Durian Cup

There's a fun event coming up tonight at the Dump. Dave Shishcoff of organicathelete.com has organised 4 races in cooperation with SIMBS. The first of the 4 race weekly series is on tonight. Signup starts at 6:30 and racing starts at 7:00. The race fee is a meager $3 if you have a Cycling BC insurance. If not you can buy a day licence for $40. http://www.organicathlete.org/blog/durian-cup. Unfortunately I don't think any of the Shop staff will make it out tonight, but I'm sure we'll be there next week. This is a nice develoment. There have not been a lot of races at the dump for awhile, but after the first super d there last year and the second one this year there seems to be an increased interest for putting on races at Hartland and this will train the Capital Regional District in being more accepting of such events. It's a constant struggle to keep the little land we have for riding in the CRD and events like these, that show that there is a big group of energetic people using the trails might help in developing more land for mountain biking. What seems to elude the CRD is how much is to be gained from having a nice network of trails within the city limits. CRD tends to focus on liability issues, but forgets to think about how much mountain bikers contribute to the local economy...Somehow this goes unnoticed. BC is a Mecca for mountain biking and there are thousands of people that come here (BC) specificly to ride our trails, and if the city of Victoria is interested in keeping a healthy tourist population they should expand the riding in the region, not limit it. Mountain biking adds to a list of nice sustainable things to do in Victoria and it would be great if those that travel here would have more options in trail systems to ride. but that's a whole different story...Go out there and race the Durian Cup... It should be great fun and I'm sure there will be some beers afterwards...

On beer, with bikes on the label

How can any self respecting cyclist resist this sort of packaging? I don't think you can, if you are indeed self-respecting, a cyclist and over the age of 13. I sure as hell can't, but I have a bit of an edge on anyone not familiar with Phillips Brewing Company. I've been drinking their product from when Blue Buck was still Blue Truck. They are a great local company brewed within 10 min from my home here in Victoria, and they only use top notch ingredients (also check out their history section on the website, its very entertaining). Slipstream Cream Ale is quickly becoming my favorite beer, not only because I like looking at the label, and believe me I do...but also because it is an excellent beer, not too dark, not too blonde and with a nice strong malty flavor...mmmm a perfect, post ride beer. But then again I did not have to stray to far from my former favorite, The Blue Buck. Ahh life is good, how can you complain after a 2 hour nightride and then getting to sit down and have a beer and ramble on about beer and bicycles on some blog. Not bad, all things considered. Now I just need to figure out how to make money doing this. Damn elusive money.

On locks, bike security and Polo

The cut in the lock... the replacement...Kryptonite evolution

Victoria is notorious for bicycle theft. I have not been affected by this yet (knock on wood). But as the above photo illustrates, I've come close. I did not notice the half-assed cut in the lock right away, but one day when I arrived at work I realized there was a huge dent in the down tube of my Cannondale M400. At first I thought somebody was throwing it around in the storage locker, but when I finally noticed the cut in the lock I realized that whoever was trying to steal my bike, probably managed to dent the frame while hacking away at the lock. The lock held up however, and I'm glad about that. It's has since been replaced by a u-lock. The bike is not really safe to ride in any sort of serious way, so I think it's racing days are over. So what do I do with that bike? Well, I've always wanted to try Bike-Polo and the Cannondale seems like a perfect candidate for a polo bike...So here's the plan with that one: Replace the flat-bar with the risers that came on my Bianchi, retain the hot pink Ouries. Scavange the shop for a decent v-brake, and replace the Cantis with v's, no brake up front/rear brake on left side of handlebars (I need the right for the mallet). Replace the Jones XC tires with my old trusty Tioga City Slicker slicks, these are hefty but I have never had a flat on them in over 3 years. Perhaps replace the 34t ring up front with a 32t but for now I think I'll keep the 34t (CX gearing) and see how it works out. This will be the fifth incarnation of the Cannondale. First it was my mountain bike, then my commuter, then my singlespeed commuter (once the shifters wore out), CX machine and now...Voila! here's a Polo bike. Now I'll just have to show up at the polo rink and make some friends...should be interesting. I'll post some photo's of this morphing soon.

A very lovely bike...

I fell in love yesterday... I mean, would you look at that thing. It's gorgeous, looks fast standing still. Traditionally I'm not a huge track bike guy but this bike sort of changes that all for me. Aero tubing, deep section rims and a beautiful color scheme...who can resist gloss red on gloss black? I know I sure as hell can't. If I had a Check it out here.

Color for Sturmey

So the date for the SunRace-Sturmey Archer new 3sx three-speed fixed hub has been pushed back once again, apparently because of a redesigned driver. They're now going for March as the unofficial and vague release date. But for us that are waiting for the hub, there is something to feast our eyes on, since they've released what color options will be available: That red one looks tasty.

On surly packaging

I received a nice pack from Surly the other day which means that I really have no excuses anymore for not getting my Bianchi back on the road. The Surly Components look great and the bearings in the rear hub feel super smooth. I also really like the packaging they came in. The hub came bubble wrapped, but the lock ring and the cog were twist-tied onto a piece of recycled paper with the Surly logo printed on it. The three parts were then delivered in a brown paper bag, and it looked more like a sandwich was in there rather than bike components. I think this is a cool choice of packaging and one that illustrates the company's commitment to the environment. Or does it? My co-worker pointed out that the homey packaging might be to make the company seem like a Mom and Pop operation, and then went ahead insinuating that it's not anymore. This might, or might not be true but I think that the idea that Surly is all about simplicity comes across pretty clear with the packaging. As an added bonus a paper bag breaks down in a landfill and it does somehow suit the company. Perhaps it makes me a sucker for marketing, but I loved it. I got Steve our Zen master mechanic build the wheel for me for a six pack the other day, and now i just have to put the whole thing together. I'll post some pics of the resault once it's running.

On getting back on the horse, and SunRace/Sturmey Archer's three speed fixed

I had my first "post crash" ride into work on Friday. What a great feeling! Even though I have to take it slow and look extra carefully for bumps or potholes in the road. I wouldn't say that I was getting fat by not being allowed to ride like Jehuda at the Kickstand when he lost his bet with Joe and had to drive to work for a week: But I was definitely getting cranky...Oh yes, there's some serious crankiness going on, I don't only feel like an old man, I think I'm morphing into one. Old and bitter. I bitch at the television, people in traffic and at mostly innocent people in the service industry that the old man feels should rather work in dish washing or somewhere their stupidity is not forced upon the innocent public. So far this has not caused any serious collisions in my day to day life, but those close to me keep a safe distance, as ironic as that may sound. There's nothing on this earth that's more relaxing to me than a few hours of riding hard in the woods. Except for Morphine perhaps or other strong opiates, but we're talking legal and socially acceptable here. Anyway, without the bike riding, my mind goes bonkers and the mood turns sour. But now that I can at least ride Basil to work I feel much better. On a different note, I stumbled across this hub the other day on the internet and I have to say I'm quite excited about it. Three speed fixed seems like a fun idea, albeit not a new one. I'm going to try to get my hands on one of these when they'll be released and use it on the Bianchi. In the meantime I'm ordering a Surly flip flop hub and I'll be riding that whenever I'm feeling like I don't want to think about gears. This hub is a new version of the venerable ASC hub made by Sturmey Archer somewhere close to the middle of the last century. This one is made by SunRace/Sturmey-Archer, but SunRace bought the ailing Sturmey in 2001, I believe. The fact that Sturmey is now made by a Taiwanese company upsets some people, but it has been said that SunRace is creating better products than Sturmey was towards the end. The fact that they're bringing back such a unique hub is also encouraging and hopefully we'll see a lot of interesting stuff from SunRace/Sturmey in the future.

on half-wearing helmets and weirdness

One of the strangest phenomenons that I come across in the cyclist's behaviour is the cyclist who rides around with his/her helmet somehow attached to the bike or their backpack, instead of riding with it on their head. In Victoria I see this all the time and I just can't for the life of me make any sense of it. It's kind of like remembering to bring a gun to a gunfight but insisting on fighting with a spoon or something. It's bizarre. Now I know there are people out there that will tell you that studies have shown it's actually safer to ride without a helmet than with one. I think what they're trying to convey with those studies is that a person driving a car will give a person that does not wear a helmet more room, and respect than they will give a rider in full kit. I'm sure this is true, since the driver probably reasons that a rider in full kit will sort of know what he is doing and therefore it's okay too speed by him with only inches to spare. This is nonsense of course, but I can see that this might be the case. Nevertheless, if you're riding around with a helmet in the first place, why not store it on your head? It's not only the most logical thing to do, but it also kind of helps out if you crash and hit your noggin and not to mention that helmets are super awkward and annoying to carry in other places than your brainpan. I'm the kind of rider who hates rattles and squeaks and unnecessary junk on my bike. I could not ride with a u-lock dangling from my handlebars. I can't really use racks and panniers either and I certainly cant ride with my helmet flapping on my handlebars. But even if I did not mind all these things and rode around on a squeaky, rattling hulk of a bike I'd still wear the helmet on my head. Not doing that is so stupid that it boggles the mind.

on ironic injuries, stupidity and new projects

It's ironic that I injure myself just over a week after I write about commuting safely to work. It's the kind of thing I always worry about. I'll say things like, yeah I haven't had a fall in ages and then I have a yard sale on the next ride. Or I'll say that I don't get sick very often, and then I come down with pneumonia. I didn't think karma was after me since I had a spill on one of the night rides recently, but riding home after a few drinks with no front light is just stupid, and a prime example of what pushing your luck can bring you. Not only was I a bike ninja, but an inebriated one at that. This is very dangerous and I soon found out. A silver sedan cut me off two blocks away from home (he probably never even saw me), I slammed on the brakes, slid into the curb and flew over the handlebars. Half an hour later I was at the hospital.

I'd like to state here that I generally don't ride after a few drinks. In fact, I'm a bit bothered by the prevalence of posts and articles on the net that endorse that sort of thing. This time however, I took a risk, and paid the price. My excuse was that I needed the bike for the Cyclocross race on the following day, and that I did not want to go through the hassle of getting a cab and stuffing the bike in the trunk. Yeah well, instead I have to deal with the maddening hassle of missing the rest of the Cyclocross season and not being able to ride a bike for at least a month. Common sense sometimes abandons me in the times of need. It's a personality flaw.

Not all is bad though, and recently I acquired this elegant Raleigh that will be my commuter once I've healed up. It's a 1987 Raleigh Record that's actually made in Canada. Or so it says on a sticker on the frame anyway. Perhaps it means that it was assembled here, like is the case with so many of the Canadian brands. On a side note, Raleigh has seen better days as a bike company and nowadays they seem to be mostly making department store bikes which are soooo not worth the Raleigh badge. It's interesting to see that the Canadian and UK websites advertise themselves as junk mongers, whereas the US one seems to have a bit more ambition. But I degress, the bike is a nice old 10-speed, well not nice maybe since the Record was sort of the entry level road bike and as such, does not sport very nice components at all. However the frame is nice and it's barely been used at all. The guy I bought it from claims he bought it new in 1987 but never really rode it much. I'm inclined to believe him. The frame is ridiculously big at 65cm bb to top of seat tube, but not very long at 61cm c/c top tube. It rides nicely and I love the forgiving flex of steel on the road. I have an old 7 speed road gruppo that I think I'll throw on this one along with some aluminum rims, longer cranks, nicer hubs, wider bars and some full wrap plastic fenders instead of the heavy steel ones that are on there now. That should drop the weight a little bit and I'll have a nice winter commuter. It will be called Basil, as in Fawlty, and I look forward to fixing this one up. The Bianchi which coincidentally is also a 1987 model will get a different treatment as that one will receive the Sugino Messenger cranks I bought for a bottle of Crown Royal, and will be my singlespeed/fixed stupid fun bike.

Shoulder seperation, ac joint injury

Until I'll be able to type with both hands, this blog will grind to a near stand-still. I'm hoping to be able to type again after a few days, T3's only do so much.