The Hodag BMX Club - unfreakingbelievable

IN related cycling news, I checked in on my old house in Wisconsin and found much better Bing/Google pictures than ever existed before. And Zillow and Trulia have found her too, with estimates of value but no details on it changing hands.

More hunting turned up the address associated with a "Hodag BMX Club" business registration, which led me to a track and people who apparently live in my house! Facebook and Linked in filled in the rest, as did local news sucked up by Google reporting on race results and events over the years. A speech pathologist and bmxer ecologist with bmxing kids living the dream in the backwoods.

At first I thought maybe the track WAS at the house (I looked hard in the satellite photos) but alas, its on the west side of town in "West Park". I think I did make out a trampoline behind the garage/office and now probably awesome bike garage.

I'd bet Rhinelander still lacks a good soccer field/league, but people living in my old house have kept a BMX track going for over a decade!

Focus Finally Goes to Tim Parker @ Cycle Sports Oakland

During my birthday bike ride on Sat November 16, I managed to pop the chain off the inner ring, past the chain keeper and wedged it between the chainring and bottom bracket. A bit embarrasing, Dave and Mikey whipped out tools, flipped the bike over and started loosening stuff to avoid further dinging to the carbon frame. All this from moving the bike backwards 2 feet :/ I re-adjusted the derailler at Danville Peets, but in the last stretch up Pinehurst a curious clunking chain noise-grind started. For my birthday, I decided it was time to take the Focus into the shop.

Saturday was not a go, but Sunday, the official BD day I got a minute to sneak the bike to CSO for service on Tuesday.

Today is Tuesday, Tim called me with The List Of Issues, which I will document here for my records and your enjoyment:

• Chain on backwards. Yes, apparently this is possible, they are asymmetric. Recall I changed cassette and chain in August.
• Hanger was "extremely bent", 2 fingers-worth in the plane tool they use to measure these things. Tim was able to bend it and suspected it might have come that way.
• Cogs were a little loose in back. Had big issue on FFreddies Ride.
• Crankset was removed, reset and cleaned. Never did that.
• Wheels trued. Surprise :)
• Headset checked and re-greased. Never did that.
• New rear-derailler housing, and new, greased cable. Tim says I will notice a big improvement in smoothness.
• Retaping with stretched, original tape. Tim is green apparently.
• Inspection and discussion of cracks in the carbon - I learned a lot
• handlebars - could be surface cracks due to motion of lugs underneath
• white parts and frames show cracks/cracking, and is why dark colors and "designs" abound on areas where cracks occur (usually at lug-like spots)
• still no way to validate/check for damage to carbon frames
• manufacturers are stepping away/reducing response to "cracking"
• All for - wait for it - $95, and ready to go tomorrow.

So I'll rack up the car and get my bike back. I really should have more pro work on the fleet, I'm going to love the result of Tim's labors. 

I am also getting my rain bike back from Cooke, as its now raining and I need to mount up my fenders, maybe I should take that one to Tim too.

Wow, I am a bi-annual blogger. I notice the July kidsfree time 1 year ago. Quick catch up page, lots missed obviously

Changes in the fleet:

Sept 2012

• MTB weekend in Bear Valley at Cookie's. 26er does not cut it, take a couple falls, including being jousted by a tree in my shoulder. Ouch.

Oct 2012

• Last order from M's bike shop. Big pump, lots of tubes, spare chains and cassettes for road fleet
• Purchase of 9 speed SRAM to get Brian out on a ride - he looses part of his brake and has to turn back.

Jan 2013

•  Scott Expert 29er via Ebay from a shop in Colorado. Just awesome, hydraulic brakes. Much regular MTBing ensues. See Strava.

April 2013

• Malachi Gets Gears, 20" 6 speed MTB with shocks.
• Tuned Zeb's Neutron 4000 by cutting fork.
• Brian breaks his femur at the hip in slow freak accident.
• 2 more rails for the GTI roof rack, some success trying it out ensues.

May 2013

• Andy H's Son gets Zeb's 20" Intense BMX, apparently loves it

June 2013

• Let Cookie borrow the Giant Rain Bike, sans fenders, as he trains for his 100 mile offroad High Cascades Ride.
• "Bill Davis" Nissan Leaf 1-1/4 removable hitch rack installed, by Bill Davis himself

July 2013:

• New Yakima Hitch mounted rack for the Nissan Leaf
•  16" Specialized Hotrock SOLD via Craigslist

• 7/23/2013 Barbara goes 29er with a Novarra Matador, first one she test rides.
• 7/27/2013 110 miles, 9600 feet with Floyd and Eric in Napa, biggest ride in some time
• 7/28/2013 Replaced front disc pads on Scott 29er
• 7/28/2013 Loose part of new Yakima rails
• 7/31/2013 Xtracycle Freeradical and Peapod Seat SOLD via Craigslist. Really wanted to move the Gary Fisher with it, too bad.

ON DECK

• Merge best of 3 26ers in the house into Super Xtracycle
• Sell leftover 2 MTBs
• Get Rain bike back?
• Fix and consolidate Tronbike, make more space

Bye Bye Little Blue, Hello Neutron 4000

Much ongoing news in the fleet that has failed to make it in the blog, this first weekend of 2013 has much news to report.

First off, the little 12" blue Specialized HotRock the boys learned to ride on went to a new 4 year old today. Quick clean Craigslist transaction. Good little bike, hope we have enough photos with kids on it.

Little Blue goes to a new home!

To keep the universe in balance, I brought home a bike from the wet backyard of Mr Neutron, a bike his own son used heavily until he outgrew it, but somehow was left in the backyard, in the rain, rusting, graciously passed on to my older son who is in need of a bigger bike than his 20" bmx.

Its a small framed Trek 4000, 26" wheels, 21 speed. I cleaned it up, bearings were fine, replaced shift cables, put on a shorter stem lower on the stack (might cut it, notice the extension) removed clips for now. Unable to remove the 7 speed freewheel despite having the right tools, I managed to find a used 7/8 speed chain in my collection to replace the solidly rusted one on the bike. This was a find, as replacing with a shiny chain alone would not likely work, a used was needed - it was even a workable length. Put on the chain, ran the park chain cleaner on it with citrus stuff, rode it around in the back a bit past midnight. Its really a sweet little bike, glad we saved it. Thank you Mr Neutron!

TODO: 

1. Get him on it riding for adjustments
2. The cyclometer LCD and buttons are functioning but it needs some adjustment/maybe new battery.
3. I will put in spare "slime filled" schraeder tubes sitting on the shelf, 
4. maybe shorten the bars(have spares)
5. maybe try a smaller saddle for his small sit-bones