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| My Pugsley sporting a borrowed 29er wheel on the front for a test fitting. |
I haven't had much time for the old blog as of recent, but that doesn't mean that I haven't had time to ride. In fact, I've now ridden a bike every day consecutively for the past 81 days. I don't have an established record of consecutive days of riding, as I've never previously kept track. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have by far surpassed this number,
like this guy, but keeping up the streak has become enough of a game that I'm now angling to hit 100+ days in a row. This all started with the
TSBC challenge toward the end of last year, which has, at least for me, been ongoing and wildly successful. Thanks again,
Tarik!
As for the photo above, I have not yet jumped to acquisition of a set of 29er wheels for my Pugsley, but continue to weigh the possibilities as I gather funds. As the photo shows, I test fitted a symmetrical rear 29er wheel on the Moonlander fork of my Pugsley, and am happy to report that it all fit perfectly. By extension, I can also report that there is a new-to-us bike in the family. Nope, it's not mine.
Julie enjoyed riding on dirt and gravel last year enough that she asked me to help her find a more suitable off-road machine than her venerable, but pavement-centric
Breezer mommy bike. As you may have guessed, the new bike is a 29er, details of which are to follow in a subsequent post. As you may have also guessed, I'm probably even more excited than she is about the prospect of a future filled with dirt biking family rides.
Until next time, enjoy a few random images of things that I've seen or encountered since I last posted here.
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| I made a trip to Boulder, where their B-cycle system remains open year-around. It was nice to be back on the red bikes. |
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| Bike gawking opportunities abound in Boulder, where I spotted this ship-shape Kona Ute at a grocery store. |
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| I was a fan of Peugeot mountain bikes in the old days, so I enjoyed seeing this one in Boulder, which is a cobbled together survivor with a 700c front wheel. |
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| This is a bike blog, but there are a few motorized rigs I enjoy enough to include. I spotted this circa-mid '70s era International Scout during a ride. |
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| Yesterday, I took part in a Denver B-cycle event to celebrate the opening of two new stations at the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Here, Mayor Hancock speaks just before the ride. |
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| My inaugural Denver B-cycle ride of the season was on Number 045. The system officially opens for the year next Monday. |
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| Here are some of the VIPs riding B-cycles to the event. Believe it or not, I'm one of them. Not shown: me in a suit. You'll have to take my word for it. |
That looks like a singlespeed wheel. Did you get Julie a 29er singlespeed? That's like joining two cults at once.
ReplyDeleteFunny how emaciated 29er wheels look after months of staring at fat tires.
Hope she likes the new ride as much as you do.
Good eye. It is indeed a 29er single speed, though it will become a 1x8 before she does much riding on it. She's a novice dirt rider, so I don't want to scare her away by only having one gear. An already geared bike would have been more ideal, but this one was the right size, price, and most importantly, the right color. Liking a bike is a big part of riding it, and I realize better now than I used to how much color matters. With a few swapped parts, she'll have a nice dirt explorer, and I'll have half a 29er wheelset for my Pug.
DeleteIt does look emaciated, but it looks even more so head-on in that wide Moonlander fork. It's funny to think of 29 x 2.3 tires as skinny, but that was the same impression that struck me. My road bike's wheels with 25mm tires look like big, impossibly narrow pizza cutters in comparison.
Back in the day (early 90's) when I was a young soldier in That Man's Army,my new Wife and I owned 2 vehicles...a '78 IH Scout II (345cid/auto,lft and 35" tires) and a '74 VW Superbeetle...thanks for the memories of the Scout (which also brought back memories of the Bug :p ).
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog this week,I've enjoyed reading it,as both a dad to 2 kids (daughter just turned 16,has little interest in riding anymore,son is nearly 11 and my best riding buddy) and an Xtracycle owner-lover. I've been enjoying reading up to date,and thanks for the memories of my own kids growing up as well :D
The DC ("Disabled Cyclist",or "The SS",LOL :p )
Thanks for stopping by, Steve. Sounds like you had a tricked out Scout. one of my neighbors has a Scout II that has been parked for the 8 years I've lived here. Sad to see it in a poor state. As much as I'd like a Scout, I also like its big brother, the International Travelall about as much. You just can't get heavy duty, no frills cars of any sort any more. I also dabbled in VWs in the early '90s. I had a rusty but fun Karmann Ghia and a standard Beetle. Good memories, but I have no allusions about owning antique cars, what with the time and money required.
DeleteGood to hear from another biking dad. My main goal is to mold my kids to enjoy bikes for life. In the upper teens, kids search for their own identities, so I'm sure your daughter will get back to bikes in her own time. There's not much better than a little riding buddy. My 7 year-old is loving dirt riding, and my 1year-old will get her introduction this year on the back of the Dummy.
Have fun out there, and I welcome you to come back anytime.