Category: Cycling

Bicycle Work

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Rear Wheel Work” Cedar Park, 2022

I am starting work on Sophie’s rear wheel. My plan is to disassemble the hub, repack the ball bearings, and replace the spokes. It might take a couple of weeks because I will need to order the spokes after I measure them. Also, I’m not sure if I can disassemble the hub without a special tool. We’ll see!

But I am looking forward to having new spokes for the rear, just like the front. After I take care of that, there’s only the bottom bracket that should be serviced, but it doesn’t seem like anything is amiss down there.

Tomie and Sophie

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“Tomie and Sophie” Cedar Park, 2022

Today I went for a quick ride around the neighborhood with Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle. I happened to be wearing my newly-acquired Tomie joggers that I found at TJ Maxx over the holidays. It was such a random find that I had to buy it (only $12). It really scares Mariko.😆

Give the video a watch if you have a few minutes!

Lunchtime Bicycle Ride

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/500 sec, ISO32
 “Sophie” Cedar Park, 2021

I have not been riding any of my bicycles lately because I am following a marathon training schedule, so it’s either a run day or a rest day. But today I decided to forego the rest and instead take Sophie out for a leisurely cruise around the neighborhood. It was so grey and gloomy, but nice to get some fresh air!

Bicycle Maintenance

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/16, 2 sec, ISO1600
 “Mechanical Stuff” Cedar Park, 2021

I did a little tidying up on Sophie’s chain and derailleur today. I’m amazed at the design of derailleur mechanism. Sophie is almost 50 years old, but most of today’s bicycles still use the same system. Tried and true!

It also looks very cool, IMHO. 😀

Switching up the Handlebars

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 35mm, f/2, 1/105 sec, ISO1600
 “Rossa” Cedar Park, 2021

I decided to switch up the bicycle handlebar situation a bit by putting the Upanbike swept riser bars that were on Mango onto Rossa, then putting the butterfly bars, which were sitting in the garage, back on Mango. Once I replaced Rossa’s flat bars with the riser bars, the riding experience is so much more comfortable!

Rossa is an old mountain bike, and bikes of that era had the handlebars way out front over the front wheel. Modern mountain bikes position the bars farther back (as well as different overall geometry) so the risk of going over the bars is lessened. I don’t take Rossa on any downhills, so for me I just wanted the more comfortable upright position, and the Upanbike handlebars certainly help. It’s so much more fun for me now! As an added bonus, I think they look really sharp. 😁

If you have time, come with me as I take the Rossa’s “new” handlebars for a spin around the neighborhood:

Grill Mount for Hands-Free GoPro Footage

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“Rossa” Cedar Park, 2021

This afternoon Rossa and I went out for a ride and I used the Pro Standard Grill Mount 2.0 which is something that a couple YouTubers I follow use. It’s basically a mount that you bite down on and the GoPro is situated in front of your chin. This allows you to control the viewing angle similar to a helmet mount – the frame of view matches the direction your face is pointing. The advantage over the helmet mount is that with the Grill Mount, you can quickly remove the mount and hand-hold the GoPro (the mount also acts as a nice handle). No need to unscrew the camera off of a standard mount, which can be a pain.

Of course there are a couple of cons. Firstly, since the camera is right next to your mouth, the GoPro’s built in microphone will pick up sounds of hard breathing. Secondly, I think it looks really strange. This is something I think I can just get used to, especially since on a bicycle, if someone does notice the GoPro, it’s only for a few seconds. No need for awkward eye-contact or conversation.

Do I think the Grill Mount is the ultimate solution? No, not for the videos I am making. But it’s definitely a nice addition to add some variety to the standard chest-mount view. And it’s already giving me more ideas and options to branch out on how I shoot my videos.

Please give today’s ride a watch below if you have a few minutes. Thanks!