Does Technology Matter?

YES! YES!! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

All winter I've been working on various donated bikes, mostly either low end Walmart bikes or very old (30 years) higher end bikes. I've gotten used to muscling them in and out of storage and onto the repair stand, as well as pedaling them up and down the road on check rides.

Today, I decided to get my carbon-fiber frame Trek Madone down for it's first ride of the year. What a refreshing difference. It felt like it took zero effort to lift it down from the ceiling storage hooks. I put it on the floor and wheeled it over to the work bench to air up the tires and the rolling resistance felt like ZERO.

It is even so much better than my Cannondale R300..... If you're still riding that steel framed Peugot, you might want to think of an upgrade. Can't wait to get out and ride.

Test Rides

I managed to get a few miles in the saddle and road test some project bikes yesterday. 3 bikes, 5 miles each. All bikes are in great shape, but I'm not. Where is the warm weather??????

Another Art Project

This is where I hope to hang the Humber someday. Just had to try it out with the Falcon though.

Turning into a SLUG!!

Is anyone else having this problem? As March approached, I stepped up my indoor exercise routine to make sure I was ready for some serious biking when warm weather appeared. It all worked out when we had a few warm days and I was able to get some fairly serious road miles under my belt.

Unfortunately, since we were plunged back into winter a week ago, I've done absolutely nothing. It's so hard to get back on that exercise bike once you've had a renewed taste of the road.

Sunshine and 32 today. Not normally warm enough for me to ride.... but I may just make an exception today. Gotta get out of this rut!!

One more Falcon Attempt

Steve kindly found two sets of crank arms and chain rings to help try to get this bike fixed for good. Unfortunately, it seems there was no standard for cottered cranks back in the day, so neither of the ones he gave me would fit. I've attempted to bend the original chain rings back into shape. While there is much less wobble, shifting is still inconsistent.

I think I'll declare this bike as done as it's going to get. If someone wants it with all it's issues, it's theirs. It looks pretty!! Unfortunately, that doesn't count for much if you're looking for transportation.

Unexpected Issues

I got a request for bike CS015, a nice 12 speed road bike, that I thought was done and ready to go. I put it up on the repair stand to check it out and didn't like what I saw. The front wheel had the original black painted rim, while the back wheel was a quite rusty chrome rim with a flat tire and a 5 gear cassette (meaning it's really only a 10 speed bike).

I looked around the shop and found a pair of matching chrome rims, which I cleaned and polished to a "like new" shine. When I went to put the tires back on, I discovered that the old tires had some significant dry-rot issues, so I got some new ones. I thought that with new tires and new rims, this one was ready to go, but, unfortunately, the front derailleur wouldn't shift. Fortunately, I had another set of cables on hand and after cleaning up the shift levers and replacing the cables, it shifts perfectly.

It wasn't ready to go in the beginning, but it certainly is now. Hopefully Emily will have it soon.

Zebra ready to Gallop

This beauty cleaned up much better than we thought it would. After a good clean and lube and new cables, it looks great! There are many, many more miles left in this one.

Falcon on hold

While the Falcon Black Diamond cleaned up nicely and looks great, I discovered that the chain rings are bent when I tried to adjust the derailleurs. They are bent enough that shifting is inconsistent, to the point where the chain frequently jumps off the chain ring. In addition, one of the bolts holding the chain rings together is missing. I thought of finding a replacement, but discovered that it's missing because the threads are stripped in the small chain ring. We have to figure out some way to deal with the chain ring issues before this one is ready to go.

Try Something New

I didn't have much time for a ride today, but couldn't pass up the sunshine. Not being able to make up my mind what route to take, I just picked a direction and decided to ride until I found a road I hadn't been on before to see where it would take me.

As long as I've been riding the hills around this part of the country, there are still places I haven't been and I discovered Dougherty Road today. As with most back-country roads around here, it was a bit hilly, but the views from the top made it worth it.

Next time you go out for a ride, try it. In all likelihood, you'll discover a gem.

Weekend Falcon Progress

The frame has been cleaned and polished as have the wheels. Got some new tires and tubes at Babcocks and they are on. Also got the handlebars cleaned up and wrapped with new handlebar tape. Brake calipers have been cleaned and lubed and re-installed. About the only thing left is to clean up and re-install the cranks and chain rings and put on some new cables. This baby is looking pretty nice!

Productive Day

Well, I didn't get around to doing anything on the Falcon yesterday, but I did manage to get out for a bike ride. Just had to take advantage of a reasonably dry, above freezing day to put in a few training miles for the Aug 20 Tour de Cure.

The other thing that kept me away from the Falcon was a call from a grandfather looking for a bike for his granddaughter . Fortunately I had something suitable and Brin now owns a sweet 20" Jamis BMX bike. Hopefully you'll see the two of them tooling up and down the rail trail this summer!

Well, there was a 3rd thing that kept me from the Falcon. I did stop at the bike shop to pick up some parts, but they were closed for some reason. Might run by there this afternoon.

Am I Crazy?

The beautiful St. Eitenne that was restored last year has found a home suspended over my front door. My son, who helped me get it up there, was respectfully silent about how it looks hanging there. My wife, not so much. We'll see what other visitors think.

Started Working On The Falcon

Started working on the Falcon Black Diamond for Jordan. It's been stripped to the frame and I've started cleaning and polishing the parts. There was a fair amount of rust and this one looked pretty ugly to start with, but most of the rust is on the surface and once removed, the parts look pretty good. A coat of wax will make it all sparkle, at least till it gets wet again. Here's a before/after pic of the wheels.

Another Magna Glacier Point Done (Almost)

I finished cleaning, polishing, lubricating and assembling this Glacier Point today. It looks great and works great, except..........

When I was doing the final tuneup, I realized it just wasn't shifting right. I thought the cables were OK, but the shift cables have just enough drag that it just doesn't work right. I made a note to replace the cables and moved on to the Falcon. More on that one soon.

Babcock's Saves the Day

A quick trip to Babcock's Bikes yesterday yielded a new bearing and cone for the pink Magna I've been working on. I got the front wheel back together and am now working on the rear. Fortunately, the bearings and cones back there are in good shape. Hopefully I'll finish this one up in the next couple days so I can start cleaning up the Falcon for an interested BU student.

An Unfortunate Discovery

I started working on this beauty today and thought I'd knock it off in no time. Unfortunately after pulling the front wheel off, I discovered that the axle had a terribly gritty feel when it was turned. I took it apart assuming I'd just have to clean it and give it some new grease, but there was more to it than that. One of the balls in the bearing had split in two. Obviously this gouged out the cone as well. I'm off to Babcocks tomorrow to see if I can scrounge a bearing and cone that will fit.

Bicycle Registration - New York Assembly Bill A5429

For any readers who reside in New York state, please check out this proposed legislation and write your assemblyman to let him/her know what you think of it.

This blogger sees it as a thinly veiled means to help close the budget gap by targeting a particular group of people who, in general, serve to improve the quality of life through reducing their carbon footprint and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

What's next, should we license shoes so we can tax people who walk to work or run laps around the park?

The bill can be found at the link in the title or "HERE".

Bike 025 Done

I put a new set of cables on this sweet Magna this morning and tuned her up. It works like it's fresh out of the box. Hopefully this bike will make someone very happy in the near future. The next one to tackle will be the twin sister to this one, Bike 026; another Magna Glacier Point.

Dried Grease

I'm not sure how old this Magna is, but it's amazing how something that is supposed to be slippery and smooth can turn into something sticky and gooey. The headset bearings were just as bad as the wheel bearings. The grease has dried out to the consistency of over cooked brown sugar. The crank seems to be ok, which is fortunate since I don't have the tool necessary to take it apart.

A coat of wax on the wheels has them sparkling like new. This one will be done SOON!

It's Not Always Like It Seems

I started working on this nice Magna Glacier Point today. Thought it would be a nice easy Sunday job. A little cleanup, replace come cables and give it a shot of lube. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite so easy. Both wheels needed to be trued up and when I had them off, spinning the axles in the hubs revealed that the bearings were totally dried out. I've cleaned and repacked the bearings for both the front and rear and that's enough for the day. Fortunately, they spin like new now.

Has Anyone Seen One of These?

Has anyone seen one of these 1950's Humber bicycles? I've had lots of bikes since about that time but I've never seen anything like this before.

Over the next several weeks/months I'll be restoring this bike to as nearly new condition as possible. If you're interested, keep an eye on the Bike Art page of the Southern Tier Bike Project.

Some People Really Take Care of Their Stuff!

I've just completed restoring a 20 year old Lotus Excelle road bike. While I use the word "restore", there really wasn't much to do to this beauty. It has obviously been well cared for over the years and other than a few wear out items like handle bar tape and cables, the bike is as close to new as any I've seen.

Being in the business of restoring used bikes, it's refreshing to see one come by that has been treated with such obvious respect. My hat is off to all of you out there who take the time to keep your bikes cleaned and lubed like this one has been.

I Didn't Miss My Rides for Long

Gotta love this New York weather. I managed to get in the last ride of 2010 and the first ride of 2011 on consecutive days. I told you when it got up to 40ish and the roads dried out (well mostly) I'd be out there.

With a little nudge from the Southern Tier Bike Club I joined a group of about a dozen riders on New Years Eve. We rode from Vestal to Owego for lunch and then returned. The round trip was about 28 miles.

Since my bike was already pretty dirty from the New Years Eve ride, I decided to head out again on New Years day for a solitary 25 miles. Now I won't feel so bad about being a college football couch potato for the rest of the day.

Every time I go out in weather like this I remind myself that it really isn't uncomfortable to ride if you dress appropriately. The effort expended gets you warmed up in a hurry. Hopefully I'll remember that the next time we get a warm spell like this. Try it.... you might like it.

Somehow, the bikes keep coming

It seems like every time I start to run low on bikes for the Project, more just show up. I had just posted that I needed bikes on the FreeCycle Yahoo group and I got a phone call from a neighbor who had 2 mountain bikes and a road bike to contribute. It's amazing how things work out sometimes. Now to get off my butt and update the Southern Tier Bike Project website with pics. But, that will have to wait till after a full day of New Years football.