Afternoon Ride with Rossa

“Riding” Cedar Park, 2022

It was a beautiful afternoon so I grabbed my GoPro and our new DJI OM 5 gimbal, and went for a ride! I wanted to test out the gimbal and see if it will fit into my bicycling videos at all.

I used it to do some selfies and also a “ride-by” shot. I also tried some various shots of the bicycle, but it didn’t work out. I think hand-held GoPro is better for those shots. But I think the ride-by was nice! And I got a decent photo of myself too. 😀

Please take a look if you have time:

Bicycle Work

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.

Lunchtime Bicycle Ride

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

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

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: