REVIEW: Bar n Mirror

The Topeak Bar n Mirror is an important staple on both of my bikes. I generally use my bikes for urban riding and don't like any dangly parts jutting out from my bike, so I naturally dislike the usual mirrors found on bikes. I also like things that do double duty if possible so I don't have to mount as many things to get the job done. The mirrors are much improved over a previous model I had, now incorporating a convex fold-out mirror to give a much wider view of the road. Mind you, getting them set up is a little tricky as you have to determine a happy medium for where your bars want to sit and the best view for the mirrors.

The mirrors are adjustable when you pul them out but only to a point and it is essential to get the angle right on the handlebar. Durability is not an issue, as I have had my older model for 7 years with no problems and the bike has taken plenty of tumbles with nothing but cosmetic damage. I would not recommend them for people that do more long distance riding, the view is good, but there are mirrors with a much better view. But for something that stays out of the way when you need them, they work great and I highly recommend them!

Updatish

Been a while, so thought I would try to do a quick update rundown....

Indiana Microbrewers Winterfest

Quick trip toIndianapolis. Great people, good food, some great beers. Still going through growing pains, they really need to get a handle on the bathroom situation! Had one of the best beers ever from Schlafly and one of the worst from a place ever that will remain nameless.

If you ever go to Indy, go to vBrugge Brasserie in the Broad Ripple area. They have great beer and awesome food! I had a Duck Confit sandwich, probably one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. They have a large patio area which I'm guessing would make the place a great warm weather place to hang out.

Also, would like to mention the great stay we had at the Homewood Suites north of Indy. One of the best chain hotel stays we've had... great staff and great rooms. Had most of the perks we like... really enjoyed the all day coffee in the lobby!

The Giant Returneth

For those that don't know the old Giant bike has returned to my bike garage! It was found by the great guys of the West Allis Police Department. Apparently it was involved a chase as the person who stole it was pegged for robberies in West Allis. The police gave chase with him on the bike, it dumped it and was apprehended. So he got nabbed for a bunch of offenses in West Allis and Milwaukee thanks to me and my bike.

B's Knees

Been slowly getting back to riding the bike as I have continued my tradition of doing things to hurt my knees by going too fast down a hill cross-country skiing at Lapham Peak. Hopefully I will be healed enough this summer to do some runs. It hampered some of my skiing but luckily I have a slightly bent pole to remind me of the event.

Food

Went to Tenuta's in Bayview for our Valentines day tradition this year. Some of the best pizza I've had. Service was good although they were backed up in the kitchen, but made up for it with drink offers and free dessert. Very friendly and cozy place. Great little neighborhood restaurant that we will be visiting again!

The Comet boys and girls did a fine job on another Secret Supper Club. Less my tastes as there was a lot seafood, but it was good. The beer pairings as always were spectacular, the beers really enhanced the food selections across the board. And of course beer school has continued with the ever-knowledgeable Sam.

Shpinx Coffee opened up right down the block. Great little place with a friendly staff. Hopefully they stick around for the long haul. Nice to have a local morning place to go to nearby... and bonus, it's on my morning bike route!

So among a busy work schedule and other things like visiting friends and family, it has been a busy start to the year so far. Have some exciting things planned and lots of stuff to keep the MINI busy, so there's a lot to look forward to!

Adventurous catch-up

As some may or may not know I had the fortune to have a quite adventurous month back in November. What for some was another day on the job , I got elected to climb almost 300 feet in the air. I honestly didn't think I would make it, thankfully the experienced people had some good advice going up. Thankfully, there were multiple platforms on the tower going up to stop on to rest, which were needed due to lack of me moving my arms more than a few inches on any giving day. One of my colleagues dropped out of the climb before the first platform! It was amazing to be up there and have a new found respect for the guys who do that kind of stuff everyday without flinching.

****heads

Open letter to the ****heads that stole my bike.

Thanks a lot. Luckily I can ride my creaky, awkward 20 year bike until I get a replacement. Thanks for taking all the mounts for accessories that I might have used on that replacement. Oh, and thank for leaving me with a number of items that are now useless without their respective parts. Thanks for needlessly inconveniencing me. But on that note...

Good luck parting that worn out bike you just stole. Good luck selling the worn out fork, the over-stressed rims, the on-it's-last-legs derailers, and the flattened-out unmoving seat. And good luck doing anything with usless half accessories on the bike. I think you might get something for the pedals.

****heads.

UPDATE: Thanks to the MPD guys for taking their time out to check out my case!

New Stuff

We've been working on the interior front door since Memorial Day weekend. It's done! Bill did most of the work and it looks great. It was a lot work with lots of layers of paint to remove. He replaced the glass, added trim over it instead of the glazing that was on it previously. It has a new lock too.

Also this weekend...

Hall's Jewel Autumn Leaf Pattern.
I found this at an estate sale. $60 for the lot. Oh, I forgot the coffee server that came with it. No lid on a couple pieces. None of the dishes/bowls are complete. I recently started collecting this. The lot is average condition, over all. Some pieces look hardly used, others have cracks (unusable) or some with lots of nicks in them. After researching prices, giving the lowest prices, I came up with $407. So even if I over-estimated by $100, I still got a steal!

Summer, Summer, Summer

Well, here it is July 11th, summer is almost 1/2 over and what do I have to show for it?

We've done a ton of good stuff this summer. We've ridden our bikes and the bus a ton more than in the past. We've tried several new restaurants and bars (one with beer tastings, don't tell Comet). There's the Brewers, of course, more games to come, hopefully the playoffs, too.

Our yard looks pretty good, it hasn't been too hot, so the grass is still green. I almost have enough plants in the garden that take care of themselves. We've been working on an interior door since Memorial Day weekend. Not everyday of course, but we both thought it should have been done by now. We should have takes pics as we went, it's been quite the challenge to turn it into something we can be proud of, but I think we're almost there.

The cats have been enjoying themselves outside this sumer, as usual. Pollack found a baby mouse, but luckily Bill caught her and it ran off. Otherwise, they've been leaving the wildlife alone.

I don't think we've grilled enough this year yet. We've been going out with our friends from Philly (and Milw.) quite a bit. We've also been hitting the festivals more than usual. We found Chill on the Hill in Bay View. Blows Jazz in the Park out of the water. Good thing no one reads this blog, or it would be all crowded the next time we go. :-)

We have a beer tasting in Madison planned for August and probably a trip in October, but that's about it for travel plans. Madison doesn't really count as 'travel.'

I just thought I would drop a note since I hadn't posted in a while, I'm still here!