"I have been but little in," said Ninian hastily...

Given how much I like

cycling and

camping.

I've often thought of emulating Eric Newby's Round Ireland in Low Gear in Scotland. But in the 20+ years since he wrote it (I remember doing the book launch work for that...), someone else has probably hit on it.

Ah, finally a day where the weather is just to my liking! :-)

Yes, I realise that I'm perverse in preferring grey, cool, rainy weather to hot, humid, sunny weather. Call me crazy.

But it also made me feel like seeing a friend I've not spent much time with all summer--Rupert, my bike! I took him out on a loop that combined my two regular local exercise routes (short and long), about five miles altogether. It was terrifically nice to get out and zoom about, even if I did end up puffing (and often walking) rather a lot.

Rupert is back from his spring checkup and all systems are go. He was reported out with a clean bill of health, and I bought him a new computer to boot. I think he's had almost as many as I have, now. The owner/operator of the new bike store in town looks to be not nearly as much of a feckless tw@t as the people at Spokes, and this was borne out by the fact he was able to install he computer for me without fecking it up.

R and I went out for a quick spin this morning, in case predictions of afternoon showers hold up, and then I covered him up with his brand-new bike cover, which hopefully will keep him a little dry. It was very nice of the landlord to put in bike *racks*, but what I had actually suggested was a bike *shed*; we could lock our bikes to the back stairs, but neither the stairs nor the stands give them any protection from rain and snow. We're not allowed to keep them in the hall (fire hazard), and if you've ever seen my stairs you'd know that carrying Rupert up to the flat is just not going to happen.

Time for breakfast and then homework.

I cleaned Rupert's chain thoroughly (though not comprehensively) on Sunday, and he and I went out for a spin this morning. Not very long or very far, but enough to get back on the bike. It's been a bad summer for exercise, and for biking in particular.

Given that it's the first time in forever, things went rather well. I got through the first mile without needing to stop for a breather (though maybe that was because II had to stop at the beginning several times to adjust the contacts for the computer. Damn the black souls of the Spokes service staff to hell--may they always have flat tires!) The weather is worsening, though. It's misty/foggy this morning, and that's because it's humid and getting warm again. The next 3-4 days are going to be an unpleasant combination of warm and wet. Just when you thought autumn was here...

I've also realised that if I ever get a black bike (I'm thinking maybe Rupert is one part of my chattels that should probably stay here in storage if I go to the UK), I will *have* to name him after Black Tom Fairfax. :-)

(For details, see here. And when exactly did Ferdinando go out of fashion as an English boy's name? ;-)

Back to the bike. I didn't get in the full half hour this morning, but I am restarting my daily exercise regime as I promised the medico. And even the reduced bit I did kicked my ass, since I included a lot more of the neighbourhood hills than I have in the past. He said to be sure and get my heartrate up--well it did that for sure! :-) I need to do the full "down to the parkway, under Carroll, and up past the hospital and around the college" route to get a half-hour or more, I think. Still, good to get started... I'm still several hundred miles short of my goal for the year, and less than six months left to go...

Remember I mentioned how Spokes fucked up my bike computer the last time I took my bike in for a tuneup?

It's worse than I thought.

There's a housing that holds the computer itself on the handlebars. The housing is held onto the handlebars by a ring, embedded in which is a nut that a tighten-down screw gets turned though. I thought they had just moved the housing and not properly tightened the screw down. No, they did far worse.

They managed to (a) jam the screw at an angle through the nut and (b) shove the nut out of the housing (presumably because they were so thick that when it wouldn't turn properly, the just kept shoving). So I can't get any purchase to unjam the screw, because now the nut is loose. And I can't tighten the screw down because it's jammed and the nut rotates freely on the end of it.

Which means I will have to buy a whole new computer unit, unless I can find just the housing for sale.

Effing bastards.

ETA: Checked the manufacturers' website. They don't sell just the housing (which would mean replacing the wire and contact too, anyway). So I have to buy a whole new computer. $40 down the drain. Asshats.

Please, DO NOT GO TO SPOKES for any bicycle needs. Their staff is incompetent.

And rude. If you missed the prior posts and you're wondering why I don't just go get them to replace it, it's because the last time I went in with a complaint about a repair gone wrong, I got a rude reply and no satisfaction. Thought I'd give them one more chance because my first few experiences with them (all with their sales staff) were so good--foolish me.

DO NOT GO TO SPOKES!

I'm trying to avoid posting all the maundering blah that's going through my mind, as I don't want to increase the worldwide incidence of depression and suicide. :-)

Instead I'll yammer about books, my bike, my new doctor, and the ever-present little metal men.( Read more... )

What with the Verizon guy coming yesterday and me generally feeling lazy, I didn't do much with yesterday.

Today's been a bit better. I went cycling (hence the picture of Rupert); only ~4-5 miles, but it seems I'm still very out of shape. :-( I've gotten groceries, got new mats for the cat boxes, gone to the bank (thank you, Capital Coed Soccer League!), done laundry, made dinner. Some tea and a little more telly while the last of the laundry dries, then to bed...

I watched another movie, The Secret of Roan Inish, written and directed by John Sayles, a Williams alum. Lovely story about people, the sea, islands, seals, and a little magic. No dragons, no fighter jets, no sex (only a very little romance, even, in passing), no explosions; but if you have the sea and waves crashing on the shore, and the lilt of Irish voices, and a little wonder, do you really need any of the rest?