Thursday, December 20, 2012

Nishiki BackRoads

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a 1989 Nishiki BackRoads MTB. I was delighted when I found this Nishiki MTB at a Goodwill store a few months ago. All the components moved freely, the overall condition of the frame, paint and components was very good, the wheels were reasonably true.

Sometimes the reality of a good find slaps you in the face when you begin a rebuild. I usually start by confirming that I have a good usable wheelset before I get to engrossed in servicing the rest of a bike. In the case of this Nishiki I ran into some issues with the rear wheel. I was not able to get the lateral trueness to an acceptable level so I shelved the project.

That was a couple of months ago. About a week ago I decided to jump back in head first. I picked up a donor bike hoping I could just swap out the wheelset but that idea did not pan out. Fortunately the donor had a suitable set of replacement rims. I was able to successfully replace the rim on the rear wheel and so the overhauling commenced.

All of the major components have been serviced. Headset, BB and wheel hubs have all been rebuilt. I have also replaced the rear brake cable yoke and of course everything has been thoroughly cleaned.

As I said earlier, I still have a few finishing touches remaining. The rear derailer cable is frayed and needs replacing. I would like to replace the seatpost as well. I am pleased with the results at this point and will likely be taking the Nishiki to the Chicago Bike Winter Swap at the UIC in March.

The biggest issue on my mind at this point and time is which project to start next.





Monday, December 3, 2012

Milwaukee Bike Swap

I attended the Milwaukee Bike Swap this past weekend at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive. I have to admit I was pretty lackadaisical about preparing for this one. As it turns out, this was'nt a huge issue as I witnessed several good deals remain unclaimed at the end of the day. For example, a Kabuki road bike made of a reasonable grade of chromoly tubing, in very good refurbished condition, did not sell with a $75 price tag. I saw chrome Bianchi Pista track frame priced at $225 and another track frame with a new Surly fork priced at $75. I also passed on a new set of deep V's with tires and tubes for $100 and a Schwinn Tempo with a full 105 group for $115. All of these items went back home with their original owners. A few other items of note that I somewhat regret not pulling the trigger on...........a vintage cycling jersey and a junior roadbike wheelset......a wheelset somewhere between 20" and 24", tubular with Normandy hubs and 1" rims. Ya, I kinda wish I had bought those for $15 just for the novelty and the opportunity to research them.

On the brighter side of the swap, I did some walking around before the doors opened up to the public and picked up a 1984 Gitane Interclub, sans wheels, for $25, 2 nice sets of SR pedals, a new set of 27" gumwalls and something else I'm forgeting at the moment.

I think I sold one of everything, and I do mean only one. One complete bike, one frameset, one pair of shoes, one leather saddle, as well as several other odds and ends.

This past Spring I picked up an old Panasonic Tourist 3, a 3 speed with a coaster brake. Probably a keeper...............BUT........ I presently have way to many bikes.........ridiculus numbers, I assure you. At any rate I'm pleased to have found a good appreciative home for it.



Now that the dust has cleared on the Milwaukee swap it's time to get ready for the Madison swap on January 19th. I currently have 5 bikes and 4 framesets that are ready to roll. I'm stilling kicking around some ideas as to what I want to take to Madison and what I need to get cleaned up. Perhaps I will overhaul something thats my size, if you get my drift.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A bit of free time

Well, work has finally settled down and I now have some time to ramble on endlessly about bikes and junk pickin'. As I scrolled down my most recent posts dating back as far as April 2012 I realize that all of the projects I  had lined out remain incomplete projects. I've also managed to aquire several new projects. Several of these new projects will be general overhauls, which I tend to enjoy doing and therefore a couple of these have ended up at the front of the line.

The first such project........a 1985 Schwinn Mirada. Prior to taking the initial pics I did do a frame wipedown.




As you can see from the pics it boasts a 4130 chrome-moly main frame and forged dropouts with a derailleur hanger. Some of the earlier Miradas' where fairly unimpressive. This later model has a decent quality frame and components and was extremely clean when I found it. It is what I refer to as a "garage queen".......ie; a bicycle that appears to have been purchased new and hung up or put away in the garage, basement or attic for many years. In this case, 27 years. When a new bike gets ridden it tends to start releasing grease through the hubs, bottom bracket and headset. This Mirada has very little of that and when I put the wheels on the truing stand they needed very little adjustment. The rear wheel was a little off center but I'm finding that to be fairly common.





Last night I removed the crankset, BB, chain, wheels and freewheel for cleaning, regreasing and installation.

I should have mentioned this earlier but I am preparing for another swap meet December 2nd in Milwaukee. I would like to have the Mirada completed within the next week or so, as I only have about 3 weeks to prepare about 4 or 5 complete bikes, 6 or 7 framesets and a slough of parts and accessories.

Fast forward a few days........................and the Mirada is back together. I have replaced the seatpost and saddle with something a bit more modern. Wheels have been trued and hubs rebuilt. Headset has been rebuilt and new tires and tubes installed as well as some different pedals.  I decided not to replace the cables and housings at this point but I do need to do a few more minor adjustments, such as new grips and buttoning up a frayed cable end.



Sunday, November 18, 2012

Bianchi ID

A few pics in hopes of finding a model and frame tubing material.

The professionals have graciously informed me that this is probably an '82 or '83 Bianchi Special.

Double butted main tubes with Mangalloy stays and fork.

Link to inquiry......... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/858308-Bianchi-ID?p=14972716#post14972716





Sunday, July 15, 2012

Just Checking In (again)

4th of July weekend was hot and I was badly in need of some R&R. I did'nt get much done on my basement projects. I did manage to do an initial clean-up on the DB Silver Streak but I did not take anything apart on it. I was also supposed to get a mountain bike ready for someone at Lydia's workplace........FAIL. I did do an initial clean-up on it. It being an old mid 80's Specialized Hardrock. I rebuilt the bottom bracket as well. The headset and hubs feel pretty stiff also and will need attention before I can let this one out the door.

I bought another shop quality workstand this week. It is well used but still in good condition. I intend to use it for projects that have stuck stems and/or seatposts. I have several of these projects waiting in the wings. They are slam your head against the wall time consuming and they tie up the workstand. I would like to set this up in an isolated area so that I can resume as my patience recovers.

I will likely return to the basement this night for frosty beverages. I may or may not become consumed in a project such as the Specialized.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Just Checking In

Work has been going well, despite a 75 mile, one way commute to NW Indiana 6 days a week. Today kicks off a much anticipated 5 day weekend with no plans whatsoever.......chill time. With the long hours at work and extended commute, I've still managed to do some garage saleing and picking.

It my memory serves me correctly, I was town wide garage saleing out in Shabbona, Illinois a couple of weeks ago. With little free time in my midst, I found myself on my way out of Shabbona mid morning, with a full van load of trinkets, headed toward a soft pillow and a dark room. When what to my wandering eye did I see? A garage sale sign down a lonely country road. What the hell, one more won't hurt. I headed down the narrow blacktop til I came upon another garage sale sign that took me down a long meandering drive with weeds growing between my tire tracks.

A couple of weeks ago I came across this little clean-up project that I'm pretty excited about. An early 80's Diamondback II Silver Streak BMX.



I'm thinking this little gem will clean up pretty nicely. It appears to have been sitting in a barn for several years but does not seem to have much in the way of moisture damage. It's mostly grime. The hand grips and cable housing is in remarkable shape. As always though, it does have a few issues. The top of the seat tube is flared out and a battered seatpost sits a couple of inches within.

I intend to try and keep the SS as original as possible. I'd like to rebuilt the bottom bracket, headset, crankset and hubs. A few of the spokes need straightening and the wheels do need some truing.  My initial inspection indicates that these tasks should be fairly routine but until one gets his hands dirty, one never knows for sure.

It should also be noted in the interest of  budgeting and originality, I presently have a single GW invested and at this point I'm thinking a seatpost and a saddle may be my only additional expenses.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Time to Make the Donuts

Just over 2 weeks ago I returned to the working world. The money is good but the hours are long and the work is hard. I'm commuting about an hour and 20 minutes each way. It fells like I work, drive, eat sleep............repeat repeatedly. Aside from being under Uncle Sam's thumb, the taxation on my body has me wanting to drink myself in to a stupor at this moment.

We're getting into prime bike season. Riding and flipping. All this "real" work has put a damper on all of that for now. Okay, enough whining. I did manage to list and sell another mixte frame on ebay last week. The rear deralleur for the Gunnar Rockhound arrived from Japan and has been installed along with a new Sram 9 speed chain. In replacing these parts I believe I discovered the real issue with the ghost shifting. The cable was corroded in the housing at the RD. Live and learn. Now I have a back-up RD. I am still considering a new suspension fork but I have not looked. Replacing the headset would be a smart thing to do as well. In the last month and a half I've listed and sold 5 frames on ebay. A couple of them did exceptionally well. Another that went to San Fran whacked me pretty hard on the shipping charges.

I would really like to ride SWK today but my legs and back hurt from climbing around on scaffolding all week. I think I'll just build a campfire and indulge in craft beer this evening. Cheers!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

April Projects

At times I have been known to put projects on the back burner. I have made some recent progress in rectifying this bad habit, but lets not tread there today. This Fuji Royale was one such project that I have recently begun working on again. This is another bike that I wish I had a "before" pic of. I bought it from some 21st century hippies at a swap meet down by St. Louis during my extended stay near the Gateway to the West, or as the locals refer to it, Home of the Toasted Ravioli. I made the purchase about one year ago February. The saddle was trashed, it had some white marks on the top tube that did not belong, tires........trashed. When I initially looked it over I thought the wheels looked pretty good and everything else seemed to move freely as it was intended. In short, it showed promise. I spent a little time on it last summer (2011). Rebuilt the bottom bracket and headset, rubbed out the white marks and did my basic clean-up on it. Sometimes I'll hit a snag when refurbing a bike and end up putting it on the back burner til my head clears up a bit. This was one of those.


Well, I threw it up in the stand last week and started deciphering the build once again. I rebuilt the hubs and trued up the rims. I also mounted a used set of Panaracer Paselas on the wheels. I would like to use a set of moustache bars with reverse brake levers and the Cardiff Touring saddle. There is still a bit of clean-up left as well. Freewheel and chain need cleaning and I should go through the rest of the drivetrain again as well.




I have a soft spot for this bike and I'm thinking it's something I'd like to keep. My size :)

I'm planning to clean the freewheel tomorrow. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a set of reverse brake levers at any given moment. Once the freewheel and chain are cleaned up and installed i can go ahead and run the shift cables. Once the reverse brake levers are ordered I'll have bought a few days to get the calipers cleaned up.

Who's next! Roughly 2 years ago, I bought a matching pair of Specialized Hardrock's. I had one of them refurbed and I gave it away to a needy soul. It was the better of the two. Now I am left with the runt of the litter. The paint is chipped/scratched up pretty good, the headset feels stiff, cables are frayed and it's heavy. I should be able to rebuild this with what exists and with parts I have on hand. That said, I'm thinking it will clean up nicely.





Here's another one that I'm thinking will be a pretty easy clean-up. A Fuji Thrill thrift store find. When I took this out for pics this afternoon I noticed the rear spokes had some substantial rust. I have a spare set in mind if needed.




 Lastly, my trusty old Gunnar Rockhound. I purchased this bike new back in 2000. It was built up by my good friend Hans the Hillclimber (a story for another day perhaps). This old girl has been neglected these past couple of years. Drivetrain has been replaced a couple 2/3 times.

I started riding this bike again last week out at SWK, a park that will chew up bike parts and spit them back out. I knew full well when I saddle up last week that it had ghost shifting issues. I pulled the trigger on a new chain and a new derailleur. The 9 speed Shimano XT RD is being shipped from Japan and will likely take up to two weeks to arrive. I would also like to replace the 175mm crank arms with some 170mm arms. I will be on the lookout for these.







A new fork may be on the horizon as well. It needs to be cleaned up too! Very dirty. Brooks B17 saddle has plenty of life left in it but sadly I have neglected it. It's been awhile since it was treated with proofide.

As i did recently post about, I purchased a very nice XTR wheelset that feels right at home on this rig. The Onza treads feel pretty good too. I am excited about getting this bike dialed in again, although admittedly, I'm concerned about my mechanical apptitude. I've always had professional bike mechanics do the work on this.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

SWK Trailwork

This morning we did a CAMBr workday at SWK. We worked on a couple of tight turns on Dominator. It was a pretty good turn out with 10 bodies showing up.

The first turn was rectified with a slight reroute. A tight flat turn on black dirt can be slick and cause ones wheels to wash out unexpectedly. This particular section was rerouted over a mound which is basically an improved trail feature.

The second was a larger flat turn that is also flat. It comes out of a drop where you are carrying quite a bit of speed and as a result you are forced to scrub your momentum to stay on the trail. Bummer. We built a short berm here, roughly a quarter turn and about a foot high. Hopefully this will allow you to carry speed through the turn now.

Jerry and Jimmy broke off from the main work group and tackled a small water crossing on Jack Rabbit. It gets water drainage during the wet Spring season. In the past we have built it up with rock, which makes a solid crossing for bikes and equestrians alike, while still allowing water to pass through. Jerry and Jimmy built this crossing up with more rocks today as it has deteriorated somewhat over the last couple of years. It has held up well I think. They also did some maintanence on the Colossus water crossing. It had begun to dam up again with more debris which they cleared away.

Since we had an extra hour to kill, the main group went over to the trailhead by the first parking lot and did some needed work there as well. Apparently people have been driving Jeeps on CAMBr Freeway, so the OLPD put some large timbers there to keep them out. We built the timbers up to allow a mountain to cross over. We also trimmed up the bushes on either side of the timbers to allow bike and equestrian access that way as well.

At about noon we all retired to the parking area for refreshments. After an hour or so hunger pangs began to set in and about six of us headed over to Portillos for some grub.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

SWK Workday

Who schedules a trail work day the morning after Paddy's Day? While admittedly, I am not particularly Irish, I do ocasionally embellish. Yesterday was not an exception. My brother-in-law, Timothy O'Kernican, has been calling me every few days for the last few weeks to remind me of the approaching holiday. Since I have had a several hours to recover from the leprachon frenzy I will try and remember some events of the day.

It should also be noted that I put out a call to my Snotfoot'ed bretheren to help out with some of the trail work as the scheduled Sunday ride was to be at SWK. Hopefully, with the potential for some aftercarbs, there will be a few volunteers.

9:00 am, call from Timothy, "We're leaving for The Claddagh at 11:30 am". The logo on the wait staff T-shirts was some sort of ring with a pair of hands cupped around either side. After some quick googling I found this definition courtesy of wikepedia.

 The Claddagh ring (Irish: fáinne Chladaigh) is a traditional Irish ring given as a token of friendship, love, or marriage. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the city of Galway. The ring was first produced in the 17th century, though elements of the design date to the late Roman period.

While at the Claddagh we actually met two different Irish people, apparently fresh off the boat in New York Harbor. The first, a young gentleman who sat with our group in the outdoor area on a spectacular sunny/breezy afternoon. The other we met indoors while listening to the Irish band. The band members were friends of Tim and the Irish women known only as "Shelly" and her Italian friend were band groupies who intended to follow the band to it's other destinations as the evening progressed. Tim and I, along with our designated driver, Victoria O'Kernican headed to the Friendly Tap at around 4 or 5 pm in Plano to check out some of the local flavor. It was a bit bland, not much activity at the old Friendly Tap. No matter, we had plans to move over to the Kendall Pub in Yorkville for more Irish tunes. The KP did not disappoint. A great beer selection and a fiesty buch of Bagpipers. They also had a one man band playing a nice variety of  folk tunes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He was wearing one of those harmonic things that allows the musician to play harmonic with out removing his hands from the guitar, ala Bob Dylan and Neil Young, 2 of my favorites. The one man bands' face lit up when I made a request for such. I enjoyed listening to a few Dylan and Young covers before the O'Kernicans drug me to the car from my drunken barstool. I get the impression they are not fans of folk music the way I am.

My first Paddy's Day experience, yes thats right, my first time actually celebrating St. Patrick's Day was as delightful and bleary eyed as one could hope for. At least the parts I can remember.

I learned this afternoon through my cell phone messaging service that several of my Snotfoot friends hung around to assist with the work day. Ahhhh! The power of suggestion and false promises among my Irish brothers. Cheers!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Saw Wee Kee Work and a Fox River Trail Ride

We started off the day with some trail work at Saw Wee Kee in Oswego. Some Ninja has been building trail out there during the winter months and we had to discourage some of that activity by filling the openings with deadfall and digging holes along the new routes. Our intentions here are honorable, I assure you. Our mission is to maintain existing trails. This includes making them sustainable to foot, bike and equestrian traffic. A few days ago I posted a pic of a proposed project (say that ten times fast). I will post it again along with an after pic.

When riders come over this rise they tend to hit the brakes and skid to the bottom. Time will tell if the new work will hold up.

After the workday I went over to the Fox River Trail, also in Oswego. I took the Miyata 610. This bike was new in 1983 and purchased by me at a garage sale a couple of years ago for $10. I have done quite a bit of work on it. My intentions are to use this as my daily rider and I have been trying to get it dialed in to my liking. I'm on my 3rd set of pedals. Every set I've tried on has had a bent shaft on the left pedal, including the set I rode today. I'm not satisfied with the center pull brakes either. So the plan is to swap out the center pulls with a set of side pulls. I should also mention that the cable routing is a bit of a mess as well. When I install the side pulls I can straighten out the cable routing. Now to find a set of clipless pedals without a bent shaft.



  I am otherwise pretty happy with the Miyata. Today we took her for about a 20 mile ride. Starting and the Route 34 bridge and riding up to the bridge in North Aurora. There I took a short brake, drank my remaining supply of water and ate a peanut butter breakfast bar. The ride up felt like a breeze even though my fitness level is in question. When I heade back to Oswego after my break I figured out why it was such a breeze................TAILWIND! The tailwind has now become a headwind for the return trip. I was poorly hydrated for this ride and I was feeling the effects for most of the return trip. Dry throat, sore knees and slow cadence all reared their ungly heads. It was a beautiful and warm day that I managed to survive. I'm looking forward to the next ride and hopefully the soreness over the next few days will be limited.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

SWK Spring Scout Out.

I did a walk through at Saw Wee Kee Park in Oswego Tuesday afternoon to scout some potential trail work projects for CAMBr West. Temps were near 60 degrees. Normally there is a lot of mud and water to contend with on the trails. With the mild winter we've enjoyed in this region there is no melt off. Specifically, many parts of Wildcat are underwater in the Spring and when I walked through this trail I found no mud or standing water. It will be a good Spring for mountain biking at SWK.

This is the water crossing at the start of Colossus. I wish I had taken a "before" pic. Normally the damn-up here is much worse. I pulled out all the logs, sticks and muck and got the water flowing through. It may flow for a few days before the water levels out. Then we can go in and pick the rocks that have washed through and rearrange them on the high side again. This is a yearly maintenance task. I think it makes for a nice water crossing, especially when you splash through the crossing on a hot day.
I will propose a repair of this downhill rut. I think we could break down the dirt on the left side of the trail and pull it into the trail. We could also cut the lip down. Then pack it so that the water sheds down and to the left.

Trail damage from horses can tend to be an issue this time of year. It will usually work itself out over time with rain, bike and foot traffic. At times riding through it can be bone jarring. If it is real bad we'll propose a workday to go in and rake it out. Again, with the mild Winter, things look pretty good right now.

I did find a few other minor trail projects. Most, similiar to the scenario pic'd above.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Chicago Bike Winter Swap Meet

It's time to start packing for the Winter Swap at the Pulaski Park Field House in Chicago. I have never been to this swap as a vendor or a consumer. I have high hopes.

First things first, lets get that van cleaned up............I just cleaned this thing in mid January for the Madison Swap, not sure how this happens. My kids and their friends have to ride in here sometimes. They don't like it.
This is where Jeff will be sitting...........he's a science guy, I hope he's into fungus and molds.
This is much better....................time to start packing.
 ..............and there's even room for Jeff
Finished! Still time for a couple of beers and hit the rack early. I'm picking Jeff up at 5:30 am for breakfast then head into the city for an 8:00 am unload time.

I hope this enough to fill a 6' table space.


Up at 4:30 am Saturday morning, made some coffee and out the door. Made it to Jeff's place right on schedule. The breakfast choice, Mothers, did not open til 6:30 am. We tried a couple of other places with the same result and finally ended up at Harner's Bakery, not bad for a last resort, ditch effort. My plan was to be on the road by 7:00 after breakfast and we were well ahead of that by a good 15 minutes. Traffic was thin that time of the morning and we were parked by 7:30. The pre packet info I was given said parking might be an issue and unloading could be hectic. I found a spot less than a half  block away and parked it. We checked in and a young volunteer followed us out to help offload. When I handed her the first complete bike she hopped on it to check it out. At that moment I could see that the Active Transportaion Alliance people were passionate about cycling. Cool!


Tiki (Official ATA photograher)

I was set up a good 45 minutes to an hour before the doors open so I had some time to check out the other vendors. I did'nt have much cash to spend, probably a good thing. I did find a few bargains though. Purchased 3 sets of hooded levers from Bibliobob, 20 gear cables from Paul, a winter cycling cap from Erin at Kozy Prery and a 1st gen. Suntour Cyclone rear derailluer.

When I was getting my bikes prepped in the bike corral I spied a Bridgestone MB-1. It was not yet labeled or priced. Apparently it was being sold by a volunteer and when I came back later it was labeled and marked SOLD $50.....Bummer. Later on a gorgeous Tange 2 Schwinn Super Sport caught my eye. No sold tag on this one! I called the number on the tag a pleasant couple met me there within a few minutes only to inform me that someone had made an offer and was coming back with some cash. They said they'd call me if she did'nt return within 20 minutes. No call, I walked through the corral a while later and the Super Sport was gone......Bummer, scooped again. I saw the bike later with it's owner so I approached and told her what had happened and complimented her on a great find. She looked very happy with the purchase. Through the course of the day I was called back to the bike corral 3 times to represent my 5 bikes in the corral. The first time it was Sten, a young gentleman interested in the Schwinn World
Sten was pretty stoked with the World, always a good thing. I had it priced with or without the Cardiff Touring saddle and Sten had a saddle of his own he wanted to mount on the World.

The second time I was called it was Alex. He was very interested in the Univega Viva Sport and wanted a test ride. We went through all the proper channels to get the bike through the security forces of the Active Transportation Alliance and Alex hit the road. He really liked the Uni and wanted it to work but in the end it just was'nt a good fit. The third and final call was a young man interested in the Trek fixed conversion. We also went through the checkout procedures. This potential buyer, whos name presently escapes me, was very interested but also rather indecisive. We exchanged information for a possible future deal.

I sold most all of the helmets I brought, all in new condition, a pair of shoes in like new condition, some toeclips and straps, 3 or 4 rear racks, 2 frames (likely for SS conversions) (both buyers were pretty excited about their project frames) (I like that) and a 47cm Trek 420 frame. Sold various other misc. parts as well.
This swap was in the Pulaski Park neighborhood, a nice centralized location right off the Kennedy expressway. Convenient for out of towners like myself, yet also within walking and cycling distance for many locals. I spoke with Katie Liesner at the after party and she said that about 1500 people came through the door with most paying a $10 admission fee. That's a pretty good day.

I spoke with a few people I knew from the bikeforums Classic & Vintage board including Paul (Big Chainring), Bob (Bibliobob), Alan (ChicagoAl), and Bob's friend Alex. All good people. I talked with several others I have met these past few years at bike swaps and through craigslist trading. Some of those include Brian, Ron, Paul (from Wheaton), another CL guy whos name I can't remember.

 In addition I met some new and interesting people. Chris Wallace from Holistic Cycles in Oak Park. He teaches some repair and maintenance classes I am interested in attending. Erin from Kozy Prery cycling caps. She custom makes these caps herself in several sizes, summer and winter styles, made from recycled materials. The people from Alewyfe. They made soaps and other concoctions, not to mention some awesome homebrew they shared with Jeff and myself.


Early on during the dayI left the room I was set up in and when I tried to return I was stopped dead in my tracks by a couple of volunteers. I was not wearing my name tag or my wristband. One of the volunteers recognized me and let me carry on. At that point I realized I had misplaced my hoodie, a handbag, my day of packet and my camera. It was obvious to me right away that I had set them down while registering all my bikes for the corral. I heade over there and saw all my stuff against the back wall behind a vendor. It was a few hours after the doors had opened (the ATA stated in there rules to be set up by 10 am NO EXCEPTIONS). So I told the gal setting up what I was searching for and she kindly let me pass through. When I stepped on her sign that was laid out on the floor her mood changed rather drastically. I grabbed my stuff and hauled ass outta there. Hell knoweth no fury, than that of a woman scorned! Sorry, no pics.



It ended up being a pretty fun day.  Met up with some old friends and made some new ones. A cycling social bonanza ,if you will. As I said earlier, there was an after party planned at Goose Island Clybourne. It was a long day so Jeff and I decided to get some grub at GI and join the party. The party turned out to be a bust as there were only about 6 people there, 8 counting us. Just as well, long drive ahead.