Statrix Redux

My fellow I usually meet for morning coffee on Saturday never called to confirm this week so I was free to pursue my own solution to the my decided lack of caffeine. It was off to Starbucks on Kapahulu. It’s not that I’m overly committed to that Starbucks, or any for that matter, it’s that it is at the end of the Ala Wai bike path.

This was the longest ride I’ve had since returning to biking and it was a very pleasant trip. I had a nice break for coffee (and water) at the turnaround and never felt like I was pushing myself too hard (or, frankly, much at all). I’ve said it before, I’m not trying to get in shape overnight, become the next Greg Lemond (he’s closer to my age than Lance Armstrong), or even ride fast.
I am trying to enjoy myself and today I succeeded thank you very much. 🙂
Now I have to read up on front derailleurs as mine no longer want to move off the center chainring. Thankfully I did get a book. I’ll be needing some tools soon too I fear, but that’s for another time.
What I am thinking about is my position while riding. Sitting upright seems to be a lot more comfortable than leaning over for me, which I suspect has to do with my age and lack of fitness, as well as the kind of riding I’m doing. I need a lot more practice before I can make a decision about my next bike, but I can certainly see that this is going to be a “practice” bike which will eventually become a spare or simply get sold. I’m glad I didn’t invest a whole lot of money it.
Well that’s it for now, gotta get to a meeting!
Aloha!

Today I doubled my distance to work and from work. Let’s face it, 2 miles each way isn’t a real ride, but it’s better than 1 mile each way. The ride home is a little more fun this way and I’m even less pooped than I was a day or two ago going less. The thing is, I’m not trying to win any awards here, I’m just trying to have a little fun. Here’s my route home.

Tomorrow is a big day. I may try to ride even more. I’ve got to be somewhere in the afternoon, but I could easily work in a morning ride. It’s worth a try. 🙂
Aloha!

I couldn’t afford what I really wanted and I guess I really have no complaints about what I have (other than the rubber tip of the kickstand falling off yesterday), but…
What I really wanted was a traditional bike, not something sporty. It must be said, however, that my current bike isn’t exactly sporty. In any case, what I wanted was something more like this:

This is the Kruisframe from the Dutch Bike Co. Seattle. According to their website this is “The Official Men’s Bicycle of Art Nouveau.” I’m thinking I might prefer the “The Official Men’s Bicycle of Art Deco,” but not the “The Official Men’s Bike of Cubism.” The Dada version might bit hard to take too.
Here’s the cubist vision…

Of course the Kruisframe is $1779 without shipping. I’m also thinking it might really be a lot more as I’d probably want to try it first and that would involve flying to Seattle. Still that might be a great short trip next year. I love Seattle and I could take in a Mariner game if I plan it right. In fact I might be able to adjust my Mexico trip to include a day in Seattle. I certainly can’t afford the bike at the moment but one never knows what will come up. Hmmm.
For a few dollars less I could also consider the “Opa”…

Now I guess I need to think about my trip…which, frankly, is sort of fun in itself. 🙂
Aloha!

I’m impressed. I ordered three items from Nashbar Bike on Sunday evening and today, Wednesday, they’ve shown up. I did specify 2nd Day delivery, but in Hawaii we understand that mostly means an extra day. Given that they processed the order on Monday, Wednesday is super.
I ordered a rack trunk, the elite model I believe, at least that’s what showed up. It was even $2 less than listed so I was a bit confused, but no matter. 🙂 If this is the model I ordered, great, I saved $2. If it’s not, I paid what I thought, but got a better deal. I’m not going to enquire into it.

The other items are the Townie bags I mentioned in an earlier post.

I’m looking forward to trying it all tomorrow. Good fun!
I gave Nashbar a good review on RESELLERRATINGS.com. It doesn’t seem they’ve been doing great there, though I based on my experience I can’t see why. In addition I haven’t really seen anything bad about them on BikeForums (or is that Bike Forums?). Most folks seemed happy so I felt safe and I wasn’t disappointed.
Aloha!

I rode home the most direct route available to me today…up and over the Keeaumoku St. bridge, passing by Cartwright Field. It’s not particularly daunting, but since there is a lot of traffic I hadn’t wanted to try it until I had good control over my bike. This is the bridge on which I had my moped accident. Ouch!
Cartwright field is named after Alexander Cartwright who was Honolulu’s first fire chief…

That, however important, is not the reason he has a baseball field named after him. According the U.S. Congress, he is credited with inventing the modern game of baseball, and Wikipedia has this…

In Honolulu, Cartwright established the first baseball league composed of teams he created throughout the Hawaiian islands.[citation needed] His Hawaiian leagues became a model for the modern American and National Leagues of today.

I live a couple of blocks from Cartwright field which is, I believe, known as Hawaii’s first baseball diamond.
I go by the field at least twice a day, every day. Good stuff!

Today I did ride and even though I haven’t really been riding any distance to speak of or for very long, I felt at least a few ounces lighter.
Then I got to work and discovered why…
Normally I keep all my laptop accessories in their own ditty bag. It’s got the power supply for my Apple…

…as well as my aircard…

I guess I’ll actually have to do some work today.
Still it was a pleasant ride this morning, no rain or other inclement weather. Indeed no inclement anything. It’s clouding up a little now and I expect there’ll be showers later, but even if I get caught out on the way home it is of little matter. I don’t have a dress code at home.
Aloha!

Today I didn’t ride. When my alarm went off this morning I heard rain outside and napped for another fifteen minutes. That, in itself, shouldn’t have been a problem, but when it was time to go the streets were still wet and the possibility of another shower on the way kept me from jumping on the bike.
My other excuse is that I have to do laundry today and that means I have to be home pretty quickly after work. Of course it only takes a few minutes on the bike so the excuse is moot, but please let me have my delusions for a bit. 🙂
Aloha!

Today it was a breeze. I didn’t go very far to find quiet streets to ride on and managed to limit my “exposure” to about two blocks of nastiness (narrow road over a bridge). I’m still not a great rider, somehow my total distance of about 10+ miles hasn’t transformed me into the Lance Armstrong of commuting, but I haven’t fallen off quite yet.
The only problem I can see is that my panniers aren’t quite perfect, or perhaps it’s the rack. Still the problem seems to be that my foot catches a wee bit on the pannier when it’s loaded. I think I can adjust it a tad, but maybe not. It’s not a huge problem, but…
In any case, I made it home in the hot sun without even much sweating – though a nice long pull of liquid was in order when I got home. No, not beer.
Aloha!

Today did not start with my gleefully welcoming the day. No, I was not amused.
I woke up without my alarm this morning as it appears I hadn’t docked my iPhone. I use it as an alarm and it was buried under some other things from my pockets instead of standing upright, ready to wake me in the morning. I woke up only a quarter hour later than I might have wished, leaving me plenty of time, but it didn’t start the morning off the way I might have preferred.
The upshot was that I did not want to ride my bike to work. It would take too long (it’s not really any slower than the moped by the time I’ve walked to where I park it, etc.). It was too windy (though the wind would be at my back). There too much stuff to pack (exactly the same amount of stuff I’d need if I didn’t ride the bike).
In the end I do what I often do, give myself permission to make every excuse I can think of while I continue getting everything ready. I rode the bike.
I’m glad I did. It’s really not very far at all nor do I break a sweat so it can’t really be called exercise. It is at best, a morning stretch. But that, I suspect, is a good thing. At least it’s a better thing than not stretching.
In related news, I ordered the Townie Baskets from Nashbar. The panniers I bought Saturday are fine for “stuff” and could serve in a pinch for a few groceries, but they aren’t going to help with “big shopping.” These panniers come recommended by more than a couple of bloggers…
Paul Dorn’s Bike Commuting Tips
robonza…a blog about bikes, bike commuting and more…so much more.
kk* Cool Tools

For the price, $19.99 each, they seem like a bargain, even if they only last a year or two.

I didn’t manage to get a ride in today, which, considering it’s a weekend, doesn’t seem right. But it’s okay, I’m not out to beat myself up over all of this “bikey” stuff. Still the day wasn’t without bike related activities.
I headed out to Eki Cyclery to see what they had in store for me. It’s a big, bright shop which really looks like it caters to families and those of us who aren’t into riding 100 kilometers before breakfast. I once tried to be one of those guys and it just wasn’t me. I don’t fault ’em, but walking into their stores can be a wee bit scary. I always feel like I’m too out of shape even to say hi.
In any case they had a bunch of stuff in the shop in no particular order I could discern. The accessories I bought were not in the accessories section, but they had ’em! So what did I get?
I got a tiny little bell to annoy pedestrians with. It wouldn’t even be heard in a car, but when I next sneak up on pedestrians walking in the bike path I’ll be ready.
I got a little bag for the handlebars that I can keep stuff in like…I don’t know. I’ll have to find some stuff to put in it. I expect that will be pretty easy. I’ve still got to get tubes and a pump (or maybe a CO2 cartridge) and that kind of stuff.
The big thing is the panniers. I found some Avenir Metro Panniers as a decent price there and picked them up immediately. I still looking at a few other things, but at least I can immediately start packing a bit of stuff to and from work as well as having a little room to shop at the grocery store. I’m used to buying small quantities because of the moped, so have only a little room shouldn’t really be a problem.

Oops, that’s not what I bought, though panniers they may be. 🙂

That’s more like it.
I really should have given it all a try today, but I ended up taking a long nap after all that shopping. 🙂 Now I’m off at the mall for a salad and a coffee. I’ve really felt like eating salad lately which is probably a good thing, unless you believe Owsley.
Aloha!