Flickrific, and minor life updates...

So I finally caved in and bought myself a years subscription to Flickr, now I am an uber1337 pro user. Yeay. What that means is that now I can delete my 3 photobucket accounts and put all of my photos in one area, so if any of you are following my steam be prepared for a massive influx of photos and one video.

As far as the life update goes; I am still with my lady. Things have been looking up; then again things always look better than the horribleness that I have been enduring. I was recently sick which really sucked due to it being a week before the Gran Fondo ride in San Diego so I haven’t had any time to really get in some solid cycling. While I was sick she wanted to start some minor drama; she, by the way, does not know how to take care of a sick person.  She has been sick about 5 times since I have been with her, and I have bent over backwards to make sure whatever she wanted she had. I never hesitated nor gripped about getting her what she needed to get better. But when I was sick... FAIL. I stayed up late talking to her about things that really could have waited or about something that she could have dealt with herself; then again she cannot deal with anything herself and needs a crutch every step of the way, bleh. Once I got better she got sick, and the process of me comforting started again.

The drama is getting to old for me to bear; as she tried talking to me about something ridiculous, and I just agreed with her. I wanted to end it as soon as I could, so that I could get some sleep... and play Metal Gear Solid Online. Actually since I have gotten to the topic of video games; I am going to go into something that I haven’t told anyone.

I tried to start playing World of Warcraft again.

YES I know, I am the biggest hypocrite EVER; but I wanted to try it. I wanted to see if there was another way for me to spend some of the little free time that I have. I have cycling; which I try to do for at least an hour a day -failing recently, but the ride will get me back on the wagon-, and MGO for when I want to shoot people in the face. When I was at my prime of my WoW career, everything was pretty much in the dumps. Life sucked, I wasn’t doing that well in school because of it, I was extremely overweight, and was addicted to Nyquil and Gin -not separately-. Now that my life has picked up, and I have developed some new habits to keep my time I was curious how I would handle that old addiction to WoW. I got a 10-day free trial and started messing about. While I will say that it was fun, it wasn’t lasting. I can see how leveling would be awesome, but if I were to the end there wouldn’t be any end-game fun. When I played last I had a very good guild, I was grinding with friends, and there was something that I was always trying to do or get so that I could be more helpful to the raid. But now that all of those people have stopped playing, and I pretty much have to start from scratch. It lost its flair.

So after one day of playing I quit. Someone could place the argument that by leveling up to 80 I would develop the ties to get me into a great guild; but I don’t want to be stuck raiding every night for 4 hours. I want to have a social life outside of that world, if my best friends started playing it would be a different story, but I know they won’t because of what happened to me.

MGO, on the other hand, is fantastic. It is essentially the new Counter-Strike; you can play for 5 minutes, get tons of action in and still be as satisfied as if you played for 3 hours. I love video games. I love the fact that there is something that can help you think, make quick decisions, develop strategies, and above all escape from what is real.

So to some it all up; if major drama unfolds I quit, WoW sucks, MGO'doyle rules, lots of new pictures about to be added to Flickr, and long distance fixed gear bicycle ride on Sunday. Sorry for the ramblings, but hey it is a blog what better place than to put those Lester Bang type thoughts.

Here are a few gems that I find hilarious/fantastic...

DONE! For now.

So after coming to the brutal conclusion that the tools at the local bike shop weren't enough, I had to look elsewhere for a means of getting the crank arm and bottom bracket removed. I started doing some scouring over the internets as to how to remove a stuck cottered crank arm, and their advice was; big mallet, drill, fire and in that order. So I gave it quite a few amazing whacks, all that did was give me some ringing ears. Then I brought out the drill, and broke 2 bits. Then brought out the torch and started heating that thing up, and after a good bath of fire I put the drill back on it. Shazam, finally after an hour of work I was able to get the arm off and move onto the next part of the problem; the stuck bottom bracket...

The last thing that I wanted to do was to put fire to the bottom bracket, if I did that then the paint that the metal is in contact with would look horrible (I tried that on my last bike). I figured that since the bike shop wouldn't be of any help, I had to look elsewhere; and the only place that this ex-shade tree mechanic could think of is an auto shop. So I strolled on down to my friends at the shop and asked if I could use their vice to remove the bottom bracket on my bike; they willingly lent me their vice and I went to town. I clamped in the bottom bracket and within one turn of the bike I was able to break the bonds that held my poor bike in the clutches of the nasty bottom bracket. Once I got both sides off, and found most of the fallen bearings, I went back to the local bike shop so that I could use their tools and install the bottom bracket, cranks, and pedals that I removed from the Schwinn. To my utter delight the bottom bracket could still be used (yeah English threading!), and once I got home I was able to snap a few shots and take a few spins around the driveway before I had to head back to the office.




I was very content with how the bike turned out. It started to rain after I had stolen its soul so I wasn’t able to get much seat time in it, but in that little seat time I knew that I needed something else; new pedals and cycling specific shoes.

I have had a pair of shoes set aside for me at Adam's Avenue Bike shop for about a week; however, I really never had an intention of buying them until the track bike came in. But now that things have changed, I had no issue with buying them now. I called up the shop to make sure they still had them, and they did. Once I got there I started talking to the mechanics and owner about what should be my next purchase, as well as what type of each, I should get. I spoke about getting a Brooks saddle in an earlier post and I wanted to get their opinion as to which would be best; the Team Professional or the Swift. I know that the Galaxy came with a B17, but I don’t like how droopy it looks. The swift is a very sleek racingesk saddle (closer the swallow) while the Team professional is more of a long distance runner (closer to the B17). After some talk and a few beers, my mind hadn't yet been made up about which to get. So I stuck it on the back burner and am leaving it to simmer in my mind tank for awhile before I make a decision.

Pedals, pedals everywhere and all of them fit my feet. With so many options out there, and me not really having a real clue as to what to get, I talked with the pelotons about pedals. One really great thing about Adams is that while they are opinionated about the hardware that they sell, they don’t push it upon you. They let you know the facts about each piece and let you decide. I was able to touch and spin the pedals that I was interested in and came to the conclusion that Look makes some pretty fab pedals. Since this is not a racing bike, and this is my first set of clipless pedals, I didn't want to spend too much money on the pedals. Luckily, Look makes a set of pedals called "Keo easy," they are well made, inexpensive, and not flashy. Done and done.

The cycling shoes are a bit different story since they provide part of the tri-glomerate of overall comfort for the bike (shoes, handlebars, saddle). I went with some size 48.5 specialized comp carbon road shoes; they fit well, and like the pedals aren’t too flashy. Actually that is a lie, well kind of... I have been pretty irked at the cycling world in regards to styling of cycling shoes; how hard it is to make a clean looking shoe? I don’t want crazy stitching patterns, or intense colors. What happened to the classic timeless look of Detto leathers?


If anyone can find a shoe that is clean, simple, and made in a size 14US please let me know.

But I digress...

On Sunday I was able to install the pedals, take a few glamour shots, and take a really short ride with my mum and lady along the coast for brunch. For its first test run both the bike and the new components worked fantastically. The Dawes Galaxy is definitely worth all of the money and work that I have put into it, and other than a new saddle this project is complete. There may be another swap for better parts (campy cranks) in the future, but not for awhile.

Strippers get all the fun...

Last night I started to rip off all of the parts that the bike came with and start to figure out what I need to replace, as well as what I want to get. I knew off the bat that I am officially going to make this a fixie so I removed all of the shifting equipment (Derailleurs, levers, lines), and then threw on the chain and wheels from my Schwinn to see how it would look This is the first state that it was in...


After peeping on this for a bit, I was pretty much okay with the color scheme; yellow would be rad though... The next step was me starting to tear this beast down to its frame so that I could swap the cranks from my Schwinn to get rid of the 90lbs cranks that were on the bike.




While in the process of removing the saddle and seat tube, I noticed the saddle bracket; and I know this is pretty much trivial shit but I still think it is rad that something like this was built in country and not shipped form china.




Then seeing how things were laid out on the floor I had to take a couple of glamour shots...



I then took off the stem and handlebars hoping to no lose any of the bearings in the headset. In the end there was no point for me to be worried as there already were quite a few bearings already missing...


After I got the headset cups all cleaned up I tossed out the old bearings, and hung up the frame just because I could.


From then I helped my lady fix her brakes on the Schwinn that was pictured above, and then attempted to remove the cranks. Surprisingly the drive side cotter pin was cake to remove, to whack of a hammer and it was out of there. The other side was another issue in itself... after emptying the bottle of wd40 and countless whacks on the pin I gave up. I figure that I need to head to the local bike shop anyways and they should have a bolt pusher/puller that I can use to get this thing out.

Until next time

Twins from different ages.

Twins from different ages.

After a few of the shots that I took from my 1976ish Dawes Galaxy and my Dad's 1972 Dawes Galaxy I started looking into the differences; some of them were as clear as day to spot while others you had to look to find.


First off you can see that there is a clear difference in the color scheme as well as in sticker placement. What is not easily seen is that the Dawes sticker on the chain stay is vacant on my bike. One other is the Saddles; while mine is a Brooks saddle, my fathers is an off shoot (the name escapes me right now, but I know it isn’t a real Brooks).



Here is a closer look at the difference in the decal set. Take note of the front badge; my dad's badge is outlined in silver while mine is in gold.



The stems, while very similar are quite different once you look at them.


The seat tube decals are very different. On my dad's there is a crest with the Latin words "Capite Vestra Gaudia Ex Dawes" which roughly translates into "Your Joyous Tenure from Dawes." On the other hand, my decal has the Olympic rings below the Dawes Torch. In all reality, the Olympic rings are the only thing that ties my bike's manufacture date was in 1976



The Cranks are completely different. My dad's crank arms were made by Stronglight, while mine were made by Nervar. The Chain ring ratio is different as well; my dad's is 52/46, while mine are 50/42. I was going to touch upon the Derailleur, but upon closer inspection it seems as though both my front and rear derailleurs have been changed from original factory spec. The way that I determined that is by looking at the down tube shifters, both of ours are simplex.



To the rear end of the bike we have the cassettes, and as you can vividly see there is quite a difference. Even though I haven't counted the sprockets, the pictures should do it enough justice. Knowing my dad he didn’t change it, and I am pretty sure that my gearing is stock as well.



The final difference is the placement of the serial number; my dad's is on the bottom bracket, while mine is on the horizontal dropouts.

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In the end it is pretty interesting how much a bike can change without appearing to change within a few years.

Building time! The prequel to ease.

FINALLY!! I have found a 76ish Dawes Galaxy that is mine for the molding! Before I get into the details as to why the Galaxy is fantastic I need to at least mention this; I was going to get a track frame, and not just some eBay frame but a track frame straight off the tuckus of the velodrome. But then I started thinking about it...

Why would I need a track frame? Sure they are pretty damn light, they are sexy slender, and have some of the most beautiful geometry in the world, but the fact of the matter is I don’t go to the velodrome. I ride around the streets of my town, long distance coastal rides, and when the moment arises through city streets. So what is the point? A light frame can only go so far, as the wheels that I have are a bit heavy and the best way to increase your speed is to the lower the rotational mass, and not the weight of the frame. The geometry, while extremely impressive, is built for short distances where aerodynamics is key and comfortability gets thrown out the window. Sure all those cool hipster kids are doing it without brakes, but c'mon there is nothing cool about having a sore bum after an hour of riding (pun intended). This brings me to the 70s Dawes Galaxy.



(The bike with the Bullhorn handle bars is my Pop's, and the one with the drops is the one I just bought.)


The Dawes Galaxy was built in England as a touring bike, as in long rides with all your gear. It was not built for going to class, like the Schwinn Varsity, but for having class. The detail that Dawes took on this bike was something to love. Granted I am pretty biased. My father's first real bike was a 1972 Dawes Galaxy, bought brand new and still has it today (and thanks to a little elbow grease and some car mechanic's know-how we were able to get it back in running condition; he still takes it for a spin now and then). But I digress... back to the beauty of the Galaxy.


The frame is made out of Reynolds 531 Cromoly Steel. Right from the get-go the chassis was made out of the same material that the Jaguar used for their 60s E-Type subframes. The chassis is longer than most, giving the rider that lackadaisical feel so that one can be at ease with the bike, rather than just sitting on a bike.


Then you have the pieces that hold it all together, the Lugs. The detail work that Dawes had for the bicyclette is pretty staggering. The only way to get this kind of craftsmanship now-a-days is to buy a custom bike


I have seen countless bikes with a full chrome fork look gorgeous, but they always look out of place with the rest of the bike. While I am not the biggest fan of chrome I do adore what Dawes has done to fix my dilemma, chrome caps followed by a hint of color leading back to the shine. Not too much chrome, but just enough. (Note: the fork is actually all chrome, Dawes just painted over it in that little splotch)


The engraved handle bars give that touch of class that so many of the vintage cycles out there just don’t have. Granted it is probably going to be covered with some handle bar tape, but it doesn’t matter; it is the same understated and hidden class that makes a bike beautiful and a suit sartorial.


Sure there are better bikes out there, but in the end none of that really matters. After all you are the engine that is powering the machine; why not make your life a bit more fun?



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So with me finding this awesome bike to start a new project on, what do I do to it? Do I leave the Paint as is, or do I strip it and get her looking like new? If I want to make it look new I would have to get all of the decals made, and powder coat the frame. Do I make it vintage perfect with brooks and all the other tid bits, or do I upgrade with clipless pedals, and a better drive train? Do I convert it to a bougie fixie with campy and cinelli, or leave it as it with some minor modern upgrades?

There was another reason I bought this bike... My dad's bike needs some loving. His original bars were bent way out of whack due to some jerk face hitting him while he was in college (1970s), and his main crank derailleur lever broke while I was shifting it on one of my longer rides. I told him that we could replace all of these with some newer bits, but he wants to keep things original. So the priority right now of the bike is a part bike.

Who knows what the future may bring; I have fallen back into MGS4 Online, and my lady and I had yet another discussion...

Things they are a-changin

new wheels

new wheels, originally uploaded by crazyoctopus.

Picked up some strong wheels (deep Vish Rims, with formula hubs) at the best bike shop (Adams Ave Bicycle) for next to nothing!

Next week I pick up some shoes and pedals!

base_system

base_system, originally uploaded by crazyoctopus.

Finally someone has drawn a map that I agree with
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/base_system.png