Back At It...

Okay, no detailed update for today. Saw my doctor the other day - a couple drug-addled days ago. He confirmed that I definitely tore a muscle in my ass, but said maybe there was some sciatica related to a degenerative disc issue. Funny, that's what this really smart PhD physiotherapist type told me... So it was off to get x-rayed, and to get more drugs. Yay.

I'm still about 90% bed/sofa bound. I can walk around a bit but it is profoundly uncomfortable. Not the dithering/near passing out pain of a few days ago, but bad, roughly about how you feel after doing the hardest bike crash you can do without actually breaking a bone. Still, I should be riding (gently) within a few days. I'm also capable of sitting at the computer and doing a bit of work, providing I hunch over and rest my elbows and chest on the desk... not optimal, kids. Not optimal at all. Doesn't mean I can't have fun though. Just that it has to be horizontal. Um, and non-strenuous on the back, so that rules out most of what you just thought about. However...

I got a little love from BikeMan. Took me a while to find it, but I found the right saddle for my new root beer brown Kona Major One. This'un.

That's fun, right? Seibold also built me up a pretty sweet rear wheel, a high flange Phil track hub on a Mavic CXP 33 rim. The wheel weighs just about nothing, and it rolls smooth like butta. Plus it's classy. The old rear wheel (and front) were Salsa Delgado Cross rims, which still have a bunch of life in them and which may become 29'er rims. The hubs were Surly Basic Hubs, both of which basically shredded after probably 5k miles. Admittedly, they were tough miles but we replaced the bearings in them twice, but there's some issue with the seals or bearing/hub interface, and the inner surface of the hubs were shot in short order. In my search for fixed hub I looked for a good midrange fixed/fixed hub, and it doesn't seem like there are any. There is a shitload of hubs priced $40-$55, and all of them appear to be turned out by the same manufacturer in Taiwan or someplace - same basic design, same everything, except for branding (Surly, IRO, Harris, whatever). Then there are the upscale hubs - White Industries, Phil, Dura Ace if you're into that. I decided to go with a Phil to see what the hubbub is about. How about zero side-to-side slop on the axle, and a spin that is so silky, you can't feel any bearing action? The Phil caused me to rethink the bike a bit and instead of just putting the gear on that was on the Crosscheck, I decided to upgrade most of the running gear. The bike is coming together. Still need to work out the handlebar/brake lever combo, stem & seatpost, and maybe some upgraded brakes from the old style Avid Shorty 4's. But I've already got some brown pleather tape for the handlebar... and she's going to be purty. Hey, maybe I'll get to ride it again some day. I'll have pics when that happens.

I've been cruising the web a little too. I found out that Kyle feels fat. Don't worry Kyle. You aren't the fattest thing on two wheels. Trust me on this.


I also found out the other day what Keirin would look like if GreenPeace was the sanctioning body for the races.



Reduce, reuse, recycle, veer left after you pass the derny.

Speaking of GreenPeace, my favorite Ambassadors of Teh Erf, Sea Shepherd, who broke off from GreenPeace because they were too peaceful, have once again made history in the protection of whales by getting one of their boats rammed by a Japanese whaler. Understand, I'm very much in favor of holding Japan to their treaty obligations, but I'm extremely against narcissistic, self-aggrandizing assholes (whoops, that just triggered my unintentional irony alarm...) So I could only watch this video, and smile.



Of course, during my downtime I've watched a lot of hockey and a lot of NBA ball. I saw Ben Wallace was looking clean cut, and wondered was wondering where his hair went to. Now I know...



Of course it's going to get a technical for destroying that truck, but Ben don't care. His hair still gets more rebounds than Shaq. Plus it's smart enough not to pull a gun on a teammate in the locker room, which is more than you can say about some pillars of the community...

I also checked out George Hincapie's new kit for Paris-Roubaix. Just as his bike is going to be a Roubaix special, the good folks at Hincapie Sportswear ginned up some team kit just to help Gorgeous George survive Roubaix without injury this year. Check it out.


And that's wearing only his jersey! Wait until you see his knee warmers. Of course when injuries fail to take Georgie out of contention, flats usually do. As of yet, there's no word yet on whether he managed to obtain those 1885 vintage Vittoria Roubaix Specials (TPI 1) from the Vintage Velo Museum. Rumor has it they're made of state-of-the-art solid Bakelite, and are utterly immune to puncture. According to Pez, they are rugged, and the weight penalty is "minimal," at least compared to the maple, oak, and steel-bound hickory options. Pez gave them a "must buy" rating, like pretty much everything else the bike industry gives them to review.

Boy, I bet this guy feels like an ass in this old car...


Truth is, Warren would have ridden more often, but when he put on the lycra, he usually found people staring at his enormous log.


That's all I got today kids. I'm really tired.