The One True Bike - Part 1 - N+none

In the aftermath of my latest stolen bike stuff I decided to build one up from scratch again! Oh sweet agony! I have discovered over the last couple of decades, lots of bikes and 2 builds that I am not an n+1 guy. Does that get me kicked out of the cycling community somehow? I hope not.

Of course this may have something to do with thieves keeping me at approximately 1+1 status all the time, but I don't think so. I've always had a favourite bike that I want to ride 99% of the time. I've ridden/owned winter-specific mutant, fixed gear, classic touring, and urban practical with an IGH along with all the other typical bikes one rides as one grows up. I have loved them all, because bikes are just awesome.

mutant winter (retired / disassembled)

Summer, fixed gear (stolen)

Highway (still good)

CUBE City Touring with Dyno Hub and Nexus 8 IGH (stolen)

One type of bike I have never owned is a full-on racer, carbon or otherwise, and I'm still not particularly interested in that type.

Each kind of bike, of course, has its own set of pros and cons. Rather than seeking to have lots of bikes for specific purposes, however, more and more I have become fixated on finding / building One perfect bike for virtually Every purpose. I don't know if I'll ever really get there, but goddamn it I'm gonna try.

The bike I build this time will have the features of all the bikes I have loved most, combined just so, for me. It will take me a long time to build, because I am gonna try not to compromise on anything, which means more money than I've got to spend in one go. I have no doubt that it won't seem all that unique or special to anyone but me, and that's as it should be, since no two bike freaks are alike; we're like snowflakes, or perhaps just flakes, because as I write this I am getting so excited about this bike (that doesn't exist yet) that I can hardly stand it.

Right now I have a frame (used), a fork (new), and some wheels (new), each of which I think quite perfect. I know I am completely self-involved and this stuff won't be of interest to anyone, really, but that's OK. That's what blogs are all about, right? Wait, that's not fair. Some blogs are about being useful to others. MY blog is mostly about entertaining MYSELF, because I am the only person who matters. ME! ME! ME! Yaaayyy ME! Hey, look what I'm doing! Watch me dive! 

Thank you, online attention sources! Remember, without you there would still be ME! ME! ME! Yaaaaayyy ME!

R A N T W I C K

Ugly and Pretty

Hello hello and Happy New Year and a retroactive Happy Holidays to boot! I hope everyone had as pleasant and active a December as I did.

I have been riding to work and back as always, and had ANOTHER bike stolen off my porch (the CUBE I had written of a while ago)! Although nobody deserves to have their stuff taken, this time I did forget to lock up my bike due to some kooky distracting and routine-altering events on that fateful day and the bike disappeared overnight. Relating those events would be quite boring for you for sure, so I won't bother.

Having 2 bikes taken off one's porch might suggest to a normal person that keeping the bike on the porch is simply a bad idea. I am not normal, however. I am fortunate enough to have a nice front porch that makes outdoor storage of my bikes easy and convenient to my daily comings and goings. I stubbornly refuse to give that up; I mean, why should I? Because some lowlife bike thieving scum says so? No way. I am currently just being super careful to remember to lock up; Winter isn't exactly bike-thieving prime time anyway. Before Spring, however, I am gonna have to come up with some very strong security measures. If I lose another bike off that porch I am just stupid. Frankly, I just don't get it. I live in a nice neighbourhood. Are local bike thieves checking my lockup Every F-ing Night? Seems like it sometimes. You can see the saddle and handlebars from the street, so maybe every late night rambler who sees it takes a crack. There is a lot of pedestrian traffic around my house. Normally we consider that a nice thing.

I'm currently riding Mutant Winter IV , although it no longer features the weird fender because I had handed the bike down to my son, who does not ride in winter and didn't require mutant customization. Now that I have commandeered it for my own selfish needs I'll have to dig up or buy some fenders again I guess, and figure out a new/different bike for my son!

We in London Ontario have enjoyed the extended Fall weather that most others in North America experienced. The first truly Cold day was yesterday. It was -17 C (1.4 F) on my morning ride. We have had very little snow so far, so riding the paths by the river is still possible. In terms of commuting, the New Year has been wonderful... cold can be very pretty. These pics grabbed from my helmet cam video don't come close to showing how beautiful the river really looked yesterday (and this morning for that matter).

Just one more reason that commuting by bike is awesome.
Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K