Hanging at the #giro. #euroadventure
While in Pistoia we stopped by for a tour of Viner bikes. #euroadventure
Viner is a Italian frame manufacturer that started after world war 2 in 1947. They make some great quality bikes in Italy. Just wandering around the factory you can feel the bike industrial history here. The brand is owned and operated by the great great grandkids of the original owner Viviano Nerozzi. You could just sense the pride as they walked us through and gave a tour.
“Did you know Hebden Bridge is known as the lesbian capital of the UK” #euroadventure
My first day in the UK was set in the quite peaceful little town of Hebden Bridge, and as I adventure outwards to other cities in the UK and run into Brits they always respond with the question above in EXACT wording. It is the funniest thing:
Brit: “Right, where didja stay lad?”
Me: Hebden Bridge.
Brit: “Did you know Hebden Bridge is known as the lesbian capital of the UK.”
LOL. Every time! The town is small and has beautiful mountain biking, quaint small shops, and awesome stone walls around the area. But, it is known for the lesbian population. I get a kick out of that.
Here is a link to a BBC article about it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16962898
A funny side note related to this is the Titus On-One Planet X super frame designer lives there. So if you ride one of their bikes it was most likely “Designed in the lesbian capital of the UK”.
I like that, it makes me smile.
Jeremy
Enjoying some post ride beers at the Stubbing Wharf. After some serious technical northern English trail riding on a Fatty bike, a Rockstar, and an unnamed prototype hardtail 29er Brant, Matt, and myself settled in for some local beers (Copper Dragon, Golden Pippin).
Experimenting with different options for hauling kids.
I got some mail today. Thank you @VivaLaBicicleta and @lovingthebike for this AWESOME Viva La Bicicleta shirt! I will wear it out with PRIDE.
You can get one of these fine shirts yourself by heading over to vivalabicicleta.com and supporting their cause, the Victim Relief Fund.
Travel Oregon - Mountain biking Bend, Oregon with Cog Wild.
LOL! I learned something new today. My @AnswerProducts gloves can control touch screens. WOOT!
I just tried it and it works on the iPhone. Sweet!
From DirtRag
“Answer glove get a new feature, the Answer-IT. The pointer finger on both hands have some type of imbedded material to allow touch screen use while gloved up. Now you can Strava and Twitter to your hearts content while out riding.”
Let the Lion guide your way.
Add this to the tattoos I want to get.
Experiments while riding this weekend.
I had a couple experiments with different items during this weekend’s ride, here is a re-cap:
DIY Gu shots [energy gel]: (source)
- Honey, Molasses, and a pinch of good salt.
- For every 3 ounces of honey add 1 ounce of molasses and a pinch of salt.
- Take a shot every 15-20 min during exercise.
Results: The main point was to get calories while riding and this mix does do that. BUT I found that it would give me heart burn after every shot. This could be from the molasses as it has a high sulfur content, or from my having issues with heartburn for so many years after the cancer. I have just recently with in the last year or so been able to kick the Prilosec (etc) due to better diet so having it flare up again during a ride is not my idea of fun.
The heart burn while riding would be the major drawback in this for me. Gu type shots usually don’t give me heart burn, so back to the drawing board on this idea I think. Trying to find a recipe that is more natural and with out the extra additives (Red #5, yellow #42, etc). Your mileage may vary.
DIY Sports Drink [source]:
EnerT Ingredients (32 oz or about 1 liter):
- 2 Tea Bags
- 6 level teaspoon sugar (24 grams)
- A pinch of salt (0.5 grams)
- 2 oz lemon juice (about 55 grams)
- 30 oz boiling water
Results: During a hot day having a nice glass of iced tea on the porch is really relaxing. Having it on a long bike ride at lukewarm temp is not so relaxing. While I understand where the inventor is coming from on this one, I felt thirstier and ended up burning through both bottles faster than normal. I do not see a reason to continue it on long rides. Short sessions with a bottle full of ice may be where this comes in handy or just keep in on the porch.
Burrito in back pocket [source: something the Bikehugger said somewhere online]:
Take a frozen burrito and put it in your back jersey pocket. Let your steaming hot sexy body warm (cook?) it.
Results: I am sort of a fan of this technique. At the end of a long ride sitting under a tree eating a burrito was nice. It pumps a ton of carbs and proteins in at a good time. Plus who doesn’t like bean burritos? Bonus, it is a lot less messy than a PB&J sandwich after many miles in the sun. I will continue using this idea, maybe expand on it and get the wife to make some burritos.
I like to experiment with different things while riding. Send me a tweet, facepage, or plus let me know what you think.
Oregon farm country.
I took the Dirty Disco out for a long ride on Sunday to break it in a bit and test various settings. I still need to adjust the body fit, but am already digging the bike so far. The disc brakes make me smile and going back to Shimano shifting was nice. It was like putting on a well worn baseball hat.
I added a water bottle cage and my turtle sticker to make the bike a bit more personalized. I put a turtle sticker on all my bikes. It represents the tortoise and the hare story. Slow and steady.
Mounting up old road tires i had on mountain rims was interesting. I probably need new tires for the summer season. I’ll have to see how wide Conti makes a GatorSkin.
One interesting note is that we went with a 34/46 up front when we changed out the rings. The old ones with the chain and cassette were pretty well abused on my Jake and needed replacing badly. A mishap in shipping and a 34T is now on there. I am really curious how this will work during cross season. I may be able to do more climbs but will probably end up staying in the 46T mainly during high speed sections. i find myself almost forced into the big ring more now, which can be good for my muscle strength. Time will tell.
Flat road. Hillsboro I think.
Strava Link for ride stats if you are into that: http://app.strava.com/rides/6820632
Pelizzoli Corsa GP
I love chrome frames there is just something beautiful in them. I wish I still had my old late 90’s Gary Fisher Mt. Tam that was all chrome’d out. Click on the picture or link for more shots of this bike. Beautiful job.
Source: culturecycles.com
Graham spent the better part of this morning laying some decals on this team bike for the Trailhead Coffee Roasters Team.
If you need decals to match your kits let us know.
Check out this decal job from Ruckus. Nice!
Source: ruckuscomponents
Video of riding around in Britain. Enjoyable video, your trails are where you make them.
If I just rode around in a mile of my house I would end up riding on Nike HQ, a highway, Home Depot, and a gas station. I wonder if the American infrastructure will be the same 300 years out? Somehow I doubt it.
Bike Geek, Cancer Survivor, and geeky dad. Writes about cycling, two wheeled culture, and the bicycle industry.