Strong, Light, Cheap, Pick Two

new website

2011-10-09T08:46:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd led whoever checks this that I'm now over at:

http://arenner-isu.me.iastate.edu

End of the Blog? Start of a new one?

2011-02-02T09:42:00.002-06:00

Hey Blog followers. Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of trying something different. I built a website that is hosted on my own server, and I was thinking of moving a blog of sorts over to that instead - that way I can post pics on a separate page, and do bloggy stuff on another page. Let me know what you guys think:

http://alexrenner.dyndns.org/Blog/Blog.html

Last road ride of the year?

2010-11-08T09:17:00.001-06:00

another trip to Ames

2010-10-22T17:17:00.002-06:00

nice weekend for riding

2010-10-17T18:32:00.002-06:00

Another weekend in Ames

2010-10-04T11:12:00.002-06:00

Great weekend for riding

2010-09-27T12:20:00.005-06:00

Got a windy but perfect 72 degree ride on the roads on the Bianchi for about 40ish. Then I headed out to Potters pasture for a few laps around the great singletrack they have out there. Pics of Potters:

Wilderness Park

2010-09-20T14:03:00.003-06:00

Addicted to REI gear

2010-08-06T14:11:00.000-06:00

RMNP pics

2010-07-27T08:01:00.001-06:00

Took a quick trip out to Rocky Mountain National Park. Pics are posted:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bontrag/RMNP_72310#

New Pic Posting method

2010-07-20T06:00:00.002-06:00

I think I'm going to get back to using Picasa (when you go to Google.com and you choose the "Photos" link near the Maps link, you can view photos - that's using Picasa - you don't need a special program, just use your browser). My latest photos are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bontrag/71810TripToAmes#

New Osprey Packs

2010-07-07T08:05:00.003-06:00

CO Springs Trip photos

2010-06-29T08:09:00.004-06:00

Selling the Kona Frame

2010-06-16T14:10:00.003-06:00

New Front Rack

2010-06-16T14:04:00.002-06:00

Got a Jandd for the front of my Surly Cross-Check. Not sure when I'll get to use it, but when I do it will be to bike-camp down at Harlan County Reservoir.

Monkey Wrench in Bike Mag

2010-06-06T18:04:00.003-06:00

I always said that Monkey Wrench was a super unique bike shop. This article from Bike Magazine puts it very well, and gets them some well deserved recognition. Congrats guys - great to see a local bike shop make it to print in such a well know bike mag.

Clean Niner, new bag, blown tire

2010-05-26T08:12:00.003-06:00

Got the Niner cleaned up finally after the last muddy Ames/7-oaks trip. Bought a $35 Lafuma 45 deg bag from REI. Should have pictured it packed - super small. Wanted one for bike-camping. Also showing my blown road tire. I dislogged my frame pump going 30 mph awhile ago and blew a hole in the tire when the wheel stuck and I skidded (burning the hole seen). Plus my Bontrager sign hanging in my living room :) Thanks sis.

Patagonia and Walmart???!!!

2010-05-22T08:52:00.001-06:00

Read the Story

Canon Rebel EOS T2i

2010-05-21T06:09:00.002-06:00

Bought a new camera so that I can take awesome shots while on hikes in CO this summer and get large poster sized prints. So far it's been awesome. I'll never figure out all the options, but that's the way an enginerd likes it.

SSD

2010-05-19T15:32:00.000-06:00

Bought a Solid State Disk. Pretty quick.

Trip to Tucson (4 work)

2010-05-10T08:10:00.002-06:00

Bikes and mud

2010-05-04T17:18:00.002-06:00

After a long hard weekend battle with 7 oaks, the Niner got pretty dirty. I think mountain bikes just look better with mud on them don't you?

7oaks and JAX

2010-05-04T08:08:00.002-06:00

Got 5 laps in at 7 oaks over two days. I was shot! I need to camp there next time though. I'd forgotten how great a shop JAX is too. Had to buy a couple things from them to support their shop.

First Day in Ames

2010-05-01T08:53:00.003-06:00

So I decided on a whim to head to Ames for the weekend. I thought with the semester ending soon, I'd see some professors. I was sure wrong - didn't get to see my major professor or another one of the professors I worked for that offered for me to do my PHD. Poor planning on my part. I guess I'll have to come out again later this summer if I can. I did see my old undergrad professor and had a great conversation with her. After talking with her, I did realize how many interesting things I have done for this company so far (the "real engineering" parts) that must be overshadowed by my negative attitude. She actually wanted to have me teach a session of one of her classes - showing the process we use (as much as I could) to make carbon fiber parts.

Visiting really makes me want to come back. There is so much more to do here than there is in Kearney. I just don't have any help making that decision. I made the decision to leave on my own, and it was the wrong one. I either need to pull my head out of my ass and watch carefully for external signs of what to do, or find someone who I respect to recommend something.

I might try and chat with my old professor about a wind turbine blade manufacturing project. I might have some leverage there having done some composites work now. Don't know, I don't plan on pleading for something, but if there's a great opportunity offered that really makes sense for me to help with, I might consider 3 more years back here at ISU. I tell you though, that'd put me at 30+ years old, and that's scary. But the improved chance of finding a girl I want to spend a lot of time with is weighing in heavily.

NOT sunny San Diego

2010-05-01T08:49:00.002-06:00

Took a trip to San Diego for work. Turns out it isn't always sunny in San Diego! Thanks for the mislead Ron Burgundy.

stole some pics of me

2010-05-01T08:23:00.002-06:00

So I stole some pics from the Potter's blog (cause it's tough to get an action shot like this of yourself!).

Campout at Potter's

2010-04-20T08:06:00.002-06:00

New XT Cranks

2010-04-08T15:32:00.003-06:00

Definitely like these guys better than my Race Face. The design of the spline is better I think. They're not quick spinin, but they're plenty smooth.

Easter Lincoln

2010-04-06T16:57:00.003-06:00

The Niner frame road great. Probly put in 100 miles over 3 rides. Got great combo rides of pavement/gravel/dirt.

80 or 90?

2010-03-29T11:43:00.005-06:00

Mucho Miles

2010-03-22T10:52:00.002-06:00

Well after Thursdays' 60ish, I got another 15 on the Karate Monkey, then on Sunday another 60 on the fixie on the roads. So about 130-140 over the last 4 days. I hope to continue the trend thru the summer so I can ride even longer stints.

Kearney -> Minden, by bike

2010-03-19T06:58:00.002-06:00

So this new Google Maps bike route thing is interesting. I wondered how it'd map out my daily commute to Minden. About 25 miles it says. Sounded like a good ride for yesterday. What I didn't know is that they just threw down a bunch of gravel! It made it a lot tougher. Plus some poking around trying to find the right turns added another 5-10 I think. Anyway, my route's in red, Google's in blue. A view of the Minden Metropolis and my view of the way back are also pictured.

Partially built

2010-03-16T05:50:00.002-06:00

Still needs a front der and a new cassette. I still might pickup a new crank. The crank arms don't tighten up on each other evenly. Even when I bolt it up outside the BB housing, you can tell where the wobble is coming from. The screw bottoms out, and the right arm face doesn't seat correctly against the faces at the end of the spline.

I road it a bit on Saturday, it sure was a lot of fun to ride. It's got that springy steel feel. The geometry seems right too, little bit long on the top tube - close the Bontrager's measurement actually. The 72 degree head tube angle is pretty strange actually. When I was climbing with it is when I could tell the most difference. You definitely feel less like a monster truck and more on top of the front wheel. Should make for a better climber and technical bike, maybe not as good of a descender? We'll see.

more parts for niner

2010-03-10T18:29:00.003-06:00

Got some Ergon GX1s to try on the niner along with the Salsa Lip Lock.

Mario stopped by the other weekend, and dropped off some Surly beer. The coffee and beer mix was surprisingly delicious!

partly built, by Mr. BlackBlurry Cam

2010-03-10T16:06:00.001-06:00

40 and 40 but no 50

2010-03-08T13:04:00.003-06:00

Got 40 in on the road on the fixed gear on Saturday, but it didn't even come close to 50 degrees. I was cussing the wind for the majority of the first part of the ride too, almost turned around it was so bad. Then on Sunday, I'd hoped for more sun, but there was less, and just as cold if not colder. But I still got out on the Surly KM with 42mm tires for some good gravel grinding. I'm really sick of farm-place dogs by the way. I'm about ready to stop hurrying past them and just going to take a stand and hit them with my frickin frame pump. It's getting ridiculous.

coming to a niner frame near you

2010-02-21T18:55:00.002-06:00

Snowier Sunday

2010-02-21T18:51:00.002-06:00

a snowy and chili 30 miler

2010-02-20T18:26:00.002-06:00

SIR9 pics

2010-02-19T18:28:00.002-06:00

spokeless bike

2010-02-17T09:16:00.002-06:00

I finally won one

2010-02-13T20:20:00.002-06:00

Clouds, rain, and a bald eagle

2010-02-13T18:13:00.002-06:00

Snowy off Friday

2010-02-07T12:02:00.004-06:00

A fixed 50

2010-01-25T07:27:00.004-06:00

Got out on the fixed gear saturday for about 50. Felt good enough to swing down to the bridge. Bought some new Lowa boots for some spring camping in Colorado.

Saturday's 60ish

2010-01-18T15:23:00.001-06:00

Put in about 60 on gravel on the SS karate monkey. With the heavy 2.55" weirwolfs, it was quite the workout.

Thoughts on a blog

2010-01-09T19:55:00.003-06:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted on here. I've been meaning to, but just haven't had the motivation. I don't think many folks check it out, so it hasn't been a priority. I thought of it again as I was reading Backpacker magazine. A new product from Camelback - a flow meter for your reservoir brought back some memories. I remember back when I started this blog to stay in contact with cyclists in Ames. At that time I was the enginerd who could implement this sort of toy for a Camelback - so that we could all keep tabs on our hydration for those long TI training rides. I really miss those days. Check out the cool tech from the hydration purveyors themselves:

new toys and gear

2009-11-05T09:00:00.002-06:00

tis the season

2009-10-26T08:04:00.002-06:00

more ballyhoo pics

2009-10-26T08:03:00.002-06:00

Finished KM and Ballyhoo Snow

2009-10-12T14:13:00.001-06:00

2009-10-02T11:43:00.002-06:00

The KM is getting closer. I finally just got some basic Tektro V brakes, tired of waiting for a fancy XT or avid set. I got some nice avid levers though. So I just got fix the rear hub, grab the candys off my Bianchi put these light blue ones on there, throw on brakes and cables, and wrap the white cinelli gel tape on those funky bars. Can't wait. The brake-less test ride I took was very promising.

More pics

2009-09-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

BB sizing

2009-09-23T08:04:00.004-06:00

So, it's tough to figure out what BB length to use. Sheldon Brown says 52mm for chainline for a SS mountain crank. But that didn't help me figure out BB length with a triple crank, even though I'm using the middle ring. Add in the fact that I'm looking to use a tomicog at some point, so you have to figure in the 15mm distance between the inside of the dropouts and the face of the disc brake mount (6-bolt). So I used my fixie's BB even though it's a 68 shell width, not a 73, and just stuck it in one side. Lucky enough it's a 110, and after throwing on the race face crank I got off ebay, 110 seems about right for lining up with the disc brake mount. Then I'll just use a similar position on the cassette hub for freewheeling. Here's a couple pics:

bikamper

2009-09-16T11:49:00.003-06:00

Just when you thought the Surly Big Dummy was pushing the limits of bike functionality:

surly cassette cog

2009-09-16T11:47:00.001-06:00

17th cog is here, waiting for the surly 32th chainring to go with it.

Carbon Fiber

2009-09-13T08:30:00.003-06:00

So I'm finally getting my hands on carbon fiber at work. We got a roll of material in to make some prototype parts for the project I'm working on. All of our parts for this project are carbon. This is a "plain weave" carbon that is pre-impregnated ("pre-preg") with epoxy resin. Even though I haven't done a lot of research on the actual bike carbons out there, I'm going to guess this stuff is about as strong as the "high modulus" stuff that's used in the bike industry. Usually you'll also see double digit MegaPSI numbers for young's modulus (as in "high modulus"). This stuff is no different, with some crazy tensile strengths between 110ksi (kilo PSI) to 150ksi depending on the testing condition. You'll also see stuff in the name like "8k" or "6k". That talks to the weave style (think sewing - how the fibers weave up and down to create the pattern you see). The weave affects the properties - a plain weave will give you about the same properties in all directions. The "warp" direction is the direction where there are the most fibers, giving it the most strength in that direction. The "fill" or "weft" direction is 90 degrees to the warp.

The prepreg material is created by the manufacturer dipping the dry cloth in epoxy resin. We do some "wet-layup" at work too, but it is less consistent than if you get it as a pre-preg (but

cheaper). With a prepreg there is a short shelf-life between 6 months and up to a year and a half and that has to be stored in a freezer usually. So you have a limited time that you can work with it. This stuff is thin, about 0.008" thick (cloth and resin). We're making parts with 3 or 4 layers, so the final thickness is 0.026" (with one other thin material inside). We are doing a combo of 0 degrees, then 90, then another 0 degree for some parts. Other parts get a + and - 45 degree layups. (Where the degree is pointing to the warp direction.) For the parts you see in the picture there's 3 plys, 0/90/0 layed up on a flat aluminum plate. Then there's a material that is layed over the laminate to air to flow evenly over the laminate, then a telfon sheet goes over t

hat, then a cotton-looking pad called a "breather", then a air-tight vacuum bag over all of that. The edges are sealed and a vacuum is pulled on the setup to compress the plys together. Then additional heat and pressure are applied, about 350 degrees at 45 psi in an autoclave. After that cooks, you get the laminate you see here. These basic flat panels are for some testing we're doing for flammability, and other fire related tests (cause it goes on an aircraft).

Anyway, maybe that's interesting to you, maybe not. Otherwise, I've been biking quite a bit,

mainly road biking, and working on my new Surly, slowly finding just the right parts for it on ebay. I also got a new seat, a WTB Devo for my road bike. I road it yesterday, and it was just like I remember when I test road one awhile back - just the right shape.

Surly build update

2009-09-06T19:58:00.002-06:00

August 21-09 CO Springs trip pics

2009-09-06T19:54:00.004-06:00

Best gifts for a cyclist

2009-08-18T14:01:00.002-06:00

A new family member

2009-08-14T20:56:00.003-06:00

Well, two "seconds" occured today. (1) a second Surly was added to my bike family and (2) a second 29er. The frame that I bought off of ebay surely has some character to it (some dents dings and dents)! But it seems fitting for a Surly to have those things, whether I put them there or not. I love the comment from the guy who I bought it from, he writes "my kids called it Mr. Potatohead". I can't help but think - why didn't Surly call it that in the first place?! Please do comment with your suggestions for the components to add to this legendary frame :)

new family member

2009-08-10T11:42:00.005-06:00

So my long wait for a Karate Monkey has ended. Finally bought one Saturday morning on ebay (6am no less) for $255. It's got a couple dings, but still in fairly good shape. It's currently on a UPS truck from VT. I figure it's a good place to start a string of 29ers dedicated to single speeding. I've got my Kona's original wheels that I think I'll use. The rims look square enough to be V-brake compatible, but the finish is black - so I wonder if they just didn't sand or mask off the brake surface when they were painted. So it's either that or some more BB7s. I want to try to go V-brake though so that I could put a Tomicog on and run it fixed too. Then I just need to find some square taper, probly Race Face cranks.

"3 fingers" chainstay

2009-08-06T11:37:00.001-06:00

interesting design by Ragley seen on 29".com

Ft Collins / Poudre Canyon pic dump

2009-07-22T14:05:00.003-06:00

July 4th weekend

2009-07-09T08:06:00.004-06:00

Well, I finaly got out to Potter's Pasture this weekend. It was a little tough to find. The trail system seemed well setup, the trails themselves are pretty rough, but I'm not complaining. The maps were good, but the cow poo was nasty!

Sunday was perfect weather, upper 70s. I got the Surly out for a great day of gravel, ~ 50 miles. The pictures tell the rest of the story:

66 mile Saturday

2009-06-28T09:06:00.004-06:00

It was quite a nice day finally in Kearney, upper 70s low 80s. So I got the Bianchi out for one of the longer rides it's been on (sadly). But with 36 oz water, a gas station stop refill with 24oz gatorade, and half a powerbar, I fairly easily kicked out 66 miles, even after spending some quality time with Sam Adams the night before (long work week). It's impressive how much of a 2nd wind I got after the gatorade. The powerbars are just not cutting it for me for sugar/salt/energy replacement. I even tried to chew off a chunk of powerbar and suck on it like a hard candy. My stomach just wasn't happy with it, but I could feel the wobblies/dizzies, so I knew I needed some chemical replaced. The back of my jersey was covered in sweated salt - say it with me, ewwwwww.

Anyway, I'll probly try some gels again, to see if that works, or just stick with half water, half gatorade. With that and a purchase of a WTB Devo seat, I think I could bring my 3.5 hour trip down to 3 hours.

Seebeck effect

2009-06-17T10:38:00.003-06:00

Ever wondered what to do with all that wasted heat off your car's engine:

Power all the electronic systems with it, get rid of the alternator. Here's how it works:

http://tellurex.com/pdf/Tellurex_pg1.pdf

The new Prius is using this concept (sort of):'

http://theweeklydriver.com/blogs/70/Cool-Toyota-Prius-Even-Coloer-In-2010-With-Solar-Powered-Air-Conditioniing.html

Colorado Springs Pic dump

2009-06-08T11:50:00.003-06:00

Inside Dedacciai BB

2009-06-04T16:32:00.003-06:00

Not great pics - it's hard to get good ones - but here's the inside of my Bianchi Virata BB. There is this weird rib made out of ??? in the middle of the inside of the carbon insert piece. Looks like it's supporting it - structurally. And there's of course a lot of glue spewing from the sides.

Baltimore

2009-05-26T19:42:00.004-06:00

So I went to Baltimore last weekend. For work there's this conference called SAMPE. Something Advanced Materials. Anyway, a couple frames, I got a pic of one of them along with other touristy shots:

GPS grab

2009-05-26T19:36:00.003-06:00

I grabbed a shot of my GPS tracked rides from the past few weeks. I thought I'd dump them here. I've yet to find a better app than the Garmin provided thing, feel free to comment if you've got one. Got a great 50 mile grinder that I posted about earlier, than a hard 70 mile one from last weekend. I hit the roads yesterday and got caught in a storm about half way through, I got under cover but when it cleared it still was wet on the roads. So hence the Bianchi is drying out, a good time to get it all rust proofed. I just need to get a Campy BB tool! Don't think the LBS will have one:)

Wed. 5/07/09 gravel

2009-05-07T19:59:00.005-06:00

Just another gravel grinder. This one was a bit more of a sand pit grinder (roads were recently covered in sand). But some pics nonetheless. Congrats to all the TI finishers BTW. I think I speak for everyone when I say that Paul deserves that Vassago:)

inefficient IC

2009-05-06T11:56:00.002-06:00

I think I've preached about the inefficiencies of the internal combustion engine we all use. Something like 33% of the energy put in (fuel's possible power) is output in moving you forward. Here's a good idea:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/04/heat2power-sucks-on-exhaust-gases-for-extra-mileage/

Something of a workshop

2009-05-04T11:49:00.001-06:00

DIY Dynamo

2009-04-30T11:30:00.002-06:00

Interesting, simple idea:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Contactless-dynamo-powering-bike-safety-lights/

4/24/09 ride

2009-04-27T14:18:00.002-06:00

Well, I went in for just the morning this last friday - supposed to be our every-other-week day off. It was mighty windy as usual, but nice enough for a good long ride. I brought my GPS with me, I'll have to upload that. No idea how far, but it took 3.5 hours on gravel on my Surly. Here's an idea of my route - very Trans-Iowa-esque. Maybe I should keep track of this and do a TNv1?

My GPS address

2009-04-23T16:06:00.003-06:00

So I took my Garmin eTrex out for a bike ride last night. The weather was nice, with finally not a lot of wind. I didn't have much time to play with the GPS yet, but thought I'd bring it with me just to see what it'd do. As I went, I figured out that it isn't supposed to be used as a map as you go like my Blackberry Storm works with Google Maps installed on it. But as I took stops, I tried to hit "save location" in thoughts of downloading the locations to a PC to then map it out later.

Anyway, I then thought, "how can I get a high res map from these GPS coordinates"? I couldnt' figure out how to do it on Google maps, but Mapquest has a way that you can input coordinates and it will give you the map:

http://atlas.mapquest.com/maps/latlong.adp

If google can do this, let me know.

But then I thought, what if I want the opposite? What I'm thinking, is I google map a location, then input those coordinates into the GPS as a waypoint. This might save me from feeling like I need an expensive TOPO to install on the GPS unit. So I found a site that does that too:

http://itouchmap.com/latlong.html

So, the long story has a point. My address at home is this:

Latitude: 40 deg, 42 min, 53 sec

Longitude: -99 deg, 6 min, 36 sec

Where's your home in GPS language?

Quick 50

2009-04-21T19:04:00.002-06:00

I finally found some good roads around Kearney. I forget how fast the Bianchi is. Here's my route that I took:

Time for an update

2009-04-04T09:33:00.002-06:00

Well, I've finally got a chance to breath and poke around the blogs again. I've been terribly out of touch with my old bike friends, apologies. But I did finally find a nice little engineering job. After my long hopeful search for a cool location, I ended up with an interesting job, but not a great location. I'm now here in Kearney, NE. I suppose a bit closer to CO than Lincoln or Iowa, but not close enough:( Alright, enough complaining, it's a solid job. While I don't really like that they do make products for defense contracters, they also do commercial aerospace work:

http://www.rpm-composites.com/

The best part, is they are really good at making composites. So over the past 3 weeks with the company I've had an exponential learning curve on composite manufacturing. I thought I knew some, but really know now. I've had hands on experience making a few parts already. We do a lot of different composite parts, but my main project is all carbon fiber reinforced composite. So being the bike enginerd, this is really good experience for that. I also do lots of CAD, and being a small company, I have to really do the hardcore engineering stuff.

As far as biking, there isn't a lot, but I haven't gotten out a lot yet. There are a few state parks within ~40 miles, so I'm thinking I'll do a lot of weekend tour/camp biking. Of course there's plenty of gravel grinding and road riding. Got a Garmin handheld GPS the other day, so I'll have to get that going to explore some more. Did find a little decent coffee shop, nothing like Lincoln, but decent. That's about it for now.

Cool furniture

2009-01-28T04:31:00.001-06:00

http://www.skrewgun.com/

Ouch

2009-01-24T08:12:00.001-06:00

Some hard crashin:

http://www.yourmtb.com/mountain-biking-crashes.html

cool idea

2009-01-17T03:15:00.002-06:00

laser bike lane

A must read

2009-01-10T08:59:00.002-06:00

The article doesn't ever say it, I guess it's my personal take, but this article gives one of the best explanations for why we should avoid the Walmart-like consumption practices that we have here in the US.

http://www.selectism.com/features/freeman-transport/0/

New definition for "Singletrack"

2008-12-18T10:49:00.004-06:00

I got a good ride in yesterday at one of my favorites - Wilderness trail. The thing starts just behind my folks' place. After Tuesday's few inches it was prime snow biking season. I threw some treaded tires on the fixie and took it out for a long afternoon/evening ride. When I wasn't digging through packed cross-country ski leftovers, the going was pretty darn fast and fun. I wish I had two sets of 2.55" Weirwolfs to take out the Kona. It needs a new chain that I can't quite afford though. I didn't catch any pics of the usual deer siting, but enjoy the snow/trail pics.

My bike stand

2008-12-13T08:24:00.003-06:00

At my last apartment I had a coat stand style bike rack. It worked well with a couple bikes on each side of the center post, hanging in a neutral position. However, it only held the 2 bikes, and took up more floor space than necessary since the rear wheel swung out when it was hung by the front wheel. So I thought I'd build a slightly better one. Using some recycled wood leftover from my folks' deck remodel, I came up with this design. It only holds 4, but that's enough for now. The main idea is to stand the bikes up so they are taking the least amount of floor space. Then the bit of unbalanced weight pulls on the stand on the side where the big legs are located. Works really well so far:

Coolest camper ever

2008-12-03T13:37:00.002-06:00

Alright, so RV and tree-hugging don't go together. But if you want just a bit more comfort while traveling, while still being only slightly less green towing this tiny trailer, I can't see a better compromise than this:

http://www.sylvansport.com/it.html

if the 09 winter is like the 08

2008-11-22T09:23:00.002-06:00

Kinda crude, but so is eating pavement, or eating $$$ for Kenda snow tires:

DIY Snow tires:

Bikes and stoplights

2008-11-10T13:31:00.002-06:00

I thought this was on the right track to recognize commuters who correctly use the streets:

http://www.plan-bravo.com/lefty.html

DIY bike trailer

2008-11-01T20:27:00.003-06:00

One of my RSS feeds is from Make magazine. They had this awesome writeup from another DIY-type site. The similarity to the BOB trailers is impressive. Maybe Cory can put stem making on the backburner and make us all some nice trailers? :)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Single_Wheeled_Bike_Trailer/

Anyone out there?

2008-10-13T19:17:00.001-06:00

I have been off and on the blogs lately. But it seems like my blog crew is a bit on the quiet side lately. Just seeing if anyone's watching, and if so, what you're up to.

Bike Lights

2008-10-06T12:43:00.003-06:00

Here's the next on the to-do list:

http://www.bikeled.org/

Great site, great pics, great data. This is my kind of guy! It's just a bit old now, so the newer LEDs I've seen on the sites he links to, get you above the 100 Lumens/watt number. Cheers for customizing your bike gear:)

Fork Fixture

2008-10-01T10:15:00.002-06:00

Well, a long time ago Cory had some thoughts of a quick and dirty fork fixture to go with his newfound brazing skills. Don't know what took me so long, but here's the original idea I had. It's a long way from where I'll take it but the basic idea is two fixed end, with long threaded rods for the fork length and rake adjustments. Then I didn't show it here yet, but to set the length and rake you'd have bolts on either side (like lock nuts) of the sliding parts (see the pictures, I moved the CAD assembly to show which parts slide).

Incoming Interbike Pics

2008-09-30T10:17:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Paul and Mario for offering a place to stay this weekend. Preciate it guys:)

Here's a time killer for ya: Interbike 2008

In Ames next weekend?

2008-09-26T14:54:00.003-06:00

Hey Iowa folks. I got a friend who's getting married in Minneapolis next weekend. So instead of vying for an overpriced hotel in the city I thought I'd try to hit one of Pauls or someone else with a couch to spare. Wedding's saturday so I'd head out that afternoon, but if I go up that way, you know I'll have a bike with me:) So let me know if any of you blogger folks would trade a 6-pack and a ride for your couch for one night:)

SRAM "Blue"

2008-09-26T14:49:00.004-06:00

After looking at the SRAM double tap flat-bar shifters Cory was thinking of modifying, I had an idea. Take a look. The clamp would go right behind the brake lever hood. Then the lever portion could be accessed by just your thu mb.

Gettin closer

2008-09-22T10:34:00.002-06:00

Trip in Summary

2008-09-22T08:36:00.003-06:00

Well, hopefully you caught my link to my uploaded pics that I put on my Picassa. I'll now leave the Link on the right for future use. I was getting back to drawing up a SRAM double tap shifter lever for Cory when I realized how much my Blogger etiquette has been. So I'm trying to post here just to let ya know that I've tried to see what I've missed. It seems like Paul J. had one heck of a trip to Vail/Ft. Collins. Pretty awesome pics Paul. It also looks like Paul V. and others had a good Boone 24. Almost a month ago I missed a tag from my host in Salem, Cory - aka "Sir Freeride". So hopefully I can catch up a bit here.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Wow, this'll make me feel younger - Sophomore in high school! Not working, except on my Algebra and Chemistry:) I was car-free though! (get it? - no license!)

What are five non-work things on my to-do list today?
1) Find a job! I felt obligated to put that first.
2) Ride my bike (past 7/8 days ~ 250 fixed, cross, and road miles)
3) Catch up on my blog and keep sorting my trip pics.
4) Helping cut down on my Dad's to-do list
5) Get back to some upper body weight lifting to balance out the new leg strength

Snacks I enjoy?
Fruit Roll-ups and Sun-Belt granola bars. I gotta say, the fruit-roll-ups I grew up on, and they are one of the few who haven't tried to make them taste more like the fruit they claim to taste like. When I want strawberries I'll buy strawberries, when I want processed sugar with strawberry flavor and "Red 40" I eat a few fruit-roll-ups!

Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
Buy my Dad a Porsche 911 Carrera, my Mom a Mercedes SLK320 convertible, and my Sister a Vapor color VW Bug. I'd build my custom road trip VW Jetta Wagon TDI (turbo diesel) with mesh seats, internal bike mounts, and some camping niceties.

Of course I'd buy a ton of tools like a Mori Seiki mill and Okuma lathe. I'd buy a bunch of frame building stuff like a MIG, TIG, tubing saws, and Rapid Prototyping machines. I'd probly find a place out west in CO and a maybe another along the North CA coast. Then I'd obviously waste a bunch of money on even more bikes.

But I would go back to school and get a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, but spend most of my time in Astrophysics classes. Then I'd really like to write a book after I finish that on what technology will do to our society in the next 20 years. After that I'd teach High School Physics and tinker on all my bikes.

Places I have lived?
-Lincoln NE
-Ames IA
-McKinney TX
-Spencer IA
-VW GTI (my trip's homebase)

Jobs I have had?
-Regional Greenhouse employee (exotic house plants)
-cublicle peon at a healthcare industry research center
-test engineer at a Hydraulic Regulator company
-manufacturing engineer co-op, fixture designer
-research assistant in rapid manufacturing lab at ISU
-CAD/CAM consultant/intern for machining company
-software developer at ISU Virtual Reality Center

Pics on my Picassa

2008-09-09T12:18:00.003-06:00

I finally waded through all my pics, and went ahead and put them on Picassa since it is also run by google (as is Blogger). I need to get it tagged to Google Earth, so that you can follow a google map or use google earth, and follow along my trip route and open pics that were taken along the route. But that will come later. See if this link works for you:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bontrag/AlexS2008TripPhotos#

Tentative Trip Route

2008-08-14T14:05:00.001-06:00

-CO Springs -- Estes Park/Rocky Mountain
-Thursday 8/14 afternoon
-Thru Boulder

-Rocky Mountain -- Ft. Collins à Salt Lake City
-Sunday 8/17
-I25àI80 (exit in Cheyenne)
-7.5 hours

-Salt Lake City -- Yellowstone
-Wednesday 8/20
-I15
-5.5 hours

-Yellowstone -- Boise
-Saturday 8/23
-I15 à I84
-6 hours

-Boise -- Portland
-Monday 8/25
-I84
-6.5 hours

Adios Iowa

2008-07-30T08:57:00.002-06:00

Well, it's finally time to say goodbye to Ames. I've really been mad at myself for not getting rides together to properly say goodbye to all the great biking friends I've made here. I just can't believe how quickly this month went, and the weather, and everything else is the only excuse I can come up with. Still, I'm really sorry that I didn't catch up with the folks that read this blog from Ames.

Here's a list of things I owe to the folks I've met here. You can use this virtual "IOU" whenever you want, but more importantly, you should interpret this as my way of saying a huge thanks:

--Happy Training Paul: I owe you a huge photo album created by a famous, professional nature photographer. From my first baptism into TI training, to the quick afternoon rides, I looked forward more and more to what I'd see on the next "Paul route". Somehow you were able to make a route that made the barren Iowa farmlands seem interesting! Your tireless positive attitude rubbed off on everyone that rode with you:)

--Mad Matt Maxwell: I owe you a Rivendell frame. I learned a ton about keeping my bikes as basic, and functional as possible. What good is saving a few grams when the part breaks when you're in the middle of your all-day tour? Rivendell's whole "no-nonsense bike philosophy" fits well with the things I learned from you. I hope to run into you on an open Iowa gravel road, 40+ years from now, and I won't be surprised to see you on your Bean Green Cross-check :)

--Paul Beer Fridge Varnum: I think it's obvious that we all owe you a six-pack or two of a tasty and expensive beer. Whenever I get settled, you're welcome to "stop-by" (which may mean a journey out west) and raid my fridge whenever you want. And of course, thanks for all the bike-gear talk, and advice.

And to all the other folks I've talked with about bikes: Wade, Eric, Marc, Travel Gravel (Greg) any many more I'm leaving out. Thanks so much for making the most out of the bike culture in Ames. It's been a fun time getting to know everyone's specific bike related interests, and has given me many unique experiences that I'll be taking with me. No two of the friends I've met here are at all alike! You all brought a different love for biking to my attention:) I hope to ride with all of you again, and whenever I'm settled, (likely a bike-friendly town) you'll all be invited to go riding with me :)