Best Out of A Bad Situation

The Zvirman situation was over a month ago. As distasteful as it was to have someone threaten to shoot me and then run over my bike, my goal was to make the best of it and then put it behind me. The old bike was my commuter. Also, I originally got it to ride to DC in the Summer of 2007. It served that purpose and then served as a great commuter bike for 2 years. During that period I made many upgrades. Also my needs changed.

After buying the cyclocross, I upgraded to a nicer road bike which I use for long rides almost every weekend and for charity rides. The cyclocross was reduced to bad weather rides and going to work and back.

We also got a second home out of state. So after the cyclocross was destroyed I thought it would be nice to have a bike that was specifically designed for commuting, and a second quality road bike that I could leave at the vacation home so I wouldn't have to worry about bringing my road bike back and forth. I settled with the insurance company for a little less than $1600, which I decided to use as my budget for the two bikes.

As described in the last post, I bought a single speed Raleigh One Way for a little over $600. I had a pair of old clipless pedals to throw on and now I have a great commuter that should make me a stronger climber.

As for the second goal - the road bike: I found a two season old Orbea Onix carbon fiber frame on Ebay for a little over $400. I had always admired i.e. drooled over..Orbeas, which are hand-made in Spain and a favorite of professional riders. From the old bike I was able to salvage the Ultegra rear drive train, chain and cassette, the Specialized Body Geometry seat, the stem, handlebars and Tiagra brake lever/shifters. I purchased off of Ebay a nice set of Ultegra a brakes and a Felt carbon fiber seat post, total cost for these parts: about $90. I then found a very nice new wheel set made by Vuelta and under 1600 grams for $220. Vuelta is a lesser known brand, but I had a set on my cross bike. They held up great, never had to be trued, almost withstood a 6000 lb Armada, and always spun free. From my parts bin I had an Ultegra bottom bracket and crankset that had been on my Madone before I upgraded to a carbon compact, and a Dura ace front derailleur. I also bought a pair of Shimano pedals and tires at REI for $100 (with my spouse discount), bringing my total for the frame and parts to @ $800. Pittsburgh's best mechanics, Jordan and Ted at REI put it together for me. Today I took it for a nice ride up Mt. Troy, down Spring Garden and around town. The frame is very stable and supple. It tracks great. Overall the bike is probably a little heavier than my Madone, but still quite light. I'm extremely pleased. If there is one weakness it may be that the handlebar and stem are heavy since they were specked for the cyclocross bike. I've found the same bars as I have on my Madone and a stem from a complete Onix that I will eventually use to solve that problem. I also may look to upgrade from the Tiagra levers and shifters, although they shift crisp.

The accident and confrontation with Zvirman was quite distasteful on many levels. I learned that no matter how unsafe and rude a driver can be, ignore them and keep riding by. I also was able to replace a beloved bike with two that I think I will learn to like even more.

2009 Keystone Country MS 150

This weekend we completed the Keystone Country MS 150. It's really a beautiful event in a lot of senses. The ride is gorgeous. The ride meanders through both sides of the valley between Hollidaysburg and State College PA. This is a little known area of the state that is reminiscent of Vermont. The back roads go along the Juniata River and through little towns. The hills are deep with green trees and roads cut by farms. The ride overnights in State College, a very nice college town.

The event is also beautiful because it brings family and friends together to support a very worthy cause. It also brings strangers together, who otherwise never cross paths. Motorcycle enthusiasts control traffic at the intersections to make sure the riders cross safely and make the right turns. Volunteers in small towns and villages are working rest stops making sure that the riders are nourished with food and drinks. The residents of these small towns stand on their porches and yards cheering the riders as if it was a stage of the Tour d' France.

There were a few challenges:

* The Hampton Inn in Altoona where our team, Lou's Crew, stayed on Friday night failed to give us our wake up calls, making us the last team to start.

* One of our riders fell off his bike after a downhill flat tire, cracked his helmet, got a concussion and overnighted in the Altoona hospital

* A young team member got lost and did a lot of unnecessary first day miles

* One of our teammates was involved in a paceline crash and ran his bike over the the accident

The highlights far exceeded the challenges. I will have lasting memories of the ride. The dinner the first night was highlighted by a presentation from an MS patient who demonstrated his MS guide dog. The dog did amazing things. He kept his owner from falling and could help him up if he was on the ground, she could pick items as small as dime, operate handicap doors, and even use a swipe key so her owner could access the secured work entry. The owner said that if it wasn't for money raised from the event, he wouldn't have his dog.

It was great to see Lou all weekend and share the happiness that the event brought to him. It also was impressive to see what an important figure he is to the MS Society. Also I loved how his family was participating and how his brother-in-law Gregg kept everything working like clockwork. Gregg took care of everything: meals, busses, t-shirts etc, and never asked for any thanks.

43 riders of all levels came together to be part of Lou's Crew for the weekend. A smaller core group gets together every Sunday at Coffee Tree in Squirrel Hill. Some of us were old friends, others had no prior relationship with the other team members. Still others hadn't seen each other in decades and renewed and strengthened friendships. We have all become very close friends because of Lou's Crew. We have fun every Sunday, do something healthy and become better riders. On this weekend we remembered our real purpose for training. One rider in particular really stood out. Beth, not knowing anyone in the group, started riding with us in the Spring. She had never tried anything like riding 150 miles in two days, but she wanted to do it. Every week she became a stronger and more confident rider. Although she was nervous about the event she rode it quickly and easily. I think she actually amazed herself.

I personally had a great time. This is the first time my wife joined me for the weekend. She didn't ride, but she was there to support me and the group. It was really nice to share the experience with her and I appreciated that she took the time to join me. The first day I struggled. I got cramps in both hamstrings and couldn't keep up with my group during the last section. It really didn't matter. The day was beautiful. Other riders in my group had a great day. The second day I felt like bounced back. No cramps and I felt stronger at the end than the beginning.

Rage Against The (Pedal) Machine

   Tonight a young guy with an Irish accent asked me if it is safe to ride the jail trail at night.  I told him it's a lot safer than riding the streets any time.  The incidents of road rage against cyclists is just absolutely out of control.

      The picture to the left is of my Motobecane Cyclocross bike.  The picture was taken when I rode it from Pittsburgh to DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath Trail.  Good times: me and my Motobecane.  The good times ended on Monday evening as I was riding home.  A Ken Zvirman of Plum and owner of Jo-Mar Provisions in the Strip decided to punish me for an unthinkable sin.  As I was riding down a grade on Walnut Street, without any turn signals Zvirman starting backing up toward me, apparently not looking where he was going.  Afraid he was going to run me over with his black Nissan SUV, I yelled "Watch Out!"  Zvirman then launched into a profanity laced tirade at me for yelling "watch out."  Admittedly, I was mad and yelled back at him emphatically explained it was him and not me who was the asshole.

    The next thing I know Ken Zvirman:

1.  Said "I should take my gun and kill you."

2. After I asked him if he really had a gun he said "you should take a gun and kill yourself"

3.   He then got out of his SUV, started puffing his chest out like some type of tropical lizard while saying "what are we going to do about this"

4.   He jumped back into his truck and while I was just inches from the side of his truck while I was trying to mount my bike, he again starts backing up with reckless disregarded of where I was

5.  To get his attention and keep him from hitting me I slapped his fender with my open hand, which worked half way.  I got his attention, but he cut his wheel so the SUV would come straight at me, gunned his engine and ran over my Motobecane.

   When I pointed out that he just ran over my bike, the lovely Mrs. Zvirman said "well you touched our $50k truck."  I pointed out that it is not justified to ruin someone's bike and use a vehicle as a weapon as retribution for getting finger prints on one's fender, but I was actually thinking what kind of idiot spends $50k on a Nissan SUV and brags about it.  Later, when explaining things to the police, Mr. Zvirman indicated that he wanted to make an insurance claim against me because I "got finger prints on his $58k SUV."  After he stopped laughing, the police officer told Mr. Zvirman that he couldn't make an insurance claim for that.  Fortunately I wasn't seriously injured.

   Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident.  Since Monday there have been several other reports of road rage against cyclists on the Bike Pittsburgh website: http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/    

This type of behavior has to stop.  Motorist have to realize that when they lose their tempers and control of their actions their vehicles become deadly weapons.  Is it worth killing someone or subjecting yourself to jail time because a bike is in front of you going slower than you want to go, or a biker yells "watch out" instead of blowing a horn?  Bikers have to take precautions.  They are not surrounded by a ton of sheet metal and airbags.  They have no protection , but they have a right to be on the road.  Please checkout and support the Bike Pittsburgh website and protect cyclists when you drive. 

Lou's Crew Rides

As more people are riding, we have people at different levels with different goals. Generally the Sunday ride is the true Lou's Crew ride. The ride length and difficulty will be dictated by who shows up. The ride will always be a No Rider Left Behind (NRLB) ride.
People who are looking for a more challenging ride have started to ride on Saturday. Saturday rides tend to be faster, longer and more challenging (FLC). We also do some rides after work and particularly on Friday afternoons/early evenings. On occasion some of us suffering from DSB (deadly sperm build-up) will engage in a hammerhead, leave it all on the road ride. We will try to label rides with these initials and the approximate mileage we will try to complete. Remember the overall goal is to get everyone ready to do back to back 75 mile rides in time for the July State College ride. The other goal is for everyone to have fun and enjoy cycling. By taking note of the type of ride that is planned you will have your best chance of enjoying the ride and getting better.

Pedal Pittsburgh

Today was Pedal Pittsburgh. Based on what I experienced in Mt. Washington the picture is of a guy removing signs just to play a dirty trick on those riders who chose to climb up Josephine and 18th and then do a series of about ten very steep rollers. After a while all signs that we were on an organized ride disappeared. Ultimately signs reappeared near the intersection of Grandview and McCardle. These signs lead us to the near death experience of descending Sycamore Street. Every year I think about how stupid it is to end this ride by going down one of Pittsburgh's steepest and windiest streets. Of course every year I do it again. I am really a Pittsburgh lemming. This year we had an added treat. In a very steep section there is a hairpin turn covered with gravel. We made it to the bottom without incident, but probably without any brake pads left either. As an added treat after we got to Carson Street they turned us onto a street by Terminal Way that is steep down hill, Belgian block cobblestone and empties into a fairly busy street: a trifecta of risky business for cyclists.

One other thing that we clearly realized from this ride is that Luke is clearly not getting it done as far as repaving streets. We traveled 60 miles of city roads and for the most part they were horrible. Burma has better roads. Bikes and bodies were abused from riding over through and into crumbling and rutted pavement.

At least one politician cares. At the finish area at the Southside Works it was nice to see Alex Bicket, who is running for Common Pleas Judge. He was the only one who apparently realized that cyclists do have the right to vote. Alex is a good guy and a very good lawyer. The Bar Association has rated him Highly Recommended. Seeing Alex made me think about the article in today's Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09137/970776-181.stm. Alex wasn't mentioned, but the topic was the outrageous amount of money that candidates for Common Pleas Court are spending. The critical factor should be who is best qualified, not who raises the most money. It is a sad state that both the winners and losers will go deeply in debt to finance the campaigns. Does anyone even like watching the TV ads for Judges? If I have to watch that one with the mug shots one more time I will break my TV. Campaign spending for Judges is out of control. Has anyone noticed what has been going on with the local judiciary? We had one Judge thrown out for allegedly soliciting bribes. Another Judge quit because he needed to make more money, so he became a private mediator. A third judge recently resigned amid controversy relating to a real estate dealing and financial ruination.

I like biking better than running, and certainly better than running for Judge. If only we could get our roads repaved.

Weather turned hot and so did the riding

This weekend we had two rides. The Saturday ride had a theme: Elliot's birthday. We knew he wanted a challenging ride and more miles; we gave him both with a little added surprise. Often times we ride through Millvale. If they are open I always insist on stopping at Jean-Marc Chatellier's Bakery. This is an amazing gem located in an unusual place. Millvale, although becoming a bit funky and artsy, is probably the last place you would expect to find a bakery like this. On the street you are in the ultimate Pittsburgh working class neighborhood. The store front, with the awning and French signage seems slightly out of place. Once you walk through the door you are no longer in Millvale, but you enter a classic gourmet bakery that should be located in a small town in the French country side. Posters honor the French World Cup team and cycling. There is also homage to one of the store's most famous patrons, Marc Andre Fluery, the Penguin French Canadian hockey great.

The pastries look like they could be in the finest shop in Paris, although the special Penguin pastries may be targeted for the local patrons. The wonderful smells and flavors draw me inside on every Saturday ride. Elliot, who is much more disciplined than me, tolerates my sweet tooth and normally patiently , waits outside while I buy my pastry and gorge myself.

On this day we turned the tables a bit. The ride first took us on the challenging rolling hills of Fox Chapel, through a nice stretch of Old Mill Road to Campbell's Lake and then to Dorseyville Road. The ride then went on Church Lane past farms and up a steep climb until we reached Middle Road, taking us past Hartwood Acres. After one more decent climb we were in Millvale. We stopped at the bakery. As usual Elliot waited outside, but we had a surprise. We brought birthday candles and ordered a large piece of the richest raspberry mouse cake known to man, lit the candles, and presented it to Elliot with a serenade of Happy Birthday. As soon as the cake was fully consumed we gave Elliot the rest of his present: a climb up the very tough Hoffman Road. Elliot, to his credit and my surprise, made the climb without puking. We finished the ride with an exhilarating descent down Spring Garden and then through town and the Jail Trail.

Sunday's Lou Crew ride was a different type of ride. We had a large turn out with several new riders. We did a fairly level city loop, through Hazelwood, across the river, along Carson to the West End Bridge. We continued past the ball parks, across the Mon and stopped for coffee at La Prima.


This year we have been trying to incorporate a latte stop in each ride. An a beautiful Sunday morning a stop in the Strip seemed appropriate. Just as the bakery in Millvale seemed to transform into France, la Prima is a bit of Italy in the Strip. Some how their drinks always seem perfect. It is a treat to drink a latte out of a glass mug instead of paper.

After the break, the ride continued through Lawrenceville, up past the zoo (which was the only real climb of this ride) and Highland Park, and back through East Liberty, Shadyside and ending at our weekly starting spot, Coffee Tree in Squirrel Hill. We all sat at the outside tables and enjoyed a final drink. While sitting there we admired the new front of the store, which is almost complete. The main feature is a series of windows that open like bi-fold doors. I commented that it would be a nice day to use them. Fortunately, the contractor was riding with us. He agreed and for the first time the Squirrel Hill Coffee Tree was opened up to the outside. We all admired Will's handiwork and thanked him for giving us back our sidewalk cafe.

Easter Sunday Ride

If the last two weekends are any indication Lou's Crew is starting a new tradition for the 2009 cycling season. Coffee has always been a big part of the Crew, with rides generally starting and ending at Coffee Tree in Squirrel Hill. The last two Sundays we have stopped for mid-ride coffee breaks. Today everyone enjoyed very much the break for warm caffeinated treats on a sunny, but cold morning. For most of us it was the first time that we had sampled Big Dog Coffee. This is a really nice coffee house located just off of Carson Street on the Southside near Southside Works http://www.bigdogcoffee.net/home.php. The address is 2717 Sarah Street.
Big Dog is located in an old restored house. In the front room there are comfortable over stuffed chairs. A back room has tables and chairs. A door off of the back room leads to a nice deck and a ramp to the back alley and Carson Street.

We parked our bikes on the back deck. I took a look at all the bikes on the deck and realized what an amazing turn out we had for an early season ride on cold holiday morning. Our ride roughly followed the old Pittsburgh marathon course.
We started at 5th and Beechwood which is roughly the 15 mile point of the marathon. We tooled through all the neighborhoods. Since there was no traffic on Sunday morning we were able to go through the normally busy streets without fear of bad drivers. Unfortunately it did not cover up the fact that our city streets are pothole riddled. As a follow up to yesterday's ride here is a link to the KDKA video and story on the cycling tribute to the fallen officers. Look carefully and you will see several Lou's Crew members: http://kdka.com/local/fallenheroes/bicyclist.fundraiser.officers.2.982971.html

Major Taylor Cycling Club

Pittsburghers are passionate about all things Pittsburgh. We are living through a tragedy that has had a tremendous impact on the entire community. Through bad times we see the good in people. Pittsburghers have come together to support and honor the three heroic officers who were senselessly murdered one week ago. The community also honored the victims families and fellow officers. We saw people lined up for hours at memorial services and funeral homes. At the Penguins game earlier in the week fans donated over $60,000 to the victims families and the Penguin players rounded that up to an even $100,000.

Today there was a really neat show of support by the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club and the Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen. About 200 cyclist met at Highland Park and rode together to the Zone 5 Police Station, the home station of the three victim officers. Each of the cyclists donated money that was given to support the families. The cyclists were lead by a police escort and joined by bike cops. Some "bikers" (motorcyclists) misunderstood. They showed up on their bikes but were a bit surprised to see the event was for bicycles. Those bikers were meant to feel welcome and joined in.

The Major Taylor Cycling Club is a really cool group. I've met up with them many times during rides. The club was an offshoot of the Center for Minority Health. Originally the Center for Minority Health was asked to help Adventure Outdoors with a project to create an Underground Railroad Cycling Route. Ultimately a cycling club was started. Although the club is open to all, many of the members are African American. Like my club, Lou's Crew, Major Taylor provides a vehicle to promote a healthy life style for middle aged people in the city. Concerned about health risks to African Americans caused by a sedentary life style, the club provides a vehicle to get people back into cycling, meet new people, have fun and feel good about themselves. In addition Major Taylor has undertaken efforts to promote cycling to inner city kids. This has included overnight trips along the Great Allegheny Passage.

We have invited the Major Taylor Club to join Lou's Crew any Sunday for on of our group rides. We have a lot in common and I think it would be great fun. I have also joined the Major Taylor Cycling Club and hope to have enough time to ride with both groups. Here is a link to the Major Taylor website: http://www.cmh.pitt.edu/cycling.asp.