sidewasy lights and flags xtracycle

Fall comes blasting in…

Decided I really hadn’t left early enough to go the long way in with 15-20 mph headwinds.  Alas, I could have… but Did Stuff Around The House instead.  (Would have been fine with no wind, but I did the math – that extra mile per minute per 15 miles, assuming itwouldn’t apply to five of ‘em…)

Lotsa bikes out there. There was a mess on University as they’re paving the way from the INterstate into town (where it changes from being an interstate to being University ave).  Seemed nobody was allowed to go straight on Country Fair… but cars *were* coming from the other direction, and that fresh fresh asphalt was just as fresh, eh?  Cars were turning around in midlane and … a sweet guy on a motorcycle blocked for me so I could cut over it and do the sidewalk thing and then cut back onto the road.  Note to self:  go either CHurch or the Real Long Way, not the sorta long way (tho’ I did get my 77 cents from my 100 cans at the Goat, and that was fun ).

Communicating with women…

Okay, mebbe it wasn’t a gender issue, but mebbe it was.

So I’m riding home aand I spot a cyclist iin my mirror and she’s wroking *hard* behind me.  Usually, I do believe, that’’s what people do when they want to pass me … and then they often don’t sustain it. I put forth extra effort. Then it’s a stop sign and I’m behind a car and WHIZ! she’s peeling by me,s inches away, on my right.  A syllable escapes from my mouth which I successfully distorted so that it didn’t *really* rhyme with itch, and I though t “okay, a guerrilla bikerette — I won’t have to worry about her, ’cause she’ll run the light at Pennsylvania or at least be thus poised.”

Nope. She stops behind a car. I think she scoots out first (I hung back), but then I’m gaining on her… and she says “would you like to pass?”  in a ridiculously cheery, friendly voice.  I’m pretty sure she gave me a friendly greeting before, not after, I lamely said, in attempt for the only word out of my mouth to have been not one I wish to be remembered for, “you know, if you raise your seat a tad, you’ll get more power and it will be easier to ride.”   I pondered the ssincerity of her greeting, especially if I hadn’t really distorted…

Then she says “you have a good evening!”  so I think, “she’s turning off…” so I back off a tad… and only a tad.. and she’s zipping by me on my right again.  So in my, unfortunately, probably good imitatin of the wicked witch of the west, say “You’re supposed to say “on your left” or something when you’re going by…” and she says wiht a laugh “you mean, on your right”  and I was compelled to say “No, ’cause you really shouldn’t pass on thright (tho’ I was out there in the lane… but of course, had she said onyerleft, I’d have moved over…)

Welp, then I just sprint.  Even feet in mouth I can do that, and not really look like I am sprinting since I am in that big gear   dang it, Vine makes me stop and she has not turned yet. Welp, I look her straight in the eye and say how much I hate getting a cross there, and she smiles all friendly and says yea, it takes a while.

Gotta work on my womanners…

selle anatomica … doing better

welp, jeff at  tChampaign Cycle tweaked up my seat – and put a little loctite on it in case it’s been wroking its way back to loose.  Me thinks the problem was more likely my general hesitance to stretch or tighten with true enthusiasm   (had the same problem with bungeeing the bike).

What a difference a new cassette makes

“car free day”

Twitter told me via Xtracycle that CNN was doing “I report” spots on people going without cars for a day.  (Alas, I checked it *after* the deadline, or I might be on cnn…)

Reality check here/ – (I googled “CNN car-free”) — here are the “typical American” responses.

Possibility Cheque here – Wisconsin man doing the grocery shopping.  Oh, let’s insert it. <object width=”450″ height=”370″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.ireport.com/themes/custom/resources/swfplayer/mediaplayer.swf”></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param><param name=”menu” value=”false”></param><param name=”flashvars” value=”height=370&width=448&autostart=false&autoscroll=false&showstop=false&showicons=false&showdigits=total&controlbar=34&backcolor=0xFFFFFF&screencolor=0×000000&frontcolor=0xDEDEDE&lightcolor=0×00A2FF&logo=http%3A//www.ireport.com/themes/custom/resources/swfplayer/data/images/ireport_wm.gif&file=http%3A//ht.cdn.turner.com/ireport/big/prod/2009/09/15/WE00326225/1064900/pbcarfreemp4-1064900_web_flv.flv&image=http%3A//i.cdn.turner.com/ireport/sm/prod/2009/09/15/WE00326225/1064900/pbcarfreemp4-1064900_lg.jpg”></param><embed src=”http://www.ireport.com/themes/custom/resources/swfplayer/mediaplayer.swf” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”450″ height=”370″ menu=”false” flashvars=”height=370&width=448&autostart=false&autoscroll=false&showstop=false&showicons=false&showdigits=total&controlbar=34&backcolor=0xFFFFFF&screencolor=0×000000&frontcolor=0xDEDEDE&lightcolor=0×00A2FF&logo=http%3A//www.ireport.com/themes/custom/resources/swfplayer/data/images/ireport_wm.gif&file=http%3A//ht.cdn.turner.com/ireport/big/prod/2009/09/15/WE00326225/1064900/pbcarfreemp4-1064900_web_flv.flv&image=http%3A//i.cdn.turner.com/ireport/sm/prod/2009/09/15/WE00326225/1064900/pbcarfreemp4-1064900_lg.jpg”></embed></object>

Both say much for the importance urban planning.  The Wisconsin man has roads he can ride on and a good place to park. On, Wisconsin!

aphids in the air…

(exchanging glances?)

Alas, I don’t ride fast enough to splatter them onto my jacket, just get ‘em to stick.  So, when I go into the house… htey fly around.  Blecch. Hey, I’d rather have aphids than floods. (Interesting that the Weather Channel didn’t give a Promo Name to the flood event in Atlanta.  Is it because the new owners don’t want them to, or because it’s jus ttoo close to home?)Rather have aphids than dust storms a la Sidney.

Monday, as I cruised by the bike shop at 10:00 at night, I shifted gears… and they wouldn’t cooperate.  Serious floppage aroundage of hte chain.  Had me hobbling the bike along enough to inspire a motorist to turn back and make sure I was okay.  Then I found a gear it would ride in and didn’t change it.  I figure the puir wee cycle was trying to get into the bike shop nad was simply informing me that no, I really should NOT do just a thousand more miles and wait ’til “off season” to get the maintenance that, um, I didn’t get three thousand miles ago.

So I stuck the Dahon on top today and cruised it in. That kid who passed me in the alley gave it several glances…

Must also decide what to do about its original wheel… the one with the drum brake and generator hub that simply devours bearings in a year.  Time to hit ye olde bike forum and see what opinions are lurking out there…

Friday!

and time to be HOME.

Yesterday I got to see how some of the other fractions live – cruised the “art gallery” possible route trying to see riding through a “sunday rider’s” lens.  Then we did the CCB meeting and I got to ride home through campus early enough to experience what Joyce had described on Green STreet — the utter clottitude and taking three cycles to get through a light.  Part of me files it under “rush hour commute – accept and mutter” — which, of course, is exactly what I pontificate against to people who don’t break their own chains to try stuff

Also saw some odd sights, including a bus stuffed with people… honestly, it looked liked they’d been stuffed in there ’cause many of them were at weird angles… and mostly wearing plaid flannel shirts.  Some kind of flannel following cult?  No name on the bus…

Going to adjust my silly seat one more time… but probably going to be shopping.  If I wanted to spend inordinate amounds of dough, I bet I’d like a Brooks saddle with this model of How They Work:  The Selle people knew people for whom it took forever to break in a Brooks saddle, so they designed their “already broken in” model.  People who’d ride hard enough to break in a Brooks saddle, though, mauybe just break *down* those little things.  So maybe a Brooks would feel like the Selle Anatomica did when it was newer, but for longer.

I just want a saddle I can get more than 5,000 miles out of.  Same with bearings in my hub.  But I’ll ride home and post about htat.

Dan and Anona

… are in MOntana!  YOU ROCK, DUDES!!! Hey, it’s only the Rockies between there and Portland, right???

“design ideas”

When i’ve been riding in since the Student Influx, I have been seeing bicycle after bicycle parked here and there, on racks, on trees, on railings.

It brings to mind the article that posted that providing parking for bicycles could be very encouraging because of both its practicality — that finding a safe place to store a reasonably nice bike is, in fact, an important issue – and because it sends the message that cycling is normal and supported.

While performing the songs and dances and rituals to encourage that kind of infrastructure change, though, I wonder if one of those “I’mgoing to have a design contest” groups or people might just encourage designing something to solve the parking problem on a smaller scale.  Really nice bikes get nastified in the rain and out in the open.   A tarp’s a bit unweildy, and what do I do with it while I”m riding?  Lockers are ’spensive and use lots of resources.  Is there something I could stick under the porch… ?

There was something else I wanted to design, too, but I can’t remember what it was.

Selle Anatomica Blues

… no, it isn’t blue, it’s brown, but … I think I”ve worn that puppy out.  Made some major adjustments to it on the Capital City Century, with that Allen Wrench and sliding it back, and that kept my back from simply refusing to continue, but basically I think I’m riding without a seat on that excuse for one.  Perhaps if I lost 20 pounds, an unlikely prospect, it wouldn’t be so bad.