New Bike!

Fuckin' sweet, don't you think?

So I just paid a down payment of a couple hundred bucks on a Surly Long Haul trucker just like this at Free Wheel Bikes, a local bike store in Minneapolis.  They didn't have my size in stock (no surprise there) but are ordering it and should have it soon.  Exciting times, no?  The bike's official site is here.  The bike is built for long-distance rides (like these that I am planning), but should also be fine to ride around town.  It's got a steel frame which is a little heavier than a lot of new bikes, but still a damn sight lighter than my current Schwinn Le Tour...

I bought the complete bike, but am planning on switching out a few parts.  I'm thinking of switching out the drop handlebars for mustache bars like these:

 A bar like that would be more upright and hopefully more comfortable to ride in for a long time.  It's also got lots of different potential hand positions, which is good so your hands don't get numb/tingly.  I'm also thinking of switching to a Brooks leather saddle like this one:

 At first glance, it doesn't look to comfy, but supposedly these seats are awesome.  You have to keep them dry, and they take a while to break in, but once they do they mold to your butt.

Other than that, I think I'm just gonna take it as it comes.  What do you think?

Brian's Bike is Almost Done

Hello to whoever may be reading this! I know it's been a while since my last post here. To be honest, I have just been lazy. I've been thinking of making a post about the financial reform bill set to pass Congress soon, and also a post about the Save More Tomorrow retirement savings program based on behavioral economics. But both of those require some research on my part that I haven't done yet, so take the jump to check out my work on Brian's bike.

First bike project!

Hello and thanks for reading, whoever you may be. I'd like to welcome you to this blog with a post about a project I'm working on.

Just for fun, I've decided to start fixing up bikes for my friends. So, I bought a mountain bike on craigslist for my roommate Brian. Here are some pictures of what it looked like when I got it:







I was still figuring out my camera, so I accidentally have a picture of the house across the street instead of a full view of the bike! Oh well. I don't know if you can really see from these shots, but the bike's tires were worn out, the back brake was rubbing on the rim, the chain was a mess, and the back tire was flat. So I got some new tires on it, replaced the tube in the rear tire, replaced the chain, and cleaned and lubed up all the parts of the drivetrain. I also replaced the cables and cable housing for the brakes and derailleurs. Here's a shot of how the bike looks right now:



Cleaned up nice, no? Well, there is still work to be done. Brian wanted to keep the gears on this bike instead of making it single speed, so I replaced the cable on the front derailleur, but now am not quite sure how to make it work... looks like I might need some time to figure it out. But it runs nicely in one gear, so that' something!

Oh and here's the trash that I threw away:


Thanks for stopping by, and I'll update you soon with another post.