Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#58)

A really big zucchini.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#57)

Two cardboard boxes containing a rented DVD, Chinese take out food, an Artvoice paper, a cable lock, and $62.00 in groceries.

Barcelona 1908 (again)

I posted this video about six months ago but it is so beautiful (I think) that I had to post it again. If you've seen it before I know you'll watch it again. And if you haven't watched it yet it is worth the seven minutes. Turn of the television or radio and turn up the computer speakers because the accompanying music is lovely. The videographer appears to be riding on the front of a tram and everyone wants to be in the film. They all look so happy...and the bikes look so graceful. I still find it interesting how many bikes there are because this style, the forerunner of those we ride today (opposed to the type with one big wheel in front and a teeny one in the rear) were brand new at the time. Anyhow, it's an excellent video. Enjoy.

Stimulus

The government should offer cash rebates for people to buy bicycles instead of more cars (ie, the ill-fated cash for clunkers deal). I really wonder if gas prices were a tad higher and there were more incentives to use alternative means of travel if more people in America would take the bicycle more seriously...that it is truly the most ingenious machine ever built...and the most economical (on many levels.)

The Power of Words

A friend shared this with me today and I thought that I'd pass it along. It's a reading taken from Ekanth Easwaran's book, Words To Live By...it's his take on the ancient Arab Proverb of the Three Gate Keepers and is pretty powerful (I think)...if only I could remember this every time my often sarcastic tongue takes over...it would, I believe, make me a better person. (If you find this interesting you should also read James 3). Anyhow, here it is:

The Three Gates of Right Speech

"The words of the tongue
should have three gatekeepers."
- ARAB PROVERB

Before words get past the lips, the first gatekeeper asks, "Is this true?" That stops a lot of traffic immediately. But if the words get past the first gatekeeper, there is a second who asks, "Is it kind?" And for those words that qualify here too, the last gatekeeper asks: "Is it necessary?"

With these three on guard, most of us would find very little to say. Here I think it is necessary to make exceptions in the interests of good company and let the third gatekeeper look the other way now and then. After all, a certain amount of pleasant conversation is part of the artistry of living. But the first two gatekeepers should always be on duty.

It is so easy to say something at the expense of another for the purpose of enhancing our own image. But such remarks, irresistible as they may be, serve only to fatten our own egos and agitate others. We should be so fearful of hurting people that even if a clever remark is rushing off our tongue, we can barricade the gate. We should be able to swallow our cleverness rather than hurt someone. Better to say something banal but harmless than to be clever at someone else's expense.

Ekanth Easwaran, Words to Live By

CSX Commercial

I came across this video on this blog today...it's a 30 second clip about moving cargo by train, but the bike scenes are worth watching.

Summer's Bounty

Too Much Paper

Yesterday I went to K-Mart and made a small purchase, and as is often the case when I went into a big box store, I forgot what I initially went for. I stopped in again today when I remembered. Both times the cashier handed me streams of paper as my receipt...the above photo is from two small purchases...seems like such a waste...must be three feet of paper, of which I didn't care to receive and will never read. Seems like they should be able to ask the customer if they'd like a printed receipt to avoid all this extra paper.

Not Fixed (#2)

I still don't get it...and I doubt if I ever will. I'm of course referring to the latest bicycle craze (fad)...fixed gear, fixies...whatever you want to call them. I first blogged about my views of these bikes back in April...you can read it here. And as I stated in my earlier post on this subject...to be reasonable...I have never ridden a fixed gear bike (and have no plans to). I still believe it is a generational thing...I never see anyone under 25 on one.

At any rate, the reason I bring this up again is because of what I saw today. I was riding the Mundo home fully loaded (see previous post...#56), and I was going at a pretty good clip...I'm guessing 10 mph. A guy on a fixed gear passes me so I pedal a little harder just to see if I could keep up (keep in mind this guy was probably half my age and his bike probably weighs 1/3 that of the Mundo...the Mundo clocks in at a hefty 62lbs. with nothing on it...I probably had it loaded with somewhere around 60 or 70 additional lbs.). Anyhow, not surprisingly I was able to keep up (undoubtedly because of the gears...being able to shift at inclines...I'm sure the momentum of all the extra weight didn't hurt either.). I followed him for about 1/2 mile and I thought to myself the same thing whenever I see someone on a fixed gear...don't you just want to coast ever once and a while? They have to keep pedaling non-stop.

Anyhow, we came to an intersection and he tried to run the red light...luckily he saw an on coming car at the last minute. He must have been a "purest" because he didn't have brakes (some fixed gear riders...the smarter ones in my opinion...do use brakes). He pushed back hard on his pedals and was almost thrown over the handlebars the first time...his legs went flailing. On a second attempt, thankfully, he was able to do a series of short skid-stops. I, though, simply coasted the tank I was riding to a very gradual and comfortable stop.

At a previous job I had a worked with some guys who were fixed gear advocates, and I would ask them to tell me a good reason why they rode them, and did they think they were safe. They would reply with comments like, "it's totally safe. man...you become one with the bike," or "the bike becomes an extension of one's self, dude."

Well, this guy today almost extended himself right over the handlebars and became one with a car.

I like my gears, I enjoy shifting and coasting...and am very conscious of the fact when I use them. I'll get off my little soapbox now.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#56)

A case of canned dog food (12 cans).
4 dumbbells with a combined weight of 36 pounds.
Two shirts.
A roll of paper towels.
A newspaper.
A U-lock.
A cable lock.
A wooden box containing, among other things, two bottles of water, a pair of pliers, two wrenches, a screwdriver, and a tape measure.