New Footwear!

For the Super Wagon*.  The winner in the "best tire for my purposes" showdown was the Bridgestone RE960 A/S Pole Position.  Sadly, they are not cheap.  But according to widespread tests and word-of-mouth, they offer the best dry/wet grip with an acceptable amount of cold/snow performance.  I'm too lazy to swap between summer tires and winter tires, so "Ultra High Performance All Season" it is:

The stock Bridgestone RE92's still have abundant tread, but at five years of age, there's very little grip left.  No grip in the wet, or cold, or snow.  And to be fair there was very little grip even when spanking new.  They are not very good tires, unless endless tread life is your goal.  Not so much with the stopping and the cornering.  Needless to say, I'm excited to see what the Super Wagon can do with quality tires.

While getting new footwear, the Super Wagon will also be getting an alignment.  It's never been aligned.  Five years without an alignment.  That's pretty good!  The Super Wagon has a very sturdy suspension.  It's shared with the Outback which was designed for light off-road use, so it has ample beefiness for asphalt.  But of late the car's been wandering a bit, pulling a bit more than usual on off-camber sections, and bump-steer has gotten noticeably worse.  I figure it's time.

Possibly on tap for the Spring are some suspension upgrades.  Anti-roll bars, spring, and dampers.  Maybe a bushing or two.  Front tower brace, perhaps.  If the Super Wagon has a fundamental flaw, it's the overly-soft suspension.  More "wagon" than "sport".  Got squat?  I do.

*Super Wagon = 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Limited Wagon.  One of very few sold with a manual transmission.  The manual, in fact, was only offered for this one year in the wagon, so they are few and far between.

Sodastream!

It was a dream that I thought unattainable.  Make my own soda (a.k.a. "pop", "coke", "sodapop" etc. depending on your geographical situation) at home.

I drink a lot of soda.  Orange soda, Diet Coke, Root Beer, Grape, you name it, I drink it.  I'm a thirsty guy.  Lugging all those cans around, gathering them up to resell the empties, what a pain in my backside.

This Christmas, I received the ultimate soda-drinker's dream:  the Sodastream.  You get a kitchen gadget, a CO2 canister, and soda syrup.   Bang.  Make your own soda.  When the CO2 canister runs out, exchange it for a new one for a nominal fee.  My dad ran the numbers; it's cheaper than buying your soda pre-made.

Sure, the flavors are slightly different.  Sodastream uses sucralose (Splenda) rather than aspartame for the diet sweeteners.  And I'm sure they can't blatantly copy Coke/Pepsi recipes...but you know what?  It's pretty close.  Good enough for this soda-chugging fiend.  They've even got Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Red Bull knock-offs.  If it's a flavor people drink, Sodastream probably sells a knockoff.

Check it out.  It's good stuff.

Gunnar hits the road

I took the Gunnar out for a leisurely shake-down cruise yesterday.  It did not disappoint!  These new steel alloys are literally decades ahead of the old '80's steel I grew up on.  Heh heh, get it?  I made a joke.  It was so smooth and quiet, I thought my tires were low on air.  But no, I had pumped them up to 120psi just before the ride, to accommodate the colder temperatures.  The 10 pounds of Framesaver I put in there probably helped damp vibrations as well.

Here it is hanging out by the shelter along the Monarch Levee Trail.  To make a better comparison to the Trek, I put a backup set of wheels on the Gunnar.  The Open Pro wheels it normally sports are pretty cushy in and of themselves, so today it was wearing CXP33 with some radial lacing.  Conti GP4000s tires, naturally.   I really should have put the Easton wheels from the Trek on it, but couldn't be bothered.

So, yes.  Smooth and quiet.  Just like the frames of yesteryear.  Not at all like the smooth but rattly and noisy Trek carbon fiber.  But, in a huge improvement over the frames of The Day, it doesn't waggle the back end under heavy pedal mashing.  Not that I was doing much of that; we'll have to see how it fares around the hills of Babler.

And in another first, I used the Droid to track the ride.  It had some issues.  Worked great, technically.  But, I stopped in at the LBS to show off the bike (thanks for the assembly help Jim!) and the Droid decided I was still moving at 1-2mph that whole time.  Kind of dragged down the average speed, haha.  The Cardiotrainer folks admit they have some work to do around the GPS tracking.  However, as a bike computer I wouldn't recommend the Droid.  You can't really use it while riding, so no real-time feedback.  And it's not meant to be out in the weather like that.

Also my first attempts at Droid "screenshots".  I apologize, they're not that good.  The Droid is so bright it washed out a bit.  But it's better than nothing, right?

This is the map screen, showing my path.

And this is the home screen.  I love the "Droid Eye", haha.  Is there a resemblance to any infamous computer of the past?  There are two other main screens you can get to by swiping side to side.  Plenty of screen real estate, but I like to keep the main screen clear so the Droid can keep an eye on things.  The four buttons along the bottom are actual (sort of) buttons.  "Actual" in that they are physically there.  "Sort of" because all you have to do is touch them, you don't press them; there's no mechanical action.  Back, menu, home, and search.  The Droid is awesome.

So there you go.  Everything I own rocks.  The Gunnar rocks, the Droid rocks.  The Trek may find itself relegated to rain duty, we'll see.  When you're as fat as I am, the extra couple pounds of the Gunnar don't really make a difference...and it sure is quiet.

Note:  If any of the mysterious viewers of my blog would like more Droid photos, let me know.  I'll try and optimize the picture settings.  If no one cares, I won't bother.

Second note:  Due to a now-infamous thread on StL Biking, I feel compelled to let everyone know how rich I am not.  The Gunnar frame was second-hand.  Kind of.  The Droid was new at $200, but with 2 years of indentured service to Verizon.  And if you read the fine print, early termination will cost you a kidney*.  I have never hit, nor been hit by, a cyclist.  And I drive a relatively cheap station wagon.  It is, make no mistake, the Super Wagon, but cost-wise it doesn't compare to say a Z06 Corvette.  Just off the top of my head.

* Even the FCC has questioned Verizon's exorbitant early-termination fee.  Verizon said, politely, "Eat it.  We'll do what we want."

Wheel dreams

For many years, I've wanted to learn how to build bicycle wheels.  I've decided now is the time.  And I've devised a diabolical plan, as well.  You see, I've also been interested in the H.E.D. extra-wide rims.  Rounding off the tire profile makes sense to me.  It's what GP motorcycles do, and look at them go around corners!  So my initial plan, if I can find the rim, is to build some wheels out of these:

The Velocity Chukker.  Made for the hipster bike polo crowd, but I like the 24mm rim width, as opposed to the normal 19mm width.  Throw some 25mm tires on there and bam.  The only potential downsides are A)  have to widen the brake calipers; 2) non-machined sidewalls -- hipsters don't use brakes; d) they seem hard to find.  It might be a tight fit on some of my bikes, have to wait and see.

Figure I'll snag "The Bicycle Wheel" by that Jobst Brandt fellow, and go from there.

The Axe has Fallen

Yep.  I "will not be part of the organization, going forward."  Intelligence reports indicate I'll remain employed until sometime between April and October.  After that, I'll probably try my hand at independent consulting.  Anyone need a Tecan programmed?  I can even write the software to help tie it into your LIMS system.  And originally I was a molecular biologist, so I can understand your assay and automate it.  It's what I do.

And yes, if you read the previous post, you'll see that (very) recently an email stated that we wouldn't know until first quarter of next year.  That's my employer for you.  Very keen on abrupt changes.

The Axe Draws Nigh

Well ok maybe not.  Actually I've received an email from management stating that decisions about peon's jobs (i.e. my job) will be communicated in first quarter of 2010.  So I've got that going for me; complete ignorance of my job's status until sometime between January and March of next year.  Reminds me of cable company appointments.  The email was as informative and concise as the normal management communication.  It took about 3 screens of corporate gibberish to inform me that I wouldn't know if I had a job for 1-4 months.  But I was abundantly, repeatedly, and emphatically reassured that they respect me, care for me, feel my pain, and that I should keep working my fingers to the bone for the good of the company until told to stop.

Sadly, I got a call from a friend of mine - he was given the boot today.  Seemed pretty upbeat about it.  It's always a slap in the face to be told your company doesn't want you around anymore.  But how sad is it when a majority of people are happy to get laid off, and actually want to get out as soon as possible?

In other news, the Droid continues to delight.  I had to go to Catholic Supply the other day for a gift for my sister-in-law.  First, the Droid told me where it was and guided me there.  Upon arriving, I had forgotten the particulars of what I was after.  Droid to the rescue!  Pull up the email gift suggestions, review, and bam I'm on my way with a bag full of Christmas joy.  The daily utility of such a powerful device is hard to describe.  Truly a lifestyle changing technology.  And Verizon didn't even pay me to say that.

Droid Navigation

I tinkered with the Droid's navigation function today.  It uses the GPS in combination with Google Maps and the 3G network to deliver spoken turn-by-turn directions, with the usual mapping functions, searches, and whatnot you'd expect from a dedicated car GPS.  It has a few added features courtesy of Google, such as voice search and street view.  The street view is nice, but not really all that useful while driving - too distracting.

Photo courtesy of here

All in all, it works great.  It's not as sophisticated as my Garmin Nuvi.  Not as fast to update and reroute, the screen isn't as big.  The Droid made some odd navigation choices, but would have gotten me to my destination.  It also lacks a night mode, failing to emulate the Garmin's switch from white to black background after the sun has set.  Did I mention Google Navigation is free, and part of a device that can do very nearly everything except tie your shoes.  It could, however, display instructions on *how* to tie your shoes if you so desire.

The one big, big drawback to relying on the Droid solely for navigation is the fact that you must be in a 3G coverage area for it to work.  No internal storage of maps.  It would be nice to be able to put a few gigabytes of maps on the phone.  If you find yourself lost on the steppes of Siberia, I would imagine it wouldn't be much help.  Or maybe it would, I'm not really up on 3G coverage in Siberia.

Another quick mention of the voice search feature.  It continues to astonish me.  Astonishingly good, that is.  I don't know how it does what it does, but it works every time.  And I don't feel my enunciation is all that great, either.  "Navigate to Target" and bam, it's navigating you to the nearest Target store.  "Map of St. Louis" and pow a map of St. Louis is on the screen.  "Call Jimmy Joe Bob" and the phone pops up, requiring only the press of a button to call Jimmy Joe Bob.  And the most useful search: "STLbiking.com" and STLbiking.com shows up in the browser for your reading pleasure.  That's right.  Hit the voice search button, and say "Ess-Tee-Ell biking dot com" and you're there.  It's just that easy.

Win.

Cardiotrainer Part the Second

Well I took the Droid out for a walk today.  Two walks, actually.  I wanted to give "Cardiotrainer" a real-world try.  After a vigorous stroll to the Post Office, I discovered to my dismay that I'd had the program in "indoor" mode, so all it did was monitor my steps and time and infer a distance.  Naturally, after correcting my mistake, I headed out again to the Post Office.  Round trip, 0.85 miles.  14:45.7 minutes:seconds.  69 yards (?  I guess yards are cool for walkers?) of elevation gain.  Average speed 3.5mph.  I know all this, courtesy of the Droid.  It shows a map and all the various statistics.  I tried to go online and check out the website to which my tracks are allegedly uploaded...but it's down.  C'est la vie for a free program, I suppose.

You may be asking yourself...aren't you a cyclist?  Or at least like to pretend?  Why are you walking, like a common caveman?  Well I'll tell you.  I like to walk.  You see more, you can jam out to music, and - let's face it - it is impossible to be so far away from home that you can't just...um...walk back if you encounter trouble.  The worst "mechanical" is an untied shoelace; easily remedied without carrying tools and performing roadside repairs in the freezing cold.

I have to admit, I'm being a weenie this year for unknown reasons.  Typically I have no trouble gearing up and going riding in the cold.  Historically I ride through the winter, at least whenever its above 20 degrees.  For whatever reason I'm just not getting up the gumption this year.  Maybe it's the fancy new indoor trainer.  Why go outside in the cold when I can pedal to nowhere while watching TV?  It will, inevitably, end.  I can already feel the stir-craziness...stirring.

Guilty!

As I mentioned previously, the front brake nut on my Ouzo fork was cracked.  I didn't notice it upon installation, and you'd think I would have.  I don't think I torqued it down very much at all.  Just enough to snug down the brake caliper and a bit extra to hold it against vibration.  But: cracked.  A clean, complete longitudinal crack the length of the nut.

The replacement nut showed up today.  No cracks.  Installed, no cracks.  The best I can figure is I didn't insert the allen key deep enough into the deeeeeeep recess, and applied too much of a point load to one of the corners.  That's where the crack is, though it's impossible to see in this photo.  Suspicious.  Or maybe it was just one of those things, a flaw in manufacturing.

I don't like it when fasteners fail.  Especially something as vital as the front brake!  Would it have worked?  Probably.  The worst side-effect of this particular crack would probably have been a self-loosening nut.  But, you know, the front brake is pretty important.  And with the nut now able to expand, maybe it would have damaged the carbon fork that surrounds it.  Too risky for me.  So now there's a new, non-cracked nut in place.  Rest assured I will be keeping a close eye on it. 

Now I'm just waiting on some miscellaneous small parts from the LBS, and the Gunnar will be road-worthy.

Cardiotrainer

The Droid phone continues to astound me. All that technology and capability in such a tiny little device! One of the apps I just downloaded - and will try tomorrow - is "Cardiotrainer". It uses the GPS and accelerometers to track your location and, if running or jogging, your steps. It then does various analysis, can upload to a website, or even post to Facebook.

It will even provide you with voice-prompts.  Time intervals, speed intervals, and a "race-against-yourself" feature which will compare your current track to a previous track, and tell you how far ahead or behind you are.

The only downside I've noticed so far is the snooty British man voice.  I miss the sultry Garmin GPS babe voice:  "Please drive the indicated route....recalculating.  Please drive the indicated route...recalculating.  You are such a man, you never listen to me.  Recalculating, you ignorant SOB.  Drive where I tell you!"

So far, it looks like it's only available for Android phones.  But if you're cool, you have one so this is not a problem.  I'm sure the iPhone has plenty of similar apps, if you're into that whole iPhone thing.

Have too much money?

There's a company willing to take it from you. Especially if ceramic bearings on your bike don't quench your non-metallic bike lust.

How about ceramic cable housings? You heard me. And the price? A paltry $250. Yeah. Sadly, I don't have too much money, so I will not be buying them.

Now, aside from the tires, tubes, and cables...you could theoretically build an entire bike from non-metallic material! Get to it! You will go faster, I promise. I'm surprised no one has made a ceramic chain now that I think about it...

In other news, the Gunnar is now attached to my indoor trainer. It's smooth, and definitely stiffer than the ancient Trek 560 which used to do trainer duty. I'm trying that new "ergo-compact" or whatever handlebar bend...can't say I'm overly impressed, but I'll wait to pass judgment until I get some road miles with it. I'm starting to think I prefer deep-drop traditional bend bars. Does that make me a retro-grouch? Deep drop because of my giant paws. Traditional because sometimes I feel like having my hands behind the levers, and sometimes I want them parallel to the ground.

Gunnar all but done!

The Gunnar is all but finished.  A few odds and ends (paint protectors, new brake nut, neat seat collar) and it will be road-worthy.

This, when just a few weeks ago it was a lonely, bare frame without even a headset or fork.  Here it is having Framesaver applied...that glorious waxy rustproofer:

 

I have to say I really love building bikes.  My perfectionist ways take far too much time to work at it professionally, but I love it anyway.  I re-wrapped the bars three times, and re-tensioned the derailleur cables at least twice each to attain shifting perfection.  Not good when you're racing against the clock, haha.

Gunnar nearly done!

Well my long-term winter project is nearly complete.  Once I get started building a bike, it's ON!, regardless of my initial intentions.

Everything is on.  Still need to wrap the bars, slap on some pedals and adjust the drivetrain.  Seatpost collar is the wrong size...30.0 and I need a 28.6.  It clamps, mostly, but the collar is all closed up.  The Salsa Lip-Lock is a nice seatpost collar, though!  Detail of the rear triangle:

 

And the front end.  Upon greasing, I noticed the Reynolds brake nut was cracked!  It's on there, just holding the brake in place, but probably not a good idea to actually use the brakes.  Hopefully the local bike shop can set me up.

With our globally-warmed winter going on, I should have plenty of opportunity to ride the new bike in above-freezing weather.  65 degrees after Thanksgiving...it's absurd!

Gunnar crank, brakes

Got the crank, derailleurs, and brakes onto the frame now.  I'll save the chain and cabling for tomorrow.  I'm too exhausted by my niece to focus properly.  Chain installation and cable routing is no joke!

If you look closely, you'll see that I haven't adjusted the brake pads...or tightened down the saddle.  Nor have I really fixed the brakes to final torque.  What can I say, I'm tired.  But it's looking more like a bike.  I must give credit to Gunnar, the craftsmanship on the frame is outstanding.  The normal bikes I build require a little tweaking and finesse to make everything fit right.  Not on this frame, everything just bolts right up.  A little trouble with the Force cranks.  Using the included spacers as the instructions say, the crank seized against the frame when even remotely tightened.  Removed the spacers, and all was well.  So much for following instructions.

In other news a shout out to my friend Ryan.  He just bought his first road bike, the excellent Cannondale CAAD9 4, with Sram Force/Rival group.  I've seen pics, it's a sweet ride.

Gunnar - a slight delay, but back on track

After a little break for malaise-induced apathy, the Gunnar work is set to continue.  After returning from (yet another, and final) T-day feast, I was surprised to see a package on my doorstep.  The last of the Gunnar bits have arrived!  I think the last, anyway, unless I forgot something.

Perhaps I will put some stuff on it and post up some pics later tonight.  Later, at any rate.  My adorable niece "M" wore me out today.  I don't know how my brother/sister-in-law do it day after day!  She still enjoys making me run up and down hills chasing her ball.  I think she kicks it downhill on purpose, then looks at me like "well heck, it's easier for you to go get it than for me, I'm 1!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ted's Montana Grill

In Indianapolis, there's a restaurant called "Ted's Montana Grill", started up by Ted Turner the TV guy and some other restaurant guy.  Apparently it's quite "eco-friendly".  All I know is they had paper straws, which were kind of cool.  Mysterious how they don't become soggy, but cool.  It's a nice place, down-homey kind of atmosphere.  Lots of wood, dim lighting, kind of Outback Steakhouse-y without the Outback.

I've been craving their onion rings lately.  You may think you've had onion rings.  They're oniony, and ringy.  But the onion rings at Ted's are on a whole other level.  As it happens, there's also a Ted's in Kansas City.  Also some scattered around Chicago.  None in St. Louis.  Indy is about 5 hours away, Chicago about 5, KC about 4.  Six of one, half-dozen of the other.  I'm thinking it's road trip time.  The Super Wagon needs to roam free.  This weekend is Thanksgiving, so that's out.  Maybe next weekend?  Then again, 8 hours of my life for onion rings...maybe I should re-think this.

Anyone know where to get some good onion rings locally?  Thick, tasty, cooked just right.  I don't want raw onion, and I don't want onion that's cooked into oblivion.  Help me out, save some gas.  Do it for Ted Turner, he's "green."  Apparently.  He uses paper straws.

Droid is mine!

Yes, well, now I have one.  I couldn't resist.  Really, the cost of a Droid is nothing compared to the cost of cycling.  And my current employer gets me a 21% discount on the plan fees, and 25% off accessories.  It would be foolish not to take advantage of that while I can, right?  At any rate I have one.  After a few hours of using it, I love it.  Intuitive, fast and smooth.  I've already downloaded some apps to make my life better.

Mostly games, to keep me occupied at work while the scientific research at the site slowly dwindles to nothing...at least until the new owners move in.  And the "lightsaber" app, so I can pretend I'm Darth Vader.  Stupid, but strangely alluring.  The Droid has a dark side...

Hopefully tomorrow I will start putting more parts on the Gunnar.  I've been distracted by general malaise...possibly caused by my impending unemployment.

Droid

Since I anticipate being out of a job soon, why not buy a fancy new high-zoot phone?  That's how my brain works, don't question it.  This is what I'm thinking of...the Motorola/Google/Verizon Droid.  It does nearly everything, as near as I can tell.  GPS navigation?  Yep.  Music, video, camera?  Yep.  Phone calls?  I hope so.  Texting, Facebook, Twitter?  Yup.  Web surfing, antigravity, faster than light travel?  But of course.

I also hear that if you hold it up to someone's head just right, it will read their thoughts and display them on screen.  How neat is that?  The government will love it!  And it can land a plane in a pinch.

Gunnar Rolls On

As you can see, some progress was made on the Gunnar today.  I snuck out of work to take the bike up to Ghisallo, where Jim again did some outstanding work.  Cut the steer tube, installed the compression plug, ordered some miscellaneous tidbits for me.  Front derailleur clamp, black seatpost clamp, brake cables.  I expect that by this weekend all the pieces will fall into place, and I can start final assembly. Not that I'm in any hurry, as the monsoon appears to be back in town this week.

See that saddle on there?  Riders "of a certain age" might recognize it.  You know you are jealous.  It's ok. Really.  I'm sure your saddle is just fine.

Gunnar continues

I put on some spare wheels and tires, and acquired a stem and bars from the local bike shop.  Starting to look more like a bike!  Next steps are to cut the steer tube and install the compression plug to hold the front end together.  I have a seatpost and saddle for it from another bike.

As my slow and methodical scouring of eBay continues, I happened to run across an interesting tidbit.  A Sram Force group, with a price a little above the general rate.  Reading carefully, they had a paragraph about Sram's "Minimum Advertised Price" policy, and how any price lower than theirs was in violation of this policy and the parts would not be warranted.  They never actually came out and said it, but the clearly, even emphatically implied message was that I should "Make an Offer" to get a better deal.  Is this "Minimum Advertised Price" policy just a farce to try and fool people?  A crafty ploy?  I don't know.  But it's interesting, our world.  Sneaky subterfuge abounds.

In other news, my niece "M" continues to amaze and astound.  It's shocking how fast she learns.  She has figured out how to communicate what she wants pretty effectively and walks pretty confidently, and continues to learn how to make noises which are ever more similar to language.  Are all babies that smart?  I have no idea, but it's incredible.  I am happy to say I'm not as afraid of her as before.  I was afraid the gentlest touch would snap a rib or something.  But she's pretty tough.

I am a giant jungle-gym to her, she gets great joy from climbing around on her giant Uncle B.  Cutest thing in the world.

Gunnar Build, headset and fork

I used my homemade headset press to install the headset, and the kind folks at Ghisallo (thanks Jim!) put on the crown race for me.  I don't have a slide hammer, you see, and setting a crown race requires one.  I'd imagine you could jimmy it, but why take the chance?

Homemade headset press.

 Chris King, naturally.

 

The fork.  Reynolds Ouzo Pro, with crown race freshly installed.  43mm trail, if you were wondering.

Together.  Time to measure and cut the fork!

Note the color-coordination of the fork stripe and Gunnar logo.  I'm so fashionable, it hurts.

Unfortunately I'm out of parts again.  And due to my pending unemployment, this is going to have to be done on the cheap.  Off to scour eBay...

Wondering...

Is the threat of losing your job in 6-8 months worse than losing your job instantly?  I don't know.  Either way it bites.

I am drinking a "Full Moon" beer.  And I don't even drink.  It all started Friday with an innocent six-pack of Bud Light from the gas station.  It will have to stop soon before it becomes a habit...I have enough beer gut as it is, without the additional burden of actually drinking beer.

Update! Safe for now

Well the Big Day has come and gone.  I didn't get the immediate boot, nor -- I think -- did anyone else.  Sold the campus to another company, though, and announced 600-800 layoffs next year.  I imagine, based on the reorganization, that I will be among them.  Very high probability.  But that's at least a few months down the road.

Maybe I can find a low-sodium Ramen.  I used to subsist on Ramen in college.  You might think that's a joke, but its not.  Ramen is good stuff.  Throw a little chicken in there.  Maybe mix in some veggies.  It's very cost-effective!  Apparently somewhere they have Ramen vending machines...

Poetry

Poised on the brink of the Abyss,
the lion meets the vacant gaze of the hunter's rifle.

What do you think?  I'm off to learn my fate.  Maybe I'll retire to a cabin in South Dakota and write poetry, heh heh.

"Vacant gaze"?  C'mon, that's good stuff!  Hunter as the soulless corporate masters wielding supreme power?  Genius!  South Dakota, I hear its nice and quiet up there.

And So it Begins

Word on the street is that tomorrow is the Big Day for site closure and reorganization announcements at my job.  Further rumor was that the Powers That Be were meeting today from 4-8pm to discuss things.  Sure enough, I received a meeting invitation at 8:37pm today to "discuss details" of the reorganization.

Based on the size of the meeting room, sheer speculation, and gut instinct, it doesn't look good.  But don't worry about me, I'll be alright.  A lot of my coworkers, though, will be up a creek.  And for them I am very nervous.

Rattling around the hovel

Word on the street is that Monday, we at my place of employment will find out about site closures and possibly gain more insight into the probabilities of losing our jobs.  Possibly because of this, I find myself at loose ends this evening, rattling around by myself.  Fortunately, I have a new bike to play with.

Opportunities are limited, though.  All I have so far is the frame.  Not even a fork, nor a headset.  They're on order, but it'll be a few days.  I do, however, have a can of trusty Framesaver about.  I seized the opportunity to apply the first coat:

It's a very sparkly bike.  Metallic with a capital "M".  True Temper Platinum OX steel, one of the "new breed" of steel alloys that gains strength in the weld zone.  What that does in the heat-affected zone near the weld, as far as losing temper, I couldn't tell you.  I'm no metallurgist.  I figured with my fleet of 20 year old steel bikes, I owed it to myself to try out this modern steel.  An opportunity presented itself - steel frames in my size at below-retail price do not come along too often - and I pounced.  After a week or two of hemming and hawing, but pouncing nonetheless.  The sparkly paint is little too blingy for my tastes, but its growing on me.  It will look better with some parts on it, no doubt.  Right now there's nothing to distract you from the bling-tastic paint.

If I feel motivated, maybe I'll put up pictures of each build step.  We'll see how my motivation holds up.  I have a King headset in black sotto voce (i.e. discrete branding) and a Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork on order.  I was lucky to stumble upon an Ouzo Pro on eBay with the non-integrated crown, the only one I could find.  Pounced again, with only a two or three day delay for contemplation.  Kind of a slow-motion, very deliberate pounce, if you will.

Stay tuned.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I have too many bicycles.  Some may go up for sale at some point.  Maybe.

Stress

I like to think I'm a fairly mellow guy.  Sure I get angry at bad or unsafe drivers.  Rude people irritate me.  But mostly I just roam around doing my thing.

Except the past couple of months at work.  Normally I don't get too riled up about work.  My job is pretty easy, after all.  I'm not getting shot at, no IED's to worry about, and if I'm feeling under the weather or just not in the mood, I'm pretty free to just call it a day and go home.  But the past few months have been special.  My extremely vast employer has bought another nearly-as-vast company, and announced that at the end of it all 30% of the combined juggernaut will be out on the streets.  That's a lot of people.  Will they close the St. Louis site?  Maybe.  Will hordes of people be unemployed, even if they keep the site open?  Without doubt.  The best part about it, for sure, is that the VP's all patted each other on the back and gave each other million dollar bonuses...and used tax-payer money for 1/3 of the buyout money.  Classy.

Mostly I'd be okay with that.  Rich people get richer and screw everyone else.  That's capitalism.  I'd likely have to leave St. Louis to find work, but that's ok.  I have no dependents to worry about, and I can always forage for food if need be.  But many people around me at work are absolutely bat-sh*t crazy.  Freaking out.  Weeping in the hallways.  Collapsing in sobs in meetings.  Howling about the unfairness of it all.  And they haven't even been given the boot yet.  I can sympathize.  If you've been at a company for decades, have kids to feed and put through college, would like to retire within your lifetime...that can be stressful.  Unfortunately the stress rubs off on me.

Unsubstantiated rumor on the street is that site closure announcements will be revealed Monday.  I don't expect the St. Louis site to be closed entirely...which unfortunately means several more months of stress and sobbing coworkers until our individual final fates are handed down.  At least until the next buyout/merger/reorganization...

In other news, my niece is still ridiculously cute.  She was candy corn for Halloween.

"Yo!  Give me some candy!"

A day at Creve Coeur Park

Today I spent a good chunk of time at Creve Coeur Park. First, drop off a pair of surplus cycling shoe covers to someone who will actually use them. He was doing the running race portion of the Bubba Cyclocross race. I watched part of the running race, and handed over the shoe covers. Next up was some kayaking. The weather was perfect - cool but not cold, windy but not too windy. Water condition was ideal with some decent wind chop for entertainment. And too cold for the stupid Asian Carp to be jumping about and menacing my boat.

A couple hours later, I returned my trusty 'yak to its berth.  I proceeded back to the Bubba race area, where I watched my first cyclocross race.  It was brutal, and I was just watching.  Tires coming off rims, people falling over from exhaustion.  An hour of anaerobic misery.  I had arranged to meet TK to look at a steel bicycle frame he was selling.  I planned to meet him before the race, so as he wouldn't be exhausted, but I was on the water too long for that.  Fortunately TK has inexhaustible energy, and was still game to show me the frame after the one hour of hell he'd just endured.  It's a nice frame.  A little on the sparkly side, but I bought it anyway.  Winter project, you see.  It's "new steel", which I've been wanting to try.  As opposed to the rest of my "old steel" bicycles from the '80s.  Bare frame, which means I'll need to find a fork and do the complete assembly myself.  Should be fun.

I had an encounter while on the water.  "Jason" hailed me from the shore, so I paddled over to see what was up.  He had a wood strip boat, which he'd built himself.  I was impressed; that's no easy feat.  He asked if I wanted to paddle.  No, sorry, I was finishing my boating for the day, off to watch the bike races.  Then he talked about mountain biking.  Then we talked about my boat.  He seemed quite intent on talking to me, and I have no idea why.  I'm really not that exciting to talk to.

Now I'm home.  A little sunburned on the face, but not bad, considering.

*bonus tale of boating blunder:  My kayak is narrow.  17' long, 22" wide.  It's made for moving efficiently on the open ocean, it's a little overkill on a mellow lake.  In kayaking with such a long boat, it's helpful to "heel" the boat, tilting it to one side or the other with your hips, to aid in turning.  This lifts the bow and stern out of the water, and helps it to "carve" a turn.  Trouble is, my boat is so low to the water, and so narrow, that I can easily heel it to the point that the edge of the cockpit goes under water.  Normally, you have a spray skirt on, and there's no problem.  Today, I did not have a spray skirt.  So that water just came right on in the boat with me and made itself at home, dousing my pants in the process.  Note to self:  do not practice extreme heeling maneuvers without a spray skirt.

Cars

Unfortunately a dude I know got me thinking about cars.  The WRX STi, the non-existent Legacy GT Wagon; and the car I almost bought, the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII.  This video demonstrates a few of the car's capabilities...


And here's some WRC action for your amusement. Those cars are not fooling around.


In my opinion, World Rally Championship drivers are the best drivers in the world. If you listen carefully, you can hear the rattling engine sound of the anti-lag. The car injects raw fuel into the exhaust, which ignites and the explosion keeps the turbo spun up while the car shifts gears. Turbo lag? Not so much.

My niece is cuter than yours

As proof, here is niece "M" inside a water heater box.  She is quite the artiste, don't you think?  Mischievous Uncle Brian is making strange faces at the far end; "M" brings out the strange faces in my normally stoic visage...

Yow, that was a doozy

I have been sick.  Rarely do I get knock-down, drag-out sick.  Allergies, sure.  Raging sinus headaches that would kill a bull from time to time.  This last one was something else.  I don't know if it was swine flu, or regular flu, or a small outbreak of Ebola, but it's been bad news around the bthoss abode the past week.  Headaches, fever, grinding fatigue, endless sleep, coughing, nausea, you name it.  The worst part, though, was the "muscle ache".  People say "muscle ache" alongside the flu and I figure it's like after a hard bike ride or something.  I'm here to tell you, no it's not.  It's like someone took a freaking baseball bat to very nearly every inch of my body.  I imagine wheat being ground into flour feels much the same thing.  It was pretty much all I could manage to crawl out of bed and into the shower periodically, maybe hobble to the kitchen for some food.  Fortunately I had an ample Diet Coke supply on hand, so I had that going for me.

Am I whining?  Sure.  Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?  Yes.  Do I want to?  No.  The sad thing is, I'm usually pretty hygienic.  Trained biologist, see, we're supposed to know how to keep germs and stuff off us.  Wash the hands, avert face and hold breath if someone nearby sneezes or coughs, the usual.  Somehow this one snuck by and got me.  And I have no idea who gave it to me!  I can't think of any biohazard close calls in the past week.  Must have been a shopping cart.  Those things are nasty.

So, you know, watch out.  And if you feel yourself getting sick, don't try to fool yourself and keep going like normal.  Crawl into bed and hope you fend it off before it really gets its claws into you.  Stay healthy out there.

Decisions...

My sport-utility bicycle, the venerable Kona Jake the Snake, has a problem.  Last year if you recall my Michelin Jets developed a hole in them the size of the Grand Canyon.  Being pretty much worn out, I replaced the pair with Continental Twisters.  Thinking the big ol' knobbies would be good for the Katy Trail.

Turns out I was wrong.  The big ol' knobbies are just a giant pain in my ass.  Buzzy on the road, buzzy on the Katy.  Buzzy everywhere but grass, which I wouldn't know much about because I rarely ride on grass.

So now I'm thinking of putting some Contintenal Contacts on there, or at any rate something a little smoother.  Tires.  They're very important.

New Bike Dreams

Yup, I have a problem.  I love to acquire bicycles.  Especially over the winter.  Now I'm eyeballing this Trek.  The SoHo.  Why?  No good reason.

My Cannondale has been performing flawlessly as a commuter.  Ridiculously low gears, big smooth wheels, disc brakes.  Rear rack with awesome Arkel panniers -- they're Canadian! -- for hauling my stuff.  No complaints.

But the Trek has a freaking BELT DRIVE!  How cool is that?  Maybe not cool at all, but I must experience it myself to find out, right?  And it has an 8-speed internally-geared hub.  I like that.  No derailleur hanging out in the wind, waiting to get crunched.  No ice buildup in the winter jamming the chain.

The Trek has one potentially deal-breaking flaw.  Roller brakes.  Back in the day, roller brakes did not have a good reputation.  Hopefully they've improved.  Or maybe I can sweet talk Trek into building me a version with disc brakes, or at least conventional caliper brakes.  Anyone out there familiar with the new Shimano Alfine/Nexus roller brakes?  Do they work?

If I do wind up buying a new commuter, the C-dale will likely go.  And maybe the IRO singlespeed.  And I should probably pawn off one or two others, just for good measure.  Fortunately I know a guy who pawns stuff on eBay, because I'm too lazy to do it myself.

Penn Station

I love me some Penn Station.  Delicious hot subs, and equally delicious french fries.  Sadly, the staff at the local store down in Chesterfield Valley (the longest strip mall in the U.S., by the way.  Officially.) recognize me now.  While that may seem sad and pathetic, it actually works out pretty well.  They give me stuff.  Extra fries.  Coupons.  The occasional cookie.

Tuesday night is free sub night.  Buy a sub, get a free small sub.  You should go.

*disclaimer:  I don't work there, and other than random perks I get no kickbacks for this endorsement.  I just like the food.  And since I like them, you should too.

My niece, "M"

Ah, how time flies.  In less than a year "M" has grown from a curious, immobile, bow-entranced infant to a rambunctious, curious, sneakily smiling walking machine.  Above she is checking out the houses at Faust Park on a recent photo shoot.  She was amazed by the small wooden bridge there, and kept walking from one end to the other.  Cute.

Diabolical Winter Plans

So I took the singlespeed up to the Post Office tonight. I finally admitted to myself that it is, in fact, too small. 59cm was the biggest frame IRO offered back in The Day. Uh, four years ago?

Anyway, now vague plans of a bizarre utility bike are stirring in my brain. Something involving a Shimano Nexus 8-speed internally geared hub perhaps, and fenders. And probably a rear rack.

Speaking of strange bikes, the Surly Pugsley has always intrigued me:
Big ol' massive low-pressure tires for floating on any surface and absorbing any bump. Not a "high speed commuter" by any means, but it would be worth it just to roll into work on one of these. Arriving on a bicycle seems to mystify enough people, but to roll in on a Pugsley would send people running for the hills. Security would lock down the site, thinking I was an alien/terrorist mutant hybrid on steroids.

Which reminds me...

I wonder...are there any "fast" cyclists who are mouth-breathers? Do the sinus membranes absorb any oxygen into the blood, thus increasing VO2 max? I am most definitely not in the "fast" category, and am primarily a mouth breather. At rest I preferentially breathe through my nose, but congestion or the slightest elevation in heart rate requires a switch to mouth breathing.

Feel free to chime in.

Careful what you wish for!

Yes, well, these new drugs appear to be working. So well, in fact, that I can see what appears to be a polyp up inside my left sinuses. Formerly obstructed by bloated tissue. White spongy, floppy looking thing up in there, as opposed to the rest of the fleshy-looking structures around it. That's going to have to come out at the talented hands of Dr. Druck, no doubt about it.

I am happy to report that although I still have only limited nose-breathing capabilities, at one day post-steroids my sinuses are much improved. Although I do have some weird heart palpitations/high blood pressure, so have to keep an eye on that. Could just be from the withdrawal of the 'roids. Current meds are: Zyrtec (morning); Nasonex (evening); Xyzal (evening); Benadryl (as needed). I'm sleeping much better, thank you. I may switch the Zyrtec and Xyzal, or discontinue the Zyrtec altogether. Although they are different mechanisms of action...but anyway we'll see. Cross your fingers.

In other news, I've "flipped" my flip-flop IRO Jamie Roy over to the fixed-gear side. Just to mix it up. I kind of like the direct-drive action. Don't worry, though, it still has a full complement of brakes, fenders, and regular drop bars. I am in no danger of becoming a hipster. I'm far too old for that, anyway.

Go Time

It's never fun to be locked in battle with your own body. Granted, it's not what you'd call a life or death struggle. Allergies. I've officially declared war. This won't end until my nose starts behaving itself...or else winter sets in.

Wednesday I went to see the kind and talented Dr. Norman S. Druck, my sinus surgeon. I told him I was fed up with a lifetime of sneezing, stuffiness, lack of sleep, and everything else that's bad about allergies. He agreed to a prudently headlong assault on my overactive immune system.

So here I sit. Hopped up on a multitude of medications. But happily breathing through my nose as humans were meant to. Will it last? Maybe. If not, Dr. Druck has a prescription pad and endoscopic surgery tool up his voluminous sleeves.

Freaking nose. It's go time.

Misery in Missouri

I have allergies. And sinus issues. Not real bad allergies, like the kind that will kill you. And I had an operation several years ago to manage the worst of the sinus issues. But they're still there, and they're at their worst in the Fall. Like yesterday. Yesterday was quite possibly one of the worst allergy days I've had in years. Nose running like a faucet, no airflow, sneezing so much that now my throat hurts.

So I assaulted my own immune system with a multifaceted offense. Nasalcrom, Zyrtec, saline sinus washes. Things improved. Then I pulled out the big gun: Benadryl. This age-old antihistamine works great for me, but has the unfortunate side-effect of drowsiness. Serious drowsiness. You know that "Tylenol PM" that you take to curb a headache and help you sleep? Yeah that's Benadryl in there putting you to sleep. Diphenhydramine HCl if you're into that sort of thing.

But it works. So now I am shuttered in my apartment, fearful of pollen and ragweed, HEPA filters on high, groggy and sleepy. But my nose isn't running, I'm not sneezing uncontrollably, and I can breathe through it a little bit. Life is good.

Allergies. I wish someone would find a cure already. Wednesday I visit my ENT doc to see if there's any new drugs he'd like to try. Cross your fingers.

Slow, but not really

Today's ride was interesting. 10-15mph wind, fine. Right off the bat, I felt weak. When I'd try and push with my legs, nothing much would happen. I made up for it with a faster cadence, which seemed to work out alright. Although it felt like I was struggling just to get by, the speedo told a different story. Not my fastest riding - which isn't very fast to begin with - but not nearly as pathetic as it felt. It happens.

I chalk it up to the following: not going to bed until 3am, not eating since breakfast for a late afternoon ride, and general lethargy. Other than that, the ride was awesome. 80 degrees is perfect cycling weather. Hopefully I can find the energy after work tomorrow to go and give it another try. Winter is just around the corner, after all.

Winter will of course mark the beginning of kayak season! At least for me. I despise kayaking in hot weather. Missouri is too humid to have a good time sea kayaking in the summer - it's just a sweaty, smelly affair all around. And my plastic boat loses rigidity as well, so that's not good. No one likes a flaccid 17' kayak!

It's Over - road season wrap up

I am sad. The most epic weekend for cycling in St. Louis is over for another year. This weekend we had not only the Gateway Cup - four days of pro-am racing in various St. Louis locations, but also the first stage of the Tour of Missouri.

Not only is the road racing season largely over, but it also marks the start of the slow descent into winter. I will ride through the winter, as I have little choice if I want to maintain my sanity, but it's not nearly as much fun as riding when it's not freezing cold. I am definitely a warm-weather kind of person.

My slow progression to faster cycling has been interesting. Not only is it a matter of fitness, but also of learning *how* to go faster. Just by the mere act of going faster, I've learned that I've never really even remotely scratched the surface of what my body can do. I accelerate to speeds I don't think I can manage, and then somehow manage to manage it, manageably. Also spinning my enormous feet around faster broke down another barrier - brute leg strength (or the lack). I don't quite understand that one, but it seems to work. Must be some biochemical thing in the muscles.

I even bought a fancy-pants indoor trainer to attempt to at least maintain, if not improve a bit over the cold winter months.

Thanks to everyone (TK, Mitch, Ghisallo, John S., Ted, and the kind folks of St. Louis Biking to name but a few) who has tolerated my inane questions or otherwise helped out with my desire to go faster on a bicycle. Some of you know bits and pieces of my struggles the past few years, and your support and kindness has been invaluable to me.

The next four to six months will be interesting. My employment future at Pfizer is in serious doubt these days; whether I remain employed, continue to live in St. Louis, or even if the St. Louis research site remains open will all be determined shortly. Fortunately I have a lucrative set of skills, so I'm not worried much about employment opportunities. Just where my paycheck will come from, and where I'll be living.

Now, I shall go ride my bike.

What is wrong with the world?

Ok, one of my minor pet peeves. Today I receive an email advertisement from a popular discount computer store. One of the taglines reads - and I'm not making this up - "Delivers unmatched technology for Intelligent of performance on the most demand tasks..."

Do you see the problem here? That is so bad, it hurts my brain to read it.

Also, claims like "Multi-task up to 28% faster." Faster than what? Faster than the competition? Faster than the previous CPU from Intel? Faster than a cow? That number is meaningless.

If advertisers can't even bother to come up with coherent copy, I'm certainly not going to bother buying from them. As a result of this, I "unsubscribed" from this merchant's email list. I mean really, it's not some mom-and-pop operation. They can afford decent writers.

Walking is for cavemen

Today I was faced with a dilemma. I needed to get my rent check from my abode to the office, roughly 2 blocks away. Fire up the car? That would be absurd. Walk at night? People might think I'm a lunatic and pepper spray me. A tall male walking at night without a dog can be frightening, especially one as menacing-looking as me. The scar on my face makes me look like...oh who am I thinking of...Scarface.

Bike to the rescue! Pumped up the tires on the singlespeed, slapped on some lights, and headed out. Shorts, tennis shoes, t-shirt. No kit required. I even went "extreme" and didn't put on my helmet. Danger is my middle name. It's nice, from time to time, to ride like the old pro's before helmets were all the rage. Roughly 30 seconds later I arrived at the office. Dropped off check. 30 seconds after that, back at my hovel. Bam. Simple as that.

Bikes. They rock.

Wind - it's there

Yup, windy today. A first taste of fall. Cool (65F!) with a lovely 12mph breeze. Which naturally manifested as a crosswind for the bulk of today 1.5 hour ride. Normally wind makes me lazy, but today it actually seemed to inspire me to work harder. Good ride, though I definitely prefer warmer temps. Took a while to warm up and be comfortable.

And to motorists who complain about "scofflaw" cyclists - STFU. Today I waited at an intersection to make a left turn. No fewer than three successive cars chose to not employ their turn signals - thereby preventing me from making my turn. I don't know where these motorists get off; a solid 50% or more ignore at least one traffic law every 5 minutes. And yet they see one cyclist rolling a stop sign and suddenly all cyclists are criminals who deserve to be "taught a lesson" and slaughtered.

I have a problem

Hello, my name is Brian H., and I am addicted to buying bicycles. I already have a bike for every conceivable purpose and circumstance, and yet I still want more. "Race" bike? Yes. Rain bike? Of course. Flip-flop utility bike for the 1-mile commute to the Post Office, complete with fenders? Doesn't everyone have one of those? Two mountain bikes, a cyclocross/utility bike, ancient non-functional British bike, etc. etc.? Yes, and more.

So I was talking with a friend of mine out in KC, who recently got the biking bug and then was promptly mowed down by an inattentive motorist. Fortunately he escaped - miraculously I might add - injury free, but his bike was destroyed. He's been looking at replacements, and happened upon the 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 4. Upon investigating this bike, I decided that I too must have one:
It's the legendary CAAD9, after all! Reputed to have astronomical stiffness, light weight, and a comfortable ride. This model happens to have a mix of SRAM parts, making it all the more enticing. And to make matters worse, this is the last year these frames will be made in the USA.

Do I need one? Absolutely not. The sizing isn't even quite right for me. But I will inevitably buy one. I already have the justification all worked out. If I decide to enter a race or two next year, most likely I will participate in what is known as a criterium race or "crit". Short, fast races. Since I'm new to racing, I'll be among other people new to racing, and undoubtedly we'll be crashing a lot. I can't risk the Trek in that environment, can I? And the rain bike - which may or may not exist - is clearly not a race bike with its triple chainring. I could deploy one of my many other bikes, and get beaten on all of them. But if I'm going to get beaten, it might as well be on a nice new bike, right?

Oh, well. it could be worse. I think I'll go ride a bike, and mull over the possibilities. Fortunately I can choose from among a wide array of options, selecting the bicycle best suited to my anticipated ride parameters.

Portishead

So I've strayed a little, listening to a lot of Audioslave. But then a little Portishead came up on the ol' MP3 player, and now I am reminded why they are still my favorite band. Not exactly hard-charging cycling music, but Beth Gibbon's angelic voice with the mellow "trip hop" wacky guitars never fails to pluck at my heartstrings. And that's how we know we're alive, right? It's good to be alive.

Freakish Chesterfield Statues/Aliens

As mentioned previously, spooky statues have been appearing around Chesterfield. They freak me out. Here's a few.




This is what I spend my days staring at. Trying to figure out how it works, maybe why it's not working right, and hopefully how to fix it.

Tecan deck being modified in our incredible machine shop. Don't know how I'd do my job without the shop.