Moving To Cali!

Facing the realization that we will be living in a smaller place (due to the cost of living) once we arrive in California, I had to sell a number of parts that alway keep me tinkerin' when I want to tinker. By the time today's moving sale was over, I had lost (sold):
* gunnar rockhound frame
* 2 wheelsets of xt disc hubs laced to sun mammoth rims
* xt/rhyno lite wheelset
* marzocchi 80mm fork
* 3 manitou forks
* rock shox psylo race fork
* a few rigid forks
* 3 cranks
* countless chainrings
* shifter sets (who needs 'em)
* cane creek air shock
* saddles
* seatposts
* countless tires
* and much much more

I miss the stuff already. But I know that I now have less stuff to move and more room when we get to where we're going. A bitter-sweet taste no doubt. Amazing how attached you can get to stuff that you don't really even use.

Variety... The Spice Of Life

Ok, I admit it ... though shamefully ... that somedays it takes a little kick in the butt to get me on my bike. Riding seven days a week and commuting to work by bike, you cover a lot of ground. Once I'm on my bike I'm great. I've never come home from a ride and said "Geez that sucked!"

Even rides on cold, rainy days come out great. Its just that motivation to get out the door. That and the 'destination' dilemma. I always look forward to riding I guess, I just don't so much look forward to where I'm going.

So I've turned to variety. First, is the bikes... a road bike, commuter bike, fixie 29er, and two singlespeeds. Second, is pavement, singletrack, forest service roads, or a mixture of two or three of the above. Third and last, is mixing long loops with destination type rides, like riding to Sisters (25 miles of mixed surface) for lunch and then back a different way, or even more utilitarian errand type rides around town.

Mix 'em all up and you find yourself anxiously awaiting the next day because its been so long since you've done a road bike / pavement & dirt road / destination ride (or some sort of mixture not done recently).

Trade You My Shimano WH-R550 For Your Wal Mart Wheels?

The more I ride the more I hate 'technological advancements' in the world of cycling. Against my better judgment I maintain a Surly Pacer road bike. Road rides provide a nice break from hitting the dirt. The shifters and complex parts always cause me problems, but none more than the Shimano WH-R550 Wheels, which have now suffered from three broken spokes. Conclusion, they are absolute crap! Even my wife, queen of pampering her bike by finessing her way over bumps and dips, has broken a spoke on her WH-R550 wheel!

This isn't so much a rant about a crap product but rather a precaution to help fellow cyclists from falling into the same sinkhole. Of course I'd advise against any sort of non-singlespeed wheel but I recognize they have their place.... Shimano's place being in the trash can of course.