Weather Update for the Blaze and the Church

Durango Fall Blaze

Online Registration ends Thursday at Midnight

Some spots still available

Click Here

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The Bishop, may Gosh bless him

is racing in France (selected last minute)

Wednesday thru Sunday

He won't be here for the Blaze

He sends his deepest regrets

He sends many thanks for your support

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But we've got Pro's coming to knock our socks off

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Carmen Small McNellis

USA Cycling Pro Women's Team

Aaron's Pro Women's Team

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Kristin McGrath

Colavita/Sutter Home Pro Women's Team

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Matt Shriver

Jittery Joes Pro Cycling Team

Debra, on top of the World this week

Gosh's back yard, right here in our La Plata's

ahhhhh.... The Church in September

MaryAnn changing Bill's pacemaker batteries

These could be your lifesaver...

Click Here

Fabulous information

Reverend Bob Chaput wears one... Shouldn't you?

Jane and Pat in Italia

They'll be back in time to ride the Blaze next Saturday

But first, next Friday, these Party Animals will be eating

Grilled Portobello & Fish Tacos

with a Roasted Pepper Sauce
Hominy and Hatch Chile Salad

Latin Spice Cake

Assorted Cookies

They'll be drinking

Carver's Handcrafted Draught Beer

Live Music

Chair Massages from Aria Therapeutics

all at the

Fabulous Fall Blaze Packet Pickup Party

It's all included, and it's

All Courtesy of Three Springs

may Gosh bless them

And on Saturday after their ride?

It's the Merrill Lynch Lunch

Blessed by Gosh himself, and now backed by the

United States Federal Reserve and the United States Treasury

at the Blaze Venue on Campus

Chili and Potato Bar with all the Fixin's

Coca Cola's vast Product Assortment

Steamworks Draught Beer

Fabulous Music

Table Massage Post-Ride

Click here to register, some spots still remaining

The Bishop Tom finished 5th - Tour of Missouri

He's baaaaack

Sunday at 9:30, It's Boure and the Church!

* 6th Annual Boure Bike Fweest *

Day One Event

Trimble Loop & Lemon Dam

This is the Fabulous 1/2 Valley (just to Trimble),

then up to the Dam

Our Reverend Ned Overend will be there

May Gosh be with Him

Because the Church Ride is also starting

at the same time

there's plenty of choices for your holy pleasure

If driving to Bread

it's best to park elsewhere

at one of the nearby lots

The Bishop is BACK, A Fabulous Week in the Tour of Missouri

Time's Runnin' Out...

Register now for the

Durango Fall Blaze!

Click here for info

Saturday September 27th

New Church Member...

We need this guy, this Mennonite...

We could get him vetted and run him for Vice Bishop...

Click Here

6th Annual Ned Overend & Bouré Bike Fweest, by Wade Moore

BBF VI
6th Annual Ned Overend & Bouré Bike Fweest
September 14-20, 2008

Boure Bike Fweest VI is scheduled for September 14th to 20th, 2008. These rides are not supported and are for fun. This is not a race, we just want you to join us while we do a week of our favorite Durango rides, during the (usually) warm and dry mid-September. Riders of all abilities are welcome and we have chosen rides that show off the local scenery and variety of terrain. Most rides have longer additions, or short cuts, to match your needs.

We can't force you, but we highly recommend helmets, we will be wearing ours. They are required for the Durango Wheel Club rides. Although we will provide any assistance we can, please be self supporting for road food, water and clothing. If you forget something, the local bike shops are very complete and happy to help.

*Remember that any plan is subject to change due to weather concerns or road conditions.*

The general plan for the week, which is very fluid depending on who shows up and the logistical challenges which may arise (adverse weather, road construction, etc). We have a designated place for breakfast where we will start the ride, but certainly one can be enjoyed without the other.

Daily Schedule
Breakfast at 7:45 am
Ride at 9:30am
*There will be an early start and abbreviated finishes available for each ride*

Sunday. September 14, 2008
Trimble Loop - Lemon Dam - 45 miles
Meet at bread (not the food, the bakery ending hunger one loaf at a time).
*Ride with Ned Day*

Monday September 15, 2008
Bondad Loop – up to 75 miles
*Riders should expect road-bike-suitable dirt roads.*
Meet at CJ’s in Bodo Restaurant – located 2 buildings South of Bouré World HQ

Tuesday September 16, 2008
MTB Clinic with Chad “Chainsaw” Cheeney, USA Cycling Coach Level 2 and Durango DEVO Team Coach.
*Reservations Requred (247.0339 or info@boure.com)*
or
Colorado Trail – Durango up to Champion Ventures Mine Road, down Junction Creek Rd – up to 40 miles
Meet at the Durango Diner, 957 Main Avenue

Wednesday September 17, 2008
Road Tour of the Dryside & Cherry Creek – Western La Plata County – up to 60 miles
*Riders should expect road-bike-suitable dirt roads.*
Meet at Christina’s Restaurant at the Best Western Inn on US 160 West, 1/2 mile West of downtown

Thursday September 18, 2008
Telegraph Trail System MTB Ride – up to 30 miles. Meet at the College Drive Café, 666 E. College Drive
*Ride with Ned Day*

Friday September 19, 2008
Backroads Tour to Vallecito – up to 70 miles
*Riders should expect road-bike-suitable dirt roads.*
Meet at Oscar’s, in the Town Plaza next to Kroeger’s Hardware Store

Saturday September 20, 2008
Baker's Bridge-Old Shalona Valley - 30 miles
Meet at bread (not the food, the bakerywith that wacky guy Rob), but PLEASE don't leave your car there!
*Vintage Bike Day*
*Ride with Ned Day*

The *Post Peak Oil* Racing Bicycle, by Gregg Senne

The future of cycling is now! Be the first one to own the latest and greatest! Don't let the future pass you by!

(Click on the Pic to see a large, clear version, it's fabulous. Then click your browser's "Back" button to return)

My design based on some specimens from around 1860. All the dimension are mine, as is the frame design. The earliest had no pedals or steering. One just use one's feet to paddle along and lift the front around obstacles. Steering came next. This made it possible to coast down hill at greater speed. Next came pedals on the front steering wheel. This led to the "ordinary" or penny-farthing as the desire for more speed forced an increase in the driving wheel diameter. The split in the other direction, or what came to be known as the "safety", came by putting the drive wheel behind the rider. At first there was no practical chain drive and a shaft and pinion approach required precision that wasn't generally available. But, cranks and pedals were a pretty good first approximation of a drive train. By the time the crank drive came along, wood had been abandoned for steel, except for some rim manufacturers that produced wheels with wooden rims with steel spokes into the '30's in the US.

To produce one would first require some refinements to the design. The axle diameters are just a rough guess. A lot of the ironwork could be pared down as the design progresses through several prototypes. The bellcranks for the pedals could be lightened considerably. Remember that Campagnolo produced a very light steel crankset that was for years comparable to aluminum alloy. The bearings are simple bronze sleeves mounted in blocks.

Producing wooden wheels is a highly skilled affair. Wood for spokes must be very straight. Spokes are traditionally split from a cant, not sawn. The raw spoke is then smoothed with a draw knife, spoke shave, rasp, and scraper. Some of the work could be accomplished on a lathe provided the centers for the spoke are consistent with the direction of the grain. The off center bit at the hub could be roughed out with a tablesaw and jigs. Fellies, the part at the rim that receives the spokes could be roughed with a bandsaw and rotating arm jig. Again, the direction of the grain is critical. Rims could be rolled and welded out of mild steel. Rims are usually heated to expand them, placed on the wheel, and then quenched to tighten up the whole affair. This has the added bonus of revealing defects in the joinery should the finished product be out of true.

The only other pedal design I've seen required horizontal foot motion from the rider. I made it more like a modern bike by incorporating the bellcranks to translate the back and forth to up and down. I believe this would provide some advantage on hills as one has the option of standing on the pedals. The bearings are simple bronze sleeves with a thrust surface against a step in the axle. Daily oiling would likely be required.

Elm is the traditional choice for hubs. The fibers in elm interlock to provide a wood that resists cracking. Naturally, elm hubs would be taken from cants that do not include the center of the log. An large diameter old growth log with a fine grain is a good choice. Take the cant from the outside omitting the sapwood. Season for about two years at a minimum. Bore the through hole for the axle first and then mount on centers to keep the whole thing concentric. Compression rings similar to the rim are an insurance policy against cracking. Should cracks appear, the rings will keep the hub in compression and prevent failure. Rings could be taken from a suitable diameter of seamless pipe or rolled and welded.

The glue up for the frame would start with 1/4" slats about 2 1/4" wide. The forms would have to compensate for spring back, so a few trial frames might be necessary to adjust the forms. The separate pieces would be ripped from the rear wheel end to form a fork. Again, some heating and gentle bending would be required. Rivets just behind the end of the saw cut will keep the pieces from cracking further. The two frame pieces would be glued and bolted up near the fork head. A through hole near the end provides the axle for the forks. Bronze inserts would provide a bearing surface for the fork head axle. Two solid pieces would span between the rear axle mounts and the bellcrank mounts.

The triple clamp for the forks could be cast and machined or built up from pieces. As with the spokes, the fork tines should be split to their rough dimensions and then finished with spoke making tools.

The tire might be a bit of a problem. Modern ordinaries use a strip of neoprene with a wire in the middle. The loop is completed with a simple butt joint. I assume the wire is crimped somewhere near the joint. The tire is slightly undersized. The assembly is forced onto the rim and stays there mainly by friction. Perhaps a little rim cement for tubulars would be a good idea. I saw a video on the web wherein a gentleman riding his ordinary down a grade came to harm when his tire parted from the rim. Riding on the steel rim would be foolhardy at best.

The frame and fork dimensions could be tweaked to provide some "give" to soften the ride. A saddle with some sort of springs would be helpful. Of course it would have to be leather. Give it a good soaking and then ride to fit.

A shiny brass carbide (acetylene) lamp would be a nice touch. Anyone fitting this model with a computer should be flogged and pilloried.

by Gregg Senne