bulldog1935
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
A tale of two Mercians -The recipe for a nice winter ride is:
Dry
Warm
Calm winds
It seems here in San Antonio we can only get two out the three at the same time. Today was warm and calm but definitely not dry.
Ron and Steve came to Alamo Heights on their bikes riding through the dense fog.
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sorry, my photos in the misty early morning twilight just didn't come out (flash was worse, just reflected the mist)
At the Alamodome
Steve's Merc will barely fit 23mm tires, and he has the skinny Portland Design Works fenders, which we needed coming in this morning - our helmets were dripping and Steve had to stop in the second block out of his neighborhood to remove his glasses for the saturating mist
Tad's sporting new wooden fenders, which he didn't want to get wet - hmmm
I still like my coffee shot
Big difference in geometry between these two '85 Mercian King of Mercia examples
These frames are all custom - the only thing King of Mercia designates is the lug set used on the frame.
Tad's is taller, much shorter top tube, though still longer wheelbase, much more relaxed geometry with low trail and the head tube raked way out - all about comfortable touring.
Steve's is aggressive, shorter overall, longer top tube, shorter chainstays, lighter gauge tubing, steep head angle and low fork offset - built for racing
after our 28 miles from Castle Hills, in to ride with the group, coffee and back, and good round of 9-ball, Steve made a great pasta lunch. He steeped the marinara yesterday, which he also uses in his homemade pizza - Steve's freezer is always stocked with gourmet food he can turn into an extravagantly simple meal - he's better than Trader Joe's.
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