What's on your bike related "Life List"?

[MattTuck]

I've been pretty fortunate in my life in that none of my close family has passed away since I was a kid. However, over the last month I have two friends, one who lost both of his parents, and one who lost both of his grand parents.

With an eye to my own mortality, I've been constructing a pretty extensive Life List (some call it a bucket list). Obviously a few of the items are bike related.

Ride across the US
Bike 5,000 miles in a year
See a bike race in Europe
Participate in a bike race
Wrench my own bike
Spend a few weeks cycling around Santa Ynez, CA in the 'winter'


What's on your cycling related list?

[dave thompson]

The last bike item on my bike 'bucket list' is to attend a frame-building class and construct a frame. Paint it, put my name on the downtube and ride it a lot.

[HugoBear]

The last bike item on my bike 'bucket list' is to attend a frame-building class and construct a frame. Paint it, put my name on the downtube and ride it a lot.

That would be cool….

[texbike]

I'd like to just jump on a bike and go. Wander and make it up along the way.

Texbike

[gomango]

My wife has her family in Bavaria near the Chiemsee area.

That would be my journey's starting point.

I would love to ride through the Alps and the Dolomites. Our destination would be a small family farm house in the countryside near Anconna, Italy.

Her uncle and three family members did it four years ago, but the timing was off for me.

Truly an adventure I would enjoy, especially while I still have enough left in the tank to take on the climbing.

[soulspinner]

Wanna have the time to ride as much as I want to :cool:

[Lewis Moon]

Ride until I can't.

[John Price]

Done and Done...

1 - Ride L'Eroica - done in 2012 (135K route plus another 5k or so since I got a bit lost at the end).

2- Build my own frameset - done some years back. This is even the bike I rode in L'Eroica. Guessing not too many riders there have ridden their own creations.

To do...

1 - Go back and ride L'Eroica twice more - the 200K route and the 75K route. 200K just because, even though I was tired at the end of 135K I didn't want it to end. Plus the sense of accomplishment for such a ride. The 75K route as that seems to be the route with the most "characters", past heroes, unique bikes...

2 - Ride a century with my wife. She's not much of a rider - yet. But a friend of her's has challenged her to ride a century. We tried it last year at the Elephant Rock here but the HIGH winds were killing her so we bailed early. Hopefully we can do this this year.

3 - As I near retirement (okay 15-20 years out!) I want to get so I can build framesets on my own (was supervised on my first one) and then build them as a hobby (not looking to get into the biz). Build for myself, family, and friends.

Other than that, there are lots of rides I want to do but not really Life List stuff.

John

[phcollard]

Good thread Matt!

My cycling related backlog in no particular order...
- Build a lugged or fillet brazed steel frame
- Paint the above frame
- Ride solo from Liège to Bastogne and back
- Attend NAHBS
- Ride at least one of the TdF cols
- Lose 20 pounds :D
- Fly back to Flanders with my GF for another bike tour and enjoy some beer and goodies with her along the sea

[oldpotatoe]

Probably ain't gonna be able to do it, too much$, not enough time.

But 'follow the Giro' tour, ride the stage or part of it, fully sagged, VIP access to team areas, transportation to/from, massage, good wrench to clean/prep bike each day. Catered, vino, good Euro beer......etc.

On a S&S EPS Moots, of course.

[Jeff N.]

Have a custom fixed gear/single speed frame built with S&S Couplers. I think that'll be sooner rather than later.
Bike in France and visit Normandy, where D-Day was.

[pjmsj21]

Not sure this is my "encore career", but it is under serious consideration that being; developing and owning a retail outlet that is part bicycle shop and coffee/pub bar.

[OtayBW]

Kiss the prettiest woman in the world. Wait. Wrong list.

[oldpotatoe]

Not sure this is my "encore career", but it is under serious consideration that being; developing and owning a retail outlet that is part bicycle shop and coffee/pub bar.

Bring a sense of humor and lotsa $.

[moose8]

Bike the ring road in Iceland, or the even less likely to happen cross the interior on a bike. People have done it, but it seems kind of crazy and amazing at the same time.

[pinoymamba]

own a moots with super record 11 and to ride it in europe.

[Jeff N.]

Not sure this is my "encore career", but it is under serious consideration that being; developing and owning a retail outlet that is part bicycle shop and coffee/pub bar.I've tossed that idea around too: A bike shop on one side, a beer bar with about 20 of the finest Ales/IPA's in the world on tap on the other side. Call it "The Finish Line Brew and Cycle Works", or something along those lines. Jeff N.

[Fishbike]

More time to ride.

L'Eroica.

Been to the TdF. Would love to watches stages of the Giro and Vuelta to complete the trifecta.

Visit Dario at his shop.

Order a Landshark with fish on it.

More time to ride.

More time to ride. . . .

[macaroon]

Good thread!

I'd like to:

Get a bike fit (in the new year hopefully!)

Ride in the Dolomites

Get a custom frame (not sure which builder, I like the look of Strong and Tommassini)

Ride 10000 miles in a year

[Bob Ross]

Win a race for my age group when I'm 95.

[Lewis Moon]

When I think back to some of the "diamond" experiences I've had, they usually take place on a training ride.

...like topping out on a Rist Canyon ride; completely knackered.... it's morning in Colorado, it's cool, the fields are green, the sun is warm and the smell of pine is sweet.

I'll never have that one again. The place burned.

[Germany_chris]

Witness a TdF stage
Matching Sachs road and cross.
Retire to Mallorca hang out with the wife and not drive again.

[biker72]

Tour San Francisco and San Diego on my bike.

[giverdada]

build a frame and paint it
do a supported tour, eating and drinking my way through italy or the alps or…
rebuild a set of campy shifters
climb mortirolo and l'alpe and ventoux
race
do leadville or trans rockies
ride with my wife
ride with my dad
ride with my girls when they are so fast they have to wait for me



and the list goes on...

[gdw]

Ride the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Grand Loop.

[PaMtbRider]

Ride in all 50 states. Over half way there and already got Alaska and Hawaii.

[Elefantino]

Items on the bucket list, completed (√) and yet to be completed (__)

See the Tour √
See the Vuelta √
See the Giro __
Climb the Alpe d'Huez √
Climb the Galibier √
Climb the Ventoux √
Cover a race for VeloNews √
Do RAGBRAI √
Ride with Robin Williams √
Go to mechanics school √
Get a job in a bike shop √
Build my own frame __
Own a Serotta √√√√√√
Own my own custom DeSalvo __ or Terraplane __
Ride with Merckx __
Visit the chapel at Ghisallo __
Visit the factory at Vicenza __

All in all, I'm a pretty lucky man.

[Doug Fattic]

The last bike item on my bike 'bucket list' is to attend a frame-building class and construct a frame. Paint it, put my name on the downtube and ride it a lot.
Before I die of natural causes I want Dave Thompson to take one of my 3 week framebuilding classes :). Here are some pictures of frames made by students in one of my classes this year. They did everything start to finish including all the painting in class. Well actually I did the actual painting but they did all the prep work. Not everyone has the ability or aptitude to make more frames after the 1st but Herbie and I can get you through any tough spots during class. Niles, Michigan is an Amtrak stop. You just need to change trains in Chicago.

[David Tollefson]

Ride with Robin Williams √


Robin Williams is on my short list of people I'd love to sit down with for lunch. So I gotta ask -- how was it?

[tiretrax]

I second everything I've read except RAGBRAI (turned down chance to ride it this year - too hot, too crowded) and riding with Robin Williams (substitute Old Potatoe and Velotel - must add be able to keep on his wheel even though he's 15-20 years +).

I would like to be able to ride every great tour out there, such as - RTR and the Bicycle Tour of Colorado back to back, the Divide, the 100 cols challenge, L'Eroica and the Montana classic ride, etc.

I love the idea of building my own coupled bike. I recently read the blog article about the woman who made a frame at the workshop in Colorado. That needs to happen soon!

[mike p]

I've raced for a lot of years so most of my bucket list involves other stuff. I'd love to do some long distance touring. Across the US, from Alaska to Argentina, that sorta thing. Would also love to do some biking in Europe. Do the famous climbs...Mt ventoux, Alpe d'Huez.....etc,etc.

Mike

[Louis]

Wrench my own bike

This is by far the simplest one to address:

Since you already have two "complete" bikes, add a few hundred bucks worth of cycling-specific tools, a decent work stand, whatever general-purpose tools you don't already have, find an open spot to work, and do a complete tear-down of the Lemond, clean it up, replace stuff that needs it, grease up the old stuff, put it back together, and you're 95% of the way there.

[Climb01742]

1. Ride one of the great climbs in Europe, maybe Ventoux, but not just get to the top. Train seriously for it, get skinny, and ride to the top as fast as_I_could. To just know on the day that I got everything out of myself I had.

2. At the other end of the intensity spectrum, spend two weeks in Italy, doing rides by day, as long and leisurely as my moods dictated, through lovely landscapes, then eat to my hearts content each night, with my family all around.

3. Lastly, somehow move to Central California, find a small house and ride every day without ever seeing a flake of snow again!!!

[thenewguy11]

RAAM - solo or team
Paris-Brest-Paris followed by a week in Provence
A cyclocross race that I read about on the Forum in Scotland (I think) that is part hiking/part off road riding. It looked really cool, and if anyone knows what I'm talking about I'd appreciate a pointer.
Go for a real ride with my son who's now 4 and daughter who's now 1.
Spend a month in Italy riding and relaxing.

[gomango]

Not sure this is my "encore career", but it is under serious consideration that being; developing and owning a retail outlet that is part bicycle shop and coffee/pub bar.

Here's your model.

Great shop, delicious coffee.

http://angrycatfishbicycle.com/

[SpokeValley]

In no particular order:
Go to bike mechanic school.
Learn to build wheels and do it.
Buy a nice vintage steel frame for cheap that needs some love...and love it.
Build a lugged steel frame that's hopefully rideable forever.
Build the wheels for said bike.
Ride self contained across America.
Ride RAGBRAI for the 4th time with my bestest buddies that are scattered across the country.
Ride a century or fondo with my wife this year.
Buy a custom Ti frame from Moots or Strong or Seven
Buy a custom steel frame from KB or Ellis or Kirk
Ride 4,500 miles in 2014
Organize a cycling fund raiser for a worthy org.
Ride with my nearly grown kids and hope I can kick their asses.
Echo the Bike/Coffee/Beer business...would be fun, but probably a long shot.

Hope Santa is listening :beer:

[charliedid]

Anchorage to Tierra Del Fuego.

Edit: On a bike I made with Doug Fattic. :-)

[Llewellyn]

To ride the #$%@ out of my Llewellyn

[Schmed]

My list:

> Own a bike shop - when I'm wealthy and don't need to worry about making a living. Just do it for fun, and make customers happy

> Bikepacking. A 4 day trip sounds fun.

> Build a man-cave / bike workshop / bike shed in the yard, complete with refrigerator, tunes, couch, etc.

[Frankwurst]

Get out of bed another day and be able to throw my leg over the bike and take another ride.:beer:

[Tandem Rider]

I have some checked off, some close, some still to do.
In no particular order,

To do:
See my kids become happy, productive, and contribute to the world
Tandem tour in Europe, see TDF, & visit with Mrs. TR's family (same trip??)
Ride across USA
Win a jersey at Nationals (got a medal but no shirt yet)
Clean up the shop and have it stay that way for at least a week
Leadville
Mount Evans
Furnace Creek

Done:
Build a house for my family with my own hands
Race with my wife on a tandem
Ride or race with my kids (so far just my oldest)
Build frames
Tour on a tandem with my wife (twice)
Winter backpacking trip
Chequamegon 40
Double Century

I see that the list is only half done but I'm over half done, I'd better get busy..

[bewheels]

It is interesting to read other's wish list because I, and am sure many others on this forum, have had the opportunity to do many of the things that people are listing. It makes me realize that there are many experiences that I take for granted that are "wish list" items for others. And it is great to see that nearly everyone's list are largely doable items. So far no one has "win the Tour" or things like that.

[ceolwulf]

- win the Tour

[joep2517]

If lucky enough I'd like to:

In the short-term, get healthy enough so that I can ride again - my goal for 2014 is to ride the Fireflies West ride completing every mile, and ride 4,000 miles in the year.

Go to a frame building school and build my own road bike,
Become proficient in welding so I can build my own frames
Go to bike mechanics school,
Take my CAAD10, redesign and repaint it,
Do the European Fireflies ride,
Ride across America for Leukemia research,
Ride RAGBRAI with my Fireflies Family,
Follow the TdF and Giro, stage by stage,
Go to some of the Spring Classics - Roubaix, Flanders, Fleche Wallone, etc.,
Climb Ventoux, Alp D'Huez, Galibier and Tourmalet, and
Have Sacha build me a custom Vanilla frame.

[Climb01742]

Done:
Build a house for my family with my own hands


Wow. That's impressive. Congrats. Sorry for thread drift, but is there a story behind doing it? Seems like a very satisfying thing to do.

[kramnnim]

Hmm, my lack of family obligations allows me to ride more than most people... This year I was able to see several Tour stages and ride up AdH, Glandon, Galibier, up and down the Champs-Élysées... (very bumpy). Would love to go back to spend more time, though...

I think it would be nice to have a bike related job, but maybe mixing work and play would take the fun out of play?

As far as fitness goes, I'd like to get to where 5 hour solo centuries were possible and not unusual...

[choke]

Spend a week (or more) in Italy or France, just riding around.
Climb the Stelvio.
Visit the Madonna del Ghisallo.
Go to Cino Heroica.

[chengher87]

Angilru/Cuitu Negru
Zoncolan/Mortirolo
Alpe d'Huez/Ventoux

Two from each of the three Grand Tours. Not one after the other mind you....I might not even climb to the top of any one of those climbs.

[rain dogs]

The background:

√ Fall in love with riding bikes again - (compacted/recycled my 1 and only car in '02 - t'was impulsive and difficult)
√ Go to design school (designed a bike for my grad project)
√ Do some crazy rides on my bike... to learn suffering (stories best told over beer, vs the interwebs)
√ Ride a ton in Europe and find a truly beautiful place
√ Start a cycling brand (unexpectedly Cima Coppi is what it became...)

The vague future "life list":

___ Some very realistic version of being in the Pyrenees, in Spain, with an indeterminate evolution of our brand. With some land. With a house. With my partner. With cyclists coming and going. Like a B+B for cyclists and a small sew shop? Who knows? With other bike obsessed goofballs like me, like you folk visiting, riding, touring, dining... seeing the Tour... the Vuelta... Europe. Small groups of strangers brought together by a love of bikes riding long days in the sun and drinking wine in the evening....telling tall tales at night. There'd be some fire and Whiskey me thinks...

It's really one big long process. We're..... somewhere in there?

I'd like a modest, happy life. It's a nice dream. :)

[bironi]

I want to do a century ride that is all downhill with perfectly banked corners, drops oodles of k's in altitude (I never have to take a pedal stroke unless I feel the urge), with beautiful views, speeds approaching 60 mph, on a beautiful clear day with temps in the low eighties, beautiful scantily clad young women line the route cheering me on. Relax over a good meal, beer and conversation after. How many lives do I have to live?

[buddybikes]

Pretty simple, get my knee, periformis, SI joint and facet calmed down so I can do a metric century. Getting old sucks...

[jtakeda]

I'd like to ride across Japan or Europe. I also wouldn't mind riding Australia

[ceolwulf]

___ Some very realistic version of being in the Pyrenees, in Spain, with an indeterminate evolution of our brand. With some land. With a house. With my partner. With cyclists coming and going. Like a B+B for cyclists and a small sew shop? Who knows? With other bike obsessed goofballs like me, like you folk visiting, riding, touring, dining... seeing the Tour... the Vuelta... Europe. Small groups of strangers brought together by a love of bikes riding long days in the sun and drinking wine in the evening....telling tall tales at night. There'd be some fire and Whiskey me thinks...

You've got a customer/visitor, whenever you open :)

[raygunner]

Great Divide mountain bike route. Not the race, just want to ride the route.

[Elefantino]

Robin Williams is on my short list of people I'd love to sit down with for lunch. So I gotta ask -- how was it?
It was alternately funny (Phil Liggett commenting on sex) and poignant (talking about our moms and growing up in the Bay Area).

And he was super, super strong.

[Tandem Rider]

Wow. That's impressive. Congrats. Sorry for thread drift, but is there a story behind doing it? Seems like a very satisfying thing to do.

Cliffnote version: Daughter was premature and having big health issues before age 2, built a minimal toxin house, issues disappeared 2 months after moving. Gave me control over everything that went into house.

"Coolness" wears off after the first 3 months of 16-18 hour workdays, Christmas was the only day off.

[mike p]

Very cool shop! Thanks for sharing!

Mike

Here's your model.

Great shop, delicious coffee.

http://angrycatfishbicycle.com/

[martl]

√ Lace a wheel that holds
√ restore a C&V bike from scratch
√ visit l'Eroica
√ get rid of the factory bike and order a one-of-a-kind from Dario
√ find a basement for my hobby-workshop and fiddle around with C&V bikes
√ ride some classic roads in Italy, Switzerland and France
√ race the Stelvio
√ kick some lazy politicians ass until he/she revokes the silly bike-unfriendly descision he/she made

to do:
- build my own frame with my own hands
- leave the house with nothing more than a bike and a backpack and go without time constraints wherever i wanna go for as long as i wanna go

[Ralph]

I've done most of the things I ever wanted to do. Beginning to slow down now in my wants it seems.

My son builds frames (Jonathan Greene Cycles), I ride one (Campy equiped) proudly every day, and a new one is currently under construction (latest metal....Enve fork).....so have no bike wants. Also enjoy my son's success in his main career and frame building carreer more than if I was doing it.

Hopefully I can take my bike and a minivan, and spend about a month in Colorado front range next late summer or early fall. That's about it. Fairly modest bike goals. I ride about every day now in excellent riding environment.

[Tom]

Qualify for RAAM.

PBP

[MattTuck]

Reading all these, I am impressed with the number aspiring to build their own frames. That would be pretty great. Also, building your own wheels would be very useful, and a bit empowering. Like learning magic.

One I might add to my list is cycling across new Hampshire in a single day. Choose the level of difficulty by how far north you create the route.

Also, am pretty humbled by the folks just desiring more time to ride. As a few have mentioned, a great place to store and work on bikes would be fantastic.

[bironi]

Reading all these, I am impressed with the number aspiring to build their own frames. That would be pretty great. Also, building your own wheels would be very useful, and a bit empowering. Like learning magic.

One I might add to my list is cycling across new Hampshire in a single day. Choose the level of difficulty by how far north you create the route.

Also, am pretty humbled by the folks just desiring more time to ride. As a few have mentioned, a great place to store and work on bikes would be fantastic.

Yep. I just brought my De Rosa into the house to do a bar wrap, too cold in the shop.

[mike p]

You learn something new every day! I'm a little dense and probably the only one that didn't know this connection existed. Congrats, you obviously did a great job raising Jonathan.

Mike

I've done most of the things I ever wanted to do. Beginning to slow down now in my wants it seems.

My son builds frames (Jonathan Greene Cycles), I ride one (Campy equiped) proudly every day, and a new one is currently under construction (latest metal....Enve fork).....so have no bike wants. Also enjoy my son's success in his main career and frame building carreer more than if I was doing it.

Hopefully I can take my bike and a minivan, and spend about a month in Colorado front range next late summer or early fall. That's about it. Fairly modest bike goals. I ride about every day now in excellent riding environment.

[Doug Fattic]

Reading all these, I am impressed with the number aspiring to build their own frames. That would be pretty great. Also, building your own wheels would be very useful, and a bit empowering. Like learning magic.
I've also been surprised by how many say they want to build their own frames. When I wanted to learn in the early 70's I had to go to England. It was not a small effort on my part to convince a master to teach me and then live in a foreign country while I apprenticed. Albert Eisentraut (the father of American framebuilders) did run some framebuilding workshops in different parts of the country back then but none of them fit into my high school teaching schedule. My motivation for learning was so I could teach those secrets back here in the States. I taught my 1st framebuilding class during the summer of 1976.

The 1970 bike boom got adult Americans to try 10 speed bikes but only Schwinns were made here in the States. Before then bicycling was a very niche sport mostly done by kids before they got their driver's license. The US custom builders that made frames before WWII for 6 day racers had died or retired.

Earlier on most people that took one of my framebuilding classes did so instead of buying a Colnago or something. For the most part they made some kind of racing or performance bicycle. Now most want to make more later although still keeping their day jobs. The kind of frame they build is some kind of utilitarian bicycle typically having fenders and racks, etc.

On my bucket list is to make another fancy lugged frame for myself. It is just hard for me to find enough time to make a show bike. I'll eventually get around to it. A few of my students have cut designs out of blank lugs. I'll include some pictures of their work in various stages they did in class.

[pjmsj21]

Here's your model.

Great shop, delicious coffee.

http://angrycatfishbicycle.com/


Thanks for the info. I am actually finding a fair amount of these type shops. My hesitancy is that after making investments in other businesses (small) I am more reluctant to make another big investment in a business, not to mention in an industry that I don't have any real world experience in. I might just take one or two wrenching classes at UBI and work in somebody else's shop and not miss a good nights sleep worrying. But then again I might get bored in retirement.