Scoplaw

Zippy McSpeederson

Hmm.  Odd.  I’ve been doing a lot of circuit training recently in the gym (well, after my schoolwork, which is another story.  H.L.A. Hart is now my boy.)

Anyway, for the last six weeks or so I’ve been hitting the leg press at a pretty good resistance for me: ride for 15 min, 300 lbs. 3 sets of 10, climb/ride for 15 min, then another round on the press, then ride for 15 min.  I never really thought it would have a huge impact, and instead viewed the whole project as “a faster, but just as intense workout.”  I figured an hour in the gym hopping from press to stationary bike would be the equivalent of my usual 2 or 3 hour rides.  But I was very wrong.

Recently I got on the Little Red Rocket and took her on a tour (well, a long pretextual errand ride – no use pretending I have any free time left.) I felt that I was winding faster than I normally would (no surprise, what with the cold air and all), however I felt strong - not absurdly strong, just unspectacularly solid.  But my time – wow.  Just shocking.  I was clipping along in the low 20s.  On one level stretch I pulled it up to 27 for a half-mile;  I couldn’t keep it up for all that long, but just to do it at all without going completely full-out was impressive to me.  It’s something I can build on.  It sounds silly, but the 20mph/average barrier is my grail - not that I can sustain it for an hour just yet, but to have that be my "default" clipping along speed.  15 was easy enough.  18 took some effort.  19 was something I’ve been stuck on forever.

In some senses that means I’m finally “back” to where I was in my peak years.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  My cardio isn’t nearly there.  And my climbing, accordingly, isn’t what it was.  But it’s nice to taste that kind of straightaway speed again (even if it’s somewhat of an illusion – it’s really harder to do that as a climber, and I’m about 15 lbs. heavier than I was in my early 20s.)

So anyway – yea!!  I know this is probably greek for 99% of my readers, but I’m pretty happy with it.  I have smorged the fligenfalch, even though professionals routinely schnalgle blorfingly, it's enough for me, given circumstances, to smorge, even though it's more like snoffling.  There.  That was probably clearer.

OK – for something not totally boring, I suggest you all go to both Seth and Neo Tokyo Times and read their observations on the recent immigration reform bullshit. 

Long Ride, Civic Ride (or Mere Puffery)

So yesterday, I decided to take advantage of the relatively good weather and go for a long ride.  I got started much later in the day than I had hoped to – about noon, and was cursing as I began to get ready.  Had I gotten up early, I’d have had a legitimate shot at doing a century – but I’d already decided I didn’t want to try to come back at night on the trails.  In compensation, I decided to ride hard if I couldn’t ride long; I was curious to see if any of the circuit training was paying dividends on the bike.  I'm also a bit nervous about a few things totally out of my control and was thus desiring complete distraction, at least for part of my day.

For the first part of the ride, I swung by the law school to get a few odds and ends from my locker.  This was a very familiar ride for me (about 7 miles or so) and I have my own weaving kind of way that I follow – eventually I end up by Howard and the Reservoir, and from there it’s a straight shot down the law school.  I was buzzed right before the 395 onramp; somebody decided to shift into a lane in front of me and gun his car at 40mph toward a red light.  I always love those little moments of irrational anger or whatever they are.  I say irrational because I may have impeded this guy on his way to a red light (no right on red) where he’d have to wait until the same moment in time, in the same order of cars, before he could begin again.  Oh – and did I mention that this was a (two-lane) road – that there was no reason he had to buzz me at all?  He could have just stayed in his lane.  So I caught up with him at the light, as I always do.  I’m afraid I was so disturbed by this behavior that I lost my balance and had to slide my hand all over the side of his car and down his windshield, which, from the cry of “What the Fuck!!” coming from the car, evidently creeped this guy out or annoyed him – poor baby.  My other car moment of the day was to come much later – and I’ll mention it at the appropriate time.

I decided to take a few pictures of my ride (click for larger image).  Here’s one of the law school campus – the new buildings (the two glassy ones on the left, plus the clocktower) make for a more enclosed and less industrial space.  Much of DC is enamored of these large square characterless buildings.

After the campus stop I looped down by the national mall – another familiar ride.   When Lyco was down in Pentagon City and I was up on the campus, I used to ride along the mall down to the Tidal Basin then over the Potomac to the Pentagon.  I thought of this as my civic ride – I got to pass the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the White House, the Washington, WWII, Vietnam, Lincoln, and Jefferson memorial/monuments.  It’s a ride full of happy and slow moving tourists who have their eyes trained above street level.  Some are obviously pilgrims, and the National Mall is one of the few places nearly anyone in the country can come to for something, beyond the National Parks and whatever small American shrines such as birthplaces, or places where momentous events occurred that we each individually cherish (I once made a pilgrimage to the White Horse Tavern for a whiskey, in honor of Dylan Thomas). 

It’s also kind of weird to realize that the Mall appropriates the nation’s great distant tragedies and local personalities, but few triumphs.  And, if you think about it, numerous events that shaped the fate of world were decided upon within shouting distance of the mall.  It’s sort of odd that these events aren’t also remembered in stone. 

Nonetheless, there’s a very powerful sense of what it means to be American (epic, trivial, aspirational, shameful) collected within a few square miles.  Having recently re-watched the dystopian “Logan’s Run” it was interesting to think that I’d be covering more ground than Logan during my day.  (Logan escapes from a post-apocalyptic refuge and finds the ruins of Washington, DC.  Logan’s Run, incidentally, is pretty dated but amusing nonetheless, in an over the top symbolic way.)

When I hit the end of the mall, stayed on the DC side of the Potomac and rode easterly along the river to Georgetown.  In the photo, the spires are part of the main campus of Georgetown University, and the Georgetown neighborhood surrounds it.  The bridge, which I crossed in high winds, is the Key Bridge (named after Francis Scott Key – another American lawyer-poet).  I’ll also include a shot of the old canal in Georgetown.

After that, it was a climb through hilly Rosslyn, VA, then out along the Custis and WO+D trails into VA.  Going out is more or less uphill, and plagued with strong prevailing winds and many stops for road crossings.  I actually prefer state route riding in CT, even with all the hills, for you seldom need to stop and the winds are usually not impediments. 

The ride (at that stage) became very disappointing – I had thought I’d made strides in the gym, and my ride through DC (downhill or level, mostly) had been strong.  I wondered if I’d simply gone too hard before this leg of the trip (as I was already at 20 miles or so) and had burnt myself out.  I had made a miserable attempt at a century last year along the same route in similar conditions of high winds and chilly air, and at least yesterday seemed to be warmer (I ended up cracking the skin on my thumbs without realizing it, so I guess it wasn’t that warm on the bike).  The thin and steady wind seemed to suck all the life out of my ride.  At times I was creeping along at 11mph – and my legs felt like lead.  I kept pushing though, figuring to get a really exhausting ride if nothing else. 

At mile 45 I stopped and wondered just how far I’d go given the conditions.  It was getting dark, and I knew that I’d have the advantage of a tail wind and the slight downhill grade on my way back.  So I could expect a somewhat easier ride, but I’d be more tired than I was at this point.  The trick was when to turn back so that I could hit a metro stop by or shortly after dark (I had already determined that I wasn’t going to climb back through DC in the cold dark.)

While I was paused (eating cinnamon bun, slurping cranberry juice) I was approached by a fellow roadie, and older guy on a sweet trek.  He was very curious about The Little Red Rocket, especially because I had removed all the stickers, which makes you look at the bike itself.   So we talked bikes for a bit, and he complained about the wind – he normally does 20 miles out, struggling, then 20 miles back, at a pace that’s a bit too easy.  He then started talking about an ideal cycling height/weight – and I think there is such a thing for a competitive, stage riding, “all-rounder.”  He guessed I was 5’11” – and I replied that I was only 5’6” (although I suppose the shoes and the helmet might have added 3 inches or so.)  Then he said, “Oh well, but you must weigh about 165 or so?”  I replied that I weighed 145 or so, if I was wearing a fur coat that was soaking wet (I don’t have a lot of upper body weight).  Undeterred he went on to say how it was difficult sometimes, to guess about riders (which is true, our legs swell when riding, and we tend to wear shapeless windbraking tops in the winter) that were young.  He said that I was probably in that stage where I could still eat anything, but that things had changed for him around 25.  By which I can only think that he thought I was less than 25 years old, which puts him off by around a decade, although I probably look a bit young for my actual age, especially if my hairline is covered up.   

He was actually a very nice guy, but given his characterization of me, I didn’t think he was likely to be right about the huge difference in the pace.  It turns out he was.   When I turned about, I was creeping along at 14/15mph, enjoying some (what I thought) was level ground. My legs were not totally wiped, but I was deeply disappointed with my time and speed in general.  I kept thinking – did my new gym routine and lack of actual riding for the past couple months handicap my riding so severely?  I was running out of light, but I felt I could have done 100 if I had the time.   Granted, it would be a very unimpressive 100, but it would be something nonetheless.  As it was, I was going to have to settle for an exhausting ride, but one which didn’t rack up a lot of total miles or seem all that subjectively impressive.  It runs out that temps were in the 40s and the wind ranged (by the hour) from 17, 13, 19, 14 mph from the NW (I was riding W/NW).  Puff, puff.

So I turned back, figuring I’d have to stop at one of the outer orange line stops.  What happened next was pretty astonishing.  When I turned around and began going (slight decline instead of incline, strong tailwind instead of headwind) I was fairly rocketing along.  In fact, it was tempting to just coast along huge stretches at 18mph or so after punching up to the low twenties.  It was fairly easy to understand the random roadie’s complaint about working too hard out and taking it too easy on the ride in.  I did, in fact, start to take it easy, figuring that I might be enjoying a second wind and that I didn’t want to burn it all out.  I was passed by a guy on a high tech mountain bike (yep!).  Granted, he had slicks on and huge gears and his climbing bars converted to proto-aero-bars (kind of interesting what you can assess in a flash) but it was *still* a mountain bike.  So I had to keep up, and I managed to do so for about 2 miles in the low 20s.  (The subjective difference between 15 and 20mph is immense.)  We shot through road crossings, climbed at ridiculous speeds, aided by inertia and wind.  It was fun to note the different styles, my lead was just crashing over stuff and I was threading along the pavement, weaving amongst the potholes and sand patches.  Eventually, he pulled ahead, and my legs tuckered out.  I caught him shortly after as he pulled off the trail to his car – he gave me that roadie nod and I kept going past him. 

The ride ended after dark, at a metro rail station.  I hopped on, took off my sopping gloves and headband, and proceeded to enjoy the roadie endorphin stage.  The evening featured a gloriously hot shower, some reading, some snuggling with El Gato Perfecto, and eating lots and lots and lots of carbs. 

The Wind Bloweth, Scoplaw Sucketh

Gack.  I think the combination of a month of finals semi-sloth (missing the odd ride/gym trip here and there) and a holiday full of goat cheese and ale has provided me with motivation that exceeds my limb’s current ability.  Or I could just be feeling normal and dealing with a head-cold, which is vexing. 

Anyway, I shot down to Mt. Vernon two days ago, limped home (60 miles).  Then, today, I did the rock creek loop (20 miles), hoping to get some burn on my legs: actually the goal was to just empty the tank and try to make it back.  In between I worked on house cleaning and sorting; for New Years I had some wine and read poetry in front of the fire with my cat on my lap. 

Two riding stories (the only thing in my past 72 hrs that’s remotely interesting):

When I was down by Mt. Vernon, I stopped to take in the view and some water.  An older cyclist gingerly rode up on a flat.  He’d blown out his spare tube after replacing his original tube earlier on the ride.  I think the trails are more or less maintained/designed for high pressure tires – anything less than 80psi runs the risk of a snakebite on those hard edges.  I lent him my patch kit and we chatted while he worked on his wheel and I got cold and stiff – a situation for which I eventually nearly left him with the kit which he agreed to stash by a distinctive tree near the trail, but he gave up after two failed patch attempts and decided to ride the last 3 miles on his rim.  Ouch.  The cool bit of the story is that when I was sitting there, we were passed by 4 riders (not too many out in the cold) all of whom stopped and asked if we were OK.  Makes me feel good about the hardcore riders around here.

Today, I was traveling up rock creek park, totally gassed from my push-it ride up to that point.  I decided I would just take it easy for the rest of my time and ride.  Normally, it’s my experience that when you pass a rider (or a rider passes you) and you’re both in roughly the same category, the natural impulse is to try to pace for awhile.  So I was kind of shocked when I passed 5 roadies on my way back home and none of them stayed with me.  My legs felt like burlap sacks filled with pellets, I was seriously sweating, and at any given time it seemed impossible that I’d be able to make 10 more revolutions, let alone complete the entire park at speed.  My computer crapped out, so I have no idea how fast I was going, but it couldn’t have been that fast.  So – it’s just a mystery.   

BTW – Kent Peterson is my hero.

Suiting Up, Stepping Out

Well, this morning I decided to do an errand a few miles north – and of course, I decided to take the new bike.  The new bike has been developing a name for herself, but it’s a fuzzy one – something along the lines of the Rev. Horton Heat lyrics, Little Red Rocket of Love.  I think of her as R.R. for short, but am not sure that this will be her final name.  Anyway, I was all geared out: winter overboots bought from a tag sale, Hind leggings from the local discount store, my trusty Cannondale waterproof shell (I love this thing), two sets of gloves (fleece over wool) and a very thin fleece balcava.  I looked like a puppy ninja (big feet, hands, head) in a yellow cycling jacket.

Thanks to a recent cold snap, the thermometer temp was 30 degrees, with windchill pushing it down to 22.  Add in whatever cooling force the bike produces (a 15-25mph breeze) and it gets pretty chill, certainly down in the teens.  In fact, it was chill enough to make the bike handle differently – the seat was stiffer and I had a few shifting problems (due to the cable/frame contraction?)

I've written about winter gear before, as well as riding with the wrong gear, .  Overall the new gear worked pretty well.  I particularly liked the overboots – though awkwardly large and clown like, they did a great job of keeping my feet and ankles warm.  In the past I’d used various in-shoe stoppers for the vents, ranging from sandwich bags to inner-tube scrap pieces.  These make a great investment.  The gloves also worked nicely, although it’s hard to say if I’d use them or my ski-gloves for a really long ride.  The balcava was so-so.  It was perfect for the top of my head (light enough to let out some heat) and perfect for my face and nose (even though I am sporting the beginnings of a reddish beard) – however it didn’t help as much as I thought it would with my ears.  I think the balcava and a ear-head band will do the trick for longer rides.

As for the beard, even with the balcava, I will keep it for a bit longer yet, as I have a not-shaving-during-finals tradition to maintain.  Usually I loose patience in it just when the second cycle of hair growth begins and the beard starts to fill out.  This time I think I’ve started well enough ahead to have that process well underway.  I think I’ll have some fun with it before it completely disappears – perhaps I’ll go back to the Imperial.  Last year, post-December finals, I ended up doing some (winter) biking in CT and shaving it all off.

**

In other cool news, Kent Peterson is now blogging.  Yea!   Kent's one of those bike/net guys who is a godsend to el cheaperino homebuilders like myself.  His William Burroughs is an inspiration and was one of the biggest helps in building Tropez.

Tropez was the third recumbent I built. I brazed her together out of an old Mixte frame, a BMX fork (20 inch wheel), and some other odds and ends I had laying about for the boom and handlebars. I solved the usual SWB chain line problem with routing tubes over the fork and a "cross drive" (i.e., the boom cranks turn a fixed crank on the left of the bike which swaps to the right via the old bottom crank well). I’m kind of pleased with that since I’ve never seen anyone else solve it that way. Potentially, with step-ups you can get an absolutely sick gear ratio – pretty much like having a suicide gear. I got her up to 40 mph on a very mild descent (almost level, but certainly descent-aided) once using the most extreme ratio, but caution prevailed and I never pushed her faster than that. When you’re really laid back your drag is minimal, almost like you’re falling through the air, feet first. Never got around to building a front faring which would have made her faster yet. She's a lot of fun – fast and twitchy.

My favorite moment on her was when I passed some prepubescent kids who were just absolutely dumbfounded, in an open-mouthed, trying-to-parse-it kind of way. Before I passed too far by them, one shouted out, kind of anxiously, “Cool Bike, Mister!” Still puts a smile on my face.

Extended Field Test

Certainly needs a name.  I repaired the computer and found out she’s fast, sick-fast, and sturdy enough for the broken streets of DC.  I did the 6 mile commute down to campus in 20 minutes and my average speed was 2mph higher than usual.  I’m normally pretty good on hills, but this was just insane.   

On the way back I was hit by a car – actually my left flank (ass) was clipped by a SUV sticking its nose into a lane it couldn’t possibly negotiate.  I blame this on riding a nameless bicycle.  Hmm.  If anyone has suggestions, please let me know.

**

In much more important and exciting news, the Equal Justice Foundation raised over $75,000 for summer fellowships, which is a record high.  Plenty of funding for PD offices (hint, hint) and other worthy causes.  I put in my required hours, but I have to really hand it to the board for making this work.

Bikes and Parties

Well, much was done this weekend. 

The weekend began with the EJW Fair – a truly fun event with tons of employers.  I ended up speaking with a few potentials employers and stopped in to say hello to my prior summer employer, the PD's Office.  I found out that one of the cases I had worked on this summer was still going on, after a mistrial and not one but two nolle proses.  Our guy’s witnesses had to come in 9 times, all told; the non-mistrial/non-nolle pros dates were all extensions due to the prosecution not having its case ready to go.  Outrageous.  When they couldn’t get their initial charge to stick they tried other charges.  When that didn’t seem to work (their non-police witnesses have all disappeared), they got the INS involved.  If anyone would like to spend a summer working within an easy non-car commute to DC, please contact me and I’ll be happy to respond to any questions you might have.  I really can’t say enough about the program; good people and good work, work that is not only good to do (in the sense that you feel good about it and it gives you something), but work that *is in itself important*.  This is a place where you can make a tangible difference in someone's life. 

**

The Bike arrived on Friday.  She came in her box, partially assembled, as advertised. 

For those who are curious, I ordered through bikesdirect.com and am very pleased with what I got.


   

Here are the specs (the website for Bikesdirect is obnoxious, car-salesman-ish):

Frame: High Modulus CarbonFiber Mono-SeatStay, Kinesis Handmade Double-Butted 7005 Aluminum Main Frame with replaceable derailleur hanger and double water bottle brazeons.
Fork: Aero Kinesis Pro Carbon Fiber
Headset: Threadless Cane Creek Aheadset 1.125 inch Sealed Bearing

Derailleurs: Ultegra 6600 30SPD front and rear
Shifters: Ultegra 6610 30SPD STI
Crank: Ultegra 6600 30SPD 52/39/30T with integrated spindle and Ultegra Bottom bracket
Cassette: Ultegra 6600 30SPD 11-23 T
Chain: Ultegra CN-6600 10SPD

Brakes Ultegra BR6601
Hubs: Ritchey Comp OCR Sealed Bearing
Rims: Black Anodized Ritchey PRO DS OCR Technology, 20 Spoke front/24 Spoke rear, Machined Sidewalls
Tires: Kenda Kaliente IronCloak Kevlar bead 700X23c 189g

Saddle: M-Wings Systeme Racing V-cut
Seatpost: Ritchey Comp Road 27.2x300mm blk
Handlebars: Ritchey BIOMAX II

Final total weight is 19lbs.  (Hush weighted in at 26lbs.)

Basically, the above means I got a pretty good deal.  The groupset is 2005 Shimano Ultegra, 10 gears, triple ring.  Were I to buy that directly from a retailer, I’d pay pretty much what I paid for the whole bike. 

Now, that whole bike is definitely a mass produced bike out of Taiwan, with the stickers thrown on a generic frame, and a pretty decent wheelset/stem/handlebars in the Ritchey group.  However, the frame rides pretty sweetly as far as I’m concerned – she’s more comfortable than the older generation of steel bikes, but you can still feel the road very well through the muting action of the carbon stays and fork. It seems well designed and the welds are precise and full.  (The geometry is most likely a knock-off of another bike, perhaps a Fuji.)  As an overall ride, she certainly an improvement over Hush, also an improvement over the aluminum bikes I’ve ridden in the past.  I’d say she rides better than most of the bikes I’ve tested – smoother on the straight-aways and sharper and more stable on the corners.  After some seat adjustments, her riding (not frame) geometry is identical (within a centimeter) to Hush. 

The groupset is very very nice – fast, smooth, reliable shifting.  I can easily accelerate up hills in the optimal gear thanks to the flightdeck shifters, instead of the downtube shifters.  I’ve had some trouble with my computer on the new bike (I think the cord was weak and broke when I put it on the new bike), so I’m not sure how my timing will be on longer rides.  I have to guess it will be improved though.

As far as assembly went, I had to put on the wheels, insert the seat post, clamp the stem onto the threadless headset, clamp the handlebars into the stem, thread the front brake wire into the front break and adjust that and all the break pads.  Hmm.  Oh – I also had to put the complimentary pedals on and put new cleats on my cycling shoes.  One of the breaking cables had become misrouted on the top of the handlebar, so I had to unwrap and rewrap the handlebar tape in order to align it property.  (There was an extra set of tape that came with the bike.)  The saddle was a mass produced bargain basement saddle, so I put on my Specialized saddle (deeper groove means happier bloodflow).

The next thing I did (after I sized her and made sure I was going to keep her) was remove all the advertising stickers – I hate the fad of making bikes look like NASCAR cars.  A bicycle is a beautiful thing - all the more so when it's simple and functional looking.  (If I put any kind of decoration on her, I'm surely not going to advertise a company - in fact, if I'm going to carry optional advertising, I'd damn well better be paid for it.)

All in all, pending a few months/years of riding, I’d recommend the company to anyone who can handle a hexkey. 

**
We also had a bitchin Halloween party featuring many of my fav. law school peeps.  Alas, there is sickness among us and several notables stayed home to produce mucus.  All the same, it was a very good time. 

Somewhere in there were some test rides, a trips to the grocery store, a visit from the Compost Turner, a clearing of the Garden (dead stuff out – new space for a fall planting, if there’s any room left after our monster marigolds), fixing a few things about the house, the beginning of winterizing the house, cleaning, drinking wine, a breakfast brunch at the house, a free motorcycle (declined), reading a novel, and, of course, law, law law. 

Mixed Feelings

According to UPS – the new bike is somewhere in Nashville, on its way here from Houston.  I’m very excited, but also gripped by a sense of, well, unfaithfulness to Hush, who has been my primary bike for most of my life. 

Hush is about 20 years old.  She was a great entry level road bike for her time (nothing comparable now-a-days) and I’ve logged thousands and thousands of miles on her.  She was mothballed for a time, and I rode 3-speed cruisers about town in Providence and GA.  So while she’s not a constant-ride bike for those 20 years, I’ve never “upgraded” over her by switching to a more recently manufactured bike.  Whenever I came across a later model road bike I gave it away – including a nice Lotus, a Puch, a Trek and ‘Quese. 

Even though I’ve upgraded much of the componentry on Hush (actually, now everything except for the cranks and the derailleurs/shifters – very nice SunTours), unfortunately there are two problems that are catching up with her; rust and fatigue. 

Right now there are points on every single tube where the finish has been chipped or worn away.  Cancerous rust is setting in.  There’s even one patch where my rear brake cable (which mind you is encased in plastic) has been minutely shifting each time I pulled the brake.  This small action has worn a path through the finish down to bare metal.  I think that says something about her general usage.  Even though I could have her sandblasted and refinished (for a lot of cash) there remains the problem of internal rust (top tube, rear stays) that the older steel bikes are subject to.  As I discovered when I was upgrading my brakes this summer, rust can be well hidden – my old steel handlebars were deeply etched by rust under the tape.

There’s also the problem of metal fatigue (which is compounded by rust).  Steel is quite springly, but has a limited number of flexes in the frame before it just deforms (won’t spring back) or breaks.  Also, at some point (when Hush was stored, I think) a shallow quarter-sized ding appeared on the downtube, a ding which has grown from riding action.  I took the unusual steps of hammering out the tube from inside (with a rod of slightly smaller diameter) and flexing the tube via vise grips.  It’s more or less retained it’s original shape, but I’d be a bit nervous about lending her to anyone to ride, and whatever life she had left in her frame has been drastically shortened. 

I think this has been evidenced by her recent tendency to spontaneously shift under load – a problem that’s caused by frame flex.  Basically the rear derailleur is held in position by a taught cable: loosen that shifting cable and the derailleur’s springs push it one way; tighten the cable by gathering it in on the shifter and the derailleur moves the opposite way.  When a rider is on a springy bike, or is very strong (I am not) their riding style can flex the frame, causing an “artificial” shortening or lengthening of that cable (which is attached and pivots on the frame at various points).  The result is that when you’re straining uphill, the bike has a tendency to jump up or down a gear at an inopportune moment.  Actually, when you’re straining that hard, all moments are inopportune.  This is not so much dangerous (although I guess it could be) as chronically annoying.  One solution is to reroute the cable along another path on the bike – more extreme bends accommodated by small wheels, like the old English 3-Speeds used to use.

At this point I could justify keeping Hush on the road a bit longer, for limited service, as she’s not 100% safe, but I’d rather have a more reliable bike, even if I have to shell out cash. 

Still, it’s the ending of an era.  Hush and I have been on some pretty bizarre rides over the years.  She’s taken me back and forth between Providence and Hartford, as well as providing a much needed means of escape during my teen-age years. 

**

As far as the new bike goes, I’d decided to get a bike that was much lighter than the 25lb Hush.  I also wanted decent componentry – somewhere high on the scale before the point of diminishing returns set in.  For non bike peeps, componentry means “everything but the frame.”  Most componentry is mass produced with Shimano being the most common components, and Campy being high end stuff.  There’s a definite point of diminishing returns.  If you’re racing professionally or even semi-professionally, it might make sense for you to choose something 20 grams lighter but $100 more.  However, a difference of only 3 or 4 pounds only will shave seconds off your time over a few miles.  Just seconds.  I will never need those seconds.  So I chose the Ultegra group from Shimano as my target; it’s light, reliable, and nicely engineered without being top - flight stuff; from my perspective and needs it offers the most bang for the buck – basically it’s weekend racer level stuff, much like Hush’s original (but now outdated) gig.

I’d have loved a “new” steel frame.  The most recent frames are made with different steels and different techniques which offer steel’s famous “just soft enough” ride with weight that can challenge aluminum – certainly in my usage category.   The problem is that they’re pretty expensive.   Most frames (Giant, Bianchi, Specialized, Trek, et. al.) are now made in Taiwan, in the same factories, out of aluminum, and are pretty interchangeable – they differ only in geometry, not metallurgical quality.  Further, many of them use “compact geometry” as opposed to the horizontal top bar of classic road bikes.  Actually, this is neither here nor there – since the frames are smaller, you have to use longer (and heavier) seat posts, erasing any weight savings in the frame.  All this is moot because the weight (past a certain point) does not make all that much difference anyway (seconds).   Basically I just prefer the look of the classic road bike.   

When you put all this together, I decided to not go down the steel bike route – too costly, even though I’d trade up in weight for the ride.  I figured I’d get a mass produced bike with decent components, but the cost always seemed too high at the local bike shops.  In the end, I went with a web-retailer that has low overhead and thus a low final cost to the consumer.  They have their own bikes manufactured by those Taiwanese factories, to specs near-identical to other, more expensive, roadbikes.  Since I’m buying from an online retailer, there will be no after purchase service, although the bike is under warrantee.  I’m pretty handy with the wrenches, so it’s not something I’m all that worried about.  I may have to create another home-made truing machine for the wheels though (2x4, an old bicycle fork, some dowels and clamps). 

The pricing worked out rather well.  If I bought only the Ultegra groupset from a retailer I’d have paid a bit more than I paid for the whole bike (set and wheels and frame).  While that may seem odd – Shimano sells to manufactures for less than they do the general public, and this place has few (that I can discern) costs.

I’m intrigued by the new frame I’ll be getting.  It’s aluminum with carbon stays.  Since aluminum flexes much less than steel, it will wear out more quickly (5 years?  10 years?).  However, it won’t rust.   The ride should be interesting a well – the frame will flex much less than steel, which could result in a harsher ride but a better power transfer.  The carbon stays and fork might mitigate whatever harshness there is.   Basically, the way I look at it is that I can always buy another frame and put the groupset on that if there’s a problem, and I’ll still come out ahead.  But I’ve ridden aluminum before (Trek) and really enjoyed the ride.  So we’ll see.  Plus I can always sue the pants off the retailer/mfg if they’re not legit.  Nice to have that option.

Well, that’s one of the topics listed below.  And the only one for tonight.

Contrario

Always a perverse individual, I am feeling very contrary lately on nearly every level – for example, I got on Hush after a prolonged layoff (about a week) during which I’ve had little but coffee and yogurt, in an increasingly successful attempt to combat the evil stomach.  When I first got on Hush, I was whipped – I couldn’t manage to get up over 15mph without sweating and huffing and lurching about all over my bike as though I could push my leg with an entire side of my body.  However, the further I rode, the stronger I became – when I was returning from my errands (suit tailoring, scouting local neighborhoods) I was just whipping along in fine form.  Also, during my week of inactivity and near-fasting, my forearms, never very large, had shrunk noticeably, yet during my ride they, and my hands, were quite strong and didn’t seem to suffer from that thumb-webbing tightness that plagues me.  (This would be tightness/soreness of a tendon/muscle that pulls the lowest knuckle of your thumb in towards your palm.)  Perhaps I should get sick more often. 

Another example would be my attitude toward Early Interview Week – I’m not really a fan of large firm law (hence my inescapable destiny shall be to work at a large firm), and yet I find myself actually looking forward to EIW, which begins next week.  Perhaps it’s only the excuse to dress up in suits and ties, which I’ve not really had occasion to do in awhile.  Perhaps I’m just looking forward to interviewing, which I’ve always enjoyed.  I have 18 interviews scheduled. 

I figure that the first few interviews will help me get my legs under me, but will probably not result in offers.  So I think I have 15 viable shots at an offer for my second summer.  Are those good odds?  Who knows?   How many of those am I just dead in the water (no Journal, etc.)?  I wonder what the average is – offers per interview. 

My firms are in DC, southern New England, and Boston.  (I didn’t sign up for any interviews in NYC – I’ve lived there before, going to grad school and working in Manhattan, and I hated it.)

As a non-trad I’m kind of an odd duck – what will they make of me?  How impressions and memory function at EIW – assuming that one firm representative does most of the interviewing, do they remember the first interviews and get burnt out as they go?  Or do they remember the last ones more clearly?  Do they hire on a rolling basis or create a list to be reviewed and compared afterward?  Eh – all out of my control, anyway.  I can only be myself. 

OUCH!!

My friend In Limine has gone down - ouch!  And what the hell is with the SF bike community, not rendering aid to a fallen and bleeding cyclist!?!?  That's outrageous.  I can well understand ILs frustration and disillusion.  You're always supposed to ask a downed cyclist if they need help - unless they're obviously already receiving it and nobody is trying to flag you over.  Certainly if someone is injured, or possibly injured, you stop if they're not obviously already receiving some kind of aid. 

A few days ago, on the trail, I came across a woman on her back surrounded by police and EMTs.  They had a neck brace on her and several cyclists were stopped nearby.  I think it wasn't a collision, but a bad fall (this was near a covered and zig-zag cement bridge).  Even though the situation was obviously well in hand and I was late for work, I still felt a twinge of guilt at just riding by.  I can't imagine a dozen cyclists failing to stop  for IL.  Assholes.

However, when IL writes he’d expect this sort of thing in LA, but not in SF, I can only say that when I was struck by a car in LA (again, no helmet – the last time I rode without one as routine matter, I think) I was immediately surrounded by a crowd of people, including the driver, who was arguably more upset than I was, with his apologetic sobbing and trembling hands.  (I went over the hood, the bike, alas, went under the car.  When I got up I may have been a bit frosty and angry, considering this guy made a thoughtless right hand turn into my lane wherein I had the completely clear right of way.  We worked it out though - easy to do when everyone essentially gets lucky compared to what might have happened.)

**

I fell once pretty badly in High School - I was zipping down (way too fast, no helmet) a dappled sunlight street near the landfill when a truck thoughtlessly or deliberately squeezed me off the roadway onto the sandy shoulder where I had my bike (Hush) ripped out from under me by a bail of rusty diamond link fencing someone had discarded on the side of the road.  I'm certain I hit it at well over 15mph, possibly at or over 20mph.  I was pretty badly banged up - nothing broken, but I couldn't walk without a limp and lost skin on my elbows, knees, hips, ribs and palms - my gloves were ripped apart.  A nearby fire truck from a different district in the town refused to render any kind of aid to me (pre cell phone days) because they were "outside their district" and only happened to be parked there because they were dropping something off at the landfill.  Whatever "legal reasons" there may have been, they certainly wouldn't have precluded a simple radio call to the police (since this was a traffic accident) or to the other more competent fire department.  To this day, whenever I ride or drive by their station house, I spit on the sidewalk.

**

Last night we had a huge rain/windstorm.  This made for a great commute because, for the first time in a long time, I had a legitimate gusty tail-wind.  Parts of the trail were under 4-5 inches of water from the swollen Potomac.  There were a few trees down and listing which required some swerving and ducking, but nothing severe.  Despite this and the fact I was on Lumina, I made sick, sick time into work, via a mostly deserted trail.  After just a week on Lumina, I can already feel my body re-adjusting to the fixed.  She makes you work for every single foot.

Living the Life

Even though I’m occasionally despairing over the general drift of the country,  I am in fact living the life.  Just last night I got to watch the fireworks displays over the Potomac with the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials softly glowing underneath them on the opposite shore.  From that point, the city upriver looks vaguely European, with the arcs of the memorial bridge framing the dark misty bulk of Theodore Roosevelt Island and the rise past Georgetown accented by the National Cathedral’s towers. 

Today, after spending the morning and afternoon poking through trespassing and banning issues in relation to the US and Virginia Constitutions, I got to climb on Lumina, recently cleaned and sporting a new front brake and bottom bracket, and bicycle to the market, where I picked up some coffee and a bottle of wine in preparation for the catfish dinner I have planned.  On the way home a storm came out of the north – DC was covered by squalls and a rain-scented cool wind cut across the bike path.  Since I have all my electronic goodies waterproofed, I just grinned and shot into it all, marking the first true storm ride I have had this summer.  It was almost Connecticut-esque, sans the enormous hills. 

After toweling down I rinsed the sand off of Lumina and sat down in my cool apartment balcony among Sister School’s plants to do some writing, from which I occasionally glanced up to see both the Pentagon and the Lincoln Memorial.  Ah. (You can see my gear-ring windchimes in the background.)

Although I had a good summer the last time around, getting back on the bike and shaping my body closer to what it used to be before my illness and sloth, I’m certainly reveling in this one.  I'm in a cool city, doing meaningful work that actually impacts people's lives, living with a gorgeous and intelligent woman with whom I'm completely in love, and pursuing all my interests - bicycling, poetry, cooking, law, politics, art.   I suppose, negatively, law school leaves its mark.  I'd never have dropped such an obviously conclusive and redundant sentence as the one two sentences prior to this.

I think I’ll stay on Lumina for much of the rest of my summer commutes and see how we get along.  Once I upgraded her to the big ring, she’s certainly more of a challenge to ride.  I’m pushing a bit more than I should, but my knees seem fine and I’d like to build up some strength since In Limine is riding hills in SF and could well kick my ass on his return. 

It’s interesting to see who among my younger colleagues is keeping their body fit and -who is sliding into that mid-20s sloth.  Tamboli and Scheule are both taking up boxing.  I think this is a logical reaction to the indeterminacy of law.  Swann on the other hand is reading more.  I dunno how smart that is, long term, beyond my saying that I hope to give a law and poetry guest-lecture to one of his classes in the future.  Actually the four of us, plus Sister School and some others have an informal journal club where we get together twice a month to drink wine, eat Mr. Scheule's excellent chocolate chip cookies, and discuss legal theory, recently the Indeterminacy Thesis.  Yeah.  I know how bad that looks.  Where the hell is the Pragmatist in all this?  We need his erudite voice. 

**

While I’m completely entertaining people with my odd suspicions and analysis, I may as well add the following atrociousness – bicycle courier bags.  I never liked them.  Actually the overall courier look with the cut off cargo pants is just kind of lame.

**

Two more random bicycling questions recently posed to me. 

Lance – do I think he juices, or that he juiced at one time, or at least benefited from some kind of enhancing and banned substance?  Yeah, I do.  But then I think that the majority of elite riders have at one time or another – Tyler Hamilton, the Festina Affair which felled the great climber Marco Pantani, Etc.  Assuming most do or did, even with that kind of equalizing force at the elite level, Armstrong is something special.  He’s clearly a driven man who makes few if any mistakes as a rider.  His strategy is impeccable and he’s headed up the best team year in and out.

Who is my favorite cyclist?   Greg Lemond.  It’s true that Lance recovered from cancer and is a fantastic rider, but many don’t know that Lemond, in the season after his first Tour de France win in ’86, was almost killed by a shotgun injury while turkey hunting with a relative.  In ’89 he returned to the tour, despite his muscular disorder, off-season surgeries for tendinitis, appendicitis, and with dozens of shotgun pellets still in his body, actually in his heart lining.  The final day found Lemond 50 seconds behind the two time Tour winner Laruent Fingon, an almost insurmountable lead.  However, Lemond adopted a bold new aerodynamic position (that you now see commonly used in the time trials) to attack from the beginning of the stage and eventually squeak by Fingon to win with an eight second margin, the tightest margin of victory the tour has ever seen.  Brains and guts. 

I on the other hand am riding with a swollen ankle and an index finger lashed open by a brake spring snapping as I tried to remove it.   Not quite the same thing I think.  Heh.