So, a guy named Craig at an undisclosed location was the only one to give it a try. You had it half right Craig. He correctly identified Dave Stoller as the bike smitten kid in the 1979 movie "Breaking Away". A true classic. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. This movie is set in Bloomington, Indiana. Our hero Dave wins a Masi racing bike and decides he too will be a racer. He adopts an Italian persona that drives his friends and family crazy. Mostly his Dad. So Dave is an imaginary Italian. The box I wrote on came from Performance Bicycle Shop. Scattante is their imaginary Italian house brand frame. It's actually made in Taiwan. Thus, an imaginary Italian is endorsing an imaginary Italian frame. Maybe I'm too clever but I crack myself up all of the time anyway.
Man, I post a few gripes and I get a slew of emails telling me to knock it off.
Remember, the name of this blog is "Riding AND Ranting". And, I take that seriously. Hardly anyone comments when I post happy rainbows and unicorns type stuff. Let's address this. There really are Fixie Dicks. There are plenty of cool people that are just out there riding but, there are also plenty of people that seem to consider this a punk fashion kind of thing. And bring that attitude with them. I don't like it. And I don't like being viewed as a less than serious rider because I don't "Keep it real" like the Fixie Dick seems to. I do everything I possibly can by bike. Commute, do errands, play. And have done so for years. So I don't have a lot of patience or appreciation for the assumptions of Johnny-Come-Lately hipsters. Fixie dick ranting is now concluded.Regarding the guy in the full racer kit, what can I say? He looked like an escapee from clown prison. It's like Little Leaguers wearing their uniforms to an MLB game. Only, the Little Leaguers are cute. Adult fanboys are always a little disturbing. Like face painters at a football or hockey game. Certainly, the cyclist isn't as loudly fanatic, unless you're on the slopes of L'Alpe d'Huez sometime in July. It has been mentioned that this may have been a gift. That is indeed a tricky situation and I'm glad I'm not in it. And I considered that very point when I first saw this guy. Still, it was funny. It can't be undone. Don't you do it either, dear reader. Here is a new rant. Bike shops are often put in the position of meeting place for a ride. That's great, we do a lot of business as a result. Just don't take up a prime parking spot in our limited parking area for four hours. It's like they don't want us to do well. Please keep this in mind when planning your next rendezvous.Well, buckaroos and buckarettes, that does it for today's spleen venting. I'm glad to have received your comments. Touching a nerve is harder than you think. Happy Trails!
Who can tell me what the joke is here?I'm very proud to have thought this one up myself. Get your answers to me. I'll post the winner as soon as there is one. There is no prize. Only your name posted here for all time.
Just so you don't think I'm picking on the fixie riding youth of our area, I offer this little bit of hilarity. Yesterday on the Myrtle Edwards Trail, I passed a guy, about my age, wearing full PHONAK Pro kit while riding a hybrid loaded with panniers. I laughed out loud at this sight. I'm not a vision of sartorial splendor on my bike by any stretch of the imagination but, I know better than to wear full pro kit in any circumstances other than being on that team. This guy had shorts, jersey, vest, socks and a cap. It doesn't help that the green and yellow of PHONAK is about the ugliest kit out there. Oh yeah, he was wearing Nike court shoes too. I wish I'd had my camera with me. I'm going to look for him next Friday. Maybe I'll get him to pose.
Over the past few years, I've noticed the increasing numbers of fixie riding hipsters all over town. This sub-group is mostly an outgrowth of messengers riding fixies on the job. Now, we all know that messengers are the epitome of urban cool. Or think they are anyway. I know a lot of people that ride and appreciate the simplicity and the soulfulness of riding fixed (KP). I'm not one of them. I have a single speed I get those things from. My knees like to coast once in a while.That's not what I'm writing about today, however. Today's rant is about the hipsters. They all strive to be so unique. They do this by wearing black cycling caps, Cinelli seems to be highly prized. Or black Army looking flat top caps. They also like to wear jeans (?!) rolled up on the drive side. Trucker wallets, Chrome messenger bags, aviator glasses. Yes, very different from each other. These things don't bug me too much. What's been bugging me is the very poor etiquette they show on the road. I was riding on a narrow sidewalk yesterday, which is legal here. And was passed by a fixie rider without a word of warning of any sort. You sometimes can do this on the bike path but, on the sidewalk that's just selfish arrogance. I've seen other examples of this lack of manners. No lights at night, passing in the rain with no fenders, that sort of thing. It's funny they don't bother with things like lights and fenders. I know they don't want to clutter up the clean lines of their bikes with a bunch of old man looking stuff. I think it's funny that they are sacrificing function for fashion. I also think it allows me to call them stupid. After being passed yesterday on the sidewalk I thought "What a dick." I then thought of a new descriptive phrase for this category of rider. FIXIE DICK. Now, they aren't all like this. But there are enough of them around here to fully populate their new domain. When you're out riding today, keep an eye out for them. I'll bet there's a fixie dick somewhere in your neighborhood.
After months of no first hand shock, I've pumped gas 3 times in the last eight days. How do people that drive more do it? It's insane. My wife drives about 40 miles round trip to work. Our 1991 Toyota Previa gets about 20 miles to the gallon. She's tried the bus but, it takes her 2 hours each way. That's no good. It looks like we're stuck for a while. I'm sure fortunate I get to ride to work. In more ways than one. Economic, physical and spiritual benefits come from riding my bike. That means I'd be broke, fat and crazy if I had to drive a car every day.The below links show that there is a little momentum gathering in business and government for including cycling as a viable mode of personal transportation. This has been a long time coming.http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/05/business/wbbike.phphttp://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1902061&page=1There doesn't seem to be an end in sight for gas prices. As employers see the toll on their employees, perhaps telecommuting will become more attractive. I don't think this is an option for most people, myself included. My wife might be able to.
I've had more encounters than usual with angry drivers lately. I have no idea if it's because of frustration about gas prices , or me, or what. If it's gas prices, too bad! Suck it up! It damned sure isn't my fault. If it's me, well, I keep inviting them to get out of their cars so we can talk. So far, no takers. I'm just a skinny guy on a bike. What's their problem?
Yesterday (Friday) I went on a nice ride. The weather was perfect. I had lunch at one of my favorite places. I rode about 55 miles. We had dinner at another favorite place. We split the Burrito Grande at Gordito's for Cinco de Mayo. A really nice day.
Today I got up early, loitering around the house for most of the morning. Around noon I noticed one of our neighbors had a flat tire. I went out a little later to look at it. The car was gone by then. I turned around to go back inside and looked at the Previa. It had a flat too. I then went over to our Civic and it had a flat too! Great! Some sub-human knifed our tires. Our cars are not flashy or new. They're really kind of worn out and crappy looking. Our house doesn't look like some sort of yuppie trophy palace. We park one car in the street. No choice there. It's a one car driveway. The Civic doesn't even run. Now we have to worry about it happening again. Just a pointless act that leaves us feeling vulnerable. Freakin' animals.
Today's posting just underscores how much I hate cars. I hope it hits $5.00 a gallon. Soon.
