When everything else fails

I have this theory that after being sick the best way to get back in there is a Single Speed Bike. I have been dealing with a stubborn cold for almost 3 weeks. No idea why I can kick this thing good bye already. It was warm and sunny and I decided to hit the limestone trails for a while. I found my rhythm after about 15 miles. It was hot and humid and loud! Millions of cicadas doing their thing. I guess with the SS bike I just focused on pedaling and nothing else. Pictured above is my trusty All City Nature Boy disc. Running a 42x16 with 28mm tires. Cruising speed about 13-15mph. Position is dialed and I love those Ritchey Venture Max handlebars. This bike will bring me back. It always does. 

Thanks for reading

Mid June strikes

As the bike season ramps up I just realized it's the middle of June already. I have always dreamt of taking that longest day of the year and ride from sunrise to sunset. I've thought about it for a long time but commitments with work and such have always but a damper on it. I think keeping such goals, dreams in mind is a good thing. I don't give up on it and eventually I think it's going to happen.
The shop has been busy with the usual fairweather cyclist tune ups and flat tires. There is no end to it until schools start again. I've also been dealing with a nasty 3 week so far cold. I've been riding to work and back but it really has taken a toll on my fitness. Today was a bit better and hopefully tomorrow will show even more progress. So, whatever you are up to I hope you are doing well while you read these words. 

Ari

Unbound 2024

Unbound 2024 is over and it was an exciting event. Lots of my friends drove down there to participate in the various distances offered. I , unfortunately could not take off work and watch thru social media all the highlights. I am kind of surprised, when I think back, at how things have changed. Everyone seems to have nice bikes and the equipment has developed so much. I saw some of the pros sporting jerseys with incorporated hydration packs. 

I saw superfat tires on gravel bikes. Narrow,narrow bars. Nobody seems to be riding
Salsa woodchippers anymore. Anyway it was a spectacle and very entertaining to watch it all. If you went down there I hope you had a good time. The photos are emerging and they are good, really good. 

Ari
 

The Pinarello Grevil with Campagnolo Ekar 13 speed.

The Ekar 13 speed ergo shifter. With a Steel Cable!

40c Maxxis tires with lots of clearance left. 

Pinarello Gravel bike with Campagnolo Ekar

13 gears to choose from. The largest is a 42. I left the derailleur cable a bit longer in case customer want to raise the stem. Since all cables go thru bars, stem and frame. 

 Had a better time building this Ekar bike up today. It's all a learning process. The Ekar shifting is good. Just gotta make sure to lube  up that cable with some drislide lubricant . I put it all together, bled the brakes , torqued it all and it was ready to go. I like the simplicity of the groupset, the brakes are fine and once the shifters break in a bit it all works just fine. I was able to test the bike for a few miles and came back satisfied with my build.Im sure people want this groupset in electronic but this runs pretty good and is simple to work on it once you learn it. I really like how this bike rides. 

thanks for reading. 

Ari 

Definitely different than last bike season

This year has been a bit different than last year. I have definitely seen the increase in bikes and escooters. It has been a challenge on how to service these since our repair area is in the basement. Hauling these bikes up and down has been a challenge. Also we don't have an adequate stand for them. I have been hoisting them off the ground to do some work on them.

The other thing that has been different is the amount of e-tap and di2 bikes coming in for service.More and more hydro brakes and not to mention everyone wanting tubeless. It good practice to work on all this and at some point one becomes proficient. Some of the internal routing is very time consuming and poorly designed. That's my take. I'd rather work on a bike with all external routing any day. 

Tomorrow Im working on some Campagnolo Ekar13 speed stuff. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime being a bike mechanic is always interesting. That days of 6 speed freewheels and downtime shifters seem so far away. 

Thank you for reading. 

Ari 

 

Memorial Day 2024

 I was fortunate enough to get out and ride with my son yesterday. It was a blustery day with cold temps and high winds. We truly got beat up doing our 45mile ride. Later on in the day the temps climbed and we were able to get outside and do some grilling. I thought a lot about people that are gone and how I miss them. Friends, family, loved ones. It turned out to be a decent day and towards the end it felt good. To everyone out there that reads this blog I really thank you. 

Riding towards the end of May

 May has been a mismatch of weather and continued rain. This weekend I had planned to take some days off and get some serious miles in. Thursday was good, Friday was good, sat was good then today Sunday I woke up to thunder and lightning. There is perhaps going to be a window of no rain in the mid afternoon and that might be my chance. 

Have not been able to get any consistency in lately. It is what it is but this is how the time goes by and I feel like it gets wasted. I'm gonna hit the garage soon for some organizing and cleaning of bikes until I can get outside. 

Let me know if you have any plans for riding anytime soon. Would not mind attempting a 100miler soon. 40 miles would be on limestone and the rest of the 60 on pavement. That's the best we can do around here. 

Lately I have been riding my Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross. Ive been on all road Gravel kings in 32mm. Those tires can handle anything you throw at them. Probably gonna do the 100 miler on those soon. 

better news and mood in the future. It's just another bridge to cross. 

Ari