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first road race

last weekend, i went down to harrisburg with eban and holly to ride in the cherry pie. they had a fixed gear class so i figured what the fuck. it was my first road race and i learned quite a bit. the first was not to make changes you your bike the night before. i'd swapped to a smaller cog and wasn't really comfortable pushing that big a gear. i kept up with the pack for about half of it but it was a pretty small pack so when i got dropped there wasn't anyone to draft off so i ended up riding the rest by myself. i passed the women b's and then did my best to stay in front of them. i thought i'd done pretty badly but it turns out i beat out seven other riders.

this weekend i'm going to hit up the jack frost time trial. should be a good time.

loosing things

i got an email this morning from a girl looking for contributions for a zine on loosing things. here's what i sent her:

Back in the summer of 2001, my best friend and I rode bikes from Reno, NV to Portland, OR and then to Washington, DC. I had a Palm VII with a modem that I used to write up daily journal entries that I mailed out to friends, family and people we met along the way. After we left Chicago, I started getting behind in the emails. My dad was going to be in DC for a meeting and if we timed it right we'd be able to stay in his hotel. To keep on schedule we were riding more each day and I didn't have time to write. I'd do an outline of each day's events, planning to finish them up when we had some time in DC.

The last 180 miles of the trip we rode on the C&O tow path from Cumberland, MD into Georgetown. The path is follows the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal that was constructed in the first half of the 1800s. The barges were towed by mules who walked on the path. It was a beautiful change from highway shoulders. No cars, easy camping, lots of nice people and wonderful scenery.

The final day, less than 80 miles from DC, my Palm computer fell from my sadle bag where I'd kept it the entire trip. I didn't notice that it was missing for a few miles. We spent almost three hours riding back and forth looking for it. I was pretty bumbed out about the whole thing. Besides all the half-finished emails, I had addresses of people who'd let us stay with them that wanted to mail thank you notes to, statistics on stupid things like the number of loaves of bread we'd eaten and flat tires we'd fixed. I don't think it was the loosing that bothered me but where I'd lost it, that close to the end.

good riding day

dan and mikey got back into town yesterday. this morning i got up early and went down to city hall to greet jim mullner, the nation bicycle greenway rider who was meeting mayor tom potter. i know martin, the guy who runs the nbg, was trying to get people to come out but it was just me and a lady from the BTA. i ended up riding south with him to make sure he got on 99W okay. it was a pretty nice ride if you're into 5-lane rodes with variable amounts of bike lane.

this evening dan, mikey and i went down and rode in dabby's birthday alleycat. it was confusing as fuck but a good time.

almost forgot!

i got to go ride in the 2005 naccc (north american cycle courier championships). unsuprisingly, i didn't make it out of the qualifiers but it was great to see. there were some amazing riders there doing some insane shit on fixed gears. i took plenty of photos, 2/3rds of which are up on flickr.

i think it was pretty inspiring to just about everyone there. i had several conversations about how the event just made you want to turn it up a notch. i've finally got the track stand down but i can't skid for the life of me. seeing people go skidding down a hill and around the turn at the bottom has me majorly fired up to learn how to do that by the end of the summer.

fixed gear bomb

did my first fixed gear zoobomb on the john deere last night. sadly the zipper on my coat got stuck trapping my camera so there are no pictures to show for it. had a really good time with it but i don't think it'll become a regular occurrence.

out to the races

billy spaceman, kristine and i went out to the cross crusade. it was a really good time and best of all i found out that i won the election pool. i'd put five dollars down betting that we'd know who the president was on november 3rd. now all i've got to do is call the guy who organized it and collect my wad.

bikes and zines

there was a lot of really cool stuff going on today. the 4th annual portland zine syposium is going on at my very own school. i traded the split issue of bui #1 and osr #4 for a bunch of cool zines.

later that afternoon i went over to the 2nd annual multnomah county bike fair (part of the pedal palooza. it was oodles of fun, they had a derby, high bike jousting, eating while riding and other wierd bike games. i was trying to get a picture for the cover of bui #4 which was supposed to be finished this weekend. as you might have guessed, it was delayed. i guess it'll delayed a little more since i'm headed down to reno next week.

fixed gear mountain biking

for future reference: 63xc all things fixed gear and off road. so cool.

oh, i should mention that i'm building a fixie. bought some 32-hole deep dish bright orange aero rims yesterday. i think i'm gonna buy some paul high flange track hubs when i get the next paycheck, then it's all about finding a frame.

portland bike brawl

last month there was one crazy ass bike brawl here in town. some cyclists let the air out of a drunk guy's tires so he wouldn't drive off. drunk guy and his friends found the cyclists and fight ensued. indymedia has a write up on it.

did i ever tell you the story of the pretty lady?

once upon a time, i bought a bike at a thrift store in reno. it was a 20 inch kids biked named the pretty lady. it cost five dollars. the pretty lady went to burning man with me then returned to reno to live in the katherinehouse's shed. last christmas charles drove it and it's cousin the turbocycle up to portland for me. about two weeks ago my mechanic billy spaceman helped me put together a bastardized track wheel for it. "don't pedal it backwards", he told me, "this is either one of the stupidest or one of the most dangerous projects i've ever been a part of, i can't make up my mind". oh it was a thing to behold. i loved it so. the day after it was finished, i left it locked up out front of krista's building. along came some evil little bmx fuckers and stole my bastardized track wheel for the tire. the left behind a sad, sad lady. sooner or later i'll get another wheel together and the pretty lady will ride track once again.

okay enough of that tone. the side effect of the theft is that i'm doing a story on bike theft for my news radio class. i've interviewed the campus public safety office's director of operations and some random cyclists. i think it's going to come together really well. more news to follow.

so i finally got hit

after 5+ years of riding regularly i finally got hit by a car. actually, let's say bumped, it's more accurate. i was riding down market st and crossing park ave as a honda sedan pulled out in front of me. i couldn't tell if they were going to punch it or stop so i started cussing at them as i slammed on the brakes and tried to point the bike out in front of them so if it came down to it i'd end up on the hood instead of tacoing a wheel in to their door.

when she finally stopped my thigh was pretty much resting on her hood. if it hadn't been for the clipless pedals i probably would have stayed on my feet. as it were i couldn't kick out and ended up with a bruise on the back of my calf from hitting the top tube as i fell over. i was pretty pissed when i got to my feet. the girl and her friend got out. she was white as a sheet. the four pedestrians that had just crossed the street helped me move the bike out of the street and reminded me to check that it was alright.

after looking at the bike next thought was settlement. i've got a few friends who've gotten new bikes after getting hit. i felt fine and i didn't really want to fuck with. it was a bad intersection and obviously an accident, i was in a hurry to get down to senator smith's office to drop off the moveon.org petition. with an hour of hindsight i realize i could of at least gotten a free tune-up out of it.

but let this be a lesson for you. no matter how fine you feel, always get their information, you can always throw it away later.

the couch bike

martin (for lack of a better link) sent a link to a story about a couple of guys who ride across prince edward island on a home made couch bike. it's pretty funny stuff.

best interbike ever!

down in vegas with bill, mike and evan (hereinafter the river city boys). it's been a blast so far. take a look at the first round of pictures. below is the picture of weeman stealing our cab out front of the doubledown.

osr and bui are done

the spaceman and i wrapped up issue #4 of the one speed revolution and issue #1 of bui (bikeculture under the influence) on thursday night. friday we got 500 copies back from the printer. today i got pdf versions ready for the web. tomorrow we fly down to vegas for interbike.

i'm really happy with how it turned out. we put the two zines together, back-to-back in a double issue. i didn't get to do as much writing this year, i was mostly doing the layout and prepress stuff, got quite a few of my pictures in it though. i hope everyone will take a few minutes to check out osr #4 and bui #1. thanks.

another one speed revolution

bill spaceman and i spent a chunk of the day today working on this year's issue of one speed revolution. it's going to be a split-issue with our new zine bui (biking under the influence) which will have a more general audience than osr.

a side note: i updated the pdf on the website. i'd gotten some reports that the old one would crash acrobat on page 7. if you had this happen you might want to try this version out.

brand new bike

well i'd been looking at the bianchi siss for quite a while now and yesterday i finally broke down and bought it. man oh man, it rides like a dream. i'll probably be posting even less now that i've got a fun new bike to ride.

one speed revolution is finished

spaceman and i put issue #3 of the one speed revolution to bed tonight. we're at kinkos right now getting the printing done. you can view a pdf of it here.

it's been a long night, i'm glad to have it done but i've got a quiz in chemistry at 09:00. fuck

BikePacking

Packing

When you're transporting yourself and gear you need to travel light. Consider each item you pack carefully you're going hauling it a long way. Martin's checklist is a great place to start planning but don't feel that you have to bring everything. Do a couple of practice trips and see what you need.

• Don't pack excessive clothing (look for a future article to address minimalist clothing)
• The great thing about touring is you don't have to carry all your food with you, you can purchase it along the way.
• Make use of Zip-Lock and the plastic bags you get from the supermarket when you pack. They're a lifesaver if you find out that your water-proof bag isn't or some messy food items spills.

Picking a spot to camp

It should go without saying if you don't wait until it's dark it's much easier.

• Pick a spot that won't be a lake if it rains.�
• Look for someplace that's off the road enough that people can't see your tent, it helps prevent trouble. People aren't going to bother you if they don't see you, whether it's the owner of the vacant field, vandals, or the police. For the same reason pick a tent that isn't a bright color.
• Be respectful of whoever's land you're staying on. Practice zero impact camping, if you brought it with you take it with you.
• A big plus is something you can lock your bike to like a fence or tree.

Cooking Equipment I Carry

• Single cook pot with lid and pot lifter. The lid is important, Keep it on the pot whenever your cooking, less heat is lost saving you fuel.
• 3-cup resealable Rubbermaid container. The Rubbermaid container is very versatile; you can drink out of it, if you've got two people one can eat out of it while the other eats out of the pot, and you can store leftovers in it for the next meal.
• Lexan spoon. I don't bother with a fork because a spoon can eat anything a fork can (sometimes it takes just a little more effort).
• 2 32oz. Lexan Nalgene Bottles (the ones with the wide mouth). I like the wide mouth because as you stop to fill up water sometimes people will ask if you want some ice. Good luck fitting it into a regular bottle. It's also nice if you want to soak beans, or even just mix a drink mix in to overpower the taste of some gross water. A great way to sanitize these is to use the microwave at a 7-11, just make sure you keep an eye on it.
• 2 Liter Soda Bottle. This is great for water storage, not only is it lightweight but it's cheap and easy to replace. You don't have to worry about cleaning it, just get a new one every couple of weeks.

Cooking/Cleaning

Your not at home so you don't cook or clean like you're at home.

• Use a minimum of dishes, it's less stuff to clean.
• Once you've eaten use a piece of bread to wipe off all the extra food (the bachelor's sponge). Wipe it off good then put it way, next time you cook wait till the water's boiling and dip your spoon and cup/bowl to sterilize them.

Hygiene type stuff

Since a good portion of your trip will be going through civilization you really need to keep yourself clean.�

• It's amazing what you can do with a washcloth and a bar of Lever 2000 soap in a restroom, of course be respectful of the proprietors and other customers.
• When in the middle of nowhere you can use your pot to haul water away from the creek/river/lake (sunscreen, bug spray and soap are all more polluting than you'd guess). Wet your washcloth and then rub on a little soap, lather up and then rise. Feel free to practice in you're bath tub ;)

When answering nature's call:

• Conserve toilet paper just use enough to keep your hands clean when you're cleaning-up.
• Be responsible, dig a six inch cat hole to crap in, and you take your used TP with you and put it into your trash bag. The crap will be gone long before the TP starts to break down.
• Make sure you wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap when you're done. It only helps keep you from getting sick
• Flatten your roll of toilet paper and keep it in a Ziploc bag, it's definitely one thing you don't want getting wet.

Breaking down camp

It's all about getting an early start The mornings are the best time to ride, generally you've got till 10 or 11am before the wind starts to pick up and it's much more pleasant to ride before the day really heats up. One way to speed up your departure is to pack up at night, stow everything you don't need to sleep. When you wake up roll up your sleeping bag, take down the tent pack them both up and hit the road. Don't eat till you've got 15 miles behind you and you can make the most of the mornings.

Miscellaneous Stuff

• Bring a notepad, you'll have all kinds of stuff to write down, people you meet's addresses, things you'd like to have next time, directions, etc.
• Think about taking a bike lock. If it's the keyed kind make sure you have at least 3 keys. The 1st on your person, the 2nd as a back-up in your bag, and the 3rd left with your support person back at home (that way if you loose the other two they can FedEx it to you).

Suggested Reading:

Beyond Backpacking : Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine

Bikes

God damn Bill Spaceman would be proud. There's not a single bicycle in the country with more than one speed, and all the brakes use rods not cables. I guess when you build bikes like that you can give them to your kids when you die but man are they a lot more difficult to ride.

Oh shit I almost forgot, THEY ALL RIDE WITH FUCKING FLAT TIRES. It drives me nuts don't they realize how important proper tire pressure is? It prevents flat tires and makes riding n times more efficient. I'm going to get a pump and become the bike Mother Teresa, I'll have grease too.