Addicted to (the) speed

You know, I'm one of those single-speed band wagoneers. I just up and bought one two years ago. I was attracted to the simplicity of it. I had been a roadie, you know, the shoes, lycra, cyclocomputer and also an off-roader, front-suspended, cross country, shoes, lycra, etc. etc. etc.

I just got tired of all the stuff, of lugging shoes around, of suiting up to go anywhere, of worrying about my average speed and cadence. Sick and tired of it.

So single-speed, no clips, just made sense. And I was hooked pretty quickly. I thought originally that it was the simplicity of it, the purity that all the nerds talk about that got me. This morning I realized that it's actually the speed I'm addicted to. Riding single has made me faster. Not thinking about gearing has made me faster. Not having any components hanging on my bike has made me faster.

And I just love the speed. I love to sprint across the city, dusting cabs and commuters. I love the traffic weave. I love the twitchy steering and the lack of options. And, as I mentioned in my last post, I love the smooth, quiet hum of the straight chain.

I don't wanna talk about single vs. fixed right now. I'm not even sure it's worth talking about. If you love to ride, it doesn't matter what you ride. Ride a $6000 all carbon road bike. Ride a vintage three-speed cruiser. Whatever.

Me? I just wanna go fast.

Change Is Good.

What a mind shattering thing! My work announced shuttle buses last week that go from the city where I live to my office. This is so cool. I'm going to save HUNDREDS of dollars in gas, maintenance, and insurance (now that my miles have gone done). However, this totally throws a wrench into my cycling routine.

I'm not a recreational cyclist. I'm a commuter who loves cycling. I have a very hard time going on a "ride". In my mind I can't get over that I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going in some big circle. There is no point to it in my mind. People can give me great reasons to ride and I can think of some myself, but I can never convince my brain. I hope I can change this, but so far no good.

So a big thing thing in my life was my driving part way to work and cycling the rest of the way. I was doing about 17 miles round-trip. I had a safe park and ride to park in all day for free. I had a great route through some trees with a wide generous bike lane. I had a really good time and I was getting better at cycling. I was feeling really good about myself too.

However, with the money I'm saving from the shuttle and extra time I have to get some more work done on the commute (we have wifi!), it's like for me to bike to work, I'd be paying to ride. That's just money out of my wallet. I can't do that right now. So, my park and ride days are numbered for now.

This puts a two options on the table for me now. My first thought was to bring my bike to work (which I do anyway) and map out a local ride near the office. Ride in the morning before work. This is a pretty good idea. In fact I'm going to actually try it in blatant disregard to my brain saying it's just a big circle and what's the point.

There is a catch here tho. The more I ride, the more I want a new bike. However, the bus doesn't have bike racks. It's basically a big Greyhound bus. You have to stow your bike underneath and just let it roll around anyway it wants to. If there are other bikes in the hold, then well, they're going to hit against each other. Since most new bikes have carbon fiber all over them (my new carbon fiber seat post mentioned over and over again that if you breath on it funny you need to see your local bike shop and have them inspect it) I'm guessing having your carbon bike hit up and rub against other bikes for 35 miles each way isn't a great idea.

Ok, so maybe no new bike. But wait, it's the second option on the table! My commute to the bus station is only like 5 miles each way. I could still get a new bike! I mean if a new bike was what I really wanted. I could get a single speed! Robot keeps telling me about his bike and there is something very pure sounding about it. Plus, no gears and derailleurs go get bent up in the bus's hold. I dunno. I'm not like swimming in dough right now, but I like the idea!

Honestly, I think what all this blathering on is about, is that when you don't have an optimal ride to work, be it distance or bike friendly streets, you're forced to come up with creative ways to make bike commuting work. I could just drive to the bus station each day. I could easily park my car there, but that wouldn't feel right. I want to bike. I want to not use a car. I want to get that exercise. Mostly I want to feel the world go rushing by as I pedal faster and faster. I want to have the bike in my daily life. I think I need to have the bike in my daily life. So I'm taking these changes in stride and I'm going to try to find some bike goodness in them. I'll even try to share what I learn.

Victory, thy name is SRAM

Well, I went to the LBS and bought a new chain, an SRAM 9-speed, nickel-plated chain. I as assured that being nickel-plated was a good thing. Other than that, the dude who sold it to me didn't have a lot to say. I mean, it's a fucking chain, right. He offered me the KMC colored chains, red, blue, gold, etc., but I decided I'm probably not that cool. So I bought the SRAM.

It was $11.99.

It fixed my grinding problem. I cut it down from 114 links to 94 and then lubed it up with Chain-J (for the record, I really don't know what the best lube is for the East Coast misery we endure here), and VOILA! No more grind.

Happiness is a new chain. So clean. So quiet.

I bought a Surly Tuggnut chain tensioner too, but it won't go on right. The screw won't turn. When I get it on, it seems to grind against the hub of the rear wheel. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, or the spacing is wrong on my wheel, or whatever.

It's a challenge for another day.

Trouble-shooting that grinding feeling in my right pedal

I ride a single-speed bicycle. It's supposed to be smooth and quiet. And yet, it is not.

There is a brief grinding in my right pedal on every other pedal stroke. When I really torque the pedals, it is more pronounced.

I took the machine to the bike shop to see if they had some idea. Was it a bad bearing in my bottom bracket? Perhaps a bad bearing in the pedal? A lose crank? The bike mechanic at my LBS first tightened everything in the neighborhood of the grinding, without either confirming or denying that he felt the grinding.

His efforts produced a tighter, but still grindy, drive train.

Another mechanic came over, a guy I trust, and he said that he thought the chain and chain ring were worn down. He offered to put a $20 chain ring on my bike. I demurred. I resolved to try to fix it myself and promised to bring it back once I had fucked it up, so he could do it right.

We laughed and parted ways, though I could see that he was irritated with me for letting him diagnose and then not paying him to repair. Whatever. Like I want a $20 chain ring. Doesn't he know I'm the modern day Fausto Coppi?

Something about his diagnosis just didn't ring true with me. Why would a worn chain ring produce a grinding sensation only at the top of every second pedal stroke? Chain rings are round. If there was a defect or worn spot, it would produce the grind on every pedal stroke.

I have been thinking about this, literally, for weeks without buying a new set of cranks and a chain ring. I did replace the pedals, but only because the ones I had were a little smashed up from all the times I've crashed that fucking bike.

And so, on the way home last night, I was obsessing about the chain ring and trying to ignore the grinding feeling and it was slowly driving me crazy and suddenly it struck me. The source of the problem is obvious. I have a bad link in my chain. The chain ring has 48 teeth. If the chain has 96 links (which seems about right) that would produce a grinding every other rotation of the pedals. A new chain costs $10.

If I prove myself correct, I am going to celebrate by buying a new chain ring. And probably a set of cranks.

The Sickness

I am buying a new bike. That's less a statement about what I am doing currently and more a description of my general state at all times. I am buying a new bike.

What that means is that I am constantly trolling Craig's List, eBay, VeloSpace, et. al. looking at frames and parts. Mostly I'm looking for a new single speed, but I don't know whether that means an old, steel Italian road frame that I hang new parts on, or a new track frame, or one of these in-between kind of jobs like a cross bike with aggressive geometry or whatever.

Everyday I decide exactly what I want, and the next day I second guess myself. I am very susceptible to the advice of others. Even if they know less than I do, which is not much.

I have begun to feel bike sick.

Bike sickness is marked by an unquenchable lust for the next ride. Purchasing the next ride will only redouble the symptoms of the disease. Further, there is an inexorable slide toward malaise as you spend more time reading about bicycles than riding them. It is a most dire affliction. If not arrested at its outset, it can sometimes lead to working in bike shops. Don't let this happen to you.

The only cure is riding the bike you've got, preferably fast, then taking it home, cleaning it and taking a long, hot shower. Breathe in, I don't need a new bike. Breathe out, I love the bike I've got. Breathe in, I don't need a new bike. Breathe out, but maybe a single-speed 29er MTB will make me happy...

Of Hemorrhoids and Helmets

How the H-E-L-L do I follow the Cyclosaur's bloody sphincter?

Fuck it. I don't know. Just gotta get back in the locker room, push some weights, work hard and leave it all out here on the field.

Wear a helmet. Stop not wearing a helmet. As cavalier as I was about obeying traffic signals in my last post, I really think you ought to wear a helmet.

And by all means, cut it with the headphones. If you can't hear me giving you the "ON YOUR LEFT!" then there's a good chance you're going to swerve over and kill me. Forget about the cabs that want us both dead. Now you're dangerous TO ME!

And CHRIST! If you refuse to wear a helmet AND wear headphones while you ride, you're practically begging Charles Darwin to pluck you from the gene pool. You want to die. Do me a favor and don't die in the bike lane. Where will all the cabs park?

To be clear, I don't like wearing a helmet either. When I ride bike paths or other no-traffic routes, I will, occasionally go helmetless. This is, I think, a calculated risk, a low one.

But not wearing a helmet while riding in city traffic is begging for a shattered melon, a permanent speech impediment, a gimpy walk. I like your cycling hat. It's a cool hat. You look hip. Now put on a fucking helmet.

Seriously.

The New Seat Post.

I got the seatpost. I got it last Friday. That's a fast trip from Kentucky to my door. Nice. Now it was a matter of getting time to get the seat out of it's box and on to my bike which considering everything that I have going on, was going to be a challenge.
On Saturday I spotted an opening and hit it. With UPS box in hand I went out to the studio in the back yard and went to work on my bike. First thing was to clean off all the grease. The Easton EC-70 instructions said to do this. I pretty much did everything they said. They repeatedly threatened my life every other sentence. I'm surprised they didn't say anything about how if I goofed anything up installing the post, the seatpost would kill me and then come for my family like Keyser Söze.
Well I cleaned my bike. Got all the old grease out and put in the seatpost. I used my new torque wrench (very glad I bought it) and tightened everything down after fitting it to my size. However, I was out of time. The test ride would have to wait.
Sunday morning arrived with me waking up far earlier than I would have wanted. I sat in bed and realized I was the only one up. This was a good time to ride the bike. It was a foggy California morning and I rode down to the ocean and rode until I was pretty much wet with a good slick of salty fog water. The seat post actually did deaden vibrations I was feeling. I was actually shocked. I sorta didn't think it would work. So there I was riding alone on early morning roads with salty ocean air and actually feeling kind of comfortable. Not bad.