My Bicycle.html

   1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
   2 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
   3     "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
   4 <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
   5   <head>
   6     <title>Clinton's Bicycle</title>
   7     <meta name="generator" content="muse.el" />
   8     <meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
   9           content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
  10     <meta name="viewport"
  11           content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
  12     <link href="https://feeds.unknownlamer.org/rss/site-updates"
  13           rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Updates Feed" />
  14
  15 <link rel="stylesheet" href="default.css" />
  16   </head>
  17   <body>
  18     <h1>Clinton's Bicycle</h1>
  19    <div class="contents">
  20 <dl>
  21 <dt>
  22 <a href="#sec1">The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</a>
  23 </dt>
  24 <dt>
  25 <a href="#sec2">The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</a>
  26 </dt>
  27 <dt>
  28 <a href="#sec3">A Kind Emacsing Friend</a>
  29 </dt>
  30 <dt>
  31 <a href="#sec4">Metamorphosis</a>
  32 </dt>
  33 <dt>
  34 <a href="#sec5">The Night Is Friendly</a>
  35 </dt>
  36 <dd>
  37 <dl>
  38 <dt>
  39 <a href="#sec6">Portable Sun</a>
  40 </dt>
  41 <dt>
  42 <a href="#sec7">I Am the Moon</a>
  43 </dt>
  44 <dd>
  45 <dl>
  46 <dt>
  47 <a href="#sec8">North's Son</a>
  48 </dt>
  49 </dl>
  50 </dd>
  51 </dl>
  52 </dd>
  53 <dt>
  54 <a href="#sec9">In the Name of the Steel</a>
  55 </dt>
  56 <dt>
  57 <a href="#sec10">The Death of a Friend</a>
  58 </dt>
  59 <dt>
  60 <a href="#sec11">A New Star Rises</a>
  61 </dt>
  62 </dl>
  63 </div>
  64
  65
  66 <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here -->
  67 <table class="image" width="100%">
  68   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/front.jpg" alt="Greetings Friend" /></td></tr>
  69   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Greetings Friend</td></tr>
  70 </table>
  71
  72 <h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a>
  73 The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</h2>
  74
  75 <p class="first">In May 2006 and Camaro decided it was time to die and cost more than
  76 it was worth to repair (although in reality it cost more to repair
  77 than it was worth the first time it broke, but hindsight...). I
  78 travelled by foot for the remainder of the summer.</p>
  79
  80
  81 <h2><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a>
  82 The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</h2>
  83
  84 <p class="first">In August I decided that I should get a bicycle as my <a href="http://umbc.edu">university</a> took
  85 about an hour to walk to on roads which did not have a terribly good
  86 sidewalk. What was initially meant merely to get me to school in a
  87 reasonable amount of time has now become a new love.</p>
  88
  89 <table class="image" width="100%">
  90   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/left.jpg" alt="It is good to be a bicycle" /></td></tr>
  91   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">It is good to be a bicycle</td></tr>
  92 </table>
  93
  94
  95 <h2><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a>
  96 A Kind Emacsing Friend</h2>
  97
  98 <p><a href="http://emacsen.net">Emacsen</a> gave me his Spring 2003 Giant Iguana which was hardly ridden
  99 and merely needed a tiny bit of tuning to get riding again. Soon after
 100 getting it I added a rear rack with panniers, a tail light, and a
 101 cheap headlight (which, alas, was smashed to bits in a small crash).</p>
 102
 103 <p>I rode the bike with its knobby and wide mountain bike tires for a
 104 month as I built strength. There are many hills in Catonsville, and so
 105 for the first few weeks lazy nerd me was defeated by the terrain. A
 106 mere two months after starting to ride, however, I achieved a level of
 107 strength I never thought I would. I could ride thirty miles in a day
 108 and <em>not feel it the next day</em>! A few months after that, even with a
 109 long interlude of no riding due to a broken bone, I found myself able
 110 ride seventy miles with a few thousand feet of elevation change.</p>
 111
 112
 113 <h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a>
 114 Metamorphosis</h2>
 115
 116 <p class="first">In late September I replaced the mountain bike tires with 26x1.75
 117 <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
 118 the bike on pavement considerably. I chose 1.75 over 1.50 tires
 119 because I tend to ride with a fairly heavy load (textbooks and other
 120 type things), and enjoy the freedom of being able to go off road and
 121 not sink into the ground or get trapped in the grass.</p>
 122
 123 <p>I <a href="http://unknown-lamer.livejournal.com/160217.html">fell</a> in October and bent my straight handlebar. I needed a new
 124 handlebar so I found a trekking style handlebar on the internet that
 125 gave me additional spots to put my handle, allowed for a slightly
 126 lowered position while riding, and was the same diameter as the
 127 straight bar so I could keep the shifter/brake combo (it being a bit
 128 expensive to replace). It now has cork tape covered in cloth tape (I'm
 129 hoping the cloth tape will take the brunt of the wear and I can extend
 130 the life of the expensive cork tape). I plan to try using heat shrink
 131 tubing to cover the ends of the tape in place soon (if it works it
 132 should look neater than duct tape).</p>
 133
 134 <table class="image" width="100%">
 135   <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>
 136   <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>
 137 </table>
 138
 139
 140 <h2><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a>
 141 The Night Is Friendly</h2>
 142
 143 <h3><a name="sec6" id="sec6"></a>
 144 Portable Sun</h3>
 145
 146 <p class="first">As the end of October 2006 arrived the days became shorter, but my
 147 desire to explore the world increased. This presented a bit of a
 148 problem, and so I spent time scouring the Wise Internet for
 149 information on headlights. After much futile poking around I settled
 150 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
 151 is as bright as a single car headlight on the top setting and the
 152 batteries do actually last as long as the website says. I've ridden
 153 with it in the rain many times, and it even survived a nasty spill
 154 that broke my collarbone and bent my front rim.</p>
 155
 156 <p>As of March 2008 the light still lasts a good three hours on full
 157 bright. This is with me using it at least once a week, and very often
 158 two or three times a week for extended rides (generally draining the
 159 battery entirely once a week) since late 2006 (excepting that winter
 160 because of my broken collarbone). I feared for a while that the
 161 battery strap was going to wear out and break, but it has yet to show
 162 signs of wear. All in all an <strong>excellent</strong> investment! This thing can
 163 handle heavy use and rain and all sorts of nasty stuff.</p>
 164
 165 <table class="image" width="100%">
 166   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/headlight.jpg" alt="A beacon in the night" /></td></tr>
 167   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">A beacon in the night</td></tr>
 168 </table>
 169
 170 <p>The nicest part of the light is that it does seem to get its rated
 171 life of about four hours on the brightest setting. I'm not sure if it
 172 really gets nine hours on the dim setting as I've never ridden at the
 173 lowest setting for an extended period of time (I use it as dusk is
 174 setting in to make myself visible, and then increase to full
 175 brightness when night falls). It is about as bright as a single car
 176 headlight; an entire standard width car lane is illuminated with the
 177 light set to hit the ground about eight feet from the bike. I find
 178 this adequate to cycle around full speed at night.</p>
 179
 180
 181
 182 <h3><a name="sec7" id="sec7"></a>
 183 I Am the Moon</h3>
 184
 185 <p class="first">One day in late April 2007 I decided to cover my bicycle in reflective
 186 tape. It is very bright now.</p>
 187
 188 <table class="image" width="100%">
 189   <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>
 190   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">The last time the bike will be naked</td></tr>
 191 </table>
 192
 193 <table class="image" width="100%">
 194   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/bicycle_post_tape.jpg" alt="Not quite strong enough to cause tides" /></td></tr>
 195   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Not quite strong enough to cause tides</td></tr>
 196 </table>
 197
 198 <table class="image" width="100%">
 199   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/post_tape_nighttime_1.jpg" alt="Or perhaps it is a shining star" /></td></tr>
 200   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Or perhaps it is a shining star</td></tr>
 201 </table>
 202
 203 <h4><a name="sec8" id="sec8"></a>
 204 North's Son</h4>
 205
 206 <p class="first">In Early 2008 I decided to add a few stripes of reflective fabric to
 207 the rear of my panniers. I am not very good at sewing so I used
 208 Fabritac, and they have held on reasonably well since then. I wouldn't
 209 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
 210 peeled a tiny but on the edges (fixable with a quick dab of the
 211 glue).</p>
 212
 213 <p>I am quite a bit more reflective in the rear now thanks to this. I
 214 also have a rear fender now (more to follow on this once I stop being
 215 lazy and install the front one too) which has a nice strip of orange
 216 reflective tape.</p>
 217
 218 <table class="image" width="100%">
 219   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-white.jpg" alt="~200ft with my DualCross" /></td></tr>
 220   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with my DualCross</td></tr>
 221 </table>
 222 <table class="image" width="100%">
 223   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-red.jpg" alt="~200ft with one of my tail lights" /></td></tr>
 224   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with one of my tail lights</td></tr>
 225 </table>
 226
 227
 228
 229
 230 <h2><a name="sec9" id="sec9"></a>
 231 In the Name of the Steel</h2>
 232
 233 <p class="first">I got a few patches from friends who were travelling about, and in
 234 July 2008 finally glued and sewed them to the bike. Now I am more
 235 metal, clearly.</p>
 236
 237 <table class="image" width="100%">
 238   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/bayern-patch.jpg" alt="Freistaadt aus Bäyern" /></td></tr>
 239   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Freistaadt aus Bäyern</td></tr>
 240 </table>
 241 <table class="image" width="100%">
 242   <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/blind-guardian-patch.jpg" alt="Blind Guardian is cool" /></td></tr>
 243   <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Blind Guardian is cool</td></tr>
 244 </table>
 245
 246
 247 <h2><a name="sec10" id="sec10"></a>
 248 The Death of a Friend</h2>
 249
 250 <p class="first">On the eve of February 9th, 2011 I went on a ride. Arriving at my
 251 destination I chained my bike and noticed one of the chainstays looked
 252 a bit odd; fate would have it that the chainstay had fractured. And so
 253 my first Aluminum Steed was laid to rest. Rest in Peace dear friend.</p>
 254
 255
 256 <h2><a name="sec11" id="sec11"></a>
 257 A New Star Rises</h2>
 258
 259 <p class="first">After months of being a bit broke (bikes are ... expensive) and then
 260 trying to scrounge up a used bike on Craigslist for a few months, I
 261 caved and got a <a href="Bicycle%202012.html">new bike</a>.</p>
 262
 263 <hr />
 264 <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
 265 September 2010 the reflective tape has only minorly peeled around
 266 the edges (fixable with a quick touch up). This being with
 267 regular riding and occasional exposure to rain.</p>
 268
 269
 270   <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse ends here -->
 271
 272   <p class="cke-buttons">
 273     <!-- validating badges, any browser, etc -->
 274     <a href="https://validator.w3.org/check/referer"><img
 275         src="https://www.w3.org/Icons/valid-xhtml10"
 276         alt="Valid XHTML 1.0!" /></a>
 277
 278     <a href="https://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/"><img
 279         src="img/buttons/w3c_ab.png" alt="[ Viewable With Any Browser
 280         ]" /></a>
 281
 282     <a href="https://www.debian.org/"><img
 283         src="img/buttons/debian.png" alt="[ Powered by Debian ]" /></a>
 284
 285     <a href="https://hcoop.net/">
 286       <img src="img/buttons/hcoop.png"
 287         alt="[ Hosted by HCoop]" />
 288     </a>
 289
 290     <a href="https://www.fsf.org/register_form?referrer=114">
 291       <img src="img/buttons/fsf_member.png"
 292         alt="[ FSF Associate Member ]" />
 293     </a>
 294   </p>
 295
 296 <p class="cke-footer">And did those feet in ancient time
 297 Walk upon England's mountains green?
 298 And was the holy Lamb of God
 299 On England's pleasant pastures seen?
 300 </p>
 301 <p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified:
 302     January 21, 2013</p>
 303   </body>
 304 </html>