new wheels

i picked up my new ep built wheels from the shop. campy record hubs with CD open pros is what i'm running (or is it 'rocking'?) on my road bike this year. they turned out real nice too, ep builds them like no other. after strapping them to my messenger bag with a few bungee cords ep said 'don't ruin those wheels!' and then we all headed out after they closed. i think ep and nate rode along just to see if one of the bungees would come undone, sending my wheels bouncing across the street. thankfully no such disaster occured.

mumbai mood

i met up with lis to go see slumdog millionaire. afterwards we were in the mood for indian food, go figure, and off to the oven we rode.

clean the steed

with the single degree temps outside i think it's about time i clean my road bike that has sat since late october. there is still dried mud on the downtube from a little cyclocross fun at pioneer's park one evening, and the black gunk on the chain is hardening into a lacquer. i need to get this baby cleaned up and ready so i can get her dirty all over again during next week's heat wave of 30-40 degree temps!

drive-up biking

at least most banks (here in lincoln anyways) still allow you to go through the drive-up on a bike. though today i should have just locked up and went inside. the -10 wind chill made the waiting in line seem like forever.

waiting in line

ecosystem analysis

when cathleen calls on a sunday it usual means she wants to go to la mex (which we've been known to do on occasion). i headed on over to campus and found her hard at work in her new ecosystem analysis lab. she no doubt spends countless hours here analyzing plant matter and whatnot. thanks for the call cath, it was good to catch up with you.

moroccan mint

spending the cold afternoon with hot tea and catching up on the latest cycling news.

pork carnita burrito

...with corn salsa and a jarrito.

mucho vino

stopped at meier's for a few botellas of spanish wine. i hope everyone has a fun night. ¡felíz 2009!

service course sunday

i was quite productive today. janna's been wanting to learn how to ride rollers and she FINALLY came over to get the set that i've had in the basement for years. and while we were at her place getting them setup i noticed how shot the tires were on her san jose cross ss/commuter. with the ice and snow we've had this last week or so, janna has been braving the uncleared bike paths with worn out 30c tires. i thought she need something more substantial so we loaded up her bike and headed back to my place for some workstand time at the csc (or conrad's service course... ala mavic), or also known as my kitchen. contrary to what some might believe i do get my hands dirty sometimes, but my services don't come cheap (thanks janna for buying me breakfast... and lunch!). we put on some big 45c wtb mutano rapters to replace her worn tires. remember kiddies; if you ain't got clearance you don't have much versatility. very few cross bikes can take a 45c knobby but the san jose can, though just barely. after a short spin janna liked the feel of the big tires right away, it's the closest a cross bike can get to being a 29er. the mutano raptor is the perfect tire for this but it's unfortunate that wtb no longer offers it in a 45c size. anyway, it's a good thing janna came over because she rides the hell out of this bike and it was in serious need of some tlc. i cleaned it up and got everything running smooth, and while i was at it i got a little carried away with the prolink.

nebraska borealis

61 degrees

yes! may the ice melt melt away.

christmas crash

i go down hard on the ice every winter at least once, and this time it was on this morning's commute home. oh well, no big deal. i still had jose singing in my head as i picked myself up and continued on my way. merry christmas a todos.

ice ice baby

ice ice... rain? it's bizarre to have a thunderstorm in december. the streets are a mess but it's not a problem if you have chains! it was fun having the streets to myself as i rode downtown for a double latte.

el hombre preparado vale por dos

i'm busting out the studded tires, the forcast says possible ice storm tomorrow afternoon.

let it snow

i hope we get more snow, because that means it will have warmed up a bit. riding in these bitter single digit temps is testing to say the least. break out your facemasks.

3 degree latte run

this weather is really testing my love of coffee.

enjoy it...

while it lasts. high of 50 today, monday it's suppost to be a high of like 8?

wild kingdom

my friend taura just bought a house and is looking for a cat. i think i found one. as i was heading back to work on campus after picking up a latte downtown i spotted a little black wild kitty. he was really cute, but elusive and no doubt very dangerous. we stared each other down as i pondered a move.

some oso and roy

it was quite brisk as i rode downtown, 27 degrees... brrrr. i stopped in to oso for a burrito and as i ate, jessica who works there was listening to some roy orbison in the back. very nice.

mira la luna

i rode out on the overpass to check out the spectacle tonight... it was quite a show. even my weak cameraphone could capture a bit of the dance that was taking place.

black friday spin

i went out to wilderness park with nicol and gravy. we had a fun time crossing creek beds, railroad tracks, and dodging thorns.

yo janna

i hooked up with janna this afernoon for a spin down south to meet up with nicol and gravy for a ride. janna has had the san jose for two years now, and she says it's her favorite bike. i bought it back in january of '06, and it was the first san jose the monkey wrench sold. i should have went with one size up cause this one was a bit small for me, but i still liked riding it. later on that year i upgraded and passed it on to janna. whether commuting or racing it, i'm glad to see that she continues to ride the hell out of it.

that's not going anywhere

like in nyc and other places, lincoln too has it's share of unnecessarily vulnerable bikes. someone has put some time and cash into converting this old miyata to a fixie, but yet when it comes to locking it up overnight on campus they really go all out with security. it's just one or two spins with a crescent wrench away from finding a new owner.

cross

taking in some cross racing at pioneer's park over the weekend.

if these shoes could talk....

like any avid cyclist i have a number of pairs of cycling shoes (four pairs of sidis) in my inventory. but for running around town i prefer sneakers, and for me that usually means old school adidas soccer shoes. they make great cycling shoes if you use quill track pedals and toeclips like i do on my street bikes. of the dozen or so pairs of adidas i have, my green suede sambas have been my favorite pair by far. they are 80's vintage and have been in my shoe rotation for at least 10 years. oh the memories... the rides, the parties, the rendezvous. but finally they are done, the soles are wafer thin where i pedal and there's a hole too. the old kicks have served me well and so i bid them farewell. and now... it's time to break out my 80's vintage green suede pair #2! (i always have a backup) :)

morning sky

bike parking

lots of bikes downtown, even on a cold night.

art walk

it was a really cold first friday art walk, winter is here. my friends supah G and linz were troopers though, braving the wind as we rode around to the galleries. among them was a new space at 21st and Y. there was an light & music installation with projected images on a nearby wall, and a bike in the middle (which i'm thinking wasn't part of the piece). industrial art i guess? we then headed downtown to peruse more art and say hi to friends (nice dress taura) and a little canine model at the various gallery spaces and boutiques.

o is for oh what a feeling

more pics from monday's rally by a local photog.

bikers for obama

i towed the mpu (a stereo in a yak... aka mobile party unit) downtown for the obama rally tonight. more pics and video from elisabeth. afterwards we rode around a bit to spread the word.

biker chicks

after the festival i was heading downtown for a bite with lindsey. we ran into tasha on her new mini-peugeot, and then petra pulled up on her hybrid. it seems everyone was out on two wheels enjoying the day. later i rendezvou'd with elisabeth and lindsey at the bread & cup for dinner.

dia de los muertos

saturday afternoon after my radio show i rode over to campus for the dia de los muertos festival at the sheldon gallery. this was the second year they've put one on and it, like last year, was a success. there was the excellent musica from mariachi luna y sol and a wonderful performance by the xiotal and nayare ballet folklorico, both out of omaha.