I have been working on a new bicycle design for three and a half years now. Today with the help of my Grandson, Patrick, we have created a mount for the auxiliary motor drive. The drive systems are all complete. It is now time to take everything back apart and paint the frame.
I recognize that there has been a long silence from our end here on our blog. With all of the rain this fall there has been very few good opportunities to progress on the new bicycle and we have been spending our time with the family here in Gilroy, California.

Whenever we are in the Gilroy area I spend time volunteering at the Wings of History in San Martin. They have a good collection of sheet metal forming equipment and this weekend Patrick and I used the equipment to bend aluminum stock to form the mount for the electric assist.
Last week I was able to get a chain tensioner to complete the stoker drive train. I struggled with this part of the design for a long while. I had used a standard derailleur to take up the slack in the drive chain. The bulk of the derailleur was too close to our feet on both the captain and stoker positions and would clip our ankle bone with each revolution of the pedals. I found the perfect solution in Portland in September, a chain tensioner for use when you convert a multi-geared bicycle to a single speed or as in our case to a bicycle with internal gearing. I ordered a second unit but it was back-ordered. Several months went by and the bike shop seemed no closer to filling the back order. I finally located a direct link to the factory and picked up the second tensioner. Love that internet!

Speaking of the rain; I am desperate for a solution to a real problem I am having in my trailer shop. In the cold weather with rain all the time, all of my tools are just sitting here rusting. I have been painting them with a special elixir that I concocted. It is equal parts of “Marvel Mystery Oil” and ATF. Now I am discovering that when I work over the cold steel of my lathe the moisture from my breath settles on the surfaces and settles right through the oil and next morning there is a new patina of rust all over the polished metal ways of the tool. I haven’t tried Cosmoline yet, but I can imagine how messy that can be. If you have a good solution, please add a comment.

On other fronts; we are staying here in Gilroy one more week. Judy has an appointment with a doctor here in San Jose to get another treatment for her Macular Degeneration. The series of shots she took in Portland have cleared up her vision. This is something that she will have to repeat at about 8 week intervals but it is working and that is wonderful. After that we are headed for the warmer weather in the deserts of California and Arizona. There will be Bluegrass in Blythe, visiting in Lake Havasu and then to the Phoenix area to visit my doctor.
Finally we will close and wish you all a happy new year
Gary and Judy