Date: 2008-05-03 10:13 Subject: GEHOREFATHAROAYOO Public Music: Björk—downtown Tags: bikes, comics

Man, I love Yehuda Moon. (I can never understand what cagers are saying to me either, but I always holler back a nice solid "FUCKYOU!" anyway.)

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Date: 2008-04-20 07:53 Subject: Bike store comics Public Music: Mirah/Ginger Takahashi—Rock Of Ages Tags: bikes, comics

It occurred to me that I haven't linked this recent find yet.

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Date: 2008-02-06 15:16 Subject: Shit. Public Music: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists—The Unwanted Things Tags: bikes, death

Sheldon Brown died.

He was the patron internet saint of bicycles, and his site taught me shitloads. Not having him around anymore is going to suck.

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Date: 2007-11-30 11:46 Subject: This looks awesomely fun, for the two times out of ten that it actually works properly. Public Location: Hell. On wheels. Music: Ani Difranco—Most of the Time (Bob Dylan cover) Tags: bikes, videos

FRONTBRAKE.


Bonus round: I always forget that Courtney Love used to play pretty good rock songs.

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Date: 2007-11-12 22:32 Subject: (no subject) Public Music: Sigur Rós—Hoppipolla / Med Blodnasir (live) Tags: bikes, games

Hey, who here would totally play a video game about bike couriers?

I figure it'd be a perfect fit: you'd get goal-based and time-limited missions, sandboxy urban exploration, easily parceled story progression (via things like recruiting and competing with other riders), good hooks for multiplayer (especially with anti-games like competing for most horrifying wipe-out), ridiculous trick runs, going really really fast, and an overall patina of style and awesome.

Think Jet Set Radio meets GTA beats up Paperboy.

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Date: 2007-10-28 00:43 Subject: MPLS bike navigation comix Public Music: Portishead—Humming Tags: bikes, comics

I know it sounds counterintuitive, on account of the weird way it seems to tack away from your destination, but I'm gonna recommend going past the Section 8 housing on 6th, doing a left+right to get on the Hiawatha Line bike stub-trail, then south on 11th past the Metrodome, right on 14th past Elliot Park, jog over to 15th using Chicago and let the weird curve-thing take you onto 16th around the south side of the convention center, then go south on 3rd and turn right once you hit the MIA. Alternately, hang a right on 18th and take Nicollet across Franklin; the latter gives you a shorter light, but you might get delayed by oncoming traffic right in front of your goal, whereas the right turn at MIA lets you sneak up right around the side of Spyhouse. It's going to depend on the time of day and which lights you can get away with running.

Real MPLS bike punks probably have a better route, and I admit that a combination of an ill-timed 55 train plus heavy traffic on Franklin will fuck you over, but let me tell you, the Cedar --> Franklin route is a big old red herring unless you're headed to Midtown, and even then you'll be better off on Minnehaha. The suggestion of Riverside, we'll just chalk up to Mitch having moved to Texas a few years ago.

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Date: 2007-10-26 20:04 Subject: (no subject) Public Music: The Ditty Bops—Ooh La La Tags: bikes

So Dad was getting ready for a bike ride, it being a gorgeous day outside, and Mom said, "Why don't you take Nick or Chris with you?" I was like, "Eh, I don't really feel like being active today." Then Dad was like, "I dunno, is Nick going to be able to keep up on that single-speed of his?" and I was like, "BRING IT!!!11!" So Dad, Chris, and I went on a 50 mile bike ride.

On which I and my bike comported ourselves with all due valor and velocity, thank you much. Brigadelle may not look like much, but by God, she is fast.

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Date: 2007-07-23 20:11 Subject: The Holy Quartet: Books, Bikes, Beer, and Bands Public Music: Plumtree—Why Won't You Stop Tags: bikes, books, minneapolis, money

And isn't it just typical of me that ten minutes after I spend $75 on mailing off my books, I go book-shopping?

Ryan and I went to Dreamhaven before both of us left (he sails off tomorrow), and I got Elizabeth Bear's Whiskey and Water, which I have been itching to read since finishing Blood and Iron. Which I also bought my own copy of today, because they had a signed one for $5. (Part of the back cover was scrunged up.) And I snagged a $1 hardcover of Brust's The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, just because it was there and I liked it quite a bit.

Other expenditures for the day: Something like 40 bucks to replace the bent fucking axle on my back wheel (wow, how'd that happen?), $20 on food (mostly fruit)...

...and, uh, another 20 at Barnes and Noble for the new Harry Potter. (I had $1.50 on a gift card to use up, and they had it for $13 cheaper than Dreamhaven.) The plan is to not crack that fucker until I am safely loaded onto that westbound train. We'll see how that one holds up.

Anyway, I'm meeting Sanden in a little bit at the 331 club; we're gonna catch up a bit and see some old-timey band play.

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Date: 2007-06-28 16:10 Subject: (no subject) Public Music: Tales From The Birdbath—Chichen Itza Tags: bikes, injury rig

My right arm is all bruised-up and hurty. Probably because this patch of asphalt was giving me lip yesterday, and I ended up having to give it a good solid shoulder-check to show it what was what.

...And I thought I was done getting in trouble on account of toeclips...

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Date: 2007-06-11 17:09 Subject: (no subject) Public Music: The New Pornographers—My Rights Versus Yours Tags: bikes

ProTip: If you must store a banana peel in your hip pocket, do remember to remove it later.

Oh, so I went to the Hub this afternoon to get my wrench on in their DIY room. It was super well-lit, and I could step out and buy whatever parts I needed right there (advantage: Hub), but it's five bucks an hour to use the place (advantage: Greasepit, RIP).

The job today was an overhaul of the bottom bracket, which was a bit blood-curdling to contemplate -- on the Odessa, that was the job that I bungled worst and bungled most frequently. In a best-case scenario, the BB overhaul is not an easy repair to perform, and I managed to turn it into a months-long nightmare of gnawed bearings, pitted cups, non-matching parts, changing spindle-lengths, wobbling, binding, and, ultimately, stripped threads on the frame. Once I got the threads re-tapped, I ended up just popping in a sealed-cartridge bracket and calling it a day.

This time around was much nicer; partly because of the better lighting and the benefits conferred by a year of experience, and partly because Brigadelle is simply in much better shape than the Odessa's been in since '02. Still, it was a touchy business.

The smoothness of a traditional bottom bracket, even overhauled expertly, is never going to match what you'll get on something assembled in a cleanroom, and I may eventually go for a sealed bracket on Brigadelle, too. Eventually. When I can afford it. For now, I seem to have avoided botching the job, and she's running just fine.

I also tightened the headset. That thing could probably use an overhaul too, but not today. Also, the ways in which my handlebar-wrapping debut was non-optimal are becoming more apparent, and I may just leave the left side as an innertube and use the remaining corktape to re-do the right side. And that's all for This Week in Bike News.

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Date: 2007-05-05 02:51 Subject: Just wrenchin' on my ride Public Music: Broken Social Scene—Major Label Debut Tags: bikes, elbow grease

I wrapped a handlebar! I know, you're all thrilled.



I was kind of nervous about it, since the materials are a wee bit unforgiving and you can't just unwrap and try again, but I think my first attempt turned out pretty great. Credit my high-level knot-tying skills.



The original wrap was made out of a cut up innertube. No joke.



The right-hand bar got replaced first because the plug had fallen out, allowing the innertube "tape" to come unwound and resulting in an unsightly dangly bit knotted to the bar. I'll ride it like this for a day or two to make sure there aren't any substantial gotchas I need to watch on the second go-round.

Things: Leave more tail when I start the wrap next time; the plug can handle it, I've got enough tape, and it'll make my job easier. The locking tape could be straighter, but whatever. The direction-switching method isn't actually hard at all. The end.

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Date: 2007-05-03 18:47 Subject: Second week on Brigadelle Public Tags: bikes

Um, this looks difficult.

Right, so that's like a week and a half riding the new bike. I like it, it's a good machine. And yes, I did decide to name it Brigadelle* -- what can I say, it matches the color and the feel.

Things:

• I'm having to re-learn how to ride toeclips. If you haven't used these before: they give you a huge power-up for pedaling force and speed (especially if you're using a singlespeed and can't shift), but there are tradeoffs. To wit: you can't start from a standstill as quickly (gotta get your feet back in), and if you crash, you will crash harder (can't extract your feet in time). Plus, if you lack the appropriate humility w/r/t your trackstanding and slowriding skills, you can wipe out in situations that would be harmless with flat pedals.** All of these get less bad with practice, but are a little freaky for the first week or two.
• Road geometry and drop-bars make everything more comfortable -- except lifting your neck to get a good look at the road. If I didn't have to watch so far ahead of me, I'd be happy as a clam. All told, though, it's much easier on my body than mountain geometry. (Lordy, the wrists alone.) And there's always alternate hand positions for when I need to spyhop.
• Huh, horizontal dropouts mean that putting the back wheel on requires some actual skill.
• It wasn't quite as ready-to-run as I initially thought, though there's nothing wrong with it that won't stay stable until I can deal with it. The list of problems: the front tube has a slow leak (already bought a new one), both tires are rather agéd and have some cracking in the sidewall (the ones I've got my eye on are $15 each, front one gets top priority), and the handlebar wrap had a former life as an old innertube. And it's started to come unwound on the right-hand side.

Which brings us back to the note above; I've dropped ten bucks on some lovely white cork tape (it'll go well with the paint job) and am trying to figure out how to do this job proper-like. (Actually, it looks kind of fun.)

Above all, this bike wants to go fast. I do, too, so we get along great.

_____
* I'm sorry, I can't easily explain the significance; the story that's from lives almost entirely in my head right now, so I don't yet have any good reference points for people. It's the name of a special suit of armor with a long history.

** And then there's "clipless" pedals, which give you an even bigger power-up, and mostly eliminate the problems with not being able to extract your foot in time in a crash. The new tradeoff they add is that you need a: special shoes, which can be uncomfortable to walk in, and b: entirely different pedals, some of which can't be ridden at all without said shoes. Like any power-up, bike parts offer no free lunch.

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Date: 2007-04-22 20:31 Subject: CHECK OUT MY DOPE NEW RIDE Public Music: Frank Zappa—Stink Foot Tags: bikes

Holy shit, look what I bought yesterday:



My careful budgeting paid off, and I was able to blow a hundred-sixty on this lovely machine that I found on Craigslist. (It was supposed to cost $175, but I was like "Can I give you $160 instead?" and he was like "Cool.") The color's a bit retro, but to me, it is beautiful in plenty of other ways.



That's a 49cm double-butted cro-moly frame (road geometry), kitted as a single-speed, with toeclips. That means it's light, it's resilient and difficult to destroy, it fits me perfectly, it's much more comfortable to ride than my Fuji mountain bike, and it is fast. I am in love.

I don't know if you can see it in the downsampled pictures, but the quickreleases on the wheels have been clamped down to the frame with hose clamps. It didn't come that way; that's me learning the appropriate lesson from recent events.

---

( Vanity )

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Date: 2007-03-29 20:50 Subject: Balls. Public Music: Neko Case—If You Knew Tags: bikes, rage

Excluding the cost of the extra tools I had to buy (since I'd have needed them eventually anyhow), that comes to about $76 to get my bicycle back on the road. SO irritating. I don't even particularly like this bike anymore. Wheel-theives are such scum.

On the other hand, I now know how to remove/attach both a freewheel and a cassette. And I got to size myself on some bikes while I was puttering around at the shops. (On a road bike, I want a frame somewhere between 46 and 50 cm, probably on the higher end of that. I'm kind of little.)

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Date: 2007-02-20 20:48 Subject: Your post of Goddammit Public Music: Broken Social Scene—It's All Gonna Break Tags: beer, bikes, hate, rage

So check this out:



That's all I own of my bike, anymore. Go figure that'd happen on the one day this month I lock it outside overnight.

Anyway, the Greasepit is kaput as of late last year, so I'm trying to get in touch with the Mac Bike kids. Situation is developing.

Also, I was at the liquor store, and was wondering why the price of Summit suddenly went up like 30¢ per sixpack this month. As always, The Internet had the answer.

LIFE IS AWESOME, GUYS.

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Date: 2006-11-11 13:58 Subject: They're trying to get the best of us / But we're not shaken Public Music: Bontempi—The Sting Tags: bikes

Granted, it's not a great seat, but like the guy said, it's not bad for three bucks.

Now I just need a hose clamp...

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Date: 2006-08-21 20:07 Subject: Now we are trains ourselves! Public Music: Mark Wheat's voice Tags: bikes

Okay! My front derailer has been reinstated! And since I had a rack to work on and was able to deploy my knowledge from last time, it only took about an hour! Huzzah!~

I now declare this bike to be, at long last, Not Bad At All, Really.

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Date: 2006-08-07 23:14 Subject: PURRS LIKE A KITTEN!!! Public Music: TV On The Radio—Dry Drunk Emperor Tags: bikes

Yup, it's roadworthy again. The Hub's thread-chasing machine worked miracles ($20), and the Shimano cartridge bottom bracket I bought ($25) slipped right in without a hitch. The spindle is a few millimeters shorter than the last one that was in there (I stupidly forgot to bring it with me for comparison purposes), but the chainwheels are plenty far from the frame, so I judge it a win.

And that, combined with the new front end ($5 + a coupon for a free tangerine ice from Starbucks—yay Greasepit), has made the thing a nicer ride than it's probably been since 2002. The new stem and fork have changed the geometry quite a bit, and I think I like it better this way. It's a much more upright posture than it was, and once I tilt the seat back a notch or two, it'll be a pretty relaxed ride. So it'll nicely compliment the next bike I'm planning to get, which will pretty much be all about speed.

OKAY time to pack.

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Date: 2006-08-05 19:00 Subject: I know it's off-canon, but I really think this bike deserves an adjective-bird name. Public Mood: worn Music: Haley Bonar—Daisy Girls Tags: bikes

Does the bike drama ever end? No it does not!

So right, I'm on another ill-timed renovation of my bike right now. Yesterday, I bounced the bottom bracket back out, since it was giving me YET MORE guff, and the tube let me know that it finally had enough—the threads were pretty much thrashed on the left side. Live and learn. So today, once I was done at the Greasepit, I dropped it off at the Hub, and they're going to re-tap the threads for me; after that, I'm going to install a sealed bottom bracket, because seriously, enough of that.

Between the time when I stopped trying to get the bottom bracket re-installed and when I dropped it off today, I replaced the fork, headset, and stem. The bike kind of looks completely different now, and it DOESN'T CREAK WHEN IT MOVES. Finally. Anyway, once I get the bracket, cranks, front brake, and chain re-installed, I'll show some pictures. Maybe when I get back from the Northwest, I can reinstate the front derailer. WHO KNOWS.

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Date: 2006-05-06 19:06 Subject: You have to, like, push the bookcase and go through the secret passage. Public Music: Flogging Molly - Factory Girls Tags: bikes, not lost, twin cities

Most of you have watched me try to guess directions based on how the local geography ought to work, and can usually predict what'll happen when I do. But not today! Today, I found a new, much faster route to the West Bank and back, plus two new parks that I didn't know about.

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