Back in the Saddle

It's been a light mileage quarter... Nov-Feb I never broke 250 miles in a month after averaging closer to 300 Mar-Oct.  Mileage isn't a goal in and of itself for me but these kind of stats are a definite indicator of not getting out consistently on a daily basis.  And of not commuting regularly.  Next year I'll be better prepared with spiked tires and a 'snow bike'!

Oh and I may have picked up a new frame project... :)

1981 Trek 610, size 61cm (my size!)

MV Ramble

One of the main purposes of today's ride was glamour shots of Agatha... I'm pretty happy with this one down at Jones Point Park.

Today's ride got off to an odd start... I lost my riding companions due to illness and some unforeseen circumstances which allowed me a much more relaxed morning. I even debated riding at all as I was feeling yesterday's 30 miles for sure.  But when my afternoon plans suddenly disappeared I no longer had any time constraints.  I used the gift of time to rig up the SKS fenders that came with the Saluki, amazingly they fit well over the much bigger Hetre tires.  With fenders in place I decided to press my luck and install the Nitto M-12 rack and basket formerly of my XO-3, formerly of my Atlantis.  A couple 'cold sets' later and I was in business.

My ramble started with the modest goal of getting some coffee and then photographing the bike against some decent backdrops... for the two goals I chose Killer E.S.P. in Old Town and Jones Point Park also right there in Old Town.  My saltena and americano lived up to the 'killer' moniker and helped warm me up.  Even though the forecast was clear about the mid-40's temp I wasn't mentally as prepared for the cool  as I have been lately.  The photo-shoot down by the river went well and as I was thinking about returning home I got confirmation that my alternative afternoon plans weren't in the cards either... unburdened again from any time constraints I decided to keep going south along the Mt Vernon Trail.  

My legs are definitely feeling all the sudden mileage, I didn't break 200 miles in Jan or Feb, and I'm not quite there (but close) in Mar and the three days in a row on the bike were definitely leaving me a bit more worn out than I would like.  But I had a good ride, the hetres performed exactly as I've gotten used to over the past year on my 650B Trek and I stopped a couple times along the way. As a huge bonus my friend Wes was home and I stopped in to have lunch with him and his family before I made the turn for home.

After today I kind of feel like Agatha is no longer the 'new bike'... I'm 60+ miles in and 3 days of riding her, and true to the Riv philosophy she handles 'like a bike'.  Definitely the best fitting bike I've ridden, once I get a different saddle on her it'll likely be the most comfortable one I've ridden.  I'm still up in the air on the color, on one hand the light urple is growing on me, on the other hand I'm now obsessing about what complimentary/contrasting color should I use for the bartape.  Black is definitely out, I'm working through green(s), yellow/gold, orange, maroon/burgundy.  I'll be ordering tape, cables/housing and brake pads in the next week or so.  Enjoy the pictures!

There might not be a 'right' way to kick off a ramble but an Americano and Chicken Saltena in a warm coffee house is definitely not a 'wrong' way! :)  (You can see Agatha on the sidewalk beyond the daffodils)

EL Hetre cushion check = SAT... One cobbled block. I can't believe I missed making this photo when I had my Atlantis... note to my Atlanti brethren - great photo op at 'Captain's Row' in Old Town.

Honestly it was cold enough that I contemplated ending the ride after getting the photo's I wanted at Jones Point Park but I decided to push 'a little further'.  Agatha all decked out with fenders, Hetres, and front rack with basket.

Demo'ing a potential bar tape color and adding some protection from handlebar-rash (especially now that the front basket is on.  I was digging this combo alot till my friend Wes mentioned the 1960's Joker... purple and green... hmmm.

The Nigle Smythe mudflaps add some serious class to the bike... I was happy and surprised that the SKS fenders fit even over the Hetre tires. I love installing fenders that someone else has already installed once before... makes everything much easier!

Speaking of Hetres... Extra Legr.  Plenty of clearance at the chainstays.  The hetre's rode smooth, no surprise here.

I'm not sure I ever featured this but holding my Sackville Medium bag in place is this sweet Night Eye hook that doubles as a bottle opener!

 

Mount Vernon's gates... mission accomplished!

New Bike - New Ride

What can I say... I'm really digging this bike (I do need to move the bell from left to right side)

Oh and one other note, check out the shifter pods, is this correct or backwards?  I had mine mounted opposite, w/ the shimano pods on the inside and the shifter bolting in from outboard the bike.  My right side shifting is opposite directionality than I'm used to which is not so bad but definitely taking some getting used too.

Technically I did get in a quick 20 min ride last night before starting my evening commitments but it didn't fully demonstrate the bike's capabilities.  That as on the ticket for this morning, or at least to give it a good run down.  The WABA Vasa Ride would have been an amazing shakedown but a Saturday early afternoon Wedding kept me from registering....  registration or not I decided to pop in and have coffee with friends Joe and Alli who were doing the event and escort them out of the Georgetown vicinity (not ride the route though!)

I met up with Joe and Alli, and many other like minded caffeine seekers at 0815 at Baked and Wired - WOW that place rocks. I had a goat cheese and onion biscuit that knocked my socks off.  Caffeinated and with the morning stomach grumbles out of the way we headed down to registration and started with the 0900 group doing the 30ish mile route.  I rode with the group up to Fletcher's Cove when they departed the trail for a series of road miles and got to see many friendly faces from the #FMCC crew out on their Halv-Vasa rides, I hope it was a fun trip for everyone involved!

Since I had a bit of time to spare I decided to keep pushing up the C&O Towpath from Fletchers and made it as far as Lock #8 before I had to turn around.  This is much further than I'd gone before on the towpath and I enjoyed the newness of the path and the newness of the bike.  The 32mm Col de la Vie tires did better than I would have expected on the towpath (though that didn't prevent the swap to 42mm EL Hetre's this evening!).

It was a fun ride and I'm happy to have logged some seat time, I also got the opportunity to play with seat angle, handlebar angle and height among other things. The bike continues to really impress and I have no regrets!  Enjoy the pictures.

Rower's taking a breather just short of the 14th St Bridge... I had to stop and get a shot cause you so seldom see them sitting still.  Damp and cool morning but a nice one that promised warming temperatures.

Agatha/Aggie... at Baked and Wired in Georgetown, still purple!

Allie and Joe at the WABA Vasa Ride registration

I had to get to it sooner or later... does this look like the rider/owner of a light urple bike to you? :) Well it is!

Rolling out on K St

After departing the Vasa riders further up on the towpath.

More urple bike porn... CdlV tires did awesome, I definitely felt the trail strongly but I felt sure footed which was enough for me. (don't expect to see them again soon though, the EL Hetre's went on tonight and the Nifty Swifty's are now on the Trek)

At the turn, I did a quick meander up on the neighboring street and checked out some fine looking real estate with river views before I headed home.  Blue sky starting to pop through.

Today's exploration... the 'Sycamore Island Club', founded 1885. It's sole access (aside from swimming or your own boat) is this awesome man powered ferry.  I need to do some research on this place.

New Bike Day!!!

The Saluki has landed!  I'm the proud owner of a 2005 (very purple) Rivendell Saluki.  This all started back on Jan 27th with a post on the RBW Google group listing a 60cm, Canti-brake Saluki with some extra's in the Bay area.  After a fairly lengthy exchange and several best of intentions attempts to pick up the bike in person during a business trip that kept getting postponed and eventually cancelled I picked up the bike at the local FedEx today.  For those keeping score I sold the 64cm Atlantis to fund this indulgence and it actually worked out to be a very nearly even trade (though it took 2 month's and alot of electronic hustling to make it happen).  Well worth the effort as I rolled out of the driveway this evening for a short inaugural spin around the neighborhood.

I have alot of riding planned for the upcoming weekend and hopefully the next wave of bad weather next week is here and gone quickly so I can keep getting out there on the new Saluki.  About the color.... Agapanthus Purple, better known as Lavendar...  it's pretty darn lavender.  It's a stunning bike in person but I'm not completely sold on the color.  There are options to get around that of course but I'm going to live with it a bit and see how it does/doesn't grow on me.

Here is the unboxing, and a couple shots after my ride.  You may notice that I managed to immediately get it dirty on the .5 mile dirt trail near my house.  That is just a small bit of what's to come, this bike will get used! (of course I wiped it down quickly after taking the pictures!)

Now this is what you want to see opening a bike box!  :) NITTO

The seller had the bike professionally packed, I can't really argue with the results but seeing the job they did made me feel pretty good about how I did with the Atlantis.  I guess packing up bikes isn't rocket science.

Free at last!

Both front and rear dropouts had a nice hard plastic stiffner in there to keep the shape.  Only down side was I caught some paint flaking on the rear dropouts when I took them out as they were very tight in the Riv dropouts...

Both front and rear dropouts had a nice hard plastic stiffner in there to keep the shape.  Only down side was I caught some paint flaking on the rear dropouts when I took them out as they were very tight in the Riv dropouts...

Just a bit mudded up... Trek 650B in the background.

Plenty of hi-vis tape on the bike,  and a bit of downtube mud

The Royal Pup... this may be the first bike I name... got to be a female name, and I'm leaning towards Agatha or Aggie... as in Aggie the Agapanthus Purple Saluki.... :)

Hooky Ride

Tuesday seemed like a day unfit for working... it also is the day I was expecting my new HD projector for the basement media/bar room!  So I got in a nice long ride on the single speed XO-3, longest to date at 50+. I had some machinations for a mixed surface ride doing the Leesburg Loop to include the C&O Canal but opted instead for a more modest mileage total and all paved route of an out and back on the W&OD, Alexandria - Herndon - Alexandria (returning via the Custis-MV Trails).  Great day on the bike, I'm really digging the singlespeed though my ride to work Wednesday on the geared Trek felt amazing, I felt so fast! :)

Tues Sunrise on Hume Ave

Vienna made for a nice rest stop, I was slow and steady with plenty of stops on Tuesday.  I love this mural!

I finally figured out the dumb hitching pole at Green Lizard, excellent coffee in a nice stoneware mug and they even let me use a wrench to touch up the cable tension.

Also in Herndon (at the turn around) Great Harvest Bakery is well worth a visit on two wheels, four wheels or no wheels... free tasting of several breads every day and I really enjoyed this large loaf of Honey Wheat!

Perhaps the most photo's dedicated to Brandywine Castle ever.... but I noticed it just after getting back inside the beltway and decided it was a good short stop opportunity.

A short steep hike and you can see the stones in the frame here

I did not hike-a-bike the XO-3 up the slope, looking back down.

Behold.... Brandywine Castle!

The blue sky finally peaked out as I enjoyed my Great Harvest bread with honey and butter at Gravelly Point.

Farewell Atlantis

It's actually been a done deal for going on two weeks but I wanted to wait till the new owner had received and checked out the bike before completely 'washing my hands' of the frame... after less than a year and somewhere close to 1,000 miles I sold the 64cm Rivendell Atlantis.  I had an absolute blast on this bike, love the aesthetics, the amazing flexibility and almost above all... the name.  Truely an inspired choice for a bike name, excellent art on the headbadge and I'll definitely keep one eye half open for another Atlantis that is actually my size in the future.

In the end it was two things that pushed me over the edge, first the flexibility of the frame to take massive tires was comprimised by the fact that the frame was probably 4cm to big... maybe even more than that for certain off-road uses.  Second I got an opportunity to purchase another Riv that really intrigues me, more on that in a future post.

I went through the full catalog of images I made of the Atlantis and decided to throw them all up in one last post.  I can't say enough good things about this bike!

First photo session, frame, fork, headset, bb, crankset, DT cable stops and seatpost... as purchased

Initial (mongrel) build, particualrly the 700C wheelset off my wife's old dept store hybrid.  Mismatched rear derailleur resulted in only 5 working gears in the rear!

Moustache Bars on the Atlantis just feels right.... right?

First extended ride, an Arlington Loop with a jaunt into DC

Parked with the rest of the fam...

Nice random ride up Arlington Ridge on a warm weekend morning, great new-to-me view found

My first Riv-Ride, I'm still pretty amused and happy by my choice of the Sailor and Seaman Memorial for a backdrop to the Atlantis! :)

Back at one of my favorites, the LBJ Memorial Grove

Over at the Velocity Co-Op as I finalized the legit 700C wheel build, nice XT hubs (dyno front) with velocity rims and the Nomad Resist tires.  Pictured here before I even laced up the chain.

Obviously not an S24O outing but a great and very warm fall (Oct) car camping trip that the Atlantis and MB-5 got to come play in, couple short off road rides proved it could be done!

The first night out the bikes got to dew-ey being left outside, so the second night I found this spare bit of blanket to cover them up... trust me, the Atlantis (and MB-5) are under there.  Check out the mist and the cows in the far background!

The Atlantis touring Lake Waccamaw NC

My first coffee outdoors attempt (unsucessful due to several huge omissions in packing) was also at Lake Waccamaw and I rode the Atlantis out on this boardwalk early in the morning.  Great ride!

Second Riv-Ride meet-up

Howard and I swapped bikes briefly on the second Riv-Ride and I caught a rare shot of the Atlantis in action

Another family shot, you'll notice the Trek got drops (noodles), the Atlantis got the Albatross (upright), and the new XO-3 picked up the traditional Mustache bars... the MB-5 is hanging tough with the bullmoose style.

Bethesda Bagels and a meetup with Erl and his 56cm Atlantis (great looking bike!)

One good one with me and the Atlantis on the CCT over Rock Creek Park with Erl

Alba-eye view of the C&O Canal towpath paralleling the CCT

I love the shadow's in this selfie

Monster cross - Fat Tired Atlantis, massive 2.1" Kenda small block eight tires and the front rack/basket/dyno light dressed up the Atlantis in spectacular style for the final couple weeks.

One of my favorite photo's of myself in a while, courtesy of my lovely wife.  We had a ton of fun bombing around the National Mall, me on the Atlantis and her on the MB-5.

Inside looking out from Swing's coffee where I'm picking up my fresh roasted, single origin coffee.

Last look, I'm really happy with the ultimate build I used with this bike. I went through a fun progression and while the 2.1" tires wouldn't have worked for me long term (too much cush for regular road riding) I had an absolute blast with the bike in this configuration.  The front basket with custom light mount was super-sweet and the Albatross bars with B67 saddle made way more sense than I could have imagined.  

Farewell Atlantis!