakes, no matter the weather conditions.  Bikes like the Felt Verza City 2, and the Swobo Baxter, they know.   Caliper brakes would be acceptable, but most of them do not have the clearance to run knobby CX tires.  The easy alternative, cantilever brakes, just do not have the stopping power I would like for hills and erratic automobiles.   While I can understand that some riders prefer the coaster brakes from their youth, but I hate them.  Really really hate them.  They take a beautiful bike, like the Gary Fisher Simple City 3, and ruin it for me.

Fenders: Simple.  It does actually rain and snow in Boulder. Simple, but significant enough to keep the spray.  While I would not complain if they covered as much as on the Raleigh Alley Way, they do not need to be that intense.  The fenders on the Jamis Commuter 3 are more than sufficient.

Felt Cafe 3

Rack: I do not specifically need a rack, but it would be great to throw a 12 pack of beer on the bike.  The included rack on the Specialized Globe Live series and the Trek Belleville (though I would only want one rack) look ideal for hauling small loads, such as beer.

Chainguard: No matter what you do, rolling your pant leg up, using a Velcro strap, or pulling your sock over your pants, you look silly.  Just get rid of the need by adding a full chain guard like on the Gary Fisher Waubesa (named after one of my favorite lakes).  Even a ring mounted guard, like on the Torker Graduate, would probably be sufficient.  As with fenders, it does not need to be as intense as the guard on the Felt Cafe 3, it just needs to work.

All of these options – should I spend the cash and get a Globe Live 3, should I settle for a bargain Schwinn Coffee, get almost everything with the Raleigh Superbe Roadster or the Novara Transfer, or build something from scratch on a NYC CrossSpeed II frame?

Raleigh Superbe Roadster