Don't be tricked

 IT's been a rollercoaster March around here. I've enjoyed being outside everyday so far for the month. Just the other day the skies were blue and it encouraged a lot of people to start thinking about their bikes. We got a bunch of repairs in and sold a fair amount of bicycles. Then the bottom dropped out with intense, flooding, rain. Tornadoes, storms and then cold wind and snow dominated in the past couple days. The Robins are confused and wondering how they are going to find any worms. 

The few crocus' that sprang up got buried in freezing snow. But one thing has not wavered. The mourning dove that nested atop our little hose house is here again. Rain, shine, snow, wind she is already sitting there because she is on a mission. A good lesson to learn from such a gentle creature. I put all my winter gear on, threw on a clipon fender and rode to work. If the Robins and Mourning Doves can be out there so can I. Winter is not over in the midwest and I'm alright with that. 

thanks for reading, 

Ari

Lots of this on my way to work this morning. Ducks were in heaven! 

The Miyata Ridge Runner 1987

My friend Joe told me he had this frame and did not want it since it was too big for him. I toyed with the idea of building it up and after searching the depths of my garage I started to unearth old stuff I hadn't seen in years. Of note was the Mavic 26.8mm seatpost, XTR cantilevers for the front, later a nice SR triple crankset and so on. I have started building it and I will continue to post more photos as they come along. I will be looking for recommendations for a smoother pattern tire in 26". Of note and worthy of the money is the 1" quill stem from Velo Orange. IT's one of the few stems that has a 31.8mm handlebar clamp diameter. Plus it as a long quill to jack up the bars with frames that have short headtubes. It will be interesting to ride this bike with such a long wheelbase , and a triple butted, lugged steel frame. I think its gonna be a good one. 

New machine for the coming season

 My good friend Dave sold me his Lynskey Pro Cross since he has a big project (bike) coming up. I've been in the market for a ti bike to ride on gravel for a while. I have a few but the magic of titanium has alway had its allure. This bike is a cross bike. Im ok with that because I have used plenty of cross bikes on grave. First was the Gunnar Crosshairs, Then 2 Surly Crosschecks, A Salsa Chili con Crosso, Another Crosshairs, and various other old road bikes converted to gravel.

Yeah, I've been around a long time with bikes. This Lynskey I will start tuning and fitting over the winter. As of now it has 40mm gravel kings and It will probably handle a 42-45. Not a problem. I don't need to follow any fashions happening out there. 

I live in Chicagoland. Most of my riding is done on pavement and limestone trails. If i make a trip to Iowa, Kansas other real gravel areas I can switch tires. I might be looking for a longer stem, bottle cages, a frame bag and such accessories. I'll let you know how those changes take place. 

In the meantime im riding the Trek 6500 with 26' studded tires and the Surly steamroller also studded. Both bikes have me pegged at around 11 mph. So tiring but at my age I don't need to break anything. 

Thanks for reading, 

Ari 

Trying out the new to me Fuji XT-1

Raven's Grin Inn, Mt Carroll, IL. 

Mill Creek rd, Bellevue , Iowa

Deserted Farm House, Mill Creek Rd. 

Iowa Farm 

Mt Carroll,IL 

Bellevue, Iowa

The locks in Bellevue, Iowa

fisherman coming to shore as the light goes away. 

Not a great photo but these Cranes were waaaay up there heading south to warmer temps. 

Ramp off rte 52 that gives one access to boat launch and viewing area for the locks. 

 My friend Richard was kind enough to pass on his Fuji camera that he was no longer using. It's a Fuji XT-1 mirrorless camera with a 18-135 lens. I took it to Jackson County this past weekend and tried learning it on the go. I got lots more to learn for sure! Most of the shots I took were in Bellevue Iowa as the light was quickly dissapearing in the horizon. I will be glad when we start gaining daylight again. Living in the dark is not good for photography. 

I charged up the battery and found a nicely padded camera bag that I have and set off to capture some images. All in all its a great camera. I will eventually figure out how to shoot the photos from camera to phone. I know how to do it but its something to do with my old phone. might need an update which I'm not sure if it can handle it. I'll post up more photos as I go thru them. 

thanks for reading, 

Ari 

Just Riding along

up and close with the deer

Been really lucky this fall with how the weather has panned out. Yesterday I was made aware of some pants that costco was selling for about 20 dollars. I have pretty much abandoned riding with padded shorts at this point. I  ride 7 days a week and its not feasible to do that. I'm gathering some images to do a write up of things that work for me as far as riding equipment and clothing for commuting. Stay tuned and it will be posting soon. 

So back to the pants. They are made by Gerry and they are a stretch material that is lined with a waffle style fleece on the inside. That waffle lining reminds me of some of my Patagonia tops that I have used in the past. They have 2 handwarming pockets , two rear pockets , one zipped and a small side pocket for your keys or lighter. They also have a drawstring at the hems. I will post photos soon. 

Yesterday I had to get back on the flat pedals since that Morton's Neuroma in my right foot is aggravated again. This time around I will stay off my spd's for a longer time and see if that helps. Im riding some giant Crank bros Stamp pedals with some wide Olukai sneakers. Right foot pedalling Flintstone style. Tomorrow I will be getting my bike ready for Guitar Ted's virtual Turkey Burn:> VTBR. It goes from Thanksgiving Thursday,Friday,Sat, Sun. IF you are interested in riding with me let me know in the comments below. Probably gravel bikes with mixed terrain. 

thanks for reading

A quick road trip

The offspring at Gravert's orchard 

Along Mill Creek rd between Bellevue and La Motte

The locks along Mississippi river at Bellevue, Iowa

Gravert's 

road travelers! 

Bellevue Iowa before the sub 5pm sunset

Mt Carroll , IL 

 Was able to get up early with the offspring and hit the road just after 8am. The target was Graverts Orchard to catch the last batch of apples of the season. I have grown accustomed to only eat apples from Gravert's. Store bought stuff is just so bland that I kinda veer away from it. We picked up 1/2 a bushel, some bosc pears and a dozen fresh eggs and a caramel apple for the offspring. Gravert's is a family owned orchard in Sabula Iowa and we have been going there for years. We make 4-5 trips there a year from Chicago. 

We later cruised along the river towns taking photos and getting something to eat. On the way there we also stopped in Mt Carroll,IL to check out the downtown and the spooky Raven house inn. A long day of driving but it was worth the sights, the apples and produce and spending time with the offspring listening to her music. Temps were in the mid 50's and the sun was out quite a bit. 

thanks for reading, 

ari 

Cold outside

 We are left with a few days of 40's before the thermometer takes a little dive. I've been busy at the shop with different projects. Yesterday I cut and threaded 56 spokes to lace up these nices hoops and hubs. The rims are the new Velocity Aeros. They are an updated version and homage to their OG rim. This rim is disc only, 25 internal, TR and it is made of a more durable alloy. I'm excited to build these up today. I think they will be amazing. The color listed on the box for the hubs is "matte Jade", in case you were wondering. 

Thanks for reading, 

Ari