T minus 2 days

Two days until departure to Iceland and the lovely North Atlantic spring weather is looking nice and cool.

Last minute water proofing of the Brooks with Dri Boot Leather Treatment

New cables for the s&s Merlin, cable splitters

Touring essentials from Andrews Designs

Reliable Ti tire levers

Top cap bottle cage mounts

Seat flask cage

ADD

One of the problems with Attention Deficit Disorder is the inability to sustain focus on a single task,   and with just one month until our departure to Iceland, my attention should be on finishing the 650b Travelers Check and converting my Merlin to one armed touring mode.
Instead I have been preoccupied this week with building up a Surly Long Haul Trucker that was relegated for XtraCYCLE duty before I was smitten with the quadruple seat stays and tricolor paint scheme of a vintage Kuwahara ATB mixty for my cargo-bike needs. 

My bike-whisperer ESP was telling me that Trucker was feeling neglected, so I went to work breathing new life into the trusty frame that carried my good friend Pete on an adventure of a lifetime. 

The end results is a dirt road tourer that is somewhat of a hybrid-homage to old ATB bikes
Rigid steel frame, wide rims, gum wall rubber, mountain gearing, ready for adventure.
Blued-steel Suntour ATB crankset, 26x1.75" Araya rims.
Smooth as silk Suzue sealed bearing hubs
cutting edge for the late 80s
Too bad I can't ride it.

The creative outlet of building this up, refurbishing old parts, and scrubbing of years of grime from the old parts helped lift my spirits after being incapacitated these past 3 weeks due to my recent injury.
I'm hoping to adopt it out to a good home so I can afford to eat next month in Europe,  as the Travelers Check build and other touring necessities have quickly drained my piggy bank over the last 2 months.

 

Thankfully, I was eventually able to refocus on the more important task at hand...

Can you say monstercross? 

 

Vee Rubber Mission 650bx2.1 ;  Fatties Fit Fine

Missing the Sun

My special lady is down in New Mexico waiting out the dark frigid weeks of mid-December, filling her days with sunshine, spicy food, lazy bike rides in the Gila Wilderness, and quality time with family and friends.

Along with the requisite 5 pounds of green chilli and fresh made tamales, she will be returning to Alaska with a lovely dark blue 43 cm Surly Traveler's Check frameset. The venerable Cross Check frame with the addition of S and S couplers allowing easy air travel sans oversize luggage fees. 

Surly Travelers Check Bicycle Frame with S and ... - S and S Machine

This will serve as great winter build project to piece together a trusty steed for commuting, fall cyclocross races, light bike-packing, and bike touring.  First tentative trip will be through France, Spain, and possibly Portugal as time allows  with a route focused on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.