12 posts tagged “bicycle”

As I blogged a few blogs ago, it was supposed to be going to China, but those plans had been changing up until about two weeks ago. Eventually it was decided I'd be going.

Hitomi came back that same week (Sunday) and I had less inclination to be anywhere without her. Plus I'd be missing out on Halloween. In some ways it was my fault, in that I was asked by work to give reasons why I was needed in Shenzhen and I came up with a pretty convincing e-mail, I suppose.

(By the way, I'm typing this in Hong Kong. China blocks pretty much all the blog sites out there. So that's why I hadn't posted any updates to Facebook or here.)

I'll need to update this as time goes by.

Flight: Eva Air leaves around 2AM for Taiwan from Seattle, and pretty much nobody's in the airport, so it's a pretty lonely affair. I was flying business but for whatever reason it was tough feeling comfortable sleeping. Shoulder room was great but I experienced the usual leg fatigue and being by a window of course I had to pee every few hours it seemed.

Felt pretty good in Taipei. The airport terminal I remember from my last to Taiwan with Hitomi brought back some good memories. But there was no Hitomi this time around. And though I had plenty of food on the flight in the middle of the night, I enjoyed breakfast yet again.

Hong Kong airport: Felt like a step up from Taipei. I was taking the ferry to Shenzhen and the ferry service will transfer your bags from the airline directly, which is a help. While waiting for the ferry, I bought some books and coffee. The ferry sounded better than it was: For one, you're inside. For another, there's a lot of waiting and being transferred.

Mainland China landing: Definitely pretty ghetto and strangely what I expect to see. Luckily, customs and immigration was efficient and not at all pushy like in the U.S. I exchanged some cash and proceed to the taxi area.

It was about 350RMB (Chinese money) to the hotel, and basically I was ripped off (again) by third World taxi drivers. Alas, it was only about $50 US, so no great harm. I thought I learned my lesson in Thailand: Never, ever ride in a taxi with no meter running. Plus I should have realized when the driver said he liked the U.S. I should have realized I was being conned.

Of course the first thing I do in the hotel is assemble my bicycle, which actually was difficult this time around. It's been awhile but also the front brake (caliper) was misbehaving. Somehow the nut on the middle of the screw got loose or something causing the head to get loose. A lot of knucle banging later and it was okay. Then: Where to ride?

Speaking of screws loose, yes I rode in Shenzhen, where the drivers are insane. Shenzhen, in short, is like a heavily polluted and spread out version of Hong Kong where the roads are bigger and traffic perhaps more vicious. In some ways, it's all a reflection of life is worth less and standards of living are sacrificed in the name of advancing progress. Some suspect Barack Obama may be Communist, but the Chinese are Communist, and the Party is more vicious and heartless than even your most avaricious right wing Republican's fantasy.

I highly value my life, yet paradoxically ride a bicycle in this sort of shit. Anyway, where should I go? I bought a map of the city, which was designed to work okay for drivers who take major roads, but I wanted to find minor ones, which tend to be more interesting. But the way the city was designed, there are basically islands of huge towers and communities and they are like islands surrounded by big roads. Taxis are thankfully cheap (for us foreigners) and there is a subway which provides refuge for pedestrians.

In terms of traffic safety, here are some things to note: Pedestrians must yield to motorists. Motorists never signal. They can drive however they want, as fast as they want. Note: There are bicycle lanes, but motorists can and will use those for parking or driving if they feel like it. If you are more than 1 second late accelerating, they will honk at you. They will honk when passing on the left or right or if you are in front of them. Seatbelts are optional, especially in taxis where the buckles might be broken or missing. If the driver wears one, he will likely be sitting on the shoulder strap.

First ride I did: Came back exhilerated but my lungs hurt from...something in the air. And in addition to the persistent pollution, which scarily blankets the sky with a dull brown on even a sunny day, a lot of places smell like old garbage, ala Ho Chi Min City. What am I doing here?

There's something about cycling and cycle commuters in general that brings out the best (worst?) in poor taste.

SBTWD_sm

3 comments

I understand the artist is trying to make cyclists look ordinary and all but I don't think anybody under 40 years old would be caught dead wearing that shirt. I'm no artist and three gangly, unattractive dorks on a shirt is NOT something I would be proud to be associated with. If I saw those nerds on the road in real life, and I was driving, I'd probably be tempted to run them over, back up, and run them over again. My wife (who is an artist) asked her coworkers why bicycle clothing, especially jerseys and shirts for club rides are so ugly, apparently the world of cyclists and artists don't intersect.

And there's a reason why I've been on dozens of organized rides and haven't bought a jersey or t-shirt. Because they all suck.

People: Get one of those corporations (e.g. Adobe or Starbucks) with a team of talented artists to design a shirt. You may have to pay a few thousand to come up with a good design. But guess what? You'll sell more jerseys and make that money back. Let's make cycling look cool again.

Someplace in Taiwan a week or so ago in 2007, my odometer turned over 2000 miles. For me it was significant, since it was first time I've ever ridden a bicycle so much in a year.

To get my 2500 miles, I have to add in mileage from my other (singlespeed) bicycle (bought in September) another 400 miles. And I rode at least 100 more miles on each bicycle before I had an odometer for either.

2500 miles is close to 170-200 hours on the bicycle. This seems like a lot, though not so significant considering how long the average American is in front of the television, at around 1000 hours a year. (And 250 hours is a lot less than how long I'm online every year.)

I managed an average of 50 miles a week.

I don't commute, so all those miles was for pleasure or short trips in the city, say to the video store or to visit friends.

I'm pretty happy for my first year of serious riding.

First, Seattle Bicycle Club Ride Pictures:

Today's Photos

Last Weekend's Photos

Today I rode 50+ miles on my single-speed bicycle, from Machias to Arlington, west over to Lakewood and down through Marysville. This was my first single-speed "half-century." Hitomi came along and joined with two other women (sisters) on a shorter route. I did fairly well, though I was tired near the end, especially after a long hill climb. I was ahead of the pack a few times. On the flats we were doing around 18mph. I can't spin fast enough for more than 19-20mph.

It's a bit of a surprise to other riders that I ride single speed. I was asked "So, do you have a real bicycle?" by one rider who had a carbon fiber bicycle and Dura-Ace components, a high-end wheel set, and color-coordinated bike kit. It's interesting that a lot of people think this way about bicycles without gearing: I did not buy a toy! And I was asked about the weight of my dynamo hub, the size of my gearing, etc., which I did not know. Should I remember these facts to tell others? Because to me, what I have is sufficient.

Still, there are inherit weaknesses, I do have a performance handicap. But the bicycle I have is fun to ride and that's fundamentally why I ride.

I ought to have pictures up soon of my new Salsa "Casseroll" build, but for now a brief discussion on why I went single-speed in Seattle.

First of all, I had tried a fixed gear bicycle at Perfect Wheels, a Ritchey Break-Away build as a fixed gear bicycle. Eventually, I would get the frame as a multi-speed bicycle, but it was fun to experience riding around the neighborhood for that brief time. And then when I did more and more research on why people were into single speed bicycles and fixxies, people seemed to get by just fine without gearing. Primarily you need gears for climbing up steep hills, but by using the leverage of your legs and arms, you get pretty good mechanical advantage. Higher-end frames are also lighter and stiffer and easier to propel up hills with less down-shifting.

But enough of the theory. The weather was fine on Sunday and I joined a fairly moderate fall ride: 32 miles along Puget Sound, from Alki Beach down to Burien, and 14-16 miles per hour average speed, in theory. There were around 20 riders, all with gear shifters except for myself, mostly fairly seasoned riders. But I kept up with everyone, and passed most on the uphills. I was struggling on a few steep sections, but with a forward position, I kept steadily climbing. Keeping momentum was key.

My handlebars are a little unusual looking. They're called "Urban Pursuit" bars from Soma (think cow bullhorns) with brake levers on the ends, but extend forward further than what looks right. However, I made pretty good use of much of the bar area, since to make those climbs requires a forward position. Going downhill also feels better keeping you back lower by reaching ahead.

As for the rest of the bicycle, I got compliments about how it looked. It's a golden, shiny frame, with nice details and hammered aluminum fenders that one fellow remarked looked like "disco ball" fenders. The lights fit it fairly well with the design, though the taillight wiring I'd like redone with clear zip ties, rather than black. I'd also like a silver colored seatpost and stem, rather than black, to match the gold a little better.

I was happy to have wider tires, though I wanted slicks not treaded tires. Larry couldn't find ones that fit, however. Still, the tires felt fairly smooth and I liked the cushy feeling, and for once not feeling every minor imperfection in the road.

The ride went downhill to the Duwamish River basin, and mostly flat afterwards. We went through some of the lessor  neighborhoods of south Seattle, and though the pavement was cracked and the buildings were shabby, there were some beautiful fall colors to see. We passed under a canopy of red maple leaves, perhaps a non-native variety, and I remarked it's a shame that the local, dominant maple species (Acer Macrophyllum) turned yellow and brown.

Somehow, I got behind, and met up with Gary, the ride sweep, who chatted with me for a bit, wondering how my ride companion was, who was on that first ride early in the year. I mentioned she was my wife, and we were married 8 years ago. I said I was living in the Ravenna area and he thought I was renting an apartment, or house. Anyway, obviously to him, I look pretty young. Maybe it's the exercise?

Finally back to Alki Beach: I had pizza with about 8 other riders on today's ride, all older. One guy (the "veteran") who I see often on the Tuesday rides, was obviously quite tired. I had a good time and was happy, after a big salad, three slices of pizza and cream soda.

I've been on Vashon Island a few times -- by kayak -- before. But today was the first time on the roads. (That is, unless I was too young to remember.)

This morning, I rode from my home near Greenlake to Alki Beach and down along the waterfront to the Fauntleroy Ferry. Rain was in the forecast for later, but it sure seemed ready to rain at any time. The ride was a pleasant one, though on many bumpy roads. Through Lincoln Park, you ride on gravel. There was enough wetness to make it a little sloppy. It's time to wash my bicycle again.

Five-fifty or so gets you over to Vashon. From the ferry to the main road is the biggest hill, about 1 miles long. I got passed and then later passed a cyclist, then he passed me again. He seemed determined to beat me up the hill. He was heaving and sounded strained. Perhaps I was being polite or perhaps I was tired myself, I let him lead the rest of the way. On the way to the top, I made a little conversation: he lived on the island, and I tried to explain it was my first time here. I said I planned to go around the whole island. "Maury Island, too?" I wasn't sure if Maury Island was automatically included when one indicated "around the whole island." Some other cyclist was at the top and he sped off on the main road at 22+ mph. I headed down to the left.

The left led to a road along the west side, a winding road canopied in deciduous trees and cedars, which had occasional driveways or side roads off to peoples' homes on the water. I didn't see a single car for 20, 30 minutes. The rain started in earnest, but I was quite warm. I was more sweaty than wet, and dirt started to flick on my front and back. You'd get glimpses of water, and sometimes pass a Madrona tree or two, or a farm. It was Cascade foothills cycling combined with a bit of San Juan Island flavor.

My back and neck -- post sports massage -- actually felt worse than last weekend. My legs and knees weren't quite as capable as I remember. I wondered if I was wearing myself out? Am I finally old? The rain stopped and I walked out on a beach to snack.

Climbing back up to the ferry hill, I hit a patch of wet glass that crunched and popped. A few moments later, I heard air escaping from my tires. The rain was starting up again. Getting my tire off was pretty easy and tube out not too hard. I felt around carefully for any left-over shards and considered it safe to put another tube on.

I set up camp underneath some trees. A couple of people, one old man in a car and two bicyclists stopped by and asked if I was okay. I had my tube and patch kit, I've changed dozens of tubes.

I got to work: Immediately, I noticed my spare tube (carried probably over a thousand miles so far) was too short by about 6 or so inches. I must have bought the wrong one: How did I get the wrong size? I presumed a little air would stretch the tube enough to fit over the rim. but it actually had an opposite effect. Luckily, I had my patch kit and if I was patient I could simply fix my old tube. The package optimistically says: "Lightly roughen tube with the included sandpaper, clean, apply patch, and you’re ready to go." Yes!

So, I pump up, but notice the tire does not harden. After some consideration, I figure the patch did not stick properly. Or I damaged the tube on mount, or pinched it someway. Considering my options carefully, I call Hitomi. She'd come pick me up in West Seattle, I'd walk down to the ferry. It was getting late and the rain fell steadily.

During last night's ride, I had a short conversation with The Veteran about his bicycle and bicycles he owns and frame materials, etc.

The Veteran was riding a $600, maybe $800 Bianchi, a simple hybrid bicycle with fatter tires. He said he owned a high-end aluminum Cannondale, and a Litespeed (Titanium, top-of-the line) bicycle, as well as so many other frames he doesn't even remember how many he had. So, why was he riding a "cheap" bicycle? Without getting a straight answer out of him, I assumed it was because he worried about additional wear-and-tear on his favorite bicycle. Or maybe his cheaper bicycle was a more comfortable geometry and having wider tires was comfortable in the city. And it didn't matter to be seen with a cheap bicycle.

He claimed himself (as a veteran racer) not to be able to tell the difference between aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, or titanium frames. And said it largely did not matter. He said that the editors of Bicycle Magazine themselves could not tell the difference, assuming they were the same tube size and painted black. But it matters to some people, especially those bicycle companies who are trying to sell more expensive frames.

What are the differences in weight? The weight for the lightest steel frame is about 1 pounds, compared to a carbon or titanium frame. Your average high-end road bicycle weighs about 20 pounds, so that's a difference of 5%.

There are other practical reasons, such as durability (steel rusts, though does not easily fatigue), and aerodynamics to chose one material over another.

The local bicycle owner, Larry at Perfect Wheels, does not own a scale, and says he doesn't care anymore about measuring grams. But I do know that he builds wheels based on rider weight, he will not overbuild anything to add useless weight.

Hitomi and I did a "metric century" ride today. (This is where you ride 100km in a single day.)

She and I joined a faster ride ("moderate pace", 14-16 mph) today, which took us from the town of Snohomish, through Arlington, Granite Falls, and various small towns and lakes. There was about 40-50 people on this ride (I had expected a handful) and pretty much every one of them had more expensive bikes than us and experience to match. Top-of-the line Shimano Dura-Ace and Campy Record component sets all around. Most everyone was around 40+, and most were men. There were women, though quite burly. Surprisingly, there was one 16-year old on the ride. Hitomi and I represented the late-20 and early-30 demographic. It was clear we weren't of the Veteran caliber.

However, Hitomi did keep up with the pack - at least initially - and I did just fine. My bike's so smooth (if the road's smooth) and I was beaming at how well it rides. We went through a lot more scenery than the previous weekend (which mostly sucked from a scenery standpoint) and keeping in with the pack helped shield us from the traffic. It was my first ride with so many in one area, it was like we were in a flock of migratory birds or herd of elk or something.

At around the 40 mile mark (our lunch stop), Hitomi was flagging and last. I was fine (my cold knees finally started warming up) and in some ways I was actually feeling better than at the start. But it was about 3 hours into the long ride and Hitomi couldn't match pace with the rest. The leader (Greg) was concerned - he suggested various short-cuts (to me) if she was tired. Hitomi said she was "fine" and could finish, though now was only going 12-14 mph. Having said that, it seemed likely we'd just finish the route, if only at a shorter velocity.

Our lunch was in front of a supermarket in Granite Falls. Since we got there late, we were leaving after most people left, and Hitomi again was in the back. It seemed unlikely we'd be able to keep up. I got frustrated since we (Hitomi) was getting abandoned (even by the old guy in the back) and I tried to keep Hitomi pedaling. She also popped her chain a few times and had a tough time with the derailer and I told her she doesn't know how to shift properly. (This I think is true, but wasn't nice to say. Having had it adjusted by Larry at "Perfect Wheels" it's probably as good as it might be. The only improvement would be replacing the derailer entirely.)

Despite our frustratingly slower progress, we actually weren't too behind many riders. We passed a group dealing with some mechanical issues (flat tire?) and met up with the aforementioned teenager (Jeff) who was having some of his own bicycle problems. Confused about the route (we mistakenly on the west side not east of Lake Roesiger), we stopped and talked to some older folk. They were planning a taking a well-known short cut. The shortcut would save about 12 miles off of the 75 planned for the trip, though for the distance saved, I found that it went up and down some quite substantial hills.

Hitomi's bicycle isn't as good as it should be. Although when I bought it, it was clearly better than mine, now it's not. It's a bit unfair to have the slower person is stuck with the worst bike. But really her lack of speed is more about her lack of strength, which will take time to build. We're aiming for 100 miles (not kilos) over two days and I want to help her meet her goal of Seattle to Portland.

After work today, I took off around 5:30PM to bicycle around the local mountain.

Here is the route I took.

It was quite windy, which worked in my favor going east, and against me west. Coming in view of San Pablo Bay, I noticed the tide was low and the bay was muddy for many miles out. The opposite shoreline was hazy and many miles away. It wasn't very pretty. Inland was much prettier: China Camp State Park, consisting of hilly hiking and mountain trails, campgrounds, and grassy picnic areas actually wasn't too bad of a park. Since it was the off-season, there weren't many visitors, and there was little traffic until I returned back to the city.

The road later transitions into a four lane road, with a supposed speed limit of 35 and 25/mph in sections. A 25 limit is actually pretty common here, where the road narrows or becomes twisty, but is fairly often ignored. There was a high-end sports car zooming around the place (no license plate, so I assume a test driver) going 50-60 or so. He zoomed past me once, turned around, and zoomed past me again. In places, the shoulder lane disappeared. When there's no shoulder lane, for a four-lane thoroughfare I'm usually compelled to ride in the middle of the right lane. Otherwise, what tends to happen otherwise is I get passed dangerously close on the right. I'm moving 15-25/mph (at my best), and me on my road bike can't be pinned and forced to ride over the cracks, holes, drainages, seams, debris, and gravel at the rightmost margins of the road. I'm not that afraid of getting hit directly, but being knocked out of control then hit.

I heard car honks at a distance. I ignored them, but they continued. It somehow didn't seem like the honking was at another car in anger, it was like the sound of a driver trying to get someone's attention. I stopped and pulled off the road. I noticed my coat pocket was open and my wallet was gone. Oops! it must have fallen out: perhaps the driver noticed it fall out?  I turned around on the sidewalk and headed back to the previous intersection. A fairly large Toyota SUV stopped near the curb. The passenger-side window came down and the driver reached her hand out and handed me my wallet. She had her kids in the back and a pile of mail on her lap. (I recall passing a mailbox, she must have found it nearby and went after me.) I said "Thank you!" and she told me she was relieved she didn't have to chase me down any more...

I had dinner at my favorite San Rafael restaurant. I sat outside and ate beside my bicycle. It was about 65 degrees with gusting wind, but I kept warm under the heat lamp under the awning. I had to finish fairly quickly, as the sun was getting low and I had no headlight. I wanted some ice cream or donuts (which I smelled the oil of coming into downtown) but there was not much time for dessert.

If you examined my bicycle route, my return route ended up in some dead-ends. I had no map. I had a map, but it probably ended up (like my wallet) on the side of the road. I did recall (incorrectly) there was a route around the sides of the hill. And if not a proper road, the mountain itself had a network of mountain bike paths and such, so I thought if I could gain elevation, I could meet I up with one. In the end, there was no such thing I could find, and I had to follow busy roads along highway 101 back.

Back in the hotel, after my shower, I wanted some dessert. Without getting into my car and driving 10 minutes for it, I decided to dessert at the hotel restaurant.

Despite this being my 6th or 7th visit, I still hadn't eaten at "Rings: All American Steakhouse" -- the hotel restaurant. It never seemed very busy, which to me is a bad sign. With about 40 tables, and about 2 cooks, 4 wait-staff, 1 manager, there were only about 5 guests present, including me. Still, the staff seemed quite disorganized and busy. (Perhaps there were many room service orders?) It was 9PM, and there was nobody to greet me at the front, so I headed in and tried to find somebody. The first waitress I met (who tried to serve me initially) knew nothing about dessert, and explained it was her second day. A manager-like man took over, he went and fetched a dessert menu from the kitchen. (Why weren't these out?) Then he remembered the dessert tray. I made my choice. I sat down. I got two water glasses.

The dessert I choice I made didn't look too bad: Apple crisp with ice cream! Or so I thought: In reality, it turned out to be less than a crisp, and more like a syrupy stew with hard, undercooked apple slices -- and not-so-hard ice cream. A crisp by definition is supposed to be crispy. The contents (fruit) usually meld together in a fairly soft (maybe even runny) fruit-mass that can be spooned out. The ice cream is supposed to be fairly hard, so that by the time it's eaten, it's still ice cream.

It's funny that Hitomi considers me a "food snob" -- But I would say, if restaurants could just do a few things right: Use quality ingredients, ensure food is cooked correctly, balanced for texture and flavor, there would be no problem. What often happens is that food is old or was frozen (maybe because their menu contains not in season foods?), cooked too long (or short) or at the wrong temperature, or imbalanced, e.g. too much meat, too oily, food all one texture or taste. For extra points, a restaurant could serve foods that match the season and locale. For inventiveness, bring in ingredients that are unusual or are ethnic. Really, that's it.