Winter, Again!

The snow is flying, the studded tires are back on the bike.

What kind of fall was it, bike-wise? The most interesting thing that happened was the steer tube breaking inside the head tube of the commuting Trek. I was riding along and the steering felt a little funky, but I couldn't see a problem. I wiggled the bars back and forth, and they felt solid.

But as I was heading to work, they felt weirder and weirder, so I slowed way down. Luckily. Suddenly, the handlebar was no longer connected to the front wheel. The steer tube had just worn through from years of use and, probably, rust. Try riding a bike that way. I ended up pushing the bike the rest of the way (three miles, at a brisk trot because I had to get to a meeting.) I had to old on to the seat and steer the bike by tilting it this way and that.

That was the second time in 2017 that a bike suddenly had no steering. On the Rivendell this summer I went wobbling off the road when the stem came undone from the threadless adapter. Very glad it didn't happen as I was barreling down a Leelanau Hill.

Brushes with death, indeed.

The Cult Of Rivendell

Those of us in the cult are firm believers that carbon fiber is bad, swept-back upright handlebars are good, and wool is the year-round fabric of choice.

I more or less agree about the wool (although I don't wear it in summer), but I have problems with the other two.

First, I'm sorry, but swept-back upright handlebars are not very comfortable. The "Albatross" bars that Riv sells look great, but they put your hands in an awkward position, and they put your upper body in such an upright position that you can't get leverage on the pedals. Even Cindy thinks they're uncomfortable. I tried to like them. I even rode a 700-mile tour using them. Uncomfortable.

Second, if carbon fiber is so delicate, how come the TdF bikes don't snap in half every time there's a crash? I admit, they don't always survive the crashes, but c'mon. They're going 40 mph. The fact that any of them DO survive, and are still rideable, means that they can't be the death-traps that Grant says they are. Furthermore, my STEEL bike broke--snapped!--at the drive side chain stay. That would have been uncomfortable going at speed down a hill. So much for bending and not breaking.

OK, one more. I understand the need to sell less expensive unlugged bikes, but hey, to say that they are as good as my gorgeous lugged Rambouillet, well, sorry, no. "It's the Rivendell ride that makes them special." Nope. I love the way my bike rides, but I bet I could get a similar (for me at least) ride from a much more modestly priced Surley. It's the lugs, stupid.

June 5 Sub-Century and More about USBR 35

I rode 90 miles today. Why not 100? It just worked out to 90. Sue me. Empire to Traverse City (30 miles, to pick up new glasses which had been prepared with the wrong prescription so I didn't actually pick them up). Then, because I was peeved about a phone call I received while I was waiting for my incorrect glasses, I decided I needed to take the long way home just to purify my mind.

At the Suttons Bay Marina

So I rode up the Leelanau Trail to Suttons Bay (always a nice ride), then followed USBR 35 across the peninsula to M-22 down the west side.

Time to vent some more about USBR 35 in Leelanau County:

First, I think M-22 south of Leland will soon be very rideable. (I got caught at a flagman, waiting for the pavers.) No longer an officially designated death trap. HOWEVER, my good will does not extend to M-204 from Leland to the town of Lake Leelanau. Horrible, high traffic, lots of trucks, pathetic shoulder, dangerous road. There are so many MUCH nicer roads in the county. It is criminally irresponsible putting people on that one. I don't care about the local politics involved in setting up an official bicycle route. There is never an excuse for putting people on a dangerous road. We count on "official bicycle routes" being suitable for biking. Duh.

Here's a great alternative: When you're coming up from Traverse City on the Leelanau Trail (which is part of USBR 35), get off on County 641, going north, and ride over to the east shore of Lake Leelanau. (Or go a little farther on the trail and go west on Bingham Rd, County 618, to 641.) Follow 641 up the lake to the town of Lake Leelanau, where you can rejoin USBR 35 (M-204), which has a lovely shoulder the rest of the way to M-22. THAT's where USBR 35 should have gone!

You miss Suttons Bay, but who cares? You were just in Traverse City. Why do you need another town so soon? Glen Arbor and Empire (on the west side of the Penninsula) are nice. You can get coffee in a nice coffee shop in Lake Leelanau. Take a little spur up to cute Leland if you can't wait for Glen Arbor.  Shops, restaurants, grocery. Get smoked fish at the dock.

Google Developing Self-Riding Bike

Google announced today that it is in the testing stage of a self-riding bicycle. Riders have been seen in the Bay Area on bicycles that have no handlebars, which are replaced by a control unit that contains an antenna, camera, and onboard computer. As the bike weaves through traffic, the riders read newspapers, catch up on their social media, eat breakfast (using the attached meal tray), even take naps.

"We have been pleased, so far," says Edward Merxx, Director of Development for the project. "We are still refining the programming, to make the bike more predictable when sharing the road with cars. To that end, we have programmed it to run red lights and stop signs, ride the wrong way on one-way streets, without lights at night, and up on the sidewalk when traffic is heavy. We are still working on the synthesized speech module to make it sound more insistent and peeved when shouting, 'On your left!' at the last minute."