It wasn't as pretty a picture as the photo on the left might indicate when I was forced to close the bike shop in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  Our quality of service was excellent including custom bike builds and lots of repair work.  With a population of approximately twenty five thousand and being the only bike shop in town we would get darn busy at times.  The bike industry can be pretty tough to make a living at as is most small business ventures which often require unrelenting attention and focus to succeed.  

It was a very slow and painful process lasting approximately seven years of rebuilding a body and mind which had been so traumatized by incidents which will not be explained.  I also needed to redefine my association with bikes and my love of riding, though it has been my love of riding a bike and the loving support of friends and family which has been the most redeeming factors of my and our newly acquired successes.  I don't like to think about those past events much nor have I necessarily enjoyed acknowledging many of the mistakes I had made.  That having been said what I am taking from that failure is not only that I had many successes at that shop but that any and all residual tormenting is done.  How did that happen? Because I said so.  That's what is meant by the phrase "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".  I would elaborate on the "strength" part as meaning inner peace, joy and balance which ironically are all experienced when I ride.  Just as ironically is that I didn't "have" to ride to get here however the bike remains a treasured asset to ensure these qualities are easily maintained.  

Most folks can relate to how moving forward in life necessitates letting go of the past so the timing of recently receiving an email like this one has helped with that process. So, I thought I'd give it a "blog about" by including the press release provided by the League City Small Business Award.  Click on photo of awarded plaque for a description of the award or read the press release in its' entirety below. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bike Tourings Receives 2015 Best of League City Award

League City Award Program Honors the Achievement

LEAGUE CITY July 2, 2015 -- Bike Tourings has been selected for the 2015 Best of League City Award in the Bike Touring and Commuting Information category by the League City Award Program.

Each year, the League City Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the League City area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 League City Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the League City Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About League City Award Program

The League City Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the League City area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The League City Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: League City Award Program

CONTACT:
League City Award Program
Email: [email protected]
URL: http://www.awardcontact.org

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A very fun site for photos of interesting cabins and other types of structures has featured a photo of my old property in Colorado.  Cabin Porn  provides fun and interesting photos of a variety of cabin and rustic type structures.  So today I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had published one of my earlier blog articles about a cabin and bath house I had finished building for some folks in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  I learned of the site by way of Aistair Humphrey's blog post A Shed of My Own where he discusses the joys of building one's own little structure.  

I have very fond memories of my old place in Colorado having grown food that I shared with friends, neighbors and travelers as well as having become a hard core bike commuter.  Having lived off grid for three years and commuting on my mountain bike approximately ten miles each way those winters spent on the bike in an early morning or early evening chill weren't as challenging as most folks imagine it was.  I have very fond memories of riding my bike through some of the most beautiful winter wonderland scenes that I remember taking a moment to stop on my bike felt a deep inner strength and knowledge that can best be described as gratitude for having the opportunity to experience that moment.  

Now that it's spring and folks are gearing up for their bike touring plans it's a good time to mention especially for those not familiar with the bike touring community at warmshowers.org.  If you're someone new to the bike touring scene I recommend clicking on the link provided, sign up and you will get an idea of the kind and energetic folks that contribute to Warm Showers providing a community for bike tourists and folks offering a place for you to sleep by providing tent space, a guest bed or couch and a shower.  It's one of the best ideas to incorporate into your trip planning as a way to meet and interact with fellow bike touring enthusiasts along the way.

I mention this because while living off grid a warm shower was something I was very grateful to have particularly in the winter.  Summers were easy and I often would simply use a Solar Shower which can best be described as a large thick plastic and or rubber five gallon bag that is warmed by the sun then placed off the ground so that a miniature shower head can be used.  It worked quite well and I enjoyed bathing under the pine trees.  

I have since moved on, Colorado was a place of mixed memories some good, some bad and of course some indifferent.  I hope whoever picks up that property continues to offer the same kind hospitable atmosphere I had intended for the place.  As I continue with an off grid lifestyle with our dome workshop I am often reminded of some of the old challenges I would face and grateful I don't have to deal with them any longer.  Here in League City, TX we offer tent space for bike touring enthusiasts via warmshowers.org as well as being able to provide healthy organic foods from our Natural Living Country Store at shopnaturalliving.com. 

Looking for a portable, lightweight and convenient method of getting a quick rinse while bike camping?  A new solar shower bag in photo at left comes in a 2.5 gallon capacity, packs small and is lightweight.  Very well reviewed item that comes with a one year warranty.  Click here for more information or to purchase 

Another May, another year and bikes are being pedaled like never before in my short time thus far on the planet.  Advocacy groups have done so much to benefit transportation habits in many major cities in the U.S. Considering how much has changed in the past twenty years or so there's good reason to say Cheers!

It's a good month to be grateful and the month of May has been a particularly good month for me thus far.  We had a very nice Mother's Day celebration, been visiting with an old friend and my bikes are ready to ride.  Was able to finish the task of spring cleaning at the Natural Living Store and although our Pup ate a few pounds of organic ground beef off the grill we still had a very nice time.

Speaking of spring cleaning I rather enjoy getting our assorted bikes cleaned, lubed and serviced for the months ahead.  Although summers are typically very warm and humid here in South Texas I still intend to get some good riding in.  With the variety of bike events this month and memories of participating in varying ways over the years I got the urge to create a personal blog for reminiscing on some of those times while moving forward to create more fond memories and began a personal blog "Bike Memoirs" .  Please click on that underlined link provided as I would enjoy hearing any comments regarding short bit of content.

Any contribution to our National Bike Folk community is good stuff.  Would enjoy hearing how others' have participated in the 2014 National Bike Month. Whatever that is, enjoy.    

While test riding some new handlebars a friend described them as "not as forgiving" compared to other wider handlebars.  Granted he had a few beers in him and when he rode the bike sober he liked it just fine.  Now, I'm not suggesting that how a bike rides while drunk is a good test of a bike's performance.  Nonetheless I found it to be an interesting statement and useful information for this blog.  

So today I replaced those handlebars with a wider "Ergo Bar" from XLC.  With a 59 degree sweep and a curved design it is a very nice handlebar that I feel obliged to recommend particularly for the price at under ten bucks.  The style and design is reminiscent of the ever popular Albatross handlebars at a quarter of the cost.  

When someone complains about a sore butt, hand numbness or any other physical pain due to improper equipment or bike fit they are not "imagining" anything.  So that when approaching a bike to have it cooperate with the individual rider's comfort we use the phrase "ride your own ride" and sheds light on the autonomy of riding a bike.

Proper bike fit has been a popular topic with some bike shops offering advanced methods of custom bike fit as an added customer service feature.  Following is an example of proper bike fit that anyone can implement with basic bike tools or a bike multi-tool 

A simple idea of setting up handlebars, brake levers and shifters is a good example of the importance of bike ergonomics.   Photo below left provides an example of improper hand position where due to the wrist having to bend from the grip to the lever is sure to produce some discomfort, usually hand numbness or pain.  Photo on right illustrates proper hand positioning where the wrist is straight providing stronger movement for grabbing the brake lever and does not interfere with circulation preventing hand numbness and pain. This is just one example of proper bike fit and ergonomics so important for bike riders of all types.  For bike commuters and those interested in bike touring it is very important not to be distracted by unnecessary pain caused by poor equipment or improper bike fit.

Most of us have been there, three hours sleep, work projects, family waiting in line to use the shower and sprinkle it with a bit of bad weather to work in and it all made for a very nice week.

As a way of displaying my love and support of the Natural Living Country Store and knowing Lisa would have her very popular home made chocolate ready for the store's Friday market (which was on the same day as Valentine's), I wanted to get as much of the store addition ready as possible.

A steel frame carport with metal roofing material was delivered a day early on Monday rather than Tuesday which helped me to get started on the project sooner as we were expected to have cold temperatures, high winds and lots of rain during the week.  That is probably why the guys delivered the stuff a day early without calling because they wanted to duck the weather, so it worked out very well.

Inclement weather has a way of slowing things down, whether driving, riding a bike or in this instance a small construction project.  As most avid bicycle touring or bike commuting folks would agree, the best way to handle the situation is by taking one's time and work it out at a safe and steady pace.  

Once the steel frame and roof were in place it was my task to add wood lattice and screen material.  Our screen material is mildew and mold proof product from Easy Gardener.  We used it on a previous project and has stayed mildew and mold proof for three years in our very humid climate.  When combined with treated lattice and cedar it provides a very sturdy rot resistant way of shielding our produce from heat, bugs, rain and other nuisances for our customers.

Although this was only a 220 square foot addition it has added a very pleasant atmosphere in which to prep our store's market.  Better flow and simplified method of getting our organic products to our customers.

As soon as I started on the project the weather turned to wet, cold, windy and made it difficult to work as the wind was blowing the large pieces of lattice and screen as I tried to cut it.

Lisa is such a good photographer and I appreciate her so much, here are some photos of recent touring bike build and front rack product review pics.  Click on any image to view it or click on link to our flickr set.

One of the most difficult bike restoration projects is clear coating a steel frame as there are so many options on how to accomplish the task and of course not all of them work very well.

Last year when I found an old Puch Bergmeister in the back of a pickup truck headed for the scrap metal yard I looked it over to see if it was worth doing anything with as the rust had all but destroyed the frame. With chain rusted solid, paint deterioration and surface rust it looked as though the frame may had gotten too pitted to be salvaged.

For ten bucks, which is what the scrap metal yard was shelling out for scrap I decided to get the bike to the shop and take it from there.  

There are several methods for removing paint from a frame but due to the paint deterioration and rust I employed the most commonly used wire brushes, wire wheels on a drill, sand paper and Boshield Rust Free rust remover.  After removing the worst of the corrosion I decided to strip off the rest of the paint with Easy Off oven cleaner.  That worked very well and is much less labor intensive than the other methods.  After spraying the cleaner on and watching the effortlessly drip the paint off the frame I repeated three or four times to get all the paint and residual corrosion removed. Then came the hard work of wire bushing, sanding and polishing working the surface and prepping it for a clear coat.

After I felt the prep work of the exterior surface was complete and after initial inspection of interior of frame which determined the possibility of this bike restoration project, it was necessary to treat the interior of this bike frame to prevent future rust or corrosion.  There are two choices of product for this application eitherJ.P. Weigels Bicycle Frame Saver Rust Inhibitor or the newer less heard of Pro Gold Steel Frame Protector.  Pro Gold has been well reviewed as it is reported to be able treat several frames with one can but I haven't worked with that product.  

The biggest question is what type of clear coating works best for applying to bare steel and cost relative to over all value of the bike.  Powder coating with a clear coat was not necessary and other bike restoration guys were not entirely pleased with the results when compared to how much it cost.  After much research and bouncing some ideas around we narrowed it down to two choices.  Everbrite Protectaclear or the newer Glisten PC available from the trusted and highly reputable Por 15 Paint Poducts which are used for automotive restoration and painting projects.  

Because the Everbrite Product was a mere $19.95 I thought I would try that first and requires a specific surface preparation method as do all paint products but if you're going to use Protectaclear you have must use Maas Metal Polish to clean and buff out the surface for proper adhesion.

Photo at right and at top of page shows the nice look and finish after Maas Polish and Everbrite Protectaclear were applied.  At the time we were completing this project the newer product mentioned earlier Glisten PC was not available. Although we like how the frame looks with the Everbrite product we have decided to consider a can of Glisten PC for $34.95 and see if it provides better protection from mild rusting.  Here along the Texas Gulf Coast humidity and salt air are factors that contribute to rusting. 

Our results after a year of storing the bike outside allowing rain and weather to test the Everbrite Coating we are relatively pleased with the results.
For average daily bike commuter use this product would be sufficient in maintaining a rust free frame with the bike being stored in doors when not being ridden.  However, for a more durable coating and perhaps a more aesthetically pleasing look we are considering the new steel clear coat product Glisten PC.

This has been a popular topic in forums with folks asking lots of questions about clear coating a bare steel frame so thought I'd give it a "blog about".  Visit the links listed below for more information regarding this topic.

Forum Discussion
Blog Article Opposed to Clear Coating Steel Frames
Lovely Bicycle Blog Article 
Sheldon Brown Article for Steel Frame Prep and Paint
Italian Frame Builder Who Clear Coats Frames

I will start off by saying just about any breed of dog is good for bike enthusiasts and getting a dog from the pound is even better.  I am a dog lover having grown up with dogs as a kid I learned at a young age how joy their company brings to a home and atmosphere.  

I would love to find an old polaroid from the late '60's of our English Bulldog riding a tricycle for this article and as fun loving, docile and affectionate as our old Polly was she couldn't keep up with a lot of activities such as mountain biking.  Years later in my early twenties I found myself living with a black Labrador Retriever that my stoned out brother simply couldn't find the energy to care for.  Perhaps he should have put the bong down but that's another story, or not.  My brother had named him Peter and would send me paw printed letters showing the dog's growth while I was in boot camp for the Coast Guard. 

After being stationed in Neah Bay, Washington I found so many opportunities for mountain biking, quiet dirt roads offered casual scenic bike routes to bike on the wilderness beaches and a town with no traffic lights and only one stop sign is a mountain biking haven. It was an ideal environment to have a dog and our Captain at the time agreed to let Peter stay on as the station mascot making it so much easier to keep Peter from being cooped up in the barracks. A few years later Peter met another Black Lab mix while we were camping in the Lena Creek Wilderness area on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.  She was a magnificently agile dog who after finding her starving in the woods pregnant at what the veterinarian approximated to be nine months old, she had to have her puppies aborted and lived a long healthy life with me and Pete.    

After my two dogs had passed away and each of them had lived to be thirteen years old I wasn't sure about having another dog in my life. That was until I met my new best friend in the form of a Catahoula puppy. I had never even heard of such a thing and had no idea that was his breed as I had found him at the dog pound and he seemed mellow enough compared to the other rowdy mutts, all of which would have made fun biking dogs. I was actually looking for a smaller dog that I could carry in my bike trailer and would let out once we arrived at the bike trails.  That was my plan anyhow and Puppy just kept growing and growing.  One day while at a petsmart store a woman in charge of "doggie day care" commented "that's a good looking Catahoula you have there".  What the what?  

Yep, there's lots of information on the Catahoula Mountain Cur from Louisiana and sure sounds like a mountain biker's dog to me.  When he was little he patiently allowed me to put him in a pet carrier, which I placed into a single wheeled bike trailer and after a block or two he didn't seem to like it much as I could feel him throwing a mild fit causing the trailer to do some fish tailing.  We didn't try that again as he grew to just about sixty pounds and doesn't fit in a pet carrier for my bike trailer.  As this type of dog needs to run a couple hours a day or so he's now a fun trail riding, bike camping buddy.  We practiced this racing each other on the single track around the dome workshop and after several attempts by him to bite my shin I gave him a love tap with my front rack and he has settled down knowing not to bite me when I ride.  This was a recent topic at MTBR Forums and thought I'd give my good buddy a "blog about".

While I have been refurbishing some older classic touring bikes that find new homes with bike commuters I seem to always display some reluctance in letting them go. Lisa laughs about this and says "that's one of the things I love about you, you love bikes so much that they're all gems".  

She's right about that, however it's not only the bike itself often it's the hard work and effort of putting a bike back in working order so that it rides as it was meant to ride. Today a gal is coming to look at this old gem of a touring bike in the form of a Motobecane Prestige.  A very rare bike that is designed specifically for a bike commuter with keyed spoke lock, generator lights, original steel chrome rear rack and fenders.  It's not that I rode it all that often but when I would it was fun riding at night with the generator efficiently whizzing along.  Today's after market bottle generators are not of the same quality as the one on this bike made in Germany, doesn't get hot at high speeds, works very well even at very slow speeds and because it is an integrated model with braze on plate for the generator it never needs adjusting.  I had replaced the stem after someone had over tightened the stem bolt breaking the expanding wedge inside the head tube, so that when I replaced the stem as necessary I created a more comfortable riding position.  After adding Schwalbe Marathon 700c x 32 tires providing a durable tire for the generator I considered keeping this bike but at 58cm it is a bit tall for me.  

It's times like this I need to remind myself why I want to sell a bike like this besides the fact it's a bit tall.  I didn't want to replace the rear Mallard hub wheel and I don't like working on those things.  I was barely able to get the wheel trued out enough radially for it to ride without a noticeable hop so that most of the original drive train is intact after replacing the cottered crankset with an inexpensive chrome steel chain guard model.  I like the crankset for the ability to ride with any type of work pants without a pant leg getting frayed and oily.  A very bike commuter friendly ride indeed.  So, as I anticipate bidding that bike a fond farewell this afternoon here are some photos of this retro classic steel lugged frame beauty we like to call Eleanor.  Some of these old classic bikes have a warmth and depth of simple elegance and longevity of performance that lends a comforting vibe to my atmosphere of "Bikeology".  Out with old and in with the new I suppose, not that I need to learn how to let go and move forward but will nonetheless miss the presence of such a fun old touring bike.  For awhile anyway, then I will just keep riding.
Cheers!

Blog is an odd word, not sure who coined the term but it probably comes from the term "mumbo jumbo" or "rigmarole".  This thought came to me about the time I was asked if my recent bike build of a Nashbar mountain bike frame was a "poor man's fat bike wannabe".

Hmm, now it's fairly obvious to me why I thought of word association given the context as the question alone sounded like "mumbo jumbo" and my answer could have been a long explanation sounding like rigmarole.  After further consideration I would sincerely like to thank that person for making such an insulting remark in the form of a question.

Now that it's winter snow bike bunnies everywhere are climbing aboard their lofty fat tire bikes and dashing through the snow without a care in the world, good on 'em as my Texan neighbor would say.  I want to be clear that I am not defending my bike build here, in fact I know it has its' own niche as I've ridden on snow and ice plenty and it is loads of fun. Now realizing that my own bike build is a bit unique and would conjure an association with fat bikes I'm flattered.  I suppose the style resembles a fat bike with the sweeping handle bars, sturdy steel front rack and pseudo fat tires at a mere 2.35 inch tire diameter.  

Now there is no denying that I built this bike "on the cheap" mostly because I was able to without compromising on a quality bike build.  By quality I am suggesting the objective view of the term which is a bit more technical than simply reciting what is read in mountain bike magazines or on the internet. Not that it's all "mumbo jumbo" mind you, just to say hey, I found some incredible prices on some new old stock parts that I wouldn't trade for some of today's top of the line components.  Perhaps I'm a bit of a retro grouch, but that doesn't really apply here. It's more of a work with what you have where you're at scenario and that' that.

What is the best bike for commuting?  This is, for the area I live at that is not accustomed to seeing bike commuters rolling around with cups of coffee and laptop bags on their way to work, no this area's bike commuter lanes resemble deer trails in the forest where commuters have carved out their own bike paths through grass fields where there is the absence of sidewalks.  Upon assessing my bike commuter needs I set about building the "Rigmaroll" it quiets the noisy complaining of bike commuter rhetoric where there are no bike lanes and for an area that isn't considered "bike friendly".  It is now, at least for me anyway, anyhow, the "Rigmaroll" is my best bike for commuting.

After completing the Rigmaroll build and feeling very satisfied with myself and the bike I decided to blend a bit of touring attributes for occasions where I enjoy going off the beaten path, go camping, trail riding and just having access to wide variety of recreational bike touring opportunities, so without further ado we built this touring bike we like to call the "Mumbo Jumbo".  Now, based on the premise of the Maxxis Hookworm claim to be the original fat tire bike at 2.5" wide it's understandable why this mountain touring bike resembles a fat bike.  Kenda Slant Six 2.5" front tire puts this bike at the so called claimed original fat bike size of tire.  Since there's a bit of recent historical data in that reference the "Mumbo Jumbo" resembles that of the original Safety Bike in a classic retro style for a modern bike build that is versatile and practical in every sense without getting lost in rhetorical trends that come and go as planned obsolescence.  A bike built to last surpasses trendy, we love fat bikes.  Having said that, I didn't build it for your approval, I built it because it meets mine.
Cheers!