A Bike, a Beer, and a Benefit

So, first off, mileage: 790 miles for the year. My bike has a stuck link, so I'm going to either get Sellwood Cycle to take care of it for me, or I'll get a new chain. The new bike already has 254 miles on it, and I haven't had it quite 3 weeks yet. Yowza!

Tonight was the Shift meetup, which means a bar, and at least one beer. In my case, two. Better yet, there was a lunar eclipse tonight, so we all sat out in the backyard of the bar watching the freaky moon and talking about the upcoming Raunchy Ride, where we're going to tour 4 strip clubs in the Portland area. Before everyone gets up in arms, let me say that this isn't MY ride, it's my friend Heather who is leading the ride, and there's likely to be as many women on the ride as men.

Oh, and a benefit. My friend and co-ECT conspirator Aaron and I are talking to Bishop Creek Cellars about organizing and making the 2008 Pinot Pedal ride happen. It's probably going to be a bit of work, but I think we can do it in the allotted timeframe. Man, what a busy week this is turning into. The Pinot Pedal is a fundraising benefit to help move the old Sauvie Island bridge to NW Portland and install it as a bike/ped-only bridge over I-405 at NW Flanders. They've already raised the majority of the $5 million needed for the project, but there's still work to be done. I, for one am glad to help out.

So, in addition to the 790 miles I've ridden so far in the first 51 days of this year, I've spent 81 hours and 44 minutes in the saddle. Nearly 520 miles have been on the Wahoo, and almost 255 miles on the Sutra. Yippee!

New Bike!

Yes, I got a new touring bike - a 2008 Kona Sutra (yes, I'm sure the name was intentional). She's a beautiful bike, and I'm already calling her my trophy girlfriend. (she's younger, prettier, and costs a lot more)

I bought her at Sellwood Cycle Repair at a very reasonable price, and she fits like a glove. Very responsive, well-balanced even under load, and I love the disc brakes. My one complaint is that I can't seem to find anywhere to mount a kickstand. I'll figure something out eventually, I'm sure.

I've already ridden 130 miles on her, including a 48-mile jaunt out to Troutdale and back, and I'll be putting on another 40+ miles this Sunday. I'm just loving it! Anyway, I haven't updated my stats recently, so here they are:

Stats for 2008, as of 02/13
Total Mileage: 632.9 (average of 14.06 miles per day)
Average Speed: 9.6mph
Total Time: 66 hours, 21 minutes in the saddle

Mileage by bike
2004 Gary Fisher Wahoo: 486.23 miles (mountain bike) (pic from Flickr)
2008 Kona Sutra: 130.6 miles (touring bike) (pic from Flickr)
200? Huffy Sea Star: 16.07 miles (20" girl's child's bike - for zoobombing)

I got an impressive bruise from wiping out on Zoobomb about a month ago (which is what happens when you drink and bike, um... or if you bomb the hill at excessive speed on a kids bike with a wheel size half your age) - I think I'm about ready to head back from another go. No, that last picture isn't me, it's Reverend Phil.