Enjoy it while is lasts cause Spring is coming?

Well, that is what I thought yesterday but what a difference a day can make. A crappy difference to boot.

I will be glad for the snow to be gone even though this rig is sure a hoot to play around on.

Captain!

Nice Sunday ride.

Got in about an hour yesterday. Wanted more but I had lots of things to get done. Re-arranged the house a cleaned up. Getting ready for the remodeling to start again. Should be first part of Feb.

This Salsa El Mariachi sure is one sweet ride. It's pretty dialed in. I need to get completely comfortable with the stem length before I start my "special project." That should start in a couple of weeks.

I have also been watching what I eat. Like this Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie for example. I decided to keep eating them. However, I am watching them. You know, watch what you eat. They look even yummier in this close-up shot.

Take care folks......and ride yer bike!

Captain!

For Sale

Here are a couple of things I will, and already have, for sale.

This sweet little Bianchi cross bike. It will be a simple 1x8 gearing. Bar end shifting. Canti-brakes. No price yet though. Have to complete the build and figure out what I have in it for cost. Cross tires are coming but I have road tires on it just for now. This will make someone a good bike for cross racing/gravel grinder bike. Should fit someone shorter than 5'10".

Also, I have this nice Salsa Mamasita 29er frame for sale. It is a medium and I decided to try a large Mamasita. This will be going on Ebay soon so if you want it, email me. captainbobinc@gmail.com .

Now, get out and ride your bike, or buy one of these and ride my bike.

Captain

Cure for cabin fever.

I have the cure for it. Ride outside. It's not that cold. Snow too deep? Nope! Not for a 29er. I rode my super plush Mamasita today. Took a slightly different route today. Made a wrong turn and ended up getting 25 miles instead of 20. Had the head wind coming home which wasn't the original plan.

Took the insoles out of my shoes which made room for thicker socks and the toes warmers together. Wore neoprene booties too and only the right foot started getting cold by the time I made it home. Nothing uncomfortable though. It was mainly due to a slightly too tight sock. I will be searching for some nice new Fox River Mills socks this week. They are a perfect fit for my bum foot.

Get out and ride people. It's not that cold. I did have a great ride at the House of Pain Sunday afternoon but outside is still my fav.

Captain.

New toy

It's a SanDisk Sansa.
Been waiting a long time for one of these. Prices finally fell low enough for me to justify buying. This one will hold 250 songs and it has a built-in FM tuner, which most of them don't. Nice quality sound and plenty loud too. It has a neat little clip built into the back of it.

Captain

Rollers

A big thanks to Kathlene for opening up the HOP for me tonight. She had a nice little program that gave me the best workout I have had in a long time. Thanks!

In the aero position is a little more challenging on the rollers. I also haven't ridden on rollers in a couple of years.

Captain.

Mamasita gets a new bar.

Just what I needed to compliment the smooth ride of my sweetest ride. This carbon bar has a little more give than a normal carbon bar. Not so much to call it flex though. It's way more comfortable than the old aluminum bar, which was a Salsa Moto Ace.

Got in around 14 miles of gravel riding on Sunday. Was a little breezy so I headed into the wind for about four miles and then headed South to Readlyn where I had to pick up my truck from the repair shop. The tail wind was nice. I was riding one of G-Ted's test rigs with a non gravel road friendly gearing so the ride lasted longer than expected. If I was heading up a hill the whole way the gear would have been great. A good camp gear. It was a good little ride though.

Captain.

My off road rides......

Here you have my Salsa Mamasita and my new El Mariachi. this is the last time you will see the El Mariachi in this form. I have removed all of the shifting parts and this baby is single speed only now. Rides like a dream too. Not as light or compliant as the Mamasita but for a steel frame I don't think you can beat it. Especially for the money. This one is used but it perfect working order. With the plans I have for the bike I couldn't justify buying a new one.

So, the Sram X-9 shifter, derailier and cassette have all been moved over to the Mamasita and she is shifting like a dream. This Sram stuff is awesome! I will have a nice 29er wheelset for sale soon if anyone is interested. It will be the Shimano XT disc hubs laced to Salsa Delgado disc 29er rims. A nice durable set of wheels that will hold up to everyday abuse and still light enough to do some racing. But, I have two sets of these wheels so one set will have to go.

That's all for the tech talk. We should talk more about this great framed picture I found this weekend at a consignment store. I think it was $8. It is just perfect for me. just looking at these guys racing gets me in that competitive mood that makes me train harder. I mostly ride by myself this time of year so I need "racing" thoughts in my head.

All for now. Have a nice night.

Captain Bob

Raleigh XXIX

Sold! I am going to miss her. She was a fun ride. I am sure her new owner will take good care of her.

Tomorrow I will be picking up my next project. Stay tuned, it's gonna be a doozy and will undergo some major changes.

Captain.

Sobe

Any of you remember when this stuff came onto the scene? They were a sponsor of the Sobe Headshock mountain bike team. I sure have missed this juice. I have found it at Hyvee and it's only $.89/bottle. Good stuff and not a bad price.

Captain.

parts check. all systems go? check again.

This is a good time of year to go through your bikes, clean em up and do a detailed parts check. The other day I was just messing around and put this stem on a bike and realized the faceplate was cracked in two spots. This is an overbuilt mtb stem built to take abuse. However, this stem has never even seen airtime. So, goes to show that anything can break whether it is due to fatigue or abuse.

So, check your bikes over before spring.

Captain

What a hoot!

Too bad the snow is about gone. But, on the other hand it will be nice to have all of that ice gone. Maybe then I can get back to the camp for a mtb ride. Now that would be a hoot!

Raleigh XXIX

Here are a few pics of my Raleigh XXIX. A 29er single speed. Nice steel frame, nice carbon handlebar and seatpost make for a smooth ride. Gearing is just perfect for the scout camp, if you're tough enough. Which I'm not. ;-)

Want to buy it? How much you got?

Captain.

Easy Rider

This just makes me laugh.

The good ole days......

I sure wish I still had this car. The one pictured is a 1964 and mine was a 1965. Not much difference though. I bought it around 1992 and it was partially restored. I drove it a while and fixed a few things but had to unload it a few years later. I needed the cash. Sure wish I was smarter back then. Never would have sold it. Oh well, at least I found this Hot Wheel. I will have to satisfy my desire to get another one.

Happy New Year!

Captain