Miscellany and Meta-miscellany

A few loose ends to blog about today. Although I haven’t kept up with how much money I’m saving, how many miles I’ve driven, or the number of times I’ve bummed a ride from a friend, there’s one thing I have no trouble remembering – getting honked at. Thus it’s time for -

HONK REPORT

After visiting Large LBS #1 for a few test rides yesterday, I was riding home on North Main. Due to the holiday, there was very little traffic. I was in the right-hand lane, but needed to get to the left-hand lane in order to turn onto Olney. I waited until I was close, but not too close to Olney. I then signaled and moved over to the left (no traffic anywhere near me at this time). A few seconds later, I hear a prolonged honk behind me.  It sounded far away, so I turned to look. The car was still pretty far back, but closing quickly. I moved a little more to the left and several seconds later he passed me within 4 feet while revving the engine. It was an early 00′s Lexus, after-market rims, vanity Florida plates. Unfortunately, he was not caught by the light, but neither was I. I’ve kept to my zero road-rage pledge, so that’s all there is to report. I’ve taken the idea of the Honk Report from Carbon Trace. It seems like I get honked at more than he does.

[close honk report]

I dropped off Project: Cignal at Recycle-a-bike the other day, but I didn’t get to stick around to start to work on it. I’d left the Cignal at my office so it would be an easy ride to RAB. I kept it slow (not that I could have gone fast on the Cignal) down Promenade street, one of the few streets in town with a bike lane. It’s on the left hand side, which makes it easier for drivers to know how close they are when they pass you. The problem with the lane is that it is often full of sand, grit and broken glass. Last week there was an additional treat in the lane:

Rhode Islanders' idea of ethical e-waste disposal: Throw it on the bike lane instead of in the river.

That’s an inkjet printer, by the way. The Woonasquatucket River is right below. I’m not quite in the mood to write about the efficacy of separated facilities. I’ll let the great Tom Vanderbilt handle that topic.

In navel-gazing news, check out yesterday’s top searches on my wordpress dashboard:

That’s great that someone is reaching my blog by searching for “free nsa hookups.” But that makes me wonder, if an nsa hookup isn’t free, is it truly nsa? And the answer to the last search in that list is: I have no idea.

Today’s top searches yielded an additional gem:

“RIPTA director of transportation” eh? Perhaps I will be getting some satisfaction after all.

Time for a new bike!

I’m so excited! I’ve had my Cannondale 400 for about 5 years now, and it’s been good to me.  But ever since I sold my car, I’ve started lusting after a new bike. After all, think of all of the money I’m saving by not having a car, right? What better use for that money than to get a new bike. But what kind of bike to get? My 400 does so many different things so well, it’s decent on the longer rides, can carry all the groceries I need, and it’s pretty fast. Still, I’ve got the itch to get a new bike, and I just have to satisfy it.

How about a super light-weight crabon fibre racing bike? Those things can cost anywhere from $5,000 on up, but I heard about a company called Neuvation that essentially puts together a lightweight frame with great components for around $2,000. They do it so cheaply by having essentially no marketing budget. So maybe I should get their FC7900:

The thing weighs less than 18 pounds! Imagine how fast I could speed down the East Bay Bike path on this! Well, I’d probably just scare the hell out of the out-of-shape Barrington residents as they cruise at 8 mph on their comfort bikes. Maybe not such a great idea… but maybe someday?

Well, how about a steel touring bike – something that would be comfortable for 75 plus miles, day after day that I could use for long trips. I could even go to the local frame builder, Circle-A Cycles. Just think, a bike built just for my body. No more picking something off the rack. I could even get custom color and minimal graphics like this one:

check those bar-end shifters

I’d be supporting a local craftsman, someone who is sought out for his custom work. And it looks like he makes some pretty sweet bikes. But the cost – a little steep for me right now.

How about a dedicated commuter bike. Something with internal hub gearing (great for being low-maintenance), and an up-right posture. Something like the Breezer Uptown 8 – it even has a chain guard so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting chain grease on my pants.

I could go crazy and get a big cargo-hauler like the Surly Big Dummy:

Or even crazier with the Bullitt S7 cargo bike.

Like I said before, I can fit all of the groceries I need into my panniers. About the only thing I can’t carry on my bike that I regularly like to buy, is a case of wine or a 12 pack of beer (two six packs are no problem with the panniers, but I prefer the thriftiness of buying 12 packs). So I don’t need either of those, although they look like they would be useful for people with large families. The bullitt can be equipped with a large box that goes on the platform.

How about a fixed gear or single speed? Definitely low maintenance and lightweight. And if I read one more article about how riding one is a total zen experience, I’ll puke. Before puking, maybe I should try it for myself? Something from uber-hip Mission Bicycles in SF?

Speaking of puking, how about that color combination I mean “colorway”? I’d have to use a 50 pound lock just to keep it out of the hands of the salivating RISD students.  And oh yeah, I have to climb a big hill to get home no matter where I go, so maybe it’s good to have gears.

There’s just something magical about a folding bike. I could take it on the train any time. I could even take it on a plane. It’s just so cool that you can carry around a bike folded up into a little package like this.

Dahon Curve D3

But I certainly don’t need a folder. I don’t ride the commuter rail during peak hours (when only folders are allowed), and I rarely take my bike with me as it is. Also, the local buses (which cover the entire state) allow full-sized bikes at any time – I should take advantage of that some more and explore other parts of the state.

So, I’ve ruled out all of those other bikes… for now. I may return to one of them for my third bike. In the meantime, I have finally acquired my second bike. And by “acquired” I mean it was left with me by a friend when he moved away because he didn’t want to truck it with him. Check out this sweet ride!

Purple and rust, now that’s a hip colorway! Check out the front brakes:

Those brakes look a little side goggled. It’s hard to show in a still picture, but the front wheel is completely out of true. I don’t know how my friend let the bike get in this condition.  But the bottom bracket still looks beefy:

Well, beefy and rusty. Now what do I do with it?