Something Woolly This Way Comes...

 
 
I'm never very good at waiting ... even though my life involves quite a bit of that very thing.  Perhaps in a past life I was a rather impatient being, and thus it is my purpose in this life to learn the virtue.  I'm getting there, but it's not easy.

Since beginning to ride a bike again in my adult life, I've learned a lot about what my personal style is ... yes, in terms of what I wear, but more importantly, how and what I ride.  When I finally got a really good vision of the kind of bike that best suits me, I began the search ... and found "the one".  Then I had to acquire the funds ... which took a very long time.  Then I had to order it.  Since then I've been waiting.  And waiting. 

When I ordered it, I was told it would be three weeks.  Three weeks later, I inquired about the status and was told it would be another two-to-three weeks.  Three weeks after that, I called and inquired again and was informed that there was an oversight and the frame had not been painted yet ... so another two weeks.  Two weeks after that, eight weeks into my three-week order, I called again.  This time brought good news ... it was done and almost ready to ship!  Later that very day, I received email confirmation of shipment and tracking information. 

Finally, it's on the way ... and due to arrive at my door tomorrow!  I'll post the details and photos of assembly, but for now, here is a small sample of what will appear on the head tube:

Yes ... it's a woolly mammoth, basking in the sun ... with trilobites clearing the path.  I imagine there wasn't much that could stand in the way of the woolly mammoth in its day ... and that is exactly the style of this bike.  It's designed to go anywhere, not in a hurry, but to explore and enjoy.  More soon!!

 

 

Things You Notice When Riding A Bike

 
 
It's interesting how your perspective changes when you're moving at a slower pace and not surrounded by walls of metal and glass inside a motorized contraption.  You notice things that you might not have otherwise had time to see.  You have time to think about what's around you.  You begin to wonder what's wrong with people.  Are they completely insane or merely oblivious?

I went for a ride today that included a stop on the way home at the local large chain grocery-shopping outlet.  I needed to get some coffee beans and razor blades, since there's a fine line between that sexy three-day growth and the crazy grayish-bearded slob who's too lazy to shave ... and I haven't yet purchased one of those new-fangled stubble trimmers. 

As I pedaled through the parking lot, the scenery appeared to move in slower-than-normal motion.  First, I noticed the guy in his huge pickup truck, who seemed unable to manage backing out of his parking space and then turning into the lane ... opting to simply turn from within his space, nearly backing over the smaller car next to him, which I'm certain he couldn't see from his vantage point of 32 feet in the air.  I suppose he thought the wheelbase of his enormous commercial grade hauling machine (which, of course, was hauling nothing but him) was a bit too long to back up and THEN turn ... but the lanes are pretty wide at this large chain grocery-shopping outlet (LCGSO from here forward) and he really did have plenty of room, even with his tires that were designed for off-roading in Nepal.  I wondered if perhaps he just plain couldn't see anything behind or next to him.  I wondered why people choose such a vehicle for driving around in the city, when it's impossible to properly park it.  I wondered why he didn't do as others with such vehicles and just park further out and use two spaces so it would be easier to get in and out.

Then I saw a woman in a SUV ... no wait ... there were two ... no, it was two women and one man in SUV's, a teenager in an old Honda, an elderly man in a huge boat of a 70's-era car, and a dude in a service company van ... all driving through the parking lot with their cellular talking devices held to their ear.  I thought to myself, "Isn't that illegal in California?"  Then I thought, "Hasn't it been illegal for several years now?"  I guess the cost of keeping up with the latest Pirate Speaking Device (a.k.a. Aye-Phone) prohibits the simultaneous ownership of a Pirate Earring (a.k.a. Bluetooth earpiece).  Or perhaps, being the adventurous pirate types they are, it's the thrill of doing something not only illegal, but proven to be dangerous, that appeals to them.  I then wondered how many people driving through the parking lot were texting instead of talking, since I wouldn't necessarily be able to see them doing so if the phone was in their lap.  Maybe that explains the younger fellow who was inexplicably weaving in the lane.  I had initially thought he was just learning to drive ... but now I have my doubts.

As I reached the entrance of the LCGSO, I then noticed that everyone coming in and out of said LCGSO had a look of frustration on their face.  No one smiled ... no one said hello.  Just marching to and from their vehicles where bad driving and pirate adventures await.  But then ... there was a guy who smiled and said "Good Morning ... beautiful day!".  He then put his newly-purchased bag of grocery items in the basket on his bicycle and rode away.  Hmmm.  And then another person, an older lady in a motorized wheelchair, also smiled and said "Hello".  Very interesting.

I wondered ... why is it that only the man on a bicycle and woman in a wheelchair appeared friendly and happy, while so many others with huge vehicles of convenience and high-tech pirate adventure devices appeared so distant, self-absorbed, and frustrated?  After all, we were all doing the same thing ... shopping at the local LCGSO ... sharing the same parking lot ... in the same beautiful beach town ... on the same beautiful sunny Southern California day.  Well, actually, there was one other person who smiled and said hello.  He was the security guard at the entrance to the bank in the same shopping center as the LCGSO.  But he doesn't quite count, since he wasn't shopping at the LCGSO ... and it's his job to smile and greet bank customers ... and to pummel any would-be robber-types ... who wouldn't smile to have that job?

Very Interesting, indeed ... maybe they thought I was the crazy one ... would anyone in their right mind ride a bicycle to the LCGSO, smiling and saying hello to complete strangers?  Maybe it was just the helmet ... and my too-lazy-to-shave grayish bearded face.  Gotta go check out those stubble trimmers now ...

Until next time, smile at someone and say hello ... and have a beautiful day!
 

I'm back ... with a mystery ...

  
  
Yes, it's been a very ... VERY long time.  Indeed.  I didn't get hit by a speeding mountain biker ... nor did I accidentally ride into the ocean and drown.  I simply lost far too many time battles with everyday life and neglected to make time for writing.  One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, over a year passes by.  I have been encouraged, however, to return to this here blogular postification and ... um ... postify.  So here I is ... am ... are.

And we begin with a mystery ... not of the who-dunnit murder variety ... not of the why-does-my-shopping-cart-always-have-one-wheel-that-skips variety ... not even of the classic why-does-everything-have-to-be-so-complicated variety.  No, this is truly mind-boggling.

I prepared for my ride today by putting shoes on, grabbing my sunglasses and helmet, and going out to the garage to top off the air in my tires.  I top them off once a week for good measure ... big fat 2" tires only need minor air maintenance, which helps me to prevent any unnecessary overuse injury from pumping everyday.  I start with the front tire, which only needs a few PSI's (not to be confused with CSI's, which is en-TIRE-ly different).  PSI's is a technical term that means Pounds per Square Inch, which seems very odd to me, since tires aren't actually square at all ... they wouldn't roll very well if they were.  The European-type people use a different term, called BAR.  This makes more sense to me, as the BAR number could be an indication of the number of drinks you'll want after pumping your tires to that pressure ... that's assuming, of course, that you're filling your tires in order to ride to the BAR.

ANYWAY ... the front tire got it's necessary PSI/BAR inflationary requirement.  When I then move to the rear tire, I find it to be mysteriously void of air.  FLAT, you might say.  I inspected the outside of the tire for some kind of puncture-related object and found nothing.  I removed the wheel, took of the tire and tube, looked inside the tire for a bit of something that might have gotten lodged inside.  Again ... nothing.  I looked the tube over for a puncture ... nothing.  I filled it with air and put it under water ... no bubbles.  It appeared to be fine and holding air.  I inspected the rim for any sharp edges or frayed rim strip ... nada.  And yet, just five minutes ago the tube was completely flat.  It's a mystery. 

Normally, I like the challenge of solving a mystery like this ... but today I just wanted to go for a ride, since I've been so busy lately that riding has been severely limited.  So, to be safe, I put a new tube in, remounted the tire, filled it with fresh air from my PSI/BAR manufacturing device, put the wheel back on, and went for a ride.  During the ride, the mystery continued to haunt me, as there seemed no good reason for this.  But then I saw a hummingbird when I stopped to look at the ocean, and all was good again.  I'm chalking this one up to simply being an old tube.  I've had these tubes and tires on the bike for over a year and a half with no flats, so perhaps it was just time to replace it. 

So there you have it ... today's mystery.  Anyone have an answer? 

I'll make an effort to write more ... with pretty pictures and stuff, too.  There's a new bike in the works.  It has a woolly mammoth on the headbadge ... and the name reminds me of an Elvis song.  More soon ...