The Wind I Buck, The Wind At My Back -- And Snow

The other night, rain was forecast for most of the area, along with a precipitous (pun intended) temperature drop.  There was even the possiblility of snow flurries for areas north and west.  




Now, the last time I looked, Rockaway Beach was neither north nor west of Central Park (where NYC area forecasts are usually made) or Astoria.  But it looks like the place the Ramones made famous got a bit of the white stuff:

I didn't see any of it on the streets or paths I rode.  But the fact that the snow is there is testament to how cold the weather's been:  The high temperatures haven't passed 5C (40F) in Manhattan or Astoria.  So it's conceivable that they've remained below freezing in the Rockaways.

While the weather's been a bit colder than normal for this time of year, the reason why everyone is talking about it is the wind, which seems to have blown nonstop since the snow/rain fell.  I was glad to be on Arielle rather than Tosca because Arielle has gears.  But it was great to ride her again; of all of my bikes, she fits (and therefore feels) best.

She didn't seem to mind the cold--or wind.  Oddly enough, my trip back from Point Lookout--into the wind--was faster than my ride out there, when the same wind blew at my back.  I guess I was just more motivated to ride in the wind, and Arielle seems not to mind it any more than she minds the cold.  At least the cold air was clear and bright. 

A Wheel Disappears

If you saw my post from the other day, you may have noticed something different about my LeTour.

Last week, I left it parked outside overnight, next to the candy store/newsstand on the corner.  It’s a pretty visible corner, and people walk by it even in the wee-est hours of the morning.

But, apparently, someone keeps very different hours from theirs, or mine. 

Last Friday morning, I went to the candy store and discovered that the LeTour had been turned into a unicycle.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised:  the front wheel wasn’t locked.  Also, it has a black hub with a nutted (non-quick release), black spokes and  a black deep-V rim on which the sidewalls aren’t machined for brakes.  So, perhaps, someone wanted it for a “stealth” bike—or to sell to someone who’ll use it for that purpose.

Fortunately, I wasn’t going to use the bike when I discovered the theft.  I took a trip down to Recycle A Bicycle and asked them for the cheapest 700C front wheel they had.  It’s actually decent: all name-brand components, if the lowest-level model of each.  Heck, it even had a Velox rim tape in good condition.

So far, it’s working fine.  For twenty bucks, I got a wheel that someone trued and tensioned with a hub that seemed to have been regreased.  Good folks, they are, at Recycle A Bicycle.

Holey, Holey, Holey

In a way, it almost seems oxymoronic to call drilling things out in order to save weight "overkill".  Then again, can we call it "underkill"?

We've all seen examples of bikes, usually from the 1970's or early '80's, with more even more holes drilled into the parts than you'll find pierced on all of the bodies of Bushwick hipsters (or wannabes).  And it almost seems pointless to drill out some components--like the Huret Jubilee derailleur--that are already feather-light.

Still, I admit that the drillings make for some interesting effects, as on the cage of this Simplex Super LJ rear derailleur:

To my eyes, the holes are almost like gemstones and make the derailleur more "blingy".

It's in pristine condition, according to its eBay listing--and can be yours for $850.

The Day Begins At Hell Gate

This morning I rode through the Gates of Hell.

At least, some people thought they were:  They were driving to do things they had to do. On the other hand, I was cycling to something I had to do.  I reckon, though, that the thing I had to do was less onerous than the things some of those drivers were going to spend their day doing.

It's probably a good thing they couldn't, or didn't, see what was below and beside them, in Hell Gate.

I could not see the water, either.  I could not see the cables of the RFK Bridge, except for the ones nearest to me.  All I could see were the lights of cars and trucks. They were only reflections of the moment, repeated again and again.

All I could do was to move through them, through time, across the bridge over Hell Gate.

A Two-Wheeled Salute To Veterans

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I've written a number of posts on how bicycles have been used in the military.

Mind you, I'm not a war buff.  But I do find military history--as history--to be very interesting on many levels.  And, even though I hope that the human race will one day decide that war is obsolete, I think this nation (and all others) should give veterans the respect they deserve and the care they need.

Many of those veterans have used bicycles on and off-duty. So, today I thought I'd share a couple of photos the SF Gate published as part of their tribute to veterans three years ago.

Here, Pfc Horace Boykin rides a "captured" bicycle as he and his Marine comerades (l-to-r) Corporal Willis T. Anthony, Pfc Emmit Shackelford and Pfc Eugene Purdy take time out from supplying the front line in Saipan in 1944.

A year later, we see Seaman Paul Gray riding a Japanese bicycle in Tokyo.  A victory lap, perhaps?


I wonder whether any of those guys are still around.