I now own two road bikes. The bikes are pictured below. Click on the photo and see the full bike. I have yet to master posting photos, so be patient.
1983 Nishiki Cresta
The first photo is of my 1983 Nishiki Cresta, purchased from Daniel Boone Cycles in Houston. The purchase was in the Spring of 1984. Over the years, I've put at least 8,000 miles on the bike. It remains mostly original. The rear derailleur was replaced in 1986 with a Sun Tour XC 4000. I've no recollection of what originally came on the bike other than it too was a Sun Tour, but not very good. The saddle is not original, but is the same model. The original Avocet Touring I saddle was black, the replacement a honey color. The bike set up for about 9 years, not ridden and somewhat exposed to the elements, the bike suffered little damage and cleaned up nicely.
The touring geometry of the Cresta makes for a gentle ride, but it isn't the best at cornering and quick maneuvers. I love to ride the bike, but wanted something a bit quicker and lighter. Thus, the next bike.
1987 Centurion Lemans RS
The second bike pictures is a recent acquisition. Its a 1987 Centurion Lemans RS, considered a good mid-range bike produced by Centurion, later to become Diamondback, for the US market. Its original except for the saddle and new handlebar tape. Dérailleurs are Shimano Light Action, which I'm told is an unpolished version of the 105. After a set of new tires, cleaning, and oiling, the bike rode great. It met my expectations, not the least of which was a pocket book that cannot afford new bikes.
So far, the Centurion hasn't been out on the road as often as I would like. I'm not fond of high heat and humidity, common in Houston and the heat has been higher than normal, even for my town. The last week, rain has kept me off the road. Also, I'm not typically and early riser, so morning rides haven't been happening. Hopefully, that will change next week. During the school year, I get my grandson ready for school. He's now 5 and starts kindergarten this fall. I'll be getting up early, have 5 or so hours before he comes home, and plan to begin riding at least one hour a day.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
1983 Nishiki Cresta
Original except for rear dérailleur replaced in 1986 with a Sun Tour XC 4000, saddle(original was a black Avocet Tour I, this is the same model in honey). I'm the original owner, purchased new from Daniel Boone's Cyclery, Houston, Tx 1984.
1987 Centurion Lemans RS
Original with Shimano Light Action dérailleurs, Shimano Bio-Pace chainrings, and Araya rims. Replaced the original seat with a Koobie, installed new bar tape, same color as original.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Looking at a new (used) bike
I've been trying to get a new stem for my Nishiki so that I can raise the handle bars. My favorite shop ordered one, but they sent him one too long for the head tube on my bike. He let me take it home to try, but it wouldn't work. So, I took it back. He deals mainly in used bikes, some new neighborhood rides, and BMX stuff.
One of the used bikes is a Centurion Le Mans RS with Shimano Biopace chainwheels. I'be been looking at it for a while now. We aired up the tires and I took it for a spin. The bike performed well, especially for a 21 year old bike. The top tube was a bit friendly with a certain part of my anatomy, but the reach was fine. It felt great to be one the bike. Unfortunately, the rear tire went flat halfway through the ride. That happens when you're a bit heavy and the tires are old.
Good price on the bike, so I may buy it. The Centurion is lighter than my Nishiki and better set up for fitness riding. I will not let go of the Nishiki, but its always nice to have another bike or two. It will join my Nishiki and Gary Fisher, along with the 6 or so bikes that belong to my sons, girlfriend of one of the sons and my wife.
One of the used bikes is a Centurion Le Mans RS with Shimano Biopace chainwheels. I'be been looking at it for a while now. We aired up the tires and I took it for a spin. The bike performed well, especially for a 21 year old bike. The top tube was a bit friendly with a certain part of my anatomy, but the reach was fine. It felt great to be one the bike. Unfortunately, the rear tire went flat halfway through the ride. That happens when you're a bit heavy and the tires are old.
Good price on the bike, so I may buy it. The Centurion is lighter than my Nishiki and better set up for fitness riding. I will not let go of the Nishiki, but its always nice to have another bike or two. It will join my Nishiki and Gary Fisher, along with the 6 or so bikes that belong to my sons, girlfriend of one of the sons and my wife.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
12 miles Wednesday
Well, the air conditioner crisis is over. We managed to get the fan circuit board on the air handler repaired for a relatively small amount, hopefully less than $300...the exact size of the stimulus check I received Tuesday, what do you know.
I managed to get back on the bike this afternoon for a 12 mile ride. It went well, though, as usual, Houston is hot and humid, even at 6 in the evening. The encouraging part of the ride was the fact that, even with a lay off of several days, the ride didn't tire me excessively. That's great considering my training program is only about a month old. Yes, I'm calling it a training program, though it hasn't been formalized. The intention is to become strong enough to ride a century in the fall, no later than the Spring of '09.
When I first returned to biking, I rode the greenbelt paved trails. But, the trails make a lot of cutesy turns and curves, have too many walkers, joggers, and slow bikers, and aren't made for much speed. I'm not riding that fast yet, usually 13-15 mph with periods of 17-20 mph, but that's too fast for the trails. So, I moved to the streets last week. And, I'm finding that to be a very good choice.
So far, I find Kingwood drivers to accept cyclists very well. I'm not riding the major thoroughfares, the difference in speed between me and the cars is too great considering the traffic and, with the roads being curved, there's no shoulder or easy place to dump if there is a problem. But, I've found a number of back streets that get me through the subdivision. Sometimes, I'll switch to the trials for a short stretch, mainly to connect to another street or to go under one of the thoroughfares . There are a number of pedestrian tunnels tht cross under the major roadways.
In the short time I've ridden the streets, only one driver has taken issue with my being in the road. He was incensed at me for having the audacity to use the left lane to turn left. It seems my taking the lane for the turn slowed him down. One other driver was impatient on a narrow road with no shoulder because I was riding over toward the middle because of potholes and a badly uneven surface near the edge of the road. Strangely, there was no traffic and he could have gone around, which he finally did after blowing his horn a number fo times. Hopefully, the good situation I've experienced to this point will continue as I go forward with my program.
I managed to get back on the bike this afternoon for a 12 mile ride. It went well, though, as usual, Houston is hot and humid, even at 6 in the evening. The encouraging part of the ride was the fact that, even with a lay off of several days, the ride didn't tire me excessively. That's great considering my training program is only about a month old. Yes, I'm calling it a training program, though it hasn't been formalized. The intention is to become strong enough to ride a century in the fall, no later than the Spring of '09.
When I first returned to biking, I rode the greenbelt paved trails. But, the trails make a lot of cutesy turns and curves, have too many walkers, joggers, and slow bikers, and aren't made for much speed. I'm not riding that fast yet, usually 13-15 mph with periods of 17-20 mph, but that's too fast for the trails. So, I moved to the streets last week. And, I'm finding that to be a very good choice.
So far, I find Kingwood drivers to accept cyclists very well. I'm not riding the major thoroughfares, the difference in speed between me and the cars is too great considering the traffic and, with the roads being curved, there's no shoulder or easy place to dump if there is a problem. But, I've found a number of back streets that get me through the subdivision. Sometimes, I'll switch to the trials for a short stretch, mainly to connect to another street or to go under one of the thoroughfares . There are a number of pedestrian tunnels tht cross under the major roadways.
In the short time I've ridden the streets, only one driver has taken issue with my being in the road. He was incensed at me for having the audacity to use the left lane to turn left. It seems my taking the lane for the turn slowed him down. One other driver was impatient on a narrow road with no shoulder because I was riding over toward the middle because of potholes and a badly uneven surface near the edge of the road. Strangely, there was no traffic and he could have gone around, which he finally did after blowing his horn a number fo times. Hopefully, the good situation I've experienced to this point will continue as I go forward with my program.
The best commuter/urban bike
This appeals to me as absolutely the best commuting bike I've seen. Great for taking care of those obnoxious drivers who run you off the road, yell get back on the sidewalk, or throw stuff at you.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
No ride today
I wanted to get out and ride today, but life interfered. The blower fan in the air conditioner burned out, so spent a good part of the day looking up and trying to get a repair person to respond, not an easy task on a holiday weekend.
I did manage to get out to a bike store in my area. The guy who owns the store and is the sole worker is a former BMX racer grown to middle age. He runs the place on a shoestring. His shop is in the front of the lot his home sits on, the building was free. He and his brother moved it into place from the business next door. Mostly, he does repair work and sells used bicycles. There are a few new GT bikes and adult trikes at the shop. The bikes are of the adult comfort type and low end BMX. But, he will order most anything in his catalogs.
My purpose in going to the store was to see if he had a used stem for my Nishiki. I've determined I need to raise the height of the bars. I'm not into speed these days, my back ain't the same as it was 24 years ago when I bought the bike, and by raising the bars, I believe the set up will be more comfortable. Alas, he had nothing either in his used parts box or his bicycle graveyard that worked and looked decent. But, he was able to order a new stem at a good price, much better than that of upscale bike shops prevalent in my area. It makes one feel good to spend money both where the price is right and you know its going directly into the hands of the person who will use the money to feed his family as well as his business.
That bicycle grave yard has possibilities for further exploration. There were a few bikes that looked as though they would make fine fixed gear or single speed bikes. I'm not too much into that, but may consider it in the future. Other possibilities include some of the used bikes he has for sale. One of the bikes definitely caught my eye. Its a Centurion Lemans RS. The bike is in good condition and the price is right. I may take him up on it and add it to my collection.
I did manage to get out to a bike store in my area. The guy who owns the store and is the sole worker is a former BMX racer grown to middle age. He runs the place on a shoestring. His shop is in the front of the lot his home sits on, the building was free. He and his brother moved it into place from the business next door. Mostly, he does repair work and sells used bicycles. There are a few new GT bikes and adult trikes at the shop. The bikes are of the adult comfort type and low end BMX. But, he will order most anything in his catalogs.
My purpose in going to the store was to see if he had a used stem for my Nishiki. I've determined I need to raise the height of the bars. I'm not into speed these days, my back ain't the same as it was 24 years ago when I bought the bike, and by raising the bars, I believe the set up will be more comfortable. Alas, he had nothing either in his used parts box or his bicycle graveyard that worked and looked decent. But, he was able to order a new stem at a good price, much better than that of upscale bike shops prevalent in my area. It makes one feel good to spend money both where the price is right and you know its going directly into the hands of the person who will use the money to feed his family as well as his business.
That bicycle grave yard has possibilities for further exploration. There were a few bikes that looked as though they would make fine fixed gear or single speed bikes. I'm not too much into that, but may consider it in the future. Other possibilities include some of the used bikes he has for sale. One of the bikes definitely caught my eye. Its a Centurion Lemans RS. The bike is in good condition and the price is right. I may take him up on it and add it to my collection.
Independence Day Ride
It was late in the morning when I hit the road, about 11:45. The first part of my ride, about 5 miles, took me to the Kingwood boat ramp. As an avid fisherman, I always like to see what's going on at the lake. Unfortunately, most users of the ramp on weekends, especially holiday weekends, are wake boarders and the jet ski crowd. That was obviously true today from a glance at the parking area. The trailers and tow vehicles were almost all large behemoths meant for pulling that big wake boat or the little jet ski trailers. Surprisingly, there was very little action on the water front. I guess most were on down stream burning fuel.
Sadly, our ramp will be overrun this summer with those craft. With the cost of gas as high as it is now, those who formerly would have made the 50 or so mile drive to Lake Conroe are staying close to home. Lake Houston for Kingwood residents has become a substitute. In spite of the ramp being only seven miles from the the farthest point in Kingwood, most preferred the long drive to Conroe and its more aesthetic environment. Poor old Lake Houston, with its siltation problems and off-color water caused by upstream sand mining that's unregulated, just wasn't good enough.
For some of us, though, we found much on the lake to love. I've paddled my kayaks and canoes over much of the upper end of the lake. Its full of wildlife. I seldom fail to see deer on the islands in the lake. There is at least one pair of nesting bald eagles residing on the lake, and plenty of Osprey. During the winter, there are a couple of rookeries of Turkey Buzzards, one of which, to the chagrin of one affluent gated communty, is withing close pooping distance. Then, there are the flocks of white pelicans that winter over on the lake. These huge birds have great grace. I love to watch them land and take off. Even more interesting is their feeding behavior. Unlike the brown pelican I was more familiar with, the whites don't seem to be a diving bird. Large groupings of the birds herd the prey bait fish in a circular fashion and scoop them up.
Back to the infernal boats and jet skis, while, for the most part, they don't, as on some lakes, go out of their way to annoy fishermen and small craft, their wakes do not make for a pleasant day on the lake, unless your love to surf the wakes in a kayak or canoe. I guess, though, they get at least one blue star. By staying close to home, they burn less gas...or do they? That means they also get more time on the water and the boats burn a lot more fuel per hour than even the largest SUV.
After a short time in the ramp area, during which I talked to a guy trying out his new one man flats boat...nice rig powered by a trolling motor...and a couple of kayakers, I moved on. As I left the ramp area, I noticed dark clouds in the southwest. After about a mile ride, the winds picked up and the skies darkened. Still 4 miles from home, I continued on my ride. I switched from the road to a multi-use trail...Kingwood has 75 or so miles of those...and followed it to go under Kingwood Drive, one of the major thoroughfares. The wind picked up more, with pine needles blowing everywhere, even getting stuck between my helmet and glasses. I made it to the shelter of one of the subdivison pool houses to wait out the rain. It came in buckets, lasting about 30 minutes. I had a good talk with one of the lifeguards at the pool, a high school freshman and learned that the pool wasn't used much by residents. Its small and in a neighborhood of relatively affluent homeowners,many of whom have their own pools.
After the rain slacked off to a drizzle, I headed the three miles to the house, cutting short an intended 15 mile ride. The total mileage for the day was almost 11 miles, not bad for a rainy 4th. My old Nishiki performed well. Guess I need to check the chain lube before heading out on the 5 th.
Sadly, our ramp will be overrun this summer with those craft. With the cost of gas as high as it is now, those who formerly would have made the 50 or so mile drive to Lake Conroe are staying close to home. Lake Houston for Kingwood residents has become a substitute. In spite of the ramp being only seven miles from the the farthest point in Kingwood, most preferred the long drive to Conroe and its more aesthetic environment. Poor old Lake Houston, with its siltation problems and off-color water caused by upstream sand mining that's unregulated, just wasn't good enough.
For some of us, though, we found much on the lake to love. I've paddled my kayaks and canoes over much of the upper end of the lake. Its full of wildlife. I seldom fail to see deer on the islands in the lake. There is at least one pair of nesting bald eagles residing on the lake, and plenty of Osprey. During the winter, there are a couple of rookeries of Turkey Buzzards, one of which, to the chagrin of one affluent gated communty, is withing close pooping distance. Then, there are the flocks of white pelicans that winter over on the lake. These huge birds have great grace. I love to watch them land and take off. Even more interesting is their feeding behavior. Unlike the brown pelican I was more familiar with, the whites don't seem to be a diving bird. Large groupings of the birds herd the prey bait fish in a circular fashion and scoop them up.
Back to the infernal boats and jet skis, while, for the most part, they don't, as on some lakes, go out of their way to annoy fishermen and small craft, their wakes do not make for a pleasant day on the lake, unless your love to surf the wakes in a kayak or canoe. I guess, though, they get at least one blue star. By staying close to home, they burn less gas...or do they? That means they also get more time on the water and the boats burn a lot more fuel per hour than even the largest SUV.
After a short time in the ramp area, during which I talked to a guy trying out his new one man flats boat...nice rig powered by a trolling motor...and a couple of kayakers, I moved on. As I left the ramp area, I noticed dark clouds in the southwest. After about a mile ride, the winds picked up and the skies darkened. Still 4 miles from home, I continued on my ride. I switched from the road to a multi-use trail...Kingwood has 75 or so miles of those...and followed it to go under Kingwood Drive, one of the major thoroughfares. The wind picked up more, with pine needles blowing everywhere, even getting stuck between my helmet and glasses. I made it to the shelter of one of the subdivison pool houses to wait out the rain. It came in buckets, lasting about 30 minutes. I had a good talk with one of the lifeguards at the pool, a high school freshman and learned that the pool wasn't used much by residents. Its small and in a neighborhood of relatively affluent homeowners,many of whom have their own pools.
After the rain slacked off to a drizzle, I headed the three miles to the house, cutting short an intended 15 mile ride. The total mileage for the day was almost 11 miles, not bad for a rainy 4th. My old Nishiki performed well. Guess I need to check the chain lube before heading out on the 5 th.
Friday, July 4, 2008
First post
Not a lot to report at this time. After a long layoff, I've returned to bicycling. My bikes include a Nishiki Cresta touring bike, 1983 model of which I'm the original owner and a 1996 Gary Fisher Xcaliber mountain bike I picked up for a very very low price. Both bikes, despite neglect over the past few years, are in very good shape. So far, I've only replaced tires on both. The bottom bracket on the Nishiki was rebuilt and the chain replaced. I also replaced the seat on the Nishiki, having found a duplicate of the original seat, only in a different color, tan rather than black.
My oldest son, a mountain bike aficionado, turned up his nose when I replaced the tires on the Gary Fisher with slicks, but I don't see myself as knocking about on the trails. The GF will see duty primarily as my rainy day and utility bike.
I've been back riding about a month. Long years ago, I put in about 150 miles per week riding primarily for exercise. While that is certainly a reason for getting back on my bikes, its not the only one. I plan on using the bikes for short trips of up to 10 miles shopping and the like. Assuming I can figure it out, I plan on building a trailer to haul my canoes and kayaks to the nearby lake for paddling and fishing. The GF also serves as the tow vehicle for the trailer I pull Drake, my five year old grandson in when we go to the park. Drake lives with me and his MeMa.
Of course, one of the reasons for my return to bicycling is losing weight. I ballooned to 250 lbs on a 5'9" frame. That has to come off. But, at this point, I'll not include serious dieting with the exercise routine. Basically, I find that, as I increase my exercise level, the diet improves and I lose weight. Past experience with heavy diet/exercise routines have resulted in lots of weight loss, but I'm not one to keep up a diet for long. Hopefully, healthier eating will supplant the need to diet.
For now, I'm attempting to ride 10+ miles three to five times a week, with one of the rides being a long ride. I'll move that distance up, especially with cooler fall weather and to meet my goal of riding a century, hopefully in October. By Spring, I will attempt short tours of 50-150 miles if all goes well.
My oldest son, a mountain bike aficionado, turned up his nose when I replaced the tires on the Gary Fisher with slicks, but I don't see myself as knocking about on the trails. The GF will see duty primarily as my rainy day and utility bike.
I've been back riding about a month. Long years ago, I put in about 150 miles per week riding primarily for exercise. While that is certainly a reason for getting back on my bikes, its not the only one. I plan on using the bikes for short trips of up to 10 miles shopping and the like. Assuming I can figure it out, I plan on building a trailer to haul my canoes and kayaks to the nearby lake for paddling and fishing. The GF also serves as the tow vehicle for the trailer I pull Drake, my five year old grandson in when we go to the park. Drake lives with me and his MeMa.
Of course, one of the reasons for my return to bicycling is losing weight. I ballooned to 250 lbs on a 5'9" frame. That has to come off. But, at this point, I'll not include serious dieting with the exercise routine. Basically, I find that, as I increase my exercise level, the diet improves and I lose weight. Past experience with heavy diet/exercise routines have resulted in lots of weight loss, but I'm not one to keep up a diet for long. Hopefully, healthier eating will supplant the need to diet.
For now, I'm attempting to ride 10+ miles three to five times a week, with one of the rides being a long ride. I'll move that distance up, especially with cooler fall weather and to meet my goal of riding a century, hopefully in October. By Spring, I will attempt short tours of 50-150 miles if all goes well.
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