Classes & rain started last week, so I made myself a fender.

(I also loaned my digital camera to a friend. Alas.)

Basically, I wasted $30 on a tire a few months ago, & then destroyed it in the process of being lazy and hasty about taking it on and off (23mm wide tires require far more finesse than I had at the time). So last night I cut it, then ziptied it to my frame and added bits of cut up spoke to shape it more practically. It stays basically centered and off the tire thanks to the easy-to-reshape metal wires that run through the whole thing.

Today's test ride to campus post-rain (with some water and puddles that I did my best to go through) left no visible water or grime on my ass, bag, or hoodie, and because it's entirely plastic/rubber, there aren't any screws to rattle or noticeable rubbing noises when it bumps the tire. (I figure that my front tire, also being 23mm, is not going to kick up a significant amount of water, and additionally will mostly be blocked by the frame, as I ride predominately in straight lines.)

Pardon me for busting in on your thread here guys. The recumbent bike theme has been of interest lately and when I saw this thought you might be able to give some additional info.

What type of 4 wheeler was that? About how much to they cost? There's one listed on the net for about 2k and another reeeeeaallly nice one for 8k.The fantasy of shit-spiking my automobile ( and all related perpetual costs and fees) is still running around in my head now that I'm planted here and spending some real money on something like this would be a possibility.

The problem is that I'm looking for something for transportation not just goofing around on the weekends. That's a toughie. Especially in winter.

Getting run the fuck over with a Rumpkies truck early in the morning doesnt sound too appealing either but I'm trying to build a fantasy here.

My father-in-law has a Vision recumbent which he is very high on. It is the two wheeled variety though. The position is very good for his back and although he denies it climbing hills is harder on a recumbent. Be careful though, you could easily slide into the "local character" compartment riding such a machine.

I don't think that's a major concern as he got that within two weeks of arrival.

Possibly sooner.

I finally broke down and bought lights for my mountain bike. Merlin and I had a fine time last night doing singletrack in the pitch dark. We didn't see a single mountain lion. :) Of course my spending on this has caused the snow storms to start lining up...

I got a BIKE!

I've been patiently staking out the local pawnshops, and this one came at about a $300 discount from the MSRP. In addition, it has been fitted out with a lot of little extras, like front and rear lights, toe clips, a pump, mirrors, "slime special" tires, etc. I'm stoked! and the bike is already sized to close to my size--big and tall. I'll give it a tune up fit-wise in the daylight, but I've already had a short nighttime in-city ride already. I love it!

I have a good helmet, lock, and motivation. I can see I'll need some wind protection, especially gloves. The wind chill at city speeds tonight was very cold. It would not be pleasant or safe to ride with hands that cold. Also, no kickstand. Waaaa.

Going for a ride around Greenlake , Seattle's most popular park, early tomorrow. After I ride to school with SonofV. :)

That's great! But, um, sweetie, you DO know it's winter, right?

Nice bike! Of course Bri is right it's cc ski season in Grifftopia now.

Until a coworker informed me a few days ago, I had no idea Seattle does not get snow during the winter. Who knew.

If it's just cold, by all means, get out there and pedal, BV! But don't forget to bundle up.

I went for a spin around central park Sunday ... on my way home, I was turning the corner at a crosswalk and ran into a huge block of snow. Toppled right over, much to the delight of two girls sitting in the nearby cafe. In any case, my injuries (shoulder, wrist and knee) still hurt three days later - is this a sign I am getting old?

Yes, it is quite cold. It took me ten minutes to clear the frost from MrsV's windshield this morning. But it is not winter, it is still the luxurious fall, remember? And frankly, I believe there is no such things as too cold, too wet, too dark, too rainy, etc, only inadequate preparation.

If you enjoy being active outdoors, and I do, and you live in this region, and I do, you have to choose an attitude like mine or brush up on your scrabble game, web surfing or couch potato skillz. The window of opportunity to play outside in unflawed weather conditions is extremely narrow. And there's fun to be had in all seasons.

But you're right. 'scold outside! SonofV remarked with surprise that his tires were covered with snow! (frost) as we pulled out this morning on the way to school. There never was any mention of not riding and pleading with me to take him in the car. Indeed, the playground was closed to the children where they normally play kickball, basketball, foursquare, tag, tetherball, etc, etc, because the pavement was iced over. It was treacherous to walk on. We even took the scenic route to school, maybe 50% longer just for the ride. It was great.

Here's a pic I snapped from my front door after I read your posts. No snow :( but white roofs, hoods, windows, bushes and so on. It'll burn off, but it's pretty (and slick) now.

I just got in from cc skiing. The snow conditions are ideal, except where I thought I'd zip below the pond and picked up ice. It's 13 F but quite still out there with a good moon. nice

The new neighbors, who we allow horseback riding up here, put feelers out about snow mobiles... I try to be nice but there is a limit to my generosity. They bumped into it. :headshake

Nah, measure the pain in months and years then you're an oldster. friggin shoulder

Monday, holiday.

Tuesday, rode with SonofV to school and carried on to make circuit of Greenlake. About 5 miles total. Coming home I face two killer hills. First gear in your car hills. As a challenge to myself, I strove to make the hill straight up, not switchbacking, nonstop. I made it. I took my pulse at the top, but there were some technical difficulties. I was searching for my carotid pulse (I know where it normally is, seriously) and found only an angry buzz. I persisted and could eventually discern indivdual beats and counted 54 for 15 seconds. 214 bpm. I make one funny looking hummingbird, I gotta tell ya. Well above my recommended maximum. I thought I was gonna pop. A minute later, it was a more human 154 bpm. Whew.

Wednesday, school but the follow on ride took me to a different park, Golden Gardens. Same mileage, same altitude gain, much easier slope.

Both rides were 50-60 minutes, and I did work up a sweat but I took today off--really raining and I wasn't digging the rain. I don't have a good gear answer to riding in the rain yet. I did get some good gloves, Yorktown something something. Really good. Coat, ok, but no good pants or shoes and they get really wet. Not that fun.

More details after Monday, cause I'm going snow camping this weekend with SonofV! Seeya!

Cool V.

ACME Bike