Chewieez's ramblings

Is this January?

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:52:00 +0000

This winter has been nothing like a normal Nashville winter. I think we've had more days above 55 degrees than days under 40 degrees. Last weekend it was 65 degrees and sunny and a group met out at Montgomery Bell for a very nice mountain bike ride, in January! No shoe covers, no wool Walz flappy caps, no winter gloves needed. Long sleeves and knee warmers and I felt perfect for the entire 10 mile ride. We are so fortunate to have a trail like Monty Bell that handles water so well, but frankly, almost all of our local trails are rideable right now, even Hamilton Creek! (in January!)

It was so nice on Friday of last week, I packed up the bike, trailer and Raleigh and we drove down to Murfreesboro and got a great ride in on the Greenway with Thad and his dog JD. Life's been so busy that I'm out of the loop these days with the old riding crew. It was fun to catch up with Thad and hear about what's new with him and his family. Raleigh had a great time in the trailer, as usual. (thanks Dan!) I have to say the Murphreesboro Greenway is arguable more scenic than the Nashville Greenway. We rode next to the Stones River for much of the ride and there was a lot of new stuff to look at for me and Raleigh. Sadly JD had a run-in with some rough road somewhere along the way and tore on of his pads. He's generally pushing the pace on all the rides we've done together but this time he had to keep his speed in check. Poor guy also had to miss out on Thad's trip to Sewanee today. Hope he heals up soon!

Scheduling and home duties kept me off the bike yesterday but my buddy Miles came over today after church and we set out for Percy Warner Park on bike from my house. It was overcast and just a bit chilly with temps hovering around 50 degrees. It felt much colder with the wind but I was very comfy in a normal jersey, a wind jacket and knickers. In hindsight it might of been a good day to try out my new shoe covers though as my toes did get quite cold halfway into the ride. We rode the 9 miles through Nashville to Percy and went into the park at the arches off Bellemeade Blvd. There surprisingly weren't many cars parked at that entrance, but when we passed the Deep Well entrance it seemed everyone chose park there as it was packed. Our loop was uneventful with no flats or mechanicals and very little foot traffic. It was great to have company for the ride and it seemed we were both in similar shape and riding the same pace. I felt good for almost the entire 30 miles ride but started to get some cramps right on the last climp up Melrose Rd. I didn't want to stop as I figured I'd barely be able to properly dismount. I didn't think I could stand and pedal with the quad cramps so I just kept spinning the pedals through the cramps and surprisingly they went away in a couple minutes of riding. It's a strange sensation to feel your muscles cramp, then feel the cramps move through the muscle and then out. I was happy to not have any instance of pirate leg for sure!

We ended up with a great 30 mile ride with 1900 feet of climbing and 2hr saddle time with no stops, other than stop signs/stop lights.

updates updates updates

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:00 +0000

This will be a jumbled pile of somewhat related riding stories.

Been riding more lately and it's been awesome. Raleigh and I have gotten out to Nashville's Greenway at least once a week since we got her trailer. We've worked our way to riding all the way to the dam and back which equals about 23 miles. She does great in the trailer. Stays awake for 2/3-3/4 of the ride then passes out until we get back to the car. That's about an hour and 45 minutes of straight riding which is pretty impressive for a 15 month old to handle. She's got her snack cup, drink and maybe 1 toy and she's happy. Pulling that 50 pound trailer can be cumbersome on some of the climbs but I have to think it's making me a stronger rider.

I've been able to make it out to 2 gravel grinder rides in the past month or so. I bailed out of the first one at the 22 mile halfway point. (in the 40 mile route). I felt pretty good that day but we got a late start and I didn't want to be out for the full day. I also didn't trust myself to be able to safely make it to the 40 mile mark. I felt good at mile 22 and felt I could easily ride another 5-10 miles, but I wasn't sure about 20 miles. We had a good crew though, some regulars like Jeffy, Jim S, Parker and Monster McConnell and a few new guys (at least to my riding) like Jim's 12 year old son, Jims co-worker Stick, Jeffy's wife, and a few peeps from NMB. It was a fun route out near White Bluff TN. You can view the details of my ride here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106271502

The 2nd gravel ride was this past weekend. A similar crew but on the dirt roads of Hickman County this time. I finished this ride feeling great and we managed about 45 miles. I was treating this as a test of my fitness for the upcoming Crush n Rush 50 mile gravel race/ride/party. I felt good for most of the day. I did a great job of keeping food in me and we stopped at 2 different stores so I was able to keep my bottles filled as well. We lucked into a great respite from the heat and had temps in the mid 80s most of the day. We did Jim's normal Hickman route backwards which I thought was a lot of fun. We ended up with 3600 feet of climbing in 45 miles but it didn't feel like a lot of climbing. There were long stretches of rolling or even flat gravel road that were a lot of fun to ride. We hit a few of the old favorites from a couple years ago like Tyler Ridge and the hog farm. All in all if was one of THE best days on the bike I've had in over a year I'd say. Loads of fun. Ride details can be seen here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110151838

I was also able to participate in another Ride for Reading book delivery recently. I've missed quite a few but this was to be their biggest delivery yet with over 60 riders signed up. We ended up riding 6 miles to the school with the first lady of Tennessee and delivering books to an entire elementary school. The ride was fun and very low key but the real reward was at the school. Seeing how excited those kids were to receive free books and to see so many people having fun on bikes. It's indescribable really. What an awesome non-profit! Photos HERE. Video posted in previous blog entry.

Today I decided to ride my bike into the studio in Franklin. I've been working on jingle sessions there Tuesday-Friday and have been taking our dog with me each day. While driving home in traffic yesterday I got a huge itch to ride my bike in today. The ride down to Franklin was great in the morning. It wasn't too hot yet at 8am when I started. It's a hilly ride to get down there and I was feeling it in my legs by the time I arrived. Google maps told me it would take 1hr 30 mins to ride there. I know they are quite conservative but I didn't want to cut it close so I gave myself 2 hours before the clients came. I made the ride in 1:05 which worked well to give me ample time to cool down and change clothes.

By the time I was ready to ride back home it was 100 degrees outside. I figured I'd take it easy and just ride as slow as needed since I was not in a hurry to get back. I am terrible at riding a slow pace so I ended up just riding what felt comfortable. The heat wasn't that bad as long as I was moving. Stopping at a light was all the reminder I needed that it was 100º. I ended up making it home in 57 minutes. There is less climbing on the way home so I figured I'd be quicker but with the heat and the traffic the ride didn't feel that much faster. When I drive it takes me a good 45 minutes to get home with all the traffic so it was only an extra 15 minutes to do the route on bike.

I ended up with 200 miles logged in the past 30 days which I know isn't a lot for most cyclists but it's more than double my usual August miles. With the new family addition it's a ton of riding for me! Hopefully I can keep it up into fall.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Ride for Reading Book Delivery Video

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:37:00 +0000

If you want to know what it's like to ride with 60+ cyclists, delivering 2,000+ books to an entire elementary school..... watch this video.

We also had the First Lady of Tennessee riding with us and a full State Trooper escort and a few secret service personnel.

The emotions of mixing a song

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:31:00 +0000

It's amazing the emotions I go through while mixing a song.

Excited to start

Accomplished to get things roughed in

Overwhelmed to have things not come together as quickly as I'd like

Anxious to check how it sounds in other places like the car

Let down to struggle with parts of the mix

Excited to see the song polished up and coming together better

Anxious to hear feedback from the client when a ref is sent

Second guessing my skills as I wait to hear from client

Pumped up to hear from an excited client who likes the mix

I go through about every one of these for every song I mix. It's a rollercoaster which can wear me down sometimes and also build me up other times.

Took my own advice

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Took my own advice and went back out to Hamilton Creek early this morning. Met up with an old friend whom I hadn't seen or ridden with in ages. We were on the trail by 6:45am which meant I was back home and cleaned up by 9am. That's what I'm talking about, I gotta stay motivated and get out on these early morning rides more. If I want to get bad in shape and get some serious miles under my belt, I'm going to have to get it done in the early morning or in night rides.

The trail was in better shape today than it was two days ago. We rode the trail counter-clockwise at a steady pace and there were no obstructions that forced dismounts, other than the usual tricky rocky sections. It was fun to be back on a trail I just rode. I cleaned some sections that I screwed up last ride, but missed a few new sections this time. Hammy will always humble you on your handling skills. I'm always thankful whenever I can leave without any wounds. :) My knees felt better this ride and did some slight saddle angle and height tweaks. Cleats still may need a few tweaks.

Now it's time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day with the family. Nice to already have a few miles in.

Hammy needs you

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Now is the time to get out and ride Hamilton Creek! The trail is in great shape with just a small number of soft spots where water has collected but 99% of the trail is dry and ready to ride. A group of riders were out this morning working on the trail and trimming back faceslappers and overgrowth. The trail should look and ride great for the 50 Miles of Hamilton Creek race next weekend (and Fat Tire Fest)

Tim S. cut a few small new re-routes that need to be ridden in before the race. So get out there and ride the trail and enjoy it!

I made it out for 2 laps on the advanced side this afternoon. It was a very leasurely ride though at this point all my rides are since I'm so out of shape. :) I rode the first lap solo and then met up with the work crew and rode a second lap with them. It felt great to be out and I'm still loving my new WTB Vigo saddle. I'm thinking I need to get my cleat and saddle position tweaked though soon. I've been having a little bit of knee pains the past couple rides and I'm not sure if it's more from bike fit or from just not riding lately.

My Garmin actually worked flawlessly this ride oddly enough. No automatic shutoffs at all! I've been looking at the Strava.com website lately, wondering if it's worth the $70 a year when the Garmin site if free. Anyone out there using Strava alot? I like they you can compare your ride without users who have also completed the same ride, like the Percy Warner loop.

Please endorse Ride for Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 28 May 2011 16:09:00 +0000

As you all know Ride for Reading is an amazing Nashville based Non-profit that brings books to children in low-income areas who would have no access to reading. Below is a great opportunity to help them receive some much needed funding.

Click the image below to Endorse Ride for Reading!!

Vivint is giving away $1,250,000 to charities you choose where the money goes!

Amazon App Store

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:36:00 +0000

I just recently started using the "newish" Amazon app store on my Android phone. So far I love it. They offer one paid app for free each day. In the past couple weeks they have offered some good apps too, not just strange games. I've downloaded a great alternative keyboard, a camera app, a launcher and a few games. They also seem to offer special pricing on some apps that are not present in the Android App Store. For example I was able to purchase Widget Locker for 50% less than it was listed in the Android App Store.

All this to say I have noticed one annoying thing about using a different app store to make app purchases, and/or downloads. Now that I have these apps on my phone, the Android App Store knows I have them and alerts me when there are updates to the apps. Great so far. Trouble is that when I am using the Android App store, I cannot update an app that I purchased from the Amazon App store. It shows that there is an update to the app, but then when I try to update it, it prompts me to pay for the app again. Bummer. Add to this annoyance, when I go to the Amazon App store, there are no app updates listed. Strange.

So I emailed Amazon support about this issue and received a couple responses. First response was just directions on how to use their app store and was not helpful at all. After I wrote them back and explained my issue again, they responded with a detailed account of what their app store policies are when it comes to application updates. I thought the response was worth sharing with the public since I imagine I am not the first Android user to notice this issue when using other app stores.

Here is their response in full to me:

Hello Greg,

I'm very sorry to hear that you are having difficulty with the updating of your apps with the Amazon Appstore.

There is currently an issue with the Google Platform that causes update notification errors between third party app providers including the Android Market and Amazon Appstore. Apps that are purchased on one market will be recognized by another market and update notifications will be posted, even though the update is not available. Google is currently working to resolve the issue.

Updates to the Amazon Appstore must pass a verification process before being released to our customers. To ensure the highest quality apps in our catalog, we take all submissions through a series of tests. In this process we screen the apps for known viruses and malware, test the app to check that it actually does what it claims to do, and test whether the app affects the stability of the other functions of your phone. These tests include (but are not limited to):

Installation: The application installs and opens, upgrades can be installed and the application can be uninstalled by following the phone's regular uninstall method.

Functionality: The application doesn't crash and the description of the application matches the application's description.

Usability: Graphics, videos, animation, and text within the app are clear and readable to the user

Technical: The application doesn't interfere with, or stop working when, a user receives calls or text messages while the application is running.

This process can cause a lag time between the submission and the release to our customers.

Your apps can be updated from "My Apps" within the Amazon Appstore. Click the "Update Available" tab to see applications on your device that have updates.

Once you select the app you wish to update from the list, the permissions required by the app will need to be reviewed again. Click "Accept" to install.

If you are still having trouble accessing the updates for your apps, please contact Customer Service using the Contact Us button on our Help pages:

http://www.amazon.com/appstorehelp

Contacting us through the website allows you to verify security before a call is placed and ensures we have your account information ready when we call you. If your country isn’t listed or you’re unable to take advantage of the Contact Us feature, you can call us directly at 1-866-749-7771. Support for the Amazon Appstore is available between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. PST, 7 days a week.

We look forward to speaking with you soon.

I hope this helps! We look forward to seeing you again soon.

I was impressed. It's nice to know they are checking the apps. It is annoying that their process slows the app update process but I don't want to download any crappy apps or apps with viruses either.

If you haven't checked out the Amazon App store, I'd recommend it.

Secret routes from Old Chubs

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:22:00 +0000

Went down to the new MOAB shop in Franklin this afternoon with my friend Miles. Got to hang with Thad and Miles was able to buy a rack and some fenders for his do-it-all Gary Fisher Mamba. I wanted to see the new shop and let me tell you it's NICE. Very deep and spacious which is an odd thing in a bike shop. You even have room in the shop to ride a bike around.

After Miles made his purchases we consulted Thad on a good 20 mile route to ride from the shop. He told us of this "secret" route of his and then gave me a word document print out with turn by turn directions. Hmm not so secret if there is a stack of papers with directions. :) We got a quick Google Maps tour of the route and off we went....in the wind on a fine, brisk, cloudy spring day.

I immediately remembered why I missed riding down in Franklin. You're treated to some great scenery while you ride the rolling hills and pass by large plots of farm land. This route starts out easy then you slowly start ascending. You don't realize it while you're riding but about 3 miles in you start climbing and continue to gain elevation for the next 5 miles. Your reward is an awesome, wide open downhill where you have to hold back to stay under 40 mph. More great views through some backroads and few short stretches on Hwy 96 and next thing you know you're back on Del Rio and only have about 3 miles left.

Best way to follow up a ride like this? Oscar Blues Old Chub and Dogfish Head India Brown Ale.... yum

It was a great afternoon jaunt around Franklin. Thanks for the route tip Thad! Hope to make it down again soon!

Marco......Polo

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:02:00 +0000

Last night was a record turn-out for East Nashville Bike Polo. 12 confirmed players but a few extra spectators and me who came on bike yet didn't bring a polo-friendly bike and had to bum bikes from others.

The timing finally worked in my favor for not just making it to polo, but having the time, and great weather, to ride my bike from the house over to the east side for polo. I even had time to do a once over on the bike and switch back to my big comfy slick tires and remove my fenders on the trusty Crosscheck. (also another opportunity to use my new Garmin tech device to log my ride)

The weather was perfect, as in it was 68 when I left the house, in a t-shirt and knickers. I brought along a jacket and Walz flappy cap just in case as the forecast was for a 45 overnight low but it turned out I didn't need them. Even the ride back home at midnight was comfortable with just a t-shirt and knickers. The city was calm and the sky was clear, it was seriously a perfect night to be riding through the city.

I had to vary my usual route to get downtown to the pedestrian bridge. Some voluntary rerouting and some required due to construction. I meandered through 12 South's back streets to avoid the slow hill through the narrow part of 12th Ave South which worked great. I may have to make this reroute permanent. They are still doing major construction downtown on Demonbreun so my normal direct route down to 4th ave was shut off. I snaked through the Frist and over to Broadway for some good people watching and a glimpse of honky tonk music.

I arrived late to the game and rolled up to find a court FULL of cyclists, chasing a small ball around with ski poles and pvc. Nice! Our polo games took a small hiatus and have recently been resurrected by the east side crew into a semi regular weekly/bi weekly event. Some time recently another polo crew who used to play downtown has merged in and now we seem to rarely have the problem with finding a minimum of 6 players to have a good game. As I mentioned, we had 12 people commit to playing a few days in advance this week!

The game was the usual mix of complete unorganized mayhem mixed with some good ball passing and a few adult beverages. Everyone was enjoying themselves and the time flew by. By the time we finally called it, it was already 11:45pm! Everyone disbanded in their respective directions to either get home, exhausted, or for the youngsters in the group; head out to the next pub for late dinner and refreshments. I settled in for the 10 mile trip home and thoroughly enjoyed another calm trip through Nashville.

As Dan said this morning, "If you played, you won"

Mobile, on the go, roaming

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I just discovered and downloaded the mobile Blogger app for my smartphone....wonder if this means it will be easier to update my blog. At least I will have a few less excuses now.

Got out this weekend and rode Chickasaw Trace on sunday. Took it easy and kept a slow steady pace. Talked myself into leaving my 32x20 gearing on too from my last Monty Bell ride. It was a bit too easy for 85% of the trail but it was nice on a few of the hills.

I rode one full lap then did a second lap and took a few shortcuts to avoid acouple of the bigger hills like the one to the view of the dump. Surprisingly it only took acouple miles off the overall length but made threw lap much easier.

This was my second mtn bike ride with my new Garmin gps. I'm liking it so far. It is neat to instantly have the elevation gained and lost information for trails I've been riding for years.

Sadly I didn't take any photos of my elusive ride. I promise I did actually go. :)

This coming weekend is the Nashville Bicycle Scavenger Hunt which I am hoping to make it to. I've missed the last few years but I had a great time the last time I did one. I need to work on getting a team put together.

Add yourself to the list of people who think this is disgusting...

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:56:00 +0000

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

a good night

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:30:00 +0000

It's a good night when you got 2 empty growlers in the panniers and your bike is on autopilot towards Yazoo brewery.

I was surprised to note that my bike seemed to ride better with the extra weight, even with it all in the back. It took some muscle to pick it up and move it but while the wheels where moving I couldn't tell a big difference. Good to know for future beer supply runs.

Today is a full day of fatherly duties but tomorrow should contain a morning of mountain biking with the (in)famous Gracie and then an afternoon of recording music in the hills of Bellevue.

Tennessee Country Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Country Road
Originally uploaded by s3ll0ut

I've been sitting here at the computer waiting for my daughter to awaken from her much-longer-than-usual nap and thinking, I should really update this here blog. And luck would have it, that I have some thing to update it with... even with some photos poached from others.

(If you're not the text reading type, click the image to the left and flip through Parker's photos of the ride)

Thad, Parker, Eric and I all met up in the usual Natchez Trace parking lot for a morning full of hot, muggy gravel mixed with some hotter and muggy pavement. I've missed quite a few of these gravel rides recently so I was excited to get back out.

We quickly were on our way down the Trace to highway 7. Thad's gotten much better at routing us to gravel much quicker than some of the 60+ miles rides we rode last year near Fly, TN. 6 miles in and we were on some sweet gravel like in the pictures. The entire course was new to me this trip which made it fun. I always enjoy a fair bit of mystery in these longer rides. It's generally best I don't know what I'm in for. I tried my best to hold back my "how many more miles til...." questions. Though I'm sure at some point I let out a whine or two. But hey, coming off the couch, having not ridden more than 20 miles in a single month in over 3-4 months makes a 45 mile ride a bit tough. :)

Of course... it's time to tend to the baby.....

...to be continued...
_________________________________

Ok, back to it 7 hours later and Raleigh is back asleep again for the night. Where was I?

oh yea gravel

So the ride was great in all the right ways. Good company, great roads (or lack of), great creeks, great pain and the constant thought of "How will I make it back to the car?" Overall I was impressed with how my body held up. We seemed to miss some of the huge grueling climbs but we still had some painfully slow & long ones. Then there was the deep, loose gravel....though that was actually fun mainly because the sections weren't so long we were cursing.

We are so fortunate that we can drive 40 minutes south of town and be transported into such another world. It was the ultimate head clearing ride. We all also were fortunate to avoid any major mechanical issues. A couple flat tires were all the trouble we had and surprisingly non of them were Thad's tire.

I'll poach a few more photos and call it a night... til the next ride....

Photo cred: Parker

One of many creeks on the ride, probably the shallowest

Photo cred: Parker

This was the 1st store we found, which was closed, not just on Sunday, but closed everyday. We all had our hopes high for some liquid but we were saved a few miles later when we happened upon someone's spring and poached some crisp water. (as we tried our best to convince ourselves it was clean enough to drink....no issues yet!)

Photo cred: Parker

Thad showing us the newest in mid-ride recover drink technology

Photo cred: Eric

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Another creek crossing with some equestrian friends.

Beck....

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Beck.....Can this man make a bad record? Even the ones I don't like will grow on me in a few years.

This new Record Club project he is doing is incredible. I've been sitting here listening to his INXS covers in headphones and loving it!

check it:

http://www.beck.com/recordclub/index.php/inxs-guns-in-the-sky-5

Record Club: INXS "Need You Tonight" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

I also love videos in the recording studio. Though when I'm at work in the recording studio, I'm always scared of the day when they want to bring in the video crew.

1 step closer, I am, 1 step closer

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:38:00 +0000

I stopped by Nashville Bicycle Lounge yesterday morning and Dan quickly got to work with my new fork. New Hope 20mm end caps installed, steerer cut, new brake pads installed and fork installed. It looks goooooood. The white lowers came stickerless and I'm digging it.

I got to take it out for a parking lot test and well, as Dan put it, it rides like a suspension fork. :) Can't make any real judgement calls until I hit some real trail. First things though are to lower the 100mm setting to 80mm. Timing what it is and all I won't make it out for a ride for a few days so further testing will have to wait.

The crude "pick up the bike a few times" maneuver says the fork isn't adding much weight to the bike at all. The Maxle system looks super stiff and I think the remote lockout button is gonna just be sweet.

Off to think about other things for the next few days.

It's here...

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:58:00 +0000

and waiting for me: (at Nashville Bicycle Lounge)

waiting is hard to do

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Still waiting on my elusive fork to come in. It's been a very busy week though so that's helping.

I used to have more trouble with motivation to write blog entries, now it's more finding time to sit at the computer for more than 10 minutes, when I also don't have something more pressing to do. I had intentions last night of writing up a nice update but the couch looked way more appealing so I slunk off and into a episode of Dexter.

I had to work yesterday out in Bellevue so I packed up all my, neglected, bike stuff and planned a solo Montgomery Bell ride. Life is hectic and my brain is never fully there so of course I got on 440 and realized I'd forgotten my helmet. Had to swing the long way around back to the house. Trying a u-turn on 440 it's not advised. Work went ultra-smooth and I was ready to ride by 2:30pm. Got the tires pumped and the new test-saddle adjusted and.... um, wait, did I leave my water bottles in the fridge at work? dope! Thankfully it was not a 100+ degree scorcher or I would of really had to improvise.

I just decided to brave it and ride for an hour or so, sans water. This ride had many purposes but one was to further tweak my new shoes and cleats and also to test out a new Fizik Alante test saddle from the newly re-opened Harpeth Bikes. I'll have to write up my thoughts on that later, one for lack of time before I head back to work this morning and two because I've not yet formulated my opinion. So far I'd say, it's not a terrible saddle but I'm not yet sure if it truly fits me like a glove. All this to say my ride had many stops for saddle adjustments and a couple cleat adjustments.

I ended up finding a half full water bottle in my car with some yummy 90 degree water in it. I finished that and then went back into the trail for just a little more before bailing and heading back home to be a parent. It felt great to be back in the quite woods on a bike, slightly frustrating to not have my bike dialed in currently but overall I felt great on the bike. I'm still really looking forward to how this new fork changing my riding.

I'm picky

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:24:00 +0000

It's official... I am picky, but you all already knew that.

I received a response to my inquiry to SRAM about the exact Reba 29er XX fork I was seeking. Below is their response.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, we can't make every fork available in every configuration at the aftermarket level, so we're forced to pick and choose. Currently, the only XX Reba 29'er sold aftermarket with a 1 1/8" steerer only has QR lowers, and it doesn't look like that's going to change for next year. It's not the cheapest option, but it would be possible to purchase Maxle lowers and install them on a QR fork; or you could purchase a Reba Team with Maxle and purchase the XX damper and remote kit to convert it to an XX fork. I would definitely discourage you from buying a new CSU to convert a taper to non-taper, simply because that would be the most expensive way to go. Otherwise, the exact fork you're looking just doesn't exist. Sorry!

Thanks,

Nate Newton

SRAM Dealer Service

I guess not enough other riders want what I want. Taper smaper, who really needs it.

Thanks to Dan at Nashville Bicycle Lounge and his connections in the North, he got me setup with exactly what I was looking for and I may even have it to ride this weekend, or at least take nice close up pictures of.

Do you think I'm excited? I haven't bought a (substantial) new bike part in over a year!

in the pipeline

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:36:00 +0000

With huge thanks to Dan at the Nashville Bicycle Lounge, I have a brand new fork in the pipeline for the Quiring.

Much more details will come soon but for now....

It's:
white
29 inches
has a stiff lower end
enjoys being locked
1 X shy of porn

155/365 - I'm back in the saddle again!

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:04:00 +0000

155/365 - I'm back in the saddle again!
Originally uploaded by Chewieez

(can you hear the old school Aerosmith?)

Yep, back on dirt, on my bike and loving it! I saw an hour window in my responsibilities at home and took it to head to Hamilton Creek and ride for a bit. I had been months since I'd ridden my mountain bike on a real trail. From the first pedal stroke it just felt so good. My body immediately feel into the routine and before I knew it I was cruising around the trail making good time, not a care in the world and wondering why my body felt so good.

They've added a bunch of new reroutes to the "short loop" at Hammy that I'd yet to ride. Also there were some friends out fixing up the trail a little before the big 8th Annual SORBA Fat Tire Fest Saturday and the Hapreth Bikes 6hrs of Hammy bike race Sunday. The trail still has a little deadfall in some places but overall it's in great shape design wise. Some of the overly-tight turns have been elevated and it's much easier to keep a flow going. I thank everyone who's worked on that trail lately. I know first hand how much hard work it takes to create and maintain trail and you are all doing a great job!

I got in about 7 miles and averaged 8mph, not bad for a couch-surfer-new-Dad. I rode my new favorite Hammy gear of 32x18 and the bike performed great. I forgot to lube up my chain so it was talking to me the entire ride but other than that, just silent deep woods time. Hopefully I'll have a new fork ordered soon and I can go back to Hammy and try it out with suspension again. It's been a year and a half without so it will be new again.

yep

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:28:00 +0000

If you are one of the very small number that actually looks at that little MyCyclingLog widget I have over on the right column of my blog you probably noticed I went for a bike ride today. Yep! All 17 miles of the pavement from my house over to the Nashville Bicycle Lounge and back, and it was awesome. First ride after our little one was born. Surprisingly my legs knew what to do when clipped in, even while wearing my new snazzy shoes. The Lounge was awesome as usual and was a good hang with Dan, Fred & Rick in attendance. I even got rained on a little on the way home, but only while trudging up the last hill.

It was nice....

Cleaning House

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Sun, 23 May 2010 23:41:00 +0000

It's been a long few weeks. But we should be out of the "3 weeks of hell" portion and moving forward to a more civilized lifestyle. Those who know what I'm talking about, know what I'm talking about.

I've been fortunate that things I've tried to sell in the past finally sold this week and things I decided to sell this week sold this week. It's been a good "clean house" for me in bike part form. I sold my old bass guitar cabinet to a good friend on NMB. I decided that my wheelset from my old Ventana was too nice for a polo bike and put them up for sale and sold to another person on NMB. I am still in my search for the perfect new cycling shoe so I had to sell off a recent pair that were just a little too big. I had to resort to Ebay for that sale but the guy who bought them seems extra excited. Odd part of the whole thing is when my parents were just here my Mom gave with an envelope full of cash for me. A present? Kind of, yet it in the end if was my money, just money that's been sitting in two different banks for over a decade untouched. What's someone to do with an influx of expected money added to some reclaimed bike part money? Buy more bike parts I say!

I've got a big purchase on the brain and hopefully in the works. When I ordered my Quiring singlespeed I had plans of mating it with the then-brand-new 2009 Rock Shox Reba fork. I even used it's fork offset and sag axle-to-crown measurements in the design of my bike. I did not have enough money at the time to get the new bike and new fork so I ordered the bike with a rigid fork. Riding fully rigid was something I wanted to try again anyhow so that's what I've been doing for the past year and a half. I will say that I have enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. Though the thought of finally getting the elusive Reba I've had my eye on for so long is tantalizing.

Sure I could of settled and used a different, less expensive fork in the meantime but that would not work. The Reba now has the option of using a 20mm thru axle to stiffin up the front wheel. I wanted to try this and still do. So I have Fred over at Harpeth Bikes on the search for the fork I want with all the bells and whistles.... namely: 29er, 80mm, Reba, remote lock-out, 20mm Maxle lite. This fork doesn't exist in the online retail world. I know because I've looked everywhere in the past couple weeks. All those options are available but apparently no one wants them in one fork but me. I hope Fred can find me a hook up, and it's relatively affordable for a someone in my shoes. I've only found it the way I want on Ebay and the auctions were already over. I'll tantalize you with what the fork could look like. :)

In the meantime I've made a list of all the new parts I'll need with this new fork:
• Reba fork (duh)
• post mount 185mm Avid brake adapter
• Hope 20mm end caps for my front hub

This weekend was also the REI anniversary sale. I've been on the search for what to use for my "man diaper bag" and got the great idea to use a messenger bag from Chris H., fellow cyclist Dad. I thought, what a great excuse to get a cool new messenger bag! My current Chrome bag wouldn't work well with its upper-back-hugging-design so I was thinking Timbuk2. I figured I didn't want to spend good money and end up with another medium size messenger bag similar to my Chrome bag. Then after my "man diaper bag" use was over, I'd have to very similar bags. My first thought was to get a size large bag so I headed down to REI last week to check the bags out in person. The medium is quite roomy. They didn't have a large but after wearing the medium, the large would be huge and totally overkill but the intended use. Then I spotted this new bag called the Bullitt. It's a pannier with a shoulder strap like a messenger bag, or it's a messenger bag with hooks on the back to attach it to a rack like a pannier bag. I think it can be a really cool new addition to my commuting arsenal. With Father's Day coming up Beth wanted to get me this and the next day I got the flier for the anniversary sale! Clearly it was karma. I headed down early Friday morning when REI opened to make sure no one snaked the only 2 bags they had before me.

All Timuk2 bags and accessories were on sale so I picked up a great shoulder strap pad too. I had a 20% off coupon for any regular priced item so I also picked up a small head mounted light; something I've had my eye on for years. I figured it will be very helpful to zip tie to my helmet for urban rides (in flash mode) or map reading for rides like Kanza, should I do something like that again.

So sorry about the lack of posts lately and then the random posts but for a blog mainly about cycling, I haven't been doing much of that recently. Hopefully I'll be able to get more riding in my schedule soon.

Ebay Reserve Price Fees

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:59:00 +0000

I just finished chatting with an Ebay Representative about their Reserve Price Fee structure and I thought I'd share the conversation here. I found while putting up an auction for some bike shoes that I appeared to be paying 2 fees for choosing to have a reserve price but it was not clear through their fee structure.

Their fees page states if you don't use a reserve price the insertion fee is free up to a .99 cent starting price. So I set my start price to .99. When I chose a reserve price I reviewed the reserve price fee chart and it states I will incur a $2 fee. OK, I'm cool with that. When I finish my listing it states my insertion fee is $1 and I am paying a $2 fee for my reserve price. This seems odd so I go and review the insertion fees chart again. Now I notice that the insertion fee goes up as my reserve price goes up. This isn't immediately clear to me but after reading it again, and again, I see the title of the left column. See image below:

So I then think, it seems I'm actually paying a double fee for a reserve price and it's not clear until you really dig. You pay a $2 flat fee plus a sliding scale fee based on starting price but none of this is listed in the information about how much their Reserve Price Fee is. This seems odd, I should tell Ebay I think this is odd. So I navigate through about 5-6 pages of FAQ questions before Ebay will offer me the "Chat with us" link to talk with a rep. I start my chat session with a nice lady named Cara C.

I have including my entire chat transcription below. I have to say it was odd. In the end they said they would credit me the insertion fee. I reminded her I hadn't incurred the fee yet since I hadn't made my auction live. She stated she would credit it after I made my auction live. I then asked if she was waiting for me to submit. She apologized to me for my troubles and said if it happens again to contact them immediately. Well, I don't think it was a fluke, it's the way the system is setup so I told her I thought it would happen everytime I list a similar auction. She then responded that Ebay is currently working to fix the issue. Good news but are they really going to change their fee structure or how they disclose their fees? Time will tell.

I applaud Ebay for trying to "make it right" in my case. They did do what they could in the short term to try to make me happy. I think they could put some effort into a more transparent fee chart, mainly in the information specific to Reserve Prices. Not everyone is going to take the time to dig. It also can't be helping their reputation for being "Feebay".

A week and weekend full

noreply@blogger.com (Chewieez) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:18:00 +0000

I'm just now getting around to posting about what happened last weekend. That's how full my week has been. We're housesitting for my in-laws so on one hand it's like we're on vacation, with out leaving Nashville. On the other hand it a little bit of a pain a we have to go home to do somethings, then bring clothes over to their house and of course I always forget things in the process.

Last weekend we had some friends over for games and hot tub relaxing and then Sunday I got out and rode some gravel with the boys. Thad, Grant and Parker came out and we rode the old Fly loop. Grant needed a loaner bike so I rode my Quiring single speed for the first time and Grant rode my Crosscheck. The ride was a lot of fun and was a great experience for me on the singlespeed. All the gravel grinders I've done have been on my geared Crosscheck except Dirty Kanza and our trip from Joelton to Monty Bell.

Unfortunately a lot of the old loop has been paved but we did manage to find some new gravel. Thad's hoping to explore and find a few more miles of fresh gravel. I decided to bail out of the loop early and skipped about 8-10 miles. I was feeling good fitness wise but my sit bones were screaming at me. Looks like it's really time for a new mtb saddle. Between our weekend at LBL and my ride at Hammy last week, my saddle was creating some bruised sit bones. In hindsight I should have moved my Selle-Anatomica saddle over to my Quiring since Grant brought his own saddle.

My work week settled down after a lot of "maybe" work and I ended up with all Tuesday off. Then, like magic, Matthew P said he was going to Sewanee for the Woody's Tuesday shop ride and I joined in. I made the smart move of moving my Selle-Anatomica saddle over to the Quiring for this ride. We had a good size group, about 7 riders total. Matthew, Corey C and I came from Nashville and met Brian, Woody and a couple other guys at the shop. I got start the ride right from the shop and learn a few new ways into the trail.

The trail was wet in some sections but was in great condition. The soil is sandy on the mountain so it drains fast and even when wet, it's rarely muddy. We rode at a nice relaxed pace and just enjoying being outside. The temperature was borderline cold but not too bad with a baselayer and a windbreaker. The trail is quite technical in sections. There one part where there is a good size boulder you have to drop down and then of course there's a root placed right where your wheel will land. I saw it, considered it, slowed way down, leaned back and dropped it, then paused, leaned forward and endoed. First endo on the 29er, but it's possible. As happens to be frequently, my right leg managed to get stuck between the top tube and the handlebar that spun completely around. It wasn't a bad looking fall but it hurt enough to know my leg would bruise a little. I was able to ride it out and finish the loop which was at least another 10+ miles.

My leg had a little throbbing that would come and go but overall the pain wasn't that bad. Now that it's 2 days later, the pain is pretty bad. heh My knee is sore to the touch where the handlebar hit it, but it's also sore below my kneecap in my upper shin area. I'm hoping it will heal on it's own and nothing to drastic is wrong. Unfortunately off-the-couch Greg is now back on the couch again. I've been chilling all day today getting work done online and on the phone, while I lounge with a bag if ice cold peas on my knee.

I've got another session to work at Blackbird studios tomorrow, and then it's the weekend again. I don't have much planned and I know I won't be on the bike this time. I'm thinking of making it over to the Yazoo Tap Room one last time before they try make their permanent move to the Gulch area. Also planning to attend the Ride for Reading acoustic benefit concert saturday night.

Edit:
Back to the Sewanee ride. I have to say that my Selle Anatomica saddle was VERY comfortable on that ride. I was quite impressed. It was my first mtn bike ride on that saddle. I'd say it was the perfect saddle except it is hard to get your legs behind the saddle for steep decents, that may possibly lead to an endo. Bummer too because the comfort is amazing. So, I'm in the market for a wider than a Rocket-V saddle to use for mtn biking that is as comfy as the leather saddle, yet is easier to get behind.