merry christmas everyone!

lugged steel retro ride 11.15.09

Guy called the ride and his timing was perfect for a fantastic fall day. Weather very nice for riding. Met at Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and rolled out around 10am into the Los Altos hills. This was a really fun climbing ride with a little different route than we normally take. Through Palo Alto, Portola Valley and Woodside we met at Robert's market in Woodside for a few minutes then headed down Cañada towards the College. Everyone regrouped at Cañada College then it was up, up, up into the Emerald Hills section of Redwood City on Jefferson. Guess Guy felt like climbing a little today. ;^) Bob and I caught up with the rest of the group at the Plantation Deli in Menlo Park for lunch and good company. The Bianchis, Colnagos, De Rosas, Tomasinnis, Paramounts,Sachs, Fujis, Mirellas and Cinellis then headed south on Alameda de las Pulgas to Foothill through Menlo and Paly back to Los Altos for a parking lot hardware show of machines and some interesting parts and of course we may have talked about old bikes a little. Thanks for a great ride everyone, thanks for calling the ride, Guy! I had a blast as usual, let's do it again soon.

Guy's pics are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cinelliguy/sets/72157622812351820/

Bob's pics are here:

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/NITROBOBs-GARAGE/Bay-Area-vintage-rides/Nov+15th+2009/

my pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157622817809204/

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

stars and water carriers

meli's b-day ride 10.17.09

the big two eight for meligrosa and she led us on a great amble thru the city hitting all the cool bikey and coffee spots. thanks, meli! happy b-day, and many more...

meli's pix here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meligrosa/sets/72157622630033050/

my pix here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157622621138006/

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"

sf randonneurs populaire brevet 10.3.09

what a beautiful day for a ride... i didn't sign up for it but rode with the sf crew on this 115k (70+ miles) brevet from the south end of the golden gate bridge to pt. reyes station then nicasio and back to the city. temperatures were perfect but it did get a bit windy in the afternoon. riders were shawn on his lugged steel innerlight with ritchey couplers, meli on frenchie, james on his trek racing machine, adrienne on her new raleigh pursuit built by james and me on the masi 3v.

more pix here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157622522756298/

adrienne's pix are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33353980@N07/sets/72157622510828784/

meli's pix here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meligrosa/sets/72157622526573234/

and a couple of great ride reports from meli & adrienne:

http://changeyourliferideabike.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-that-75-miles.html

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

fausto coppi - il campionissimo

ride around lake tahoe 9.12.09

2nd annual ride around the lake! riders were greg on his full mavic rossin, curt on his bob jackson and me on the masi 3v. we started a bit late from incline village under partly cloudy skies. clouds progressively increased during the day keeping temps in perfect 60's riding range. only one problem: curt's rear brake was non functional missing a recessed nut. they tried to coerce one off the masi the night before but i was having none of that. really no problem actually even down the hwy 50 grade to lake tahoe from spooner lake - i thought if curt wore gloves he could just use 'em like the track guys do but on the back tire ;^). as it turned out he didn't even need his rear brake but we stopped for quite awhile in south lake while greg procured the correct nut to restore curt's machine back to sanity. getting to camp richardson was a priority for me after that and we wasted no time dodging cars and broken glass to beat a hasty retreat to our planned lunch stop. we ate on the front porch watching our parked bikes and the passing parade. rain was detected when someone reached their hand out from the porch, we soldiered on the bike path towards the emerald bay overlook. this is the toughest climb of the whole ride but relatively not so bad. snapped a pic at the overlook and we were gone again - still climbing and then a nice downhill. climbing up the other side of emerald bay we made it to the best downhill of the ride which is around d.l. bliss state park - greg's bike computer read 50mph here last year! this year gave us a headwind and no one had a computer so no records were broken. more bike path fun on the rubicon side of the lake until we reached tahoma and stopped to fuel up with anti-bonk substances. i didn't bonk this year but felt the same as last year around mile 50 - i was done. didn't want to ride anymore. where's the sag wagon? oh right, there isn't one. keep riding... the homewood bike path sections are a lot of fun with switchbacks crossing the highway, definitely keeps you alert. we took another break at fanny bridge in tahoe city to regroup and catch our breath and check out the --- ducks and fish ;^). the bike paths outside of tahoe city were a bit challenging due to some road construction but we finally figured them out. curt and i slowed down a bit in tahoe vista and i was pretty tired so took a break in king's beach for brockway grade coffee ice cream fuel - that got me home.

more pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157622368662010/

'twas a nice day gentlemen, let's do it again soon! 'til next time, "have a nice ride". -e

coraline video by JuneBug

hope you guys don't mind this vid but a friend of mine made it and i think it's HIGHLY creative, and it DOES have a penny farthing bike wheel in it...

Mt. Rose summit

Started this ride about 12:30pm, the hottest part of the day, for maximum suffering. Didn't even think I'd make it up to the Country Club Dr. and hwy 431 junction but after resting there for a few minutes I was back on hwy 431 then stopping to rest again at the Tahoe overlook. After a nice conversation with a Carson couple escaping the heat it was back to the climb and it was nothing but climb. Towards the meadows it starts to feel like a treadmill and progress seems nil. Might as well rest again - this time at the Toiyabe N.F. sign. Back to the treadmill. Gained some steam as elevation increased - I think that was due to the slightly cooler temps from the faint breeze off the lake. At the meadows there is a small "saddle" with some much needed downhill but only for a few hundred feet. Fortunately the summit was near. Breeze stronger, temp a bit cooler, pedaling a bit faster. Finally the top! Whoo hoo, and made it in 2 hours. After much needed rest and almost completely draining the buidon it was time for DOWNHILL - yes! Putting my hands on the top of the bars and sitting up straight combined with the increasing lake breeze bled off enough speed that I didn't have to use my brakes much until I hit the lower section after the lookout, good thing too since the brake pads are also 38 years old... Best downhill ever. More pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157621991214339/

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

Alex Marco "The Bike" (wtf?)

Vive Le Tour! by Louis Malle - 1962 TdF

too funny - yo yo yo...

8.8.09 mt. tam ride

Carlo called this ride starting in Fairfax at 8:30am! Am I getting old or is that just too damn early to start a weekend ride? As it turned out he was right on the money - it became quite warm in a couple hours. The goal was Mt. Tam and I can proudly say that in 3 attempts I have now failed 3 times. ;^)... We came within a couple or 3 miles of the top. Didn't matter, the ride was extremely fun for Robert, Carlo and me. To say there was a lot of climbing would be an understatement. Carlo said he hadn't done this ride for 40 years - sure couldn't tell... We stopped at the dam and yakked a bit about the deer that almost pounced directly on Robert and Carlo a couple miles before then soldiered on up another hill into the cool redwoods and ferns. At the entrance to Mt. Tam S.P. we had a picnic lunch - Carlo brought pate', sliced baugette, homemade tapenade and some excellent cheese. I brought a bottle of dago red and we had lunch European style on top of the world. The ride back into Fairfax seemed to go pretty quick. Couldn't believe we had climbed all that way!! The downhill runs were so long it made my hands hurt. I think this was our route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/fairfax/259912271740

Elevations stats: min=112' max=2057' ascent=2598' descent: 2605'

Iced tea at Java Hut in Fairfax after checking out yet another celebration downtown and then headed home. Guys - I want to do this again. Can we go to the top next time?

More pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157621859299445/

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"!

8.1.09 ride - alone again naturally...

the masi 3v at rest at rossotti's in p.a.

Took a nice ride by myself to celebrate the first day of August. Not sure why I'd been ignoring the Masi 3v lately except for the nasty low gear knashing that sounded like bad rear derailluer trim but this ride was OK and even the lowest gear worked flawlessly. The chainline on this bike bothers me a bit as it's not balanced very well - maybe if I had less cogs on the back wheel... I'm thinking of taking this bike for the ride around Lake Tahoe next month. It's either this one or the Super Course I just finished building - I really like the drivetrain on that! It's got a TA triple crankset, Suntour Vgt RD, Simplex FD w/cable stop (the only FD I had laying around with a cable stop) and Campy nuovo gran sport DT shifters. - works very well but that's a blog for another day... The weather for this ride was just perfect. I stopped in P.V. at a lemonade stand run by a little girl and discovered she was selling lemonade to save money to go to Rome, Italy! Now, there's someone with a long term goal - I think she was all of 7 years old. Her Russian mom was getting a kick out of seeing her daughter so focused. The whole ride took about 3 hrs. from my house to Page Mill Rd. and back, 35+ miles, very leisurely pace, very enjoyable...

Until next time, "Have a Great Ride".

7.12.09 los altos ride

Marc called this one earlier last week:

Hello, I'd like to call a vintage ride for this Sunday, July 12 starting in Los Altos from the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. We'll do the Woodside loop by way of Los Altos Hills. Lunch stop at the Plantation! Let's meet at 8:30AM for a 9:30 rollout. I know it's early, but then we have some time to shoot the breeze before we start. Set your alarms early, because times are not negotiable ;^) This ride is @25-30 miles and somewhat hilly in the beginning. I know many of you are familiar with the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. But I encourage anyone who has never joined our NorCal contingent to ride as well. Therefore, those of you who are not familiar with the location can call me on my cell phone for directions: 925-784-3521. I am looking forward to this as I will update youse guys on the doings of the BVVW in the Big Apple. Great group of guys and gals. What to ride? Well as they say in certain racing circles: run whatcha brung!

more pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157621369047450/

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stephen's pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephen.bryne/LosAltosVintageRide#

chasJapan1

chasJapan1
Originally uploaded by ericm

charles in japan. here are a couple pics charles colerich sent of himself in japan in the early 60's. i forgot what we all looked like then before the beatles changed everything...

chasJapan2

chasJapan2
Originally uploaded by ericm

charles in japan

6.21.09 Father's Day fixed gear ride

We all voted on a ride roll out time of 9:30am and met at Woodside School. About half of the 13 riders showed up on fixed gear machines or trackies and there was some real eye candy to absorb. Peter brought his 1959 red Cinelli trackie and Guy brought a 1965 Bianchi Specialissima that looked like it was on it's 1st ride. We started out nice 'n easy through Woodside past the old store and out Tripp Rd. but by the time we hit the downhill section on Woodside Rd. there were some tires smokin' - Jan and Greg got a little competitive and the rest followed. I was just trying to keep up. Whew, these guys and gals can move! About half the group broke away at Rosotti's for Father's Day celebrating and the rest of us rode Arastradero, Old Page Mill, Foothill, Sandhill back to Robert's Market in Woodside where we grabbed bag lunches and headed back to the school for lunch out back on the picnic tables. A great time was had by all on another beautiful riding day. Thanks everyone for a fun time. Until next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157620284388071/

6.13.09 sf to fairfax ride

another great ride! they just keep getting better. this was probably the most eclectic crew i have ridden with so far - from Devin on his custom fixie to Bryan on his full modern quintana roo kit to Meli on her classic french Astra mixtie to Adrienne on her extracycle complete with panniers, ipod boom box and champagne cork stem cap to Veronika on her road tired mountain bike to the classic 70's racers we know and love it was a rolling caravan of every bike type imaginable.

Paul and I took caltrain to sf and rode to the ferry bldg. where we met Adrienne, Meli, Omar, Devin, Dusty and a few others. Bryan came rolling up a couple minutes later from Fremont on bart. we all rolled out along the bay through fishermans wharf, aquatic park and crissy field where we picked up Adrienne's friend Veronika. then it was up and across the bridge where Devin did a few tricks at the north end of the golden gate. the descent into sausalito is always a blast where we regrouped in a couple places for a pit stop and to pick up some of Meli's friends. we finally met Stephen just before the mill valley heliport where he proceeded to guide us all into fairfax. thank you Stephen! couldn't have made it to fairfax without you... we stopped for coffee and a bite in ross before cruising along the bike trails to fairfax. the eco festival was pretty cool - i'd never been before and didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to find a very big neighborhood block party atmosphere. there was a band, beer, exhibits, vendors, kids activities and a cool vibe. mcbc had a great bike parking area that was overflowing with 2 wheelers. we hung out for a while then some rode to larkspur and took the ferry. Paul, Bryan and I rode back to the city to bart and caltrain and finally home.

thanks everyone for the fantastic ride! i had a blast! and special thanks to Stephen for being our guide! 'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

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Meli's pics are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meligrosa/sets/72157619808186620/

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Adrienne's pics are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33353980@N07/sets/72157619711747816/

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my pics are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157619672827775/

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chas talks story

The great thing about riding with Charles is break time when we stop for lunch or a bite. He always has some interesting stories to tell from back in the day. Here're a couple...

"Portrait of the artist as a young man ( ~32 yrs). This is a 73cm frame that I built back in 1976. I used heavy gage Columbus forks, chain stays and top tube. The rest was aircracft quality straight gage 4130 tubing. That's a meter stick I'm holding. The bike had a 38" standover height."

"Picture of me after the 1976 Sandia Crest Race in Albuquerque, NM - 7,500' to 10,600' feet in 25 miles, most of it in the last 9 miles. The bike is a custom Gus Betat frame that I had built for me in 1975. I wanted a bike for climbing and that's what they built for me. With the 39" wheelbase that's about all it did! The whole bike weighed about 20 Lbs. with a tricked out leather saddle. We had an Ideale 90 saddle with an aluminum frame laying around the shop. The leather was trashed. We also had a Brooks Pro with broken seat rails so I married the 2 together - an aluminum framed Brooks Pro! The only things Campy on this bike were the hubs and seatpost bolt! I eventually modified the forks and changed the rear triangle on this frame. That was the beginning of my frame building. BTW, I still have that CoolGear jersey."

6.6.09 Paradise Loop ride

wow! what a perfect riding day.

riders were:

meli on her kof torpado

stephen on his della santa

stephan on his "new" medici

chas on his "new" holdsworth

eric on his gitane sc

stephan, meli and i started out at the log cabin at the presidio and rode across the golden gate to meet stephen and charles at the mill valley heliport. steven and charles both brought new riding tools to show us - stephan had his new red medici and charles had his maroon holdsworth from across the pond.

we were sidelined for awhile at the mill valley bike swap where stephen found a couple bargains and both he and stephan had to peel off for afternoon duties. meli, chas and i continued up camino alto to larkspur then corte madera and out paradise drive to tiburon where we stopped and had a bite and drink. it was hard to get back on the road from the beautiful weather and people watching and conversation at caffe acri. but once we did we were rewarded with spectacular riding conditions. chas peeled off back at the heliport and meli and i soldiered on up the hills out of sausalito where she kicked my butt even with the semi-corncob freewheel on her gorgeous torpado. the ride back across the golden gate seemed short and effortless and the whole thing was over too soon for me. can't wait for the next one. until next time, "Have a Nice Ride"...

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meli's pics: www.flickr.com/photos/meligrosa/sets/721 57619416315294

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stephen's pics: picasaweb.google.com/stephen.bryne/EricSVintageRideOfJune62009#

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my pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157619316293287/

5.31.09 ride - fairfax to pt. reyes to olema and back on the cross marin trail

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ride call:

SUNDAY APRIL 31st Fairfax to Point Reyes and back Meet at JAVA HUT across from Sunshine Bikes 9AM meet up time and lets try to roll out promptly as close to 9AM as we can This should be about 35 Miles and 2800 feet of climbing PLEASE RSVP so we know whos coming This is always a popular destination BOB FREITAS CELL 415-531-xxxx

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some comments from the gang:

Hi Bob and all, We had a fun vintage ride out to Pt. Reyes Station and back to Fairfax today. Bob, we missed you and were sorry you couldn't make it--especially since you organized the ride! I posted a few photos at this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephen.bryne/BobSMarinVintageRideOfMay312009

Good times were had by all. Stephen Bryne in Fairfax, Ca

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First, I want to thank you all for not making fun of how slow I am. But, damn, the old white Gitane can fly sometimes! I have done these rides many times and I think this route is the best, although going back to purple bridge and Nicasio at Platform Bridge Junction would add a few miles and another hill, the run through Samuel P. Taylor Park is so pretty! It was a joy to draft all of you speed demons and ride with so many classy people and beautiful bikes! My birthday is coming up soon, and if a Colnago, Rosa, or Cooper showed up on my doorstep, I could die a happy man!....When I'm 100! Thanks, Bob, for letting me pick the route! Carlo, White Gitane TDF

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more of my pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157619021092585/

Don't forget the Paradise Loop ride this Saturday. Start at the Log Cabin at Presidio at 9, roll out at 9:30, or start at the Mill Valley Heliport at 10:15, roll out at 10:30. Come on out and get some fresh air and exercise. Rain cancels.

bike to work day x 2

Yes, I actually biked to work on bike to work day 2009 - not intentionally but there was an "occurance" at the Hillsdale caltrain station with no estimate of when trains would start running again so off I went. And again after a 4 day Memorial holiday of sedentary relaxing (well, kayaking one day) I rose early and did it again. It's about 22 miles on the route I used and took about 1.5 hrs. If the weather is nice and I can get up early enough I'd like to do this more often. Will be doing the Fairfax to Pt. Reyes Station ride on Sunday if anyone is interested...

'til next time, "Have a Nice Ride"

sunday rider

Keep takin' pics of this bike 'cause I keep ridin' it on the weekends - at least the Woodside ride so far. The 2nd Sand Hill Rd. hill is really an aerobic workout for me - heart in mouth almost to the top and lookin' down to see no shift levers! It gets easier every week but not much - gonna take a lot of work to get comfortable on this ride on this bike...

Popped a spoke on the commuter bike last week so am on the Masi 3V today. We'll see if the gears are low enough to take the hill. It rode so much rougher than the Raleigh Pro downhill this morn! Must get that spoke replaced and wheel trued soon...

day before easter ride

Took the direct drive out for another woodside ride the day before easter. Finally got comfortable on it towards the end of the ride on Mountain Home Rd.

Til next time "Have a Nice Ride"...

flickr meetup and paradise loop ride

After a few attempts finally met fellow flickrite Adrienne Johnson who's handle is busbozo on the flickr site. She has a very cool Batavus Socorro high end city style bike that's been tastefully personalized. You probably won't see many of these bikes in the good ol' USA. She brought along husband James and we all rode the Paradise Loop through Mill Valley, Larkspur, Corte Madera and Tiburon. It was a beautiful windless sunny day and we took our time enjoying it with a stop for paninni sandwiches in Tiburon. Click here for her flickr pic and comments. Thanks for a great ride, Adrienne & James!

Until next time, "Have a Nice Ride"

cold ride...

The Gitane direct drive begged me to take it on a ride yesterday so how could I resist? Drove down to Woodside ~ 10am and did the usual loop - Sand Hill Rd. was not quite as challenging this time but almost! Still huffin' and puffin' but at least I knew what to expect this time. Almost getting comfortable riding this thing now - ya just gotta go with it... As you can see from the pics spring has sprung but that afternoon storm was still pretty cold. Til next time...

"Have a Nice Ride"

stylin'

no pics from the fairfax to olema (on the cross marin trail) ride saturday so here is a pic stolen from: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/1080738001.html "Have a Nice Ride"

1st direct drive ride w/paul

Got a break from the rain yesterday (Saturday) so decided to finally take the direct drive Gitane out for it's maiden voyage. I wanted to find out if I could navigate it through a whole Woodside ride and be able to make it up the hills with the 47 - 16 gears it now has. It did real well up until Sand Hill Rd. west of hwy 280 - that climb almost made me dismount & walk but my ego wouldn't permit it so my legs and knees are talking to me today...

Paul met me behind the Pioneer Saloon and brought along his old Shogun touring bike - what a cool machine! You don't see hand pin striping and decorating along with a cool old Shimano 600 Arabesque group and paint and accessory contrasting like that in any new bike - someone put some thought into building this one...

We headed through Woodside on the usual CR Woodside ride going out Kings Mtn. Rd. to Tripp Rd. out Portola Valley left on Alpine, right on Old Arastradero, Old Page Mill Rd., north on Foothill Expy., west on Sand Hill Rd. then back to Woodside on Mountain Home Rd. Very pleasant ride - Paul actually had fun on a couple stretches and I hope he'll make it a regular event. His bike needs a few things - tires, tubes, chain and a rear wheel truing but it is basically very sound and looks and rides great. I took a couple phone pix on the ride itself and I'll have to post those later.

Until next time, "Have a Nice Ride"

Bob's Big six ohh b-day ride and party

Bob's birthday ride is always a fun time every year, but this year was a bit more special since it was the big 6 ohh. I rode to the Edgewood and 280 park-n-ride to meet Greg, Dave and James in Greg's vintage bike hauler and was a bit concerned having brought my fendered commuter bike that won't fit on my rack. Fortunately it fit on Greg's roof with at least 1/16" to spare - whew. After a pleasant ride to the Mill Valley heliport we met the gang, did some introductions as we had some new riders, and proceeded on the usual route across the flats and up Camino Alto. I broke away early and Stephen passed me about 2 seconds later - guess that 350 mile fully loaded ride to Morro Bay he just completed put him in great shape - never could catch him. We paused at the top to catch our breath then descended like batz outta hell - what a blast! In Larkspur we took the nice paved bike/hike trail then under 101 and behind the mall in Corta Madera - this is where Stu and Ramie broke away on the flats on their CoMotion tandem like a rocket! I tried to keep up but, oh well... Once we hit the 1st small climb on Paradise Dr. the scenery became very nice and we all slowed down and spread out to enjoy it at a more civilized pace. Meeting for a rest stop at the firehouse was a welcome break. From there the ride and view became very nice and I slowed down even more. We met in Tiburon for some photo ops and our last break to enjoy views of the bay and the cool Marin Co. ambiance. The last part of the ride through the quaint neighborhoods and bike trail along the water was quite relaxing and Greg let me draft the last 1/2 of the flats back to the van. Then it was off to Bob's place high on a Mill Valley hill for a great party thrown by his lovely wife Rita and daughter Nicole. What a spread! And I'm talkin' 'bout the endless delicious food AND all the vintage bikes in Bob's garage. The stars of the show this year were the salmon and tuna and of course the birthday cake with Bob's L'Eroica likeness on it AND the Rene Herse on the work stand. A GREAT time was had by all and a huge THANK YOU goes out to Rita and Nicole for making Bob's 60th one to remember forever!

more pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157614312113162/

Wool jerseys on the day before Superbowl 2009

Marc St. Martin called the ride to meet at Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. We were all feeling our oats on this last day of Jan. '09 as the pace was a bit fast. Marc called Dave and Nancy to meet us at the new Robert's Mkt. in Portola Valley. Had a surprise meet up with Brad Stockwell on his De Rosa at the Plantation Deli in Menlo Park - he recognized a Molteni jersey in our group. Not 1 or 2 but 3 Zunows on this ride along with Hetchins, Cinelli and Colin Laing. Not 1 or 2 but 3 Daves too - but they weren't all riding Zunows... A good time was had by all...

More pics here:

http://flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157613251680887/

1965 canadian road race

Thanks to Jon Williams in Grants Pass, OR for the heads up!

"have a nice ride"

honjos on the pro

Too cold and windy today for a ride so decided to install the Honjo smooth 36mm fenders on the '74 Raleigh Pro commuter bike. I'd done this before on the '78 Raleigh Comp and it gets easier every time. The only snag on this job was the far away chain stay bridge which I needed to drill & tap to accept a 10-32 x 1.5" screw to make sure the fender had the right relationship to the tire along it's entire length. I hate it when fenders are installed directly to the chain stay bridge "inappropriately" - just my OCD surfacing I guess... Oh yeah, this frame was never meant to have fenders (no eyelets on dropouts) so used the little padded p-clamps. I think they turned out OK, let me know what you think.

more pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157604766321388/

"have a nice ride"

Paradise Loop ride

What a bee-you-tee-full mid January day even by California standards. Arrived at the Mill Valley heliport about 9:40am. This was one of the smallest showings I have seen on a CR called ride: one person - me. At least I know the route by now so started out 10:05am for a pleasant ride through paradise. There were many, many cyclists out today but nobody I knew. Many egrets in the salt ponds by the bike trail near the freeway. The Gitane SC is not known as my favorite hill climber but it seemed to take Camino Alto easy today - no huffin' 'n puffin' - well not much anyway. The rest of the ride was beautiful as usual and uneventful. Rolled into Tiburon for lunch at the normal spot for a ham 'n cheese croissant heated panini style and a Sierra Nevada - yum! Very enjoyable ride after that and beautiful ride home along the coast at Ocean Beach - man there were hundreds of people at that beach! Almost hit 70 degrees today... More pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157612453833740/

fixed round 2 ½

The Stronglight 47 tooth chain ring arrived and is installed. Also put on wacky handlebars with VO Dia-compe reverse brake levers, VO leather covered half toe clips, bottle cage and elk hide bar covers. I was pretty leary about installing the leather handlebar covers but the elk hide makes it fairly easy. It is super stretchy and not hard to work with. The only mistakes I made were at the tight radius bends when the holes in the leather didn't line up well so I made some bad stitches but found them a couple stitches later and re-stitched it correctly and all was well. I remember lacing a pair of moccasins in scouts and this really reminded me of it.

More pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157611688223015/

1st ride in 3 weeks

Yup, it's been 3 weeks - I was having withdrawals. Finally got out yesterday on the commuter bike for the usual ride out to Woodside and back. Was going to wuss out and just drive a bike down & do the flats only but decided at the last minute to include the hills. Was glad I did and it sure felt good to ride again. Next fall I'm gettin' a flu shot. Some pix at the Pulgas water temple:

http://flickr.com/photos/ericm/sets/72157612203440998/detail/

"Have a Nice Ride"

William Robbins, Robbie Williams

It's not about 10 speeds but this is just too funny not to post. I'll have some phone pix of today's ride for you tomorrow...