i bike a good deal

in the past 5 years, i have cycled over 23,000 miles.

a good portion of which is bike commuting to and from work, and to and from meetings.

my trusty steed, a '98 gary fischer mountain bike, is a chunky beast that can take the daily beatings and still maintain solid time in the finesse shifting needs.

a couple of weeks ago, i starting having some issues unlocking my kryptonite u-lock.

occasionally, this is due to a wee bit of precipitation getting into the tumbler and either freezing in the cold months or corroding the moving parts a tad--therefore needing a shot of oil.

so i oiled and the remedy did not take. humph.

by deductive reasoning, i started to think that the tumbler itself may be broken or dislodged, as i found that if the key were shimmied back and forth while attempting to turn the lock it would take on occasion. perhaps i dropped the lock and it hit the pavement, causing the dislocation of the tumbler, i thought.

i traced my memory and did not recall any such event that was out of the ordinary to cause such a malfunction.

so, i then started to think about the key itself. maybe it was the culprit to the dilemma.

i dunno, upon inspection, it still had teeth and the appearance of a key. it did have a bit of wear, but could this really be the problem?

i located the spare key for the lock and made a comparison...

eeigh! the key was indeed the problem-maker. and the whittling down of this steel served as a small feather of merit in my cycling cap. i love wearing out gear, due to use. a very satisfying feeling.

clever bicycle video

human-powered

 

no room for automobiles.

bike boxes for safety

this concept is an innovative approach to address the need for bicycle awareness, safety, and, additionally, it creates a transportation "hierarchy" within our city streets.

wtf?

in the past year, i have replaced the following:

-chain

-front chain rings

-crank

-bottom bracket

-rear cogs

-rear wheel

-front derailleur

-rear derailleur

-gone through 4 tires

and tonight on the ride home, as i was leaning into a right hand turn, the handlebars
just gave way about mid turn. my brain jumped to preparation for a crash, but something kept
me upright through the turn. in the end, there i was with two sections of aluminium pipe in my hand.
guess this part needs to be replaced now, too. at this point, it is basically a new bike.

a tick off the old wish list

after 7 years of contemplating if i need them or not. i replaced my well-worn axiom norco panniers for a waterproof deutsch-made set of ortliebs.ah, joy. i first learned of ortliebs from a german biker i met at the peak of the climb in glacier national park back on my bike trip from iowa to oregon in 2000. he sung the praises about their watertightness and ease. each morning, as i have tucked my work clothes into a big plastic bag and jammed it into my holey norcos, i have thought about upgrading. then came the rei dividend, and i timed it right with the 20% off anything sale and i managed to knock 35% off the retail price making it pocketbook friendly and satiating my desires.

bike accident

so, on the bike commute into work on friday, a gentleman in a large green suv coming in the opposite direction crossed the center line of the two-lane road i was on and headed straight for me.

a moment before he was driving normally, and then the last thing that flashed through my mind was "he's trying to kill me."

voluntary instincts took over quickly and i swirved toward the curb, but not before i was clipped by the truck and thrown in the air landing in a patch of rocky soil alongside the road.

the real kicker was the driver of the car kept going for awhile. the woman who was in the car behind him stopped to see if i was alright. my right bicep was throbbing as it smashed the driver's side mirror and sent schrapnel flying along the road. i suspected that my arm might be broken, and then decided to test it. no, it didn't feel broken. i said that i might be o.k. to the woman, and we looked up to see the perpetrator continuing to drive away, however slowly. the woman said that she was going to chase him down to get his license number. when the suv saw her speeding after, he decided to stop and return to the scene. i assessed my secondary damages, my left hip was definately cut, as my bike pants and undershorts were both ripped. the damage was more of an abrasion caused by clipping the front quarterpanel of the truck.

the ambulance came within 5 minutes, several passers by stopped to see if they could help. the emt assessed that i was lucky and if i felt symptoms of a concussion to go to the hospital. a cop came and took a report of the incident. never did the suv driver take responsibility of his actions. he said that bikes should be on the sidewalk. i tend to disagree. nevertheless, i feel grateful that i was able to walk away from the accident. it could have been a lot uglier.

here is a shot of my left arm. it is a much deeper black and blue now, but is thankfully just a deep bruise. (i'll spare you the shot of my arse)

cycling

took a long bike ride today. cruised around ft. mchenry, the muse for francis scott key's catchy tune. there is a path that circles around the edge of the small peninsula, and here is a 2min. video from today...