Tuesday, July 18, 2017

A Very Quick Post Because Time Waits For No Fred, This One In Particular

First of all, great news!


Looks like I'll soon be taking delivery of one of those wooden bikes:


Wait, sorry, not that one.  This one:

I can't wait to try it, even though it doesn't have disc brakes:



I'll also have to carry around some tools while I dial in the adjustments.  Here's how you lower the integrated seatmast:


And here's how you raise it again:


Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out whether the ride quality is woody or tinny, and I suspect it will be the former:



I'll keep you posted.

Maybe I'll use it for the BSNYC Gran Fondon't.

(Yes, I haven't forgotten.)

Of course, I'll also need a suitable pump to carry with me, and I'm leaning towards this mobile inflating device:


Typically I offer assistance when I pass another rider with a flat, but if I saw someone on the roadside churning away rhythmically with a delighted expression on his face I'd be out of the saddle and sprinting to safety like there was a $1,000 prime on offer:


But the best thing about this pump is that it's helping to save the planet:

Global warming is becoming more and more serious.  People getting less exercise and which leads to worse healthy level.

Therefore bicycle has become much more a favorite tool for transportation as well as exercising.   Having a flat tire somewhere in a remote place can be frustrating, thus a carry-on inflator is indispensable when biking.   Traditional inflators are either bulky/heavy or they need to be powered by electricity, which is inconvenient. 

Though I do my part by carrying the same mini pump I've had for over 20 years already.  I also refuse to use C02s, because frankly I don't see the point.  If you're racing you're dropped anyway, and if you're not what difference does an extra minute or two make?

Though I suppose triathletes like the way they look with their butt-rocket launching systems:



I mean that's what these things are, right?


Sure they are.

Lastly, my mail bag runneth over, because not only have I received these things which are not toe straps:


But I've also taken delivery of some exquisite hand-curated deerskin gloves:


I promise to tell you all about both items tomorrow, at least assuming I manage to wrap my mind around them by then.

Until then,

I remain,

Yours and so on,


--Wildcat Etc.


48 comments:

  1. Got a big woody! Not appropriate for the office though...

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  2. Nice that someone sent you cat toys!

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  3. Lieutenant ObliviousJuly 18, 2017 at 11:39 AM

    Fifth?

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  4. My dog keeps poking my ribs and insisting I ask if Renovo is a Specialized splinter group.

    I don't know why he wants me to....

    Oh wait a minute.

    Hey, how dumb do I look?

    (Oh great, now he's dragging out a mirror.)

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  5. C'mon, give us a window for the Gran Fondon't already! I've got a bag of triathlete poop in my fridge and I don't want to use it too early or too late.

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  6. janinedm,

    Before the year is out.

    --Wildcat Etc.

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  7. They had me at "Easy Paaaauuuummmmpp!"
    Take my money, give me the Easy Paaaauuuummmmpp.

    HELLAS NOB

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  8. Oh, you know, whenever. I just wanted to make a poop joke.

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  9. Hee Haw the barista's very observant little sister BeatriceJuly 18, 2017 at 12:34 PM

    There's a lot going on in that video.

    Rube Goldberg pump ... check
    Livestrong ... check
    Rube Goldberg device on front fork ... check
    Doggie saddlebag on toptube ... check
    Spunk in bottle cage ... check

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  10. That kid's gotta lotta spunk.

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  11. @dancesforpedals

    Removable derailleur hanger was a hellovan invention.

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  12. Flat or no flat we all need air

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  13. Bret sighting in the wild: http://imgur.com/hzVlNRP

    Oh man, classic Bret, shilling for generic phone holders.

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  14. Lieutenant ObliviousJuly 18, 2017 at 1:22 PM

    I know a couple with those Renovo wooden bikes. The wife is nice, but when I talk to the husband I wish I had a Best Made Axe in hand.

    Re yesterday's post: "At that point Brailsford said, “You can stick it up your arse” and walked off." He was obviously referring to Microbe doping!

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  15. I carry the CO2 cartridges. Mostly I like the adrenaline rush of being 50 miles from nowhere and having just one shot at fixing a flat. I actually carry 2 cartridges, but the second is saved for my pellet gun to shoot squirrels for sustenance on my 50 mile walk back to a floor pump.

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  16. bad boy of the southJuly 18, 2017 at 1:32 PM

    I think those discs are for the flintstone-mobile.yes,I am quite aware they used their feet,but still..

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  17. Wow hardwood...

    The sophistication runith over in Snobland

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  18. I'm pretty sure the LiveStrong shirt is required in the user agreement for any bicycle related kickstarter project.

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  19. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor Leroys Dog, nor gloom of night, etc, etcJuly 18, 2017 at 2:12 PM

    Do bike themed condoms ever arrive in the mail?

    Like ones imprinted with "Le Tour" over and over, Le Tour indeed.

    I need to point out that Canada Day came and went with an appearance by Miss Maple Leaf.

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  20. Ahhh, I feel so sorry for Mr. Full Livestrong Kit Easy PUAmp Innovation Man. Has he have access to the news super-stream?

    Also, Wildcat, today's and yesterdays post are of good quality, imporvment over last few weeks. Sincerely, thank you very much.

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  21. N/A @ 1:12 (and others)

    I just noticed. It appears that Bret is braking. Has anyone else seen that before? And after all, why not. He IS on a wide-open road.

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  22. easy pump ridiculous... but strangely clever

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  23. Die Free:

    That's what she said.

    Bindare:
    Straightening the hanger without breaking it was tedious, but the riders in my group gave me excellent advice on how to do it without breaking the hanger or bending the rear triangle. (they also reminded me of the presence of a chainbreaker on my multitool so I could dispense with the rear der and get moving again)

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  24. Completely off whatever topic we're on, but this is one I've never heard before:

    "Trump is crooked enough to swallow a nail and shit a corkscrew"

    from Betty Cracker over at balloon-juice.com. And if that were literally true, he'd be a great advance rider on the Tour.

    OK, back to bikes ...

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  25. Yes, bikes, specifically--bike handjobs, as demonstrated in the Easy Pump video.

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  26. Hey...."Less than a minute to inflate to 110psi"...whwe...that's a good thing, cuz that's what I run MY mtb tires at! And hey...it's Schrader valve compatible...cuz nobody I know uses prestas. Such a deal! It will fit right in a back jersey pocket no problem! Tho I would need to attach a kickstand...for some odd reason none of my bikes have one! Or maybe just carry that along w/ the super handy pump in my jersey pocket. LOVE IT!

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  27. might gotta due the fondon't this year as since it is my last in NYC before I head to greener pastures out west. Keep me posted rock machine.

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  28. Did anyone notice on that stupid air pump commercial, the cyclist had his "livestrong" arm warmers on the wrong arms, so that they were upside down when his arms were out .......(yes, I am the sort of person who notices little things like that, and makes fun of people when they do it)

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  29. Captain Dioxide: The other CarbonJuly 18, 2017 at 6:22 PM

    I only bring CO2 ampoules twice a year: 1.) Mosquito season. Can't be bothered being stung into a stupor. & 2.) Ice Biekeen Season. "I will avoid freezing to death. I ill avoid freezing to death," is my mantra.

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  32. that air pump thing has to be a joke- there is no kickstarter - how can it be Real? (tm)

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  33. Could you not just use yer classic ally Bluemels pump? Pegs on the frame to hold it in place

    Jumpers for goalposts elsewhere...

    D.

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  34. Some guy from upstateJuly 18, 2017 at 9:23 PM

    I usually have a pump and a CO2. Because I'm a cheap bastard but sometimes I just don't feel like pumping. Cheap usually wins over lazy.

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  35. Nice cat Snobbie. Tabbies are the best ever!

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  36. Frilly Chick,

    That cat sucks.

    --Wildcat Etc.

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  37. (or, if you prefer, the pie plate falls from your hub)

    OK, this parenthetical almost killed me. Lmao.

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