30 Days of Biking

   30 Days of Biking from 30 Days of Biking on Vimeo.

We made the pledge to ride every day during April.

Now maybe we'll get a little bit of action around here.

Is It Spring Yet? Close Enough!

And no, I didn't ride that road.....wrong bike for that.

Into the White

Nature's Gifts

Although my birthday has come and gone and it's not Christmas yet, nature treated me to a couple of nice gifts today.


Beautiful scenery, along with great weather to enjoy it by, and.........


A new kickstand!

I didn't want to be greedy though, so I left the gifts where I found them. I just hope the next person to come along enjoys them as much as I did.

Warming Up for Winter

I got out today for one last, quiet ride on the Ogre before mounting the studs.

Here Comes The Sun

I never tire of this view

OGREat! Another Bike

Winter will be here soon enough, so it's time to get ready. I had a set of studded tires sitting in the garage and nothing to put them on. After several months of obsessing  searching for a bike with an internal gear hub and disc brakes (and at a good price), I decided on this:
It is (or was) a Transit Cameron from Performance Bike. I say was because at 20 inches and with a short top tube it was a bit too small for me. I had to put the seat post up past the maximum mark, plus it felt as if knees would almost hit hit the handlebars on every pedal stroke.


My problems were easily solved though, when I took delivery of this Surly Ogre 22 inch frameset. I wanted to get a 24 inch, but while I was trying to find a good deal, they sold out. I didn't want to wait until the December restock date, and I didn't want the new black color, so this is what I got. Other than showing a bit too much seat post for my liking, it fits me really well.


Although I said my problems were easily solved, nothing is ever that easy. I had to overcome a small, yet major obstacle before I could ride my new bike. The Transit had vertical dropouts, while the Ogre has horizontal, so the washers that came with the rear hub wouldn't work. The I-Motion 9 has apparently been discontinued and Sram has stopped carrying parts, so I had to come up with a workaround. I thought I was home free when I got a hold of a set of Shimano washers, but their hubs use a smaller axle. Fortunately, I keep my Dremel handy for just such situations. Twenty minutes later I was ready to roll.


After adding SKS Longboard fenders to keep me dry, and Surly Open Bars to keep me comfy and in control, I'm now ready to mount my studs. I think I'll wait a couple months though. I wouldn't want to jinx winters arrival.

More pictures and a few details on the fender install here.