Get on with it

...
And now there is nothing left to do but get to work. No matter what the end result, there's no chance at even having a shot without a LOT of work. That goes for a lot of things. Unfinished projects left laying around need to get sorted and worked out ASAP.

Of those projects, the one that has been spoken of the most (and taken the longest...) is my CR-1. What should have been done well before the end of winter has dragged on (and been somewhat forgotten admittedly) well into spring. I'm close to having all the paint sanded/stripped off of it, at least to an acceptable level to start priming over it. I expect to have this bad boy ready to be re-assembled by the end of June at the absolute latest, and then only because I'll have a few weekends coming up that I won't be able to work on it.

Sssssoooooo Close. You can still see filler around the bottom bracket!

Next would be the Airborne Guardian... my initial adventures in Mountain biking have been less than optimal (that is to say, I've wrecked a good amount.) I still enjoy the idea, especially since it opens up avenues for me to ride with my close friends (which is all but impossible on roads... either I simply get nothing out of the ride or they are dead 10 minutes in.) while still getting something out of the ride. The problem I ran into was the tires. Greenway tires are great for a lot of things... but it's not off road trails. Adding a set of Specialized Ground Controls should eliminate some of the problems (no traction whatsoever) I was having, but now we've ran into another snag... the tires don't clear the front derailleur in either the small or largest chainring. It's a minor rub that probably wouldn't do any harm, but already I'm itching to grab the files and start removing body from the derailleur. And hey, who doesn't want to lighten their component kit :P Amirite?

Pet carrier, Wheel cover and spray paint can not included.

Stupid Derailleur... Just wait til I find my file in all this mess...

Then there is this little fellow.

A garage full of parts and beam bikes...

 A Softride in need of beam parts, particularly the little washer that holds the beam into place. Somebody has already tried to fashion one that's serviceable, but I think something a little closer to the original can be sourced / made with a little time/effort. Sadly this bike has bottom facing dropouts... without some welding it'd be tough to turn it into a single speed (which was my first inclination) It may also end up wall art or possibly another road bike. Any way you look at it, it's going to get stripped down and re-painted a most garish (and 90's) combination of Purple (color of kings) and neon Yellow. This little fellow is pretty low on the list, more of a "fun" side project, but still.

As you can see, the rigged up washer holding the beam has seen better days...

Then there's the 2001. It's desperately in need of some Nokon cables and to be re-adjusted to match my "new"(er) position. I guess I risk looking like TJ Tollakson's clone when I do that, but hey, I've been to the tunnel... I know what position works for me. I will be eschewing the nut cups for real elbow pads however :)

And then, finally, it may be time to update the brakes on the Planet X. I do like my Simkins Egg brake still, but for the sake of simplicity to adjust (and possibly just a little more bling factor if I'm totally honest) I may be making the jump to Tririg Omega's. I really like the look of them, and if stopping power/ease of adjustability is as good as is to be believed, then they're right up my alley.


Of course all that doesn't mean jack squat if I'm not working on the motor to go with the rigs.

It's time to start adding some miles in the saddle. First order of business if these wild dreams of mine are to come to fruition is to be able to ride 112 miles in 5'ish hours and still feel good when it's all said and done. (as well as taking this time to nail down nutrition on the bike... something I've half assed in the past) That means more TITS (alright!! wait...) and more long, difficult sets. It's going to be a long road to IMLou, and there's no time to waste if I'm going to be there in the best shape of my life.

Thanks so much for reading.

- Christopher Morelock

Oh yeah, on a completely unrelated to anything triathlon note... I replaced the exhaust on my Corvette earlier this week. NXT Step Performance kit is the equivalent to Microshift components (that is, half the price of Borla/Corsa, if you can stand that it's made in some random Chinese factory) and I'm very happy with it. Very little resonance and fairly quiet inside the car, while still being considerably throatier than the stock exhaust.

Not the easiest vehicle to transport bicycles.