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Showing posts with label Raleigh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raleigh. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2013

DIY, Part Two

After getting some help with the disc brakes, (some help is a laughable excuse for "had a mechanic install and adjust") on my Raleigh XXIX, I asked more than one mechanic about a knocking on the crank arm. After a brief inspection and a little intuition, the consensus was re-greasing the Egg Beater pedals. The nice thing about them is they clip in and out well, are easy cleared of dirt, snow and mud, have a warranty and also come with instructions.
I peppered the mechanic with questions anyway...then waited 36 hours before finding the instructions and getting on with it.  Compared to disc brakes, the re-greasing was not overly complicated. I also managed to actually ride a little today, and took a couple pictures of Minnehaha Falls. I've been in a state of lethargy and "active recovery" since the Birkebeiner, and even a short ride on a nice day was kind of epic.

Crank Brothers Pedals, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney


Crans Brothers pedals, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Crank Brothers Egg Beaters, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Drinking Fountain, Minneapolis, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Swing State, part 2

Riding to Wirth, Feb. 3 2013.  Photo property of Steve Kovtis.
Last week I rode out to my hometown of Stillwater and back, about a fifty mile ride, using my single speed mountain bike.  I had the wind at my back heading NorthEast, and cycled into a pretty direct, cold headwind on my return.  Half of the ride was recorded on Strava, using my iphone app, and I took a picture about two thirds of the way out - there was a solid half hour difference in having a tailwind versus a headwind.




This past weekend, I spent some time riding into Minneapolis to volunteer for the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation, as well as again racing in their annual cornerstone event, the City of Lakes Loppet.  I see other cyclists every time I am riding, be it on a solo shot to Stillwater and back or along the Greenway corridor in Minneapolis - not all on modified mountain bikes or single speed fixies.

Here are a couple of photos from the Loppet weekend, as well as a link to my Flickr set.  Enjoy.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlmck/sets/72157632685148733/

Hoigaards Classic, Feb 3, 2013.  Photo courtesy of skinnyski.com

Gateway Trail, 1-25-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Ski Orienteering, Feb 2, 2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney

Snow Sculpting, Feb. 2, 2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Skijoring race, Feb. 2, 2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Ice Bike races, Feb. 2, 2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.





http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlmck/sets/72157632685148733/

Finally, I sold my Schwinn steel frame Worldsport yesterday, that had caused me trouble in the past, (4-23-2012).  A really good piece of advice, about selling one's own property; "Don't sell your bike, your books or your tools."  As I've had trouble learning the trade of salesmanship, both on the floor of a retail shop and on the interent with E-Bay, it makes a lot of sense to me.  Hopefully the time that went into the maintenance of the bike will have its own rewards, as I have to wait a month for the bike's identity to be verified with the police before receiving any profits from the sale.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Swing state

Seventy degrees on Saturday. Below freezing with a nasty wind chill on Monday. From 115 PSI in 700 x 25 tires on 27 inch wheels with 27 gears, to 45 PSI in 29 x 55 tires on 29 inch wheels with one gear.