Sophie and the Bluebonnets

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 10mm, f/9, 1/250 sec, ISO200
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2023

Today I went with Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle, for a ride on the local hike & bike trail. I mentioned previously that the bluebonnets were on their way out for the year, but to my surprise, they were blooming like crazy! So I guess we have a couple more weeks to enjoy them. 🙂

Ever since I got Piplup, my 2022 Brompton C Line bicycle, I haven’t shown Sophie or Rossa much love. But today reminded me how much fun the vintage French road bike is. What I like about it is the speed and quietness of it. The 27-inch Panaracer tires, at 95 psi, roll so smoothly and the quick acceleration is noticeable. Also, the freewheel emits a very subtle and precise clicking sound which is super elegant. Many of today’s mountain and gravel bikes that I see on the trail are super loud (and annoying in my opinion). I remember reading that two signs of inefficiency are heat and noise. Not sure if that is the case with modern bicycle cassettes, but I prefer the quiet rather than the loud buzzing.

Speaking of loudness, I have a Crane Suzu (bell) on Sophie. I had forgotten how loud and crisp it sounds! I guess I got used to the Brompton’s tiny (in size and sound) bell. The Crane Suzu is so loud that it can be a bit alarming to hear, so I make sure to ring way before I actually pass people. I like Crane a lot. The company is from Osaka (my wife’s hometown) so I feel some affinity towards them. I’m thinking about replacing the little Brompton bell with a small bell from Crane – another fun and beautiful upgrade to consider!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/5300 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2023

I hope you had a nice day!

Lunch Ride with Sophie

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/7300 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2023

I went for a lunchtime bicycle ride with Sophie to the hike and bike trail. It wasn’t too crowded today, even though the schools are still out for break. One the one hand, it’s nice because there’s less weaving around families and dogs, but on the other hand, the e-bike riders tend to go as fast as they can. ☹️

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/8400 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2023

Derailleur Cable Fix

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2022

I went out for a ride with Sophie today and noticed that I couldn’t shift into the granny gear. The shifting lever was at its limit, but it still wasn’t enough to get the chain onto the largest sprocket. When I inspected the cable later, I saw that the metal braids in the housing were coming out of the plastic. When I changed these cables last year, I didn’t think I needed to put the housing caps on, but I guess those are essential. So I trimmed the damaged housings and added end caps, then reassembled the shifting cable, and now it shifts normally through all the gears. Yay!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO50
“Cabling” Cedar Park, 2022

Afternoon Ride with Sophie

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/3700 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2022

This afternoon I went for a ride with Sophie, my 1972 Peugeot UJ-10 bicycle. I haven’t ridden the Peugeot in a while so it was fun to go for a spin on the vintage road bike.

I like to record my bicycle rides with my GoPro and post to YouTube, but decided to leave those at home and just ride without the extra burden of the video camera. You would think that filming with the GoPro would be simply hitting the record button and just let it run, right? But actually, it causes me to think a lot about it when I am riding. For instance, “is the angle still okay? had the battery overheated and shut the camera down? do I need to change batteries?”. If GoPro cameras were reliable, then I’d have less stress about it, but they are pretty flaky.

Anyways, the only camera I had with me today was my iPhone, so I was just focused on the ride and seeing the sights. It was so fun! The Peugeot is a lot different than my other bicycles – it’s faster and a little more challenging to ride, especially over any gravel or dirt. I mostly kept to the hard surfaces, but there are a couple places where riding over gravel is necessary, and it got a little sketchy! Still, I enjoyed the whole ride.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/3200 sec, ISO32
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2022

I hope you had a good day!