AH, SATURDAY!

Today Hank took a 3 hour nap in his bouncy chair on the back porch while I put down a couple of Coors Banquets and rebuilt this old Free Spirit Townie that I got out of a dumpster.  The whole project was a weird foray into the wacky world of gears.  The biggest challenges were de-rustifying all the chrome and overhauling the badly corroded bottom bracket. I also added new tires and tubes, replaced the chain, and topped it all off with an old crusty Brooks seat that I got from Vic at some point.  It looks downright classy.  I think I'll stick with riding fixed, but this bike looks and feels so sweet that it almost makes me want to keep it... Hopefully it will find a good home somewhere here in SLO.  For now though, it makes a good propaganda piece!

RAIN-PROOF COMMUTE

The rain finally showed up here in SLO this week.  Not that I'm complaining- after a January that felt more like July, we really need some good rain.  Unfortunately, the weather isn't all that great for cycling, and after getting caught in a downpour yesterday two miles from home, I decided to go out and get me a fender.  I picked up a set of plastic fenders made by Planet Bike for $12.00 at CBO, one of our local bike shops.  I got one of the last sets- I guess I wasn't the only guy sick of having a mud line up my back at the end of a commute. The rear fender clips on to the seat post and is secured at the brake bridge with a single bolt.  I didn't mount the front fender; it doesn't seem to be necessary.  I think my bike looks pretty stupid with this big plastic tail, but it keeps my ass dry, and after a little customization, I can live with it until the rain stops.

MY WHIPS

I thought it was high time I posted updated pics of my two main rides, a 1979 Peugeot PS10, and an early 80's Azuki.  Both were built up from old rusty frames off Craigslist.  My wife thinks I'm crazy for owning two fixed gears- she says there's no reason to own two of the same bike.  I keep telling her that one is silver and the other one's black, obviously making them different.  I ride one or the other of these to school (Cal Poly SLO) every day, a round trip of about 5 miles.  It's not a strenuous ride, but it's great exercise and I always look forward to it.

INTRODUCING: HANK THE TANK!

Well, building bikes is one thing; building little humans with perfect pot bellies is quite another.  My wife and I have been working on this one for nine months, and on January 2nd, we finished!  Welcome Henry Willard (aka Hank the Tank)!  Being a father is the most amazing experience of my life, and I can't get enough of it- something I never thought I would say.  I'm already mentally designing his first fixie... maybe for his first birthday!