Yes, we are in California. Scotts Valley, specifically, just north and east of Santa Cruz. I’m here working with my manager for a week. Jen and the boys are taking in the sights and enjoying the weather. Expect photos soon.

Posted on 24 April 2007

It is exceedingly rare for me to agree with much of anything the Republican hacks at the Corner write, but John Podhoretz is absolutely correct in his response to fellow Corner writer John Derbyshire’s rather horrific claim that the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings were at least somewhat responsible because they didn’t attempt to fight back. Derbyshire apparently thinks that in the “good old days” the students, who worship self-reliance over everything, would have rushed the shooter en masse. Or, at least he would have.

Posted on 20 April 2007

Thanks to a weekend forecast full of rain, wind, and cold temperatures, the Iron City Populaire has been rescheduled until May 13. It wasn’t an easy decision, since randonneuring is supposed to be all about suffering (right?), but I hoped this would be a nice introduction, and I knew I could get a far better turnout with better weather, so there you have it.

Also….my new employer has its offices in a large, six story building in the South Side. There are, best that I can tell, at least two businesses on every floor. There is a bike parking area in the loading dock, well-protected from the weather and the eyes of passers-by. Yet in two weeks, I have not seen another bike in the rack. Amazing, and a little bit sad.

Posted on 13 April 2007

From Matt Chester:

Riding a bicycle, like playing a musical instrument or sailing a boat or driving a racing car, allows those who are otherwise unsure and awkward to exhibit moments of fluidity and grace in a way not readily possible with dance shoes, a basketball, or a pair of boxing gloves. From square one, the tool is a very effective catalyst for cinematic beauty, both in between the ears and outwardly as one pans across the landscape rolling quietly. An entity like one’s bicycle can’t help but inspire self-expression through its use, and the increasing ease, speed, and volume of communication today results in no shortage of two-wheeled material to peruse.

Posted on 10 April 2007

Today’s Post Gazette includes the editorial “Corn Is Food, Not Fuel” by Manfred Kroger. Kroger’s point is simple: ethanol is far from being the silver bullet to cure our fuel woes. In fact, ethanol may require more energy to produce that it provides (there is some disagreement in the scientific community about this) and, more importantly, it requires, in effect, burning our food to drive our cars.

Nationally, nearly half of the gasoline being sold today contains 10 percent ethanol. But the ramp-up in ethanol production has become all too apparent. The Earth Policy Institute warns that ethanol is on track to consume half of the U.S. corn crop by next year. That’s still about 22 billion gallons short of President Bush’s renewable-fuels goal. Yet researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that if the entire corn crop is used, it would replace only 12 percent of U.S. gasoline. A new corn-ethanol surge could produce more problems than it solves.

The problem, as James Kunstler has repeatedly warned us, is not simply a matter of finding new fuel sources. The problem is our utter dependence on the automobile and an economy that has destroyed local production in the name of efficiency.

Posted on 8 April 2007

Based on email messages and activity on the Bike Pittsburgh message board, there could be a decent turnout for this event next weekend. The route has changed quited a bit from what I first envisioned, and it clocks in at the proper populaire distance of 101km, with roughly 3400 feet of climbing (yes, yes, sorry for mixing units). I’ve done all but about 15 miles of the course, and I feel pretty good about the results. No real severe climbs, just rolling hills through scenic countryside. I’m really, really happy about the Logan Road leg (between Saxonburg Blvd and the Red Belt)–tiny, twisting rural residential passage, including a llama farm.

I’ve been wembling a bit on the choice of bike for the ride. I was assuming that I would just ride the Cannondale, but I’m having second thoughts. Given the rolling nature of the course (and the long descent into Sewickley), there is a creeping worry that I might finish outside the time limit on the Surly (wouldn’t that be embarrassing?). I had a fleeting hope that I could build up the Sturmey hub before the event, but given my wheelbuilding speed (or lack thereof), it’s not going to happen. Perhaps a coin flip on the day of the event will decide.

Posted on 3 April 2007

In preparation for the new, urban commute (and carrying a laptop on a regular basis), I decided to add some sort of load carrying capacity to the Steamroller. The dream was to have a proper porteur rack, but custom models are upwards of $200 (and being custom, take months to arrive), and the only non-custom option (made by CETMA) isn’t the most elegant design. The most economical solution was a basket, made here in the U.S. of A. by Wald LLC. While the basket is certainly not pitched strongly by the general bicycle industry, there are some who will extol the benefits of a basket over the standard racking system (Rivendell chief among them). My thought was that given the largest basket was $29, it was an inexpensive way to determine if I would like carrying the load on the front end of the bike.

Enter the Really Big Wald basket.

The local REI had a standard Wald in stock, but after looking at it, I decided it was too small for my needs. Ideally, I didn’t want to be forced to carry anything on my back if I didn’t want to, and the standard model would have trouble holding my messenger bag. The large basket seemed to be a better choice, especially since it would accept the hard case for the laptop I would be given by the new employer. I couldn’t find a local shop that stocked the model, so it was ordered via a shop selling on Amazon (Rivendell did not have the large in stock or I would have sent them my money).

On Thurday, a Really Big box arrived containing the basket. The box was, fortunately, quite a bit larger than the basket, but the basket was still Really Big. It easily swallowed my messenger bag. The mounting hardware is relatively primitive (nuts and bolts, and supports that attach via the wheel axle), but rather solid once everything is in place. I will probably scour the message boards, as someone somewhere has probably developed a quick release system. I did, unfortunately, have to swap out the Mary bars, as they don’t interface well with much anything that mounts to the bars. Currently, I have a Nitto riser bar, but I’m not sure about it. I would like to sell the Marys (or the Nittos) and find a pair of Albatross bars. Worst case scenario would be a pair of Nitto Promenades, for that really authentic porteur look.

I took the bike out for a shakedown yesterday, riding over to the climbing gym. The basket contained a U-lock, my mess bag containing the usual (toolkit, etc), my climbing shoes, a t-shirt, and a full 32oz water bottle. Again, no issues fittng the stuff in with room to spare. I could easily carry another mess bag. Loading the front wheel, however, radically affects the handling of the bike.

In the last few months, I’ve learned all about trail–the distance between the steering axis and where the rubber actually meets the road. Generally, the average bike is mid to high trail, providing generally more responsive handling. Bikes that are meant carry a front load (either touring bikes or “work” bikes) have lower trail measurements. This makes the bike more stable at lower speeds with a load. The stock Steamroller fork’s trail is slightly higher than average, but slightly more relaxed than the average track bike (when I was considering a front load carrying solution, I knew this would be a problem, so I already have staked a claim on the new Kogswell 622mm porteur fork, mid-trail version). I expected the ride to be little, umm, twitchy.

The experience didn’t disappoint. Now, I’m sure there were a few things at work here: I had just ridden the Cannondale on Friday to the office, which always leaves the Surly feeling really skittish. Then, the new bars. And finally, an extra 10 pounds on the front wheel. At low speeds, the front end wanted to flop if I turned the bars too far. Once I was up to speed, the ride was fairly stable, but the steering was less responsive. I was hesitant to track stand at the first red light, but by the time I arrived at the Factory, I was comfortable enough to keep my feet in the cages at a red light. I have to be cautious, however, to not oversteer into a track stand–that will likely dump me on my face.

The ride back home wasn’t a problem at all. There’s no real climbing between our house and the gym, but on the few short inclines I got out of the saddle and pushed hard, to see what it would feel like. No problems. I was initially a little apprehensive about climbing out of Panther Hollow on Neville Avenue (the road is pretty rough, too), but I think it should be fine. I am anxious to get the Kogswell fork, as it will make the ride a bit smoother and the steering a bit more predictable.

Posted on 1 April 2007

I rode roughly the first quarter of the Iron City Populaire yesterday, taking advantage of the fine spring weather. Some folks had grumbled on the Bike Pittsburgh message board that Kittaning Pike, out of Sharpsburg, looked long and steep. Upon further review, they are correct. It is a very nice climb–generally in the neighborhood of 8% gradient, with wide shoulders and little traffic. But it does kick back to double digit gradient in a few spots, and it is early in the season, so I’ve decided to have mercy, and I’ll adjust the route a bit. The course will probably continue through Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and Fox Chapel, to Fox Chapel Road, then up Squaw Run to meet Dorseyville (the destination at the top of Kittaning Pike).

Anyway…

Dorseyville Road and Saxonburg Blvd. offer some of the finest riding just outside the city limits. Gently rolling terrain, nice scenery, moderate traffic. The final descent on Dorseyville to Saxonburg is also quite an eye-opener–relatively steep, with a few tight turns and dodgy tarmac. Good stuff. I was happy to be on the fat tires of the Cannondale. I looped back down Saxonburg to Harts Run, and climbed that back to Dorseyville (I pity the poor middle aged guy on the carbon bike who had a guy on a mountain bike with three speed bars, a saddlebag, and cutoff shorts breathing down his back). I’m still generally pleased with the Cannondale, though I think I’d still prefer Albatross bars over the North Roads, if only to be able to use bar-end shifters, rather than the thumbies I’m using now. I did a fair amount of out-of-the-saddle climbing, and while the bike is a bit on the sluggish side, it’s still not all that bad.

Hopefully this coming weekend I can do a full recce of the populaire course. I’m also considering perhaps riding the course backwards from Sewickley this Friday, but we’ll see how that shakes out.

Posted on 26 March 2007

So plans to go to New Jersey to do the Frenchtown Populaire fell through, so I decided to organize one myself. Given the initial response from friends and folks on the Bike Pittsburgh message board, this may be start of bigger and better brevet-style rides here in the ‘burgh.

More details about the ride can be found here

Posted on 23 March 2007

After riding to the Co-op on Thursday night in shorts and a t-shirt, Friday morning brought temperatures in the 30s and steady rain. Good fun. I do think I hit the clothing selection on target, outside of my gloves. Wool shirt, rain jacket, helmet liner, wool knickers, tights, wool socks. I started with neoprene gloves, but just before crossing the McKees Rocks Bridge, I stopped and swapped those out for fleece. The neoprene was soaked though and not doing a particularly good job of keeping my hands warm. The fleece got wet immediately, but at least kept my hands warm for most of the ride. By the time I reached the office, my hands were numb and it took me several minutes to fish my key out of the bag and actually get in the building.

I will say that I’ve become a wool convert. First (and foremost), the stuff doesn’t retain odor. My “plastic” shirts (that is, polypro) tend to get malodorous, and once a year, Jen decrees that I must throw them away a buy a new batch. My wool shirts, however, can go weeks between washings without smelling at all. My wool knickers (army surplus) have also become my cold/wet weather gear of choice. Once I got to office, however, they smelled like a herd of wet sheep. Not bad, mind you, just musty. A small price to pay, I think.

The ride home was chilly, but dry. I flatted for the first time, crossing the McKees Rock Bridge. I was able to limp to the other side on a slowly flatting front tire and stop along Terman Road to fix it. All was well until it was time to re-inflate the tire. Apparently, my pump doesn’t work anymore. I couldn’t get a good seal around the valve, and couldn’t get more than about 10psi into the tube, clearly not enough to ride the nine miles home. Swell. Fortunately, Jen was home and willing to drive out to pick me up. What’s odd is that in the 40 or so minutes that I stood on the side of a fairly busy road, only one kind person offered any assistance. I’ve made the decision to always, always stop to help a cyclist that is in need.

Posted on 16 March 2007