Bicycles

Early in this blog's life, there was an abundance of information about bicycles. In recent months however, that has not been the case as much. So I (David) thought it fitting to devote an entire entry to the subject, lest people begin to think we are all about local politics (which couldn't be further from the truth).

I snapped the above image of a new 3D map they have at work. I had spent a fair amount of time staring at it through the 3D glasses, analyzing my commute (now you know what security guards do when you're sleeping). From my analysis, I learned that of all the contours in the Twin Cities proper, I'd be hard pressed to find a commuting route with more variations in elevation. The only thing that seemed to compare was if I were to commute to the peak of the West side neighborhood (a few blocks West of where Heather used to work). Despite the fondness I've developed for the single speed over the last year, there is a chance I may create “winter bike # 10” so as to give me more gear options for the winter. I even have a frame for such a project; one I picked up on craigslist a few weeks ago.

Speaking of craigslist, I posted my first craigslist ad yesterday. So far I've had 4 people interested in the bike, but in offering it to them in the order in which they responded, no one has actually come for it yet. I had dug up the bike as I was going through piles of bike bits that I don't need anymore. I also unearthed components for a restoration project in that process. Over the last few years I've slowly been working on restoring an old Raleigh roadster which, though not a “DL-1”, is sure to draw interest wherever it gets ridden. Last week, while the weather was still warm, I finally got around to finishing its paint job. Now it is just a matter of cleaning, lubing, and spoke replacement (assuming I can find spokes for 28” wheels). I also found, buried on the bottom of a Summit Ale box marked 'Sturmey Archer', a bell that had gone missing; thought stolen.

The bell, an authentic British antique was a gift from Mom and Peter, after their return from a visit to Scotland. I had originally put it on my beloved Raleigh Sports. But I had switched it over to one of the His and Hers Raleigh Supurbes that Heather and I rode to Peter's 70th birthday party. Shortly after that, and until the other day, the bell had gone missing. After a thorough search of the basement of L'Chaim Kosher Deli (my old workshop), I was unable to find the bell, and horrifyingly began to suspect others with access to the shop (the same people who paid me to repair their bikes with organic grape juice - which is more expensive than good wine). Well now, after all the time being buried, I can finally be rid of the suspicions. And, of course, I can put the bell on the latest Raleigh project. Perhaps I'll lend that project to Peter for his 80th birthday's naked-motorcycle-riding reenactment.

Speaking of motorcycles, I found this great deal on craigslist. Unfortunately, due to insurance reasons, I have to put my dreams of motorcycle ownership aside. But that's ok, because motorcycles don't fit well into an exclusively bicycle oriented blog entry anyway.