So I thought I’d detail the modifications I’ve made to make it road-worthy.

The changes have been relatively few, since the bike, as purchased, was in remarkably good shape for a 30+ year-old low-to-mid-grade bicycle.

Still, there have been a few things I’ve fixed, or at least changed.

Here’s the bike as it stands now:

One of the first things I did was to remove the original brake levers, and replace them with a used set of Shimano 105 levers (as shown here). I’ve been quite happy with that change. The levers have a better ergonomic feel, and the cable routing is much cleaner.

I ended up keeping the rubber grips on the handlebar drops, and wrapping the rest of the way up with foam tape. Looks strange, I know. but the rubber’s comfortable, and I was able to wrap the rest of the distance thicker because of it.

I also replaced the stock front and rear brake cable hangers. The originals were plain-jane units, and worked fine, except that there was no quick-release mechanism on the brakes themselves. So it was extremely difficult to remove a wheel without letting the air out of the tire.

I found some old-stock Shimano Centerpull Brake Cable Hangers on eBay, and these units integrated a quick-release into the hanger itself. Just rotate a lever, and it provides about 1/4″ of slack. It’s an elegant solution, and works great.

When I got the bike, it still had its original tires, and they were in reasonably good shape. But the 30+ year-old rubber didn’t last long on gravel roads. I suffered a couple flats, and visible cracking on one of the tires before deciding to retire them

I went with the cheapest 27″ tire I could find, a C637 “Super HP” from CST (Cheng Shin Tyre). These only cost me $7 each online, plus shipping. Time will tell on their ruggedness, but they seem to be fine — fast-rolling, and comfortable. The tires are labeled as 27″ x 1-1/4″, but measure closer to 1-1/8″ width (about 28mm).

I also swapped out tubes, opting for a Presta valve instead of Schrader. The tubes appeared to be sufficiently rugged around the stem, so I opted not to use a gasket or hole size adapter. So far so good. I also would have preferred threaded stems, but the tubes I received were long and non-threaded. Again, it hasn’t yet been an issue.

For a tail light, I removed the stock rear reflector, and replaced it with an XLC Ultra LED 1/2 Watt Tail Light.

This appears to be a Planet Bike SuperFlash clone — very similar mechanical characteristics, similar optics. I ran a SuperFlash for several years (before losing it on my southwestern trip), and the XLC is pretty much the same, except way cheaper. Perhaps not as bright, but pretty good.

I mounted it on the rear reflector bracket, using a little trick. I took a short section of PVC pipe, and wrapped it with some old inner tube, then used the tail light mounting bracket on that. Basically, the PVC functions as a seatpost, for mounting purposes. Simple, cheap, and weighs almost nothing.

I also use a reflective safety triangle suspended from the seat bag. This functions as a backup for the tail light, and is very visible during daylight as well.

The seat bag is an old Serfas MTB-2 Medium Seat Bag that I happened to have on hand.

“Carrying stuff” is another area where I’ve had to get a little creative.

The bike has no water bottle braze-ons, so I used a Minoura water bottle mount (BH-95X) to add a water bottle cage. This works reasonably well. Still not sure how I’ll handle summer rides, though, when more water capacity will be needed…

The bike is also lacking rack mounts on the seat stays. I could get a clamp-on unit, but with the goal of keeping this bike as unencumbered as possible, I’m trying to avoid adding a rack.

What I came up with was an approach I’d used back when I was riding a mountain bike — a fanny pack. The one I had on hand is a JanSport Waist Pack, which has two compartments — a small one in the front where I store wallet, phone, and lip balm, and a larger main compartment which can hold a bit more, such as a camera and snacks:

The fanny pack is light enough, and rides low enough, that I can’t even feel it’s there after a short time.

But I still had a problem.

Often, on rides I like to stop at a grocery store to pick up a few things — it saves a trip by car. But I had nowhere to carry extra stuff.

For a few rides, I slung the plastic grocery bag over my handlebars. Worked for small items, but hardly elegant.

Then I dug up an old drawstring backpack I’d gotten as a promotional giveaway from a local company:

It’s lightweight, and comes with nice reflective striping. And even better, it rolls up into a compact little bundle:

Rolled up, it fits snugly into the bottom of the large fanny pack compartment, with plenty of room left for other gear.

And unrolled, the backpack actually holds quite a lot:

That’s a loaf of bread on top, and various groceries underneath. That load was actually a bit much — about 13 pounds — which is more than I’d care to carry on my back for long. But for the 6 miles home from the store, it was manageable.

I also added a Park Tool PMP-5 Frame Pump, which I purchased used off eBay. Fits perfectly and holds securely against the seat tube. I might eventually move to to the top tube, and add a second water bottle to the seat tube. If I do that, I’ll need to add a strap of some sort to keep it from slipping down, since the Puch frame doesn’t include a pump peg.

And finally, I’ve also replaced the stock saddle with an old WTB Speed V, and the stock platform pedals with some Shimano PD-M520L SPD Pedals I had on hand.

How much have I spent bring the bike (mostly) up to snuff? Not counting the items I already had on hand: $14 for 2 new tires, $8 for 2 new tubes, $12 for new brake hangers, $10 for pump, $4 for handlebar tape, $1 for water bottle mount, $15 for brake levers, $12 for tail light … so about $76. Not too bad.

So what hasn’t changed? Frame, handlebar, brakes, cables, wheels, drive train, shifters, kickstand, front reflector, seatpost.

What would I still like to change?

• I’d like to get a set of better wheels. Aluminum alloy. But should I stick with 27″ or switch to 700c? And should I stick with the freewheel, or switch to freehub/cassette? Are the inexpensive mass-produced wheels (I found some for about $25 each w/o freewheel) worth it, or should I hold out for better quality? (Switching to 700c would necessitate new tires, too … blah.)
• I’d like to improve the shifters, changing from the stem-mounted shifters to bar-end shifters. Even used ones, though, are quite expensive. Still hoping to stumble across a deal somewhere.
• If I really end up riding this more, fenders might be in order.
• Lighter handlebars would be nice.

Note: All product links lead to Amazon, where I am an affiliate, and where I’ll earn a few cents if you purchase something (anything!) through that link. If you have a local bike shop, please support them, but if you don’t have a LBS, or they don’t carry the equipment you need, please consider purchasing via my links, and help support this site.

The Cottonwood 200 takes place over Memorial Day weekend in late May (May 26-27-28 this year). It starts in Topeka on Saturday morning, overnights in Council Grove, rides to Cottonwood Falls and back on Sunday, overnights in Council Grove again, then heads back to Topeka again on Monday. It covers about 200 miles during the three days.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this tour, but never experienced it. It does go through some very lovely country — the Flint Hills of Kansas — and rides on two of Kansas’s scenic byways, the Flint Hills Scenic Byway and the Native Stone Scenic Byway.

But I can’t be content with a supported 3-day tour on paved roads. I have to amp it up a bit, don’t I?

So how about this: riding to and from the event, making it a 5-day, 300-mile, mixed-surface, semi-self-supported tour … that’s more like it!

Here’s the idea:

Friday, May 25, 2012: Leave from my home near Gardner and ride to Topeka. This is about 60 miles, all paved, except for a bit of gravel trail. No services along the way, but I can detour into Lawrence if I feel the need. The last six miles or so would be on the Landon Nature Trail. In Topeka, I have a couple people who have volunteered to let me camp in their yards, so I should have a place to stay the night. Bonus: May 25th is the last Friday of the month, so I could ride with the Critical Mass Topeka crew, which would be fun.

Saturday, May 26, 2012: Meet up with the Cottonwood 200 people at Washburn University, and roll out by 7:30am or so. Either continue carrying my own gear, or load it up on the tour truck and let them haul it. Ride to Council Grove, about 75 miles, all paved. SAG stops are provided. The route is on part of the Native Stone Scenic Byway, “a region of the state known for its outcroppings of native limestone, which has been used to build homes, barns, and fences in the region since it was settled”. Camp at the school in Council Grove. Dinner in town. (Note: This is the 2011 route; the 2012 route may be different.)

Sunday, May 27, 2012: Ride with the group along K-177 to Cottonwood Falls. This is on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, and includes a stop at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Perhaps make a side trip to check out the waterfall at Chase County Lake. Ride back via gravel roads through the Flint Hills, passing by Lake Kahola, and heading back into Council Grove. Or perhaps swing west, and approach Council Grove from the southwest. Camp at the school again. About 50-60 miles, half paved, half gravel. Breakfast and dinner provided by the tour, lunch in Cottonwood Falls.

Monday, May 28, 2012: Rather than returning to Topeka with the group, strike off on my own, following the Flint Hills Nature Trail east through Bushong, Allen, Admire, and Osage City. Provisions in Osage City for sure, possibly in some of the other towns as well. Camp near Pomona Lake. I have several options there — paid camping at the state park, free camping on the north side of the lake, or a friend who lives just a bit further, near Appanoose. About 60-70 miles, mostly on trail and gravel roads.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Ride on home. I could either ride through Baldwin City or Ottawa. Either way, it’d be another 65 or so miles home, on a mixture of paved and gravel roads.

So it’d be a total of about 300 miles over 5 days of riding (probably a bit more, once all is said and done). Camping out 4 nights. Cost would be $66 for the Cottonwood 200, plus food.

I’m excited about riding on the scenic byways, and riding on the FHNT. I’ve never been on that part of the trail before, and understand that it’s very rugged and remote country.

Here’s a rough map:

If you’re interested in the ride, registration for the Cottonwood 200 tour is at cottonwood200.org. If you’d like to ride with me, contact me so we can coordinate logistics.

Utility Cycling

In 2011, I made a conscious effort to use my bike(s) for more than just recreation, but for everyday things like shopping, errands, and appointments.

The Long Haul Trucker was the go-to-bike of choice for these tasks, and it spent most of the year loaded with panniers.

A lot of my bike trips during the year were for utility (at least in part), and the LHT made a great platform for that. The two Nashbar ATB panniers hold just enough groceries for most trips, and I can strap extra stuff to the top of the rack if need be.

However, utility cycling is not necessarily the most exciting type of riding. There’s only so many times you can do the same routes on the same bike without going a little stir crazy.

Which was why I was happy to acquire two …

New Bikes

I purchased the Puch Cavette II at a garage sale in September, and picked up the Dahon Vitesse D7HG a few weeks later at a bicycle swap meet. Neither were planned purchases, but both have worked out well.

I’ve quite enjoyed riding the Puch. At first I thought it was slightly too big for me, but after about 400 miles, it feels like a pretty good fit. The bike is still largely stock. After experimenting with a different stem and handlebar, I’ve gone back to the original, only changing to different brakes, and adding bar wrap and grips. I’ve also swapped out the old tires and tubes, added a frame-mount pump, added a bottle holder, seat bag, and cyclocomputer, and swapped the platforms for SPD pedals.

The Puch has led me to rediscover the joy of riding fast(er than normal). I’m not sure if it’s the 27″ wheels vs. the 26″-ers on the LHT, skinnier tires, or just that the Puch is less loaded down, but I definitely feel faster and more agile on the Puch. I hate to relegate the LHT to pure utility and touring, but the Puch has been so much fun that I’ve taken it on all my recreation rides recently. It makes me wonder what a lighter, more modern road bike would be like…

I’ve only put about 250 miles on the Dahon, despite taking it on a long road trip. It’s a fun little bike to ride, and it even functions admirably as a mountain bike, but I don’t see myself using it for long rides or extended touring. But I’ll keep it around for easy transport inside the car.

Bike Camping

I didn’t get to do any long tours this year, but I made up for it with seven bike overnights (S24O’s):

• Leavenworth in early May
• La Cygne in early June
• Cedar Cove in early June
• Middle Creek in late July
• Hillsdale Lake in mid-August
• Hillsdale Lake in late August
• Miami State Fishing Lake in mid-October

Four of those were solos, three with friends. Three were at official campsites, one on private property (with permission), and three were wild-camping on public land. This was the first time that I’d “stealth” camped, and it was fun and very peaceful, if a little unnerving at first. I wasn’t trespassing, but my the sites weren’t exactly sanctioned, either, so there was an element of unease. But I hope to do more of that in 2012. I just wish there were more public land in Kansas.

My touring style changed a bit over the year. I used front panniers for the first three trips, but went with just a front rack and a cooler on the last four. Saves a bit of weight and give me more space for food/drink, though slightly less for gear. I’m not sure if the front rack and cooler would work for longer tours.

What’s Next?

I’m not sure what 2012 holds for me. I definitely want to do more bike camping, whether that’s overnights or multi-day trips (hopefully both!).

I did not do a single organized pay ride this year, so that’s probably something I should get back to.

I didn’t do as many day trips (driving somewhere then riding a loop) as I did in previous years, so that’s something I’l like to do more of as well. There are so many places in Kansas that I’d like to explore, but are not within easy biking distance.

I set a goal for the year of 5200 miles (100 miles per week), and came up short by about 730 miles. I’m not too bothered by that; not sure if I’ll set a 2012 mileage goal or not.

A nice surprise to end 2011: A 50+°F day on my birthday, December 29th. Can’t beat that!

Outbound, our route took us from Kansas City to Santa Fe, New Mexico on day one, then on to Albuquerque, then to Flagstaff, Arizona, to Phoenix, to Tempe, then to San Diego, where we my wife’s sister lives. In San Diego, we mostly stayed pretty near to “home”, but did make one short trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. The homeward route took us to Phoenix, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Amarillo, Texas before arriving back home, finally, safe and sound.

Whew.

I’m not going to attempt to cover all that in detail, but will share a few photos and highlights from the trip:

Looking over Santa Fe, New Mexico

Cottonwood grove along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Trail along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sunset at Continental Divide, New Mexico. Would love to get out and explore this country by bike.

A trail covered in pine needles in Flagstaff, Arizona. The trails in Flagstaff were awesome. Actually, everything was pretty amazing in Flagstaff. I loved the Ponderosa Pines. I loved the proximity to the mountains. Nearly every main road in town had bike lanes. Even the mud was of a different sort than Kansas, not sticking to the tires nearly as much. Would definitely want to come back and ride in the area again. Not sure about road riding, but mountain biking opportunities are amazing.

Dried flowers along the Arizona Trail in Flagstaff, Arizona … bet this is pretty when the flowers are in bloom and the grass is green.

Training a dog sled team in Flagstaff, Arizona … mush!

In the shadow of clouded mountains in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Red Rock near Sedona, Arizona. This in Oak Creek Canyon, between Flagstaff and Sedona. A lovely drive. Would be even better by bike, but I imagine that the road would be rather scary to ride — no shoulders, lots of steep hills and sharp turns. But it would be an incredible experience.

At the Phoenix Mountains Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona. My first time in the desert. Probably a furnace in the summer, but quite nice when I was there.

Simple but cool art at Thomas Community Bike Shop in San Diego. I lost my trusty Planet Bike Superflash tail light somewhere in Arizona, so I picked up an XLC tail light (basically a Superflash clone) here.

While I was in San Diego, I got to ride my brother-in-law’s sweet Benotto 850 road bike. He doesn’t ride anymore, so it had been sitting in storage for at least 10 years, but still shifted incredibly smoothly. But the city streets didn’t do this bike justice — it needed to be taken on the open road and ridden at speed. Sadly, I wasn’t able to do that…

Snow in the Mojave Desert, with Joshua Trees.

Mountains in the Mohave Desert. It was a bit surreal, with rain at lower elevations, and snow higher up. Came across a few touring cyclists, and even with the rain/snow and heavy wind, I was very jealous. Definitely want to come back and spend a few days exploring and camping in the desert. It’s forbidding and inviting at the same time.

Lonesome road leading to mountains in the Mojave Desert. I wanted to ride it, big time. But alas, it’ll have to be another trip…

Urban mountain bike trails in Florida Canyon, San Diego. Some really sweet trails, right in the heart of the city.

Looking down at a winding trail in Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego, CA. The folder climbed just fine (except for a few steep pitches I had to walk). A few moments after taking this photo I reached down for a drink, and found my water bottle had gone missing. I had to backtrack a couple of miles, to find where it had bounced off on a rough rocky section.

The old Polar bottle died a couple days later, with the cap splitting and no longer holding water. I replaced it with a Camelback Podium Chill. So far, so good.

At Sweetwater Regional Park near San Diego. Lots of great mountain biking here. The trails weren’t all that tough, but too steep to ride in a few places.

Riding at Otay Lake, just a few miles from the Mexican border.

A Minimum Maintenance Road, Arizona style. Another rainy day in the desert. Weird.

Sierra Blanca Peak near Ruidoso, NM. US-70 between Las Cruces and Roswell would make a most excellent bike tour route — nice shoulders most of the way, big climbs, long flats, mountains and desert.

Wrap-Up:

It was a great trip. Driving home through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas was relatively boring — though my heart lifted as we passed through the Flint Hills at dusk; I’m not sure if there’s anywhere quite like it — and acclimating to the weather and terrain back home is harder than I thought it’d be.

My thought are still on the road…

Places I definitely want to go back and ride someday:

• Flagstaff, Arizona — There was no city we passed through that impressed me more
• The Mohave Desert — This one surprised me a bit, but I was quite attracted to the idea of bicycle touring there (perhaps using drycyclist.com as a guide). Actually, I think a fat-tired bike (e.g. Surly Pugsley) would be the idea bike for such an adventure.
• US-70 between Las Cruces and Roswell, particularly the Hondo valley and the road through the Apache Indian Reservation.

The folding bike performed well. I enjoyed riding it, though I didn’t put in as many miles as I’d hoped, and I was quite happy to ride my full-sized bikes when I got home. The folder served its purpose.

Regrets: I didn’t get to do the overnight tour I had planned. Other things got in the way, and time slipped away from me. Oh well.

All in all, a great trip!

And, if most of the parts on the old bike are still functional (or easily replaced), it is, or can be: Clean off the years of accumulate neglect, tune up the moving parts, and ride.

That’s basically where I’m at with my Puch project bike: Once I got things cleaned up, and fixed a few minor issues with wheels and tubes, the bike pretty much was functional. I could ride it, and it rode pretty well.

But beyond basic functionality is the question of suitability. Yes, the bike works, but is it right for me? Is it’s performance optimized? Can it be improved?

That’s where things get more complicated.

Yes, the bike is rideable. No, it’s not quite suitable.

First off, the bike is a bit large for me. I’m just slightly “stretched out” when I ride it. Seems that there are a few changes that could be made to improve this:

• Shorten the stem
• Raise the handlebar (would would bring the bar slightly back)
• Change the handlebar style, to one with less “reach” and “drop”

Here’s the complexity: The Puch used French sizing for the stem and bar. A 22.00mm quill stem, and a handlebar with 25.00mm clamp area. Both of these measurements are just slightly off from “standard” sizes (22.2mm stem and 25.4mm clamp).

So I can’t (easily) put a different handlebar in the existing stem, and I can’t easily change the stem without also buying a new handlebar. I can scrounge up old compatible parts, but that takes a lot of time and expense (since the old parts are relatively rare, they’re pricey).

And as for the second option — raising the bar — the stem is already at it’s minimum insertion depth. So once again a new, taller, stem would be needed. Same problem with availability and cost.

Related issues with the cockpit are that I didn’t like either the old-style brake levers (with the “suicide” bars and cable coming out the top) or the shifters (located on the stem). Also, the handlebar, in addition to being a shape I didn’t like, was made of steel (heavy) and was thinner than I’d like.

As a first attempt at a solution, I went to a local swap meet, and procured possible solutions. I bought an older handlebar, old brake levers, and old bar-mount shifters.

The bar is a Specialized/WTB RM-2. This is the famous “Dirt Drop” bar that I’ve read about many times, so I was pleased to stumble across one (at a very reasonable price), and anxious to give it a try.

The brake lever are Shimano 105 aero levers, so the brake cable is routed along the bar (rather than coming out the top and getting in the way). They’re not pristine, but appeared functional.

The shifters are Shimano Deore Light Action SIS 7s thumb-shifters that support both 7-speed indexed (for the rear) and friction shifting. The shifters included strange-looking mounts.

After getting them home and doing some research, I determined that the mounts were called WTB Multi-Mounts, and provided an alternate way to attach thumb-shifters to drop handlebars. The Shimano shifters originally came with mounts that allowed the shifters to be located on the top bar (much as current MTB shifter are mounted on flat bars).

I couldn’t really see how they were supposed to work, or where on the bars they were supposed to be mounted. I eventually located this photo (from mtbr.com) showing one possible placement:

Weird. I’m not even going to try setting that up.

As for the bar, I did manage to get that installed, after some work.

It just so happened that I had an old short stem in my parts box. It was 22.2mm size, of course, with a 25.4mm clamp, but I hoped I could get it to work. The plan was to use sandpaper to remove 0.2mm from the stem to allow it to fit into the steer tube. And for the clamp, I assumed I could spread it far enough to squeeze the 26.0mm bar in.

Here’s the result of my sanding (with the sanded area being the bottom 1/3 of the stem, and the little pile of aluminum dust next to it). It didn’t take long at all, and was a tight fit, but I did manage to slide it into the steer tube. For the clamp area, I used a flat screwdriver to pry it apart just enough to get the bar into the clamp.

After adding the aero brakes, here’s what I ended up with:

Taking it for a short ride, it felt reasonably comfortable. It was possible to ride on the tops, on the hoods, or in the drops, but not on the bends. The brakes were easily reachable from the drops, which was good.

However, after taking it for a longer ride the next day, I decided that it wasn’t going to work for me. Riding in the drops, the bar was just too wide for me.

This is me holding the original Puch handlebar. The rule of thumb is that the bar should be as wide as the rider’s shoulders. Well, the Puch bar is a pretty good fit, in that regard:

The bars measures 38cm (center-to-center). The bar on the LHT measures 42 cm, so it’s probably a bit wide for me (which is what I was told when a fitting was performed at the bike shop). The WTB measures about 46cm in the hooks, and a whopping 57cm at the end of the bars. So yeah, it’s really wide!

So, I decided to go back to the original bar, which meant back to the original stem. But with new brake levers, maybe it’d feel different?

It did, actually. Here’s the setup I ended up with (for now):

In addition to adding the brake levers, I rotated the bars slightly down, making the drops closer to parallel with the ground (compare that to the original setup with the old levers). Even so, the brake levers are shaped to provide a better “hood” position than with the old levers, with a more comfortable transition between the bar and the hood.

(Yes, the “new” brake levers are a little scratched up, and a piece of the hood is torn off on this side. But they’ll do.)

Of course, with the old non-standard bar size, the brake lever clamps didn’t fit. So I shimmed it with a piece of inner-tube — crude but effective:

The levers will handle 23.8-24.2, according to the size stamped on the clamps. My bar measures 22mm, so quite a difference.

And yes, those are MTB grips on drop bars. Weird, I know, and probably considered an abomination. But I don’t want to tape the bars until I’m reasonably sure I’ll be happy with their setup. And actually, the grips are really pretty comfy. I almost never ride “in the hooks” anyway, so the grips are where my hands spend the most time. I might just keep them.

I still feel a bit stretched out with this setup. With the better brake levers and the cushy grips, I don’t hate the bars anymore. But a shorter stem would still be helpful. So I guess I’ll keep an eye out for a suitable bar that I can use with the shorter stem I already have (i.e. a handlebar with a 25.4mm clamp area). But if I don’t find one, this old setup just might work out all right.

As an indication of how comfortable I’m beginning to feel on this bike, there have been several times I’ve been riding in the drops, and reached to the bar-end to make a shift, just like I do on the Surly, only to find nothing there. The stem-mounted shifters still feel awkward.

So perhaps that‘s the next step — changing the stem-mounted shifters to bar-end shifters. I’ve priced both new Shimano shifters like I have on the LHT, and vintage Suntour Bar-Cons, but both are more than I’d prefer to pay. If I keep looking, maybe I’ll stumble across a deal somewhere…

As I’ve ridden this bike around, and spent more time with it, the word I’ve come up with to describe how it feels (compared to the LHT) is “unencumbered”.

I “feel” faster (but don’t have a computer on it yet to verify that), and the lack of racks and fenders and multiple bags, along with the bigger wheels and skinnier tires, definitely makes for a fun ride that is very different than the LHT.

I’ve never spent much time on a true modern road bike, but I imagine that’d be another level entirely. It’s probably best for my wallet that I never find out for sure…

Ripening wheat.

These strange-looking plants are wild onions.

And this is a wild onion a month or so later, ripe.

The wild onion breaks apart into small cloves, rather good, though they have a sharper taste than garden onions.

Bull thistle. These are really beautiful to look at, though you don’t want to touch them.

The butterflies (and a large beetle) are going crazy for this milkweed.

This is a Zebra Butterfly, and the plant is actually called a “Butterfly Milkweed”.

Got a chance to go camping in early June, and this was my wild-camping campsite, near a small pond on public land near La Cygne Lake.

I was hoping that the pond would hold some nice bass, but all I managed to catch were a dozen or so of these small Sunfish.

I find this very strange, but I’m told that this is how some folks show off their big catch, by hangign the head from a fencepost. Macabre.

This is one of the stranger things I’ve stumbled across while on the bike. These bees were in the middle of the road, swarming over a honeycomb. I don’t know whether they had fallen out of a tree, or fallen off a truck transporting hives, or what. Luckily, they weren’t interested in me. Poor things didn’t know what to do, and probably didn’t survive long (the comb in front of my bike had been smashed by passing traffic).

Some of the gravel roads in my area are becoming severely washboarded, making them very unpleasant to ride. Most have a smooth spot somewhere, but it’s constantly shifting. For the roads with no smooth spot, you just have to suffer. The ride’s a b-b-bit b-b-bumpy.

This is Missouri’s state bird, the Bluebird, after meeting an ignominious end on Route 13 near Lexington.

This is the courthouse in Lexington, my hometown. Note the cannonball embedded in the left-most column, a relic of the Battle of Lexington during the Civil War.

It was a little strange riding around the town. It’s a place I’m very familiar with, but only from a car. It’s a different perspective from a bicycle.

Taking a break on a hot (100+°F) day on a dirt road near Hillsdale Lake.

This was another hot ride, this time with friends on the Flint Hills Nature Trail near Rantoul, KS.

Keeping cool on a hot day…

Some of the sunsets have been spectacular!

The truth hurts.

Thanks for reading!

Pictures don’t do the rushing streams justice, and video can’t capture the sound of water or birds (at least the pathetic microphone on my camera can’t), and the smell of the earth can only be experienced first-hand.

They may or may not be your thing, but flowers have the power to stop me in my tracks. They are always a favorite photo subject, and one I can’t resist. If you enjoy looking at flowers, I think you’ll enjoy this post, but if not, feel free to skip it entirely.

Roadside flowers have finally begun to appear, which is a time of great joy for this cyclist. They don’t make for a great workout, but they do make for a great ride.

I’ll often stop every 50 feet to photograph a new flower, or get a different look at a variety I’ve already seen. With a group, someone would end up feeling hurried, while others would feel impatient, so a “flower ride” is, almost by necessity, a solitary ride. But that’s OK. I can ride as slow as I like, and stop whenever the mood strikes. It’s better than missing a great shot because you didn’t want to delay the group.

The flowers are mostly small at this point, but will get bigger and showier as the spring and summer progress. Here are some of the one’s I’ve gotten pictures of so far (as always, click the image to see a higher-resolution version):

(If I’ve mis-identified any of the flowers or grasses, feel free to set me right in the comments…)

This is a great idea: 30daysofbiking.com

The rules are simple:

• Register on the site.
• Ride your bike. Ride to work. Ride around the block. Meet some friends and bike around town. If you’re riding your bike, you’re participating.
• Share your story! Tweet about your bike ride, and include the hashtag #30daysofbiking. Read what others are tweeting, and join the conversation!
• Repeat Steps 1 & 2 each day through the month of April. The only rule for 30 Days of Biking is that you ride your bike every day for 30 days, then share your adventures and stories with others on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog.

So that’s what I’m doing, except I’m expanding on the concept a bit. In addition to riding every day, I’m going to try to post a picture every day.

If you want to follow along, watch for #30daysofbiking tags on my @KansasCyclist Twitter account, or follow KansasCyclist on Facebook.

When I’m done with the month, I’ll re-post all the pictures here at DirtBum, all in one post.

If you’re taking part in the challenge, whether or not you officially registered for it, feel free to post your stories and pictures on the Kansas Cyclist Facebook wall.

In the meantime, here are a few “Signs of Spring” photos from the last few days of March:

Not too many places in Johnson County still burn pasture land, but this farm a couple miles from my house does so every year. Love the new grass, post-fire.

A tiny little snake wriggling across the road.

A crawdad out for a morning walk. This is also a close look at a chip-sealed road.

March ended being not a great month for cycling for me, just 250 miles and only 9 car-free days. Hoping April will be better.

Biking every day, it should be!

I cycled as a kid and young adult, but never kept track of my mileage.

I got back into cycling in 2004, purchasing a Sun EZ-Sport long wheelbase recumbent bicycle. The reason I went with the recumbent was that I was having RSI issues in my wrists (not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but similar) — I just didn’t think my hands could withstand having weight on them for long periods, so a recumbent solved that issue.

It was a good starter bike. I put about 3300 miles on it in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

But at some point I decided that I wanted a lighter bike. I purchased a Burley Django, which is a short wheelbase recumbent, lighter and faster than the EZ-Sport.

Again, it was a great bike for me, and I ride it during 2006, 2007, and 2008, putting about 7700 miles on it.

The downfall of the Django was off-roading. I put some fat tires on it, and road it on gravel, but sitting so low to the ground, it was simply too sketchy on loose surfaces. And it didn’t work for mountain biking at all.

By that time, my wrists were no longer hurting me, and I thought that just maybe I could withstand the stress of an upright bike, at least for short off-road rides.

So I purchased a Balance Mountain Bike, which I picked up used from a local shop. The “Balance” brand was only produced for a few years, in the early to mid 1990s, but this frame had been rebuilt with modern (if low-end) components. It was an inexpensive way to find out if I could ride an upright bike.

I could. I rode the heck out of that bike in the latter half of 2008, putting over 3500 miles on it, most of them on gravel.

Turns out that while I enjoyed mountain biking to some degree, what I really liked was gravel grinding and exploring all the remote country roads in Kansas.

I even did some road rides on the MTB, and it worked OK, though it obviously wasn’t the ideal bike for centuries and beyond.

I purchased the Surly Long Haul Trucker new in early 2008, and it soon became my one and only. I rode it on pavement, gravel, and singletrack, only busting out the MTB for the more demanding mountain bike trails.

I’ve now put over 10600 miles on, and it’s still going strong.

If you’ve added up those figures, that’s right at 25,000 miles.

Once around the world!

After I posted to Facebook, my friend Bill Poindexter wrote a great little article about me for his Carfree American blog: Kansas Cyclist rolls 25,000 miles and still going strong. Thanks for the kind words, Bill!

In 2009, I rode about 5200 miles, and in 2008 I rode about 6000 miles. So I guess I’m pretty consistent!

The vast majority of my 2010 miles (>99%) were on the Long Haul Trucker. About 65% were on pavement, 32% on gravel roads, and 3% on trails of various kinds.

The down side to this year’s mileage was that my speed was significantly slower than in years past, only a 12.2 MPH average for the year (compared to 13.1 MPH in 2009). I’m not sure what’s going on there.

Part of it is that I did more “utility” miles in 2010 – making a conscious effort to ride the bike for transportation, and not just recreation. So some number of my miles were loaded down to some degree with groceries and whatnot.

Another factor is that, while I track my mileage and speed, and going so slow kind of annoys me, it doesn’t really matter all that much. When I’m riding, I don’t often think about my speed — I just ride at whatever pace feels good.

If I was training for something, it’d be different, but for the most part, I just don’t see any reason to try to hit some arbitrary speed goal. Will going faster make me enjoy the ride more? I don’t see how.

And even when I was training for the Dirty Kanza in early 2010, the pressure to go faster and go longer just ended up pissing me off.

That’s not to say that I can’t go faster under the right conditions. Group rides, for instance, tend to urge me into a faster pace. One of my faster rides of the year (15 MPH) was on a 135-mile group ride. And my fastest ride of 2009 (16.2 MPH) was on a century. Maybe the problem is I don’t do enough group rides any more.

Oh well, I guess I’ll continue to just dawdle along, and let the speed fall where it may…

For 2011, my goal is once again 5200 miles. No reason to change it. No big rides planned, but I suspect they’ll happen regardless.

It was a single-speed “Western Flyer”, sold by the Western Auto chain of stores. I’m guessing it was early-to-mid 1970s vintage, based on when I acquired it. The coaster brake reaction arm was stamped “Bendix 70 Mexico”, so that may mean it was made in 1970.

For the last 30 years or so, that bike has been sitting in a work shed at my parent’s farm, seldom ridden, gathering dust and rust.

On my last visit, I examined the bike:

At first glance, the bike didn’t appear in too bad of a shape — just some cleanup needed. But looking closer, I found a long list of problems:

• Bottom bracket/cranks were loose
• The pedals were trashed
• The front fork had quite a bit of slop/wiggle
• The handlebar was bent
• The chain was perhaps too far gone to save
• There was significant rusting on the wheels
• A bolt was missing from the saddle, and it was in pretty rough shape
• The wheels were of low quality, with a number of loose spokes
• The kickstand was held on with baling wire
• The back tire was in really bad shape, with the inner tube actually peeking through at one location
• The front tire was pretty bad as well, though it was rideable

The only thing that was in anything close to good shape was the frame — even though the paint was scratched and chipping in a few places, it didn’t appear to be bent or dented, and was structurally sound.

So, was it worth putting any money into this bike?

It certainly wouldn’t be worth much on the open market. It wasn’t old enough to be a valuable antique, and was a fairly low-end bike to begin with. Really, the only reasons to even consider refurbing it was that I liked the look of the bike (which I do), and it holds some special memories.

At a minimum, it needed new tires, and probably a new handlebar. It used 26″ tires, so I was thinking I could use some of my old MTB tires, and I had some old but serviceable saddles lying around.

I decided to take it home and investigate further.

I showed pictures of the bike to a friend who worked in a bike shop, and he thought I’d need to spend perhaps $75 to make it rideable. That was certainly at the high end of what I was hoping to spend. I could buy a new department store bike, or a used, reconditioned bike, for not much more than that.

But, by chance, there happened to be a bicycle swap meet coming up at the shop where my friend worked. I figured I’d go and see if I could scrounge up some old parts on the cheap.

I took the bike along and showed my friend, who said it looked somewhat better in person than it did in my pictures, and he was optimistic that it could be fixed up pretty easily.

Even better, he steered me to an old bike that I could rob part off of. Amazingly, the bike (a 3-speed “John Deer” bicycle that someone had spray-painted black) turned out to have nearly everything I needed — new tires, useable handlebars, and even the same exact saddle, except in much better condition. It even had brakes and fenders, if I wanted them. The cost: $10. Sold!

So I started the teardown-clean-lube-rebuild process. It took awhile, and I didn’t take any usable pictures, mostly because my hands were covered in grease and grime much of the time.

The handlebar swap was a little harder than I hoped. The stems on the old bike and the donor bike were different sizes, so I had to figure out how to get the bar out of the stem on both bikes, which meant taking off the handlebar grips (a small screwdriver and a shot of WD-40 under the grip worked wonders) and brake levers. But I eventually got that all squared away.

Unfortunately, the looseness of the front fork was a problem I couldn’t figure out. It seems that the threads on the steerer tube are a bit stripped out, and they won’t hold. I can get things “kinda” tightened down, but it still has some wiggle. Fortunately, I think it’s more of an inconvenience than a safety issue.

The rework of the rear coaster brake hub — a marvel of simple yet elegant and robust engineering — went well. It doesn’t turn as smoothly as I’d like, and I’m not sure if that’s due to poor reassembly or just low-quality bearings, but it’s good enough. It works.

I thought the rebuild of the bottom bracket went well, too, but when I got it all back together and tried to ride it, it didn’t work right. It rotated “crooked”, and there were a few big “clunks” as I pedaled hard.

I took it back apart and found that three ball bearings had slipped out of their retainer, and the retainer was bent. Oops. I didn’t know if it was damaged before I took it apart or when I put it back together. I went to the LBS and picked up a couple new bearing assemblies, and advice on assembly. It sounded like I didn’t take enough care when threading the one-piece crank through the bottom bracket, and pinched the bearings.

This time, I payed closer attention, and all was well. Again, it didn’t rotate as smoothly as I’d hoped, but it was good enough.

The tires situation turned out a little differently than I expected. Apparently, 26 inches does not equal 26 inches.

The refurb bike uses 26″ x 1-3/8″ (37 x 590 mm) wheels and tires.

The MTB tires I wanted to use are 26″ x 1.50″ (40 x 559 mm).

Way different. Oh well, good thing I had the tires from the donor bike.

The tubes were another story. Both tubes from the donor bike were bad. On one tube, the stem leaked, so it wouldn’t hold air. On the other tube, the stem was choked with dried Slime, so it couldn’t be filled.

Luckily the tubes from the old bike were still good. One had a hole (where it had poked through the tire casing), but it was patchable.

The rusty wheels cleaned up nicely. I used chrome cleaner meant for automobile wheels, and a little wire brush, and most of the rust washed away. They trued up reasonably well, too.

I stole the front brake from the donor bike, as a safety feature. This worked fine.

I also repurposed the kickstand from the donor bike.

The saddle turned out to be a problem as well. The new saddle had one bent spring, which meant when you sat on it, it felt lopsided. Again, I was lucky in that I was able to salvage a spring from the old busted saddle. It feels good now (though one spring is clean and one is slightly rusty).

For the pedals, I purchased new plastic pedals from Walmart. Good enough, and not too expensive ($7). The ones from the donor bike were the wrong size (9/16″ vs. 1/2″ spindles).

And finally, the chain cleaned up nicely as well. I soaked it in gasoline, then in Simple Green, then in paint thinner, and all the grime and rust came right off. I checked for wear, and it seems fine. All the links work freely. Good to go.

After all was said and done, here’s what I ended up with:

The donor bike turned out to be a lifesaver. I salvaged the handlebar, front brake, brake cable, brake lever, saddle, front tire, back tire, and kickstand from the donor bike. I purchased the pedals and replacement bearings. Everything else was just cleaned up and reused from the old bike.

Total cost was $10 for the donor bike, $7 for the pedals, $2.50 for the bearings, plus whatever cleaning materials I used. So the project was about $20 in hard costs.

I don’t know how much time I spent on this. Quite a bit. But it was fun.

The bike seems to ride pretty well, except for the annoyingly loose headset. The front brake makes it easier and safer to stop.

Oh, one thing I haven’t fixed yet, and something I didn’t notice until I got it all put back together — the right crankarm is bent and slightly twisted. When I’m riding, if feels like the pedal is bent. But it’s not the pedal, it’s the arm. It was probably bent at the same time the handlebars were bent. The bike likely got trapped between some farm equipment at some point in time.

So I’ll keep an eye out for a new one-piece crank. Worst case, that’s maybe $15 to replace.

One thing this project has done is make me appreciate modern bikes: quick-release wheels, derailleurs, water bottle bosses, rack and fender mounts. Another thing: the old bike has a stupid number of different-sized fasteners. I counted 7 different sizes of nuts, some metric and some imperial, plus a few larger, odd-sized ones like on the stem and bottom bracket. My LHT has just a few, mostly metric sizes with internal hex keys — much simpler.

I’ve taken the bike out for a couple short rides, and I think it’ll do fine. It’s a different experience riding an upright singlespeed bike after spending so much time in the last couple years on a drop-bar road bike. But it’s fun. Hills are certainly a different experience, though.

If I’m going to ride it much, I’ll need to come up with a pump and a way to carry water. There are no water bottle bosses, so a water bottle cage would have to be strapped on. The wheels are bolted on, so I’ll need to carry a wrench, plus tube, patches, tire irons, and pump. The saddle has loops, so it’ll be easy to hang a bag off the back. Also, the bike has no reflectors (except in the pedals), so it’ll need a head light and tail light if I want to ride it at night. Sigh.

Anyway, here’s the bike in profile at sunset at a local park:

Isn’t that beautiful?!

So simple and clean.

I’m taking part in the inaugural Adventure Monkey Flint Hills Photo-Cycling Tour, organized by Eric Benjamin, who writes the Adventure Monkey blog, and who is a fantastic photographer.

The Photo-Cycling Tour is a three-day weekend getaway intended to both showcase the beauty of the Flint Hills of Kansas, and help novice photographers (such as me) to take better pictures. The tour starts and ends in Emporia, and overnights at Camp Wood near Elmdale.

Yes, that’s the same Elmdale where my Dirty Kanza ride ended. So I have some unfinished business there, or at least a desire to go back and explore the area some more.

Since Emporia is not too far distant from my house (about 105 miles), I’m taking this opportunity to extend the tour a bit, and get in some self-supported touring experience as well.

Here’s the plan:

• September 9: Leave home and ride the back roads to Melvern Lake, and overnight there, either at one of the Corps of Engineers campgrounds, or Eisenhower State Park. Should be about 75 miles.
• September 10: Ride about 30 miles to Emporia, meet up with the Adventure Monkey group, and ride another 30 or so to Camp Wood.
• September 11: Eric has a ride planned for the group on Saturday, in the remote Flint Hills, supposed to be about 50 miles, give or take, then back to Camp Wood for the night.
• September 12: While the group rides back to Emporia, my plan is to strike off on my own, heading north to meet up with the Flint Hills Nature Trail somewhere around Bushong. I’ll then ride that (or local roads where the trail’s not open) east to Pomona Lake, where I’ll again have a choice between Corps or state park campgrounds. This day will be about 85 miles or so.
• September 13: I’ll have about 50 miles to get home, and a whole day to get there.

So about 325 miles all told, with two nights camping, and two nights at Camp Wood (in a cabin).

I have a choice between a trailer or panniers for carrying my gear, but based on my last Fully-Loaded Overnighter, I’m going to go with the panniers.

I already have the rear panniers, and have a front rack and front panniers on order. I’ll write more about those when they’re ready to go.

I considered taking a stove, but with only two nights alone, I think it’s simpler just to stop along the way for a cold sandwich or something.

Other than that, I should be pretty much set.

Really looking forward to this tour!

I’ve been riding quite a bit, but mostly short “utility” ride (grocery runs and the like). July ended up being a short-mileage month, way below goal. August is also running a bit behind my expected pace, but a break in the weather has given me a chance to catch up a bit, so I may yet hit goal for this month (or at least come close).

No really big rides, but here are some photos from the last month or so:

This shot is from Lone Elm Park, not too far from my house. I didn’t realize it when I took this shot, but the scene almost totally mirrors the shape of the bicycle frame, with the big tree being the seat tube, the fallen limb the down tube, the fencepost the fork, and the overhead limbs the top tube. That’s kinda cool!

I had an opportunity to get in another awesome night ride into Kansas City. This is a long-exposure night shot of I-435, taken from the Lamar Avenue overpass, looking west.

Here’s a shot of the barn at my parent’s farm, taken just after sunset. Can’t see much detail here, but the colors are nice. I think that’s Venus in the west.

This is one of the farm bikes. Doesn’t look too bad in this shot, but it’s not in great shape. I got this at an estate auction when I was in high school, tore it down, and rebuilt it. It’s a “Coast King” single-speed with a coaster brake. It was a halfway decent bike, but now the back tire needs replacing, the handlebar’s bent, the bottom bracket needs some work, the seat’s pretty tore up, and the wheels are pretty marginal.

Really, the only things salvageable are the frame and maybe the rear hub. Everything else needs replacing. Not sure if it’s worth putting any money into fixing it up.

This is another farm bike — an AMF “Nimble” three-speed step-thru frame. This bike is actually in pretty decent shape, except for the brakes. The back brake doesn’t work at all, and the front brake doesn’t work very well. But the tires are decent (though the wheels are not great), the seat’s OK, and the shifter works. It even has fenders, a working kickstand, and original reflectors. If I thought my wife would ride it, this would be worth spiffing up.

I’ve been running the new Serfas Vermin tires for a couple months now, and have about 700 miles on them. On this grocery store run in early August, I picked up my first flat. The tires have some sort of Kevlar flat protection belt, but they didn’t stop this bad boy. I’m not sure anything could.

I did get in one really good ride the second week of August. I drove to Garnett, KS to meet Sam, who runs BikePrairieSpirit.com, a web site that covers the Prairie Spirit Trail, a 51-mile rails-to-trail project in eastern Kansas.

I’d ridden the trail from Ottawa to Garnett, but no farther. The plan on this day was to ride from Garnett south to Iola, about 60 miles total. But it turned out to be a very hot day, so we ended up cutting the ride short, getting in about 35 miles.

This shot shows the trailhead in Garnett. That’s Sam’s Trek hybrid in the foreground, and my Long Haul Trucking on the right. As you can see from the flag, there was a bit of wind, too!

There were several stands of Chickasaw Plum along the trail, and we hit them at exactly the right time. The fruit was lovely, bright red, and very sweet. Often there’s a note of bitterness with these plums, but these were 100% sweet!

Here’s where we ended up: Colony, Kansas. It’s a small town on the trail about 10 miles north of Iola. It offers a small grocery, a diner, and a tavern. It was a nice place to stop, take a little break out of the heat, and soak up a bit of small-town atmosphere.

The trail is officially closed in one place, where it crosses a highway. We took the detour on the way out, but on the way back we rode through the construction zone. Here’s Sam emerging from the tunnel where the trail passes beneath the road.

Here’s Sam on the way back north. The Prairie Spirit Trail was in really good form, with some nice shaded areas, which felt great on a hot day.

This is a shot of the Edgerton, KS water tower, located on the Johnson/Douglas county line.

Well, now the heat wave seems to have broke, and summer’s days are numbered.

As much as the heat is a challenge, I love the consistency of the days, and the simplicity of not having to worry about changing weather or variable winds.

I’ll soon be missing summer, but fall is coming, and that means a bunch of beautiful days to be on the bike!

A bicycle makes a perfect mulberry hunter (and carrier) vehicle. The mulberries were particularly plump and sweet this year.

There’s a new bridge on the trail at Lone Elm Park in Olathe. Very rustic railings…

The Long Haul Trucker resting in a stunning patch of Tiger Lillies.

Taking a break on a gravel road in Miami County, Kansas. It was hot and windy!

With all the rain we had in June, the wheat harvest is running late, but this golden field looks ready…

This is the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, Kansas. Compared to many around the state, this one is not particularly impressive, especially considering it’s located in one of the most populous (and prosperous) counties in Kansas.

This fountain is located in downtown Olathe. Nice.

This is the fountain in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri about 10pm at night. It’s really a stunning sight. My little digital camera didn’t do it justice.

This last picture was from a night ride I did in KC. I rode up to the city in late afternoon and met up with some folks for a “Critical Pass” ride (similar to “Critical Mass”, but with more manners and less drunkedness). We took a meandering route through some of the nicest parts of the city, then stopped for dinner at a Mexican place on Southwest Boulevard.

Cycling home in the dark was one of the nicest rides I’ve been on in a long time. It was still warm and humid from the day, but there was a nice breeze, and a full moon meant that once I was out in the country, I could turn off the headlight and see perfectly well. So peaceful…

This is a gravel grinder (may turn out to be more snow than gravel) out of Paola, Kansas on January 17th. The ride is part of the Guru’s Gravel Grinders series, a bunch of rides taking place around the Kansas City area, each led by a local cyclist who knows the back roads well. This ride is my contribution.

Here’s the route:

This is an area that I ride fairly often, and I really love the ruggedness of the land. The combination of the hills and trail are pretty killer, I think. Plus the history associated with the area is really cool, too.

Here are some ride reports and pictures from previous rides along this route:

• Steep Hills and Old Bridges
• Ride ‘Round Rantoul
• Dirty Mudder Trucker

So, if you happen to live within driving distance of this ride, you’re welcome to attend. It’s free, but there’s no support, so bring plenty of food & drink. Knobby tires highly recommended!

But first, a bit of history.

2006 goals: 2000 miles, Biking Across Kansas. I hit the mileage goal with ease (2800 miles), but didn’t make it across Kansas after falling sick on the tour (see story here).

2007 goals: 3000 miles, Katy Trail ride. Successful on both counts (Katy Trail story here).

2008 goals: 4500 miles, Biking Across Kansas. Again, success on both counts. 6000 miles and BAK triumph here.

In 2009, I didn’t plan any big rides. I was reluctant to even pick a mileage goal. For one thing, I was coming off an injury, and wasn’t sure how it would heal. That turned out to be a non-issue, but I didn’t know that then.

At the beginning of the year, the ride I most wanted to do was the Dirty Kanza 200, a 200-mile gravel road race through the rugged Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. But with an early January signup deadline, and injury uncertainties, I passed.

I did end up setting a mileage goal of 5000 miles, and hitting it. But with no big rides planned, I kind of drifted. Not that that was all bad, but there was a lack of focus. I still accomplished my first gravel century — a big stepping-stone — and surpassed the mileage goal.

For 2010, I’m going to keep the 5000 miles mileage goal. That seems like a good round number, without being too much.

And, I have a ride goal. A big, audacious, am-I-crazy-to-even-consider-it goal. I’ve signed up for the Dirty Kanza 200. I’m in.

200 miles of gravel roads, dirt roads, remote places where there are barely roads of any kind. All in one long, endless day. Sun-up to sun-down, and well beyond. Easily 16 hours of saddle time, probably more. In June in Kansas, where it may be 60 degrees or 100 degrees, where there may be hellacious headwinds, rain, hail, lightning. Even a tornado is possible.

Country like this:

I don’t know if I can do it. I’m sure, barring injury, I’ll make it to the 61-mile checkpoint. The 103-mile checkpoint is also a good bet. I’m fairly confident in the 142-mile checkpoint. After that, who knows?

Despite the DK200 being a race, I have no delusions of being competitive. I just want to survive and make it as far as I can. I want to ride that country, and spend a bit of time with the people who are out there on the road with me — amazing people, crazy people, inspiring people.

I’m a little concerned about training. I’ve never trained for anything like this before. Heck, I’ve never even done a race of any kind before. But I have friends I’ll be able to call on, I hope, for wisdom and advice and support. Lord knows I’ll need all three in large quantities.

Wish me luck!

• 162 rides
• 5203 miles
• Average speed: 13.12 MPH
• Total time: 396 hours, 26 minutes
• Bikes:
  • Surly Long Haul Trucker: 5064 miles (97.3%), 13.3 MPH
  • Balance Mountain Bike: 106 miles (2.0%), 7.8 MPH
  • Other: 33 miles (0.7%), 15.0 MPH
• Surfaces:
  • Paved roads: 1496 miles (28.8%), 14.8 MPH
  • Gravel (or mixed terrain): 3606 miles (69.3%), 12.8 MPH
  • Singletrack: 100 miles (1.9%), 6.9 MPH

Here’s my yearly numbers since I started keeping track:

• 2004: 252 miles — Sun EZ-Sport (Long Wheelbase Recumbent), September through the end of the year
• 2005: 1468 miles — Sun EZ-Sport
• 2006: 2845 miles — Sun EZ-Sport and Burly Django
• 2007: 3924 miles — Burly Django
• 2008: 6001 miles — Burly Django and Balance Mountain Bike
• 2009: 5203 miles — Surly Long Haul Trucker

So, I dropped off a bit this year, compared to 2008. But the mileage feels about right: 5200 miles is 100 miles per week, on average.

But nearly 400 hours in the saddle — now that somehow seems like a big number! That’s ten full 40-hour workweeks spent doing nothing but riding my bike!

But looking at it from another angle, that doesn’t seem so extravagant: That’s just over an hour a day.

Americans, on average, watch about 5 hours of television per day. Yikes! I’d far rather spend my time out in the world rather than passively watching the boob tube.

I didn’t really do any big rides this year. I did do two centuries, including my first gravel century. But I didn’t do many organized rides at all. In 2006 and 2008 I did Biking Across Kansas, and in 2007 I did the Katy Trail Ride, so not doing that felt a little strange.

The vast majority of my rides were solo, with a few small group (2-10) rides as well. I can only think of two rides — the Gravel Conspiracy and the Farmhouse Classic — with more than 10 participants. That’s one thing I do want to change for 2010: I want to do at least a few more large organized rides.

But I’ll leave goal-setting for another post. This is a look back, not forward.

Here’s my favorite picture of the year, or, at least one that is well representative of the year for me:

This picture shows the Long Haul Trucker in a somewhat muscular pose, with mud on its tires, on a remote minimum-maintenance road, with wildflowers blooming along the way. Ah, the flowers! The flowers were so awesome this year, just amazing color and variety from late spring through late fall.

And with that I’ll wrap up. I fully enjoyed 2009, and hope you did, too!

The shoulder’s getting better. I have good range of movement, and it doesn’t hurt much at all, except for a few isolated movements. I still have a big old bump on the top of the shoulder, but that’s probably permanent.

Although I set up the recumbent on the trainer, I never actually convinced myself to ride it (I really hate riding a stationary bike).

Then, the day after Christmas, with the temperature topping out at about 65°F, I ventured out onto the road for the first time in 18 days.

I won’t say it was worth the wait, because I would’ve just as soon skipped this episode entirely, but dang, it felt good to be back on the bike again.

Never mind that I took it very easy. Never mind that I rode very slowly. Never mind that the wind was blowing 20 MPH. It was still a grinfest.

I ended up going about 20 miles, and the shoulder felt fine. Not good-as-new fine, but good enough. Leaning over the handlebars wasn’t a problem. Putting weight on the shoulder wasn’t a problem. Hitting bumps was a bit of a problem, but that was manageable.

On the 29th I did another 20 miles. On the 30th I did another 10.

Bingo, bango, that’s 6000 miles for the year. 6000.7 to be exact — about 2575 on the recumbent and 3425 on the mountain bike.

Considering my goal was only 4500 miles, I think that turned out rather well.

I haven’t decided on a goal for 2009. I may not even set one. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up with fewer than 6000. That’s an awful lot of riding.

One last picture from 2008, this one taken on the last ride, on the trail at Lone Elm Park:

And finally, a picture that sums up my mountain biking accident:

Image courtesy of Sir Bikes-a-lot, Professional Dirt Bum

Ineptitude. Yup.

Sunday afternoon I drove to Lawrence, KS to ride the Clinton Lake Trails with 9Toes. Neither of us had ridden these trails, so we didn’t really know our way around. I lead out, and right away we hit some rather rocky sections, followed by a twisty section with freshly-worked dirt.

I was riding somewhat faster than my normal pace, and after bouncing through some dirt-covered rocks, there was a sharp left, then a sharp right. I made the first turn, but on the second turn my front wheel got a little too close to the loose dirt on the edge of the trail. The wheel slipped downhill off the trail, and I went over hard onto my right shoulder.

As I sat there taking stock. 9Toes asked if I was all right.

“Yeah, I think so,” I said, “unless I broke my shoulder.”

I stood up and examined the shoulder, and felt a sharp bump on top. Showed it to 9Toes, and he confirmed. “I can see it from here,” he said.

Having broken my left clavicle 9 years ago playing softball, I figured that’s what this was as well — a broken clavicle (collarbone).

Pain wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely there.

We walked the bikes back to the truck — luckily we were only about 0.4 miles into a 13-mile trail, so the trip back was short. He drove me home to my wife, and off to the hospital we went. A few hours later I was back home with an arm sling and pain meds.

The diagnosis: A grade 2 A-C joint sprain (separated shoulder). Here’s the details from an online medical site:

Next day was a trip to see an orthopedic doctor. He confirmed the diagnosis, and said that there’s nothing to be done except to let it heal. Keep the arm in the sling for a few days, then gradually lose the sling. Do some exercises to rebuild the strength and range of motion of the shoulder. Stay off the bike.

The obvious follow-up to the last question: How long?

4-to-6 weeks was his best guess.

Bummer. Not unexpected, but discouraging nonetheless.

So my cycling season’s done with. I ended up with 5950 miles (only 50 miles short of 6000!). 2575 of those on the recumbent, and 3375 on the mountain bike.

My goal for the year was 4500 miles, so I’m hardly dissatisfied with the total, though obviously I would’ve like to hit that next big round number.

I’ve kept track of my miles on BikeJournal, which lets you compare your mileage with other riders. It currently shows me as #1 in the city of Olathe, and #4 in the state of Kansas, with a pretty secure hold on those positions, unless someone adds 300 miles in next few weeks.

Sitewide, I’m at #514. I had hoped to stay in the top 500 for the year, but that’s not going to happen. Not sure how far I’ll slip, but I’ll probably end up in the 600-700 range. Not bad.

So for now I’ll take it relatively easy. I can still work on the computer, using my left hand for mousing and hunt-and-peck typing. It’s slow going, but it works. I’ll probably take up walking to get a bit of exercise, and maybe set up the recumbent on the trainer to do some easy spins. I’ll also likely hit the road on the recumbent to begin with, since that’ll keep any pressure off my shoulder. The only issue there will be whether I can hold my arm outstretched for long periods, and have the hand strength to turn the grip-shifter.

Next year: Back on the bike!

Some days are just too nice to pay attention to stupid signs.

The Good Life Gravel Adventure was a 135-mile gravel grinder on the gravel and dirt roads surrounding Lincoln, Nebraska. It was put on by the Pirate Cycling League, a crew of Lincoln-area gravel freaks headed up by Corey “Cornbread” Godfrey.

Read the Wrap-Up from the PCL, plus race reports from Dale Rabideau, Joe Fox, and Matt Gersib, and great photos from Corey Godfrey (plus earlier recon photos).

Good stuff indeed.

It looks like several folks from Lawrence and KC made the trip up for the race … wonder if there’d be any interest in forming a similar gravel-grinding club around here?

The Lawrence Cycling Yahoo Group kind of serves that purpose, but they don’t seem to have an internet presence, other than Yahoo…

Note that this is a far different route than Adventure Cycling’s TransAmerica Trail, which is routed on paved roads from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon.

This route starts in Northeastern Tennessee and ends at the Pacific Ocean in southwestern Oregon, and features about 4,800 miles of mostly off-pavement riding.

Sounds cool, but there are a few caveats.

First, the routes are set up for motorcycle travel, with distances and resupply points far different than what would be feasible for bicycles. They estimate an average of 200 miles a day. On much of the route, a bicycle would probably be doing good to average 50 miles a day. Not an insurmountable problem, but you’d need to be able to carry many days worth of food and water over some very rough terrain.

Secondly, the maps aren’t free (neither are Adventure Cycling’s, for that matter). They’re not too expensive, though — $290.00 for all the maps, or you can purchase individual state maps for a lower price. The maps are provided as both folded maps and as roll charts.

Thirdly, the route doesn’t go through Kansas — a huge oversight! However, it does cover 472 miles in Arkansas, 750 miles in Oklahoma, and 775 miles in Colorado, as well as other states. Obviously, with those mileages, you can see that they’re not taking the most direct route through each state…

Still, this looks to be an outstanding resource for offroad touring, and definitely something to consider if you’d like to venture off into the wild on two wheels.

Also, to get a feel for the route, check out some of the YouTube videos related to the trail…

The name of the site is Backroads Touring – Kansas, and the screenshot from the site should give you a pretty good idea of what they’re about. Here’s how they describe themselves:

We visit places rarely seen by motorists. There are over 100,000 miles of secondary and unpaved roads throughout Kansas, and many run through pristine ranch and hill country. These are the roads and places we will explore and chronicle on this site. It is not unusual to ride fifty miles or more without encountering a single motorist, and the solitude permits us many opportunities to stop and enjoy some impressive views.

The site has an extensive gallery of ride reports and photos, and you can literally spend hours just browsing through their history of rides. Amazing stuff.

This site is primarily a personal blog, telling the stories of my bicycle rides on the back roads of Kansas. If that sounds cool, read on; if not, kindly move along.

The site may may also feature some some reviews and travelogues from time to time, though that’s not the primary focus of the site.

I am, at the time of this writing, mid-40′s in age, self-employed so I have a flexible schedule and am able to ride pretty much when the mood strikes me, as long as I’m willing to work at odd hours. My wife works a job with standard 8-5 hours, so she lovingly refers to me as a “bum” since I get to play while she’s working (never mind that I’m usually working while she’s sitting on the couch watching TV in the evenings). Works for me.

I’ve been riding bike for about 4 years now, after having fallen out of shape and gotten pudgy working a desk job for 20+ years. I still ride the office chair, but it’s now balanced by saddle time, and life is much nicer. Hope I never lose this self-employed gig, as I dread the thought of going back to the work-a-day world. But if I do, I hope that I’m at least working withing bicycle commuting distance!