Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A New Start...A New Direction...A New Outlook for The Future

Another February 22 birthday has come and gone. This one was the 63rd addition. 23,011 days of privileged living so far.

What has the 63rd year of my life brought to me?


  • completed our second year as Las Vegas, Nevada residents
  • moved our 88 year old Aunt from Arizona to Las Vegas so we could oversee her care
  • suffered a 4 day case of food poisoning
  • went back to the east coast for my niece’s wedding
  • vacationed in Glacier National Park with the entire family
  • spent a 2nd summer in Montana and wrenched at the Outdoorsman for a second season
  • observed the 41st anniversary of marriage to my beautiful wife and best friend
  • was taken off all heart medications one year after my August 17, 2009 heart attack and given a clean bill of health by my cardiologist
  • spent the 5th birthday with our oldest granddaughter and saw her enter kindergarten
  • celebrated with our youngest granddaughter and our first grandson on their first birthdays
  • rode 65 miles in the Las Vegas LiveStrong Cancer ride in honor of 20 family and friends
  • took an epic two week trip with Texas friends to Death Valley, Sequoia NP, Yosemite NP, Muir Woods, Point Reyes National Sea Shore, Santa Rosa, the Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Bodie State Historical Park, Mammoth Lakes, Bishop, and the Ancient Bristelcone Pine Forest in the White Mountains
  • found a new Internist and Nutritionist and went on a totally vegan diet that has changed my life and outlook for a healthy future
  • attended the five day USA Cycling Bill Woodul Race Mechanic Clinic at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • passed the USA Cycling certification exams for my USA Cycling Race Mechanic and Race Official licenses
  • had a colon biopsy taken and found out it was cancer free
  • attended my 3rd Park Tool Tech Summit for Pro Bike Mechanics in Long Beach, CA
  • presided as the Chief USA Cycling Race Official at the 2011 Nevada State Downhill Championship and USAC National Qualifier at Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City, Nevada 
  • finished a Fed-to-Feb year of cycling: riding 2,446.31 miles with 137,502 feet of climbing, and spending 177 hours 09 min 37 sec in the saddle
  • finished out the year with a lose of 20 lbs. and a resting heart rate of 46 bpm
All-in all, I've had a pretty good start on the transformation I have planned for myself.  I realize there are no promises or guarantees. I just want to work hard doing my part to live to see my grandchildren grow up and for them to have a lasting memory and sense of who I was. That's my quest for achievable immortality! Planning the work and working the plan. We'll see what the 64th year of my life brings to the table. I still have an extensive bucket list to keep me motivated. Stay tuned for the journey....it includes time across the top tube.




Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Interviewed By Bicycle Retailer

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News








Bicycle Retailer  interviewed me yesterday at the Park Tool Tech Summit. Had no idea I was being interviewed and only found out the reporter was from Bicycle Retailer after I inquired why she was writing down notes on a pad. She got it right for the most part, except for the statement that the Outdoorsman was closed for the winter. Never said that. Did tell her that the shop was on reduced hours during the winter........for the record!

Day 2- Park Tool Tech Summit

It was a short night, even though I decided not to hang out with the twenty-to-thirty something year old bike mechanics attending the summit. No way I’d fit into this group as I couldn’t see myself draped over a bar stool at the local bar here in downtown Long Beach. Anyway, after a quick breakfast, Day 2 of the tech sessions got under way at 8:30am.
In the first session with Rock Shox, I would spend the next three hours tearing down, overhauling, and rebuilding the 32mm SID SL fork and the Monarch 4.2 rear shock. It was a very informative session covering the theory and engineering of the dual flow air spring assembly, the Blackbox Motion Control damper, and shim stack arrangement for tuning to the bike’s frame.


After a lunch break I headed over to the session put on by Shimano. Their three hour class focused on the multi-service approach to shop mechanics and neutral support. 
What it really turned out to be was a potpourri of tricks and tips to accomplishing routine
shop repair and service tasks. Here is a partial list of what was covered:
  • trouble shooting/correcting bad shifting
  • Di2 installation and trouble shooting (not a elegant design from my prospective)
  • XTR brake bleeding
  • causes for brake noise
  • on the bike brake hose trimming to length w/o bleeding
  • brake pad characteristics
  • chainring installation
  • XTR pedal repair
  • perfect chain installation
  • rear derailleur cage replacement w/o spring removal








The final session of the day was done by Calvin Jones, Park Tool, and covered several issues. We discussed the problems associated with the variety of bottom bracket design  standards and trouble shooting disc brake caliper and rotor alignment that sometimes results in rotor noise. We spent some time removing and reinstalling BB cartridge bearings from different types of frames, and then did disc brake frame prep to improve rotor-caliper alignment on IS and post type mounts. Then he introduced the new industry nomenclature and classification system being adopted for headset identification called S.H.I.S. ( Standardized Headset Identification System). Seems appropriate!



Actually found my brain to be in a state of information over load by the end of the 6th class hour today. Had it not been for the coffee break at 3PM my head surely would have  exploded. But, all in all, I picked up some new skills and a clearer mindset about trouble shooting problems I frequently see at the shop in Montana. 
Time well spent! Now time to go home. Have missed the Mrs.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Day 1-Park Tool Tech Summit

Well it's that time of year that I make my annual refresher wrenching pilgrimage to the Park Tool Tech Summit for Professional Bike Mechanics. First off, when I awoke early Sunday morning to go to the airport to catch a flight to Long Beach, CA I was in a fog. But as I soon found out, the fog was literally in Long Beach closing down the airport because the legal FAA minimums for Instrument Flight Rules for ILS approaches were zero-zero. We had already pulled away from the gate on time, but the pilot's flight plan wasn't to fly but to park in a remote part of McCarran on the tarmac out of the way of ramp traffic for the next 2.5 hours. At least we had a view of the casinos along the strip.


I finally got to Long Beach, caught a cab to the hotel, checked in, and headed out to take in some of the local waterfront sights and have lunch. It would be the only free time I'd have while in town. Saw the Queen Mary that is docked on the LA River across from Rainbow Harbor, and toured the Aquarium of The Pacific. It was a great way to spend a few hours. Just sorry I hadn't driven out here from Vegas and brought my single speed to ride along the waterfront.


Queen Mary

Rainbow Harbor
 Well, this morning rolled around early. The Tech Summit had a breakfast for us at 7:30am and classes started at 8:30am. My first session was with SRAM techs to learn how to overhaul and conduct bleed service on the new Elixir CR and Code 5 disc brake systems.




Then we learned to trouble shoot the brake levers and procedures for changing out the brake levers ir replacement were necessary. Finally have a fix for brake rotor noise that some of our Montana customers were having with the new 2010 Elixir C and CR products. Will pass that info along.
In the Fox session we did a complete overhaul on the 2011 Talus 4 fork. We disassembled and rebuilt both the compression cartridge and rebound assemblies.



In the class conducted by FSA, we were shown how to trouble shoot and correct bottom bracket alignment issues, how to remove, overhaul, and reinstall serviceable cartridge BB bearings. FSA showed us the newly developed Vision TT aero bars and Metron end bar shifters. These shifters are SH7900 compatible and are a dream to install, adjust, and use. If I were a TT racer, I'd run with these bad boys. Shifter only requires the movement of one finger and no wrist movement at all.

I wind up the Tech Summit tomorrow with Rock Shox 2011 front suspension overhaul; Shimano multi-service tips for brakes, shifters, drive trains, derailleurs, and XTR brake bleeding; and an in depth overview of the new BB30 standards.

Now, it's time to study my class materials for tomorrow.  Going back home with more tools in the tool box for our Outdoorsman customers.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

All Was Well...Until The Weather Went South....or Was It East?

I was on a roll before the latest foul weather moved into the Las Vegas Valley. My last ride was five days ago when temps here were nearly 60 degrees. I rode without any base layers just like it was a Spring or early Summer's day. Since Jan 30th we have had five consecutive days of outrageous winds and very cold temps for the Mojave desert.

Along my Red Rock Canyon Training Route

Below is the Garmin log summary for the last 14 rides I managed to get in before the weather got ugly. Now that that storm system has moved east and dumped its ice and snow on the eastern US, our local forecast is looking up once again. The next  five days are supposed to be in the upper 50s and low 60s with plenty of sunshine. Maybe I can continue working on my tan lines again.

14 Training Rides
445.11 miles ridden
23,844 feet of climbing
29hr32min38sec across the top tube

Ride to Live................Live to Ride


The Zen Cyclist Has Gone Vegan

It isn't for everyone, but at the suggestion of my nutritionist I have tested the Vegan lifestyle for the last 78 days. Let me just say, if you want to drop some weight in a gradual fashion and at the same time significantly improve your blood chemistry, have more energy, and feel stronger and more alert, then adopt a vegan diet.

In the 11 weeks on a strict "true" vegan regime, coupled with cycling, I have dropped 15lbs effortlessly. And, my recent blood labs that my doctor went over with me today showed terrifically improved metabolic and lipid panel profiles. My total cholesterol dropped 29%, my HDL (the good cholesterol) increased by 11%, and my LDL (the bad cholesterol) was cut by 50%. The lifestyle change is working.

I feel great. I was a voracious carnivore before. But now, I'm a convert and am committed to this lifestyle change. I have one goal and one goal only that drives me to succeed, to stay on this earth long enough that my grandchildren will forever remember who I was and how much I loved them. Man, how I love it when a plan comes together. There are never any guarantees in life. Anything can happen and it usually does. But, all I can do is my best day-after-day to achieve my goals. 

I want to ride my bike more, drop more weight, and love my family like there is no tomorrow.

The committee in my head is still in full celebratory mode, but I just made a request that they tone it down a bit so I can get on with my day. 

Ride to Live...Live to Ride