A new cycling journal made by women for women.
"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more
to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a
feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I
see a woman ride by on wheels..the picture of free, untrammeled
womanhood."
Susan B Anthony
shePedals is edited by Dena Eaton, a 20 year veteran to the sport of cycling. After taking a 4 year hiatus to race Ironman , and with 5 top 25 finishes, and the elusive Kona Championships under her belt, she has returned to cycling. Always her first love, she now trains full time as a track cyclist.
As both an elite as well as a masters cyclist, Dena is publishing She Pedals as a way to give back to the sport which not only continually defines who she is but one that has given her a life full of stories , adventures and friends.
shePedals' mission is to inspire all women who ride, be it the consistent podium girl, the touring diva, the persistent middle of the packer, or the philanpthropic charity rider. This journal is dedicated to the women who inspire: to ALL women on wheels!
I put down my $30.00 for a year subscription and support. Haven't received the first issue yet but I'm anxiously awaiting it.
It was Carl Sagan day last week. A reminder of how much we miss him. I try to imagine the books and articles he would have written, the stuff he would have continued to teach everyone. He is one of the greatest individual losses of human life since I've been alive.
Here is a nice tribute by Symphony of Science.
And another by the same people:
I will be doing an interview via live streaming on the Internet with www.wcanradio.com on Hollywood today with Brad Evans on Saturday Nov 21st at 12pm EST. Oh billy, Can't wait to see your gorgeous face live streaming!
http://www.wcanradio.com/hollywood.html#
I received most of my tools yesterday. Got them hung and rearranged my board a bit. I was just waiting on my truing stand to be the final piece for now. I did get the stand but there is one problem. the wonderful Park Tool company sent me an incomplete box. Two of the three control knobs are missing from the box. I have called Bike Tools Etc to tell them and they were very helpful and apologetic, especially considering that it is not even their fault. They simply sent me the sealed box that they had on their shelf from Park. There was no way for them to know it was missing parts.
So while I wait for Park to call me back and send me the control knobs I set up the stand anyway. Here is the (almost) finished Toolboard and work stand.
Then here is a quick pic of the hub, rim and spokes that are waiting to be made into a wheel if Park Tools decided they ever want to send me all the parts of what I ordered instead of just some of them.
This is an old rim and hub that I've had since the 80's.
Well I thought that I was set with the toolboard until my big tool order arrived but I got a little antsy about it and said ta hell with it and decided to hang the board with the tools that I have and just add as they arrive.
So I cut some 2x8's to length and coaxed them tight between the ceiling and floor. Then I had to hang that sheet of 3/8 plywood by myself, which isn't easy, then I put some of the tools on and put the bench back.
So until my new stuff gets here this is what I have:
Another angle of the cycling room. That's a new cable and housing set on the bench ready to go on the Colnago.
Not too much progress today as I'm still waiting on stuff to arrive. Don't want to start attaching things to the board until I have everything that is going to be attached.
One thing I did get done is the vise attached to the bench:
OK that's it until some of my new tools start to arrive.
Finally had some time today after work to get to work on my new tool board. This board has to have a couple of capabilities.
- It must be large enough to hold all the bike tools I'll mostly use.
- It must be portable to the extent that it will be moved about twice a year.
So I decided on a piece of 3/8 plywood. I did not use pegboard as I have now in the barn because I didn''t want to have to buy a ton of hooks to fit it and can instead use finishing nails of which I have a ton. Also, pegboard looks kinda sloppy, and by using nails I can be more flexible with where I place items.
So away I go building a new tool board.
A clean slate to start. Obviously the goal here is to put the most used tools in the middle and center and trying to anticipate the best fit for the lesser used tools.
As a guide I have a little help from Jim Langley's bicycle tools toolboard site
Here is his toolboard:
It's also difficult getting started at this time as I made a huge tool order this week and I'm waiting on a bunch of stuff to get here next week. Important things like my truing stand, spoke wrenches, chain tool, spoke ruler, etc.
I do have enough to get started though and here is where I currently stand.
So for the winter this board will be placed in the basement above a small workbench that I have down there. One problem:
A few minutes of organizing though and it's much better.
Much better, now it's ready for a small vise. I'm thinking a small vise on the left side of the workbench so that the truing stand can sit off the right end of the bench and be mostly out of the way when not in use. Tune in tomorrow.
Just got back Friday from completing the first of many bike classes that I have planned. Went to Colorado Springs for the Barnett Bicycle Institutes, bicycle assembly and maintenance class . While I was there I also did the one night spoked-wheel lacing class.
It was a great class with great classmates. In the class of 16 guys (I was surprised there was NO women) we had people like me who are mostly enthusiasts with an idea. We had 1 cat 2 racer, 1 junior cat 1 racer. A bicycle messenger from D.C. Several shop owners,several shop mechanics and a guy that works for American adventure cyclists.
This was just a one week class that covers slightly more basic stuff . We did get into wheels pretty good however, which was the main reason I took the class.
While there a few of us went up to the olympic training center . Max, who was only 17 years old and getting high school credit to take this class is on the junior olympic cycling team. He gave us a quick tour of the place.Also took a quick trip down the road to see the olympic velodrome.
So for now the plan is to go back in February for the BRO class. Bicycle repair and overhaul. This is a 2 week class that gets more detailed. There is also a suspension class the following week that I haven't decided if I'm taking yet.
Now I have about $5000.00 worth of tools to buy...:)