Bucephalus is the latest addition to my menagerie of bikes. I bought him about a year ago at the UT bike auction. The UT bike auction is basically where the University tries to unload all the sundry bikes it has picked up in the past year. These bikes have been abandoned, impounded after being chained to a stairwell railing, or been recovered as stolen bikes by UPD.
My original motive for buying yet another bike was influenced by some of my domino friends earlier that year. A few of them are hard-core, dyed in the wool, paddlers. Their idea of a good time is a 3 man canoe, a few beers in the water jugs, and a good swift current. As the weather was fairly nice that summer, they had invited many of us domino people out to Town Lake and even to the San Marcos river to paddle with them. Paddling trips were quite a hit with the club, and spots in the canoe filled up rapidly each time the paddling call went out. After a while, I got a crazy idea into my head that I might be able to chaperone weekly or monthly mountain biking trips, much in the same way. The only problem was, if someone didn't have a bike, (s)he couldn't go. So, I decided that I needed to purchase a new bike for such a purpose.
Truthfully, I think I just wanted a new bike. Ever since my original Raleigh was stolen from my balcony, I'd been missing a real, quality mountain bike. Sure, Bruno is a beast and can take a beating, but his frame is just too heavy. He's not really a mountain bike. I think he could be, but it would require a frame transplant. I think once I get Bucephalus up and running, he'll be my primary mountain bike, and Bruno will play the Sammy Sosa to his Jason Botts.
Anyway, I bought Bucephalus at the Bike Auction for $70. He was originally just half a bike. Missing a rear wheel and needing a new chain, deraileur, grips, and possibly even brakes, he wasn't much. However, he had potential. The Trek frame was more than enough to keep me interested. Bidding started at $5, I think. There was a dude who was hovering like a buzzard and kept overbidding everyone who placed a bid. I watched the bids climb from $5 to $20, and eventually to $55. Finally, with 5 minutes left in the bidding, I calmly walked over, and placed my bid of $75, and walked away. $75 was all I was willing to bid, and if the other guy wanted it that bad, he could have it.
Once the dust settled, it became apparent that I'd gone over the buzzard's price limit. I kinda felt bad about it, because he mentioned in passing to another guy that this was the only one that would fit him. I kinda doubt that, b/c he was a really big guy, and the frame isn't ALL that big. I took the bike downstairs and paid for it, $75 poorer and one bike richer. Well, half a bike richer.
In the year that I've had him, I've yet to actually ride him. Well, that's not true anymore. Last weekend, I made one of my projects to tune him up. I replaced the chain, added a rear wheel (which Mom gave me for Christmas), replaced the handlebar grips, replaced the rear deraileur, added a seatpost, and even a seat. Even so, the chain is too long, and I still don't have brakes, but at least he can roll. I took a "spin" on him after tightening everything down. By a spin, I mean I took him out the front door and coasted down the slight incline to the bottom of the cul-de-sac, using my sandaled foot on the rear wheel as a brake.
I'm taking him to Yellowbike soon to get a professional opinion as to how to fix the chain. Amanda's brother comes into town in a week or so, and I promised to take him mountain biking, so I guess I've got a timeline now...
Showing posts with label canoing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canoing. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
back in Austin
So, after a weekend of galvanting around in our nation's capitol, I returned to Austin. Monday night, I partook in the 4th bi-annual Crown vs. Ginny's Bone to Own tournament. I only played one game, which I won, but us crownies didn't seem to need much help. We stomped the Ginny-atrics 11-3. We didn't even need to play the last round. That's how completely we destroyed them. We rule.
Then again, at the level we're playing, 70% of the outcome is dependent on the bones you draw.
In other news, I think I've decided to toss my hat in the ring for the Texas Water Safari this June. It's a badass 260 mile canoe race. That is, if Ginger will paddle with me. She holds the record for oldest female to finish the race solo. She's a bit of a bad-ass herself. And an amazing canoe driver.
We'll have to see if my 2nd year defense preparation will throw a monkey wrench in the gears. I'd really love to put this feather in my cap though...
Then again, at the level we're playing, 70% of the outcome is dependent on the bones you draw.
In other news, I think I've decided to toss my hat in the ring for the Texas Water Safari this June. It's a badass 260 mile canoe race. That is, if Ginger will paddle with me. She holds the record for oldest female to finish the race solo. She's a bit of a bad-ass herself. And an amazing canoe driver.
We'll have to see if my 2nd year defense preparation will throw a monkey wrench in the gears. I'd really love to put this feather in my cap though...
Sunday, October 29, 2006
1.5-athon
So I participated in a triathlon on satuday. Mary and I drove down at 6:50 to Martindale and got prepped for the race. She started out doing the running. It was a 7 mile run, and I think she finished in 1:15 or something like that. While she was doing that, I was getting the boat ready and making sure Gertie was ready to go. When she came in from her run, I she tagged me, and I grabbed Gertie and we headed out on the road.
I have a speedometer on Gertie which tells me A) how fast I'm going, b) how far I've gone, and C) how many RPMs I'm averaging. I did my best to keep a pace of ~ 90 rpm, and for the first 8-10 miles, I was doing alright. Then, the hills started to take their tolls. It's not that they were extermely steep, but rather that they were extrememly long. I was kinda scared that I had started out at too quick a pace, and that halfway through, I'd hit the wall and all the people that I'd passed in the beginning would overtake me. Luckily, I didn't exactly hit "the wall"... it was more of a minor speed bump. I wasn't exactly able to keep my rpms up to 90 after about 12 miles. I settled for 80-85. All in all, I passed about 6-7 people, and finished 17 miles in ~56 minutes. I can't imagine doing this after running 7 miles though.
Anyway, I ran down to the boat after parking Gertie and Mary and I put in. All-in-all, we did pretty well. We navigated 95% of the river obstacles sucessfully. My driving has improved, as well as Mary's instinct as to when to use a post/draw stroke. However, we did get stuck sideways in the current about halfway through the race, and tumped over the canoe. We swam the swamped canoe to the nearest bank and tried to dump out all the water. In case you don't already know this, water is heavy. We had to empty Mary's water jug and use it to bail out enough water so we could turn it over.
At this point, we'd passed about 3-4 people. They all overtook us in the 15 minutes we lost while we were bailing. I'll have you know that once we got back on the river, we passed up all the people who we'd passed once before.
After it was all said and done, we finished 8th in our division. Had we not tumped the canoe, we probably could have finished as high as 6th. My bike time was good enough for 16th out of 40 men. I was happy with that.
When we signed in, we both got a commemerative jersey, which was pretty cool. It's made out of some pretty nice mesh, and drys off really quickly. We actually both ended up changing out of our normal clothes and raced in the jersey. After it was all over, to boot, both Mary and I won something out of the raffle. I got another jersey, and Mary got a paddle cover. She says she's either going to buy her own paddle or give it to Terry for letting us use his boat.
I have a speedometer on Gertie which tells me A) how fast I'm going, b) how far I've gone, and C) how many RPMs I'm averaging. I did my best to keep a pace of ~ 90 rpm, and for the first 8-10 miles, I was doing alright. Then, the hills started to take their tolls. It's not that they were extermely steep, but rather that they were extrememly long. I was kinda scared that I had started out at too quick a pace, and that halfway through, I'd hit the wall and all the people that I'd passed in the beginning would overtake me. Luckily, I didn't exactly hit "the wall"... it was more of a minor speed bump. I wasn't exactly able to keep my rpms up to 90 after about 12 miles. I settled for 80-85. All in all, I passed about 6-7 people, and finished 17 miles in ~56 minutes. I can't imagine doing this after running 7 miles though.
Anyway, I ran down to the boat after parking Gertie and Mary and I put in. All-in-all, we did pretty well. We navigated 95% of the river obstacles sucessfully. My driving has improved, as well as Mary's instinct as to when to use a post/draw stroke. However, we did get stuck sideways in the current about halfway through the race, and tumped over the canoe. We swam the swamped canoe to the nearest bank and tried to dump out all the water. In case you don't already know this, water is heavy. We had to empty Mary's water jug and use it to bail out enough water so we could turn it over.
At this point, we'd passed about 3-4 people. They all overtook us in the 15 minutes we lost while we were bailing. I'll have you know that once we got back on the river, we passed up all the people who we'd passed once before.
After it was all said and done, we finished 8th in our division. Had we not tumped the canoe, we probably could have finished as high as 6th. My bike time was good enough for 16th out of 40 men. I was happy with that.
When we signed in, we both got a commemerative jersey, which was pretty cool. It's made out of some pretty nice mesh, and drys off really quickly. We actually both ended up changing out of our normal clothes and raced in the jersey. After it was all over, to boot, both Mary and I won something out of the raffle. I got another jersey, and Mary got a paddle cover. She says she's either going to buy her own paddle or give it to Terry for letting us use his boat.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Canoe Racing!
Yes folks, I have ventured into the high paced world of canoe racing.
My friend Ginger asked me to be her paddling partner for the TX. Junior Water Safari race this saturday. It was a 16 mile race on the San Marcos River. We put in near the Lions' Club tube rental and ended up in Martindale 3 hours and 45 minutes later.
We got off to an excellent start and were ahead of most of the pack. We kept getting passed by people in single kayak-like canoes. I asked Ginger if this was something to be worried about, and she said no, they are usually much faster than 2-man canoes.
We managed the portages over the two dams pretty well, and were making good time, even keeping pace with a few kayakers.
Then, as we went under a bridge just underneath the Martindale Dam, I heard a distinct crack. We then ended up running aground on a rock and had to get out to get it unstuck. We took on a little bit of water, but it wasn't a whole lot so we kept going.
A few hundred yards downstream, Ginger suggested we pull over to dump the water. Quickly, we did and got back in the canoe and kept going. A few hundred more yards, Ginger notes how much water there still is in the boat, and wonders if we've got a hole. I turn around and look at the hull, and sure enough, we've got a sizable gash letting river water in.
We pull the canoe out of the water to quickly patch it with a food wrapper and some foam we cut off of the water-jug holders. Sadly, the patch is not very effective. It slows the flow of water into the boat, but it does not stop it. We continue to have to pull over every half mile to dump the water from our boat. We can't even go over shallow parts for fear that our makeshift patch will come undone.
All in all, we finish just 5 minutes behind our competition. We would have easily smoked them if we hadn't been towing half the river along with us. The hole in the boat makes for some lively conversation once we've pulled it from the river.
Free chilidogs are provided for all race participants. I eat waaaay too many... Life is good.
My friend Ginger asked me to be her paddling partner for the TX. Junior Water Safari race this saturday. It was a 16 mile race on the San Marcos River. We put in near the Lions' Club tube rental and ended up in Martindale 3 hours and 45 minutes later.
We got off to an excellent start and were ahead of most of the pack. We kept getting passed by people in single kayak-like canoes. I asked Ginger if this was something to be worried about, and she said no, they are usually much faster than 2-man canoes.
We managed the portages over the two dams pretty well, and were making good time, even keeping pace with a few kayakers.
Then, as we went under a bridge just underneath the Martindale Dam, I heard a distinct crack. We then ended up running aground on a rock and had to get out to get it unstuck. We took on a little bit of water, but it wasn't a whole lot so we kept going.
A few hundred yards downstream, Ginger suggested we pull over to dump the water. Quickly, we did and got back in the canoe and kept going. A few hundred more yards, Ginger notes how much water there still is in the boat, and wonders if we've got a hole. I turn around and look at the hull, and sure enough, we've got a sizable gash letting river water in.
We pull the canoe out of the water to quickly patch it with a food wrapper and some foam we cut off of the water-jug holders. Sadly, the patch is not very effective. It slows the flow of water into the boat, but it does not stop it. We continue to have to pull over every half mile to dump the water from our boat. We can't even go over shallow parts for fear that our makeshift patch will come undone.
All in all, we finish just 5 minutes behind our competition. We would have easily smoked them if we hadn't been towing half the river along with us. The hole in the boat makes for some lively conversation once we've pulled it from the river.
Free chilidogs are provided for all race participants. I eat waaaay too many... Life is good.
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