canklecat

Occasionally I've ridden without a helmet -- rarely. Last time was summer 2018 when I had to get a replacement helmet after my first was slightly damaged when I was hit by a car in May 2018. I don't have a car, there's no bus to REI and I didn't want to pester a friend or call Uber. So I rode to REI wearing my boonie hat. Bought a Bell Formula MIPS. Great helmet for the money.

Then this summer I saw a horrific crash during a group ride. Caught it on video too. The fellow's front tire nicked a seam that went from flat and level on both sides to a 1" difference in height. Just enough to throw him off balance. He fell to the right, smacked his head, then slid into a curb and struck the top of his head. The helmet took the impacts, and it showed. I was closest and the first to stop, but fortunately this ride was accompanied by professional EMTs or paramedics so they attended him within a minute.

No open head injury but he was clearly in shock and the effect set in rapidly. I've seen it before, as a boxer (seeing other people knocked out -- my head is too hard), and working ER as a Navy Corpsman, and later with my mom who suffered mini-strokes and TBI's from falls. But it never gets easier watching someone suffer the effects of a concussion or more serious head injury.

I bought a spare helmet the following week so I wouldn't be tempted to ride without one again. POC Omne Air Spin, sort of a commuter helmet but with outstanding ventilation. It's mostly for my hybrids, but I've worn it on the hottest summer days because it's better ventilated than the Bell.

Hackman61

Cleaned a little and installed pedals.
Tried a picture of the new IM. Found a half frozen link in the chain that makes it like to jump on the cassette. Front tire is a 23c and the rear is a 25C. Needs new rubber for sure.

texaspandj

Oh Yeah, that'll work.
So much potential. Are you staying original or modernizing?
There's a lot to be said of the original Shimano 105 components.

seypat

Teal and white 52/54cm in Wilmington. Set up for triathloning.

https://wilmington.craigslist.org/bi...013471186.html

TriBiker19 

They didn't have clear, but I did see yellow replacement visors on Amazon as a purchase option. I'll probably get one of those. For now--no helmet. Hope the cats don't mind the bike/trainer in the kitchen...

TriBiker19 

Just be sure the measure your noggin. They're not kidding about the upper size limit. I think if I braid my hair, it's not going to fit. Seems sturdy enough and the reviews have a couple of people who crashed while wearing them. I looked through their pictures and the helmet was damaged but still intact after.

Hackman61

Texas...staying as original as I can. That's an Ironman in my opinion. Now if I can just get it clean. I did order a new chain in case I can't free up that link that makes the chain jump.

madpogue 

The noise, esp. on a hard floor, will prob. freak them out for a while. But then they'll just ignore it, just another one of those silly things humans do that has nothing to do with food, sleep or chasing each other. Besides, kitchen is an ideal location for phase 2 - connecting trainer to smoothie blender.

texaspandj

That's a 54cm.
Oh man, great price + great bike.

seypat

The person that posted it on the EBay/CL thread is a local to the listing he might be able to facilitate. Contact him if someone is interested. Here's the page.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...t-ii-2109.html

RobbieTunes

Not buying anything from a place called Monkey Junction.

seypat

I realize that being a ECU Pirate, you might not have any love for the Wilmington area or Seahawks in general. This bike is emitting some IM karma. It's in the area of the Beach to Battleship Tri or whatever it is called now if it is still going. Maybe that bike has done duty in the Beach to Battleship. Plus, I clicked on the map. If you make it smaller, there is a restaurant due east of the location called Smoke on the Water. You can't make this stuff up! Maybe I should inquire about it myself. Let me think about it. You have any connections in the Wilmington area that could do someone a solid? Segway time.

More importantly, do you have any good Beach to Battleship stories that you could share with the thread? At least let them know what it is/was about?

seypat

On an unrelated note, Monkey Junction made me think of Philo Beddoe. He was an Ironman if there ever was one.

VintageTTfan

Staying original....always a good choice IMO. That is a nice bike....congrats....let us know how you like riding it.

RobbieTunes

Wilmington is something like 4,120 miles from Barstow, CA, via I-40, which runs all the way. The Wilmington area is known for wanting tourist money but being rather hostile to tourists who do not have ample money. And racist a long way back. There was a riot there a long time ago. The very left NPR station there, WUNC, focuses on it over and over, as if it was just yesterday. But I still listened.

The most exclusive comunity there is Landfall, or it was when it declined Michael Jordan. Couldn't have him golfing there with his friends, you understand.

The beaches are owned by the citizens of NC, but the parking is not. As such, you have to walk forever to get to the beach, and the parking they do have is metered.

People are hit fairly often trying to cross over the final street. Laid back, it ain't. It's the rich's way of, you know, keeping the public off of the public beaches.

Not far away is the island where John Edwards and Al Gore live, which has a public beach, but accessible only by boat. Surfers paddle over there and then smoke and drink on the beach. Drives the rich residents nuts, and they often call the cops to report surfers on "their" beach." That never makes the news, but its a good human interest story.

The area has a history of mismanaging events, going back to the early triathlons, which had the swim events in the harbor, reeking of diesel. Probably why they can't get a decent golf tournament.

One marathon ended "near" a mall entrance canopy, only someone forgot to tell the mall...we weaved our way through the parking lot, and many arguments ensued as to who actually won.

One marathon scheduled to be to the beach and back was instead run with 4 laps around Greenfield Lake, in the dark, due to gale warnings. 36 degrees and rain, and when I stopped after 3 laps, I was one of 5 left, though I have no idea where they were, not having seen anyone all day.

A 10k was no different, from a registration area with no bathrooms, to no water on the course.

In another, I was leading by a wide margin when the lead patrol car pulled over and said he was lost. I looked back to see half the field turning L and half turning R, about 2-3 blocks back. Though I'd led at the 5k point by a good 100 yards in about 15:30, the winner was declared with a 10k time of 25:something (world record!). When I asked him about it, he said "that's what you get for not knowing the course." I reached down and took his trophy and gave it to a little kid. He said not a word.

I won a race there and one of the awards was a free condo the next year for the weekend. Alas, it had no AC, in July, the next year.

The battleship is the USS North Carolina, and on the Ironman-distance tri, you run from it and to it. That event has had its share of fiascos.

On the other hand, two of the most unique trophies I've won were a driftwood pelican sculpture and a smoked glass sculpture from the same event, the Seaside Shuffle.

A good race was the Tri-span 10k, across the 3 bridges that span the Cape Fear Ruver. I had chest pains on that, the week before my heart attack. Fittingly, we retired to Burrito Bob's , where the AC was out, so Margaritas were $5/pitcher . I ended up at a woman's house, only to be driven out in the wee hours by her parrot.

I doubt I'd race there if you paid me to show up.

There is an alligator in a pond there near Carolina Beach. A lady didn't believe it, and it ate her dog.

There you go, Pat.

madpogue 

Sounds like the subtext for a Jim Jarmusch movie and/or a Jimmy Buffett song.....

seypat

I knew you'd have some interesting stories! I'll have to hear more of the parrot story at SOTR. As I remember last year there was a hurricane mid September that shut down a ton of races along the East coast. The IM courses in Maryland and NC were basically under water.

TriBiker19 

Speaking of triathlon, there was a mistake with the Ironman Canada 70.3 medals back in July....so all the finishers received corrected ones in the mail. (reposted from a group I'm in.) 13.1km run? I'm jealous.

RobbieTunes

Well, it was fun, then sweaty, then a bit creepy.
All of which I was OK with.

texaspandj

Check out all the Dura Ace 9 speed goodness going on my '89 Summertime Blues tommorow.

RobbieTunes

You want some OEM rings for that? Or does the camera mask the bronze ?

rccardr 

You gonna put that 11 speed chain on it?

texaspandj

No, the box is for the upgrade these components were pulled for. In fact all the components came in dura ace 9100? boxes.

seypat

I'm down in the dumps. Crushed really,.........that nobody picked up on my Philo Beddoe reference. I know I'm old, but not that old. Philo's right up there with the Outlaw Josey Wales for toughness.

Hudson308 

I caught it. "Right turn, Clyde."