Learn By Doing

I went to Veloswap today which is a huge gathering of cyclists buying and selling all kinds of bikes, bike parts, and bike paraphernalia. I went last year too, but since I didn't have any money and wasn't really looking for anything specific anyway, I just ended up wandering around wishing I had more money.

This year I actually bought a few things though. After waiting in a long line to get into the place (held at the National Western Stock Show building), I then had to wait in another long line to use the one ATM in the whole place because I was stupid and didn't go to the bank before I came. I had to pay a fee to use the ATM, but it figured I was still ahead of the game because I told the parking attendant to take her $6 parking fee and shove it while I went and found equally good parking for free elsewhere (I didn't really say that to her, but I wasn't very polite either).

So, after finally getting in and getting my money, I was off to the races. Unlike last year where I wandered around aimlessly, this year I had a bit more focus. I was looking for a new seat, a new front brake, a new front brake lever (if one should strike my fancy), and possibly a new handlebar (bull-horn style, specifically). As I snaked my way through the slow-walking crowd I quickly scanned the items being offered at each table. My first find was a seat. I was looking for something with a cut-out down the middle so that it wouldn't make my crotch go numb after only 30 minutes riding it. This seat I found had this crotch-saving cutout, a sleek low-profile design, titanium rails, and because it had been in a crash and got scuffed, it was only $5. For some people a scuffed seat just won't do, but I don't really care about scuffs. It is really just cosmetic, and actually having a damaged seat will probably reduce the likelihood of it getting stolen on campus. Anyway, I'll have to take it on a little bit longer ride some day to see how much better it is than my old seat.

Then I found a brake caliper that looked nice. It was black, and it was only $10. I probably could have bargained it down, but I don't really enjoy bargaining. Not long after that I found a brake lever that I thought would do the trick for only $5. I wandered around a bit longer, saw the type of handlebars that I thought I might want to get, but I ended up not liking them and so I didn't buy them. I also saw an old frame quite similar to the one I have now (same make, close year, different model, cooler colors; black and red) for $48. I was about to buy it and maybe build it into a second fixed gear, but luckily it was too big for me and so I didn't buy it. That's when I realized that I should leave before I spent the $45 I had left on something that I didn't really need.

So then I came home to put my new parts on my bike. The seat went on without any problems, but after a few hours of tinkering and a trip to a bike shop, I have realized that the brake caliper I bought is the wrong size. Before I left this morning to go to Veloswap in the back of my mind I was thinking, "Dustin, you should probably measure that thing so you can be sure to get a new one that fits," but alas, I didn't. I thought they were probably all the same and so I thought I would probably be okay without measuring. Well, I was wrong... luckily I'm not out too much money and I guess that's how you learn these kinds of things...

To remedy the situation I have bought another brake caliper on ebay that I am quite confident will fit. I didn't get the same bargain for it, but I think I'm at least not overpaying (too much). Hopefully it will arrive quickly and I can install it, but in the mean time my bike doesn't have a front brake and I don't think I'm "brave" enough to ride it anywhere without a brake.

So today I got on my mountain bike for the first time since I got the fixed gear and it felt really weird. After exclusively riding the fixed gear since September, getting back on the mountain bike felt kind of like driving a big, slow, lumbering, excessive Ford Expedition for the first time after months of driving a light, simplistic, lithe, Lotus Elise. So, in other words, I hope my brake arrives quickly so I don't have to ride my mountain bike for too long.

Speaking of the Lotus Elise, today's video is a video clip from the BBC TV show Top Gear testing a Lotus Exige which is just like the Elise only faster and better. I like this car a lot, and for most of the same reasons why I like the VTEC Mini. Because it does more with less. This car has a 1.8 liter Toyota 4-cylinder engine, and in this clip they race it against a Ford Mustang with a 5.4 liter V8 with quite a bit more horsepower. However, because the Lotus is so small and light, and just all around better, it beats the Mustang. I love it. It is at the same time both extreme and minimalist.