Go pedal crazy someplace else...

   My title paraphrases Jack Nicholson’s line in As Good As It Gets, and I also created a cycling-related play-on-words by substituting for the word "peddle", but the rest of his quote still applies, as we’re certainly “all stocked up here”. Family issues have left nerves, attitudes, mental states, etc. around our house a bit frayed lately, but everyone has personal problems, so I’ll spare you commentary on that and instead attempt distraction with (mostly) pleasant subjects.

   I am indeed “all stocked up” in my shop, as my rafters are full of finished bicycles. I would think it is an end-of-season lull in selling activity, but while I can always expect a spring increase in repairs/service, the sales pattern has never been predictable. The amount of storage space has also been compromised by a desire to purchase affordable component groups and frames when they become available for future projects.

   While some friends have laughed at what I consider to be disorganized, somehow I’ve accumulated TEN loose wheelsets that are creating a bit of an obstacle course at times when doing my work. Yes, many are earmarked for bicycle assembly, but others just don’t fit into my plans, either because of preferred brand or gearing compatibility, and need to move onto a new home!

   I did have a really nice Italian Fir wheelset that had a Chorus 7-speed freewheel on the rear, and I decided to attempt an upgrade by swapping in an 8-speed hub myself. I had never tried this level of wheel-building, and because I was removing all the spokes and nipples from the existing rim, I found a similar product hanging in the shop to use as a guide to replicate the pattern.

   It took a good amount of time, patience and a little bit of math to loosely fit the 32 spokes into an intricate weave of what was essentially an eight-point star on each side. I don’t have the tensioning or dishing (accurately centers the rim on the hub) tools, so I took the partially-completed wheel to my pals at Bikesport for the final touches.

   A couple customers had also presented me with work which, while quite welcome, hadn’t exactly helped my problem with storage space. Recent acquaintance Nick, who purchase my Olmo Sportsman, is a racer and wanted to upgrade some parts. All went smoothly, and I was happy to exchange my time for the parts returned, including a really nice Ambrosio/Campagnolo wheelset!

   My friend Arol in New Hampshire, for whom I had previously build a Vitus 979, has me once again on the trail for Mavic parts – or at least for the brands the company copied – in order to build a Sean Kelly KAS tribute bicycle. It is going to replicate somewhat the bike I built for Brendan a couple of years ago, then rebuilt with all-Mavic last autumn, except we are going with even more brand/model accurate parts, namely the black Modolo-copy brakes and levers (photo right) and the Cinelli Criterium bars the Irish legend preferred.

   I received the 979 frame to which we are applying this transformation, and it includes many parts that we should be able to sell to make the project less costly, including some Campagnolo Super Record derailleurs. The bike was also equipped with an interesting (yes, another) wheelset built with quality Wolber Super Champion Alpine rims and Hi-E hubs, made by eccentric American designer/engineer/machinist Harlan Meyer (1924-2013).

   Harlan’s complete bicycle from 1971, the Cosmopolitan, had features that are now industry standards today. I wish I had a date for the cool photo below, but I’m guessing from his age in the photo, it was taken in the 1950s.  

   Another addition to my crowded basement is my disabled Cannondale. I was out for a ride last Sunday and came to the bottom of hill, where I was going to make a left-hand turn. I wasn’t going terribly fast, but I didn’t have much time to react when I noticed cinders in the intersection. You certainly don’t want to lay on the brakes too hard, because you will definitely lose maneuverability and slide out, so I gently squeezed the levers, hoping to be able to hold traction.

   Nope – the front started to slide, so I let go of the brake and turned into the slide to regain control and stay upright. Unfortunately, I was out of room on the road and went right into the guardrail lining the low ground on the outside of the turn. It has become second nature to me to stay with the bike in a crash, after the number of times I’ve seen pros do the same thing and have it save their butts!

   Sometimes things slow down in these situations, and I can remember thinking, “Oh this isn’t going to feel good,” and actually standing up on my pedals to get above the metal barrier as much as possible. The front wheel hit, and I did a perfect flip onto the back, perfectly safe in a soft pile of leaves and brush.

   I popped right up and climbed back over the rail to check myself and the equipment out. An oncoming driver and her family, who had seen everything and probably thought I was dead, had looks of shock on their face to see me casually checking the alignment of my front wheel and brake/shift levers. I had torn my right shoe cover, probably catching it on the rail during my flip, but amazingly everything seemed just fine.

   “Are you sure you are okay,” the driver asked a couple of times, as one of her children stared at me in awe through his rolled down window. I replied that I really lucked out landing so softly, and thanked her for stopping.

   Alas, when I reached a climb on my attempt to return home, there was a nasty crack and creaking sound. The weight I put on the front wheel when out of the saddle going up the hill must have been the last straw for the right fork blade, which had obviously buckled during the collision with the guardrail. I was only a couple miles from my son Carrick’s place, so I did a very slow, cautious ride there for a rescue pick-up from Sue.

   I doubt that I am going to find an exact match for my seven-year-old model bicycle with a fairly unique paint job. I have seen some with similar colors, but we’ll see what I can come up with. With my go-to bike with the best gear range out of commission, it’s kind of good timing that the cycling season is winding down, but I’m fortunate to have other bikes to ride and will just have to back off on the altitude for a while.

  

   I’d also like to mention that we had a great time during the Cycle Tech Turkey Trek, even if many hopeful participants were turned away by the temperatures, which hovered around the freezing point when we started off on Saturday morning, November 9th. Everyone had come properly dressed for the cold, the day was sunny without any wind and things warmed up comfortably enough around noon.

   The event extended a bit longer than expected due to some splits in the group, whether it was because of different fitness levels, snack breaks or photo opportunities. The crew also split in half for route choice near Manayunk; some selected the hill up to Umbria Street, and others descended to the canal towpath near Shawmont Station. A few of us even rode a couple blocks up the Manayunk Wall, just far enough to be in view of the really nasty steep part!

   My friend Brendan also met us part way along the route, as he rode from his Philadelphia home out to meet us, and except for a couple folks who had to duck out early because of family commitments later in the day, we all finished up pretty much in sight of one another. That’s a tough thing to do when necks/shoulders start to get stiff and a few butts get sore – people start to push the pace just to get off the bike!

   I’m waiting for one of those miracle autumn days when it warm enough for us all to wear shorts and maybe just a light, long-sleeve jersey, but we’ve always managed to enjoy ourselves on the Turkey Trek. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Delaware's Gorgeous Greenways

   I have been putting in so many miles this year (nearing 5000!) that I’ve been regularly seeking out new places to ride. During a couple drives earlier this year along I-95, I had noticed a newly-developed trail sweeping across the marshlands south of Wilmington, and I had planned to get back to the area with a bike to explore the area.

   On a particularly beautiful day a couple of weeks ago, I left my car in New Castle County’s River Road Park and set off south along Governor Printz Boulevard (U.S. 13) towards the city. I immediately noticed, what would be a continuing occurrence all day long, wide road shoulders marked as bike lanes, which were clean of stones and debris! Unfortunately, after a couple miles of pedaling into the city, I had to take to the sidewalk to avoid the repair work on the bridge over the Brandywine Creek.

   Wilmington isn’t a huge metropolis, and traffic was rather sparse during midday as I zigzagged down Spruce, 4th and Poplar Streets to reach the Riverwalk, right near the train station designed for the Pennsylvania Railroad by Frank Furness.

   The station is still served by Amtrak and Septa passenger trains, but having been through this area before many times, I didn’t hang around too long to see one come through. The Riverwalk is now officially designated part of the Jack A. Markell Trail to honor the man who served as Delaware’s governor from 2009-2017 and strongly supported the path's development. There were many restaurants and offices, as well as the Blue Rocks’ baseball stadium nearby as I followed the route along the Christiana River.

   The wooden planks of the boardwalk rumbled under my tires as I finally entered the more remote areas of the Peterson Wildlife Refuge. From the Dupont Environmental Education Center, the boardwalk bridge sweeps down over the wetlands out towards I-95, where it bends south to cross the river. After a couple miles of cycling, a connection is made with the (former) New Castle Industrial Track Trail.

   I can imagine this 2.5-mile route is a particularly nice place to ride on hot summer days, as it is set low in a tree-shaded trench through suburban neighborhoods, with only a couple road crossings. I made a right-hand turn onto 7th Street when the trail ended, and was heading along another wide on-road bike lane on Route 9, along the Delaware River.

   I picked a particularly great day to ride, as there was almost no wind – a rarity in this very flat terrain! The first few miles were enjoyable, skirting the wetlands along the river and eventually pedaled into some farmlands. The view changed significantly as I crossed Red Lion Creek. Much like my ride into Northeast Philadelphia, I wouldn’t say this area was scenic, but along the state’s chemical coast, there was plenty to see, if you like refineries and tank farms.

   Luckily, it didn’t last long, and I made a turn east toward the pretty little community of Delaware City. Just before reaching the access channel to the marina, I headed right onto the Michael N. Castle Trail which runs west along the bank of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. The waterway serves as an important commercial shipping shortcut between its namesake bays, allowing boats travelling between the ports of Baltimore and Philadelphia to avoid the long journey south around the Delmarva Peninsula.

   I only saw a couple of pleasure craft and a push-boat/barge, but the views along the canal were very pleasant, and I always enjoy the company of a few gulls! When in this area, I always think of wonderful trips had on my father’s sailboat, but I also remember the work/money involved in marine maintenance, so I have no unrealistic aspirations to get back into that lifestyle.

   I followed the trail for about 4.5 miles to the St. Georges trailhead, which sits in the shadow of the high U.S. 13 bridge that spans the canal. I then weaved my way through town to reach the highway, which has much of its traffic diverted onto the newer Dupont Highway (Delaware Rt. 1) which parallels a bit to the west. Again, the clean, car-width bike lane/shoulder provided relaxing conditions for travel.

   The road becomes Route 7, and I continued for about six miles, through the communities of Red Lion and Bear, then turned onto Route 273. This probably wasn’t my favorite part of the ride, as traffic picked up on this busy commercial four-lane boulevard, but the wide shoulder was still there, and as long as I paid attention to the cars going in and out of the strip malls and other businesses along the way, it wasn’t too bothersome.

   I actually crossed over the Industrial Track Trail after four miles, but not wanting to repeat parts of the day’s course, I pedaled on into New Castle then veered north on 6th Street to reach Route 9. This was probably the most unpleasant riding I encountered, as the four-lane boulevard was older concrete slab with almost no shoulder and high curbs, but it thankfully lasted only a few hundred yards when an almost empty residential parking lane (at this time of day) began, giving me some welcome breathing room.

   There was another slightly intimidating area at the junction of I-295, but I pushed through and was soon returning to the land of wide-shouldered, Wilmington-area streets. Now on New Castle Avenue, I soon turned on A Street over to Walnut to cross back over the Christiana River and into the downtown area.

   I have to admit that I become ultra-focused when riding in cities, and I don’t really remember if there was a bike lane or sharrows through here, and there was some power line maintenance here that I had to weave around, but traffic wasn’t bad, so I had some freedom to maneuver. It didn’t seem long before I was turning left onto 16th Street and making my way across the Brandywine Creek at the King Street bridge.

   I headed left on Park Drive and rode past the Brandywine Zoo to join the winding, up and down trail that leads into Alapocas Run State Park. At a triangular intersection of trails, I turned right and headed up a nasty steep climb that weaves up the cliff side of the creek gorge. My day’s route hadn’t included much climbing, so I had plenty left and actually enjoyed powering up the narrow path into the thick forest.

   Not that I would have wanted to be coasting out of control anyway down an unfamiliar trail, but I had to take caution on the descents because leaves had been falling and I didn’t want to slide out in any of the turns. I passed a few inconsiderate corporate types who were walking three or four across during their end-of-the-day strolls in the park, but otherwise the variety in scenery and riding conditions was very enjoyable.

   I will warn anyone trying to find their way along this wonderful (roughly) five-mile trail that connects Alapocas, Rockwood and Bringhurst Woods with Bellevue State Park, that you can get misdirected. Paying attention to the East Coast Greenway signs makes the journey fairly simple. There is a brief transition area along Weldin Ridge and Talley Roads, as the trail ducks under I-95, but it is still road-separated, and you are soon heading back into the wooded hills.

   I ended my trail ride at Bellevue Parkway, which became Cauffiel Parkway, which heads downhill towards the Delaware River. I made a right at the bottom, back onto Governor Printz Boulevard to return to my car. There are probably some little tweaks I’d make to this route to eliminate some of the hectic sections, but this was a ride I definitely would like to do again!

   I’m getting to the point again where I need to move some of my completed bikes out before working on others – I only have so much room for storage! I did finish up the Chesini Olimpiade, and was quite pleased with the way the pantografia (engraving) painting turned out, although I was disappointed that the fork engraving wasn’t deep enough to hold paint. Every time I tried to wipe the surrounding area, the rest of the fill would be removed.

   Above are shots of the headtube and the Olympic rings on the drive side seat stay, and following are photos of the built bike, which is now listed among the others I currently have for sale.

   I’ll wrap up with shots of my completed Claude Criquielion tribute bike. The Eddy Merckx Century would have had Mavic components, but my Mavic Mania has calmed considerably after the Vitus 992 travails. I’ve always wanted a bicycle equipped with Campagnolo Corsa Record components, and they are definitely era-appropriate on this machine.

   I did include a Cinelli stem and Criterium bars, a Selle San Marco Rolls saddle and a set of first-generation Look pedals just like the Belgian legend used at that time. I’m looking forward to riding the Merckx during this Saturday’s Tech Turkey Trek – hope to see you there!