Caffeinated Ramblings

Gas Electric Hybrid Cars

2009-01-14T08:48:00.000-05:00

I just read an article on the slow sales of gas-electric hybrid cars as compared to the already slow sales of cars in general. I almost passed on reading the article as I have felt for quite some time that a simple, lightweight car will be cheaper, handle better (making it safer and more fun to drive) and potentially get equal (or close) gas mileage to a hybrid car. However, my curiousity drew me in. I was pleased to see that the calculations for "years to break even", where the additional cost of the hybrid drivetrain is offset by gas savings, had already been done. This, however, ignores lost investment potential of the money spent (not that anyone's investments are making money these days), financing cost, and additional maintenance and repair cost that the hybrid drive will add over time (a simple mechanism will always be cheaper- it won't break if it isn't in there). Anyway, using the simplified model of purchase price vs. gas savings the best of the vehicles shown was the Toyota Prius, which at 12,000 miles per year would take 4.3 years to break even (if gas were at its peak of $4.11/gallon from last summer) or 9.9 years (with gas at its unusually low price of $1.79 from a few days ago). The worst break-even period
shown at 12,000 miles per year was the hybrid Camry which would take 6.8 years to break even (at $4.11) and 15.7 years (at $1.79). I wonder how many people actually keep a car that long. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for saving gas, but I think it makes a lot more sense to do it by driving less (and riding more) and by driving smaller, lighter cars. In a market full of already heavy, bloated cars it doesn't make sense to use less gas by making the cars heavier and more bloated- unless, of course, you're trying to make the business of building cars more profitable. Then it makes perfect sense.

Too Long

2009-01-14T08:03:00.001-05:00

I haven't been biking in too long a time. This morning as I sat drinking my coffee, Bucky the cat jumped up onto my lap to sit. To my dismay, he started kneading my lap with his front paws. You know, like when a kitten kneads his mother's soft belly to stimulate milk production, or like an adult does when finding a soft cozy place to bed down. These are not things that a bike rider likes to have associated with his formerly strong, muscular quads. That's all I have to say about that.

Great Quote

2008-12-23T11:39:00.001-05:00

I saw a quote at Austin Bike Blog that I thought was too good not to share. Like to hear it? Here it go.

Today is Black Friday, the day retailers are supposed to be in the black for the first time all year. The way things have been going the last few months, I doubt very few retailers are coming close to being in black. Indeed, there are signs that American's 60 years of rampant consumer consumption may be coming to an end. Still, that has not prevented the "Opening at 5 AM" hysteria that comes each year on this day including stories of the loss of life and limb over buying loads of crap. All this to celebrate the birth of a man who said "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Matthew 19:21)

Well said.

Is it Any Wonder More Americans Don't Ride Bikes?

2008-12-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

While flipping through the paper today on my way to the comics, I ran across a "gift guide" for the holidays. It was a silly little full-page spread of various items which some of the staff writers apparently thought would make good gifts, or maybe which were included in the special section as a paid endorsement. Whatever the reason, it caught my eye because one of the gifts was a tandem bike. A sub-$300 department store tandem, but then any kind of bike gets my attention.

Here's the accompanying text:

The family that bikes together on this cycle has no choice but to stay together. The 21-speed (nondescript bike name) tandem bicycle is a great option for cruisers, with a low frame in the back for shorter riders. Something else to consider: Tandem bicycling has been shown to reduce tremors for patients with Parkinson's disease, and taking the rear seat is a great way to exercise for those suffering from vision loss. (some dumb, old discount department store) $279.

OK, so it forces you to spend time with your family members and if you are going blind or have a neurological disorder it may be good for you. Hmm.

I read a little more and found another gift with this description:

Here's a treadmill with all the bells and whistles you'd find at a premier fitness center: The (Huge fitness equipment company machine) includes a flat screen TV with digital tuner, an iPod-compatible music port and a great sound system. No excuses for not exercising! (Big store at the mall), $1699.

Now, how is it that they can make an exercise machine sound exciting (it even gets an exclamation point), when in reality it's a solitary mind-numbingly boring piece of exercise equipment that is only made tolerable by stuffing it with electronic entertainment gadgets so that you forget that you're in a stuffy corner of the basement walking, but going nowhere so that you can avoid driving to a gym where you'll pay a gym membership then wait in line for a machine so that you can walk, but go nowhere on a solitary mind-numbingly boring piece of exercise equipment while listening to your iPod so that you don't have to talk to the people around you? Then on the same page they make a tandem bike- a vehicle for getting out, getting fresh air and exploring while talking to and spending time with your significant other and getting exercise (perhaps even better exercise than the treadmill) without really minding it because you're having fun- sound like a mundane physical therapy device, suitable only for those with health problems. If nothing else, the bike would make a much cheaper and more effective towel drying rack than the treadmill.

Election 2008

2008-11-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

I suppose I should comment on yesterday's election.

Hmm.

It's good that the soon-to-be leader of our country can pronounce the word "nuclear". It's true. I heard him. Maybe the rest of the world will stop making fun of us now.

Rawk!

2008-10-25T12:16:00.000-04:00

Y'know, a few weeks ago I thought my neighborhood was in for a major annoyance. I got home from work and fed the cats as usual. As I was policing the cats and making sure that each stuck to his or her own bowl I heard a loud "DOOP!" from somewhere outside. Then again.

My first thought was that the neighbor's adult teenage son (a thirty-something who lives upstairs with Ma and Pa so that he has more money for Lexuses with twenty-something inch chrome rims and stereo equipment that can be heard two blocks away) was home in said Lexus. Maybe he had a new CD. But it wasn't. It was hardly rhythmic at all.

Then it went on. "doop-a-thock.. Doop-thock.. doop-a-thock.. Doop-thock.." It continued for ten or fifteen seconds with the broken rhythm of an infant taking his first steps. Then it stopped. A minute or two later it started again. Then it stopped just as quickly. This continued for a while as I discovered which house the arhythmic thumping was coming from, but I decided not to let it annoy or upset me. After all, every musician has to start from the beginning. Still, I had visions of late night jam sessions- the neighborhood
tossing and turning. Then it stopped. Nice and early.

A week or two later, the evening thumping commenced. To my surprise, the previously choppy and awkward beats were now replaced by more fluid and sustained beats. But not only that.. There was also a bass guitar. They played what might even have passed for music. They enjoyed themselves for a while. Then they stopped. Nice and early.

Last night the garage band started up once again. The duo had apparently become a trio with the addition of a guitar. The beats coming through the closed windows were complex and driving. Someone had been practicing.

Out of curiousity, I stepped out to the patio and pulled up a chair, and quickly found myself grooving to the music. These guys weren't half bad. I heard a dash of Neal Peart here and there along with a smidge of Les Claypool now and again to keep things interesting. Between the shrubs colored lights flashed off and on. After several minutes, the song ended to howls of glee. A "Yee-haw" came from another direction. An apparently sarcastic mocking gesture. Suddenly I felt self conscious. I was not the only one listening. Worse, I was not just a bystander, I was a nosy eavesdropper. Would the musicians look out and are me sitting alone on my patio and take me for the mocking listener? I sat quietly and they went right on with what they were doing. Well maybe listening to a garage band rehearse two doors down with their amps set to eleven can't be considered eavesdropping. It still felt like a guilty pleasure. Then it stopped. Nice and early.

Jewelry

2008-10-17T20:58:00.000-04:00

I always enjoy taking my bike to the bike shop. I guess it's bitter- sweet, of course because the fact that I'm taking my bike there in the first place is because there's a problem with it that I just don't feel comfortable tackling on my own. But I digress. The reason I like taking it in is that it always gets a reaction from the mechanics. It's not that it's an expensive or high end bike. A gray teen-aged mid level steel bike may be fun to ride through the woods, but you wouldn't put it up in the shop window.

What gets the attention? Very simply, the brakes on my bike are a bit odd and they're bright red against a gray frame. These days, in the world of mountain bikes, if you want simple, you go with direct-pulls. If you want power, you go with discs. If you want even more power and nice feel, you go with hydraulic discs. If you told most people these days that they can also have hydraulic RIM brakes, the reaction would probably be "why".

Well, because the clamp down like a putbull. A good set of direct pulls with boosters could likely do as well, though. They have a positive feel and they're virtually maintenance free, but even that isn't all of it. In addition to working well, they're out of the ordinary. The make a bike which isn't much to look at (at least not for most) into something wild and exotic. One of the mechanics mentioned that he had only seen hydraulic rim brakes once before, but there's a chance he's only remembering the other time it was in the shop. That's what I like to think. Real bike geeks appreciate stuff like that. Those brakes are my bike jewelry.

Re-Thinking the Mountain Bike

2008-10-13T18:17:00.002-04:00

I found myself commuting to work last week on my mountain bike with somewhat narrow (38mm-ish) slicks installed, as the freehub on my road bike has lately been threatening to "go fixie" on me. What I'm finding is that with the exception of the lack of an aero position for the stiff headwinds and higher speeds, and a really good high gear for the occasional sprint up to motor vehicle speeds, the bike really makes a nice all-around ride. It's set up fairly stretched out with flat bars, a long stem, and full bar-ends. Although I would probably wish for more hand postitons on a longer ride, it's a treat having that "roll over anything" feeling when it comes to shortcuts through parks, trips up and down stairs and traveling the heavily pot holed New Jersey roads that often cause pinch flats when I'm not paying close enough attention on my road bike. I love the bike, its versatility and its durability, but I've just learned to live with the flat bars as a fact of life for mountain bikers, using the bar-ends whenever possible.

Going back to the road bike for a second- when I bought it, I intended to take the drop bars off and replace them with something more familiar, most likely a flat bar with some old MTB brake levers. Looking back, I really can't say why this was, but after riding it as-is (as-was at this point) for a while I realized that drop bars, in addition to bring efficient and practical for how I ride, are actually pretty comfortable. My wrists much prefer the palms-inward position to the palms-downward position for longer distances.

Over the summer, most of my time was spent on the road bike and very little time on trails on the mountain bike. When I finally did get out with the mountain bike, I found that in the miles spent on the hoods and drops of the road bike I had picked up some habits that did not really work well with my mountain bike setup. Specifically, I wanted to ride on the bar ends practically the whole time. This was fine climbing and while cruising along on smooth, level terrain. The problem arose, however, when I approached a big obstacle, such as a pile of logs, and took a good grip on the bar ends out of habit. That position really feels strong and stable. Going up and over still worked well, however, on the downward side things tended to get a little tricky as I attempted to shift my hands back to the flat bar (where the brake levers are) halfway through a technical section. Bad idea. That could be ugly.

Anyway, back to the recent past, the good people at Salsa have presented the Fargo to us, which seems to strike a chord for those of us who want something fairly speedy (after all, it is a 29er) yet still able to roll over anything. I really hope that Salsa does well with this one. While it's designed for a very specific activity, long distance off road touring, it seems like the demanding nature of that activity makes it a very good fit for practically all non-racing conditions that I would encounter.

P.S. I should add that I am aware of some of the bikes sporting drop bars from the early days of mountain biking and hope to build up my own rig in that image. Anybody know where I can find a set of hydraulic road brake levers for my HS33's?

One Million Dollars

2008-10-08T22:20:00.001-04:00

I've never really been fond of politics. I generally stay away from politics as blog topics. We've been hearing so much about this seven hundred billion dollar bucket of cash (or is that credit?) that the government is spreading willy-nilly around the financial industry. I can't claim to fully understand what it's supposed to do, since everything I've read about is says that it will do absolutely nothing. Maybe I need some new reading material. Anyway, it's been said that this sum of seven hundred billion dollars is just "a drop in the bucket" of our national budget. I tried to wrap my mind around this figure, from my own small bill spending point of view. I couldn't. In fact, my calculator does not even accept enough digits for such a figure. So I broke it up a bit. One million dollars is a lot of money. Still, I am able to put a number like this in perspective by comparing it to the price of my house. This "drop in the bucket" became more manageable when broken into bite-sized million dollar chunks. In fact it makes seven hundred thousand bite-sized chunks. That's a rather large number by itself.

That's when it hit me. If the government wants us to be optimistic, why not throw out some big wads of cash. How about a national lottery. I can just see it now. Every person, or every household in the country who paid income tax last year is automatically entered in a lottery to be one of seven hundred thousand winners of one million dollars each. If the aim is to get money to those lending it, I believe that this would do the trick. I imagine a scene similar to an elated Jimmy Stewart at a table in his living room with a basket collecting payments from smiling customers as they file past, happy to have paid their mortgages in full, while helping that nice man who owns the bank. Now I know that wasn't the plot of "It's a Wonderful Life", but in my little world the sentiment is the same.

Then after the credit cards, the school loans, the car loans and the mortgage are paid off, and there is still money left, the best part happens. Dreams get fulfilled. Sure, some may choose to blow the wad on a Bentley or maybe blow it at the race track or the stock market. Others, however, may have had their eye on a vacant corner deli. Maybe others dream of raising alpacas in the Ozarks or building fine hardwood furniture. Perhaps they will even hire a few of their neighbors to help out if things take off.

With seven hundred thousand chances there have to be at least a few success stories. For the rest of us there's the hope that next year our social security number might be chosen in the federal lottery. Hope is worth something too.

JORBA Fest!!1!

2008-09-14T11:23:00.001-04:00

I couldn't say how long it's been since I've gone out to ride trails on my mountain bike. I've ridden rail trails a couple of times and maybe even taken a few short cuts where I'm glad to have been on an mountain bike, but mostly my riding has been on streets.

Yesterday, however, I attended the first annual JORBA Fest at Waterloo Village. It was a great day with an amazing (and probably unexpectedly high turnout). There were bands playing, raffles, contests and much else on the concert field, not that I would really know- I spent most of the day in the woods on group rides on the great trails in the surrounding areas.

Honestly, it took me a little time to re-learn how to ride off-road. How to hold a line on uneven surfaces and how to clear obstacles took some time to come back to me, but thanks to my bike commuting, I was still strong and fresh when I finally started "getting it." I now remember how much I love riding trails and just how right a good hardtail bike feels.

Speaking of which, the people partaking in yesterday's festivities tended to have pretty nice shiny high-end gear. As much as I like the Fishy, early in the day, I found myself a little humbled by all of the full suspension, carbon fiber and state of the art bike tech. Sure, I saw other less interesting bikes, and maybe even a couple of older bikes, but it was still hard to get past the notion that the Fishy was just a little more odd and cobbled together than the other bikes in attendance.

That was until the rides started. Out in the woods I was reminded why I love that bike. It feels quick and lively like a steel bike should. It responds to what I ask. It just feels right.

At times I wonder if maybe it's just an OK bike and just happens to be the best one I've spent much time on. The complements I received from those who have been around lots of bikes for a long time told me different, though. This one is a keeper. It's not about shiny geegaws, it's about the ride.

Odds and Ends

2008-08-19T09:39:00.002-04:00

For those who like fresh fruits and vegetables. Here's a little advice. Small, thick-skinned grape tomatoes do pretty well riding on a bike rack. Large, juicy tomatoes.. not so much. Same with ripe peaches. If you must transport these items on a rack and not on your back, try submerging them in a sealed, completely water filled wide-mouth container (eg. a peanut butter jar). This works best with juicy tomatoes. Some heirlooms I've had tended to have air pockets inside, causing them to float, and bump against the top of the container.

There's another thing I had to share. As an old mountain biker, I'm always surprised by the speeds that can be reached on a road bike with nice high gears, skinny tires and drop bars. As I was leaving work last night, my boss was walking out to his car, a BMW X5. He quickly caught up with me, pulled up beside me and rolled down his window to offer a draft. My muscles were still pretty cold, but I fell back and took a place on his rear bumper. The X5, while being fairly tall is still a somewhat streamlined vehicle and most of my body was above the roofline while honking on the pedals, so not the best to draft behind, but still a help. He increased his speed gradually, then leveled off. I waved him faster then picked up a gear and cranked. Soon a curve was coming, and my cold muscles were beginning to cramp, so we backed off and went our separate ways.

This morning, as soon as I could hear activity in his office, I went to find out how fast we had gone (I don't use a computer).
"Good morning. I have to ask..." I said.
"Thirty five." he interrupted, grinning.
Cool. I had at least one or two gears left. Had I not been cold and cramping, I might have had a few more miles per hour left. Maybe I should get a computer to avoid a speeding ticket.

Like Wow!

2008-08-18T19:39:00.000-04:00

If more people knew how much fun this bike riding thing is there would be a lot less cars for me to negotiate! (note: Cafn8 is currently extremely buzzed on endorphins from the ride home from work. Please pardon is for any inconvenience.)

A Good Thing

2008-08-18T09:12:00.002-04:00

This morning, I arrived to work bright and early, heaved my fully laden bike onto the loading dock, hopped up behind it and began wheeling it toward the office door. Since my office is toward the back it generally is better to come in through the factory during the summer when the loading bay doors are usually open. It means I don't have to wheel my bicycle all the way through the office hallway, potentially dirtying the carpet. Today, however, I wished I had gone the carpeted route. The moment the assemblers in the factory, whose work day starts an hour and a half before mine, saw me they motioned me over for engineering guidance. Then, seeing my sweaty state, they quickly changed their minds, and said "when you get a chance." Today, riding to work gave me a few extra minutes to get settled (and cleaned up). A should mention, though, it also has a calming effect, to help me to cope with the stress that today promises to deliver.

People are Noticing

2008-08-07T08:58:00.003-04:00

August is here and the summer seems to be reaching its home stretch. The weather is still warm and the days are still long, but I can't help but think about the upcoming change in seasons and what it means for me if I will continue riding during the cold months. At the same time, within the last week I've had more questions about bicycling than most of the rest of the summer combined. A couple of days ago, as I heaved my bike onto the loading dock and wheeled it inside, the shipping guy pulled me aside with several questions about my bike. No matter, I always jump at the chance to talk about bikes. More notably, though, within the last week, no less than four different people, both neighbors and co-workers, have commented on how much weight I've lost and about biking as the cause. It feels good, I'll admit. Why now, though? My pants have been noticeably baggy (to me) for well over a month. Recently there's been a dip in gas prices, some places a full thirty cents below its peak earlier this summer. Why the dip? Who knows, but I hardly think the recent increased interest is the result of friends and neighbors reaching the end of their collective ropes. I hope that my example that it can be done and my involuntary glow and slight giddiness when I start talking about bikes and riding gets more people to go out and try it, whatever their reason might be, though.

I Am Mighty!

2008-07-21T11:17:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe that's a little overstated, but lately I've been bending axles on my road bike like it was built for a small child. My first reaction was that I must have hit a large pothole. In my years of mountain biking, I've never bent an axle. I stripped a freehub once, but no matter how gnarly the roots nor how big the drop offs, I haven't bent an axle. At least not noticeably.

I guessed that it must just be its road bike-ness and subsequent fragility combined with my own 200+ lb mass causing these failures. So after swapping a fresh new axle I set out to avoid all manner of rear wheel trauma. I avoided all road imperfections, shifted my weight to the front of the bike when crossing train tracks and even removed my cargo rack in favor of a sweaty backpack. It worked for about a week.

One day, however, it failed. I was making a left turn, when suddenly a kind soul driving from the oncoming direction, who I expected to cruise right through, stopped and waved me across. Not wanting to allow anyone to change his or her mind, I proceeded across in double time. As I did, I noticed two things. First I noticed I was still in a mighty tall gear, as the car's slowdown and stop was unexpected. I was now nearly stopped, in a high gear instead of carrying speed and turning behind the overly kind motorist. No problem. Stand and mash it! Halfway across the lane I noticed the second thing. Suddenly, the resistance to pedaling was much higher. The force needed to just keep moving lessened when I backed off on the force to the pedals. When I stopped halfway down the block I found that my rear tire was rubbing the inside of the left chainstay. Strangely, the nut had not slipped. The axle had simply bent. I guess that comes from having a half inch or more of axle protruding between the bearing and the frame. I hope to have better luck with a freehub style rear wheel with less axle protrusion.

Doom and Gloom

2008-06-26T20:39:00.002-04:00

Originally when I started this blog it was conceived as a place to air whatever random thoughts happened to float through my consciousness. As time has gone by, I've dropped the ball and left it rusting in a field with grass growing through the floorboards as for months at a time, only to come back, brush it off, and start blogging where I left off. I have to admit that lately I've blogged on practically nothing but biking. There was a time in my life when I lived for nothing but mountain biking. Then as the pressures of adulthood, homeownerdom (if that's a word) and husbandry (wait, no that's something else, oh well I'm going on..) came on strong, the part of my identity that was bicycling sat in the basement, rusting on flaccid tires. I suppose having that pedaling part of myself back feels so good that it's all I want to think about, to blog about or to read about.

Eventually, though, if one reads enough bike blogs, the topic of peak oil comes up. I try not to think about it too much, since the whole thing scares the pants off of me. Then global warming. Flooding, extinction, depression, etc. It's worst that such a huge majority of the population seems either ignorant, skeptical or apathetic. It really seems like we may in for one of the hardest times that modern civilization has ever known and everyone thinks everything is fine. It really makes a guy feel helpless. Then I go back to my happy place and think about bikes and biking. Then I realize that I'm already doing something that makes a difference, however small it may be.

Did I mention that I saw a Jack Russel Terrier in the park this morning on my ride to work? He was out for a jog with his person and stopped to chase a rabbit. Wow, those rabbits can move.

Maintenance. Who Would Have Thought?

2008-06-17T08:45:00.004-04:00

It's funny how sometimes you don't realize how bad things are until they improve. It's like the time I found that a small animal had climbed into my car's engine compartment and chewed through the insulation on a couple of the ignition wires. Sure, it ran in that condition. I don't know why I didn't notice when it got worse, but the improvement was immediate and quite noticeable when I replaced the wires.

Well, today was another one of those times. Having spent very little time with friction shifters, with the exception of with my old Schwinn Varsity that I rode before I knew how to or why to really use all of those gears, I honestly wasn't quite sure what level of shifting ease to expect when I started riding the old 12-speed. It shifted like it shifted, and that was that. Never mind that it was a 20 year old bike with 20 year old cables, housings, parts and oil on those parts. It just did the job. Well, after my recent cable woes, which really weren't that woeful I gave my rear derailleur a bit of attention. New cable, new cable housings and new clean oil on all the moving drivetrain parts back there. You know, the kind of things that a more conscientious person does periodically, and not just when something fails catastrophically.

I set out in the cool, sunny morning and was startled by the difference. It still did its job with minimal complaints, only now everything was quieter, smoother and more immediate. It may have just been in my head, but I even felt faster relative to the motorized traffic. I'll have to do the front derailleur next.

Simplicity

2008-06-15T08:54:00.000-04:00

You hear a lot of talk about the virtues of simplicity among fixie and single speed enthusiasts. As a designer working as an engineer, I can certainly appreciate that school of thought. After all, the less "things" that a system contains, the less potential opportunities there are for that system to break down. Additionally, at a given price point, the less "things" a product contains, the more money available for higher quality, more durable "things" to make up that system. The point here is that complexity without sufficient cause is bad. It is less reliable and more expensive than it needs to be. Simplicity, on the other hand, where all needs are met, is ideal for the reasons I mentioned before. This philosophy can easily be applied to practically any aspect of life.

Since I am me, though, I'm going to bring this back to biking. Friday, as I rode home from work, I had an unexpected mechanical malfunction. As I came to a stop, I shifted my rear derailleur to the slow end of the freewheel and was quite surprised to hear a "rip" accompanied by the loss of tension in my rear shift lever. The shift cable hung limply from the bicycle as the rear derailleur pushed the chain toward the small cog. The cable had broken at the shifter. I was somewhat disheartened by this, as I was still 3-4 miles from home and looking forward to a relaxing evening at a baseball game. The solution was an easy one, though. Remove the hanging cable and its housings, crank in the high limit screw as far as it goes and adjust it so that the rear derailleur is roughly centered under the lowest cog possible. In my case it was 3rd from the top. About 17 or 18 teeth. This had the effect of giving me an easy enough all purpose gear for stop and go traffic (40-17ish) and a respectable overdrive gear (52-17ish) by shifting only the front derailleur and leaving the rear in service as a chain tensioner. I adjusted my route to avoid my usual steep hill climbs, but the result was surprising. I liked it. I suffered a little on hills, but generally this combination didn't leave me wishing for more. It just did its job. That being said, I will fix the rear derailleur since I like the ability to climb all the local hills while seated, even when I'm wiped out from a long day. It did start me thinking about a nice 3 speed or 5 speed gear hub, though. Maybe I can justify a new wheelset when this old 12 speed drivetrain gives up. I have a feeling that there's plenty of action left in those gears, though.

Challenge!

2008-06-02T10:51:00.001-04:00

Friday, after a long day at work, and on mile 7 of my 8 mile bicycle ride home, I rounded a corner and trudged up a slight grade in a high-ish gear. Just then, I came upon three wholesome suburban 'tween aged boys on BMX bikes, lazily cruising along from the opposite direction. As I approached I heard one whisper something to the others, a little to low for me to hear. Just then, he broke from the group and pulled a u-turn, like a fighter escort pursuing a bogey. I played it cool, and stayed in the same gear as the hill levelled out. I stayed seated and eased ahead as my pursuer bounded and flailed on the long BMX cranks to pull up and match speeds with me. As his his acceleration faded, I paused a moment, grinned at my challenger, grabbed my drops, stood up and ended the contest. Sure, I know the whole scene played out the way it did due to "the right tool for the job", but it still felt good to be the "old guy" on the fender-clad steel bike embarassing the cocky young challenger on the flashy stickered, fat tubed bike. I'll watching for them from now on. Bring it, boys!

Less Boring... More Fulfilling

2008-05-15T10:31:00.002-04:00

Today's ride to work was relatively uneventful, but at the same time I was reminded of the little diversions that make riding a bicycle more interesting than driving a car. I suppose that it helped that I wore my Charlie Brown t-shirt today. That tends to make people smile, even if it only to say "look at the nut job on the bike."

As I cut through the park, I slowed a bit as I came near some geese. As I came closer, I noticed that one of them was leading 4 or 5 little yellow and gray goslings. It was terribly cute. I fumbled for my phone to snap a quick picture, but they were already on their way into the stream. Now, when I think back to times when I've seen geese while driving it was rarely a pleasant experience. In fact there was probably some car horn honking involved.

Then, as I neared the park exit I overtook an older man pushing a beaten up old mixte-framed 10-speed up a small hill. I slowed and noticed the improvised front cargo rack, supported by a single oxidized metal strand of linguine on either side. I offered my wrenching services. His reply was "no unnestan English". I wished him a good day and continued on my ride. As I rode away, I guessed that he most likely just pushes the old mixte up the hills for lack of shifting ability. Regardless of the reason or level of language comprehension, though, it's nice to interact with other people in a way that's impossible while confined behind energy absorbing steel crumple zones.

Addicted

2008-05-05T10:50:00.003-04:00

OK, so it's been a while- almost a month since I last posted. My email has a few posts that I started but never finished. I guess that's how it goes. Life continues to blaze by and something has to yield. Usually it's the blog. I'll fill in a few things that are new, just in case anyone actually reads this.

The 12-speed, my main commuter rig recently
received a long awaited upgrade. The long reach, dual pivot calipers fit nicely over the fenders after a little creativity and some good advice from the website of the late Sheldon Brown. Stopping power has increased noticeably- important for someone of my considerable mass, and the new brake levers add more hand positions. It was a very worthwhile upgrade.

A couple of days after the upgrade, I had my first collision since I started commuting by bike. Luckily, though, it was with a little kid in the park, also on a bike and not with a motor vehicle. Here's how it happened: I took a shortcut through the park as I always do. It's a little slower than the street, but it's shorter and makes for a nice breather. On a narrow stretch of path I met a mother with two young boys, traveling largest to smallest. The mother (largest) gave no sign of altering her path even slightly, so I steered into the mud about a foot off the paved path. Her sons followed her lead, and gave no room. The last in line (smallest) actually swerved toward me, caught my hand with his handlebar and took out my back wheel. Very little damage was done to my bike. The back wheel should be OK with a little truing. My hand was a little cut and bruised, but didn't cause too much anguish. Looking back, though, maybe I behaved a little harshly. I was pretty shaken from having been knocked from my bike and I was a bit on the defensive, expecting his mother to lay onto me for knocking down her little boy. I just hope I didn't turn off anyone to bicycling in general.

But back to my intended topic. I think I'm addicted to biking. I find that when I start my day with a bike ride I'm more alert, I focus better and have more energy all day long. In contrast, when I drive my car to work and have no physical activity, I feel groggy, irritable and sometimes even a little jittery and anxious. I have to wonder if this is how I felt on any given day before I started getting exercise. I think I'll keep it up.

Happiness is...

2008-04-06T22:06:00.001-04:00

Happiness is tearing apart the front hub of your bicycle and finding that you have an even number of ball bearings.

Even better is the fact that much of the grease in this 20+ year old hub was a clean light brown. This bike clearly has been pedalled very few miles. I was very lucky to find a bike like this at such a low price. I would imagine that thousands of similar "ridden twice" bikes are out there gathering dust in America's garages. Kind of makes you think twice about buying a poorly assembled klunker from a super size department store. Then again, maybe YOU have an old 10 speed in your garage.

Huh?

2008-04-06T10:23:00.000-04:00

I had to make a trip to the mall yesterday for a stop at Radio Shack to get a couple of parts for a project. I was pleasantly surprised that there was actually a bike rack outside. I was a little confused by the sign, though.

No Bicycles
No Rollerskating
No Skateboards
No Peddling
No Loitering
No Soliciting
No Hand Billing

So just what IS this rack for?

The Right Hook

2008-03-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on my way home from work, as I chugged up a slight hill at a decent speed (my guess is about 15-20 MPH) I approached a side street. As I generally do in this situation, I edged to the left by a couple of feet to place myself about 3 to 4 feet off the curb for better visibility by cars both pulling out and approaching from behind. When I was about 20 feet from the corner a silver Mercedes Benz zoomed up beside me and I knew I was in trouble as it seemed to be decelerating. About 10 feet from the intersection, the car, still going pretty fast began its right turn with me roughly even with the back passenger side door and now traveling faster than the decelerating car. I grabbed the brakes and wrung the levers for all they were worth, while screaming out whatever expletives came to mind. For an instant, both of us decelerated at the same rate as the driver squeezed me closer to the curb. It was at that moment that the driver heard me, stopped a few feet into the side street and allowed me to pass. The whole event took place in about 3 seconds or less. I was lucky. My hope is that the driver of that car learned something other than "cyclists have short tempers". Still, It may be time to upgrade my brakes.

PS I stole the image from bicyclesafe.com , a very good resource if you plan to ride in traffic.

A Decent Ride

2008-03-16T11:44:00.000-04:00

Daylight savings time is in full effect, and I've been enjoying it to its fullest. Last week I rode to work Tuesday through Thursday for a total near 50 miles then yesterday I used the bike for a few errands for several more good miles. I wasn't sure that I'd like the friction shifters on the old 12-speed, but now that I have spent a good number of miles with them I can usually shift without thinking, which is good when sprinting along with traffic.

Anyway, I didn't pay very much for the old bike, and haven't had to replace too many parts, so maybe I'm thinking about it as a beater a little too much. After all, when it's cleaned up it looks pretty nice. Apparently others think so too. My first clue to this was Thursday, when my boss came in to my office, and began asking questions about the old bike. I realized that he was getting a little sentimental, as he squeezed and released the brake levers several times and enjoyed the "clack-clack" that they made as they snapped open.

Yesterday, as well, when I returned to my bike at the supermarket, corned beef in hand, I ran into two shopping-cart attendants taking a brief break from their rounds to fondly ogle my bike. They had plenty of questions about it and suggested I use a more secure lock than the thin cable snowboard lock that I've been using. Funny, the same thought had already occurred to me as I saw them taking such an interest in my old steel speedster. I'd like to think their intentions were good, but who knows, I might have just gotten a lucky break. Sigh, it's too bad. I thought my baby was one only a father could love, but it looks like the grass may indeed be greener on my side of the fence. Guess I'll have to start carrying the heavy locks.