Tag: bicycling

Broken Chain and a Sunset Bicycle Ride

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec, ISO160
 “Sunset” Cedar Park, 2021

This evening Sophie’s chain broke just outside our house. We were just starting our ride when I heard a loud “ping” and then heard the chain slide to the pavement. 😲 I bet I didn’t secure the link I used to remove the chain earlier perfectly. It seemed pretty good though…

I went back into the garage and exchanged Sophie for Mango and headed out for my evening bicycle ride. Mango is such a great, comfortable bike now. The rear light is the only part that needs replacing. It has an annoying tendency to switch off when I go over a large bump or curb. Not good!

Anyways, please enjoy the video if you’d like to “ride along” with Mango and I!

Brake Work

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Mafac Racer” Cedar Park, 2021

In a previous post, I mentioned how the Mafac Racer brakes on Sophie, my Peugeot bicycle, were really loud. Well, I dedicated some time to remedy the problem, with some good results! Instead of a loud screech, the brake now emits a low groan. It’s not silent, but “good enough”. 😁

Using a piece of tape, I determined that the right rear brake pad was the one causing the noise, so I went to work adjusting the angle of that block so that there was more toe-in. This was more difficult than it should have been because the washer that allows you to adjust the angle does not turn easily, but I was able to add a little more toe-in, just not as much as the other pads.

Hitting the rear brakes will work to alert pedestrians that I am approaching which is fine since I don’t have a bell for Sophie. 🤣

Also, I got a frame bag which is nice because I can put my camera and phone in it. And I also found my handlebar GoPro mount, which gives me a good option for filming when out with Sophie. She’s such a fun bicycle!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO800
 “Sophie” Cedar Park, 2021

Burger and Bicycle

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
 “Big Burger” Cedar Park, 2021

Big burgers were on the menu at the Fujimoto house today, and the toppings were grilled jalapeño peppers and red onion, American and Havarti cheeses, and the usual condiments. Plus, I bought a bag of frozen crinkle-cut fries, which were a nice change from potato chips!

Happily, I only got two mosquito bites while grilling outside, which I consider a win. These days, I don’t mind getting bitten so much because Zap It works great for me. No more itching (after the initial bite). I even took my Zap It to China when I went on vacation, where it almost got taken away by the Chinese TSA… I would have been so sad.

Anyways, the burgers were delicious, but I felt guilty about eating so many calories so I went for a ride with Sophie around the neighborhood. Bicycling brings a huge smile to my face, so I try to do it (or go running) as much as I can.

In the video below, you can hear the super-loud brake squeal. Sorry about that… I’ll try to fix it in the future. It’s really embarrassing. 🙃

Snapshots from Inks Lake State Park

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/950 sec, ISO320
 “Inks Lake State Park” Burnet, 2021
Photo info: GoPro HERO9 Black, 3mm, f/2.5, 1/310 sec, ISO171
 “Rossa Resting” Burnet, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO250
 “Mussels” Burnet, 2021
Photo info: GoPro HERO9 Black, 3mm, f/2.5, 1/240 sec, ISO562
 “Getting Hot” Burnet, 2021

Photo of Rossa Before the Storm

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“Stormy Skies” Cedar Park, 2021

Our crazy weather continues in Texas – today thunderstorms were in the forecast, which postponed several high school graduation ceremonies. Anyways, I changed the brake pads on the Bianchi Alante and wanted to go for a ride and photoshoot. With the storm threatening to hit, I went to the nearby elementary school, quickly grabbed a few photos, and then headed home just as the front hit our neighborhood.

Mission accomplished:

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/170 sec, ISO160
 “Rossa” Cedar Park, 2021

Oh, and I asked my brother what to name the bicycle (since it is his old bike) and he said “Red”. I decided to ultimately name her “Rossa” which means red in Italian. I think it’s a good name.

I hope you had a nice day! またね～