tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:14:43 +0000Bay Area cycling clubhttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/noreply@blogger.com (willis)Blogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-4436241064708856210Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:08:00 +00002010-02-02T16:14:43.420-08:00The other day, I was driving in my car, listening to my radio, when a song sung by Alan Jackson was played. It was entitled "Remember When" and Jackson used that phrase to hasten back to when he was married and how life had changed so much for he and his wife since then. For me, it made me harken to time when life was pretty easy....at least for me. I was simply a kid going to school, breezing http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2010/01/remember-when.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-1783080477766917115Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:16:00 +00002010-01-21T12:45:58.952-08:00Oh hell. You probably thought this is what this post is about, don’t you? C’mon…fess up. You did. I know you did and you know you did. Don’t feel bad. I’m sure my past postings would automatically make you think I wanted to say hell when I mentioned the H word. But truth be known, that isn’t the case with this post.You see, one of my good friends recently told me I was becoming a bit http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2010/01/h-word.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-8468981590531932061Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:48:00 +00002010-01-18T16:16:28.162-08:00I’ll start this in full disclosure: I’m not sure if poopheads is a word or not and I’m assuming it’s not because my Word program has it underlined in a very nice shade of red. Now, I’m not sure who actually installed all of the words on the Word program, but it’s very clear to me that they simply missed placing poopheads (little red line again) in the vocabulary section of the program. Maybe it’shttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2010/01/pedestrian-poopheads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-5053612488555276600Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:27:00 +00002009-08-05T23:34:03.405-07:00Last night on my bike ride through Fresno, a red light forced me to stop at an intersection where a highway exit ramp dropped cars onto the road I was riding. It was roughly 6:30 pm and commuters where coming off the freeway onto the main thoroughfare in hopes of arriving home quickly. It was still hot and my throat begged me for some cool water from my water bottle. In 93degree heat, water won’thttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/08/fresno-follies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-2604125449545157322Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:26:00 +00002009-08-05T12:31:07.879-07:00The Cycling ClydesdaleThe City That Thinks It Knows HowI was born and raised in San Francisco. I still live there. Not many San Franciscans these days can make that claim. Many have departed for the Peninsula or have taken their belongings over the Golden Gate Bridge for the confines of beautiful Marin County. Still, others have left the City via our other not so famous bridge and have http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/08/cycling-clydesdale_05.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-1804710827978916491Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:23:00 +00002009-08-05T12:25:53.755-07:00The Cycling ClydesdaleYeah. I know. Funny name for a blog and I agree. Truth is, The Fat Cyclist would fit me better, but that name is already taken (www.fatcyclist.com). No argument here. He started his blog first and so to the fat guy go the spoils….or something like that, although a Clydesdale is used as the basis for his website and clothing design. I guess I could title this blog “When http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/08/cycling-clydesdale.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Cycling Clydesdale)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-8777129682692340882Thu, 14 May 2009 20:27:00 +00002009-06-16T11:42:38.921-07:00Our HR department at Monogram Biosciences is one of the best I have worked with. They offered free breakfast to anyone who rode their bikes in to work on Bike to Work Day, and I do love breakfast... So I planned my route, and did my first ever trans-bay bike commute. <a href="http://www.mapmyfitness.com/ride/united-states/ca/across-the-bay/712124232158587530"&http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/05/bike-to-work-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-938959206803759272Wed, 13 May 2009 04:43:00 +00002009-05-18T15:20:00.191-07:00Getting back in the saddle(s)After taking last year off from the Tour de Cure, Alicia and I were looking forward to doing it again this year. There's something about planning for this that always gets me excited. The training, fundraising, team building and comraderie, logistics, exercise, and the feeling of doing something for more than just one reason... it just makes sense. With sixteen http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/05/2009-tour-de-cure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-1134477994885354822Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:15:00 +00002009-03-03T18:56:05.557-08:00Sometimes a good mountain bike ride takes more time than I have to spare.  The main reason is that to get to the fun, challenging trails worth riding, I have to load up the car and drive to the trailhead, whether it is up in Marin or down the Peninsula.  When I only have time for a quick city spin, I usually grab the road bike, and shoot for a 20 mile hilly loop.  There are lots of options with http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/03/urban-mountain-biking.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (peter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-7009967661781315344Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:43:00 +00002009-01-11T21:39:35.269-08:00Resolutions can be contagious when it comes to cycle-blogging, but with the aid of an iPhone, I can't help but try to put in my 2 cents while trying to utilize some new technology. Having mostly completed the build of a Soma Double-Cross frame into a cyclocross bike, I have been dying to test ride for months, but time just isn't always on my side these days. Today, however, was an exception, andhttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/01/cyclocross-test-ride.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-4619695169601722642Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:34:00 +00002009-01-09T00:57:24.261-08:00Before we get too far into the new year, I thought it would be nice to share a glimpse of a Wheely Cool 2008. Looking through these pictures made me think that 2008 wasn't too shabby after all. These photos just highlight a few rides, but I hope you all look forward to many more in the coming year.Napa Tour de CureCentury Riders!Carnage on Canada RoadThe Man has StyleFun in the backyardHammer, http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/01/wheely-cool-year-in-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (peter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-7065724986894937782Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:23:00 +00002009-01-06T01:11:11.822-08:00Well, how about that 2008?  It certainly was... eventful.  Now here we are, a few days into 2009, and I know you haven't broken your resolutions yet, right?  And like all good Wheely Cool boys and girls, one of those resolutions must include "Ride bikes more this year".  That should be a given!One of my resolutions is to help keep the Wheely Cool blog going strong.  I have to hand it to Willis.  http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2009/01/happy-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (peter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-8018892153834820510Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:31:00 +00002007-10-11T08:57:04.059-07:00Tales from the mountain warriorsBy Peter T. "Gunn"I thought I was done torturing myself after the Death Ride. Well, what’s one more ride? After all, this was my first Diablo Challenge. And, after logging all those miles training for the Death Ride, I knew this would be my best chance of posting a decent time for the Challenge. All the training leading up to the race had gone according to plan. http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/10/just-when-i-thought-that-i-was-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-4569921022136167044Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:52:00 +00002007-10-10T11:40:11.622-07:00Tales from the mountain warriorsBy Don L.Really, it actually seems to. I propose, she accepts, and here I am with a cool 5 minutes off my time from last year. And I have a feeling that Willis set his PR the year he and Alicia got engaged, although I maybe I should check my facts. It also doesn't hurt that my engagement gift from Elaine was a new bike with a spiffy light wheel set that I rode uphttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/10/getting-engaged-makes-you-faster.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-2660057423797004552Tue, 31 Jul 2007 03:51:00 +00002007-07-30T20:53:34.321-07:00 Got a little lazy this weekend and left my fixie at the Catrain station. This morning, I found the top tube bashed in by what looks like a crowbar in two places. Somehow this also ruined the headset bearings. This fixie is out of commission. Karma police will get you, evil person with crowbar...http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/07/bike-vandalis.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-4854083378642609829Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:35:00 +00002007-07-17T22:36:46.915-07:00-By Peter T. "Gunn"Back in February 2007, Paige, Herb, and I foolishly agreed to participate in this year's Tour of the California Alps, a.k.a. the Death Ride. Who we blame for planting the seed in our heads is still up in the air. The Death Ride is one of the most popular, physically challenging cycling events in the West, and the course this year covered 129 miles with 15,000+ feet of http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/07/peters-death-ride-2007.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-7075728134728595634Tue, 08 May 2007 00:39:00 +00002007-05-11T02:21:28.926-07:00Sunday, May 6 2007 was the setting for Wheely Cool Velo Club to participate in our annual charity event: the Napa Tour de Cure, benefiting the American Diabetes Association. We had over 20 riders on our team, and raised over $15,000 in pledges. What a great team!Our team was split among riders doing different routes from 25, 50, and 100 miles. The weather was fantastic, and everyone finished http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/2007-tour-de-cure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-8293967623026458143Fri, 04 May 2007 23:11:00 +00002007-05-04T16:12:39.235-07:00 Well the deadline has come, and I think the bike is done. I made a simple spring-loaded chain tensioner for the captain, which really helps keep the chain from popping off, vs. the fixed version. This also lined up the chain better, further increasing our chain reliability situation. I also reconfigured the captain's freewheel, to make it lighter and simpler. By cutting a piece of large PVC http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/final-mods.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-5917968988830961251Thu, 03 May 2007 05:53:00 +00002007-05-02T23:05:11.805-07:00 The new reverse-transfer gear as shown here has been installed, and we test rode it this evening around Fremont. it worked like a charm. Alicia and I were both able to start or stop pedaling independently, yet still contribute to driving the wheel. There were no chain derailments caused by any uneven tension between us. So the BMX freewheel was a great solution to the problem, and also http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/big-improvement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-1045340039576725422Wed, 02 May 2007 19:06:00 +00002007-05-02T12:12:41.130-07:00 In my quest to make the bike more robust on the road, I have to address two issues: uneven tension in the chain between riders causing derailment, and also crooked chain lines. Because all chains are connected, if I change one component, there is a cascading effect through the entire system. The limiting factors of my modifications are that I am working with old components which are not easilyhttp://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/transmission-woes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-2123463518781466126Tue, 01 May 2007 08:14:00 +00002007-05-01T01:15:07.006-07:00A "Hackmo" is a term I use among friends to describe someone who isn't afraid to get their hands into a project, not fully knowing what the gory details are, but has enough common sense, knowledge of tools, patience and confidence to tackle what not everyone would. This philspohy allows the "Hackmo" to solve 99% of the problems out there, whether it is a race car, battlebot, kitchen sink, or http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/what-is-hackmo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-5126214822508676054Tue, 01 May 2007 07:54:00 +00002007-05-01T00:55:50.167-07:00Our ride on Sunday went fairly well. We strapped the bike on the car and drove it out to Woodside, center of the cycling universe. I wanted to take it on a real road, but with as few traffic distractions as possible. So I chose Canada road on Sundays, which has a sectino closed off to cars between Filoli estate and hwy 92. It was a perfect place to get the bugs out, and that we did. The http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/05/testing-testing-testing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-968157691255874687Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:59:00 +00002007-04-29T01:00:03.583-07:00 Well after many hard hours of work, We test rode the bike today in a parking lot (away from traffic). It held together, with a few little bugs, so I'd call it a success. Alicia was taking the photos, as you can see her shadow as we both sit on the bike. Tomorrow we will try it on the road! I'm kind of sick of my hands being greasy every night. I've used gloves before, but this time there http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/04/its-alive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-7337695009699599863Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:29:00 +00002007-04-24T13:29:39.303-07:00 Here's a first crack at getting the wheels on the ground. Almost everything is in place except for the stoker seat and hand cranks. The chain lines are not quite right and the crossed chain falls off easily. So I have some more work to do in fine tuning chain line and tweaking the tension adjusters.http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/04/on-ground.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5432924.post-1836305251771520569Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:09:00 +00002007-04-23T01:31:52.411-07:00 If you've ever serviced a bicycle, you might be looking at this picture and wondering what these parts are. Totally uncommon and actually now obsolete, these are the parts of a Sachs Orbit 2x7 Internally geared hub. The 7 speed cassette is non-standard. it has 2 sets of freewheeling pawls: one which engages the axle, and one which engages a planetary gear reducer. The planetary gear reducer http://www.thespeck.com/wheelycool/2007/04/sachs-orbit-hub.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (willis)