A Morning at the Cannon

A friend flew in from Edmonton and wanted to meet up so I recommended the Cannon.  He's quite a coffee connoisseur and gave their pour-over-style the thumbs up.  I wish I had taken a shot of our breakfast sandwiches - they were pretty decadent as well.

I got the GoPro rolling for the ride home and went a bit out of my way to have some fun.  Not too many days like this left.

If I was trying to make time I would have headed south right away, instead I headed east to the Red Hill expressway and it's parallel gravel path.

At times, the highway isn't very far away (immediately to my left in the photo below).

Then back into traffic once I hit Queenston, and from there, Highway #8 and home.  This fellow came close and his mirror even closer!

Whereas this bus driver left his rightful lane in order to give me space.  Thanks HSR!

The new bike lanes on Highway #8 are nice. Let's see if they keep them plowed in the winter.

Overall observations. It's now officially cold on the hands in the morning and not much better by noon.  The Kenda Small-Block 8's needed a bit more pressure today but should (as always) prove excellent once the weather really turns.  My brake hoods are beginning to feel like they stretch me out a bit too far so I might need to look for an alternative, shallow, handlebar that can get them in a bit closer.

I'm also beginning to think that I should look into a 58" frame. Wondering if the 60" is too much for me. Perhaps that's part of the issue.

Up the Mountain

The last three Monday night ultimate (frisbee) games have been at Redeemer College in Ancaster, but its a very enjoyable ride.
First I climb the escarpment. In local vernacular we refer to the escarpment as the mountain.
Once on top I cut through a wonderful community full of a variety of older and thoughtfully constructed homes.  I normally object to oversized houses and everything they represent but these are an exception. I should have taken some pics!
Next through the abandoned psychiatric complex.

I think you would agree that it's a bit eerie.  It conjures up images of several horror movies!

Then a stop at Olive & Kiwi's for a coffee. This place is kind of hidden away but worth a side-trip if you find yourself on the West Mountain.

Still trying to figure out the GoPro but this photo was a fun accident.

"Stand aside please. Professional photographer coming through!"

Coffee by My Dog Joe. 

Cheers!

Walking the Bear - my day with the Salsa Beargrease

Having rented such a wonderful bicycle for the day, I set out to fully enjoy it.  That meant some trail riding, but mostly it meant retracing the routes I commonly took growing up in Ottawa.

Although the paths of my youth would look much different covered in a foot of snow, and some 30 years later, they absolutely succeeded in resurrecting a lot of good memories.

Starting from the far east, the route traces back to itself counter-clockwise.  Turns out the route that took me four hours (including a couple of rests) was only 27km long - but it sure felt a lot longer than that.  I would equate the workout to doing 60km, full-out, on the road.

Salsa Beargrease

I arrived at Phat Moose Cycles with the impression that I had booked a Salsa Mukluk II.  I had never been on a fat-tire bicycle before and to say I was looking forward to it is an understatement.  They opened at 10 and I was there for 9:55 in full gear.  

 
The weather was ideal and although I wouldn't have the time to get to any of the  recommended trails, I had a route well planned out that would include a variety of challenges.
 
I was stunned when the two guys at Phat Moose had instead prepared for me a  Salsa Beargrease.  Holy cow. It was like getting the ultimate, free upgrade at Budget Rent a Car.
 

Sometimes its not just about the bike...but usually it is.

My daughter and I ran in a 5km race last weekend.
It was sponsored by Domestique - a coffee bar that caters to cyclists and cycling (they were packed in there and going nuts when Ryder won the GIRO in the Spring).

This fellow was really nice, handing out good coffee and brought along a slick looking Linus to boot.

Linus' have such clean lines.

The Cafe is neat - it has cycling on the TV all the time (you don't see that everywhere), one of Steve Bauer's yellow jersey's from the tour, as well, Bauer and other pro's (past and present) often drop in.

I'll do a post on them sometime.

Final Pedal BLOG of 2011 - I Promise!

I guess I am not doing as high of an end of equipment upgrades here just yet but I do have one more pedal update.
I went to Phat Moose Cycles today (in Ottawa).  It's a really great shop.  Anyhow it was there I first got my Power Straps pedal system that i have enjoyed for these two years.  A few weeks ago I bent the hardware on that system and was intending to replace them but Phat Moose doesn't have them anymore.  Instead they recommended what the courires are using these days, as pictured below.
A chap in Montreal makes the strap.  Although there is clearly a logo etched into the leather I do not see a company name. Apologies for that.  I also required a suitable pedal for the right fit and decided it was time to try a mountain bike pedal.  I think I will enjoy the stability, versatility for a variety of footwear (that is to say, winter boots) and the larger platform.  So now I have a new system.  When I get back home I'll try them out for my Tuesday commute.

Sorry - don't know why this is cut off.  But it does show the pedal with the strap installed and without.

I am looking forward to arriving at work with warm toes.  Here's hoping.

Admittedly I had intended to pick up a Cross Check frame while here.  However, they only had a 58 and that's too close to call.  I am more likley a 60.  Then, they very nearly sold me on the Salsa Caserole ... very nearly indeed.  I shall have some thinking to do about this.  In either case, I left the store without a new frame.  Don't know if I feel good about having saved my money for another day or if I feel bad about a missed opportunity (the frames were all on sale).

Once again, I apologize for another "pedal post."  Not very exciting stuff.  I promise better for 2012!

Happy New Year to all!  And Happy cycling!

Sturmey-Archer Hub

The build I am doing for my daughter is turning out to be a lot of fun.  I am certainly learning a lot, especially with the help of my local co-op.
I decided that I wanted to get some nice fat tires for her bike (the Peugeot) and my thinking is that this means I need to remove the canti's.  So she'll need something for brakes.  I settled on the Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub with a coaster brake.

I wished that it had come in blue to match the frame, but I can't argue with the price I paid.

It hasn't come in yet.  I just checked yesterday, but I know its waaaayyy to soon.  Another two weeks I would guess.
In the meantime I have reassembled both the bottom bracket and the headset.  The bottom bracket is like butter but I am wondering if I have gotten some bearings in upside down on the headset.  It feels a little tight.  We'll see how it is on the road when I am "done" and make an adjustment after that I guess.

And about those fat tires.  Doesn't seem like there are a whole lot of options for a 27" wheel.  So far I've only managed to find tires that are 1 1/4" ... so not really fat at all.  I'll keep looking of course.

My daughter has really caught the bug too.  Even with the colder weather here, and soon possibly some snow (although not yet) she still wants to get on her "new" bike.  Bless her!

New Toy for the Rebuild

Excellent!  My "Feedback Sports Recreational Bicycle Repair Stand" just arrived today. It had been on backorder from MEC (Canada's version of REI) and I had to be patient, but here it is.

Much more solid than I had expected!

First bike on it is my daughters rebuild - the Peugeot.

First thing I have to do is the headset which I messed up. 
This is kind of learn-as-I-go!

It's beginning to get a bit cold on the hands out in the garage but I am so excited about the stand that I'm sure I will overlook all that without flinching.
Next stop, the local bike co-op, for a few tips on the headset thing.
I also want to build the wheels myself.

Let me get used to the stand and I'll do a review of it.  Hard for me to know what to compare it to.  One of these times I'll show you my old set-up for bike repair - a home grown concept that will blow your mind!  But you must wait!

Power Grips

For about two years I was searching for a good pedal system.  I landed on the idea of going back to clips and straps and I was fairly happy with that.  However, winter presented a problem because my heavier shoe/boot just felt terribly awkward in there.

I was in a neat shop called Phat Moose Cycles when I first came across these.

The shop guy told me that they were very popular with local couriers.  Apparently "Power Grips" have been about for quite a while, but they were new to me.  For my purposes, they work on a lot of levels.

1. Not very expensive.  Really they are just straps and some hardware so you think they'd be dirt cheap - but they're not.  I have seen some sites where folks complain about the price and have taken to making their own versions out of leather belts and such.

2. I can wear normal footwear year round.  I do have a nice cross shoe that I use for commuting because my commute is somewhat long and the stiffness of the shoe helps with energy transfer (but that's for another time).  I can wear winter boots or I can wear a cleated shoe - any option will work.  This is particularly useful when I am just jumping on the bike to goto the corner store.

3. There's still a decent feeling of security in the pedal but it's easy to get your foot free if it needs to get out fast!

4. You can buy them in extra large lengths if you have bigger feet, or perhaps are using them for the aforementioned winter footwear.

5. I think they look kind of cool.

6. Made in America.

As for the cons,

1. Phat Moose didn't have the black ones available so I had to get these cream-coloured ones with a diamond print pattern.  They only come like this or the black.  Take the black if you have a choice!

2. You need to have the proper pedal.  Took me a while to find something I liked.

3. Figuring out how to install them took a while.  Their old website wasn't really helpful and neither were the package instructions, but I understand that both are now vastly improved.

4. The trick to them is a combination of stiffness and flexibility.  Because I accidentally continue to step on and crush the one on my right pedal, the stiffness has decreased and the flexibility increased.  Essentially that means it's breaking down a bit and that it tends to flop a bit when I am trying to get the right side in.  Ideally this wouldn't be happening.

In the final analysis I can say that I have used the same set for over 18 months now, including a full winter of commuting and they are otherwise (see #4 above) holding up very well.

Next time I am in Ottawa I will be looking for the black set.

All in all I recommend these to you if you want to wear street shoes or other normal walking footwear, like simplicity of design, want a device that lets you in and out easily, and like me, need something other than an open pedal.

My Bike

I originally purchased this Diamondback Miramar so that I could do a triathlon.  It's a hybrid with wide tires and a non-aggressive riding position because I also wanted it for around town practicality - so it was alright for the triathlon but not ideal. Yes, I do have my eye on a few other bikes - most of them are Surly's but we'll have to see.  I'm not a wealthy person so I can't have the stable of bikes that others do.  I have the Miramar and maybe one day I'll have another as well.
In the meantime, my hacker has gotten me to work and back spring, summer, fall and winter (Canadian winters too).  Except for occasional adjustments it's been dependable enough. I just bought a work stand from MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op) but its on backorder.  It'll come in very handy when winter gunk needs to get cleaned out of my drivetrain.  I'll review it when it arrives.