OK, so it's winter...I get it...

I can't believe I'm already tired of riding the winter bike...I mean, fenders and all...sure, it's good to be out when nobody else is riding, but I'm starting to get wistful about all the other bikes hanging in the shed...

How does anyone else do it? Are you all demon bike maintainers, so you can ride your best bike and just figure on doing 2 hours of cleanup every time? Isn't life a little bit too short?

Sigh...

3 Years

Going on 3 years since Francisco Cuevas died...the same day I received this gift from my friend Peter. The other 3 bikes he gave me have, I'm sure, all found good homes via the local co-op, but this one resides in my shed. Pushing 35 years old now, but still frisky and handles as much road as I can stand (though I do replace the all-aluminum freewheel for hilly rides)...

Came assembled with almost all Zeus components except the hubs (and I've boxed up the original pedals just so I can use my regular riding shoes on some old clipless replacements)...handles 28mm tires...and that color is even cooler than it looks in these pictures.

So raise a glass to Sr. Cuevas for me this month... and read some more about him here...

What I do for family! Sometimes, a dumpster bike should stay a dumpster bike, but this one is now earmarked for my nephew, 'cause his dad knows I can do it...anyway, the list of unsalvageable components is long and dreary, not worth detailing , except to say that the fork is in a state of partial collapse -- I sure would have liked to see the event that caused it -- I'm picturing a rush to park in the garage, with the roof rack loaded...but I have a free replacement fork that fits, so we are on the way...I'll probably convert this to one functional speed from its current 21 non-functional options, and save everybody some headaches down the road...

Oh, yeah...the 2 cable locks and the chain fell right off as soon as they beheld my bolt cutters...

Ride THIS!

So when you want to go here, ride your bike.

Just sayin', 'cause you ain't gettin' there any other way...oh, and when you do get there, there's nothing to see except a lovely place...but move along, move along...

Oh, and when the cliff falls on you like it did last year, don't blame us...

Bouncing raindrops

Here's where I hit the sunshine and hailstones at the same time: http://tinyurl.com/3ycpyp
The Sunday Loop: Hwy 1 south past Half Moon Bay, then looping Verde/Purisima Canyon/Higgins...and back up the highway to El Granada. Chasing the sun through a shower-turned-downpour that started to spike me with hail.

Was riding this with fenders and a 2.5:1 gear...

stop me before I geek again...

and couldn't get on top of it on the climb today...maybe it was all the extra weight from the ice clinging to everything...

Everybody else went home before the rain hit...They missed a good ride...

Yesterday was good too, though short. WE went up and down the highway for a while, watching the surf deconstruct breakwaters, then wandered out to Pillar Point to watch stupid people harass the wildlife with their dogs...but saw some good birds anyway...eared grebes, western grebes, pied-billed grebes, goldeneyes, buffleheads, ringnecks, sanderlings, turnstones and plenty more.

Top o' the Mountain

Yesterday's view from Montara Mt, our standard destination on holiday mornings...my other shots pretty much are rubbish, so this south-looking view is all you get.
I'm hitting the trails on this Pinkarello with knobby tires added; it's my new favorite dirt bike -- slow on descents, but so am I -- however, it really climbs...

At the top, we shared the port, fruit, Iraqi tea and cookies ...if you are ever in the area at 7AM on a holiday, come on up. There's plenty to go around...