Driven Outside

random crap from my inner three-year-old

Archive for category Cycling

The “Bike Thing” MAY be getting out of hand…

Aug 10

Posted by matttalley in Cycling | No Comments

I acquired another bike a couple weeks ago and just found out that I am inheriting a new Cyclocross bike from a family member who also has a bike fetish, but who’s wife is not as understanding as mine concerning all the hunks of steel, carbon and aluminum in his basement.  Though, I may be at a tipping point.  One more and I might officially have a substance abuse problem – bike frames CAN be an elicit substance if not consumed in moderation.

As for my latest acquisition:  My Hellbilly neighbors had a yard sale a week or so ago and due to the blaring death metal and the drunken lawn party atmosphere, the sale was lightly attended.  One of the unsold items was a classic Schwinn Varsity that was somewhat beat up and missing a rear wheel.  While walking by on my way to Walgreens, they offered it to me, so I HAD to check it out.  It turned out to be a lime Green 1973 10-speed that was in good overall shape and had original bike registration stickers from Walla Walla, WA (1974-1976) and the negotiated price was a case of PBR Tallboys.  How could I pass up a frame built in the year I was born?!  Such action would border on sacrilege. I paid up and carried the thing to my garage/shop and started stripping all the old parts from the frame.  I am not 100% sure what I am going to do with it just yet – maybe a 3-speed internal rear hub and conversion into a sometimes-commuter and basement trainer?  For now the frame will hang in the garage awaiting time and spare cash for the build-up.

The coming CycloCross bike is a 9-speed Specialized with a beefy tig-welded aluminum frame.  I have to swap the bars and shifters (already have a set from an old bike waiting to be installed) and give it a tune up.  I plan to make her my primary work commuter AND my CycloX race bike come fall.  This will allow me to forever take the commuter wheels/tires off my carbon bike and tune it for solely training and racing.

I am running out of space in the garage rafters.  It is a web of wheels, gears, cables and seats above my workspace.  Since they are all out of the way, I don’t know if my cute little bride understands the full depth of my “collection”  and if any more two-wheeled “ladies” show up she may do some snooping in the garage and the poo will hit the fan – I hate when we “have to have a talk…”   That said, I would still like to have a couple more: a downhill 29er and a folding single speed for the train/travel, but I feel that the physical and financial impact of any cycling purchases in the next couple of years will have a detrimental effect of my love-life and corresponding sleeping arrangements.   I REALLY like my bikes, but I like snuggling up to a warm happy wife a lot more.  I think that I am going to have to start practicing cycling moderation.  That realization hurts a little.

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Getting reacquainted with my two-wheeled mistress

Jul 21

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling | No Comments

IMG_2529_sm

I hadn’t been on my bike since the overloaded ride from Vancouver to Seattle.  I pulled a trail-a-bike (one wheel, handle bars, peddles…) with a 95 pound kid and 80 pounds of gear, including the trailer.  It was squirrelly and scary trying to peddle from dead still, and I will never do it again, but I can say that my bike has never been so smooth once I got above 10mph.  It was like I had installed dampeners on the steering and suspension. The trail-a-bike is off and now for sale.  I switched my chainings and rear cassette back to the pre-suffering setup late last week and brought my bike into work for a ride home.

Holy CRAP!  I almost tumped over 3 times before I got both feet on the pedals.  I couldn’t keep my bike going in a straight line – like I was seriously drunk.  This is a bike that I have put 11K miles on, It feels like part of me when I ride, and can tell when my seat or bars are moved a fraction of an inch.  It took me almost three miles to get it all figured out and control the bike to the point that I felt comfortable.  Thank God that I was on a nice wide paved trail!  If I would have been on the road I would have packed it up, called the wife, and caught a ride home.  It was scary.

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Flippin’ the bird

Jul 20

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, Manners | No Comments

I flipped a senior citizen the bird on my way home today. not a casual, lazy, flick of the wrist sort of obscenity, no no… It was a full on, arm strait out, display of the middle finger that would make any self-respecting British football hooligan proud. What might provoke such behavior one might wonder? Why would a someone who is normally so courteous to the older folk commit such a heinous act against one of our blue-haired citizens? Am I ashamed? Will I feel the need to perform some sort of penitence to balance the violation of my Karma? Nope. The act was completely justified!

I was peddling along, listening to a podcast on the French Revolution, the sun was shining, and traffic was light – a recipe for a fine commute. As I pulled into the home stretch, about a mile and a half from La Maison Du Talley, a red car comes soaring down the hill by Luna Park Cafe and doesn’t look like it is going to heed the stop sign. I looked at the driver as I pulled the break levers hard and she was talking on her cell phone; holding it to her left ear with her right hand. Her left hand was on the top of the wheel completely blocking her ability to turn her head to look in my direction.  She made NO attempt to even glance to her left to see if there was a car or a cyclist or a pedestrian or even a lady with a baby carriage coming from that direction. I skidded to a stop as she rolled a full 10 feet past the stop sign, almost clipping me with her bumper.  I looked at her as disapprovingly as I could, pointed to the stop sign and yelled (only so she could hear me in her cocoon of Detroit steel and over her cell phone conversation)  for her to hang up the phone and drive. I then peddled on, shaking my head in annoyance.

About 30 yards up the road she caught up with me, rolled her window down and screamed at me to watch where I was going and that I was an “asshole.” Other obscenities came spilling out as she sped up, I was shocked and reacted as any cyclist worth his shifters would – finger up and complimented with a vocalization of the same.

I know I have said this a couple of times recently, but I have been hit 5 TIMES while riding and was recently rubbed by a rear-view mirror. Three of those incidences involved someone talking on a cell phone while driving. Look, we all make mistakes from time to time, but for the love of God, put the phone down, buy a headset, and watch for cyclists. This is Seattle, we’re everywhere… I stand by my use of THE Finger this time. In fact, I kinda want to wait at the corner the same time tomorrow so that I can do it again.  I know, I know that would solve nothing and only make her REALLY dislike cyclists. I am sure her side of the story is just as compelling as mine: “I was driving home and some lunatic, drug crazed man on a bike went nuts and screamed at me. I didn’t DO anything, I was just driving and he came out of nowhere and started screaming at me…”

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Vancouver to Seattle Bike Tour

Jul 19

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Kinfolk, road trip | No Comments

Last year I did a 100+ mike bike ride for the American Diabetes Foundation.  I was telling my son about it over the phone – about how hard it was to cycle 100 miles and climb mountains and hills on a bike, when he said “Dad, that sounds REALLY cool.  Do you think we might could do something like that together someday…” Pride welled up in me and I said ‘yes!’  My Boy… taking up the mantel of his father’s interests.  My heart shined knowing that the adventurer bug had bitten deep and early with this one…. I have come to realize that it was not pride in my son, but my own hubris.

When planning out our yearly summer trip I threw in a “simple” bike ride from Vancouver, BC to Seattle – no big deal, right?  Wrong!  I mentioned it to my Father-in-law during the initial planing stages and he asked to come along – I of course said yes and soon after his brother, David, also joined our little two-wheeled group.  I did some route planning, a little bike tuning, changes a few parts here and there, and bought Carlton a tag-a-long bike/trailer before he arrived in Seattle.  I thought that it was all a done deal and we would have a relaxing little three day tour…

I spent four scary days on the road with my 9-year old son and the shear physicality of the ride was possibly the most demanding thing I have ever done on a bike.  While I plan to ride with Carlton as long as I am able, I will NEVER, EVER use a tug-a-bike trailer bike again.  It was squirrely, unstable, and heavy.  I spent 95% of the ride, freaked out about his safety and trying to keep us from hitting the ground.  …Shiver…

Pain and worry aside, the ability to ride with my son was AMAZING – even at its hilly worst!  I got out on the bike, my son was with me, and we spent some quality time with Laurel’s dad and uncle.  I was part of Carlton’s first train ride, his first ferry crossing, his longest bike ride, and his first trip to another country.  My 9 year old son’s strength and fortitude STUNNED me!  I could not have ridden 154 miles when I was 9.  He was terrific and I am so proud of him!  We spent the last night on a sailboat with our extended West Coast  family at Bainbridge Island Harbor and watched the fireworks on the 4th of July.  It was a fitting end to a glorious trip.

Forgive me for a lapse into cliché, but it really is about the journey rather than the destination.  I spent a lot of time twirling the pedals, and listening to him talk while all sorts of things ran through my monkey brain while trying to keep us in one piece.  I came to a few conclusions:

My son is sweeter than I was at his age
He is more stubborn
Bike Trailers SUCK!
My wife’s career is truly flowering and she is finding her way in the work-a-day world
I really and truly want to start my own business
I wish my sister and I were closer
Extra-Strength Tylenol is my forever friend
My father-in-law is loves the debate surrounding a question more than the answer
We (Carlton and I)  will spend more time together next year
My father-in-law is still on his journey of self discovery – what he wants to be when he grows up :-)
I need to write more and finish a couple of articles and my Germany book
There are times that I need to unplug from my cell and e-mail
Tents are better than hotels
I need to prioritize projects at the house and start getting them done
There is a colleague at work who will throw me under the bus without thinking
My knees at 36 are not what they were at 21.
Man, bike trailers with 200lbs of 9-year-old and gear suck!!
The German language has a few REALLY cool words that I wish we used in English more. Trepswerter, Doch, Zeitgeist, Fremdschämen, and Schadenfreude
We have to turn off my cable as soon as Madison leaves this summer
I like the mix of languages during breakfast in an international hostel
Books make my heart happy
Mexican food + cycling for 3 days = BAD!
I need to end the clutter in my life and home office
I REALLY want a Kindle e-reader
Our children are windows to our own behavior and soul
I miss having a large group of friends and need to work on that
The mountains are calling me and I want to make a solo trek after September
Our upcoming wedding has become a serious stressor in my life
We need to trade the Subaru for a Honda.
I really do need 3 more bikes – really
Our bills in Germany piss me off
I love train travel more than any other type of long distance conveyance
Did I mention my feelings on bike trailers?


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My new FREE bike – wife not exactly happy…

Jun 17

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, Gear | No Comments

Can one man truly have to many bikes?  What if they are ALL in working order and some of them were free?  I now own 6 and while rolling through my ally on the way to work Wednesday I found that one of my neighbors threw away an Orange Volksport Mark X  from the early 1970’s. It was in SWEET condition with only a flat front tire.  I threw that bad-boy in the truck and took her to work.  When I got home, I just adjusted the brakes, lubed the chain & cassette, fixed the flat, and gave it an inaugural spin.  The wife isn’t normally thrilled with new bike acquisitions, free or not, but she didn’t seem too mad about this one, but I can’t say she was full of glee either – I think it is the retro orange color that swayed her from the normal, ” YOU GOT ANOTHER BIKE?!?!?” reaction..

Why would someone throw away such a cool old bike?  No, you can’t ride the Tour with it and I am sure they moved on to an aluminum and carbon REI Novara or the like, but it is a funky grocery-go-getter that deserves to still be ridden.  I have decided that it will be both my loaner bike and one of my weekend, to the coffee shop whips.

This new find got me thinking about all the bikes that I have owned in life: I really miss some of them – the BMX that my dad bought me in 1983 is probably the number one that I wish I still rolled.  Below is a list, in no real order, of both the bikes that I have owned and currently ride:

1975 Radio Flyer Tri-cycle
1992 Black Trek Antelope 800 (loaned it out, never came back)
2001 Red and White Trek 1200 (Stolen)
1979 kids bike with yellow rubber “gas tank”
1978 Green Machine Big Wheel (first one in town, BABY!)
1979 Banana Seat blue Schwinn
White & Red 650cc 10-speed (1980’s)
1981 Red and chrome Huffy BMX
Dahon Helos 8 aluminum folder
1983 Raleigh chrome BMX (Thanks Daddy!!)
2005 Red Specialized Allez (X2 – 1 stolen &  1 hit by a car)
2007 Red Specialized Allez Elite
No-name unicycle (2007-08)
2008 Redline Aluminum RL7 BMX
1968 Schwinn Twinn red Tandem 6-speed
1989 White Pogliaghi time trial bike (sad, sad story…)
1981 White Raleigh Super-course (repainted black)
1999 White Trek 2600 hard-tail
Orange Volksport Mark X (1970’s)
48” wheel black Penny Farthing (1895 replica built ca. 1975)

Update: As of 8/12/10 I have two more steeds… a 1973 green Schwinn Varsity and a 2005 Aluminum Specialized 9-speed CycloX racer

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Spitting Coffee through my nose

May 11

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Gear, nerdy | 2 Comments

I made an application that grabs the latest news from NPR, CNN, and my three favorite comics and delivers it to my Outlook In-box first thing in the morning – I know, I’m a dork.  Anyway, one of the ‘toons made me roll with laughter and I spit my fine latte out of my nose.  About two years ago I was cycling through the fields of North Germany, along narrow country roads, with a friend and neighbor who just could not stay warm on the ride.  The cold wind was just cutting into him so he pulled off, grabbed a paper full of glossy adverts from the ground and started layering them flat inside his jersey.  I laughed and laughed at him all the way home and would snicker for months afterward when we would ride together.  I had completely forgotten about it until yesterday morning when the comic below opened up in my morning Geek-mail.  Coffee should never be spewed from the nose: it is both painful and messy.  My laughter/coffee fountain was also a source of delight for the other cube-dwelling Engi-nerds that surround me.

yahuda stuffing newspaper

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Santa Claus-like body fat percentage

May 5

Posted by matttalley in Climbing, Cycling, Running, Shoulder, Updates | 1 Comment

As far as my overall fitness lever:  I have never worked this hard to look this bad!  I REALLY miss being 19.  The days of drinking lots of beer, eating crap, still looking decent, and performing at an elite level are GONE.  I am officially almost old and I have outrageous cookie-handles/spare tire, my arms have shrunk, and my body fat percentage is bordering on Santa Claus level.  The months of inactivity after the most recent surgery and gorging myself on coffee (triple Grande one pump mocha with whip…), 1-liter wheat beers, donuts, more beer, cookies, and brownies did little to prepare me for the coming summer.  I have been doing yoga at home weekly, but want to find a local class/studio to visit for a weekly or bi-weekly session.  Yoga really adds to my climbing and as I have decided to focus on my core (keeps me from stressing robo-shoulder) and my agility, it compliments the abundant AB work – which is not going well since I am starting from scratch again.  All the work last summer and fall was for naught. I am slowly working back into my pre-cartwheel down the stairs groove.

The Bionic Shoulder is doing SO much better.  I still need the second surgery, but it can wait – no serious rush – and I can do 15 push-ups without it hurting.  I have been real careful not to stress it as I am going to need it in as good a shape as possible if I snag a slot on the Alpine Club of Iran Climber Exchange trip that I am hoping to be selected for.  I am climbing all right, but I have been hesitant to frequent the rock gym or bounder on plastic holds.  I have found that it is REALLY easy to over train and tear something on plastic.

I have logged about 90 running miles in the last 6 weeks, Nike+ has helped with that, but I have been neglecting my two-wheeled mistresses.  I may have ridden 120 miles in the last 7 weeks…  It is my new commute and the spring rainy season.  The ride home has a shitty hill at the end of the 15mile ride and I have to fight traffic some so that puts me off, but more than that, the sun has been shy of late.  I am by no means a fair weather cyclist, it is just that rain + traffic + cold + hill = me screwing off instead of riding.  I have already paid the entrance fee for the annual Seattle to Portland ride, so I have to cowboy-up and get a bunch more training and commute mile behind me.  Speaking of rides: I am also signed up for a Duathalon in June, a couple of 10k road races and a half Marathon this summer, all in an attempt to keep myself on target for the STP ride, the possibility of climbing in Iran and to keep my cookie handles in check.

Santacyclingsantarun

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Comics for Cycling Geeks

Apr 28

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Review, nerdy | No Comments

There is a special place in my heart for the daily comic strip.  I have a tool that feeds my three favorites to me in an e-mail each day so that I start my morning off with a little laughter.  One of my favorites, Yehuda Moon, is for bike geeks, but has been on hiatus for a couple of months. Rick Smith, the cartoonist behind the strip took some time off to recharge his batteries and I have missed my daily dose.

Yehuda is an old-school Luddite cyclist that commutes everywhere – in all types of weather, rides a heavy-weight steel framed steed, sports a wool sweater and cycling cap pulled low, is a militant cycling advocate, and owns a bike shop with a guy named Joe who loves carbon bikes, technology, and speed.  Joe serves Hardy to Yehuda’s Laurel.  I see a little of myself in Joe and a lot of me in Yehuda.  He pulls shenanigans that the evil inside me sing with glee – painting cycling lanes on main street in the middle of the night, relieving @sshat drivers of their keys, giving bike thieves a u-lock beat down, etc…

2008-03-11yehuda-red-light

On May 2nd, new panels will be available, but this week there have been a couple spin-off funnies available if you check at the main site.

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New Wheels for My 9-Speed Steed

Mar 31

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Toys | No Comments

Friday was payday and you know what that means…  a 16oz yummy Starbucks coffee, paying the mortgage, lunch at a restaurant (not carried to work in my Marvel Super Heroes metal lunch box), and if there is a few bucks to spare, something small like a new chisel, a jersey, or a new climbing cam.  This was an exceptionally good Friday!!  Not only did I get my $55 REI year-end dividend (just enough for a blue Patagonia  pullover off the clearance rack), but I also found a super-sweet deal on a new set of wheels for my bike.

The set I am currently rolling have about 7K miles on them and they are real heavy.   While they will continue to work for commuting wheels for another 2,500 miles or so (15 months..?), they are not great for rides and races.  A fact that became painfully obvious last fall when 113 miles into a 104 mile charity ride, climbing up the correct mountain after some jokester swapped some route signs that led a group of us up the wrong mountain.  I was in my biggest gear sweating away, on the precipice of dry-heaving, watching the front wheel flex on each down stroke of the peddles – robbing me of substantial forward momentum.  I have been keeping my eyes open for replacements and after applying a store credit for a failed part, I picked up a set of Bontrager raceXlite Aero wheels for the whopping sum of $38.00.  It made me feel all funny in the lower abdominal region when I carried them out to the car and I felt a little paranoid, like I was doing something a little wrong and a touch naughty.

I spent an hour or so on Sunday in the garage cleaning and installing a 12-25 cassette, taping the rims, putting on my set of racing tires, and filling the tubes to 105 PSI.  I am going for a 50-mile timed road ride on Good Friday with them and I can hardly wait!

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22nd Annual Seattle Old Bike Swap

Mar 30

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Review | No Comments

I will attend most any type of gathering with “bike” in the tittle.  Throw in “old”, “classic”, or “retro” and I will be there to see the doors open.  When my wife brought home a flyer for the 22nd Annual Seattle Old Bike Swap, with a drawing of a Penny-Farthing right at the top, it was decided then and there that Palm Sunday would go on with out me at our local center of worship since the meet was scheduled for 7:00AM till noon on that particular feast day.

I got there a little after 07:00 to quickly have my hopes for finding hi-wheel brethren and secret troves of Bone Shaker accouterments dashed.  There were a couple of 19th and early 20th century 2-wheelers, but the swap was mostly dedicated Schwinn Stingrays from the ’60s and ’70’s as well as classic BMX bikes from the ’80’s.  If only I would have kept that PK RIPPER with the Mag wheels and the tiny Uni seat…  Now, I wouldn’t say “NO” to a 1967 green Stingray 3-speed with a chrome spring bat holder if I just happened to be presented with one, but they just aren’t the thing that make my chest thump with longing and desire.

Anyhow, while there was some decent stuff here and there, most of the show was taken up by bike junk vendors and used-car salesman-esq “amateur” bike dealers who wanted a way too much for their wares.  I found a 1982 Raleigh Super Course Carlton frame (both the brand and bike model dear to my heart) that had a goodwill sticker still attached.   I thought about building it up with some spare parts as a Coffee Shop/Errand bike.  The incredibly obese vendor laying claim to it quoted me $250 for the pleasure of taking it home.  As it was MAYBE worth $40, I slowly put it back in the bed of his rusted El Camino and backed away form the obviously deranged former ward of the state.

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The Fixie is Officially dead… Long live derailleurs!

Mar 29

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, Review, Toys | No Comments

The fixed gear craze, like disco before it, is now dead – see link below.  I will observe a moment of silence at 7:00 PM this evening with beer in hand – pouring one out for all the hipster hommies who will need a new trend to follow.  I will then forever remove the 16t track cog from my flip-flop hub and place it lovingly on a lonesome nail in my garage.  Maybe my son won’t make a “ninja star” out of it and it will be there waiting, much like polyester and bell bottoms, for the day when it is once again socially acceptable.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/700C-Men-s-Mongoose-Cachet-Fixed-Speed-Bike/13398142

I will continue to spin my Single-Speed to and from the grocery store/coffee shop and will occasionally ride my one-geared beauty to work.  She has made me a better, stronger cyclist and I DO love to ride that bike.  I can’t and won’t give her up just because of the semi-share pedigree with the now passe wanna-be track bikes sold by the likes of Bentonville.

My multispeed, derailleur equipped, steeds are at this very moment spinning their wheels with glee.  No more dismissive looks and snide velo comments from the day-glow orange rimmed and narrow barred bikes locked up at East Street.  Yes, it is now their turn to snicker as my bike chain goes click, click, click – moving down the rear cassette, propelling my 9-speed racer ever faster away from soon to be re-purposed and repainted frames and into the reclaimed future of cycling.

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the new bike route home

Mar 17

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, Shoulder | No Comments

Today was my first commute home from work to the new house and the first commute since they cut on my shoulder. My wife dropped me and the 9-speed off this morning at the J-O-B and it was a scene out of a not so funny ’90s movie: me standing on the curb, backpack over flowing – slung over one shoulder, bike in one hand, lunch/coffee in the other, watching my ride pull away with a mixed expression of fear and excitement, knowing that I only had one way home – the pedals.

Now the sun was scheduled (per the interwebs last night) to shine for most of the day, but it seems that there was some sort of confusion with the powers that be and the time table was shifted to accommodate an interview with rain and a meeting of high winds. I got smirking weather reports every few minutes from co-workers who had access to the arrow-slit windows in our building (my position doesn’t warrant such perks) and who relished the anguished expression I gave when told how cold, wet, and dark it was becoming outside. A little after 4:30, the rain stopped and the sky turned from dark to light gray. I sucked it up, changed in my assigned mop & buffer pad-filled cleaning closet, and started my ride home. During my now 14.3 mile one-way commute there were a couple of route-finding challenges, some major potholes, sunshine, rain, sunshine with rain, a wicked headwind, tunes from the iPhone, and a monster hill. The shoulder felt OK and my quads are not as strong as the need to be, but they will come back in force by mid-summer. It took me an hour and twenty minutes to get home this time, but think that I can shorten it to an hour and ten on a normal day.

It felt extremely satisfying to get out and ride after work. I immediately rewarded myself upon arriving home with some Girl Scout Crack as you do when you have a cookie addiction.

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Seattle Bike Show 2010

Mar 15

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Gear, Review | No Comments

Since I have this bicycle fetish, I rode my Single Speed to the 2010 Seattle Bike Show on Saturday and got to take a look at some great new bikes as well as some killer classic race bikes.  The show was on the small side – held in one of the cruise ship terminals, but there was maybe 500 Sq. feet of space on the mezzanine for a show of CLASSIC Jack Taylor and various other old track and racing bikes.  It made my heart pitter-patter.  Some of the steel steeds had derailleurs that only a machinist could dream up, there were oil headlights and canvas bags strapped on here and there, but my favorite jewel of a find on the classic bikes was what appeared to be the first cycling computer – a stopwatch strapped to the handle bar of a velodrome bike – VERY cool.  My Penny Farthing is SO getting one of these.  I have already started the CAD work on it and will try to sweet talk/bribe our machinist at work to hook me up.

Some of the new bikes were outstanding as well.  There was less of an aura of “the fixie” than I have seen at other shows, and more bikes geared toward commuting in the PacNW and work bikes.  I saw a couple of ideas that I am going to incorporate into my own shop and cycle fleet: single digit break levers for the Single Speed, a wall clock for the shop made from an old chainring, the aforementioned “cycling computer”, a crate and light for Laurels bike, etc…  There were also some unique wooden bikes.  They were gorgeous! and the engineering that went into them was impressive, but I am not ready to swap my steel or aluminum frames out just yet.

I do have to give someone a plug:  I am apparently an idiot and left my camera on all night and I only noticed that the batteries were completely drained as I took my camera out of my bag to get a shot of an enormous 60+ tooth chainring.  I made a mad scramble for some AAs and struck out with the venue coordinator, the concierge, and at random booths.  I finally happened upon the Kenmore Camera photo booth.  I spoke with Dave Guinn and asked to buy any AAs that he had, even in a camera.  He didn’t have any models that used AA had he hadn’t brought any with him, but this guy picks up a display model and hands it to me to use, like I had known him for years.  I put my SM card in and was set to take pictures at the show (I will link a few below).  I left my battery-less camera with him – not that he asked me too, but I thought it would be a gesture of good faith, and walked around for a couple of hours snapping away.  With that kind of attitude, you can bet that I will be doing all my medium format and 35mm portrait film shopping with them and when it is time to upgrade my equipment; I will stop there first.  Again, Dave at Kenmore Camera really saved my day.

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My own personal groundhog

Feb 12

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, cookies | No Comments

Spring is a comin’…  The Girl Scouts are marshaling their pig-tailed, freckled forces for an assault on my waistline and dental health.   I don’t need to check on the ground hog’s shadow.  Spring for me comes with the first box of Somoas every year.  In case I hadn’t noticed the change outside from confines of my sugar-coma, the new grass is starting to sprout in our yard and a local nursery is selling seeds and bare-root plants.  I have spied a number of cyclists, clad head to toe in isolated spandex, on the bike paths and in the city.  I cannot wait for the warmer weather, sunny days, cycling to work, trail runs on something other than mud, and new sprouts in our garden.

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Cleared to Ride

Feb 11

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Running, Shoulder | No Comments

No matter what the reason, sitting in a doctor’s office exam room is a stress inducing affair – even when expecting good news.  I went to the see my Orthopedist yesterday and my shoulder is healing fine.  I am now cleared to ride and run and even engage in limited climbing (though I am not sure what that means…).  No more excuses for not getting off my ever-expanding ass and getting outside into the mud and just- sprouting greenery.  My surgeon said that I will still need to have my supraspinatus tendon repaired, but that it could wait until fall and after summer cycling/road trips/our wedding.  It will also give me some needed time to finish some projects at home.  I think the key is listening to my body/shoulder and no pushing things over the limit – listening to the first tinges of pain and backing off before I hurt myself further.

Laurel has a list for me to take care of this weekend – in addition to my own projects, but I am going to spend an hour on the bike and will run in a park by the house on Saturday.

cyclocross-mudjpg-78c3ff99c818fb1eCSM001742

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my two-wheeled mistresses

Jan 20

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, Shoulder | No Comments

I ended up going for my first test ride on the bike Saturday.  It felt REALLY GOOD spinning the chainring.  I made an easy 3-mile loop, jumped a couple of curbs – didn’t hurt – and made a few stops around the neighborhood.  All was fine until I made the steep 500’ climb back up to the house.  Holy shit! I am out of shape.  I was on the single-speed and even with the 18t rear cog installed, the climb SUPER hurt.  I almost puked.  It is a long way from punishing Team Discovery-clad Freds on the Interurban this summer; letting them attempt to pass and then dropping into the 54t big ring and spinning up for a mile or so, watching them try to keep pace and then fading into the shrubbery, covered in sweat and despair, while I giggled at them.  I will ride again this weekend, maybe going to Cedar Creek to stretch my legs a little and let my lungs burn.

Also, I didn’t get in trouble for riding before my Doc said it was OK.  I got the stink eye a little from Laurel, but there have been no major repercussions thus far.  I still get to sleep in the house and no mysterious locks have appeared on any of my two-wheeled mistresses :-)

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Jonesin’ for My Bike

Jan 13

Posted by matttalley in Cycling | No Comments

It has been almost two months since I ever so gracefully cart-wheeled down the basement stairs in my wife’s pink robe.  I had my first shoulder surgery in December and go back in February for an evaluation for the second one.  I feel a lot better that I did and really NEED to get on one of my bikes.  It was sunny and warm this past weekend and I was shaking like a crackhead eyeing a fresh pipe, just thinking about taking a spin around the neighborhood.  Laurel said “nuh-uh!” and I spent some serious time staring out the window like a kid with chickenpox watching his buddies play baseball – pouty bottom lip and furred brow included.

I am going for a little clandestine “test” ride this weekend if I can sneak out of the house, single-speed in tow, without getting caught by the wife.  If she finds out I am planning to ride AMA, then all bets are off and I will likely get to mop and do dishes all weekend.  Now, if she catches me AFTER the ride, we that is a whole different story.  Then, at least I will be guilty of something and will smile as I wash and scrub, thinking about peddling.  Better forgiveness than permission.

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Commuting with Bear Spray…

Oct 16

Posted by matttalley in Commuting, Cycling, Manners | No Comments

Man, Some days my bike commute (1200+ miles so far this year) is the SHIT!… Warm sunshine, crisp air, blue sky, mountains in the background, little traffic, all the lights are green, etc… Then there are days like today that I get home ragged, twitching, in a foul mood, and in need of quite time. I got off a little late so the sun was setting as I started the 40-minute ride home. Traffic was tight, exhaust fumes hung thick in the air, some asshole swerved at me to be funny – I hope, two douche-bags laid into their horns as they sped past me while I was climbing a hill, a lady in a Honda almost hit me in the cross walk, and finally this dick screamed at me with his head hanging out the passenger window of a truck as I was coming to yet another red-light. I got up out of the saddle and mashed the peddles for all I was worth, getting mentally ready for the beat-down I was going to give the ass-hat. Just as I got within reach of the bumper, the guy driving ran the light. I hate assholes!

I was hit 5 times in 3 years of living in California and I learned that you have to watch drivers like a hawk. After a while you become intuitive of their no-signal right turns and you can feel when that lady on her cell phone is going to look right through you and pull out, so you hit the brakes and avoid a crash that she was never aware of. The Burbs and industrial district south of Seattle is a whole other hot mess indeed. Unlike in the city proper, there aren’t too many of us bike commuters, lots of busy mid-level managers talking into the mobile phones, and it is a battle every time I get on my bike. There is a guy in a dark blue Chevy Malibu van that has the same schedule as me who will squeeze his van against the curb if he sees me coming so that I can’t pass him at red lights – no cutting in line! I get honked at daily, had a Burger King bag tossed at me back in June, and once had a semi-homeless (living in his car) dude (there are a bunch in S. King County, WA) try to chase me down and steal my bike – really!

Now, if I had caught the guy at the light I would have hit him at least three times before he got his door open. Then it would have been two good-sized fellers on a skinny guy in spandex and funny shoes. I would have given pretty good, but I would have bleed some and I don’t know if that would have taught them the proper lesson. Ruminating on that and the possibility of assault by one of our local street people, I have decided to not fuck around with my safety. I have a wife and kids and it is my job to come home safe every night (and contribute heavily to two college funds), so I sat down at my bride’s sewing machine and made (with her patient help) a snazzy black nylon pouch to hold my bike-commute insurance policy: bear spray. Yep, a big ol’ canister of Ursine-Off. If it can stop a charging grizzly, then some asshole that takes a swipe at me because I am on a bike and look like an easy target is going to have a very spice-filled evening. I see it this way: If you’re a prick and you try to touch me or run me over, you get a nice even coating of Oleoresin Capsicum, I call the cops, you learn a valuable lesson, I go home safely, have a yummy dinner, you may get to post bail, I have a beer, you spend the rest of your evening itchy and red. Everyone wins!

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A normal day:

Sep 3

Posted by matttalley in Coffee, Commuting, Cycling | No Comments

Alarm at 6:50
Snuggling for 10 minutes after the snooze
let the puppy out
shower/shave
make coffee
have breakfast
Kiss Laurel bye
Hang out with puppy for 15 in front of CNN
Get clothes together
Pack bag
Forget belt
Ride to work
Change
Discover belt missing
Say dirty, hateful things
Get dressed
Shirt untucked :-(
Sit at desk and e-mail/draw for 4 hours
Quick lunch at desk
Walk to Starbucks
Coffee, coffee, coffee
Make a few calls about new house
Back to work
More e-mail, meetings and drawings
Work late
Change
Bike home
Kiss Laurel
Play fetch with Brodie
Talk about our day
Eat dinner
Clean up kitchen some
Watch part of DVD
Work a little on computer
Laugh at puppy
Organize some writing drafts
Get ready for bed
Catch up daily journal
Read a little
Lights out
Serious snuggling
Pass out ~12:30

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Laurel’s new steed

Jul 24

Posted by matttalley in Cycling, projects | No Comments

We finally got Laurel’s bike back from the shop. I built it from a found frame that I happened upon in Hamburg in August of 2008. I stripped it, sanded it down, put the base coat of paint on, and bought a few parts before our move to Seattle. After our things were delivered to the house here, it was my second project. I got it completely finished and took a test ride. She wanted a plush yet sporty ride and this was it! Big bouncy tires, internal rear hub, front suspension, upright riding position, special sparkly undercoat on the paint, comfy seat – oh yeah! The only one hitch was the hub was stuck in second gear… I took it into a SRAM dealer as the hub was under warrantee. Fast forward three months and 10 e-mails to SRAM later, we got her bike back.

Bamboo bar ends, the finished product, and a shot during the painting process.

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