I'm even more tired than normal today. It's pretty pathetic that tomorrow's Monday (the weekend is over), and I didn't get to catch up on my all-important sleep. I think that, if I had the opportunity to just stay in bed for about thirty-six straight hours I might begin to feel a little bit less like I got run over by a truck.

I washed my beautiful second-hand indigo MacLaren Twin Traveller by the pool at my mother's house today. If I could just figure out how to unfold the damned thing without two hands, two feet, and a pictorial instruction manual, I'd be able to realize my dream of cruising the world in a designer stroller. In the meantime, my Graco DuoGlider is looking pretty good. I'm not keen on the fact that the MacLaren can't really be pushed with one hand. I'm fully open to being wowed by its alleged charms and wonders, however.

Saw this little gem also (black bike, middle of pic):

A single speed, probably fixed gear, pursuit bars, suspension forks, parallelogram/spring suspension seatpost. Interesting stuff.

As you already know these are available on a first come first serve basis and word around the way is that they only have 100 of these.  Make sure to cop it while you still can.  My folks at Fitted...hot damn ya'll do it everytime.  Much love.

It's good stuff and and I want one.  Fell free to hit the tip jar.  There are probably good prices for the 40D now also (Amazon has it for under a grand).

Here are some of the highlights.

• Noise reduction and expanded sensitivity up to ISO 12800
• Support of UDMA cards for faster writing of image files
• 3″ LCD display with VGA resolution 640×480x3=921,600pixels
• A a new auto shooting mode called Creative Auto shooting mode
• Improved Auto ISO

It looks alot like the Naxx gear.  I don't know if this is just a placeholder model, but if not...man.

Observations

1. Time with family is important.
2. I didn’t mind driving so much, since I wouldn’t be driving for a while.
3. I brought far too much stuff to Walnut Creek. I ended up not even using the game consoles, the LCD monitor, or the extra books, clothes, and shoes.
4. Amazon.com doesn’t always have the best price, but it often does.
5. I didn’t go into San Francisco as frequently as I had imagined; inertia kept me in the East Bay for the most part.

Things I did well

1. I spent more time with my family.
2. I practiced using my gear.
3. I drove really fast, really far without a ticket or accident.
4. I finished (most) of the things I needed to finish before leaving work.

Things I can do better

1. I spent a lot of time on research without making firm decisions. “What if…?” “Or else…?” Search, research, re-research…
2. I put off completing some tasks that I could have completed earlier. Perhaps this forms a theme with #1: Procrastination. Although I am fond of making lists, my to-do list kept getting longer and longer. Part of this is because I keep adding new things from other partially-completed tasks. Perhaps I need to focus on one or two tasks at a time.
3. Spend even more time with family and friends. Considering my working years, I put more priority on personal time and getting home at a reasonable hour than, say, making a small detour to visit with my folks.
4. Express my feelings without getting… Oh, whatever.

Lessons learned

1. Don’t sweat the little things: I had bought some stuff and then returned it for something slightly less expensive. Was it worth it (factor in the gas, time, etc.)?
2. Don’t buy things you might need.
3. It always takes longer than you think.
4. Exercise is good for you.
5. I prefer a shorter commute to work.

While it's possible to get great hand-held shots with your digital still camera, it's much harder to hand-hold a video camera. Video often requires slow steady pans up or down or side-to-side. It's very hard to do this without a tripod.

And yes, almost all video cameras have image-stabilization features, they can't come close to the stability of a tripod.

Tripods are bulky and good ones are heavy. And I personally don't go anywhere without one. I am tired of the overused bouncing hand-held video style you see on MTV. I do think there's a place for hand-held shots. But they should be the exception not the rule.

Try using a tripod the next time you shoot some video. You'll be amazed at how much better your video looks.

And if you want to work like the big boys - try building your own $20 Steadycam.

I'll have more on tripods in future posts, including which ones to consider.

1 Deuter backpack 50+10 Act Lite - 146,50 euro
1 Sewing kit (compiled by me) - N/A
1 Pair of earplugs (gift for the subscription of the Wire magazine) - N/A
1 Lifeventure neck wallet - 11,85 euros
1 Eagle Creek inflatable pillow - 23,20 euros
1 Ferrino towel - 12,50 euros
1 Ferrino waterproof document bag - 3,95 euros
1 Lifesystems water neutralising tablets - 8,95 euros
1 Lifesystems insect repellent - 8,95 euros
1 World Atlas & Almanac by Insight Atlas - 16,50 euros
1 Ferrino cup - 12 euros
1 Ferrino poncho - 6 euros
1 Ferrino backpack raincover - 15 euros
1 Frendo headlight (1 led) - 19 euros
1 Glue stick - 3 euros
1 Box of matches - 0,20 euros
1 Deuter First Aid Kit - 19 euros ***
3 Pairs of wooden door stoppers - 1,90 euros
1 Leatherman tool - N/A
1 Maglite mini torch - N/A
4 Tea lights - 1 euro
1 Pack of wet tissues - 0,60 euros
2 Universal bath plugs - 1,50 euro
1 Spoon, fork, knife camping combo - N/A
1 Spare set of shoe laces - N/A

*** A different post will be made explaining exactly my medical pack + the extras I am planning to take with me.

I started eyeing different bags after I realized the Sette Quest bag had a quick release buckle, which is pretty standard for most bike messenger bags.   I checked out Chrome, Crumpler and finally settled on the Timbuk2 Medium Classic Messenger bag for no other reason than I could not pass up a good deal at REI.

The bag is extremely comfortable on my back and it's made for people like me.  People that use there bike for short trips to get around town.  Last week I went to the Dekalb Farmer's Market, loaded up the bag with produce and then road off into the sunset to the Avondale MARTA Station.  The bag was definitely heavy but generally comfortable I did feel something poking me though the bag, and I could never figure out what it was, I will have to do a few more test runs with groceries before I can finally give it a seal of approval.

Recently, I subscribed to Chainlove, which is a site run by the folks at BackCountry and the site is truly for bike lovers and people who love to buy gear or need gear.  Chain love sells one item at a time at a ridiculously low price until it is sold out and then they move on to the next piece of gear.  If you need gear check them out.  Last week I ordered a Timbuk2 X-small Messenger bag from Chainlove (See Below) I needed a smaller bag for my every day bike trips that don't require a larger bag.

The bag arrived yesterday and although I think it's a cool bag the X-Small does not not come with a cross strap, the strap helps with stabilization and was a little challenging on my ride home last night because it was sliding.

Basically the bag is the perfect size when you don't have a huge load.

We walked to the nearest street light and got to work. The piece of glass was still sticking out of my tire, so the first time around I didn't even pul the tire all the way of the rim. I just removed it far enough to access the cut. We used a Park Tool glueless patch. We could still catch up with the peleton, we don't need no stupid support car! Popped the wheel back on, repacked the bag, and as soon as there was no traffic we could HEAR the tube still leaking.

So, off comes the wheel AGAIN. This time I dug deeper into the regions of my bookbag, and retrieved a patch kit that uses glue. Took the tube all the way out this time. Since I had dug into the deep regions, I had found my C02 pump that doubles as a shorty hand pump, so we were able to give the tube some air and make sure we found all the holes. There were about 4 little punctures all within a quarter inch of one another. So we picked the biggest patch and did the install. Got it all pumped up and re-installed, and once again, when traffic died down, we could hear the air escaping.

UGH. Oh well, we were halfway there so we decided to walk the rest of the way and bank on one of the bikey people having a spare tube.

about a mile of 2 later we finally reached the Doo Gallery. The 10pm showing had already started so we made our way in and soaked up some of the free beer. It was a pretty good turnout, the main gallery space filled up  with folks to check out the film. As is par for the course when you get drinking bikey people and fixed gear footage together, the crowd was very vocal. Macaframa was pretty good. Of course there was lots of awesome tricks footage, but there was also a ton of folks just riding long straight and fast. If you are a non-fixed rider, you would probably find these portions very boring...but to me there was something kind of neat about those guys having such long extended runs at HIGH speed thru city traffic. I think the film makers were trying to capture something about the whole -zen of fixed gear- or something with those long portions of folks just pedaling..I dnno. Maybe they just wanted to build suspense so when someone did a trick it had much more impact. Overall it was worth going, 50% for the movie and 50% to kick it with the bikey people.

Sure enough, Graham asked someone for a tube, who asked someone for a tube, and a good samaritan hooked me up. May your rides be all downhill with no cars in your way good sir.

We actually milled about and stuck it through with like 5 other people for the second showing. I was hoping since the crowd was so thin that I would be a lock for winning the No-Brakes shirt raffle, but since so many people had left they didn't do a second drawing. I only missed winning by one number the first time.

Made it home without flatting

Vi riporto un vecchio articolo che scrissi per un altro mio sito (afterGuitar, poi abbandonato per motivi di tempo). Spiega un pò in linea di massima come sistemare i propri pedali con il proprio amplificatore. Sono dei consigli di massima, ma sempre utili.

Questa pagina è dedicata alla sistemazione della sequenza degli effetti: oltre ad una piccola introduzione a come impostare in maniera standard i pedali, cercherò di spiegare quali sono state le soluzioni di alcuni più illustri chitarristi.

Partendo dai consigli standard che vi do potete modificare la catena con criterio e cognizione (a volte anche a caso) per trovare il vostro suono. ma sicuramente una buona partenza e la conoscenza dell'effetto favoriscono la fase della personalizzazione.

Prima spiegazione per i novizi che, per la prima volta, uniscono un deelay a un distorsore. ci avvaleremo di pochissimi effetti e di un amply basilare: di quelli da casa. Il tipico set-up per gli effetti più comuni è questo:

Si tratta di una semplicissima catena di chitarra > volume > wha-wha > distorsore o overdrive > chorus > deelay > amply con equalizzazione. Naturalmente ogni pedale dovrà essere settato in modo adeguato. avendo già questo tipo di setting potete suonare ogni tipo di musica vogliate (più o meno).

Di norma (e lo potete leggere ovunque) la catena standard mette in testa i pedali di espressione (comp, volume, wha) poi quelli di distorsione (distorsore e overdive) poi quelli di modulazione del suono (chorus, flanger, phaser, ecc.) e infine il deelay. anche le maggiori casi produttrici consigliano in questa maniera e io in parte sono d'accordo: la vera unicità del suono sta nel tipo di pedale scelto e nel come lo si imposta. ovviamente la sperimentazione non ha limiti...

Il cosiddetto loop, ovvero la possibilità che offre l'amplificatore di inserire gli effetti in una apposita entrata, permette una maggiore versatilità del suono. Personalmente ritengo che tale "stratagemma" sia utile soprattutto per inserire la distorsione valvolare dell'amply all'interno della catena in maniera da poter sfruttare anche eventuali deelay. Ecco la catena completa (degli effetti "tipo" più usati) con tanto di loop.

Per motivi di spazio ne avrò saltato qualcuno ma più o meno il senso è quello: chitarra > compressore > volume > whammy/octave > wha-wha > distorsore o overdrive > testata (con switch) > cassa e poi send > flanger > phase > altro > chorus > deelay > return.Diciamo che la testata si posiziona come un altro distorsore e poi continuiamo con tutto quello che metteremmo dopo: non entro nei dettagli del setting perché paiono abbastanza ovvi.

Ora, anche qui possiamo scegliere altre soluzioni e - ovviamente - non è necessario possedere tutti questi pedali: alcuni, tipo Paul Gilbert, posizionano il chorus prima dell'in e solamente il deelay nel loop. tutto in base a ciò che volete ottenere.

Il pedale del volume non è altro che un potenziometro che regola "la quantità" di segnale da far passare e -perciò- di solito viene posizionato nelle primissime posizioni della catena. in alcuni casi e per alcuni generi è possibile che questo pedale sia più comodo posizionato nelle ultime posizioni della catena. Se posizionato prima del distorsore, le modifiche apportate col volume saranno subite anche nella distorsione e può essere usato appositamente per regolare la quantità di distorsione. essendo il distorsore un effetto che "guadagna" sul volume apparentemente le piccole modifiche di volume interessano solo la quantità di distorsione: succede la stessa cosa col potenziometro della chitarra.Se posizionato dopo la distorsione, le modifiche di volume non interesseranno la quantità di distorsione ma solamente il volume complessivo di uscita. soprattutto in stili molto pesanti dove una distorsione massiccia non vuole essere persa neanche a bassi volumi è una buona soluzione anche se ne esistono di migliori (booster, compressori, ecc.).

Ricordate comunque che il deelay va sempre e costantemente alla fine!

There was a lot of anticipation about this ride. Not only was I cautious about returning to Triathlon Lab, but my expectations for the Ordu were set very high. Having ridden the Jamis Xenith T1 and the Kuota Kalibur I was learning what different geometries meant on different bikes, how positioning could mean "aggressive" as pertains to riding. Mostly, I've been learning that every bike feels different, and the rider's ability to access the latent power of the bike has a lot to do with how well they work with the frame. This is affected by top tube length (some makers go short, others long), down tube shape (how it deflects wind), the junction point at the front of the top tube and down tube (the most windward facing element of the frame), and the seat mast's angle and entry into the frame. Now add the quality of components on each bike, which varies greatly, and you have countless combinations of variables that affect the overall ride. Countless variations on a machine with every person's unique geometry is why no two frames will ride the same, no two setups will either. I've now ridden three - the Jamis Xenith T1, the Kuota Kalibur, and now the Orbea Ordu and I've discovered something new on each ride. My expectations were elevated because I loved the shape and design - but this superficial quality could be sunk if the ride was crap. I have to want to ride the bike all the time. But more importantly, I have to have a bike that will grant me speed, power, and room to grow as an athlete. I really wanted to like the Ordu and tried to keep an open mind as I headed south to talk bike.

After discussing my price range, race goals, and research to date, the Tri Lab salesman (also an Ironman, coach, and avid triathlete) confirmed that the Ordu and the Kalibur were my best choices. I could do the Cervelo, but it was just over my price range. A great bike, to be sure, but add tax, pedals, and accessories and my budget would be blown. As it was clear I was interested in the Ordu he checked my measurements and luckily the one in the shop was my size. The first thing he did was put the bike on a stationary trainer to check my reach, comfort, and pedal stroke. This made me much more comfortable and I could tell I wanted the aero bars slightly higher before going out on the ride. The Ordu is a very aggressive position - my body weight much more forward than the Jamis or Kalibur. My legs were directly over the pedal cranks and the seat was slightly tilted nose-down, but still considerably further forward than I had ever ridden. With the aero bar adjustment I felt more comfortable but still felt good about trying new bikes and learning something new in position. My pedals were moved over to the Ordu, I handed over my driver's license and credit card and took it out for a ride.

The Ordu was redesigned for 2008, taking its cues from the Stealth Bomber, its lines aren't hidden in a curving tube array, rather they are sculpted deep into the frame. The whole frame's lateral geometry is a series of triangles. My wife's face is an arrangement of triangles - from her chin to the apex of her cheekbokes, the profile of her nose, and her swimmer's shoulders - she is beautiful. She's not a Stealth Bomber, she is the feminine expression of geometric beauty. It is no surprise that I find the Italian engineered version of this geometry in bike form to be dead sexy. From straight ahead the bike almost disappears, its nose funnels the wind away from the frame. The front brake is ahead of the forks, but it doesn't seem slapped on. It's integrated into the design elegantly. The rear brake is also mounted high rather than hidden behind the bottom bracket. While I'd like it if it was hidden away, this increases the likelihood of an OEM brake set that can't be adjusted or upgraded. The Ordu comes with an Ultegra brake set that's easy to access and maintain. More importantly, the quick-stop brakes worked perfectly. No lag, no hesitation, just immediate stopping power. One final note on braking. Scott from TZ was right, how often are you going to hit your brakes on a time trial? But Coach Brian made an equally good point - we don't train time trials, we train on the roads. I want good brakes. The Ordu has them.

I biked out of TL east on Catalina, then turned right to follow the water along Esplanade. This route took me along the water towards a residential area and a steep, brief climb. A solid riding experience on flats and climbs. So how did it perform?

Fast. Really fast. 19 mph came easily. 22 mph came comfortably. 25 mph came on demand. 27 mph came with work. Once I hit the climbing I slowed down considerably, down to 8 mph on the steep ascent. But this isn't a surprise, my hill work needs work. I also stayed aero the whole time, forcing myself to climb in an aero position to see how it felt. Shifting was smooth, but I could tell that the derailleurs needed a little adjustment. No surprise - the bike has been in the showroom for some time (thus the discounted price) and the whole thing will be tuned up before it's sold. I wasn't concerned with what I knew were minor details that would go away with some bike TLC.

I got up out the saddle to see how it balanced and it had solid stiffness. Road vibration was minimal with almost no transferred wobble. My body position was definitely far forward - even to the point of some nervous balance - but this was something I could tell was a good thing. The only complaints I have about this bike are things that go away once the bike is fit to me, tuned up for sale, and I spend a few dozen hours breaking myself in to the bike.

I love this bike.

I came back to Triathlon Lab grinning and talked about my options. I offered a down payment, even though they had a complimentary customer hold. I did this because if they got another offer I'd have to rush down and make my decision. By putting money on the table the bike is mine if I want it and now I can take a few weeks to test a few more bikes to make absolutely sure this is the right bike for me. I have a curiosity about Specialized and Cervelo, and I have an appointment with Predator tomorrow for a frame fit to talk about a complete custom job. My feeling right now is that I will buy the Ordu. I have an emotional debt to Triathlete Zombies and must talk to them about their Ordu options. I doubt they'll be able to match the Triathlon Lab price since it would be a custom order but they have been amazing to me from the beginning and I really value that relationship. Predator's process really intrigues me and I'm excited to geek out tomorrow on fit data. Besides, this is not the last bike I'm going to buy. I can see riding a Predator fixie track bike pretty easily. Because these things pay for themselves, right?

Ostensibly taken to go grocery shopping at the coop, but really just to take it out for a spin, I think... it doesn't look very full.

Having packed the most of the things I need, I notice that there is some space left on the top of my backpack and I wonder... was I THAT good in packing?

Obviously the answer is no.

What about the camera? I already own a Canon EOS350D one with the following lenses:

Tokina 12-24mm

Canon 50mm 1.8f

Canon 100-300mm

Canon 24-70mm L

Lensbaby 2.0

From those, I will have to carry one. The winner up to now is the Tokina one (a wide angle lens). But then, why not get the 50mm one too? There I go I start adding things up again... And then sometimes I think of the possibility of buying a good compact one... but it's just not the same ;)

Any thoughts?

The Chicago Police T-Shirt below says, "Narcotics: You huff and you puff and we'll blow your door down"

Cycling has brought me face to face with several dilemmas. Big Suburb Texas is not bicycle friendly, and cyclist's thighs are not jeans friendly, at least when considering current women's fashions. But the hardest thing about wanting to ride is not having other cyclists around to motivate me, as I did on the bike trip. I live near two athletic people with nice road bikes who are great candidates to accompany me, but Dad and Fiance are marathoners, and they are a different breed entirely.

I have experienced "cyclist's high" a few times, although I'm told it's much more elusive than runner's high. If Dad can get that jolly feeling after only two miles, I can understand why he might not take to riding. I usually require a protein-packed breakfast and a fairly flat, 30-mile-or-less sprint course to experience the giddy flood of endorphins pro athletes live for. 

Fiance points out that with a few stretches and simple clothing, he can go run at any time of day or night on almost any road, and he can listen to political commentary on his iPod. Riding, because of the distance, delicacy of the wheels and traffic concerns, requires the time consuming processes of route planning, tire pumping and "kitting up." (And now I have almost talked myself out of this afternoon's ride.)

These purists are hard to hold down and clip in. Fiance would love to commute to work by bike, but there is something inherently complicated and un-pure about distance or race cycling. There are many moving parts involved, as well as brightly-colored bells and whistles if you want to be safe, comfortable and effective. Of course, all of this leaves aside single-speeders and fixed gear bikers. You wouldn't want to race a hilly, metric century this weekend on one of those, but I'd take one to a coffee shop in a heartbeat.

This all makes me wonder how I'm going to draw my loved ones over to the "bright" side. Distance cycling seems to be for the gear heads and, to some extent, people with enough patience to change a flat tire on the side of a busy road in the burning sun once and a while. (Yeah, I think it sucks, too.)

I still don't know what language to use or what lofty metaphors to employ to convince these runners to join me at 20 mph on occasion. My entreaties so far have fallen on halfhearted ears. Right now the only thing I can think of is: You get to sit down.

More will be added this weekend.

1. Garrity Nichia LED Aluminum Flashlight (Black)
2. Gerber 05500 MP400 Compact Sport
3. Gerber Blades E-Z-Out
4. Gerber Mini Paraframe Plain Edge Knife
5. GI - P- 38 - Can Opener

So that is it, or at least that was it until I bought a new knife. I replaced the Gerber E-Z out with a Victorinox Swiss Army Super Tinker Pocket Knife recently because I can carry it in my pocket when I have to wear dress cloths to work or church. It doesn't happen often but it does happen.

So that's it for me, how about you, what do you carry on a regular basis for the just in case situations?

Again I don't own one of these yet and I don't get any kick back for advertising for them.

~*Maryann*~