The City of Big Shoulders

Visiting my wife's sister and her husband in Chicago, I made it my goal not to get into a car. I took the L from Midway to meet all for dinner but was stifled by the rain so we rode back to their house.

Yesterday, we did hit it on 2 wheels. I borrowed Joe's 19 inch unsuspended Specialized Hardrock. (Wonderful bike that. Just some Albatross bars from perfection. I'd love to trade my 16 inch for it.)

Rode down to Uptown Bikes/Urban Bikes for a new saddle for Laurie's Giant Nutra. (What does that name mean? I'd prefer Nutria, like those water rats down in Louisiana.)I found a basket that easily transfers from one bike to another, only it rests on the brake cable and bought some TriFlow for the unattended HardRock.

What really impressed me was the way the shop and the city accomodate bikes much more so than my fair city of KCMO. Singlespeeds, old Schwinns (they were once built here) and all kinds of mixtes and sensible handlebars. And cheap,cheap bikes! I rode along, watching the sidewalk and racks for all kinds of old interesting bikes.

Millenium Park has a bicycle parking garage, for heaven's sake.

Out on the Streets

So I took the dogs for a run around the neighborhood yesterday, after spending about 2 hours reinstalling the OS on this computer. Fortunately, I didn't lose any data this time and I didn't have to rebuild my browser.

Anyway, I'm standing at the crosswalk, two dogs tethered to my waist, sunglasses and bandana on my head. Some dork, driving a pickup truck full of lawn mowers, yells "FAGGOT!!"

Oooh, I'm scared.

Closer

So maybe this week, the Stella Scorcher will hit the road. My Suzue finally came in to Acme last week and I got Sarah to build up a beautiful wheel with it, Mavic rim and all.

I chose some Michelin tires with reflective sidewalls, kevlar belts and knobbed shoulders for off-road use. Digging through my closet, I found some self-repairing tubes in the right size. These wheels will be bomb-proof and ready for anything.

On to putting the other parts together. A French headset requires a French-sized stem, so I spent an hour sanding down a Nitto stem to fit in the headset. It made my hands look like the Tin Woodsman from the Wizard of Oz.

Centerpull brakes with quick release levers, cork grips on Mustache bars and a Brooks saddle of some sort (I have 3 to choose from, a plastic messenger B-18, a B17 Narrow, and a Conquest that I bought for Laurie but is too narrow for her.) All I need is a chain and surely some other expense.

I awoke from my nap

to hear the speech and was reminded of this. Maybe, he does believe this malarkey. That might be even more frightening than my cynical response.

Who are they selling?
I was reading the latest issue of Progressive Grocer the other day and saw a full page ad for flavored cigars. Now, I'm as "laissez-faire" as the next guy but who are they marketing these things to? What adult wants to smoke a grape flavored White Owl? I'm not that disingenuous.

Real Project Bicycles

I had thought I was really building some Frankenbikes until my mother-in-law brought me a copy of the Chicago Tribune with this in it. I'm just trying to restore and make useful the bikes I've got, not so much trying to create art.

On the road to Cottonwood Falls 

Laurie passes the Schoolhouse at Z-Bar 

Brakes placed but hardly ready to ride 

Hemp twine to guard the chainstay 

Head tube, Stella 

Where they've been 

the Stella Frame 

Where I shellaced the first bit 

Another bit of hemp twine at the ends 

A round of Bar Tape 

Hemp Twine, New Belgium Bell 

Three Speed Derailleur 

This is one of the unusual features of this bike that drew me to it. I've never seen a 3 speed derailleur before. Usually 3-speeds will have an internally geared hub like this. I am totally unable to comprehend how these work.

Wright Saddle 

Bottle Generator