matt mccluskey - blog

Beautiful

2012-01-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

Great sunset tonight.

Windy Lancaster

2012-01-29T20:16:00.000-05:00

Went for a ride today with some of the "fellas", James, Charlie, Matt & Ted.

Good times.

Some GoPro footage.

Weekend Project

2012-01-28T18:08:00.000-05:00

I finally decided to put up some shelves in the garage to better organize all our stuff.

The batteries ran out before I could finish, but you get the gist of it.

I speak for the trees.

2012-01-27T10:09:00.002-05:00

PA Proposes Bill for Cyclists

2012-01-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

There is a Bill in the House right now that proposes a motor vehicle pass a "pedalcycle" with at least four feet of distance, among some other things.

Here's the link to the bill.

While I'm all for this bill, there is going to little or no enforcement of it. It might help in a future injury case, but as a day-to-day rule of driving around, motorists aren't going to abide by it.

Why?

PA roads are (for the most part) extremely narrow, hilly, have poor sight lines, and ,in general, in disrepair. Having better road conditions, better road design, and up-keep, will go a lot further than this bill.

I hope it passes, but there are so many other things that could be done to make PA road safer for everyone.

Happy Birthday to my Blog

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

7 Years old today.

First post.

Who knew things would change so much from the first post.

Maintenance Day

2012-01-22T20:06:00.001-05:00

While the weather is a little crappy, it was a good day to go over the bikes.

I knew the Niner needed new pulleys, but I didn't realize how bad they were until I got the new ones.

It seems the bottom bracket on the commuter has also died. I can move the cranks side-to-side. But to be fair, Matt T. had them on the bike when he gave it to me, and I knew they were pretty worn.

Old School

2012-01-21T19:28:00.002-05:00

I was cleaning out some garage items, and came across an old issue of BIKE, Aug 1997, a.k.a., "The Funk Issue". I thought I had lost this one.

It was one of the very few I didn't recycle in our move to the Mid-Atlantic.

Cover. There was also a great section about the Metro Detroit trails, like Poto and Highland Rec.

Ritchey 2x9 drivetrain. I think made by ~~Suntour~~ Sachs, because I had the same non-SRAM twist-shift on one of my first Cannondales, which was total garbage. This would replace your "current" 3x8. This kit could make a come back as a 2X10, with their recent popularity, from 3x9's.

"Full-Sus" 1997 GT LTS-1. **Shudder**

Kinda neat to look through the advertising and articles to see how far suspension (front and rear), drivetrains, and clothing styles have changed in 14-15 years.

Lunchbeaver™

2012-01-20T15:53:00.001-05:00

Not to be confused with a "Nooner".

Looks like I wasn't the only one getting busy at Fair Hill at lunch today.

Weekend weather is looking iffy, so we'll see if any riding is done.

Fade

2012-01-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Crisp.

Cold.

Clear.

Commute.

Why SOPA is a bad idea

2012-01-18T13:31:00.001-05:00

Trying to help out

2012-01-16T15:57:00.001-05:00

Rescued from the neighbor's curb.

Then Donated. Hope it helps.

Back to the Dozen

2012-01-16T09:40:00.001-05:00

Welp, I registered for the Leesburg Baker's Dozen this year.

However, there is a new twist on my previous races there. (2010) (2009)

This year, Ted and I are teaming up for a 2 Man ride, and now that we're older (and wiser) we can run in the Geezer class.

Now the only thing is to hope for dry weather like 2010. If it's like 2011's race (or so I read), it'll be not so much fun.

Time to start training.

Cold ride at Elk Neck

2012-01-15T15:38:00.000-05:00

Another Sunday ride, and another ride from the usual Fair Hill/White Clay trail.

Off to Elk Neck.

Temps only in the 20's with a a bit of a wind. Riding right on the Chesapeake makes for numb toes, fingers, and brain as well.

Matt & Ted on overlook.

Me, Alan, and Fuzzy.

Chesapeake Bay.

Don't slip.

I think the memory card didn't like 20°.

Mountain Biking is not a crime.

Single Speeds, 20°, and hills.

Nice ride, and we pretty much had a run of the park.

Where to next Sunday?

Supporting the Cause

2012-01-11T09:56:00.000-05:00

Hostess files Chapter 11.

Why

2012-01-09T16:51:00.003-05:00

Can't see it? View it here.

Philly Art Museum

2012-01-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

We went to the Philadelphia Art Museum on Saturday.

Tired Kids

Washington Monument

Pola-Pola-Pola

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Go ride yer bike.

Horselunch®

2012-01-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

Lots o' Horses on the LunchRide™ today.

1 horse, about 15 hunting dogs.

Gears today.

3 ol' ladies on horses. The one closest to me, fell of when I came upon them. (She was already on the ground. I didn't spook them.)

I held the white horse in the middle while the other lady helped the one that fell off. They seemed glad that I was there to help. They told me that the one that fell is 78 years old. That's a good way to break a hip!

Cut a tree to clear the trail, then make a seat to sit after you're done.

Race Track. 50's, no wind. Perfect.

Sad but True.

2012-01-06T10:39:00.000-05:00

"There is no defensive cycling on the roads of the States and most places I travel."

I agree, and it's sad but true.

Road Rage in Maui on Bike Hugger.

Poor design

2012-01-05T09:53:00.002-05:00

Working as a product design engineer has its drawbacks. Sometimes, I just can't help but look at things, and say, "WTF? This design sucks. What were they thinking? C'mon!"

I've had my Light & Motion Seca 800 for a while, but I've been using it on my handlebar for commuting for almost every ride.

Tuesday night was a first ride on the mountain bike with the helmet mount.

Now, I really like this light, but the helmet mount is a design nightmare. One offset Velcro strap is no way to properly mount a light to a vented helmet.

I've noticed, every picture on the web shows the strap on one side, assuming there is one on the other, and it is secure.

It's not.

At a Retail price of $500, I'd expect more from this light.

Zip-ties are no way to mount a helmet light. Niterider has a way better design. Link.

White ties are ugly still. I need to get some black ones at least.

Sheesh.

Lunchcicle™

2012-01-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

First Lunch Ride™ of the year.

Sunny-ish, Mid-20°F, no wind.

Groomed, dry, hard & fast.

Sometimes the trail disappears.

Ice sheet on Big Elk Creek.

Beardcicle.

2011 Mileage

2012-01-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

First, nerdy graphs.

Total Mountain: 1,525.12

Total Road: 1,526.01

Total Commute: 2,233.68

Grand Total for 2011: 5,284.12

140.87 miles over 2010 total of 5,143.87

I didn't set a mileage goal for 2011, and exceeded 2010 mileage.

Therefore, no mileage goal for 2012. So I'll see what happens.

Last ride of 2011

2011-12-31T15:36:00.003-05:00

Big solo road ride.

Cochranville to Marsh Creek to West Chester and back to Cochranville.

However, due to a failure of planning of food, clothing (way over-dressed), and distance/# of hills, Alison had to come and pick me up outside of West Chester. I still had another 10 miles to go, and MANY more hills before making it home, with the headwind picking up.

I am going to complete this loop in 2012, now that I know what to expect.

It's just shy of 70 miles, but feels like 100 with the number of climbs. I managed 58.87.

It'll be great training in the spring.

Great way to start a ride... with a rainbow.

Root Cellar

Root Cellar

Historical Marker

"Slow Down Horse and Wife Crossing"

Bright Side Farm

Horace Pippin

Final 2011 mileage numbers and breakdown next post.

Last Lunch Ride™ of 2011

2011-12-30T14:13:00.001-05:00

Due to some black-ice-type conditions last night on the way home from my commute, and also this morning, I opted to do a Lunch Ride™ today instead. (I wasn't the only one.)

50 Degrees and Sunny on December 30th.

Nice.

Kinda.

It was a bit muddy on top, especially in the areas that got the most direct sun.

Better than no ride at all.

Big Tree down. Nice root system.

Carin

Trail Dawgs sign. Ready to ruin the soft trails again. Go Fuck yourselves.

Signage

South Park wreck. (One day, I'll find out what year/make/model this car was.)

Too much mud. Back to the gravel roads.

I love the ruins in Fair Hill. (South Park)

Looking for a road ride on the last day of the year.

Artifacts

2011-12-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

Some recent items on my holiday vacation road rides.

Bird Head near Runnymede Rd.

Porn near Marsh Creek.

Back to work tomorrow.

Hopefully a commute on the bike.

Vacation begins!

2011-12-23T16:55:00.001-05:00

Let the Holiday vacation begin!

A Brief History of Santa Claus

2011-12-21T13:01:00.002-05:00

Solo Me-Oh

2011-12-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a solo road ride in a while, and sometimes it's nice to be able to go your own pace and just ride.

Cold. 20's and bright sun, but these were needed for sure.

Another good thing about riding a bike, Closed Bridge sometimes doesn't mean exactly that. No problems crossing at all.

Same thing as above. Not really closed to me.

A Historical Marker for Thomas Buchanan Read. I'd ridden by this before, but missed it somehow.

Top of my lollipop loop.

Even at 2pm on my way home, it was still pretty cold.

I always get a little nervous when I see these on the side of the road.

Here's the loop, if you care, although I made a slight alteration on the way home.

This is a really great loop, and I'll be doing it again.

Neat houses and landscape to look at, with only a slight alteration on one part due to busy traffic.

Just shy of 50 miles, with some nice steep hills.

Back to D.C. and The White House

2011-12-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

We got our tickets again for The White House Tour since our cancelation back in September.

Normally, you cannot take any photographs. However, they actually encouraged people to take pictures since it was the holidays, so that was cool.

A huge felt Bo Obama

East Room

The famous George Washington portrait that Dolly Madison saved in the fire of 1814.

Blue Room tree decorated with military ornaments.

Button Bo.

White House made of White Chocolate in the State Dining Room.

Abe in the State Dining Room.

JFK

Bust of Lafayette.

Dining Room Tree.

Blue Room Tree.

Benjamin Franklin in the Green Room.

Entrance Hall.

We stopped at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History after The White House. I had to get a picture of this petrified wood they had out front. It's so cool looking.

Gosh, there is still so much in D.C. we haven't seen. We'll be back soon.

Two things I respect.

2011-12-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

Christopher Hitchens and Bicycles.

Hitch will be missed.

Photograph by Christian Witkin.

I ♥ Infographics

2011-12-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

It must be the Engi-nerd in me, but I always like reading/viewing infographics.

Check out this one @ fastcodesign.

Good stuff.

(Click to view the entire design.)

iPhone mobile blogger test.

2011-12-14T12:12:00.001-05:00

This is a test post using Blogger's iPhone app.

Skullcandy FIX

2011-12-13T15:43:00.001-05:00

Well, it's about time someone made some earbuds that stay in your ears, and don't cost a huge amount of money.

I got my Skullcandy Fix earbuds yesterday, and I tried them out this morning on my way to work.

The Good: They stay in my ears, they have great sound, they don't howl with wind noise on downhills, in-line mic and volume control.

The (not really) Bad: The silicone tips almost fit too tight, and they block out background noise. I am not worried about this on my commute, but someone riding in a city, might want to be very cautious, or choose the other Fix earphones.

Bottom Line: Get 'em.

5K Lunch Ride™

2011-12-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I had a Lunch Ride™.

Weird ice crystals.

Greezy.

Why we have showers @Gore.

I broke my 5,000 mile barrier on this ride as well.

Only 18 more days to ride in 2011.

Saturday

2011-12-10T13:47:00.001-05:00

Ride with Ted.

Rigid SS's.

New tree down in Middle Run.

Death Drop or something in Redd Park.

Reservoir.

White Clay Creek

Old Steps.

This guy I know was running a 'cross race at Fair Hill.

Bullshittin'

Until next time...

He's got my Vote.

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

If only I was a registered voter.

True.

2011-12-08T09:36:00.001-05:00

NSFW (Language)

Xtranormal Link

Thanks Outside Mag.

Fair Hill Ride

2011-12-04T18:38:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since riding at Fair Hill.

Good Ride with Ted and a chance meet up with Kurtee. 31-ish miles on the day full of sun.

Lots of fog on the way in.

Poach(?)

Boundry

T h i c k frost on the grass.

Kurt on bridge.

Required thermal apparel.

After getting home a doing some general maintainance, I noticed that I had completely worn my Maxxis ReFuse down to the Kevlar.

It still held air like a champ.

Now that's a fucking tire.

New cap for winter commuting, New Belgium Winter Cap.

You may have seen these on Velo Orange or Paul Components, the guys at my shop made mine for me.

Light mounted. Funny how I have the same light pictures in the other two web sites as well.

Top view.

Gonna test it out on tomorrow's commute.

NOvember Numbers

2011-12-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

Total NO Car NOvember Mileage: 783.32

Commute Mileage

Road Mileage

NO Mountain bike mileage.

YTD Mileage: 4,859.58.

I am ahead a little bit YTD from 2010 and I hope to break my 2010 mileage (5,143) by Dec 31st.

Complete

2011-11-30T20:02:00.001-05:00

No Car NOvember is NO more.

Full numbers tomorrow.

Last Day of NOvember

2011-11-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

Last night was wet for sure, but today was near perfect.

Cold (a little less sweaty) and Sunny.

I'd say the Cloud Cover was 0.5%, not 32%.

Morning Commute

2011-11-29T12:32:00.001-05:00

Really warm for shorts only.

Gonna be really wet on the way home.

Bench seat.

2011-11-28T20:45:00.001-05:00

NO time to sit.

NO Car NOvember is almost over. Keepin' it rollin'.

The Full Enola

2011-11-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

Matt, Ted and I headed out to ride the full Enola Low-Grade R2T from Atglen, PA to the bridge at Safe Harbor (Conestoga), PA.

Warning: Lots of Pictures!

Nice to have a port-a-john just in case.

This is the bridge over the Pequea Creek. Google Map view.

The silver things on the bridge are road signs that have been nailed down to patch holes. Yikes.

Nice hole through the bridge with a view of the water below.

The ladder. (More of that later)

Some rock climbers along the trail near the Safe Harbor end.

The long bridge at Safe Harbor. We can't cross it as it is blocked off. Pretty much the end of the trail at this point.

Ted brought along a homebrew for the occasion.

A really big bolt.

The view though the fence at the bridge. It'd be cool if they worked on it for foot traffic, but I dunno. It may cost too much to justify it for a R2T.

The Safe Harbor Dam. Google Map view.

A look down the other side. A straight down wall.

Lots of climbers that day. Warm temps and sunny skies brought lots of people out on the trail.

Ted on the way back.

Trail artifacts.

Back on the Pequea bridge. A look through the ladder hole to the catwalk below.

The structure underneath.

Matt, Fenderless.

Food stop.

We stopped at Turkey Hill for a refuel. Ted's knee was killing him, so Gwen came to pick him up in the car. Matt and I pressed on back to my place.

The day's mileage was 67.5-ish. A great day, but we all agreed that we don't think we'll be going back anytime soon. The gravel is much too rough. I had sharp pains in my wrists Sunday morning after all the jarring vibration for 5+ hours on the gravel.

I'll be keeping an eye on it from time to time during my road rides in the area, but until they can get a finer crush or cinder on the top, I don't know how much more I'll be riding it.

Turkey Leg for Dinner today.

2011-11-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

BBQ Legs for dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yep, a one legged turkey.

After the Big Rain

2011-11-23T11:55:00.001-05:00

The last few days, it has been raining a lot. Last night it was really heavy. I came home pretty soaked on the feet and hands, and sweaty on the inside of the GORE-TEX due to the really warm temps.

During this morning's ride in, I stopped to take a couple of pictures of the swollen creeks I cross over.

It's also good to know that AB is marketing Busch beer to hunters with the Safety Orange Can.

Always best to have an orange beer can when you're sitting in the woods shooting critters with firearms.

Ya know.. fer like safety and such.

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

This MAY or MAY NOT explain why we are not traveling for the Thanksgiving weekend.

I'm just sayin'.

American Needle Coupon

2011-11-21T10:03:00.001-05:00

American Needle

FREE GROUND SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS THROUGH JANUARY 31.

And take 20% off your entire order today through November 24.
Use coupon code: THANKS1918

The greatest commute ever.

2011-11-17T19:07:00.001-05:00

I took a half day from work to go to a prosthetic appointment in Glasgow, DE at Real Life Prosthetics.

Since it's NO Car NOvember, I rode to the office from work. It didn't take me long since it was mostly downhill, and I had a pretty strong tailwind.

After my appointment, I just headed home.

30 miles.

I made my way back from Glasgow to Newark, DE, through the U of D Campus, then got on the White Clay Creek road/pathway/jogging-path/trail.

I took a quick break at a bench next to the creek.

I made my way to the DE/PA State Line and arrived at Ticking Tomb.

I got on another short trail/wide path connector and I rode right by Ted's house, and then on my way home.

I'm glad I rode the new commuter. I would have had to stick to the busier roads if I was on the regular road bike as it wouldn't have handled the trails very well.

A total of 39.5 miles from work, to RLP, and back home.

Best Commute Ever.

OOps

2011-11-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

I hit a little detour on the way home tonight, kinda accidentally-on-purpose.

I didn't think the mud was gonna be that thick.

GORE-TEX® kinda morning.

2011-11-16T09:24:00.001-05:00

Not a heavy rain the whole way, but enough to warrant rain gear.

NO Car NOvember rolls on.

Enola Low-Grade R2T

2011-11-13T14:18:00.001-05:00

Matt and I headed out to the Enloa Low Grade Rail to Trail today to check it out firsthand.

We started out in Atglen, PA. where the trail Ends/Begins. Crushed stone, but I think it was a little too big. They need to put another pea-gravel size on top to fill in some of the rough spots, but overall, a pretty good trail for it being "new" to the area.

As you can see, they are still doing some work on this end.

We headed West to the other end.

At Mount Pleasant Road, there is this small tunnel. Unfortunately, the entire thing was covered in thick mud and water. We walked/rode though it, and it made a mess, but was still passable.

We made it to the Eden Township Kiosk. We didn't have enough time to keep going, but stopped to check it out.

A good ride with just shy of 40 miles on our ride to Atglen from my place and back. We decided to take the roads back so we didn't have to go though the mud again.

These were the results of the mud section. Fenders helped a lot.

Hopefully, we can find a longer day to do the whole thing.

I'm already looking forward to it.

11-11-2011 11:11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Screen shot of my desktop.

Screen shot of my iPhone.

Now back to your regularly scheduled life...

Chix

2011-11-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Gore Fair Hill.

Now with Chickens!

Orange Vest Day

2011-11-10T10:18:00.001-05:00

Safety First!

Another foggy morning on the way into work.

NO Car NOvember rolls on.

Freakin' Idiot.

2011-11-10T08:53:00.001-05:00

I want to know if the rider is going to pay for that bridge.

My guess is... not a chance.

UPDATE: Found out later that the horse had to be put down, as it's injuries were too extensive to its legs.

Dragon Tattoo

2011-11-07T16:51:00.003-05:00

Commuting to/from work gives me almost exactly 1 hour each way. A good amount of time to listen to a lot of things on my iPhone; Music (personal playlists, Pandora, "live" radio), Podcasts, and Audiobooks.

Over the weekend, I got The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo on audiobook.

I'm really looking forward to the David Fincher film, coming this December. I like Fincher's works, and I own several of his movies on DVD and Blu-Ray.

If we can get a sitter, the Mrs. and I plan on seeing it in the theaters, so I wanted to know the story before seeing the film.

I know the book has been out for sometime, and I'd had heard about it a while ago, but now I understand a little bit about the story, I wanted to hear it in its entirety.

Foggy

2011-11-07T09:59:00.002-05:00

Pretty thick this morning.

Kinda wet by the time I got to work, but it'll dry in short order.

I got my Light & Motion Seca 800 on Friday. Used the flashing mode on the way in this morning. A good test for sure.

Super-bright even in the day. I also like the weight savings versus the HID. The battery weight alone makes a huge difference.

The real test will be on the way home tonight, as the sunset for today is 4:54pm.

Fall Back.

2011-11-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

Birthday Sunset

2011-11-04T21:59:00.002-04:00

Birthday Sunrise

2011-11-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

A nice way to begin the day.

Dark ride home.

2011-11-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

After staying a bit late at work, it really gets dark on the way home.

2011-11-02T20:30:00.000-04:00

Ride More, Drive Less

2011-11-01T11:57:00.000-04:00

You've heard of "No Shave November", or Movember, right?

No?

Okay.

Anyway... Last week during a ride either to or from work, I had the idea of "officially" trying to not drive in the month of November. I was also a bit inspired by the blog lockring. not. included. and this blog post from Corybantic.

Now, if you follow this blog at all, or know me, or not, you may know that this is not much of a stretch for me.

I ride a lot, but not always to/from work. I do a lot of rides with the fellas during the week, and weekends and I drive to these rides.

However, I don't ride to work in the rain, or the snow. I'm kinda of a "no precipitation" commuter.

Cold doesn't bother me.

Hot doesn't bother me.

Wet bothers me.

With the right gear it should be tolerable. I ordered some rain pants from Pearl Izumi (thank you for the sponsorship), but I haven't had the opportunity to try them... yet.

Now, this doesn't apply to Alison. She needs to drive the kids to things after school, and run her bakery business by making deliveries, and getting groceries, banking, etc.

It doesn't mean that I can't ride in a car. If the family wants or needs to go somewhere, I can ride, like the Amish do around here. However, I am trying to keep that to a minimum too.

Emergencies are the exception of course. If someone is bleeding about the head and needs to go the E.R., well, you get the point.

The upside? My car will hopefully sit in the garage for a month.

The downside? I'll miss the rides on Tuesdays, but I have then entire winter to do "Loops I did it Again" with Todd, Ted, Matt, Paul, and anyone else that wants to come.

The other downside? I'm gonna get wet. Wet and Cold. That's to be expected, and I think I have planned for it.

So we'll see how it goes.

SNOWtober and Philly Bike Expo

2011-10-31T20:41:00.000-04:00

The Weekend started with blowing snow on Saturday morning.

This was my backyard by 5pm.

Yep, NO such thing as climate change.

NOPE.

I stick my fingers in my ears and yell "I CAN"T HEAR YOU!" over and over again.

**********
Sunday Matt T (Happy Birthday to him) and I headed to Philly for the Bike Expo. We set off on the Schuylkill River trail near Valley Forge.

Deer just off the trail.

This guy was on a magazine cover.

This DORNBOX bike was awesome. Built with Stan's Mountain wheels on a 'cross frame with 135mm rear hub spacing, and discs. It looked really fast and fun to ride.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T15:35:00.001-04:00

STL Cardinals - 2011 World Champions

2011-10-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

Looks like I am going to have to add another hat or two to the collection.

Nice Sunset

2011-10-24T21:38:00.001-04:00

Tonights commute home. A really nice sunset.

Weekend Ride

2011-10-24T12:51:00.000-04:00

Sunday's ride.

We had to try something new since the same ol', same ol' gets boring after a while.

Mountain Biking is NOT a Crime.

Torn knickers. Good thing he had bibs on underneath.

Trails are trails. If you can ride a horse on it, you can ride a bike on it, signs be damned.

Oscar in Outside

2011-10-21T14:48:00.003-04:00

Click to View Article

Oscar Pistorius in South Africa Photographer: Harry Borden via Outside.

Clear, but getting Cold.

2011-10-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

New WTB Rocket V saddle. Much more comfortable than the Fiz:ik. Plus, it's brown.

Full Arm & Leg warmers.

Just one week ago with warmer temps.

TED Talks.

2011-10-20T17:01:00.002-04:00

You should Subscribe to TED talks.

You could learn something cool... everyday.

Todd Kuiken: A prosthetic arm that "feels"

True Dat.

2011-10-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

Thank you Lunchbreath.

Weekend Oct 15-16

2011-10-16T16:19:00.000-04:00

I needed to deliver a cake for Alison on Saturday morning, and the drop off happen to be right at the Dunkin' Donuts in Oxford, so we stopped in for a quick snack.

After that, we headed over to the Granogue CX. Keller was super-excited to race. We got there at 10:30-ish, and the kids race wasn't until 1:00. He got plenty of time to practice.

Resting after about 10 laps.

Finally, 1:00 rolled around, and he was ready to race.

First Place finish was great.

Then he cheered on the next group of racers. "The older kids".

Matt Thompson's boys were out there too having a good time.

The weather was perfect, and so was the racing.... except....

there was a BAD crash.

Fire trucks, ambulances, and a helicopter touching down and landing on the start line, was not good.

Best of luck to those involved in the crash. Heal soon.

Twitter

2011-10-14T08:28:00.001-04:00

I am on "the twitter."

You can follow me @onelegmatt.

Rainy Commute

2011-10-12T15:25:00.000-04:00

A bit of rain on the way into work today, but I got to test out the SKS Longboard Fenders.

Let me say that they work great. SO much coverage that my feet stayed pretty dry.

I also got my Freedom by WTB - Ryder tires. 32c size. They roll pretty well, even though they are a bit on the heavy side with the steel beads.

I really like the tread pattern, but also a neat feature is the reflective sidewalls.

Monday Morning

2011-10-10T13:25:00.003-04:00

Fall Colors @ Lincoln University

Bikes, Bikes, and Rides.

2011-10-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday started with a 5 Parker with Ted and Kurt.

Weird Blue water over at Fair Hill under the roots of this downed tree.

SID

I finished the "new" commuter bike on Saturday, but it needed a test ride before heading to work on Monday. I needed to go to the bank, so I rode it to the ATM, 10 miles round trip.

After that, we headed up to the kids' school for a small fund-raising carnival.

Oh Yeah, in case you didn't know, the Cardinals beat the Phillies on Friday. So I've got some beer coming to me on Tuesday

Have a Rockin' Weekend!

2011-10-07T18:00:00.000-04:00

I hope your weekend rocks, just like these kids.

LunchRide™

2011-10-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

A Friendly Wager

2011-10-07T11:49:00.001-04:00

Matt

VS.

Todd

Winner: 6 - 22oz. of this:

Man! I'm REALLY thirsty!

It's Thursday

2011-10-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

This was probably one of the last [legal] rides of the season after work at Fair Hill.

No night riding, so we'll have to wait for Spring.

Pedal on Home

2011-10-05T20:59:00.001-04:00

Long Shadows

2011-10-05T09:01:00.002-04:00

This morning's commute.

I love riding in the Fall.

Used is the new New

2011-10-02T20:48:00.001-04:00

Both Alison and I got some new Used things this weekend.

I picked a few more things for commuter/winter bike at the T-town swap meet, or as they are now calling it, "VELOFEST".

I'd say the best deal I got was on a Thompson seat post, $15. I got most everything else that I needed except some minor things like V-brake noodles.

As I was wheelin' -n-dealin', Alison kept texting and calling me about his car she found on the Internet. It was a really good deal she said, but I was focused on my own deals, so I asked her if we could talk about it when I got home.

When I got home she showed me this Prius that she had been scoping for the last two days, in Arlington, Virginia.

She really wanted to look at it, so I agreed. But just in case, we needed to clean the Forrester. With Keller's help we had the car looking tip top.

So we headed to Arlington, 2.5 hours away, with no traffic. (Yeah, like that would ever happen in the D.C area.)

We got to Arlington @ 7pm. Test drove, haggled, agreed to the price/trade-in, signed papers, and everything done by 10:30p.

We still had to drive home, in the rain, and get the kids to bed.

I spent about a total of 10 hours in three different cars Saturday.

SHEESH!

I snapped some final shots our beloved Subaru.

This was the car that we bought just a couple months before getting married.

It took us to Colorado and Utah for our Honeymoon.

It picked up and brought home, Tilley (our former Chocolate Lab) from the breeder, and countless trips to the dog park and the trails.

It took us to/from the hospital when both Molly and Keller were born.

It took us across Michigan countless times, in good weather, and horrible weather, and never let us down.

It took Tilley to the vet when she finally got too sick and had to be put to sleep.

It moved us from Michigan to the Mid-Atlantic, hauling tons of stuff.

It made it though the last two really bad snow storms with no issues.

Alas, it was getting up there in miles, and we didn't think we'd get anything for it when it was ready for the trade-in, so the sooner the better.

With only 8,000 miles for a 2010, and Alison REALLY wanted a Hybrid, she got her "new" (used) car. The deal was too good to pass up.

I hope this car will provide as many memories as the Subaru did. Although, the Subaru seemed to have a soul.

However, the Prius, seems too much like an appliance.

Since I missed my time to mess with the bike on Saturday, I spent all day rainy Sunday in the garage putting new pieces on the bike.

Before Fender installation.

After Fenders installed. The Cream color really looks good with the blue in real life.

Maximum coverage with these.

Brake levers are on the way, then grips will go on and then ready to ride.

I am gonna run the 23c tires for a short time while 32c tires are on their way. I know it looks a bit funny with the skinny's and the big gap in the fender. It'll look better with the 32c tires, and I may also craft a lowering bracket for the front fork mount to bring it down a bit.

A great Used bike, but New to me.

Science Friday looks at Bike Self Steering.

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Flat Bar Commuter/Winter/Touring Bike

2011-09-29T10:28:00.000-04:00

Another bike build in progress.

Matty T lent me (for the foreseeable future) his Gunnar Cross frame that he was using as a commuter, but found a better frame for his needs.

I'm building this one up with a lot of eBay items, borrowed, used, new-extra parts.

Plus, the T-town swap meet is Saturday, so I'm planning on getting more parts there.

Looking forward to this bike as something to ride some rail-to-trail rides, some gravel road rides as the weather turns nasty, and hopefully some light touring in the near future.

Stay tuned for more photos as parts come along.

Back to D.C.

2011-09-19T15:09:00.025-04:00

We went to Washington D.C. for Keller's birthday in April, so we went back for Molly's Birthday this past Saturday. (She didn't want to be in any of the pictures. Keller, however, likes his picture taken.)

The White House

(Notice the FIVE barriers/fences behind Keller. I'd say the terrorists won.)

We did have a reservation for a tour, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to something going on at The White House. So we will be going back to reschedule it.

The National Aquarium

The world's laziest turtle. This one took a ride for a good half-hour.

Smithsonian - National Museum of American History

George Washington Statue.

Smithsonian - National Air & Space Museum

Wright Brothers Bicycle, 1 of 5 known to exist.

Good Times.

In Honor of the Star Wars Double Trilogy Blu-Ray Release

2011-09-16T16:26:00.003-04:00

First Ch-Ch-Chilly Commute in a while.

2011-09-16T12:46:00.005-04:00

A big cold front moved through last night, and it really chilled things off.

Here was the temp when I left the house this morning.

Full Finger Gloves and Arm Warmers were the required clothing for sure.

This whole weeks' weather is gonna be awesome.

Disney World - Days One & Two

2011-09-15T14:51:00.001-04:00

Rebuilding America?

2011-09-12T12:15:00.000-04:00

Read.

Well put.

SM100 2011

2011-09-06T16:22:00.007-04:00

I had a great site with working electric right on the course. Plus it was close, but not too close, to the porta-johns.

Taking a lesson from "The Book of Camping" by Todd, I got to use my fan. Small enough to put in the tent to circulate the air.

I rode 100 miles in the National Forest with nearly 599 other people.

It took me 12 hours, 27 minutes.

1 hour slower than last year.

Oh well.

Racing is now done.

I'm looking forward to fall riding, more commuting, and building up a "new" ride with a frame donated from Matt T.

Plus some other interesting bike related goings-on before the end of the year.

Vacation

2011-08-28T17:48:00.002-04:00

We've been on vacation to Disney World the last week and a half.

I still have to ride in the SM100 coming in one week. No biking for the last 13 days. Yikes.

It's gonna be interesting.

Seneca Rocks Trip Days Three & Four

2011-08-15T09:23:00.001-04:00

Thanks again to Todd, Matt and Alan for a great time.

Let's do it again soon.

Seneca Rocks Trip - Day Two

2011-08-13T19:43:00.001-04:00

SO much footage, it was really hard to boil it down to this.

Days three and four coming soon.

SinceOscar is back in the news again

2011-08-11T21:53:00.009-04:00

Since Oscar is back in the news again, I thought I'd re-post these.

My Weapon

Bad Listener

"You waste time if you feel sorry for yourself. At the end of the day, you feel sorry for yourself because nobody else does, so you either suck it up and move on or you go into a downward spiral. So I think it's better just to suck it up and get along with life!"
-Oscar Pistorius

I said it before, and I'll say it again... RUNNING ON TWO CARBON LEGS IS NOT AN ADVANTAGE AGAINST ABLE BODIED ATHLETES. Until you have to run on/in a prosthetic leg, let alone two, you can never know.

Kick some ass, Oscar.

Not quite Beastie Boys.

2011-08-09T15:16:00.001-04:00