Enter The Weekend

I am going to hit Rosaryville tomorrow and the whole time I will be thinking of this video...

Have a good weekend and remember, no one's ever gonna keep you down.

Grievances: Chain Lube Delivery Systems

Reading Freeewheel's latest post about some wanker spewing the same old crap has got my chamois all in a bunch. To blow off some steam I am going to focus some of my freshly percolated aggression towards a subject that has vexed me for as long as I have been riding.

Chain Lube Containers:
Over the years I have sampled dozens of different brands of chain lube and have found that most of them have something in common, trouble keeping the product inside the container after use. An all too familiar slimy mess when I go for the bottle o' chain lube.

The first few uses of a new bottle are fine, no mess. After a short while the container gets covered in a thin layer of lube. Lube that soaks into the label and becomes a shiny slimy mess. I have adapted to this problem but wrapping a paper towel around the bottle and affixing it with rubber bands to create a safe zone where I can come in contact with the bottle and not come away slimed.

Sometimes I think, maybe I'm just a slob who lacks the basic motor skills required to unscrew a cap, apply lube, and replace the cap without spilling. On many occasions this is true. But there is some oozing and seepage going on when the bottle is at rest. I know this because my current lube of choice, (Pedros, which happens all enviro-happy) leaves a puddle whenever it has been sitting for a long period of time. So why is it so hard to keep the lube in the bottle? If anyone has had experience with a product that doesn't do this, please let me know.

Perhaps the worst offender of chain lube packaging deficiency is Rock "N" Roll. Not only is there an oozing factor but the plastic bottle is so thin that if dropped from less than 3 feet it breaks making the ultimate chain lube mess. I know this because it has happened to me twice, once in my workspace and again on my newly refinished hardwood floor. Yes I am clumsy, but this product is made for cyclists, to be used in basements, garages, workshops, the side of the trail/rode, back of the pickup etc. One (I) would expect a little structural fortitude out of a container aimed at a market known for product punishment. This bums me out because the lube seems to work pretty well.

Whew! Well I feel better.

Have a great weekend.

Fall Commuting Photos

These were taken this morning on the Capital Crecent Trail. Not a bad way to start the day.

Think your commute better than mine? Send me a photo to prove it.

My daughter slept for 8 hours last night.

I got a mention from Stevil in todays HTATBL.

So far, nothing about this day sucks.

Weakening Outrage

I felt something this morning that I haven't fell in a long time. Optimism. A crack in the armor I have built up over the last eight years. I couldn't quite figure out what the feeling was until it came to me on my ride in. I have harbored a general feeling of outrage for so long that I mistook it for the norm. This baggage has been a heavy burden that until now I couldn't  grasp the true weight of. 

I know Obama isn't going to solve all our problems. To me he is more of a symbol that reason, logic, and patience have returned to our country.

"The future is unwritten..."
                          - Joe Strummer

Election Day, Custom Steel, and Halloween

This morning I joined a few hundred of my neighbors to stand in line for an hour and make small talk in exchange for the privilege of voting in today's presidential election. Having never biked to a presidential polling place, I thought it would be nice to take the Girvin along so it could see what all the excitement was about. I only had my camera phone on my so excuse the small resolution.

If your election last longer than 4 hours contact a doctor immediately.

The Girvin quickly got into the spirit and made small talk with one of my neighbor's brand new custom steel Palermo touring bike. This bike was beautiful, British racing green and cream with gold inlay on the lugs fitted with XT and Thompson components. Very elegant, and not something I see on the everyday commuting circuit.

After a stellar voting performance I spiked my helmet on the floor and did the Truffle Shuffle before heading of to work. I went by way of the Capital Crescent trail to take in some fall colors. I also happened to take in some second hand ganja smoke from a dude burning one down while walking his dog. I did not take a picture of this because it just wouldn't be cool and he would have been justified in setting his dog after me.

Further along I spotted this dude taking a set of dishes into the house he worked at via burley trailer. This guy gets props for several reasons; first for transporting a set of dishes via mountain bike on a bumpy gravel trail. Second for recognizing the Girvin and still having one he blew out back in the day.

On to Halloween...

This is by far my favorite holiday. Most major holidays are family oriented and require travel and large meals and dishes and house cleaning and that is all well and good. But it's nice to have a day where none of that is expected, where the emphasis is on creativity, silliness and sexiness. Where the level of participation required to be socially acceptable is soley up to the participant. Plus everyone gets free candy and women suddenly have the urge to out slut each other! All that is missing is a declaration of federal holiday by the powers that be and this would be the best day of the year.

My Halloweens usually fluctuate from raging parties to quiet nights of candy dispersion. This Halloween landed somewhere just left of the middle of that scale. Having a 3 month old daughter made things pretty tame, which was just what I was in the mood for. Some neighbors came over with their little one and we went to a few houses before retreating back to our house to drink beer and eat candy.

Happy Holidays indeed.

For a costume I thought my 1993 White Zombie "Say You Love Satan" world tour shirt would be totally appropriate. To top it off I found the scariest mask I could find... children ran screaming, parents locked the doors and turned out the lights, and somewhere a copy of the constitution burst into flames... it was perfect!

BOO!