Summer Riding and the Seagull Century

This summer, my dad and I did a whole lot of riding! We rode in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, like we do every year, and in October, we completed the Seagull Century in Salisbury, Delaware.

More details to follow...

Mission Successful

This weekend I went looking for parts for the 1200. After going to a few bike shops previously, I figured that the group I wanted to put on it, shimano 105, would cost about $900. While this might sound like a lot, it's actually less than I would have paid if I bought the group online rather than through the shop. In addition, my family gets a discount because we are Potomac Pedalers. 

However, when we went to The Bike Club, we were surprised to learn that we could get some older parts for less, a lot less. We were able to pick and choose what we wanted, and we bought parts that were a little worn, but still good. In fact, we got shimano 600, the predecessor to ultegra, for $240, including labor. 

There is an important caveat. We got a $100 credit for the parts that came off the 1200 and two wheels that we no longer had any use for. In the end, we paid $200 cash along with the $100 credit. 

The mechanics at The Bike Club were extremely helpful, and they let me help mount many of the components on the frame. They were knowledgable and I recommend them to anyone trying to restore a bike. They have many, many older components collected over the years by their owner. 

Looking for parts in the shop is like a treasure hunt and a history lesson all in one.  

American Stripping Company

When I first started rebuilding my dad's 1200, I had no idea where to start. I stripped the frame of all the components and then it sat for a while until last summer when I decided that it was finally time to repaint it. I went to Home Depot and got some chemical paint remover, which worked well but didn't provide the result I was looking for, so I went to my local Spokes etc where they recommended American Stripping Company.

While it might sound like a gentleman's club or something of the like, American Stripping Company is a great place to get a frame stripped and powder coated. I highly recommend them to anyone in northern Virginia. 

The service they provided was outstanding and the prices were incredibly reasonable. The people who worked there were friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic about their jobs. My frame and fork took about a week to strip and paint, and bikes are not the only thing that they can service. As you can see from the picture I posted earlier, there are an abundance of colors and not all are powder coating options. 

I'll post the link to their website under the "resources" tab.

Oops

Alright. After spending almost $200 on that beautiful paint job, I learned that we made a mistake. If you take a close look at the fork, you can see that the race for the ball bearings in the headset is still attached and slightly painted over. This is a problem because even if we found a headset that would fit, the ball bearings that allow the steerer tube to steer would literally be ripped apart by the unevenness of the race. Unfortunately, with the age of the frame, the steerer tube is only 1 inch, while most today are 1 1/8 inch. In addition, the steerer tube is threaded. Essentially, make sure you have the race removed before paint; good luck finding a 1 inch steerer tube and a headset for it.

That '88 1200

It has been much too long. Finally, we have taken my dad's 1988 Trek 1200 to the paint shop. The first picture is the frame after I stripped and painted it myself, but after deciding that it didn't really like this paint job, I went to my local bike shop and asked for a stripping/painting location. They recommended American Stripping Company, and the third picture show the colors that were available. The final two pictures show the outcome!

Bike versus Car

I'm exceedingly fortunate. When I 'go to work' I have a two flights of stairs commute. Most of you don't have that luxury and many people don't live in bike friendly environments. That's been changing in a lot of urban and suburban locales and while you may not have seriously given thought to adding a day or two of biking to your jobs during the work week here's a compelling article about what it could mean if more of us did use bikes as transportation.

http://sustainablelinfield.edublogs.org/2011/05/23/making-the-shift-moving-from-motor-vehicles-to-bicycles/

Bike Fitting Page Part 2

I added two websites that should help you fit yourself to a bike and get it adjusted so that it is comfortable for you. I still recommend that you go to a bike shop where they can professionally fit you to a bike.

Bike Fitting Page

I have added a Bike Fitting Page and will update it with some information about fitting a bike soon. If you have any suggestions for pages I should add or have any questions please don't hesitate to comment on any post. Check out the new page!

Welcome!

Just a quick note to welcome our first follower Chris S.

Chris has already made a contribution to the blog dealers section and I'd like to encourage all our readers to ask questions, leave comments, and, most importantly add whatever they would in terms of bike knowledge, their bicycling adventures, and whatever else they'd like to tell us.

Trail Etiquette

Riding is fun, good exercise and enjoyable for the whole family. However, it is very important to come in from a ride upright and not in the hospital. To do this you should always follow the rules of the trail, called trail etiquette. Several times while riding on the Mount Vernon Trail, the Cape Cod Rail Trail, or in Rock Creek Park I have witnessed cyclists not following these simple but lifesaving rules.

1) Always pass on the other person's left
2) Never walk or ride against traffic
3) Use hand signals to tell people where you are going
4) Look behind you before you pass
5) If you see someone standing on the side of the trail, ask them if they need help

If you follow these simple rules you can be sure that you a keeping yourself and the people around you safe, the ultimate goal of cycling is to have fun and get exercise while staying safe.

Choosing a Bike Shop

There are probably several bike shops in your area as is true in my area. You should try to go to a well-known bike shop that only sells bikes, not a place like Target, Walmart, or Toys 'R Us, because they sell non-related items. If you go to one of these places to purchase a bike or to get your bike serviced, you may not be as pleased as if you went to a bike-specific store. Better places to go might include Lands End, REI, Hudson Trail Outfitters, or L.L. Bean. I'm pretty sure these stores sell bikes at most of their locations, although they may not service all their bikes at these locations. If you go to these stores, you will certainly be more satisfied than if you went to the other stores mentioned above. The best places to go are bike stores like Performance or Spokes. There are certainly more bike shops, but most are local and you will have to find them yourself.

Bike Lanes

Choosing Your Trails

I bike on all kinds of trails almost every day. Bumpy mountain trails, paved trails, and gravel. I use my mom's ATB (All Terrain Bike) You need to choose the trails that you ride by the kind of bike that you have, or you could end up injuring yourself or damaging your bike.

You should ride mountain trails only if you have a suspension, either front shocks or front and rear shocks. Paved trails are for every kind of bike, but is just about the only place other than a road that you can ride a road bike, a bike without shocks and thin, high pressure tires. Finally, you can ride gravel if you have a hybrid, or a mountain bike (ATB) with or without shocks as long as they have thicker tires.

"What's Your Point?"

Riding a bike is one of the most fun and basic things a child can do. It is a slice of freedom combined with easy, healthy exercise. Imagination soars while riding a pretend motorcycle, racing in le Tour de France, flying in the sky on a two wheeled Pegasus. Even for adults, bicycling can help maintain health and fitness while giving a release from the every day care and concerns faced in our grown up lives.

Biking is fun and healthy...and it is also something that can be dangerous and deadly.

I was riding on a converted rail bed trail this week on two different occasions and saw things that were chilling. Riders with no helmets, riders entering the main path from the side paths at high speed without looking, parents not teaching their young children how to hold their line and staying to the right when riding, and people riding two and three across and NOT paying attention to oncoming riders.

At various times I said something, okay, shouted something like, "Hold your line!", or "Bike up!" I always let walkers, runners, and slower bicyclists know I was approaching them from behind and then would say, "Passing your left" just as I would overtake them.

During one ride this week a family of about six just ahead of us, two adults and four young children, veered sharply from the right of the path to their left and landed in a thud on the ground on the other side of the path. None of them wore head gear. One of the boys actually took the turn so sharply that he crashed onto the grass but seemed okay. We were about 10 to 15 yards behind them when this happened and as I passed the crashed boy one of the other children looked up at me.

I asked him, "Did you look over your shoulder before you did that?" He had no answer and a few yards further down the path I heard the mother shout, "What's your point?"

What's the point mom? Really?

Bike safety is the point. People die from bike accidents, people suffer concussions, neck injuries, broken bones, and dislocated shoulders from bike accidents.

The first thing we taught Robert and Esther after they learned to get and keep a bike moving was to ride in a straight line and stay to the right. We taught them to always wear a helmet and be respectful of other riders and anyone else on the bike path.

What's my point in writing any of this?

I just want people to totally enjoy the simple joy of riding without feeling they have to worry about inconsiderate riders. It's said that it takes all kinds of people to make up the world. The microcosm of the bike path certainly reflects that. There are few uniformed police on most bike paths, the Mount Vernon trail in Northern Virginia being one exception. Riders have to police themselves.

And when it's clear that adults are not teaching their children proper bicycling safety sometimes someone else has to draw attention to that fact.

That's my point, lady.

Bike Adjustments

Today my dad and I put in 44 miles on our road bikes. Throughout the ride I was slightly uncomfortable because my bike is not completely adjusted to me and I am riding on a seat that is new to me. This is me reminding everyone reading that it is very important to make sure your bike fits and is comfortable for you before you ride so that you can enjoy your ride and can get the best workout possible. You can get your bike adjusted at almost every bike repair shop and can even do it yourself if you want.