A little snow, and More snow

I'll never figure this out... we get a weekend snow storm that is plowed cleared and salted away long before School starts... and what happens... they cancel school.

Yesterday they cancel/shorten afterschool programs, for the storm, it dumps even more when they get home, the roads are in worse shape than that certain monday morning, yet... no delay, no closing... nuttin. STRANGE... spooky and weird...

so this early thing saved my butt - i got to leave a bit early - ride home in the break (while the roads were still wet, not snow covered) and wait at the bus stop for 20 miuntes...

here's the blue beast, who's drive train made Kerry homesick. Okay - she didn't say 'homesick' but used nostalgic... minor point.



There it is - i didn't realize i got a picture of the Brown Track team (a guess based on a few ratty sweatshirts and the age of the guys and their fitness level).... well a pic of the last guy trying to catch up to the group....

Right now the bikes sittin here dripping on the long strip of bubble wrap... the water/salt/dirt/brake dust being sucked up by strategically placed paper towels... No i don't lock it up outside, inside or where ever... it comes in and keeps me company here at work.

That nice crusty salt film has turned to a dingy dirty film... but i don't know if i want to embarass the bike any more by photographing it in such a state...

I hope A. doesn't mind but when I posed the power question and the efficiency between grinders and spinners he said something that biologically makes a fair bit of sense... even to a Botanist (me).

There's so much to a question like this, ranging from mitochondrial density to cellular receptors that scavenge cholesterol particles. In general, the higher cadence wins the day on a balance sheet (looking at ATP generated and enzymes, etc...) but the body has such a high degree of plasticity that it will compensate to produce high torque more efficiently. Think ullrich

That said, we're talking about between 75-110 rpm, not down to 40 or so, which is where some grinders are at. Even ulli is pretty high when he's at his most diesel. within the confines of what would be ideal, the higher cadence takes my vote because the less myosin heads needed to produce stability the less overall ATP used per stroke and somewhere in the ether the math works out to show that: for lance you spin more and use less atp for myosin=#ATP used < spins="#ATP"

he made the comment too that for many people 75 rpms IS spinning... point taken... and it probably wasn't the best low number to use... and i have to say, anytime i hear spinning, i get flashbacks to married student housing at MSU doing cadence intervals on the rollers in the living room... Listening to either Rush or Led Zepplin. Generally i found Rush to be the best roller music... at least for me... the songs are just long enough to get a good interval in, and one works really well for holding 130 for a while and then the music and psyco nature in me always goes for the 150 rpm... anyone who says you can't spin 180mm cranks... well must have either short legs or just never tried it... And cadence- for the record -was measured using a Vetta C-20... I liked that cycle-computer... now i've got a Sigma something or other... no cadence (well i have the cadence hook up but its too bulky for the Klein and the Dura-Ace crank combo).

anyway... thanks to A... and in part the thought process... i got wondering if maybe i would be better off going with a trendy fixed gear, something with a lower ratio than what i've got kickin on the P-mount (big blue beast)... just stuff to wonder about i guess... and keep wondering till i have a frame i wanna make fixie...

I'll shut up for now, by sayin, i do envy Kerry's trip out to the southwest... but i like it here, gimme some nice 14 mile climbs around here somewhere and i'll be completely cycling satisfied (hills mind you that can be ridden to, not driven to)

Salt... is this bad?(sic)

well just a few shots before i venture out into the snow... and hydrate this dried and caked salt...

if i didn't know that the D-A der was bullet proof AND hiding under a thick coating of Boesheild T9 i'd be worried about it... and yeah - that's a blue anodized alloy breakaway bolt holding it in...

Another Polish connection

I'm lazy. But it's the lazy people who invented the wheel and the bicycle because they didn't like walking or carrying things.
Lech Walesa (1943 -)

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.
Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000)

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.
H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946)

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

I should use one a day but... i'm kinda more like dump, here it all is absorb it.

Solobreak has a nice itemized comment regrading my power musings. watts/kg... i must be slow being so damn big... at least i'm less than 100kg, for now, just not by much. I had found a similar link here "Bicycle Speed and Power Calc" and there's another one that... here just found... damn its hard to keep track of stuff. I know i have it in my bookmarks, but three browser imports later and 250 bookmarks or there abouts - its easier to find a link with google... And yeah.. this one... these guys ... I like em CPTips... If ya haven't browsed over there and ya ride a little.. give it a looksee...

Came across a guy i've seen on numerous occasions on the bike. He was headed up the hill as i turned in... chatted for a bit... he's on a nice fixie... Fuji trackbike... and i mentioned that Fixie is too trendy for me. EVERYONE has a fixed gear bike, so to stay counter culture i'm riding this -the paramount... He did bring up a good point. If you are riding a fixie as a commuter, AND wearing a helment, AND not doing stupid shit on the bike... then... its okay. Maybe i should get a fixie... could be bitching fun... maybe...

I've got those 180mm suntor XC Pro cold forged cranks kickin around... down side is my 1x1 hub is built up on a 26" wheel... maybe its time to give up that wheel... might be better to liquidate that whole built wheel (its very nice... and will take any offer through here first)... and then get a nice hub or build up something else... not focusing on that right now though...

At least its something to keep me thinking... and thinking - i do to much thinking sometimes and not enough doing...

Oil Fired Furnaces with Steam heat are inefficient money pits... 100 gallons in 3 weeks... 3 freaking weeks! I love this cold but that's like two sets of Campy Delta Brakes! Or 17 30 packs of Miller High Life or PBR!!! At least i caught it before the damn tank went dry...

So sitting here waiting on the snowstorm... hoping that they don't have early dismissal...and hoping now that it warms up enough that we can go back to the slightly more efficient and cheaper option that the gas on gas stove gives us....

i gotta get some good salt crusted images of the bike uploaded sometime... maybe before this snow washes all the salt off...

Power musings

Okay - so adding extra to a post - a few hours later... well i stumbled across this quote, and as my HS GF recalls, quotes and me - go together:

"Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality."
- Nikola Tesla

So, i got thinking, first in light of checkin the power meter at Polar (it looks very interesting) also the article interview over at PEZ... and specifically this quote:

Power is defined as a product of force x velocity (e.g., number of watts). In cycling, strength can be more associated with torque. For example, you could be spinning a 39x17 on a climb next to a rider (of roughly the same weight), using a 53x17 (more torque produced) at a lower cadence and still be producing the same power. Two different styles of riding, but the common denominator is still the power produced being similar.

That bold part got me... and got me thinking about something, sort of in line with how the Polar guys are doing the power deal stuff...

Long ago somewhere i read and experimented and agreed that: The more teeth you have in contact with your chain the less load you put on it and the lower the power transmission loss should be. I did wind up going through and doing all the calculations showing that the same amount of power is generated in the same gear inches regardless of teeth number, but, efficiency. And it got me thinking...

I can imagine some power meter user cyclist finding a peak of 375 one day and then 380 the next week, and maybe thinking 'sweet' that's great i gained 5 watts of power.
And well that thought sparked the recollection of this article:
• SRM variability in accuracy ranged from -10.4% to +1.0%; PT variability ranged a much tighter -2.0 to -2.9%.
Also at PezCycling News.

Now nice thing about SRM is that its more likely to under measure your power than over do it... It made me wonder how the Polar setup fits in the accuracy category. I've always liked the power tap hub, but its expensive and requires a separate wheel. SRM, well i gotta have a 180 crank, and well, they are heavy and even more expensive... but then writing that - the Polar thing ain't cheap... the computer is 290, the cadence is an extra 40 and the power sensor is an extra 350... doesn't seem like such a brilliant idea anymore...

On the whole other side is, why the hell do i care? My power numbers will be irrelevant to match with others esp if i have issues mentally corralling it and applying it on race day. that and we go back to that first quote: "of roughly the same weight" i aint anywhere near roughly the same weight of most guys on the road... Which comes down to the other side of all the power numbers people are throwing around. It would seem rather and completely pointless to share power numbers with anyone other than a coach. Track them, use them, but there's no way to measure up a yardstick with Lance or Tyler or other 'tour' power houses (even if they are blood doping liars), i suppose i could have picked Floyd and Hincapie...

And then i start thinking about efficiency of the production of power. Say in the example above, which rider is being more efficient? Which rider is making the power in the more sustainable way? Is the 39 guy who's lightly spinning up? Or the 53 guy who's grinding up using strength? It isn't a simple question but one that along with gear choice (teeth in contact power loss stuff) make me think.

To be a major spinner, is great, but... those that recall the first time they road for an hour with the cadence over 120 or 110... it takes a lot outa you... it'd be 'easier' to have done the ride at a lower cadence and a higher gear. Ya make the same power, right? But then its TRAINING. If you can get the endurance and the muscle memory and skills to spin at 120 for an hour+ that's gonna do one hell of a lot more for you than riding around at 75 rpm for an hour at the same speed.

Common sense stuff i know... but i figure if i write it down i might just actually follow it. And part of the reason the Q-Pro is still in mothballs is that it has a nice flat-lander/race gearing... a 55/45... not that all my riding on the P-mount with the 50 tooth in front is much better... but in a way i think it sort of it... the 50 tooth forces me to focus on strength in the hills and then when the speed picks up i'm forced to spin to get the same power.

And yeah, if we turn this all over to the internal combustion engine comparison, a Honda VTech motor, that say can generate 170 horses,doesn'tt make that power until its at 7,000 rpms... where as a Diesel might make that same 170 down at 2000 rpms... a big difference, one that is in Torque.

And that brings it back to the efficiency sort of things. If a cyclist CAN make torque ie the guy in the 53/17 would it be a safe assumption that they are more efficient than the guy spinning away.

I'm thinking that the question might be one to see what a few locals have to say... could be an interesting discussion...

Speaking of Honda, and efficiency... I passed an Insight this morning. I could see the little white cloud of water and partially burnt hydrocarbons start and stop as itcreptt forward up the hill waiting to get through a 4 way stop. And as i rode past... the gas engine was running... and sure it was a bit cold outside (25°F) but it wasn't cold enough to cover my ears, and that engine was making a racket... it sounded like crap, piston noise, belt noise... oh it was not a pretty 'sight'

It just made me smug that i was on a bike, getting exercise, staying warm, rather than shivering like all the people in cold cars that i passed or passed me on the way to work...

I want my Packzi

i miss them... the hands down best part of Fat Tuesday ANYWHERE in the world..

Pack Zi? WTF? its pronounced Punch-ski well there abouts - a damn fine tastey sweet filled donut. 600+ calories - made with the finest ingredients, once a year, only availible on Fat Tuesday.

I had to document that craving somehow - someway... too damn busy all day to get it done earlier...

Reading KL's latest, kinda funny, esp this:

If you want to get an idea for what riding up Mt. Washington is like, come stay with my parents, bring your lightweight road bike, and try to ride up the gravel road with a cross wind at the end of a 3.5 hour ride.

Sounds like to me that's a michigan ride... ending at Tom's house... but generally if the group starts off at his place there's once or two crashes before we get to the pavement...

The wind... a good training partner... good for motor pacing... and its funny, i noticed one incidence of it last week "Hey i'm headed out for a ride this afternoon, thinking about going east." Well.. here's the funny part... the wind was a wicked strong one (for around here at least) that would have been a killer headwind once they turned around to ride back...

i think its a mentality thing, maybe something i learned from Michigan. before planning a ride route for the day, determine what direction and how strong the wind is, and what the forcast for the day will be. Is it supposed to swing (as it some times does). Nice thing about Michigan is its all township and range, take off and head in the direction of the wind, ride about 2/3 of how long you wanna be out, turn around and fly home... Its where 50-60 miles mean jack squat (well not really - this past summer i was so fat that 35 miles was about my limit).

but there ain't no hills, and i'll pick a route with hills, that has a head wind all the way home, over a flat tailwind home ride in michigan... 9 times outa 10 and that one time would be a recovery ride.

I've been checking, or at least paying attention since realizing that i blimped out to 197... my pants: Still baggy as hell; Ribs, yup visible; gut, barely noticeable... damn where's that weight - gotta be muscle... and well i suppose it makes sense, and Adam was right- i would swing back up to a heavier weight... at least this is weight that can help...

gonna close out with a quick quote - stealing it from Big jonny, hopin he don't mind:

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."

- Arthur Conan Doyle, in an 1896 article for Scientific American.

Warning - Dangerous School Busses out there

Ya'd think, a bus full of kids might be driven in a responsible, conservative, safe manner, wouldn't ya?

Well i would hope so, esp when they are loaded with kids, and with stuff like company and city logos all over them.

Nice close call this morning, if you couldn't already figure out where i'm going with the retoric. I just cross over Rochambeau going south on Hope and I hear a Honk... okay no worries, but there are cars all along the side of the road, no on coming traffic... no big deal, i'm not riding in the middle of the road, and woosh - big yellow school bus drives past inches away from me. After honking. And well... me being me, and not always able to just 'let go' (sometimes and i've been getting better at it I will), i just had to see about following/chasing down the bus... So i went redline, 12 degrees outside, and i'm redlined, HR up at max, lactate building up, sprinting uphill into the wind and not giving up too much ground on the bus. Almost catch him at the stop sign, and then he turns, turns onto a side street and stops to unload. Ahhh sweetness. So... I ride around the driver's side of the bus... and his window's open, perfect... i open it up a little more and confront the driver regarding his reckless and endagering behavior (Kendra Payne story still floating around in my conciousness). He tries to close the window on my fingers but he must be a weaksonofabitch that or i was amped up like some meth induced rage. I mentioned i have every right to be on that road, ask him what he expected me to do "stop, get off the road, something" cause he said "I wasn't gonna cross that yellow line." BULL yeah - ooh wouldn't want to cross the yellow line on a deserted street. Yes the street is often packed with cars, typically with the pre-8am rush of people going to work and then the pre 9am rush. I was traveling in the middle of those two times, on a noticably quiet Hope Street. Ah well, i left him with the comment "i'm going to file a complaint." And i did. With Laidlaw headquarters. We'll see what happens from there - see if anything is made of the complaint. I felt better at anyrate.

And i mentioned, it was cold this morning. And what did i do? I rode my bike in. Damn straight. Of course i had an extra bit of adrenaline to warm me up. That didn't hurt.

But i even made it out on Sunday. A great ride. Finally made it out on a hill ride. But sadly i didn't find the hills challenging. I did manage to discover, too late, a bit of glass that had made its way through one of the numerous cuts in the tread on my tires. Making for the 3rd flat or is it 4th flat on that rear tire. Time for something new i think... It was cold, but not unbearably cold... and the roads, despite the snow on saturday, were pretty remarkably clear.

no asshole school bus drivers on the road either...

and sadly... i discovered... i'm almost fat again. but not in body fat % just getting heavy... no extra gut yet, it hasn't shown up again, nor have the love handles... but... i am now only 2-4 pounds under the 200 mark. So there's hope of racing clydesdale (if they do that here in the N.E. for Mt bikes). I am getting faster, but people tell me "wow, you are fast" but part of me says, 'okay, who's saying that and does it mean anything?' i generally come to the conclusion that, no i'm not fast, still, and i don't have a clue how i will race on the mental level. The collegiate stuff, esp the crits, i would show up, able to ride anyone except one off my wheel on a training ride, and i'd be off the back on the first or second lap... I never quite figured out how to overcome that. Road races i'd do much better... for some reason, and the Michigan Cross races were somewhat inbetween. but i've got a good few months to figure out what to do, meanwhile i get to just focus on getting some miles in, and sooner than later i guess i work on going really fast... downside of the ride, my bike is covered in salt, as are my Sidi mt shoes... maybe more of a downside... it doesn't really bother me. I think it should... but it doesn't... Good thing i rode the P-mount instead of the cross bike, cause then i'd bother me...

Time to stop jabbering and start stuffin my face... and yall watch out for vindictive yellow schoolbus drivers...

fortunately

I'm not bitching about the ToC coverage on ESPN2 like the folks are over at Velonews. Why not? 'Cause for the first time in over a decade, i don't have cable/sat TV. And ya know if it wasn't for the shitty olympic coverage on NBC i'd be content with it right now.

It sounds like the Tour of Cali coverage is not even worth watching... pretty insane, i dunno, ya'd think... if you are trying to promote a sport, ya might hire an experienced team of videographers... hell, from the sound of it Logan could do a better job of the video footage.

But no - i can't bitch about the coverage... I can bitch that the live updates aren't complete before i go home - or that its just not that exciting to me... Is that bad? Should i be all geeked about who's wining, who's taking sprint bonuses... should i? Probably, but i'm not. I still check cyclingnews for the updates and all that... *shrug*

funny thing, i've been reaching for more coffee for the last 20 minutes but each time being depressed when the cup and the coffee pot are empty... ya'd think i'd remember... but i realized that DUH no wonder - there's the thermos (small one) that i should have consumed already today - I'm raising my mug to hope that it placates the damn craving

oh and ya know - i swung by The Hub cause i remembered one thing that i had forgotten and wanted to ask them about Conti's (if they carried them,--they don't) and i realized... i DO need a haircut...

that or a new helmet - i look like a retard with that white Giro Supermoto on... with my long blond locks and the red beard action... lumberjack retard maybe... kinda short haired version of my MSU id... In support of the facial fuzz... its DAMN effective in these 'winter' months - ie next week. and the long hair? same thing - so damn much hair that i don't need to wear anything under the helmet to stay warm... takin the good with the bad... and besides, whats an old married fart like me worry'n about how I look? Ya know... i don't have a good answer.

RSS feeds

They are freaking COOOOOOOOL

to the bibidy bomb! (and are like SOOOO last year)

Everyone should have one... that way i can dump all the content i scan in the morning into my Google personalized page... it is freaking cool...

makes it easy to keep track of stuff... i've got the link down there for mine somewhere...

anyway - the commute in this morning was very different without the trailer... but my legs were feelin it... not to mention there was a damn stiff wind, and a cold one to add to it all...

If its tolerable for the passenger i'll try out the buggy this weekend on a longer ride... oh
the video... Freaking battery - dead - 3 minutes of charge... from full to empty... but the 3 minutes are actually pretty cool... gonna have to see if i can find a new battery... K loved doing the filming - and even when the battery died she said she wanted to 'practice' with the camera... the little paparazzi maybe be the next best indy filmmaker... might have to get a Mac at home with some of the nice video stuff. She was much more comfrotable with the Mac's single click mouse than the PC multiclicker stuff. Well its time to get the extra miles and the extra hours in the day... the miles from the second site... the hours from the speed of the bike... rather than walk to the shuttle - wait till it shows up (up to 20 minutes) ride down a circuitous route then walk the three blocks to the building - OR walk the 5-10 minutes to a car, drive down... look for parking then walk to the building... Nothing like gettin on the bike right outside the door - and riding down right too the door.

Here's the thing - cold internal combustion engines pollute like Bush-Cheney's buisnesses. And they are completely unregulated. the EPA doesn't care what comes out of the tail pipe when the car is cold, and far far far far far far too many cars spend all of their time driving around when cold. Gasoline engines are FAR worse polluters when cold than cold diesels or warm/out of tune diesels. Its pretty sick and sad... All those short trips - could be accomplished on a bike...

ah but no need to get all worked up and pissed off at the cars just before heading out and fighting them wearing my raggedyass old Sugoi entrant messenger jacket... kinda funny, for some reason i picked that color, only to find out that its standard issue for Bucky's messengers in Seattle... maybe i'll pick a different color when i get around to replacing this thing...

GDIT - freaking hell - would everyone else PLEASE stop bidding on the Campy Delta brakes on Ebay?

Come on already... that or someone buy me a set and send em here! GRRR... That and why the hell do all the auctions end on the weekend!?!?!?!?!? WTF... sure maybe i'm the only person left in the US that doesn't have internet access at home... Ah well... The bike they are going on is not slated to hit the road till its warmer out and i'm strong enough to do it justice...

The Q-pro is my reward for putting miles in on the P-mount, miles in on those wire bead tires, the 8 speeds, the crazy bar position... the heavy ass bike... i don't deserve a bike right now that is under 20 pounds.... Oh well maybe if i DO score the Deltas sooner than later they'll tip the scales on the Q-pro up to 20+ and then i can ride it... yeah...

And Damnit KL! I see you picture and i think Stewie... or i see stewie's picture and i think KL! crazy funny...

that and i totally didn't catch what CTODD did... now that is funny... a gal like that with affairs needing to be managed... best leave it at that...

Feb 23... day 3 of help

"There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality."
- Pablo Picasso

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
- JRR Tolkien

"The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more."
- Ed Parker

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful."
- Samuel Johnson

Two days of gems from the Google "my home" quotes of the day, yesterday and today...

I like em... all 4... so here they are - spamming myself...

Rode in again with the trailer... i think maybe we'll try and leave early and take a longer route home... see about tryin the boulevard

K too some shots on the way in... she wanted to video the ride in but with the screen i wasn't sure how well it would turn out and the battery is dead in the digi-vid camera soooo she did some digi-cam shots and here are two of them...

this one is just getting ready to head out...


and somewhere down the road...

there are a whole bunch of the back side of me... this is the one with the least amount of noise from the bugscreen. Unfortunately the screen is part of the cover and isn't removable. The video (not sure about video hosting options) may never make it to post-production but it should be funny...

oh and the photographer includes the paparazzi - each day we head out to lunch i'm chased by a photographer... pretty funny... here's one at the pizza place!

maybe more later - we'll see.... and yeah - pullin the trailer is a hellalottawork... still

Coffee... mmmm with a kick

Finally got around to trying KL's suggestion for brewin a pot of coffee. Okay I admit i left everything else out except the Coffee and the Red Pepper flakes... and man that was good.

I think i over did it on the pepper flakes... and i'll admit to adding it to the last cup in the French press. (pulled the plunger and then added the flakes, replaced the plunger, let it sit for a minute, and drank).

a great warm feeling, a hot kick and i'm definately gonna add some to the pot in the morning tomorrow.

Its day two here - and for some stupid reason i thought yesterday was today, making plans like today didn't exist, or in effect, yesterday didn't exist. Ah well the confusion of addin an extra person to the responsibilities.

We hitched up the trailer today, and rode the bike in... so much nicer than driving... no car to start - just a few extra yahoos to watch on the ride in, but overall it was an exponetially better 'commute' than yesterday in the car.

crazy short update -again- today...

oh one more thing... all yall cyclists that wanna work on power... hitch up a trailer, preferably one of the kid ones and plung a 45 pounder in there. talk about power training... that's one hell of a hard ride... not to mention the extra power required... forget any other training method... if you can hold 20+ mph for a fair distance with this trailer, on level ground... with no draft... lemme tell ya that's the BEST workout you can imagine... solid steady state extra power...

It also has the incredible benefit of showing exactly how much of a flat spot in your pedal stroke you have... mine isn't too bad, but its noticable, but correctable... everyone should have this as a 'view' into their pedal stroke.

If ya don't have a kid - borrow one... or get a big dog... and look - a trailer is WAY cheaper than most of the other "power" training devices... and unlike the SRAM or PowerTap power meters that tell you how much power you are generating... this forces you to make more power than you normal have to and it SHOULD make for kick ass strength. Biggest problem for me is the oldest is really almost too tall for the Trek single trailer we've got and the youngest is a bit too young (to wear a helmet and all that). Maybe i just have to cram the oldest into the buggy, giver her the video camera and do laps around the Boulevard (it ain't flat... should be a nice recovery down hill along one length and up hill hell on the other).... maybe we head that way for the trip home... (if i'm feeling completely insane this afternoon).

ahh well - more later... maybe

two words

Parking Sucks...

drove in today (have the oldest here to "help" at work)... spent 20 minutes parking...

i should say - 5 minutes driving there 10 minutes looking for parking and 5 minutes walking from the parking spot we eventually found...

meanwhile the whole time my daughter is saying "See daddy, you SHOULD have listened to me and taken the bike..." Yes i should have. The trailer and the bike would have gotten us here a lot earlier...

and then we'd need to leave now to go home and get the car for the very reason we drove in in the first place... to get her sister... man... cars suck... Cars R Coffins...

no doubt about that...

tomorrow GD it... tomorrow... I'll be here with the trailer... i have no idea where the trailer will be parked but i'll get it in here somehow!

dats about it for today... kinda brief....

winter break started today

No Ride, but i can say "so what" no race obligations till september. A good weekend w/the gilrs and its damn cold. No it wasn't the cold that go me off the bike - just a handy one of my excuses. I rode last week and it was almost as cold (just not as windy).

So i have a delima, Bike Mag showed up. I've read all I can, and its consumed... fini, nothing left to read, and i wanna getout and kick some ass! but... of course i can't! I'm slow, old, probably will always be those two. however I can probably contiune being an opinionated loudmouth with mad techincal skills. I can fix any bike, fix pretty much any car and keep half million dollar microscopes functioning perfectly. Fun Stuff. But that psyco side comes out - ie cyclocross! and ya know add the addiction to 12-24 hour mt bike racing stuff... a BLAST. I wanna be that 34-35 year old guy with a job but no commitments - the age and experiences but not the burden. However, writing that i realize there is a flip side. That burden carries me along, more often than not. That burden often is the one saying set us aside for a few hours and go out and ride, we'll be okay. The last few years, its true. It has been extremely difficult at times. A few documented here, many not. But what keeps me going, is what i have. I may be jealous of the guys my age who own a successful bike shop (or two), I may look enviously at others my age who have pro/semi-pro contracts and a full racing schedule along side their full time job in their career field. It would be great... but it also wouldn't be who i am... I'm a mechanic and an artist, and a scientifically oriented teacher of things. i get to do what i love doing, i have support and family, brothers and daughters, neices and aunts... can't really ask for more.

Looking back, a year ago, i was hoping i could on the bike regularly... here i am... on the bike every day. I was hoping to get out of michigan after the christmas of '04... here i am, out of michigan. I wanted a challenge with a job... here i am...

it isn't perfect, and the albatross of a house still for sale that we aren't living in, weighs heavy... and the scary prospects that makes up the market here isn't terribly comforting... but on the whole... on the whole... its good.

(most of that was written the old fashioned way, pen on paper... while sipping a french red table wine...)

Saw curious george this weekend (on a different note). I loved it. Of course I grew up reading them, over and over, getting absorbed into the illustrations. And my girls have had the stories read to them countless times, all of them. It was great. but... movie ticket prices... holy crap has it gotten bad. Almost worth it to wait for DVD... at least tomorrow the Imax we have tickets for is free... Deep Sea 3D... looking forward to that!

Winter break gripes i guess don't have much of a place/stand here... but heck... i'd love a winter break... we don't even get Prez day off (today)... and they announced the '06 holiday schedule today... to make us feel okay about working today... while the rest of the state is off...

And ya know that '1 gear higher up college hill per week' pledge? Well when i was riding back and forth 5-6 times a week... that was one thing... i'm up and down once or twice a week now... and this morning on the way back up i took the mellow way (past The Hub) and from Wickenden and Brook to the door to the building i went on hamstring power the whole way... I looked like a pathetic slow freak when i finally got to the building... but it was different... in a good way... gonna have to try that out instead maybe of the 1 gear higher... I'm getting so much bottom bracket/crank flex even with the Cold forged XTs that i'm worried about the bike... the hammy trick might have to be my 'training' gimick for a while...

like the other one - i'll see how long this lasts... time to spend the second 1/2 of lunch doing what i'm supposed to do during lunch... EAT... at least though i have a lunch break that affords me time to babble to myself AND eat... and maybe sooner than later i can add back in lunchtime rides...

-(not the) most humble servent of the universe, G


--Frustrating... i like the whole european racing scene, results happen at a reasonable time of the day... this californian EPO tour thing, have they even started stage 2? its like i'm a day behind! how frustrating... and strange

Friday Feb 17

What a day. Got up - grabbed the toddler, tossed her in bed to nurse - while i showered and then retrived her and plunked her in the highchair while i got the coffee started... what a kick assingly possitive way to start off the day - with a happy, smirking, twinklin blonde cutie...
Her favorite breakfast? Hawthorne Valley Farm Maple Vanilla Yogurt and Purely O's and no she doesn't prefer them over Cheerios... I provide that preference.

Quality of life begins with quality of food. And quantity of booze! Okay - maybe not quantity but the comforting beer or two with food is great. That and like i've said before, i drink little other than coffee, water and beer/wine. I don't drink soda/pop/coke except on vary rare occasions. Once in a while i'll have some juice... prefering to get my fruit from the un-squished variety.

Quality of food is very important. The extent of the packaged food in our place is rather sparse, generally consisting of staples or basics, refried beans, pasta, heck i don't even buy Chili powder, prefering to blend the mix myself on demand... a bit of fresh garlic and onion instead of the powder, adding the paprika for color (and a bit of a smokey flavor with the stuff i've got now) some cumin and whatnot...

I put a poll together over at DC's forum... Jonny brought it up over at DC this morning (well at least i read it this morning) juts before slamming the hammer with some depressing news...

Hell i busted my bumper on some assbag turning infront of me and i was on the car... Maybe i've been in the city riding for long enough, but when i'm commuting... there is no such thing as a gap that i don't instinctively expect a car to come blasting out of... and even reading all that, i'm still feeling safer - more in control on the bike than in the car. Like i said a few days ago... The stories of cyclists gettin nailed are too common though. Really not good, but it goes along with the societal acceptance of 'so what' and indifference. I've seen some crazy crazy behavior here...

and what it really comes down to is:

patience... take a deep breath... recognize that slowing down, showing some courtesy will NOT delay your travels and will improve you GD Karma by leaps and bounds.

Looking for a parking space? get pissed if someone jacks it before you can pull in? Don't get all piss about it - there'll be a spot opening up soon ( assuming you are looking for a spot say at the Wholefoods in Providence - the big one)... don't jump out of the car and yell and scream... 9/10 the person jacking your spot didn't realize you were waiting for it... take a deep breath and move on...

zenish stuff... i dunno, i'm working really hard at it. changing the fundamentals of how i am on the road, in the car, on the bike... its hard to put my emotions in check but i find that when i do, when i say, let it go... that i can get over the incident better, faster than when i get worked up about it. I can still keep my intensity and focus and awareness, but i can stay positive and all that by letting stuff slide. Does getting mad, yelling, chasing, tailgaiting or yelling at a car/person do anyone any good? Will they (the idiot) do it again? Most definately. Will your anger and agravation do anything for you? or them? Nope. it might just make things worse.

Caffine may just be the big problem... i gotta check see if i wrote my theory down here...

Okay - well - just read the whole thing (what little there is of it) and nope - it isn't there...

and man - there's one mighty depressing post there in September... the wrap up on that is the house still hasn't sold, but my wife is working now... and i dunno, the house will sell... right? It has to...

oh and the Caffine thing.
It goes back to a comedian from seattle with a routine that goes along the lines of: If people drank a beer instead of a double latte before getting in the car they'd be mellow and relaxed and more polite... Amped up on caffine or mellowed by a beer... not drunk - not loaded - just mellowed... take the edge off... maybe that's the issue here in RI. Its the first place i have seen coffee milk served to elementary school kids - heck i hadn't ever heard of 'coffee milk' before that. maybe that's what it is... everyone here is ampped up on Dunkin Donuts coffee....

ah well more about that theory later...

I changed the colors... realizing now that they are a bit of a blogger basic combined with the Dutch colors... but what can i say... blue and orange are my two favorite colors... maybe i'll get the Welsh Dragon flying at some point... if its too obnoxious (the color) lemme know and i'll subdue it....

Dopers Suck

give em a check (the link that is)...

So..

great read on Tyler over at Cyclingnews. And also a new view on Adam Bergman. Sad state of affairs.

Or is it a realistic state of affairs? Adam's admission really opens the book on Tyler. Did Tyler really dope? Just no one 'cept a doc or two know about it? That would be the way he'd have to have done it i think. Would he have told his wife? Nah, i doubt it. And all his supporters? The ones who rally to his side with personal anecdotes about how it would go counter to his personality? I don't really buy it. I had a measure of hope that he'd be found to have chimeria blood, but that was disproven. Was the test flawed? Doesn't appear that way. His appeal, if there was an error, would have been smooth sailing. I personally have to side with the CAS and say there is not enough evidence to overturn the positive results.

And that kinda sucks. 'cause this guy is either #1 not-guilty and carrying that around, or #2 guilty and carrying even more around. I'm leading to #2. If he admits, he gives up all his supporters and says, yeah, thanks for rallying behind me, but i wasn't telling the truth. Its nice to know yall are blind in faith towards my cause, but your infalible beliefs are better left at the cathedral.

I still find it terribly ironic that the Amgen Tour is a bike race. The #1 producer of EPO... being the title sponsor of a bike race? Insane i tell ya, insane.

Is Lance Clean? That is what people want to know, that's what the big question is. Maybe... maybe not... i'd like to think so. Mostly because he DOES have a measurable and documented genetic advantage over most of the other cyclists. And he had a very specific and focused recovery that built his body for one thing and one thing only. And mentally he's one freak of a guy. Tyler? Tyler ain't got much on anyone, other than he's small, and determined. He seems to lack the heart or lungs that Big Mig and Lance have, and the personal hardship to use as a focusing magnet? I dunno, he crumpled when Tug died, how strong can he really be? Succumbing to the pressure to use blood would certainly be a likely step in his progression. I don't know the guy personally, I know lots of people who really believe in him, and all that but, the cloud of doubt. Made worse with the fact that people could really be duped knowingly by the guy. And that is the part I find the hardest. The statement is a bit curious too... and worth linking here:

Statement from Tyler Hamilton:

“Based on my devastating personal experience over the last year and a half, I am committed to fighting for reform within the anti-doping movement. I do support the anti-doping mission and USADA, however the current system has failed an innocent athlete and needs to change.

Out of respect to fairness and the rights of all athletes, there should be clear separation between the agencies that develop new tests and those that adjudicate anti-doping cases.

Credible, independent experts, not those who funded or developed the original methodology, should be charged with properly validating new tests.

I don’t believe any athlete should be subjected to a flawed test or charged with a doping violation through the use of a method that is not fully validated or generates fluctuating results.

I will also continue to support the formation of unions to help protect the rights of athletes. My goal is to keep other athletes from experiencing the enormous pain and horrendous toll of being wrongly accused.”

On more serious matters i have a fucking killer headache today. Not sure why, but it is putting a big old cloud over my thoughts. I'm feeling stronger and better every day on the bike... but that's for all of what? 2 miles eachway? Still, every day on the bike is a day not wasted. I just need to get some good long miles under the legs... or in the legs or something...

so what am i doing to ride me of this headache? Typing and staring at a fucking huge CRT and drinking cup after cup of coffee... is it working? not a freaking chance...

oh well - must push on... muscle through the day... gotta get through... gotta get through

the quest continues

So daily checking on ebay for two things - big cross frames and Campy Delta brakes...

Delta brakes are just about gone... there were 4 or 5 sets up last week... down to a Croce-D'Aune set and one (ending now) rear brake....

and there is this Fetish Cycles bike... listing at 62cm... i get all excited... but that's center to top, and its only a 58 c-c and the top tube is 58.5

tooo GD small... who's the retard that decided to size frames based on center to top anyway?

fark... the search goes on

Big jonny's got me thinkin:
about...

Marco Pantani...

Marco Pantani
January 13, 1970 - February 14, 2004

yeah... the "doper"

and man... i tell ya i dunno... Hamilton's case, Heras and even the Luge dude with the hair products...

I'm typically one to say: You knew the rules... be aware of what you are putting in.

In Hamilton's case, if he knew they were going to be testing for blood doping (homologous stuff) get some doc's to prove your 'natural' variation so you can argue the validity of the test before you are DQ'ed.

Sure... that's tough... assumes you know what tests they are going to use. But on the other side if you are really clean... why worry? Heras? Hamilton? If Lance is really clean, those guys must be as well...

its pretty insane... pretty sad...

and then there is this:

German rider Danilo Hondo, currently in training while serving a two-year suspension, was injured on Monday when struck by a car in what appears to be a road-rage incident in Somerset West, near Cape Town, South Africa. Tony Brown, an acquaintance of Hondo, and Matthias Kessler, were training with the German sprinter on the Paarl Vallei Road when a car drove past and abused the riders. Both Brown and Kessler said the driver, aged around 65, waited for them to pass before ramming Hondo's bike "with intent".

The extent of Hondo's injuries is not yet known, and Hondo himself isn't sure when he'll be riding again. "The doctors will have to check me out," he said. "Sometimes you get internal injuries from a fall like that - I'm not so worried about crashing, you can crash in any country. The problem is that drivers can do this."

In a strange twist Somerset West police said that the driver of the vehicle called the police station after the incident and reported the cyclists attacking him, something denied by both Brown and Kessler. Hondo is reported to be taking action against the driver

------
Fer Craps sake... sounds like the little kid who cut me off and lied to the Insurance company to try and have it be my fault cause he's too young and cheap to have collision coverage on his car!

Um, yeah.. the three big sprinters attacked a CAR... right... sure those guys can prolly keep up with about any car... but come on... car vs people on bike... we all know who wins...

or doesn't... kinda funny though - Hondo's labeled a doper... right? howzat rank up there?

I should add that maybe i'm fortunate NOT to end up like Hondo
'cause I had some dude drive up behind me lastnight... i was on the right side of the road, stopped - at the red light...
a big truck was in the lane (one lane each direction, no turn lane, and a parking solid while line extending to the intersection), gonna turn left (the truck - i'm going straight)... and i hear a polite honk...
then another one...
and its a guy wanting to turn right...
i wanna go straight... the lane is wide enough (Barely) for a car to sneak through... where'm i gonna go... this guys hand motioning for me to get over... where? Stand in the snow bank? run the red light? what?
so well i say something about- it's not a lane, its a red light something... and then i look back again and he's waving a little badge at me...
and at that time the light turns green, i go straight, the big truck DOESN'T turn left infront of the cars (might be a first time ever that a left turn vehicle yeilds to on coming traffic when the light turns green).....
and this badge waving horn honking dude - not a marked or even unmarked car - had passenger classed plates - turns right... about 20 seconds after he honks at me...

motherfuckin retard... wait... that or gimme a nice clean swept/plowed bike path or something...
patience... wtf, racing around me or through the red like is gonna get you there, what? a whole 30 seconds sooner?

slow the fuck down... put down the XL dunkin donuts iced coffee (yeah they still sell/drink em here in the winter) and fucking relax...

Yes he could have driven up close to me, bumped the bike, laid on the horn longer/louder... it wasn't so much the honking, as the him waving me into the fucking snow bank... WTF... and he's got a badge? crazy stuff...

and to think i still feel safer riding my bike in this city than driving the car.... and i do. I think it has to do with the speed - on a bike there's a limit how fast you can go... and the awareness that ya gain from NOT having a big ol' steel cage surrounding you is not to be overlooked... the smaller footprint and potential for evasive action that isn't defined by a road... maybe i'm just psyco

The Ways of Man are 'Passing Strange

He buys his freedom and he counts his change,
Then he lets the wind his days arrange
And he calls the tide his master.

"The Ways of Man" by Gordon Bok; FSI-68

Thats the song that the Oh, the fine long summer days comes from.

and got me off on some weird tangent yesterday.

V-day... dreaded V-Day... picking up stuff... writing stuff... and about these cards, do people really keep them forever and remember and appreciate them? or are they like cut flowers, and on a limited life, to be discarded when finished... in a very short term... I'm not a big fan of cut flowers, mostly becuase they are so temporal. Maybe that is a bonus to others, but i'd much rather see them flower and watch them grow, where they are supposed to, not in some pot of water slowly killing the cells one by one... its like torture.

No plants don't have nerves, or a collection of neurons called a brain/ganglia, but they are alive, they have a vascular system, and they die. The cells die just like animal cells...

Heck humans could cut a finger off and keep the tissue alive for a while... how pretty would that be too look at? Sure that's abit morbid... but the parallel is somewhat similar... and yes i'm a botanist by education and training, does that come across at all?

-It was a no-dab ride home last night in the snow covered roads... a clean 2 miles, 2 stop lights, 10 stop signs and 9 turns... at least that's how i think i counted it up... no not a big deal... but considering traffic and weather and road conditions... not too bad, of course that's normal... just the snow covered roads made it exciting... that and the laptop in the messenger bag...

Big Jonny's got a new baby girl... Big up props to the man! What a life changing time for that guy... here's to hopin he manages to do okay with the whole juggling act that life becomes... that it becomes if you are a responsible parent!

i had a host of linkage that piled up somewhere but its gonna have ta show up later... i'm gonna blow this popsicle stand... get on the bike and 'brave' the 40°F weather we have out there

almost single digits monday morning and its now hit 40... how about that!

ah the day - ah the day

Ah the fine long summer day...

I WISH, but compared to this morning the 34°F out there right now should feel like a summer day...

but i now have the Gordon Bok song stuck in my head... I can sing just about all the lyrics, but can't quite remember the song. The price to pay for listening to every single one of his songs over and over and over growing up. Kinda brings up the point, what do you do and how do you act when face to face with an idol? I had breakfast/brunch with him one morning in Maine outside Camden, with my mother and step-father, and while not start struck, was certainly unsure how to act in a way, how do you tell someone how much of an influence they have been? Esp when they are good friends of the family? I got the chance, later on, when he did a show in East Lansing, after the concert i took my daughter up to say hello. I simply thanked him for the music, and let him know that his songs are a big part of my daughter's musical life too. What else but say thanks? What happens though when its someone you are in awe of, but just in awe out of pure admiration/reputation? But not someone who has directly touched you? Make something up? Music is nice, its something that you can give, share, and gain real value from.

Maybe cause over the last 26-27 years people have been telling me, sporadically and just around the concerts, how much our music means to them. And its great, but on the other side i'm just as akward, sort of, i always express sincere appreciation, thanks. But sometimes its just left as a bit too brief, too abrupt. I guess its in all public positions acting, racing, musician... if you are on a stage, where people see you, read about you, listen, watch, hear, photograph... some how take a bit of what you can do with them...

I dunno, these olympics... such a dissapointment. The athletes are still amazing, but the coverage maybe all i'm lacking to generate the enthusiasm... I guess i just don't want to watch all the events that NBC deems suitable for their 'prime time' and since i don't got anything other than broadcast TV... dats what i get. Whats the point to watch other than to watch and event that is scored by judges? No stop watch "race of truth" or indisputable win (puck in net)... just a bunch of judges watching the same thing from a different perspective than you and putting down some numbers... excuse me while i yawn. I don't mean to belittle the figure skaters or the half-pipe snowboarders... they are amazing in their own right, and i could be happy watching the best do their thing... if it was just them doing their thing. Let me judge who is the best... turn them into exhibition sports and let the real sport - take center stage... Let me see all the heats of the mens and womans speed skating...

of course, i know, i'm asking too much... this isn't Canada, where a whole nation watches the BEST athletes in all the events compete, not just the events that they 'could' win a medal... or an event with a Canadian athlete that has a special story... sure talk about the special story but don't short change the winners in the event at the expense of some fluff peice of journalism...

time to do my own race... a race not scored on time, but soley on the no-dab system. Make it home with the least number of Dabs... door to door on snowy roads without unclipping...

is this all a long waste of bandwidth/words and all that? its an issue i grapple with, and everytime it seems to come down to it doesn't matter... its a good saga, maybe a book someday (with a good copy editor to make sure the style is consistent)....

life goes on... and yes... it turns out i am the classic Pig:

"The Pig doesn't say much - but when he does decide to speak, suddenly, nothing can stop him until he runs out of subjects."

and baby... i'm no where NEAR running out of subjects... (to be slang and colloq. at the same time - or is slang equal to colloquial?)

nevermind - different subject to exhaust at a later date... maybe

peace out - may every 34°F day feel like a long summer's day!

Weekend of the Great Nor-Easter (the Feb one)

Just read the post... holy crap what a weird start... but that's how it did it - just want to say... yeah i know... strange

What a weekend... great Ride in on saturday, big group - even though it took 50 minutes to go the first 4 miles.

I have 4 fewer gears than i did in college and they are more closely spaced... kinda funny, back in the day with 6 speed indexed Dura-Ace with a 53-39, now i'm riding road mostly with a single front 50 and 12-25... 12 to 8... no hills yet have been much of an impediment, no sprint too fast, although i missed out on the one big sprint... kinda saw them jump and let them go...

Did something amazing on sunday: Cleaned the bikes a bit! Yeah, me after talking big about dirt being good, as long as its greasy dirt. Well... Here's the kicker, i didn't clean the chain (just lubed it) and i cleaned the rest of the bike with T-9 boesheild and paper towels. It definitely looks sharp, and the snow didn't have a chance to stick to the frame on the way in! I put some new pads on the cross bike while i was at it. And my rear stopping power is back... i think the material on the old pads just sucked... Power still isn't great and mud clearance sucks, as i think i mentioned. But it was fun riding the cross in, no issues with slipping on the packed snowy roads even.

Cold (12°F) as hell, snow covered- but plowed -roads, nice mellow ride in. Belgian points for that ride?

I've also been farking with the saddle position. I found that even after raising the P-mount's saddle for a ride about 10 mm it was still 20 mm short of the 1000 mm pedal to seat height on the Cross bike. Now part of me said, well if the P-mount is riding fine, and the knees are okay, lower the cross bike... well i didn't, mostly cause i was headed out for the road ride and wanted to go back, cause i am fairly confident that i have the Cross bike and the Q-pro set up exactly the same. So i raised the P-mount.

I had issues with my medial quad being overpowered by the lateral ones from riding too long with a low saddle, the problem caused the patella to track funky and get all inflamed and painful. But i'm thinking that was from a way way too low saddle... But heck i can play with it for a while, cause i'm still not ready to race, much less ramp the training up pre-cross... donna wanna burn out, just wanna build base miles.

Well, re-capping the last notes of Friday's words: Yes, i enjoyed the lucious knobby traction this morning. The ride has not as much excitement to write about but here ya(really meaning mostly me) go:
The ride, started at Faunce, I was #2 to arrive, then a gorgeous, stunning bike showed up, yeah a Klein, a Quantum with berry chameleon paint. Oh how entranced i was seeing that paint shimmer in the cold morning sun. Yes it started very cold, 22°F. And people were bundled. Some more appropriately than others. Finally about 10-15 minutes after the scheduled departure, we rolled off (i was early so waited longer)... and got maybe a mile down the road and the cell phones were out hey! you gonna meet us? Okay - no worries, lets stop and wait in the sun. All the blacabsorbingng the sun, and it was warm, as long as we weren't riding. Finally the rider shows up, we roll out but are missing a few others. We hook up with them across the bridge, these are the heavy hitters... the old masters guys, they even just look fast. And by old i mean my age. Yeah some crusty 30 somethings... Well first delightful Dawn has issues with her new PowerTap hub display, not time, and she was planning to do x minutes of tempo and x minutes of something else... no time display makes it tough. So she grabs her guy (one of these fast old guys we meet up with) and they stop to work on the display... we ride on... slowly... figuring they'll catch, but realize later that the people in front had no idea they pulled off... and then someone gets a bag in the cassette or a flat or both or something, anyway we stop for a while... until finally, finally the ride really begins uinterrupteded. We get a nice rolling 30 miles or more in... No massive hills like FLatil has mentioned, but some decent ups and downs... a good pleasant ride. And a chance to discuss further about my "2 restaurant's make a chain" theory.

Of course there's the snow, we didn't get a ton, maybe 10-12 inches, maybe. Cooked up that soup that i mentioned a while back, but slightly different and it kicked ass once again. Its damn good but at this rate, once a week or so and i'm gonna get tired of it. That and its a hell of a lot of prep - lots of peeling and chopping.

Oh and on comment that i thought about this weekend and wanted to jot down, and then remembered where i usually remember stuff to write down (the shower).

Reading stimulates writing... or it could be the other way around (the shower addition to the thought). Does writing make me want to read more? or does reading make me want to write more?

I started that beaufort book a while back, and am still reading it... bit by bit, in stolen moments... its good writing, and while mine is different, not good, not bad, mine is my writing. Seemingly rather consistent in style, and as i look back at the pages of love letters i used to write, and how i wrote them (by hand of course) they aren't too much different. Well the subject is and rather than talking about bikes and all that, well it would be inappropriate to mention what i would mention... think romantic and add a bit more and you'd come close. All my good relationships were cemented and solidified with long and numerous letters. The couple relationships that really didn't work, either on my side or their side, were not.

Hmm kinda funny segway(sic) esp as it is unintentional and tomorrow V-day and i'm V-day present-less... meaning i'm screwed! Well not that lucky tomorrow unless i can overcome my historical ineptitute at selecting gifts...

Well the lecture today isn't writing itself, well in effect it is, and has been all weekend (i've been reading my text books and have done the lecture dozens of times before... just this one is different, the condensed version). So i best be cracking on that... maybe after i drop down to Thayer, hit the Post Office, and maybe give into my craving for a Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich (eggs are brain food you know) - at least that's why my mother told me (the omega stuff supports the mother's tales - i didn't want to call her an old wife... that'd be wrong)...

okay...

babble machine must slow down. cause i'm feeling right now, like i could keep going. The secretary at the old place would get flustered and flabbergasted, cause i would show up, and check my mail and never stop talking... all that from a shy guy with no social skills, don't ask me to try and get a date from a woman i find madly attractive, noooo i couldn't do that, but get me talking about a bazzillion subjects and i'm okay, maybe a bit too much of a one way talking street, good at answering questions, not so good at asking. Really good at having something to say and really wanting tinterruptpt to add my super important side comment (bad habit re-inforced with UBB type forum discussions...)

oaky - there - just dribbled out another paragraph... and yes... in case ya skipped to this line (how can i not blame you) i will go back and read the whole thing and read every damn word... am i an egotistical mess or what? maybe just a mess... wait - no maybe about it, no doubt... a freaking gd mess...

Cross Bikes for the smallest and Tallest!

New shop opening up... KL and GW bikes hand crafted for those who are
statistical outliers in the world of cycling and heck the world in
general!

On the other hand - its best maybe to be-friend a frame builder and
have them make it for ya anyway... not that i don't really really want
to make a bike, heck i've wanted to forever! the desire was fueled
early when i was at http://www.bikeschool.com/">UBI back
in June of '90. I just too the mechanic class, but the stuff for the
frame building classes were kicking around...

And the riding in and around Ashland was kick ass back in the day,
should be just as good or better now... what better way to spend two
weeks than by takin the class and building bikes! It might be easier
to swing without family and without a 'real' job... but maybe heck -
maybe its in the works... gonna have to add welding/frame shop to the
list of requirements for the new house!

Of course, the classes cost as much as a complete custom bike... with
components... but heck, whadda ya expect?

then there is the ultimate question, what to make MY frame out of???

if I could - what i want is a Klein Cross bike. Of course now with the
factory in Chehalis closed (i went to visit a year or so before they
shut it down), and all the production more regimented and controled in
Wisconsin, i doubt there is even a shread of a chance to get a Klein
tubeset ready for cross... esp in light of the fact that they
discontiuned my size... the 63 fits just right... DTBL (damn the bad
luck)....

Most other aluminum frames i've ridden are dead, or flexy or just
blah. The Yeti was an Aluminum hard tail that i thought was amazing,
it had a great lively feel... but a cross machine is different...
settling for a light crappy cheap Al frame? is it worth it? I dunno,
steel really is real... but then weight is a big factor, and a frame
the size that i need isn't trivial... Al definately has the potential
to deliever the performance with less mass...

okay - i started that all a LOOOOONG time ago... Blogger's been buggy today...

I'm not sure the switch from French Roast to Columbian was a good
move... toooo much caffeine, way to jittery... the FR also has a much
creamier texture... more stout compared to the ESB mouth the Columbian
has... oh well - i'll burn through this batch and go back to the FR.
No i haven't quite gotten to the point of adding the spice to the
coffee, i need the right time to try it out.

Gonna see about hittin the cold chilly road tomorrow. Hopefully not
alone, and hopefully more than just Ron, but it wouldn't be bad to
ride with him again, certainly i could find worse riders to ride with.

This morning was a bit cold riding in but i didn't do anything more to
my head than pop on the helmet and the glasses... ears nose and all
exposed... of course this mane of shaggy hair and winter facial hair
growth helps quite a bit with that, i did have ice on the
mustache/beard. I always like that - more as a mark of toughness than
anything else. Not that I feel the need to prove my toughness, i'm old
enough to recognize it's better to be healthy than tough, but its just
that i think i'm over that incredibly tenacious bug that everyone
seems to be getting, and i'm feeling better and better. That or I was
still feeling the affects of making Pizza and drinkin more than my
fair share of the wine used in the sauce.

Riding in the cold i think is why cross is so damn cool, and why its
gonna be funky to start riding in September. That and i've gotta start
thinking about the club stuff - rumors have it that the local gangs
are gearing up for the season and if i wait till cross... who knows -
I should just focus on riding...

maybe NEXT year once i fill that race resume blank spot up i'll think
about asking another know it all to tell this know it all (me) what to
do and how to train and all that.... (yeah right)...

Mr. 100% DIY? Get advice from someone else? Shoot, that'd never fly...
I think i actually practiced the violin more frequently the years just
after dropping the teacher, than when i had regular lessons. And no
i'm not saying i couldn't benefit from lessons, i just can't benefit
as much as i would from just playing everyday. Like the bike, the
violin just takes time. Lots and lots and lots of time, and good
technique. Lots and lots of riding/playing can create bad habits... no
real need to pull examples from either side - its rather obvious i
think...

i wonder if a 6 year old can act as my race mechanic.... hmm.... i
wonder if she'll want to... not to mention all the extra stuff she's
got going on or potentially going on in the fall... and yeah - must
remember - pointless thoughts at this point, must wait, but the
process of writing/thinking about stuff helps formulate it all in my
head...

ah well - i guess i just ride - and i'll admit to taking a perverse
pleasure in showing up for a group ride on my funky Paramount, all
dirty, with the goofy fork, the one 50tooth chain ring, the strange
handlebars...
here... pictures... i may be able to describe it in less than 1000
words but who wants to read every one of them... the color is off and
no i'm too lazy to dick with it in photoshop... its a deep royal... i
forget the PPG color that Davidson painted it in seattle way back in
'91...







and that's the steed...

with any luck there'll be a butt load of snow and Monday will have me
haulin out the cross-machine for the fun of it... and the luscious
knobbie traction!

with any luck there'll be a kick ass ride to document after the weekend...

and maybe... maybe this preacher will run out of voice...

growlin... can't stop the growlin

One of the most frustrating things i experience... that growling hunger, but stuck, with no emergency back up food at work...

water, coffee... neither quench the grumblin...

at least it is feeling like winter - even if it doesn't look like it - but now that the oil tank is 1/2 full i say BRING IT ON... the cold... cause i paid for that damn oil... and it don't do any good once its cold out... and hopefully we'll be somewhere else come winter (living space, not community/city/region)....

a couple people have said "this is the time to look for a cross frame cheap"

yeah well... it ain't freaking easy to find a cross frame that fits me... not at all... not to mention i'd rather have spend that money on the oil on a new frame... keepin the girls warm is rather more important though... esp when the littlest isn't so adept at staying under the covers when sleeping...

that and ebay does have more cross bikes and frames right now - but nuttin big enough...

ain't that the story? nuttin big enough... 60cm top tube is the min dimension... well i'd settle for a 59.5 but close enough... and that is just a damn too much to ask, i suppose those with, don't want to part...

well - its about time to go face the motorized madness that are the streets of Providence... fightin traffic, flowin through - what a rush... although it would be a bit nicer if the pot holes weren't lined up perfectly with the section of road i take over...

at least its still mostly light out - and before the light completely fades - i'm outa here ... keep the rubber side down!

Linkage

Time for a link dump... for me more than anything else - i've got well over 500 bookmarks here in Firefox... and GD it is easier to just google the page than to dig through the bookmarks...

'course that only helps if you can remember the title of the page - i'm still having trouble getting to Treefarm's cross blog... but usually find it after a while...

My favorite catalog as a "kid" damn did i love flipping through that and the third hand catalogs...
Loose Screws

For the bike part lust in all of us:
Delta Brakes
(yes i've got a eyeball on a few sets on Ebay - maybe more onthat in a bit)

And lighting? Hub Dynos?
Peter White
- yeah that stuff is expensive, but if my ol' nite rider ever gives out it is definately something to consider... for the commuter bike of course

Pro news? Who needs more than cyclingnews.com??? well this one is a bit less NYTimes:
PezCycling News

now... i think that about covers it.. wait... there is one more:
Rivendell Bikes
the place for old bits and retro-grouch stuff - IE the valhalla for XO-1 owners... and if ya don't know what an XO-1 is... well that's a sad sad thing ;) noooo not the Trek XO-1 the original...
here... check that link for what the XO-1 is... for that matter - i'd better link Sheldon's stuff - don't click there if you have an aversion to the color: #ffff00

okay - most of the link dump comes from thinking about brakes... I may have mentioned i'm lusting for a gorgeous set of brakes... campy Delta brakes... yes there are a few up on Ebay now... yes they are not quite unobtanium... and yes... they are heavy as hell... but soooooooo damn cool... and wicked hard to set up (which i think is really wicked damn freakin nice)... Not for the commuter - god no... for the QPro... sure they weigh more than the crankset and are just a little lighter than the whole frame... but... nothing is sexier on a bike than Campy Delta brakes... NOTHING! got it?

Well i take that back, but i've gotta settle for parts... bike parts...

the other thing i was looking for - and more realistically - are the replacement inserts for the finned Scott Mathauser pads that i have on the commuter. I'm 1/2 way through the lettering and would rather have a set kicking around so when i get to 1-2mm of pad left i can change them, rather than frantically look around... but alas... it would seem they are toast... and of course Sheldon has a bit to say about my precious "fins" (scroll down) Shit... well... i dunno...

I guess i'll cross that bridge then when the pads are screwed... maybe i'll just have to bow down and buy the Shimano holders with the salmon pads... cause - these damn pads DO kick serious ass... way more freaking durable than that black rubber shit.

Speaking of black rubber shit... and the mess it all makes and bikes and dirt and cleaning the bike... I opened a can of worms on one of the bike to work listservers around here- so much fun... although frustrating. Bike commuting vs bike racing vs recreational bike riders... keeping a bike clean is a debate... well it is for some. Yes, taking time to detail the bike, is much like taking time to detail the car... makes ya feel good but the first time you drive/ride it is dirty. So options? Keep it in good working order, properly lubed and fuggedaboutit... maybe clean it before you take it into a shop or something but too many damn bikes are needlessly wasted away from lack of lubrication by people who are over-zealous about degreasing the chain, and less so about lubricating it.

Face it folks, bikes are dirty open systems... euro commuters have enclosed drivetrains for a reason!

this whole white lightning fad baffles me... well not really, because they say very specifically, that the product needs to be applied all the time, routinely... which is fine, and true, and they HAVE gotten better with their carrier but... it remains somewhat still in the implementation phase, flawed.

Yes - its a great marketing strategy to have a product that the consumer has to apply EVERY TIME THEY RIDE... that 8 oz bottle dissapears quickly when doused on there every time. And yes - everytime means - apply it when you are DONE with the ride so the carrier has time to evaporate before using it again. So the wax can work properly.

Hell i'm thinking as much as i disapprove of most White lightning in use, i was thinking i'd be a bad person to be sponsored by them, however... now that i'm thinking, and writing, maybe my zealous nature about the ONLY one way to properly use the product would be a GOOD reason to seek their sponsorship...

Ahh but then to be sponsored... must acutually have a good race resume... and mine looks like this:
----

----
See it? Right there between the sets of dotted lines. My mechanic resume is definately more impressive and may not hurt to add - once i can fill in that gap...

Ah hell... so anyway... I'm looking around their web page at their current product line and am kinda impressed... But... that said - i'll prolly stick with my precious wrench force lube that Wendle spec'd from Castrol, using the combo dry lube first with a small drop of wet lube on each link, a painful painstaking task but trouble free and rain/snow proof...

well... maybe i'll clean my bikes tomorrow or something... Yeah right :-p

peace out all yall with the patience to make it through (if you did - add a comment to say hey - yeah i read it - nothing more if ya don't want)

Tuesday

yeah...

tuesday...

Zzzzzzz...

busy, boring, and windy... damn windy... but still, still on the bike

writing, cause i have nothing to write about, but that'd be a lie... where to start is the bigger question... where to end...

do i clarify the fact that i don't have it out for all republicans? that should be a given... i do generalize... and lump and group and a target as easy as the establishment is unavoidable... hell i wish i was able to pick on the democrats in power... but last time they were... we were kicking ass in this country - $$ rolling in... now... fuck - things are scary...

and as a note - ALL ABSOLUTES are absolutely not absolute... no DEFINITIVE statements are free of dissent and doubt and error...

damn scientific training... stupid history teacher - teaching me about taking the raw facts, looking at them THEN grouping them so they make sense BEFORE writing anything or making any conclusions... oh wait... i kid - that teacher and one or two others had such a profound impact that i can't help but thank them everytime i sit down with facts/observations and go to classify them to form a hypothesis/theory/opinion.

and besides - what fun is it to be non-reactionary?

perplexed g-dawg heading home

Ahhh the weekend is over

And what a weekend it was...

brief run-down:
PC Friar's Hockey game (free tickets) friday night
made waffles sat AM
went for a great ride after that
got back and played with the girls and watched the Red Wings play some GOOD hockey (smokin the Avs)
Saw my bro and his wife for a minute
great evening drinkin PBR and Spicy Tuna Rolls (sushi) mmmmmm
and then there was sunday...

super bowl - started great with my bro's - great afternoon and the steelers capped off the weekend with a win... hard to beat that ya know!?

The ride... now the ride is definitely of more than a sentence... what a ride

Supposedly its a weekly thing - a standing ride - so... i head out down there - get there a bit early... about 10 minutes or so... and no one... i tool around on the bike, no one... still no one... 10:05 or so after a damn while of tooling around waiting for no one to show i head out... figure i'll get out and see where the roads take me... and test FL's theory on single/solo riders and car etiquette... i get about a 1/2 mile down and there's someone looking like they are waiting... Sure enough, Ron (hadn't ridden with him before) asks "are you all there is of the Faunce ride?"
"yup, just me."
I'm relieved to have someone to ride with, and a change from riding with the kids too. Ron's got a great CT1 colnago... and anyway it really was an awesome ride... i kinda wound up in front the whole time, but felt great - however i may have pushed the pace a bit too much for his comfort/expectations, but i didn't have the computer, or the HR on... I did the ride on the Paramount, with the 50 tooth in front (only one ring) and the goofy chopped bars, the funky bottle cage i use for the battery that is almost impossible to get the waterbottle out of while riding... heavy wire bead tires... and one down tube shifter...

It was maybe only two hours or so but it was glorious... Satisfying the way a Mt Bike ride can be... the roads we were on (a lot of them at least) were like paved Mt Bike trails... Trees towering overhead, streams, flooded areas, vernal ponds, elevation changes, turns, rough potholed chip-and-seal... all the elements... kinda makes me itch to get the Mt Bikes out and ta give the commuting machine a break...

ah but a ride is a ride... and in the dry summer months there'll be plenty of time to tear up the trails... no need to destroy them now...

Riding in this morning was a treat... i got to carry my bike, loaded with laptop, and 4 large science/reference books... and a bunch of other crap... it was heavy enough that i took the perverse opportunity and hopped on the scale with the messenger bag... 245 pounds... and I'm hangin at about 189ish dripping wet out of the shower... I felt it on the way in... and my back is still feeling it right now...

Lately... all this riding has either been on the Cyclocross or the Commuter... both are steel, both are the only two steel frames i have... and i am not afraid to say... i LOVE they way they ride... I do like the Quantum Pro, but its been since june that i've actually ridden it... one of these days... maybe if i hit the Bikeworks ride in Swansea, i'll air up those tires and give that bike a good work out... maybe i'll just keep riding the freak machine... the 12-25 with the 50 tooth gives me pretty much all the gears i need... not quite the total top end i need but enough of one to get me fast enough to try and contest a town line or two...

ah well - such is the dilemma, it doesn't help that i still am thinkin about what to do for a second Cross bike... I think there are enough bits kicking around that i can get a frame and put something together no problem...

anyway - till later - the weekend update is over... i think

-cheers
G

Later it may be... check this out... pretty damn cool


found over at http://www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com/

Well Folks its freaking raining out there

and i'm drenched...

it would seem that three applications of heavy heavy rain to my Sugoi Jacket and Pearl Izumi pants is enough to overwhelm the water "resistant" nature of the fabric... so... my clothes are wet... not just a little wet mind you soaking...

at least i had the intelligence to put on a nice pair of smartwool socks this morning... my shoes and socks might be wet but my feat are NOT cold! thankfully...

I was reading a bit over at What-i-think's page (linked from KL's) and man isn't all that the truth?

Saying hey to other riders... the lonely roads - the saftey in numbers - all that... which kinda inspired (indirectly) a new theory that i wanna test out:

Riders who are squirely, rude, and condesending are Repugnicans...

kinda bears out in the handful of cases i can think of. I have to also mention that there are plenty of republicans who can and do ride the road pretty respectably. And yeah they may be riding on a $10,000 custom Ti Seven with Carbon Record parts, but they are decent riders...

Oh and speaking of the GOP, am i the only one that reads "Boner" (as in... well ya know) when the new speaker of the house's name shows up on screen or print? For those who are completely out of the loop:

Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who ran an insurgent campaign calling for change in the face of a widening corruption scandal, was elected yesterday to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) as House majority leader in an upset over the acting majority leader.

To hear the news people pronounce it, they've must have a phoenetic telepromt... i'd say 'John Boner' everytime... which i'm sure he's rather used to, but maybe not ambivilant about still.

This whole riding in the rain is fun, and curious. Heading back into the office on the 3rd leg of the ride today (the one that completely drenched me) - (Oh and by ride i mean - 'commuting' - in terms of getting to office - to other facility - back to office) i couldn't help but notice something very strange to me... (how's that for excessive parenthesis use?)

95% of the people were using Umbrellas!!! Or Brolleys or Bumbershoots... Serious! Its totally freaking me out!

Maybe its my Seattle roots, the city that laughs at Umbrellas... but even at the Big Ten campus in the rain... the umbrellas were numerous but no where near the same as here... just freaking amazing.

Now to explain on other thing... i DREAD... and i mean dread walking in a crowd full of umbrella weilding people. cause they are all carrying those things at my chest and eye level... and most umbrella people don't look ahead at what they are walking towards/past... and that's me getting nailed and poked and bumped and even wetter from the stupid umbrella crowds...

Not that i have anything against short people - as a rule/or coincidence i only date women under 5'4" of course i might make exceptions for some tall women, but so far i haven't, and likely won't, and i'm all to familar with the challenges of rain, umbrellas and dates/walks with the GF/SO... cause if i hold it - she gets wet... if she holds it i go blind... a minor digression, brought on by the umbrella weilding phenomenon that is a raining day here in the City... and by City i don't mean New York...

okay... now - hopefully the skies will clear and the calender will open up and i can get out for a much needed LONG ride. I'm damn jealous when i hear people going out for 2 hours a day... knowing i need that... for now... i just gotta make due with what i can get, and keep commuting and keeping those legs spinning....

peace out my friends, till later
G

SOTU fallout

sort of...

watching the news (a rare thing sometimes) last night - NBC specifically - i hear a teaser that kept me within earshot of the tube...

about BioWillie... damn cool - they're gonna talk about BioDiesel! Sweet!

course i realize that its prolly cause that chimp mentioned something about alternative fuels and that biod is usually included....

sokay - press is press... just as the Korean's who claimed to have cloned....

anyway - read the short story version here:
msnbc.msn.com/id/11131407/
Willie made a mention that he's been doing this stuff (biod) longer than 'W' has been talking it up...

well...

I'm pretty GD sure i've been onthe band wagon long before ol'Willie, but that's okay... BioDiesel is a damn fine thing.

The NOx issue: a non-issue, esp if automakers clean up gasoline emissions. NOx alone is harmless and does NOT make smog on its own. It needs to react with gasoline emissions to become a problem....

that and all ya gotta do is retard the timing a bit, add a cooled EGR and that drops the NOx down to ULEV emission levels IIRC - and even further you can stick a NOx scrubber so that the only thing coming out of the tail pipe on a Diesel vehicle is CO2, O2 and H2O (the O2 cause its there - and is registering on every 4 gas test i've ever seen)... not a drop of CO...

nothin in there can kill ya - assuming its tuned and efficient...

ah well...

I'm still just a bike commuter now - and my fuel is easier to find than the fuel for my TDI...

Nature Rightly Questioned Never Lies

That is my favorite quote at the moment...

its by Robert Mallet... extra bonus points if you know who is was and when he lived...

ah or maybe not - i pulled it out of the book i'm reading a bit now - on and off - good stuff, reading that is.

As commuting by bike is to driving a car, Reading is to television

both result in benefits that make for a much better/healthier life...

And about that driving to work thing i said yesterday... i got to thinking about the "i need the space" i've been surveying people unoffcially both here and at the old place... once... ONCE in a great while do i see people making more than one trip to the car - or carrying items too large to put on a bike or in a bag... so the argument that you MIGHT need the space goes to the SUV one - "I might need the space so let me buy it now, rather than get the smaller car that fits all but 0.01% of my needs"

i think i've gone over that in the past... probably...

Nature Rightly Questioned Never Lies...

ask questions until the answers are the same, if you FIND the truth - any questions relating to it will not change the TRUTH...

all those creationists and (un)Intelligent Design retards/morons/zealots/bigots can put that in their pipe and smoke it, 'cuase that one bitty question disables their whole argument... Just ask Dr. Miller!

anyway - have i mentioned i'd always lusted after a Hakkalugi? there was something about that bike... maybe it was the name, or the Ibis mystique, or the Handjob cable hanger... i dunno... or maybe the color - but it was coooooooool... hell still is!

bikes and companies change, Ibis has as well - kinda a swobo-esque sort of deal from the looks of it - they are very different now than they were then - at least in product lines...

at anyrate - i've chewed through enough of my scribble notes - and that reminds me!

the other part about the Nature Rightly Questioned Never Lies... the same book talks about the reccomendation in that era that everyone always carry a notebook, a pencil and a compass to make observations of everything... now, the compass may not be the most helpful thing nowdays... but i'd swap the compass for a cheap digi-cam and still carry the notebook and a pencil... One of those MoleSkine books from modoemodo.com

I've got one kicking around that because of READING i may just start carrying... fits in my pocket - i just have to drop a pen/pencil in there and i'm ready to roll - maybe i'll be better at remembering stuff like THIS and not wait till the freaking end of the post to remember one of the things i really wanted to say/write down...

Oh and Big Johnny's Rant over at DC today is a great read!

peace out yall
G

PS
I MUST add these... and forgive linkin - but its sourced so if they wanna change content - go for it