Combo Challenge ride #2

 

I almost didn't ride today but decided to buck up and get ride #2 in today.

Like last week this is a place I have not been to on previous coffeeneuring rides.  I had a small Mocha.

It was a misty day but I was fortunate not to get rained on.  I still feel like I am riding with one lung tied behind my back so doing any sort of distance is still difficult but I am hoping I will feel better as time goes on and can add distance to complete the clunker part of the challenge.

I also got to see some leaves turning adding some nice color my short ride.

The data:

1. Where: West Bay Coffee
2. Date: October 18th at 3:30 pm.
3. Consumed:  8 oz Mocha
4. Details:  Misty fall day, it was a drive through so I kept the bike with me
5. Mileage: 3 miles
6. Bike Used: 1986 Shogun Prairie Breaker I

Ride a clunker to coffee, smile, repeat.

Combo Challenge ride #1

 

I spent Friday finishing up the rear hub, and then doing the bottom bracket.

I even took time to clean up the back of the filthy crankset and by the end of the day all 4 bearings had been cleaned and got new grease although I kept the existing bearings, they just got thoroughly cleaned. 

I had some issues with the rear tube but got that patched and sorted and the bike is ready for the combo challenge.  Since I am still sucking wind and I haven't really test ridden the bike yet the first ride will be the Coffeeneuring minimum of 2 miles just to see how things shake out.

I choose a new coffee shop just down the street from me so most of my riding came before the coffee.   I did ok considering, my wind isn't anywhere near where I would like it but its better than it was a week ago so I'll take it.  I didn't get a picture but I had a zesty westy which is orange zest and dark chocolate, it was good but I hadn't really thought things through as I couldn't sit inside but fortunately they had a bench outside and it was mostly sunny out.  Two miles is only 3.2 kilometers so I have a ways to go but I am on the board.  

The saddle height and position could use some dialing in and the FW is noisy despite my spraying tri-flow into it while dealing with the rear hub bearings but the overall fit and size of the bike feels fine.  We shall see how I feel after some longer rides.

The data:

1. Where: Youngstown Coffee.
2. Date: October 10th at 2:15 pm.
3. Consumed:  Zesty Westy - orange zest and dark chocolate
4. Details:  Gorgeous fall day, no rack parked bike in front of shop
5. Mileage: 2 miles
6. Bike Used: 1986 Shogun Prairie Breaker I

Ride a clunker. Drink Coffee. Smile. Repeat.

Combo Challenge and Shogun update

 

We are on the cusp of Coffeeneuring 2020 and the clunker challenge is still in effect until the first week of November so I figured why not do both on the Shogun?

Before I get into what I have been doing to the Shogun to prepare for the Combo Challenge I will update other developments in the fleet;

Univega

Sold last month for $200, I did something I never do which was I delivered the bike.  I felt in late September as summer was waning that the crazy COVID bike market was drying up so I figured delivering it in order to get $200 was a fair trade.  Doubled my investment on this bike.

Giant

The part out route was not my first choice for this bike but I did eventually get $200 out of it and ended up covering my costs and even making a small amount.

Trek 420 (II)

The 420 did end up being too small for my friend and although I toyed with using it as a trainer bike myself I decided instead to just clean it up a bit, make it a functional project and sell it cheap.  I ended up making $10 and the guy buying it seemed pleased with the purchase so it all worked out..

Shogun

Since  I am doing two challenges in one I figured that servicing the bearings was necessary on the Shogun.  In addition the 10 days of horrible  air quality did a number on my lungs to the point where just walking around the block required multiple stops to catch my breath.  Fortunately things are improving but since I wasn't going to be riding this week it made sense to deal with the bearings.

First however I had to deal with a filthy bike, its not exactly clean now but its better and I don't get dirty just looking at it.

There was also splotchy rust one one fork blade so it got the naval jelly, brass wire brush and then nail polish treatment.  

With dirt and rust dealt with I could tackle the headset bearings, I had to do this with the cabling still in place but it was doable, the grease was present but old so it was nice to clean it all up and get fresh grease applied.

Since I had to do the headset with the cabling in place I found yet another use for a toe strap, it held the bull moose bars suspended from the top tube while I dealt with the headset and allowed me to keep all the cables in place.

I also replaced the absent front reflector with one from my stash of parts.

Finally I dealt with front wheel, the bearings were way too tight although the grease wasn't bad but it got cleaned up, new grease, trued up and finally a new Schwable Jet city tire.  I thought about using the original tires but because I am doing two challenges and the new tires still keep me (barely) under the clunker challenge $100 budget and my experience with old knobby 26" tires is they aren't really comfortable.

Once the combo challenge is done I have some toys for the Shogun; VO leather saddle, barely used chain and 6 speed wide range FW, Ergon grips, new cables and housing, sneaker pedals and tires.   Tires?  but Ryan you just bought new tires??!  well I really wanted some gum walls and after searching around I came across these Maxxis DTH 26 x 2.25 tires, not cheap but on bike forums these tires get lots of favorable comments and I have seen them on builds an really like how they look.  My thought on the Schwables I am currently using on the Shogun is that they may go on a bargain MTB I am yet to find for a quick clean up and flip.

Ride. Buy too many tires. Smile. Repeat.

Eight is Great: Coffeeneuring 2019 extra credit

In honor of it being the 8th year of the Coffeeneuring challenge there is an optional Eight is Great ride that you can do this year.  I figured what the heck.  Although the HD is not vintage it is vintage inspired with its: steel frame, lugged fork, bar end shifters in friction mode, Nitto bars and Brooks B.17 saddle.  It is also the 8th different bike I rode in the challenge this year.  If I hadn't sold 3 of the bikes I used in this years challenge my apartment would be overrun with bikes!

I decided for ride #8 to treat myself to Bakery Nouveau a local, award winning French bakery that has spoiled me for croissants.

But that isn't all they have, the above is just one of the cases in the shop and there are no bad choices.  I went with something I hadn't had before but have noticed on my last few trips

It sounded like Queen Aman when they pronouced it and it didn't disappoint.

I had a latte to go with my pastry and it was decent but not as good as the other places I have been this challenge, however you don't come here for the coffee and the pastry was excellent.  I also remembered my patches this time!

Parking was decent but there is nothing right out front, the store is down where those white tables and chairs on the sidewalk are.  It wasn't sunny but it did not rain. 

The data:

1. Where: Bakery Nouveau, 4737 California Ave SW, Seattle WA 98116
2. Date: November 14th  at 10:20 am.
3. Consumed:  latte and Kouign Amann pastry
4. Details:  Cloudy, 50 degrees, bike parking down the block from entrance
5. Mileage: 2. miles
6. Bike Used: 2009 Handsome Devil

Ride. Caffeinate for extra credit. Smile. Repeat

Coffeeneuring Challenge 2019: Ride 7: Brews & Blends at Whole Foods

 Another lovely fall day for the final ride of Coffeeneuring 2019.  And my last vintage ride is the 87 Cresta GT, it was nice to get out on the Cresta as it is the bike I have the most invested in and I will be adding to that soon when I put on some fenders this winter.

The coffee shop is where those windows are just over my handlebars, had I been a bit more fortunate in my seating choice I could have kept and eye on the bike while sipping, as it was I locked it up and hoped for the best.

My final choice for coffee was Whole Foods,  its only been open in my neighborhood for about a month and this was my first visit and the first non repeat coffee shop for this year.

I was excited to find out that the coffee shop in the store does both coffee and juice since I am planning to start doing a juice fast soon and on those days I am tired of making my own I can come here to get some.

I went with the classic mocha and croissant which were both good, the coffee shop was fine but it didn't make you forget you were in a grocery store, a very upscale grocery store but still.   While I didn't meet my original goal of getting out of the neighborhood for coffee, I did ride a different vintage steel bike for every ride and 3 of the 7 are now sold!

The data:

1. Where: Brews and Blend, 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW.  Seattle, WA 98116
2. Date: November 5th  at 2:20 am.
3. Consumed:  mocha and croissant 
4. Details:  Sunny, 50 degrees, bike parking around the corner from entrance
5. Mileage: 2.45 miles
6. Bike Used: 1987 Nishiki Cresta GT

Ride. Caffeinate. Smile. Repeat

Coffeeneuring Challenge 2019: Ride 6: Realfine Coffee

Today's ride was a bit different.  I needed to drop off my car for some brake work and since I had the bike (520) in the car I rode it from the repair shop to coffee and then home.  I went to Realfine, which is a nice little shop just not the easiest to access, minimally parking off a busy road,  but since I was a block away to start with it was easy enough to get to.

The coffee and croissant were very good and the space is nice but doesn't really invite you to hang out although if you need a haircut there is a barbershop adjoining.  One upside to having way too many bikes is that you can have a designated leave in the car bike and in that way the Trek 520 has gotten a number of rides in this fall.  Soon the 520 will go into the repair stand for its long over due spa treatment.

Fortunately by the time I was riding home from coffee morning rush hour had died down, the sky was blue but it was cold enough I wished for full fingered gloves rather than the finger less ones I had, oh well.  The payoff for the cold temps is the trees are still in brilliant fall colors. 

It was nice getting through 6 rides in the first 3 weeks now I have 3 weeks to do one last ride.  The Cresta GT needs its front brakes adjusted to get rid of an annoying squeal and I have been putting that off so now that we are down to ride 7 that will be my incentive to get it fixed so I can finish off Coffeenuring 2019.

The data:

1. Where: Realfine Coffee, 4480 Fauntleroy Way SW Seattle 98126
2. Date: October 30th at 8:20 am.
3. Consumed:  mocha and croissant 
4. Details:  Sunny, 40 degrees, no bike parking to be had but there are poles to chain to
5. Mileage: 2.5 miles
6. Bike Used: 1987 Trek 520 Cirrus

Ride. Caffeinate. Smile. Repeat