After a bunch of time off from doing much but work i've had a chance to start to organize my bike shop/man cave. Call it Velo Cult of PA.


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Very nice... are those cherry blossoms?

I am really not sure, I was riding by and the blossoms stood out against the clouds so I thought it looked pretty cool.

The reason I ask is because cherry blossoms figured prominently in one of my most memorable rides. Back in 1984, I was deployed with my Marine Corps reconnaissance squadron to Iwakuni, Japan. We rented bikes from Special Services; these were rod-braked, single-speed heavy steel frames, (Called "Benjo Bombers" - because Marines used to jump them over the benjos, or open sewers, in the area.) - and rode them for miles all around the base. It was Cherry Blossom Festival time in Japan, and we rode over to Kintai Castle to watch some old Samurai battle reenactments around the grounds. For a 21 year old American youth, riding around this ancient country and seeing something like that was totally surreal. There was one segment that, looking back, I realize was sort of cyclocross - we slung the bikes over our shoulders and leaped from rock-to-rock at a river crossing. I shudder to think of doing that now... but back then it was just another obstacle course.

Holdsworth with nice patina at the LBS.

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Sunday Brunch Ride - Huevos Rancheros @ Capital View Cafe
 

Sat outside so I could keep an eye on my bike. This place, like so many around here, has no bike rack.

But the Huevos are outstanding, and it's a nice ride to get there.

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A long time dream realized. This one is half of a pair, the other of which is in the clamps as I type. The first one is never perfect, nor the second. But ever after....
One more set like this, to hone my skills and confidence levels, and then I'll take on the front door.

The Realization of a Dream, at the End of Winter
 

My winter project bike, Gypsy Bleu, at our local DQ. I pictured this day in my mind, all winter long, as I was building her from the bottom bracket, up. In a word: Satisfied.


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So I have been trying to grow a bike shop out of my garage. I got my shop shirt embroidered with my logo for a more 'professional' presence with customers. The hat on my head came from the most recent round of BOC.

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This is the first picture of me in a while, in the last year I have lost 65 pounds.

If that's not a drool-worthy shop, I don't know what is. I like the rustic look. And the beer can collection :)

DD

Cool - another drool-worthy workspace. Glad you like the Colnago cap. It looks better on your head than sitting unused in a box in my closet!

Congrats on the weight loss; I quit smoking 21 months ago so I know a little about changing paradigms :)

DD

thanks man! It's a roughly 20x30' space above my garage.

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we just moved here last summer and i haven't had much time to do anything with it until recently. Long term plans are to insulate, heat and cool it. Probably also add stairs and an entrance from within the house, though having it separate among a house full of kids and a wife does have its advantages...

More great pics - thanks! I like your long term plan, though I agree with your sentiment about having it separated. Nice that you've got that much room. It seems almost the perfect size for wrenching, parking and - apparently - sitting down at the table enjoying some suds :)

DD

Nice shop @-holiday76!

Started stripping my daughter's mixte frame. It has a newer dark blue coat on top of a light blue (original?) coat. I had hoped to find some trace of the maker under the top coat. @non-fixie gave me a good tip to use the edge of a metal tape measure, which worked well to get through the first couple layers.

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I didn't find any logos or other clues to the make before moving on to a more powerful paint stripper. I still don't know who made the frame, but at least I now know what it's made of.

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Sunday, on the Mississippi River across from Saint Paul, MN.

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The first photo in this series makes me think there may be a round of Russian roulette planned....kind of ominous.

How did you get that cargo bike into the attic? And why?

up the stairs. So I could work on it.

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It's more like "the second floor above the garage" than an "attic"

the garage is around front. This is the access to the "shop".

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Preppin' for Pepin!
 

Here's one from this afternoon. As I get my Roadster ready for the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour, the "cockpit" is getting crowded. I can't ride comfortably without a rearview mirror; every time I hear an engine coming up from behind me, I've got to see what it is and what it's doing. Usually, I use the Mirrycle bar-end mirrors, but on this bike I went with something more period-correct.

Then there's my little hydration solution; a handlebar cage mount with a proper old-school bottle cage from Velo-Orange, and a Klean Kanteen to which I have applied the shellacked - (that's how spell-check says it is spelled, who knew?) - twine treatment to minimize the rattle of metal-on-metal. These things don't do much for the bike's clean lines and dignified demeanor, but they will be necessary on the long tour. I'll also be adding a rack and panniers, probably this weekend. Then I'll load it up the way I will for `Pepin, and put it on the scale, just out of curiosity.

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Very nice garage shop and great job on the weight reduction. You look gaunt!

Looks like a nice place to hang out ! I have a decent sized similar looking attic area, -- but the only access right now is by a ladder ---- its full of bikes, -- but its a royal PIA to actually work up there --- although i guess i could drag a cooler and a 12 pack of suds up there and hide from wifey

Just an extremely simple shot of a recent build in the parking area before my first group ride with it -- Was a great ride on a great new-to-me bike

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This pic is a recent "showdown" picture i took --- After having issues getting comfortable on my carbon fiber daily driver (the black 'Dale in the pic) -- I decided to build up this '04 Pinarello over the winter also with equivalent gearing -- top tube length is similar as well, but stack height is a little higher on the Pinarello
--- the pic was taken one day when i just ride both of them back to back from my driveway on little 1-2 mile loops to try to pick a winner and a loser -- basically which one is going to hit the auction block

Sadly the results are still inconclusive - i love the stretch limo feeling i get riding the steel/carbon Pinarello, -- but if i could just drop a few lbs and regain some flexibility , - the new age carbon stuff is so darn zippy and fast feeling

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^Nice going man - that's a tough thing to do. Cool on your 'bike shop garage' too, I'm kind of in that boat too, lol. :)

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^Here's my pic of the day. I did some maintenance on my old school ('88) road bike today, after knocking out a 35 mile hill soaked ride in the morning. Part of the maintenance was swapping out my steel crank arm bolts for a set of titanium bolts. I'll update this thread with my massive speed improvements due to the lighter bolts as soon as I do a couple rides. :thumb: