tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post5403190829251414883..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Thursday Canadian Bike FillerWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-31998927320070221262009-10-16T13:25:15.590-06:002009-10-16T13:25:15.590-06:00Thanks Kori. I'm actually going camping with C...Thanks Kori. I'm actually going camping with Clean Colin next weekend, and will re-commit to learning a full verse by then.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-12430370244654940082009-10-16T10:23:26.151-06:002009-10-16T10:23:26.151-06:00I'm going on a business trip to Canada in a fe...I'm going on a business trip to Canada in a few weeks, and my family is deeply concerned that I'm just going to stay there. <br />O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command.<br />With glowing hearts we see thee rise,<br />The True North strong and free!<br />From far and wide,<br />O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br />God keep our land glorious and free!<br />O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br />(all together now!)<br />O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br /><br /><br />(I've been practising, eh)Korihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09224277792438540039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-25132990273669053292009-10-15T23:10:16.711-06:002009-10-15T23:10:16.711-06:00Fixie, SS, suspended, rigid- I like any bike with ...Fixie, SS, suspended, rigid- I like any bike with a Watchersticker.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-64841054773158469052009-10-15T16:32:00.791-06:002009-10-15T16:32:00.791-06:00Every time I go to Canada I get pissed at the bad ...Every time I go to Canada I get pissed at the bad driving and lack of road signs. This was in Ontario. I liked Alberta though:)<br /><br />My Watcher sticker is going on my bike as well.<br /><br />My full suspension Single Speed coasting type bike.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-10185047749353035062009-10-15T14:38:30.441-06:002009-10-15T14:38:30.441-06:00Well KanyonKris, I totally understand the gear thi...Well KanyonKris, I totally understand the gear thing, and I get the SS coaster thing, but there are actually advantages to running fixed, under certain circumstances. It can also be a massive disadvantage under other circumstances, so I don't recommend it for everyone :D <br /><br />Maintenance: there is virtually nothing that can go wrong with a fixed drive train, provided it has been installed correctly. A freewheel can get gunked up and degrade over time. An expensive one might last a lot of years, but a fixed will still outlast it. <br /><br />Safety: believe it or not, there can be a safety advantage to a fixed gear over a rear rim brake in snow and slush. You control the speed by controlling your legs, so you're not relying on a rim brake that can turn into a block of ice and stop functioning altogether. This only applies in snow, and only versus rim brakes. Disc brakes still beat both (but involve more maintenance and expense).<br /><br />Cost: you can build a decent fixed gear bike for $300 if you know what you're doing, and it will last you forever and be virtually indestructible. This does not apply if you are a hipster who needs all the fanciest matching anodized parts. I built this bike specifically to ride to classes year-round, so it needed to be cheap, ugly and bomb-proof.<br /><br />Momentum: on short hills the pedal kicks your back foot up, so if you're a lazy rider, you don't end up losing half your energy to the drag of that lazy back leg. It gets thrown right into position and is ready for the next stroke. This is awesome on short hills. Long hills are not fixie territory :)<br /><br />I don't want anyone to think I'm proselytizing - I'm just a big old fan of bikes in all their glorious variety, and I can find an excuse to ride any of them :D My last beater bike was a 1974 CCM with a 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub, all original parts. I'd still be riding it if some dreadful person hadn't stolen it from my shed >:\maggiehttp://giroofasaurus-vexed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-36359383625625993782009-10-15T12:10:10.663-06:002009-10-15T12:10:10.663-06:00At least that fixie has a brake.
I can kind of se...At least that fixie has a brake.<br /><br />I can kind of see the draw of single speed, but I don't see why it's good to ditch the freewheel.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-80454062105852836212009-10-15T09:57:30.809-06:002009-10-15T09:57:30.809-06:00When we lived in Michigan, Rachel and I used to ma...When we lived in Michigan, Rachel and I used to make smuggling runs to Canada. We'd bring back potato chips, chocolate, and Claritin. This was back before Claritin was OTC in the US, and it somehow seemed easier to smuggle it from Canada than to go to the doctor and get a prescription. <br /><br />Now I can get industrial-sized bottles of Claritin at Costco. The chocolate and potato chip situations have gotten better in the US as well, but we won't even get started on healthcare...Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-15987398139675222782009-10-15T07:22:59.880-06:002009-10-15T07:22:59.880-06:00XD
I'm really not an alien (unless they'v...XD<br /><br />I'm really not an alien (unless they've gone and erased all my alien memories and implanted human ones, or unless I come from a long line of earth-dwelling aliens - actually, that might explain a lot), it's just that fixies are so USEFUL in a nice flat, wet, slushy city like this one. I like to think of my Stupid Panda Bike as the perfect union of practical and ridiculous. I never have to do any maintenance (besides the application of new stickers and a bit of air in the tires from time to time) and no one wants to steal it, because hey, stupid bike. See? Perfect.<br /><br />In closing, "eh?".maggiehttp://giroofasaurus-vexed.comnoreply@blogger.com