Catlike: What a crack up

A photo posted by curtis corlew (@cccorlew) on Feb 21, 2016 at 8:19am PST

Apparently, unlike actual cats, Catlike helmets do not have nine lives. A colleague noticed my cool Catlike Whisper helmet has a large crack on the inside, running all the way through the foam, rendering it not-so-protective. Perhaps it happened when I was mugged and I never noticed it. You can't tell from the outside, which is where I was looking. My replacement has arrived, so this one is headed for the trash. It seems a shame to toss an expensive helmet, but those-who-know insist that it's foolish to count on one that has been crashed, or cracked, so out it goes.

Fully fenderized

Ready for tonight's bike commute in the rain. I hope. #bikecommute #sks #fenders

A photo posted by curtis corlew (@cccorlew) on Feb 17, 2016 at 8:50am PST

Holy smokes are fenders and a rack hard to install. But I've got them on, and just in time for tonight's scheduled rain. I'm still working on getting the Ortlieb QL-3 mount panniers in the perfect no-heal-strike position, but I do at least have the coffee mug holder installed.

Valentine's Day Diablo

Riding up #mtdiablo on #valentinesday with Tricia @4tcakes2 in our #mtdiablostatepark jerseys. It's a beautiful day.

A photo posted by curtis corlew (@cccorlew) on Feb 14, 2016 at 10:52am PST

We missed New Years on Diablo. And we didn't summit today, we just did the junction loop. Still, it was a beautiful day and it's nice to be climbing again.

I think North Gate drivers are a bit more polite and skilled than South Gate drivers. All my close encounters have been on the South side. Do South Gate drivers just feel more entitled to use my lane?

We don't need no stinkin' badges

Goo off professional, steel wool, rags, gloves, an hour and ZAP. Unbadged titanium #newbike #noname #unbadged #nude #titanium

A photo posted by curtis corlew (@cccorlew) on Feb 13, 2016 at 5:18pm PST

I got the notion to take off the decals from a Youtube video I came across.  I tried it, and it I think looks great. One weird thing did happen, however. Everything came off just as it did in the video. Then I got to the last two letters on the last side. They would not melt off. I tried and tried, but unlike the others they were just there. "NE." would not die.  I ended up razor blading them, then going over the area with super fine steel wool. I have no idea why they were different. I'm glad I didn't start that that end. And all's well that ends well I guess.

My new titanium commuter-gravel-fun bike is here!

My new ride has arrived. I've got it set it enough to ride it, but it still awaits all the stuff to make a useful, less clean, commuter bike. Fenders, rack, bags, water bottles, lights; the tons of stuff that I need, but hate to burden this bike with.

I'd like to take off the labels and replace them with my own. I photoshoped it as I'd like it. We'll see...

Of course, any bike can look a bit silly once it's ready to go to work. It's like hauling a trailer behind a Porsche. I did it with my Roubaix, and though it worked, it seemed wrong.

And a bonus photo just for fun.

Deadwood: No bicycle content

These photos from the 1870s were recently discovered by a professor of Photography in California. They tell the story of several Deadwood residents, and the hard lives they lead. None owned bicycles, and the photos themselves are completely fake.  But it's my blog, so here they are anyway.

Mouse over and use the left/right arrows. You may need to click the three dots below the images to see the stories.