Small minds....
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: RANTING&RAVING
2-22-06:

As I ride my Schwinn Tempo fix around town I notice a good many cars nearly running me over. They have gotten used to seeing me at the stoplight, in the left-hand turn lane, or heading down the street and keeping pace with them through traffic. However some still can't figure it. Why do I ride in the cold?

The first part and result of our automobile culture results in a focus on oil. You hear the antiwar frewaks say it all the time -- "we went to war for oil!" Actually all wars are destructive, if they only realized how much oil was expended in this war -- and it isn't over yet -- they'd shut up, because, as the old sayin' goes, better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than speak only to prove it.

Recall that picture in the newspaper of a soldier in Iraq heatign a cup of coffee over the exhaust of a Tank? Probably the most expensive cup of coffee ever made considering it costs hundreds if not thousands to gas those suckers up. Where do the shells they fire come from? They have to be shipped -- more oil expended. And manufactured, which -- due to America's stunted nuclear power industry -- usually means more oil wasted... And these guys think that war is about profit? The only ones who ever profit from war is the undertakers. And so they keep on saying it, and I laugh because I ride my bike so I don't really use a lot of oil. But the guys (and gals) saying these sort of foolish things do. The term "limosine liberals" is pase'. Now the thing to do is put that John Kerry bumper sticker on your Humvee (after the electiuon, of course) and then complain mightily every chance you get about how Bush is going to war for oil. Oil that you are wasting in your bumper sticker covered Humvee, an I correct, mon ami?

The second part of our auto-centric culture is a rejection of the bike. Regular people, we are told, shoudl drive or walk. The bicycle, on public streets, is ridden only by, A- Someone training for a triathelon, and therefore Superhuman, or B- A bum whose license was revoked and therefore has lost his privledge to drive, and hence, is Subhuman. Most cyclists are niether -- I am certainly not -- but the facts don't stop the bias. The joke is that the guy on the bike, who doesn't waste oil, is thus frowned at by the humvee drivers. Though I'm no liberal -- although perhaps I could be considered at times a student of "classical liberalism" -- I inadvertently, when on my bike, embody most of the supposed virtues of the left, without intending to; environmental awareness/lack of pollution/not using gas or resources/ rebelling against "the system". Yet I don't ride for any of these reasons. I just do it for fun.

The liberals (and conservatives, to be fair) in their tank size vehicles that nearly run me over are obviously guilty of small minds in addition to short attention spans (the only explaination for them nearly killing me on a roads several times). How else could they make the arguments they do and then get into their cars on a daily basis just to travel two blocks -- while angrily fuming over the "dood on the bike" who is in "their" space?

The only war over oil is taking place on our streets. It seems the more of it some people use, the less they use their manners.

- Elvis

Cold Tempo....
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: RIDE REPORT
2/21/06:


Schwinn Tempo fixed gear, 165mm cranks, 42x18 gearing.

Been riding this lately in under 35 degree weather. Enough said.

- Elvis

Snow days....
2/17/06 - The Blizzard of '06 dropped like two feet on snow here in NJ this past Saturday-Sunday. But it was all good because I had my Fixed Gear Mountainbike. The Fix performed admirably in snow that went almost up to the hubs of the wheels at times; indeed, wading through deep snow was easier than negotiating the tiny deltas of packed slush that built up in the middle of many driveways downtown from car traffic. Only one place was smart... Benhams Garage was plowing the stuff clear across the road into the curb, out of their driveway.

A fix makes a good snowy day bike because cleaning is so simple, and cleanign is important in winter during snow, as road salt can eat away paint and frames and seize up stems and seatposts. Lack of shift cables etc. make it easier to clean off the frame -- and by extension, the rest of the bike. Meanwhile, the Tempo roadfix is rolling good. It embodies the same simplicity.

So what makes a good cold weather watch that goes with such a simple bike?

Skx175 with customized bezel. Been wearing this for the past few weeks as I ride. Now with the custom bezel, like my fixed gear, it takes on a simpler role.

- Elvis

Life and bicycles
2/08/06 - The world is still in a fit over some cartoon a Danish guy drew. thousands of Muslims have responded by rioting and threatening to kill people. It calls to mind the case of the filmaker, a descentant of Van Gogh, who was killed while riding his bicycle for making a movie some religious fanatics found offensive.

In the bike world some are too cliquish... you got track racers, road racers, commuters, mtb'ers, singlespeeders, bmx riders of all stripes, messengers, recreational riders, tri geeks... Funny when you think we all got two wheels. Well guess what, we are all riders and its different strokes for different folks. You wanna ride a brakeless track bike or a full touring rig? Fine by me, enjoy it and be well. By and large despite their differing ideas of what makes their bike better, most cyclists all get along. It could be a metaphor for life.

The alternative involves lots of fanaticism and flipped over buses. And it ain't cool.

- Elvis

Stuff and upgrades...
Topic: tales from the garage
2/02/06 - The other day I redid the lug work on my "black bomber" -- the Schwinn Tempo road fix. Yellow spray paint applied with a brush where b4 there used to be gold-brown auto touch up paint. The lugs of this black bike are now outlined in yellow.

I also tweaked the brake - it now runs front brake only, hooked to a Shimano aero lever, with silver Fizik grip tape on the tops of the bars. And the newest addition -- a "carbon" seat. I got to, can't decide where to put the other one. They are this yet comfy, light yet wide enuff for my bum -- and still ride like decent road seats. $14.99 not bad...

All of this raises the question in one's mind of "Stuff and upgrades". At what point do you go from saying "I added 'stuff' to my bike", to "I upgraded my bike"? Nonriders look askance at spending $ for bike parts, or time on rebuilding, so riders are often compelled to explain that such-and-such is an "upgrade", thereby justifying cost, or time, to those who would not necessarily understand.

By definition, an "upgrade" is the replacement of one part with a "better" part -- but better is so subjective. Better how? Looks, feel, brand name, affordable price, weight?

Ultimately it sounds better to say "I upgraded". "Stuff" just sound lame... upgrade, official. Important. Yet, when you get right down to it, new parts -- whether "stuff" or "upgrades" -- or both -- both serve the same function; improving yer ride. And if a new seat, different brake lever, or some other gizmo allow you to more enjoy your bicycle, than that part is an "upgrade" by definition -- even if it doesn't look as nice, or cost as much.

- Elvis

Back in the fixedgear groove....
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: RIDE REPORT
2/01/06 - The past few days saw improvement to my Schwinn Tempo road fix. Removed the rear brake and hooked up a modern Shimano aero lever to the front one. Taped the barrel adjuster of the front brake so it wouldn't bang the downtube and nick the paint. Had to discard the grip wrap because the Fizik I had on their ripped when unrapped, so I rewrapped it using another sort of Fizik grip tape that was re-used. There wasn't enough fer the whole bars so I did the top parts because that's where I mostly ride and also it'll prevent the bars fron dinging the frame. Routed the aero brake cable under the tape and its all good.

Also installed 165mm cranks on the thing; they help me spin and do a number on cornering clearance. Who'd a thunk 5mmm would make a diff?!

Only other change was to move the h20 bottle cage from the downtube mount to the seattube one. Waiting on pics...

- Elvis

Test ride!!!!
Topic: RIDE REPORT
1-27-06 - Took the fixed Specialized offroading yesterday mornin' and it was a beautiful day for it -- just a tad cold.


Couldn't be happier with this thing.

Fixed -- again!
1-24-06: Took the grips and rims off my 4500 fixed and built up my old Specialized mtb frame as a fixed gear 26" mtb. 36x16 gearing and it's good!

- Elvis

Finishing touches -- Fixed gear mtb...
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: tales from the garage
1/21/06 - My Trek 4500 fixed gear mtb worked fine today, but ponderng chain tension, I figured a halflink would ease it -- the chain was really too tight for both safety, and longterm wear concerns. So I installed a bmx chain with a half link. Turns out the wider bmx chain was slightly longer -- you could see the difference but it was hard to measure -- and I didn't need the halflink afterall. The bmx chain was enough. This is an old somewhat beat-up chain, so I hope it lasts until I can get to the LBS to get a new one -- and I hope the new one will be the same dimensions. There are so many variances among bmx chains -- different widths, different coatings and finishes -- that I hope a new one will work when I need it.

But for now, the wheel spins easy and free -- fixed, with just the right tension.

- Elvis

Surly 1 spd hub!
Topic: RIDE REPORT
1/20/06 - Just installed the Surly ss rear wheel. It's double freewheel threaded on each side so I threw on a 16t cog. My chainwhip was a POS and broke so I used two wood liners to protect the teeth, and a bench vise. Will add an old bb lockring when I get around to it. The 34x16t gearing gives a VERY tight chainline, tension is bordering on too tight, but the bike rides fine and it will hopefully losen up just enuff. I thing if I used an odd numbered cog (15) in the back, or a odd numbered chainring (35, 41) up front, because the chainline was off, but not as tight, when running the odd numbered 34x11. In the meantime, there is always a halflink if I need it...


- Elvis