I Do

Not my bike, or my pic. But this is one of my favorite bicycle pictures, out of the innumerable amount I've seen. My amigo Kurtz takes a lot good pictures, click the one you see left to get a face-full of the rest.

This weekend felt full. I got up (late) on Saturday and threw my bag, precariously containing the mixte frame I won, and headed to the bike shop to meet up with the Saturday crew. Never let anyone tell you that you cannot fit something big into something small. There is always a way, and I'd never get any if I ever listened to things like, "It won't fit." and "Stop, I'm only in 9th grade." But I digress.

The ride was good. Thirty-five miles of grey sky and almost perfectly warm cycling weather. The kind where if you stop you're a bit cold, but just right when you pedal. I met a bloke also named Dave, who happens to live one floor above me, also has a pet of the pug persuasion, and moved to Portsmouth, Virginia from Portsmouth, England. Kinda nifty. Real nice guy borrowing a bike from his boss so he can ride in the MS 150. And despite very nearly going under an SUV I think he had a good time.

Afterwards I hung out at the coffee shop for a bit, BSing and enjoying the soy chai latte that was brought outside to me without my having to go in at all. I was shocked. The smiling barista came out and set a cup in front of me saying, "Soy chai, right?." It was awesome. Then my buddy Jeff goes, "Did she just say, 'Morning Sunshine?'". I just nodded my head with with a face that said "Hell yes she did." This story would be even cooler if I didn't have to pay, but I did.

Then it was off to the bike shop. Jeff was kind enough to sell me his once-used 15-tooth cog for $5, and even left his bike at the shop for me so he could scoot home and get it ready for renters. Randy and Gordon had to double-team my old cog to get the bastard off, using some tool I've never seen before and a table vice. Victory was ours, though, and after finding a new chain I was good to go.

One tooth less affords me 1.2 more feet per pedal rotation than before. Also, I have five skid patches instead of two, and at 18 mph I'm doing 70 rpm instead of about 85 (all courtesy of Rabbit). Harder to take off from a stop, but faster overall. It feels solid, I'm happy with it. I think me and 48x15 are going to be very happy together.

Today I was thinking of fixed-gear/wheel patrons and the marriages, however short-lived, we have to our gear ratios. Windy day? Suck it up. Hills? Stand up. Late night/ate too much/no energy? Buck up. You just gotta deal. And in my limited and personal opinion, it's best that way. You can't puss out and spin like your chain has fallen off and you're just pedaling thin air. Although some days, like this morning, it is tempting. It's a character builder, having a fixed ratio. Your legs and lungs sprout like hyper-fertilized weeds and you find willpower you didn't even know you had.

But I don't mean offense to those of you who shift. To each his own. Different tools for different jobs and all that, and I can tell you I'm not winning any tours or eating up mountain paths on Jenny. And despite what some people think, she is civilized and does belong on the road. My Jenny is a beautiful machine.

I'm outta the state on Tuesday, and won't be back until Sunday night. I'll probably post between then and now, but just in case I don't, no need to call the President. I'm alive.

Time to get all my loose ends tied up here at work. Talk at you later.

- David