Mountain Racer Sports

Skinnyman Tri Race Report - part 2

2010-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally getting around to Part 2 - pre-race morning

I left off in part 1 leaving my car at my in-laws house in the village of Skaneateles. They live (well there house has sold, so "lived" will be more appropriate after the closing October 1st) only a few blocks from the park.

5:15 AM
So I unpacked the bike from the van and installed the front wheel, being careful to properly tighten the quick release so I wouldn't need to worry about it later. I had already pumped up the tires the night before and checked my repair kit to make sure I had 2 new tubes, a patch kit, tire levers, patch kit, and a new CO2 cartridge for my "pump." Once the bike was assembeled I grabbed my gear bag and my pre-race water bottle I had been sipping from since I got up that morning and headed down to the transition area.

5:20 AM
As I approached the transition area I saw a couple of folks milling about, but not many. I am a bit of a morning person, so I hoped arriving early would let me be relaxed about setting up my transition. I really didn't want to be stressed about my first tri. All the advice I had read and been given said show up as early as you are comfortable before the transition area opened so you can get a decent spot for your bike.

5:30 AM
I'm a big guy and I really wanted a spot on the end of a row in the main isle through the transition area. Well, there were less than 20 competitors there when I arrived, so I got my wish! I didn't car about being so close to the bike exit, so I let the elite folks worry about being there. I chose a spot about half way through the swim to bike transition with my bike on the end of a row. The right side of the transition (facing the bike exit) was on a slope and I didn't care for that too much, so I picked the left. It was still pretty dark as you can see from the photo above, so I was really glad I had grabbed a headlamp (total afterthought, but I was sure glad I did and I'll use it again next time!)

5:45 AM
Since I had picked up my packet on Thursday evening at Syracuse Bicycles (the shop that was a sponsor of the event) I didn't need to go to the registration tent. I did, however, need to pick up my timing chip. I had never used a timing chip before so this was a new experience for me. I guess I fall outside the 90th percentile for the disposable straps they provide for the timing chip, I needed two to create a strap long enough to fit around my ankle. This surprised me, I know I'm a big guy, but I don't have "cankles" (calves that don't stop and reach down into my shoes.) But I guess skinny ankles is another triathlete physical trait I don't have! I had heard that people brought scissors in their transition bag, and now I understand why. The two straps together were WAY TOO LONG. That long excess strap annoyed me of and on the whole race. Scissors are now on my check list for the next Tri.

6:00 AM
People really started to arrive by this point, so I set out my shoes (bike and run), socks, and helmet. I remembered to continue to hydrate, loaded my race bottle on my bike (I had a third bottle for after the race as well) and put my gel packets in my Bento box. I laid my wetsuit (I borrowed a wetsuit from my friend Mark K. - Thanks again!) over my bike seat so it would be all set when it came time to suit up. I then went to find the porta-potties to get rid of the remnant of my coffee/hydration.

6:30 AM
I started seeing people I know entering the transition area to get their stuff set up. My friend Bob S. who is a pretty active triathlete and Brian A who has done the Skinnyman a number of times before were both encouraging, thanks again!

6:45 AM
By this time I was thinking about getting my wetsuit on because things were getting a little hectic in the transition area. I needed to pee once more before I suited up, so I headed to the other row of porta-johns near the bike exit of the transition area. There was already a bit of a line so I queued up with Bob and Brian. The energy was pretty high and folks were obviously excited about the race. I was trying to chill out and not let myself get anxious, that was pretty hard to do but I think I handled it well. I went right back to my transition spot and sprayed on my Trislide, put one foot in a disposable plastic grocery bag (a tip from my older brother Henry Hidy, a much more experienced Tri and adventure racer, that worked great) and slipped one foot at a time into my wesuit. I invested in two pieces of tri specific clothing this summer. My first purchase was a pair of Craft triathlon shorts, which I liked ok but the pad left a little to be desired. My second purchase was a Louis Garneau Shark Triathlon Suit. I'm pretty tall and have a long torso for my height. I wear exclusively bib shorts when I cycle so I should have known I wouldn't like my top riding up in back (or worse belly exposing front.) So the tri-shorts have been relegated to swim "jammers." The Louis Garneau suit has a nice fleece chamois pad, while not enough for my bike specific pad accustomed butt, was much nicer than the Craft shorts. The tri-suit fit easily beneath the wetsuit with no rolling and little adjustment needed. I had worn it once under my wetsuit in the past week to make sure there were no fit problems, thankfully I was able to reproduce this experience on race morning.

More pre-race photos to come.

7:00 AM
My wife was home sick with pneumonia and my daughter was also sick with a mild cold and wasn't prepared to come early with me. So my sister, Lynn, was home visiting our mom and to attend the "Great New York State Fair." She had gone to the "Rush" concert on Thursday night and I hadn't expected her to come. But she decided that since my wife and daughter wouldn't be there, she would accompany our mother. I was excited to find them right before the start. Lynn was great and took a few photos before the start, in each transition, and after the finish. Our dad had headed out to Lincoln Nebraska for the SCCA Solo National Championships (an auto racing event) earlier in the week so he couldn't be there either. I also met up with Jordan and Chris B., friends from church who were racing as a team with another friend. Jordan swam, Chris rode and their friend ran. I had decided to swim with the "novice" group as it was my first Tri, and I didn't want to try to keep up with more experienced folks on the ride and burn myself out. Since the teams were placed in the novice group wave we would be swimming together. Jordan and I had similar time goals for the swim so we spent some time chatting before the start. Although I was able to swim a bit faster than Jordan but missed Chris as he exited the transition faster than me and didn't see them again until after the finish!

7:15 AM
There was supposed to be a "meeting" before the start, and there may have been, but I never heard anything they were saying. Being in the novice wave, we were staged at the end of the line of swimmers. The north end of Skaneateles Lake has a rock retaining wall. There is a swimming area with stone stairs leading down to the water. The start to the swim was in the water, between two buoys.

7:30 AM
Each wave waded into the water, line up and started at 3 minute intervals. There were 5 waves, and with 3 minutes between them, that meant our novice wave would start 12 minutes after the first wave. The swim was 800 yards and the fastest time was just over 10 minutes. That meant we saw the leaders getting out of the water before we even started! It was a bit hectic as the organizers hustled the novices down the stone stairs. They were quite slippery with a thin layer of algae on them so it was a little disconcerting to have them hustling us along!

7:40 AM
As predicted, we watched as the first swimmer exited the water soon after we made it down the ramp. So I swam a few yards to get some water in my wetsuit, made sure to get my swim cap and goggles just right. I had volunteered as a kayaker last year and learned that competitors are allowed to swim inside the buoys marking the course except for the turn buoys. So I lined up to the right of the right hand start buoy so I could sight straight out to the big turn buoy about 300 or so yards out. I explained the rule to a couple of other novice competitors and they were thankful to know they didn't have to worry so much about going "off course."

7:42 AM
We were off!

More to come in Part 3 - the race!

Skinnyman Tri Race Report - part 1.

2010-09-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I have not been very good about posting regularly. Nothing posted in July or August. It's now September 5th and I did finally decide on a race way back in early July. I ended up signing up for the "expensive" but local Skinnyman Sprint Tri in Skaneateles NY. I decided on this race for a number of reasons.

I live 5 minutes from the start so I would have an easy time getting there on the morning of the race.
I know the course. Well I knew the bike course very well as I have ridden it many times with friends. The swim is pretty straight forward from the north end on Skaneateles Lake, right in the village. The run on the other hand was changed fro previous years. Due to road construction on the previous run route, the run was completely moved. The new run was on roads I a familiar with, but I did not have the opportunity to run the route due to the short period of time before the race that the revised route was announced and my tapering before the race.
My friends and family would easily be able to see me race, and I would also know many of the competitors as they would be friends, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances from the area.
The reality of the cost differences disappeared when considering transportation and lodging for races that were farther away.

I prepared pretty well for the race. Would have liked to have done more running but my knee severely limits the amount of training I could do. My bicycling was my strongest area prior to my decision to compete, so
I did not focus heavily on bike training. Swimming is my second strongest event, so I worked pretty hard to develop my swim. I made a conscious decision to train only in open water. I think it paid off.

Thursday before the race:
I went and picked up my race packet at a bike shop in Syracuse. They were offering 15% off of accessories and nutrition products. I needed to pick up a Bento box and some Gu. When I picked up my packet, they forgot to include my swim cap to indicate the wave I would be starting in.

Day before the race:
I decided to take the off of work on Friday. Mainly to ease my anxiety of getting my gear bag organized with clothing and nutrition and going over my bikes mechanics. I also needed to pick up my swim cap. I also wanted to ensure that I got to bed early. I was able to think through each step of my race and organize my gear bag appropriately. Everything worked out nicely and I was able to get to bed early!

Morning of the race:
I had been given advice to eat breakfast at least 2 hours prior to the start (7:30am) but the transition area opened at 5:30. So I was up by 4:00am, showered and dressed by 4:30. A leisurely coffee (1/4 caffeinated) and breakfast of organic oatmeal. I had loaded up my bike in the van the night before, so all I had to load was my gear bag. I left my house shorty after 5am and arrived at my in-laws (they have a house in the village of Skaneateles) where I would be able to walk a few blocks to the park where the race would be starting.

Event's I'm considering

2010-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

So this late spring early summer event schedule was a bust due to scheduling conflicts. I seemed like every event I wanted to do was on a day when there was some other commitment!?!?! It was very frustrating for me as I feel like I have worked pretty hard this spring and wanted to test myself beyond my usual rides. So here is a late summer event list of possibilities:

Cycling:
Saturday July 10th
Follow the Foothills Ride 2010
Cost: $25
http://www.active.com/cycling/glens-falls-ny/follow-the-foothills-ride-2010
http://bikenyr.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_NYR_Details_FF

Saturday July 24
Tour de Keuka:
Cost: $10
http://www.active.com/cycling/hammondsport-ny/tour-de-keuka-2010#Summary
http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=66CF433E-1279-CFD5-A7FAB2BC359ECE1A

Triathlon:
Sunday, August 01:
Lyme Sprint Triathlon,
Chaumont, NY
Cost: $35
http://www.active.com/triathlon/chaumont-ny/lyme-sprint-triathlon-2010-po462?cmp=23

then either:
River Rat Triathlon
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Clayton, NY
Cost: $35
http://www.active.com/triathlon/clayton-ny/river-rat-triathlon-2010#Summary

or:
Skinnyman Triathlon (local, near my house so travel is easy)
September 4th, 2010
Skaneateles, NY
Cost: $85 (before July 31st)- this price is just nuts if you ask me. Even the early bird is $65
http://www.skanraces.com/010/triathlon.html

Monday ride with Mike E.

2010-06-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

25 Mile Route
Find more Bike Rides in Auburn, New York

Another bike!

2010-06-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well I was trolling on Craigs list and found another bike....

I found a Vision R-40 recumbent, short wheel base and over the seat steering:
http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/vision/vision_r40.htm

Here is a bit on Vision recumbents:
http://www.bicycleman.com/recumbents/vision/vision.htm

So now I have a second! project bike. But I'm not planning on keeping this one. I'm hoping for a quick turn around to make some cash. So if you know anyone interested in a used recumbent, let me know!

(I'll post pictures soon)

Long time no write...

2010-05-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

So February 13th was my last entry, what was it that has caused me to wait so long in writing? I'm not sure. Things at work have gotten busier (thankfully) and I have been riding more, but just really in the month of May. April was a poor month for riding here in the Finger Lakes (at least that my story and I'm sticking to it!) May has been beautiful! The project bike still isn't completed due to finances, but I did decide with my wife to start another project bike for my daughter! A big set back was that the cheap route can be frustrating at times. I have two sets of Shimano brifters (the STI combination brake levers and shift levers), one set of 7-speed RSX and one set of 8-speed Ultegra 600. Both were gummed up sufficiently to not be functional! Well thankfully I found someone who repairs/refurbishes/cleans these brifters. Totally saved me from going to the newer plastic 8 speed brifters for $150+

Here is his ebay store:

eeforme ebay store

His (anti-spam version) e-mail is:

jrmcvey *at* aol.com

He also has a facebook.com page that I will post soon as I don't have it handy. I also plan to send him photos there of both projects when they are completed.

Another bloggers take:

john-s-allen.com

I've gotten them back and preliminary tests look great! I'm not waiting on two sets of Jagwire Racer cable sets to install both brifter sets. The 8-speed Ultegra 600's on my Cannondale project and the 7-speed RSX brifters on my daughters Trek 460 (1985 Vintage) project.

Here is the latest parts list (from http://www.niagaracycle.com/):

For my Cannondale:

Jagwire Racer Complete Road Brake & Derailleur DIY Kit, White

Victor Pedal Cleat Set - Look Compatible Red Free Arc Float

Profile Conversion 22.2mm (1" fork) to 28.6mm (1-1/8" threadless)

Origin8 Headset Spacers, Alloy Black, 10 per Bag - 1-1/8" x 5mm

For my daughters Trek:

Origin8 1" Threaded to 1" Threadless Quill Stem Adapter

Origin8 Headset Spacers, Alloy Black, 10 per Bag, 1" x 5mm

Origin8 Sport Road pedals Black

Tektro RX RL721 Top Mount Cross Levers 31.8mm Pair Black/Silver

Jagwire Racer Complete Road Brake & Derailleur DIY Kit, Red

Other stuff:

Park PFP-6 Home Mechanic Floor Pump

Dicta 18t 3/32" BMX freewheel (for a single speed build I am going to sell to help pay for all this stuff!)

So I have kept both original forks (Chrome-moly) but in order to save time and ease future upgrades, I have gone to a quill to threadless adapter for both bikes. This way if I need to change stems to improve fit I don't have to throw away the brand new double layer bar wrap I just bought from nashbar.com along with new cassettes (7-speed 11-28, 8-speed 11-28)for both bikes!

So other than one miscellaneous part (the brake lever brake cable bar stop that you thread the cable through within the lever) that I have yet to source, I should be done VERY soon!

Training

2010-02-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

Training.

My workouts for the last week have been:

Tomorrow: recovery day so I'm planning on 30-45 min on the bike trainer at 45-55% intensity.
Today (yet to be done, but trust me baring some tragic event, I'm going skiing!): telemark skiing at http://www.skitog.com/ with some friends from Young Life.
Yesterday (Monday February 16 2010) Telemark skiing at http://www.labradormtn.com/ with my daughter. She wasn't really into it so we only got a few runs in, but Tele-skiing is work, not matter how you serve it up! So when we got home, I took the opportunity to ride the bike trainer for about 1:15 at about 60-75% intensity.
Sunday February 15 2010: Recovery day, 30 min on the bike trainer at 35-50% intensity. sore from yesterdays ski.
Saturday 2/14/2010: Nordic ski (classic) at http://www.winonaforest.com/ with Dr. Ed O., my XC ski guru! We skied ~15km at 85-95% intensity. We averaged between 7.5 and 8 min per km, fast for me slow for him. The old guy kicked my a$$ for sure. I am 40 and he is 61, busts my butt every time....
Friday 2/13/2010 bike trainer for about 1:30 at about 50-65% intensity.
Thursday 2/12/2010 bike trainer for about 0:60 at about 50-65% intensity.

What am I training for you might ask? Well in the short term I hope to ski the annual tug hill tour-a-thon http://www.skireg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=3025 but the $50 registration fee has me hesitating. I am still trying to rebuild the "new" Cannondale I bought and still need to buy parts!

Other future events I am interested in participating in:

Race for Hope in Memory of Dick Shaffer http://www.shafferrace4hope.com/index.html
The Owasco Flyer bike race: http://www.owascoflyer.com/Home.html
Skaneateles NY race weekend is high on the list: http://www.skanraces.com/races.html
Other bike races?: http://www.nysbra.com/pdf/2010NYSchedule.pdf
Cazanovia NY Tri:http://www.cazenoviatriathlon.org/
If I were nuts: http://www.ironmansyracuse.com/

East Coast Powder? Yeah it exists....VERY occaisionally.

2010-01-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

via: http://www.theadventurelife.org/2010/01/eastern-powder-is-not-a-myth/

Classic Vermont from Nathan Steinbauer on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/8545651

I enjoyed some (very limited) pow pow on Monday night (1/4/2010) at http://www.labradormtn.com/ but their grooming before hand left little to be desired. Not only that but by the time I arrived after work on Monday much of it had been skied off.

Diet - Grain Free month of January

2010-01-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

So due to a combination of health factors (difficulty with weight loss, digestion, questionable cholesterol levels) I have decided to take the month of January away from grains. Primarily I avoiding any foods containing gluten and corn syrup. The corn syrup has been a long time quest to avoid, the gluten free approach is new. So whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables are my primary diet these days. With the occasional egg, meat, or dairy product thrown in. Who am I kidding, cheese is my downfall, I absolutely love cheese. Here is the book my wife bought me yesterday to help me along my journey this month:

The Eat Clean Diet: Fast Fat Loss That Lasts Forever

I'll let you know how it goes as the month goes on. The first few day's haven't been too bad. The only real trouble was last night I had some hot coco after skiing with my daughter. Corn syrup. Not going to beat myself up about it, just going to remember to avoid the cheap coco in the future.

Saturday night break down

2010-01-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

So I open the box earlier this week but didn't have time to unpack it.

So tonight I had some time and this is how it began:

The bike arrived well packed (by an IBD it appears.)

So I set about removing everything from the box. The wheels were first out so I went ahead and removed the tubes and tires. Then I removed the axels and bearings. After removing the grease, thoroughly cleaning the hub/bearings/races/axel I repacked them with fresh white lithium grease.

Both front wheels seem to be smoother than the rears, oh well. Used parts cheap are cheap used parts....

Then I set about breaking down and cleaning the rest of the bike:

The chain, headset bearings and rear derailleur pulleys are soaking in citrus solvent over night (in the white bucket with the brush.) The only things not in the photo are the cables/housings and the seat/seatpost. They are just outside the frame (and the wheels of course are hanging up separately.)

I sure do love taking things apart. I just hope there is nothing left over when I put it all back together!

SPS Trifecta testing

2010-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the breakdown of Day 1 (my testing day)

Sit-ups - 42 (my wife beat me here, no surprise!)
Squats - 150 (Had to stop when my low back began to tweak, this shouldn't be hard to reach 200)
Push-ups - a miserable 16 :( my abs still hurt from the squats and sit-ups (Do this one first next time!)
(my least favorite exercise of the three and most worrisome)

Now I am heading out to cross-country ski at Bear Swamp State with CNYMike (http://tech.michaelerb.net). He is also doing the challenge, boy are we gluttons for punishment!

***I just realized that the Trifecta was for 100 squats, so I found a 200 squat website and added it to the challenge!***

The SPS Trifecta!

2009-12-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I am going to give it a shot.
6 weeks to achieve the following:
100 push-ups http://www.hundredpushups.com/
200 squats http://www.twohundredsquats.com/
200 sit-ups http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

Starting tomorrow (January 1, 2010) I'll take the initial test for each of these and then I'll do the first work-out on Sunday. That is if I'm not too sore from the initial test!

There are ten of us signed up so far, you can see all of our progress here:

Trifecta Spreadsheet

I am going to work specifically on goal setting this year in all aspects of my life. Discipline has been something I have struggled with for a long time, so this blog was a goal for writing and the SPS Trifecta is my first exercise goal!

Wish me luck, even better JOIN ME!

P.s. as a bonus (when it begins):
25 pull-ups http://www.twentyfivepullups.com/

Dog Grab Jacket

2009-12-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

Duluth Trading Company -
These folks have some nice stuff, often more expensive than I am willing to spend. But when I started shopping for a coat for my dog (yes, my dog - she has short hair and gets cold in the snow) I couldn't find any at the local retailers I liked in a price range I found reasonable.

Duluth Trading Company Dog Grab Jacket

Via: http://www.duluthtrading.com/services/image.aspx?path=/media/images/products/96085_HTG.jpg&width=312&height=312

This coat comes in 3 sizes and is currently only available in 2 colors (Hunter green and Navy blue.) When we bought ours it was also available in Red (which is the color we bought.) The coat is made of "weather resistant Supplex nylon shell and toasty fleece lining." In the snow it stays dry and warm and in the rain it sheds nearly any level of precipitation except a hearty down pour, and even then the fleece keeps the dog warm despite being damp.

We were looking for a coat to keep the dog warm and dry, but also visible. We live in a rural area where there is hunting on some adjacent properties. Our dog is light brown to tan in color and during deer hunting season we are often concerned about her being outside and wandering off. So we wanted a bright color for her to be able to wear to help differentiate her from a deer for the less "experienced" hunters. With this in mind the red seemed the best choice. I would have liked to have seen an orange or a "safety" yellow-green. But I suppose these are not "fashionable" enough. Oh well.

Team Garmin-Transitions Announces 2010 Roster Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie Extend Contracts (press release)

2009-12-27T19:18:00.001-08:00

Team Garmin-Transitions Announces 2010 Roster Christian Vande Velde, Dan Martin and David Zabriskie Extend Contracts (press release)

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Favorite Gear of 2009

2009-12-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well I have been inspired by a few of the other blogs I follow to post a "Favorite Gear" post. So here goes:

1. Marmot Scree Softshell pant.

Now I bought these at the LLBean outlet store in Fayetteville NY for way less than I am willing to admit. They have become my "go to" pant for just about any activity except cycling (but I did try them for that too.) Whether it's a xc ski in the woods, a walk with the dog, or cutting wood for the wood pile; these pants fit the bill.

2. S.O.G. paratool

My favorite multitool for quite a few years. Very cool in that you can change the head angle of the pliers.

3. G3 Targa X Mountain Telemark bindings

These have been on my skiis for a few years, I still love 'em!

4. My shades are by Rudy Project - Skeey ...no longer mfg. :'(

I bought these a while back when we lived in Winter Park CO. I needed a set of shades that had a prescription insert and I wanted interchangeable lenses. I am also a little partial to the Euro trash look when skiing and cycling :)

5. Vasque Velocity trail running shoes

These are a classic. I can't run worth a damn but I sure do love these shoes!

6 Laken metal water bottle

My wife got everyone replacement water bottles last Christmas after the whole plastic water bottle scare hit the news. I have carried this to work every day for the last year, with little wear to show for it. Nice reasonably priced bottle, excellent durability in this gray/black marbled finish.

Thanks for reading. That's all for now. I may post more later as the mood strikes me or I realize I've missed something significant.

New boots

2009-12-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

Well,I was a bad boy and bought my self a Christmas gift (yeah another one :p)

I got them in the mail the day before yesterday and have been wearing them continuously ever since:
sierratradingpost.com Keen - San Antonio Boots

They are super comfy, and while I often struggle with buying footwear on the net, I haven't found a Keen that I don't like in my size! I have been looking for a boot to wear to work that doesn't look too much like a hiking boot, but also isn;t so dressy as to be useless in the central NY snowy winter. I found what I needed!

Thanks STP for the great deal to "boot!"

What to Buy a Cyclist for Christmas: Last-Minute Stocking Stuffer Edition

2009-12-22T16:58:00.001-08:00

What to Buy a Cyclist for Christmas: Last-Minute Stocking Stuffer Edition

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Zaterdag filmdag: Free your heel...

2009-12-22T12:23:00.001-08:00

Zaterdag filmdag: Free your heel...

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"New bike"

2009-12-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

So I bought a bike last week. Not a financially savvy investment, but on based on personal health and sanity. You see, I love riding bicycles.

My wife might say I love collecting bicycles. With the one I bought last week (at left) I now have 4 road bikes....

That may sound like a lot. But the one at left, a 1996, is not only the newest addition, it is also the youngest!

Yeah, my newest bike is from 1996. It also has the worst components of the lot. A RSX/Sora mix... So why did I buy it? Well lets just say the other bikes I own are currently "inappropriate" (read unsafe or just plain broken) for me to ride. What are the other bikes I own you might ask? Other road bikes from newest to oldest:

1996 Cannondale R 500 Brakes, levers, derailleurs are Shimano RSX. Crankset is Shimano Sora

eBay purchase Auction Link
I also bought new wheels, used Ritchie DS Pro's, so that I can transfer the wheels from the cannondale to the Trek 560. Auction Link

1988 (maybe 89) Panasonic DX-6000 nearly complete Shimano 600/Ultegra group Size 56cm

This was a "gift" from my sister and brother-in-law for helping paint their house this fall in preparation for them selling it. 56cm is really too small for me. I was planning on getting it road ready for my wife to ride, but now I's found it has some value as a collectable and might be willing to sell it if the price were right.
Panasonic Bicycle Online Museum

1987 Trek 560 Pro - Aqua with white decals, nearly complete Shimano 105 Size 59cm

Original rear wheel has had numerous spoke issues due to a chain dropping off the big gog and damaging the outside spokes on the freewheel side of the hub. Spokes replaced, wont stay true. Replacing wheel with rear wheel from the Cannondale. 6 speed index switching to 7 speed friction when wheels are swapped out.
Vintage Trek website

1985 Trek 460 Race - Red with yellow graphics - Suntour components

This bike is mostly in pieces. I hope to rebuild this for my daughter, but as with all my budget issues and the cost of components, a complete more modern used bike may be more appropriate.
Vintage Trek website

More bikes later...

Day one

2009-12-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

First day on the new blog....

Well just decided to start a new blog. Others that I started, began with good intentions only to fail for a multitude of reasons. The greatest of these has been accessibility. Accessability for me! Blogging at various locations (work particularly) has proved a challenge. So now my current job allows me access to blogger.com so I can take a break now and again to write something.

I have long thought I would like to write, but have always struggled. Writing for me has been a love hate relationship. I love to write when I have nothing driving me, no deadlines, no one telling me what to write about. One of my favorite classes in college was an English class where we wrote about reading assignments. Not writing to or for the teacher, just writing what our impressions were. the professor would give us a few questions to help us get started, but she would often say "write what ever comes to your mind, not to me or for me, but for your own enjoyment." Our only requirements were that they had to relate to the reading (only somewhat) and they needed to be of a particular length (some arbitrary minimum and maximum- she only wanted to read and grade so much!)

So I hope this blog is a reflection of what I am reading, watching, and doing with respect to the sports I enjoy reading, watching and doing!