Copenhagen looks to be doing it right...

Worst bell ever?

Yes. It most definitely is.
I don't know why I put a question mark, this post could have easily been called "Worst bell ever." But never "Worst bell ever!"

Alright, BRC, reeeeel it back in here.

I seem to have purchased the worst bicycle bell ever. My old big red one (from now on to be referred to as 'Big Red') broke. It was the kind that made that br-r-r-r-ring! sound, like an old telephone with an echo. It stopped b-r-r-ringing it, it retired to a little 'tik' noise. I figure that's what I get for buying a $3 bell. Whatever, it makes a noise that says 'I'm a bicycle! I'm close to you!' That's all they ever have to do.

I went to Cycle Shoppe on Queen West because I was there anyway with a friend who went in for a repair. Picked up a little black thing (pictured hanging under my bars below). It's the kind you have to rapid fire like a six-shooter at high noon. It goes 'Ding! Ding!' 'I'm a bike!' It's sleeker and matches my bike better than Big Red, so - done. $7 -- that should last exactly 2.5 times longer than Big Red, going exclusively on price.
Cool.
Take off BR (Big Red) and put on the new one, it's attached by a ratcheting plastic loop with a rubber strip to make it stay on. It doesn't work. The tiny amount of force from my thumb it takes to ring the bell, is less than the amount of force it takes to push it down so it's upside down and doesn't ring.

(Green circle added in photoshop, shoelace added by hand - it's load bearing)

weak.
So I have a bell that takes two hands or a very awkward grip with one - I practice those maneuvres every time I have 5 minutes alone, but on a bike I need to ring my bell IMMEDIATELY. I can't brake with both brakes at the same time, so it's a choice when I'm coming by a stretch of cars that I suspect may door me - be safe with my hands on my brakes and shout "I'M ON A BIKE! PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR FOR A SECOND!" OR, hope that one of the first 6 cars in a row 10 isn't one that's going to hurt you. Russian Roulette's no fun without money involved, so forget it.
I realize I'm paranoid about being doored, but it's happened/nearly happened enough for me to be extra careful.

To put it simply:

That's no bell curve!

Badge removal 101

A Ciocc frame, minus all Ciocc badges = any old frame.

I'm pretty sure not all CR-MO frames are created equal, not sure where Ciocc falls on a ranking system, or what that ranking system would be, but if it's a Ciocc then it's probably a Columbus made frame which is great, but it's missing the Columbus badges so I'll never know.

It's a mystery I'm too lazy to solve.

To honour the scraps of fact I do know about my frame and as a service to future generations for when they thaw me out of a cube of ice where I'll be flash frozen riding my bike, lancing a Mammoth with a light-sabre, I'm going to try to keep the Ciocc badges intact and reapply a select few when the bike is done to make it a little bit identifiable. And besides, some of the Ciocc badges are bad ass.

It's easy, just takes patience and a friend with steadier hands than you.

Also, a heat gun and a short knife came in handy.
I mean, steady hands and patience are great, but holding it still for a really long time doesn't do anything... trust me.
(not pictured: my hands)



I was really happy to get the headbadge off in one piece, I really like that logo. The smaller pieces were fine to get off, but the larger decals like the "Ciocc" written down the side were just too big and they shredded very easily.

Keep the badge taught between your fingers and where it's sticking to the frame after heating it quite a bit with the heat gun. Then slide the blade slowly and carefully underneath, just be really really careful not to cut or tear the badge. (Obviously).

Oh, and to make a few things clear - the mammoth thing, I'm pretty sure time is cyclical and also randomly skips all over the place for no reason, in ways that makes no sense. That's why it's a lightsabre and a mammoth, the flash freezing is from nuclear winter which is coming up. What I haven't decided is if I went back in time with a lightsabre, or if the mammoth came forward.

My ass.

I've given up on ever recovering my lost Kryponite lock, my guess is somebody threw it into Lake Ontario seeing as Lake Ontario was about a lock's throw from where I left it.

So, here's my ass.



I picked up the smaller Kryptonite so I can keep it in my pocket instead of having to mount it on my frame. If it's not mounted on the frame, I won't have to take it off to photograph my bike in a tree, which so far is the only reason I've ever just lost a lock.

My bike's lost some weight because of it, and my knee has nothing to hit when I take sharp sharp turns way too fast.









Worth it.

Ode to cycling at night in the rain when it's cold out and last night, also other specific things I can add to this too-long title, how much more spac

The rain is fine all day and night

On days and nights when warm

I’ll ride and ride it just feels right

Especially in a storm

December though, without snow

The rain it bites with wind

Slicked wet brakes really blow

And through stoplight send

Puddled ponds of potholes

Flushed level with the street

Invisibly they’re taking tolls

My spine, they do mistreat

Finally get inside

With cheeks red, nose ran

It’s a little cold for a ride

But nice that I still can

It's December...

We're into the second day of December, the roads aren't salty, slushy, or slick!
It's been around 70 years since the last time we made it through November without snow in this city.

Ride on, dropped bar soldiers.

Saddle up, pard'ner

I got a Brooks saddle.
Stereotypical much?
Oh what’s that? You’re making a single speed bike with a Brooks saddle, and you call it a saddle and not a seat?
Yes.
That’s exactly what I’m doing. I thought of getting a Fizik or just a Selle Royal just to be different, but dammit, have you used a Brooks? Ridden a distance on them? They’re great, that’s it. The hard leather sounds like the last thing you’d want to sit on, but you’re not just sitting, you’re riding. That doesn’t sound right – so, you’re not sitting, your peddling.
That’s better.
I had to pick this one up, given the chance. It’s off-season so the prices on a lot of stuff seems pretty low. Doesn’t mean there are more deals, just less ripoffs. It’s black, I might not use it later because of that depending on the final design. Black is likely though, so for $80 I figure I may as well, figure I’d spend $100+ on one anyway.
When I went to pick it up the guy who was selling it via Craigslist showed me a bunch of different saddles, I picked a Brooks that wasn’t posted, it has “Made in England” as part of the badge in the back. Thought that was rare, haven’t seen it before.

I can’t wait to ride this hypothetical bike…