The family picnic, let's ride the bicycles!!

Jo's sister Sue put's on a annual family picnic and it's a good distance south of us so after riding the motorcycle on Sat. we were happy to ride the bicycles down to her place to get the blood flowing again! ;)  The way to Widefield is a mixture of side roads, streets, trails and even a short stint on an expressway with a large emergency lane we use as a bike lane. The day was partly cloudy and only a 10% chance of rain, the temps in the 70's so we finally got to get in a bicycle ride in shorts and short sleeves!! :)

We headed southeast, it would be soooo nice when they complete the trail system down that way, it's a bit hair rasing with the traffic in places and not a lot of pull off area!!  So we took our time as we weren't able to RIDE all the week Jo's been on, "take it or lose it" vacation as all it's done is RAIN for several day, arrugh. We really enjoyed the ride and as usual there was food galore and we ate too much. LOL, it always makes the ride back home a bit tough as your FULL and there's a lot more uphill on the way back. Still we really enjoyed getting out and being in the sunshine. We got home about 5 PM. and were just kick'in back, Jo's gota go back to work, RATS on Monday so at least we got in a 26 mile ride! :)

April, BAH HUMBUG!!! :(

It's been COLD, WINDDDDDDY, not a lot of snow here but lot's in area's north of town all through April!! Usually we get a few really nice days but it's just not happening this year.  Finally got out and about on the utility bike for some errands, it was still semi-gray and darn chilly but I just decided I was out and a quick errand run wasn't enough!  I did a bunch of combining the area rail trails, (concrete and asphalt ones, the dirt one's were still WET!), it felt great to actually ride just for the FUN of it!

When your bicycle is your "main mode" of transportation some times in the hustle and bustle to get stuff done you kinda forget to ENJOY the ride! So after riding for a couple of hours and stopping and buying some small items from LBS, I don't use a lot, it was still gray and chilly. LOL, now as I neared home the sun FINALLY broke thru the high, thick clouds and the beautiful "easter egg" blue skies of So. Colorado came through and shined down on me, FIGURES! ;) 

Hopefully the weekend will be good enough for the wife and I to get a ride in together, she's spend most of her "ride time" on the mag trainer for the last two weeks, at least I got to go out and ride in the COLD, LOL!  Hope you have a great ride this weekend!

B.J. :)

Working toward the perfect utility bike :)

Started the "changes" of the RD Coyote Two MTB, to turn it into a "utility/trailer tugger" machine. Added the coupler for the trailer, a rear rack, today I switch out the "stem" for a "adjustable" version as the MTB position is uncomfortable for utility work, jmho.  I like the bar to be at least as high as the seat, you don't need your "nose" pointed at the ground, LOL, might work ok for trail riding but you NEED to be able to see around you when your pulling a utility trailer so a "more upright" seating position works better.

Changed out the 26x 1.9 BIG knobby MTB tires for 26x1.75 Performance Gotham utility tires, smoother tread but still enough to work good on the local "dirt" rail trails here! I'll be having the current "suspension" fork replaced by a nice cro-mo standard, non-suspension unit as soon as I can, the stock suspension fork only has 50 to 60mm of movement so it's pretty useless although it does help a bit on stutter bumps on the paved protions of the area MUP'S. We get a lot of "frost heaves" in the asphalt sections of the trails here due to the "freeze and thaw" cycle.

I might even think about adding a x-tracycle extension down the road for maximum load/hauling capability but there a bit pricey and I'm not sure I really need it cause of having the utility trailer. I was looking at a Kona Utelight cargo bike but they want $1,000 and the LBS that carries Kona won't take trade in's, which is a PIA, jmho.  When I finish I'll post up a photo or two, happy haul'in! ;)

B.J. :)

My "New to ME", Utility Bike is here!! :)

Ok, it's not NEW, it's OLD but I found a 1995 Research Dynamics Coyote Two, hardtail MTB in very good shape for a total sum of $45.00!!!!! After a good cleaning, everything seems to work well, I overhauled (clean and re-greased) the front hub and headset, I'll be taking it to the LBS to have the bottom bracket and rear hub overhauled tomorrow. Since we sold "two" of our four bicycles for downpayment funds for a motorcycle, my poor 2011 Jamis Allegro 1 has had to be the "everything" bike but now it will be able to go back to being my, "weekend/distance" machine! :) Here's a photo of the new "utility/trailer tugger":

I'll be adding a rear rack and somewhere in the future, I'm going to bail the suspension fork for a nice cro-mo non-suspension fork as I really don't need suspension. I'll probably be changing the crankset for a more, hybrid sized unit, 48/36/26 down the road but I'm not in any hurry. :) All ready installed the coupler unit so it can, "tow" any time.

Winter Returns!!!! :O

The last two weeks have been COLD, Windy, Snowy, ect. here in Colorado Springs so the only bicycling we've done is "ON THE TRAINER", bummer! :( Today it's sunny but only in the high 20F's and there's still snow on the ground. Suppose to start warming up on Tuesday so MAYBE by Thursday/Friday I might be abe to RIDE again!! I hope you've got better weather than us and can ride, sadly we will be "spinning" our wheel's but going NOWHERE!

B.J. ;)

Confession Time!

LOL, it's nothing really bad but we just sold off a bicycle each, why you ask, ok here's the confession, we bought  a "motorcycle"! Now just to fill you in, I've ridden motorcycles from 1976 to 2006 and Jo from 1992 to 2006. Our financies went, "down the toliet" in late 2005 we sold MY motorcycle and went to sharing Jo's 1994 Yamaha Virago 750, then in April 2006, we had to sell the Virago and, sadly we've been without a motorcycle since.

My wife works for a Chevy Dealership and they took her favorite motorcycle, (Suzuki Blvd. S40 650cc Cruiser), in on trade for a car. It's a 2009 with only "317 MILES" on the odo and the dealership gave her a "employee deal" so to get up some extra down payment funds, we sold two of our 4 bicycles. We thought we'd NEVER be able to get back on a motorcycle so this just turned up so we are HAPPY campers. :)

We decided to keep the commuter and the utility bicycles BUT, in the near future, were going to find a couple "older", ridged (non-suspension) MTB's and turn them into the "Utility/Commuter" bikes and take the bicycles we have now and make them our, "Weekend" longer distance ride machines. For now we will "share" the motorcycle so that's cool, it will be couple of YEARS before I can get my own motorycle as we need to pay this off, then we will either keep "sharing" or I'll get my own scoot!  ;) So you'll know were not giving up on our "Bicycle Lifestyle", our bicycles are our "CARS" and the Motorcycle or motorcycles will be our "RV"! ;)



Here's Jo's "evil biker twin" grinning after riding the scoot.  LOL, we rode scoots for 20+ years, they are a lot of FUN and we missed hanging out with our old biker friends! 

B.J. :)

St. Patrick's Day 50K Bike Ride

Well I did the St. Patrick's Day 50K bike ride, the "whole" 50K this time, it was chilly, cloudy with only little peeks of sunshine. Last year I did the run but I was getting over the a painful puesdo gout attack and couldn't ride the last big hilly section so it was only 25 miles. Here's video of the start:

ENJOY! :)

Found a couple of photo's of ME on Outtherecolorado.com, face shot at the start and "on bike action" photo in the Garden of the Gods!

2013 National Bicycle Challenge is open and Misc.

The 2013 National Bike Challenge is open now but it's official start date is May 1, 2013. We are a part of the Team, called the Slo Pokes here in Colorado. There are prizes, ect and awards to earn but most of all it's kinda a fun thing to do, hope you join in! :) http://www.nationalbikechallenge.org

The St. Patrick's Day 50K Bike Ride is this Saturday, LOL, I think I'm ready but it's a LOT of uphill and the weather is just ok at mid 50F with clouds, rats, it's suppose to be 70F on Friday and sunny, just one day off!  I didn't make the full route last year due to rehabing from a very painful "Puesdo Gout" attack in my left knee. A year later it's still not 100% but if I take it easy, I think I can do the whole route this year! :)

Well Jo and I are selling some of our bicycles, Jo want's a "motorcycle" again and she works damn hard so she should have what she wants! Our credit rating  is OK at best so they wanted "twice" the normal down payment so I'm selling the Jamis Coda Sport and Jo is selling the KHS Vitamin B. We plan on getting two more bikes come Spring 2014, hopefully a could of entry level "Dual Sports", Jamis AllegroX Sport models. Should be FUN bike with frt. suspension with a lock out, good on the many local DIRT Rail Trails we have here throughout Colorado Springs, CO.   Well time to close the novel, have a most excellent day!

B.J. :)

A break in the weather!

Today was a pretty nice day here in Colorado Springs, CO. but the upcoming weekend looks BAD, 50% chance of snow, arrugh! :( So today I did a first, I did the "whole loop" of the Garden of the Gods, which is a lot of steep inclines and very pretty landscape to ride thru. I NEED the miles and the hills as the "St. Patrick's Day 50K bike ride is March 16th. and it's quite a "hilly" route and as a "recreational/utility rider", that avoids hills if at all possible, it was time to do some hill work!
28 miles total, here a photo of just a bit of what I road thru!

Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods, Co. Springs, CO.

Finally March came in like a lamb!

We've had several days of snow's in a row so the roads haven't really melted the ice and I'm too cheap to buy studded tires so we've spent the last week of Feb. mostly doing "indoor trainer rides", which is better than nothing but not really great.  Finally the first weekend in March, which usually isn't a good bike riding time in So. Colorado, came in like a lamb, Sat. high 40F with partly sunny skies and then Sun. 50F+ but with lot's of high clouds, still Sat's temps got the ice off the road and most of the local MUP/trail so we took out the "trekking bikes", cause they have, "full fenders, (mud guards) and went for a nice 25 mile ride over to Manitou Springs!!

Stopped for a quick dollar menu burger then headed to Manitou, made the park turn around point and headed back, on the way we stopped at Sonic to try there new, choc. lava cake sundaies, so-so at best. It sure felt great to get back "outside" on the bikes and since the 2nd. Annual St. Patrick's Day 50K bike ride is on the 16th St. Patrick's Day 50K Bike Ride, Co. Springs, CO. ., I REALLY needed the mileage!! I sure hope the weather is somewhere as great as last year but this coming weekend, (March 9-10), there's a 50% chance of SNOW on Sat. and 10% on Sun., BUMMER!!  Hoping it will all be melted away by the 16th. :)  Here's a photo of ME at last years, (2012) St. Patrick's Day 50K (and a wee bit more) Bike Ride!