Bicycle Repair Man!

Ghiry was so excited to be taking a ride that he didn't even notice Sadie in the truck when he bounded into the back set. It wasn't until we had reached Edmonton that he calmed down enough to realize that her rear tire was hanging over the back of his seat. "Um, Mom, where are we going and why is Sadie in the truck?", he asked. I explained that Sadie had a check up with Bicycle Repair Man tonight and we were taking her to his shop. Though not highly amused to be sharing his space with "the bike", Ghiry was tickled that it wasn't him who had a check up tonight.

Super cute Bicycle Man leaning against a tree in the yard. I couldn't resist! 

While Keith (aka Raving Bike Fiend, Bicycle Repair Man, etc.) popped Sadie up on the stand for her check up, Ghiry headed off to hang with Dani. He reports that he had a wonderful walk up and down the street, enjoyed a cool drink, sniffed the heck out of the back yard, got more hugs than he's had in his life, and generally enjoyed himself immensely. I've been instructed (by Ghiry) that he is not to be left behind on future trips to RBF Cycles. Fortunately, they are super dog friendly so I think I may oblige as long as I'm not heading off on a ride from there.

The concern this evening for me was the state of Sadie's tires, rims, and rear breaks. We have only 2.5 weeks until THE RIDE and I'd had a flat tire on Sunday's ride. My concern was that if it was time to change the tires, let's check the rims to see where they are at before heading out to buy new tires. Keith assured me that although it is probably time to change at least the rear rim, Sadie is just fine for THE RIDE. And despite the flat yesterday, tires are made of 2 layers and I've only got nicks and tiny cuts in the outer layer of the tires so I should be fine. Oh, you can be sure I've got spare tubes on hand just in case! The only real repair Sadie required as a new set of rear break pads. For 23, and having ridden over 1500 km in the past year, she is holding up amazingly well.

Even though I've been cycling for 32 years, sometimes I feel pretty bike dumb. It's like when you buy a car or a computer or a fancy new phone - you aren't necessarily the one fixing it and so, might know little about it. I'm making it a point to change that this year (and going forward). I may never become Bicycle Repair Gurl but at least I'll know enough about Sadie (and all of my bikes to come) that I can talk sensibly about them and know how to check for worn parts.

Repairs completed, Keith was kind enough to give Sadie a quick wash & rinse. Um, yeah, maybe we were riding in the rain during the Community Garden Tour on Sunday, maybe. Sparkly clean and ready to stop on a dime, Sadie and I were both relieved that she only required minor work tonight. Keith is keeping an eye out for some wheels for later in the season and I'm now considering a paint job or a paint touch up for Sadie. Perhaps it is Veronica who needs a new color...

Packed up and heading home, Ghiry already misses his friends at RBF Cycles & Sadie sends out a huge THANK YOU to Keith (she says he's the best Bicycle Repair Man she knows). RBF Cycles is the official repair shop for Sadie, sponsoring her in THE RIDE by providing her tune ups, check ups, and general repairs.

You can sponsor Sadie as well with a donation to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. She will really appreciate it!

Thank you, Nonna!

Hi! It's Sadie again. I want to send a thank you to my Nonna. She donated to me! She even wrote "Go Sadie!" to me!!

My Nonna lives all the way across the country (and in another country) in New Hampshire and she is the one who got Tammie her very first bike and always took her bike riding around town. This is my Nonna. She always smiles when she sees me. I love my Nonna and I am so excited that she donated to support me!

Thank you, Nonna! :D
Love,
Sadie

It's Me, Sadie!!!

Hi! Hi! Hi! It's me, Sadie! SHHHHHHHHHH, don't tell Tammie but I took over her Facebook and now I'm taking over her blog because I wanna do fund raising too! It seems like a lot of fun and she's the one pedalling down the road for miles and miles and miles (you get the picture) so I want to help her out. Oh, this is me!

 Aren't I cute? Tammie got me really pretty pink & sparkly streamers to ride with so people would recognize me and I have Spokie Dokes that play music if I go slow. But I like to go really FAST so you don't hear them unless we are walking across a crosswalk or rolling to a stop. My Spokie Dokes are red, white, & blue because I came from the United States with Tammie almost 2 years ago. I like it here in Alberta because we never did a BIG bike ride like The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer in America but this is our second time riding in this BIG, GIANT ride here in Canada.

This is the link that you should click on to make a donation.
 http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014
Tammie says that we have to raise $2,500 just to ride in August and that we are almost there but I know she is hoping to raise a lot more than that and we only have a few more weeks to go. When you donate at the link, make sure you put "Go Sadie!!!" in the message field so I'll know you are donating because of me.

We've done a lot of things so far this year to let people know about The BIG GIANT Ride. Tammie let me wear my streamers and she even made me a couple of signs and we went to Bikeology Bike Fest in Edmonton. It was a little scary for me because I've never really been in a very big city before but Tammie said we were going to a park and I like parks. Here I am with my streamers, signs, & Spokie Dokes at Bike Fest.

I got to meet a lot of people on that day and it was really fun! I gave away bubbles and prizes and I told everyone that I was riding in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. A lot of people could hardly believe that I am riding 220 km in 2-days. They were all very nice and wished me good luck. I can't wait to tell them all about the ride after I have finished it in August!!

So maybe I should tell you a little bit about me! I'm a 23 year old Specialized Crossroads. That means that I am a hybrid bike - part street bike, part off-road bike. I'm half 4x4 at least. I keep telling Tammie that but she doesn't let me off the paved roads very much and every time I do go in the mud, she makes me take a shower and wash it all off! I went in the mud on Easter Sunday and my tires came out looking like this!

It was fun and my brakes got all gummed up and I just LOVED it! Maybe if you make a donation Tammie will let me go for a 4x4 trip around Spruce Grove! Won't you donate and put "Let Sadie go 4x4'ing" in the message? I bet if enough people do, she will let me!

Oh! One really really fun thing we did was to ride on a tour of Spruce Grove with the Mayor. I got to meet the Mayor! I actually got to ride with him twice because Tammie took me to the planning ride too. I even met the Mayor's bike! It was cool. You'd think a Mayor's bike would be stuck up and stuff but he really wasn't and the Mayor was really really nice too. He showed us his favorite parts of Spruce Grove and some new trails and brought cold drinks for everyone on the ride. This is the Mayor's bike:

I got to meet the riders from the Devon Cruisers & Shift Happens too! They came all the way out from Devon just to ride with us and see Spruce Grove. Tammie's favorite trail might be the one that goes through the forest and under Grove Drive but mine is the one that goes through The Secret Park.

Sometimes we go to other towns to ride. We've been to Stony Plain and Devon and Edmonton. Tammie let's me ride in the truck when we go far away. Sometimes I have to ride with the The Big Black Dog, Ghiry, in the truck like if we are just going to the bike shop. Most of the time I get to ride by myself though.

Ghiry doesn't go riding with us when we roll around town training because one time Tammie took him with us and he pulled both of us right over! He's so big and strong. I'm glad he likes me because I think he could bite my front wheel off in one chomp!

Another thing I got to go to was Canada Day in Jubilee Park. I got new handlebar grips because mine were ripping apart and I haven't had new ones ever. They are pretty cool and my streamers stick in them really well. We must have met like 200 people at least. I got to tell everyone all about my training in Spruce Grove and Tammie got to pass out a lot of information about The Enbridge Ride. We did a prize draw and gave away some really neat bike stuff. I liked the green water bottle but Tammie says I don't need one because she wears a Camelbak. Green is a nice color though. Maybe if I get a new paint job I'll be green. Or maybe yellow. I like yellow too.

I went to bike school last month or maybe it was in May. I lose track of the months sometimes because I don't do much other than ride around and think about riding around. I don't watch TV or listen to the radio because I can't turn it on by myself. Tammie says that bikes don't need radios anyway, we have great imaginations. I don't know what she means. Bike school was fun though. Tammie learned how to fix my gears and then she even got me a sister and took her to bike school too. My sister's name is Veronica. Tammie calls her a Back Alley Special and we hang out and visit during the day, talking about all the places we want to ride together.

I want to show Veronica all of the places in Edmonton. I saw some really cool buildings there last weekend and met some new friends. I think Veronica would like this church because it is really pretty.

Tammie says that she can't ride both of us at the same time though so I'll have to stay home when Veronica goes to Edmonton but I don't mind. I want her to go with us on The Ride too but Tammie can only ride one bike at a time so Veronica has to stay home. I'm kind of sad about that but maybe Veronica isn't ready yet because she hasn't been training at all yet. She only just got her new tires and wheels from Keith.

Oh! You have GOT to meet Keith! He is really nice. He is my riding coach. Well, okay, he is Tammie's riding coach but he is my Bike Mechanic. He is sponsoring me in The Enbridge Ride and said he will fix me if I get broken. He is a good bike fixer so that is very nice of him. I went riding with him and Tammie last week and we went on very very big hills. Keith is teaching Tammie how to ride on hills better and how to ride faster. He says she has to wipe dog poo off the bottom of her shoes. I'm not sure she ever gets dog poo on her shoes but he must know what he is talking about because he is really really fast. This is Keith:

Phew, that was a lot of typing for a bike to do. Now that you know some more about me, won't you sponsor me with a donation for The Enbridge Ride? I would really appreciate it and Tammie can't ride if you don't. Please? I'm making great big bike eyes! :) Who can resist a bike like me? :D

Donate here: http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014

Canada Day Celebration

July 1, 2014 - Canada Day

The alarm was set for 5am but never rang. Fortunately the phone did and I realized that I had set the "weekend" alarm but Canada Day was on a Tuesday this year. It was 6:55 and I was due at Jubilee Park for set up at 7am. With a quick text message to Kerri, Sadie & I were out the door. Arriving at 7:30, we were directed to the Exhibitors Tent on the west side of Jubilee Park. I'd seen it during my ride-by the evening before.

I unloaded the table, trainer stand, and prizes into my space in the tent and headed back up the hill to park. Sadie had offered me a ride back to the tent if I let her ride up the hill in the truck. It was a deal!

Arriving back at the tent, I set Sadie up on the trainer stand and arranged my display of prizes and posters. Ready for visitors by 8 but not officially open until 11, I left the Exhibitors Tent in search of breakfast. There is an excellent pancake breakfast - a steal at only $3 and with Bradley Tucker serenading us with Diesel, Diesel, Diesel, who could ask for more?

 

After breakfast I headed back to the tent to find Sadie - dressed up in her new handlebar grips and streamers - ready for her signs. As I affixed her signs, Sadie talked about how excited she was to meet new people and tell them all about The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer and how she is going to ride 220 km over 2 days in August to raise funds for The Alberta Cancer Foundation. She can hardly wait!

It was a busy day, meeting new people, greeting friends, signing people up for the prize draw (read on for the winners), and handing out bubbles to the kids. I especially liked hearing the children talk about their bikes and biking adventures. I enjoyed hearing the stories from everyone who had ridden The Ride before, those would would like to ride, and those who are interested in biking in general. Although we weren't open until 11, folks were strolling through as early as 9 and we were busy all day. 11 hours, 200+ informational cards, & 75 bottles of bubbles later, it was time to pack up. Driving home, I couldn't help but think about what a fantastic city Spruce Grove is and how many wonderful people there are here in town. I hope to see you all out on the trails soon! Watch for me & Sadie as we continue to train on the trails and streets of Spruce Grove!

Prize Winners:

Irises framed photograph - Tina Boissonnault

Bike Gears framed photograph - Michael Anthony

Bike Water  Bottle - Caitlyn Darcy

Bike Bell - Valerie Rose

Bike Sleeves - Monica Choong

Bike Sleeves - Liz Manuel

Bike Fest

Today Sadie & I took part in the Bikeology Bike Fest at Churchill Square in Edmonton.

Sadie was there to tell everyone about the bike ride that she is training for. She was so excited to go that she dressed up her front spokes in red, white, & blue Spokie Dokes (June 14th is Flag day back home), her handlebars in pink streamers, and even made herself a couple of signs to wear. My assignment was to pass out cards and tell everyone about The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer that Sadie & I are riding in August 9 & 10th.

Sadie picked out the prizes and I made up the free prize draw slips for our visitors to fill out. It was a beautiful day in the square. The fun began at 12pm with live music - powered by bikes! That's right! A whole tent full of bikes, being pedaled, to power the music. It was fabulous!
There was also a "pedal-a-smoothie" set up where you could hop on a bike and pedal to power the smoothie blender. Your reward? A tasty orange strawberry bike powered smoothie. It was a very popular item and from what I hear, available for events!

There was also a race to determine who could load their bike the quickest onto an Edmonton Transit Bus rack. Rumor has it that all transit buses will have bike racks on the front in 2015 as Edmonton is working towards becoming a bike friendly town.

Right next to me & Sadie, Bicycle Repair Man & Co. set up shop to offer free tunes ups! You may remember Bicycle Repair Man from Bike School. What fun it is to watch the bikes getting spruced up for riding. Many happy faces!

Quick shout out to Diane of Diane & Dan - who rode in the Enbridge Ride last year. And to Sarah - who also rode in The Ride last year and who hopped on her bike and rode on down to visit me. Great seeing you gals. Devon Cruisers Club - always fantastic to see you out and about! Looking forward to riding with you again soon.

And now for the part you have all been waiting for: The Prizes! Winners will receive an email with info on picking up their prize:

Bicycle Bits framed photo: Serge Dupuis

Flowers framed photo collage: Donna Power

Free Country - book signed by author George Mahood: Barry Bartlett

Bike Sleeves: Alex Youn

Bike Sleeves: Leah Higham

Bike Sleeves: Cadence Cardinal

Congratulations to all and I hope to see a few of you at Spruce Grove Canada Day in Jubilee Park where Sadie & I will be set up on July 1.

See you on the roads soon & if you haven't already, please make a donation to sponsor me in the 2014 Alberta Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer!

Bike School

Apparently Sadie amuses herself online while I am at work. How do I know? 2 days ago she phoned to let me know that she had found a course that she wanted to sign up for:  Bike Repair 201: Shifting, Gearing, Chains & Derailleurs - held at Bikeworks South in Edmonton.

"Oooookay... why?", I asked her.

Sadie informed me that she had gone for the past 23 years not understanding the workings of her own gears, shifters, chain, AND derailleurs and that she felt it was high time she learned.

"Great!", I said and signed us up. Fortunately there was a special 2 for 1 special - the human is $20, the bike is free.

Arriving at Bikeworks South (my second visit here), we were greeted by Keith - our instructor - and 5 other students. If you ever want to take a bike repair course, these are the ones to take. They are affordable, in depth, and the instructor is fantastic.

Sadie quickly hopped onto a bike stand while the humans made introductions.

This was a 3 hour course complete with front & rear derailleur history & functional repair information. Keith (alter ego: Bicycle Repair Man) of Raving Bike Fiend is insanely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful (except when he is busy breaking your bike!).

After the history lesson on derailleurs was done, we moved on to "How to Tune Your Derailleurs" with a splash of "Cable House Replacement" thrown in when it was determined that the derailleur cable, on the mountain bike we were learning on, was worn and preventing proper shifting.

 

Next up: Bicycle Repair Man breaks our bikes! I think that is known as "repairs in reverse"  The point being to take a functioning derailleur and cause it not to function properly so that it could be fixed - how fun! Keith went from bike to bike, loosening cables, adjusting derailleurs, etc so that we could tune our own bikes. Sadie giggled as her rear derailleur wire was disconnected (it tickled) but sat fairly still as I attempted to reconnect it, adjust the tension, and get her gears changing smoothly. I got a bit perplexed when I had Sadie all back together again but her gears weren't changing smoothly. I'd click the gear shifts while turning the pedals but nothing was happening. Sadie sat on the bike rack, humming to herself, fully aware that I had forgotten to let out the tension before re-connecting the wire. A quick reminder from BRM and I was on my way to disconnecting, letting out the tension, reconnecting, and re-turning Sadie's rear derailleur. Perfect, she was switching gears like a dream. Now on to the front. 

Sadie's front derailleur tends to ride a bit high above the gears, allowing for her chain to hop off to the outside of the gears - a trick she performed beautifully on the last 5 km of The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer last summer. I was not amused. Now, the trick with the front derailleur is to get it lined up parallel with the gears and adjust it so that at each shift, the chain barely kisses the derailleur. Sadie's chain was snuggled up close to the front derailleur and dancing on it as I pedaled. No wonder she makes such a racket! A few turns of the screws and her derailleur was neatly in place, no dancing allowed. Once everything was in place and Sadie was shifting cleanly, I can honestly say I felt quite proud. It isn't nearly as hard as I had imagined, tuning up your own bike! Now if I can find a decent bike stand for my garage...

See the rest of the class pictures here.

Sadie is a 4x4

I rushed home from work this evening to mow the lawn and get in a ride with Sadie. Imagine my dismay when the sky opened up and poured down rain when I had only completed one half of the front lawn! I put away the mower and briefly considered riding in the pouring rain but visions of chaffing danced in my head.

Heading inside, I was met at the door by Sadie, insisting that she is a would love to ride in the rain. I reminded her that when it rains, the roads are slick and the trails become mud. Sadie insisted that she is a 4x4 and can handle it. "Uh huh", I said and offered a compromise - if it stops raining, we'll go for a ride. Sadie took a turn around the living room, her spokey dokes clanging while I headed off to finish the dishes.

An hour later, the rain had stopped and I geared up as Sadie zoomed about the house in anticipation of our ride.We headed for the trails that run through the neighborhoods between King & Calahoo as I knew that sticking to the paved paths over the shale trails would be difficult for Sadie. With a downpour like we had just received, who knew what condition the packed dirt would be in. Sadie zipped along, humming to be out riding in the cool, damp evening while I began to wonder if I was dressed warmly enough and as it started to sprinkle again, should I have worn my rain jacket.

Eager to explore some new terrain, I took a turn into the neighborhood close by The Secret Park. I'd never ridden here but the streets were wide and empty of traffic, just begging to be traveled. After 3km of new roads, I suggested to Sadie that we head to Jubilee park and get the hill out of the way early. She agreed and 3km later, we were rolling through the park and into the Greenbury neighborhood. Still under construction, the freshly paved roads are perfect for riding. And then it happened...

With a squeal of delight, Sadie rolled off of the sidewalk on a tight turn and into a muddy patch. "I'm a 4x4!", she shouted, making it one wheel revolution before sinking her front tire 3 inches deep in the sticky mud. I dismounted and hauled her out, her front tire & brakes now slathered in mud. The below doesn't do it justice as it was taken after returning home but you get the idea.

I groaned and shook my head. "Sadie, what on earth were you thinking?". She giggled, happily throwing gobs of mud from her tires and puddle jumping. "I'm washable", she laughed and off we went again, mud flying and Sadie rolling through every puddle she could find.

20 km later, we ended up at the front door - a shower for both Sadie and myself in order.