San Marco Concor Light Saddle

San Marco Concor Light Saddle, originally uploaded by dancedream2002.

So I've decided to start posting all of these bike parts that I started weighing...

My favorite saddle...for now...

Selle San Marco Concor Light Saddle (2001?)
Titanium Rail
Say 220 grams. Not really that "light" but what do you expect for an "old school" saddle. But, you gotta use what feels "right!"

Cervelo Wolf TT Fork

Cervelo Wolf TT Fork, originally uploaded by dancedream2002.

650c Cervelo Wolf Carbon TT Fork (2007)
Cut Aluminum Steerer and Dropouts.
A TANK at say 600+ grams!

Cannondale Premium Fork

Cannondale Premium Fork, originally uploaded by dancedream2002.

650c Cannondale Premium Carbon Fork (2007)
Cut Carbon Steerer and Aluminum Dropouts.
Say 440grams and not really that light for a full carbon fork in the shorter 650c size!!!

Talk about lugging weight when you climb compared to all the 700c forks coming in at 300ish grams...

And so life goes on...Biking and a Window...

Cycling: Did my first higher intensity ride since the State TT on Tuesday. I gingerly got up into the 175-179bpm range for 3-1/2' and into the 180-184 range for about 1'. That felt pretty hard as I haven't had to breath that hard in a long time...

Today, wanted to get into the RED again so I rode with my Cambio team mates. Did some high rpm, high aerobic climbing at aliamanu and got into some territory I haven't been into for a long time! Did almost 2' in the 175-179bpm range, little over 2' at180-184, almost 3' at 185-189 and beleive it or not, 30 seconds at 190-191 bpms...now I remember what racing was like...

A Window...

Man and Dog...


Dog and Man...

91 years...

From New Years Eve 2008...

This past Sunday afternoon turned into a pretty sad day...
...after 91 years...bye Grandma...

From a Happy 90th Birthday last year...

We'll all be together again someday...

Japanese KitKat...

Japanese KitKat, originally uploaded by dancedream2002.

My co-worker came back from Japan a couple of weeks ago and brought me some Nihon candy. Too bad they don't have these flavors here in America.

The top is Green Tea and the bottom is Azuki. The azuki Kitkat was the best. I also had Mango KitKat, but ate that one too fast...

Happy Father's Day Dinner...

Once we figured out the family "seat-order" in our booth, we all had a nice belated Father's Day dinner at the Pearl City Stuart Anderson's Cattle Company last night. The food was good and plenty, the service really excellent, and the price very reasonable...

Lance Armstong's Saddle - San Marco Concor...

I've got a TON of old saddles and have been putting a lot of miles on my two Terry Zeros for the last 3-5? years or so.

But based on my brother's advice (actually he swithched over a couple of weeks ago to his old Concor saddle in the cromoly version and liked it), I decided to bust out my old Concor Light (Ti rail version) saddle last last Sunday and have been using it since...and it has been feeling pretty good...

And like just like I remembered a long time ago, when I went from the Selle Italia Flite to the Concor, the Concor is really narrow and lets you freely pedal straight down, versus having to bow-leg it...perhaps...maybe you can generate more power too??? Oh... Oh... NOW WE KNOW WHY LANCE RODE THIS SADDLE!!!

You gotta agree, this saddle has some great pedigree...7 consecutive Tours...for sure, some if its got to rub off??? Me and my brother both Concor (get it).

The Concor was my favorite saddle prior to my switching to the Terry, and although I rode it for many many years, because it's narrow...I guess it gave a little more "room" and I never wore it out like my Terry's.

My old faithful Zero has been getting really really broken-in, especially over the last 6 months or so...Lotta miles on this one... Well...although it didn't show decending the Pali this past Sunday, as Snopp Dogg sang in one of my favorite songs (What's My MF Name), now we know "the oki with the biggest nuts, and guess what? He is I, and I am him..." Here's to more "room!"

Lots of Riding and Some Running...

Starting from last last Saturday, I've biked (Sat), biked (Sun), ran (Mon), biked (Tues), biked (Wed), biked (Thur), rested, ran (Sat), and biked (Sun).

On Saturday, I ran the longest I have in probably a couple of years, almost 8 miles from Ala Moana around Kapiolani and back: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1991167 My legs and back and whole body really felt this run...

Yesterday, I finished off the week with a 3h 15m, 83km ride over the Pali with the D-man. That ride was really really really scary as the D-man blasted by me going down the Pali, while I wallowed $hitting bricks while my front end wandered all over the creation going down at 67kph. This is really bugging me as this usually wouldn't set in until over 70 kph...but yesterday, it felt like the front tire wasn't conneced to the handle bars.....and when I slowed down, it still felt weird...

Other than that incident, the rest of the ride was pretty good as I could ride a little harder than last week... although, getting off the bike at our mid ride stop in Hawaii Kai really let me know that I ran far yesterday...

Sunday Riding...

Woke up this morning and was very happy to to be feeling better, the best I've felt since last last Wednesday. So at about 2pm today, me and my brother went out for an easyish 3 hour ride.

Man...it's great to be feeling good again...and I guess it's because we kept it in the medium easy zone, we both finished feeling pretty fresh...

Still smiling after 3 hours...

The Real American Dream...This Is Our Time...

Last night, as everyone knew would happen, Barack finally wrapped up the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America!!!



And in accepting the nomination, Barack gave the greatest speech I have ever heard in my entire life!

Now I know what it means when my dad said how inspired people felt when JFK spoke and asked the country, "...my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Or how when MLK said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I don't think there has been anyone since JFK and MLK who had the oratory gifts to make people feel this way...until Barack decided to run for president. No wonder people follow Barack...cause he has the talent to inspire, and when you can inspire, people will listen, and when people listen, you can lead...

Some of my favorite parts of Barack Obama's speech on June 3rd:

"...because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations...

... Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again...

...So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.

And so it must be for us. America, this is our moment. This is our time.

Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment – this was the time – when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

Wow...I was truly inspired...

Barack's Got Us...Fired Up!!! Ready to Go!!!

Haven't written about this too much...but, I've been following the campaign in a very in depth way every day.

Barack finally looks to be on the way to clinching the nomination tomorrow...and looks like HRC might finally throw in the towel night too...hopefully...

'Bin sick the last couple of days...but got to watch Obama's speech at the Corn Palace yesterday. This guy's awesome...I especially liked the ending of this speech about how one voice can change the world. Fired Up? Fired Up!!! ... Ready to Go? Ready to Go!!!