'Man .. I need to log some miles!' OR 'What the Hell is up with this weather?'

I have this thing about over using the word 'Man' in conversation. 'ah man' or 'Look man, what's the deal'. But lately what really gets under my skin is people who say 'like' every other word or 'Then I said' every other sentence. English ... people ... learn to use it. Not that I was an English major man, like cut me a break. Then I said 'Man, it it ever going to warm up? Like, this weather is putting the kybosch on my Spring training'.

Really, all joking aside, if you really want to get bummed out about the weather in Pennsylvania in April ... go to Florida in March. It was 80, I was on the beach drinking BL Limes. It was awesome.

Fast forward not 4 weeks. It has rained every other day and not gotten out of the 50's! I rode Thursday after work. Again, in the 50's. I thought 'Huh, this ain't bad'. So I headed out with no arm warmers. About 10 miles out and I'm cruising along ... no worries. When you guessed it, it temperature dropped about 5 degrees and the wind picked. Up. Rain was headed my way.

So I high tailed it back to the barn fighting a really weird cold head wind. All the while I'm dressed for July mid-day riding. Not good. If I hadn't had my head firmly implanted in my keister and would have had my cell phone with me, I would have bailed on this one.

So long story short; I have 60 miles on the year and a Metric Century coming up in 3 weeks. It needs to be Spring real soon or my early cycling season is looking dismal man. Like, you know, like, really not good man.

Enough rant!

Peace out!

El Shiv

Project 'Bluto' the 29er Single Speed Road Bike is (wait for it) .... DONE!

So I said I was going to re-task my 29er Mountain bike into an Urban Assault Vehicle. Well it's done! It was actually pretty easy and inexpensive to complete. 

I had a set of 42mm road (drop) bars and an old 3T stem ... on they went. 

I had to buy a set of Tektro single speed road levers for less than $20.00. 

The Disk Brake Wheels are a Craig's List find. And since the original front wheel got taco'd in our basement wall collapse ... I needed wheels anyway. I paid the kid $50.00 for these with the 11 tooth cog. They are most likely a $300.00 set of wheels. The downside was I had to drive to Jarredsville Maryland about an hour and a half away. No big ... I dig rad trips.

The disk brakes are cheapo Nashbar manufactured by Avid ... less than $40.00!

Cheap cork tape for the bars ... $7.00

A couple of cable housings and a brake alignment at World Cup Ski and Cycle ... $24.00

So less than a hundred and here we go. I have an extra wheel in the basement to a fixed gear hub will be built sometime in the future.

I have to tell you, I just road the thing for the first time and it is even trippier than it's straight up mountain bike former self. I think I'll shop around for some 29er passive road tires and take her on a club ride. It is ubber fast but climbs like an old Rambler that only has third gear! But hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Peace out!

El Shiv