From the Pavement's Edge (Old Blog): Year of the Longtails: Nailbiter's Lament

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Year of the Longtails: Nailbiter's Lament

The anticipation is killing me. Tomorrow (FINGERS CROSSED!!!) the tax return will be posted and the order will go out for the ClassicCargo kit.

I've been gnawing my fingernails all week. The Cannonball needs to be painted! How will I get it painted? I'll paint it myself! Where can I get the stuff? What if I do a bad job? What about the bottom bracket? What about installing disc brakes? What if I screw it all up!?

And then there is the Quest for a Ute. Mandy found TWO on craigslist for $750. One was a really nice looking 2007 which is now gone and the other is a 2010 that's been on there most of the week. She sent an email on the remaining one but hasn't heard back yet.

$750 would save us $450 over a brand new one from Salvagetti. We'll go with the used one if we can as long as its the smaller size. Even if we had to buy new bags for it or something, the savings would be worth it.

So I have a little more research to do on the painting, but we hiked down to Auto Zone and found Aircraft Paint Stripper (DO NOT USE ON AIRCRAFT!) and a wide selection of automotive paints. Confidence is swelling in that department.

Even after tomorrow I'm thinking it may be a couple of weeks before I'll be captain of my own longtail bike. Mandy will be swinging the tiller on hers way before I.

The weather has been crazy and I'm keeping fingers crossed and praying diligently that spring snow or rain will hold off until I get the Cannonball frankensteined back together.

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.

4 comments:

Thomas said...: Good luck on the painting. The preparation is the most important part of the job.; March 25, 2011 2:13 AM
Chris said...: Thanks!

Yeah, I'm kind of dreading it. Only because I have a propensity for getting in over my head on stuff like this. I have about a 50% success rate on DIY projects.

But I figure, worst case I have an ugly paint job. If I can get the frame covered and its protected I'll be doing better than I am now, and sometime down the road when the cash is flowing like honey I can pay a professional to do it.; March 25, 2011 4:57 AM
Amanda said...: I'm confident between the two of us, it will be a rockin' paint job. Pretty sure we'll have to go into the bike painting business afterwards.; March 25, 2011 5:35 AM
Chris said...: We do make a pretty good team.; March 25, 2011 6:55 AM

What It's All Aboot...

I have been riding a bike since I was seven years old...well, not the entire time, but a lot.

I'm a big fan of human powered transportation. I like the freedom a bike gives you. I like the possibilities a bike gives you. I like knowing I got there under my own power...

I also like to challenge conventional thinking in my day to day life. A car is not necessary for Americans, we have just trained ourselves to believe its necessary. I've always had a thing for stepping outside of convention.

I typically abhor mechanized alternatives to HPT. I can't stand ATVs, snowmobiles, jet skis and the like. I prefer bikes, skis, canoes and my own two feet.

My Bikes

1993 Cannondale M300 - I bought this bike from a friend in 1994. It has a solid frame and no suspension. I like it that way. It's my SUV. I can pull the kids' bike trailer or Boone's bike with the towbar. When I bought it, it was the lightest bike I had ever ridden, though today it seems heavy. That's why I call it the "Cannonball" most of the time. I used to ride it all over the roads of the Red River Gorge area in Kentucky.

2009 Specialized HardRock Sport Disc - This is my "fun" bike. It has disc brakes and front suspension. As it was an early 2010 Xmas gift it bypassed my gag reflex on suspension and disc brakes and I've found I really LOVE both. This will be the bike I ride in the Leadville 100. It's special and it's orange and I like bluegrass...the Orange Blossom Special.

The Cyclepedia

BCT - Bear Creek Trail, a paved greenbelt trail along Bear Creek stretching from Morrison, CO to the South Platte River south of Denver.
Bear Creek Canyon - Colorado State Highway 74 between Morrison and Evergreen.
Bicycle touring - Multi-day travel on a bike along roads and hard surfaces. There are different types of touring including self supported, vehicle supported, and credit card touring. Long single day rides can also be considered touring by some.
Bike Lanes - Painted lanes along side the motor vehicle drive lanes within a ROW designated specifically for bicycle traffic.
Bike-packing - Different from bicycle touring in that you are primarily off road and travelling by bike multiple days and carrying all of your gear. Basically backpacking on a bike.
BSO - Bike Shaped Object
CCT - Clear Creek Trail, a paved bike path running along Clear Creek from Golden, CO to the South Platte River north of Denver.
Clear Creek Canyon - US Highway 6 from Golden to Idaho Springs. Essentially closed to cycling.
Compensator - A large SOV that betrays the driver's lack of confidence in their own manhood.
Deer Creek Canyon - Colorado Road 124 (Deer Creek Canyon Rd) from Owen Street (Littleton, CO) to the watershed boundary just west of Highgrade Road.
Demand Actuated Signal - Sensors located within the pavement at a traffic light and also including motion sensing cameras that are triggered by vehicles (including bicycles) to change a traffic signal.
Fixie - Fixed gear bicycle. Fixies are popular with hipster urban cyclists. They originated with track bikes and are considered superior to other bikes by their proponents for their simplicity. Of course having brakes and adjustable gears makes riding so much more fun.
Golden Gate Canyon - Golden Gate Canyon Road from Highway 93 (Golden) to Guy Hill Road.
HPT - Human Powered Transportation
LBS - Local Bike Shop
LDCT - Little Dry Creek Trail, a paved greenbelt trail in western Adams County and north-eastern Arvada
Longtail - A cargo bike with either a manufactured long frame or a frame extension that allows heavier and bulkier loads to be hauled than would be possible with a normal bike. They have a longer wheelbase and lower center of gravity.
Moto-fascist - Found behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and expressing extreme hostility to all other road users, but especially reserving extreme ire for cyclists. These travelers upon the road believe they are entitled to a disproportionate share of the road.
Mount Evans - A Colorado fourteener which is accessed by the highest paved road in North America.
Mount Evans Road - Beginning at Echo Lake along Squaw Pass Road south of Idaho Springs, this 14 miles road is the highest paved road in North America. From Echo Lake the elevation gain is 3,377', from Idaho Springs 6,541' and 27 miles.
MTB - Mountain bike
MUP - Mixed Use Path. Often paved or concrete trails along greenways or beside major thoroughfares. Can also have crusher fine surfaces and/or be a part of a rail trail. Rarely restricted to one type of user and often used by pedestrians, joggers, cyclists, equestrians and skaters.
Prairie Biking - Off-road cycling over rolling hills and though open spaces, but not encroaching into the foothills or alpine areas.
RCT - Ralston Creek Trail, a bike path that is paved and which also utilizes roads through Arvada, CO from Highway 93 to the confluence of Ralston Creek and Clear Creek.
Road bike - A bike designed for travel upon hard surfaces. Typically fast, light and made of composite materials. They range from the low end "10 speed" of the 70s and 80s to the high end racing bikes of today.
Sharrows - "Share the Road" arrows. Icons incorporating direction of flow arrows and bike specific graphics that indicate to motorists that they should share the marked lane with cyclists. NOT bike lanes.
SOV - Single Occupancy Vehicle (motorized)
SPT - South Platte Trail, a paved bike path along the South Platte River north and south of Denver.
Squaw Pass Road - Colorado 66 & 103 between Bergen Park and Idaho Springs. This is the road used to access Mount Evans Rd.
SUB - Sport Utility Bike. A longtail or other type of cargo bike.
The Six - MUP along US 6 in Golden, CO
Touring bike - A bike designed for long distances. Typically not ultra-light, though can be. Made to haul a cyclist and gear anywhere they want to go. Can be utilized as a commuter bike as well.
Track stand - "That balance thing" that some cyclists (most notable fixie riders) do while stopped. The track stand is a learned skill where the bike stays balanced in one spot without any other support including the cyclists leg.
Turkey Creek Canyon - US 285 from Willow Springs Rd (Morrison) to the confluence of North and South Turkey Creeks.
Waterton Canyon - South Platte Canyon Road (dirt, Littleton) from Waterton Road to Strontia Dam along the South Platte River.
Wrench - Bike shop mechanic
Xtracycle - A bike frame extension that turns a regular two wheeled bike into a longtail cargo/utility bike.

From the Pavement's Edge (Old Blog)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Year of the Longtails: Nailbiter's Lament

4 comments:

Blog Archive

Search This Blog

StreetsBlog