Ice Ice Ice Ice...

So The clive greenbelt trail (skating rink) is ridable, if your bike has studded tires and a very good mountain bike rider (not me) the small( 100yard) patches of ice are challenging, but the ones at the bottom of small hills are the worst.  I almost spilled my beer when I rode up the "hill" at the bottom of the freeway underpass in colby park.  This is not going to work we need to plow and ice melt these trails or we could have serious drinking problems( it's hard to drink it when it's on the ground).  So squirrel needs to start making those chain tires in bulk for us poor commuters that can't give up our bike yet....

Ice-Hole

I rode to work yesterday in the ice slush not to bad actually had ice covering my rain coat.  The way home however the trail was ice skate quality.  So some thing that are  normally simple like riding over a small hill become very difficult.  I made it all the way to mcdonalds before I fell down though.  The small incline of the car wash driveways started my bike fishtailing and there was no recovery.  But I got up walked off the trail and rode the streets home.  

Warm.....

Today I got the first Fixie ride in since the snow... so like  4 weeks.  I also got to ride with a "crazy" guy on a tall bike.  I've never seen a tall bike in use just pictures but it was like watching a circus performer without safety equipment riding a bike you have to have a strategy to dismount on the street is crazy but having people take pictures of you from there cars is kind of cool..  It would be cooler if the tall bike was a brakeless fixed gear or a TBBFG awesome.....  

1 Day to go

The last day before Christmas is over.....

Christmas

It's over in 2 days!!!!

Cold

Yesterday morning commute = Cold

My coffee had frozen by the time I got to work.  I was mostly frozen.  Today looks a lot worse -7 does not brighten up my morning.

Hiking Teacup (RIP rollercoaster)

Today was a good day for a snow hike. Since the cycling conditions aren't very good I have started taking the kids out for hikes.  The cold temp and wooded area silence the complaining of small children and is healthier than sitting at home and drinking beer.  Still miss mountain biking maybe with this snow denmans will be more ridable, rollercoaster looked almost ridable today. Maybe with squirrels chain tires and preride beers, postride beers, duringride beers, and Foamdome Helmet.

Winter Commuting

Now I'm ready for winter....

Studded tires    check

fenders       check

Rack for Beer   check

Handlebar mounted beer     check...

But no long rides the beer starts to freeze in the 0 degrees after about 5 minutes..

May the Force Be with you...

Well actually the "Force" (My new SRam force group) will be with me so the force will not be with you because I'm faster than you. So I've Upgraded to Sram and thrown out all my Shimano crap (any one need some dura ace stuff to weigh there bike down with?)
And the worst part is I can't even ride this bike because it can't stop snowing..

So This bike is DONE..

Cold as hell

This morning it was 50 degrees outside and when I got to go ride it was 17 degrees outside..Denmans is  a lost cause totally covered in ice. So I went and rode my mountian bike around west des moines for an hour or so and ended up at the Stadium for some $3 24oz beers and warm up for a while.. not a bad day but warmer weather would be great.

Fixedgeargallery crap

So if I had 3k to spend on a bike I would Build a fixedgear with aerowheels and NO BRAKES. 

I could go fast  and not be able to stop...

But this is the problem with letting retarded people use brazing torches and bike parts I mean what the heck is this? I know this is for the drunk passenger your giving a ride home to after the drinking ride they can pedal too.  This could be the start fixie tandems? 

Fixedgeargallery crap

Done!

This Bike is Done! Well even though it was a fully functional bike when I purchased it.  That didn't stop me from taking it all apart and completely changing it around. besides I know alot more than bianchi 

Bianchi                                       Courtney

42x17 Fixed                                38X15 Fixed

42X17 Freewheel                      38x19 Freewheel

Plastic pedals                             SPD (Duh)

Plastic seat                                 Brooks (like I would sit on plastic)

3/32 Chain                                  1/8  

No Levers                                   cane creek crosstops

Black Bar tape (boring)            Some Brownish tape 

Clean bike                                   mud, gravel, dust, snow 

And I got the Chain line straight...

And Because this bike is done.

I have taken apart my rode bike and ordered a bunch of parts for it...

since I also know more about components than Trek....

Knife To a gun fight

Yesterday I "finished" modifing my fixie cross bike.  So I decided to try out my new freewheel gearing in denmans (38x19) the gear ratio was perfect but no matter how great cross bikes work on single track in the summer they are worthless in the snow.  It took me 45 min. to get through denmans.

Fixedgeargallery gold

Okay so I make fun of the BFG but.. This..

Is the coolest fixed gear that I have ever seen in person.  I saw this bike at a bike world a few weeks ago and after I saw it on fixedgeargallery I decided I had to at least say, some brakeless fixed gears are cool....  Hope to see this on  a bar ride.?  So If this is your bike I'll race ya..

More Snow!!!

This snow thing is getting old..

I still stopped at Giffs for tacos they still taste good even without a mountain bike ride

Good day for hiking

What were You doing at 9am?

Today seemed like a Good day to take Patrick and Abbie To hillside for a hike.  

"You want me to walk in the snow?"

 This Tree is so much easier to clear on a bike....

Watch out there's ground there!

Get Back Here wait for the old guy...

At 4 pm I decided Denmans is probably frozen still and would be a good place for a ride.  I broke through new snow so no one else thought it was ridable,  not bad other than it took me 40min to ride all the way through.  Squirrel needs to have a snow quarter rage...(hint hint)

BFG!!

Some days when it is to cold to ride it's fun to look at Fixedgeargallery.com not to get ideas but to make fun of everyone elses bad ones. So here is the best BFGs today...

This BFG (Brakeless Fixed Gear) Is so new the spay can it was painted with is holding the bike up still.  To bad I didn't invent that pedal holding block. Spinergy wheels will help this rider go faster but he won't be able to stop 

This BFG was made to match the kitchen where the picture was taken.

Studs

After 2 Days Of snow commuting I think I've been missing out on winter riding Studded snow tires are awesome.  Now I finally get a day off to go to denmans and it is going to be 45 and muddy I wanted to try the snow.

Black Friday

In the retail world everything revolves around Black friday.  So the worst day of the year is the day before black friday (sometimes called thanksgiving)  When you have to work 12 and 14 hour shifts and find yourself drinking beers on your ride home from work at 8 and 9 pm.  After a few days of walmart you just want to tell people to "Go freak'n look for it your damn self!" or "Of course we don't have any Nintendo Wiis you moron"  So if your enjoying a 5 day weekend and are out shopping on black friday.... I wish you a long line and an asshole cashier.

Happy Day Before Black Friday!

And a Merry Greed Day 

Tour De Lights

A day late or so. .  But I had to recover from 1 extra beer sunday night at tour de lights. maybe 2 extra beers I don't remember.  The light show was cool and a large turnout I should have decorated my bike I've never seen so much crap ziptied and ducttaped to a bike.  

Can't wait for turkey day ride unfortunately I have to work right after the ride so Everyone else can have a extra beer for me but at least I get to ride.

8 Degrees!!!!

So today I thought lets ride to work like I do everyday.  So halfway to work I'm thinking Man I can't wait to get to work.  That is the first time I ever wanted to be at work.  But I'm still suffering the cold.  Plus it is a good reason to have a beer (and by a beer I mean 12) So if you see the "crazy guy" on his bike in the freezing cold just think about a beer.

After looking at this bike on Fixedgeargallery.com I relized that if I could have invented the block that holds your bike up to photograph for fixedgeargallery I wouldn't even need a job I would be rich. And if this guy was really cool his pedal holding block would match both colors on his bike.  That might come to him when he reaches for his brakes and realizes he forgot to install them in a place where you can find them and hits a car, pedestrian, dog or a BFG (Brakeless Fixed Gear)

30 is the new 60

This morning when I left for Denmans it was 29 degrees outside.  But in Iowa 30 is warm in the winter.  Or at least if you keep telling yourself that you feel warmer. So only 2 laps of denmans today at least all the mud is frozen.  

skunked

This is not the sight you want on the bike trail.  So my best animal encounter to date I almost hit a skunk on the great western trail just outside of martensdale.  But I missed him and he missed me.  And I thought deer was bad on the trail.

The Great Western trail is mostly open if the county would open the last two gates it would be so much easier to ride home from the bar in the dark.

The pink bike rides like a dream after I got used to not having clipless pedals.  A few beers at cummings tap improved my cycling skills.

Real Men Ride Pink Bikes

So my wifes obsession is criagslist.  I would include the link but craigslist is dangerous! So she found me a half built bianchi fix gear, and I went to look at it. And I purchased it (despite the pink color)  So anyone who makes fun doesn't know what a lugged steel road frame with horizontal dropouts is worth.  

So by half built I mean someone put a fix cog on a freewheel quick release hub.  I spent 20 minutes last night pulling spokes through the new hub and 3 hours and 9 beers (or was it 12) "Truing" (or beating my head against) the rear wheel.  Now it is good enough to take to the professionals to true...

Hopefully I can keep a tire inflated today so it can get its first ride maybe Martensdale?