Behind-the-scenes blog update: Until recently, I was using this Automator script to process my digital photos for posting on the blog. This script uses the image manipulation tools built into OS 10.5 / Core Image.  These included tools are nice, and easy to use, but the result is an image file that is larger than it needs to be.

In an effort to reduce file sizes, I started using the free/donation-ware Photoshop CS3 Automator Action Pack from Complete Digital Photography.  These scripts use Photoshop for image processing, and as a result, the image files can be made smaller than those created using Core Image.  These scripts also allow the use of many of the tools in Photoshop, like adding watermarks and applying filters.

The obvious drawback of using these new scripts is that you need to have Adobe Photoshop CS3, which isn’t free or donation-ware.  While scripts for other versions of Photoshop are also available, CS4 isn’t one of them.  This isn’t a big deal for me, as paying to upgrade from CS to CS3 was traumatic enough that I haven’t even considered CS4.  Aside from that, the only other drawback I’ve noticed is that the processing time for each image is considerably longer than with the original script.  That said, the processing time for the above image was only about 20 seconds on a Mac Mini 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo and Nvidia GeForce 9400 (256MB).  Processing multiple images isn’t as bad as it appears, as the time per image in a batch process is much less than the time required to process a single image.

I have reprocessed all of the images from 2010 on with this new script, and the results are better than those made with the old script.  I may make some changes to the watermark, but overall, I’m happy with the results.

I got the Eriksen out to Eagle Park a couple times this weekend. The first day I rode a short distance with some local riders who showed me the tracks and gave me some tips. The rest of the day was spent making minor adjustments and getting the Eriksen (and myself) back into decent riding condition. Now that the brakes, derailleurs, bottom bracket and headset are happy I should be able to ride without carrying a full toolbox around with me.

The second day was a much longer ride and the low clouds made for some great photos. Overall, Eagle seems to have a broad range of trail types. There are easy fire road tracks, mild to technical xc tracks, a ‘skills park’ and even some downhill tracks. The terrain is varied enough that this will be a good park for regular rides and shouldn’t get boring.

The Forester is a great car for transporting bikes around. The trunk is large enough for all of the gear, the roof is long enough that rear-hatch to bike tire clearance isn’t an issue, and the roof line is low enough that getting the bike on and off is easy.

Earlier I gave my impressions of the ATC3K waterproof video camera. I recently built a custom mount to attach it to a bike, tested the mount as well as the camera’s waterproof claim.

The mount utilizes the rear disc tab on the UK-14er (I knew I had that tab added for some reason). The mount is very simple and consists of a piece of Lexan and some mounting hardware. The Lexan is 0.10″ thick and seems fairly rigid. An aluminum plate would make a more rigid mount, but it probably isn’t necessary with such a light camera. Anyway, the hardware is some cut 1/4-20 threaded rod, a few washers, nuts and wing nuts for easy adjustment and assembly. Bolts could and probably should replace the threaded rod and nuts, but I didn’t have any 1/4-20 bolts around and I wanted to make sure none of this hardware ended up in the spokes.

The camera is just out of range of my heel when clipped into the pedals. While this is good for the camera’s longevity, a constantly spinning pedal/foot in the middle of the frame is a little distracting. The mount does allow the camera to mount forward or backwards as well as tilt up and down so foot-free angles are an option.

As far as the waterproof testing goes, I tested the camera mount during the first snowfall we’ve had this year. I suppose I only tested the water resistance of the camera, but either way it didn’t seem to mind being covered in mud and snow. This is a pre-ride photo, but you get the idea.

Finally, a video from the new mount: