Welcome to the Family

I would like everyone to take a moment to offer a warm welcome to the newest member of the booksbikesbeer family. The Kuwahara Single Speed Townie. It was ready to go last weekend except for one final detail. I know I could have posted a little something about it, but I'm a mix between overworked and lazy. It is a weird place to be.

Last weekend though, I finally decided to get the bike put together. On Saturday I rolled down to the wonderful Bike Library to get some wheels. The place was hoppin. At least 15 people were in line ahead of me to check out bikes, and many of those people rolled away happy. I also rolled away a happy owner of a new (old really) set of 27 inch wheels. And they are actually fairly light.

Sunday afternoon Robin and I went down to Geoff's Bike and Ski to get some big and squishy tires and an 18 tooth freewheel. Robin loaned me her old busted ten speed dura ace chain and things started to come together.

All until I tried to clamp the rear wheel into place. At first I thought the skewer would not screw down tight enough. But closer inspection revealed that the axle of the wheel was actually sticking out beyond the dropouts on the frame. Hmmm. Was I going to need a new wheel? I worried so. Robin and I decided to walk it down to the Bike Library to consult with townie guru Steve G. Like us, he was perplexed. But then he said, "well, we could just hack saw off some of the excess axle." Really? Would that work, I asked. Steve shrugged and said that it should, but if it didn't there was a pile of wheels in the back.

So I held the axle in place with a wrench while the guru lopped off the precise amount of axle, measured, of course, by his own eyes. The wheel now fits perfectly. Cheers to you townie guru (if you were here you would see the raised pale ale in my hand).

The final items I was waiting for were some nice orange grips. I thought they would compliment the bike in an odd, somewhat ugly and endearing way. You can decide for your self.


And the final token on the townie is the goat. This is the very goat that adorned the wonderful brew Steve gave me the night he introduced the Kuwahara and I. They were truly meant to be together.

Gettin Fat

Nerdy Me

I stumbled on this internet nerd test. Sure enough, I'm a nerd. At least I scored well in literature, I'd feel pretty stupid if I was a non-literate nerd.

Good Times

Much has happened since my last lament about summer ending. School is in full swing and I'm ok with that, mostly because fall is fast approaching and I love sweater weather. It makes it easier to read books and drink coffee in the afternoon. And all the Oktoberfest brews come out too, yumee.

If you are interested in my happenings these last couple of weeks I will give you a rundown in topical order.

Books: I read a lot now. Too much. Some of it I don't understand, like Georg Lukacs, but the big Victorian novels are good. I am particularly enjoying Miss Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I have never been to Northern England (or any part of England for that matter), but the descriptions of the windswept moors make me want to wander through the rough rocky landscape for many days, or even weeks.

Bikes: I managed to ride my bike twice this week. I think that will become my goal for every week. There is a chance I could get more in, but with my teaching and class schedule twice a week will be hard enough. Yesterday I got out for an hour as part of my efforts to get rid of a hangover. It worked. And Tuesday I went on part of the 'B' ride with Steve and John. Just as we were leaving the 'A' guys showed up, but it turned out to be a good thing since I got to catch up with Brian Eppen for awhile. When we reached Hills Steve, John, and I turned around and spun home at a nice, easy pace. I went over to Steve's to check out an old Kuwahara frame that he found in the trash. It was quite nice and should make a great townie. We stayed for a really nice Double Bock, and by that time it was getting dark, so Steve suggested I leave the frame for another time. Being the nice guy he is though, he delivered it to my house this afternoon via his cargo bike. Hopefully in the next week or two I can get it up and running with some help from the Bike Library.


Beer: Well, I guess I already started talking about beer in the last section. Those two categories have a habit of blending together sometimes. But Friday night Robin's work, The Hudson River Gallery, hosted an opening for the paintings of Steven Erickson. The work was great and so was the turnout. Robin and I invited all our friends back to our house for beer and a couple hookah sessions. It was a grand time and I drank more than I had in a long time. Not horribly bad, but enough to feel pretty shitty for most of Saturday.

And tomorrow marks an extremely momentous beer occasion in the state of Iowa. New Belgium brewing will now be sold here. John's Grocery is having a little party for it all which includes a short bike ride and adult beverages. Unfortunately this starts at 7:30 in the morning and I have to teach an hour after that. But you can show up anytime during the day to sign up for a drawing for a candy-apple red New Belgium cruiser, complete with rear rack and a case of beer. If I win then I will have two townie bikes, just like Robin.