Stuck in Lodi Again

Usual places were of course unavailable , so I headed down the (recently repaved, Praise CALTRANS) Highway 12 to Lodi. Woodbridge to be precise.

After bicycling from historic Woodbridge to Galt, I stopped by an old favorite, Fields Family Wines on East Woodbridge Road. Was very impressed! The highlights were three:

2015 Vermentino. The floral notes are there, for sure, but this refreshing white wine featured blazing (in a good way) acidity and a savory core. I am not sure I have had a wine that so strongly "activates" the salivary glands. Delicious and refreshing, with the acidity cutting through and complementing the floral character! It cost me $16 for the bottle!

2013 Old Vine Zinfandel. To some degree, this wine shared the brightness of its white wine companion! Definitely still some Zinfandel character-berry, earth, black pepper, and cinnamon! I am not a big zin drinker, but this wine was delicious with ribs!

Very enjoyable and fairly priced artisanal wines from Lodi!

You're back on the bike! Bravo. I am also a fan of vermentino, and that sounds like one I'd like.

You're back on the bike! Bravo. I am also a fan of vermentino, and that sounds like one I'd like.

Yeah. Shoulder still definitely aches and is weak, but I have a pretty well full range of motion. Am afraid to start lifting weights again. That may be January at best.

Of course, now I need to think about buying less wine and replacing bike parts. I basically need a new "drive train" (cluster, crankset, chain) as they are worn to the point of noisiness. Problem is I really want a new frame, too, and that is $$$$.

I also need to eat less so I don't wreck wheel sets.

Never buy Easton wheels. I have never repeatedly lost spokes like I have with those wheels. Luckily, I am buying soon an older set of Zipp 101s that should be more reliable. I probably need to just find a local wheel builder who can do me up a set of nice non-racing heavy duty wheels.

Brian -
Didn't know you were off your bike - hope is wasn't due to an accident.

Be a little cautious about older Zipp wheels - apparently the hubs can be troublesome. A local wheel builder is probably a good bet for reliable, but if you are looking for factory wheels, check Campagnolo (or Fulcrum, which are made by Campy). The sweet spot in the line-up is the Zonda (aka Fulcrum 3) - around 1600g and dead solid. Go to Ribble cycles website (in the UK) and see what they are going for - much better deals than buying them from the US, and pretty quick shipping (use the standard Royal Mail option, not anything higher - I can explain if you are interested).

I don't know enough about bikes to know who makes my wheel, but I know I was very disappointed with a Specialized "Rock Hopper" from 8 years ago. I am not a small guy at 220 lbs./100 kg., and I had a baby seat on the back, but I broke three spokes in the first 500 miles just riding on the pavement. With the baby, obviously, I was riding as gently as possible. Rock hopping, my sweet patoose. The shop put on a new wheel with fewer, skinnier spokes, and I haven't had a problem in 1000+ miles.

Good luck with your lengthy recovery.

Hey Brian --

Glad you're back on the bike! I didn't see your August crash post till just now -- I rarely look in Friends and Fun (probably because I'm unfriendly and unfunny?). Anyway, I'm now 3 years out from a busted shoulder from a crash: not a collarbone fracture but an AC joint separation. Like you, I was riding again within a few months. But it wasn't really until the past year that I felt like I fully recovered, got through issues with lingering pain and weakness (not so much on the bike as in the rest of life). I actually mean that to be reassuring, not depressing: I know it's a different injury, but even if it feels like it's taking a long time to get back toward 100%, don't conclude that there isn't still room for progress (especially with the help of a good physical therapist and personal trainer...)!

And while we're sharing wheelset recommendations, I'm riding H plus Son Archetype 32h rims laced to Campy hubs on my Ti road bike. Rock solid, and pretty too. I bent my derailleur hanger in the crash, but the wheels stayed true.

Brian -
Didn't know you were off your bike - hope is wasn't due to an accident.

Be a little cautious about older Zipp wheels - apparently the hubs can be troublesome.

Oh yeah. Bicycle stopped...I did not. Full superman flight onto the street. No idea what I hit...I am guessing one of the dreaded drainage grates. Broken collarbone-still a bump in my shoulder. Really annoying!

That's why I don't have the front Zipp 101 right now...it was recalled by the factory. I am riding on the rear 101 now (because the rear Easton failed finally)

Same complaints about the Easton EC70, by the way. But for me, awful spoke failure. I actually like the wheels, but I am not a thin guy, so maybe it is my fault for riding "racing" wheels, but still...frustrating. The front wheel always had a jump in the rim, also.

Bad luck recently. Bought a heavy, affordable Mavic wheel as a backup....the hub was so flawed it kept locking up and I ended up wrapping my derailleur around the frame. Weirdest thing I have ever seen!

Wishing you a fast recovery. Like Patchen, I don't regularly visit the Basement. A couple years ago I hit a piece of cement embedded in an asphalt road and went down like you describe. Luckily, I escaped with road rash and a broken water bottle holder! On a street that is used by a lot of cyclists, I sent a complaint to that town and got no reply. Carefully rode by that spot for about 6 months, and then one day it was gone! I guess the town bureaucracy moves very slowly.

It is hard to go wrong with Campy or Shimano hubs and wheels...have a friend with those Eastons and he has been having issues as well.

Glad to hear you are recovering!
Fields Family winemaker and partner, Ryan Sherman is a "Lodi Native Zinfandel" winemaker.

Salute

Glad to hear you are recovering!
Fields Family winemaker and partner, Ryan Sherman is a "Lodi Native Zinfandel" winemaker.

Salute

Yeah...I read about that project (on here and elsewhere). I should have asked Michael at the tasting room.

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Luckily, I escaped with road rash and a broken water bottle holder! On a street that is used by a lot of cyclists, I sent a complaint to that town and got no reply. Carefully rode by that spot for about 6 months, and then one day it was gone!

Joe:

I have a similar story, actually. There is a rather large port/industrial area in the City of Richmond, California (north of Berkeley fronting on the Bay) which was the site of the historic Kaiser Shipyard during WWII. The National park Service has established the "Rosie the Riveter" historic area-there are some cool old buildings (one of which now houses a multi-tenant winery), old ships, etc. They also tried to provide infrastructure for cycling without spending a ton of money. So, the City or the State (not sure who) laid a bicycle path along the main access road and separated it from the road traffic with a curb.



A gray, asphalt-colored curb.




Which I, not paying attention, misread as a continuation of the road surface. I crashed, jacked up my right rotator cuff pretty badly. Six months with no weight lifting.


Anyway...a couple months later, re-rode the route. Someone had painted the curb bright white! I must not have been the only "victim".

As bad as rotator cuffs are, I think broken bones take longer. These are honestly the only two major crashes I have had in 30+ years of semi-serious road riding!

Didn't know about the accident. Glad you are doing better now. You said the highlights at Fields were three and then listed two. Did you forget one or did you mean to say the highlights were "these."

Oh yeah. Bicycle stopped...I did not. Full superman flight onto the street. No idea what I hit...I am guessing one of the dreaded drainage grates. Broken collarbone-still a bump in my shoulder. Really annoying!

Don't worry about that bump in your shoulder. I've had mine for more than 30 years now and I almost never think about it.

Good recovery,
Anders

Didn't know about the accident. Glad you are doing better now. You said the highlights at Fields were three and then listed two. Did you forget one or did you mean to say the highlights were "these."

Oops. Yes!