Wolfgang with the new Brooks

I just remembered that I still haven't posted any pictures of Wolfgang with the new Brooks saddle. Well, here it is. As noted previously, so far it has been pretty comfortable but it's definitely not broken in yet. From looking at the picture, I'll probably change the angle of the saddle by a bit and put the nose further down. Common knowledge has it that Brooks saddles need to be angled up a little, but my current set-up might be a bit too much.

Snowshoe fun

From Snowshoe Hike

Surprise, surprise: winter is still not over and another weekend without significant riding went by. So as an alternative, the accomplice and I went to Glenn Swan's Monday night showshoe outing. As always, it was lots of fun and the weather was exceptionally good, too. Around 0° C and clear skies made for a nice sunset and a great 4.5 km walk.



Odo Wolfgang: 3411 km

Is it spring yet?

Just a quick update:

• It's still winter. Today the snow has reached us and I might go on a little adventure on the South Hill Recreation Way on my way home from campus.
• Forecast for next weekend looks comparatively good (high of -1°C), so maybe I'll be able to go for a ride.
• The new Brooks feels pretty good so far, but due to the weather I haven't had a chance to test it on a longer ride.
• in terms on working on the stable: I installed an Avid Single Digit 7 V-brake on the accomplice's bike in order to increase stopping power and allow installing the BUMM Cyo headlight
• upgrade plans: On Wolfgang, I'm going to install a triple front crank as part of a general spring overhaul. In terms of parts and work, this will require something between the ideal of only switching the front derailleur to a triple and  the worst case scenario of a new bottom bracket, new front derailleur, new (longer cage) rear derailleur. Most people who have done this conversion on a Cross-Check seem to be switching their bottom bracket from 113mm to 118mm, but maybe it'll work without that. Certainly worth a try. 
• My ebaying efforts haven't been terribly successful: The two Oryx brakes were sold for a whopping total of 2.50$ and two of the saddles didn't sell at all. At least the SDG saddle sold for 19.50$ but I'm still awaiting payment. But whatever -- at least I got rid of some stuff.
• Another potential upgrade: I might try buying a used Zzing USB charger for running my GPS and charging cell phones via the hub generator. There's a good DIY solution out there, but if I get a used Zzing it wouldn't save me much money and my soldering skills are a bit rusty.
• As you can see on the accomplice's blog, we've signed up for a biking Memorial Day weekend in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks! It's still far away, but I'm really looking forward to it. 

High Peaks of the Adirondacks

Shameless self-promotion

Need new brakes? A new saddle or two? Then check out my current e-bay auctions. You'll get a 5 % discount (shipping not included) if you mention that you found the auction through this blog.

SDG Comp Road Bike Saddle

WTB Speed She Comp Women's Saddle

Velo Plush Road Bike Cyclocross Saddle

Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brake 992AG Cyclocross

Tektro Oryx Cantilever Brake 992AG Cyclocross

January summary

No good cycling month. The temperatures were just too low for much outdoor riding and in addition, I had to do some travel. Longest ride was around 70 km and the rest was mostly everyday riding. Overall outdoor riding: 329 km
February is probably not going to be much better but we'll see.

Odo Wolfgang: 3261 km

Auburn, maybe?

I'm running out of time for my "metric century a month" plan. Last Saturday's ride was only about 70 km long and it's already the 27th! The forecast for the weekend is very cold, though, so I'm not quite sure if I can pull off a 100k with temperatures well below freezing. The plan would be to ride to Auburn and back, about 120 km. Part of the plan is to get an idea if my ride to Lake Ontario and back is feasible/fun -- Auburn is almost exactly halfway between Ithaca and the lake. The elevation profile is relatively flat and I'd be on back roads almost all of the time. So a rolling average of 23 km/h shouldn't be too much of a problem, which results in 5 1/4 hours riding time. Sunrise is 7:22, so if I get going at 6, I could be in Auburn for a nice little breakfast and back home for lunch. Well, I'll think about it during the next couple of days and see if the forecast gets any warmer.

Brooks got here!

Okay, my Brooks Imperial B17 finally got here. Of course, I couldn't wait even until after grocery shopping to install it on Wolfgang. Very first impression: it has a very defined seating position. In contrast to my other saddles where you switch between different position without them feeling clearly wrong, with the Brooks you really feel where you're supposed to sit. This position is, obviously, still a bit hard at the moment, but I'm optimistic that I'll indeed like the saddle once it's broken in. Pictures will follow shortly.

Odo Wolfgang: 3232 km