What a difference a day makes

Today was a big progress day. I managed to build the carcasses for the counters all by myself.
I couldn't have done it without the teachings of Master Jedi Norm Abram. Over the years, I have spent countless hours in front of the giant eye watching him build stuff, wishing I had both the patience and the skill do build the things he does. There is no secret to my affinity for a certain brand of power tool. Maybe he was with me in spirit. I swear I could hear him patiently guiding me every step of the way.
My wife might disagree, but I think that all the time I spent "studying" was worth it. Mind you, for a while I did schedule my life around my "Saturday morning shows", this included bike rides too. And I hate to admit it, sometimes it was TV instead of ride.
However you look at it, I did accomplish a milestone today.
Here is the view from the command center (blurry because of the reflection of snow falling outside)

8'x11', straight, level and square.
Thanks Norm.

Salsa Dos Niner es muy caliente!

So the first frame has arrived at Bike 29.
It is truly something to behold. It is a Salsa Dos Niner, in an amazing metallic green finish. Pictures do not do it justice at all, but it is like candy.

For those that aren't familiar with the Dos Niner, it is a pivotless soft-tail, made from scandium. For those that aren't familiar with scandium, this is worth a quick read, but basically it's an alloy that was once used on things like nuclear missiles, for it's high strength to weight ratio among other things.
This missile's mission is to dominate the local race circuit this summer at the Wednesday night race series. It will be light. Stupid light.
You will want one. I know I do. Pictures of the built bike will follow shortly, along with the spec, and most importantly, the weight.
Stay tuned!

One Down!

Every once in a while it's really good to blow off ytour responsibilities and go do something nice for yourself. Like today, when I should have been in the store slaving away and building the things that should have been built by now, I decided to go for a ride. Once again, we are having ridiculous weather here in VT. 50 degrees and sunny.
So I threw a leg over Jaques (The Monkey),and decided to hurt myself with Loomis Hill, as I only had time for a short ride.

It was painful, but I only stopped once at the intersection of Valley View Rd (right before it gets steep). The highlight of my ride though, was that my iPod was playing some awesome music. Everything seemed to sync up. Here is the playlist from getting on and then off they bike, and a few pictures of the scenery I had to look at while I was riding.
Metallica "Trapped Under Ice", The Pixies "Tame", Bill Evans Trio '65 "Israel", Deadbolt "Lone Highway", Radiohead "Kid A", DJ Cam "Soulshine", The Pietasters "Fat Sack", At The Drive In "Hourglass", Fugazi "By You"
As I said, it was a short ride, but it was all I had time for.
Here's where I turned around (at the top!) Sweet Rd was like riding in peanut butter, so I decided I would spare myself the hassle of having to clean salty mud off my bike. It's about a mile to the Mt.Hunger trailhead, which is a classic VT hike, and the Waterworks Trail network that is currently under construction.
















A very hazy Camel's Hump

The Bench

So, it's taking a little longer than I would like, but when they're done, THEY WILL BE MAGNIFICENT!
I'm using a PU/stain combo on the face boards that looks like it will be pretty durable, and the paint on the main frame came out great. The top is replaceable Masonite, so it can be replaced if it gets dinged up.
Pictures, of course, will follow as soon as I have them complete, sometime tomorrow.
They are about as drool worthy as work benches get.

The Green Monster

And just like that mythical creature at Fenway, it's a huge wall that takes a good effort to get over (It's 26ft long). I finally finished painting the trim, installed the crown molding and cleaned the joint up. It looks so much better now, in spite of my terrible picture taking skills.
I even have a bike in the store (an antique '67 Robin Hood).


The only thing left to do is to finish my work benches and build my display cases, and then finally paint the floor. Because I love to paint. I'm even getting good at it.

Progress

The Green Monster is finally done!
I hope to have the dressing room (which is it's own special nightmare) finished by Tuesday, along with the crown molding in the main space. Pictures will follow.
I've also started work on my main work bench. Something I am quite proud of, and will have pictures of as soon as it's built and painted.
Yes, more paint. There is no escape.
I can't wait.

"Almost there..."

... to quote an X-Wing pilot right before he gets blown up by Darth Vader.
Painting continues to consume my days. I was hoping to be done tonight, but it looks like I will have to suck it up another day. Or lighten up.
I'm not sure which at this point, but at least it still continues to progress.
I guess the most frustrating thing is seeing the end result, knowing you still have a ways to get there.
Like some evil long climb. A lot like Loomis Hill here in town. Fine with gears, the devil on a singlespeed. I'll tell more stories about the delights of Loomis Hill, but to give you a snapshot, progress is measured by where someone has thrown up, not miles. It's long, and wicked steep in parts.
The good thing about painting though, is that I continue to enjoy the support of friends. It's much easier with help. Less hurling too.
So next up is clean up, touch up, clean up again. Then build stuff.
I like to build stuff.

Some pictures...

...To prove I'm not watching TV and eating bob-bons, here are some before and after pix of the front door/showcase window...


It's definitely taking more time than I would like, but it's not even Febuary here in VT. Despite the ridiculously warm weather, New England practicality dictates that the bike don't hit the pavement 'til Mud Season.
If Spring comes on time (May) I'll be in great shape!

Still Painting

It's been a while since I've had a chance to update this blog, but I thought I might give it a try.
Still painting away like a madman, although I think we've turned a corner. I've had some good help over the last few days, and it has really made a big difference.
I will post some before/after pictures later tonight, as I will have to go back over there to finish up a few projects.
Later this week I hope to be able to start building the display cases and work benches.
Finally, something that requires power tools!

DRYWALL

I tip my hat to drywallers.
A friend of mine helped me out getting started jointing up the wall seen in the previous post. He is a professional contractor. He made it look as easy as making a PB and J. I can fix bikes like there is no tomorrow, but mixing and applying the mud is hard. I went after the second pass solo.
Hopefully I didn't screw it up too bad.
Luckily, the building is 150+ years old, so maybe it will look natural.

Four Letter Words

Sometimes they mean good things, sometimes not, but most of the really good ones are rich with passion and life.
BIKE, for instance. The bike is a magical machine, for me, not only can it transport me back in time to when I was a kid, it can give me moments of clarity when everything else is falling down, it can scare the crap out of me, and it can reward you with an unbeatable sense of accomplishment when you can pull something really big off.
LOVE is another. Anything that you love is worth spending time on.
WORK, is a good example of a four letter word that can be both good and bad.
SHOP. Now there's a good one...
After spending most of my adult life bringing success to others, or getting beat down by "The Man", I was beginning to question if I was ever going to get a shot at glory.
A series of dead end jobs can do that to a person, but the only true thing to me was my bike. A few years ago, I tossed aside the $6000 full suspension bike, and went rigid, and 29". I haven't looked back.
After I finished with my last demoralizing experience with a "real" job that kept me away from my family, and rewarded me with nothing, I ended spending quite some time in the saddle, on my newly converted single speed Surly Karate Monkey. I punished myself on our local paved and dirt road terrain as hunting season was in full swing
I got happy again, rode a ton. And those four words I listed above started floating around in my head. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen to the brain, but they really started to resonate.
So I did something about it.

I'm opening a shop, catering not only to my fellow 29ers, but to the entire local cycling community. Maybe my experiences will be able to help others find their way on two wheels too.
Unfortunately, in the short term, I have created another four letter word, one that I am not that fond of...

DUST!
Stay tuned for updates!