[Bruno Moore]

Not all ebikes are created equal. Is a Faraday Porteur “bikeish” enough (because of vulnerability, speed, threat to other users in its path, power, etc.) to count as a bike? I’d say yes—the drive of a Faraday doesn’t actually make you faster, it just makes hard accelerations (like from stoplights) easier, especially when under load. What about an Xtracycle 9e? While the Bosch motor in that thing is pretty durn powerful—on full power, I can get an unloaded one from 0 to not-quite-25 before I cross an intersection—an unloaded cargo bike seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I really don’t think I would or could do that with 300 pounds of stuff on the bike, nor would I be as likely to hit “full gas” if I were taking it for more than a joyride. Those science fair projects with motor hubs almost as big as the wheels and hand-actuated throttles, though? Those kinda remind me of an early Harley, the kind that had the pedals for extra oomph.

My guess is that, as the ebike market expands, we’re going to see more differentiation and nuance, just as we see in non-motorized bikes. A motor driven fatbike is probably not going to be used in the same way as an e-assist bakfiets, and talking about them as if they were the same thing just because they have motors doesn’t seem especially helpful.

[Bruno Moore]

Heard some great things about the MKS λ, especially with the extra Rivscrews added. I used to use MKS Sylvan Touring pedals before getting my dual-sided PD-A530s; loved them to death, except that, for everyday long commutes, the lack of proper platform started to hurt my feet. Might work for you, though.

[Bruno Moore]

I just recently started commuting into DC from College Park (yup, have the longest commute at the bike shop at 25 miles round trip) and what got me was my feet. Pinched nerves, pulled ligaments, and what I really hope wasn’t/isn’t a stress fracture.* I mean, standing for nine or ten hours a day on a tile floor probably didn’t help matters either, but that’s just Life.

What’s helped the most is new shoes (dangit, meant to get new fluorescent orange laces today!) and clips—mashing on my trusty MKS Sylvan touring pedals in Keen boots was murdering my forefoot. They’re not quite my Keens when it comes to all-day work shoes, but they do the job…and my feet aren’t hurting quite as much as they used to.

I should probably consider this whole “rest day” thing y’alls keep talking about, but it’s NBC season and there’s no rest for an All-Star.

[Bruno Moore]

For those of you in northern PG County (College Park, Greenbelt, etc), the underpass under the railroad tracks at Lake Artemesia is closed—standing water and police tape blocking it off. Given that the pedestrian bride is closed due to the crane accident a while back, this means that the nearest crossings between East/West Highway (MD-410) and Greenbelt Metro are Paint Branch Parkway and College Park Metro.

Oh, and Greenbelt Road/MD-193. You know, just in case your day is going too well and you need to fix that.

[Bruno Moore]

More than slightly insane.

[Bruno Moore]

In theory, I’d say going with a pair of Velocity A23 OC Comps—which you can, also in theory, order in whatever configuration you want from Velocity’s website—is the way to go. In practice, Velocity’s got Issues. Great wheels, just…well, my Consulting Wheelbuilder and I ordered celeste rims, 24 spokes 2 cross front/28 3x rear, black brass nipples.* Turns out they were out of celeste, so I went with blue. The last 28 spoke hole rim had QC issues, so I got a 32 spoke rear. When I opened the box, the front was radially spoked, the rear drive side 2x/nondrive radial.

I mean, they work well, I’m not a Big Dude™ so I can get away with radial spoking, the anodized blue actually looks really good against all that celeste, but they’re not what I ordered.

They sound like a really great fly reel with a fish running out the backing, though. That’s cool.

*The looks, expletives, and generally dismissive remarks about my intellect I got from my CW/coworker when I so much as asked if there was any reasons to consider alloy nipples were pretty priceless.

[Bruno Moore]

College Park: six boxes of Shopper’s colossal donuts, about six dozen fresh bagels and cream cheese from Bagel Place, coffee, bars of all sorts from MOM’s, Oreos, water bottles, nice plastic cups from the City, raffle prizes, CP Bikes doing maintenance, and at least one city council member to actually listen to All These Cyclists. Oh, and my orangeshirt. Best. Pitstopswagassortment. Evah.

Hyattsville: closing as I arrived; basic fruit and pamphlets, but switched out my XL shirt from CP (some of the Maryland stops got a weird run of sized, it seems) for one that would fit better.

Met Branch: basic fruit, B2WD bottles, and a BicycleSPACE mechanic (Will) who gawked at Val the Schwinn/Brünø’s Indestructable Arkel Panniers.

Noma: bagels (not as nice as the CP ones, but still not bad), WABAfolk (yay!), and a Noma spatula. Seriously, a spatula. That’s…actually, it’s a pretty nice spatula, come to think of it. Oh, and I categorically refuse to do that silly intercap thing in “Noma.”

Freedom Plaza: Shoot, place had just about closed when I rolled in; take a breather with Phil/Shane/Greg, offer congrats, and head to the MLK window office.

[Bruno Moore]

Stephens called tomorrow’s stage “the most boring of the Giro.” It was the one I wanted to see, if only because my ex girlfriend used to live in Viterbo, and the route they’re taking runs along the rail lines I’d take to visit her from Rome, along with a few places we took as day trips. Boring countryside? Yes, I’ll grant that, but I still occasionally buy bottles of wine from Montefiascone when I’m at Litteri’s just on general principle.

As for Sky…they don’t have the depth to deliver Porte to a GC win. They’ve already had people crash out, and they’re saving their firepower for Froome and the Tour. I don’t know if Contador is going to have the support he’ll need in the Tour—after all, he’ll likely have Sagan and a sprint squad as well as his domestiques there—which should add something extra to the mix. Will even the overendowed T-S squad be able to support both Contador’s GC hopes and Sagan’s green jersey defense at the same time? Can you buy two Tour jerseys if your pockets are deep enough? Will Lotto NL-Jumbo please stop stinking up the joint in Italy, or at least realize their potential in California?

The drama continues.

[Bruno Moore]

Giro in the morning, switch to California before dinner. I’ve been following the Eurosport feed, complete with GCN’s Matt Stephens in the commentary box and the warnings not to click the “update Flash” popups that periodically obstruct the video.

Unlike California, where there’s still a point (well, besides team/bike sponsor loyalty) in being a RaboBlancoBelkinLottoJumbo fan, I’ve just taken to rooting for whoever’s doing something cool—lately, someone who looks like they should have gearing restrictions rather than be on the UCI Pro Tour. I mean, Moreno Hofland almost won stage 2, but…uh…um…so, California? Robert Gesink moved up to 6th today? Sagan actually won something for a change? Yeah.

[Bruno Moore]

Highest ratio? Probably on the Met Branch where it meets the R Street cycletrack—lots of long-distance rack n’ Ortlieb commuters from Maryland coming into the city will use that route, some of them heading into the city at that point. Unlike other multi-use trails (e.g., the Anacostia Tributary Trails, Marvin Gaye Trail), there’s not a whole lot of recreational cycling along the same route. While the M/L/1st Street cycletracks might also seem logical places to look for commuters, you’re also likely to see short-distance backpack/bag urban commuters and folks just bringing themselves on a bike. Of course, those urban trails might also have people on Linus/Pashley-type citybikes with baskets—but probably not enough to balance out the rackless locals.

Lots of folks coming in from afar coupled with a lack of other uses? I think we could game the system by counting at that spot. Maybe have a conveniently scheduled Trail Ranger coffee table at that spot on counting day?

[Bruno Moore]

I’d say that having a look at elwbikes’ thread from earlier would be a good place to start. You’ll notice that there’s a fair bit of love for the Bianchi Volpe and VeloOrange bikes there, as well as the Kona Rove and its relatives…

[Bruno Moore]

VeloOrange bike stand. Small, unassuming, yet effective. Lets you prop up your rear wheel so you can spin it (or take it out), but doesn’t come with the expense or size of a full-blown stand.

[Bruno Moore]

You only get wet once. You’re not made of sugar. You sometimes get free pastries and incredulous/admiring looks from people when you walk in the coffee shop.

Only one of those is true, really, but it’s nice to think about the other two when it’s coming down.

Cycling caps help. I pretty much always wear one, and will sometimes pack a spare dry one to save the world from having to see my unruly hathair when I’ve gotten where I’m going. But, as was mentioned, there’s a fine art to picking the Right One—I adore my two Vanderkitten caps (and not just because I like having a perpetually chipper Ophelia Vanderkitten and her snaggle-toothed grin with me on nasty days), but will use something a bit thicker on cold days, or more “fashionable” (e.g., my dad’s 1983 Trek cap) for shorter rides when I need to look like a human being. Get one with exactly the right brim length (one you can still see under while in the drops, but long enough to come close to the top of your glasses if you wear them—I can’t hardly walk, much less ride, without mine) and you can keep the rain, snow, and sleet out of your eyes when you ride.

[Bruno Moore]

How ’bout this one?

By the way, that’s a really nice scarf that one guy on the Schwinn is wearing.

[Bruno Moore]

And it’s back, number deleted.

Also: FBAS=#BAFS?

[Author]

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