My Bicycle.html

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  16     <h1>Clinton's Bicycle</h1>
  17    <div class="contents">
  18 <dl>
  19 <dt>
  20 <a href="#sec1">The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</a>
  21 </dt>
  22 <dt>
  23 <a href="#sec2">The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</a>
  24 </dt>
  25 <dt>
  26 <a href="#sec3">A Kind Emacsing Friend</a>
  27 </dt>
  28 <dt>
  29 <a href="#sec4">Metamorphosis</a>
  30 </dt>
  31 <dt>
  32 <a href="#sec5">The Night Is Friendly</a>
  33 </dt>
  34 <dd>
  35 <dl>
  36 <dt>
  37 <a href="#sec6">Portable Sun</a>
  38 </dt>
  39 <dt>
  40 <a href="#sec7">I Am the Moon</a>
  41 </dt>
  42 <dd>
  43 <dl>
  44 <dt>
  45 <a href="#sec8">North's Son</a>
  46 </dt>
  47 </dl>
  48 </dd>
  49 </dl>
  50 </dd>
  51 <dt>
  52 <a href="#sec9">In the Name of the Steel</a>
  53 </dt>
  54 <dt>
  55 <a href="#sec10">The Death of a Friend</a>
  56 </dt>
  57 </dl>
  58 </div>
  59
  60
  61 <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here --><table class="image" width="100%">
  62   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/front.jpg" alt="Greetings Friend" /></td></tr>
  63   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Greetings Friend</td></tr>
  64 </table>
  65
  66 <h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a>
  67 The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</h2>
  68
  69 <p class="first">In May 2006 and Camaro decided it was time to die and cost more than
  70 it was worth to repair (although in reality it cost more to repair
  71 than it was worth the first time it broke, but hindsight...). I
  72 travelled by foot for the remainder of the summer.</p>
  73
  74
  75 <h2><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a>
  76 The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</h2>
  77
  78 <p class="first">In August I decided that I should get a bicycle as my <a href="http://umbc.edu">university</a> took
  79 about an hour to walk to on roads which did not have a terribly good
  80 sidewalk. What was initially meant merely to get me to school in a
  81 reasonable amount of time has now become a new love.</p>
  82
  83 <table class="image" width="100%">
  84   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/left.jpg" alt="It is good to be a bicycle" /></td></tr>
  85   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">It is good to be a bicycle</td></tr>
  86 </table>
  87
  88
  89 <h2><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a>
  90 A Kind Emacsing Friend</h2>
  91
  92 <p><a href="http://emacsen.net">Emacsen</a> gave me his Spring 2003 Giant Iguana which was hardly ridden
  93 and merely needed a tiny bit of tuning to get riding again. Soon after
  94 getting it I added a rear rack with panniers, a tail light, and a
  95 cheap headlight (which, alas, was smashed to bits in a small crash).</p>
  96
  97 <p>I rode the bike with its knobby and wide mountain bike tires for a
  98 month as I built strength. There are many hills in Catonsville, and so
  99 for the first few weeks lazy nerd me was defeated by the terrain. A
 100 mere two months after starting to ride, however, I achieved a level of
 101 strength I never thought I would. I could ride thirty miles in a day
 102 and <em>not feel it the next day</em>! A few months after that, even with a
 103 long interlude of no riding due to a broken bone, I found myself able
 104 ride seventy miles with a few thousand feet of elevation change.</p>
 105
 106
 107 <h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a>
 108 Metamorphosis</h2>
 109
 110 <p class="first">In late September I replaced the mountain bike tires with 26x1.75
 111 <a href="http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/city/travelcontact/travelcontact_en.html">road tires</a> which nearly doubled my range, and improved the handling of
 112 the bike on pavement considerably. I chose 1.75 over 1.50 tires
 113 because I tend to ride with a fairly heavy load (textbooks and other
 114 type things), and enjoy the freedom of being able to go off road and
 115 not sink into the ground or get trapped in the grass.</p>
 116
 117 <p>I <a href="http://unknown-lamer.livejournal.com/160217.html">fell</a> in October and bent my straight handlebar. I needed a new
 118 handlebar so I found a trekking style handlebar on the internet that
 119 gave me additional spots to put my handle, allowed for a slightly
 120 lowered position while riding, and was the same diameter as the
 121 straight bar so I could keep the shifter/brake combo (it being a bit
 122 expensive to replace). It now has cork tape covered in cloth tape (I'm
 123 hoping the cloth tape will take the brunt of the wear and I can extend
 124 the life of the expensive cork tape). I plan to try using heat shrink
 125 tubing to cover the ends of the tape in place soon (if it works it
 126 should look neater than duct tape).</p>
 127
 128 <table class="image" width="100%">
 129   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/handlebar.jpg" alt="It would seem that the amount of destructiveness to be found in individuals is proportionate to the amount to which expansiveness of life is curtailed. By this we do not refer to individual frustrations of this or that instinctive desire but to the thwarting of the whole of life, the blockage of spontaneity of the growth and expression of man's sensuous, emotional, and intellectual capacities" /></td></tr>
 130   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">It would seem that the amount of destructiveness to be found in individuals is proportionate to the amount to which expansiveness of life is curtailed. By this we do not refer to individual frustrations of this or that instinctive desire but to the thwarting of the whole of life, the blockage of spontaneity of the growth and expression of man's sensuous, emotional, and intellectual capacities</td></tr>
 131 </table>
 132
 133
 134 <h2><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a>
 135 The Night Is Friendly</h2>
 136
 137 <h3><a name="sec6" id="sec6"></a>
 138 Portable Sun</h3>
 139
 140 <p class="first">As the end of October 2006 arrived the days became shorter, but my
 141 desire to explore the world increased. This presented a bit of a
 142 problem, and so I spent time scouring the Wise Internet for
 143 information on headlights. After much futile poking around I settled
 144 on a <a href="http://www.cygolite.com/2-Products/1-DualCross300.htm">Cygolite DualCross 300</a> and was given one as a birthday gift. It
 145 is as bright as a single car headlight on the top setting and the
 146 batteries do actually last as long as the website says. I've ridden
 147 with it in the rain many times, and it even survived a nasty spill
 148 that broke my collarbone and bent my front rim.</p>
 149
 150 <p>As of March 2008 the light still lasts a good three hours on full
 151 bright. This is with me using it at least once a week, and very often
 152 two or three times a week for extended rides (generally draining the
 153 battery entirely once a week) since late 2006 (excepting that winter
 154 because of my broken collarbone). I feared for a while that the
 155 battery strap was going to wear out and break, but it has yet to show
 156 signs of wear. All in all an <strong>excellent</strong> investment! This thing can
 157 handle heavy use and rain and all sorts of nasty stuff.</p>
 158
 159 <table class="image" width="100%">
 160   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/headlight.jpg" alt="A beacon in the night" /></td></tr>
 161   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">A beacon in the night</td></tr>
 162 </table>
 163
 164 <p>The nicest part of the light is that it does seem to get its rated
 165 life of about four hours on the brightest setting. I'm not sure if it
 166 really gets nine hours on the dim setting as I've never ridden at the
 167 lowest setting for an extended period of time (I use it as dusk is
 168 setting in to make myself visible, and then increase to full
 169 brightness when night falls). It is about as bright as a single car
 170 headlight; an entire standard width car lane is illuminated with the
 171 light set to hit the ground about eight feet from the bike. I find
 172 this adequate to cycle around full speed at night.</p>
 173
 174
 175
 176 <h3><a name="sec7" id="sec7"></a>
 177 I Am the Moon</h3>
 178
 179 <p class="first">One day in late April 2007 I decided to cover my bicycle in reflective
 180 tape. It is very bright now.</p>
 181
 182 <table class="image" width="100%">
 183   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/before_tape_upside_down.jpg" alt="The last time the bike will be naked" /></td></tr>
 184   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">The last time the bike will be naked</td></tr>
 185 </table>
 186
 187 <table class="image" width="100%">
 188   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/bicycle_post_tape.jpg" alt="Not quite strong enough to cause tides" /></td></tr>
 189   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Not quite strong enough to cause tides</td></tr>
 190 </table>
 191
 192 <table class="image" width="100%">
 193   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/post_tape_nighttime_1.jpg" alt="Or perhaps it is a shining star" /></td></tr>
 194   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Or perhaps it is a shining star</td></tr>
 195 </table>
 196
 197 <h4><a name="sec8" id="sec8"></a>
 198 North's Son</h4>
 199
 200 <p class="first">In Early 2008 I decided to add a few stripes of reflective fabric to
 201 the rear of my panniers. I am not very good at sewing so I used
 202 Fabritac, and they have held on reasonably well since then. I wouldn't
 203 say that the bond was <em>permanent</em> though<sup><a class="footref" name="fnr.1" href="#fn.1">1</a></sup>, but so far they have only
 204 peeled a tiny but on the edges (fixable with a quick dab of the
 205 glue).</p>
 206
 207 <p>I am quite a bit more reflective in the rear now thanks to this. I
 208 also have a rear fender now (more to follow on this once I stop being
 209 lazy and install the front one too) which has a nice strip of orange
 210 reflective tape.</p>
 211
 212 <table class="image" width="100%">
 213   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-white.jpg" alt="~200ft with my DualCross" /></td></tr>
 214   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with my DualCross</td></tr>
 215 </table>
 216 <table class="image" width="100%">
 217   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-red.jpg" alt="~200ft with one of my tail lights" /></td></tr>
 218   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with one of my tail lights</td></tr>
 219 </table>
 220
 221
 222
 223
 224 <h2><a name="sec9" id="sec9"></a>
 225 In the Name of the Steel</h2>
 226
 227 <p class="first">I got a few patches from friends who were travelling about, and in
 228 July 2008 finally glued and sewed them to the bike. Now I am more
 229 metal, clearly.</p>
 230
 231 <table class="image" width="100%">
 232   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/bayern-patch.jpg" alt="Freistaadt aus Bäyern" /></td></tr>
 233   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Freistaadt aus Bäyern</td></tr>
 234 </table>
 235 <table class="image" width="100%">
 236   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/blind-guardian-patch.jpg" alt="Blind Guardian is cool" /></td></tr>
 237   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Blind Guardian is cool</td></tr>
 238 </table>
 239
 240
 241 <h2><a name="sec10" id="sec10"></a>
 242 The Death of a Friend</h2>
 243
 244 <p class="first">On the eve of February 9th, 2011 I went on a ride. Arriving at my
 245 destination I chained my bike and noticed one of the chainstays looked
 246 a bit odd; fate would have it that the chainstay had fractured. And so
 247 my first Aluminum Steed was laid to rest. Rest in Peace dear friend.</p>
 248
 249 <hr />
 250 <p class="footnote"><a class="footnum" name="fn.1" href="#fnr.1">1.</a> It turns out that I was underestimating the bond; as of late
 251 September 2010 the reflective tape has only minorly peeled around
 252 the edges (fixable with a quick touch up). This being with
 253 regular riding and occasional exposure to rain.</p>
 254
 255
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 281
 282 <p class="cke-footer">    To Wise Man's Son and Wednesday's Child all is white that is not black
 283       They dance in symbiotic deadlock; one step forward two steps back
 284      Playing karmic snakes and ladders (All your sins will find you out)
 285      When all your gains are lost in vain on cosmic wings and roundabouts
 286 </p>
 287 <p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified:
 288     March  3, 2011</p>
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