Saturday Evening Ride 03-07-09

Another nice ride for me and my son this evening. We rode to the new southern terminus of the Trinity Trails system in Benbrook. The Trucker seems to have developed a ticking sound near the crankset. I'm not sure what it is, it could be the pedals. It only happens when there is force applied to the drivetrain. It's not there when I spin the pedals while the bike is on the stand. Whatever it is it's driving me crazy!

I've decided to go back to using a Wald basket up front. I really like the look of the Ostrich bag but for me a basket is the best all around setup. The biggest drawback to the Ostrich bag becomes apparent when I'm off the bike. The bag comes with a narrow matching shoulder strap but it's a little awkward carrying something that boxy around with you in a store. I prefer to carry a shoulder bag (it's a very manly shoulder bag) in the basket. It's quicker to just remove the shoulder bag from the basket when I stop and the wide shoulder strap is much more comfortable. I will be selling my Ostrich bag and decaleur if anybody is interested.

The end of the line. It looks like trail construction will continue across the street sometime in the future. 

Here's my 12 year old standing near a newly constructed bridge. Whoever did the construction on this section of the trail did an excellent job.

This is the smaller of the two Wald baskets that Rivendell sells. It's just right for my needs.

Another sign of spring. I don't know what these trees are but they are everywhere.

Taking a few flowers home for mom.

Evening Ride 10-28-08

I enjoyed the cool weather yesterday evening as I took a quick ride to one of the nicer shopping centers in town on University Drive just north of the river. I rolled up to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and relaxed for a while. Unfortunately there really aren't many decent coffeehouses in Fort Worth so the choice is usually limited to Starbucks or Panera.

I've been living with the Ostrich bag for several weeks. It is a well constructed bag and I load it full of extra gear on every ride. It is a little awkward to carry the bag off the bike. The large square shape and short shoulder strap are the culprits. I've been meaning to search the local military surplass stores for a matching replacement strap, something wider and much longer would help greatly. I am considering buying a Wald basket from Rivendell and zip tying it to my Nitto rack. I would still use the Ostrich bag but for everyday riding, but I think a basket and my old canvas military shoulder bag would be more practical. Plus I could carry my SLR camera along with my usual load of junk. I've been limited to using my compact camera and it runs through batteries at an amazing rate.

Speaking of baskets, I read in this month's Bicycling magazine that the basket on the Gary Fisher Simple City bikes will be available as an aftermarket item. I think they are good looking baskets and with five attachment points they should be nice and sturdy. I haven't found a price for them yet.