Dispatch...

I became a fan of Dispatch at PennState sometime- easy to do... good band with some jamband type vibe, short catchy songs too- good mix. I recently got into three other bands, which I thought I had found all on my own, with the help of iTunes recommends thing.

1.State Radio
2.Braddigan
3.Pete Francis

Now, I bought the first State Radio album last summer, Braddigan not too long after that, and just started listening to some of Pete Francis' stuff online tonight. All of it sounded really familar, however, and it wasn't until tonight when I actually hauled up wikipedia, that I realized why...they're all from Dispatch. So... there you have it. If you like a band, and they break up, don't be too upset, just buy up all of their solo stuff.... works most Dispatch, works relatively well for Phish...

Earthquake

I am now officially a resident of Southern California... I've driven the freeways, seen chicks in puffy magenta sweatsuits with oversized glasses, spotted upwards of twenty mazarattis and now... finally, experienced an earthquake.

It was only a 3.1, but it was enough to jostle my bookcase for a second.

The earthquake is the blue square near the center.... it was about 2.75 miles away from me..

John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail "starts" in Yosemite National Park, and winds through the high Sierras, ending up at Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48. I've recently decided that a thru-hike of this 211 mile trail, which in reality would be more like 240 when all is said and done, is necessary at some point before my life gets too complicated to leave for three weeks.

What I didn't realize, however, was that if you look at google map's "Terrain" feature, and zoom in real tight, it follows the JMT. Check out the beginning here. It's not difficult at all to follow it all the way South, to Mt. Whitney. Another cool thing I found out online is that a town nearby Whitney Portal offers bus service up to a small town near Yosemite National Park, where a different bus can then take you into the park, where you can park for extended amounts of time for free.

So... here's to another reason why I can't wait to get my masters, so I can get some real world experience.

Stroke It...

StrokeIt is the coolest software I've downloaded for my PC in a long time. You can do all sorts of things by just right clicking, and tracing a certain pattern. I close windows by just tracing out a "C" on top of the window. I added my own shortcut to close just a tab in FireFox when I do a "C reversed" which I learned after about 20 minutes of fooling around is actually just tracing it backwards.... not like a C you see in a mirror... if you know what I mean.

Anyway, if you have a PC, download this thing- it's sweet... and plus, its called strokeit.

L.A. Circuit Race

This was a hot-dog style flat circuit race. The big decider was not any inclines towards the end of the race as with many other circuit races, but was the wind. The course was just two 180 degree turns on one medium sized California road (so like, 18 lanes).

One direction was a headwind. The other was a tailwind... it was blowing about 20mph the whole time. In the tailwind direction we'd hit 30 without trying too hard, and then be sitting in at like 12-15 dodging all over the place to grab wheels without loosing too many spots.

Ted, Ernie and I were there, and Ted and I both tested out the waters off the front early on, but quickly realized that nothing stood a chance. Even if you had a gap, the tailwind section just blew everything back together. There was one guy off solo for a few laps, and he must have thought he was flying... probably the only time a cat3 field brought back a solo dude who was doing 30+mph.

We were all careful to stay near the front, and took the last 180-degree turn into the tailwind finishing straight in the top 20. Ernie, Ted, then me. We stayed put, and when the time was right, Ernie blasted it.... Lots of people were watching his wheel, and for good reason- he's a beast in the sprint, but he was a train that day instead- Ted and I rode it up to the front, and managed to snag 4th and 6th. A jump a bit sooner on maybe would have gotten us further up.... it's hard to go too early in a 20mph tailwind we learned.

6th place is good enough for one more upgrade point though, so I'm now sitting pretty at 5. 15 more to go... I'd love to grab a big chunk of that at a stage race, but that is unlikely to happen with the SanDimas including an uphill prologue, and CycloVets being much more attainable, but still difficult by including the Boulevard RR course. Stay tuned.

Racing

One weekend.
4, maybe 5 legitimate break-attempts
zero results.

goal for this weekend: don't get in the wind until I can hear the bell for 1 to go.

Speedplay Overhaulin'

One of the speedplay pedals on my old TT bike has really been feeling junky recently. Spins very freely (which is actually not good-sign that it needs lubing) and very loose. Well, I found out why tonight, when I finally sat down with all the necessary tools, including a head lamp.

It actually didn't take too long to take the pedal completely apart, trickiest part was getting the snap pliers to work well- I bought a pretty flimsy pair. Speedplay's instructions are actually pretty.... pretty..... pretty... pretty clear. I was confused once I got everything apart, though- I was missing a whole cartridge bearing somewhere.There are two cartridge bearings inside the pedal body of speedplay Zero pedals- and I only removed one. The other was completely destroyed. The outer race was so fangled and broken apart that I didn't even realize it was a race.

yup, that's what a bearing bracket looks like after you beat it to shit. The other matching piece that would have held the balls secure was ripped to shreds. Check out how small the ball bearings are.

The bearings themselves are TINY! most of them fell out without me even realizing it- it is likely most were already gone anyway. The inner race was the real bitch though, it was stuck to the spindle of the pedal itself. I took the other pedal, which is pretty healthy, apart to prove to myself that the thing stuck on the spindle was indeed the inner race. Once I knew it was junked anyway, I set out to tear it off with some pliers. Still took some work, but it came off. Now I just need to find someplace to buy some new Speedplay bearings...

The spindle once I had gotten the inner race removed

New TT rig

Well it was about time. I had my federal tax return in my account for almost 48 hours, and then I found this prize online. $340 for a proper TT frame from a relatively reputable manufacturer? Hell yes I will!

The new TT rig, pictured with the seat post about where it needs to be- plenty of drop.

Also obtaining some new carbon TT bars from Aerus. That'll compensate weightwise for the aluminum steerer tube

My old TT bike was a Titanium Airborne, which was a great road bike (albeit a tad heavy) and was an allright TT bike, but I really needed something with more upright geometry- a real TT frame. The Jamis has rear facing dropouts, so I can slide the rear wheel right up into the slots for it in the seattube. Also has some aero tubing. The seatpost above is roughly placed where it's going to have to be, which looks like a lot, because it is... but that is good- plenty of room for drop to the handlebars. I'm also scheming on making some sort of fairing to make the seatpost aero... because you know I'm an engineering dork.

I'm also flirting with the idea of, ocasionally, rigging this bad boy up for the track. Would require a bit of work- taking the ders and brakes off, taking all the cables out of the frame, but all the housing could stay attached to the handlebars. Then just throwing a different crankset on, another seatpost/saddle combo, and a track bar (and likely a different stem). Complicated enough that I don't want to do it all the time, but for a few weekends a year, I say its definitely worth it until I get a track frame (next year when I get my tax return back).

So if you have any of the following laying around, let me know:
1. Track crankset (144BCD) Octalink. Not sure about crankarm length- 170??
2. Track chainrings / cogs
3. Track rear hub, or rear wheel
4. Handlebar for the track- what do people use compared to their road bars?? smaller?

Going Solar

I haven't plugged in cell phone into the wall for over three days. I haven't used the car charger either. No, thankfully I am not cut off from society (yet). I've been using this small solar/battery system:



I bought it off eBay for about $50, and considering its replacing the electricity that I don't pay for... it has a pretty long pay back period. However, the bad ass period has already elapsed, it is very bad ass. I think it's really cool that the energy running my phone was not created somewhere in a big dirty central plant, then pushed through a grid where something crazy like 40% of the energy is lost in transmission. The energy is right there in the sunlight. Goes through the little cord, and right into my phone.

It took a day or two to find the optimum place for it. For all the ladies out there who have slept over at my place, you know the sun shines into my window in the morning, so I can get about 3-4 hours of charging then, and depending on where I'm parked, I catch the afternoon rays in the parking lot. It takes about 6 hours to fully charge the battery, which is 1800mAh, or roughly twice the size of my cell phone battery. Assuming that both batteries operate between relatively similar states of charge, that correlates to being able to charge my phone twice on a days worth of sun. Easily enough for all the use I have for it.

I bought it with the intention of using it while camping and bike touring- it could recharge my phone, an iPod, and a Garmin. Keeping me in touch, entertained and on track.

You know your iTunes library is getting big when....

you don't even know what song is playing.

But you know your iTunes library is spiraling out of control when a jesus song comes on. Especially if you've had the pleasure of hearing me spout off about my feelings towards "religions" (the quotes should give you a hint towards my feelings towards the subject). What the fuck Jars of Clay, I didn't know you sang his praises and held up his name upon high until you "fall in love with him all over again."

Delete.

delicious....

17 lbs

Realized one thing today....

if you are wearing suspenders

and you are in a movie

you are a douchebag.

S'more crit racin

Did some racing out in Ontario this past weekend- it was looking like another flood-race, with 50% chance of rain for the 3 race, and 80% chance later in the afternoon for the 1,2,3. Not being a California pansy yet, I regged up for both (nevermind that I registered weeks before I knew the weather...)

The 3 race was real frustrating. I felt fine in the first few laps, and after my last race spent mostly off the front, I decided to try and sit in and just wait for the end. About mid-way through the field slowed down considerably for a whole lap, with two guys just dangling a few seconds in front. They sloooooowly pulled away as the field basically just raced around real lazily. I should have bridged (while it was still a small gap) or taken some pulls, but being afraid of doing too much work again, I just sat tight. The break at some point became 3 people, and they started working.... and I figured it'd just come back, but despite the monstrous efforts of my teammate Ted, who pulled hard enough to line out the field for at least three or four straightaways at a clip, the break stayed out. Even as the sprint came up for 4th, I found myself a bit too far back on the bell lap, and didn't have the legs, finished somewhere in the field. Bummer.

The 1,2,3 went much better, considering my goal was to finish, and to get 90 minutes of hard crit racing in. Well I got 90 minutes of good crit riding in. Very quickly into the race a break was established, and the field eased off and let them get a considerable lead. Nothing much happened as I just stood tucked in as much as possible, hanging out in the front 1/2 of the field whenever possible. With about 20 minutes left, Rock Racing thought it was a good idea to have it all back together, so in about 4-5 laps, they did just that-taking about 10 seconds back each lap. Took about 6 of their guys, and they had the entire 100 man field strung out... but the break came back. Despite all that work, they set up Rashaan Bahati for a win. I was pleased with my effort, and even managed to work my way up to the front of the field in the last 3 laps, with gleams of hope at a top 20, but once we turned the last corner, there were plenty (read most) of people around me with more in their legs for that last kick than I had.... still a good race.

It was cool to see that the 1,2,3's aren't world over my head, so I'm confident that if I had a good day, and if the race was right, I could pull a top 20.

Frame building....

Lately I've had a hankering to try my hand in a whole new part of the bike world: framebuilding. Now, for those that don't know, this would entail welding together my own bike- maybe sounds simple, but to keep everything in line and to have good strong joints is much harder than it seems. Using lugs to join the tubes helps both of these problems, but the construction still isn't simple at all.

I just got the Paterek Manual, a pretty through resource written for beginning frame builders. In order to keep the idea of building a bike even within the realm of possibility, I need to limit myself to steel, and use lugs. TIG welding required for aluminum and titanium (Ti is much much further complicated even than Al) is much harder than the type of welding required for brazing the lugs and tubes together.

Here's my dilemma, though. I have a desire to race the track at some point.... and the one thing I'm afraid of there is finding a bike that fits me just right. Now I'm sure I could make a stock one work, but maybe I could really ensure I'd get one that fits me right if I just built it?

I've also been thinking about touring at some point, but with my road or cross bike, I can't get panniers on there. This issue might be mute if I just use a BOB trailer, but it'd be cool to have a custom built touring bike too though...

So, even though this project is likely at least a year away... what should I build??

Joshua Tree National Park

Crossed another National Park off the list- visited Joshua Tree with Nicole this past weekend. While this wasn't all that spectacular of a trip (thinking back to Rocky Mtn, and thinking ahead to Yellowstone) but it was still more than worth the two hour drive from the Los Angeles area.

Sunset the first night

Cholla "jumping" cactus. Don't wear crocs near them, you will regret it.

We camped two nights out in a pretty nice campground- the second night we were basically alone in the campground, except for the coyotes...a little unnerving, but fun. (and we say we want to do back country!? we need to grow a pair). There was a huge rock formation behind us that we climbed up on the last morning for the sunrise, pretty sweet.

Longest hike we did (7 miles in the desert sun) was to a fan palm oasis. Ate some lunch under these bad boys.

The legit shot from the top of the one summit hike we did, Ryan Mountain

We did almost all the hiking we could have done, and saw almost the whole park. I'd definitely recommend going and visiting for a day if you're within a few hours drive, but nothing to travel across country for (unlike Rocky Mountain- everyone should go there, three times.) Make sure to go during the spring (March - April is blooming season, pictures we saw looked amazing) or in the winter. The houses nearby had GINORMOUS A/C units, so I can only imagine how flipping hot it must get out there. I mean.... Death Valley National Park isn't that far away...

Yo.

Well no posts for a while mean I have been doing nothing, or too much. Thankfully its the latter.

Took a trip to Joshua Tree National Park this last weekend with Nicole, that was fun. (I'll throw some pictures up later)

Ate at the Veggie Grill three times. Legit.

Took and likely failed a midterm (though I hope everyone did)

Finished off a project for a class I learned will not be graded

Just gave a presentation at our lab meeting.

So suffice it to say, I'm going to go ride my bike now.

Cannondale....

For the past year I've been racing a CAAD9 on the road, and LOVE it. Great bike- light and stiff, and cheap! However, I've always wanted to get a 613 or SystemSix or something along those lines one day.... looks like I'll have to hurry up and do that before Cannondale takes a turn for the worse. Cannondale owned by the same company that owns Schwinn? Scary.

Hope Cannondale (aluminum frame) production stays in Bedford...

Second weekend of racing

Did a roadrace and a crit this past weekend. The roadrace was the annual start of the racing season: The Boulevard Road Race. The course was pretty rolling, with a few kilometers of uphill that stretched up to the finish. So not exactly my kind of race really. I decided to do the collegiate to see what that was like out West. Not feeling like racing at 6AM in the desert (FREEZING) I signed up for the A's race at noon. Didn't go so well- Stanford guys tore the small field to shreds on the first lap's climb, and I was basically just riding for training after that.

Next day was rainy and windy- great time for a bike race. It was a crit though, so I was feeling much more motivated to go get wet. I raced the 3's, and like last weekend's wet crit, the field was small likely due to the weather. Maybe 30-40 guys. I made sure to stay right near the front, knowing that the group would probably split up after not too long. Turns out I didn't even realize when the split happened (good thing I guess!). A few laps after it had happened, I let myself drift 6 or 7 guys back, took a peek what was behind us, and.... nothing. No one else in sight! So... that was the race. From that point on I just sat on- we were clearly not getting caught (we actually lapped everyone else) so there was no point to get stuck in the wind. Things got a little more animated when we lapped the field- people used teammates to try and spring off... but it was all together coming into the final lap. One dude went off the front at the bell, and was working up a decent lead. I was getting worried, but didn't want to do any work just to drag other people up. We were slowly bringing him back in on the last corner, which I carried more speed through by going wide.... jumped from 3rd or 4th wheel to the the first guy chasing down the leader... stayed way outside and started my sprint... WAY too early. I got almost all the way up to the guy off the front, but then three guys came barreling through with 50m to go. If I had been smarter I could have easily have been top 3, but I ended up 5th- so more upgrade points! Not bad... but I'm hoping for better next weekend.

It's not working....

My research group is putting on a conference this week, called ICEPAG (International Colleqium on Environmentally Preferred Advanced Generation). Needless to say I did not make up that acronym- mainly because I can't spell the second word. The whole conference is basically about large scale Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell / Gas Turbine hybrid systems. Basically pairing two new and upcoming technologies together in what could be the best possibly way to get power out of fossil fuels. (Still fossil fuels though)

Anyway, I was in a "short course" today about Hybrid Systems, and the one presenter was giving this presentation with powerpoint, heavily using the laser pointer. He had plenty of graphs and diagrams and everything, so it was very appropriate to use the laser pointer, though. What I found real comical was that the laser pointer stopped working about halfway through his second presentation. No problem for him, however, as he simply kept talking, and pointing the laser pointer at the screen, as if it were working. Now I was able to pick my way through what he was talking about, but it was just really funny that for the last twenty minutes this guy pretended like his laser pointer worked.... when clearly it did not!! Why even try to make it look like it works??

CBR#1 Ride it like you stole it

This race should have been called row it like you stole it. Sunday's forecast wasn't good. 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms.... and when rain happens here in Southern California, it doesn't sprinkle... it's torrential.

So I was surprised to wake up Sunday morning to sunshine in Irvine. It was beautiful! Though on the drive up to Dominguez Hills, Nicole and I were driving clear into the eye of the storm. The rain started when we were warming up... Liquid Fitness had about 5 or 6 people out of the 30 or so strong field that decided to race in the horrible conditions. So if we didn't place well... it'd be a little embarrassing.

The first few laps were just nuts. It wasn't like a real crit at all... I was never next to anyone. Always single file. Not because it was really all that fast really, just no one wanted to get too close to anyone I think. Most of the course was literally covered in water, and the corners were sometimes up to a foot or so on the insides. Surprisingly the good line was still right through the apex of the corner, so pushing through the deepest part of the water was fastest. After everyone got used to the conditions a few half-hearted moves went off the front. I made sure to either be in it, or be riding peoples wheels up to it if we already had someone in the move. Ernie kept pushing me to dive through turn #2 to create gaps, which if you took the turn fast, would always happen.

Turns out that when we were supposed to get 4 to go, they just gave us the bell. Also turns out that somehow myself and two other guys were off the front with a bit of a gap. I think the beginning of that lap we were aided by a little blocking by Ted in the field, and we easily stretched it out to maybe 5 or 6 seconds. I went to the front right before turn #2 and took the fast line through the deep water, and the other two guys went like little girls around the outside. So I had a few seconds gap back to those two already, then a few more seconds back to the field. Nothing else to do but hit it... so I did. I went as hard as I could for the rest of the lap. Looked back as I turned onto the home stretch and saw people coming, but still wasn't sure what was going to happen. I sprinted from the turn and gave it all I could, but an SC Velo dude came by to win, and Ernie had followed his wheel up and took second, leaving me with third. Still a good race, netted some cash (barely over the registration fee because of the small turnout) but also some upgrade points!! So.. sahweet. Not that I plan to upgrade necessarily, but I'll take what I get, and come the end of the season, we'll see what it adds up to.

Now its back to the real world for this week as I have a ton of work, a conference to help host, a short-course to attend..... BUT I also found what might be the coolest place to work for, in my eyes at least. And its about half hour from my hometown, in Albany. Weird eh? Now I need to find the California equivalent to work out here after school for a few years.