I was on Bikeforums.net earlier this morning (yeah yeah, I have to write that TCM article) and I was responding to a thread on the protest ride that occurred on the Gardiner Expressway last night and the topic of Critical Mass came up. Now, I participated in only one CM in my entire life and that was last year. Frankly, I was turned off by it. From my viewpoint, CM seems to be more of a seize-the-road, in-your-face, laws-be-d–ned, sort of thing and I did not like that. Yes, I believe that bikes belong on the road, we are part of traffic and since we are part of traffic then we obey the traffic laws.

To my mind, it doesn’t help the image of cyclists when a whole bunch of us take up two whole lanes of Bloor St. and proceed to blow through every red light and stop sign that we come across. That’s NOT what being part of traffic is all about. Sure, you’re showing that you’re out there but you’re also showing disrespect. You’re showing disrespect for not only the law but you’re also showing disrespect for other users of the road. If CM riders gripe about not getting enough respect then why are they paying back in kind?

So, I did a quick Google search and came across something called “Critical Manners”, which is basically Critical Mass but a lot nicer. Manners’ riders are vehicular riders, we share the road and we obey all traffic rules. It’s not about wimping out to cars; we’re vehicles and we will act like vehicles so back off. It’s all about sharing the road on an equitable basis.

I think that this Critical Manners’ idea is a lot more emblematic of what Canadian society is all about and it’s a lot more inclusive. I’ve been reading a bit about TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) which greatly involves the idea of balance and harmony and Critical Manners seems to be something that may smooth out a lot of the antagonism and belligerence I hear around cycling. Right now, I am trying to gauge how much interest there is in this idea. I’ve included a link to one of the first rides in San Francisco and they started out very small but it seems to be a growing movement.

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I had a quick look at this blog’s stats and quite a few people drop by in order to look at the Brooks B17 post that I did up over a year ago so I am going to do write a short update. Also, the saddle has generated quite a bit of interest from participants on the Toronto Outdoor Club’s rides that I’ve recently been on and in my bike repair classes.

The saddle looks almost brand-new and feels as hard as the day that I bought it. I have put over 6000 km on it in a year and a half and have applied Proofide on it once only. It’s been ridden wet a few times but that does not seem to affect it at all. The saddle should have broken in a long time ago but I can’t tell if it has or not. Like I said, it still feels as hard as the day that I bought it.

How does it feel, though, as something to ride on? Pretty good! Maybe it’s my butt or maybe it’s the padded shorts but I do not feel any discomfort with this saddle aside from the usual bruising that I think is normal after a hundred klicks or so. So, if it keeps up this way then I think it is a very worthwhile purchase.

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My friend, Andrew Wright (AW), is an avid tourist/cyclist who is once again off on another cycling adventure after surviving that Trans-Iberia expedition with my sister’s friend Dawn. I don’t know about other long-distance bike tourists but I normally like to sit down and let my butt heal after a rough trip. In his case, AW is once again on the move and this time around he’s doing it for a charitable purpose. AW is very much involved with youth hostels and is, I think, at the moment wardening one. If he isn’t, give him a month or so.

So, he’s now trying to combine both his youth hostel volunteer work and bike touring by raising money for the YHA’s break4kids’ fund. If you give money to charity in part because you’re impressed by participants’ running a marathon, swimming in frigid water, enduring co-workers on the same team and so on then you should be pretty impressed by someone who’s going to ride over two dozen cols in ten days. I’ve ridden cols before and the best I can think of is that it’s a very steep piece of road that’s only there because they didn’t have the funds or brains to blast a tunnel through instead.

You can contribute through this link.

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A couple of weeks ago I noted some difficulty with the shifting on my bike; the chain would jump and skip in a way that it would either downshift or upshift so that cycling was a real pain. The next morning, I simply flipped the bike over, sat down with a copy of a bike repair book and adjusted the cable tension knobby situation behind the cable sheath right above the derailleur. The initial possibility that the problem was a corroded cable was ruled out when I took off the cable sheath and the stainless steel cable was pristine. So, the next best candidate for what was wrong was improper cable tension which as it turns out was the right call after all.

It took less than 15 minutes of slowly adjusting the cable tension with the knob and turning the crank arms round and round to get it right. Yes! I was worried that I would have to ask the instructor for assistance once again. Whew!

That night’s class had to do with front wheel hubs which meant that we opened up our hubs to check on their condition, repair/replace what parts we can if necessary, regrease and repack and close up again. Upon opening mine up, the grease looked brand new and everything was fine despite 18 years’ of usage and well over 30,000 kms. Other bikes in the class that were newer had hubs that were a wreck.

There are two things that this course is hitting home for me with every class, it’s that you can do the repairs yourself with the proper tools and the willingness to try and that buying good equipment in the first place can save you a lot of trouble in the future.

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Wow! Has it really been about eight months since I read the last installment of this series? The strange thing is that, despite the fact that each book has a different author, it feels as if there has not been a break in the narrative. You just slip right back in there with your fav galaxy-spanning heroes and villains.

At this juncture in the storyline, Jacen Solo has managed to turn everyone against him as he drives to seize power and impose an orderly rule over the galaxy. His actions are becoming more despicable and repulsive and it’s rapidly becoming clear that we have a proper Sith Lord in our midst. hehehe

Among those who stand up to him, who will have the power to bring him down? hrmm…

Stay tuned!

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I was out for less than 4 kms yesterday before having to turn back due to mechanical problems, more on that to follow possibly; and during that time noticed three folding bikes. No, not all at once but one early in the ride and two later on. They’re pretty cute I must say but the interesting part is that I have never seen nor noticed so many in such a short period of time and distance. Maybe I would see one every few months or so but that’s about it and certainly one would never think to see one in my roughish neighbourhood.

I’m wondering if more and more people are now starting to use such bikes for their commutes and general riding? Certainly, the emphasis on rising gas prices, environmentalism and cramped condo environs is leading people to seek out alternative forms of transportation for the Toronto area and I guess the folder bike is a suitable candidate that is going to really benefit from that.

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