Yesterday Was Disapointing

We had to meet with our insurance agent yesterday morning. Nothing is wrong, he just wanted to discuss our policies and make sure we had all the coverage we needed. It was a waste of time.
It started off badly with the agent being 20 minutes late because he had to pick up his car. He came in right before we were about to leave and apologized.
Then he proceeded to try and get us to buy more insurance for our renters policy. We're happy with what we have and he kept trying to make us get more.
Husband was interested in insuring his photo stuff, but not sure about the price. I asked about insuring my bike and the agent dissuaded me by saying it was very expensive. He really didn't want to insure her and the cost came up several times. It's $7 for every $100 insured per year. I don't think that's a lot considering we pay about $100 a month for the cars so we're thinking about it. It was just odd how he tried to steer us away from the only add ons we were interested in.
After that we went to look at a bike I've heard a lot about. The surly LHT. I was excited because I've heard a lot of good things about them on other blogs and by the time I've saved up for one I might be ready to do a tour. Also this bike is supposedly made in a size that will fit me properly.
They had the 46cm in stock and it looked very small to me. However when I straddled it to check if it would fit it was to tall. The top bar was pressing against my soft bits and it was definitely too tall for me.
From on the seat it felt cramped with my hands on the handlebars. It just didn't have enough room for my torso.
Funny thing is that it's technically shorter than Lucy, and it looks smaller too.
I must have very short legs.
The nice man said that the smaller size wouldn't work either because it would have even less room for my torso. That was disappointing.
He said I should keep an eye out for older more relaxed bikes, after seeing a picture of Lucy. He was nice about it though.
They just don't make them to fit me anymore. It was frustrating, but oh well. I'm just really fortunate to have her. I really liked all the braze ons the LHT had and wonder if I could add some to Lucy without damaging her. First we need fenders though.

Locking Skewers, A Review

After my experience with the Forte locking skewers I was leery of even trying these. They looked sturdy and solid, but so did the other ones. I really wanted locking skewers instead of quick releases because I often see bikes missing a tire. That would suck to come out to. I tested the entire thing with a magnet and believe it's steel like it says.
 Finally I installed them.

Install was very easy, just loosened my old skewers until the end came off and gently slid it out. The wheel stayed in place. I put a bit of grease on the new skewer then threaded it through. Tightening it all the way was a bit tricky because I didn't have a good grip on the end, but a wrench fixed that. 

After they were install I bounced Lucy on the floor vigorously to make sure they weren't going to move. They didn't budge at all, although I did end up having to tighten down my rack again. I need to get some lock tight for those bolts.  

They use a 5mm hex key and a small wrench to undo. It's simple if you have them with you. I bought a set of hex key's from the local Harbor Freight and took that one off. It fits in my pocket along with the small wrench.

If you have strong fingers you could probably use just the hex key.

The only thing I don't like is this little bit that sticks out, I think it looks unfinished and may cover it with rubber.

I have messed with them extensively, locking and unlocking them. Taking them on the bike path a few times (sorry I haven't posted about it, I haven't gone any further on it yet and it looks the same.). Riding over bumps and holes to see if they would come loose and they haven't yet. I even tried stopping in the places where the first ones failed and they held up just fine.

I would definitely suggest them if your worried about tire theft, or are just paranoid like me. If your local bike shop doesn't have them you can get them here or on Amazon.

It's a Rainy Off Day

Today is cold and rainy so in a brief spot of clear I snapped a couple of pics in my yard. Once I get fenders I'll have fun in the rain, but I don't like the wet road grime that will spray up. I'm just not sure which ones I want. I do know that I want metal ones, the sun here will destroy plastic ones fairly quickly.

love rose that I got for our first anniversary. It's now 6' tall.

Aloe Vera is blooming.

Doves are courting.

Stormy is taking a nap.

To The Bike Path

I tried out the bike path today and it was interesting. The path runs along the highway and only 10-15 feet of curb/shoulder and a chain link fence separate you from them. After you pass the park, on the other side of you is a giant wall that bounces the car noise back at you. The effect sounds like your right in the middle of the traffic. Slightly unnerving and not pleasant.
I'll definitely go on the bike path again so I can go fast, plus it was a great place to practice mounting and dismounting without having to worry about falling in the road. The route home really worked my legs so that's a good thing. My knee has barely been bothering me at all since I started riding, especially since I raised my seat to the proper height. I don't know if I posted this link before, but here's where I found the right height for me:http://www.ebicycles.com/index.php

  All in all it was a great ride and I feel good.

The path itself is paved nicely and has markings down it so you know which side to be on. From my entrance point I went right. Having the fence on one side and the wall on the other took some getting used to but it was down hill and I picked up speed fast. That was fun and it felt safe because there was no cars that I could hit.  

I was tempted to go off the path when I came to an outlet and go exploring, but I didn't want to get lost so I stayed on it. Plus I wanted to see how far I could go. One day I'll tackle the whole thing.

I managed to get up to 20 mph on the way down under the under pass. My bell rang itself at every bump we hit and I just hung on and turned. It was great fun and after the underpass the path veered away from the highway and it got quieter. 

The next opening I came to was an exit to a more industrial area and there were a lot of warehouses. I was starting to get bored with the scenery of the path itself and decided to head home. 

When I turned around This building impressed me with it's odd looks.It looks like its built completely of scrap steel, but it's so big. I kind of like it and it gives me an idea for an outside office I could build myself.

It was much harder getting home because it turns out it was a slight downhill all the way I had come. Plus there was a nice wind blowing in my face all the way back. Found out when I got home that the wind was going 20-30 mph with gusts of 40 mph. I actually did better than I thought. In the end I went further than 3 miles for my longest trip yet. 

 I only saw a few cyclists out today, but one had the same Wald baskets I do and they were packed with stuff. I can't wait to take mine shopping and see how much they hold. All of them were friendly and said hi or waved when I said hi.

Nothing Went Wrong!

After my other locking skewers failed Husband got me these. I was a little leery of trying them because of the other ones. These are much more solid though and today I gave them a shot. No failures and they seem to work great. A few more rides and I'll know for sure.
He also got my mirror to go on the handlebars. I wear glasses so when I look behind me all is fuzzy. When I did it all I saw was my backside. He turned it upside down and it works great. I was going to take it apart, but I'm glad he figured it out first. It's good to see behind me again.
Today's ride went smoothly and nothing went wrong! Yay! Tomorrow I'm going to try the bike path again. It felt good to be able to go without having to stop for something or another. I was hyper vigilant  to how Lucy was reacting and felt. I also stopped frequently because that's when the other skewers failed. Everything seems to be in working order though!

They work so far!

I did stretch out a bit more today and saw some interesting things. I like odd shapes that plants can grow into.

This cactus reminds me of a dancing lady.

And the way people decorate even the most basic things around here.

This gate made me smile.

This is a good way to close up a hole in your wall. It looks like an accident was the incentive to pretty up with tile. It's and outer wall and not in their house. 

A nice way to fill a hole in your wall.

Yard sales Are Fun

Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death. I was mopey this morning so Husband took me out yardsaling. Retail therapy always cheers me up. We got a late start so most were blah but I did get a ton of books to read and these two scores.
I've wanted a trench coat for a while and this one from London Fog actually fits! Now I wish it was winter again.
I love this print we found and hung it up as soon as we got it home.
Sadly, I still miss my mom. This was the first time I've gone to yard sales without her and it wasn't the same. I didn't even have it in me to haggle over prices. She's probably laughing at me for that.
Neat new things don't replace cranky older ladies very well.

I Need A Shim

I woke up before the sun and was eager to get out and ride. I was feeling strong and ready to roll. I really need to find where I put my lights and charge them up for times like this. It took the sun forever to rise today.
 I've been going around the same few blocks in my area forever making sure Lucy and I wasn't going to have a malfunction. It was time for something new.

I'm running out of neat thing to take pics of, but this is pretty neat!

After swooping around the neighborhood for a bit I decided to try the bike path. Its entrance is right by the park I like to stop at and has some nice tile murals. I hadn't been there in years, literally, and I remembered it was a little hilly and had a fun underpass. This would be great!

I snapped a pic and off we go.

One of the murals.

I was feeling fast so I put my weight on the bars to really try to pick up speed and wham!

The handlebars slipped and my soft bits slammed into the nose of my seat. My feet flew off the pedals as I choked back a yelp, swerving like a lunatic. I'm glad I wasn't on the road! I hit the brakes and danced around for a bit trying to calm things down. I'm glad no one was around to see it! That really hurt!

The bars had only moved an inch down but it was scary. So much for the bike path today.

 I remounted and rode home careful not to put weight on the bars. I tried to wrench them back into position  but they wouldn't move. Apparently they only do that when I don't want them to.

Saw this on the slooow ride home.

Once home they were still not budging again and I had to loosen the bolt to move them back into position. The bolt won't tighten any further, but I'm worried about a repeat performance so I need a shim. I have a ton of rubber ones, but will consult Husband to see if a metal one would be better.

Just when I think it's safe to leave the neighborhood!