The Cynic Says……

OK, so I’ve been kinda neglecting my blog a bit. Nothing terribly major has happened lately. I’ve been doing a lot of biking when I’m not at home or at work. I’ve had my cycle computer just over 2 weeks and I put something to the effect of 207 miles on it in 16 days. Not TOO bad considering it’s been horribly rainy lately and I haven’t been able to do my requisite 15 miles on some days. Usually on my off days I put in about 35 miles in 2 days.

At some point in the near future, I want to get a nice new set of wheels to shave some weight and therefore make me a bit faster. The wheels that came on the bike are good enough to get by but nothing spectacular. The set I want will shave a good 2 lbs of rotating mass off my bike. From what I’m told, shaving a pound of rotating weight is like shaving 3 lbs of stationary weight off the frame. That’s a pretty damn big difference! At any rate, I don’t have too much trouble riding my bike as it is. I guess it’d just be nice to make it a little lighter and faster.

I’ll probably put on some better slicks than the ones I have now for lower rolling resistance and better flat protection. I’ve gotten 2 flats on the back since I’ve had the bike and I’m wearing a nice little groove down the center of the tire. I think I’m going to get some Specialized Armadillos… I’ve heard they’re pretty much bombproof, which would be a good thing around here… Everywhere I go, I’m dodging glass left and right… If I do happen to not see some and run through it, I have to worry about flatting.

I generally ride in the road whenever possible instead of on the sidewalk. What people don’t realize is that cyclists are SUPPOSED to ride in the road, not on the sidewalk. Mind you the law is not enforced either way, but it does state that cyclists are supposed to obey the same rules of the road as a car. I generally try my best to do so, but occasionally I’ll blow through a stop sign or red light when no one is around. I have a really nice headlight & taillight combo that makes sure I’m pretty well visible at night, which is when I do a large portion of my riding. My light is actually so damned bright that I’ve noticed people shielding their eyes when I’m approaching. I absolutely love it. At least it means they see me!

Nothing much else of interest to say at the moment… aside from the fact that I’m amused at how few people realize that I’m just flat out not going to buy a car anytime soon. If I do buy one for some stupid reason, it will be so I can actually transport my bike to places farther away to ride. The only real disadvantage I see to bicycle commuting is carrying large objects, which is basically impossible. Outside of that, I have no use for a car.