Statrix Redux

I’m still interested in a hammock for bike camping and thinking about the Hennessy line as I wrote earlier.
Correction:
I just ordered the Hennessy Explorer Deluxe A-Sym with Hex Fly and water funnels (hey, it does rain here). I went for the Hex Fly because it might block more wind – I’m not a fan – and it does rain in Hawaii rather often, or at least it used to do so back in the day.
But where can I camp? Luckily the Honolulu Advertiser ran this map and story a while back…

It will require a bit of research – and some cash for the hammock, but I suspect I’ll get at least one night in before the end of the year…wanna come?
And then there’s Maui. I was just checking on taking the Super Ferry to Maui with a bike and seeing what’s what with that…more later.
Aloha!

I am so glad today is Monday and I can get back to work and relax a bit. 🙂
Seriously.
I like my job, but that’s not the only reason I’m glad to be back it. This weekend past was busy, busy, busy. I attended a two day assembly for an organization I belong to and whose website I manage. It really seemed I worked harder each day than I do at my “real” job. It’s not really true, but having to do something like that over a weekend sure makes one appreciate the weekdays.
I didn’t get much riding in. On Saturday I got up early and did coffee run before I got picked up at 7 am for the meetings. Sunday I didn’t ride at all, choosing to sleep in and only leave enough time for a shower and coffee before being picked up at 7 am again. “Sleeping in” doesn’t really sound right when one gets picked up at 7 am, but since I usually get up at 4 am, sleeping till 6 was a luxury.
The assembly was held out at Barbers Point Elementary School which seemed like a fine place, though of course there were no kids around being the weekend and all.
I wish I’d ridden my bike though. 🙁
Today I didn’t ride to work either. I have to take my moped in for a tune-up at 9 am and I couldn’t see my way fit to ride to work, ride home, take the bike in, walk home, ride back to work, ride home, walk to the shop and get the moped. Too confusing…I’m not even sure I wrote that down correctly.
I got a nice thank you email from a friend I rode with a bit on Friday though I probably don’t deserve it. I rode too fast and was unable to fix her flat tire (no spare tube in her size) so she is being especially gracious. Thanks!
That’s it for now. I do hope to get in an evening ride once I’ve got my moped back and all and then tomorrow it’s back to normal. Whew!
Aloha!

If you are thinking of spending a lot of money on me this Christmas I have some suggestions. Do keep in mind that my birthday is about 2 weeks after Christmas so you could use one for the “big gift” and the other for assorted accessories.
Blatant enough? 🙂
First and foremost, I want a new bike. I want a big bike to boot. You’ll have to consult with me on this one to get the size right, though I suspect you could just tell them to contact me for sizing…

If that seems a bit rich, there’s the Radish version…

That pretty much covers the bicycles. I’d prefer the former, but I wouldn’t sneeze at the latter.
As for accessories, there a nice list on the Xtracycle site as well.
Now I realize that not everyone is going to want to drop so much on getting me a great Christmas present so I’ve got some other ideas as well…
I could really use a folding bicycle, especially one that fits. It seems Xootr has one called the Swift.

I’ve ridden a Xootr push scooter before and can safely say that if the bike is the same quality as their scooter, you’ll be buying me a present that will last for a long, long time. I need either the L or the XL model…
Size L – You are between 5’10” (1.78m) and 6’2″ (1.88m) tall.
We keep the stock seat post and install a long stem.
Size XL – You are between 6’2″ (1.88m) and 6’5″ (1.96m) tall.
We install a longer seat post (590mm) and a long stem.
I’m only 6’1″ these days, but I have long legs and don’t like leaning much, so I’d probably go larger. If you are sure you want to get me this, let me know and I’ll give it a try down at The BikeFactory!
I know that this all sounds pretty self-serving, and frankly, you’re right it is. Completely. But these bikes are sort of the way I’m thinking of going with bikes at the moment. They are both for travel, one to take with, one to go on. 🙂
As for around town, I’m still looking at a nice Dutch style bike. I just haven’t decided which yet…
The Opa…

Or maybe the Kruisframe…

Or even the Velorbis Churchill…

Aloha!

Today I did give my plan from yesterday a try and added the loop around the Ala Wai Golf Course. I’m glad I did. I might never have know that the entire Ala Wai Blvd., headed Ewa from the Diamond Head end, has a bike lane. Of course during the day, when cars are parking and traffic is heavy, it might not be so hot, but at 5:00 A.M., it’s great. Well there was one car parking…

The ride itself is very flat, even more so than my downtown ride of the same length and the best description of that ride is…flat. 🙂
Today is my busy day as I have to leave work a bit early, bike home, change, then head off to my volunteer gig at Aloha United Way. Next week is zero hour for the program we put together annually to train folks, but once that’s done, and I do a repeat the next week, it’ll be time to give it a rest till next year. It’s good fun though, but I’ll be glad to have my Thursdays back for a while. 🙂
Aloha!

This morning I decided to try a different route and it was good, but short. Instead of the 7 miles I generally do, this was only 4 and I can definitely feel the difference.

I think I’ll try this one again tomorrow but will include looping around the Ala Wai golf course. That should put back my missing miles. You can see that in red on the map.
And when I opened my email this morning I found my first “Commute by Bike” newsletter. It’s a service of the Commute by Bike website. It had a link to an earlier article on the website about finding a perfect route with Google. Check it out!
[Note: I also use MapMyRide which has some nice features as well.]
I’ve also got some other thoughts. I’ve discovered that it’s only about 25 miles out to Barber’s Point Beach Park where, it seems, camping is allowed. As it turns out I’ll be out there this coming weekend to attend an event near the park. I’m going to try to check it out and see if the sites have enough trees to string a hammock. I’ve been thinking about getting a Hennessy Hammock.
Specifically I’m thinking of the EXPLORER DELUXE ASYM Model which is supposed to be the right size for big guys like me. It sounds a lot more comfortable and a lot less work than a tent.

Here’s the route to Barber’s Point as best as I can tell from Google.

Aloha!

I just didn’t have it today. I got up and went, but my get up and go went faster. I did manage a shortened commute, cutting out about 2 miles. I certainly wasn’t up to yesterday’s standards.
It makes sense though. I rode a lot yesterday – first my commute, then home on a slightly longer route than the what I might otherwise take, and finally, a ride to Kapiolani Park and back in the evening. Top that off with no more food than usual and a lot of tossing and turning last night and I can see why I wasn’t up to the challenge today.
On the other hand, I’m glad I did get out there instead of blowing it off and riding my moped. It was a nice 30 minutes of slow riding and I’m better off for that, but I need to get something decent in me after I do laundry tonight.
I’m thinking pasta. Lots of pasta. 🙂
Aloha!

This morning was great! As I discussed yesterday, it seems I’ve finally got my bike dialed in and it’s now a real comfort bike. I’m sure I’ll continue tweaking, especially as things wear out, break, fall off, or otherwise go bad, but for now things seem excellent. So excellent, in fact, that my 45 minute morning commute took me 30 minutes.
Actually it’s not really a leap from 45 to 30 minutes. Over the last month I’ve steadily been bringing the time down without even trying. For those of you worrying about whether I still qualify as a slow biker, not to worry – my speed at 30 minutes is around 13 mph, it used to be just over 9 mph. I must also admit that today I managed to get green lights at almost every intersection which doesn’t always happen. If I’m off it can add a good deal of time to my ride, so not all of the time I’ve shaved off has anything to do with me, today a lot of it was luck.
Here’s my normal route:

And if you really want slow, all you have to do is calculate my time for the actual distance I need to travel. It’s about a mile. So at 30 minutes, I’m really accomplishing about 2 mph. Slow enough?
Today I was not on my best behavior though. As I was riding down Beretania I noticed to fellows biking ahead of me. They were running red lights and not safely, if there is such a thing. While I won’t say I’ve never done it, I generally at least come to stop first, then go once I’ve determined that 1) it’s safe, and 2) that the light isn’t going to change for me. These guys were just pounding through them without looking. Admittedly there isn’t much traffic at 4:50 A.M., but what there is probably isn’t going to be happy if they have to stop short for a bike.
About my behavior? Well even though these guys were running red lights, I caught up to them. Remember, I was hitting the green lights just behind them. In addition they weren’t hitting a steady speed. They’d slow down, then jam, then slow, then jam. I just kept pedaling.
In any case, idiot that I am, when I got to the same intersection, though on the opposite side of the street, I yelled out, “Hey guys, running red lights is bad form.” Pretty harsh, huh? After all, it is bad form. I don’t want some driver deciding to take me out one day based on their experience with these two guys.
I phased them not at all. Thankfully they didn’t turn around and beat the snot out of me. 🙂 They didn’t look the type though. Frankly they looked like Mormon Missionaries, short sleeve white shirts and all. I’m not sayin they were (hair was not quite right for that), but unless thugs have started dressing in business attire, these guys were probably not a threat.
Guys, if you read this, sorry I yelled at you. Feel free to keep running red lights, the gene pool needs a little cleaning now and again.
And finally, my bike is now two months old. I bought it exactly two months ago, this afternoon. In the last five weeks I figure I’ve put about 120 miles a week on the bike for a total of 600 miles. I’m going to guess I did a lot less to begin with so a total of 750 sounds about right. It doesn’t seem like a lot, bit it is about 7 times around the island.

And about riding around the island, if I’m really going to consider riding 2000 miles down the Mississippi, I should probably consider riding around the island. I’m thinking, traffic aside, it shouldn’t be all that hard, especially if I camp overnight at the halfway point. Heck, I might not even camp and spend the night at a hotel instead. That way I have less to worry about.

When I got my new rear wheel on Friday I was told by “my” mechanic that I’d be back before I knew it. I was. I was out at Eki for new handlebars on Saturday and today I dropped by the shop at McCully. I didn’t even make it a whole day before I hit the shop again.
Actually today wasn’t so bad and I could have figured it out myself if I hadn’t been out an a ride already. My rear derailleur wasn’t setting on the gears correctly. It seemed to be riding a bit between gears and then would drop to another gear without notice. It was a very quick fix and I was on my way. Cool.
The real news is that the new handlebars are great. Just great. Having that extra 1.25″ makes my ride very comfortable. I might be slower as I’m more upright, but I don’t care. I don’t hurt and that makes all the difference in the world. I think I may finally have this bike “dialed in.”
I finished reading “Cycling to the Source of the Mississippi River” by Barbara Mary Johnson on my Kindle.
I loved it. I want to leave tomorrow – going, of course, in the opposite direction. Naturally this will require a bit more planning if it is to be at all though. Still it’s a thought. I think I’d like to try biking the big island first. I’m going to look into that in a bit.
That’s it for now though – time for bed. 🙂
Aloha!

Today I decided to see if my knee would hold up to a modest ride. Keeping in mind that 20+ miles is on the longer side for me, modest isn’t really very far at all.
I drove down Nimitz for a bit, then into Kalihi and to Eki Cyclery for a break. I was just goin to take a break and maybe pick up a another water bottle cage. I did get that. I got something else too.
I’d been thinking that my handlebars were just a wee bit low, and that was after all the tweaking I did to get them raised. They are 70mm risers and I was thinking just a another inch and they’d be perfect. Nobody seemed to have any around my neighborhood stores, so I’d kind of figured I’d let it go.
Eki, on the other hand, had some 100mm risers. That’s about 1.25 inches which is just about exactly what I thought I needed to make my ride almost completely straight up.
They were very busy but said they’d install them if I could wait about 45 minutes. I could. I had lunch at the Dillingham Cafe, a local diner. They had excellent burgers. If you are in the neighborhood, waiting for bike work say, just go to 1901 Dillingham and order up.
When I got back my bike was done. They’d installed the new bars as well as swapping out one of the brake cables for a longer one. All good. The total was under $50, including labor, so I figure it’s all good. I could have done it myself, but it would have been a pain and I wouldn’t have known about the cable till later, etc., etc.
In short, the whole thing was pain free, I got lunch, and got to spend a bit of time in a neighborhood I’d probably never go to otherwise. Speaking of Kalihi, there’s going to be a bit of festival on 9/6. A Taste of Kalihi. I didn’t go last year, but I suspect I will this year. I like eating. 🙂
Then I rode home.
That was it. I’m sure I’ll figure out more little tweaks over time. But I think my bike is just about right. It’s nice and comfortable and I had lovely ride home.
Actually I did stop off at the Made in Hawaii Exhibition at the Blaisdell. I have a friend who was exhibiting there and spent some time with him as well as picking up a very nice gift for someone’s birthday. Cool.
Aloha!

Today has been a busy one, but I’m ready to relax. I didn’t ride to work and now I’m doubly glad I didn’t. When I got home I turned the bike over ready to work on truing the back wheel. Finding where it was out of true was easy. I then started tapping the spokes just to see if they sounded different.
One did. Very different. It was quiet. It moved. Not good.
Yep, I had a broken spoke. Not only that it was one that mounted on the cassette side of the back wheel meaning I’d have to remove the cassette to change it. I didn’t have time to take the wheel with me when I went for a haircut, but I did stop at the bike store. The fellow there told me to take the wheel to the shop later, but if I really wanted to change things myself I’d need a freewheel lock remover and a chain whip.
After my haircut I picked up a big adjustable wrench just to be sure I had one. Then I went home, took off the tire and took the wheel to shop.
They laughed when I said the fellow at the store told me I’d need a chain whip, apparently I don’t.
I am glad I took it all in though. One of the fellows who looks to have worked on bikes longer than I’ve been alive pulled out the skewer and discovered it was bent. Then he discovered that the axle was bent. Basically the back wheel was shot. He said these sorts of things happened, and I guess they do. They’ve just never happened to me before. Sure I’ve had broken bike parts, but never anything quite that “big,” at least not as an adult.
The upshot was that the shop gave me a new wheel. I’ve had the bike less than 2 months and put less than a 1000 miles on it (I’d guess about 600), so it wasn’t broken from over use. Misuse perhaps, though I don’t jump curbs or anything like that. Oh well.
The whole thing worked out fine. I just took a quick spin around the block and everything seems fine, except the brake is really loud for the moment till wears the side of the rim a bit. I can live with that.
The score here? I’m not overly happy with Giant as a brand, nor with the sales clerks, but I’m pretty pleased with the shop – again. As I left I joked that I hoped I wouldn’t be seeing them for a while. “My” mechanic said, “See you in a week.” 🙂
So with that, here’s the back of my bike all fixed up…

Aloha!