Building a Bike

When my parents attended bike-friendly UC Davis, they were both big into cycling. I grew up seeing their road bikes in the garage, but until recently, only ever rode a BMX or mountain bike myself.

Thanks to my new interest in road cycling and a desire to get (and stay) healthy, my dad decided to get back into it. He had a box of newer parts that we determined wouldn't work on his old frame, so we decided to build a bike! We found a used frame, fork, and handlebars on eBay for a good price and won the auction. Everything arrived within a few days, and the next several Sundays were spent working on the bike.

Once it was done, we went on a short test ride. It was sunny and unseasonably warm, making for a perfect spring ride. We went about 7 miles along the Centennial Trail, riding through both Kendall Yards and Riverfront Park on the way.

Now that it's done, Sunday build time has become our weekly Sunday ride!

Makeshift bike shop in my basement

Starting the assembly

Some nice Shimano parts from my Uncle, and a set of dual use pedals I had

Looks like a bike!

Shiny new cassette from a local shop!

My ever helpful cat, Aurora, checking out all the parts

Orion, hanging out with us

Look at those lines! Only thing left is bar tape

All done. Time to take it for a spin!

Beautiful day for a first ride

Going Further

February 21st, 2015

Bellingham, WA to La Conner-ish and back

70 miles

1820 ft ascent/descent

Sunny, 55 degrees

Greg LeMond famously said about cycling: "It never gets easier, you just go faster." I've kept that in mind throughout my training. It seems like sort of a discouraging prospect, though it doesn't necessarily have to be. If you can push through the pain, it's so rewarding just to look back at what you've done. Today, I pushed myself harder than I ever have before, and was rewarded by getting to see my mileage meter on my cycling computer almost 15 miles higher than it's ever been. Seventy miles!

Today was a gorgeous day, and I must have seen at least 50 other cyclists out on my route, many of them in their own mini-pelotons. I'd love to try team riding like that sometime. There is a cycling team here at Western, so I'll probably check them out soon. In the mean time, I discovered a way to help the miles pass by easier--music! I've always been wary about using headphones while riding because I fear not being able to hear the traffic or any strange noises my bike might be making. The solution, of course, is to only use the right earbud. So, I found an old pair and lopped off the left side, then strung it trough the straps of my helmet to help keep it in place. I made a cycling playlist full of high-energy hardcore and dance music, and voila. It worked wonders, I tell ya.