I'm trendy?

Oh, PUBLIC Bikes... you silly minxes!

Source.

You loved what I did to my Ariel so much that you copied it -- after a fashion -- onto your cute little C7. Bless your hearts. ~MWAH~

Cheer!

Beatrix the C8 is now decked out with her holiday cheer. To be honest, the basket has been cheery for a week and a half, but without a handlebar there was nowhere to hang that basket.

~record scratch~

Kitty photobomb! Margie is the pair of yellow eyes floating next to Oreo.

Without a handlebar??

Yes, Dear Reader, I swapped out the flat-ish stock handlebar for a Velo Orange Tourist Handlebar which now gives me the full upright posture that I've wanted from the C8. The whole operation was a lot easier than I thought it would be aside from initially ordering the wrong handlebar (anybody need a slightly scratched Velo Orange Postino Handlebar that I can't return because my brake handles left marks?) and non-artistically cutting down the right hand faux cork grip so that it would fit with the shifter knob thingy.

Cheer! (And VW photobomb.)

In the process, I swapped out the humongous bell for the slightly more diminutive one that came with the bike and adjusted the position of my rear view mirror.

I can sit almost bolt upright, but I can also lean forward to tackle the hills in my neighborhood and the approach to the 20-hate bridge. The saddle needs a little bit of adjustment backwards and then this will be the exact bike that I wanted when I started shopping for a city bike. At least until I come up with something else to muck around with.


With the new handlebar, Beatrix feels like such an elegant ride, and she's already gotten compliments on the basket decor. The holly garlands have been in my tub of Christmas greenery forever and the lights are two battery-operated strings I purchased at Target last year. Cheer!

I'm baaa-aaaack

It's been almost a month since I was last on my bike. Shameful. Shameful, I tell you! But that doesn't mean I haven't been tweaking my bikes. Oh no...

So, remember when I used to fret about being taken "seriously" because I'd personalized my bike? Allow me to condescendingly pat my past self on the head and mutter, "There, there..."

It's pretty and silly.

Check out that pattern matching.

The stars are this year's holiday cheer.

I love that the (inch wide) tape is translucent enough that the manufacturer's stickers still show through. This project took the better part of six hours; although, I'd taped the seat stay and chain stay before the Backroads Century in September. During that ride, Max, one of my favorite Spokes-people, passed me and complimented my "unusual" bike before we recognized each other. He laughed and said that he thought it looked like an Ariel, but he'd never seen one with that paint job. Heh. I told him the red polka dots were to help me learn to love hills. Maybe now that the whole bike is polka dotted, I'll actually get there.

More customization

(I don't know about y'all, but I've been having EXTREME difficulty accessing any Google site except for the main home page. This has put a serious damper on my ability to email or blog or upload photos. Grr.)

(Ah! Looks like the flash upgrade from earlier this week munged things up. With the new download, everything is again tickety-boo.)

On to the actual post: I mentioned my dislike of the stock saddle and grips on the PUBLIC Bikes C8 and I took haste to replace those troublesome items. The creamy white of the Selle Royal Contour and the PUBLIC Leather Ergo grips purred "Buy ussssss..." and I was powerless to resist.

The saddle installation was surprisingly easy. It was so easy, in fact, that I worried I'd done something wrong. But, after several test rides around the block, the saddle felt like it was in the right position and angle. After the saddle installation, I scoured the intarwebs for information on how to remove and install handlebar grips. I was shocked to learn that three out of three bike shop guy videos said to use hair spray as both a lubricant and adhesive.

Sure enough, with a light coating of hair spray inside the grips, they slid right onto the bar. I waited a while for adhesion and then took the bike out for a spin to test the new grips. I took off... and nearly crashed when the left grip popped right off the bar in my hand. That was more than a little bit terrifying. I tried coating the bar ends with hair spray, slid the grips on, and let them cure overnight.

I tested the grips in the morning and they popped right off again. After work yesterday, we carried my bikes over to Spokes, Etc. After the wonderful mechanic swapped the clipless pedals out for my old spiky pedals on Lily the Ariel -- the numerous and painful crashes just weren't worth it and I wasn't strong enough to remove the pedals -- I asked him to make my grips not slide off the handlebars. What I didn't realize is that the tiny little hole in the end of the grip held a tiny little screw that would help the grips not fly off the bar when I took off from a standing position.

The mechanics fixed my grips -- they needed to slide the shifter and brakes in a bit -- quickly and I was a fairly happy cyclist. When I got home I futzed with the brake and shifter position and got them back into more comfortable positions. Scott came into the kitchen at one point and said that I was as bad as a gearhead. I don't think I'm worthy of that title until I actually build up a bike, though. And with everything accomplished, I was a completely happy cyclist.

Now my beautiful bike is even more beautiful and the color coordination eases my need for harmony. I realize that the saddle and grips will get grimy just like the lovely cream tires have, but for now everything is perfect.

In the name department, the top contenders are Mina, Hermione, and Cate (as in C8...Cate). Yes, the cruiser is "Kate", but I think of that bike as being free spirited like Kate Winslet and the loop frame is more elegant like Cate Blanchett.

Joyful

This evening was absolutely glorious. I got home from the orthodontist just before dark and had to take Circe out for a short ( <5 miles) ride. I rode through the neighborhood on the other side of the boulevard and picked up the W&OD for the return home. But as I approached my hopping off point, I had to keep on going. I could smell someone's dinner grilling. A choir of peepers sang as I flew past. I looked up and realized that the last light of the sunset reflected on the clouds in the west while the full moon in the east cast a pink glow on the wispy clouds in front of it. I'm so thankful for having the opportunity to experience such beauty.

But it's not all sublime joy about these parts. I was gleeful to discover that I hit over 30 mph while going through the twin hills on the W&OD east of Sterling Blvd. Wheee! And that was before the flame job.

Flame on, you crazy diamond frame. Or something.

 But that wasn't the only decorating. I couldn't neglect my trusty commuter. It's beginning to feel like spring and Rose needed prettying up with a garland of lilies and a floral bag.

Springtime Rose/Lily.

You'd think I'd use roses, but the white roses and greenery looked to "wedding-y". Hm. And now that I think about it, I might have to rename the Ariel "Lily". That feels more natural than "Rose".

Margie and Oreo helped out to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, that help consisted mostly of trying to eat the silk leaves.

Margie is why the rum is all gone. And some of the leaves.