Texts I sent to my lady (editors note: now ex) during & post a recent ride on my new to me fat bike. Clearly there were some issues
*Feeling like the biggest chump in the world for falling for the idea that getting a fat bike would be fun. This fucking sucks and I'm probably gonna have to walk this piece of shit home. Damnit.
*Stupid loud rear brake and a rear tire that won't hold air. Fuck me.
*FYI don't worry. A few minutes being upset, then a few minutes feeling foolish for being upset, followed by shaking my head & getting to work fixing the problem.
Decided just to ride home after just in case the fix didn't fix it. Used all my c02 & with a fat tire my little hand pump doesn't seem to do much.
Kind of a downer but overall it's just part of the deal when it comes to riding bikes.
Got home had a smoke, opened a beer, orders Jimmy Johns. 👍😻😻😻
All that time I was searching, nowhere to run to, it started me thinking, Wondering what I could make of my life, who'd be waiting, Asking all kinds of questions, to myself, but never finding the answers, Crying at the top of my lungs, with no one listening, All this time, I still remember everything you said There's so much you promised, how could I ever forget. Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this, You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps, Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this, You know I want to, but I'm in too deep. So listen, listen to me,
You must believe me, I can feel your eyes go through me, But I don't know why. I know you're going, but I can't believe it's the way that you're leaving, It's like we never knew each other at all, it may be my fault, I gave you too many reasons, being alone, when I didn't want to I thought you'd always be there, I almost believed you, All this time, I still remember everything you said, There's so much you promised, how could I ever forget. Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this, You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps, Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this, You know I want to, but I'm in too deep. So listen, listen to me, I can feel your eyes go through me It seems I've spent too long Only thinking about myself Now I want to spend my life Just caring bout somebody else. Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this, You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps, Although I need you, I'm not gonna make this, You know I want to, but I'm in too deep.
If you didn't already know...
A band that has become one of my favorites has a new album coming out. Red Fang - Only Ghosts
The bits I've heard sound like the Red Fang we all know and love.
Of course, you have more of what for some makes Red Fang, Red Fang in their first video for the single Shadows.
If you know me at all you know that I'm a fan of Surly
I have been for what seems like forever, well not literally forever, but it has been a long time since I threw a leg over my first Surly, a Bean Green Cross Check.
So I'm a fan of Surly.
Surly makes some stuff (bikes and whatnots) I dig.
I also have had the pleasure of getting to know some of the past and present Surly employees well enough that I consider them friends (whether they feel the same way or not is a different story).
So Surly is doing some product videos (Surly Speaks)and I think this is their first one.
This one not only features one of their new products but someone I happen to actually even know.
"Why do you use that?"
I've been running front rack & panniers only on my commuter/light touring rigs for 5-6ish years.
It started to:
1) get my gear off my back during hot summer commutes
2) because my commuter was/is a fixed gear I didn't want the weight over the rear wheel.
It's become my preferred way.
I even ride single track with the set up.
Some people don't get it.
Some people don't like it.
And some people call it just a fad (I don't get that one).
But that's cool.
It's not your bike & you don't have to do it.
Run whatcha brung
A few years ago at the suggestion of Capt'n Dave I started listening to Bob Mould.
I'm not sure why I hadn't before. He seems to be right in line with the kind of music I dig (which bounces all over the place).
The former front man of bands such as Husker Du and Sugar this solo stuff I find to be quite enjoyable. (And yes I know the u in Husker Du is missing the little dots above it, I couldn't figure out how to do it... sue me)
He has a new album coming out soon and I also recently found a few videos from ol' Bob.
First up is the video for the single I Don't Know You Anymore off the Beauty and Ruin album,
"It will change the way thinking people think about thinking..."
Well OK not really but you'll get it if you watch the video.
Note the cameo of Colin from The Decemberist which is pretty funny although I am unfamiliar with the band.
Anyway...
Then we have the newest effort from Bob with a video from the first single off his new album Patch the Sky called Voices in my Head
Good stuff from Bob. I'm excited to hear the new album.
Check him out on Spotify, or (even better) your local music dealer.
We made it. Its 2016 and we are all still alive. For now.
Not a lot is new really for me. Figured I would write a 2015 wrap up post but I plan to do that every year and I can say with out even looking that it rarely, if ever happens.
So not much has changed.
Whats new?
Well its finally cold enough here in Iowa to put my Bar Mitts on my commuter.
I think I've gone through every box of bike stuff I can find in my basement bike shop, more than once and cant find them.
Looks like 2016 is the year of new Bar Mitts.
I've been using Bar Mitts for a number of winters & overall been pretty happy with them.
I improved my original pair by changing the internal Velcro to a wider and longer one to make installing them easier.
I modified my new version (V2.0?) to make installing even easier.
Plus with this mod I can run different grips.
What did I do? I'll show you.
I had an idea (which I think the $130 Bar Mitts Extreme has) which is a bar plug.
I poked a hole in the side of the Mitt.
Put a bolt and washer through it, which in turn went through a beefy rubber bar plug, thru another washer, a gnarled washer and then a nut.
And Wa-La! New and improved Bar Mitts!
Pretty simple fix if you can find all the bits you need.
The added bonus (and kind of the point) is now you can run the grip of your choosing.
For example on my geared commuter (Straggler) I have ergo style grips. The way Bar Mitts come the internal strap is Velcro and short intended to wrap around the grip to secure the Mitt in place,
Plus with my bar plug mod the Mitts are super easy to swap between bikes.
Which I do often.
I made my Bar Mitt improvements on a slow Saturday at the shop.
The only issue I ran into was when I got home and went to install them on a different bike for the next day.
The Straggler runs the old Surly Torsion Bar, which is steel. The plugs I used were probably for a road bike bar internal diameter. They wouldn't fit in my aluminium bars on my other bikes.
Back to the drawing board, sorta.
I disassembled the bar plug conversion and first just rearranged the washers since the inner one was too big to fit in the bars. Thats when I realized the entire plug was too big.
A little careful sanding and trimming later and now the Version 2.0 Bar Mitts fit all my flat
bar bikes.
At this point we are 12 days into 2016 and I have used the Mitts every day for commuting and trail riding.
Happy fingers.
I've become impossible
holding on to when
when everything seemed to matter more
the two of us
all used and beaten up
watching fate as it flows down the path
we
have chose
you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow
you and me
if the world should break in two
until the very end of me
until the very end of you
awake to the sound as they peel apart the skin
they pick and they pull
trying to get their fingers in
well they've got to kill what we've found
well they've got to hate what they fear
well they've got to make it go away
well they've got to make it disappear
the farther I fall I'm beside you
as lost as I get I will find you
the deeper the wound I'm inside you
for ever and ever I'm a part of
you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow
you and me
if the world should break in two
until the very end of me
until the very end of you
all that we were is gone we have to hold on
when all our hope is gone we have to hold on
all that we were is gone but we can hold on
you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow
you and me
even after everything
you're the queen and I'm the king
nothing else means anything
"Now don't get the idea I'm a boozer. Setting out deliberately to get drunk is pathological. I like to drink just enough to change the temperature in the brain room. I'll turn to less mainstream substances if I want to rearrange the furniture" Switters in Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
