This is my first blog posting ever. I’m still figuring this stuff out, so bear with me.

In 8 days I leave for Cape Town, South Africa with an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. I will be volunteering at a child welfare center called Silvertown Educare. The goal of this program is to improve the health, well-being, and education of children in vulnerable communities. I will be there for 3 months. I am incredibly excited and anxious for the program to begin!

Until then, I will fill this blog with my latest endeavor, building a fixed gear bicycle.
Here is the old French frame that was given to me by a friend, as well as a wheelset and chain given to me by my buddy Jake. I had to fix the stem and pedal crank, but it was starting to look like a bike!

So, after a go with a can of Krylon and a steady hand, I had the frame looking fairly nice. I went to REI with a gift card and got some cool bar wraps, and then took it to Halcyon Bike Shop to pick up my new wheel, tube, tire, cog, lock ring, and chain to convert my rear from a freewheel to a fixed gear. Fixed gear bikes are tricky because the pedals are always in motion when the bike is moving – there is no coasting. When the wheel moves, the pedals move in the same direction, allowing the rider to go backwards and forwards. So, once I had purchased everything, I took it outside to the communal work bench and put it all together. Here it is now!

I’m very proud of it. END OF LINE