Category: Cycling

Lunch Ride

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One of the nice things about working from home is that I can go exercise on my lunch break. Today the weather was nice and cool so I decided to take Mango to the Brushy Creek Lake. It was really fun and I had so much energy!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/6.4, 1/1250 sec, ISO320
 “Mango at the Lake” Cedar Park, 2021

Now that I have two bicycles, I have a decision to make each time I go for a ride. Do I take Mango or Sophie? Both are fun (their bicycles after all) but Mango (21 years old) is more comfortable, more reliable, and more practical because of the bags. Sophie (~49 years old) is faster and more exciting, but it’ll take a few more miles of riding with Sophie for me to feel more comfortable with her reliability. I love both of my bicycles!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO160
 “Mango at the Lake” Cedar Park, 2021

Evening Ride with Sophie

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I took Sophie (my Peugeot bicycle) on an evening ride to get some fresh air and take a photo at my go-to bicycle photo location. It’s just a bridge along the bike path, but I’ve taken many photos of Mango (my Kona bicycle) there, so I needed to get an “official” photo of Sophie.

I think the picture turned out okay, but I am not too keen on the lighting, and also I should move the handlebar bag to the other side. I have some metal cable guides coming in the mail, so I will replace the black velcro straps.

Anyways, here’s the photo I took at the bridge:

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO160
 “Sophie” Cedar Park, 2021

39-Year Hiatus

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“Afternoon Ride” Cedar Park, 2021

My early-70s Peugeot bicycle is back on the road! I had to replace several parts and tune it up a bit, but I rode several kilometers on the bicycle and it was a lot of fun!

I admit to being nervous at the start, not because of the age of the bicycle nor my skills as a mechanic, but the geometry of the Peugeot is so different than my Kona that the vintage bicycle felt very twitchy and delicate. The general riding position is more aggressive and the handlebars are very narrow so any small movements you make affect the bike greatly. However, after riding for a few kilometers I was used to the bike again and enjoyed that responsiveness.

I still have a fair amount of work to do on the bicycle restoration, but I’m happy that she is road-worthy!

I hope you had a great day!

Small Window for a Bicycle Ride

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“Cloudy Bicycle Ride” Cedar Park, 2021

It has been raining a lot the past couple of days, but today the storm paused for a few hours in the afternoon and I went out for a nice bicycle ride on Mango, my 2000 Kona Blast. It’s over 20 years old but it feels so modern as compared to my early 70s Peugeot that I am restoring.

It seems like I haven’t ridden the bicycle for a long time and I was worried that my legs would get tired soon, but I had plenty of energy and was able to power up the small hill near our house in a higher gear without much problem. I was also concerned that my neck would be sore because it has been bothering me for the previous week. I’m happy to say that I didn’t feel any discomfort in my neck. 😀

Also, I bought some new cycling gloves and they felt great! They are a vintage-style mesh fabric and leather style, and I bought them because this is the type of glove I wore when I rode my Peugeot bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles back in the 80s. These new ones have some padding which my old ones lacked so these are a lot more comfortable. In fact, I didn’t even notice them once while riding today which I suppose is a good thing.

Please enjoy the GoPro video I made of my bicycle ride if you have a few minutes. Have a great day!

Indoor Workspace

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Bicycle Restoration” Cedar Park, 2021

There are a few possible locations around our house that I could use as a workspace for my bicycle restoration project, but I’ve decided to use our home office for the task. Since I am in the office for much of the day, it’s easily accessible, so I can work on it a few minutes at a time.

One benefit is that the computer is right here so I can easily watch YouTube videos on how to restore certain parts of the bicycle, or easily refer to “before” pics to make re-assembly easier. Also, the summer is approaching and it’s already getting pretty hot outside so being able to work in an air-conditioned room means I will actually do it. If I had to go to the hot garage, my motivation to work on the bike would be very low.

That being said, a lot of the work will have to be done outside due to the mess. Fortunately, the home office room is right next to the front door so access to outside is quick and easy. I can pop outside to work on a section of the wheel for a few minutes and not worry about getting steel wool all over the house.

My goal is to have the bicycle road-ready in a couple of months, and then we’ll see if I keep it in the garage or maybe it stays put in the office. I think it’s a beautiful bike, so I wouldn’t mind it. 😀