StAyCaTiOn

Its true. I spent the first month of the year riding over 300 miles on a fixed gear bicycle. It was a splendid adventure, but I took time away from the woman I love.

The 12 hour was coming up and although I wanted to unleash the Fury that is Fixed on the Vortex, I also wanted to get the Warriors Princess bike out of Layaway and get her started into the pleasure that is 29er.

So the options were clear and present. Pay $50 bucks or so to race, plus gas, plus nutrition; OR pay off the 29er and give my wife a gift that keeps on giving. I think the choice is obvious, I got W.P. Rolling!

Friday Night I was driving home with haste, eager to get to the shop to pick up the new ride, then take it home and "fit" it to the bird. On my way to the house I get a text from the "P" saying that she was on the heading home. I didn't quite get it cause she was supposed to work till 8 or 9 pm, but regardless I was stoked. Now I could spend even more time with her and she could be a part of the process.

Got home, got saddled up, took the kids where they wanted to go and we hit the road heading towards the Bikeworks North store to pick up her new ride. Got the bike, took it out and let her take it for a spin. The ear to ear grin and exuberant laughter clearly indicated she had found the love for the 29 inches that I was giving to her(insert innuendo filled joke here).

After some saddle adjustments, a stem swap and brake adjustments the conversation quickly turned to my fixie. Broadus recommended shorter cranks.

"Shorter Cranks?", "Whats the Point?", "I am loving my climbing power and I dont want to lose any of it..."

Broadus explained that with a regular bike, leverage does aid in power, But since a Fixie's pedal stroke is all power, the shorter the distance to turn the cranks, the more power you get.

I was sold. That night we had a good dinner, went home. We got up & packed up early to meet Mucaro and Lima at the Travel Country Outdoor center for their annual chaos sale. Its extremely interesting how you can sense energy in the air. As we entered the store, the porch area was caught up in a state of pandemonium. We looked around to see if we could spot the pair, but we didnt, so we started browsing. That store is a bikepackers wet dream. I found some Titanium cookware, expected; and then we saw the five finger sandals that we had heard so much about, impulse.

Five Finger sandals are the same as toe socks in a wearable hard soled shoe. The philosophy behind this is to stimulate the bottom of your feet better which in turn gives you more total and overall physical health. Well, we bought a pair, only to discover hours later that they were not very comfortable. Felt like a razor was going to cut the webbing between my toes. Anyhow after a short test, we both agreed they had to go back and we needed a refund. So much for that as we were both very excited about the possible health benefits.

Regardless, part of the mission was to hit the Infamous Salvador Dali' museum in St. Petersburg Florida. I have been wanting to check it out ever since I knew it existed and the "P" had the same desire and intentions. I had never really been to an art museum but it turned out to be a very good experience. Without getting too deep into it, let's sum it up by saying that Dali' was clearly a Genius and a man way ahead of his time, If you are a person who appreciates Art, then you must go check this place out.

After, some R & R at the Mucaro house we headed out to have a good Thai Dinner. I wanted spicy food, and Thai tends to satisfy that craving. I wanted the hottest dish out there, and although it was delicious a definete 10 in quality taste and performance, it was not as spicy as I wanted. I have a habit of trying to score free desert and restaurants and I have a pretty good record in terms of attempts and success, and this night turned out to be another score as we got free desert. I will definetely go back to this place considering it did have some of the best Thai food I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

The evening was spent, wrenching on the bikes, installing shorter cranks, fitting the birds bike and talking and drinking. I really want to thank Mucaro and Lima for their hospitality, love them two people a whole bunch and I am thankful and happy to call them my friends.

The next day we had IHOP for breakfast and hit the dog park to watch the social and cultural interactions of the pack mentality. It was cool, we said our goodbyes, drove to Travel country, got our money back and then made it home to wrench and relax for the evening.

Overall a good weekend, and I rode exactly zero miles. Thats ok though. The number one mistake both seasoned and rookie riders make is ride WAY TOO MUCH. Resting is just as important as hammering when it comes to becoming an overall total and complete Athlete.

Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS