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        On the Lighter Side >> Blog Central >> The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 2006
        
(Message started by: ReeBop on Jan 15^th, 2006, 6:29am)

Title: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 2006
Post by ReeBop on Jan 15^th, 2006, 6:29am

Well, here I dive into the world of blogging. Actually, I should say "ride" into, because this blog will be about cycling and me. I've joined a cycling group at the tail end of 2005 and I look forward to a year of riding with that group. I will also blog about my neighborhood rides and bicycle repair, and my restoration projects on unwanted discarded bicycles as well. Here is a picture from the cycling group's January 8th ride...

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_1601.JPG

I'm the one on the left with the tires that glow. Those are Bell tires on my old green utility bike. You can get them with refletor strips embedded for about 9 bucks a tire. I ride my green Sears Free Spirit Greenbriar on that ride because most of the riders ride vintage bicycles and cruisers. My bike dates to somewhere in the early 80's. anyway, I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's ride. Stay tuned for my next installment....

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by dOnUtz 9urL on Jan 15^th, 2006, 3:49pm

wowieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee reeree got a blogggggggggggggggggggg ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by okasantina on Jan 15^th, 2006, 4:35pm

At last the brain of this forum has started puttin up a Blog of his own...now i can make a habit of followin how this person comes to be strong and at peace all the time no matter how sufferings he had been through.....nobody else but REEBOPYYY!! ;) ;D

Welcome to the bloggin world .... no matter whatsoever..whatever...its all yourssss inside ure heart and thoughts.... bang it!!! ;) ;D

[smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif] [smiley=clap.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 16^th, 2006, 7:25am

[smiley=icon_thanks.gif] Thanks for the wonderful welcome! Yup, I'm blogging! Well, Geeksters.org is one HUGE blog I guess, and I hope you enjoy reading about cycling.

Tonight's ride was in a word, quiet. I guess I was expecting too much with the Dallas Morning News doing a story on the group. I did get interviewed though by the reporter. Maybe I'll make the story, maybe I won't, but I was the only rider that drove from outside of the Dallas city limits. There were about 40-45 people on the ride tonight with several new members and a few regulars missing.
The ride started from the usual spot Uptown and proceeded about 2 miles to the lower Greenville Ave. area to a bar called The Blue Goose. We stayed there for about 20 minutes and after a Shiner Bock, we proceeded back into uptown. The night was cool, cloudy and there was a bit of wind from the Northwest. We got lots of honks and waves and there seemed more people out and about, probably because tomorrow is a national holiday.
My highlight of the night though was my new bike bell. I paid 10 dollars for it and it was direct from mainland China. It is exactly what someone in China would pay for and put on their bike; not a knockoff or flimsy imitation. I felt that my bike needed one more accessory, and the bike bell filled that need. It does look great by my right brake lever and sports a shiny round exterior. Several of the other riders have bells and you could hear bells during the entire ride.
Tonight's ride seemed short, maybe because of all the people. No wipe outs that I could see and everyone had a good time. The pizza was great again as well and I think I found my favorite in the black olive / feta cheese thin crust. I don't know if I made it into any pictures, but we'll see. If you want to see pictures that are taken during the ride, check out this site:

http://www.uptowncycles.com/mo_pics.htm

You will find lots of smiling people and some facinating old bikes as well.
Tomorrow, I may go and pick up Keen for some Indian buffet and a ride into River Legacy Park in Arlington. Until then, happy riding!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by okasantina on Jan 16^th, 2006, 7:34am

on 01/16/06 at 07:25:05, ReeBop wrote:

Sounds interesting reebopyyy ;D we`re lookin forward for ure next bikecapades ;D regards to keen plzz ty ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Jan 16^th, 2006, 8:39am

Dang, Ree...all I see are the glowing tires! Maybe next time we can see a full picture of you and your bike? Would like to see how you look like riding that bike? Hehehehe! Welcome to the blogging world though. About time too!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by earthlingorgeous on Jan 16^th, 2006, 10:34am

;D Hey Mr. Admin.... welcome to the blogging... finally!

Wow biking thats cool... haven't been on one since ::) I can't remember lol!

Hey I notice a nice looking chick there on the first pic you poster ;D Girlfriend? ;D Sorry just beeing sneaky! lol

Edith is right, post a pic of you on the bike ;D

Good luck and have fun!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 17^th, 2006, 7:09am

Thank you all for your responses to my new blog!

Today's late afternoon ride was with Keen at River Legacy Park in Arlington. The clouds were rather menacing and we did feel some sprinkles but it was a relaxing ride. Several people were riding out there as well with a strong north wind indicating a cooler day for tomorrow. It was a rather uneventful 8 mile ride. I took out my old green bike again because it is a slower bike than my blue road bike.

Before the ride though, Keen and I went searching for a set of tire inserts. The top brand of those are Mr. Tuffy's. I have a set of Mr. Tuffy's in the blue bike and my old green bike. I suggested them to Keen as well as I think he will be running into trouble doing any road riding. The store we went to, Sports Authority had the Slime brand of strips, but only in BMX (20 inch) size. The thing that had me puzzled though is the absence of most anything useful for bicycles in that store. They sell bikes...lots of them. However, they have no tires, high priced Bell innertubes that you can buy at the Wal-Mart for much cheaper, and lots of empty pegs. Why this store even bothers with sporting goods is the question. They did though stock a lot of clothes and weird stuff like poker equipment. Time for a e-mail to their site and tell them what I thought of my shopping experience.

I will be riding again on Wednesday night on a special ride with my Sunday night group. See you then!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 17^th, 2006, 8:14am

This picture is from last Thursday night's special ride with the Sunday night group. I'm on the left, riding my blue road bike.

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_1682.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 17^th, 2006, 8:18am

Here I am caught with my eyes closed waiting for pizza with the Sunday night group.

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_1791.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by okasantina on Jan 17^th, 2006, 11:47am

on 01/17/06 at 08:18:10, ReeBop wrote:

Here I am caught with my eyes closed waiting for pizza with the Sunday night group.

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_1791.JPG

Nice shot there reebopy hahahah...good that they didnt throw to u the pizza for u to wake up eh lmao! jk ;D seems that u were so tireddddd there eh :-/ ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by nOrKAy on Jan 18^th, 2006, 9:32am

Ha! Look who is here! ;D

I was actually so excited when you said you've started your blog, Mike. But NO, I am not going to welcome you! Hahaha. You still owe me a warm welcome since my first day here, on your site! Hehe.

But well, from sharing your website, your great efforts and supports are more than enough to please us as your members. And yeah, I am and sure everyone is so happy to have you joined us here in the Blog Central.

Awww, just watched the pictures. That's really great activity you have joined in. And so with Keen. And looking great there, Mike! And the one your eyes caught closed. Hahaha. Looks like your sitmate got his pizza first and you're "yumming" at it? Haha. You look cute there, though. Or shall I describe it terrific eyes look there. ;D

OK, Mike. Have fun with your cycling activity and we look forward to hear about it as often as you can. Just be safe always if not always a terrifc day.

[smiley=icon_super.gif] [smiley=moped.gif]

Oh BTW, just got back lastnight. ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 22^nd, 2006, 5:01am

Yes Kris, the riding group is lots of fun. What makes it fun is that riders of all classes can join in. No spandex cycling shorts in this crowd. Also, there is a great array of vintage bicycles there. The "Orange Krate" Schwinn 5 speed Sting Ray was eye popping.

I joined the group for a special Wednesday night ride to meet with the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) Bicycle committee to discuss measures being taken for buses to accomodate bicycles. DART is really making an effort to make this happen, and our cycling group was invited to attend and make suggestions. Our group leader Donovan made very good comments and spoke knowledgably on the subject. I hope he (and us in the riding group) are regular attendees to this focus group because he has much in the way of urban cycling / mass transit experience.
There were only 5 of us on the ride to the office, but more of the group met us there...most of us on bikes. I chose my Huffy Blades for the occasion and have never ridden it on the group ride before. Ninety minutes before the meeting, I managed to pick up some Slime Tire Strips for my Huffy's tires. Mr. Tuffy is the big brand out there, but at 20 dollars, it is a king's ransom for a bike like a Huffy Blades. I found these for 4 dollars apiece and they will work just fine. I have full confidence that I'll no longer have flats on that bike. I also purchased a Bell horn for $5. It makes a two-toned sound and it sure is loud. It makes quite a noise amongst the downtown skyscrapers. It's also a shiny chrome and adds a bit of bling to the bike. I will take it on the ride Sunday as well. It's fun to switch off between the Sears Free Spriit Greenbriar and the Huffy. The Huffy is about 15 to 17 years old. I rescued it from being tossed towards the end of last summer. It was in great shape, appeared to be never outdoors and had the original tires! I did change the tires though to some Bell "smoothies" for a faster ride. I hope to take a picture of that bike soon.
Until next time...Happy Cycling!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by nOrKAy on Jan 25^th, 2006, 4:57am

WOW, Ree got bike collections, I see and oh, they have names. Are those brands? I would like to see the Bell Horn, though, Mike. ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 31^st, 2006, 4:15am

Hello all. I'm back from the flu....barely. I had a bit of a relapse after feeling better the last two days and I hope that is temporary.

The ride of Sunday, January 22 almost didn't happen at all. I had a bit of a scratchy throat, it had rained all morning and off and on in the afternoon, and I didn't know if the riding group would meet or not. Well, it did quit raining, so why not go and see.

I waited until nearly 6 PM by myself at our usual meeting point and was going to give up at 6:15 when a brave few showed up. There would be 8 of us total for that night, we didn't ride far because of the misty and cool weather. We stopped at a bar for a beer, then headed for the post ride pizza after that. In all, we did about 6 miles. I had the Huffy Blades that night, and it was comfortable and performed well in the rainy conditions. There was one crash with someone on a fixed gear bike. Fixed gear bikes take practice to ride, because the pedals always move and there are no brakes. To stop, you basically lean forward on your handlebars, stop the pedals with your legs and go into a controlled skid. They do not look comfortable to me, but the riders that have them in our group love them and swear by them.

The Monday after that ride, I came down with the flu full force and was out of any physical activity for a few days. NyQuil became my friend, instead of the three bicycles I currently have in my stable. I felt tired, but ready for the 29th of January ride though. The weather was sunny and warm all day, and it promised to bring a sizable number to our group ride that night.

We started our ride with 38 cyclists and headed north to the weathly Park Cities area of Dallas. We rode quite a ways with this sizable group, only having to stop occasionally for those who did not make the traffic lights. One thing I did not count on was the fact that I should have brought a sweatshirt with me, because it was becoming chilly in a hurry. By the looks of others, I was not alone in feeling the chill. Still, once we were in motion, I didn't feel the cold. I had the Huffy Blades again this night, and I had cleaned all the mud and cruft from last week's rainy ride from it. The bike once again performed well and felt comfortable to me even though I wasn't feeling as well as I thought I did from earlier in the day. I have to admit, even though it is not a bike I would ride for speed and long distance, it is a very comfortable cruiser. The only mishaps were when a fellow rider's headlamp clamp seemed to be loose, and I stopped and held my lamp over his bars so he could get things back in order. The other mishap happened when a rider on a beautiful LeMond bicycle caught his front rim into the train trolly track and he went down hard. It hurt just to see it. He was ok, but I think he did bend his rim some.

The only problem with that ride was on how spread out we all became. Our group must have spread out a quarter mile at times, which hasn't happened before. That is understandable on the inclines and with single speed bikes in the group. The downhills though made things even worse. I think those in the front will probably need to rethink taking things a little slower next time. I tended to be in the middle of the pack, chatting with new group members and having some laughs and tooting my chrome horn with the regulars.

Today, I feel that the flu has not totally left me as I have had terrible headaches and fatigue most of the day. I wish I did dress warmer and I'll be better prepared for that next time. I did enjoy riding in the group like I usually do, however and I'll be joining a group new to me next Saturday. Dallas Critical Mass, here I come!

Until then, happy cycling!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by nOrKAy on Feb 3^rd, 2006, 8:16am

Awww, Mike. You better be always prepared next time. You can always tie or wrap a sweatshirt though around your waist, just in case the weather changes. It's glad anyway, to hear you're now able to go back to your biking activity. And hey, I will check HK Critical Mass biking group, as well. I might be asking about it to danpatta [one of our forum bloggers]. I was not aware this was a world wide biking group, but thanks for the site. ;D

Happy cycling and be safe! ;D

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Feb 5^th, 2006, 5:46am

I know why you got sick, ree. Your old bones can't take more of those cycling "escapades" anymore! Nyahahahaha! [smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif]Btw, welcome back and I hope you feel a lot better now. Let me tell you though that this forum never fails to give me a headache now everytime I come to visit.[/ [smiley=book2.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Feb 7^th, 2006, 2:55am

Well, back to pedalling! Saturday night was the Dallas Critical Mass ride. Unfortunately, there was not much of a turnout (maybe 11?), it was a little chilly, and the Huffy Blades had the crank loosen up from the midpoint of the ride.
Here, you can read about what Critical Mass is and why it is not just fun, but important as well:

http://www.critical-mass.org/

Unfortunately, Critical Mass really doesn't have a "central" website at this time, but you can Google for one in your area.

The problem with the Huffy Blades is one that I will solve permanently when I clean and grease the crank when the weather turns warmer. The locking nut is stripped and won't stay tight on the crank. A little Lock Tight should help matters greatly.

Last night's Sunday Night ride was rather large at 40+ people. The Super Bowl didn't hold many back from riding and the weather was superb. I took out the Sears FreeSpirit Greenbriar for this ride and all went well. We stopped at 2 bars on the 10 mile route and by a few wipeouts, it appeared that some had just a little too much to drink. Kudos to the Minc Bar for some great hamburgers and hotdogs and some great game watching.

Some bicycles of interest that night were a very worn but very original tandem bicycle from 1937 and a great old cruiser from 1934. The concensus on the old bikes seem to be to do really nothing to them but simple maintainence. I have yet to see one of the really old "vintage" bicycles repainted. The guy with the tandem rode it alone, had a pedal come off, but seemed to really enjoy the ride on the old bike. He told me it was the first time he had ridden it since he bought it a couple of years ago.

Joining our ride was a filmmaker that will be making a documentary on our riding group to submit to a national bicycling film festival. We all signed a waiver to be included in the film. I'm not sure exactly when the real filming will start or when the release will be, but I'll write about it when I get the details. Southern Living magazine is rumored to be joining the Sunday night group ride soon as well for a feature in their periodical. It would be fun to see yours truely in it...

That's all for today and I wish you all Happy Pedal Mashing!

[smiley=silly.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Feb 7^th, 2006, 5:43am

Here is the picture of my Huffy Blades bicycle. This one I got for free last year when it was being tossed out with the garbage. A little cleaning and adding the things that I wanted made it into this bike.

http://www.1freeworld.net/groups/YaBBImages/huffyblades.jpg

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by CooCHie on Feb 7^th, 2006, 10:07pm

;DWow ree you have your own blog....nice bike!!!!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Feb 21^st, 2006, 6:48am

Here are pictures I took last week of my dark green early 1980´s Sears FreeSpirit Greenbriar.

http://www.1freeworld.net/images/greenbike2006.jpg

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Mar 1^st, 2006, 1:00am

It is now February 28th and the weather seems to be finally changing for the better. After a week and a half of cold and rainy weather, we have had 3 fine days and a 4th coming up tomorrow. Sunday night's ride was pleasant, with a large group on hand. You can tell it is spring here though, because the "Tall" bikes made their first appearance of the year.

What is a "Tall" bike? It is two bicycle frames welded on top of each other. The rider sits way up high, with a extra long chain to control the pedals and rear wheel. There were several configurations in the group, but the one that fascinated me the most was the one that was of a "fixed" gear variety. "Fixed" gearing mean that the pedals move all the time. We have plenty of fixed gear bikes ride with us, but the fixed gear "Tall" bike seems rather incredible. In order to stop, the rider would sling his right leg back over the seat and drag his foot on the back tire. It was also not a simple matter to get back on the bike when we stopped, but he really seemed to enjoy himself. Hopefully, I will get some pictures of these bikes to show here next week.

With the coming of warmer weather, I can increase number of my neighborhood rides. With 10 miles Sunday night, 11.5 miles last night, I have gone over 230 miles so far this year. I have mostly ridden my Huffy Blades and Sears FreeSpirit. My blue Roadmaster roadie has encountered yet another broken spoke on the rear rim. Fortunately, I can change that one myself because it is not on the side with the gear cluster. Those things are not easy to remove without the proper tools. I will check the Net one of these days to add the cluster removal tools to my kit one of these days.

Time to sign off for this episode and I will be taking the Sears FreeSpirit out again this evening for another neighborhood ride. I want to take advantage of the nice weather while I can because you never know if we will have another rainy spring like in 2004. I would like to at least match my 1500 miles of last year if not increase it to 2000 miles. At 230 for the year, I feel I have made a good start.

Happy cycling!

[smiley=moped.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Mar 2^nd, 2006, 3:24am

I have not seen a whole body pic of yours, you must be in a very good shape since you do bike-riding a lot? :P When I still jog I used to see these bikers at the park, lots of them, all wearing cycling outfits, same design different colors and helmets. Some members are acquaintances. They are a pretty sight.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Apr 4^th, 2006, 4:30am

Spring is finally here in Texas, and it is time to do some serious riding again. My car is down with a carburator problem, so in order to ride with my Sunday night group, I would need to ride to downtown Dallas to join them. I rode 20 miles the day before, so I felt ready for the challenge.

My one concern was a series of hills you must climb to get to downtown. I haven't done any hill work since last fall, so naturally I was slightly worried. It actually wasn't too bad with the route I chose and made it with some labored breathing and a bit of soreness in my knees. It was warm (high 80's) and traffic was light on my route thank goodness, so whenever I do this ride again, I will be fine for it. I started a little late, and didn't reach the rendevous on time. Still, being 30 minutes late, the group was still there and I made it just in time before they left. It took me 75 minutes to ride the 20 miles.

I felt real good riding, and since we rode rather slowly, I felt fine the 5 miles we rode through the area north of downtown dallas. The group stopped for a game of kickball in a park on the way to the bar, but I sat on the side and watched to save energy in my legs. I knew that I would need that energy on the way back home. After stopping at a great hamburger joint, we rode back to Uptown and it being 10:30pm, I felt I should head for home right away.

The ride home was mostly downhill, but I still needed to take my time because of the darkness. You never know what could be lurking on the pavement in front of you. Broken glass, wood, potholes or any other debris could make a real mess of things. I do always carry tools and I also have light kits, but lights are really only for cars to see you, not for you to see the road ahead of you. There is not real good street lighting the entire route, either. In fact, in the Trinity River bottoms area, there is no street lighting at all. The route I took however, was fairly safe because of the lack of traffic and it being a divided 4 lane road.

I did feel sore when I got home, but it being my first long ride of the year, I felt pretty good about my results. My total for the day was 45 miles, and my body felt like I could easily take a good 15 to 20 more. I didn't reach this point in my conditioning until June, so I am well ahead of the game from last year. The total thus far with my 3 bikes is well over 300 miles now. My goal was to at least hit last year's total of 1500 miles, and I may very well see 2000 for the year.

[smiley=smash.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Apr 11^th, 2006, 5:29am

Here is a picture of me talking to Matt Daddy on Sunday Night's ride. It was a fun ride last night, but my right knee had some swelling on it. It was wonderful weather though, but a tweak of my knee Thursday night playing basketball started bothering me on the ride to downtown Dallas. I was offered a ride home, so I took it up. I still got in nearly 30 miles though.

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_2710.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by nOrKAy on Apr 11^th, 2006, 6:04am

Awww, great picture Mike! Wooohoooo.

It looks like everyone took a stop and busy talking to each other? And aww, you better stop the basketball and just keep your bike riding. You must have to take care of those bones, you know. You can do the basketball, later. Hehehehe. Joke. ;D

Great pic ,Mike. Enjoy your ride and take care, always.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by CooCHie on Apr 11^th, 2006, 6:51am

Nice legs Ree... ;D ;DThat looks like in McKinney somewhere there eh.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Apr 11^th, 2006, 7:30am

That is just south of downtown....we were riding to a bar called Lee Harvey's.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Apr 14^th, 2006, 3:09am

I won't be able to do much riding for the next few days due to a couple of foot injuries. When my ankle swelling goes down, I will give it a try again. My big toe will be swollen for awhile, however I think I will be ok riding on it short distances. Maybe time to lay off of basketball? I hope not....

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on May 17^th, 2006, 1:45am

Due to my toe injury, I didn't ride a lot, but I am feeling great now. Between basketball and cycling, I am really getting into great shape again. I have been attending the Sunday night rides with the group, and have been having lots of fun. Southern Living magazine attended one a recent ride with lots of photography going on. Maybe I'll be in one of the shots and be famous. Well, probably not. We are averaging about 70 people per outing now, but the Mother's Day ride was around 50 riders. Donovon, the group organizer has been putting together some fantastic deals for us at some downtown pubs. Beer specials and free grub can't be beat on a downtown sunday night ride.
I will be housesitting in Burleson for a week, and I will be planning some distance rides from there. Maybe over to Ft. Worth, maybe Venus, maybe Waxahatchie. I am not sure yet and I will decide this weekend where I will go. I may miss the next Sunday group ride because it is a rather far drive, but maybe I'll just say "what the hell" and do it anyway.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on May 23^rd, 2006, 8:37pm

This last Sunday night's group ride was 90 plus people. It was lots of fun and the free food at the pub was great. We took a ride up McKinney Ave. and rode through central Highland Park. It's fun to ride through the tree lined streets there and it would take a lottery win to buy a house around there. We got lots of waves but on one occasion, someone in a sports car didn't seem to like us too well and nearly drove right through us. Mostly though, we get lots of positive waves, honks and the like. I've been quite busy this week and wanted to plan a long ride somewhere soon. Maybe today? My early year pace has slowed and I have about 650 miles for the year on my three bikes. The weather is hot out so there is no excuse...time to mash the pedals!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jun 19^th, 2006, 8:19pm

The early summer keeps rollling along and I have my milage total up to 790 miles for the year. I hope I can get 1000 by the Fourth of July, but maybe I won't. We'll see. My old green Sears FreeSpirit Greenbriar has yet another broken spoke on the rear rim and is currently unrideable. Both broken spokes are next to each other which will give a serious bend to the rim. I will pick up some spokes tomorrow at the bike shop and get it back in riding order. The Sunday night ride was fun again as we went through the Turtle Creek area with about 70-80 of us riding. We went about 12 miles and caught some of the NBA playoffs at the Ginger Man. I rode the Huffy Blades that night and it performed nicely but I do think I will put a better quality shifter on it than the Shimano SIS that is currently there. I will take the SIS set and put it on a bike that I will build for my neighbor. He was a big help with a car repair, always offers to help when I work outside or need an assist on my car. He used to ride a lot years ago and I let him try out my Huffy. He had a huge grin on his face when riding again so I will build him a bike. He gave me a frame and most everything I need except for wheels. I'll see what I can put together for him. I am still trying to locate a good set of rims for a Murray that one of my computer clients wishes to buy from me. Usually, I can find them easily, but I guess not this time around. I will get it done though and it will make a good ride for them.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jul 18^th, 2006, 8:12am

I haven't had much to relate of late. I have picked up some more bicycle projects though and I will be posting pictures of them soon in their "before" state. One of them is a bit of a collectable Schwinn Le Tour road bike from the mid 70's. I will get the year exact when I have a look at the serial number. It is in fairly good shape but some rust on the chrome. The frame is yellow and in great shape. It is a very large frame as well. The other is a "heinz 57" bike from the mid to late 70's. I will change out the handlebar and brakes for a straight bar and brake setup from a mountain bike for some comfortable 27" thin rim cruising. That bike I will paint in a blue/yellow/white/black scheme and there will be a lot of cleanup on metal parts to do. That one still has the classic Simplex deraileur setup.
The Sunday night riding group has been going great but myself and many others will be missing Jesse on the ride as he has taken a job in Miami. The picture here is Melody, Jesse, myself and a new rider to the group, Patsy as we pose for the camera at a Dallas McKinney St. greek eatery. It was a hot night, but we were about 60 strong on the ride. Cheers Jesse and we all hope you make it back soon!
[smiley=icon_drink.gif]

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_4024.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Jul 18^th, 2006, 5:17pm

Seems like you were having the time of your life there, Mike. Glad to know you know how to enjoy life too! :-* Keep it up, you're the good guy ;)

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by nOrKAy on Jul 19^th, 2006, 8:12am

Hello My Dearest Mike, [opps, I hope I'm not in trouble for my vocabulary]

Great picture you got there. It's good to know you're still doing good with your biking. I hope no more injury happened.

By the way, how was your birthday? I'm so sorry for missing it. I thought it would be more fun to do it on the exact day, but things happened so unexpectedly-- business trip. However, can you tell me any way I can do to make it up to you? ;)

Missed ya, Bop!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 06
Post by ReeBop on Jul 21^st, 2006, 8:31am

My birthday was very quiet, Kris. I did work around home. I did do some fun things the following day though.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Aug 1^st, 2006, 7:51am

Here is the unveiling of my latest ride, a Schwinn Le Tour, circa 1975. This was Schwinn's first "lighweight" bicycle. Early Le Tours were made in Chicago, but soon, Schwinn shipped off production to Panasonic in Japan. It is a very sturdy bike if a bit on the heavy side. There was lots of surface rust on it to remove, and there is still rust to take off with more steel wool and a Dremel tool. The bike felt great on the Sunday night ride and I got lots of nice comments about it. I added a computer, water bottle, pump and a seat pack. The tires are dry rotted and I will get some new ones this weekend. It sure was a hot 2 days working on it, but worth the effort. I'll be working on this bike periodically taking more rust off and putting a coat of poly wax on the frame. I forgot what it was like to ride a bike with toe clips but it did become familiar to me again the more I rode it. It is a large frame, but I prefer a road bike to be larger. I'll save this vintage road bike as a neighborhood tourer and cruiser for Sunday nights.

http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/IMG_4206.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Sep 6^th, 2006, 6:42am

I've not been riding as hard this past month as I wanted to but I have still managed to add another 100 miles to my yearly total. Work has been keeping me busy and I didn't schedule any evening rides like I did earlier in the year. Tonight though, I did do 12 miles on the Le Tour as well as 11 miles with the Sunday Night Riding Group.
It has finally cooled down some and I hope to get started on a nice vintage 10 speed project. I have stripped every single part off the bike and it is ready for sanding. I will replace a few of the parts and may try to match a set of Simplex shifters with the deraileurs that came with the bike. It sat outside for several years and probably hasn't been ridden in at least 10. I took some photos of it and I'll post them soon to give you all an idea of what I am working with. I'm probably going to go with a metallic navy color with a bright yellow overspray on the frame corners. I haven't painted a bike in many years, so I hope the weather holds to give me a better chance at making it look good. Too hot, and it won't look right.
Until next time...

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Sep 6^th, 2006, 7:10am

Here is an image from the front of Uptown Cycles. Yeah, I felt tired and it sure shows it. It was a nice night to ride though and we all had great fun.
http://www.uptowncycles.com/images/riydz/IMG_4625.JPG

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by igotuuu on Sep 9^th, 2006, 9:21pm

<Posting Removed.>
Dear Mr. Fleming,
I did not authorize you to post this information about me on my forum. Have a nice day!

http://www.1freeworld.net/groups/YaBBImages/breakingrules.jpg

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Sep 9^th, 2006, 10:51pm

Bye Mark, and have a nice day!

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Sep 26^th, 2006, 7:06pm

Our Sunday Night Group ride took us from Uptown Cycles to the mansions of Dallas' Swiss Avenue area. This was a perfect riding night with no wind and cool temperatures. We had a group of about 50 people and our bicycle DJ was pumping out tunes with his portable sound system the entire ride. We hit the Tipperary, which was my first stop with the group last December. They seemed shocked with our arrival but handled us with aplomb. Their Beef Stew Bowl was very tasty but I wish there were a few more veggies in it. I tried a new beer there, but I can't remember the name of it. It had a distinct citrus flavor to it and even was served with an orange slice. We then headed off to the Old Monk for one last round (mine was a Newcastle Brown Ale) before we took off for our return trip to Uptown Cycles. The new shop we meet at now is very good and has a great layout. I fell in love with a 2006 Emerald/White Schwinn Deluxe 7 cruiser there. It has 7 speeds and yet has a coaster brake. Truely a beautiful bicycle. Maybe I'll get one next summer.

[smiley=icon_drink.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Oct 13^th, 2006, 6:45am

It has finally turned cooler around here and I'm adjusting to my work schedule so I can ride regularly again. Sunday night's ride was a bit of a problem though, and I had a large piece of wood do some damage to the rear rim of the Huffy Blades. About 15 minutes of truing the rim fixed it but it will be a reocurring problem as the rim is not of very good quality. I'll keep my eyes open for a used set or maybe I'll find some even better rims for my road bike and move those rims to the Huffy. We'll see. The Sears FreeSpirit was giving me difficulty because a thin piece of metal fell off the rear deraileur. The deraileur is a Shimano Positron, which dates the bike to about 1981-1982. The Positron was a problem for bikes at that time, and it has been a problem for me as well. I have a temporary fix with some wire to hold the cable shield in place, but I need to find a more permanent solution. I'll have to take it very easy when I shift it. I'd like to get about 500 miles on that bike for the year and I'm at 335 at the moment. The Huffy is at about 420 miles, the Roadmaster road bike is at 250 and the Schwinn Le Tour is at 105 miles. The weatherman says there will be some rain this weekend however, so it remains to be seen if I will ride or not.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Oct 14^th, 2006, 8:48am

I think if Ree can marry his bike he would have done so a long time ago! Nyek nyek nyek! [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] I am even imagining Ree on a date with a pretty woman as he take her to dinner. Ree would hold her hands while sitting at the table and say, "your smile makes my heart beat faster as if I am riding my bike running 25 miles per hour". Or he would
caress her hands and say "your hands are so smooth like the handle of my bike". And when the pizza arrives at their tables, he would say, wow! great shape, like the wheels of my bike! [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif]

I gotta get out of here. I see Ree coming with a 12-gauge shotgun! [smiley=moped.gif] [smiley=moped.gif] [smiley=moped.gif] Drattt!! It won't start! Wait...I'll think I'll use the boat instead! [smiley=boat.gif] Dang it, he took the other boat and he's gaining speed on me!! [smiley=boat.gif]

Ree: Witchyyyyyyyy! [smiley=computer.gif] Come back here!!! Stop the engine and put up your broom where I can see them! [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif]

Witchy: Dratt! He caught up with me so fast! Ouch! That hurts, Ree! I was only joking, you know!

Ree: Joking or not, you deserved to be punished! Take this! [smiley=whip.gif] and this! [smiley=rock.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif]

Witchy: Ouchhhhhhh!! I'm sorryyyyyy!! I promise I will be a good witch from now on! [smiley=bigcry.gif] [smiley=bigcry.gif]

THE END

[smiley=cat39.gif] [smiley=cat39.gif] [smiley=cat39.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=crazysmile.gif] [smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Oct 14^th, 2006, 3:27pm

Ouch! Is that a leg cramp from excessive riding or the singular wit of Witchy? ;D Excessive riding? Did I say I was on a bike?

Just joking..... [smiley=cat39.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Oct 18^th, 2006, 9:27am

on 10/14/06 at 15:27:30, ReeBop wrote:

Ouch! Is that a leg cramp from excessive riding or the singular wit of Witchy? ;D Excessive riding? Did I say I was on a bike?

Just joking..... [smiley=cat39.gif]

You do not like riding anything else but your bike so stop joking!
[smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif] [smiley=roll.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Dec 11^th, 2006, 6:28pm

I haven't visited my journal for a bit, so it is time to stop back in and say hello. My new contract work has kept me quite busy, but I'm used to the schedule now and if the winter weather allows, I will plan on 2-3 days of neighborhood riding a week and my Sunday night ride. My bud Jesse suggests a Saturday ride someplace and I'm suggesting River Legacy for Saturday. Close to the mechanic's shop too as it is time to get started on repairs to the Colt and Nelson says to bring it in at 12:30 Saturday afternoon. I just finished replacing the handlebar on the Roadmaster and it looks great. I put new yellow cork tape on the extenders and it is so much better than what was there before. I also purchased a 3-LED headlamp unit to replace the Xenon lamp that was on there. It is incredibly bright and very very easy on batteries. It was well worth the $28. I am still having some trouble with the front derailleur adjustment and the chain wants to rub on it. I still need to mount the Shimano GIS100 rear unit and may tackle that soon. The sad thing is that I won't reach 1500 miles for the year, but I have gotten over 1000 already. Our Sunday night ride was cancelled last night ( I guess Donovan wanted to watch the game...it was not raining) so I went on a 10 miler on my own with the Huffy Blades. If I keep this pace, I may hit 1300-1400 miles but if I do think I can hit the 1500, I'll push for it hard.

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by okasantina on Dec 24^th, 2006, 9:46am

Merry Christmas Reebopy !!! :) :) :)

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by Wicked_Witch on Dec 26^th, 2006, 8:12am

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MIKE! :P

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by madd on Dec 28^th, 2006, 9:07pm

Inquiring minds want to know. Is the bike powered by Linux?

[smiley=moped.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Dec 29^th, 2006, 7:34am

May the Penguin be with you...always...

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by okasantina on Dec 31^st, 2006, 3:55am

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! REEBOPY!!! :) :) :)
[smiley=icon_dance.gif] [smiley=icon_drink2.gif] [smiley=icon_dance.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 1^st, 2007, 2:40am

thank you tina...and a happy new year to you too!
[smiley=icon_dance.gif] [smiley=icon_drink2.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by ReeBop on Jan 3^rd, 2007, 5:36am

I did a final tally of the computers on my 4 bikes and I finished with 1287.25 miles for the year. It was a little disappointing after 1500 the year before, but it was a busy busy fall for me. I hope to hit 1500 in 2007 and I'll be adding another bike or three to my cycling lineup to ride. My blue road bike is nearly ready for some serious road rides this year and my two cruisers are in good shape. The LeTour needs a good going over however as everything will need to be stripped and regreased. The front deraileur shifter mount has a bend in it that will need to be taken out and I also need to try and machine the rest of the rust off the rims. I'll get some Sunday night rides in for sure and some neighborhood cruises but I'm really looking forward to warm weather. I have one bike nearly ready to paint and reassemble and it will make a nice rider when done. Time for the 2007 riding year to start!

Until then...
[smiley=moped.gif]

Title: Re: The Wandering Pedaller - My Cycling Journal 20
Post by dOnUtz 9urL on Jan 25^th, 2007, 3:07pm

Reeeeeeee reeeeeeee mikeyyyyyy mikeyyyyyyyy ;D ;D ;D

How are yah ? ;) ;)

been techy geeky freaky again like me eh? ha ha ha ha ..... [smiley=icon_drink2.gif] [smiley=icon_dance.gif] [smiley=icon_dance.gif] [smiley=icon_drink2.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif] [smiley=icon_super.gif]

Mewwy kwismes and happy new year Ree Ree 8) 8) 8)
ALL THE BEST FOR YOU !!! [smiley=moped.gif] [smiley=moped.gif] [smiley=moped.gif] [smiley=moped.gif]