What a Week

The last three days have been crazy. There is nothing like doing repairs from 10pm to 3 o'clock in the morning. There is nothing like selling used Burley trailers, new trailers, used bikes (was it four or five?) and new bikes (three just today!). It looks like I'll be able to pay the rent on Tuesday. Thank you customers. Thank you. Will I be able to pay for the twenty-five new bikes? I hope so.

It looks like I will stay busy for a while. I have a whole bunch of repairs to do. Ryan D. gets his 08 Conquest on Tuesday or Wednesday after waiting for a whole month. Thank you for your patience, Ryan. I will order an Atlas trike for Pat G. on Tuesday.

So much for staying small. It looks like I found some good help for building bikes. Bryan showed up on Tuesday and answered "the" interview question. He was the first one to get it correct out of about a dozen people who have asked to build bikes. The question, you ask? "My bike shifts perfect on the first three or four cogs. On the next four it gets worse and worse. What is wrong with my bike?" If you know the answer, post it in the comments section. A small latte to the first correct answer. Ike has also been building some bicycles for me. Thanks guys. I ain't no rock. I ain't no island.

Comfort Bikes, Single Speeds, Road and Cross

A big FedEx Freight truck delivered over 25 bikes to the shop today. If there is anyone out there reading this in need of a bike, come see me. The majority of the bikes are Redline 530s and 520s. Both models are big wheeled (700c) bikes with an upright position, front shocks, seat post shocks, and Slime tubes. The 530s are the Euro bikes complete with internal 7 speed, drum brakes, full fenders, rack, and full-cover chain guard (no grease, no brake dust). What a bike!

I also have single speeds, road bikes, and cyclocross bikes.

Bring cash or check.

Another Ride

I was on my bike at 6:30 this morning. I rode up Green Canyon for a change. Fall has left its early fingerprints on the vegetation. Some mornings have been quite chilly, even down into the upper 40s. This morning I wore a windbreaker; and my hands and feet were cold.

Maples and aspen
Have lost their bright green luster,
Now soft yellow-green

On my way down the sun came over the mountains, rising into a clear blue sky. It was so drastic seeing the trail change instantly from shadow to bright sun. It wasn't just the change from dark to light, it was the effect of the bicycle's motion over the trail. Rolling fast down a single track gives the illusion of the whole world rushing past you as if you were standing still. The instantaneous contrast between shadow and sun combined with speed blinded me.

From shadow to sun
My world bright, flying past me
Blind, for a moment.

I am still getting use to my new bike. She don't climb, she don't climb, terrain.

My new bike climbs slow
Compared to the old one, or,
Perhaps it's just me.

Chinese Graduate Students' Bicycles

I know it has been said many times before, but it's really "not about the bike." It's about the bike you are used to riding. The bike I'm used to is dead. Perhaps dead for a long time, although a new chain stay is not out of the question. The new bike is fine, it's just not my bike. Yet. I have tried to keep my position and feel with my drop bars, stem, wheels, and saddle. The only thing really new is the frame. I rode it with Patty today. We had a good ride. We realized how lucky we are to live in a place where a real mountain bike ride, in real mountains, beside a mountain stream, is just outside our door. The new bike did pretty good. The biggest change is that the rear wheel is just a lot farther back than on the Strong. I will learn to climb with more weight over the rear wheel.

We live just a few blocks from USU's married student housing. Picture the bike racks there full of Next and Huffy bicycles in various states of disrepair and oxidation, all with low tire pressure (TT riders can substitute their experiences near UF's married student housing. Chinese graduate students' bicycles are the same everywhere you go). With this image in mind, here is Today's baiku:

North bound, west sidewalk
Uphill, big ring, walking speed
Crank clanking kickstand

They Come in Threes

A few weeks ago I found a big crack in my Ute. Patty has been riding it for the past three years so I guess she can take the blame. Well, that would not be fair at all. I rode that bike really hard for five years. I stripped the Ute and put some of the parts on my Strong monster cross. The broken frame hangs in my basement, never to see the light of day again.

Last week I began to hear a creak from the front end of the Strong. I checked the bars and stem. I noticed the fork was a little twisted and that no-hand riding resulted in a pull to the right. Yesterday, close inspection revealed a big crack in the bend of the fork. I put on a new fork last night. This morning I woke up early to go for a ride. I flipped the flop to head up the trail and there on the chain stay at the track-end was a big crack. My baby is broke. Like the Ute, I have ridden this bike hard year-round for four years. I hold only myself responsible for the failures, not the frame and fork manufactures. Problems or defects would have shown up years ago, especially the way I ride. It is not a coincidence that the fork and frame broke at the same time, with the exact same amount of cyclic fatigue. It's also interesting to note that steel and ti never fail catastrophically. The failures happen slowly over time. With Aluminum, I probably would have walked home.

Now what do I do? More than one person has told me I should ride what I sell. Looks like I may be riding a Redline Monocog 29er, for a few years anyway. I bet I could break one of those too after four or five years of JRA Robert style.

Free Mini Concert

I will playing a few new songs (new for me, and never performed by me) at the USU Amphitheater on Wednesday August 22 at 2:00 pm. The Amphitheater is tucked in on the south end of Old Main Hill. There will be a captive audience, but all are welcome. The more the merrier and the better I will sing.

I will be doing songs by Texas singer-songwriters James McMurtry, Michelle Shocked, and probably at least one by Robert Earl Keen. The theme is change, reflection, and personal growth. You can take what you want. I'm not being pushy.

Hints of Fall

The monsoons return
Lighting the evening sky
Too late for brown plants

Geranium leaves
Now crimson, yellow, orange
Their chlorophyll gone

Pica pica wings
Growing flocks swirl black, white, green
On gold wheat stubble

A baiku for Tom

I'm growing old fast.
My knees, ankles, and back fail,
Like new broken spokes.

Social Work

"Can you fix this bike?
I don't have any money.
It is for my son."

Tubes, tire, and used chain
Bike repair is social work.
The boy rides, and smiles.



The Immigrant

"The other bike shop
They sent me here for a wheel.
This one does not work.

This bike cost ten bucks.
I bought it at the DI.
The gears do not work."



The Grandfather

"Here's my daughter's bike.
She's back in Guatemala.
So, she can't pay you.

She's not coming back.
So, you can have her kid's bikes.
Are they worth something?"



Homeless

"That bike you gave me?
I left it in Idaho,
Because the fork broke.

The old bike's still here?
The one with the leather strap
On the derailleur?"

He rides away, south.
Dirty rags and torn blue tarp
His stench in the air.

A Busy Day

Busy is good. July was quite slow. Quite a few bicycles went out the door today, two recycled bicycles (24 inch wheeled kids bikes) , a Monocog 29er, and a Redline 520. Eva is getting a Conquest Sport on Tuesday. Thanks Eva and Mikie. Busy.

After work I took off my cracked crankset. It was the last crankset from my stash of old Deore DXs. I replaced it with the Raceface set from my Matt Chester Utilitiman (after many years of hard riding, the Ute has a crack at the bottom of the downtube-headtube joint, Matt, if you ever read this, I need a repair job). I put on a pair of DiaComp levers for V-brakes, the brakes from the Ute, a new free wheel and chain, and removed the two fixed cogs. My bike is now a drop bared, 180mm cranked, 32/20 single speed 29er, sort of. One look at it and it's still just a cross bike.

At 8 am tomorrow, me and Hoda ride. Yes, I am going for a ride.

Got Computer?

Yes, I do, for now. Dr. Windbag dropped off his old laptop this morning. So, just as soon as I have something clever to say or compose an extra good baiku I will post it.

I'm Here...

...working, selling bicycles, and even riding a little bit. I'm still without a computer (mixed blessings). Come in to the shop and see me. I'll be there.

Yes, I'm Alive

I'm even kicking. My computer, however, is quite dead. So, updates and posts will be few and far between. That's ok, though. Turn off the computers, get on your bikes, and ride. Come by the shop and see me in the non-virtual way.

The Cowboy

Late Saturday afternoon an old cowboy came into the shop. He was a real cowboy. He had bowlegs, broken misshaped fingers, hat, boots, big truck, and the kind of handlebar moustache only a real cowboy could have. He saw me looking at his fingers and he just said, "years of team ropin'." He had a cowboy demeanor too, blunt, to the point, and pragmatic. "I ain't buyin' no more diesel. Show me what you got." I showed him my last Sun Rover in a box. "What does it do?" I wanted to tell him it was a bicycle, what do you mean what does it do, please don't waste my time. "Can you put 'er together right now?" I told him no, I was just real busy. He said if I could put it together he would buy it. "OK", I said. "I'll put it together." He grew cold and began to back away. "Hold on there partner," I said, in my best cowboy vernacular. "I told you I would build it. Do we have a deal?" I stuck out my hand and looked him in the eye. He hesitated, and then shook my hand. An hour and a half later he paid for his bike. "I ain't buyin' no more diesel," he said again, and he rode away, into the sunset.

Bicycle of the Month

The Bicycle of the Month is the Redline Conquest Sport. This bicycle can do it all: Road, Cyclocross, Touring, and Commuting. It has braze-ons for front and rear racks, in-line brake levers on the tops, room for full fenders and big tires, and clipless pedals, all for only $699. "Ver-sa-til-i-ty Mon" (read that quote again in your best Jamaican accent)!

Rowing...

with only one oar...as I head for the waterfall. That's a pretty good description of my life for the month of April. I plan on slowing down a little in May. I want to ride my bike, spend some time with Patty and Lupine in the mountains, and prepare and eat more home cooked meals. The key is to make less promises. I have to learn how to say "I will try to have your bicycle ready on Tuesday," rather than "I will have your bicycle ready on Tuesday." Politician speak.

For everyone who has waited patiently for their repairs or to get helped in the shop, I want to say "thank you." I know I should hire someone to build bikes, but I am not going to do it. I'm a control freak.

It's time for a bike ride.

Winter's Last Kiss?

White on yellow, red
Spring snow covers the tulips
Melting in the sun

Yesterday's Ride

I rode yesterday
Up the trail, up to snow, and
Heard a Spring gobbler.

Logan Again

There is only one problem with keeping a blog. The two or three people who actually read it expect you to keep it up to date. OK. It's now up to date. Until tomorrow.

I've been busy in the shop this week. Many people have dropped by. Most want used bikes, and I do not have very many choices for them. I'm sorry about that. They take time, and I have spent my time lately doing repairs and new bike assemblies. When things slow down, I will try to get more used bikes ready.

I also need to rehearse some music. I will be at the Ibis on Sunday from 12 to 2. I will have some new songs by REK.

Time to go to work. When I fail to post, I'm sure my sisters will let me know. I love my sisters.

I'm Going Home

I want to say thanks again to all my customers for a great week. I think I did well over a dozen repairs. Three new bicycles and four used bikes went to new homes. Three or four kid's bikes were given away free of charge. Thanks too, to everyone who donates or consigns their old bicycles. I've never worked so many hours in my life. It was more than worth it. There is a great sense of satisfaction seeing a bicycle go out the door that shifts and brakes. It's the form, function, and shear utility of the bicycle that motivates me.

I have always planned to take before and after pictures of recycled bicycles. But, there is just no time. The important part is just getting them back on the road.

I'm going home tomorrow. I will get to see my sisters for the first time in a long while. I look forward to an Easter dinner with ham and potato salad and deviled eggs. I can't wait to see Florida's natural beauty: crystal clear spring runs lined by cypress, Nyssa, and bay, the smell of the marsh at the edge of my lake, and bird songs I have not heard for well over a year.

I'll be open again on April 10. See you then.