More Rain, more pain, more velobase.com

Texas received the wettest May in recent memory, and if I cared to look, probably on record.  Something like 23 days of 30 were wet that month.  Then the weather guys proclaimed that there was no more rain in the future for a while.  Apparently ‘a while’ is like 3 days.  And so it’s gone on that about ever 3 days of dry weather we have 4-5 of wet.  At least of high humidity, threatening to rain any minute if not actually raining weather.  Tomorrow, rain or shine, I am going to Tour de Italia.  I’m going to ride.  And hopefully keep the rubber side down.

I’m not sure what I did to my back last weekend.  But it still hasn’t completely healed.  And as I said, I’m riding tomorrow morning.  I have a feeling me and Vitamin I (aka Ibuprofen) are going to be good friends over the next 48 hrs.  I’m tired of not riding due to one thing or another.  Starting a full time job here at work now my week-day ride times have more or less come to an end so when the weekend rolls around – I will ride.  Period.

Short blurb on VeloBase.com.  It is now displaying a temporary page with some sample images and such.  I hope to work on the user account system this weekend and get that working within the week.  At least allow me to manually add users and let them log-in to the system.  From there the plan is to add the ‘Add Component’ page so that we can start building the database.  There will be a lot of consideration going into how to handle editing, adding, and ensuring that duplicate entries are not created. 

Right now the plan is to start with a general add page where you put in basic information about the part.  Brand, model, year, and a few other things.  The system will then search for anything similar already in the database and return a list of possible matches.  If you realize that the part is already in the system you can either Add, Edit (if you have permissions), or create a Variation of the part.  Suppose you want to add the Campagnolo Nuovo Record crank – of which there were at least a couple variations.  You have a version that is different enough from any of those listed that you add a variation.  The ‘Base’ Nuovo Record crank information is copied over to a ‘Add Variation’ page where you can modify any of the information needed to enter this new version.  Should help reduce or hopefully eliminate duplicate entries and keep the database as effective and useful as possible.

If you are interested in helping build the VeloBase.com database once functional, please leave a comment to such effect and I will get back to you when ready. 

VeloBase.com – so it begins

This evening I purchased the domains: Velobase.com, Velobase.net and Velobase.info.

 The reason?  A vintage bicycling database.  Parts, frames, and more.  Coming soon.

There is an amazing amount of information out there about older bikes, their components, and as a newer generation is starting to get interested in them, or the vintage guys are acquiring new frames, they want to know about them.  Problem is the information is spread all over the web, and there is no easy way to search for what you are looking for.  Say you have a Campagnolo crank set, or a SunTour rear derailleur.  But beyond that, you’re clueless (been there done that myself more than a few times) on what exactly it is, what it works with, or when they were even made. 

The goal of VeloBase.com is to let you answer a few questions about what you have in front of you, and the page returns you a list of possible components and information about it.  What is the BCD of that Campy crank, is that SunTour derailleur work with the shifters you just bought on ebay?  With a little help from the cycling community the answer may just be there.  Additionally there will be links to other resources that have been long established that you might be able to find or ask about the part in question.  Hopefully once you’ve found out what you want to know, you’ll come back and add that information to VeloBase!

So development officially starts tomorrow.  I’ve done some preliminary planning and such.  But tomorrow the code starts flying.  First phase: vintage components.  Specifically, Cranksets.  That will be the first component that I add to the database and develop the site’s automated pages.  Hopefully other components will be easy to add and expand on quickly thereafter. 

Serotta – another delay

The Serotta project is starting to build up delays that could rival many NASA projects.  I started by deciding to paint the bike, which in itself was both necessary and would greatly increase my desire to own and ride the bike.  So off to David’s at Southwest Frameworks.  David is a busy guy with lots of bikes to be working on and my frame was in line with the rest of them.  Then, after much anticipation, the frame was ready.  Only for David to accidentally put a chip in the paint while finishing buffing. 

So back to the paint booth it went.  And another several week wait while it went through the process of paint.  Then, on the day before I was to pick up the frame and fork, the fork left with another frame on accident.  So it was about a week before David was able to get the fork back and I could get down to pick it up.  At the same time, David had to do some additional buffing on the clear coat.  So after that I set the frame and fork a side for a week to make sure the paint was fully hardened before starting to build it.

So then I started building the frame, with the Campagnolo Super Record equipment that had been on the bike.  I was half way through that slow build when I bought a set of Campagnolo Chorus Ergoshifters which shifted the build quite a bit.  The Super Record equipment shifted over to my Gazelle and the new Campy group that I had partially waiting in the parts box and the new shifters started going on the Serotta.  Of course I still had a few parts to get.  Wheels, which soon came via ebay.  Chain and Cassette were out of stock at my favorite online shop and were ordered once back in stock (should be here in a few days).  I needed more of the derailleur housing to match the rest of the bike, so had to order more of that from Velo-Orange.com.  And I needed a cassette lock ring and set of cable stops which I sourced from my local bike shop.

So that brought me to today.  I had the new housing, and installing it and hooking up the derailleurs would put me in position to only need to do the final adjustments when the cassette and chain came in.  So I’m working on the frame and first a large chip of paint comes off the frame at the seat post clamp area.  A chip about 1-2mm across, about the size of an unground pepper corn.  That one I could have lived with, it would be covered by a saddle bag 90% of the time.  Shortly after 3 more of these chips suddenly come off the top tube.  Those I could not live with.  And it was about the last thing I needed to deal with today.

I immediately called David, who’s phone, I would later find out, was knocked out.  Unable to get in touch with him, I went to the task of tearing down the bike and driving it down to David’s shop.  I got down there, completely unannounced, on a Sunday afternoon.  David’s only concern was to the problem I was having with the paint and was more than happy to look at it and completely committed to making it right.  So that is where my frame is tonight.  No longer in my study, no longer only 2 parts away from being on the road.  And it will no longer be accompanying me to the Tour de Italia next week. 

Such is life, and while I certainly don’t like having to send it back to the paint booth, I know David will make it right.  And I know there are far larger problems in the world than having to have a bike painted over again when I have 3 others in the next room.  But that doesn’t change the fact that I really want to get it on the road and show it off!

Vintage Bicycle Identification Wiki?

I’ve had the thought of creating a website that helps the vintage bicycle community in some way.  Some ideas have come and gone as I decide them too much of an undertaking, or not worthy of working on just yet.

But I think I’ve come upon an idea that might just be worth while.  An identification website that would allow people to identify different vintage bicycle parts, and eventually expand it into frames as well.  I haven’t started programming on the site yet, and will probably be some time before I do as I’m still in the prelimary design stage right now.  Hopefully it will be a site that the community will not only be interested in helping build, but also use. 

Getting back in shape…

would be a lot easier if it didn’t rain 24-25 days out of 31.  After getting back on the bike after 3 weeks off due to surgery, I went another week and a half till the weather cleared up long enough to get back on the bike 4 days of the last 5.  I took Friday off to rest up for the weekend’s riding.  I’m guessing with today’s ride (without cyclometer) I have over 65mi for the last 5 days.  Not a bad for getting back on the bike after so long. 

 Was out on the Flyte for the first 3 days, the last ride was on the newly rebuilt Gazelle… which you can read about in my previous entry. 

Murphy, his law, and all things that happened today.

I was determined to get the first ride on my newly rebuilt Gazelle Champion this morning. After putting all the Super Record gear off the Serotta on the bike it was begging for a good shake down ride. I had planned to ride with a fellow BF member this morning at 8:30. At 8am I was about to fill water bottles when I heard the distant rumble of thunder. Crap! Not MORE F’in rain! Sure enough there was a fast moving line of strong storms approaching the area. Well there goes that plan.

Fast forward 4hrs and the sun is out, while a bit windy, it was shaping up to be a great second half of the day. Decided I wasn’t going to let this break in the weather get away I jump on the Gazelle. I’m running a full campy super record group, unsure if I had everything tightened down completely. And to top it all off the rear wheel is running an old tubular tire which hadn’t seen the road in probably close to 8+ years. The front wheel is running a brand new clincher tire and tube. So if anything is going to happen, it’s going to be the rear tire right? No worries, I only plan on going around the block a few times. No need to grab the saddle bag with tube and CO2.

20min later I’m a lot further away from home than a block or two, a quick visit over to jsharr’s place and then heading for home. Half way back, I hit a pot hole and heard a lout twang. I knew instant something had happened to one of the wheels so quickly braked to a stop. A quick check of the rear wheel, still up. Front wheel… no such luck.

This is the second time I’ve had a front flat, without a tube/tire, on this bike, after a major build/rebuild. You’d think I would have learned my lesson the first time right? Guess it will take two times for this lesson to sink in. So once again I have to call for SAG, this time a quick call to jsharr and a promise of a some time soon secured a ride the rest of the way home.

So, everyone, no matter how short of a ride you plan on going on, grab the spare tube and pump or CO2. You’ll have more beer to drink yourself when you get home if you do.

23 Days Later…

It was 23 days ago that I last rode, and exactly 21 days ago that I had the first of two rounds of excisions done to remove moles from my leg and scalp. It was only 14 days ago that the one in my thigh and scalp right over the temple were done. And only 7 days ago that the stitches came out of the head. But today, I said enough waiting was enough waiting. I threw my leg over my Gazelle Champion Mondial, clipped one foot into the pedal and started off. I was back in the saddle. It took the first few minutes for me to settle into the saddle, I pedaled softly and slowly just to see how the leg would react. Soon the initial roughness in the saddle disappeared I became once again accustomed to the feel of the saddle. The leg felt surprisingly good. I didn’t push hard, focused on keeping a smooth light spin and took advantage of the downhill slants in the road more often than I normally would. I went around the block twice, just around a 1mi loop each. Then decided I was good enough to make it to the local bike shop and back, which I knew was about another 5mi round trip. I remained focused on taking it easy, but still feeling out how the leg felt a bit. One new scar or another would periodically let me know that it knew what I was up to. Nothing more than a slight twinge though, that soon disappeared as quickly as it would appear. I certainly could tell the hit that my fitness took over the last 3+ weeks. Granted there was a decent head wind on the way back to the house, but I could tell that I was certainly not able to push the tempo nor gear that I had been able to a month ago. In time though, it will come back, I’ll ease back into it slowly, but I want to be ready for the summer and fall rides. Hotter’N Hell Hundred isn’t too far away – and that ride takes more than determination and insanity to complete.

Another weekend with 0 miles

Though hopefully it will be the last. 

Recovery from my surgeries is progressing well.  The allergic reaction I had to the steri-strip adhesive has started to go away and the incisions are healing well.  The area around them are still a bit sensitive to pressure and abrasion as one would image they would be still.  But over all they look nearly completely healed on the surface and I’m hoping they are getting well along with the healing process deeper down as well.  This week some time, perhaps Tuesday or so, I’m going to get on the trainer and see how the legs feel before committing to a full ride.  I also need to see how comfortable my helmet will be with the head scar.

I did spend a little time this weekend starting to build the Serotta up.  The shifters, brakes and rear derailleur is installed.  Handlebars and front brake line is run, but need to pull the stem off and grease it before I get too far.  The rear wheel is good enough to ride on in the short term, but the front tubular tire needs to be reglued before I do any riding on it.  Better to have discovered that need now rather than in the middle of a ride when the tire rolls off the rim!

I’ve been getting my required face in the wind time by driving with the windows down as much as possible.  It’s not nearly as nice as being on the bike, but it is a sufficient substitute for now.  The mornings, when it hasn’t been raining, have been very nice the last several weeks.  As I drive to work I have the windows down (and the radio up) which is really quite enjoyable regardless of the destination.  As I look around I’m quite bummed at the lack of other individuals enjoying the same cool air rushing in from the outside.  Seems the only windows I see open elsewhere around me belong to smokers pushing the tips of their cigarettes out the window.  It’s mid spring in Texas and everyone has their windows up like it’s mid August already or something.  Go figure.

Healing Update

It’s now been 6 days since my last round of incisions doing at the doctor’s.  The head and leg are healing up well.  The first few days were rougher than the first time around, but they seemed to get better a bit faster.  Likely as they are in areas that don’t get pulled on as much during normal activity. 

I hope to be able to get on the trainer and do some very light spinning on the bike by this weekend.  Just to feel out how the leg is healing up and to see where the limits are right now.  I’m more or less of pain killers, a Tylenol or two now and then just in case the head starts aching from too much noise around the office.  Other than that just taking the last of the antibiotics and waiting for the thing to fully heal.  With the Serotta build getting rolling again after the frame and fork is back from paint I’m eager to get it out on the road.  I suspect this bike is going to fit me with amazing perfection.  I can’t wait. 

Serotta – The Frame is home, the fork shall soon be

I’m not going to take the time to tell the whole story over again here at the moment.  But for those who might not frequent BikeForums.net often, or at least not the Road Cycling section, I got my Serotta Nova frame back from the painters on Sunday evening.  The full story and plenty of photos can be seen here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=295301

 I’ll add a full post about the bike when the build is complete, most likely this coming Sunday evening.