tradesman updates again

I haven't changed much, but it have done a few things to what is now my favorite bike. 

From this post, you saw the new attachment to allow me to pull the Burley.  Still working great.

Also on the back of the bike, I switched around and added to the lights.

The light on the rack is now the Danger Zone from PDW. Why?  Well the burn time is a little longer, and I've added the Fenderbot to the fender, so I don't need a light with a reflector.  Plus, the flash mode plays "Take On Me" from a-Ha!.  What you can't see from the picture is that the holes are drilled crooked, so it is a little off to the side. 

I also moved the pump from the underseat bag to the front rack.

Its a Mini Charger from Bontrager.  A fold out foot peg and a hose allows me to fill the tires up faster than with just a regular hand pump.  I did this to use a smaller underseat bag, but then I had to use the smaller one for another project (more on that later) so I brought back out the big one.  I have a smaller one now at home, but have been too lazy to switch it over.

Besides the underseat bag switch, the only two changes I can see myself doing to the bike is possibly getting a rear rack light that operates off of the dynamo hub, and when the new Bosco bar becomes available from  Rivendell, add that to the front end to make the bike a little more upright. 

We'll see......

running errands

Josie and I ran some errands by bike today.  I don't have any pictures from the ride to the playground or to supermarket, but here are some shots of the ride from the supermarket to the bakery to get a (belated) birthday cake for my wife.  I know I'm the worst.

The Tradesman with the Burley D'Lite.  The Tradesman has "hooded" dropouts, so the Burley standard hitch won't work on the bike, without using one of these:

The Hitch Alt Adapter works perfectly!  Do have to get a lock washer or locking nut to keep the nut from backing off over time.

Here are some more pics from the morning ride.

Josie's portrait of her and I:

Standing next to her trailer, she gets mad if we have to go in the car.

My Keen Coronado II's love these shoes.  Much more comfy than Chuck Taylors.

And the date nut cake from Dick's Bakery in downtown Berea.  Wifey's favorite sweet.  And some cookies for the kids.

Fun day, more to come.....

broken

Luckily not me, but bike parts. 

Texted up TimBob on Monday, wanted to see if he wanted to do some mountain biking, just like we used to.  Jobs, families, lots of stress hasn't let us ride as often as we want, so plans were made, and actually followed through with.  We decided to go out to Findley State Park, one I've ridden before, but never on my FixieMonsterCross.  About a mile in, I notice a clicking noise coming from my crank area.  Check the chain, nothing in it, thought it might be my pedals, or that my Chris King bottom bracket finally needs some grease.  Then I start to notice that the noise only happens when my right foot is going down.  I stop the bike and look, one of my chainring bolts is missing.  Damn, I should have checked those last night when I was lubing and tensioning my rusted ass chain.  Well, at this point I'm about a third of the way through the trail, and about the furthest point away from the car.  So I kept riding.  A mile or so later, the teeter totters are right in front of me, and I roll over one.  I hear a crack, don't know if it was the wood hitting the ground or something on the bike.

And its the crank, two nice little cracks on the spider.  Shit.  Well, have to ride out.  Don't really take it too cautiously, still riding over stuff, still standing and crushing up the hills.  But the sound is getting louder.  It has changed to a metal rubbing on metal sound, almost grating.  Didn't take a picture, but the one arm by the beaver's tail is cracked through and displaced.  We get to the road and decide to cut off the last 2 miles or so, and pedal softly back to the car.  I decide to see if I can rip the arms off of the crank, so into the parking lot with all the speed I can muster, get on the grass and...

Nothing.  Doesn't budge.  Skid stopping with the right foot forward didn't do it.  Well I got to try it again,left foot forward this time...

And the bike comes to a complete stop, arm ripped off all the way through and the chainring (which needed to be replaced anyhow)...

Done for.  I guess all in a days work.  Well better than work.  Next up is to see if anyone would like to buy the Hunter FixieMonsterCross, for a good price - minus the crank.  Or if nobody does, time to get a new crank, chainring, bolts, and chain. 

88bikes and bike_cle

Bike Cleveland had a little social get together last night down at the Market Garden in Ohio City.  It's not too far away from my house, but getting there by bike can put you through some sketchy areas.  So I rode.  It makes no sense to go to a bike social hour to hear about an organization that give away bikes to children in impoverished areas by car.  So I decided to give the Tradesman it test on a longish ride, so here I go:

Yep, that handsome piece of work is ready for the 17 mile commute to Cleveland's Ohio City area - a   great, historical section close to downtown.  Home of some of Northeast Ohio's microbreweries, restaurants, and the West Side Market.  So, out the door, and on to the section of the park system that I ride everyday to work, past where I turn off, a couple of more miles on the bike path, and turn right to go up a really shady hill to the main road.  I follow this road all the way into the Ohio City neighborhood.  My only regret, not stopping at Steve's Hot Dogs for a little snack.  Copy of my route: here.

I lock the bike up and go inside, people are starting to arrive, and I'm hungry, so I order some pork tacos and a beer and wait.  People start showing up, I talk to a few people, have another beer, things get too loud for me, so I go outside and take a picture of the bikes locked up outside. 

Good to see that some other people had the idea to ride to a bike event.  Back inside, another beer, and after the program being delayed for technical difficulties, Dan Austin stepped up to the microphone to talk about his organization 88bikes and how bikes are one of the only things that people have happy memories about, and how that is the way to get more people on bikes.  Here is a story from a local TV station with info on upcoming events with Dan Austin while in Cleveland for the rest of the weekend.

Time was getting short for finding a different way home, one hopefully a little safer than the one to the event.  I left soon after the talk was done, rode a little way with a guy name Chris who showed me how to get to the road I wanted to be on, and was lucky enough to do all my direction finding in the daylight/dusk.  I paused to call my wife and hopefully tell the kids goodnight, but missed by 10 minutes.  Was able to snap this pic of the sunset

 
before diving down into the park for the rest of my 20 mile ride home in the dark.  That route, here.

All in all, a great night, no problems, got to meet an interesting man with a great organization, and a fun ride doing it.  Look for more events in my future with Bike Cleveland.....