Photos From the Saddle

In typical Spring fashion, and, as though to further prove the capabilities of my new Chrome Shins, the weather was far from consistent the rest of this past week. When I left my house on Thursday at 6am, it was dry and somewhat chilly. By the time I got halfway to the station, giant, wet snowflakes were falling. I spent much of the rest of the ride trying to catch flakes on my tongue (it wasn’t that hard). The rest of the day brough sun, wind, more snow, sun, rain, and then just lots of wind with no precipitation. Friday, yesterday and today were much the same, though today it only snowed for a few moments this morning while we were at the pub watching Liverpool v. Everton.

The rest of the week is looking good, though… lots of sun. Hoping to get a couple round trips in. Also hoping to get those wheels for the One Way built.

My new Chrome Shins arrived today. To make things better, it started hailing. Shins + hail? Damn straight I went for a ride. It was glorious.

I know it’s just the DWR and all, but hey, new DWR is freakin’ awesome when it comes to shedding rain/sleet/hail.

After feeling like crap for most of the day yesterday, I went for a quick 14-mile loop through the park an hour before sundown. I saw hardly anyone there, save the usual high school kids heading to their “secret spot” somewhere off the drive. I’d decided to roll the One Way to see how well my legs would hold up on the multiple hills… definitely a good workout.

The roads are usually pretty empty at 6 a.m. Even on the busier arterials, I’ll only see a handful of cars. At a stoplight the other morning, I found myself alone at the intersection. It was quiet and peaceful; I could hear a bird chirping to itself nearby. For some reason, that moment has stuck with me.

Anyway, there’s a string of stoplights along a main road that I take. Some days, it’s all systems go and I hardly have to stop more than once or twice. Other days, it’s quite the opposite and I have to stop for each one of them. At least once every couple days, I have to make a quick sprint in order to make a light before it changes. Because of this, I’ve started to count how many times the “Don’t Walk” signal flashes before the light turns yellow. Some are longer, but I get at least ten flashes before the light changes.

“Well, what do you expect… it’s public transportation; you have to deal with the public.”

The nuances of the train are always amusing—cell phones, social circles, seating and car selection, etc. Being a cyclist on the train, you’re in a definite subset of the greater train commuting culture.

For one, you and your bike are an awkward combination that is, at times, difficult to maneuver within the confined space of mass transit… like the guy with the 29er with an xtracycle. When the weather is nice, more bikes end up on the train… leading to situations like the above picture (I won’t go into bike-on-bike etiquette)… which just compounds the maneuverability issue, and, in turn, compounds the separation between cyclist and non-cyclist on the train.

Then there’s the issue of spandex… those that wear full spandex outfits usually have a halo of empty seats around them. Personally, I don’t understand the desire to commute in your full team kit, but hey… to each their own. I prefer the utilitarian approach of loose gear… plus, I’m not racing to work.

Interestingly, there’s very little interaction between cyclists on the train… or at least that’s been my experience. On the rare occasions where I’ve ended up chatting with other cyclists, the conversation almost invariably focuses on the bike. “How do you like that crankset?” or “A single-speed, huh? What about hills?”. Honestly, if I get chatted up, it’s usually by non-cyclists… “Don’t you get cold?!?”, “I could never sit on a seat that small!” or “Are those the pedals that you clip in to? What happens if you fall over?”

The funny thing, however, is that while there may be very little verbal interaction between cyclists on the train, there’s usually a silent assessment that occurs. Since all the bikes are in one spot, and riders usually sit within close proximity of their bikes, it’s pretty easy to notice. It’s the “check out”, if you will, where one will quietly look at the other bikes. On occasion, this process leads to verbal interaction (i.e. “Nice bike” or “How do you like that light?”), but usually it just happens in silence and people get on and off the train without any interaction.

It’s these naunces that amuse me. People are pretty freakin’ entertaining.

Having not commuted by bike, I decided to go for a quick spin after work yesterday. While forcing out a rhythm on a climb, a white truck started coming down the hill. A half-block away, it was steered across the yellow line and directly at me. It straightened out, albeit in the oncoming lane, and revved the engine as it flew by me. The windows were tinted, so I never saw who was driving… but I did have a few choice words for them as they passed.

As I’ve spent more time on the road, I’ve grown more and more convinced that it’s not so much a question of if, but when I will get hit. I don’t want that to be the case, but it’s shit like what happened yesterday that makes me wonder just how wise it is to ride on the roads.

I don’t want to be paranoid about every driver out there. There are far more “good” drivers than “bad”; unfortunately, it’s the ones that could kill me that I’m worried about, and there’s no easy way of telling “them” apart. It’s that “them” thing, too, that bothers me… because once “Us” and “Them” distinctions are made, it gets harder to remember the things that bridge that gap.

I’m sure, too, that most drivers have encountered more than a few “bad” cyclists that either ride in an unsafe manner or behave in a combative manner toward cars. There’s no excuse for bad cycling, either.

Ultimately, I just want there to be understanding between cars (and their drivers) and cyclists… not this sense of distrust and tension.

In other, less dramatic news: at the top of the hill, I was waiting at a stop sign when a guy rode past on a nice bike… I was too busy looking at his bike to notice the incredibly attractive girl on a single-speed a little bit behind him until she’d passed in front of me. Oops.

From time to time, I get to test stuff out in earnest without committing cashola to the cause. While this is usually a win-win situation for all concerned parties, sometimes it doesn’t go so gloriously. Not every piece of gear is perfect, and I believe the testing process is an incredibly valuable one precisely because not everyone gets it right the first time around. I recently tested out a saddle… and gave it back after only three rides. I suppose the flip side of that coin is that I got a lot of “training” out of the saddle on the One Way.

A buddy of mine was sharing a story of consumerism the other morning… where a friend of his had realized how wrapped up in stuff she’d become; to the point where she was hesitant to go skiing because she couldn’t find her ski socks. This segued into all the stuff that goes along with cycling… the lighter stuff, the more efficient stuff, the brighter stuff, etc. While I wish I could say I haven’t fallen for all the hype before… I can’t. I do, after all, have a fork that cost me almost as much as the frame it is being used with.

Been on the One Way the past couple days… Not much to say there, aside from the usual headaches. If it were my “A Bike”, I’m sure I’d be more inspired to get it all sorted out sooner… but, as it is, it’s my “B Bike”. It amuses me how much those terms—A/B Bike—have been used in conversations lately.

After two days of “rest”, my legs were itching for some miles. G had said he wasn’t going to ride this weekend—kids, wife and something or another. I’m going to have to talk to him about priorities. So I went out solo for what ended up being a pretty decent climbing loop.

My legs were there. The two days of rest had done their magic and I found myself hammering out a pace that would’ve made grandma proud, in all her biscuit-making glory. As I was flying through the park, I saw a couple of teens approaching the road ahead of me… as I neared them, the girl started yelling out “NINJA! Look, it’s a NINJA!!!” while pointing at me. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Spring is definitely knocking on the bathroom door, demanding its turn in the shower before school starts.

A couple years ago, there was a marketing campaign that thanked the various “elements” that made outdoors activities so enjoyable. There was stuff like “Thank you, rocks…” and “Thank you, snow…” and so on. There was also one that said “Thank you, asphalt…” This, of course, was a bit at odds with the general “save the outdoors” conservational message… y’know, since paving over stuff usually isn’t considered a good thing for the environment. The ad depicted a couple of roadies and what appeared to be a freakin’ beautiful stretch of road (clean, smooth, scenic and devoid of traffic… if only we could always ride in an advertisement world). I’ve always been amused by the ad’s dissonance.

However, yesterday I couldn’t help but echo the sentiment as I turned onto a mile-long stretch of new asphalt with a wide bike lane. The sun was out and traffic had dissipated. I sat up off the bars and just coasted, listening to the whir of the freewheel. In that moment, I was as content as one can get.

Rode a full round-trip today… and it was good.

A number of things drifted through my brainspace as I rode this morning… among them: “Hans Brix!” from Team America; MGMT’s trip-tastic Electric Feel video; and “No! It’s rounder!” from Nike’s The Mission ad from a few years back. Never underestimate the brain’s ability to entertain itself when left to it’s own devices.

It was effin’ cold this morning, as evidenced by some decent cold exposure on my stomach of all places—a wide swath got all nice ‘n red and itchy once I was warmed up and out of the shower. I’ll have to remember that lesson.

The ride home was pretty swanky… enough so that I could stash my jacket and ride with nekkid arms, exposed to the dangers of the world and all(!). Granted, it was in the mid-50’s, but that was balmy compared to the low of 31 from the morning’s ride.

One thing I enjoy about riding solo is being able to stop and take pics whenever the notion strikes.

Turns out that NOAA was a bit exaggerative in their forecast for today. It was breezy at times, but nothing near the forecasted winds of 25+ mph or gusts up to 39 mph. Oh well, I needed a rest day anyway. A friend asked me if it was possible to burn your muscles out “too early in the season”… my answer was “definitely” but it got me thinking about what I considered to be the “season”, if one existed at all.

As a commuter, I’d say there’s just one long season of commuting with the benefit of some months being drier, sunnier and lighter for longer. But at the same time, there’s the unquestionable presence of all the races and organized rides… which tend to happen during a “season”. Around here, I think most everyone would say that the “season” starts when it’s consistently sunny, warm and dry and ends when that magical trifecta dissolves into sustained greydom.

Ultimately, I’m very much aware of my ability to burn out before the riding gets really good, and I’d hate to miss out on all those miles because I got ambitious in March. However, I’m also keenly aware of when my body needs to rest and recover… and I’m usually pretty good about listening to it. The weekends in May will be some of my laziest, I know that much.

The really good news is that my rims, hubs and freewheel are here. I’m itching to get everything laced up, greased and slapped together.

There’s a wind advisory for tomorrow: gusts up to 39 mph, sustained between 25 and 28. Should be fun on the One Way.

The good news is that the new rims, hubs and freewheel arrive this week. I still haven’t put the new brakes on—figured it’d be counterproductive to do so with rims that refuse to stay true. All in all, in theory, the One Way could be rolling 90% problem-free (definitely need to get a new seat post). I plan to ride it in all its dysfunctional glory until then, so that I can appreciate the upgrades/fixes more.

Riding in this morning, I found myself completely meditative… I was aware of all things around me, but not distracted by them. Calm. Fluid. The motions of a consistent cadence lulled me. 5 green lights in a row helped out, too. When the lucky streak ended, I came to and couldn’t help but smile as I waited for the light to change.

On the way home, I saw the guy who had refused to move to allow C to sit next to him, though I didn’t see him until he was beelining it for the same seat after it had been vacated. I kinda chuckled at his apparent determination to get his seat. I was thrown, however, when he gestured for me to deboard before him at our stop. Perhaps he’s just extremely territorial.