Bike2Work2Live2BikeSome D-I-Y cyclists in the Pacific Northwest

Peep

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:59:00 +0000

It's been a very, very long time since I've posted. That's deliberate. I've often had the impulse. But every time I've had the impulse, I've managed to remind myself: "if you're blogging or updating your Facebook status or tweeting, or expressing you current thought, you're not..." Most of the time, I've finished this sentence with "riding." I ride every day: longer, harder miles than I have in a decade. Maybe ever. Doesn't matter how, doesn't matter where, doesn't matter with whom, doesn't matter what I'm wearing or what I'm riding. Just that I do it. It is at the core of my being. Building frames, racing, joining teams, advocacy -- that's all a distraction. Enough said. Talk to you next year. Keep riding. I will.

bike vs car: cost in work hours

noreply@blogger.com (P Evans) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Urban Country recently calculated that Americans work on average two hours out of every day to pay for their cars. How much does a bicycle cost? Only 3.84 minutes.

Very conservatively, I've saved $75K over the past ten years and certainly have never felt better.

map: bike collisions in Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (P Evans) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:16:00 +0000

What, the Seattle Times good for something other than the pick-up-the-dog-poo bag it comes in? (It looks like the map was done by Tableau, which would explain the lack of anti-cyclist sentiment.)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/local/bicyclecollisionsinseattle.html

Hey, West Seattle: we look to be in pretty good stead--just stay away from the 7-11 on Harbor and a couple other places...

NYT: Forced Pedaling Improves Parkinson's

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrick Megraw) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:17:00 +0000

Good reason to go for a hard ride today...

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/what-parkinsons-teaches-us-about-the-brain/

If You're In Seattle This Weekend, Consider Doing This

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:27:00 +0000

A social ride to remember the egregiously large number of cyclists who've been killed this year.

Tony or Ted?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Connors) — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:59:00 +0000

They say his name is Tony, but he looks eerily familiar. . .

You Know You Spend Too Much Time On eBay When...

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:22:00 +0000

You're cleaning out your garage and come across a bike that you have no recollection of buying.

That happened to me today.

I am always on the lookout for my next two or three frames for commuter builds. Occasionally, I buy.

Today, I was breaking down a winter's worth of boxes in the garage. I came to a bike box way in the back, and as I pulled in towards me, I realized it wasn't empty. There was a bike in there! Only problem was, I had no recollection of ordering any bike that was not already on my repair stands.

Well, I was alternating between excitement (woo-hoo! Free bike!) and despair (Good Lord, what else have I bought?!)

The mystery did not last too long. When I put it up on the stand, I realized it was not a bike for me, as it was 54cm. But it wasn't for Carol either, as she rides a 56cm. Had I promised to build a bike for someone and then never followed through? The box's old mailing labels were from Oakland.

Then it hit me. Oakland. Chloe went to college in Oakland. This was Chloe's bike, which she'd stashed in our garage when she went to the The Big Apple for grad school.

Sigh. OK, on the positive side, I am not so far gone that I am ordering bikes and then forgetting them. On the negative side, I've completely forgotten about the bike I bought for my daughter.

Yep. This is my dotage. Who are all you people, anyway?

Thank you Ron

noreply@blogger.com (P Evans) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:21:00 +0000

When I pull up at my garage door after a ride on my favorite bike, I always say, "Thank you, Ron".

Ron Cooper was profiled recently in Rouler magazine, and the frame I own is one of the few inanimate worldly items that I love, and feel lucky to have. Alas, there are unfortunately too few things made that are as pleasant.

Everything I Thought I Knew About Tires Is Wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Wow.

Especially painful is reading that my hard-earned intuition that high-TPI tires are more puncture-resistant than low-TPI tires is WRONG WRONG WRONG. I was convinced this was true, and had based that conviction on personal experience.

Of course, the assertion that TPI is inversely correlated with puncture resistance is, ceteris paribus, inversely correlated with puncture resistance, does not necessarily contradict the observation that high TPI tires are more puncture resistant, since ceteris are not paribus.

Still

My Hair Shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Let me preface this by saying that my standards for my own conduct have no bearing on what I think other people should do.

When I ride, I scrupulously follow traffic laws. I stop for red lights. I stop at stop signs. Even if there are no cars or pedestrians at the intersection. I stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS yield the right of way to pedestrians, regardless of whether they are in the right. I ride as far to the right as is safe, except to make left hand turns. Etc, Etc.

Sometimes, I break a traffic law. When this happens, I feel pretty awful. To help expiate the guilt, I fine myself. I look up the amount of the fine for the violation in Washington State, and I donate that amount to a cause that, hopefully, will help those in need.

Today, I donated $124 to Northwest Harvest, because I was unable to stop in time to stay outside of a crosswalk into which a pedestrian had entered. (Riding far to the right, I couldn't see around a truck that was parked nose into the crosswalk.) The pedestrian was able to step back in time. I am very thankful for that, because if I were ever to hit a pedestrian, I don't know what I'd do. (Lesson learned: if I'm approaching a crosswalk, and I can't see the curb at the crosswalk, I need to either slow down or, if it's safe, move toward the center of the road until I can see the curb.)

Interestingly, later in the ride, I was stopped at a crosswalk with pedestrians in it while several cars blew through, while a cop sat watching. (I am confident that if one of the drivers had had a knife and was Native American and hearing-impaired, the cop would have swung right into action,)

Anyway, if my code of conduct is personal, why am I publicizing it? Don't know. Maybe because I'd like to believe there are others out there who have the same personal code of conduct? Or maybe I'm being just a wee bit sanctimonious.

Ride on, ride on.

It was the 80's

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Carol was rummaging through old photos, and dug up this little blast from past. Brings back memories:

Notice the large glasses and the mustache. Sorry, it was the 80's.
Notice the suspenders. There was no excuse for that.
Notice the hands on brakes and the frantic grin. Had just learned to ride the rollers, and was nervous
This was my first ever "racing" bike. It was a mid-70's Raleigh Super Course, a decent touring bike that I incrementally upgraded with Campy Record parts.
The wheels were my first-ever wheel build. They were 700c tubular (the frame was for 27" wheels -- so had extra long reach Dia-Compe brakes), Arc-en-Ciel (I believe) rims on Campy Record hubs, and probably cheap Clement Concorde tires. I trued these on the frame, and they truly sucked.
Though it's hard to tell, it's set up as a fixed gear. The common wisdom back then, from the Mike Walden school, was that the first 500 miles of each season were to be on fixed gear, preferably < 60 gear inches. Made sense for southeast Michigan, where most of our hills were highway overpasses.
The shoes were Brancales with wooden soles and nail-on cleats. They were also one (U.S.) size too small, but they were all I could get. So, riding in the winter was absolute torture. When I finally bought a pair of right-sized Duegi's (50 Euro) from Multigear, my feet thanked me.

The caption reads:

Ted Diamond of the University of Michigan Bicycle Club (far left) [ed: wish they'd keep my politics out of it!] uses a set of rollers to show how easy [ed: easy, my ass!] it is to ride even if there's snow outside

Would A Friend Let A Friend Buy A Redline?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Most of us work in software, many in testing or engineering, so we know how hard it is to get something right, and how much work is involved in quality. I have a lot of respect for someone who puts a product out on the line for daily use and abuse, and I don't feel comfortable panning a brand for an occasional quality or design defect.

But what gives with Redline, and by association, Seattle Bike Supply?

Earlier this year, SBS was recalling Redline Conquests for faulty forks.
I know three Redline Conquest owners (including myself), and all three of us have had our frames break (in exactly the same place).
This month, SBS is recalling a mountain bike because of frame integrity issues.

I don't know what SBS's role in this is, or their relationship to the Redline brand and to the manufacturer. Does SBS purchase the frame & components from various sources, assemble them, and slap the Redline stickers on them? Any elucidation would help. I am ignorant.

Normally, I wouldn't hold it against a company for recalling products; in fact, I'd view it favorably, as a sign of being a conscientious citizen,

But in this case, I wonder whether SBS should continue distributing bikes.

Gotta love Cipollini

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Connors) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:27:00 +0000

If you haven't read this little gem of an interview with Mario, you should. Whether you agree with him or not, you've got to love his passion! I have to agree with the observation that much top of the heap these days (with some exceptions like Vinokourov and Cancellara) seem to be relatively subdued in competition. Is it the money? Or is it as Mario suggests, a result of human evolution towards hermaphroditus?

product review from a product review hater

noreply@blogger.com (P Evans) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:35:00 +0000

"Don't upgrade your ride, ride up grades" --Merckx

Great quote. I'm exceedingly tired of all the shills with their holiday 'reviews', trying to get you to buy another thing instead of just getting out the door.

I'm also discouraged by how stupid my bikes look this time of year: covered in fenders, lights and batteries and wires, and layers of road grime. (This from a gutter bunny not at all known for his elan.) Old broken-clavicle ache has me sporting a rear rack on my commuter, arrgh.

Nonetheless, I just got a rear blinky that I love--the Radbot by Portland Design Works. It should help keep me alive, as it's intensely bright (and wheel suckers will be blinded!) It's not a DiNotte, but was $18 at MEC. (Some reader will show their Maple Leaf and point out that the BLT Ultra Wazoo DX is brighter for a few bucks more, but supporting a US manufacturer right now makes me happy.)

OK, that's it for my product review career...

Living Dangerously

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:14:00 +0000

This spring, I injured myself gardening. Last week, I injured myself sitting down. I've got to stop this high-risk behavior. Maybe I'll take up sky-diving.

Sigh. But am still riding. Have been doing 100+ minute sessions on the trainer. Riding and stretching backward over a Swiss ball really help ease the pain.

I rode with Tyler Farrar

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrick Megraw) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:52:00 +0000

On Saturday my buddy Stew, his friend Jeff, and I set out to do a 50 miler, 43-degree temperature be damned. We met up in the U-District around 1pm, and hit the Burke-Gilman trail northbound at 25th Ave NE. At the stoplight, we were among a group of a few random cyclists and runners. A guy in a Garmin-Transitions kit took off strongly, and Jeff gave chase. I'm thinking "We should not be hammering like this, 2-minutes into our ride. Great plan, guys." But apparently Jeff recognized the Garmin rider as non other than Tyler Farrar, currently one of the best sprinters in the world!

So we were hanging with him at a 19mph clip along the BG, and chatting for about 3-4 miles. He was very gracious to ride and chat with us ragtag, giddy fans until he had to turn around to meet up with his buddy. He was on his 2nd training ride of the day, and clearly could have pummeled us if he'd wanted to. He was just a super courteous rider. As I drafted behind him for most of the ride, he hand signaled everything, and even put his hand down to block his spit when he let one fly! Impressive. He said that he lives in Seattle when not out on the pro circuit. He's currently training for the Tour Down Under in January in Australia.

A very cool brush with an elite athlete that made a cold ride worthwhile!

what are you doing reading this redux

noreply@blogger.com (P Evans) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:43:00 +0000

Bundle up and go for a ride. Lots of tire tracks heading into downtown Seattle this morning.

This might be the year I finally make some studded tires...

What are you doing reading this?

noreply@blogger.com (Chad) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:52:00 +0000

You should be out riding your bike on this rare 60 degree day in November.

I will be shortly.

My first bike accident! (with a car)

noreply@blogger.com (Chad) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:59:00 +0000

I was commuting the other day on a route I don't normally use. It was my daughter's 12th birthday and we were going out to dinner in Lynnwood. I turned off of Hwy. 99 on to a quiet side street with a bike lane. With her mind on the mooshoo pork she was going to eat rather than the task at hand a lady turned right in front of me into a driveway. I had about 5 feet of room to slow down from about 16MPH while turning into a driveway and unsuccessfully avoiding the rear wheel of the car. I was not hurt, nor touched by the car.

I screamed all the words I could scream and then demanded her insurance info and started taking pictures of everything. This happened about 1/2 block from Harvy's bike shop in Lynnwood. I bought a cheap front wheel and went on my way.

I had just purchased a powertap hub and williams wheelset and had it paired with my garmin GPS the day before. Now at least half of the set is not round.

I am currently in negotiations with her insurance company about buying me a new front wheel and maybe more. I am taking it to get checked out today.

Here is my gps info.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53217794

Vote down the anti-bike agenda

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrick Megraw) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:46:00 +0000

The Seattle City Council has put up an Ideascale site to gather ideas and feedback on various cost cutting measures for the 2011-12 budget. There are a number of anti-bike items that have been posted. Please consider voting "I disagree" on these items, and showing that there is strong support for continuing to make Seattle safe for cyclists.

http://seattlecitycouncil.ideascale.com/a/ideafactory.do?id=9994&mode=top&discussionFilter=byids&discussionID=25425

on this day in history...

noreply@blogger.com (poser) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:58:00 +0000

Vaughn makes VeloNews — for the first (and probably the last) time ever.

Here's the picture:

Here's the link.

Yup, that's me in the center of that pile — and yes I did cause the accident. It had just started to drizzle, and we had all taken this same corner at speed in previous laps. About 20 guys wrecked besides me... my wreck just made the biggest pile. I'm all banged up today, but I'd do it again to make VeloNews. :-)

The best part: my wife was standing at this section (where there were about 12 hairpin turns in a row) with both my kids and about 4-5 friends, and they were all yelling "Go Wide!" at the top of their lungs as I was coming into that corner (on the inside, doh!) It may have been too late to save myself from a fall —but— instead off paying attention to the corner, I was looking up at them as I came down the straight away, trying to yell above the crowd noise, "which corner?!" My wheels were off the ground before I got the words out. I actually might not have crashed if I had been paying more attention. Lesson learned - I'm totally ignoring my wife and my friends during races from now on.

WWCD?

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:24:00 +0000

What would Chad do? It's my new mantra.

Last weekend, I rode to Port Townsend to meet Carol, who was on a mini-cation (which included riding up Mt. Constitution on Orcas one day, and hiking it the next day). Fifty five miles, maybe, against a moderate-to-strong headwind, and moderately hilly. Next morning, I was planning to ride back to Seattle from PT, hoping to take advantage of a tailwind. Before breakfast, the wind was coming from the north. Perfect.

After breakfast, I checked again, and the wind was now coming from the south, a harbinger of the storm system that was to move in this week.

I thought about doing another 60 miles alone against the wind. On hills. Over the Hood Canal Bridge.

I punted, and rode home in the car with Carol, instead.

To be sure, part of the reason I chose to ride in the car was that I wanted to spend time with Carol at a time when I was more relaxed and optimistic than I have been in awhile.

But part of it was also because I am a wuss.

What would Chad do? He would have ridden that second day, and probably would have gone out of his way to get more miles and steeper hills.

As would Nic, Kevin, Vaughn...none of you would have given that second day's ride a second thought.

So, from now on, when I find myself vacillating about riding, I'll ask myself.

What would Chad do?

My road racing season in about 5 sentences.

noreply@blogger.com (Chad) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:47:00 +0000

Trained my ass off during the winter with Jen Wheeler, wanted to upgrade to cat3 in the first few weeks.

Had bad luck, broke collarbone, off the bike for two months.

Came back, did pretty good, got some upgrade points and my first win.

More bad luck, broke my bike's collarbone.

Upgraded after the season ended. I'm a CAT3 on the road!

Smiles at STMB

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Diamond) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:18:00 +0000

Photo Courtesy of ProSight Media

iphone pics of the damage.

noreply@blogger.com (Chad) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:13:00 +0000