tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27149143476755184702024-03-05T22:03:55.583-08:00franklyn's bike garageThis blog is about my cycling lifestyle, which includes (obviously) bicycles--both building and maintaining them, and riding them--and cycling related tidbits.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-59081754048096765402014-08-10T10:06:00.002-07:002014-08-15T10:18:29.766-07:00PNW Trip 2014: Orcas Island Bike Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14877585775" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Arriving at Orcas Island by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Arriving at Orcas Island" height="240" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5573/14877585775_d356c78c2a_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the second day of our stay on the San Juan Islands, we decided to visit Orcas Island and ride up to the famous Mt Constitution, which we also did last summer. We originally planned on staying on Orcas this year, and even though we didn't have reservation to a camp site on the island, we called and were informed that the nice rangers at Moran State Park would accommodate us if we arrive on our bikes. Unfortunately, the heavy traffic near Seattle (from Tacoma all the way through Marysville) meant that we missed not one but two ferries to Orcas. We ended up staying at Odlin County Park on Lopez and enjoyed it very much. But we still wanted to visit Orcas, the island that enchanted us most on our trip here last year.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14874524831" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="alpacas by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="alpacas" height="148" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/14874524831_838ea0a15a_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14877239312" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Alpaca! by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Alpaca!" height="200" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/14877239312_f38fc7ddf8_c.jpg" width="199" /></a>
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I'd forgotten my camera battery and decided to make a trip back to the car in Anacortes to fetch it. M. met me on the returning westbound ferry at Lopez, and we headed toward Orcas. It was a cool day with varied and multi-colored clouds. We waited near the ferry dock on Orcas for all the cars to unload and go by before pedaling north and eastward toward Eastsound. </div>
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The first 2 miles has 3 short and medium-graded climbs followed by similarly graded descents. After getting warmed up on these short hills, we switched to our big gears and cruised on the flatland toward Eastsound. We took the scenic bypass and waved hello to the alpacas foraging on Dolphin Bay Road. Eastsound, busy this time of the year from all the summer tourists, came upon us after a fast 9 miles. We slowed and rolled through town and passed Crescent Beach, upped a hill and turned right to continue toward Moran State Park.</div>
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This 4-mile stretch has very different vista from the first 9 miles from the ferry. Instead of expansive farmlands and pastures, we were riding among trees. We topped our bottles at the entrance of Moran State Park. The mirror-like alpine lake followed. We knew we were close to Mt Constitution Road. After a small incline passing Camp Moran, we veered left as the road forked and began the climb.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14875071414" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Evergreens line the road by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Evergreens line the road" height="240" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3841/14875071414_e884e4eae0_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mt Constitution Road to the summit is one of our favorite, if not favorite road climbs. The gradient is similar to that of Kings Mountain in Woodside or Bolinas-Fairfax Road from Bolinas to Ridgecrest. The pavement is in excellent shape, and the whole trip is pretty shaded. The Puget Sound only became visible in the second section of the climb, but the vista at the top is truly breath-taking. M. was riding her Trek 720 unloaded, and I was carrying a small pannier on my Kogswell P/R with the porteur rack. We were both comfortable riding in our 36 middle chainring and moved the gears up and down as the gradient changed.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14877161242" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Puget Sound Panorama by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Puget Sound Panorama" height="192" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/14877161242_605a2f67c9_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The climb is almost 5 miles long and we expended quite a bit of effort to ride up at a decent pace. The first thing we did when we got to the top was to stuff our faces with food we had, which was not very much. We were able to take a moment to enjoy the spectacular view of the Puget Sound, with Mt Baker in the background before heading down.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14874258061" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Alpine Lake by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Alpine Lake" height="201" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/14874258061_0dd6d13577_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I ride downhills faster, so I stopped at the lake to take a few pictures, and M and I got separated here. After some initial confusion and waiting, we got back into contact and she waited for me at the gas station just east of Eastsound. One thing about riding on the island is that you always have to watch time if you have to catch a ferry somewhere, which was our predicament. Since we ran out of water and food, we shared a can of coke at the gas station and began to ride as fast as we can back to the ferry dock. The Kogswell actually performed very well and its standard-sized tubing gave a lively ride that encouraged effort. We got to the ferry dock with minutes to spare and really enjoyed the late afternoon light peering through the clouds on our way back to Lopez Island. Orcas did not disappoint!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14690568350" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Washington State Ferry by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Washington State Ferry" height="300" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/14690568350_44c2cb37c5_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More pictures from the ride:</div>
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And even more pictures of the ride <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157645922891360/">here</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-2501034455286406902014-08-08T09:09:00.002-07:002014-08-15T10:20:13.297-07:00PNW Trip 2014: Mt Tabor Sunrise CoffeeI realized that I haven't posted for almost a year. It has been a supremely busy year personally and professionally, and my riding mileage has been down, but I have resolved to maintain a respectable amount of riding going forward.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/14815111486" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sun just about to pop out by Franklyn Wu, on Flickr"><img alt="Sun just about to pop out" height="278" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5559/14815111486_441c9a7908_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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M. and I decided to do the same thing we did last summer for vacation--Portland for a few days, and the San Juan Islands for a few--since we enjoyed it so much last year. One of the highlights this year of our stay in Portland is joining a group of folks (some I have corresponded with on various bike online groups or forums before) for coffee in the morning outside, at sunrise, at a location that we traveled to on bikes.<br />
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Andy and Chris I know from the Riv google group. They were kind enough to set up the date and location. At 5:30, Andy met M and me outside of our Airbnb and we rode through SE Portland neighborhoods, including crossing several very short gravel/dirt sections in parks to get to the foot of Mt Tabor. The morning air is crisp and we began to see a few commuting cyclists when we were near the foot of the hill. Tabor has a gentle gradient and is well shaded. We passed or were passed by cyclists, runners, and (dog)walkers.<br />
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Not very long after, we reached a set of benches off the road. Though not quite the top of the hill, this location has expansive views to the East. four people were already there preparing their morning cup of joe. The equipment spans different water-cooking options as well as different coffee-brewing option.<br />
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Sun just about popped out from behind a set of mountains at this point (slightly past 6AM). Chris made M and I a cup of coffee with beans roasted by Courier Roaster and a ceramic filter cone. The drink is very good. The conversation, equally good, ranged from ride stories, stories on encounter with Riv folks and Jan Heine, and Portland stuff. The bikes were also very nice: there were at least 4 Rivs, a couple of 80's steel bikes, and my Kogswell.<br />
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I chatted with different folks and found out that Oliver follows my blog and also has a Kogswell P/R (which is partly why I am writing again, as I realized people actually read this blog). He was kind enough to take us to the top of Tabor as the group dispersed to the morning affairs (it's a work day after all).<br />
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We descended back to SE Hawthorne and cruised toward breakfast. along the way people were opening their garages ready to leave for work, but in most instances instead of a car, a bike or two pulled out, and we were riding amid many other cyclists on every street. One guy chatted with us for a couple of blocks and gave us direction on how to get to a New Seasons Market.<br />
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It was an enjoyable way to start the day, and I am grateful to participate in the fun ritual of sunrise coffee outside. I have since purchased a Hario grinder and an Aeropress, now I am ready to do coffee outside in the East Bay also! Who is in?<br />
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The rest of the pictures that I took of Sunrise Coffee on Tabor is <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157645789318157/">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-31004792771203467232013-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:002013-10-11T08:00:22.919-07:00Northwest Road trip with Bikes: Orcas Island and Mt Constitution<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260477134/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tent site at Lopez Farm by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Tent site at Lopez Farm" height="203" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/9260477134_71a591fffe.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our camp on Lopez Island</td></tr>
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After spending <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/10/northwest-road-trip-with-bikes-lopez.html">two wonderful nights</a> on Lopez Island. Our plan would take us to the largest of the San Juan Islands--Orcas Island. We woke up, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9257686601/in/set-72157634583984583">de-camped</a>, and packed our gears onto our bikes. We leisurely pedaled to the ferry dock and waited for a mid-day ferry, saying goodbye to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260470782/in/set-72157634583984583">this wonderful island</a> along the way. From everything we have read and heard in conversation, Orcas is the hilliest of the major San Juan Islands. Our apprehension only got worse when a tourist riding a Surly LHT told us how he struggled on the roads. The place we planned to stay was in Eastsound Village, so we didn't have much of a choice. After taking a couple swigs of water and a bite of energy food, we began rolling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260861791/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Alpaca Farm by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Alpaca Farm" height="125" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/9260861791_c508299a07.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpaca Farm on Orcas Island</td></tr>
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The road pointed north first before turning east toward Eastsound. It was early afternoon and the sun was out in full force, but the breeze from the sound kept the temperature down and the conditions quite pleasant. We were more observant of our efforts so as not to over-ride and struggle later on the supposedly hilly terrain. Though to our pleasant surprise, the terrain, even with our load, was nothing to worry about. I guess our usual riding and touring in the Bay Area hills prepare us well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260856927/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Crescent Beach by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Crescent Beach" height="125" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/9260856927_1e14405f73.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crescent Beach outside Eastsound</td></tr>
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Orcas is simply beautiful. Quiet country roads, evergreens and pastures everywhere. We took a bypass road that's even lighter in car traffic than the main road, then soaked in the bucolic atmosphere. The 9-mile ride to Eastsound Village went by quickly. Soon we had to slow down to enter this quaint town that sits in the middle of the island. We stopped to call our host for the night to get direction to his lodge/campground.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260841575/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Riding toward Mt Constitution by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Riding toward Mt Constitution" height="125" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9260841575_ffe1cfe8ee.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding by Alpine Lake in Moran SP</td></tr>
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We rode by Crescent Beach, upped a hill and arrived at the lodge. Our host Dave was very nice and showed us around. M. was tired so she took a nap on the hammock while I set up camp and went back to Eastsound to get some groceries for dinner and breakfast. We also had plans to get out for a sunset ride up Mt Constitution.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260767693/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Our camp by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Our camp" height="125" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/9260767693_12dab1f56a.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our campsite on Orcas Island</td></tr>
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After dinner, we relieved our bikes of panniers and locks, and rode toward Moran State Park. At 7:30 it was still very bright, though the temperature was beginning to drop. We rode at a good pace in the crisp but fragrant evening air. Moran State Park is a clean and serene area with big patches of evergreen forest and several <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9263623170/in/set-72157634596948508">alpine lakes</a>. Soon we came to the fork and began climbing on Mt Constitution Road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9264183956/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wide panorama by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Wide panorama" height="115" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7312/9264183956_d15575ac44.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wide Panorama of Puget Sound from the top of Mt Constitution</td></tr>
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Mt Constitution Road is a significant climb that gains 2000 ft in 5 miles. It reminded us of some of our favorite climbs in the Bay Area--BoFax Road from Alpine Dam or Bolinas to Ridgecrest, Kings Mountain Road, and Pinehurst Road. It was very well shaded but with a challenging gradient. We worked hard to crest to the top and enjoyed the output of effort. We were also rewarded with an expansive and jaw-dropping panoramic view of the Puget Sound. The climb itself was enjoyable, but the vista definitely put this climb to among our favorite roads to ride.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9263553776/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Alpine Lake Sunset by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Alpine Lake Sunset" height="250" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/9263553776_0cb976889e.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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It was dusk now and we only have perhaps 30 minutes of civilian twilight left. I put 2 maps on my chest to maintain my core temperature for the descent turned on the dynamo light and headed back to the campground. We cleaned up and ate a snack before getting into our tent, under a tall evergreen, and went into a deep slumber. Tomorrow we will leave the island, but we will surely come back to this lovely place again.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-64960125074206626212013-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:002013-10-07T08:12:08.072-07:00Northwest Road Trip with Bikes: Lopez Island and Orcas Sighting.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9257955062/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A panorama shot from under the walkway to the ferry by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="A panorama shot from under the walkway to the ferry" height="177" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/9257955062_5984eba03d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puget Sound from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal</td></tr>
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We really enjoyed our <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/08/northwest-road-trip-with-bikes-portland.html">time in Portland</a>; so much so that I began second-guessing our decision to head to Puget Sound for 3 and 1/2 days. After all, wouldn't we be able to relax more and have a true vacation if we were to simply chill out in Portland? The calculus on the other side was that this was our first true longish vacation in a while, and we'd already driven all the way up here, so we might as well drive the extra 3 and 1/2 hours to Anacortes and check out the islands. In hindsight, our trip to the San Juan Islands was totally worth the extra drive and planning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9257926274/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Washington State Ferry by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Washington State Ferry" height="150" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3700/9257926274_9849e10897.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the ferry deck</td></tr>
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Driving on the main corridor on the day before the July 4th long weekend was not the most pleasant experience. We stuttered our way to Anacortes, worried about missing our 5PM-ish ferry to Lopez Island, where we planned on staying the night. We got to the ferry terminal parking lot with enough time to unload our bikes, pack our gears onto the bikes (since we were camping for the next 3 nights) and wandered to the line for pedestrians/cyclists. I bought two tickets for us, chatted with a resident cyclist who is an experience tourist, and proceeded to board the ferry when the ferry worker let us on. Both M. and I were so excited about our trip--we giddily walked around the boat to soak in the amazing scenery and daydreamed about our adventures for the next days. Little did we know at the time that our adventure was indeed about to start, but not quite the way we planned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9257891300/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Incoming Ferry by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Incoming Ferry" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7438/9257891300_5668d6c4b2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferry coming into Friday Harbor</td></tr>
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The resident cyclist whom I was chatting with found us looking out the window and pointed out that we were on the wrong ferry, as the one we were on were headed directly for Friday Harbor on the main San Juan Island, whereas our intended ferry was the one after. We poured over the ferry schedule and realized that we won't be able to get to Lopez Island until 11pm at night. We considered finding a place to stay on San Juan Island but on late afternoon of July 3rd finding a spot to stay was nearly impossible.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9255072727/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Marina at dusk by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Marina at dusk" height="125" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3743/9255072727_d0296240e5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday Harbor at Dusk</td></tr>
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After we got off the boat we decided that we would hang out in Friday Harbor and wait for the late ferry to get on Lopez. We sat around and enjoyed the harbor the best we can. It was getting cooler, and we sought shelter in a enclosed hut on the dock. It was getting late but the darkness was slow to arrive. As we left Friday Harbor at 10:30 or so the night had barely fallen.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260484330/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sun is out by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sun is out" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/9260484330_866b80f060.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise at the campground on Lopez Island</td></tr>
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I'd been to Lopez Island once in 2005, but navigating it at night, even with bright dynamo headlight on our bikes was not easy. We proceeded cautiously and were able to find our campground and stumbled our way to our site. After a long day of travel both of our patience was wearing thin. Somehow we got the tent pitched and we fell into slumber in the quiet evergreen forest on Lopez.<br />
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I also made the mistake of not bringing a sleeping bag. I'd checked the weather prior to leaving California, where we had the worst heatwave in several years. Portland was baking when we were there also. The forecast for the islands showed temperature in the 50's. I thought bringing a thin fleece blanket would be sufficient. I was mistaken and had to put on all the layers I had and stayed as close to M. in the tent (she had a sleeping bag) as I could. I did get used to it the following two nights and slept well.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9260519156/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sequoia at the harbor by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia at the harbor" height="220" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5327/9260519156_924af044dc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lopez Island Harbor on July 4th</td></tr>
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Lopez was very tranquil, even on a day like July 4th. I rode my bike 1.5 miles to the grocery store at the local village center to buy some food and supplies. The town was hosting a 5k run to raise fund for several local organizations. I meandered to the harbor nearby the market and stared for a while before heading back to the campground. Few folks were up at this point and hanging out in the common area. I made some breakfast and woke M. up to eat. After tossing a frisbee for a while I convinced M. that instead of kicking back and sitting in a lawn chair for the rest of the day, that we should take the ferry to San Juan Island again to check out the beautiful coastline on the west side of the island and to try our luck with potential sighting of orcas. M. was doubtful but decided to follow my whim.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9255359103/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sequoia on Ferry by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia on Ferry" height="125" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9255359103_e062a444d1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike on Ferry</td></tr>
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We collected a bag of snacks and maps and headed for San Juan. After getting off the boat, we rode at a leisure pace toward the coast. The weather was breezy and sunny. There were more cars than I remembered from 8 years ago. After a couple of hilly stretches M. was regretting her decision and missing the hammock back at our camp site. We reached the coast shortly after and began to make our way toward Lime Kiln Point State Park.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9258250124/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Orcas watching by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Orcas watching" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/9258250124_f1e36f3ea0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orcas watching folks and boats</td></tr>
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We saw some folks pulled over on the side of the road and made various sounds of exclamation. We stopped and walked up a big rock to see what it was about, and saw a line of boats moving steadily northward undoubtedly carrying passengers to watch orcas. While we were standing there enjoying an amazing vista of the sound, we saw it--an orca surfacing just above water and was moving about. Though it wasn't for long our interest was now definitely piqued. We decided to ride 2 miles to Lime Kiln to get a better view.<br />
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The state park had quite a few folks at this point. For the next hour or so, we sat on a rock near the beach in the park and saw 2-3 orcas surfacing from time to time, to the joy of people on the shore. It was truly an amazing sight, even if they were merely small specks from the beach.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9258188434/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Orca sighting! by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Orca sighting!" height="250" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/9258188434_7bd2d4a092.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best I can do to capture the Orcas</td></tr>
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Reluctantly, we got back on the road and headed back toward Friday Harbor so we can catch our ferry back to Lopez. Even without the orcas sighting, the ride up and down the west coast of San Juan was incredibly scenic and relaxing. We rode back to Friday Harbor in time for the ferry. After a low-key dinner and some time in the law chairs, we turned in to catch up on some needed sleep. The next day we planned on de-camping and then go visit Orcas Island before heading back to Portland for the weekend.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-2264338980084268862013-08-04T07:37:00.000-07:002013-08-04T07:42:16.575-07:00Northwest Road trip with Bikes: Portland 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256344410/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Hawthorne bridge by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Hawthorne bridge" height="262" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/9256344410_e490da1578.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My wife M and I managed to have a break at the same time, so at the last minute we decided to put a road trip together. Destinations that we considered include Portland, San Juan Islands, and Vancouver, BC. After looking at various transportation and lodging options, we decided to travel to Portland and the San Juan Islands for this 8-day trip.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256329100/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gondola by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Gondola" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/9256329100_673528184e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tram that travels between the two campuses of OHSU;<br />
Brilliant!</td></tr>
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We loaded up our stuff and bikes--her Trek 720 and my Specialized Sequoia--on our car and began driving north on Highway 5. We were in the middle of a heatwave that impacted much of the West Coast. The Bay Area has begun to cool down as we were leaving, however, the HWY 5 corridor is more inland, and it was scorching once the morning sun had some time to cook the earth. As we left Mt Shasta and California around noon, the car's thermometer was registering triple digit, and hovered there for the rest of the trip to Portland. We stopped in Ashland to have lunch, and stopped whenever we needed to refill our water bottles or gas tank, or empty our bladders. We got to Portland around 6PM, and though it was beginning to cool some, it was still in the 90's and more humid than what we are accustomed to in the Bay Area. We stayed at a house we found on Airbnb in Southwest Portland, near Oregon Health Sciences University. Our host is a nice young couple who had moved to Portland relatively recently.<br />
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After settling into our room and rolling our bikes into the garage. My friend Joseph from high school came by and took us to dinner. Since he is vegetarian also, he is familiar with the many vegetarian/vegan options available in Portland. After a short discussion, we decided to eat at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253629747/in/set-72157634576388553">Los Gorditos</a>, which is a greasy-spoon, Mission-style taqueria with a full vegan menu.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256404086/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Vegan mexican food by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegan mexican food" height="240" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/9256404086_099f1bbc85.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Vegan Cal-Mex food at Los Gorditos</td></tr>
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Coming from the Bay Area--the supposed mecca of Cal-Mex food and a metropolitan area with a good vegetarian/vegan population--I thought I had seen the newest and best of vegetarian Mexican food, but I was impressed and humbled by the food at Los Gorditos. The restaurant has on its vegan menu items that are commonplace in regular taqueria but unusual in vegetarian joints, such as <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253619231/in/set-72157634576388553/">vegan quesadilla</a> and vegan chile relleno. When I was ordering, the cashier asked "what kind of vegan meat do you want, tofu, soyrizo, or soy curls?" I felt embarrassed for not knowing what soy curls are--they were good!<br />
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Joseph was kind enough to give us his run down of Portland after moving there from Seattle three years ago for a job. Although he prefers Seattle still, he does like PDX quite a bit. He drove us around and we got out the car and walk around the downtown and waterfront areas in the NW. We saw <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256489524/in/set-72157634576388553">amazing food cart clusters</a>, the long line at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256478998/in/set-72157634576388553">Voodoo Doughnuts</a>, and the many folks out and about in and near the Esplanada and the waterfront park. The Willamette River and the several bridges over it provided great ambiance to the summer late dusk (it was close to 10 and it was still not dark out). By the time Joseph dropped us off it was past 10pm. We fell asleep pretty quickly after a long day of driving.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256282090/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Riding along the river by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Riding along the river" height="200" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/9256282090_d89924af4c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">riding along the river toward downtown</td></tr>
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The next morning, we chatted with our host some over breakfast, got our bikes ready and set out to explore Portland. We didn't have any specific destination in mind. From the get go we were impressed with the city's famed bicycle culture; not only were the infrastructure plentiful and well-designed, but the sheer number of people on bikes is perhaps unrivaled in the United States. We rode along the Willamette River and the connecting bike paths toward downtown, and eventually ended up near Voodoo Doughnuts again, but <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256499346/in/set-72157634576388553/">the line</a> was still too long. We were getting hungry as it was close to lunch time so we rode around looking for a food cart cluster--another great feature of Portland. A few blocks away at the intersection of Stark and 3rd, we found <a href="http://dcvegetarian.com/">DC Vegetarian</a> in a cluster. We ordered a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253704861/in/set-72157634576388553/">vegan bacon cheese burger</a> (check out this <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/208800">portlandia clip</a> for reference) and a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256482372/in/set-72157634576388553/">vegan bah mi</a> (Vietnamese-style vegan beef sandwich). They were both extremely delicious.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253713701/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DC Vegetarian by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="DC Vegetarian" height="200" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/9253713701_fecef63f69.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food Cart Cluster</td></tr>
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The food cart cluster concept is brilliant, and I wonder why more cities don't learn from Portland to encourage it. These clusters are usually located in empty parking lots, and bring benefits to all parties. For vendors, the cost of starting a business is significantly lower than starting a restaurant. Given the low cost, vendors can have a longer incubation period where they can test and adjust menu to find out what customers like. Being close to several, even a dozen or more other vendors attract a wider audience who may not have been coming for a specific food cart, but may end up buying from it once they get to the cluster for various reasons. Once a vendor establishes a clientele and a strong demand, it can set up a location that can serve more customers (see Los Gortidos above). For patrons, having many food carts in a cluster means many options of food, and also innovation of menu where vendors are more willing to try new ways of preparing food because their start-up and ongoing costs are lower. For the cities, food cart clusters energize gray and dead spaces such as parking lots or other empty lots, and generate foot traffic and commercial activities. We found Portland downtown to be buzzing around lunch time where people were out on the sidewalk and benches eating and chatting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256434048/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The Redlight by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="The Redlight" height="200" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/9256434048_887df5575c.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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We returned to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253687357/in/set-72157634576388553">Voodoo Doughnuts</a> yet again after lunch, but after seeing the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256472346/in/set-72157634576388553">unrelenting queue</a>, we decided to move on and check out other parts of the city. We rode <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253671035/in/set-72157634576388553">across the Burnside Bridge</a>, and rode to Hawthorne. We parked our bikes (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256445240/in/set-72157634576388553">great parking infrastructure!</a>) and walked and checked out different stores. M. scored some vintage T-shirts at Redlight, and we decided to check out a tea bar where we can sit and read for a while.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256422964/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Side of the caboose by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Side of the caboose" height="240" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/9256422964_af0294c8ab.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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The Tea Chai Te Too is located in Sellwood, which is south of the SE Portland. We rode to the river bank and followed a long (4 miles) rail-to-trail Springwater corridor to Sellwood. The trail is extremely well maintained and provide commuters and recreational cyclists a fast, safe, and pleasant way to travel between SE Portland and Sellwood. The front part of Tea Chai Te Too tea bar is housed in a former caboose. It even kept some original setup of the train cart. We ordered several different types of cool tea and read and dozed off for a couple of hours. We decided to eat at Los Gorditos again because it was simply too good.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256389784/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Crossing Hawthorne Bridge by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Crossing Hawthorne Bridge" height="150" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3738/9256389784_b9f868951f.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Afterward, we <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9256315566/in/set-72157634576388553/">crossed the Hawthorne Bridge</a> back to the west side. As we exit the bridge (which has separate bike exit ramps) we saw the bike counter, which was showing "6267". Which shows the volume of folks traveling on bikes. We hung out on the Esplanade for a little longer as the sun was setting; folks were out walking and riding around. Portland reminded me of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60508949@N00/105254225/in/set-72057594067996742/">London with its many bridges on the Thames</a>. The ride back to our BnB was very enjoyable, as the temperature has finally dropped to a comfortable level. It was a wonderful day in Portland!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9253558439/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Under hawthorne bridge by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Under hawthorne bridge" height="288" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/9253558439_ed43c8716d.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-13513878213290763102013-06-10T05:12:00.000-07:002013-06-10T05:12:17.511-07:00Ebisu freshened up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/5367990420/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ebisu 2011 set up by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Ebisu 2011 set up" height="248" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5124/5367990420_1fbdf0d530.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157615808679968/with/8971007365/">My Ebisu</a> has a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/3378957007/in/set-72157615808679968">very distinctive grey color</a>, and it worked really well with a pair of red Grand Bois Hetres tires. The ones I had on it were there since when the bike was new and has now 2500 miles on them. They are still in good shape. My Specialized Sequoia needed <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/06/red-hetres-for-pink-sequoia.html">new tires</a>, so I decided to give Ebisu a new look. I put a pair of low-mileage new-to-me white Hetres that I got in a trade recently, and then re-wrap the handlebar with white Fizik microtex tapes. I pumped the tires up to 45 psi with 26"x 1.25" Q-tube superlight butyl tubes (they have lower listed weight than the Schwalbe 650b SV latex tubes) and rode the Ebisu on the recent <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/06/sfr-dart-populaire-millbrae-to-berkeley.html">SFR DART Populaire</a>. Everything being equal, the white performs about just the same as the red ones. Perhaps the red ones feel slightly plusher because they have been stretched and worn some. I also changed the front derailleur to a 8-speed Shimano 600 one to replace the 10-speed R700. The 8-speed front mech has wider cages and allows me to shift the entire cassette without trimming very much in the front. The next project for this bike, which may be months away, is to build a pair of lightweight event wheels out of Pacenti PL23 rims and Chris King/SON Delux hubs.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8971007365/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ebisu with white tires and bar tapes by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Ebisu with white tires and bar tapes" height="250" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8550/8971007365_90db6d0a54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-25373914724392176082013-06-10T04:46:00.003-07:002013-06-10T04:49:49.375-07:00SFR DART Populaire: Millbrae to Berkeley<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9000564491/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Team Berkeley Cyclers by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Team Berkeley Cyclers" height="200" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/9000564491_36a1217346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Berkeley Cyclers on Canada Road</td></tr>
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I gathered a team together to participate in the <a href="http://sfrandonneurs.org/dart.htm">San Francisco Randonneurs' DART Populaire</a> event. My teammates Rachel, Deborah, and M. got on BART at 8:45 to get across the Bay for our 10AM start. The DART, similar to Fleche, is a team randonneuring event with each team designing its own route but all ending at the same location. This SFR hosted two distances for DART, 200k and 120k. Given my lack of shape after two months of little riding, our team went for the 120k (Populaire) version. <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2386008">The route</a> starts in Millbrae and meanders down the Peninsula along roads in the foothills, then cross the Dumbarton Bridge to East Bay. It goes east from Fremont and connects to Castro Valley via Palomares Road, then comes back to Oakland and Berkeley on Redwood Road and Montclair.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9001765578/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Water Temple by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Water Temple" height="240" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5446/9001765578_9e8b689a97.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a Break at the Pulgas Water Temple</td></tr>
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Our last teammate Rinaldi met us at the Chase Bank near the BART station, and led us through the easy going neighborhood roads through upscale suburbs on the upper Peninsula. We took the Polhemus Bike Trail over to Canada Road, then rode along the Crystal Springs Reservoir for a while, even stopping at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulgas_Water_Temple">Pulgas Water Temple</a>. The weather was forecasted to be very hot in the Bay Area, and though at this time of the day it was breezy enough to be comfortable, the pool at the Water Temple was inviting. Canada Road's smooth pavement and a slight tailwind made for fast riding, and we got to Robert's Market in Woodside in decent time. After getting a receipt and taking a brief break, we descended on Woodside Road and rode through Atherton and Menlo Park and headed for the Dumbarton Bridge.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9000600229/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fixing a dropped chain on the dumbarton bridge by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Fixing a dropped chain on the dumbarton bridge" height="240" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/9000600229_4a45d7a3bb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fixing a dropped chain on Dumbarton Bridge</td></tr>
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I was a frequent user of the Dumbarton Bridge as a cyclist when I was working in Sunnyvale and Menlo Park, but all my teammates hadn't riding across the bridge in this direction. While noisy and smelly, riding across the Dumbarton Bridge always impresses me visually. We battled wind on the trail following the span and entered Newark/Fremont on Thorton Road. After making a couple of turns to get on Mowry, we found a Subway Sandwich in a shopping center to eat our lunch.<br />
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Even though I felt we were going at a good clip all morning, we barely had time to eat lunch at a leisurely pace. Soon we were on our way again riding toward Niles Canyon and Palomares--the first of two major climbs of the day. Now the weather forecast has become true, and it was hot! M. felt it must have hit triple digit on the tarmac. While Deborah and Rachel rode on toward our second control <a href="http://www.westoverwinery.com/">Westover Winery</a>, M., Rinaldi and I stayed together and slowly made our way up. M. was coming from a business trip and had a late night the night before, and was struggling in the heat. We got to the Winery just as Deborah was about to move again to catch Rachel, who had rode on. The owner of the winery was super gracious and hunted down some cold soda for us and filled our bottles with iced water. Feeling more refreshed and knowing that the summit is close, we rode on and soon we were descending and riding on the downhill rollers that followed. As we approached E. Castro Valley Road, our team regrouped.<br />
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M. decided to get on BART at Castro Valley--the heat had done her in, and it was a bit touch and go whether we would make it to the next stop--our 2-hour control. When I was planning the route, the SFR DART organizer Roland Bevan and I had discussed having a control on Redwood Road to be the 2-hour control, and a park entrance (<a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/anthony_chabot">Anthony Chabot Regional Park</a>) 2 miles after the climb and 18 miles from the finish seemed to be a good choice. I even called the park to check if it has a ranger booth at the Redwood Road entrance.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9000605143/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ebisu at the hard-to-find ranger station by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Ebisu at the hard-to-find ranger station" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8551/9000605143_5c94d0cb7d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ebisu at the alusive ranger booth at Anthony Chabot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Deborah had gone ahead, and Rachel wasn't far behind her. When I got there, Rachel hadn't seen Deborah, and was wondering where to get water. I looked over and the sign says "rifle range, 1.9 miles; Ground Campground 2.0 miles; Campground 2.2 miles", my heart sank as we won't be able to obtain a proof of passage in time. I told Rachel to get some water while I wait for Rinaldi. Rinaldi rested some and decided to move on. I went after Rachel to get some water myself. After 2 miles of up and down riding with non-trivial hills, I finally saw the ranger booth at the bottom of a hill. I asked the rangers if they saw cyclists who fit Deborah and Rachel's descriptions but they couldn't tell me. Rachel must have gone to the group campground or the gun range to get water. I filled my bottles with a hose and began climbing back toward Redwood Road. At this point our team wouldn't finish on time.<br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9000610769/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Top of Crestmont by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Top of Crestmont" height="200" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9000610769_0f0a55cb43.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looks great, but I missed a turn and had to walk back up 20% hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I rode solo all the way back to Redwood and Skyline and was ready to descend. At this point finally I got some cellphone reception and was able to talk to Rinaldi on the phone. They were just 5 minutes ahead of me. I urged them to head for the finish, and M. is making her way there, too. I dropped down on Crestmont from Skyline, but missed the Butters turn, and end up at a dead-end street after dropping on a couple of 20% descents. At this point, I got off my bike and walked back to Butters, which took me 20 minutes. At least it was very cool now.<br />
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With the fog in full force, my ride through Butters and Montclair was chilly--what difference does a couple of hours and less than 10 miles make!--I rode through familiar roads in Oakland and Berkeley and stopped by the house to pick up a jacket before heading to the finish. Deborah, M., Rachel were already there, and Rinaldi brought his family soon after. We vegetarians and vegans on our team, and the staff at <a href="http://www.t-rex-bbq.com/">T-Rex</a> brought us yummy pasta, salad, steamed beans, and corn bread. Many other DART teams were at various stages of dinner and I said hi and chatted with several folks I know. Rob, our regional RBA told us that 7 teams DNF'ed, and even the 10 teams that finished in time lost riders.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/9000618827/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bike parking at the finish - T-Rex Grill by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bike parking at the finish - T-Rex Grill" height="300" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8118/9000618827_fa9a1f2c12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bike parking at T-Rex </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over dinner folks chatted and ate merrily, and we all agreed that even though we couldn't get the official credit for the ride, we all had a wonderful day riding and 4 of us had more than 86 miles on our cyclometers. Thanks to the organizer's great effort we had a wonderful gathering at the end.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-38597579251622295592013-06-04T18:21:00.005-07:002013-06-04T18:25:13.756-07:00Red Hetres for Pink Sequoia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8953507349/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New tires for the sequoia by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="New tires for the sequoia" height="200" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/8953507349_b41d4d058f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I got a pair of low-mileage white Grand Bois Hetres and put them on my Ebisu All-Purpose, and put them red Hetres that has been on the Ebisu since the bike was new on my pink Sequoia. I know <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7556426@N06/1908643634/in/photolist-3UEifS-4Rx9SG-4cY7AD-3UEoBE-45Dok9-4ydmKM-4NcyLx-4RsWve">it has been done before</a>, but here it is again, the Hetres fit fine in between the stays without modification to this frame that was designed for 700x28mm tires. The front fork is now a Kogswell Konversion fork and fits the Hetres fine. Even the Tanaka fenders, which was intended to be used for 700cx35mm tires and was formed to fit 650b wheels/tires using a technique demonstrated <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7516215@N03/8894856784/">here</a> by Somervillain, accommodate the Hetres well with a set of good fender lines.<br />
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Other new-to-it parts include the Fizik Arione Saddle and an old pair of XT triple crankset repurposed as a double (these use spacers for the small ring). I am experimenting with the Fizik saddle for long-distance riding. My only experience on it now is a 65-mile ride around Mt Tam last weekend. And though it definitely was different and less comfortable than the cushy old Terry Liberator saddle I had on the bike before, it didn't make me suffer too much. Perhaps I can make it work better with some more adjustments.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8953502839/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New tires for the sequoia by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="New tires for the sequoia" height="200" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/8953502839_8be2024f81.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So far my experience with the Hetres on the Sequoia has only been on short around-town errands. They are noticeably faster and more comfortable than the near-new pair of Panaracer Col de la Vie tires. I noticed recently when I replaced the old, worn-out-but-smooth Panaracer Col de la Vie tires with a new-but-grippy pair, that the speed and comfort level suffered. These Panaracer tires are still great for touring and riding on unpaved roads (or both at the same time), but Hetres are definitely superior (now if only they can be cheaper). Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-79129389245449239612013-04-10T22:41:00.004-07:002013-04-10T22:41:37.665-07:00First long ride on the Tachyon: Spring Time in Ukiah ValleyI brought the GT Tachyon to my office in Ukiah where I work part of the week. I have been riding it between my office and my cottage. It now sports a Tubus Cargo rear rack and I use a Seattle Sports roll-top small pannier to carry my stuff around. I have also remedied the overly long reach by swapping the original flip-flop stem out for a Velo Orange 6 degree rise/90mm reach threadless stem/stem adapter combo. The bike handles very differently from my other three bikes. The Tachyon is fairly stout, and though I have pushed the front wheel as forward as possible in the bike's unique sliding fork drop-out, the trail is still pretty high.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8615280110/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="GT slightly updated by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="GT slightly updated" height="300" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8615280110_402a531a78.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got off work a little early today because I started very early, and it was a gorgeous day out in the valley--breezy, sunny with blue sky and beautiful faint-white clouds. I don't even have a saddle bag on the bike yet so I put a wind breaker and a cable lock in the pannier, as well as the essentials--wallet, cellphone and keys and began rolling. I also don't have any tool, pump, and spare tube so I have to keep my fingers crossed, hoping not to get a flat too far away from my cottage. Because of my fear of puncture, I decided to stay on pavement and went with a familiar route--Old River Road to Hopland and back.<br />
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Perhaps because of the tailwind on my bike, even with a stout bike I was able to move quickly on a fairly high gear--46/13 I think. Old River Road's undulating flatness is perfect for pushing a big gear and go fast. It was really pretty out as poppies and other wild flowers are blooming all across the hill sides and sides of the road, and it was not only picturesque, but also fragrant. I savored the breezy warm afternoon and soon got to the traffic circle just outside of Hopland where I would turn around. Looking down on my cyclometer, I was averaging 18mph without too much effort--I don't think my heart rate monitor went above 145.<br />
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As I turned around, I quickly realized the perceived ease with which I completed the outbound leg--strong tailwind. Now I had to fight headwind all the way back to Talmage. I got to a decent rhythm and kept a modest pace and just continued to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Though now I can definitely felt my effort going up. My heart rate was hovering in the 150s and I had to ride off the saddle a lot more to keep my pace. Under this slight uptick in effort, I could definitely detect the less than perfect handling of this bike more. As I ride off the saddle, the bike's response to my effort is more clunky than my other three bikes, which remains stable and responsive even under very hard effort and bobbing when I am standing over the handlebar. I also needed to lubricate the chain as the sound becomes quite pronounced when you are not going as fast.<br />
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As I approached Talmage I decided to take a detour toward Ukiah on Roddick Cunningham Road so I could get some dinner in town. Roddick Cunningham is a shortcut to a point on Talmage Road halfway into Ukiah, and it's a small service road that wind through the local vineyards and orchards. Because I was changing directions several times, I wasn't fighting headwind the entire time and it was a more pleasant experience. After I got on Talmage Road I went in town and ate at Ellie's Mudd Hut.<br />
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On my way back and on an overpass on Talmage Road, I began to feel the back of my bike swerving around; I looked down and the rear tire was definitely more depressed than it should. I got a puncture after all. Since I don't have any way of repairing the flat, I didn't even bother to check what got it. Since it was less than a mile from my cottage I just strolled home under the setting sun.<br />
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It was a beautiful 30 some mile on my bike. Though after getting spoiled by my other bikes, the GT definitely doesn't feel or handle as nicely. I shouldn't expect too much as it was a mid-range mountainish bike that's fairly stout. I could probably improve the handling by using fatter tires than the 35mm Panaracer Col de la Vies I have on it right now and swapping out the narrow and somewhat awkward Modolo bar with ergo bends and not so ergonomic Dia Compe brake levers. I got some On-one Midge and Cane Creek levers ready. We'll see if I can make the Tachyon more enjoyable to ride.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-69469637177169091602013-03-21T15:59:00.004-07:002013-03-21T17:27:57.580-07:00The Strange Beast: 90's GT Tachyon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8571168692/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="GT Tachyon by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="GT Tachyon" height="250" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8571168692_e212364f96.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I first heard about the GT Tachyon through <a href="http://sfcyclotouring.blogspot.com/2008/05/gt-tachyon-great-idea-that-happened-too.html">JimG's blog entry</a> several years past. I have then since saw several came and went on eBay and the several internet cycling-related groups I am on. The idea of the Tachyon intrigued me--a stout trail bike built for a strange wheel size (but compatible to my favorite wheel size 650b) and has several distinctive features that's relatively cheap to get. I missed out on a San Diego area CL listing in January, even though a local contact was willing to facilitate the purchase. When another one surfaced in February, I found another contact in San Diego and grabbed the bike.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8571169192/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Flip-flop stem by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Flip-flop stem" height="199" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8571169192_c2a8fac111.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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The sale included most of everything except the wheels on it. The seller had ditched the original 700D rims and rebuilt a pair of 650b wheels using the original suntour cassette hubs using Weinmann Zac19 rims. Since I already have a pair of 650b wheels (Velocity Synergy rims laced to a pair of Shimano hubs), I negotiated to buy everything but the wheels at a reduced price. I waited until my contact had some time to pack and ship the bike, and finally receive it several days ago.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8571171790/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Mixed drivetrain by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Mixed drivetrain" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8571171790_c16fa0ba72.jpg" width="199" /></a>
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I had planned to not use most, if not all of the original drivetrain, opting for parts compatibility/commonality in my bike garage. I took down the Suntour Command shifters, which were an innovative idea that places the shifting function close to the brake levers, akin to the modern integrated brifters that are now the norm. These shifters can operate in both index and friction mode, with the indexing only an option with Suntour rear derailleurs. I was able to take down most of the parts I didn't need (I planned on keeping and using the Suntour XC LTD front derailleur) except for the Sakae crank arm on the drive side. It was stuck, and the thread for crank-pulling was busted. This set up used a cup and cone bottom bracket; the spindle had a threaded section sticking out to be used with an M8 nut to secure the crank arm. My theory is that the additional length from the threaded section forces the crank puller to thread on less than sufficient number of threads, and perhaps some electrolysis between the Al crank arm and the steel spindle had taken place as well. I thought about and tried several methods, and at the end removed the crank arm and bottom bracket, still stuck together, by removing the fixed cup of the bottom bracket on the drive side. The build can now take place.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8571169744/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="U-brake by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="U-brake" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8571169744_ca302399c9.jpg" width="124" /></a>
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I kept the cockpit sans shifters, as well as the seatpost/saddle combo, and the front and rear brakes. The rear brake is a U-brake that's one of the unique feature of this bike. I am also pleased that the front cantilever brakes that come with the package is Dia Compe 986, which is one of my favorite cantilever brakes. Another unique feature that's staying on temporarily is the long flip-flop stem in matching color. I rather like the appearance of this stem together with the bike. However, given that the top tube is already pretty long for me (57.5cm), the long stem makes the fit uncomfortably stretched out with it. I will replace it with a VO stem adapter/threadless stem combo to bring the handlebar closer. The old headset is also replaced with a Ritchey Logic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8570076059/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Sliding fork drop-out by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sliding fork drop-out" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8570076059_a843fd1274.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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One other quirk that the Tachyon has is the sliding fork dropout that allows a rider to adjust the fork offset and therefore handling. It's a good concept, but the normally thoughtless action of popping the front wheel in the dropout requires some attention to make sure the wheel sits evenly between the fork legs. I have to ride with different wheel position to report whether it makes a noticeable different in handling.<br />
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After building the bike up to ridable conditions, I will probably add a Tubus Cargo rear rack, and eventually get fenders. I am curious about fatter tires, but the weight/cost/performance on different surfaces combination of Col de la Vie is quite good, and I am really hoping that Vee Rubber's 1.9" 650b tires Speedster and 12 will materialize. In any event, I hadn't had a chance to ride the bike extensively.<br />
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Here is the frame specs and current build list:<br />
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Tubing/Construction: GT Triple Triangle CrossOver geometry TIG Pulse welded <br />
TANGE Infinity Double butted Chromoly tubing<br />
Frame: GT Triple Triangle Chromoly Cross Over frame<br />
Fork: GT Chromoly Unicrown w/2x4 with multiple position dropouts<br />
Headset: 1" Ritchey Logic threaded headset<br />
Stem: GT Chromoly/Alloy Flip Flop<br />
Handlebar: SR Modolo Anatomic Bend aluminum<br />
Brake Levers: Dia Compe Aero BRS w/black hoods<br />
Brakes: Frontt-Dia Compe 986 Cantilever black; Rear-Dia Compe AD990 U-brake<br />
Shifters: Shimano S-A400 downtube friction shifters<br />
Crank: Suntour XC-LTD 175mm crankset; 46/34/24T rings<br />
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN54 68x127mm<br />
Front Derailleur: Suntour XC LTD triple; 28.6mm<br />
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Black LX long cage rear derailleur<br />
Cassette: Shimano 8-speed cassette 11-30T<br />
Hubs: Shimano Tiagra rear hub 130mm OLD and Shimano XT front hub<br />
Rims: Velocity Synergy 32-hole rims<br />
Tires: Panaracer Col de la Vie tires<br />
Seat Post: GT/True Temper Chromoly w.alloy micro adjust<br />
Saddle: GT ATB Super Soft Gel foam<br />
Pedals: Mavic performance road quill pedals<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-27867913724412426882013-03-10T14:24:00.000-07:002013-03-10T14:24:35.393-07:00Santa Rosa Saunter East to WestI have now signed up officially for the SFR Nor Cal Fleche, which is a team randonneuring event that goes for 24 hours and minimum 360km (or 224 miles). I have done the <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/01/sfr-point-reyes-lighthouse-200k-2013.html">Point Reyes Lighthouse</a> and <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/02/sfr-valley-ford-200k-workers-ride.html">Valley Ford</a> 200k's, and was planning on riding the Russian River 300k, but a scheduling conflict arose in the days leading up to the ride and I felt a need to find a replacement as a stepping stone to the Fleche.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8541933935/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Waiting to go to Davis by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Waiting to go to Davis" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8541933935_3152d7280d.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a>I looked for<a href="http://www.rusa.org/perminfo.html"> permanents</a>--routes approved by <a href="http://www.rusa.org/">RUSA (Randonneurs USA)</a>, that when ridden following randonneuring procedures, give riders credit in some situations just as an organized brevet events--from San Francisco Randonneurs, Santa Rosa Cycling Club, and the Davis Cycling Club. I found a route that's fairly similar to the first part of the Fleche route my teammates and I designed. I contacted the permanent owner, and set up to ride toward the end of the week.<br />
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The <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1171493">Santa Rosa Saunter</a> (SRS) can be ridden in both the east-west or the west-east directions. My grand ambition is to start in Davis and complete the 202k (126 miles) permanent in Santa Rosa, then continues southward for as long as I can to add miles. I would finish at a bigger town to catch a bus back to San Francisco or the East Bay. I picked the SRS because it is relatively flat--only one major climb is in the cards, and the rest are gentle rollers. I took AMTRAK to Davis the night before for a 5:30AM start the next morning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543037526/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Bright pink blossoms by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bright pink blossoms" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8370/8543037526_d4c8750985.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a>
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It was still very early in the spring, and the temperature, especially in the central valley still got down to the low 40's in mornings and nights. I had on a long-sleeve base layer, a thick long-sleeve jersey, a warm vest and a windbreaker for the top, and a pair of cycling knickers and leg warmers for the bottom. After getting an ATM receipt at the start in Davis, I began rolling eastward on what would become route 31. It was dark still, but getting brighter as we were a day away from switching to daylight saving time. The first 25 or so miles are basically flat with an ever so gentle incline to ~ 450 ft. Route 31, then route 93 takes one through flat farmlands and orchards around Davis, Dixon, and into Winters. We have had wonderful fruit blossoms this year due to the cold weather, and the lack of precipitations meant that they get to stay on the trees a little longer. All long the first part of this course blossoms of different variety lined or dotted the roads.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543042782/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The view of Putah Creek by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="The view of Putah Creek" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8543042782_9762c3b8c2.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a>
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The route turns south just west of Winters onto HWY 128 W, which I would be getting off and on again later in the day. At the junction of Grand Ave and HWY 128 W outside Winters, I saw a flock of big birds trying to cross the street, yet they were turkeys. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543040716/in/photostream/">About a dozen peacocks</a> of both genders were trying to determine my intention and keeping their distances. I am familiar with peacocks, as the campus on which I went to high school and now work to set up two new college programs have<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157626517006202/with/5627997930/"> lots of them roaming freely</a>. These birds were wild. I told my wife later about them and she joked maybe some of them ran away from my campus (in Ukiah more than 100 miles away) and settled down here.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8541951361/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Tree on Pleasant Valley Road by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Tree on Pleasant Valley Road" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8388/8541951361_ff5bbaf9fe.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>
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The road turned up slightly after the intersection, but flattens into a true gentle downward roller toward Fairfield. This stretch on Pleasant Valley Road (also HWY 128) was aptly named--the combination of the crisp morning air and rising sun, the even and smooth pavements, and the tall and rugged old oak trees and the multitudes of birds make this a cyclist's dream road. I was going at a good pace, and soon I got to Fairfield. Even though it wasn't a control, I stopped to buy some energy bars at the local Safeway before rolling onto Rockville.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543054980/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Wildflowers by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Wildflowers" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8543054980_929e8d0c8e.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a>
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At Rockville, I stopped at the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543052942/in/photostream/">Valley Cafe</a> to get my official receipt for the control. This is a nice establishment, kind of an old-fashioned breakfast diner where folks sit around the counter and chat before going off to work. I bought some food, refilled my bottle and got going again. Now I was heading north on Suisan Valley Road, which later turned into Wooden Valley Road. This stretch was another highlight for this ride. Though I was beginning to be a little alarmed by the north-to-south headwind that was beginning to pick up, I thought to myself that the wind conditions in Napa Valley, which is beyond a pass from where I was, and where I would ride for close to 40 miles toward the north, might be different. Plus, it's mostly flat anyway. I wasn't going fast as I approached the intersection of Wooden Valley and HWY 121, but I wasn't hurting, and climbed up to Mt George with plenty of gas in my tank. The climb was gentle and well-paved, and features sweeping views of the valley below. At the top, I ate some food and hung on for the fast descent, which had several fast and sharp corners. Soon I was in Napa Valley.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543057706/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Going up Mt George by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Going up Mt George" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8388/8543057706_2149f7cb76.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>
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When I turned onto Silverado Trail, I had a full bottle of water. Even though I knew going beyond the first 5 miles on the trail I won't be able to find any service option, I thought I could get to Calistoga with a bottle, especially since the terrain is supposed to be "flat". So I bypass the deli/market that came up shortly, and continued on the trail. It was near mid-day, and the warmth and the strong headwind somehow made me more thirsty than usual. I was also battling sleepiness for some reason. Even on this "flat" section (which I later found out to be an up-trending roller) I wasn't able to maintain a good speed. Finally, in St Helena I decided to take a short detour to town to get some fluid at a gas station. St Helena on a sunny friday afternoon was super busy and hard to navigate as a cyclist among all the impatient cars stuck in traffic. I got back on route and was glad to be out of the chaos. I felt better after water and an energy drink. I ate some and got to Calistoga at a modest pace.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8541960043/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="in Calistoga by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="in Calistoga" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8541960043_7b2d8fe36e.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a>
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At this point, I decided that I would quit in Santa Rosa and take the bus home, so I felt more relaxed. I filled up my bottles again, and bought a bottle of coconut water to drink with an energy bar. I took a moment to gather myself and began the last stretch of 35 or so miles to Santa Rosa. Besides a small incline just outside of town, the rest of the terrain was flat or down-trending roller. Trees lined the first portion of the road toward Alexander Valley and besides being scenic, it was also very fragrant. Later I rode through a section of roads with large blossom trees on both sides. On flat sections I can see beyond the vineyard HWY 101 to the west. Soon, the road curves to the left and turned into Alexander Valley Road. The food, water, and rest in Calistoga finally began to kick in and I felt a second wind and picked up my pace again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8543064778/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Early Spring Blossoms by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Early Spring Blossoms" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8543064778_b573594e9e.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a>
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From Healdsburg Ave going south, I literally picked up a wind, as the headwind I was battling for nearly 40 miles in Napa Valley now was a tailwind behind my back. I stopped in Healdsburg to buy a sandwich and get my control receipt, then headed to Santa Rosa on Old Redwood HWY. The tailwind and the slightly downward gradient made for a fast trip to Santa Rosa and the last control. I had to get in and out quickly as I had to catch the bus to San Rafael for another bus back to the East Bay.<br />
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I actually felt pretty good at this point, and could have probably ridden to San Rafael, but I did need to get back at a decent hour. I haven't had to battle sleepiness on a brevet before so I need to watch out for it. Was it because of the shortage of fluid? Maybe I need to eat more? My legs were fine, but the sleepiness in Napa Valley took the motivation from me to assert my power, in fact, my heart rate was low (115 -125) even when I was experiencing a lack of power--I was certainly not over-working!<br />
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The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157632662017902/with/8541960043/">specialized sequoia</a>, with 650b wheels, low-trail fork, and cantilever brakes worked fantastically on the ride. I use panaracers CdlV and though they are not as plush and free-rolling as the Grand Bois Hetres or even Soma b-line, they rolled well enough and are plush enough that I felt comfortable and unencumbered on the ride. The Tektro CR720 brakes are powerful, modulate well, and are pretty quiet. The Sequoia, built with relatively lightweight tubes, respond very well to my pedaling strokes. I can sync with it well on and off the saddle. Even though giving up my Stag pre-order spot was difficult, as on paper it's quite a nice bike, I think the Sequoia performs just fine for my purposes. I enjoyed a great early-spring solo ride through much of the Northern California wine country, and may now be ready for the fleche<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-8246077017974825632013-02-18T09:26:00.000-08:002013-02-18T09:26:16.052-08:00SFR Valley Ford 200k: Workers' Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8464994434/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="sequoia and golden gate bridge by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="sequoia and golden gate bridge" height="228" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8464994434_3fc48b9400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I planned on riding the San Francisco Randonneurs' Valley Ford 200k brevet this month. However, the event was actually on the same weekend as M's birthday, and I didn't want to be away for the whole day. So I signed up to work as a volunteer and rode on the workers' ride instead. The workers' ride follows the same route and requirements as the actual event, and needs to fall within a week of the actual event.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463897833/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sunrise Skyline by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sunrise Skyline" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8225/8463897833_d6da865931.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I woke up early to get on a transbay bus to San Francisco. It is still dark at this time, but the sky was more a spectrum of grey than black, and getting brighter. I got to East Beach of Crissy Field on time and waited for the handful of others who are also doing the workers' ride today. After getting the brevet card we got on the way, and it is bright at this point. The first part of the course is the same as the Point Reyes Lighthouse 200k I did 2 weeks before--through the southern Marin towns of Sausalito, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax to get on Sir Francis Drake (SFD) Blvd. Two weeks ago when we were riding on the Mill Valley bike path, the light was barely grazing the top of Mt Tam. Today daylight was in full effect as we passed through the same stretch. Camino Alto's gentle gradient always helped to get my warmed up and stretch my legs some. However, the descent on the other side, though not steep, brought the temperature back down. As I was riding through these towns I remarked to the others--Tom, Steve, and Lisa--that it was colder than two weeks ago. Even with two pairs of gloves on I constantly blew into my hands to keep them warm, and the wooden bridges on the Mill Valley bike path had frost on them in the morning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463905949/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Point Reyes-Petaluma Road by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Point Reyes-Petaluma Road" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8111/8463905949_46eb1c9270.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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Whites Hill on SFD always presents a challenge to me. The climb is of medium gradient, but not short enough that I can get off the saddle and power myself through. Also, the shoulder is pretty narrow at times so I have to constantly keep myself out of cars' way. After Whites Hills, we tackled hills on Nicasio Valley Road and Point Reyes-Petaluma Road. The hillside pastures are glowing green, with dots of early spring yellow wild flowers mixed in. By the time we rolled into Petaluma at a quarter to 11, the temperature has risen to be quite comfortable. Peet's Coffee served as a nice spot to sit for a bit and get some warm fluid in my body. I also got a burrito at the nearby hi-tech burrito for an early lunch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8465005700/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Peet's Coffee Control by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Peet's Coffee Control" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8465005700_5f6ca0dc4e.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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Lisa decided to call it a day and turned back. Steve, Tom, and I headed for Valley Ford. At this point, the day has mellowed out to become a nice winter day in the Bay Area--sunny, breezy, just warm enough so that a thin jacket is sufficient, but not too hot to make you sweat. The road to the coast tends to come with consistent headwind, though today it was pretty calm. Though I was doing OK, I couldn't keep up the pace of<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463904341/in/photostream/"> my companions</a>. They graciously waited for me and pulled me for a couple of stretches. We covered the 20 miles to Valley Ford in a little more than 75 minutes of riding.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463911039/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="World tourist by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="World tourist" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8463911039_3d4384a1ea.jpg" width="200" /></a>Besides getting a receipt for the control, eating some food and using the facilities, we also chatted with a bike tourist who is on a world tour on bikes and sailboats only. She told us some of her adventures as well as how she handles the logistics of transporting herself across oceans and surviving on less than a shoestring budget. As we spoke she was on her way down the coast to Los Angeles to catch a sailboat to Mexico, then onto Australia. We wished her the best of luck. What an adventure!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463916001/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HWY 1 outside of Tomales by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="HWY 1 outside of Tomales" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8463916001_01a8586a35.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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Besides two smallish climbs on HWY 1 before Tomales, this next stretch to Point Reyes Station consisted mostly of rollers and flat roads. Just outside of Tomales, on the stretch with a creek running along side the road, I saw <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8465012614/in/photostream/">an owl sitting on the side of the road</a>. I tried to get as close as I can to take a picture. It was slow to respond, but was definitely alive. I hope it was OK, and not sitting there because it was injured. The mid-afternoon sun is not slanted toward the horizon, and water in the bay is glittering with golden reflection from its rays. Now the weather was perfect! I passed Tom as he caught up with the tourist, who left Valley Ford ahead of us. They were chatting about the best route into the City. Steve has motored ahead at this point. Though I speculated that the tailwind between Marshall and Point Reyes Station wouldn't be as strong as usual as it was calm on Bodega Highway heading west, we still got a decent push from behind all the way into Pt Reyes Station at not quite 3PM.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463920287/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sequoia in Nicasio by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia in Nicasio" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8090/8463920287_35defcfac8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We sat in the sun for a good 20 minutes and ate some food. I was definitely doing better than 2 weeks ago. Even though I was on similar timeline as two weeks ago, I had taken more and longer rest today, which means my average speed was higher. I kept a moderate pace through Nicasio, then Woodacre. Tom and Steve were kind enough to wait for me again in Fairfax after descending Whites Hill. We rode all the way back to the City today. After getting a receipt at Sports Basement for the final control, I headed for BART as it was getting cold again. The time on our receipt was 6:45pm. It was certainly an improvement, and we did take quite a bit of breaks today. I think I should be ready for the 300k in a month.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8463902621/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Sequoia in Nicasio by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia in Nicasio" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8463902621_02c6d5b924.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I took the newly repainted Specialized Sequoia for the ride today. I added a small wedge saddle bag to hold the tools and create more space in the VO front bag. The combined capacity was adequate for the ride. I lowered the stem when I built it back up, and though I was mostly doing OK, toward the end I had to consciously shook my hands to prevent them from going numb. Otherwise I was pretty comfortable. I have bar-end shifter on the right hand side, and downtube on the left, and it worked out well as I spent 90% of the ride on my 46T big chainring, but used all 8 gears on the cassette. The drivetrain was quite even on the big-big cross gear. The bike felt lighter than the Kogswell from two weeks ago--both of them respond to my pedal strokes in a "planing" effect, thanks to their standard-size tubing. The other major new components were the handlebar and the fenders. The rear blinker's attachment was not super solid, and made a rattling sound. The handlebar provided ample space behind the brake levers to rest my hands; the bar tapes were too short for the bar so as not to cover enough metal. On this cold day I couldn't put my hands closer to the center, but that's a minor complaint. The drop was deep, which makes a better aero position, but reaching for the levers from the drop was not as easy as was on the midge bar. Overall, this was a great set up for me, and the ride was very enjoyable.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-24328034221604405012013-02-08T07:04:00.001-08:002013-02-08T07:05:56.461-08:00Sequoia Now Pink Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8455025835/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="A better rendering of actual colors by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="A better rendering of actual colors" height="199" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8089/8455025835_0b09811dfd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have assembled the Specialized Sequoia back into a bicycle after getting the frameset from the powdercoater last week. The assembly was not without some difficulty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8454742426/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Head tube by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Head tube" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8454742426_fc450ae843.jpg" width="150" /></a>
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The crown race was deformed beyond being usable when I was removing it from the fork. Though some shops and ebay sellers sell a Tange 26.4mm crown race for less than $5, I wasn't sure whether it will work with the bottom cup and bearing of the Origin8 Propulsion headset I had on this bike. I could probably call Origin8 and see if the company can send a replacement, but that might take some time. At the end, I decided to buy a cheap 1" threaded headset--a Ritchey Logic--from my local bike shop Missing Link, and used the bottom half to go with the top half of the threadless Origin8 headset. Since both were silver, the headset doesn't look particularly mismatched until closer inspection. I have the tools to press in the cups, and I asked Missing Link to press the crown race on for me.<br />
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I also had the shop chased some of the threads that I couldn't do myself, mainly the bottom bracket. Later as I was putting on the drivetrain, I realized that the derailleur hanger needed chasing, too. It's a 10mm thread, which is not a common size. I remembered that I still have a wheel axle from a busted Surly hub from my fixie-riding days. I cranked two nuts together and used them with a pedal wrench to turn the axle once I got it threaded into the dropout with some cutting oil. After applying significant force the hanger was usable again. The drivetrain went out without a problem after that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8454739984/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Front wheel fender line by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Front wheel fender line" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8454739984_5984e0b703.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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The third difficulty was reshaping the fenders. I bought some Tanaka 45mm alloy fenders for 700c at a discount. For this project Honjos were simply too expensive, and VO was out of stock on its 650b 45mm fenders. I used the Tanaka fenders once before on a fixed-gear build, and thought they were of decent quality. It took a little time to spread and bend the fenders into the right diameter for 650b wheels, but they turned out pretty well, and slightly wider because of the reshaping. I moved the chainstay attachment closer to the wheel axle by using a nylon spacer to improve the fender line further. Now the fender lines look nice for both wheels, but I might have to deflate the rear wheel slightly to remove it.<br />
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I also changed some of the components and set up on this bike. I am using a more traditional road drop handlebar than the ultra-flared Midge On-one I had on the bike. Velo Orange's Grand Cru Classic Round handlebar is the choice. It looks very nice and comparable in terms of weight to the nitto bars I have on my other bikes. This handlebar is deceptively long, though, as a full roll of Soma's thick and zesty bar tape can barely wrap the handlebar adequately, leaving more than usual metal exposed. I also moved the left-hand shifter to the downtube to reduce drag from the extended housing. However, I like how the bar-end shifter work with a top-normal rear derailleur, and had less than satisfactory experience with a downtube-top-normal derailleur combo, so the right-hand shifter stays at the bar-end.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8454738470/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Drive side 3/4 by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Drive side 3/4" height="228" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8099/8454738470_20debaec0e.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I wanted to find a solution in the front so I can put on the take off a front low-rider rack (Tubus Tara in my case) without messing with the fender's attachment, as both need to use the rear-facing eyelets on the fork. I thought I had the solution--I can screw on M5 bolts from inside to outside the fork, put the fender's R-clips on the bolt, and use a M5 coupling nut to secure the fender attachment. Then when I want to put on the low-rider rack, I just need to use a M5 bolt and secure the rack's lower mounting point to the outer end of the coupling nut. Alas, I can't find a M5 coupling nut in the two local hardware stores I visited. Peter White sells fender nuts for installing SKS fenders to recessed brake holes. If I can't find M5 coupling nuts, I can buy those from him.<br />
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The rest of the build list is the same as the bike before it was painted. But I will list the parts here for reference:<br />
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- Specialized Sequoia frame with Paragon cantilever posts added to the chainstays; 58cm<br />
- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8434506098/in/photostream/">Kogswell 64mm-offset Konversion fork</a> 1" threadless, with Paragon cantilever posts added<br />
- Mismatched headset: Origin8 Propulsion upper half, and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8454743912/in/photostream/">Ritchey Logic lower half</a><br />
- VO Grand Cru <a href="http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/handlebars/grand-cru-course-handlebar-classic-round-bend.html">Classic Round Bend Handlebar</a> 46cm<br />
- VO threadless stem 90mm 6 degrees<br />
- Soma Thick and Zesty bar tape, yellow<br />
- Tektro R200 brake levers with mismatched hoods<br />
- Tektro CR720 cantilever brakes<br />
- Nitto M12 front rack<br />
- VO Campagne boxy handlebar bag<br />
- Velocity Dyad/Shimano LX dynamo front wheel; 32h<br />
- Busch and Muller IQ Cyo Senso head lamp<br />
- Velocity Dyad/Shimano LX rear wheel; 32h<br />
- Panaracer Col de la Vie 37mm (on dyad rims) tires<br />
- stock seatpost 26.8mm<br />
- beat up Terry Liberator saddle<br />
- generic bottle cages x 2<br />
- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8453653279/in/photostream/">VO 1st-gen compact double crankset</a>; 46/34T chainrings; 165mm crank arms<br />
- SRAM 9-speed chain<br />
- IRD bottom bracket; 68x107mm<br />
- Campagnolo Veloce double front derailleur<br />
- Shimano LX top-normal rear derailleur<br />
- SRAM 11-32 cassette<br />
- Tanaka alloy 45mm fenders (originally for 700c)<br />
- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8454735402/in/photostream/">Suntour ratchet shifters</a> (L: downtube; R: barend)<br />
- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8453649077/in/photostream/">Crane bronze bell</a><br />
- Crank Brothers Candy C pedals<br />
- Cygolite Metro 300 rear blinky mounted on the fender<br />
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I think going with a powdercoater who is very experienced with bicycle frames is very important. The powdercoater I used this time overall did a good job--the paint was pretty even, not too thick, and seems to have good coverage. However, not all the threads were covered properly, and the stainless steel dropout were painted also. If I were to paint my frames in the future, I would go with an powdercoater experienced with bike frames.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-90882953167038945202013-01-31T18:30:00.000-08:002013-01-31T18:30:17.205-08:00Sequoia now pink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8433419125/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Drive side by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Drive side" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8225/8433419125_5eb6b4bb1c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I got the Sequoia back from the powdercoater yesterday. I chose RAL3017, which is antique pink, and color-wise the paint job turned out very well. Nor Cal Powdercoating in Ukiah did a very decent job. Most of the frameset has very even and not overly thick layer of paint. The only complaints I have are that the paint is too thick in a couple of spots below the bottom bracket shell, and that the painter didn't cover the threaded holes for the dropout adjusters and so I won't be able to put dropout adjusting screws in there anymore (I lost one in there after breaking it trying to screw it in this morning, and had to drill it out).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8434513888/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Another angle of bottom bracket shell by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Another angle of bottom bracket shell" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8434513888_17f903c09d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paint is a little too thick under the bottom bracket shell; the thread here needs to be chased</td></tr>
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Now the bottom bracket shell is being chased, headtube faced, and headset installed. I should get it back tomorrow and build it up. It will be mostly the same components as before with 3 changes: the rear honjo fender was cracked, so I bought a set of Tanaka 45mm smooth alloy fenders to replace the set; the brakes will be silver Tektro 720, and the handlebar will be a more traditional drop bar--VO Grand Cru classic round bars.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-12130434759156443842013-01-27T09:30:00.003-08:002013-01-27T15:54:34.235-08:00Kogswell for Brevet Duty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8415818452/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Kogswell ready for Brevet duty by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Kogswell ready for Brevet duty" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8415818452_3a74e7989d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I took the Kogswell P/R on the <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/01/sfr-point-reyes-lighthouse-200k-2013.html">SFR Point Reyes Lighthouse 200k</a>. I should have taken the Ebisu, but I needed to retension the dynamo wheel on it, but didn't get to it in time. Instead, I took off the porteur rack on the Kogswell and replaced it with a small front rack--a Mark's Rack in this case. I used Riv's Nigel Smyth tweek Lil' Loafer with the rack, and added an Acorn M/L saddlebag to give me more capacity. The Kog has a SON20/Velocity Synergy dynamo wheel paired with a B&M IQ Cyo front light. The setup went through the day's event without a hitch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8420510748/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Kogswell on SFD before reaching Drakes Beach by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Kogswell on SFD before reaching Drakes Beach" height="199" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8420510748_e784cafe8c.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I have done this route 3 previous time with the Ebisu. The Kogswell, by the nature of the slightly higher frame weight and noticeably heavier components, felt weightier on the ride. The standard-size tubings still provided me with a fairly springy and responsive ride. The Soma B-line 37mm tires are no Hetres, but plenty supple enough for the horrible pavement in Pt Reyes National Park. Though there is a some weight up front in the small front bag, it wasn't nearly as heavy as the porteur set up, this in combination with the larger saddlebag leads to a handling that was more lively--though on most occasions it was very predictable and stable, on climbs I find the front end wander more than I am used to.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8419464063/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Kogswell at 12th street station by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Kogswell at 12th street station" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8419464063_301a92ce82.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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The fit on the Kogswell is very good for me; I was comfortable, and was able to stay on the drops for extended spells, which was especially useful on the stretch of super headwind toward Marshall. The P/R did an adequate-to-good job, but it will return to Porteur duty today. I will probably ride the Ebisu for the upcoming brevet, or maybe take the<a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2013/01/specialized-sequoia-repaint-in-progress.html"> soon-to-be-repainted Sequoia</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-64919945596675073342013-01-27T09:01:00.000-08:002013-01-27T15:52:03.487-08:00SFR Point Reyes Lighthouse 200k 2013<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8420496004/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Riders gathering by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Riders gathering" height="125" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8420496004_c084cac828.jpg" width="200" /></a>The brevet season is upon us. Last year I was away dealing with some important family issues and didn't participate in the winter/spring events. I signed up for the Pt Reyes lighthouse 200k even though I am probably not in the best of shape. This course was the first brevet I did in 2009, and I have ridden it 3 times prior to this year. I figured familiarity with route and passable shape would get me to the finish line--and they did eventually.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8419407553/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Mill Valley Bike Path by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Mill Valley Bike Path" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8419407553_3b40925c02.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I carpooled with some folks from the East Bay instead of catching AC Transit. We got there with 20 minutes to spared, checked in, and listened to Rob's instructions. This year the 200k and the 115k Populaire that shared most of the route took place together, but most of the folks were going for the longer distance on this occasion. The route goes across the bridge, through Sausalito and Fairfax (and all the towns in between) and dropped us on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. I haven't ridden any distance beyond New Year Day's 40-mile ascent of Mt Diablo, and I was definitely laboring in the early going. My heart rate was 10-15 ticks higher when i rode a similar route in the fall.<br />
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I got onto the Cross Marin Trail in Lagunitas and the Kogswell did fine on this wet but packed dirt trail (it had very little mud). Going over the hill before Olema brought my heart rate up again. At the top, I stopped and ate an energy bar. To get through the ride I had to monitor my heart rate and put in calorie at a regular interval.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8420512256/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Incoming rider by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Incoming rider" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8364/8420512256_bf112f6808.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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The road to the lighthouse is always the most challenging for me on this route, and today that statement is even truer than in the past. Once getting over Inverness Grade, I battled headwind and crosswind on this up-trending roller all the way to the foot of the hill before the lighthouse. The last climb was steep at times but not too long. It was a great day for surfers, as the wind and waves pound the shores. After checking in at the parking lot at the top, filled my bottle and grabbed some food. I rolled downhill for the return leg. This next section is a down-trending roller, and during the last 4-5 miles before descending Inverness Grade I got tailwind on my back, which helped me get over the hump. I know now I can eke my pay back to the finish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8419439631/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cattle crossing by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Cattle crossing" height="117" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8419439631_ec318678f8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I typically eat lunch at Pt Reyes Station, but decided to get a sandwich at the Inverness Market today to avoid waiting in line at the Bovine Bakery, and plus I was already very hungry. The market has a nice deli counter and has veggie burger on the menu. A fellow rider Goey rolled up on his touring bike converted from a 80's Schwinn mountain bike and shods 26" big apple tires. We rode the next section together before parting ways when I had to take a call.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8419446347/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Tomales Bay near marshall by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Tomales Bay near marshall" height="110" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8503/8419446347_f485be021b.jpg" width="200" /></a>The crosswind toward the lighthouse was nothing like the headwind we battled going north toward Marshall. Judging from my heart rate monitor, the wind at times is taking 8-10 mph off my pace. It was especially fierce as I got close to Marshall. Along the way, I waved at fellow randonneurs on their returning leg, smiling because of the equally strong tailwind on their back now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8420549386/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="At Nicasio Ranch by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="At Nicasio Ranch" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8420549386_66981920ee.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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Marshall Store was busy on this clear day with many tourists ans chowder-seekers. I got my brevet card stamped and began to turn back. The tailwind carried me quickly back to Pt Reyes Station, and I kept a decent pace around the reservoir to Nicasio Ranch. I was definitely feeling the fatigue in my legs at this point. At a reduced pace I retraced the route traveled this morning back toward the City. I turned on my light in Larkspur as it was getting dark. I was actually feeling better after ingesting some much needed food, and climbing Camino Alto presented no challenge.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8419454745/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Moon glow over richardson bay by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Moon glow over richardson bay" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8513/8419454745_53d3160836.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I stopped several times at various locations before reaching the City to shoot the glowing almost-full moon over the Bay. I got to the finish at 7. The wonderful volunteers were hanging out waiting for the last few riders. I checked in, and got on the road to catch BART back to Berkeley. It was a nice day out for the first brevet of the yearAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-25382946952905848732013-01-25T06:44:00.000-08:002013-01-25T08:57:55.900-08:00Specialized Sequoia: Repaint in Progress<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8402393427/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sequoia at Alpine Lake by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia at Alpine Lake" height="208" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8402393427_7e2f102264.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequoia at Alpine Lake on a cold January afternoon. Before repaint</td></tr>
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I got the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157627342403464/with/8402316673/">Specialized Sequoia</a> in the summer of 2011 as a frame fork and a rear rack. I converted it to 650b wheel size and used most of the parts from the then outgoing <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157625675713501/">Bleriot</a>. The bike has gone through a serious of significant changes:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/02/low-trail-specialized-sequoia.html">Replacement of stock fork</a> to a Kogswell Konversion low-trail fork</li>
<li><a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/07/specialized-sequoia-modification-done.html">Adding cantilever brake posts</a></li>
<li>Switching from VO front constructeur rack, to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7593547546/in/set-72157627342403464">Nitto Big Front rack</a>, to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7617926224/in/set-72157627342403464">Mark's rack + Tubus Tara</a> lowrider rack, and then finally replacing the Mark's Rack with a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7923904924/in/set-72157627342403464">Nitto M12</a> to use the cantilever post and not sharing the mid-fork braze-on with the Tara rack.</li>
</ul>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8402316673/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sequoia frameset ready for repaint by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia frameset ready for repaint" height="199" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8402316673_db508985f1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frameset before repaint; it looks alright from 3 ft away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had put money down on a Rawland Stag pre-order. The Stag, if it turned out as described will basically be the TIG welded version of my Ebisu, with flat top tube, standard-size tubing, and minimal braze-ons. It'd be a lightweight, fat-tire 650b bike. For a short period of time, Rawland included a pair of Pacenti PL23 rims in the pre-order price, which made the deal sweeter. I began to sell off some parts and planned on selling my Sequoia to fund the purchase. About a month and half after I placed the pre-order, I decided that I don't really it, since the Stag will basically replicate my Ebisu. My decision was partly influenced by several rides I did on the Sequoia during this time, which reminded me how nimble the bike feels, and even though it wasn't built for 650bx42mm Hetres, after switching to the Konversion fork, the frameset can actually accommodate Hetres both front and back. Basically it isn't too different from the Stag. It has a flat top tube, standard-size tubing, can accommodate 650b fat tires, and is relatively light. The fork also has mid-fork braze-ons, which allows me to use the Tubus Tara rack and use the bike as a light-touring bike.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8403417724/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bottom brack by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bottom brack" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8518/8403417724_a701aac5fc.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">superficial rust; but none inside</td></tr>
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<div>
Given that I sold bunch of parts to finance the Stag, but ended up not spending the money (I sold my pre-order spot, but arranged to keep the Pacenti rims), I was pondering repainting the frameset as the powdercoat the previous owner put on isn't in the best of shape, and the frame-mods that took place in the summer of 2012 are still unpainted (except for a layer of rattle-can clearcoat). The rust patches I discovered on the under side of the bottom bracket shell on a recent ride pushed up the timing, as I didn't know whether the rust was only superficial. </div>
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Last weekend, I took apart the bike and examined the frameset to better understand the extend of the rust. Fortunately it seems that the rust is only superficial. I took a frameset to a powdercoater and should get it back next week. I picked antique pink (<a href="http://www.fibreglast.com/product/ral-3014-antique-pink-color-gel-coat/colorgelcoat">RAL 3014</a>) to be the next color. I also sold the On-one Midge cockpit that was on the bike at the time when I took it apart, and will switch to a VO <a href="http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/handlebars/grand-cru-course-handlebar-classic-round-bend.html">Grand Cru Classic Round Bend</a> handlebar. I also upgraded the brakes from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7593545098/in/set-72157627342403464/">Avid Shorty 4 low-profile brakes</a> to high-profile Tektro 720's. I look forward to building the bike up and riding it again.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-64680589018324552052013-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:002013-01-09T09:33:33.289-08:00Response to LovelyBicycle's review of Swift Industries Polaris Porteur Bag
<a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/">LovelyBicycle</a> is a well-written bicycle/cycling-centered blog that I peruse some times. Today the author posted a <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-look-at-swift-polaris-porteur-bag.html">thoughtful review</a> on the Polaris porteur bag made by <a href="http://builtbyswift.com/">Swift Industries</a>. Since I have had some experience in the last two years with two different porteur racks and two different porteur bags (including Polaris's predecessor, the Pelican), and I use my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157613524232554/">Kogswell Porteur</a> almost daily. I thought I would comment on her post to add a perspective from someone with extended experience with the porteur bag set up. Here is what I posted on the blogpost:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/6588514017/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Handlebar Panda by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Handlebar Panda" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6588514017_c2e21e0c50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accessibility of content during riding<br />
Also, bag can stay open w/o obstructing view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"</span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.34005931159481406" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HI, nice review. I have used porteur rack/bag extensively for the last two years. The bike is a Kogswell P/R with a low-trail fork, which is designed to carry heavy load up front. I have used two different porteur racks--VO and a Roseland rack specifically designed for the Kogswell Fork. I used Polaris's predecessor Pelican for a while before switching to a custom bag made by Ely Rodriguez of Ruth Works. Though the Pelican is of very high quality, some of the issues you mentioned in your review--inaccessibility of content while riding or even standing over the bike, for example--led me to have Ely make a custom bag. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br style="background-color: #f2f4e8; color: #353535; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify;" /></span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.34005931159481406" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the Ruth Works bag attaches to my front rack with an ortlieb pannier hooks and two velcro straps in the front-bottom, and I have a kryptonite thin lock cable attached to it so I can lock it to the bike when I go run my errands. I typically carry a thin/light grocery bag in the porteur bag so I can take it out for shopping. When I am done, I simply drop the entire grocery bag with the content in the porteur bag and begin riding. </span><br /><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bag opens toward me, and I can access the content while riding much like a boxy handlebar bag. The ortlieb pannier hooks are quick-release and taking the bag off and putting it on is pretty easy, though carry a boxy bag off the bike is not easy so the bag stays on the bike virtually all the time. The bag can stay open, and the lid simply folds down to the front of the bag and doesn't obstruct my view</span><br /><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.34005931159481406" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides being a daily workhorse carrying up to 50lbs of grocery (I have carried a 20lbs bag of brown rice AND 30 lbs of grocery from farmers' market once), I have also done a 200k brevet on it once and </span><a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/01/santa-cruz-3-day-trip-by-bikes-part-4.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">toured with bag filled up</span></a><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with stuff twice now. Because the bike is designed to carry a moderate to heavy load up-front, the bike stays extremely stable at speed, even as I descended the winding roads of the Santa Cruz mountains this past weekend (with a full load in the bag). </span></b><br /><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #353535; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife carries all her stuff on her 1982 Trek 720 in panniers on a Tubus Logo rear rack, as the Trek 720 has extremely long chainstays and is designed to be very stable with heavy rear load. I agree with many folks who have already posted here, bike designs matter the most when deciding where to carry the load. I do think that I appreciate some of the design element of my Ruth Works bag more than the Swift, such as content accessibility during riding or standing over bike, and the fact that the bag can stay open when big content overflows and I can still ride. But the Polaris looks like a great bag for the right use."</span></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/6588529639/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" title="Bike and view by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bike and view" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6588529639_3ea1643b13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the ridge, ready to descend, carry a full load up front and stable through corners</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br style="background-color: #f2f4e8; color: #353535; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify;" />
<br style="background-color: #f2f4e8; color: #353535; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify;" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-25417137113529060142012-12-06T12:16:00.000-08:002012-12-06T12:16:10.076-08:00Red and Black<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8156324601/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Front 3/4 by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Front 3/4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/8156324601_345ff6a864.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>
My <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157613524232554/">Kogswell P/R</a> porteur is my go-to bike around town and even takes on occasional short brevet duty. It's got a <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2010/11/kogswell-pr-with-roseland-porteur-rack.html">big porteur rack</a> from <a href="http://www.roselandcycles.com/">Roseland</a> that attaches to the fork crown and mid-fork braze-ons. I also have a custom <a href="http://front%20boxy%20porteur%20bag/">front boxy porteur bag</a> from <a href="http://ruthworkssf.blogspot.com/">Ruth Works Bags</a>. Slowly, the bike's color scheme has moved toward red and black.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8250896604/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="A note for my bike by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="A note for my bike" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8250896604_296100712e.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a>The frame is black, as well as the saddle, the brakes, the rear derailleur, the downtube shifters, the rack, and the bag. Red parts are less numerous, but certainly stand out--handlebar tape, derailleur pulleys, and now tires, which are Soma B-line tires. I like them in black, but I like them in red even more. They are nice, smooth and quiet tires that are cheaper and last longer than my other favorite Grand Bois red Hetres. I really like how my bike looks and functions right now, apparently, someone else thinks so, too.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-69090603136105056442012-10-07T16:33:00.000-07:002012-10-07T16:33:26.463-07:00Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage 2012 Edition: Day 2I woke up sunday morning and went to have brunch with the same friends I had dinner with last night. It was a busy weekend at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Buddhist campus where I work part of the week. A group of Humboldt State University students were making their semiannual visit; a well-respected community member passed away recently and his family was doing a service on campus that day. And of course, the pilgrims on the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage would arrive later on this day. I decided to ride all the way here on day 1 instead of staying with the group at KOA in Asti so I could help to prepare to greet the pilgrims and make sure their program--including a sit-down meal--would go without a hitch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043818637/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="First two riders to arrive at CTTB on day 2 by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="First two riders to arrive at CTTB on day 2" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8180/8043818637_fbf7d0ced1.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I got some colleagues to communicate with the kitchen and the assembly hall to confirm the schedule. Scott, who has driven the gear truck for many years of the pilgrimage showed up first. After he unloaded "modesty attires" from the truck we stood on the curb outside the gate for a while. Heidi, whom I have known since the first edition of the pilgrimage, showed up next as she was assigned to help me set up the meals later. It won't be until slightly past 10AM when the first two riders showed up. 10 minutes later, other riders and some volunteer-driven vehicles began to string in. I helped to get them settle down, and gathered them together. Soon, <a href="http://paramita.typepad.com/">Rev. Heng Sure</a>, who was giving the talk to the group today, came and led a big group of them to the assembly hall for a short tour and a talk. As more pilgrims came in, I directed them toward the assembly hall to join the group.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043821787/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Dharma Talk inside the Main Hall by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Dharma Talk inside the Main Hall" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8461/8043821787_6552e99cb8.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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I walked in a little later to the hall to check in. I gently inform Rev. Heng Sure that he had 15 minutes left, then I walked with Heidi to the kitchen and began to transport food to the dining hall. The kitchen/restaurant staff had prepare plenty of very delicious vegetarian food for the group, complete with dessert and organic grape juice made from grapes grown in the vineyards on the ground. Soon the group, finished with the talk, came and enjoyed the meal. I waited for most of them to finish eating, then changed into riding gears, and left for Abhayagiri Monastery.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043838762/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Bikes at the destination by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bikes at the destination" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/8043838762_a97aee6e48.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Even though the temperature was noticeably higher than day 1, a light breeze made it fairly comfortable still. I rode through Ukiah toward the northern edge of the town. The day's last "hill" was on Eastside-Calpella Road connecting Ukiah to Redwood Valley. Before I hit the day's last rest stop at Lion's Park, I caught up with Rachel. We rode the last stretch, most of it under the shade of trees lining Tomki Road to Abhayagiri. Surprisingly, we were among the first to arrive, even though I left Talmage pretty late. After a refreshing shower, I chatted with many fellow pilgrims to compare notes on their experience. I had a great chat with good friend and veteran BBPer (including being the coordinator one year) Eileen how her non-riding participation this year (she coordinated the supply-and-gear cars) turned out to be a great experience. As more and more folks came up, the compound where we were to have the closing ceremony was abuzzed with folks happy that they have completely a wonderful journey. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-2600320246860235782012-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:002012-10-07T17:41:09.447-07:00Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage 2012 Edition: Day 1<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043753206/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Checking in the morning at Spirit Rock by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Checking in the morning at Spirit Rock" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8043753206_cb269f7fb5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pilgrims Checking in at Spirit Rock</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.dharmawheels.org/">Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage</a> is a Bay Area weekend event that combines cycling and visit to Buddhist centers in the area. Dennis Crean started the event in 2002 and I have participated in it for all 11 times, and 10 times as a rider (though every year I helped out in coordinating some parts of the events). This year I didn't register for the event until a week before, but my participation was never in serious doubt. <a href="http://www.laurenvanham.com/">Lauren Van Ham</a>, who began as a participant in 2007, served as the main coordinator. On Friday night before the weekend, I got my bike ready to go, and arranged for my carpool ride to Spirit Rock Meditation Center in the morning. I got up at 5AM, gathered my stuff, and headed to Spirit Rock.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043755330/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Julie Wester leading the opening sit and talk by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Julie Wester leading the opening sit and talk" height="142" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8043755330_98f3a66782.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening Ceremony</td></tr>
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Many folks were already there, putting stuff on the gear truck, dropping off food donation at the barn, and checking in with the folks at the assembly hall. Julie Wester, who was leading a silent retreat for women, opened the weekend with a short talk. After Lauren and Dennis gave some instructions for the weekend, we filed out of the hall to start the ride.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043762104/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sukho on Bridgestone by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sukho on Bridgestone" height="142" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8320/8043762104_6881acd708.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sukho on his Bridgestone XO-2</td></tr>
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A fellow came up to me as I was getting to hop on my bike. Sukho came with two friends from Portland, Oregon to participate in this event. He recognized me because he'd seen pictures of my Specialized Sequoia on the Internet. In fact, he came to know about the BBP through this blog. I was very happy to know that 1) someone actually reads my blog, and 2) that it was able to draw people this event. I wished him a good ride and then got on the road.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043777817/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Riders at Cheese Factory by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Riders at Cheese Factory" height="142" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/8043777817_cfe876bc32.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">folks at Cheese Factory</td></tr>
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The day started in Woodacre and inched its way toward lunch in Graton near Sebastopol. I rode with different folks at different time as we went on Nicasio Valley Road and Point Reyes-Petaluma Road to the first rest stop at Cheese Factory. I drafted behind a Santana Tandem for part of the stretch, and chatted with the stoker along the way.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043790164/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Another santana tandem and a mountain bike by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Another santana tandem and a mountain bike" height="142" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8043790164_a910893253.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drafting behind the Tandem</td></tr>
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After Cheese Factory, I rode with another couple on a Santana Tandem on Hicks Valley Road and Wilson Hill Road. I caught up with friend and veteran BBPer Leon Sun on Chileno Valley Road. Leon missed the first rest stop, but we weren't far from the second rest stop at this point. We chatted all the way to Tomales-Petaluma Road, and Two Rock Church came up quickly on Spring Hill Road. A dozen of riders were there already.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043783021/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Two Rock Church by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Two Rock Church" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/8043783021_6c6cb4c52f.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Rock Church</td></tr>
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After fueling up with some food and topped up my bottles, I got on the road again now heading toward Graton. It was close to 10AM when I left, and I was aiming to get to Sae Tae Win II in Graton before 11:30AM. Valley Ford is a wide road that often serves as a tunnel for wind blowing from the ocean. The relatively smooth pavement and flat profile makes it pleasant to ride even with a slight headwind. A right turn on Roblar gave me some respite from the wind (and the dung smell that came with it). The pavement was much more suspect on Roblar, but the scenery improved significantly on this slightly cloudy sunny morning. I rode mostly solo on this stretch and the following set of turns, zigzagging toward Sebastopol. You get lots of narrow vineyard roads, short stretches on some major county thoroughfares, and even a stretch on the beautiful West County Recreational Trail. On Ragle Road, I passed a beautiful soccer field in a county park where kids were out playing. Just before 11:30, I turned off the trail and entered Graton. I sat up and rolled leisurely to Sae Tae Win II Center for lunch.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043804634/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Lunch Stop by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch Stop" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/8043804634_d0f46095bf.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sae Tae Win II lunch stop</td></tr>
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Lunch was simple and adequate, as many riders rolled in I chatted with folks, some familiar and many new. One of the major concerns for this year's event was the forecast of high temperatures (90's) in Sonoma County on both days. However, the fog lifted late and it was still relatively cool as I got ready to depart after listening to the talk given by a teacher at Sae Tae Win II. I didn't linger too long and wanted to take advantage of the cool weather as much as I could. I departed Sae Tae Win II with a new-comer to the BBP. Rachel found out about the ride on a Internet forum and signed up two weeks ago. As we were leaving, she asked about the route immediately out of the center and since I knew the route by heart, I asked her to tag along.<br />
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We chatted and rode north on another stretch of the West County Trail to Forestville, then rolled toward Russian River on River and Wholer Road. We crossed the river and turned east on Westside Road toward Healdsburg. As we chatted I found out that Rachel actually goes to the same Gym (Ironworks) as I do and attends the same spin classes. We stopped on Middleton Farm and rested some, then continued toward Cloverdale. West Dry Creek Road is one of my favorite roads in Sonoma County, and after cross the river on Lambert Bridge, we turned north on Dry Creek Road. It was approximately 2:45 at this point, and it was definitely getting hotter, but still quite bearable even with my long-sleeve base layer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043808684/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shadow Panda on River Road by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Shadow Panda on River Road" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/8043808684_8fcaaa7cf3.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow Panda on River Road</td></tr>
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On Canyon Road toward Geyserville, I began to felt some fatigue. Even though we were less than 10 miles away from the campground, my plan for the day was to go all the way to City of Ten Thousand Buddhas as I wanted extra time in the morning on Sunday to prepare for the arrival of BBP. The water stop on Geyserville Road provided just the rest and refreshment I needed. I grabbed several extra energy bars for the additional distance, and rolled toward the campground with Rachel. We turned off on Washington School Road and crossed the river again. Soon, the bottom of the big hill before KOA Campground loomed before us. I waved Rachel goodbye and wished her a good evening with the group and continued toward Ukiah.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043814710/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Riding on HWY 101 by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Riding on HWY 101" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/8043814710_156d72f68c.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding on HWY 101</td></tr>
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Now it was getting pretty warm, and even though I didn't feel hungry, my legs were telling me otherwise. I merged onto Geyser Road from River Road, then found a shady spot on the side of the road to take a rest. I made myself eat 2 energy bars, and drank a good portion of my remaining water. After resting for about 5 minutes, I rode on at a slightly reduced pace to recover some more. I turned right on HWY 101 and began the 9-mile stretch on the highway. The road had been repaved recently and the shoulder was wide pretty much the entire way and I felt pretty safe throughout. Mountains on the west provided much needed respite from the sun and the heat, and the occasional zooming-by of big rigs pulled me along like a vacuum cleaner. I stopped at the Rock Shop for a short rest, and dragged myself to Hopland with basically no water left.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043808901/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Vineyard on Old River Road by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Vineyard on Old River Road" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8043808901_0c71b1acb9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset View on Old River Road</td></tr>
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I bought some drinks at a general store in Hopland, rested some, ate some more food, and continued on the last stretch to my destination. Now close to 6, even though the sun is still out, the temperature has begun to dip, especially on shady stretches of Old River Road. Usually I can power through the gentle rollers of this road with gusto, but with 100 miles in my legs I was contented to go at a reduced pace of 13-14 mph. My shadow grew longer and longer as I got closer to Talmage. The scenery of vineyards under the setting sun was extremely picturesque, though I was hesitant to stop too much as I was eager to get to my destination for a much deserved shower and dinner. The gate of City of Ten Thousand Buddhas appeared soon enough, and I rolled in slowly toward my cottage. I later joined some friends for dinner at Ellie's Mut Hut in Ukiah after taking a hot shower. I had a restful sleep all the way to dawn.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/8043825804/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Spcialized Sequoia by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Spcialized Sequoia" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8180/8043825804_47f86de83e.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequoia at CTTB</td></tr>
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At the end of the day, my tally was <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/143888173/">114 miles</a>. I have never missed participating in this event since its inception, and my experience varied from year to year. Some years I wasn't physically ready and suffered some. Some years in extreme heat I dragged myself to the end of the day on both days. In the last couple of years I have been in good shape, and the relatively cool weather helped me to have physically pleasant two days on the bike. But every year I have always felt the great and warm energy from everyone participating in this year's event. This year especially I felt Lauren's great enthusiasm and warm, caring energy permeated the whole event on this first day. It was a beautiful day!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-59571771171793587702012-09-24T10:31:00.000-07:002012-09-24T10:31:09.875-07:00Carmel to San Jose<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7992279585/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Monterey Recreational Path by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Monterey Recreational Path" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8314/7992279585_5579f0be87.jpg" width="200" /></a>A friend needed his car driven down to Carmel from Berkeley. I thought about different ways to do that--get my wife to follow me in our own Volvo, spend a day at the beach then come back to Berkeley, drive down then take the bus to San Jose, then Amtrak back to Berkeley. I have never ridden the route between Santa Cruz and Monterey, so I put my <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/search?q=sequoia">Specialized Sequoia</a> in the car and drove down to Carmel in the morning. I took a walk with my friend along the water front and chatted for a while. At around 10 or so I departed from his house in Carmel and began to ride northward.<br />
Originally I wanted to take 17-mile drive along the coast to Monterey then get on the Monterey Recreational Trail. Given that I started later than I planned, I rode across Highway 1 then climbed Aquajito Road to descend into Monterey. This alternative route saved me about 10 miles of riding.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7992297944/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Path near state park by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Path near state park" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8310/7992297944_d9df4dfd95.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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I got on the Monterey Rec. Trail near the Naval Postgraduate Academy in Monterey. The trail is very nice--well-paved, great views, and not crowded. It also allows a cyclist or a runner to stay off the street for quite a long way. I rode the trail all the way to Molera Road. Molera Road is a wide side road to HWY 1 nestled in vegetable fields. I had to get on HWY 1 north. Though the shoulder is wide, and I saw few other cyclists, mostly in the opposite direction, this wasn't a fun stretch to ride. The cars went by pretty fast, and even though I mostly felt safe, the noise was loud. It was also very exposed, and I had to battle headwind all the way until I turned off on Salinas Road. The conventional wisdom of riding north-south on the west coast held pretty true today!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7992295459/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Vegetable field by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Vegetable field" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7992295459_93546eaf28.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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Salinas Road passes through the small town of Pajaro en route to Watsonville. I could have stayed on the coast and take San Andreas Road to Aptos, then Capitola and Santa Cruz. But turning inland to Watsonville gave me more shelter from the headwind. I found a Safeway along the road, locked my bike and bought some food while I pondered my options. The miles of headwind on HWY 1 tired me out some, so part of me is tempted to find a bus to take to San Jose. However, not having any sort of connected device with me I would have to ask for direction to a transit terminal, then figure out the time of the bus. Given it was the weekend, it's likely that even if a bus runs to San Jose, the time gap would be huge (later I found out that there is no direct bus between Watsonville and Santa Cruz). I decided to load up on energy bars and ride Eureka Canyon Road to the Summit and back to San Jose via the Los Gatos Creek Trail.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7992320414/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Taking a rest on Eureka Canyon Road by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Taking a rest on Eureka Canyon Road" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8295/7992320414_e344e181b7.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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From Safeway I rode the mostly flat 4 miles to Corralito. Eureka Canyon Road stayed basically flat for more than a mile after it begins. As the climb increased in gradient, I began to suffer a little, mostly from a desire to take a nap. I got off the bike 3 times to drink and ate food, and closed my eyes for 5 minutes to see if the desire to sleep would subside. I definite struggled more this time than <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/01/santa-cruz-3-day-trip-by-bikes-part-3.html">when I rode it during last Christmas</a>, even though I was carrying more load then. After what seemed like a long time, I got to the intersection of Highland Way, which though started with a short downhill section, climbed gently for a couple of miles before finally descending to become Summit Road. At this point, it was clear to me that I would miss the 5:50pm train at San Jose, so I took a more leisurely pace down Old Santa Cruz Highway and on the Los Gatos Creek Trail. It was getting close to sunset and folks were out for their evening stroll/jog/ride. I got to Amtrak station at 6:25, and waited until 7:50 for the next train. It was a nice day of riding.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7992330393/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sequoia waiting for the train by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia waiting for the train" height="228" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/7992330393_7d8de33884.jpg" width="320" /></a>Eureka Canyon Road and Highland Way combined to be the highlight of the route. It was shaded and gradient was gentle. Once you get to the top you get a great view of the valley below. If I don't have to I won't ride south-north along the coast for very much, as the headwind really makes it miserable. My sequoia performed well; on a short section of dirt on Los Gatos Creek Trail the 650b Col de la Vie tires performed well. One thing I am thinking about changing on the bike is the 50T large chainring on the crankset. For this type of riding I think 46T or 48T is plenty for the flat, and allows me to stay on the big ring longer on the gentle climbs.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-80484620617733831192012-08-04T16:09:00.001-07:002012-08-04T16:09:17.870-07:00Re-taping handlebar and applying Shellac on the Sequoia<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701957870/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Handlebar Panda by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Handlebar Panda" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/7701957870_a691452541.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty bar tape</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The handlebar set up on the Specialized Sequoia has been transferred intact from the Rawland cSogn, to the Rivendell Bleriot, and now to the Sequoia. As time went on and as cloth tapes got dirty and worn out, I simply added another layer of cloth tapes on top. I did re-tape the handlebar <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/02/low-trail-specialized-sequoia.html">when I replaced the fork</a> earlier in the year because I had to replace the cables and the housings as they were too short for the new set up. I didn't have any new tape at the time so I simply put the old tapes--all three layers of them in (dirty) brown, (dirty) yellow, and (dirty) orange--back on the handlebar. I also taped the outer-most layer in a way such that the cleaner sides of the tape (previously under the spiral of the tape) are now exposed. While that makes the tape look newer, the sticky adhesive residue on the tape also attracted dirt and grime quickly so the tapes turned black quickly.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7712708876/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Blue tape before shellac by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Blue tape before shellac" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7712708876_6819cac722.jpg" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh blue tape, pre-shellac</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I finally got sick of looking at the dirty, slightly torn, and worn out tape and decided to add a new layer on top. Multiple layers of tapes make the handlebar more comfortable to hold. The new color is blue--not navy, not sky blue, but a nice middle-of-the-road blue. It felt so clean and non-slimy. I like the color quite a bit. However, knowing that dirt, sunscreen, sweat, and other stuff will transfer quickly to the bare cloth tape from my hand and gloves, I decided to finally try shellacking the tape to keep them looking new longer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7712720026/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The color difference by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="The color difference" height="125" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7712720026_b24c129772.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color Comparison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Applying shellac on the cloth tape also have other benefits of creating a seal on the tape and allow them to last longer. When I wear the shellac out in the future, I can just apply another layer. I had a can of clear Shellac that I bought a while ago but never used, and I applied it generously to the tapes. The result is a darker and more glossy color. I applied two layers to let the seal last longer. I will report on how the shellacked tapes do in staying clean as after a few months.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7712728602/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shellacking complete by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Shellacking complete" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7712728602_ab9b08cb2c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darker Color after 2 coat of clear Shellac</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-89438510257055952032012-08-04T09:34:00.000-07:002012-08-04T09:52:28.388-07:00Marin County Solo Near CenturyThe summer is more than half way over, and my tank is almost empty as I have worked all year without a real break since coming back from bereavement in February. I also just got a lung-busting cold in the middle of July that almost cost me the chance to <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/07/quarter-way-in-right-about-to-enter-big.html">complete a bike ride</a> we were training to do. I finally feel stronger again, and before diving back into work, I decided to take most of the day for a long ride.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701933260/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bridge that starts the Cross Marin Trail on the east end by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Bridge that starts the Cross Marin Trail on the east end" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7701933260_f6c0f66901.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequoia on Cross Marin Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started the day early, and got myself to San Francisco by 6:20AM via BART. I rode along the northeastern edges of the city to the bridge then crossed over on the eastern sidewalk. The entire city and most of southern Marin county was still shrouded in fog at this point. I rolled up Camino Alto and down through the hamlets--roads I have ridden so many times on San Francisco Randonneurs' brevets or otherwise. Whites Hill got my heart pumping and the subsequent flats on Sir Francis Drake kept the heart rate up. Soon I crossed a pedestrian bridge shortly after the town of Lagunita to get on the Cross Marin Trail.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701940254/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Summit before dropping down to Olema by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Summit before dropping down to Olema" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7701940254_4ddb181012.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the hill before Olema</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A gem of a trail it is, and a great joy to ride on. The first portion is mostly dirt, but pretty packed down at this time of the year, and the speed remained high. The latter part of the trail has some newly laid down gravel that required a little more attentiveness but nothing too bad. Through the redwood groves I rolled, and in no time I was at the foot of the climb before Olema. The sky was clear by now but it was still breezy. Not many cars were on the road at this hour. I took my time getting to the top and enjoyed a fast descent. I purposely began braking a little later than usual to test the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7593545098/in/photostream">new brakes I have on the Sequoia</a>--avid shorty 4. Initially, when I first installed them a couple of weeks ago, they weren't so hot in terms of stopping power, and they definitely squealed. I realized that the cable carriers were sitting too high for these low-to-mid profile brakes. I have since lowered the cable yoke, and on this occasion they stopped great and were silent.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701944502/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="At the Bear Valley Visitor Center by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="At the Bear Valley Visitor Center" height="150" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7701944502_0610acf9fd.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Valley Visitor Center lot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I stopped at the Bear Valley visitor center to fill up my water bottle (and I only brought one today) and eat some food. I wasn't planning on going to the lighthouse nor Marshall in the north, like the SFR 200k route, but planned on going on Limantour Road on a bike for the first time. If there was an aim today besides getting out and ride, it was to check out 1 or 2 camp sites that one can bike to. One of these sites is Sky Camp, which is reachable via 1.2 miles of hiking/biking on Sky Trail, which starts on Limantour Road.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701953548/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Beginning section of gravel on Sky Trail by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Beginning section of gravel on Sky Trail" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7701953548_bf6f0acb7b.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirt on Sky Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The portion of Limantour Road I was riding is a steady, 3.75-mile hill that climbs 900+ feet. Although the gradient isn't steep, it's a relatively low climb. I found a good rhythm and kept a good pace to the top. Shortly after the road flattened, I came upon the trail head for Sky Trail. Though short, the Sky Trail was much more difficult than the much longer Limantour Road. The road surface was decent, but the trail has short steep pitches around tight corners, and even though the condition of the trail is decent, there is still uneven surfaces and loose gravel to negotiate. My rear Panaracer Col de la Vie tires, which has worn ridges, slipped a couple of times. I climbed to the summit of Sky Trail, and was a fraction of a mile away from reaching the actual campsite. But I was satisfied of my finding that the trail is ridable, and the scenery very nice--we will come back for an overnighter later!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701968542/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View from Sky Trail by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="View from Sky Trail" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7701968542_2849e32ed3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Sky Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was wary of the descent, mostly because I was afraid that the rear tire is too worn to provide good traction. It turned out to be OK as the brakes worked well again to keep my speed down without locking up my wheels. I got back to the trail head and was about to tackle my next off-road adventure--Inverness Ridge Trail to Mt Vision--when I realized I got a puncture on my rear tire.<br />
<br />
Apparently a sharp piece of rock got through the worn area to the tube, and created a slow leak. I removed the culprit rock, patched up the tube, and remounted the wheel. One of the added advantage of 650b wide tires is that getting them up to 45 psi with a frame pump is relatively easy and painless (and I can't say the same about narrow tires that need to be filled up to 100 psi). I did manage to bend the nozzle a little bit. Although it showed no signs of leaking, I decided to forgo Mt Vision and instead ride down on Limantour Road to reach Pt Reyes Station quickly.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701972816/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Black Mountain Cycles by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Black Mountain Cycles" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7701972816_40eee324d1.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequoia at BMC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I stopped by Mike Varley's <a href="http://www.blackmtncycles.com/">Black Mountain Cycles</a> to ask his opinion about the nozzle, and also to buy some energy food and a pair of brake pad inserts (salmon color) for the front brakes. Although these Avid Short 4 stopped great, they will stop better in wet conditions with salmon color pads. Mike said the nozzle should be OK. I pumped up the tire a little more with his floor pump now that my off-road adventures are over for the day, and the floor pump head seemed to have helped straighten the nozzle back some. After filling up my bottle and getting a piece of snack at the Bovine Bakery, I began the return leg of my ride<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701980622/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="HWY 1 by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="HWY 1" height="125" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/7701980622_855f4796f0.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling along HWY 1 near the Lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had various options for getting back to San Francisco. I could go through Nicasio and rejoin Sir Francis Drake, I could retrace my step and get on the Cross Marin Trail. I decided that I haven't ridden south bound on HWY 1 to Stinson Beach, and maybe I can catch that famous north-south tailwind for the stretch. The road down to Bolinas was a set of pleasant, but not remarkable rollers. But I was definitely wrong about the tailwind, as I felt no help, and at times had to fight a headwind. The temperature got cooler as I approached the lagoon, and fog was already forming on the horizon around noon.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701991134/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sequoia at the beach by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Sequoia at the beach" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7701991134_ff7ca42d19.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting at Stinson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The stretch of HWY along the Bolinas Lagoon is one of the most pleasant. One is riding at water-level, and various type of migrant and non-migrant birds casually float on the water surface. The temperature seems to be always cool and the pavement is outstanding. You stay on the big ring and power through the slight roller fairly effortlessly. Soon the crowd at Stinson Beach began to emerge. I sat on the beach people-watched for a while after filling up my bottle again and ate some bars. Now I am feeling a craving for real food, but I didn't want to fight with the swarm of tourists and beach-goers in the town's small number of establishments. I rested my legs and rolled again.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7701995226/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Stinson from quarter way up Panoramic HWY by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Stinson from quarter way up Panoramic HWY" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7701995226_2c9822bb98.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Panoramic Hwy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now I have to tackle a major climb--up Panoramic Hwy to Pantoll Ranger Station. The scenic road gains 1400 ft in 4 miles, and steep in pitches on the lower sections. I tucked in on the drops, and spun up on a pretty low gear (34/28T I think most of the way), and enjoyed the scenery as I climbed up. The upper portion was much more covered and the gradient eased. It was a struggle after 60 some miles in my legs and no real food in my stomach at lunch time. The beautiful scenery and the cool breeze offered solace. I got to the ranger station huffing and puffing, but know that there is no tough climb left.<br />
<br />
I stopped at Whole Foods in Mill Valley after dropping down from Mt Tam. I got some dolma, beet salad, and hummus at the salad bar, and a coconut water. The meal was very satisfying and gave me a second wind on my ride back to the City. After climbing up Alexander to the bridge, i had to contend with tourists on the eastern sidewalk again as the western sidewalk is only open on weekends. I was careful and rode defensively, but still got knocked over near the end by an unsuspecting tourist. The damage was a piece of lost skin on my hand and some small bruises as my right arm and hand made contact with the guard rail. After yelling at him to pay more attention, I rolled on, intending to catch BART before it becomes off-limit for bikes.<br />
<br />
I got to BART station at 3:40, some 9 hours after I started this morning, and got back to Berkeley just after 4PM. The tally of the day--94 miles, 6500 ft of climbing, much pleasant to breath-taking scenery, and an opportunity to stretch my legs and clear my head. Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarter wrote <a href="http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/riding-fast-is-fun/">an excellent piece on sensible performance bicycles</a> for non-racers that I resonated a lot. Today's journey was a good example of what he is talking about. On a steel bike with wide-tires and fenders, racks, dynamo lighting, and a decent-sized bag, I was able to travel on both paved and unpaved surfaces, and traveled a lot of distance and rode some difficult terrain in not quite a day. The bike--<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/sets/72157627342403464/">an 80's Specialized Sequoia</a>--has a frameset with standard-size tubes (not over-sized) that's lighter and more responsive, and allows the bike to stay under a reasonable weight even with all the "added" features mentioned above. I am by far not a fast cyclist, as I always finish in the bottom quartile of SFR brevets, but with a bike that's somewhat aimed at performance and a basic level of fitness, I get to go far today without rushing and enjoy the spectacular amazing coastal California scenery.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2714914347675518470.post-66605951351164691742012-07-31T15:07:00.000-07:002012-07-31T19:45:17.942-07:00Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge: A ride report<br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7678156604/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Quarter way in... by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Quarter way in..." height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7678156604_5b595fa98a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quarter way in the right, about to enter Big Basin State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At Saturday’s first water stop at mile 10 after climbing up Mountain Charlie on the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge (we were riding the century version) ,
both M. and I were having such a hard time that we didn’t know if we could
get to lunch, much less finishing the ride. I was at the tail-end of a 2-week
bout with a cold that gave me incessant coughs and smothered my lungs with slimy
fluids. Unfortunately I gave that cold to M. a couple of days into it and she
was suffering the consequences also. The entire climb up Mountain Charlie I can
hear her more-hurried-than-usual breathing, and she was sagging back on the
climb—unusual for us as she has always been the better climber between us. At
the time I felt disappointed, but a little resigned also given what we have gone
through in 2012, getting a cold less than 2 weeks before a difficult ride is simply a
confirmation that this isn’t the year for us. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
The year 2012 has been a tough one, unexpectedly. We signed up for a challenge at our<a href="http://www.touchstoneclimbing.com/ironworks/"> local spinning studio</a> to train for and complete a challenging cycling event in late 2011 and started the training really well. We
followed the base phase fairly religiously, and worked up our mileage in
December to about 70 miles. And at the end of the year we were able to ride over
the top of Santa Cruz mountains with a touring load at our <a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/01/santa-cruz-3-day-trip-by-bikes-part-3.html">end-of-the year tour</a>.
We even participated in the 3-hour year-end spin class. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Soon after that, a string of circumstances hit us which left us dealing
with the aftermath ever since. We flew to S. Carolina to attend to M’s mom
in January, and she passed away soon after that in February. M. had a series of
health issues (probably stemmed from the trauma of loss) that prevented her from
doing any exercise for about 6 weeks. While I continued to train and was still
on target to ride our initial planned event for the Challenge the Davis Double,
it became apparent that M. wasn’t going to be ready. We decided to switch our target to the <a href="http://www.santacruzcycling.org/scmc/">Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge (SCMC)</a>, which was later in the year. While SCMC only had half the length as the Davis Double, it has almost twice as much climbing (> 11000 ft of elevation gain). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7678162618/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Heading into Big Basin State Park by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Heading into Big Basin State Park" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7678162618_5d5d34c7cc.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corner of HWY 9 and Big Basin HWY</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I was able to attend spin classes in May and June and we rode outside with increasing distance almost
every week in those two months. All the while wearing our HRMs and keeping a tap
on our efforts. I was on track at the end of June, after riding brevet style
(unsupported)<a href="http://bikegarage.blogspot.com/2012/06/ukiah-to-san-francisco-unofficial-200k.html"> from Ukiah to San Francisco</a> in approximately 10 hours—the best
time I have ever done for a 200k ride<span style="font-family: Calibri;">. July turned out to be super
busy for us with a combination of work and school. We rode in Mt Tam 3 weekends
in July with increasing amount of hill climbs to prepare for the SCMC, and began felt confident that we would be able to complete the event. Then on 12
days before the event, I felt a scratch in my throat, and despite my best effort
to fight it off, the cold floored me, then M. for the next week and
half.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Back to the water stop at mile 10 before the turn onto Bear Creek Road.
We told each other that we will try to do our best, and just enjoy the
ride. We rode on with a sense of resignation, but also felt more relaxed. We got
to the first full rest stop at mile 20 at Skyline. After chowing down rest-stop
food, and looked at the map, we realized that we had climbed 3500 feet in
the first 20 miles, and therefore had completed 1/3 of the climbing already!
With this realization came the encouragement that we might be able to get close
to finishing the ride after all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Let me go back to Mountain Charlie Road, which was the first climb of the
day. It started at mile 2, and went up almost 1500 ft (including two side
streets near the top) in 4 miles to Summit Road on a narrow, winding, and absolutely
beautiful road. We are accustomed to much more warming up than the rolling first
2 miles leading up to the foot. Lots of very fit cyclists passed us on the way
up and made the climb seemed easy, but it was definitely a beast. It was on this
climb that we were shaken and felt strong doubts about our ability to
finish.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7678166694/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ebisu at Park Headquarter by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="Ebisu at Park Headquarter" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7678166694_c5dc28f9df.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ebisu at the Headquarter of Big Basin State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The second major climb of the day is Jamison Creek Road in Big Basin State
Park 20 miles after the first full rest stop. The transitional section is a
gorgeous stretch of rolling, quiet, covered, and beautiful roads in and near Big
Basin State Park. Jamison Creek is relatively a short climb in comparison with
the long cols of the Death Ride, but rises up sharply. The route sheet says that
Jamison Creek climbs 1500 ft from HWY 236 to Empire Grade in 3 miles. Not all
three miles of this road are equal, either. The road starts out relatively
gently to pull you in, making you think that you are having a good day on a
famously steep road, then all of a sudden a “gotcha” hits you in the face
approximately half way in, as gradients hit up to 14% or 15% all the way to the
end. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/franklyn/7678180238/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="M's Ebisu after Jamison Creek Climb by Franklyn W, on Flickr"><img alt="M's Ebisu after Jamison Creek Climb" height="150" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7678180238_36cd4f6424.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M's Ebisu taking a break after Jamison Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7678187370_285a300aa5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7678187370_285a300aa5.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the top of Jamison Creek</td></tr>
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M. and I separated near the bottom to each do our own climb. I got down
to my lowest gear—34/30T pretty quickly, and tucked in, in a seated position. I
tried to find a good rhythm and not getting off the saddle too much, in an
effort to conserve some energy. Many riders passed me, pounding on their pedals
off the saddle, but several of them had to stop and take a break as I steadied
past them later. In the end, I didn’t have any energy left in my tank to get off
the saddle and power up near the top, but did manage to spin my way there
without stopping—my original objective. SCMC organizers timed every participant,
and I clocked in at 39 minutes and change--definitely in the bottom quartile and a far cry from the fastest time of 20 minutes. M. came up a minute or so later. We were both gassed, and even though
lunch was only short 1.5 miles away, we sat on the chairs provided by the water
stop folks at the top for a good 5 minutes before rolling again. Without the cold and more training on steep hills, hopefully I can ride approaching the low 30 minutes next time. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7678206916_8cef2f94e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7678206916_8cef2f94e3.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only dirt section of the day--outside the lunch stop</td></tr>
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The intervening miles between the top of Jamison Creek and the final hard climb of the day Zayante Road have some amazing stretches of descents (Pine Flat
Road, Ice Cream Grade, Felton Empire Road). I wish I stopped more to take more pictures. M. overshot a turn and ended up a
ways down on Bonny Doon, and I went down hill after her after not seeing her
catching up and realized what was happening. We ended up climbing the famous
(via Tour of California exposure) Bonny Doon road back to the course. The final
big climb of the day is Upper Zayante, which is at mile 70 or so, 24 miles after
lunch. Zayante is a very nice climb, shaded and quiet, with glimpse of the
valley below. It was also deceptively long and hard. We chatted with each other
and spun our way up. After that, it was a set of rollers and a long descent back
to the finish.<br />
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Because of the detour, we ended up being one of the last people finishing,
even though we both felt pretty good at the end. It is by far the most difficult
ride we did in 3 years since the Shasta Super Century we struggled through in
2009. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7678213660_71b97e6380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7678213660_71b97e6380.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice view near sunset; near completion of the ride</td></tr>
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SCMC is a great route, and the metric double version is a way to
get close to Death Ride territory in terms of distance and elevation gain
without the long travel, the heat, the crowd, and the altitude. We highly
recommend it! For those brevet-minded folks, the Santa Cruz Randonneurs used to run a Big Basin 200k, which is advertised to be the hilliest 200k in the U.S. (though several mixed-terrain 200k organized by the San Francisco Randonneurs, my home club, might top the climbing statistics of Big Basin 200k). The Big Basin 200k starts in Palo Alto and winds through much of the first half of SCMC before ending up in Davenport on the coast, then traces the route back to Palo Alto. </div>
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I was about the only person riding a randonneuring machine, and many roadies, friendly or not, made sure I know about it. There was another guy on a Klein that had metal fenders on. I was chatting with an older gentleman riding on a carbon fiber Time about our respective machines. I think my set up might be close to a full 10 lbs lighter than his (mine weighs in at about 27 lbs with rack, fenders, and a bag). I told him that I lost almost 20 lbs in the last year, which more than cover than 10 lbs differential between his and my bike. Both of our Ebisu performed really well for us--smooth and comfortable, responsive during spirited pedaling, and no creaking sounds throughout the ride! My 42mm tires allow me to keep my lines on several long descents where the pavement is rough. On a well-supported ride in the Bay Area summer I should be able to ride an open-wheel lightweight racing machine, but the Ebisu isn't really what's holding me back--that would be my own legs. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03991895435591324772noreply@blogger.com0