My Wonder Woman

I think both Rachel and I enjoyed a low key Valentine's day. Our wedding date is about four months out, and we still have plenty to do. That's taking up most of our free time right now. Rachel's been doing quite a bit of work, and I'm not slacking off either. She is my Wonder Woman. Check out the bike we built together two years ago: 3-speed Sachs torpedo hub w/coaster brake, Sturmey dynamo front hub, double butted spokes... and custom Wonder Woman sexiness. Rachel has given the bike quite a beating in two years, with some componentry improvements since these maiden ride photos. Campagnolo Nuovo Record pedals, front v-brakes, christophe toeclips with snazzy leather covers, new comfy specialized saddle...

Sunday, we took a hydrometer reading and a graduated-cylinder taste of our Belgian Tripel. It's time to bottle, but it'll have to wait for the weekend. 8.7% ABV suckas. I've finally conquered my lower-than-intended ABV problem. Tasted very floral and alcoholic. We'll see what it tastes like when chilled and carbonated. More on that in three weeks.

The Dortmunder... well some bottles are turning up with some pretty bad off flavors...

Hammering Bikes & Campagnolo Keychain

I've spent a lot of time working with the general public at Charlottesville Community Bikes. The scariest thing I ever hear while I'm working there is a mechanic "using" a hammer on a bicycle part. When this situation occurs, I immediately stop what I am doing and approach the culprit for damage control. By the time I arrive at the scene of the crime, the deed has usually already been done. I once heard it described, "An ounce of technical know-how is worth a ton of brute force. When you have an itch on your ear, you don't take a sledgehammer to it."

However, there are some (albeit few and far in between) times when the use of a hammer is appropriate in bicycle repair. Today I came across the perfect use for one:

The dented head tube on my Rockfish.

The head of the hammer just fit inside the head tube.

All it took was a little leverage action from the handle of the hammer. It rounded out the head tube easily. Pressing in a headset should not be a problem now.

Right there where the dent was.

As circular as it needs to be.

Also, Do Right Fear Not's Shifty Keychain post inspired me to snap a photo of my bike keychain:

An aluminum Campagnolo toeclip that snapped. Dremeled it smooth.