[clinton/website/site/unknownlamer.org.git] / My Bicycle.html

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    <h1>Clinton's Bicycle</h1>
   <div class="contents">
<dl>
<dt>
<a href="#sec1">The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</a>
</dt>
<dt>
<a href="#sec2">The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</a>
</dt>
<dt>
<a href="#sec3">A Kind Emacsing Friend</a>
</dt>
<dt>
<a href="#sec4">Metamorphosis</a>
</dt>
<dt>
<a href="#sec5">The Night Is Friendly</a>
</dt>
<dd>
<dl>
<dt>
<a href="#sec6">Portable Sun</a>
</dt>
<dt>
<a href="#sec7">I Am the Moon</a>
</dt>
<dd>
<dl>
<dt>
<a href="#sec8">North's Son</a>
</dt>
</dl>
</dd>
</dl>
</dd>
<dt>
<a href="#sec9">In the Name of the Steel</a>
</dt>
</dl>
</div>


<!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here --><table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/front.jpg" alt="Greetings Friend" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Greetings Friend</td></tr>
</table>

<h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a>
The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</h2>

<p class="first">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.</p>


<h2><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a>
The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</h2>

<p class="first">In August I decided that I should get a bicycle as my <a href="http://umbc.edu">university</a> 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.</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/left.jpg" alt="It is good to be a bicycle" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">It is good to be a bicycle</td></tr>
</table>


<h2><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a>
A Kind Emacsing Friend</h2>

<p><a href="http://emacsen.net">Emacsen</a> 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).</p>

<p>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 <em>not feel it the next day</em>! 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.</p>


<h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a>
Metamorphosis</h2>

<p class="first">In late September I replaced the mountain bike tires with 26x1.75
<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
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.</p>

<p>I <a href="http://unknown-lamer.livejournal.com/160217.html">fell</a> 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).</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <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>
  <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>
</table>


<h2><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a>
The Night Is Friendly</h2>

<h3><a name="sec6" id="sec6"></a>
Portable Sun</h3>

<p class="first">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 <a href="http://www.cygolite.com/2-Products/1-DualCross300.htm">Cygolite DualCross 300</a> 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.</p>

<p>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 <strong>excellent</strong> investment! This thing can
handle heavy use and rain and all sorts of nasty stuff.</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/headlight.jpg" alt="A beacon in the night" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">A beacon in the night</td></tr>
</table>

<p>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.</p>


<h3><a name="sec7" id="sec7"></a>
I Am the Moon</h3>

<p class="first">One day in late April 2007 I decided to cover my bicycle in reflective
tape. It is very bright now.</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <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>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">The last time the bike will be naked</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/bicycle_post_tape.jpg" alt="Not quite strong enough to cause tides" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Not quite strong enough to cause tides</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/post_tape_nighttime_1.jpg" alt="Or perhaps it is a shining star" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Or perhaps it is a shining star</td></tr>
</table>

<h4><a name="sec8" id="sec8"></a>
North's Son</h4>

<p class="first">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 <em>permanent</em> though, but so far they have only
peeled a tiny but on the edges (fixable with a quick dab of the
glue).</p>

<p>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.</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-white.jpg" alt="~200ft with my DualCross" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with my DualCross</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-red.jpg" alt="~200ft with one of my tail lights" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with one of my tail lights</td></tr>
</table>


<h2><a name="sec9" id="sec9"></a>
In the Name of the Steel</h2>

<p class="first">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.</p>

<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/bayern-patch.jpg" alt="Freistaadt aus Bäyern" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Freistaadt aus Bäyern</td></tr>
</table>
<table class="image" width="100%">
  <tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/blind-guardian-patch.jpg" alt="Blind Guardian is cool" /></td></tr>
  <tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Blind Guardian is cool</td></tr>
</table>


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<p class="cke-footer">                         Ruled by the ebb of my oceans                         
                        Slaves to the dusk and the dawn                        
                         Your petri dish civilisations                        
                             Are buried and born                              
</p>
<p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified:
    July 22, 2008</p>
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Commit	Line	Data
2aff8b5c	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	<link rel="stylesheet" href="default.css" media="screen" />
	11	</head>
	12	<body>
	13	<h1>Clinton's Bicycle</h1>
	14	<div class="contents">
	15	<dl>
	16	<dt>
	17	<a href="#sec1">The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</a>
	18	</dt>
	19	<dt>
	20	<a href="#sec2">The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</a>
	21	</dt>
	22	<dt>
	23	<a href="#sec3">A Kind Emacsing Friend</a>
	24	</dt>
	25	<dt>
	26	<a href="#sec4">Metamorphosis</a>
	27	</dt>
	28	<dt>
	29	<a href="#sec5">The Night Is Friendly</a>
	30	</dt>
	31	<dd>
	32	<dl>
	33	<dt>
	34	<a href="#sec6">Portable Sun</a>
	35	</dt>
	36	<dt>
	37	<a href="#sec7">I Am the Moon</a>
	38	</dt>
	39	<dd>
	40	<dl>
	41	<dt>
	42	<a href="#sec8">North's Son</a>
	43	</dt>
	44	</dl>
	45	</dd>
	46	</dl>
	47	</dd>
	48	<dt>
	49	<a href="#sec9">In the Name of the Steel</a>
	50	</dt>
	51	</dl>
	52	</div>
	53
	54
	55	<!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here --><table class="image" width="100%">
	56	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/front.jpg" alt="Greetings Friend" /></td></tr>
	57	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Greetings Friend</td></tr>
	58	</table>
	59
	60	<h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a>
	61	The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine</h2>
	62
	63	<p class="first">In May 2006 and Camaro decided it was time to die and cost more than
	64	it was worth to repair (although in reality it cost more to repair
65	than it was worth the first time it broke, but hindsight...). I
66	travelled by foot for the remainder of the summer.</p>
67
68
69	<h2><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a>
70	The Birth of the Organic Oxidization Engine</h2>
71
72	<p class="first">In August I decided that I should get a bicycle as my <a href="http://umbc.edu">university</a> took
73	about an hour to walk to on roads which did not have a terribly good
74	sidewalk. What was initially meant merely to get me to school in a
75	reasonable amount of time has now become a new love.</p>
76
77	<table class="image" width="100%">
78	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2006-10-25/left.jpg" alt="It is good to be a bicycle" /></td></tr>
79	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">It is good to be a bicycle</td></tr>
80	</table>
81
82
83	<h2><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a>
84	A Kind Emacsing Friend</h2>
85
86	<p><a href="http://emacsen.net">Emacsen</a> gave me his Spring 2003 Giant Iguana which was hardly ridden
87	and merely needed a tiny bit of tuning to get riding again. Soon after
88	getting it I added a rear rack with panniers, a tail light, and a
89	cheap headlight (which, alas, was smashed to bits in a small crash).</p>
90
91	<p>I rode the bike with its knobby and wide mountain bike tires for a
92	month as I built strength. There are many hills in Catonsville, and so
93	for the first few weeks lazy nerd me was defeated by the terrain. A
94	mere two months after starting to ride, however, I achieved a level of
95	strength I never thought I would. I could ride thirty miles in a day
96	and <em>not feel it the next day</em>! A few months after that, even with a
97	long interlude of no riding due to a broken bone, I found myself able
98	ride seventy miles with a few thousand feet of elevation change.</p>
99
100
101	<h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a>
102	Metamorphosis</h2>
103
104	<p class="first">In late September I replaced the mountain bike tires with 26x1.75
105	<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
106	the bike on pavement considerably. I chose 1.75 over 1.50 tires
107	because I tend to ride with a fairly heavy load (textbooks and other
108	type things), and enjoy the freedom of being able to go off road and
109	not sink into the ground or get trapped in the grass.</p>
110
111	<p>I <a href="http://unknown-lamer.livejournal.com/160217.html">fell</a> in October and bent my straight handlebar. I needed a new
112	handlebar so I found a trekking style handlebar on the internet that
113	gave me additional spots to put my handle, allowed for a slightly
114	lowered position while riding, and was the same diameter as the
115	straight bar so I could keep the shifter/brake combo (it being a bit
116	expensive to replace). It now has cork tape covered in cloth tape (I'm
117	hoping the cloth tape will take the brunt of the wear and I can extend
118	the life of the expensive cork tape). I plan to try using heat shrink
119	tubing to cover the ends of the tape in place soon (if it works it
120	should look neater than duct tape).</p>
121
122	<table class="image" width="100%">
123	<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>
124	<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>
125	</table>
126
127
128	<h2><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a>
129	The Night Is Friendly</h2>
130
131	<h3><a name="sec6" id="sec6"></a>
132	Portable Sun</h3>
133
134	<p class="first">As the end of October 2006 arrived the days became shorter, but my
135	desire to explore the world increased. This presented a bit of a
136	problem, and so I spent time scouring the Wise Internet for
137	information on headlights. After much futile poking around I settled
138	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
139	is as bright as a single car headlight on the top setting and the
140	batteries do actually last as long as the website says. I've ridden
141	with it in the rain many times, and it even survived a nasty spill
142	that broke my collarbone and bent my front rim.</p>
143
144	<p>As of March 2008 the light still lasts a good three hours on full
145	bright. This is with me using it at least once a week, and very often
146	two or three times a week for extended rides (generally draining the
147	battery entirely once a week) since late 2006 (excepting that winter
148	because of my broken collarbone). I feared for a while that the
149	battery strap was going to wear out and break, but it has yet to show
150	signs of wear. All in all an <strong>excellent</strong> investment! This thing can
151	handle heavy use and rain and all sorts of nasty stuff.</p>
152
153	<table class="image" width="100%">
154	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/headlight.jpg" alt="A beacon in the night" /></td></tr>
155	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">A beacon in the night</td></tr>
156	</table>
157
158	<p>The nicest part of the light is that it does seem to get its rated
159	life of about four hours on the brightest setting. I'm not sure if it
160	really gets nine hours on the dim setting as I've never ridden at the
161	lowest setting for an extended period of time (I use it as dusk is
162	setting in to make myself visible, and then increase to full
163	brightness when night falls). It is about as bright as a single car
164	headlight; an entire standard width car lane is illuminated with the
165	light set to hit the ground about eight feet from the bike. I find
166	this adequate to cycle around full speed at night.</p>
167
168
169
170	<h3><a name="sec7" id="sec7"></a>
171	I Am the Moon</h3>
172
173	<p class="first">One day in late April 2007 I decided to cover my bicycle in reflective
174	tape. It is very bright now.</p>
175
176	<table class="image" width="100%">
177	<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>
178	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">The last time the bike will be naked</td></tr>
179	</table>
180
181	<table class="image" width="100%">
182	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/bicycle_post_tape.jpg" alt="Not quite strong enough to cause tides" /></td></tr>
183	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Not quite strong enough to cause tides</td></tr>
184	</table>
185
186	<table class="image" width="100%">
187	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/post_tape_nighttime_1.jpg" alt="Or perhaps it is a shining star" /></td></tr>
188	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Or perhaps it is a shining star</td></tr>
189	</table>
190
191	<h4><a name="sec8" id="sec8"></a>
192	North's Son</h4>
193
194	<p class="first">In Early 2008 I decided to add a few stripes of reflective fabric to
195	the rear of my panniers. I am not very good at sewing so I used
196	Fabritac, and they have held on reasonably well since then. I wouldn't
197	say that the bond was <em>permanent</em> though, but so far they have only
198	peeled a tiny but on the edges (fixable with a quick dab of the
199	glue).</p>
200
201	<p>I am quite a bit more reflective in the rear now thanks to this. I
202	also have a rear fender now (more to follow on this once I stop being
203	lazy and install the front one too) which has a nice strip of orange
204	reflective tape.</p>
205
206	<table class="image" width="100%">
207	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-white.jpg" alt="~200ft with my DualCross" /></td></tr>
208	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with my DualCross</td></tr>
209	</table>
210	<table class="image" width="100%">
211	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/rear-tape-red.jpg" alt="~200ft with one of my tail lights" /></td></tr>
212	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">~200ft with one of my tail lights</td></tr>
213	</table>
214
215
216
217
218	<h2><a name="sec9" id="sec9"></a>
219	In the Name of the Steel</h2>
220
221	<p class="first">I got a few patches from friends who were travelling about, and in
222	July 2008 finally glued and sewed them to the bike. Now I am more
223	metal, clearly.</p>
224
225	<table class="image" width="100%">
226	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/bayern-patch.jpg" alt="Freistaadt aus Bäyern" /></td></tr>
227	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Freistaadt aus Bäyern</td></tr>
228	</table>
229	<table class="image" width="100%">
230	<tr><td align="center"><img src="img/photos/bicycle/2008/blind-guardian-patch.jpg" alt="Blind Guardian is cool" /></td></tr>
231	<tr><td align="center" class="image-caption">Blind Guardian is cool</td></tr>
232	</table>
233
234
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248	src="img/buttons/debian.png" alt="[ Powered by Debian ]" /></a>
249
250	<a href="http://hcoop.net/">
251	<img src="img/buttons/hcoop.png"
252	alt="[ Hosted by HCoop]" />
253	</a>
254
255	<a href="http://www.fsf.org/register_form?referrer=114">
256	<img src="img/buttons/fsf_member.png"
257	alt="[ FSF Associate Member ]" />
258	</a>
259	</p>
260
cb44b69b	261	<p class="cke-footer"> Ruled by the ebb of my oceans
	262	Slaves to the dusk and the dawn
	263	Your petri dish civilisations
	264	Are buried and born
2aff8b5c	265	</p>
	266	<p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified:
	267	July 22, 2008</p>
	268	</body>
	269	</html>