Is anyone planning on going to the 4th annual VeloSwap in San
Francisco on November 18?

Just curious, because I wouldn't mind checking it out.

Cheers,

Michael

Everyone:

With November arriving this week, it's not too early to begin planning
for the "away" Turkey Day ride up Mt. Hamilton.  You should not
consider this ride unless you are a regular in the Medium or Long
groups and can realistically climb for 2+ hours up a 6% grade.  Mt.
Hamilton consists of two distinct climbs, each about 10 miles of UP
and UP, and took a fat fart like me 2:18 to climb last year.  Also,
allow about 1 hour to descend back to the cars.

We plan to carpool from Peets at 7am and start riding about 8am, so
we'll need a count of those wanting to to ride and those willing to
supply a car/van/SUV and how many bikes can be accommodated.  Please
e-mail me direct on mapryor@... with this information, I will
compile it and post it on the Calendar on this site.

For example, I plan on riding, I am willing to drive, and can
accommodate 2 more bikes.

Medium Mark

Make that "reset my computer" in the first line...aw heck, you know
what I meant even if I can't write...

Just to clarify on my stats--I rest my computer at home before I leave
(Clinton and Grand) and I accumulate 1.2 miles to Peets...then, I
dropped by Cycle City to get a few tools, then went home and took the
reading...I probably added 4 miles than just clocking Peets to Peets.
  My stats are just that--my stats, for folks that might want a general
idea of how far we went and how much we climbed.

Mark

I was looking forward to this climb as a solid test of my Lemond's
triple ring setup.  Well, I'm here to tell you that JFR is right- a
quad ring would be better- something like an 11 tooth!  But the triple
did make a world of difference today, I'm really glad I had that 30x26
on tap.

Its a pretty climb to the botanical garden with large oaks lining the
road.  After the gardens, the road just shoots towards the clouds, and
you see only three colors: black asphalt, brown hillside, and blue sky.
Guys were climbing well today, I had a good view of Tim, Dan, and
Keith just ahead; grunting, wobbling, heaving to, and just giving it
their all.
Its a great feeling to attain the Hall of Science parking lot, flat
never felt so good!

You probably already know to set back your clocks tonight... so
indulge in a free extra hour of snoozing and be sure not to show up
for the ride an hour early. Should be another splendid weather day.

--- In teamalameda@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Pryor" <mapryor@...> wrote:
>
> Everyone:
>
> OK, OK...Jim was right--did I just say that?!?!?  Yes, Mildred, it
was a MoFo of epic proportions (well, if you can call a 2 mile climb
epic).

[much omitted}

> Anyway, stats for the full ride: 33.27 miles, 2263 feet climbing
(1000 on Centennial alone), 2:32 of saddle time, and a 12.8 average speed.

Gents,

Can someone else on this ride today chim in.  My bike computer has
much different total for mileage.  I have 28.33 miles.  I know I was
bring up the rear but I rode the same route. Mine is just a cheapo
Cateye wireless, maybe I need to recalibrate.  If I'm off by that much
my whole training log is off by ~17%.

Great ride today, even is some of it hurt,
jw

Mark,

My Topo program agrees with you!  Max grade 19%.

Jason


>From: "Mark Pryor" <mapryor@...>
>Reply-To: teamalameda@yahoogroups.com
>To: "Team Alameda" <teamalameda@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [teamalameda] Saturday Ride Report: Medium's MoFo Challenge
>Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 11:56:43 -0700
>
>Everyone:
>
>OK, OK...Jim was right--did I just say that?!?!?  Yes, Mildred, it was a
>MoFo of epic proportions (well, if you can call a 2 mile climb epic).
>Anyway, a healthy group of Medium Riders took off from Alameda after I
>finished my coffee, and went out Embarcadero, around Lake Merritt, up to
>College and Claremont, then down Frat Row to the intersection of Gayley and
>Centennial.
>
>There, Pedro took the less epic group up the "wussy" Euclid climb, while I
>took the REAL MEN up the Centennial climb.  It's a very narrow road as it
>follows Strawberry Canyon, with a steady 10% grade up to the Botanical
>Garden...I noticed that everywhere that cars had to park, the road gets
>nice and flat--isn't that nice for the cars...and it gives those going up
>on their own power a bit of a respite.  From the Botanical Garden comes
>"The Wall"--a steady 15+% grade up to the Lawrence Hall of Science, then
>another nice little "car flat" then a short 10% climb up to Grizzly Peak.
>The guy who posted a East Bay Hills Death Ride (google it) shows the max
>grade of 11%--I wonder what cyclocomputer he used...because mine showed a
>max 19%!
>
>Anyway, I christen this climb an official MoFo, and I am recategorizing it
>as an "Hors Categorie" climb, up from a First Category.
>
>The rest of the ride was much less epic--Pedro brought the wussy group back
>up to us on Grizzly Peak, and we all meandered along the ridgeline
>southbound on Grizzly Peak and Skyline, with the usual descent down
>JM/Monterey/35th on home.
>
>Anyway, stats for the full ride: 33.27 miles, 2263 feet climbing (1000 on
>Centennial alone), 2:32 of saddle time, and a 12.8 average speed.
>
>Mark Pryor
>mapryor@...
>510 304-6585
>
>"These people, they ride all day long and they drink beer. They eat pork
>chops, eat fries, they keep riding. It's a hell of a lot more fun than the
>Tour de France." -- Lance Armstrong on RAGBRAI

_________________________________________________________________
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Hi all,

I don't have school or work on Tuesday, so I was curious if anyone
wanted to go for a ride?  I just want to get out and pedal around a
little bit (assuming it isn't raining).  It doesn't matter even if we
stay in Alameda.

Cheers,

Mike

FYI

BICYCLE RECYCLING BLOCK PARTY AT APC

On November 4th 2006, the Alameda Point Collaborative will be
holding a Block Party to celebrate the establishment of the Alameda
Community Bike Shop.  The Bike Shop is collecting used bicycles from
shops, landfills and donations, and training youth how to fix and
repair them. Once they complete the training and community service
hours, participants get a bike, helmet and lock. Since its
establishment last summer, the shop has already collected more than
200 bicycles and trained more than 40 youth.

From 11 am to 1:30 pm on November 4th at 650 W. Ranger Ave. the
project will be providing repair and safety workshops, riding
demonstrations, free food and refreshments, raffle prizes, and used
bicycles for sale. All proceeds from the sale of bikes will be used
to support the project.

The key staff for the project are APC residents Donna Williams and
Kevin Jackson. Both are working in the project as part of an On the
Job Training program provided by APC.

Funding for the bicycle recycle project has been provided by
StopWaste.org – a partnership of the Alameda County Waste Management
Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling
Board.  The Alameda Police Department has donated bicycle helmets
for the project

Alameda Point Collaborative is a supportive housing program serving
500 formerly homeless families and individuals on the converted
Naval Air Station. Residents are provided with the safety and
stability of a place to live combined with life skills and job
skills training, advocacy to connect with services, and emotional
support all with the ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of
homelessness and getting the support needed to be able to lead a
stable, productive life.

---------------------

Doug Biggs
Community Resources Director
Alameda Point Collaborative
(510)898-7849
www.apcollaborative.org

I just drove up 14th by Highland Hospital where lanes were closed and surfaces
had gotten
worse. Yes, it can be done.
If a ride were to cross 880 at 16th to head toward Park Blvd. as is often ridden
I suggest
using "Flash" J. Gordon's 13th to Park Blvd. alternate. Just cross 14th then go
one block,
turn right and take a parallel route. Should avoid this rough surface even if
Saturday
means workers are not working that day.
  Sweeps

Cross-listed with Western Wheelers

C/3.5/42 Short and Sweet. Join Michelle for a classic Page Mill &
W Old La Honda ride bright and early so you have the rest of your
mid-November Saturday afternoon. Meet at Mitchell Park 3800
Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303 at 8:45 for a 9:00am roll out.
Rain cancels.

FOOTNOTE FOR TEAM ALAMEDA:

Route sheet is available for download at:
http://home.pacbell.net/spro/routesheets/MitchellPark_PageMill_WOLH.p
df

Here's an excerpt from the Western Wheelers website on the two
climbs:

Page Mill Road, Palo Alto
distance: approx 7.5 miles
climbing: approx 2050 ft (1800 ft in first 5.0 miles)
The climb of Page Mill Road begins approximately 1.2 miles south of
its extended intersection with Arastradero Road. The grade is very
inconsistent, with some sections well over 10% and two intermediate
descents. Along the way are some excellent views of Silicon Valley
(for what they are worth...). The final 2.5 miles, containing
intersections with Montebello Rd and Alpine Rd, are rolling with a
few short, steep climbs. Across from Skyline, Page Mill turns into
Alpine Road (W).

As a descent, Page Mill is quite challenging and very popular,
especially among experienced descenders. The road is narrow and
steep with poor visibility in the corners, however, so riders must
watch carefully for motor traffic. As of Nov 1996, there are several
sections of quite rough pavement around corners, so don't sit too
heavily on the saddle.

Old La Honda Road (W):
distance: 2.6 miles
climbing: 580 feet
The west side of Old La Honda offers one of the best combinations of
accessibility and beauty of any road around. It is only 1.5 lanes
wide, and as it twists along the side of the ridge offers stunning
views of the forests to the west and the ocean beyond. Near the top,
it enters the redwoods for more excellent riding. The grade is
moderate (near 5%), making it quite enjoyable even at the tail end
of a long ride. Due to the accessibility of nearby Highway 84, auto
traffic is very light.

The narrow and blind corners make it pretty poor as a descent,
although the excellent views and light traffic make it a common
shortcut from the top of Old La Honda's east side to Highway 84 at
mile marker 12.2.

Ah, Sunday... no wind kicking up whirlwinds of sticks, leaves and
dust, just glorius sunny weather.  The in-crowd that day consisted of
Sweeps and Zorida, Pedro, Brian, John N, Jim, Melanie, Jason ?, and it
seems like there were two others as well, but, um, the beer has kicked
in so I forget some details.  Oh, ya I remember, TA member Peter D.
was seen testing out his blown calves near Park street-he was making
forward progress so he will be back soon.  Anyway, we made our way out
to the Point in a well ordered group, and got some "you Go!" honks
from motorists, well, ok, one motorist, along the way.
Heading south we climbed the Blue Bridge over to Bay Farm, where the
pace picked up a bit, ok, a lot,  on the parkway.  We were reprimanded
by Zorida for riding at a decidely Saturday speed, and tails between
our legs, we slowed back down.  I blame Spring Fever!  It was that
nice out.

The Sunday Highlight Award goes to... Melanie, our WebMistress!  I had
to do a double take when she rode up.  You might recall my story a few
weeks ago about her truckin' on a mountain bike and such.  Well,
Sunday she was lookin tre chic in a new wardrobe of "old school style"
wool jersey that said "Alameda", a whiter-than-white windbreaker, and
She-Beast capri style riding shorts.  Oh, ya, AND riding a full-on
carbon road bike.  If Austin Powers was there he would have said "OH,
BEHAVE!!!"
No flats, breakdowns, taco'd wheels, or tires burned to the rims.  See
ya next time.

Superbly told story Jared!  LOL funny but very interestingly told.
You are to be commended for your determined resolve to ride home no
matter what.  Your McGuyver-istic skills are first rate.

Cross-listed with Western Wheelers

C/3.5/42  Short and Sweet.  Join Michelle for a classic Page Mill &
W Old La Honda ride bright and early so you have the rest of your
mid-November Saturday afternoon.  Meet at Mitchell Park 3800
Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303 at 8:45 for a 9:00am roll out.
Rain cancels.


FOOTNOTE FOR TEAM ALAMEDA:

Route sheet is available for download at:
http://home.pacbell.net/spro/routesheets/MitchellPark_PageMill_WOLH.p
df


Here's an excerpt from the Western Wheelers website on the two
climbs:

Page Mill Road, Palo Alto
distance: approx 7.5 miles
climbing: approx 2050 ft (1800 ft in first 5.0 miles)
The climb of Page Mill Road begins approximately 1.2 miles south of
its extended intersection with Arastradero Road. The grade is very
inconsistent, with some sections well over 10% and two intermediate
descents. Along the way are some excellent views of Silicon Valley
(for what they are worth...). The final 2.5 miles, containing
intersections with Montebello Rd and Alpine Rd, are rolling with a
few short, steep climbs. Across from Skyline, Page Mill turns into
Alpine Road (W).

As a descent, Page Mill is quite challenging and very popular,
especially among experienced descenders. The road is narrow and
steep with poor visibility in the corners, however, so riders must
watch carefully for motor traffic. As of Nov 1996, there are several
sections of quite rough pavement around corners, so don't sit too
heavily on the saddle.

Old La Honda Road (W):
distance: 2.6 miles
climbing: 580 feet
The west side of Old La Honda offers one of the best combinations of
accessibility and beauty of any road around. It is only 1.5 lanes
wide, and as it twists along the side of the ridge offers stunning
views of the forests to the west and the ocean beyond. Near the top,
it enters the redwoods for more excellent riding. The grade is
moderate (near 5%), making it quite enjoyable even at the tail end
of a long ride. Due to the accessibility of nearby Highway 84, auto
traffic is very light.

The narrow and blind corners make it pretty poor as a descent,
although the excellent views and light traffic make it a common
shortcut from the top of Old La Honda's east side to Highway 84 at
mile marker 12.2.

Cross-listed with Western Wheelers.

C-pace (brisk, few stops) 3000' gained, 25 miles

Alright C-posse, this may be one of our last chances up to the point
of no return on Mt. Umunhum road before El Niño sicks its wrath upon
us this year.  Meet Michelle (michelle.diaz@... 408-843-
7297) at Almaden Lake parking lot (Almaden Expressway just south of
Coleman Road) at 8:45am for a 9:00am roll out.  We'll head south
down Almaden Expressway into Old Almaden and begin our ascent from
the south side going in the northbound direction on Hicks Rd.  We'll
go up Mt Umunhum Road to the legal limit 1.3 mi past gate SA-08 to
an elevation of approx 2800'. We'll stare longingly at the views
from the road just past the white stripe of no biking doom painted
on the tarmac and head back down Mt Umunhum road and continue
northbound on Hicks back to Coleman Road to return to Lake Almaden.
Rain cancels.


FOOTNOTE FOR TEAM ALAMEDA:

This will be my first ascent of Mt Umunhum Road.  The last time I
climbed Hicks Road northbound, I did it painfully with my DA double
and a 12-27 cassette (39-27 = 38.1 gear inches).  I plan on
ascending this time on my new winter bike with a triple (30-27 =
29.3 gear inches.  *much happier*).


Here's an excerpt from the Western Wheelers website on the two
climbs of this short but tough ride:

Hicks Road (South side)
distance: 1.6 miles from Alamitos Road to Mt Umunhum Road (Loma
Almaden)
climbing: 700 feet from Alamitos Road to Mt Umunhum Road (Loma
Almaden)

The south face of Hicks isn't as terrible as the north side,
averaging only 8.6% (9.8% over the steepest 0.8 miles).
Nevertheless, when combined with Loma Almaden Road, it makes for a
challenging total climb. There is a cattle guard at the base of the
climb, considerably less daunting than the one on the north grade.

Mt Umunhum Road (Loma Almaden)
distance:
1.7 miles from Hicks to gate SA-08
1.2 miles from gate SA-08 to "No Trespassing" sign
climbing:
910 feet from Hicks to gate (10.1% avg)
530 feet from gate to "No Trespassing" sign (8.4% avg)
Loma Almaden, following the difficult climb of Hicks, presents a
considerable, but worthwhile, challenge. The grade is quite non-
uniform, with a section from approximately 0.5 to 0.9 miles
approaching a 20% average grade. There is a cattleguard part way up,
although it is quite passable. Another cattle guard is right at the
gate. The public road continues for 1.2 miles further. The end of
the public section is quite clearly marked, with signs on the side
of the road and large warnings painted across.

To all those special people who so generously donated to BORP THANK YOU! To those who didn't there's always next year. BORP's fund raising drive was a great success they raised more than they asked for and so did I.

The ride.

The start for the Century riders (100 miles) was at a chilly 7AM. I started a bit later, because I ran in to an old riding partner. Tom is blind and I used to be the pilot on his tandem road bike. So I waited for him and his new riding partner Paul. Most of the day was cool and overcast, but that didn't dampen our sprits. BORP had picked an excellent route through the Sonoma Wine Country and Russian River area: rolling hills with a few good climbs thrown in for a total of 5500 feet of climbing. The tandem had one flat, other than that it was 7.5 hours in the saddle. For anyone who is thinking about doing this ride next year I would highly recommend it. It was well supported with 10, 25, 62.5 (metric century) and 100 mile routes. Lots of rest stops with a mix of fruit, PB&J, bars and jells, with great food at the end.

Thanks

Anthony

Jared,

I'm glad to hear you made it back without loss of bodily fluids and/or
parts.  After reading yours and Jim's reports, it gives me the
impression that this weekend wasn't Alameda's best in luck.  Hope to
see you soon!



David
10/23


--- In teamalameda@yahoogroups.com, Jared Brockway <jaredbrockway@...>
wrote:
>
> I have this tire on the rear of my commuter bike that I've been
> trying to wear out.  I don't feel justified in throwing it in the
> trash until it's completely used up since it works just fine.  It's
> one of those flat-resistant tires with a casing so so thick and heavy
> it makes riding the bike feel like running in work boots.  I've been
> patiently waiting for this thing to die of natural causes for over a
> year now and it just won't oblige.
>
> I rode the commuter bike with the indestructible tire on Saturday's
> ride, thinking I'd skip the long ride this weekend since Lilia came
> with me and she needed to get home early for a friend's birthday
> lunch.  The short group was heading back on her schedule, so she went
> back with them.  I decided to continue with Josh, Dave, Keith, and
> Dan on the unofficial long-ish ride.  The fixed-gear commuter bike
> wasn't the best choice of equipment for the long ride, but I hadn't
> talked to these guys in a while and wanted to hear about last
> weekend's Poindexter challenge.  Tunnel Road and Wildcat were really
> hard, but the group eased up a bit after that.
>
> Near the end of the ride as we were coming down Pinehurst over the
> choppy pavement, my chain came off.  My first reaction was
> disappointment, thinking that I'd have to stop and put it back on.
> It didn't occur to me immediately that on a fixie, chain derailment
> is a pretty serious thing.  The rear cog keeps spinning as long as
> the wheel is turning, winding the chain into a knot until it can't
> wind anymore.  Once that happens, either 1) the chain breaks, or 2)
> the wheel locks up, or 3) if the fixie is some low-budget derailer
> bike conversion with forward-facing dropouts, the chain yanks the
> wheel out of the frame.  Of course my situation was number three.
> Luckily the chain jammed the wheel good and tight against the frame
> when it pulled loose from the dropouts.
>
> When the rear wheel locks up like that, you have about a second  of
> frantic fishtailing where, if you're lucky, you can keep the bike
> upright before the pavement burns a hole through the tire.  After
> that, it's just the bare rim on the pavement.  That's A Very Bad Thing.
>
> I don't know how many plies of kevlar/steel/nylon were in that tire,
> but it hung on for a good two seconds before burning through.  The
> really lucky part was that even after the tube exploded and there was
> no air in the tire at all, it hung onto the rim like grim death as
> long as the bike continued to skid, never letting the rim touch the
> pavement.
>
> Amazed at my good fortune to still be upright after the explosion and
> the fishtailing, I got off the bike and over to the side of the
> road.  It was in pretty bad shape.  The chain was jammed between the
> chainring and the stay.  It was wrapped twice around the rear cog
> which held the whole works tightly against the frame, despite it
> having pulled loose from the dropouts.  Even if I could get the chain
> free, there was still the matter of the dime-size hole burned through
> the tire.  There was no way to make this mess rideable again.
>
> Keith and Dan had come whizzing down the hill a few seconds behind
> me, probably thinking I just had a flat and would be along in a few
> minutes.  I was still a little rattled and called out, but too late.
> Oh well, it's not as if they could give me a ride back on their
> handlebars.
>
> The jammed chain turned out to be not as bad as I thought.  It pulled
> out from between the frame and the chainring and didn't look
> damaged.   The wheel and gears were OK too.  Encouraged, I opened up
> the tool kit to see what was there.  No cell phone (idiot!), a
> schrader-valve tube(?!?), a Clif bar wrapper, and no patch kit.  No
> help there.  Luckily, a friendly cyclist named Oswaldo stopped to see
> if he could help.  He offered a spare tube and thought we might be
> able to boot the tire with the Clif bar wrapper.  He was right.  We
> cautiously put maybe 10 psi of air in the tire.  You could just about
> read the ingredients on the Clif bar wrapper peeking through the hole
> in the tire.  I looked dangerous, but it was better than walking.  I
> thanked him profusely and set off--slowly--down the hill.
>
> After maybe a hundred turns of the lumpy tire, the tube blew out
> through the hole.  @#$%#@$, it almost worked!  I started walking,
> trying to think of what else to do.   A few hundred yards later,
> there was a guy parking his pick-up getting ready to run the trail by
> Redwood park.  He asked if I needed some help.  I had another Clif
> bar--maybe if he could spare a tube, I could use both wrappers to
> make a thicker tire boot.  He only had mountain bike tubes,
> unfortunately.  He did offer me his patch kit though.  I thanked him
> and he left on his run.  There was a big patch in the kit--probably
> big enough to cover the blowout hole.  Too bad the glue was dried
> up.  I took the big patch, thinking I might find someone else with
> patch glue, left the rest of the kit on the bumper of the runner's
> pickup.
>
> I had only walked a few minutes before more helpful bikers passed
> by.  They didn't have a tube, but they did have patch glue.  After
> some chatting and gluing, the tire was holding 10 psi of air again,
> looking not quite as dangerous this time.  I thanked the riders and
> set off down the road on the lumpy, nearly-flat tire.
>
> The patch was holding, but it leaked badly.  After about a mile, the
> bike would start wallowing around on the limp tire.  No problem--a
> few pumps of air, another mile....  This got me up to Skyline and
> part of the way down 35th before the tire wouldn't hold air anymore.
>
> There weren't any bikers on 35th.  I didn't see any bike shops
> either, but the #54 bus runs down 35th to Fruitvale.  If I caught
> that and the Fruitvale bike station was open, I could get a new tube
> and tire there.  If not, I could walk or catch another bus home.  The
> bus seemed like a good idea in either case.  I found a stop and
> waited.  The bike tire was really looking bad.  Riding it nearly-flat
> for several miles had caused the rubber to delaminate from the casing
> in places.  The rubber peeled away easily.  It was only held on to
> the casing in a few places.
>
> I was at the bus stop for maybe 15 minutes when a couple of athletic-
> looking women (both wearing familiar t-shirts from event runs) pulled
> up and asked if I needed a tube.  They said they lived nearby and
> could run home and get me one in five minutes.  I thanked them and
> said I would meet them across the street by the auto parts store.
>
> They didn't show up for a while.  It was very generous of them to run
> home to get a tube, and I couldn't blame them if they changed their
> mind.  Still hopeful, I parked the bike where they could see it and
> went into the auto parts store to get a patch kit.  A tube would be
> better, but a patch might work.  I had kept the original tube--the
> one that burned through when the wheel locked up--and the hole was
> smaller than the one with the leaky patch.  I glued on a patch big
> enough to wrap completely around the tube.  It looked like it might
> work.  The two women in the car pulled up about then.  I thanked them
> for their kind offer and explained that the patched tube would
> probably work.  They insisted that I take the tube anyway and wished
> me luck.
>
> The patched tube was already halfway installed in the tire, so I
> decided to use it instead of the new tube.  The rubber was going to
> be a problem though--it had separated from the tire casing for
> several inches in places.  The tire casing was tough and thick,
> probably tough enough to ride on.  I pulled the rest of the rubber
> tread off the casing, finished installing the patched tube and
> started riding.
>
> The casing rode surprisingly well--better without than with rubber.
> I made it home, even through all the broken glass on Fruitvale/35th
> without a problem.  Now that the tire is finally dead,  I feel like I
> never gave it enough credit.  Thin racing tires ride have a wonderful
> supple ride, but if I would have had one on my commuter bike that day
> instead of the sturdy Armadillo, I'd probably be recovering from a
> nasty spill right now.  I know I couldn't have ridden home on the
> casing.
>
> Thanks to Josh, Keith, Dan, Dave, Oswaldo, and all the generous
> cyclists who made this a good ride in spite of the problems.  Thanks
> especially to that stubborn old Specialized Armadillo tire that hung
> on like grim death when it mattered most.  May it rest in peace.
>

I have this tire on the rear of my commuter bike that I've been
trying to wear out.  I don't feel justified in throwing it in the
trash until it's completely used up since it works just fine.  It's
one of those flat-resistant tires with a casing so so thick and heavy
it makes riding the bike feel like running in work boots.  I've been
patiently waiting for this thing to die of natural causes for over a
year now and it just won't oblige.

I rode the commuter bike with the indestructible tire on Saturday's
ride, thinking I'd skip the long ride this weekend since Lilia came
with me and she needed to get home early for a friend's birthday
lunch.  The short group was heading back on her schedule, so she went
back with them.  I decided to continue with Josh, Dave, Keith, and
Dan on the unofficial long-ish ride.  The fixed-gear commuter bike
wasn't the best choice of equipment for the long ride, but I hadn't
talked to these guys in a while and wanted to hear about last
weekend's Poindexter challenge.  Tunnel Road and Wildcat were really
hard, but the group eased up a bit after that.

Near the end of the ride as we were coming down Pinehurst over the
choppy pavement, my chain came off.  My first reaction was
disappointment, thinking that I'd have to stop and put it back on.
It didn't occur to me immediately that on a fixie, chain derailment
is a pretty serious thing.  The rear cog keeps spinning as long as
the wheel is turning, winding the chain into a knot until it can't
wind anymore.  Once that happens, either 1) the chain breaks, or 2)
the wheel locks up, or 3) if the fixie is some low-budget derailer
bike conversion with forward-facing dropouts, the chain yanks the
wheel out of the frame.  Of course my situation was number three.
Luckily the chain jammed the wheel good and tight against the frame
when it pulled loose from the dropouts.

When the rear wheel locks up like that, you have about a second  of
frantic fishtailing where, if you're lucky, you can keep the bike
upright before the pavement burns a hole through the tire.  After
that, it's just the bare rim on the pavement.  That's A Very Bad Thing.

I don't know how many plies of kevlar/steel/nylon were in that tire,
but it hung on for a good two seconds before burning through.  The
really lucky part was that even after the tube exploded and there was
no air in the tire at all, it hung onto the rim like grim death as
long as the bike continued to skid, never letting the rim touch the
pavement.

Amazed at my good fortune to still be upright after the explosion and
the fishtailing, I got off the bike and over to the side of the
road.  It was in pretty bad shape.  The chain was jammed between the
chainring and the stay.  It was wrapped twice around the rear cog
which held the whole works tightly against the frame, despite it
having pulled loose from the dropouts.  Even if I could get the chain
free, there was still the matter of the dime-size hole burned through
the tire.  There was no way to make this mess rideable again.

Keith and Dan had come whizzing down the hill a few seconds behind
me, probably thinking I just had a flat and would be along in a few
minutes.  I was still a little rattled and called out, but too late.
Oh well, it's not as if they could give me a ride back on their
handlebars.

The jammed chain turned out to be not as bad as I thought.  It pulled
out from between the frame and the chainring and didn't look
damaged.   The wheel and gears were OK too.  Encouraged, I opened up
the tool kit to see what was there.  No cell phone (idiot!), a
schrader-valve tube(?!?), a Clif bar wrapper, and no patch kit.  No
help there.  Luckily, a friendly cyclist named Oswaldo stopped to see
if he could help.  He offered a spare tube and thought we might be
able to boot the tire with the Clif bar wrapper.  He was right.  We
cautiously put maybe 10 psi of air in the tire.  You could just about
read the ingredients on the Clif bar wrapper peeking through the hole
in the tire.  I looked dangerous, but it was better than walking.  I
thanked him profusely and set off--slowly--down the hill.

After maybe a hundred turns of the lumpy tire, the tube blew out
through the hole.  @#$%#@$, it almost worked!  I started walking,
trying to think of what else to do.   A few hundred yards later,
there was a guy parking his pick-up getting ready to run the trail by
Redwood park.  He asked if I needed some help.  I had another Clif
bar--maybe if he could spare a tube, I could use both wrappers to
make a thicker tire boot.  He only had mountain bike tubes,
unfortunately.  He did offer me his patch kit though.  I thanked him
and he left on his run.  There was a big patch in the kit--probably
big enough to cover the blowout hole.  Too bad the glue was dried
up.  I took the big patch, thinking I might find someone else with
patch glue, left the rest of the kit on the bumper of the runner's
pickup.

I had only walked a few minutes before more helpful bikers passed
by.  They didn't have a tube, but they did have patch glue.  After
some chatting and gluing, the tire was holding 10 psi of air again,
looking not quite as dangerous this time.  I thanked the riders and
set off down the road on the lumpy, nearly-flat tire.

The patch was holding, but it leaked badly.  After about a mile, the
bike would start wallowing around on the limp tire.  No problem--a
few pumps of air, another mile....  This got me up to Skyline and
part of the way down 35th before the tire wouldn't hold air anymore.

There weren't any bikers on 35th.  I didn't see any bike shops
either, but the #54 bus runs down 35th to Fruitvale.  If I caught
that and the Fruitvale bike station was open, I could get a new tube
and tire there.  If not, I could walk or catch another bus home.  The
bus seemed like a good idea in either case.  I found a stop and
waited.  The bike tire was really looking bad.  Riding it nearly-flat
for several miles had caused the rubber to delaminate from the casing
in places.  The rubber peeled away easily.  It was only held on to
the casing in a few places.

I was at the bus stop for maybe 15 minutes when a couple of athletic-
looking women (both wearing familiar t-shirts from event runs) pulled
up and asked if I needed a tube.  They said they lived nearby and
could run home and get me one in five minutes.  I thanked them and
said I would meet them across the street by the auto parts store.

They didn't show up for a while.  It was very generous of them to run
home to get a tube, and I couldn't blame them if they changed their
mind.  Still hopeful, I parked the bike where they could see it and
went into the auto parts store to get a patch kit.  A tube would be
better, but a patch might work.  I had kept the original tube--the
one that burned through when the wheel locked up--and the hole was
smaller than the one with the leaky patch.  I glued on a patch big
enough to wrap completely around the tube.  It looked like it might
work.  The two women in the car pulled up about then.  I thanked them
for their kind offer and explained that the patched tube would
probably work.  They insisted that I take the tube anyway and wished
me luck.

The patched tube was already halfway installed in the tire, so I
decided to use it instead of the new tube.  The rubber was going to
be a problem though--it had separated from the tire casing for
several inches in places.  The tire casing was tough and thick,
probably tough enough to ride on.  I pulled the rest of the rubber
tread off the casing, finished installing the patched tube and
started riding.

The casing rode surprisingly well--better without than with rubber.
I made it home, even through all the broken glass on Fruitvale/35th
without a problem.  Now that the tire is finally dead,  I feel like I
never gave it enough credit.  Thin racing tires ride have a wonderful
supple ride, but if I would have had one on my commuter bike that day
instead of the sturdy Armadillo, I'd probably be recovering from a
nasty spill right now.  I know I couldn't have ridden home on the
casing.

Thanks to Josh, Keith, Dan, Dave, Oswaldo, and all the generous
cyclists who made this a good ride in spite of the problems.  Thanks
especially to that stubborn old Specialized Armadillo tire that hung
on like grim death when it mattered most.  May it rest in peace.

I've got the day off and would like to head out ~8:-9:00AM.

John Williams
865-1261

Okay. We MUST have more submissions.  Come ON.  PLEASE submit your
ideas for a new logo.  You have 9 more days.  You can DO it. They can
be Hand-Drawn!!!!!!!!

Casey

It's official, John Melder has been outdone by Jim
Gordon as the flattiest ride leader!


David
10/21

--- Jim Gordon <gordus_mxus@...> wrote:

> Unfortunately, this is not a title that one aspires
> to.  It is a
> position one does not choose, it is dealt by fate
> and luck, like a bad
> hand of poker.  In retrospect it is all clear now
> how this could have
> been avoided.
>
> One flat in one ride?  Meh, it happens, no big deal.
>
> Two flats in one ride?  Definitely bad luck.
>
> Three flats in one ride?  This ride is cursed!
>
> Four flats in one ride?  Hopelessness sets in.
>
> Five flats in one ride?  The mind enters the Empty
> Void, the eyes
> stare blankly at the sidewalk, a malaise of
> Nothingness transforms an
> upside down bicycle into a meaningless pile of
> random parts- rubber,
> plastic, metal, grease, glue, tools, wrappers, and a
> relentlessly
> dripping water bottle.
>
> So how did this come to be?  I blame the cursed Wind
> from the East, an
> ill wind, that today, sucked the will to ride from
> some people.  15
> years ago it did much worse than that.  That was the
> first omen.
>
> Flat #1 came at the start of Spruce st.  Phhiiiistt!
>  I cheerily
> repaired the rear tire with a spare tube.  No
> apparent puncture to the
> tire, but, well, these things happen.  Off we went
> up the hill.
>
> Flat #2 came at the Grizzly Peak and Centennial.
> Phhiiiist!  WTF?? I
> thought.  No apparent puncture to the rear tire.
> Shel loaned me a
> tube, and we thought the problem might be the old
> rim strip, which was
> looking mighty thin around the spoke holes, one in
> particular which we
> put a patch over just in case.  Off we went up
> Grizzly. Descending
> Grizzly was a little white knuckle for me as I
> imagined the rear tire
> going Phhht! at speed, luckily that didn't happen.
>
> Flat #3 came along Skyline before Chabot Space
> center, I was going at
> speed on the flats, finally feeling a full head of
> steam, and
> Phhiiist! the rear wheel again!  I pulled over and
> sat there shaking
> my head.  The others, who had been so patient
> previously, decided to
> go on, which I endorsed.  Thanks to the young guy
> (forgot your name)
> who lent me a new tube. So I'm repairing when John
> Williams rides up,
> he had gotten behind somehow. This time I clearly
> saw the hole in the
> tube which was four inches to the left of the valve,
> right over a
> spoke hole which had lost its tape protection.  AHA!
>  John gave me his
> sticky gel wrapper which I wrapped around the new
> tube over the hole,
> put it all back together, and decided to ride down
> to Montclair to the
> bike shop for some new rim strip.  By this time I
> had 3 punctured
> tubes over and around my body like bandoliers.  I
> made it safely down
> Ascot Dr. to the Wheels of Justice bike shop where I
> bought some Velox
> tape.
>
> Then it got wierder...
>
> I did my repairs on the sidewalk in front of the
> shop, sitting on a
> planter.  I took off the fully functional gel
> wrappered tube and
> applied the Velox tape over the old rim strip- twice
> the protection,
> right?  Ya, if you can get the tire back on.  I
> couldn't- the rim
> stuff was too thick.  So I dismantled the tire
> again, and removed the
> old rim strip, and put on the new Velox, put the
> tire on, and WTF? the
> valve hole in the Velox had moved over 2 inches, I
> could not put the
> tube in.  Removed the tire, redid the Velox, put
> tire back on, put
> tube in, other side of tire on, took wheel into shop
> to use floor
> pump, pumped up, put bike back together, rode 1/2
> block and
>
> Flat #4:   rim was on the ground again.  ??? I must
> have pinched the
> tube while repairing.  I dejectedly walked back to
> the bike shop where
> I dismantled the rear wheel for the 6th or 7th time.
>  I went into the
> shop to buy a tube, but there were 5 or 6 people in
> line for stuff, so
> I decided to patch one of the tubes instead.  Good
> plan, except that
> the glue in my repair kit was half set, thick and
> old, but I used it
> anyway, smearing it on the tube, just fed up with
> the whole thing.  I
> put the patch on, and it was not pretty.  I put
> everything back
> together, and after 30 seconds of pumping....
>
> Flat #5
>
> Phhiiiist!!!!! the patch failed.  At this point I
> sat there on the
> planter watching the water drip...drip... drip out
> of the upside down
> bottle and it occurred to me that if I layed down on
> the sidewalk and
> put my head under it it would simulate Chinese Water
> Torture fairly
> accurately.  I was at rock bottom, lost all
> confidence in my bike and
> my ability to fix it, oh Lord, stuck in Montclair
> again...
> (Pretty funny condidering I'm RIGHT IN FRONT OF A
> BIKE SHOP! I blame
> it on low blood sugar)
>
> Just then my buddy Steve from Alameda came riding
> up, and its weird
> because I haven't seen him for some time and was
> just today wondering
> what happened to him, and he just rides up in a
> synchronous way, hard
> to explain really, and he was in an upbeat mood.  It
> was good to see
> him, and suddenly my luck changed, the bike shop
> emptied out, I got 2
> new tubes, and put a new one in and it just felt
> right, I knew I had
> it this time.  It was 1 o'clock, I was hungry, but
> feeling renewed,
> said bye to Steve and took of down Park Blvd with a
> tailwind, it was
> fast and felt good, especially with 4 tube
> bandoliers on my chest I
> felt like a "back in the day" TDF veteran.
>
> The Moral: after many parts upgrades, bearing
> overhalls, fit
> adjustments, kevlar belted tires, constant fine
> tuning and whatnot, I
> am done-in by the one thing I neglected to upgrade-
> the lowly rim
> strip- out of sight and mind 99% of the time until
> entropy takes hold
> on it and it just flat out fails to do its job of
> keeping thin, highly
> pressurized rubber away from sharp metal edges.
>
> Thanks to the patient Medium crew who waited,
> offered tubes, patches,
> pumps, and sticky gel wrappers- you guys rock!
>
>
>

Five flats and you were still determined to return on your bike. What
a commitment! I think that I would have dumped my bike in a garbage
bin (less my Continental 4000 tires) and hailed a cab to get back
home, dishonored but done with the ride ... or that I would have done
like Anthony and borrowed an expensive bike from Wheels of Justice for
an extensive road test.

Hope that you'll have a good ride tomorrow.


--- In teamalameda@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Gordon" <gordus_mxus@...> wrote:
>
> Unfortunately, this is not a title that one aspires to.  It is a
> position one does not choose, it is dealt by fate and luck, like a bad
> hand of poker.  In retrospect it is all clear now how this could have
> been avoided.
>
> One flat in one ride?  Meh, it happens, no big deal.
>
> Two flats in one ride?  Definitely bad luck.
>
> Three flats in one ride?  This ride is cursed!
>
> Four flats in one ride?  Hopelessness sets in.
>
> Five flats in one ride?  The mind enters the Empty Void, the eyes
> stare blankly at the sidewalk, a malaise of Nothingness transforms an
> upside down bicycle into a meaningless pile of random parts- rubber,
> plastic, metal, grease, glue, tools, wrappers, and a relentlessly
> dripping water bottle.
>
> So how did this come to be?  I blame the cursed Wind from the East, an
> ill wind, that today, sucked the will to ride from some people.  15
> years ago it did much worse than that.  That was the first omen.
>
> Flat #1 came at the start of Spruce st.  Phhiiiistt!  I cheerily
> repaired the rear tire with a spare tube.  No apparent puncture to the
> tire, but, well, these things happen.  Off we went up the hill.
>
> Flat #2 came at the Grizzly Peak and Centennial.  Phhiiiist!  WTF?? I
> thought.  No apparent puncture to the rear tire.  Shel loaned me a
> tube, and we thought the problem might be the old rim strip, which was
> looking mighty thin around the spoke holes, one in particular which we
> put a patch over just in case.  Off we went up Grizzly. Descending
> Grizzly was a little white knuckle for me as I imagined the rear tire
> going Phhht! at speed, luckily that didn't happen.
>
> Flat #3 came along Skyline before Chabot Space center, I was going at
> speed on the flats, finally feeling a full head of steam, and
> Phhiiist! the rear wheel again!  I pulled over and sat there shaking
> my head.  The others, who had been so patient previously, decided to
> go on, which I endorsed.  Thanks to the young guy (forgot your name)
> who lent me a new tube. So I'm repairing when John Williams rides up,
> he had gotten behind somehow. This time I clearly saw the hole in the
> tube which was four inches to the left of the valve, right over a
> spoke hole which had lost its tape protection.  AHA!  John gave me his
> sticky gel wrapper which I wrapped around the new tube over the hole,
> put it all back together, and decided to ride down to Montclair to the
> bike shop for some new rim strip.  By this time I had 3 punctured
> tubes over and around my body like bandoliers.  I made it safely down
> Ascot Dr. to the Wheels of Justice bike shop where I bought some Velox
> tape.
>
> Then it got wierder...
>
> I did my repairs on the sidewalk in front of the shop, sitting on a
> planter.  I took off the fully functional gel wrappered tube and
> applied the Velox tape over the old rim strip- twice the protection,
> right?  Ya, if you can get the tire back on.  I couldn't- the rim
> stuff was too thick.  So I dismantled the tire again, and removed the
> old rim strip, and put on the new Velox, put the tire on, and WTF? the
> valve hole in the Velox had moved over 2 inches, I could not put the
> tube in.  Removed the tire, redid the Velox, put tire back on, put
> tube in, other side of tire on, took wheel into shop to use floor
> pump, pumped up, put bike back together, rode 1/2 block and
>
> Flat #4:   rim was on the ground again.  ??? I must have pinched the
> tube while repairing.  I dejectedly walked back to the bike shop where
> I dismantled the rear wheel for the 6th or 7th time.  I went into the
> shop to buy a tube, but there were 5 or 6 people in line for stuff, so
> I decided to patch one of the tubes instead.  Good plan, except that
> the glue in my repair kit was half set, thick and old, but I used it
> anyway, smearing it on the tube, just fed up with the whole thing.  I
> put the patch on, and it was not pretty.  I put everything back
> together, and after 30 seconds of pumping....
>
> Flat #5
>
> Phhiiiist!!!!! the patch failed.  At this point I sat there on the
> planter watching the water drip...drip... drip out of the upside down
> bottle and it occurred to me that if I layed down on the sidewalk and
> put my head under it it would simulate Chinese Water Torture fairly
> accurately.  I was at rock bottom, lost all confidence in my bike and
> my ability to fix it, oh Lord, stuck in Montclair again...
> (Pretty funny condidering I'm RIGHT IN FRONT OF A BIKE SHOP! I blame
> it on low blood sugar)
>
> Just then my buddy Steve from Alameda came riding up, and its weird
> because I haven't seen him for some time and was just today wondering
> what happened to him, and he just rides up in a synchronous way, hard
> to explain really, and he was in an upbeat mood.  It was good to see
> him, and suddenly my luck changed, the bike shop emptied out, I got 2
> new tubes, and put a new one in and it just felt right, I knew I had
> it this time.  It was 1 o'clock, I was hungry, but feeling renewed,
> said bye to Steve and took of down Park Blvd with a tailwind, it was
> fast and felt good, especially with 4 tube bandoliers on my chest I
> felt like a "back in the day" TDF veteran.
>
> The Moral: after many parts upgrades, bearing overhalls, fit
> adjustments, kevlar belted tires, constant fine tuning and whatnot, I
> am done-in by the one thing I neglected to upgrade- the lowly rim
> strip- out of sight and mind 99% of the time until entropy takes hold
> on it and it just flat out fails to do its job of keeping thin, highly
> pressurized rubber away from sharp metal edges.
>
> Thanks to the patient Medium crew who waited, offered tubes, patches,
> pumps, and sticky gel wrappers- you guys rock!
>

Unfortunately, this is not a title that one aspires to.  It is a
position one does not choose, it is dealt by fate and luck, like a bad
hand of poker.  In retrospect it is all clear now how this could have
been avoided.

One flat in one ride?  Meh, it happens, no big deal.

Two flats in one ride?  Definitely bad luck.

Three flats in one ride?  This ride is cursed!

Four flats in one ride?  Hopelessness sets in.

Five flats in one ride?  The mind enters the Empty Void, the eyes
stare blankly at the sidewalk, a malaise of Nothingness transforms an
upside down bicycle into a meaningless pile of random parts- rubber,
plastic, metal, grease, glue, tools, wrappers, and a relentlessly
dripping water bottle.

So how did this come to be?  I blame the cursed Wind from the East, an
ill wind, that today, sucked the will to ride from some people.  15
years ago it did much worse than that.  That was the first omen.

Flat #1 came at the start of Spruce st.  Phhiiiistt!  I cheerily
repaired the rear tire with a spare tube.  No apparent puncture to the
tire, but, well, these things happen.  Off we went up the hill.

Flat #2 came at the Grizzly Peak and Centennial.  Phhiiiist!  WTF?? I
thought.  No apparent puncture to the rear tire.  Shel loaned me a
tube, and we thought the problem might be the old rim strip, which was
looking mighty thin around the spoke holes, one in particular which we
put a patch over just in case.  Off we went up Grizzly. Descending
Grizzly was a little white knuckle for me as I imagined the rear tire
going Phhht! at speed, luckily that didn't happen.

Flat #3 came along Skyline before Chabot Space center, I was going at
speed on the flats, finally feeling a full head of steam, and
Phhiiist! the rear wheel again!  I pulled over and sat there shaking
my head.  The others, who had been so patient previously, decided to
go on, which I endorsed.  Thanks to the young guy (forgot your name)
who lent me a new tube. So I'm repairing when John Williams rides up,
he had gotten behind somehow. This time I clearly saw the hole in the
tube which was four inches to the left of the valve, right over a
spoke hole which had lost its tape protection.  AHA!  John gave me his
sticky gel wrapper which I wrapped around the new tube over the hole,
put it all back together, and decided to ride down to Montclair to the
bike shop for some new rim strip.  By this time I had 3 punctured
tubes over and around my body like bandoliers.  I made it safely down
Ascot Dr. to the Wheels of Justice bike shop where I bought some Velox
tape.

Then it got wierder...

I did my repairs on the sidewalk in front of the shop, sitting on a
planter.  I took off the fully functional gel wrappered tube and
applied the Velox tape over the old rim strip- twice the protection,
right?  Ya, if you can get the tire back on.  I couldn't- the rim
stuff was too thick.  So I dismantled the tire again, and removed the
old rim strip, and put on the new Velox, put the tire on, and WTF? the
valve hole in the Velox had moved over 2 inches, I could not put the
tube in.  Removed the tire, redid the Velox, put tire back on, put
tube in, other side of tire on, took wheel into shop to use floor
pump, pumped up, put bike back together, rode 1/2 block and

Flat #4:   rim was on the ground again.  ??? I must have pinched the
tube while repairing.  I dejectedly walked back to the bike shop where
I dismantled the rear wheel for the 6th or 7th time.  I went into the
shop to buy a tube, but there were 5 or 6 people in line for stuff, so
I decided to patch one of the tubes instead.  Good plan, except that
the glue in my repair kit was half set, thick and old, but I used it
anyway, smearing it on the tube, just fed up with the whole thing.  I
put the patch on, and it was not pretty.  I put everything back
together, and after 30 seconds of pumping....

Flat #5

Phhiiiist!!!!! the patch failed.  At this point I sat there on the
planter watching the water drip...drip... drip out of the upside down
bottle and it occurred to me that if I layed down on the sidewalk and
put my head under it it would simulate Chinese Water Torture fairly
accurately.  I was at rock bottom, lost all confidence in my bike and
my ability to fix it, oh Lord, stuck in Montclair again...
(Pretty funny condidering I'm RIGHT IN FRONT OF A BIKE SHOP! I blame
it on low blood sugar)

Just then my buddy Steve from Alameda came riding up, and its weird
because I haven't seen him for some time and was just today wondering
what happened to him, and he just rides up in a synchronous way, hard
to explain really, and he was in an upbeat mood.  It was good to see
him, and suddenly my luck changed, the bike shop emptied out, I got 2
new tubes, and put a new one in and it just felt right, I knew I had
it this time.  It was 1 o'clock, I was hungry, but feeling renewed,
said bye to Steve and took of down Park Blvd with a tailwind, it was
fast and felt good, especially with 4 tube bandoliers on my chest I
felt like a "back in the day" TDF veteran.

The Moral: after many parts upgrades, bearing overhalls, fit
adjustments, kevlar belted tires, constant fine tuning and whatnot, I
am done-in by the one thing I neglected to upgrade- the lowly rim
strip- out of sight and mind 99% of the time until entropy takes hold
on it and it just flat out fails to do its job of keeping thin, highly
pressurized rubber away from sharp metal edges.

Thanks to the patient Medium crew who waited, offered tubes, patches,
pumps, and sticky gel wrappers- you guys rock!