Show "Bicycle"

A truly awesome image, Nigel!
And pardon my curiosity, but where did you glimpse or encounter the Melonmobile?
I thought it funny to see Miguel. We were walking down a small side street in Florence and it was resting against the wall. I'm sure it was not fit to ride - put there for the shopkeeper to attract interest.
 
My local bike path in southern Oregon - which runs between Ashland and Central Point - was partially destroyed a year ago, many parts of it burned in the catastrophic wildfire which raged across the region in one long and difficult day. But now, many of the burned spots are partially "re-greening" themselves and recovering.

Here, my Salsa bike is in front of a spot that the flames largely missed - except for the blackened trunk of what was once a large-isn tree, before the flames reduced it to charred remnants. (It had to be cut down, as its burned shell became a potential hazard to the bike path.)

EP5_Sept20_21_Salsa_on_bike_path.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Did a shake down ride with my freshly built carbon gravel bike. Picked up a pair of Panaracer GravelKing SS in limited edition Pansy Blue...because I'm a fashionista and these have become my favorite all-around tires! They look so sexy and guaranteed not to impress my wife who is totally not into bikes! :roflmao:

So far everything is riding smoothly except my front disc brake. I'm either going to have to replace the front brake with a flat mount caliper or have my LBS face the brake mounts. They're not rubbing, but the caliper position is already pushed all the way out and most likely due to the mounts not properly flush.

Anyways, I think after a year riding in Los Angeles, this bike is an expressive cumulation of how I ride in this city. ;)

DSC_5084.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5075.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5068.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5088.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5067.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Second cross race of the year was a mud fest. My time slot was too early to make the whole family get up at 6am etc, so I was spared... just took photos in the rain. But both girls raced, wife won, kid got second (out of two...). A great day.

Friend and teammate, who LOVES this kind of $hit. She could not be happier. She's 62, and took 2nd at nationals last year, btw... life goals.

KBRY4946.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


This is the "flyover," about 20 feet high, steps up the back. Some of the newer riders (adults and kids) got up there and just couldn't do it, had to walk their bikes down. Mountain biking helps a lot, here... you're used to seeing big drops and you know what to do.

KBRY4963.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Sloppy times

KBRY5008.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


My kid, the day before her 12th birthday. So incredibly proud of her for not just enduring this, but really enjoying herself.

KBRY5143.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Second cross race of the year was a mud fest. My time slot was too early to make the whole family get up at 6am etc, so I was spared... just took photos in the rain. But both girls raced, wife won, kid got second (out of two...). A great day.

Friend and teammate, who LOVES this kind of $hit. She could not be happier. She's 62, and took 2nd at nationals last year, btw... life goals.

View attachment 271088

This is the "flyover," about 20 feet high, steps up the back. Some of the newer riders (adults and kids) got up there and just couldn't do it, had to walk their bikes down. Mountain biking helps a lot, here... you're used to seeing big drops and you know what to do.

View attachment 271089

Sloppy times

View attachment 271090

My kid, the day before her 12th birthday. So incredibly proud of her for not just enduring this, but really enjoying herself.

View attachment 271092
That looks fun! Glad to hear about your wife and daughter winning!

Looking at that weather though, I'm now such a SoCal wimp when it comes to rain! I remember one year during the LA Marathon it rained and a bunch of runners ended up with hypothermia in weather that most Oregonians take for granted! :D
 
Knocked out 20 miles last Tuesday, but ended up with a flat tire in Beverly Hills! Luckily I was on a group ride and the flat happened during a stop break. I was able to put in a tube and rode back with the group! Today I knocked out 15 uphill miles and the weather was actually cloudy, but it was mainly due to smoke from fires in N. California! :eek:

The curves on my carbon frame are starting to grow on me, paired with the long stem and flared bars! 😍

griffith.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
I did my weekly hill climb at the usual spot! This week I had my wheels trued and I installed a Shimano 105 R7000 crankset I had laying around for about a month while the wheels were at the LBS. I swapped from 170mm to 160mm cranks and can feel a slight loss of torque at the low gear end, but at the same time out of saddle pedaling is much more efficient. Still deciding if I like it, but I need to ride with them more!

DSC_5259.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Recent bike pics.... racing, commuting, etc.

Walk & Bike To School Day was fun. Wife carried me in the cargo bike, so I could face whatever way I wanted, shoot video, and get stills.

KBRY5403P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRY5407P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRY5426P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRY5451P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


And some race pics... This venue was 2.5 hours from home, and I raced early, so we went the night before and slept there on the farm, next to a stereotypical red barn. Woke up Saturday morning to other riders pulling into parking downhill from us.

2021_0930_19324500.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

2021_1001_18402000.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


An intense Womens Singlespeed race. I know these ladies, and they're just amazing people / athletes. ALL of them did 2 races a day, 2 days in a row, btw.


2021_1001_13340400(2).jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Juniors in the tent next to us, passed out cold after their race.

2021_1001_13394800.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Daughter raced too.

2021_1002_12203000.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


A tough run-up on this course.

2021_1001_11005300(2) (1).jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Today I did a total of 27 miles today at CicLAvia. It was fun rolling through parts of downtown Los Angeles that wouldn't normally be open to bikes in any friendly manner. There were PLENTY of cyclists out and it made me wonder if LA actually invested in decent cycling infrastructure, we'd actually have a really awesome bike city. There were lots of bike related booths, food stalls, water dispensers, free bike repair and first aid for all cyclists.

I met up with my weekly cycling group and like harden DTLA cyclists, we opted to go back into traffic as a group and ride fast on the regular streets with cars. It just felt more natural for us and it was interesting to see how everyone who rides regularly (in our group) are more alert than the average weekend rider! :eek: 😁

DSC_5305.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5294.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


DSC_5282.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Last edited:
The return of Big Red

Last Autumn I found an old steel bike frame on eBay, and over the course of some weeks, built it into a 650B mountain-ish thing, doing its maiden ride on Christmas Day 2020. It was a lot of fun to ride, but over the summer I stripped it of a lot of parts in order to outfit the Budnitz Alpha frame. In hindsight, that frame is not as much fun to ride as Big Red was, and I'm thinking of putting it up for sale. But in the meantime, I've been squirreling away parts to refit Big Red, and today it was re-maidened, this time as a sort of 26er, using wide rims and 26 x 2.125 Kenda tires. I had literally just installed the chain and pedals and rolled it out my back door when I took this photo. I hadn't even ridden it yet.

I outfitted it front and back with Tektro disc brakes, hydraulic in the front and mechanical in the rear. They are smooth as silk, and the fat Kenda tires give a comfortable ride. With the tall 20.5" frame, the bike is a great fit for me. Welcome back, Big Red.

Big Red reborn.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
A lot more racing this weekend. And MUD. And hail / sleet. So much bike cleaning yet to finish...

I shot a lot of video, and haven been editing and posting for the team. But here are some stills I liked.

KBRX5329P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRX5417P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRY5486P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


By Sunday the mud was intense, peanut buttery badness. BOTH this poor girl's shoes got stuck in it, sucked right off her feet.

KBRX5501.JPG
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRY5704P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


Part of the course actually went INTO the Willamette River at high tide.

KBRX5549P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


KBRX5630P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


These grueling Sunday mudfest races were also the state championships. Wife and daughter BOTH got 2nd place finishes!

KBRY5833P.jpg
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
 
Back
Top