Some people go to parties Saturday nights, some have a date with that special someone and some folks just go out with one goal in mind, to get wasted. I get out as well, out on my bike.
The deliveries kept coming all night as the weather couldn't make up its mind. It would rain enough to soak the roads, making me question each turn I made until I finally set in and got comfortable. Drinks seemed to pop up on each delivery ticket, each with their own specific instructions of ez ice, extra ice or no ice at all. People can get quite particular with their fountain drink orders.
At one point in the night I took a delivery to an old man who opened the door and just laughed, when I mentioned that he owed me 17.50$, his laughter grew louder. The man still laughing while he handed me the money, then called for his wife, saying " hey this guy rode a bike" hahahahaha he continued. I apparently didn't get the joke, and wasn't laughing. I bit my lip and rode off, wanting to stuff his italian night club sandwhich and pickle down his wrinkly old throat. But I rode off, and had many other thoughts of things I could have done to the pathetic old soul.
All of a sudden the rain had made up its mind to downpour. This didn't make things go well, as the brakes on my dale crumbled in the rain, right in the middle of traffic on a Dodge St. descent. I had to do something quick, so I unclipped my right foot and skidded to a stop at 30th St. After the delivery to Walgreen's I cruised back to my house nearby on 35th St. I quickly made a bike swap and was out the door with the Karate Monkey in hand. As I began to pedal away I was reminded of the 36:22 gear which caused me to spin a higher cadence than my street legs were used to. (ahem like polar opposite of the 50:16 dale setup)
The good thing however was the Avid bb7 brakes which made stopping somewhat of a breeze, as well as the monstrous WTB NanoRaptor's plowing through alley's and backyards. Which gave a new, unforseen aspect to delivering which I had never felt... The Fat-Tired Bike.
Monday, September 8, 2008
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5 comments:
There's nothing worse than needing to stop and realizing it's not going to happen.
My modified all-rounder bike has a disc mount on the rear and I think I'll be hooking that up soon since the weather is already going crappy. There's nothing like the stopping power of discs.
One thing I have discovered is that you lose a bunch of efficiency with tires. And it's more about the pressure than it is about the size. A skinny tire that's low will be way less efficient than a large tire that's pumped up well. I have some bald 32C tires that just feel so comfy and glide at a lower pressure, but if I want to get anywhere quickly, I have to pump them up.
Just think of it this way, some days it's raining and people give you crap. Other days, it's beautiful out and you actually are given room by cars passing. The rollercoaster of life.
yeah I echo your comments on pressure. Some days I notice it all too well when I decline to inflate the rubber.
Inflate the rubber? I hope that you're still talking about your tire pressure.
Anyway, what size is the WTB NanoRaptor? I'm thinking of swapping out to a larger width winter tire on the commuter I'm working on. Any recommendations?
http://www.feltracing.com/09-catalog/cyclocross.aspx
This is where the bitches are.
What kind of mile range are you deliveries usually in? "Wicked Fast" is tough to pull off if you have to ride 20 miles to/from.
I hear you about the brakes in the rain/muck. I like the v-brakes on my marin, and may miss them this year if I ride the Surly LHT through the winter.
Maybe I'll just keep that Lucas Valley a bit longer just to handle the winter muck.
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