Not Fair.
So during work today, I took a walk up to one of our clients on 20th Street. I enjoy walking around and looking at all the neat things on the way. For example, I was walking crosstown on 12th street and saw all the freshmen lining up to get their ID cards.
On the way back, I saw something that made me want to scream. A nice bicycle, locked to the safety railing around the stairs to the Union Square subway station, using the same lock that had been securing the Bellerophon when it got stolen. (The lock was almost definitely picked; it's the explanation that makes the most sense.)
Now, OK, I see that lock a lot around NYC, but what made me want to scream was this: the frame was an old lady's frame, the kind with two downtubes. The chain was locked to the railing, and looped *around* both downtubes. Basically, this means that if I wanted a bike, I could have simply pulled the chain over the handlebars, removed the wheel, and slipped it under the fork, and made off with it. If I had any lock-picking know-how, I would have picked that lock so that I could relock that bike properly, because really, anybody could have done that. I was just so distraught by the whole thing.
When I went to Dosa-man a few hours later in the day I swung by Union Square first to see if the bike was still there. It was. It's not like it was a piece of junk, either.
Speaking of Dosa-man I found out second-hand from him that brizmus was in town over the weekend?
I miss cycling on the open road. Commuting is fine, and I'm glad to be reunited with the Yamato, but there is something to said to not have to be in a constant state of heightened awareness, trying to stay six steps ahead of the cars. For the first time in my life, I think I am experiencing first hand what everybody says about how slowing/stopping brakeless on a fixie is bad for your knees. It must be all those thousands of miles of riding a road bike. I'm considering bringing the Horizon out of mothballs in preparation for rainy weather, but I'd like to have a fixed commuter with fenders and maybe a front brake. Fixed would be especially nice for rain/snow. Maybe I should see if robarchangel still has the Reliant's frame.
Actually, here's an idea. Bring the Reliant back, with a lower gear (42/16 instead of 48/17), fenders, and maybe a front brake (kneesaver for 13 miles each way of stop-go), for use as a commuter in rainy/snowy weather. My poor Campy Record hub on the Yamato, I fear, will not survive a snowy winter, should we have one. We will. I had to perform some serious surgery to get that hub to work on that frame too; I'd rather not have to do all that to another hub. That way, the Yamato can be reserved for sunny day commuting, Mass, and things like that. Then, do a complete refit of the Horizon for loaded touring, since the Mondonico is looking less and less like a loaded touring bike. Right now the Horizon is set up for rain/errands. It has been used for moderate-length loaded touring, but I'd like to get it ready for more serious adventures. Basically I want drop bars on it, but that will require changing just about everything else. :)
So, the fleet roster, with intended purposes, will look something like this:
CF-D1 [unnamed]: STOLEN at playground on Jewel Ave
CF-D2 [unnamed]: DESTROYED on Atlantic Beach Boardwalk
CF-D3 [unnamed]: STOLEN from garage
CF-D4 Horizon: Loaded tours, rain, cargo/errands
CF-D5 Galileo: Short-range errands/commuting, auxilliary craft duty
CF-D6 Voyager: STOLEN in Berkeley
CF-D7 Enterprise: DESTROYED on W 3rd Street
CF-D8 Yamato: Medium-range dry weather commuting, Bike advocacy rides (e.g. Critical Mass)
CF-D9 Bellerophon: STOLEN in San Francisco
CF-D10 [officially unnamed, but probably will be Intrepid]: Day/weekend rides, group rides (e.g. NYC/Montauk Century), Intercity runs, Supported tours
The Reliant might fit into the picture in there somewhere, provided robarchangel's still having the frame and allowing me the use of it. :)
But anyway, time to get back on track about me getting back on track. The Yamato feels very different. Part of it is probably due to the rear hub needing another bearing overhaul. Part of it is getting used to a track bike again. Part of it is getting used to city riding again. At least I have clipless pedals on it again; I had clips/straps on it for a few days while I was looking for the 8mm hex key I needed to install my Ritcheys, and I was afraid for my life the whole time. Clips/straps just feel so... unsafe, I don't know. The Yamato's frame has been a real champ; I love the feel of steel over the potholes. It even makes the Billy-Burg Bridge bearable. Almost. My wheels don't seem to love it though; spoke tension is all whack and rims are out-of-true.
In other words, ridiculously random ramble. Sorry.
P.S. I really need to start writing entries that don't have "bikes" as one of the tags.
On the way back, I saw something that made me want to scream. A nice bicycle, locked to the safety railing around the stairs to the Union Square subway station, using the same lock that had been securing the Bellerophon when it got stolen. (The lock was almost definitely picked; it's the explanation that makes the most sense.)
Now, OK, I see that lock a lot around NYC, but what made me want to scream was this: the frame was an old lady's frame, the kind with two downtubes. The chain was locked to the railing, and looped *around* both downtubes. Basically, this means that if I wanted a bike, I could have simply pulled the chain over the handlebars, removed the wheel, and slipped it under the fork, and made off with it. If I had any lock-picking know-how, I would have picked that lock so that I could relock that bike properly, because really, anybody could have done that. I was just so distraught by the whole thing.
When I went to Dosa-man a few hours later in the day I swung by Union Square first to see if the bike was still there. It was. It's not like it was a piece of junk, either.
Speaking of Dosa-man I found out second-hand from him that brizmus was in town over the weekend?
I miss cycling on the open road. Commuting is fine, and I'm glad to be reunited with the Yamato, but there is something to said to not have to be in a constant state of heightened awareness, trying to stay six steps ahead of the cars. For the first time in my life, I think I am experiencing first hand what everybody says about how slowing/stopping brakeless on a fixie is bad for your knees. It must be all those thousands of miles of riding a road bike. I'm considering bringing the Horizon out of mothballs in preparation for rainy weather, but I'd like to have a fixed commuter with fenders and maybe a front brake. Fixed would be especially nice for rain/snow. Maybe I should see if robarchangel still has the Reliant's frame.
Actually, here's an idea. Bring the Reliant back, with a lower gear (42/16 instead of 48/17), fenders, and maybe a front brake (kneesaver for 13 miles each way of stop-go), for use as a commuter in rainy/snowy weather. My poor Campy Record hub on the Yamato, I fear, will not survive a snowy winter, should we have one. We will. I had to perform some serious surgery to get that hub to work on that frame too; I'd rather not have to do all that to another hub. That way, the Yamato can be reserved for sunny day commuting, Mass, and things like that. Then, do a complete refit of the Horizon for loaded touring, since the Mondonico is looking less and less like a loaded touring bike. Right now the Horizon is set up for rain/errands. It has been used for moderate-length loaded touring, but I'd like to get it ready for more serious adventures. Basically I want drop bars on it, but that will require changing just about everything else. :)
So, the fleet roster, with intended purposes, will look something like this:
CF-D1 [unnamed]: STOLEN at playground on Jewel Ave
CF-D2 [unnamed]: DESTROYED on Atlantic Beach Boardwalk
CF-D3 [unnamed]: STOLEN from garage
CF-D4 Horizon: Loaded tours, rain, cargo/errands
CF-D5 Galileo: Short-range errands/commuting, auxilliary craft duty
CF-D6 Voyager: STOLEN in Berkeley
CF-D7 Enterprise: DESTROYED on W 3rd Street
CF-D8 Yamato: Medium-range dry weather commuting, Bike advocacy rides (e.g. Critical Mass)
CF-D9 Bellerophon: STOLEN in San Francisco
CF-D10 [officially unnamed, but probably will be Intrepid]: Day/weekend rides, group rides (e.g. NYC/Montauk Century), Intercity runs, Supported tours
The Reliant might fit into the picture in there somewhere, provided robarchangel's still having the frame and allowing me the use of it. :)
But anyway, time to get back on track about me getting back on track. The Yamato feels very different. Part of it is probably due to the rear hub needing another bearing overhaul. Part of it is getting used to a track bike again. Part of it is getting used to city riding again. At least I have clipless pedals on it again; I had clips/straps on it for a few days while I was looking for the 8mm hex key I needed to install my Ritcheys, and I was afraid for my life the whole time. Clips/straps just feel so... unsafe, I don't know. The Yamato's frame has been a real champ; I love the feel of steel over the potholes. It even makes the Billy-Burg Bridge bearable. Almost. My wheels don't seem to love it though; spoke tension is all whack and rims are out-of-true.
In other words, ridiculously random ramble. Sorry.
P.S. I really need to start writing entries that don't have "bikes" as one of the tags.