Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Tuesday Night Track Racing.....What can I say that hasn't been said before....

Nick took some great photo's, as usual.

G.I. Nate can be seen in the B&L kit towards the back of the pack.

The focal point of this photo is Andrews' gold helmet. Good to see the old man racing.

Jens looks fast in this one. He eventually passed by this guy and got second in the race (Jens is in blue)

Here is an article about Tuesday Night Racing from the Union Tribune.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

I worked the first annual San Diego Century yesterday. The ride started from MiraCosta College, in Encinitas, at 6:00am. Scott and I arrived around 5:45ish to help the riders with minor repairs ie, flat fixes and derailleur adjustments.

Around 8:00am I rolled out in the B&L shop truck to do race support. Most of the people I rolled up to had their spares and tools ready (Thanks!). My rule of thumb is if they have everything I keep going. My first real call wasn't until Del Dios Hwy where I repaired a chain for a father/ son team. They were grateful to be able to keep rolling especially since we weren't halfway yet. My next call was in Poway, so I cut course and arrived to SAG station 3. 6 people were waiting for me. The repairs ranged from air to Cleat adjustments. My number one repair for the day though was tire replacement, not tubes, Tires....yikes. It's pretty bad if you need a tire.

All in all the attitude was positive. Everyone thanked us for being out there and helping out. We were able to fix 95% of all the repairs thrown at us. Good times.
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I think I am going to invest in a GPS. We started carrying Garmin a couple weeks ago. Being the gadget geek I am, the functions and features are tempting. The model I am looking at is the "basic" model, the Edge 205. Garmin has two "Cycling" GPS units the Edge 205 & 305. The differences between the two are simple. The 305 has heartrate functions as well as cadence (with optional accessories). The 205 retails for $250 and the 305 retails for $350* (*plus options).

I am intrigued with the idea plotting my rides and being able to load them into my computer and Google Maps. Do I need one? No. Will I get one soon? Yes. I love trying new things, I am addicted to "stuff".


iTunes:
The Office, "The Job"

Socks:
DeFeet Classics

Bike in the stand:
Fox F80RLT


Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Jens tells me I need to update my blog.....As if I spend oodles up time just sitting around...

Well here you go Jens!


Wednesday, May 09, 2007

(photo by Nick )
The bleachers were packed last night!

A hundred or so spectators showed up last night to watch some good old Track racing. The normal groups were there; Adams Avenue (Chris, Andrew, D Large/ Alicia, Nick, Ted etc.), The "Messengers" (ABC's Kenton & Mimi, Noah, etc.) and B&L (Delicate, PBS, Cinnamon Star, Rinker, Dano, and suprisingly Geri showed up). Nick has some high quality photo's up on his blog (cornerstonelife.blogspot.com).

As far as racing was concerned our (B&L) very own mechanic, Nate, raced his first Track race! Nate has been taking the Monday night Track practice for the past couple months. He raced a scratch race and then a points race. Fortunately during his last race he narrowly escaped one of the racers hitting the wall, literally. Good bike skills on those racers that got around it. Juls was also in the race, rumor has it she rolled over the dude's wheel, yikes. Thank god she wasn't riding her new bike!

Monday, May 07, 2007

I give an A+ to those of you who commented or emailed me "sarcastic" replies. Good Job!

Tomorrow night is Track night at the Velodrome. There is a 60 lap Madison race at the end of the night that should be exciting. I still haven't decided between Bass Ale or Pacifico. I guess what's on sale will decide.

My Enduro seals were received a few days ago (quick shipping!). Now I just need some extra time to install them. Chris has posted detailed installation instructions on the site, with photos.


I road to work today! Man, it was a beautiful day. No clouds, 75 degrees and riding along the ocean, San Diego is paradise. I saw a few familiar faces out on the road. The Welshman, Jensypoo, Delicate and even the illusive C Rinker were seen cruising the coast.

A couple of additions have been added to my toy box. I have been riding with a pair of Oakley Racing Jacket's with Transition lenses. Simply put, they rock! I couldn't believe how dark they actually got in extreme sunlight. I can ride with them to work and they lighten up enough for me to ride with them just past sunset. I think they are too dark for actual night riding but, work great for commuting and daytime use.
I also purchased some Campagnolo Ultra Torque Centaur Compact cranks. The past couple rides I have wanted a few more gears. I looked into getting a new cassette but that would only add 3 teeth. I needed something more substantial. The cranks are made of forged aluminium and are 172.5 in length. I had been using 175's for years but, that was just because I didn't know better and that was what I was used to on my MTB. It's amazing how stiff these things are. The BB cups are simply that, cups. The bearings are attached to the crankarms as well as each arm has half of the BB spindle. At the end of the spindle there are splines that interlock. One 10mm bolt holds the spindle together. The bolt is easy to torque if you use a rachet extender, a 10mm allen socket and a torque wrench that exceeds 60.iTunes:
Primus "Intruder" from Miscellaneous Debris

Bike in the stand:
Keith Anderson

Socks:
B&L 3" Royales by Sockguy

Thursday, May 03, 2007