"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about." -Benjamin Franklin.
12 November 2011
07 November 2011
For awhile I thought I would never be back to normal, back to my normal . I am talking about losing my bicycle , lights, rain gear, pump, bags, etc to a &^*@$&^ thief and my reaction was to freeze, unable to cope, at least for a week.
Another week and I will not miss the bike, I am still way bummed about losing the stuff, like camera, pump, lights, and rain gear. It is not convenient to acquire here. And finding all the extras for the bike is taking awhile, like good bell, mud guards and fenders, bags.
The 1970's Raleigh (previous post) is turning into a great bike. I have changed to aluminum rims and lengthened the front fender since I last wrote. I am finding it is a superior bike for commuting, so even if i got my bike back this is my commuting bike. This bike is much faster and cleaner to ride to work. It has pretty fat road tyres so the rough road to the highway is not a problem.
For last Wednesday's club ride I was unable to use my modern 20 speed road bike. I rode this old touring bike with the 4 Tanzanians going to the African bike championships in Eritrea today. ( Some of the parts from my bike were on one of their bikes, extremely light carbon frame.) That is a story in itself. Remind me to go on vacation next time our club gets into something like this. I have spent way too much time for someone else's dream.
They of course start out in Zone 3, at 60% and I had no problem until just before the police post at Oldonyo Sambu. That was after about 500m of elevation gain. My point is the bike is not that much different than my new one. I performed about the same.
I also notice my hands did not go numb, and my foot maybe a bit better. I rode 2+ hours without stopping. I wonder if the narrower handle bars is the reason.
What I really need for this touring bike is a front rack and maybe full frame triangle pack, and of course the lights.
Over the past week I have been in charge of getting the bike's ready for the Championships, and in the end we called in the best mechanic in town. We were done and he saw me messing with the truing of my touring bike and like that he did it up for me. I think now I can ride no hands. I will use him more often for fixing some stuff.
A week ago I sprung 330,000 shillings or about $200 for a used 8 speed Trek hard tail mtn bike. Maybe 6-12 years old. The second hand shop fixed it up fairly well , it works but I have been spending a week rebuilding it. I still have a ways to go but it is starting to get there. Yesterday I found that a bearing race in the headset was upside down, and I got the racks on firmly and some bull bars. At 6pm i road around the neighbor hood and was shocked how much better it felt than my old bike. Could this be, or i have just forgotten?
Hopefully I will now have some bush adventures to write about now.
Another week and I will not miss the bike, I am still way bummed about losing the stuff, like camera, pump, lights, and rain gear. It is not convenient to acquire here. And finding all the extras for the bike is taking awhile, like good bell, mud guards and fenders, bags.
The 1970's Raleigh (previous post) is turning into a great bike. I have changed to aluminum rims and lengthened the front fender since I last wrote. I am finding it is a superior bike for commuting, so even if i got my bike back this is my commuting bike. This bike is much faster and cleaner to ride to work. It has pretty fat road tyres so the rough road to the highway is not a problem.
For last Wednesday's club ride I was unable to use my modern 20 speed road bike. I rode this old touring bike with the 4 Tanzanians going to the African bike championships in Eritrea today. ( Some of the parts from my bike were on one of their bikes, extremely light carbon frame.) That is a story in itself. Remind me to go on vacation next time our club gets into something like this. I have spent way too much time for someone else's dream.
They of course start out in Zone 3, at 60% and I had no problem until just before the police post at Oldonyo Sambu. That was after about 500m of elevation gain. My point is the bike is not that much different than my new one. I performed about the same.
I also notice my hands did not go numb, and my foot maybe a bit better. I rode 2+ hours without stopping. I wonder if the narrower handle bars is the reason.
What I really need for this touring bike is a front rack and maybe full frame triangle pack, and of course the lights.
Over the past week I have been in charge of getting the bike's ready for the Championships, and in the end we called in the best mechanic in town. We were done and he saw me messing with the truing of my touring bike and like that he did it up for me. I think now I can ride no hands. I will use him more often for fixing some stuff.
A week ago I sprung 330,000 shillings or about $200 for a used 8 speed Trek hard tail mtn bike. Maybe 6-12 years old. The second hand shop fixed it up fairly well , it works but I have been spending a week rebuilding it. I still have a ways to go but it is starting to get there. Yesterday I found that a bearing race in the headset was upside down, and I got the racks on firmly and some bull bars. At 6pm i road around the neighbor hood and was shocked how much better it felt than my old bike. Could this be, or i have just forgotten?
Hopefully I will now have some bush adventures to write about now.
11 October 2011
Yet another bicycle
The old mtn bike is not cutting it.
I had a 1970's Raleigh hanging up, not ridden in ten years.
I stripped that on Sunday and added fenders.
Yesterday it was raining when shesha took off on her bike for school so i tried to see how it was. Needs some fine tuning and more stuff, but no mud got on me.
Today was the maiden voyage.
Shesha thought it was cool to ride to school in the rain. Was glad she had rain pants on. Good job Mom for buying those.
05 October 2011
New commuting vehicle
Yesterday I was in my workshop at 0630 and by 1030 I had a temporary commuting bicycle. I specifically needed fenders and a rack. I used Bernice's' old bike that had been dismantled waiting for spares some years ago . Actually this is the first mtn bike I had, it is a Everest mtn bike, no shocks, 7speed.
It is too small for me, which kind of surprised me as when i first started riding again in the 90's it was on this bike. I just didn't know it was too small.
I put on a small front rack and tried a pannier on one side. hardly affected the handling, so now i know. Today i took a computer bag and stood it up on the rack and it wasn't as good but less bike geeky looking.
Picture tomorrow.
New Philosophy. stay away from bags that look like they have a computer in them. So i wont use this bag. Looking for a gunia (gunny sack) to use.
A year ago this guy won the Vodacom Mwanza race. I think 150 km. He broke away and no one wanted to take the energy to chase him down and it got too late and he won the 1.5 million shillings ($1,000).Being support of another team this should not happen and an embarrassment, but on the other hand way cool.
02 October 2011
Steal anything but my commuting bike!
Thursday night at 8 pm my mtn bike / commutting bike of 13 years was stolen at the shoprite complex.
I always lock my bike. Somehow when we moved from Empire club after a meeting for Elvis's around the world trip to a wine bar I didnt lock it. I put it right outside the door, and was only going to stay a few minutes. Maybe it was the 2 beers before.
Anyway GONE. I was so shocked and pissed. the next morning I could not function. It had all my commuting kit i have been acquiring for some years. Rain gear, lights, pump, tube, reflective sash, etc.
So now i am commuting on my race bike until i can figure out another bike.
Kind of a bad time for it to happen as I dont have excess cash right now and my credit card dont work so i can't order the lights and stuff on line.
Oh well, it is just a "thing" and maybe i have too many things.
I always lock my bike. Somehow when we moved from Empire club after a meeting for Elvis's around the world trip to a wine bar I didnt lock it. I put it right outside the door, and was only going to stay a few minutes. Maybe it was the 2 beers before.
Anyway GONE. I was so shocked and pissed. the next morning I could not function. It had all my commuting kit i have been acquiring for some years. Rain gear, lights, pump, tube, reflective sash, etc.
So now i am commuting on my race bike until i can figure out another bike.
Kind of a bad time for it to happen as I dont have excess cash right now and my credit card dont work so i can't order the lights and stuff on line.
Oh well, it is just a "thing" and maybe i have too many things.
15 September 2011
Is bicycle commuting dangerous in Arusha? version 4
I changed my mind. It is dangerous and risky. I was scared about 6 times on the 20 minute ride to work. I yelled 3 times, once when a motorcycle speed around me then veered off the road in front of me.
But I am still going to do it.
Driving a car scares me also.
But I am still going to do it.
Driving a car scares me also.
13 September 2011
Mika am waiting for you to ride to SA.
What's it called when you tick off one of those items from the "To do list before I die"? This is Mika Peterson who helped me tick off climbing the big diagonal crack on Longido. I need him to help me do the ride to South Africa. Not becuase I need his physical help but because he will just someday say, "Okay we go next week" and we will go. That is what happened with Longido crack.Mika is about as cool a godson an old man could ask for. He is ~23 now, strong as all get out, dred locks to his shoulders, likes the bush, and is so mellow. His only drawback is he is too sought after by women, so he is not always available.
If you climb far enough on Mnt Meru you get to ride in this.
And then of course you get a screaming single track through trees, but we have only a few weeks left as the soil turns to dust..
09 September 2011
Another commuter in the family
Nashesha has been saying for a year she is ready to switch from bus to riding her bike to school. I kept thinking the coordination of an escort was complicated.
We live in a town that is mostly safe, but a 12 year old girl riding alone might be tempting thieves. And she has to cross two crazy highways and then ride through some secluded areas. My son Seth did it when he was twelve but that was 15 years ago and he is a boy.
School resumed Monday and we informed the bus that Nashesha would not ride the first week of school in the bus. Today we will tell the bus we thank them for their services but we don't require them anymore. So that means we have another commuter in the family, she has made the commitment.
I rode the first day, and the second day morning went with Paulo and Nashesha, but Paulo met her and rode shotgun on the ride home. I left word she should call when she got home, so i would know she wa safe. She called but thought i was crazy.
The next day I text her in the late afternoon, "Mambo? How was the ride home?"
I get response back "Fine. Im grown up now! ok?"
I have to stop worrying about her commuting to school by bike.
We still have the issue of when it is raining, what to do about feet and pants but have some time to figure that out.
Today is friday, and I need to be in office early, and she is fun to ride with so i ride with her to school just for fun. I leave her at the road to lock her bike herself and ride into town.
Which is another story. I pass long long lines of slow moving traffic. How do you put up with it people? I figure i spent 25 minutes from school to my office and people in cars 40min.
06 September 2011
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