Sandal Weather

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/470 sec, ISO32
“Sandals Cycling” Cedar Park, 2023

Today the temperature reached into the mid-80s so I went for a ride to the park after work. I didn’t think I’d be wearing my Birkenstock sandals in February, but here we are! My feet are so bright, aren’t they?

I got new eyeglasses last week, and I opted to add the UV-activated tinting to the lenses. It makes cycling and running much more convenient because I don’t have to switch to my other glasses. The new lens-coatings do not get as dark as my clip-on sunglasses, but they do make a difference and I am satisfied with them.

I hope you had a great day!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 2.71mm, f/2.2, 1/380 sec, ISO25
“Selfie with Piplup” Cedar Park, 2023
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/300 sec, ISO200
“Piplup” Cedar Park, 2023
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/280 sec, ISO200
“Piplup” Cedar Park, 2023

Afternoon Ride and a New Helmet

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO32
“Trail Bridge” Cedar Park, 2023

I bought a new bicycle helmet to replace my old Giro which was about 11 years old. The new Bern FL-1 Libre helmet was on sale at about 50%-off and I like the look of it so I figured it was a good deal. I think it will be a good summer helmet, with plenty of ventilation. My other helmet is a Giro Cormack in black, and it offers more protection but is heavier and hotter. Both are good, though!

Piplup and I went for a nice ride this afternoon to enjoy the beautiful 73°F / 22.8°C weather. I also wanted to test out the shifting because I made an adjustment to the chain-pusher. After I changed the chainring (and removed two links from the chain) last week, I noticed that the chain was skipping a bit.

After some testing, I determined that the chain wasn’t actually slipping off of the chainring or cogs, but the chain tensioner wasn’t lined up with the chain perfectly, and would “blip” every so often. I adjusted the chain pusher about a millimeter or so, and now the chain is lined up with the tensioner perfectly – no skipping at all. Yay!

I hope you had a nice day. :)

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4.5, 1/210 sec, ISO320
“Piplup Profile” Cedar Park, 2023
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1600 sec, ISO32
“Dramatic Sign” Cedar Park, 2023
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 2.71mm, f/2.2, 1/290 sec, ISO25
“New Helmet” Cedar Park, 2023

Cloudy Sunset Photo with Piplup

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 9mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO200
“Cloudy Sunset” Cedar Park, 2023

I was hoping for a beautiful sunset, but it turned out to be kind of overcast and grey. Still fun to go out and ride a bike, though!

I put a kickstand on my bicycle, and it’s very convenient, but I definitely need a flat platform to put under it when on dirt or grass. Today, my iPhone had that task. It’s not a long-term solution so I need to find something else to put under the kickstand.

For my motorcycle, I have a flattened soda can in the tank bag, but I think something a little more elegant would match the Brompton. Gotta find something.

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 9mm, f/5.6, 1/13 sec, ISO200
“Apple Kickstand Footprint” Cedar Park, 2023

Bicycle Photos

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 9mm, f/5.6, 15 sec, ISO200
“Piplup at Night” Cedar Park, 2023

I’ve recently started following a several people on Twitter who ride and post cool photos of their Brompton (and other folding) bicycles and I thought I would give it a try too. Since I have a ginormous Borough bag for the front of Piplup, it’s easy to carry my tripod and a camera. So this evening I went for a ride around the neighborhood and took a night shot.

I think it came out okay – not the best of backgrounds, but not bad for the first shot. For these bicycle photos, I am going to use Mariko’s old Olympus E-PL9 camera since it has a wide-angle 9-16 mm (18-32 mm equiv.) lens. I am not familiar with the Olympus menu system so it’s a little frustrating to use but I love all cameras so it’s still fun.

I’m looking forward to taking more photos while bicycling! Follow me on Twitter if you’d like.

Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 9mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO2000
“Wide-Angle” Cedar Park, 2023

Lunchtime Ride to Test New Parts (and Have Fun)

“Riding Along” Cedar Park, 2023

I installed the new 44-tooth chainring last night and took Piplup for a spin along the hike and bike trail today. The new chainring makes climbing hills much easier! I am very pleased with it!

But, halfway through the ride, I noticed that the chain would slip every so often when in the 2- gear, and sometimes in 1-. Since it was only happening when the chain was on the larger rear cog, I believe the derailleur/chain pusher needed adjustment. But it could also be that the chain has a stiff link. This seems more plausible since I had to remove two links when I replaced the chainring.

With that in mind, I made flexed the links that I had tinkered with a bit to loosen them up. I also made sure the chain tensioner jockey wheel was sliding correctly. Hopefully that takes care of the issue. Fingers crossed!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/4500 sec, ISO32
“Piplup” Round Rock, 2023

If you want to ride along with us, please watch the video I made. :)