Scott's Bicycling Page
 One of my favorite hobbies has always been bicycling. I started BMX racing when I was 10. As a teen, I opted for the speed of a 10 speed road bicycle. I owned four bicycles during my first year in the Coast Guard. My first 12 speed road racing bicycle set a high standard for future bicycles in my collection. I've had many bicycles over the years, but I've kept four. |
1997 Trek Y5
One of my favorite bikes is my TREK 24 speed full-suspension mountain bike. It features an aluminum frame, Shimano LX components, Manitou front suspension with three inches of travel, and Vanilla coil-over rear suspension with four inches of travel. It handles like a dream on the trails. Purists feel the rear suspension takes away speed and power. I've decided that comfort is more important to me than speed. I learned my lesson about riding too fast after a brutal crash in 1996. Now I take pride in being able to actually RIDE the entire trail. Most riders leave me in the dust while going downhill. But I often catch plenty of them once we get to a technical climb... especially if they're pushing their bikes up the climb on foot! Control and technique are the keys to technical climbing, not power. I have two sets of wheels for this bike so I may ride off-road with knobbies and on the street with slicks. Changing wheels is much faster than changing tires.
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1987 Cannondale SR-500
My CANNONDALE will probably never go away. Even though it's old, it's also simple and reliable. It was built for racing, so it's light and responsive (for its time, anyway). Made from aluminum, it's very rigid and precise for racing criteriums. Its main drawback is that same rigidity makes it unforgiving on long cycling tours. It has first generation Shimano 105 components and a six-speed screw-on freewheel. Today it is considered "Vintage Cannondale" and is a relic for sure. This bike took a rather long vacation when I hung up competitive cycling in 1996 and opted to pursue some off-road riding. I tried riding it in 2010 after a long hiatus from cycling. But I could not get comfortable. I added carbon fiber forks, a carbon fiber seat post, a high rise stem, and handlebar-mounted shifters. I also worked on the "engine" for about 1300 miles on the Y-bike. The Cannondale is much more comfortable to ride now. I even rode it in the 2011 BIKE MS RIDE. I plan to get another bike someday, especially if Joanne takes an interest in returning to cycling. The bike's current set up enables it to fit both my wife and me by simply swapping out seat/posts.
The most prized attribute of this bike is that I was able to get it repainted and rebadged before Cannondale switched to their "new" logo. The head tube logo on this bike features the original logo with the Cannondale train station. There probably aren't a lot of these floating around anymore. In fact, most of today's cyclists aren't aware the logo was ever anything besides a "C". |
1991 Burley Duet
Joanne and I also have a BURLEY Duet 21 speed Tandem bicycle. We've riden on many organized tours in several states. We once raised over $1000 for the American Diabetes Association by riding in the Whidbey Isle 50 mile bicycle ride. This achievement got us published in the Commandant's Bulletin (now Coast Guard Magazine), the official magazine of the US Coast Guard. The tandem has seen a few upgrades that should last us for quite some time. The latest improvement, added after the poor bike sat in an attic for five years, was the addition of a child conversion kit. Now my daughter and I can ride the big blue bicycle. She feels like the coolest kid in the neighborhood on that thing and can certainly ride faster with me than she can alone! One of my other tandem endeavors was to open my stoker seat (rear seat) to blind athletes. I contacted the UNITED STATES ASSOCIATION OF BLIND ATHLETES and eventually connected with some blind stokers. My ship's deployment schedule prevented me from committing to a full season of racing/training. However, duty as a "training pilot" or recreational pilot was well served. I eventually left the blind community since they're frequently concentrated in very large cities. Perhaps I'll be able to pilot for blind riders again some day. Feel free to contact me if you live between Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, VA. |
1995 Mongoose Hilltopper SX
This is my first mountain bike after my stint as a road racer. I had done a lot of riding on the road, sometimes over 700 miles per month, and had frequently longed to explore trails. I was riding a Trek 2200 road bike made from carbon fiber. It was an awesome bike; but it wasn't tolerating the load of my ham radio equipment very well. I had spun out the bottom bracket, pitted a headset, and cracked the rear wheel. I decided to trade in the Trek for something a bit more durable that I could also take off-road. So I bought a 21 speed mountain bike. It has Shimano Alivio components and RockShox front suspension. It was a great starter bike. It became my daily commuter and I even made an 1100 mile tour from Miami, FL to Ft Eustis, VA on this bike. I eventually transferred to Cape Cod where the trails feature lots of rocks... BIG ROCKS. After a while, I grew tired of always having to stand while riding over large rocks and roots, especially if I had just finished a grueling climb. Standing was just as tiring as climbing the steep hills. So I demoted the Mongoose from favorite bike to loaner when I bought my Y5 above. I find myself interested in loaded touring rides. So I'm planning to bring this bike out of retirement by upgrading it to 8-speed cassette and carbon front fork. The mountain gearing and rack mounting points will be especially beneficial when carrying loads through the mountains.
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Someday... This is my dream bike, which isn't a bicycle at all. This is one of many tricycles available from TERRATRIKE. It's a known fact that recumbent bicycles are the ultimate in touring comfort. They put an end to sore backs, sore necks, and sore butts. Recumbents also hold all bicycle speed records. Well, a tadpole-configured tricycle takes things a step further. The rider sits a little lower for better aerodynamics. With three wheels, there's plenty of stability. You never have to unclip from your pedals at a stop. Two FRONT disc brakes yield plenty of stopping power. Tricycles are typically more expensive than recumbent bicycles. But the investment is sound given how long I tend to keep bicycles around. With one of these under me, I'd definitely participate in another long bicycle, I mean tricycle tour. I hope to be riding one of these in the future. |
