Mods and Addiction

Don't get your panties in a twist - Flynn says the Thursday comic is on the way. Should be up this evening.

I know no one cares but me, but the WOB - or "stealth cycle" if you prefer - has undergone some modifications. To correct a little ticking sound in the front wheel, I had the guys at The Pedal House shorten the bolt that holds the front fender; it was just barely making contact with a couple of the spokes as the wheel turned - super irritating. This, along with some statements I made about how ugly mountain bikes are ("It looks like the landing gear of a friggin' airplane mated with a backpack...") firmly solidified me in the minds of the employees there as a perfectionist and classic bike nazi.

I also had them add a rear rack, as shown below.


I couldn't find my bungees last night - probably fed to the ravenous maw that was my last break-up - so I had to ride in with my bag slung over my shoulder messenger style again, which I hate. I did, however, really enjoy the almost completely silent performance of this old machine. Soon it will be slightly warmer and a bit less windy, and I will take it for a bit more extended ride.

(UPDATE: I gave up the bungee search this evening, and went to the Evil Empire (WalMart) and purchased this bungee net thingy...)


I promised myself that I would never again be the bike-obsessed, 300-mile-a-week freak I was back in the late 80s, but I do feel the pull of it. Getting to your destination under your own power is something that too few of us experience these days. With gas pushing $3 a gallon, it's a feeling that I will be experiencing much more frequently.