Say Bye to My Bike

My bike leaves for San Francisco tomorrow. In 11 days, I'll go and join it. I've been in a mixed state of excitement -and anxiety for everything that can go wrong. The (erroneous) mind set is that if one thinks of everything is wrong, one can plan to prevent it. This is just like the doomed-to-failure attempt to make something "fool proof." Fools are just too ingenious. So, I'm forgetting about all the stuff that can go wrong. When the bike went in the box, a lot of anxiety went with it too.

One of my big decisions was how to get the bike to San Francisco - riding it there was not an option. I've taken bikes with me when I fly. That usually works well, except that this time I have connecting flights and don't want to risk it. My local bike shop would charge !!$150!! to pack it and ship it. I explored other options. FedEx* charges ~$35 if I pack it and bring it to their depot. So I spent a couple of hours this afternoon cleaning, lubricating, breaking down, and wrapping my bike in bubble wrap. Then came the hard part. getting it into the box. Fortunately, my neighbor, Seth (also a cyclist) was out and responded to my call for help. It's always easier to *push* some else's bike. So I fit it in the box the best I could, Seth gave it a good push, and then we taped like crazy before it popped out.

*FedEx, why FedEx? FedEx is famous for its ability to track parcels. When the Centers of Disease Control distributes bacteria that cause disease, it uses FedEx so that it knows where they are at all times. If it’s good enough for bacteria, it’s good enough for my bike.

Finally, a brief tour of my fully pimped-out carbon fiber Motobecane Immortal Pro. It’s been customized with a front carrier to hold a day’s worth of stuff. The aerodynamic mirror is essential to know how fast that big dog is gaining on me. There is, of course, the red handlebar tape to match the red “Motobecane” on the down tube, my red helmet, my red glove, my red jersey, and the red detailing on my cycling shoes. Who says that men don’t know how to accessorize?

The cycle computer really is a computer. It has GPS to tell me where I am, measures speed, distance, heart rate, cadence (RPM), % grade (which I’d probably rather not know in the Rockies), # feet climbed and # feet descent (these are always magically equal on rides that start and end at home), time of sunrise, time of sunset, clock time, ride time and the day of the year according to the Gregorian calander. All of these data download into m PC for further analysis or superimposition on GoogleEarth.

Moving toward the back of the bike is the special “male friendly” saddle. We’re all adults, we know what it’s designed to protect. There is always hope ; - )
Finally there is the dual water bottle holder situated behind the saddle so as to not cause additional drag. It holds two (red, of course) water bottles.