Tyler in Town

Dec. 19th - 5 to 7 p.m.

Pro Racer Tyler Farrar of Team Garmin-Transitions will be at River City Bicycles for a meet-and-greet, Saturday, December 19. We have plans to receive him with pomp and style, and can promise the event won't be boring.

Admission is $5, with all proceeds going to OBRA. Register at orbike.com for your seat.

For more information, call River City Bicycles at 503-233-5973.

What's a ride without a ferry?

Last night's Tuesday Night ride was a mixed bag of everything Tuesday Night rides can be - a few flattish spots, some fast rollers, a couple kicker little hills to stretch the legs and strain the lungs, and of course everyone taking their shot at escaping off the front - to no avail. Oh, and one nice little ferry ride.

We, John and I, brought out Stealth, our first time this year. With all the above route features it should have been the perfect Stealth evening - one a tandem should rocket away with - should have.

Stealth, as she was christened almost the moment we first test road her and knew as insane as it was to buy an all carbon 27lb Calfee tandem, loves to go fast and much to the contrary of common perception, Stealth can climb. I mean think about it, we have to guys who are pretty good climbers on their own now teamed on the equivalent of 13.5lb bikes each - why shouldn't Stealth fly up a hill?

From the parking lot at Tualatin Park (weekly start point at 6PM) things were starting to signal Stealth was going to be argumentative - we dropped a chain twice. The group rolled out, gorgeous evening, chatting, socially reconnecting as usual; in the back John and I were grinding through gears as the chain jumped and skipped under a fraction of the pressure; in the big ring we were fine - all else was a mess. And maybe that's the point of this blog - maintenance - the better the machine, the more ya need to care for it.

When the route loped through the gentle rollers along Mountain Road and we could sit in the big ring we powered along at 45+ mph without a hitch, giving the few that could hang in our draft a rocketing little ride down to the Canby ferry. The ferry is generally a regroup as we all pile on and everyone resumes the socializing, or catches their breath, downs a GU and get's ready for more speed.

Up out of the ferry is a short steep climb, easily 12% - we coaxed Stealth up. A few miles later we held our breath as we headed for South End Road from the south, an initially sharp climb in the 8-11% range. We geared down with trepidation and hit the incline - perfect - shift - ut oh! - grind, clank - crap! Dropped. It was the beginning. We did get going again, over the top, back into the big ring and except for the steep climb up Sunset, sweet-talked Stealth back to the park.

Wednesday morning - into River City Bikes - maintinance. By the end of the day Stealth was back to being a rocket - with new chain rings, drive chain, cassette, and a healthy dose of cable care and ajustment. Tandems take a lot of torque, especially under the race and climbing load we pile on Stealth, and need more regular attention. Lesson learned - I've mapped out a regular maintinence schedule for the bike and posted it on the wall in the bike room.

If you're interested here's the Oregon City South End route MAP

Snap...Crackle....Pop... YIKES!!

It's date night, with Jenn, she looks awesome, and night before I leave for Cascade Cycling Classic stage race. Grabbing an beer at friend Yeta's Hop & Vine and trying to relax. The phone rings and it's Mark, Mark Ontiveros, co-owner of River City Bikes. "Ya, Mark"...

"Ger, we have a problem with the Cannondale" (my Super Six is in for a bottom bracket check)

"What?"

"There's a crack, a crack in the joint at the head tube"

"What???" (Jenn is sitting opposite me and mimes 'what?')

"The guys found a crack", my heart sank and a quiver ran through my legs.

Like all things in life there's and upside and downside. Finding a crack, or possible crack, in your frame is never good news, but to find it right before leaving to race on that frame is excellent news. The news definitely sent a chill through my spine - especially after posting the Jens crash blog just hours before; my brain replayed Jens sliding down the road in a loop for the next couple minutes.

Other good news is they, River City Bicycles, had one frame my size, so Jeb, who found the possible crack (we still don't know if it is a crack in frame or finish, but not worth a risk), is hard at work (above photo) building up a new bike so I can bolt for Bend and race.

I can't thank Jeb, Mark and everyone at River City enough, who did their jobs incredibly well, and for Mark not even hesitating at replacing the bike and getting me ready for Cascade Classic in time.