Le-hoo-serr-her

Rubbish week for riding: 3 days commuting and nothing this weekend.

I suppose that going for the missus's 20 week scan sort of counts as an excuse, and band practice means that I'm only riding 4 days a week normally, but the weekend laziness is inexcusable (is that a word?).

I did give the Giant a clean, lube and a change of rear pads though, and I think that the chain's on it's way out but the added excitement of the potential of the chain to go bang at any moment will make this week's commute into an X-TREME COMMUTE!

I also need some new waterproof trousers that don't bathe me in sweat.

Machine

I am a finely tuned machine. I am in harmony with my bicycle to such an extent that I can feel the Orbits unbalancing my wheels.

I am a supreme athlete. I have such acute senses that I can feel the Orbits altering my speed on every revolution.

I am a pragmatist. I have weighed up the benefits of the Orbits preventing my death against the inconvenience of a slight loss of speed.

Ooh, Like, Real Snow.

It was like proper crunchy under wheel and everything.

Opened the curtains this morning and there'd been a fall of around 2" of the white stuff, and it was still coming. So I did what any sensible person would do: let the chicken out (that's not a euphamism), had my breakfast, put a load of washing on, minced about for a bit, then loaded the car up and went for a ride.

I packed a shovel (no, really) in case I had to dig the car out, but in the end it was my road and the back roads round town that were worse than the country roads up to the trail. The trail itself was rideable and the earlier-than-me birds had packed the snow down nicely so there was grip to be found. The fireroads were a bit more "virgin" which meant I got to play at drifting but attempting to stay upright. All in all it was a very pleasant session, with pretty much no downsides. I even got to hose the bike down before I put it in the car.

Fantastic.

UFOrb

My new spoke lights came today and I've had a play with them but not ridden with them yet. They're nice and bright and a bit like the fried eggs you get in pick'n'mix, although I've not tried to eat one so I can't confirm whether they taste the same. I suspect they don't.

Damn You, Electricity!

 

Picture the scene: you're riding along merrily avoiding being run over, riding inches from dog turds in the gutter, waiting patiently at red lights etc etc then all of a sudden Electricity decides to deal you a huge blow. All my electrical gizmos give up the ghost at the same time.

Computer - faint screen and not really wanting to tell you how fast you're going
Front light - lazily blinking out the Morse code for "my batteries are dead"
Rear light - fading slowly from a retina-burning crimson to a warm but useless campfire glow.

Alright, so my phone wasn't dead (it performed that trick on Tuesday) but the lights were a big concern. I've learnt my lesson though - spare batteries duly squirrelled away in one of the pockets of my bag for Electrical Conspiracy purposes.

SMIDSY

I got hit by a woman in a VW Jetta this morning. She bumped me as she pulled out of a side road. I'm fine and I think the bike is okay (just scratched the QR, hope it's nothing more than that) but that's partly because I saw her pull up to the junction then pull out so I was already taking a wide berth. I did going slightly mental at her - she was quite shaken as I bellowed through her windscreen and side window, but then it could've been a lot worse (mainly for me). I think she'll be a bit more careful in future (perhaps) as I gave her such a large earful.

Standard response: "Sorry, I didn't see you" - what, was my bright flashing light not visible enough for you? How about my orange bike? How about me being the ONLY THING ON THE ROAD IN EITHER DIRECTION? F*ckwit. Hopefully I've given her something to think about, and I got her details in case it's more than just the QR.

In conclusion I think I need: some visible side lights, more luminous clothes and a very bright front light. And a f*cking great big stick to fend cars off with, a bit like jousting.

Kapow! Kersplatt! Kablam!

And so it was decreed that on the ninth day of the second month in the year of our Lord two thousand and ten, the chosen cyclist would be smote from his narrow throne and thrust to the ground with great force.

He shall be confused by the isolated nature in which his trial occurred and humbled by the terrible contact between body and ground.

His Faith will be strengthened as he realises that no metal devil was within reach to crush him under its evil locomotion.

And he will consider his fragile form as he winces when he returns his hands to the bars. But he shall remained undeterred and resolved to complete his task.

Love Is A Clean Bicycle

It's true. Partly.

My road bike got a bit of a birthday on Friday and I must've removed a kilo of road grime, brake dust, grit and truck driver spittle from the frame alone. The chain now shifts almost-acceptably and I never knew that the rims had white writing on them. Amazing.

It does make a huge difference though, probably mostly psychological but still a noticable change.

I Heart Tubeless

Another Saturday, another family trip out to Grizedale, only this time with Dr & Mrs G as well. The good doctor is testing replacements for his stolen pride & joy and he seems to be having a mighty fine time doing it too. Even if the circumstances for all this fun arise from some filthy little scumbag taking what isn't theirs.

So, it was another cold, fresh day although the ground is beginning to thaw with all the resultant puddles and bogginess, but you don't go out into the woods to stay clean, do you? It was a pretty uneventful ride with a couple of niggly mechanicals to keep me on my toes but they were only spotted after-the-fact:

1. I thought my headset was loose. I was pleased to find out I was wrong, but the helpful Leon at the bike shop pointed out that my front caliper was about to make a break for freedom...
2. I also thought the rear wheel was squirming round a lot, which made me check and double-check the frame pivots, shock mounts, QR tightness etc etc. I discovered this morning when I was giving the bike a post-ride birthday that my rear tyre was at a shameful 10psi. 

But that brings me neatly to my title - no pinch flats, no punctures of any kind. Ace. I did think that I was bottoming out a bit too much, but in hindsight that *may* have been the rear rim clunking against the ground as the tyre compressed. You live and learn.

I Am *Literally* On Fire...

Actually, I'm not "literally" on fire, because I can't smell burning and my clothes are not a smouldering pile of ashes lying round my blistered and charred feet.

But I am metaphorically on fire because I've gone for 2 weeks without driving to work. I've cycled 10 times on the bounce: through snow, darkness, wind and the cold. It's not bucketed down yet, but give it time.

However, every lining has a cloud and I managed to lose one of my rear lights. Most likely it was in an exhuberant traffic light sprint(!) one morning, but I only noticed after I parked the bike and by then it was probably mashed under the wheels of some car or van.

You win some, you lose some.

Whoopy Doo!

Double figures, and nearly triples on the mileage. Well, it's given me cause to celebrate anyway.

That is all.