VIDEO: How to fix a flat bicycle tire

I found this awesome video on how to change a bike tire . The guy made the video after being stranded by a flat and had no idea how to fix it. Very thorough and covers everything from a hands on perspective.

You can check it HERE!

"Can I quote you on that Mr. McGinty?"

With a provincial election just weeks away, I found this story out of Australia very intriguing...


Google Australia has unveiled what it described as the world's most powerful dedicated election website, capable of exposing inconsistencies in the public pronouncements of political leaders. With an election due in Australia before the end of the year, Google said the website - google.com.au/election2007 - would be a powerful tool for voters and would help generate debate during the upcoming campaign.
Google's Australian-developed election site includes a feature called "On the Record", where users can type in a politician's name, along with an issue of their choosing.

It then scours parliamentary transcripts and the politician's personal website to find any statements on the issue, allowing voters to check whether their representatives are being consistent.

It also gives voters electoral information through a range of online tools including YouTube, GoogleEarth and GoogleMaps. Google said it was the first time so many features had been available on a single election website.

Inspirational Quote

Frequent reader John emailed me a quote that he said reminded him of me and the recent completion of my first ever triathlon. It still amazes me that this blog of mine reaches so many kind and caring individuals. Thank you for sending it to me and your kind words.

CHALLENGE

"There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is clarity of purpose.

This is the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to achieve it."

Leafs win...LEAFS WIN!

The game yesterday afternoon was terrific and we all had a blast. It was basically a glorified scrimmage, but it gave the kids a chance to see their hockey heroes up close and personal. We were all decked out in our jerseys. Tanyia, Lauren and I were cheering for the "white team, while my two boys cheered for the blue. For the record, blue won 5-1 over my white team...a fact that my youngest son felt he needed to remind me of for the remainder of the day.

After the game we asked someone to take this picture and I think I turned out well. By well I mean that everyone is looking at the camera, with eyes open and smiling....a very rare event for us!

The boys are back in town!

Well today is the first day of Toronto Maple Leafs training camp and if I was any more excited I'd have to change pants. OK...that was a little too much on the yuck scale, but you get the idea.

JIM IS VERY HAPPY TODAY!!!

This Sunday we are going as a family to the "Blue and White Game". It's an inner squad game where the play each other while wearing their home and away jerseys. This will be the first time we have been to a Leafs game as a family and everyone (...not just me), EVERYONE is very excited.

The best part...no matter what the Leafs win!

The first regular season game is not until October, but preseason games start next week. Around this time every year I really start to miss hockey...so thank god I get my puck fix starting next week!

Can you here it? GO LEAFS GO....GO LEAFS GO....GO LEAFS GO!!!

"New tri bike? Who needs a new tri bike"....I do?

As you may have read in my previous post, I had planed to continue using my Trek 2300 for the triathlon season next year after upgrading some key components. Well...things have changed a bit.

This week I was offered nearly 3 times what I payed my Trek. Now at first I thought there was no way I was going to sell it....I mean what are the chances of me finding the same kind of deal twice right? WRONG! While cruising eBay I stumbled across an auction for an incredible true tri bike with less then 200 miles on it, at an incredible price. Even more amazing was all the gear that was included in the sale. Check it out below!

2007 Felt S32

• Extra tri saddle
• Helmet
• Diadora Geko Size 10 shoes w./ step in clips (brand new, never worn)
• Bike Lock
• Under seat bag (for spare tires, energy gel, etc...)
• Under cross bar bag
• Seat bar mounted tire pump
• Padded shorts (brand new, never worn)
• Minoura stationary trainer
• Trek speedometer
• Aero drink
• Pedals and matching cleats

To view the actual auction page you can click here.

So I put a snipe bid in using my favorite auction software and waited. I have NEVER lost an auction using this software and hoped this would not be the first. If you are familiar with how sniping works and want to win any auction you bid on, here is the key to my success. Change the default snipe time from the standard 12 seconds to 5. No one sets it that low and because of that, I have won even when others are also using snipe software. Even if you're a casual eBay user this software pays for itself the first time you use it. How you may be asking? Well, you only place one bid with only seconds left, so no one has time to put in a higher bid and so it keeps the price down. Anyway, back to the bike....

The auction ended at about 2 am Thursday. Upon waking, I was so excited to find out if I had
won that I nearly tripped down the stairs. I slowly opened the my laptop and was greeted by "You won". "Yeah" I yelled and my kids ran over to see what had dad so excited. "It's just a bike Dad", my oldest son stated very mater of fact, then returned to his bowl of Lucky Charms.
But it wasn't just a bike to me. The S32 is my dream bike and came with an indoor trainer for the winter and a whack of other stuff. Awesome!

Why was this a better deal then upgrading my old bike? Like most things, it was all about the $. All things considered the new bike only cost me $100.

Bike Upgrade Cost: $400 ( all the upgrade parts + I would need new tires)

New Triathlon Bike: $100 ( $900 for the new bike, minus $800 from the sale of the old)

So bottom line is the this...the competition better watch out next season, 'cause I plan on knocking 5-6 minutes off my time. Smoking fast!

Update: New Links added

Ontario parks has added a very cool site that not only shows the real time progression of the fall colours in all provincial parks, but even displays what combination of colours would make for the best viewing.

You can check it out by finding the link under the "Algonquin Park Info Links" heading in the sidebar OR you can just click here.

Thanks to Mark for posting the Link.

I have also added links to Hennessey Hammock, the Amigo Pro Water Filer and Red Tail's Bent Shaft Paddle. I meant to add them ages ago, but they were somehow overlooked.

As for the fall colours, Tanyia and I are planning to take the kids out of school in October and head up to Algonquin for a day of hiking. I think we will go to the Barron Canyon, but still deciding....so many options!

Suggestions anyone?