Bird web cam

Web cam feeds can be tedious! Even so, some have glorious moments to show. This one, for example. It's a nest cam, showing a mating pair of American Bald Eagles and their young. Neat that someone was able to get the cam there, and that the Eagles are ignoring it. The baby bird isn't overly pretty to my eyes, but the parents are doing their part anyway. Maybe it's not about looks...

On selling utility cycling

I often link to Copenhagenize.com. I enjoy reading Mikael's comments. I think he is right with many of his opinions regarding how to sell cycling as an alternative to motoring. Mikael's view is that he rides because it's quicker than driving. Riding, for him, is done in whatever clothing he's wearing at the moment, or with minimal changes to what clothing he's wearing at the moment. Riding, to him, is done in street shoes, on flat pedals (at least a lot of the time). It's even--gasp!--easier to ride than to drive.

On a recent post, he quotes one of his readers who put forth a slightly different view. Brian Glover's point is that cycling for transport isn't perceived as being sexy enough. He goes on to say that "sexy enough" varies by location, and that what is perceived as a great reason to cycle in Greenville North Carolina may not work in Washington D(istrict of) C(oncubines), or Seattle, or Louisville KY, and that "selling" utility cycling in disparate areas requires more awareness of the nuances of the specific areas.

I happen to agree with both of them. As a cycling advocate, I like the idea of telling folks I ride because I prefer it over driving. I enjoy that I get where I'm going as quickly (or sometimes more quickly) than if I were to use a car. I am certain that if more high-profile folks in our area would ride bikes instead of driving cars, the followers would take notice.

One problem is that there would be a certain percentage of people who would simply write off the popularity of those high-profile people and call us losers. As Brian Glover points out, "Even when cycling clearly is the fastest, most convenient way to get somewhere, they won’t do it, and they’ll look with disdain on anyone who does."

My workday commute, at twelve miles each way, takes me longer on a bike than in a car. I still prefer to ride, but I recognize that I'm a bit eccentric by the standards many use. I use a bicycle to get around close to home (within four or five miles) because it is easier and quicker (or at least about as quick). I get to park closer to the door of whatever store I'm patronizing. I like myself better when I'm not at the wheel of a car (I have far less patience with other road users when I'm in a car. See: Motor Mania).

In short, to get more folks to ride instead of driving cars, we as cyclists need to recognize that folks will act in what they think is their own best interest. My commute takes longer by bike than by car. I ride a bike whenever I can (I have weather minima, and sometimes am hauling stuff that I can't haul readily with a bike). It's still in my own perceived best interest to ride--I feel better about myself, I get some exercise, I get to re-allocate the funds I would have spent on driving...

My errand-running is also done by bicycle, for the same basic reason: It's in my own best interest. I can tick off observable benefits to my self--physical and emotional--that I gain by cycling instead of driving.

That I see a non-mainstream activity as being in my best interest makes me something of an oddity. I'm comfortable with that. I embrace that, in fact.

Brian discussed a survey (since ended, so no link found showing results) that asked why folks ride bikes for utility. The question Brian wanted to see asked, with answers that were decidedly not overly polite, was:

“Why do you choose to do something that, in the eyes of 95% of your society, marks you as a freak and a loser?”

No one will say this out loud, of course – it’s not polite – but it’s the truth. And no one will answer this question honestly, either, but if they did, the choices would look like this:

A. I am too poor to get around in any other way. I have no choice. I
am abject.

B. I have had my rights as a citizen stripped from me because of
repeated, unforgivably bad behavior (i.e. drunk driving
convictions). I am an outcast and a pariah.

C. I think most mainstream people are idiots, and I actively seek
out their disapproval. I am a rebel. If the majority of people
around me start biking, I’ll hate that too.

D. I genuinely don’t care what other people think of me. I am an
independent thinker. I also have enough job security and social
status that I can afford not to care what other people think of me.
I am either uncommonly strong, or uncommonly privileged.

My own answer is pretty close to (D) on this one, even though I don't consider it an accurate description of me. Job security in this day and age is ephemeral for too many. I have a job that is a good fit for me, but it's a small store, and we always want to have more revenue than we have. Social status can be a point of contention with me--I admit to falling into the trap of reverse-snobbery too easily. I may be uncommonly strong in some way--willingness to be different than the norm, for example--but don't see that as a strength so much as merely a trait. I hardly consider myself privileged, until I look at what I have compared to folks with less income or mobility or fewer family/social ties or whatever other scale one measures wealth and realize that I am quite privileged.

Yep, I have the privilege of living in such a way that I can ride a bike to work on a regular basis, ride one bike or another to accomplish much of my errand-running, can walk to do some things, and otherwise leave the car in the driveway. It's in my self-interest to live this way, as I get to allocate my earnings into things more enjoyable than car payments, gasoline bills, car parts and higher insurance premiums in favor of better-tasting food, a nicer place to live (lower utility bills being part of what defines "nicer"), more comfortable clothing (kilts aren't as cheap as jeans, although a kilt will outlast several pair of jeans...), and so on.

I also have the privilege of acting in my own perceived best interest, and that means riding a bike to work a majority of the time instead of driving.

Bike to Work Week recap

For Bike to Work Week, I got the dubious pleasure of driving to work. Twice. For the third week in a row, I exceeded my car mileage for April.

Driving more than three times as much as I did last month is not something of which I'm proud. I'm not going to beat myself up over it, at least not in principle. However, it's a frustrating reminder that with what is happening in my life over the next four weeks, I won't be getting any long miles ridden. That doesn't bode well for RAIN, but I've done that ride with less-than-ideal preparation before.

And, yes, I even drove to work yesterday. I had an excuse, though--I knew I was going to be hauling a bunch of stuff home that would be at best unwieldy with a bike trailer.

I rode an assortment of bike miles this week. I rode the Raleigh a fair bit--for errands prior to the Monday evening New Rider class as well as to the class itself, to the Bike to Work celebration downtown, then out again with the trailer for some shopping (in two different directions, no less: a visit to a nice wine store on Frankfort Avenue and then to Westport Village to window-shop at The Trail Store). I even got to ride it for a while last night, in search of a small tool box for my upcoming trip across the country.

I rode Jenn's Giro 26 to work on Wednesday, as I'd had contact from a fellow who wanted to test-ride one for his upcoming bike journey. I rode home in something of a hurry, so that I could change jerseys and bikes and ride the Vanguard to the Ride of Silence. Good thing, too, as I wound up staying downtown for dinner with friends after the ride, and it was dark when I rode home (the Giro doesn't have headlights). I rode the Vanguard to work on Thursday, as is normal for me.

I didn't work on Friday, but had scheduled the day off so that I could attend the Bike to Work celebration downtown. I had been invited to join Team LBC in the Louisville KY Commuter Challenge. It surprised nobody that we won, as one of our team accounted for something like ten percent of the points earned in the entire contest ('twasn't I). We won a custom helmet mirror for each team member and the coveted "Golden Handlebars," along with bragging rights to enjoy until this time next year.

Saturday was "drive to work day" for me, as mentioned above. After work, I went to my mom's house to help her sort out final details on an apron she made for me.

Over the years I've worked in bike shops, I have worn out several commercially-produced shop aprons--usually tools wear holes in the pockets to the point that fixing the apron is time-consuming enough that replacing it works better. I mentioned this to Mom, and added that a layer of rip-stop nylon inside the pocket might prevent or delay the wear-through time. I took an old apron out to Mom so she would have a template, and she created an improved version in time for my birthday a couple months ago. We used various lessons learned from that apron's construction in tweaking the design for the second apron. I'll use the second one at home, for the most part, but she wanted to get it to me in time for me to take it on the RAAM trip.

I'm trying to sort out the packing for my trip. As established readers of my musings know, part of my duties for RAAM involve working on bikes, so I will need tools. I don't relish the thought of some TSA agent accidentally or otherwise losing any of my tools during an airport inspection (although I know that there are some conscientious agents, horror stories abound). I've made arrangements to send out my tools and repair stand via UPS, and will send them home again from Maryland once we reach Annapolis.

In the box with my tools, I will send my portable power supply for my CPAP machine. It's mildly entertaining to watch the TSA folks' expressions as they see the battery come through their x-ray device, but it's also a serious enough thing that I'm even happier not having to schlep the battery around with all the other crap I'm carrying on the airplane.

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a "netbook" or something like that for the trip, to enable me to type more of my thoughts before forgetting them. I would then be able to periodically update this blog during the race, read email and generally keep up with other stuff I like to monitor. I don't know that I'll have much time to do so--what time I spend online would be during my off-duty hours, and I may be more interested in sleeping then. I don't expect to have much time for such frivolity as blogging while I'm on duty, and am not sure how sharp the delineation between on- and off-duty will be. I suppose I could go low-tech, and write down my thoughts as I go, figuring on rewriting/revising as I upload it after I get home.

Bike to Work Week

It's Bike to Work Week. As I've said in prior posts, most of the folks who read this already "get it." Bike to Work Week and Day are more about those who are on the proverbial fence about riding to work--those who want to, but who feel there are too many obstacles for them. It's about encouraging them to ride and helping them to find ways over or around those obstacles.

Of course, I wound up driving to work today. It was raining, and I thought I heard thunder, as I did one day last week.

I almost committed to driving to work tomorrow, too, until I realized that the reason I was considering driving--to get Jenn's Giro to the store for a test-ride by a potential recumbent buyer--could also be accomplished by riding the bike without needing the car to haul it. I have clothes at work and I have lunch stuff there, so I won't need a lot of cargo space.

On a more somber note: Wednesday, 19 May is the day for the annual Ride of Silence. Many communities across North America and even the world will observe this event, held at 7:00 PM local times, to honor the memory of our cycling friends who have been killed in crashes with motor vehicle (mis)operators. I have several folks to remember this year, including my friend Sharon, who was almost as active in the local cycling community as she was in her home in Alabama.

Whoo HOO!!!

I've been antsy over the last couple of weeks due to the house-buying experience. "Will it go through as hoped? Will the bank agree that we have the wherewithal to buy the house?"

Late last week, another piece of the puzzle arrived--the loan company's appraisal of the house.

It was $4500 less than the contract price. Not going unnoticed by any of us, it was--to the dollar--the same amount we had initially offered on the house.

Apparently it would be all but impossible for the seller to get more money for the house at this point. The pool of buyers has all but gone away with the end of the first-time home-buyers' tax break program, so if she refused the reduced price it would likely be a LONG time before she could sell the house for more money, and she certainly would not be able to sell it to someone who, like Jenn and me, are buying using the FHA program.

Still, given the difficulty the selling realtor had getting her to sell for our second offered price, we were nervous. Would she come down that last few thousand dollars?

I learned late last night that she had. We'll have the signed addendum to our purchase contract at the appraised price tomorrow or Thursday.

The seller asked that we schedule the closing for 8 June. Good for us, as we plan to fly to California on 9 June. Jenn's daughters will be minding things while we are gone (along with some friends of ours that my step-daughters may or may not notice doing drive-by checks), and the closing is early enough in the day that I expect to have time to change the locks on the house before we skip town. I wouldn't expect problems from this seller, but I still feel better having my own locks installed. There was one deadbolt that is misaligned a bit, and I'll have a chance to fix that while I'm changing the key cylinders.


I've not been riding much the last few days. I rode to work Saturday, and rode to Mom's from work to help my stepfather plant a tree in their backyard. Jenn picked me up at Mom's house so that we could visit some of her family that evening, so my commute was only eighteen of the usual twenty-four miles. I'll hit the Tuesday evening ride in a bit, and get some miles on the Strada just for kicks.

I also now have my newest kilt. I've been saving for this one for a while, and it's been a pretty cool way to buy. It's an RKilt, with some traditional details but made on a more modern form. I couldn't justify getting a leather kilt, although having seen the one Robert (the creator of RKilts) was wearing this morning I can see why a lot of folks like them so well. However, I've been reading enough good things about his attention to detail and the "hand" of his hemp fabric that one of these has been on my "eventually I'll get one" list for a while. I need to wash it one more time before I start wearing it (and certainly before I take pictures of it), but the test-fit felt VERY good.

As I said, it's made of hemp, and the more I read about hemp the more I think this country has some serious cranio-rectal insertion problems! If the North American Industrial Hemp Council can be believed at all, hemp would easily displace tobacco as Kentucky's leading legal cash crop, and make a run for being the leading cash crop by making the current leader harder to grow (hemp cross-pollinating with marijuana plants leads to lower-THC marijuana, not higher-THC hemp). It's easy to learn the difference between the two, so reasonably-well-trained LEOs *should* be able to discriminate. Besides, hemp is typically grown densely-planted, to get it to grow more fibrous, whereas pot is grown widely-separated to get it to leaf better.

Of course, small minds prevail on such things. Go figure. Yep, keep us from growing a plant that has dozens or hundreds of uses, that requires far less chemical help than cotton and makes a better fabric, that provides an oil that was the original fuel for Rudolph Diesel's engines, has longer fibers and is thus better for rope, and much more.

...and the fabrics made from hemp are so darned durable! At least, that's what I keep reading. I look forward to seeing how this kilt wears. I plan to wear it when I crew on RAAM next month.

May--may we all bike to work

As mentioned previously, May is Bike Month. There is an assortment of stuff happening associated with this, including Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day (May 21). There are bike safety classes to be found, presented by Bicycling for Louisville and the Louisville Bicycle Club. There is a Commuter Challenge going, by which one can win some cool prizes and the adoration of your peers (or something).

I know that a few folks read what I put here. I get comments from time to time about something I put here but nowhere else online, and from people I don't know. I presume that most of the people who bother to read what I say are already bike-friendly enough that you want to ride to work even if you haven't figured out how to deal with the details. I don't have to convince you to bike to work, although I'm happy to help you figure out those pesky details.

I don't know how to convince others, though, aside from riding to work myself, talking about riding to work (I get to keep my bike in the store, and "casually" refer to it when talking to customers), and encouraging those who also ride to work to encourage others who haven't done so.

We don't have to ride to work to "save the environment," "stick it to the oil companies," or prove anything. I ride to work with those things in mind, yes, but mainly I ride to work because I like myself better when I am riding than when I'm driving. I enjoy the ride more than the drive. Sure, I save money on gas, car repairs and car insurance. Sure, I am keeping one more car out of the traffic jams (and still getting to work in a reasonable amount of time). I realize that I have some good fortune in that I'm able to keep my bike inside while at work, safe from idle hands who would toy with the various doo-dads mounted on the bike (or "borrow" said accessories), and that I also enjoy the good fortune to work in a place where cycling to work is not such a weird thing.

Anyway, it's May. It's Bike Month. It's Bike to Work Month. Soon it will be Bike to Work Week. Ride--to work, to the grocery, to the Post Office, to the Library, to the coffee shop, to your friend's house a couple miles away--and enjoy riding. Encourage your friends to ride.

"Work to eat, eat to live, live to ride, ride to work"

It's not always the bike slowing you down

I wanted to deposit my paycheck this morning on the way to work, so I stopped by the bank branch nearest my commute route--at Hurstbourne and KY22, across from The Summit shopping megaplex.



When I was done there, I was faced with the choice of riding back south to Westport Road or taking the more direct route to work, KY22. I was a bit later than I really wanted to be by then, so I opted for the more direct route. Yeah, KY22 is a bit nervy for cyclists, but I've got that chip on my shoulder thing going.



Shortly after crossing under the Jefferson Freeway (some call it the Snyder...), I saw a farm tractor coming the other way, equipped with round-bale loading gear front and rear, followed by a pickup truck pulling a wagon for hauling round bales. They were followed by a LONG line of cars--probably more than fifty. I figured that nobody would pass me for a bit, since I was occupying the only eastbound lane and am not in the habit of letting folks pass me in a narrow lane. I could be smarmy and say, "Sorry 'bout your luck," of course...

Anyway, over the next half mile or so, I was passed by a few cars. After a while, though, it started seeming that traffic in my direction was very sparse. After I passed the entrance to Briar Hill subdivision, I noticed what appeared to be that same farm tractor about a half mile back. I was moving fast enough that I could reach Central Avenue in plenty of time to pull off and watch the parade of motorists behind that tractor--all fifty or so of them!

Once there was a sufficient break in traffic, I continued on my way. It was a bit over a mile to Crestwood from where I pulled off, and in the first half mile, several more cars passed me, only to have to slow again when they encountered the line of traffic crawling along behind the tractor (of course, folks that were not the first ten in line had no idea what the "problem" was, or why it didn't go away once they got past that pesky bike rider...). My last half mile approaching Crestwood was spent riding as part of the line waiting to get through the traffic light at KY22 and KY329 (at the Dairy Queen).

I was chuckling a good part of the time, knowing that anyone behind me (and a fair number of those who passed me in that last mile or so) could NOT blame me for slowing them down, even though they did not realize that the delay was caused by something gas-powered.

And, by the way, my return home will tip me over the 600 mile mark for April--AND the 1400 mile mark for the year to date!

hehehehehe

Home again!

Wow. I drove more on Sunday than I had in almost all of April to date. I drove more in the seventy-two hours from Sunday morning to Tuesday evening than I have in the entire month of March and April prior to Sunday.

I took my sister to Charlotte, North Carolina for some testing related to a medical condition. She is embroiled in a battle with an insurance company over their denial of a claim, and her attorney felt that corroborative testing would help their case.

Without going into details, the trip was worth doing.

I got a chance to remind myself that I can drive longer distances well enough that I'm okay with doing my job on RAAM in another month or so. I also got to test some ideas on a "go bag" to keep in the cab with me.

I was concerned that my trip would prevent me reaching my goal, stated a few days ago, of logging six hundred miles on bicycles in April. As of my departure Sunday morning, I showed about 518 miles.

However, I also needed to visit my Chiropractor after driving something like 1150 miles in three days. My Chiropractor (actually both of them--a husband and wife team) has an office in LaGrange, a mere seven miles from the store where I work. It took me about thirty minutes to ride there, and another thirty or so to get back to work. It added fourteen miles to today's riding, which puts me at 556 miles or so for the month. The 48 miles I'll do riding to work and back tomorrow and Fried-day will just barely get me over that goal line.

On the ride home from work (yes, I rode the Raleigh, mostly to get over my foul mood caused by the rain), I was climbing out of the small valley behind Pewee Valley on Rollington Road, when I saw a bird in the roadway. It looked big--bigger than a crow--but vultures usually don't just hang out walking in the roadway.

As I neared it, I realized that it was, indeed, a turkey vulture. I was concerned about passing it, to some extent, in that I didn't want to startle it into a mistake like flying into me. Those things weigh up to five pounds, and a five-pound bird striking one beak-first would be painful. I rang my bell to get it to face me, and sure enough, it took flight exactly away from me, but not before letting me get within fifteen feet or so of it.

It took roost in a tree and watched me as I cycled past. I was moving too fast to be considered dinner, I suppose.

Fine with me.

Aw, phooey

As I type this, it's raining. I really dislike riding in the rain. I'm debating driving to work, knowing that doing so will spoil a streak of riding that has lasted since late March.

If my ride to work was more like five miles, I'd probably go ahead and ride. That it's an hour of getting soggier by the minute takes much of the fun out of cycling to work.

Part of the problem is that my rain gear, such as it is, gets hot fast. I'd be as wet from sweating as from rain--although a bit less muddy.

And when I looked for my rain cape yesterday, I couldn't find it.

The cape I have is fair for light rain and short rides, but is far from waterproof (unlike the claims made on the web site where I bought the thing).

I may see if I can find it, though, and ride the Raleigh.

edit added: After typing the above, I realized that I was in a foul moment, and could get out of that mood by riding to work, despite my usual aversion to riding in the rain.

I also figured out where the cape was hiding.

Yeah, it was a wet ride, and I couldn't figure out why it felt like I was riding into a headwind (aside from the usual additional drag attributable to the cape). Motorists weren't any nicer or uglier than usual, although I didn't get quite as many out-the-window comments as on some rides (I figure the twits who would yell out their windows had them closed due to the rain).

Oddly, the bottom bracket on the Raleigh felt loose once I got about a third of the way to work. I didn't feel anything in my ABC Quick Check, although I admit to having rushed through that a bit. When I got to the store, well before opening time, I tossed the bike in a repair stand long enough to tighten the bearings a bit, and it feels much better now. I also hammered in that pesky right wedge pin again--I don't know why this bike is giving me more wedge pin trouble than any other such crank I've fixed in the last thirty years, unless it's a matter of no longer being able to get decent pins.

Anyway, I may leave work early this afternoon if I can. A friend has an art show opening tonight, and it would be good to see the paintings.

And I'm in a better mood, having continued my list of days not driving to work.


Just to keep from driving (myself nuts).

May is Bike to Work Month

I was looking at my ride log on mycyclinglog.com the other day, and noted that I am on track to exceed six hundred miles for April. This will barely beat my mileage total for March.

I've not done many club rides these last two months. I drove out to Westport to do a couple of Larry's excellent WINGS (Westport Incremental New Goal Series) rides--once on my own, and once with Jenn. I've done a couple of the Saturday afternoon LBC rides from Bluegrass Bicycle after my Saturday shifts there as well. I've even managed to do a couple of the Sunday afternoon rides from either Heine Brothers' or Baptist East/Milestone Fitness. However, I've not done a lot of long-mileage days.

In other words, most of my riding has been getting back and forth to work. The last time I drove to work was in March.

Accordingly, I'm not really in the target audience for things like Bike to Work Month/Week/Day, despite being a staunch proponent of biking to work.

Instead, I'm one of those folks who encourages others to try it. Once a week. Once or twice a month. A few times a year.

I've heard the usual excuses--"I can't arrive at work all sweaty," "I can't afford the extra time," "I have to haul stuff," "Work is too far from home" and more. They are just that--excuses. If one really wants to ride to work, one can do so. Where there is a will, there is a way, as the old saying goes.

I don't mean for that last paragraph to sound so condescending. I also fully recognize that for some, the idea of riding a bicycle two miles seems an almost Herculean task. "Five miles? Ten? Impossible for me!" they say. I'm fond of recounting a friend's confession that "seven miles is a goal" when it comes to riding a bike. As an advanced cyclist, I find it useful to think of such folks and remind myself that I, too, once considered seven miles a long bike ride.

At any rate, Bike to Work Month is coming. Soon. There are all manner of local challenges and celebrations in the works, aiming to get folks to consider riding instead of driving. There are education programs, as well--both the Louisville Bicycle Club program, which I manage as the VP Education, and those presented by Bicycling for Louisville.

I fully realize that most of those who read my online blathering are already bike-friendly. Many of you ride to work or to do errands at least once in a while, if not often. To a large degree, Bike to Work Day/Week/Month observations, while they celebrate your efforts, are also to encourage our friends who are not so enthusiastic about the idea. We want to help them get that old bike out of the garage/shed/basement, air up the tires, lubricate the chain and cables, do that ABC Quick Check, strap on that helmet and go for a bike ride. There will be a few preparatory rides leading up to Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day--one is on Saturday, so that folks aren't pressed for time and can figure out routes without the stress of having to look great at the end of the ride (and share tips for regaining that great office-ready look once at the office), there is another the Friday before Bike to Work Day (May 14th), and of course on Bike to Work Day itself (May 21st). On Bike to Work Day, there will be an assortment of incentives--I think Heine Brothers' Coffee is going to offer a free cup of coffee to anyone stopping by on their bikes during their trip to work, for example. The Bike to Work Day team are working at getting more incentives implemented as I type this.

As I learn more, I'll post more here. Encourage your friends to try biking to work.

Hooray!!

I just heard from our realtor: We have a signed contract on a house! There were a few nail-biting moments, as is often the case with house purchases, and there is still much to do before we move in.

Next step for me is to decide on a home inspector and termite inspector. We get to do the loan application in the next few days as well. Hopefully we can lock in a decent interest rate that will remain in effect until closing. The seller is delaying the closing a bit due to some family plans, but we'll get possession of the house in early June.

I get to move again. Right after coming back from our RAAM trip. I get to go from driving an RV for a week to driving a moving van for a couple days. It will be a LOT of work, and a good part of it is going to have to be done in May (packing stuff we don't use all the time, mainly).

Time to buy the boxes...

Drat

For several months, I've been hearing periodic ticking from the rear wheel of the Vanguard. I've put threadlocking compound in the rim joint, I've inspected the spokes numerous times to see if any were broken, I've checked the cassette and freehub mechanisms, and have never found the problem. The noise went away for a time, but recently has not only returned, but gotten worse.

I had some down time at the store today, so I got the bike in the stand and removed the rear wheel for more detailed inspection. The spokes are all nice and tight, none are broken, and the cassette is fine. In the course of cleaning it, however, I noted that there was an odd line of schmutz around the shell, parallel to the flanges. I cleaned it off, but there was still a line. Sure enough, I have a crack in the hub shell. It's all the way around the shell. My hub is being held together by the collective forces of all that spoke tension and the axle holding the flanged ends to each other.

There doesn't seem to be any danger of catastrophic failure--it's been like this for a year or more. Still, it's an opportunity for me to build a new wheel for the bike.

This is the second wheel built on that hub. I built it early in 2001, shortly before I bought my V-Rex. It remains the only wheel set I've built using all alloy spoke nipples--and purple ones, at that. The hub dates to some time in 1999, when I installed it to replace the Sovos hub original to the bike (the rim on the original wheel was about dead, due to an assortment of pothole mishaps).

More than ten years on a hub and nine years on a rim, with something like ten or twelve thousand accumulated miles, is good enough, I suppose. They are wear items, after all. I'm no small guy at 220#, and the Vanguard has a heavy rear weight bias. Since I built this wheel, and have not been gentle to this wheel, I'm okay with needing to replace it. I built it to ride it, not to hang it on a wall and look at it.


On other fronts, I've been surprised a few times of late by folks who tell me I look thinner. I've not been doing any active work on weight loss--indeed, I've lost maybe fifteen pounds (or ten, depending on what the scale says tomorrow morning) since this time last year.

I suppose I may be altering my body composition a little bit by riding instead of driving. Logging my miles has proven to be even more effective than this blog at helping me make sure I ride to work more often than driving (although the fact that the car is in Georgetown with my younger stepdaughter is also a factor over the last couple weeks).

That I am apparently building muscle mass while losing body fat is interesting. I'm not losing any inches off my waist, I don't think, but my kilts are fitting a bit more loosely around my hips...

No stress today...

We got a counter-offer from the home seller. Wow. She came down a whole six hundred dollars from the listing price.

We've countered the counter-offer, and expect to hear a response tonight.

No stress at all. Nope, no sir.


On my ride to work today, I got to enjoy tracking an eastbound train as it went eastbound from St Matthews by listening to its horn. As it neared various crossings the horn would sound, and I could hear it clearly from Westport Road. It seemed that I was almost keeping up with it--the timing of the horn and the angle relative to where I was told me which crossing the train was nearing.

angst-laden day

"When in trouble, when in doubt,
Run in circles, scream and shout!"

I'm reminded of this expression when I think about my level of angst today, where it originates, what I'm going to do about it...

We made an offer on a house last night. To finalize the sale, we have to get financing, pay for an assortment of inspections and insurance plans--the usual first-time home buyers' hurdles. Lots of folks do this sort of thing every year. Some of those folks have more financial resources than we have, some less. Some have good reason to worry, some ignore those reasons and buy more than they can afford.

We looked at our budget pretty closely prior to this decision. There isn't as much room for error as I'd like, but this house is in excellent condition, it's fairly new (ten years or so since construction), and our incomes should improve over the coming year or two. We'll figure something out.

In any case, I have a raft of errands to run soon--starting with a trip to the bank once it opens, and continuing with an assortment of not-really-related-to-home-buying tasks. Life goes on regardless of what happens with the offer we've submitted.

We've looked at eight or ten houses, after culling from dozens more based on their MLS profiles and a few drive-by looks. There have been some that we really liked, but couldn't afford, some that we sort-of liked, but which were almost inaccessible, some that we could have lived in, but were never passionate about, and some on which we differed sharply in how we responded to them. Some had decent locations, but were crappy houses. Few have walkability ratings on par with the house we have been renting for the last two years.

I hope we get this house. It's a charmer. It's in a decent area, our commutes are shorter by a few miles, and the trips to the grocery won't take much longer. I can envision riding to Jenn's office with her on my way to the store in the mornings, without being far out of my own travel path.

It's going to be an adventure.

More Saturday thoughts on Sunday morning

There wasn't enough house-hunting to be done Saturday afternoon, so I rode the club ride from Bluegrass Bicycle before heading home. I wound up with just under fifty miles for the day--and had I gotten organized, would have ridden another few on the Raleigh to do some shopping just to trip the next color in the MyCyclingLog report.

I rode yet a different bike on the club ride. I'd ridden Jenn's Giro a couple of times, including once on the club ride last season, because it was a) there, with my Strada at home, b) I either didn't have one of my own bikes there or c) didn't want to ride the Vanguard, wanting to ride something faster. On that fairly hilly/rolling twenty-four or so mile course, I managed to average a bit over 17mph. I have not yet gotten around to attaching the cadence sensor on this bike, so I couldn't monitor that, but I could still feel it pretty well.

On the way home--on the Vanguard--I had another ugly-attitude motorist encounter. It would be pretty funny except that such twits (or their female counterparts) are herding large, dangerous hunks of metal in such close proximity to me as I travel from place to place. I also wonder whether such people recognize the example they are setting for their children who happen to be in the car with them when they act such jerks, or whether they see any sense of irony in their being such jerks when they accuse me of being selfish by cycling instead of driving.

In any case, I was feeling pretty good as I rode home. I was pedaling well, feeling reasonably strong if not fast. In one somewhat odd moment, a motorist pulled up beside me a bit west of Westport Middle School and opened his passenger-side power window to ask if he could take a picture with his cell phone. Aghast at the attempt to multi-task in traffic, and not interested in having my picture taken, AND conscious (far more conscious than the driver, apparently) that there was other traffic wanting to pass me, I waved him off. Thankfully, he took the hint and drove off. I don't know whether he realized the danger in which he could have been putting all of us, and doubt that he did.

A bit later in my ride, as I was nearing the construction (constriction?) zone on Westport Road, my legs started telling me that they could cramp if they wanted. I kept the cramps at bay until I was well off Westport Road and into the neighborhood I often use to get out of the constriction zone--indeed, I was in the parking lot behind the Hubbards Lane Kroger store and the attached shopping center before having to stop and shake out my leg muscles a bit. I didn't have the severe cramps I've had on other rides, but it was worth stopping for a moment and letting the muscles settle a bit before riding the last mile or so to get home.

Saturday thoughts

I started this blog in part to keep myself accountable for riding to work instead of driving most of the time. At some level, I feel I have to justify driving, simply because I prefer riding and like being able to look back on all the days I left the car at home.

A month or two ago, a friend sent out a link to mycyclinglog.com, with a request that folks creating profiles there join his Louisville commuter group. After tinkering with it on a day off work, I figured I'd continue playing along. It gives me a better record of what cycling I'm doing than this blog does.

I can (and have done so) look back on my entries here and get a pretty good idea of where I rode and how far. However, if I lack time to post each day, I have to think about it enough to give myself clues and so on. MyCyclingLog works a bit better for me in this way.

Being part of the group also gives me a gauge against which I can compare my riding to that of others in the group. I must admit that it's fun being in the top five members...

I also find that MyCyclingLog has some easy-to-use reports so I can compare my riding this month to prior months. For example, by the time I log my round trip to work and home today, I will have logged more miles for April than the entire month of February, and that even if I re-route my trip home to meet Jenn during our house-hunting. Looking at my March report, I doubt I'll exceed those commuting miles in April, although I will likely find more opportunities for club miles that will add to my April total faster than commuting does.

Of course all this commuting comes with its downside. Twice in the last two days, my trips to work have been punctuated with "ugly motorist" encounters. Friday morning, a guy in a pickup truck going the other way blew his horn a long time upon seeing me, and flipped me off as he went by. I don't know why--I certainly was not a factor in his drive at that point. I can only figure he likes being a jerk.

This morning, as I crept up the rise on Houston Lane approaching Mt Mercy Drive in Pewee Valley, a different pickup truck came up behind me. That section of Houston Lane is very narrow--probably less than twelve feet wide. There is no way in the world I am going to let a motorist try to pass me there. Of course, the guy had to run his window down and cuss at me for blocking his way, complaining that he couldn't get around me.

I didn't take the time to remind him that there is exactly no legal support for his sense that slower traffic must yield to him simply because he can climb that hill faster. Or simply because he wants to be jerk. I largely ignored him, or appeared to from his perspective. If his threats had escalated, I would have reported him for terroristic threatening at some point, but at this point it's not worth the trouble--it's enough to think in terms of "he likes being a jerk," and go on enjoying the rest of my ride.

The fantasy of having a sympathetic police officer who would be a hard-nose with such twits witness such events is still fun, though.


On the house hunt: There was a house in Middletown that we liked, but there was a house of Westport Road that appealed more for a variety of reasons. Sadly, we got beat to that house, and there was enough other interest in the house that a bidding war could have begun. While still thinking about the house in Middletown, we've opened the search a bit more.

I was reluctant to consider houses off Murphy Lane, for example, as I do NOT like Murphy Lane as a bike route. I looked at a map of the area, though, and have found some work-arounds which open that area a bit. Sadly, many of the houses in that area are reminiscent of "Vinyl View Vista Village" stuff, and I really dislike vinyl siding for a variety of reasons (some of which are even logically supportable). I'm having to resign myself to the idea that unless I can come up with an extra hundred thousand bucks for a down payment, I'll have to deal with at least some measure of vinyl exterior cladding or siding. I'm not terribly happy about it, but there it is.

On a windy day...

...you either feel REALLY slow, or that you are exceptionally fast.

I kept thinking of this adage as I rode to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I felt stronger than usual, and noted that I was using higher gears than I usually do when riding to work.

On the way home, I felt like I was riding into more wind than usual--I was--but I still did well on my speeds and times.

On Tuesday, Jenn showed up at the store a bit before closing time, so that we could do some drive-by house inspections. She's pushing to buy a house while we can get the big tax credit, and I have agreed with the prospect--as long as we can get a house we can afford to buy AND maintain.

In my work with New Directions, I saw a lot of folks who bought houses based on their ability to get credit, but who didn't think in terms of having enough room in their credit rating or budgets to allow for repairs and maintenance of those houses. Decades later, the houses are in disrepair and they don't have the money to get things done. I don't want to put myself in that position.

On the other hand, houses that I think are in a reasonable price range tend to be well outside my commute range from work. The effective cost of living in such a house would be unreasonable in terms of additional commute time/costs or other values. It's tough to find a house that meets both sets of needs, especially since we didn't get started on this process until late in the tax credit timeline.

Sunday afternoon club ride

My bike ride for the day wasn't my usual commute, but the Sunday afternoon LBC ride out of the Heine Brothers' on Chenoweth Lane (actually the office building across the street). Jenn wasn't going to ride today, so I took the Bacchetta, figuring on pushing myself harder than I do in my commuting.

I rode out with some fast guys, and was able to stay with them through Cherokee Park--probably because they didn't drop the hammer until they got well down Lexington Road. The stretch between Grinstead Drive and Baxter Avenue usually is the site of a fast pace line. I was feeling pretty good until the first curve, when the front guys wound up the pace a few notches more than I had on tap.

I managed to catch them, mostly a function of a traffic light that caught them just before they hit Jefferson Street. I rode hard for a bit, but was dropped by the time we got to downtown.

As a result, I wound up riding River Road largely by myself. That's okay--I needed to focus on a workout, and did. I kept my cadence up around 95 RPM for the most part, and my speed above 20 MPH for the most part, until turning onto Glenview Avenue for the ascent part of the ride.

My climb up Glenview was slower than I like, and a little more painful than I like, but I soldiered up the hill anyway. I was able to stay in the middle ring, though, which hasn't always been the case on that climb. Once on Lime Kiln, I usually accelerate through a couple more gears than I was able this time, but I still was able to crest over the I-71 bridge at eighteen or nineteen miles an hour.

I finished the ride with an average speed of 18.2 miles an hour, which is a bit off my peak-condition pace. I attribute the shortcoming to the fact that I haven't been doing hill workouts in some years, and my resulting sluggardly climbing. It really is my biggest weakness on the bike. My second largest weakness is a lack of courage on the descents that I blame on a fall I had several years ago. I am not sure how to work on fixing that one, but figure that doing a series of hill repeats on familiar roads would probably help.

BIG durned birds!

In a recent post, I yammered on a bit about seeing Cooper's Hawks. I enjoy seeing the larger raptors--they have an important role in our ecosystem, and they are simply gorgeous birds in most cases (allowing that at least other Turkey Vultures think a Turkey Vulture is attractive in some way...).

Imagine my delight, then, that there is a nesting pair of Bald Eagles in Jefferson County, Kentucky! I have no idea how long the link will work, as the Courier doesn't seem to do permanent archives online (at least without some fee involved), but the bit in the paper shows how excited many are at this news.