e-bike tweek

I added a shiny new part to the e-bike yesterday and am very excited. The lowest chainring had gotten bent somehow, probably climbing a steep hill with a dead battery, although I feel that a lot of this bike was already due for replacement when I found it by the Dempsey Dumpster(tm).

The way it was bent looked impossible to correct without mangling the other gears; besides I figured it would get broken again. Also, this gave me the opportunity to get a both a little faster gearing on the top (44 teef vs. 42) and a little lower one (22 teef vs. 24) on the small chainring to give me more relevant pedaling speeds on the fairway and help climbing aforementioned big hills.

Original equipment was one of those cheap cranksets with all the sprockets riveted on; the upgrade (Shimano M440) has replaceable ones in case this happens again.

The main thing is, it's a shiny new part, resplendent in the black and silver scheme that covers the rest of the bike. It really makes the cheap metal and plastic pedals it's attached to look like crap. They are actually rusted and screaming for replacement. I might just repaint them for thriftiness's sake. Also, the seat is quite tattered and corroded; I figure you don't want a bike to look too nice on the mean streets.

I researched this crankset a lot on line before taking it to a local bike shop in my parents' town. They did a surprizingly good job, fixing it while I was at lunch at a cost much less than I was expecting! They had to use a different bracket (they gave me a used one cheap) as the new crankset was lower profile than the original. I am glad I didn't take on this project myself as I would have spent two weeks even getting the right parts. That would have meant missed rides, and extra gas expenses.

Interestingly, this crankset is a 9-speed dealie, which means it can work with narrower chains than came with my 7-speed setup. I just had the rear cassette (and chain) replaced---an expensive, frustrating experience---but now if it ever goes I can theoretically add more gears there too. Anyway, the new part is better than the originally but it was still pretty cheap. Which makes me a happy man.

The true cost of energy

The loss of rescue workers at the Utah mine reminds me that energy costs more than just money. So many people have died for it, in digging coal, soldiering for oil, or even choosing to pedal instead of drive. Hydroelectric dams have altered the temperature of SC rivers so that native fish can't thrive. France gets 76 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors. China is building new reactors to meet the evergrowing demand for cheap goods. But energy is not cheap if you count the human cost. That's why it bugs me when people leave their SUVs idling at Starbucks. This country needs to learn to appreciate (value) energy, and rethink its insane energy/transportation policies.

Inspired by bike bloggers of yore. . .

I decided to get on my bike and ride, as Queen implored, after surfing the cyclecybersphere. It was good to get out, and I remembered the feeling of accomplishment and community I somehow get navigating my errands via two wheels.

Pretty soon drivers intrude with their---ugliness? or is it mere carelessness. I often ride on the sidewalk around here because I'm chickenshit and the concrete is typically in horrible condition, resulting in a battering ride for the bigass batteries bouncing about in the bike bag. The effect is accentuated by the hard, skinny hybrid tires someone gave me; I only have installed one, in the rear, but I can feel a difference.

I made a conscious effort to pedal more, which made it feel more like biking of yesteryear (I assembled my e-bike last fall). I have biked these streets for several years, with a few years off in the middle, and they seem familiar.

On the way back from the grocery store, I was reminded how dirty and low one can feel with the utilitarian biking experience, grocery bags dangling from one's Hard Rock. I seem to feel people looking down on me as if I am some kind of omega male, which I may well be.

At a stoplight I recognized my neighbor and waved her on, but she did not seem to recognize me, and turned away, perhaps embarrassed. I guess I look different with the helmet on and a sack of frozen food hanging from the handlebars.

Photo de moi

Photographic evidence that I was here.