So,
Since I was taking pictures of my bike (yes, sad) I decided to play with HDR again..
The new interface to HDR from Light Room 3 is rather nice -
The results -
Click for Larger
Click for larger
The Merckx Corsa Extra is done – (I will still swap out the wheels when I get a more period correct set built up)
Other than a tweak here and there (still need to shorten the SIS cable housings a bit)
Bla bla bla …
Anyway – here it is.
( I went with the white tape )
I am in a word, pleased with the results. Not bad for a $450 bike..
I also dated it as best I could – I figure it was made in ‘91 and probably first built in ‘92.
I now have five of them -
A Professional, A Corsa, a Corsa Extra, an MX Leader and my main ride, the 1XM
The last couple of evenings I scavenged most of the parts off my Roberts MAX (which needed to be stripped anyway) and moved them over to my recently acquired Corsa Extra-
And the results of the first rough fit out -
First Build Out
It’s all eight speed Dura-Ace 7400 with the exception of the campy seat post and the wheel set. I have some MA40’s for wheels and just need to swap rear hubs – Not that concerned with the seat post.
The pedals will get keo’s when I am ready to actually ride it. The only other component swap I would like would be wider bars. I need to shorten up the SIS cable housing a bit, and replace the front break housing , adjust the dangle of the bars and hight of the brifters – add some fresh tape and…. Done.. White on the tape? I hate to do it – never stays white long.. but what else would you do?
Almost there
Next up is the NOS White Corsa – Only problem with that one is I am out of components – I was thinking of just a stock 105 group (new) for that..
EDIT TO ADD:
Found these, thought I would share -
1990 Catalogue
1990 Corsa
Cover of 1990 Merckx Catalogue
Checkout the excellent Tears for Gears and The Serial number List at Cadre.org
Looking forward to upcoming rides.
For those thinking of the Century over the Border … I have uploaded the KML for your use in Google Earth, maps etc. You can find it Here.
The Route from the KML file
So, with many people expressing interest – I thought I would, somewhat jokingly, formalize the process.
Rangeley to Woburn and back. 100 miles even – Mostly flat.
Plan is to Arrive at the boathouse on Friday August 6. Ride out and back on the 7th and have a big feed that night, and drive home on Sunday.
Rain dates (called by Thursday prior) push it out by a week, and should need be, another..
If you don’t know, or have not been there, we have some humble accommodations. We can sleep quite a few and camping on the lawn is always and option. As long as you don’t mind the night time call of loons over the waves lapping on the shore of the lake… We are right on the lake in Downtown Rangeley.
This is a no-drop ride. NOT a hammer fest. Feel like getting hammered? Then you are welcome to join me on the North Yarmouth > Rangeley ride.
This IS an outstanding first century for the casual rider. You should be able to handle 6 hours in the saddle to consider riding it… but there are no killer hills and the traffic is light, and for most of the way, the pavement is perfect with wide shoulders. The ride will not split into A and B groups. We all start together and we all finish together. You are expected to have your act together and a mechanically sound ride, be able to support yourself if you flat etc.. There are a couple of stores along the way but there are vast sections with nothing but wilderness – which makes this the ride it is – Be able to carry water and food for 40 miles..
EDIT > Oh, and a passport is helpful 
If you know me, you know how to reach me – If you don’t and found this blog post via some other means, but want to do some really cool riding along the Maine / Canada boarder this summer, then you can find me via comments.
For photo’s and more from last year visit last year’s write up.
Many more that a dozen and I will call it closed – That just gets to be a lot of people. I am not worried though – Chances are it will just be me and my best bud again this year, which is fine by me..
A perfect road
I am starting to plan the next assault on my nemesis ride, from my home in Cumberland County to that tiny little hamlet in Franklin county. Two weeks ago I got slapped down – While I made it to the top of the hill, there were a few stings in the tail that I was not able to complete. For your amusement, I provide the profile from Mexico to where I got off the bike
Anatomy of a meltdown
With the regularly scheduled trip to Holderness fast approaching I am not sure when I can get the time to do this – Or, if I will do it solo again (plenty of people have said they want to but when it comes right down to it, they never do) What I would like to do this time is do the ride up – then the next day to Rangeley > Woburn Canada >Rangeley – for back to back century rides. That would be the ticket.
Oh, and the graph – The blue profile is just that – the climb profile. Notice it trends upward. The red line is my heart – that does not drop all that much.. The green line is my cadence – When that goes to zero it means that I have stopped pedaling, and on a hill like that, basically means I stopped. I had to stop a few times on the way up, never recovered, then told my self I was going to get off the bike until my pulse was below 100 – 45 minutes later it was 110 – I was in heat exhaustion heading for heatstroke. A few more miles and I got off the bike for good.
The more I ride – The more I want to ride.
It seems that June and August are when we seem to spend every weekend ‘upta camp’. Last weekend was no exception. We had a great couple of days riding. We brought the kayaks but never took them off the car.
We rode out to Eustis on Saturday with a friend of ours who day tripped up to see us, and on Sunday we noodled around the Mingo loop, and walked about etc.
If I had to post one picture to sum it up,
Sally on Mingo Loop through fields of Lupine
It has been just over a week now since I flailed on the killer century. I was wasted and near full on heat stroke at mile ninety. It was NOT like being licked by kittens.
So, yes – I was not in the same shape I was last year when I did it – both in terms of miles on the bike and weight on the bod (perhaps connected? hmm…) BUT… I was not in that bad of shape either. My legs are toned and fit and my CV system is up to the task. What got me was a hundred hard miles in the hot sun. It was the hottest day of the year, it was windy and I did not have nearly enough fluids and fuel in me for such a task. One more factor was rest – I could have slept better the night before.
I have 200 miles in this week – not bad. My ass is growing back the skin I chafed off.. and my legs feel great thus proving…
That which does not kill me makes me stronger
Bring it.
Mark Knopfler, May 4, 2010
What a great show – I am literally without words to describe it.
There are a few acts / shows on my rather personal and narrow list of must see in my lifetime. This was one of them. I am fortunate in that I have managed (thanks in no small part to my wife and best friend) to see most of them. This year alone, Mark Knopfler, Pat Metheny (8th time around?) and John McLaughlin (second or third time for him for me, first for Sally)
Mark Knopfler has a new album – ‘ Get Lucky’
Great stuff.
He closed the show with ‘Piper to the end’ in what was for me the most inspiring closing number of any act I have ever seen.
Also, someone not shy on delivering to his fans the classics they so desire – Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet, Telegraph Road, Brothers in Arms – great live renditions of all of this as well as a great selection of some of his new material all delivered like a pro, by a pro.
Thanks Mark,
That was a truly memorable night.
NARRATOR:
A love-struck Romeo sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made.
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade
Says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"
Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
He's underneath the window, she's singing, "Hey la, my boyfriend's back.
You shouldn't come around here singing up to people like that...
Anyway, what you gonna do about it?"
ROMEO:
Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet when you exploded into my heart
And I forget I forget the movie song.
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
Come up on different streets, they're both the streets of shame.
Both dirty, both mean, yes, in the dream it was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real.
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
When you can fall for chains of silver,
You can fall for chains of gold,
You can fall for pretty strangers
And the promises they hold.
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah!
Now you just say, "Oh Romeo? Yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him".
Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry.
You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die".
There's a place for us, you know the movie song.
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
I can't do the talk, like the talk on TV
And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be.
I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you.
I can't do anything, 'cept be in love with you!
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be.
All I do is keep the beat... and bad company.
Now all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme,
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time!
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry.
You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die".
There's a place for us, you know the movie song.
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
NARRATOR:
And a love-struck Romeo sings a street-suss serenade
Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
Finds a convenient streetlight, steps out of the shade
He says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"
ROMEO:
You and me babe, how about it?
Kancamagus -third and final Sagamore of the Panacook Confederacy of Native American tribes. Nephew of Wonalancet and grandson of Passaconaway, Kancamagus ruled what is now southern New Hampshire. Known as The Fearless One.
Well, thats the back story to the name -
Saturday the 24th of April was our annual trip up Kancamagus Highway. The weather was absolutely perfect with light winds, sunny skies and mild temperatures.
Route Profile
The route ran from the car up to the summit then back down the hill then left onto Bear Notch, over that hill and down into Bartlett, down 302 to West-Side Road – all the way back to the Passaconaway road and up to parking.
Sally had a great run – Stronger than the year before even with fewer training miles in prior.
Russ was finally able to join us on this classic ride and also had a great run
Quick Break before descent
The descent was clean and dry – rarely did the speed drop much below forty. The sight lines and road quality was such that you never needed to touch your breaks. Simply sitting up or crouching down was the only speed control used
Identical to last year, we made great time back to Bear Notch and stopped at the same initial rise in the road to remove windbreaks and arm warmers used for the descent.
We were pleased to find that the road was still gated closed as this meant no traffic worries and makes it one of the most looked forward to rides of the year.
The closed Bear Notch Road
Just before the summit there is a little pull out where we stopped for a re-fuel and some snaps..
Sally and Russ
Russ and I
The descent down the north side of the notch was crazy in that there were many blowdowns and debris blocking the road at various points. Many hazards that you did NOT want to hit at forty miles per-hour.
There was time for one more vista shot though – with the ‘rock pile’ in the background still snow covered
Russ
From there it was the run down the west side – a great day, a great time.
