Uhmmm…Crow is sooooo delicious…

Time to eat a little crow here folks (according to Andi).

Not sure if you remember but, when I picked up the new Fuji a few weeks ago, it was to help me kick some butt on the next group ride sponsored by our LBS. Well, due to scheduling conflicts I wasn’t able to join them until today and…you guessed it. It’s not the bike, it’s the rider.

Yes, I struggled once again to keep up today. Granted, I ride to the ride, while everyone else drives but still, I’d hoped to put in a much better showing today. I’m also still getting used to riding in 40 degree temps, which really ain’t easy for me.

Ultimately though, it’s about me and my legs. I guess I just haven’t been riding enough, or at a quick enough pace, to keep up with these people. I feel disappointed in myself. I feel less than adequate. I feel like I’m going to work much harder to get myself up to their level.

I do have to say however, for any bike shop to advertise a group ride of 16-18 mph, and then ride at 20 mph and above, this seems disingenuous at best; deceitful at worst. I’m just plain DONE, after 36.5 miles. (Thanks Andi for picking me up after the ride and saving me that additional 7 mile ride home. I just wouldn’t have made it today.)

Oh well, who’s to say I won’t kick some butt next week, right?

Later

Cool weather has arrived…

Well, so it’s here. The cool weather I’ve been dreading has arrived. It can be beautiful in the fall in Colorado. Some days look perfect for a ride. However, though it was beautiful Tuesday, as shown in the pictures below, I think riding when temps are in the 40’s, with winds in the 30’s, is not so great.

Fall in Denver

Fall in Denver 2

But then we have today…a truly beautiful day for riding. High 50’s to low 60’s, a gentle breeze…and views like these:

Fall riding 1

(click on the pix for a close-up view)

Fall riding 2

(Click on the pix for a close-up view)

I was just a couple of miles southeast of home when I stopped to check out his panoramic view to the west. I wish the pictures were better, but the newly snow-capped peaks are truly stunning. Are 25 degree mornings too high a price to pay for views such as this?

Not sure yet, but I’ll let you know.

Later

The VeloSwap Experience…

VeloSwap yesterday was a pretty big deal–it must have been since I slept nine hours straight last night (and I never sleep more than 5-6). Then, after a late breakfast, I took a two-hour nap. wow, was I pooped.

Anyway, we met some very cool people and made some good contacts. We also handed out a lot of info. So, we should see some business out of it during the fall and winter months.

Next year though, we’ll be taking stuff to SELL. People at VeloSwap are there to BUY; while we were there to introduce our services. But, it was a great learning experience.

If you ever get a chance to attend a similar event in your area, by all means do…it was an amazing experience.

Later

VeloSwap…

Up even earlier than usual (4am) to get ready for VeloSwap today.

We have no idea what to expect since this is our first show. Just hoping to meet people and show a few of the bikes we’ve rebuilt and hybridized. Looking to make contacts and meet prospective buyers.

The most difficult task today will be staying in our booth (#269), and trying to avoid looking at all the other cool bikes. Good thing I don’t have any money to spend!!!

Anyway, hope to see some of you there.

Later

Mile-Hi Cycle Guy Has a Booth at Denver’s VeloSwap 2010

It’s time we got out of the bike shop and met with more of the Denver public. We want more people to know what we do and what we’re all about. What better place to do that at then at Denver’s VeloSwap, the largest consumer cycling show in the West, on Saturday, October 23rd. Check us out at our very own VeloSwap booth #269 tomorrow! It’s at the National Western Complex, just off I-70, from 9am to 4pm. Both Richard and Andrea will be there. We would LOVE for you to stop by and say hello!

“Buy…Sell…Recycle! It is a fantastic celebration of everything in the world of bicycling. VeloSwap features new and used bicycles and equipment, cycling and sports clinics, family events, cycling celebrities, product sampling, an all-new EcoVillage, and much, much more.”

This will be our first time even attending the show, let alone as a vendor. We have no idea what to expect. We snagged a primo spot right on the end of a row, so we’re hoping for TONS of traffic. Look for us near the middle of the showroom floor, close to some concession stands. Of course we’ll be taking plenty of pictures and posting to this site, on our Facebook Page, and Twitter.

Our goal as a vendor is to introduce Richard, the Mile-Hi Cycle Guy, to the public and let folks know about the types of projects we work on; rebuilding old bikes and hybridizing. We’ll also be introducing some additional services and offering VeloSwap attendees a couple of coupons if they stop by our booth.

We’re very excited about being there and can’t wait to see what it’s all about and to meet as many people as we possibly can. We might even find a few goodies to buy for ourselves.

Buying cycling goodies is ever so much fun! Don’t you agree? 🙂

Hope to see you there!
Richard and Andrea

Yesterday…

…was a good day.

Had an errand to run, at a destination about 12 miles from home. No big deal on the new bike, right? Well, I made a couple of wrong turns so instead of about 24 miles, I rode about 30…AGAIN!

Wow, this new bike sure is fun to ride, and soooooo smooth, too. I love it.

The only real drawback to the ride was having to stop and clear the street so that the convoy of motorcycles (about 25), and police cars (about 10), and armored SUV’s (about 5), for Michelle Obama’s motorcade could pass. Really? They had to stop an old man on a bike for the First Lady to pass safely? Come on…

Oh well, it was still a good day. I’d already sold a bike in the morning and, despite the fact that the person I went to see was unavailable, a quality ride like that always makes for a good day.

Later

The weekend…

Couldn’t ride at all yesterday, Sunday, because it rained all day. Felt like I was in Seattle, Colorado. On Saturday though, I had a good ride.

I couldn’t make it to the group ride Saturday, as I had hoped, because we had a woman coming by at 11:00 am to look at one of our bikes for sale. She came; she saw; she rode; she bought (well, she put down a deposit, anyway). So, I just had to hit the roads as best I could before she got here.

I took a different route than usual, heading south and east  instead of north and west. Did about 15 miles at a pretty good clip on the new Fuji. It was a good ride, except for three things: the temps, which were high 40’s to low 50’s; the wind, which was 18-20 mph and seemed to be always in my face; the hills, of which there seemed to be two ascents for a single descent.

It was actually a pretty rough ride, though I managed to do the 15 miles in just under an hour; in spite of all the climbing. I was actually pleased that I couldn’t make the group ride, despite the fact I was unable to show off my new bike, because I probably would have struggled a bit with the cool temps and the wind.

Yes, it’s beginning to get cold for me here. I used to laugh at folks in Phoenix when they bundled up for temps in the low 50’s but, I’m now one of those bundlers. Fifty degrees are quite chilly to me these days. I’ve begun acquiring cold weather gear but still, it isn’t easy to adapt. I wonder if age has anything to do with that?

Anyway, I’m hoping to hit the streets again this morning, to run a couple of errands and burn off some excess energy; then I’ll hit the shop in the garage to work on a couple of bikes.

Later

What the…

Really? Not a single person has visited my site today? I’m crushed…

So, to give you a reason to visit, I’m posting a pic of the new Fuji with the clipless pedals I’ve installed. There, that should get some action!

Fuji w/clipless pedals

(OK, so I’ve already posted this pic but, I had to do something!)

Oh, and I rode 15 miles today before hitting the shop in the garage.

Later

Same view, different bike…

Took a ride on the new Fuji Tuesday…wound up doing about 55 miles.

The new bike overlooking Confluence Park, Denver

I was just planning a ride to downtown this morning but, I tried a new route, using bike paths and such. Getting lost five times, plus tooling around some new neighborhoods, added quite a few miles to the ride. I was also trading miles for climbs, trying to avoid too many hills so my legs didn’t bonk. Well, that worked. The roundtrip to Confluence Park is about 32 miles, soooo…

Anyway, it was a very good day of riding. The new bike performed flawlessly, with the exception of a flat tire rather early in the ride. Flat tires are just a part of riding. I have ways of dealing with them but I hadn’t initiated any of those yet; now though, I have.

She rides just as smoothly and is as fast, and fun, as I expected her to be. She is a real pleasure to ride. I can’t wait for the group ride Saturday.

Woo-Hoo…

Later

Bike Porn–My Porn…

Here is my newest ride…

Fuji Newest 1.0

Just picked this baby up today. She’s light, she’s quick, she’s fast, she’s beautiful, and…she’s ALL MINE!!!

Even sitting still, she just looks like she’s ready TO GO…

Damn, but she’s sexy…

I have multiple riding positions available with an adjustable stem, which allows for a more upright riding position. I also have plenty of stopping power, and convenience in braking, with the added top-mount brake levers.

For those of you who don’t know, road bikes can be VERY expensive. The Fuji Newest series of bike however, are a great value. They pack a lot of performance into a sub-$1000 bike.

After Saturday’s group ride, when I got my ass handed to me on the climbs, as I rode my 40-year-old, 12 speed, steel frame Raleigh, I figured it was time to upgrade to something a little more contemporary. As for this Saturday, all those 30-something weekend warriors on their $3000 carbon bikes had better beware; this week, instead of handing me my ass, they’re gonna be trying to catch this old man’s ass.

Later