Problem Solvers and Problems Solved

Anyone who has had an LHT (yeah you know me) for a while or run the Shimano UN54 bottom bracket can feel my pain here. It's simple and it's stupid, the aforementioned bottom bracket uses a non-drive side ring made of plastic...  sigh. Plastic that cracks over time and starts to make a clicking pinging sound. I don't really care why Shimano did this, I can only speculate that it's because they don't love me and want to hurt me.

Thankfully someone at Problem Solvers does love me and made a replica of the plastic crap for crap, (above right) out of loving metal that would never hurt me (above left).

I proceeded to remove the bottom bracket from my daughters drying rack (seen above) and attempted to replace it with another UN54, this time using the Up Cup from Problem Solvers. The problem was that I couldn't get the drive side of the BB to come loose. I couldn't get any leverage because my Park BB-22 tool was too shallow or something, whenever I muscled down on it the BB tool would slip out. The one time I managed to get leverage, I had all my weight on it and the BB still wouldn't budge. I needed another type of problem solver. I presented my problem to Sam over at Silver Cycles. He showed me the trick to solving my leverage problem by holding the BB tool to the frame with an extra large washer and a crank bolt. It may look obvious, but it was new to me.

Knowledge is leverage.

It put up a strong fight but after several rounds the BB finally broke free. Water had gotten into the BB housing and rusted the threads to the frame. It was at that point that I remembered buying a can of Frame Saver last year. It seems the purchase alone wasn't enough to save my frame. I headed home and applied a healthy portion of Frame Saver before installing the new bottom bracket.

Cheers to Sam and Silver Cycles for once again solving my problem.

Beer Bike Bling, Beer, Beer, Red Fang, and Beer

I know this product isn't anything new but I just picked up a YAWYD headset cap. It's small and cheap and makes me happy.

While were on the subject or beer and happy If you haven't tried the Prickly Passion Saison I highly recommend it.

While we're on the subject of saison and happy I thought I would mention To Øl Snowball Saison which I was lucky enough to try and Churchkey last month. It is perfect, If you can get some, get some.

While we're on the subject of beer, and happy, and naked, there's a new Red Fang video out.

via Stevil

While we're on the subject of beer, and happy, and Silver Spring Maryland, Fenwick has Fat Tire for $6.99 a sixer.

Friday you magnificent bastard.

The Internet Vs. The Local Bike Shop

I love the Internet. Any place where beauty and depravity are sewn so tightly together holds a special place in my heart. As a cyclist the Internet is a great place to find really good deals on gear and connect and share ideas and knowledge with other cyclists.

Having said that, there are things the Internet won't do. The Internet won't help you diagnose a technical on the side of the trail on a cold night. The Internet won't answer your random tech questions while trying to get you back on the trail. The Internet sure as hell won't replace faulty parts while performing the previous two functions.

Ok, so I'll get to it.

Last Tuesday I was riding the LHT (yeah you know me) home from Bethesda on the Capital Crescent Trail. I hadn't been on the LHT all season. I decided that this past summer was going to be all about the road bike. Well summer is over and I have been looking forward to getting back on the big rig. Upon doing so I immediately felt very slow and very weak. After a mile or so I realized I couldn't possibly be this out of shape and that something was wrong with my rear hub (XT m770). I  pulled into the CityBikes off the trail at Connecticut Ave. to borrow a cone wrench thinking maybe things were too tight on the bearings.

I went to the back of the store and proceeded to remove the rear wheel. I was startled when I grabbed the cassette as it was burning hot, the whole hub was and so were the spokes. I gave the wheel to Brian, one of the mechanics on duty, and he started to monkey. To make a long story short he tried for about 10 minutes to get the hub apart which was locked up tighter than a duck's ass. When he finally did and removed the freehub bearings he saw that one of the rings had cracked causing all sorts of mayhem. While this was going on he replaced my Serfas True 250 which was having a battery issue.

The kicker is he did all this without being douchie, charging me an arm and a leg, or putting on airs like some some bike mechanics feel the need to do. We've all encountered one or a combination of these elements at one time or another when having bike work done. This was not the case last Tuesday night.

The moral of the story is this; no amount of Internet connectivity can compare to a friendly knowledgeable face when the shit hits the fan.

If you're wondering, the freehub was toast and I had to get a ride from a friend. I ordered a new complete hub and am planning on swapping out the guts of the old one with the new one as the old hub body is fine. However, if this proves to be beyond my technical abilities I'll know where to go.

Bike Commuting Can Be Dangerous

Statistically your pretty safe biking to work on roads heavily traveled by automobiles but that doesn't mean things can't go wrong. See the video below of a perfect example of how a group of fellow cyclist, biking to work, were taken out by an driver no doubt engaged in various types of electronic communications.



HANGUP AND DRIVE BUDDY!

Good Father, Bad Elite Cyclist

Easton rims, full dura ace, look carbon fork... ibert child seat? With the LHT still in disorder I was faced with the burning question from my little girl, "Daddy, can we go for a bike ride in my seat?" I've always thought of my road bike as a sacred thing that I would only attach light fast things to, however one look from my daughter and I my philosophy went out the window. This is a bike and my little girl wants to go for a ride on a bike. I'll draw the line at tassels... if she wants them she'll have to find some in celeste.

A Craptastic Commute

I feel exceedingly fortunate while I'm bike commuting. I feel this way when I see traffic backing up or people slumped behind the wheel fighting to gain a few more feet. Rain or shine my mind is racing; one side of my brain is having fun riding the bike while the other side wanders happily from one thought to the next.

This is what happens during the ride.

Before the ride things are different. I am busy getting ready; the usual three S's, make lunch, let daughter help make lunch, find my bike clothes, play with daughter, get daughter and wife out the door, find the rest of my bike clothes... etc.  It's in this frantic pace that I sometimes forget how fortunate I am, especially on a crappy day like today. I have already acclimated to the warmer days and this 40 degree rainy shitfest isn't very inspiring.  I bitch and moan to myself and sheepishly ask my wife for a ride into the office, she calls me a pussy... point taken.

After they leave, I bitch and moan some more... I'm gonna get soaked and cold and when I get to the office I'll be soaked even more so. I'll have to set up the shanty town, ring out my socks in the parking garage and hope everything dries for the ride home... there's nothing worse than putting cold wet bike clothes back on, etc.

I finally get ready and force myself to push off from the front porch. One side of my brain immediately started having fun while the other thought about pollen, then bees, then if Hesher is going to be any good and if Osama was wearing shoes when they got him and when will chanterelles come back and so on and it seemed my craptastic commute ended the moment I started pedaling.

Urban Downhill: Chilean Bad Ass

This came via The Pedal Pushers Club. DC has neither the hills or the hipness to pull something like this off.



This one is even more insane,

Pedal Pushers Bike Swap on Capital Hill

Bike swap season approaches. If you know me or have followed this blog for a while you may be familiar with how I feel about local bike swaps. They are the heart of local bike scenes and must be supported. 

The Pedal Pushers Club is throwing what looks looks to be a pretty good one on the hill. It's gotta be good, they've got a poster and everything!

Mark your calendar....

Capital Crescent Trail Conditions And CLIF Bar Love

If you commuters out there are wondering how the Capital Crescent is doing and if it's ok to ride again; here are today's conditions.



The Montgomery County Parks Department needs to invest in a zamboni. The trail is still mostly covered in very hard bumpy ice. The ice tires help a lot on the LHT but dammit I wish they were fatter. I'm tempted to ride my mountain bike to cushion the ride.

Hope this helps.

I got a care package yesterday from Lisa over at Clif Bar. I'm trying not to be such a whore but I love the crap out of their bars and am looking forward to trying out all the other crap they make.

Feel free to share your experiences with anything pictured above.



Friday, you magnificent bastard...

A Little Copenhagen In Silver Spring

I saw this utility bike from Box Cycles at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring a few days ago. A dad rolled up with  a kid inside who looked nice and warm. It was very cool to see this on the streets of Silver Spring instead of in  Cycle Chic. This one gets filed under "If I only had a garage".

Zen And The Art Of Bicycle Neglect

I started biking (again) in 1995. My first mountain bike was a 95 Giant 870 ATX which I still have and ride on occasion.



For something I held (and hold) so dear to my heart I treated it brutally. Over the years I've ridden it into the ground only to dig it up and trash it again. My friends and I used to race right down the middle of Difficult Run. The water gradually got deeper and we would reluctantly float away from their bikes as the frames clung to the bottom of the creek. I remember the time the hub bearings seized while I was riding around the monuments with my girlfriend (wife). This of course was the result of too many creek races. One time the drive side crank sheared off while I was booking down 16th street on the way to work. The chain bounced and skidded on the pavement while I was left going full speed through traffic, my right foot aloft with a crank arm and chainrings dangling, still clipped into my shoe.

I digress.

Through these experiences I've learned to take better care of my bikes.  I don't ride them into the ground anymore but I come pretty close. There is always that question, "How hard and far can I push this component  before it brakes and I'm left walking?". That question was on my mind as I cleaned my horribly impacted chain this morning in the 40 degree sunshine. It was pathetic, the drivetrain looked and felt like someone melted black crayons into it while I was pedaling down the beach. I'm glad my neighbors didn't come out while the embarrassing de-funking was taking place.

As I de-funked I noticed that my 36t chainring was beginning to shark-fin which meant that besides the teeth wearing down the chain had stretched. In the past I wouldn't have given this much thought. I probably would have let it go for another few seasons until it snapped or got so bad that  my friends made fun of me.

Nowadays I'm trying to find that sweet spot between gear longevity and ride quality.  Sure I could probably push these components another season or two, but what kind of seasons would those be? There would  be lots of extra friction and shifting issues, and then I would have to replace more parts all at once as the drive train components would wear down together. Getting as much as I can out of a piece of gear is the goal but no longer will I compromise the ride as an experience to get it.

Fall Colors On This Morning's Commute

It was overcast this morning so the colors didn't come through as bright as I would like but you get the idea.



Click here for a larger version.

Conversations With US

"I believe that Americans are being systematically and intentionally divided into opposing groups by a political strategy and media ratings model that thrives on conflict and tension between these perceived factions."

That quote was almost enough to get me to start following Conversations with US, then I saw he that he is doing it all on an LHT (yeah you know me) and I jumped on board.

Check it out.

Rain Rain Do Your Worst

Well not your worst. Now that the weather has gotten a little cooler, biking into the office in the rain has gotten a little easier. It was cool enough this morning that I was able to wear my rain pants without bursting into flames. This means I didn't arrive at the office covered in mud and road dust. Yes I did sweat in the pants but with the temperature in the 50's it was a lot more manageable than road sludge.

Although it's not as bad as the last morning rain commute, my office still takes on a shanty-esque appeal on foul weather days. Thank god I'm the designer and everyone expects me to be a little strange.

Happy Thursday muthah fuggas!

Georgetown Gets Some Bike Parking

WABA just installed 3 on street bike racks around Georgetown.

WABA dude ensuring that the new bike racks are leanable.  

Read the article "Another Good Day for Georgetown Cyclists:"

We didn't even have to use our A-K.

Contador Involved In "BoeufGate" Scandal

After reading about what I am calling "BoeufGate" I am resubmitting my Alberto Contador logo for your approval.

Doping up a cow in hopes to lure poor Alberto into a false sense of security... damn Frenchies. 

Video of Yesterdays Flooded Sligo Creek Commute

I've seen it much worse than this but at the time I didn't have a handy HD camera.

Click here for a larger version.

The LHT (yeah you know me) is in need of a good scrubbing and maybe a long hug after this.

Mountain Biking Hangover

After 3 days of ass kicking mountain biking in central PA, my Monday is going something like this. I'm trying to get over it so I can give you the splendiferous blogging experience that you so richly deserve; until then I'll leave you with this video of me doing a chest crushing endo.

Agranna Danna Padanna...

Something To Avoid

Having just given my 2 year old her first bike, I've taken her on several walk/rides to get her used to riding. Over all she seems to be stoked, not nearly as stoked as her slightly older friends in the hood who take to the bike much faster than her. I guess a few months and an extra inch or two of legs makes all the difference. I'm not pushing it on her in hopes that she discovers the fun at her own pace.

I received a deftly illustrated cautionary tale via my wicked awesome friend Jen over at Nom Nom Nom.

I have read this story several times just to make sure it sinks in. I must avoid anything resembling the following scenario at all costs. 

Read the full story.

This kind of paternal buffoonery has my name written all over it.

Two Freakin' Years Old

My little spanker turned two and as I stated previously, you'll never guess what she got!

She got a shiny new Strider Bike; we'll see if this whole balance bike movement works first hand. Several things changed when she turned two and none of them are terrible (so far). Our talks are now conversations where we are both contributing. Logic is starting to make an appearance and the question "Why?" comes up often. Yes it can be annoying but at the moment it's still fun.

Changing gears, I got a package from the good folks over at Evil Cycling yesterday. 

Evil socks are a must have for today's discerning velococksman, as well as an appropriately placed sticker.

Yeah that's right, I used a semi-colon and made up the word velococksman in the same post.

Suck it Friday.