food -vs- the body
Tim posted a note about sorbitol, and it reminded me of 2 other food/body interaction stories lately. A friend of mine from college recently quit eating red meat after a year of uh… gastric distress… that he finally pinned down as happening every time he ate beef, no matter the source. He had been an omnivore all his life, no particular sensitivities before, it’s like his body just got sick (literally) of processing beef.
The other one is me - over the last year or so I’ve stopped drinking soda with corn syrup because i figured out that it was the corn syrup that would make me all phlegmy after a fast-food meal. I think artificial sweeteners are awful, i can always taste them, and they don’t even taste sweet to me. I generally don’t even drink soda anymore except occasionally buying the expensive hippie stuff. I do like a good strong ginger beer though, i should try brewing some myself.
Icebike Mittens and battle axe pedals
Kevin wrote a short post on the IceBike mittens, and it reminded me that i need to write a mini review of a couple of new bits of cycling gear. I did a nice 17 miles with Chris, Gina, Steve and biker7 (who’s name i’m blanking on, sorry) from the Como streetcar station over to mipples and back. It was a lovely day for a ride, all the way up in the low 20s for a change, with little wind. The roads were mostly clear, but icy and sloppy enough for a good test.
First is the IceBike mitts. Warmest cycling gloves i’ve ever owned, and arguably overkill for most people and conditions. My hands tend to get cold though, so i was willing to risk sweating a bit to keep the feeling in my digits. They work as advertised, very warm, and nice details for cycling. There’s a huge fleece snotpad, for starters, and a big swath of reflective striping on the back, great for signaling turns. The gauntlet part comes 1/2-way up to my elbow (i wear 36″ sleeves), so a lot of the warmth comes from simply trapping the air from the forearm on down. I ride drop bars on my winter bike, and there’s no problem operating brakes. It’s a singlespeed so I don’t shift, but they would be fine with most shifters too, aside from downtube or stem levers. They’re also a very simple design, so there aren’t any zippers to mess with or straps to adjust every time easy on and off. They’re big enough inside to easily ball up fingers if they need a warmup, and plenty of room for liner gloves for colder days, or when you’ll be taking them off often. Well-worth the $70 if choppers from Fleet Farm aren’t doing it for you (and really, that’s a good way to go too).
Next up, the Grip King pedal, a new Rivendell design made by MKS, also known (by some, including my 6-year-old) as the Gimli Battle Axe pedal. These were a splurge, for sure, but they’re in fact really nice pedals. I have no interest in toeclips & straps, and i like the MKS touring pedals i’ve been riding for plain pedals, but they do tend to slip in the wet. The Grip Kings have such a long platform you could probably ride barefoot, so much of the foot is supported. The surface grips aren’t of the meat-tenderizing sort, but they gripped well on a recent 20-mile ride in wet slushy snow with my regular light hiker shoes. They’re also pretty darn light pedals - about 440grams for the pair, if you’re the gram-counter type. I’m looking forward to comfortably riding these with Chaco sandals this summer, i think they’ll be the perfect pedal for them.
Commuting in the liquid lane
Pretty cool article in the Seattle Times about a mixed-mode bike/waterbike commute. There are people who take shortcuts across lakes here too, but generally only in the wintertime, and they don’t have to change vehicles.
The video on the story is also good. I like the idea of a camping version, wonder how that would go over in the BWCA. Of course, the latent racer in me wants to have sprint races on one of the local lakes with these. And maybe build one purely for speed. 5mph? I gotta think we could double that. Lower design, sleeker pontoons, lighter, of course. Hmmm…
you suck at photoshop
Not my videos, because, you know, i’m actually pretty good at Photoshop.
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
high tech mud collectors
I have this mental image of someone gluing this together like a high school science project toothpick bridge, except with carbon fiber and epoxy instead of toothpicks and Elmer’s glue. This bike is kind of cool in a fancy materials kind of way, and i’m sure it’s fine in Utah, but all i can think about is how much mud the tubes would collect on a sloppy ride around here. And how many pieces would there be on the first crash? The warranty page is mysteriously blank…
support your L(used)BS
There’s been a little discussion on PFN about the concept of Dynacrap bikes, and was picked up further by a commenter there. The crux of the question is whether any bike is better than no bike, and the value of the lowest of the low-end bicycles.
Sure, it’s generally better to have someone on a bike than in a car. Comparisons are made to the car world, where there is a place for the Hyundais and Kias of the world. Here’s the thing though: automobiles are regulated top to bottom, and the absolute worst car you can buy is still miles better than the worst bike you can buy.
Department and discount store bikes are most often built by employees with little bike knowledge and virtually no stake in the durability and safe operation of the bike. I’ve spent many hours repairing and rebuilding Magnas and Pacifics and sundry other low-end bike-like things, and they are truly a waste of good metal. They are often designed to not be fixed or even adjusted, so if they work, fine, if they don’t, too bad. They can be difficult to work on even for experienced mechanics, let alone the novices that they’re most often sold to.
On the other hand, even the cheapest Schwinn or Japanese bike from the mid-’70s can often get back on the road with only some fresh grease and adjustments, maybe a new chain and tires. These are workhorses designed for many miles, before manufacturers figured out how to build them even cheaper.
The low-end bike market is truly a place where new bikes don’t need to exist. We (as a society) are still processing the leftovers from the bike boom years of the late ’70s, and those bikes can still see years of service at a low price and low maintenance cost.
Recycled bikes are a much better option. There are at least 4 good bike shops (Sibley, Express, Sunrise, One on One) here in town who carry well-made, nicely refurbished bikes for under $200 that are 10x the quality of the typical department store bike. Go visit! You’ll be surprised at some of the good stuff they have.
jammin’ econo
As i enter a time when i’ll be long on ideas and short on cash, i’m reminded of my love for the Minutemen. Mike Watt was a huge influence on my own bass playing, but the whole band ethic of spare playing and spare living always strikes a chord with me.
While working to reorganize things around the house and running errands this week, i’m listening to 3-way Tie (For Last) and Project Mersh. Listening to these songs again makes me want to sit in a dark basement with guitar + drums and play music all night. Ah, 22 was a good year. The Dec. 8, 2006 edition of TWFPS has a replay of a great 2 hour show covering the Double Nickels on the Dime album, really good stuff.
ragnarök 105
Red sky at morning, Ragnarok.
Red sky at night, Ragnarok.*
* this is one to get on audiobook, trust me.
goodbye 2007!
… and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. It’s been that kind of year, mostly. But let’s not be like that. I’m looking forward to a new year and many new starts, many hearty breakfasts, fun miles and good friends. In that spirit, a few of the highlights of this year, starting with my 3 favorite bike rides.
In early July, 2 friends and i (at my instigating) took the Amtrak train from Saint Paul, MN to Winona, MN and rode our bikes back. It was my first century ride, and we ended up with over 150 miles for the day. My friends were both experienced bike tourers, and we all happened to be on Rivendell bikes and had a wonderful long day of riding with perfect weather and excellent food. I had a blast, felt great at the end of the ride (at 2am), and wanting to do more long days. It was the perfect ride just when i needed it most, and i’m forever grateful for it.
In September, i went away for a weekend of mountain biking with a couple of other friends to a park just outside Wausau Wisconsin at Gnomefest. It had been around 8 years since i’d done any serious mountain biking and, in fact, at least 4 years since i’d ridden my own mountain bike more than a mile. I had a fantastic time, the best part of which was feeling the old singletrack rhythm and flow coming back stronger with every new trail. I’ve been racing cyclocross the last 3 years now, but i forgot how much pure fun a day of singletrack can be on a mountain bike.
Finally, as fall settled in, i had a few wonderful rides around the neighborhood with my youngest daughter. My oldest has become more of a runner, and would sometimes tag along on her scooter, but the 4 year-old is an enthusiastic cyclist and had just moved from her tricycle to a 2-wheeler with training wheels. She wanted to ride constantly, and a couple of times i took my (newly built) fixed gear out with her and we would ride together. I’d do a lot of track stands and very slow riding (good practice), but it was the first time i got to ride side-by-side with one of my kids, and it was really something special.
The thing that ties these rides together is that each of them has inspired me to do more next year: more long rides/tours, more mountain biking, and more riding with my kids. After a few years of mostly commuting miles, I’m really looking forward to a great 2008 for cycling.
Other highlights included spring with Malte, and watching him tear up the competition on the local road racing circuit. He went home in June and I miss riding with him, even though he could probably out-sprint me riding a tricycle, one-legged, barefoot. I was able to visit my dad in Oregon twice this year after 6 1/2 years away, and got to introduce the girls to the Pacific. We also visited my mom twice and let my little brother win at scrabble for once.
Ella started first grade this year, and is doing great. She’s proud to be a bookworm and has a brain the size of the universe. Fiona started pre-school and after an adjustment period, is doing really well there. She’s an open book, the most genuine person i know, and one of the most daring and adventurous. It’s a cliché, but i’ll say it anyway: they grow up incredibly quickly. Still, it’s hard to miss the baby versions when these growing kid versions of them are so darn smart and interesting.
Finally, but certainly not least, to my many friends (new and old) and the whole family: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, for absolutely everything, large and small. You know what i’m talking ’bout.
So here’s to 2008: may the road rise up to meet us, may the wind always be at our backs.