Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday 0 exercise
I spent much of the day building up a new 29er bike. I bought a frame on e-bay for almost nothing (as much as a pair of new tires). Ben helped me for much of the build. He has a crazy awesome mechanical mind! At just 4 years old he installed the disc brakes with little help from me. I also bid on a cyclocross frame. It's a sweet frame so I threw in a bid for fun... and won. So I also have a new cross frame which has been something I have wanted for a decade. My dream frame is a Moots or Independent Fabrications Ti cross frame... but at $3000 I can't have what I want. I was sponsored by Merlin for 4 years and I would get 2 bikes per year, I'm kicking myself for never asking for a cross frame. I could have had a dream ride. I've never bought or received a full bike because there is nothing finer than a bare frame waiting to be built from the ground up. Installing every part, every bolt makes the bike personal. My first job after I left home was as a bike mechanic in Lawrence Kansas. The shop was hiring and I went in and applied with zero wrench experience. I told the owner I would work for free until I learned how to wrench and he took my offer... 5 days later he hired me. I went on to be their top salesman and not a bad mechanic. I love bikes and cycling. I'm disheartened by the whole doping shit and especially Lance who I've always loved, but it's not the top riders who inspire me. It's me riding and loving what I'm doing that inspires me.
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11 comments:
I'd wager one of my ganorps that you'd be a serious contender on the cyclo-cross curcuit.
Absolutely NOTHING better than a new (or new to you) bare frame-I agree! A couple years ago I wanted to learn everything about how to build a bike and bought a cheap frame and built it from the ground up. I was more satisfied and loved that bike more than my more expensive bikes because I had such a big connection with it.
And it is too bad that doping has tainted such an awesome thing as riding a bike. It'll get better...one day:).
I don't really know what to make of the Lance situation, and am not sure that I really should care. I read a comment recently that we have bankers, insurance companies and politicians screwing us all out of our money, and we're spending our tax dollars investigating guys who choose to risk their health in order to win a bike race. Where are our priorities? I met Tyler Hamilton a few years ago and immediately knew he was lying, funny isn't it. The evidence would seem to be against Lance, but I will always give someone the benefit of the doubt until I have the facts. The irony is, if we believe that even Lance doped, then what to we make of all of the pros today, have they just not gotten caught yet? Did Contador choose a steroid that he could blame on contaminated meat on purpose? The way he is dominating the Giro, either he's just a freak, or he doped too. One thing is clear, whether you're a politician, a CEO, or a top cyclist, it is easy to be seduced by power and fame and believe that you're above it all. So, again, why are we investigating cyclists, and not the real criminals?
Ben's Bike Shop.
I've seen frames online but they're usually asking more than I'd pay for an entire bike. Geez.
The Lance thing is depressing, and I'd be pissed if I were the one top biker who hadn't been doping and got beat by Lance.
However, honestly what I remember are the great rides on the hill climbs in France like l'Alpe d'Huez. You still have to have some legs to ride for hours and drop people on a climb like that.
Mike-
Everyone is dishonest on different levels. Whether it's speeding (which risks more lives than a drugged up Tour rider)or reading blogs on company time and cheating the employer and coworkers. I look at my analytic data and my peak blog hits come between 9:00am and 5pm Mon-Fri. I agree that we need to be spending energy and money on things that affect our lives. Doped cyclists don't. Dirty politicians do.
Rick- WTF? Ganorp?
even if it turns out lance did let us down, there's still much to be admired about what he has done off the bike to fight cancer.
We're not spending money to chase after dopers, we're spending tax money to incriminate people guilty of perjury, money laundering, tax fraud and mail fraud.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-cant-break-away-from-doping-charges.html
Anon- Damn, I keep forgetting that side of it all. You're right.
Lucho - I'm that blog hit you get from Arvada every day at 2 PM, I'm fine with telling my boss that, and I drive at the speed limit. Now can I complain about Lance?
And since I don't advocate government intervention in the economy, I'll throw in a gripe about bailouts while I'm at it.
Actually I've been thinking about honesty/integrity lately, but it's tough to find a blogging angle that doesn't make me sound like a preachy ***.
Ha! Complain away! Ya, a blog post in honesty and integrity would a tough one to pull off. Maybe write as if you're teaching a child about it? Or tell a story about someone as an example. Use "I" and "me" very little.
That is a stunning picture at the top, where is it? I think I'd like to go for a swim there.
Worry about enjoying the beautiful things and try not to get stained by the oil slicks I say..
I'm just respraying and rebuilding an old tub of a steel frame that I've had for 10 years getting battered about on my commute and I agree, nothing beats knowing every bit.
Russ- Thanks! I took that picture of my son at Sand Point Park near Seattle.
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