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#title Clinton's Bicycle

[[img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/front.jpg][Greetings Friend]]

* The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

In May 2006 and Camaro decided it was time to die and cost more than
it was worth to repair (although in reality it cost more to repair
than it was worth the first time it broke, but hindsight...). I
travelled by foot for the remainder of the summer.

* The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine

In August I decided that I should get a bicycle as my [[http://umbc.edu][university]] took
about an hour to walk to on roads which did not have a terribly good
sidewalk. What was initially meant merely to get me to school in a
reasonable amount of time has now become a new love.

[[img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/left.jpg][It is good to be a bicycle]]

* A Kind Emacsing Friend

[[http://emacsen.net][Emacsen]] gave me his Spring 2003 Giant Iguana which was hardly ridden
and merely needed a tiny bit of tuning to get riding again. Soon after
getting it I added a rear rack with panniers, a tail light, and a
cheap headlight (which, alas, was smashed to bits in a small crash).

I rode the bike with its knobby and wide mountain bike tires for a
month as I built strength. There are many hills in Catonsville, and so
for the first few weeks lazy nerd me was defeated by the terrain. A
mere two months after starting to ride, however, I achieved a level of
strength I never thought I would. I could ride thirty miles in a day
and *not feel it the next day*! A few months after that, even with a
long interlude of no riding due to a broken bone, I found myself able
ride seventy miles with a few thousand feet of elevation change.

* Metamorphosis

In late September I replaced the mountain bike tires with 26x1.75
[[http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/city/travelcontact/travelcontact_en.html][road tires]] which nearly doubled my range, and improved the handling of
the bike on pavement considerably. I chose 1.75 over 1.50 tires
because I tend to ride with a fairly heavy load (textbooks and other
type things), and enjoy the freedom of being able to go off road and
not sink into the ground or get trapped in the grass.

I [[http://unknown-lamer.livejournal.com/160217.html][fell]] in October and bent my straight handlebar. I needed a new
handlebar so I found a trekking style handlebar on the internet that
gave me additional spots to put my handle, allowed for a slightly
lowered position while riding, and was the same diameter as the
straight bar so I could keep the shifter/brake combo (it being a bit
expensive to replace). It now has cork tape covered in cloth tape (I'm
hoping the cloth tape will take the brunt of the wear and I can extend
the life of the expensive cork tape). I plan to try using heat shrink
tubing to cover the ends of the tape in place soon (if it works it
should look neater than duct tape).

[[img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/handlebar.jpg][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]]

* The Night Is Friendly

** Portable Sun

As the end of October 2006 arrived the days became shorter, but my
desire to explore the world increased. This presented a bit of a
problem, and so I spent time scouring the Wise Internet for
information on headlights. After much futile poking around I settled
on a [[http://www.cygolite.com/2-Products/1-DualCross300.htm][Cygolite DualCross 300]] and was given one as a birthday gift. It
is as bright as a single car headlight on the top setting and the
batteries do actually last as long as the website says. I've ridden
with it in the rain many times, and it even survived a nasty spill
that broke my collarbone and bent my front rim.

As of March 2008 the light still lasts a good three hours on full
bright. This is with me using it at least once a week, and very often
two or three times a week for extended rides (generally draining the
battery entirely once a week) since late 2006 (excepting that winter
because of my broken collarbone). I feared for a while that the
battery strap was going to wear out and break, but it has yet to show
signs of wear. All in all an **excellent** investment! This thing can
handle heavy use and rain and all sorts of nasty stuff.

[[img/photos/bicycle/headlight.jpg][A beacon in the night]]

The nicest part of the light is that it does seem to get its rated
life of about four hours on the brightest setting. I'm not sure if it
really gets nine hours on the dim setting as I've never ridden at the
lowest setting for an extended period of time (I use it as dusk is
setting in to make myself visible, and then increase to full
brightness when night falls). It is about as bright as a single car
headlight; an entire standard width car lane is illuminated with the
light set to hit the ground about eight feet from the bike. I find
this adequate to cycle around full speed at night.


** I Am the Moon

One day in late April 2007 I decided to cover my bicycle in reflective
tape. It is very bright now.

[[img/photos/bicycle/before_tape_upside_down.jpg][The last time the bike will be naked]]

[[img/photos/bicycle/bicycle_post_tape.jpg][Not quite strong enough to cause tides]]

[[img/photos/bicycle/post_tape_nighttime_1.jpg][Or perhaps it is a shining star]]

*** North's Son

In Early 2008 I decided to add a few stripes of reflective fabric to
the rear of my panniers. I am not very good at sewing so I used
Fabritac, and they have held on reasonably well since then. I wouldn't
say that the bond was *permanent* though[1], but so far they have only
peeled a tiny but on the edges (fixable with a quick dab of the
glue).

I am quite a bit more reflective in the rear now thanks to this. I
also have a rear fender now (more to follow on this once I stop being
lazy and install the front one too) which has a nice strip of orange
reflective tape. 

[[img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-white.jpg][~200ft with my DualCross]]
[[img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-red.jpg][~200ft with one of my tail lights]]

* In the Name of the Steel

I got a few patches from friends who were travelling about, and in
July 2008 finally glued and sewed them to the bike. Now I am more
metal, clearly.

[[img/photos/bicycle/2008/bayern-patch.jpg][Freistaadt aus Bäyern]]
[[img/photos/bicycle/2008/blind-guardian-patch.jpg][Blind Guardian is cool]]

* The Death of a Friend

On the eve of February 9th, 2011 I went on a ride. Arriving at my
destination I chained my bike and noticed one of the chainstays looked
a bit odd; fate would have it that the chainstay had fractured. And so
my first Aluminum Steed was laid to rest. Rest in Peace dear friend.

* A New Star Rises

After months of being a bit broke (bikes are ... expensive) and then
trying to scrounge up a used bike on Craigslist for a few months, I
caved and got a [[Bicycle 2012][new bike]].

Footnotes: 
[1] It turns out that I was underestimating the bond; as of late
     September 2010 the reflective tape has only minorly peeled around
     the edges (fixable with a quick touch up). This being with
     regular riding and occasional exposure to rain.