I'll Take My Eggs Scrambled

New Pedals! Crank Brother's Egg Beaters off the trusty rusty craigslist site. As with most craigslist purchases, this one was not without a good story in tow.

Last week, I saw the brand new set of pedals for sale and immediately called up the owner. He agreed to meet me halfway between his home and LVille for the exchange; this place called Verona. I had never biked to Verona before, but why not give it a shot. A nice ride and new gear: two for the price of one.

I set off on my bike a good half an hour before our rendezvous, only to soon discover that Verona is not quite as close to Pittsburgh as I had previously expected. I also had to weave between the northside and mainland in order to avoid some nasty roads. Anticipating a late arrival, I called up the dealer to let him know I would be arriving a wee bit late.

"You're biking here? No, no, no, I will just meet you in the next town you get to." Realizing there was no use in convincing this guy otherwise, I agreed to his terms. Upon meeting, we chatted a bit about bike tours and Pittsburgh riding. He then gave me the pedals and said, "I feel you are really going to like these. I just want you to have them and enjoy them on the road!" I could feel myself tearing up, but I restrained and gave him a huge hug instead. Just about the sweetest thing anyone has ever done! Sam, if you ever read my teeny little blog, THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU SERIOUSLY ROCK!

Needless to say, I am still getting used to the eggbeaters, but with a little more love, I see some serious pedal companionship in the near future.

-The Velodict

I've Been Yinz-ed

I haven't re-wrapped my handle bars since, oh say, never. The original bar tape was looking pretty tattered so I picked up some flashy new wrap at the store the other day. The selection was weak (which I guess is an opinion, but it's really edging on a fact) and so from my bountiful 4 choices, I chose yellow.

A few things occurred to me while I was re-wrapping my bars:

1) Never put 500 miles on a bike, go on a gargantuan tour, and ride that same bike for another 8 months without changing the bar tape. Peeling that stuff off filled my kitchen with the sweet scent of high-school boy's changing room (gross).

2) Always pay a few extra dollars for the nicer bar tape. I got the cheapest (although, like I mentioned, my choices were limited), and the bar tape was not tape at all, but rather just bar wrap without the tape. ANNOYING.

3) I officially have some sub-conscious adoration for the 'Burgh, as my bike is now BLACK AND YELLOW. great.

-The Velodict

W'arsh Board

I happen to be a bit of a musician. And by musician, I mean I play percussion; and by percussion, I mean I strum the ol' washboard now and then. So really I'm not a musician at all. Self described, I am a whisky-drinking, bluegrass listening, subconscious hillbilly, who likes to get tipsy and bang an extremely loud piece of metal. Yeah. Just typing it makes me want some bourbon.

ANYWAY

The Northside's Parkhouse has open pick nights every Wednesday, and last night I decided to try my hand in the jam business. The only real trouble was figuring out how to transport my board from home to the Northside. I quickly learned the board is really cumbersome to haul; it does not fit in my panniers, and the rear rack net doesn't quite reach around it (or hold it taut) . Finally, after perspiring, shading beet red, and wrestling the board around, I rigged the musical mishap to my backpack and headed over the bridge for some bluegrass fun. Where there's a will, there's a way.

-The Velodict

Oh, and I was gifted with this little memory the other day. Thought I would share it with ya'll (traffic jam in Hungary)

You are Now Arriving at your Final Destination: Beer

I tend to be a bit cranky in the morning, at least enough-so that in full consciousness, I feel embarrassed by my slumber drunk rants and raves. Put it nicely, I was quite short with a friend when he excitedly called at 7:30 this past morning. To be fair, I had only acquired 3.5 hours of sleep, but to be equally fair, it was a magical day to be excited about: East End Brewery's Pale Ale Pedal!

The gist of this ride is quite simple. Show up, rain or shine (and lets be honest, this is Pittsburgh, so it will and did rain), bike to an unknown destination, and drink a free beer! Oh, and the leaders of the ride are towing the kegs!

So despite being an crank-ball in the morning, I was quickly placated (and then fueled) by the sound of bike bells, smells of beer, and view of hundreds of bikers showing up all for the sake of taking a ride.

So thanks East End Brewery for getting me up at 7:30 to bike and drink!

-The Velodict