Converted!

A friend of mine (B) met a new friend (G) who has an art studio which he lovingly refers to as his "getting dirty space." They were talking at a party and came to the conclusion that they would help me convert my bike. So yesterday, G called B and they made plans to meet. B and I arrived at the studio and 1 hour and a few country songs later, we were flying out of there on my new single speed setup. Removed a couple of chain rings in the front, ditched the shifters and derailleurs, and shortened the chain. We also chopped about an inch and a half off of my handlebars. Way better handling. G also polished my remaining chain ring and it's so pretty.

I still need to get new wheels/tires so that I can get rid of the back cogs and really lighten this baby up, but I can already feel the difference. I'm gonna be one zippy little thing especially after chugging along on 35 pounds of bicycle. But for now, I'm still a little heavy and on an odd gear ratio, so going up hills kinda sucks, but I still rode about 10 miles today -- more than 7 of them were with a friend who lives in Brooklyn now, but was my skating and biking buddy in middle school back in Indianapolis.

Not So Cute

Lately, my friend Laura (soycube) has been posting about interesting-looking bugs on her blog. She seems to find them endearing and cute. Well, I had a slightly different experience yesterday morning.

I had just arrived at the office and was taking a quick post-bike ride rinse in the shower, when I saw something moving in my peripheral vision. "Oh, no, you're just imagining it as usual" I thought. Then I looked again and on the wall of my shower was a 2+ inch long water bug (some might say cockroach).

So imagine: I'm completely nude, trapped in a small room with a huge bug, with no options but to take it on. So I did, but not without repeatedly screaming at the top of my lungs. My colleagues came running down the hall thinking that I was being attacked (I was). One thought I was singing, but he obviously has very little faith in my ability.

It was terrifying. I couldn't escape (because I had no clothes on), I couldn't get help (same reason), and I had to take on this battle in the nude (which is extra terrifying when you hate creepy crawlies like I do). I felt like I was Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, only I was armed with a Puma (shoe) and not a knife. But I got the job done. It took me a few hours of cooling off to be able to go back in there and remove the carcass, however. But I did that too.

Miracles of Science

Another ophthalmologist story.

I was there for a contact lens fitting (four months late), so I was testing them out on my way to work. When I got back on my bike, the world had suddenly changed. I felt like I was about 12 inches taller. Peripheral vision is amazing, but it was weird because it was as if I were floating or something and suddenly I could go faster and be more nimble.

Who needs a real road bike when you can see?

Eyeballs Roll, Bikes Rock

Today my ophthalmologist told me that since February my prescription has changed. So, just in case, I asked, "You mean it got worse, right?"

"No, actually, it got better. What have you been doing differently?"

The bike. It's the bike. I can't believe it! Yeah, maybe I've changed my diet or my work habits a bit since then, but the only real, significant change is the bike. I've read about eye exercises and other things you can do to improve vision, but like all exercise, it's hard for me to do it just for the sake of doing it (even with a goal in mind). However, if I work it into a utilitarian purpose, life will change. And that's what happened. I'm getting toned arms, toned legs, toned butt, toned core, and toned eyeballs... and all from my 9-mile R/T daily commute and weekend getaways. Are you convinced to start a 2-wheel commute yet?

Weekend Adventure Numbers

I could tell the stories, but it would take too long. Plus, what happened in the tent stays in the tent. So here you go:

• Travelers: 4
  
• Total Miles Traveled: ~40
• Roadkill we passed, ran over, or otherwise encountered: at least 20 including 3 robins, 3 rats, 10 squirrels, 2 raccoons, and several unrecognizable animals including one that might have been a frog
• Hours after our intended arrival time we actually arrived at our campsite: 3
• Wineries visited: 3
• Goat farms visited: 1
• Greenhouses used to wait out rain and hail storm: 1
• Round trip detour mileage due to navigational difficulty: ~3
• People our tent was intended to sleep: 2
• People our tent actually slept: 4
• Caterpillars found on my body in the night: 1.5
• Attempts at making fire: 4, including one successful attempt
  
• Attempts to use the neighbor's fire: 1 (successful)
• Number of pet birds brought by neighbors: 3
  
• Bottles of wine consumed during breakfast: half
• Caterpillar droppings on hair, clothing, and food: well, if we had known that's what that was from the start, the number might have been smaller, but since that was a late discovery, more than we can count
• Emails sent: 0
• Phone calls to "dad": 4

Countless good conversations, laughs, and good times. Can't wait to go again -- but I will be purchasing a new (to me) bike before then or significantly modifying mine. And panniers might also be a good idea. Carrying a wet tent in a backpack is not actually advisable.

Oops-ident

I shouldn't post this here because you'll worry. But you shouldn't.

Today I had a bike accident on a large thoroughfare. I was powering through a yellow light across 6 lanes of traffic (in hindsight not the most brilliant move), when I suddenly saw a car coming at me poised to make a left turn directly in front of me. Brain: "Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit!" Body: "Slam on brakes" Bike: "Front brakes are tighter than the back ones." Back tire fishtails and throws me off. I'm lying in the road with my bike next to me. Uninjured. Slightly shell shocked. Lady from the car yells "are you OK?" I said, "Yeah, are you?" She said "yeah". I got up, a little embarrassed. She split. Still made it to work in 30 minutes.

So I went to the bike shop today and got my rear brakes repaired. Much safer.

P.S. Yes, I was wearing a helmet.

Breaking the Cycle

I had questions about whether it was a good idea to ride my bike when it was expected to reach over 100 degrees today and I figured I'd regret it when I decided to take the train. I was correct. Not only did I forget my subway pass, which means I had to pay $4 cash for the round trip (obnoxious when you have over $40 in subway fare sitting idly in your purse), but it also took eons to get across town. Eons! One should not wuss out just because it's hot. That's why we have water. It just makes me angry not to exercise, so I guess I won't be doing that again.

14 Year Old Boy

I said in a previous post that we can't all look like girly 14-year-old boys (forever), but apparently I've managed to hang on to that look -- or at least that persona. This morning a guy with chisled, split calf muscles zipped past me on his road bike up the hill on the Manhattan bridge. However, after I took (as I call them) the jumps and got some sweet air, I bombed past him on the way down.

It was a rainy morning, so not too many people out on their bikes. That is usually accompanied by some decent attitudes because there's an understanding that everyone who's actually out is pretty serious about their bikes. He saw me coming and waved me on, and I yelled something back at him about 35 pounds. He caught up to me on the road later and we had a nice discussion about the fact that I'm still a 14-year-old boy, and that my bike is more like a sled than a bike (his words, not mine). He also noted that 14-year-old girls do stupid shit like take the jumps too. Point taken.

Coffee Cycle

french press my coffee
delicious morning beverage
i like it a lot

Like many days, today started with a fresh pot of French press coffee. Sadly, I cannot commute with my coffee because as I learned one day with a paper cup from the bagel store, I cannot drink and drive. Not even coffee. I spilled it all over myself including my new bad-ass fingerless gloves.

I saw a bike in a catalog today that comes with a travel mug holder. I'm sorry, but that's lame. What suburb are you riding in and why the hell do you need coffee while you ride if you're just going around the block? There are way too many potholes and assholes in NYC for that to be practical. Drink it when you get there and get over it.

Speaking of potholes, there are a lot of them, and my grubby little monster of a mountain bike takes them like a champ. However, I learned today that my bike is not only heavy, but exceptionally heavy. It weighs 35 pounds! So apparently, I've been taking the hills like a champ too. So even though my boss makes fun of me for being a slave to fashion, I'm getting myself a single speed road/track bike. I won't necessarily go fixed gear, but I definitely want something lighter and more maneuverable.

Ba-a-rack-O-ba-a-ma-a!

Negligent

Yes, it's true. I've been negligent and for that I apologize.

However, I think that in some ways it's an improvement. The weather is nicer. It's easier to stay out later and be outside for longer periods, so I don't end up at home writing blog posts. So here's an update, in no particular order. I think I'll also post some things I started and never finished long ago.

1. I've been riding my bike a lot. I haven't taken the subway in 2 weeks. So all of my commuting, going out, etc. has all been done via bike or foot. I've even biked in the rain. Commute is about 4.5 miles each way, so I'm bulking up and spending an inordinate amount of money on food!

2. Because of number one, I'm thinking of investing in a lighter ride. I currently mount a Frankenstein of a mountain bike with way more gears than I need or will ever use. I'm thinking of going single speed or even fixed gear. Then I could have one of those sexy machines with no rear brake. That would be hot.

3. Also because of number one and the corresponding lack of subway time, I've significantly reduced my reading time. I'd like to get back into some books. From the end of August through about February I read something like 12 books. I haven't read a whole one since then, but I have read some magazines (like Outside and Fast Company).

4. Finished Spanish class in early May.

5. Spring concert with Grace Church Choral Society, which I should have announced here and didn't, was fabulous.

6. Other non-blogable personal and professional events.

Harlem

Biked to Harlem via the Hudson River bike path. It was a beautiful day. One of those "I totally understand why they have those t-shirts -- I LOVE NEW YORK" kind of days. The trees are all in full bloom. Pink. White. Purple Green. Amazing.

I was headed to the demonstration protesting the gratuitous killing of Sean Bell. I don't really know much about the case, so I can't in good conscience comment on the right or wrongness of the aquittal, but I can say that either way, 50 shots seems excessive. So, with a journalist friend, I biked up there to see what was going on. We got there a little late for the actual demonstration. There were a few people with signs and flyers, but nothing really noteworthy. Or was it?

I think that the expectation is that the black community would be the folks who are outraged in this event since Sean Bell was black. However, the people sticking around to the bitter end were white, asian, latino, but not really a black presence.

Another thing came to pass while we were in Harlem. My friend's bike got a flat. So, we started asking people about a bike shop. The man at what I'm calling the "Jesus Table" suggested that we go to a man who sets up on the side of the road and fixes bikes for "the children". Sounded good to me, but I wasn't quite sure about the directions. So I asked someone else. This guy said he'd lived in Harlem for years, knew the neighborhood like his hand, and had never seen a bike shop. That's why (he said) that there was so much violence around -- people don't ride bikes here. So we decided to follow the directions of the Jesus Table man. And then we encountered "The Doctor". The Doctor was a barber-shop-esque setup in a garage where three or four guys sat waiting for customers surrounded by bikes.

For $20 we got the flat fixed, tightened the brakes, straightened out the rim, and got back on the road.

The most surprising thing? The philosophy lessons. I'll admit it. I'm a little limited in what I think that most people think about religion. I think that sometimes people take things literally and I'm not down with that.

However, I overheard a woman talking on the phone with someone about tackling problems by setting the right frame of mind and letting things happen from there -- making the mind the most important, or at least the beginning, part. Then, the man who fixed the bike told us he had had 2 strokes, 2 heart attacks, spent 2 years in a wheel chair, and had beaten cancer. He attributed his current health to faith and an internalization of the divine. Deep.

10+ miles by bike. Cultural experience. Good company along the way. And guacamole and homemade lasagna when we returned home. Beautiful day.