From there, Shawn Raymond proceeded to get this striking piece to where it then ran straight through the struts that support the seat assembly that rides over the top of it. Speaking of seats, Shawn tackled the wheel after the had done a few more tweaks with the beautiful seat he created and got it installed and ready to go too.
What astounded me next was that Shawn figured out how to get the wheel to run straight thru the brake spoon as well as thru the center of the struts. Determining that the seat supports were triangulated, he figured out a way to lengthen one of the legs of the triangle! He would have to adjust the very rods that Jim Spillane, the man who built this perfect centennial edition replica in 1991, did not want us to play with! Well mechanical genius that he is, Shawn nailed the alignment so well that it runs more perfect than it has since I have been riding this machine!
Then I got to ride it!! But not very far. First Paul Gregg and then David Bijot and his son Alex spotted me the couple two times that I rode out of the parking lot and into the street. They stopped in to catch some of the excitement. Park Automotive Don was there too
This is what has been missing. The Buzz. After a short visit, I broke away and got out and rolled maybe ten somewhat brisk miles than involved downtown Palo Alto and Menlo Park and back. I forgot about all the cameras. I forgot about what it was like to have everyone pointing and looking at me, WoW
And all this on a machine that is now truly worthy of the gods!! I smiled the whole way. The seat feels like heaven. The wheel rolls straight true and perfect. And I've been improvising my workouts at the gym so that all the areas that were before sore if I was away from the bike for any more than a few days now feel just fine!!
And I feel a ton stronger now that I am deadlifting again. As I move toward pulling over 400 pounds out of the floor again, I think I will keep my weight workouts up. Seems I was not getting all the fitness I needed for the Eagle by only riding it and not augmenting that training with anything else....
The buzz continued even when I then stopped at the Palm Drive entrance to Stanford. There a kid who races mountain bikes for Stanford took my picture and excitedly gave me his email for my SF to Boston mail list.
My last stop was Mollie Stones. While there getting a few things for dinner, I smiled at a guy who looked familiar. We started talking. He remembered meeting me last summer at the health food store up the street. He remembered the Eagle.
I didn't know then that I was meeting the man who had invented the digital camera and who thru his company Zoran Corporation has its integrated circuit technology in markets and devices all over the world. And Dr. Levy Gerzberg who I am pictured with above is a genuine cyclist! So much so that he will be touring Taiwan with the CEO of Giant Bicycle. Giant manufactures bicycles for Trek, Scott and many other American brands!!
The Eagle soars again. THX for all of U for helping me make this dream real!
WOW WOW!! Yahoo!!
Posts
