The Latest | Steve Block

Weekend Walks, February Edition

2012-02-20T00:00:00-07:00

Weekend Walks, February Edition

I haven’t been on a bike ride since the big snowstorm early this month. I probably could have gone this weekend, but after my crash in January I’m still wary of packed snow and ice on the paths. Hopefully in another week or two we’ll get enough sun and that won’t be a problem for a while, because I’m itching to get out and ride. And to see how the rebuilding of my Trek went.

In the meantime though I’ve tried to make it a habit to at least start Saturday mornings with a long walk. I generally hope to get out of the house before 9:30 and listen to Hypercritical, one of my favorite podcasts. John Siracusa tends to talk so much that I can go for 4 or 5 miles before he’s done. It’s awesome. When I can, I walk on Sunday, too, although I’d like to get bike rides in instead.

I missed one weekend this month from sheer laziness but on the other two we’ve had so far I made it out for 4+ miles each day. I even managed 4 miles on the morning of the snowstorm, which was incredibly exhausting (wading through knee deep snow for almost 2 of those miles). I’ve gone on 4 long walks that I recorded, and a few unrecorded walks during work days. Work day walks are either a short walk to lunch, or a walk around the amphitheater block in the afternoon.

This past weekend my Saturday walk was over to the state park, one of my favorite places to walk or cycle. On my Sunday walk I started on city streets and then followed a suburban trail that was new to me.

I recorded 16 miles walking in January and 20 so far this month. If I get out this weekend I should be able to easily hit 30.

— Steve

Coffee in the Office

2012-02-11T00:00:00-07:00

Coffee in the Office

I’m going to start this one off with a very important disclaimer. I am not a coffee connoisseur, at least not in any way that can compare with Andy, Ben, Sam, or Samm. Andy has always sought out great coffee, while Ben and Sam are so obsessed they buy green beans in bulk and roast their own. Meanwhile Samm has a high end grinder and nice espresso machine in his house.

On this scale, then, I am near the bottom. But I do enjoy coffee. I usually have 2 cups in the mornings on workdays, and 2 or more at home or at a restaurant on weekends. I rarely make coffee at home on weekday mornings, largely because I don’t leave myself much time between getting up and getting to work.

For several years I have dealt with this in the laziest way I could. I drank the coffee from the drip machine in the break room. It’s a fairly standard coffee service arrangement where they provide the commercial drip machine and pre-packaged ground coffee.

While an acceptable arrangement from the lazy man’s perspective, the coffee is not very good. I drink it with cream and sugar just to make it acceptable, and not even that can save it after it has been sitting on the burner for an hour.

I’ve been OK with this arrangement for a few years now, but I’m finally ready to give in and exert some effort for better coffee. Preferably coffee I can drink black, and only apply cream and sugar as an occasional style choice rather than a necessity.

I came up with several ideas to solve this, and my friends were able to supply a few other good suggestions:

Brew coffee at home and bring it in a thermos.
Brew cold press coffee and take the concentrate to work.
Use the Starbucks instant coffee things.
Bring in a French press and grind my own coffee at home.
Bring in an aeropress and grind my own coffee at home.
Bring in an aeropress and use the work coffee grounds.

I rejected the first two ideas because they include daily or near daily carting of equipment or coffee back and forth, and that is not something I am good at. I rarely bring in lunch and when I do I often forget to bring my lunchbox back home for days.

The French press idea was a pretty good one, as I have a press that I rarely use so this would cost no money at all. Because I almost exclusively brew coffee at home with an aeropress it was my favorite idea, but it would require buying a second aeropress for the office (remember that I don’t want to cart things back and forth frequently).

In the end I settled on testing a few of my ideas. I made a fresh pot of drip coffee and had a cup of that. I made a cup of the Starbucks VIA instant coffee. Then I made a cup of coffee with the aeropress, using the pre-packaged work grounds (I only tried this because it would completely eliminate carting of things back and forth between work and home). Finally I tried the aeropress with the supermarket whole bean coffee I generally drink at home. For hot water for the aeropress and the instant coffee I used water from the hot water dispenser they installed by the sink.

Here’s how things fell out, ranked in order from best to worst:

The Vail Mountain beans ground at home at my normal settings and brought in using a spare Illy coffee container, brewed with the aeropress.
Starbucks VIA instant coffee (thanks, Andy).
Work grounds brewed with the aeropress.
Regular work coffee.

Based on this, it was clear that my best bet was probably another aeropress and the smaller hassle of grinding a few days’ worth of beans at home and then keeping that at work. I would still have to cart something back and forth but it wouldn’t be every day. In a pinch I will keep the instant coffee around as well.

It was also clear that although brewing the work grounds with the aeropress was better than straight up work coffee, it wasn’t really very good, and the grounds are too coarse. A lot of water seems to drip through the aeropress before I ever press, and I think the coffee got a bit over-extracted. My grinder at home is dialed in to a pretty optimal setting, which is about halfway between espresso grind and regular drip.

Based on this test I brought in my current aeropress and all its accessories and ground a few days worth of beans and took all that to work, and I plan to just leave that stuff in the office. For home I just ordered another aeropress, since they are only about $25 on Amazon.

Other than the significant increase in caffeine intake (the drip coffee is kind of weak), this is a net win. My coffee is actually good now, and I can drink it black again. Cleanup is quick and easy, and I only look a little bit silly. I kind of wish I had done this earlier.

— Steve

A Snow Day Walk

2012-02-04T00:00:00-07:00

A Snow Day Walk

This morning Denver woke up from the biggest snowstorm since I moved here back in 2007. Snow fell nonstop for over 24 hours, and more than 15 inches fell on my part of town.

More photos…

It has become something of a habit for me to go for a long walk on Saturday mornings, and I wasn’t going to let the snow stop that. Actually, it felt like an opportunity. There’s something quiet and magical about a world covered in a blanket of soft white snow.

I headed toward the park as I often do, and found that the Dam Road was closed. No attempt had been made to clear it. A rare occurrence, and I hope a cross country skier or two took the opportunity. The distance in the knee deep snow was too great to walk.

Instead I walked through the thick, soft power up a hill, then back down and toward a stream. I wished for skis or snowshoes, and followed the tracks of a skier back to firm ground.

— Steve

I'm Being Lazy

2012-02-02T00:00:00-07:00

I’m Being Lazy

This bicycle tune-up thing is showing how I can get stuck and be a bit lazy.

I now have all the parts I need to rebuild the bike. This includes a new bottom bracket, new chain, new brake pads, new brake and shifter cables, and new tires. I’ve cleaned up most of the frame, including old grease, and I’ve sealed up some of the chips in the paint. I have to finish cleaning and regreasing the rear derailer but after that it’s fully ready to reassemble. I’m just not getting it done.

It probably doesn’t matter all that much, since I don’t really have time to ride during the week right now, and with the coming winter storm I don’t expect to be riding this weekend either. I’ll try to spend Saturday getting everything put back together. I’m just annoyed with myself that I’d rather sit down and read a book or watch TV than finish rebuilding my bike.

— Steve

An Early Season Bicycle Tune-up

2012-01-27T00:00:00-07:00

An Early Season Bicycle Tune-up

It’s only January, but the riding days have already started here in Denver. We had good weather the last two weekends, and it looks like mid to high 40s and sunny again this weekend.

This good news means I’m itching to get out and ride, and to actually put real miles on my old Trek for once. It also means that it is time to overhaul the poor thing.

The last major work I did on my road bike was years ago, and largely consisted of cleaning off years of dirt and grime that were on the bike when I bought it used back in 2007. Since then I’ve put a couple thousand miles on it and replaced the handlebars, stem, seatpost, and saddle.

Now that a new riding season is starting, I’ve decided to give the rest of the bike a good workover. I even made a list.

Overhaul bottom bracket
Replace brake cables
Replace shifter cables
Replace brake pads
True wheels
Replace tires with puncture resistant tires
Overhaul wheel hubs
Adjust derailers
Clean and grease rear pulleys
Replace chain

I’m not doing this all at once, but I hope to get through the whole list by spring.

The Bottom Bracket

I started my adventures earlier this week by pulling apart the bottom bracket. I had noticed over the past year or so that the cranks didn’t feel as smooth as they should, and this has been on my maintenance list for a while.

Other than removing the lockring on the left side of the bike, removing the bottom bracket was fairly straightforward. I spent a while cleaning up all the old grease and dirt from both inside the shell and on the bracket itself, but when I regreased and reassembled the bracket it still didn’t feel like it was turning smoothly. The bearing races looked pretty good but the caged ball bearings looked worn. I cleaned it up and reassembled it a second time, but no matter what I did I couldn’t get a smooth turn out of it, even when leaving play in the bearings.

For a while I debated buying new loose bearings and installing those, but eventually I gave up and ordered a new cartridge style bottom bracket instead. It was less than $20 to buy a basic Shimano bracket that would fit the frame and my existing crankset, and I know it will be smooth. I can live with giving up the vintage bottom bracket.

Brake and Shifter Cables

I don’t know how old the current cables are, but they are dull gray and, fraying at the ends. The brake cables have a clear plastic housing that has turned very yellow with age. It seem safe to assume that if they are not original equipment they are still at least 15 years old and it is well past time to replace them.

I’m not big on the basic black housing all cable seems to come with these days, but I’ll live if my brakes work better. Because of the way my shifter cables run I’ll actually just pull the raw cable out of its housing and give it a light coating of grease, so that will look the same as before. The Trek has a nice cable guide at the bottom of the bottom bracket shell and the whole thing is set up to have no housing.

This could be a good time to convert to bar end shifters, but the downtube ones have worked well for me for years, and I am trying not to spend a fortune on components right now.

Brake Pads

I discussed my braking options with Ron Ritz when I was in Ames over Christmas, and he is not a big fan of the original Shimano 600 brakes. He’s probably right, because I’ve never really felt like my brakes were for stopping so much as slowing down.

Still, as I’m not in a hurry to replace components right now I plan to just get a set of good, longer pads. I’ll probably buy these locally after I get the brake cables dealt with.

Wheels and Tires

For years now I have been riding the only 27x1 1/4” tires I can easily find in my local bike shops. They are cheap, maybe $12-15 each, and it shows. I often run over puncture vine thorns, and that generally means a slow leak I discover the next time I plan to ride.

Other times though, the thorns are longer, and when I pull them out I am treated to an immediate flat. I carry a puncture kit and a small pump for these occasions, but I’d rather not have to deal with it at all.

There are a number of tires better suited to the sort of road hazards we tend to see here in Denver, including the Schwalbe Marathon, Continental Gatorskin, and Specialized Armadillo tires, but try finding those locally in a 27” size.

My brakes are already at their maximum extension, so replacing the old 27” wheels with their 630mm bead diameter with 700 C wheels with a 622mm bead would require new brakes, I’m not ready to go that far yet. Instead, I ordered a set of Continental Gatorskins online. I got them installed and they seem well made and pretty substantial. I’m hopeful that the new tires will significantly reduce the number of flats I have to deal with.

Besides the tires, I’m considering overhauling the wheel hubs. I’m worried, though, as the rear hub is one of those dreaded Maillard Helicomatic units. I don’t have the tool to work on it. They do roll pretty smoothly right now, so even though the grease is probably old, old, old I might leave them.

I’ll also do some basic truing of the wheels while I’m messing about with them off the frame. The front wheel is almost perfect already, but the rear needs just a little help.

Derailers and Chain

My derailers also need some work. The front seems to be in pretty good shape, but I’d like to remove it from the frame and clean it up a bit. I’ll lube the mechanisms and reinstall it and that should be about it.

The rear derailer has been giving me more trouble. I occasionally have trouble shifting to the largest sprockets on the rear, and I occasionally get unexpected shifts or skipped sprockets. Some of this may be a combination of a worn chain and old cables, but I’ll pull it off the frame and clean it up too.

The pulleys on the derailer also need cleaning and lubrication, as the last time I rode I had a terrible squeak from the rear for the last 10 miles of the ride.

I’m also going to put a new chain on, since I don’t know the age of the current chain, but know it has at least 1,500 miles.

After all this, and some cleaning, I think my Trek will feel almost like a new bike. I’m looking forward to a smoother drivetrain, new components, and everything cleaned and degreased. And I’m looking forward to a lot of miles this year.

— Steve

Colorado's Quality of Light

2012-01-19T00:00:00-07:00

Colorado’s Quality of Light

I’ve lived in Colorado for almost 5 years. In my second life I’m a photographer, and the light here has fascinated me almost since my first day in Denver.

There is something unique about the light in Colorado. On a clear day from Denver the mountains are truly stunning. In the early morning light the tallest peaks start to glow, while the foothills remain in shadow. On some mornings this glow is pink, on others blue, and in winter a brilliant white as the snow shines. The air is often clearest in the morning, and getting out early to witness the gradual transition to day is a joy.

In winter the landscape is dominated by pale grays and tans, and the sky is a pale blue. In the background the mountains show gray and white. I love this restricted palette. Photographs can seem almost black & white, but the soft blue glow of the sky shines through.

As we transition to spring the greens start showing, pale at first but growing stronger over time. Color starts returning to the world, and the light of the sun grows whiter. The high mountains still shine brilliant white, while lower shoulders shed their winter coats. In higher elevations the gray land lingers, but even they give in, and green valleys sidle up to mountain bases against a deep blue sky.

By midsummer the snow is gone and the peaks are reduced to their elemental rock. The grass is green and the sun is so bright that a white shirt can blind. The wilder prairie grass in the parks burns in the glaring light of the sun. Summer afternoons are no time for photography in Denver, as the light grows harsh and the heat bakes the air. In late afternoon, moving to evening, the clouds come and with them small, fierce storms. They roll through quickly, crackling with electricity, bringing rain and cooler air. The good storms push the dust and pollution of the city out across the plains, and bring clear morning air with mountains in sharp relief.

Summer often lingers long, and fall can seem to never come. In the foothills and mountain roads west of the city the aspens start their show. They may be brightest in late September, or they may wait until October. Hundreds flock to roads usually quiet to witness this annual show. Brilliant golden leaves against a pure blue sky, or buried against the dark green background of surrounding pines. In the city there is more variety, greens and golds and reds and browns, and long slanting shadows in the evening. October is a fine time for light in the city.

The best light at any time of year is in the morning. There is something unique about this light. In the morning light whites can be the purest, most elemental white, while reds and blues and greens sound their single notes of color. It’s as if there is no veil, no atmosphere at all between the sun and the city.

— Steve

Restarted Fitness Goals

2012-01-12T19:50:00-07:00

Restarted Fitness Goals

Several years ago I set a goal to get in pretty good shape by Andy’s wedding. Over that time I lost about 45 pounds, and I felt great. Now here I am a few years later and I am (quite literally) right back where I started.

So here we go again. I’m setting some pretty simple goals.

Track calories. This was a huge part of how I lost the weight. The worst part is when I track, but only halfheartedly so everything after around 5 PM is just “missing”. The new goal is to write down everything even if it is just an educated guess.
Weigh in every day. Even if I don’t want to know. The exception of course is travel, but in that case no skipping when I get back home.
Be more active in general. I’m trying out the Fitbit to help track this. It may just be a “glorified pedometer” but I think I’ll find it useful. The simple goal for now is to just wear it all the time.
Get cycling again. I love cycling but have often found the hurdle of getting out the door to be an effective barrier. Short- and long-term milage goals should help. I’m thinking 20 miles a week (one medium ride) for now when I can only ride on weekends, increasing gradually as the weather improves.

If you have any interest in how I’m doing, I set up a secondary twitter account, @steve_fit where the various online and automated tools I’m using should post somewhat regular updates. Technology is grand.

Losing weight and being more active is hard over the long term, but I know I can do it. I owe it to myself.

— Steve

A Variety of Pens

2012-01-11T00:00:00-07:00

A Variety of Pens

Last week I decided, pretty much on a whim, to try out a bunch of different pens from JetPens. I take a lot of notes at work, and my pen choices have varied from a Fisher Space Pen to the great Uni-Ball 207 gel ink pens to terrible off-brand ballpoints (no link for those).

In general I have found that I prefer finer lined pens and the look and feel of gel ink. I have also noticed that there seem to be a lot more choices in Japan than in a typical office supply store here. Or so it seems.

So I ordered a variety of Japanese pens from JetPens. They include several types of very fine Uni-Ball Signo gel pens (0.38, 0.28, and 0.18 mm), a couple “smooth-writing” ballpoints from Uni-Ball and Pilot, emulsion ink pens from Zebra, and a fine point Zebra gel pen.

I didn’t know exactly what I would like best, and pens are cheap, so I cast a wide net. I like that they all have Japanese UPC stickers on them

So far I really like the 0.38 and 0.28 mm gel pens, and the Zebra Sarasa 0.3 mm. The ballpoints write nicely, but I don’t like the finish of the ink on the paper as much. The 0.18 mm gel pen is ridiculously thin and actually hard to write with, but it does look pretty.

No, this is not important, but it’s fun. Besides, it seems like I can never find a pen in this house. Maybe that will change now.

— Steve

Hey Look, it's January!

2012-01-08T00:00:00-07:00

Hey Look, it’s January!

No words of great import will be found here today.

But that’s OK, not a lot going on.

We had some warm days after I got back to Denver, and I got a good chance to get the motorcycle out of the garage for a while. Last night gave us a reminder that it is still January, though. An inch or two of snow and another reminder of the joys of a north-facing driveway.

I don’t mind winter so much, but it would be great if those 60 degree days could show up on the weekend and the snow stick to weekdays. Then at least I could get a bike ride in. For the past few years I’ve been neglecting my riding more than I should, and I have big riding plans for 2012. Meeting my goals means I need to start getting on the road soon.

I’m debating eventually redoing most of the components on my Trek, maybe going with a triple up front or a compact double and a 10 speed cassette. I’m also considering a new set of wheels, changing from 27” to 700c. That would give me better wheels in general and a much larger selection of tires. It would also require new brakes since my current ones do not have enough reach. New brakes then might require new brake levers.

If I go all the way, I will have essentially replaced every part on my old Trek with new components except the frame and fork. I love the old bike but at some point you start wondering about just building a brand new bike instead.

Ron at the bike shop back in Ames recommended that I should get a Waterford if I ever want to build that “best bike in the world for me” custom frame bike in classic lugged steel style. I had mentioned Rivendell, whose frames are built by Waterford, but he thinks that for a custom it’s better to go right to the source, and choose any color and style you like. I’ll think about it, but no matter what a new best bike ever will not be cheap.

In other boring news, I spent the last couple of days trying to find a good laptop case. I don’t actually own a laptop but I do have my work machine, a typical 14” Dell. I have a backpack style case that came with it, and they have a briefcase option as well, but the cases all suffer from the same disease that so many bags have contracted. Bags these days tend to be filled with so many liners, pockets, dividers, cubbyholes, and padding that they are already large, unwieldy, and heavy before you even put the laptop in.

I wanted a bag I could easily slip into the middle pocket of my carry-on for one-bag business travel, but slip out to carry my laptop and a few things to a meeting or conference. That backpack is simply too big and too annoying. I also wanted a bag that had metal rings for a shoulder strap rather than plastic or sewn in, so I could travel with only one strap. The idea being that I could pop the strap off my carry-on and onto the laptop bag for the meeting, then back again when it is time to fly.

I did look at another Red Oxx bag, the Metro Briefcase, but $140 seemed like a lot to spend on a bag that’s not even for my own equipment. I’d rather go cheap for something for work. Maybe another time, if I buy a laptop of my own.

Great, now this sounds like an ad for Red Oxx.

I ended up going with the smallest and simplest sleeve-type case I could find locally with metal strap rings, some cheap Samsonite thing from the Office Depot. It is small enough to slide right into my other bag, and readily takes my good shoulder straps. We’ll see in just over a week how well my idea works. The bag is big enough to take the laptop, a notebook, and a few pens easily. Hopefully it will also hold my travel mouse and power adapter without looking lumpy and bloated.

I own too many bags, by the way. I should get rid of the ones I don’t use.

— Steve

I Went Down to the River

2011-12-30T00:00:00-07:00

I Went Down to the River

It’s a remarkably warm December here in Iowa. Last night what should have been a huge snowstorm was just a lot of rain. Before that we’ve had sunny 50 degree days. This weather belongs in Denver, not Ames.

But we have it, so I guess the answer is to work with it.

I grew up in a small house on the south side of Ames. Across the street and a few feet past the city ends, and rural Iowa was never far. One of the places I used to explore was an old bridge across the Skunk River. Getting to the bridge couldn’t be easier: walk east down the road until it’s dirt and keep walking.

Earlier this week I decided to do just that. It had been years since I last visited the bridge but very little has changed. A new No Trespassing sign by the fields and a new gate across the far side of the bridge, but nothing else I could see.

Even though the road and bridge appear to be private now, the bridge is far too substantial to have been built simply as private access to fields. I wonder about its history and whether once upon a time the narrow dirt road had a destination.

The river was low but moving. I like the slow sweeping arcs it is still carving out of the farmland.

I can’t go back to my childhood, but I enjoy revisiting old haunts.

— Steve