The Tenspeed Header: You Decide

Hey Hero nation it is that time of the year when you get to decide on the next banner that may make it a whole day on this blog. Today's selections incorporates fun, diet, and alternative lifestyles (as in recumbent-cycling). Vote early and often.

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THC and Resin

My 1985 Mountain Bike in the process of becoming my 2009 town bike.

Weinmann brake levers.

Cork grips after applying shellac (courtesy THC), a resin secreted by the female lac bug to form a cocoon, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand.

As you can clearly see the Lac Bug is not really a bug but a beetle.

Moments after replacing the twenty year old cable and housing with two year old cable and housing, this happened.

This is what my SR North Road bars, courtesy my pal Stephanie, looked like with the new grips.

Still need:
Skinny tires
Fenders
Basket for Diego
Rear panniers
Yellow touch up paint

Note: we may attract a new audience with the letters THC and the word resin in the same post.

Where are they now?

Heroes, Who is this?

Titled Film Stills of our Brotherhood

Jon Hero's Legs and the C-40

Patrick on the Loop in December

Ben Hero and Todd Hero on the Fox River

Ben Hero ready for a November Lake Ride

Luke Hero Approaching the Foxriverberg

Luke Hero and Matt Hero Approaching Crystal Gorge

View of the SLC 01

Jon Hero in front of Hero HQ


"Enough with this sunday stroll...let's hurt a little bit." — American Flyers

"Drink a beer after the Double Loop, I promise it will taste different." -Luke Hero

Sean Kelley Kas Team Bike Frontal View

Kas Team Bike Getting Closer

Vitus Kas Team Bike

I just saw this on Competitive Cyclist's Flickr Page. I am looking for a more full image. Click on the image and it will take you to their flickr page for more interesting photos from Inter Bike.

Campagnolo Front Derailleur

I found this derailleur at the Boise Bike Project. Note the shaft that pushes the derailleur mechanism out when the cable is pulled...


and when the cable is relaxed the shaft is drawn back into the body/clamp of the derailleur.


One thing I never noticed, and this does not say much for my powers of observation because I have been looking at the logo since the early 1980s, is that great little hat hovering over the second 'a' in Campagnolo.

Tour of Flanders Museum

Jonathan Hero and I visited the Tour of Flanders Museum and later watched a stage of the Tour in their cafe/bar. Pictured above is a nice model of the race that was on display. The museum covers the course, the equipment, the history and then a second gallery is dedicated primarily to Eddy Merckx. The museum is located in Oudenaarde which means "old field." While eating lunch in the main square one can spy a road cyclist every 5 seconds, often decked out in the latest quick-step jersey, circling the square. Outside of town reside the famed climbs of the Ronde itself.
I am not sure what Hero took this picture but I really like the image of Freddy Maertens combined with the rust pitted campagnolo headset. While we were in the museum we heard some children singing a song well known to the heroes, De Vlaamse Leeuw:

Zij zullen hem niet temmen, de fiere Vlaamse Leeuw,

Al dreigen zij zijn vrijheid met kluisters en geschreeuw.

Zij zullen hem niet temmen, zolang een Vlaming leeft,

Zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen, zolang hij tanden heeft.

De tijd verslindt de steden, geen tronen blijven staan:

De legerbenden sneven, een volk zal nooit vergaan.

De vijand trekt te velde, omringd van doodsgevaar.

Wij lachen met zijn woede, de Vlaamse Leeuw is daar.

In our native English, The Flemish Lion:

They will never tame him, the proud Flemish Lion,

Even if they threaten his freedom with fetters and with shouts.

They will never tame him, as long as a Fleming lives.

As long as the Lion can claw, as long as he has teeth.

Time devours cities, no thrones will ever last,

Armies may go under, but a people never dies.

The enemy comes marching in; surrounded by mortal danger

We laugh at his anger: the Flemish Lion is here!

Thanks to TED HERO for the translation.

The Rapha, Rouleur, and Post-Card Birthday Gift

This Hero is not very good a keeping birthday gifts a secret so I thought why bother this time around. There is a Hero in Idaho that is having a birthday in mid October and I thought he needed some Autumn reading (Rouleur Issue Fourteen), even though he has failed to send me his address...hint hint. This issue looks to be a real winner with a essay and interview with Joel Santoni who directed La Course en Tete.
The second gift is a tradition that goes beyond our cycling brotherhood. Above are a pair of Rapha Merino Wool Cycling Socks and I was a bit surprised when I opened the package as they smell of perfume. Anyway we have always bought socks for each other as gifts. Socks from Barney's, Socks from Hermes, I guess Socks from just about every designer you could think of. They are an affordable luxury like our monthly shave at our favorite Kraków born Barber in Chicago.


The third gift is not really a gift but some 5 x 7 postcards that we ordered with our contact information for our photography project entitled new catalogue. I will be putting this in the parcel as well. This is one of our models and good friend Elizabeth. We worked with her for one summer on a series of photographs. She really is one of the best models we have ever worked with but she moved to San Francisco. It is much better than the typical business card.

The Disney Sisters

Gina Disney can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is her big sister Rose going off a wicked jump with the Eastern Escarpment of the Sierra Nevada in the Background.

Gina on the left and Rose on the right at a BMX race.

Rose, age 6, at the BMX Grand Nationals.

The Disney sisters are two of my really good friends in California. Well, I know them. I know Gina and consider her a friend. I think I met Rose at a party. Gina works at the Bike Kitchen in Sacramento.

Lucky Peak with Ted Hero

A few days ago I went on my first ride with Ted Hero, known to practically everyone as THC (Ted Hero Cyclist).

We rode mostly on the bike path, and as is often the danger when riding on a path

we overtook recumbent tricycles - a family of three on recumbent tricycles. Ted seemed inexplicably happy to see these odd, three wheeled machines as they skulked about, insect-like, a few inches above the ground.

Ted and I stopped to bask in the mist at the lower dam.

THC arriving at Lucky Peak on his 67 cm Bridgstone 400.

Idaho

Ted's bike gives new meaning to Baby Blue when I see them together.

On the way home we met up with Abingdon Hero

and Janice Super Hero for pizza.

Impossible

Thanks Maria for sending me this. What a voice!

Quick Release

i can haz quick release pleaz? k thanx.

Artist Profile: Kiley Reed

I was looking on Facebook yesterday and I saw this photograph by Kiley Reed. I sent her message to see if we could use this great image of her cat looking at a modern drive train. Kiley is a graduate at the University of Illinois. Keep an eye out for her and her collaborator Jori Brewer. Kiley used to be a graphic designer for a living and did some branding work for Rolf Wheels and I believe did some work on some custom Trek bikes for Robin Williams.

Artist Profile: Caitlin Arnold

My friend Caitlin Arnold took this photograph. She is one of the best young photographers I know. She has many series of note but her pictures of young girls often found in and around Chicago are quite exceptional. After I saw this image in a box of prints she shared with me, I begged her permission to post it on Tenspeed Hero. I had a feeling the fellow Heroes would like to see it. Check out her website to see more.

Autumn Ride and a New Route

Today we found the new route for the Double Loop.

There was a touch of Autumn in the air.

Natural Break for the Heroes
Said hello to some 4-wheel Heroes contemplating a new trick

Altitude Training

Selections from California and Idaho mountain rides.

A couple of weeks ago in Eldorado County, California I rode past this newly built beaver dam along my route that takes me over Luther Pass and to Blue Lakes.

Pygmy Nuthatch (It's the little gray thing in the center).

After work Monday I road up to the local ski resort, Bogus Basin. It is exactly 20 miles from my house to the ski lifts. I am happy to report that my bike computer and Map My Ride agree on the mileage. There is about 3800 feet of elevation gain in that 20 miles.

The ski resort was making sure the grass is green in time for the up coming ski season.
It is hard to consider this a 40 mile ride because about 15 miles of it is a descent and requires little to no peddling. It is good practice for going fast though. After a while 35 miles and hour starts to seem almost slow.