Enginerve : Bikes

10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain…a 100% reason to remember the name

  • Missed the Ronde PDX on the day of the 2011 Amstel Gold so planning on tackling the route, shown below, on May 30th in the morning.

    Let me know if you are interested.

    We ride to finish!

  • FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft from michael evans on Vimeo.

    Filmmaker Michael John Evans sets out to visually portray “the zone” which one enters when their craft is honed.

    Sean Walling, owner of Soulcraft, builds top notch custom steel bicycle frames. This short film documents Sean’s fabrication methods: a well choreographed dance of experience and muscle memory producing a seemingly effortless ode to process.
    From Steel: invites the viewer into Sean’s machine shop for an up close and personal look at the work that results in yet another awesome Soulcraft.

    Musical score provided by the internationally praised duo, Mattson 2. Courtesy of Galaxia Records.

    Directed by: Michael John Evans: www.michaeljohnevans.com

    Starring: Sean Walling: www.soulcraftbikes.com

    Music by: The Mattson 2: www.mattson2.com

  • Disclaimer: I provide a local weather station for Wundermap in support of bike commuters, riders, and local weather forecasting.

    I ran across this application, Road Trip Planner, on Weather Underground,  for providing weather forecasts to help in planning a road trip.  I like the idea, but entering my own cities seems so time consuming, I wish I could just click on the map, or upload a quick CSV file.

  • I am the last man in the house to switch cassettes and it allowed me to switch wheels in preparation for building a wheel with a new rim. Commuting is a bit of wear and tear on the equipment.

    Cassette Cog Lockring Removal and Installation

    Shimano®, Campagnolo®, Sun Tour®, Sun Race®, Chris King®, DT-Hugi®, and other brands.

     

    If your cogs look like this, you probably have a lockring type cassette.

    With the modern cassette cog systems, all cogs are fitted with splines. Cogs slide onto the freehub body and are held in place by a lockring. The lockring sits outward from the smallest cog. Look for the word, “LOCK”, and an arrow on the lockring indicating direction to turn for locking. Turn the lockring counter-clockwise, the opposite way of the arrow, to loosen it. There may be a loud noise when the lockring breaks loose. There is often knurling under the lockring to help keep it in place, and this knurling makes noise when the ring is loosened or tightened.

    Mount bike in repair stand and remove rear wheel from bike.

    a. Remove quick release skewer.

    b. Inspect cassette and select correct type of remover.

    c. Engage remover into splines/notches.

    d. Install quick release skewer and install skewer nut on outside of remover.

    e. Snug skewer nut against remover. Skewer acts as a holding device for freewheel removal tool.

    f. Hold cogs in clockwise direction with sprocket chain whip tool. Turn remover counter-clockwise, using a large adjustable wrench, the hex end of another Park Tool sprocket chain whip tool SR-1, or the Park Tool freewheel wrench FRW-1. It will require force to remove the lockring. Expect to hear a loud clicking sound as the locking teeth of the lockring separate.

    (more…)

  • HERE by Justin Delaney (RSS feed) on Mar 3rd 2011 at 3:30PM

     

    VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

    I have seen insanity and it happens on the streets of Valparaiso, Chile. The Valparaiso Cerro Abajo Race is a legendary urban bike race and is more extreme than skydiving out of an exploding F-18 piloted by Charlie Sheen – while chugging a 2 liter of Mountain Dew. The rider must brave jumps, stray dogs, and flights of stairs along the steep downhill path. The first person perspective provided by the excellent helmet cam lets us take in every glorious and frightening detail. Do yourself a favor and watch this one in full screen mode.

    Also, check out this roundup from the 2011 race, which was won by Filip Polc.

  • Well it did wonders for the mice in this study according to the NYTimes.

    But shiny fur was the least of its benefits. Indeed, in heartening new research published last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise reduced or eliminated almost every detrimental effect of aging in mice that had been genetically programmed to grow old at an accelerated pace.

  • Injured my calf in January and now find myself with the injury coming and going having to sit for an extended period of time.  Off the bike as it seems to tighten the calf and then it injures itself running.  After all these years of doing both, it seems odd that I finally am bitten with this sort of injury.  I haven’t changed my routine that much, and therein lies my problem.  But I can’t afford a coach and I don’t have a current running partner in Portland to lean on, so I am simply going to rest it, no running or biking for a week, and then ease back in.

    Where does this leave me for the big Mother’s Day half marathon competition?  Reading Andrew Gertig’s article How to Hack a Marathon If You Aren’t a Runner for inspiration that no matter what training level I ultimately have, I will finish and survive it.  Blasting through the run in a top 10 age group time is out of the question now.