Monthly Archives: August 2012

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Introducing…

August 23, 2012 17:52 | 5 Comments |

Jayne!

CBoardman cyclocross bike

As in Jayne Cobb, which will mean something to Firefly fans.

Jayne: Well, as a rule, I say, girlfolk ain’t to be trusted.
River: [grinning] “Jayne” is a girl’s name.
Jayne: Well, Jayne ain’t a girl! She starts in on that girl’s-name thing, [reaches into his pants] I’ll show her good ‘n’ all, I got man parts!
Simon: I’m… trying to think of a way for you to be cruder. I just… it’s not coming.
(Trash, episode 11 Firefly.)

Ah, Jayne. Probably one of my favourite Joss Whendon characters ever. I was riding to work thinking about names and all of sudden The Hero of Canton popped into my head and the name has just stuck. I think it’s appropriate. The bike is big, burly and carries the heavy stuff.

The MTB pedals and bottle cages went on last night, the pannier rack was added last week. I have some nice bright red Ortlieb bags to go the rack but I couldn’t be bothered to put them on for the photo (you’ll just have to use your imagination). The MTB cletes/pedals are interesting to say the least. I’m perplexed by the decision to tension the pedals so much. I couldn’t actually clip in at all at first. Even after winding them out as much as possible, it still taking a huge amount of force for me to actually clip in. It’s like having to learn how to use cletes all over again. But I shall persist as they’re about a billion times easier to walk around in. So yes, Jayne. Once I said it in my head the name just stuck.

The name is why I’ve had this stuck in my head for the last few days…

(If you haven’t ever watched Firefly, I strongly recommend it. Brilliant show that should’ve never been cancelled. Stupid TV network!)

Posted in: Bike | Tagged: , ,

Ooohh… shiny!

August 14, 2012 15:35 | Leave a Comment |

Perhaps a story best told with photos, so, uh… pic spam warning!

Boxes of wiggle goodness
Boxes full of Wiggle goodness.

They be wheels
As if those reflectors stayed on… And yes, that’s a 11/32 cassette!

Frame emerging from the packaging
It emerges! Eventually… after I worked out how to get it out of all the packaging.

Crappest pedals ever
No. Just… no!

Nearly completed bike, only missing pedals
Tis almost done. Except for the pedals which are kinda important.

Now with pedals
Now with pedals!! And you can see a sad looking Lisa in the background minus her pedals *sniff*

Maiden voyage complete
Maiden voyage complete. All locked up in the bike cage at work. (I know, I know – most cable locks are just a visual deterrent but if someone wanted to steal it they’d have to work out how to break into the cage first and deal with the security camera. And there are bikes with thinner cable locks then mine anyway.)

Garmin edge 200 on bike
Yup, that’s Garmin Edge 200. Totally unnecessary for a bike that’s going to spend most of its time being a commuter but it’s my money that I’m squandering.

Flooded bike path
And what do I do with my bright and shiny bike? Ride it through about a foot of water on a flooded bike path after totally ignoring the “Path Closed” gate that had been half dragged across. And my, didn’t the brakes sing after that!

The bike is in the shop right now having a pannier rack fitted and the brakes tuned. On my first commute home, the rear brake was rubbing so much that it made the entire bike shake. Which scared the crap out of me. This is my first experience of disc brakes so I have no clue how to tune them properly (not that I really know how to do it with caliper brakes either). I expected a little squeaking as they bedded in but not rubbing as badly as they have been. Figure it’s a job for a bike mechanic, someone who really knows what they’re doing.

I’ve already bought a pair of MTB shoes and my MTB/flat pedals, bottle cages and pannier bags should turn up this week. And then I’ll be done. Turned out to be a rather expensive birthday present to myself.

Getting on my Cannondale is an experience now. This bike comes in a hefty 10kg (22lbs) when my roadie is a smidge over 7kg (about 16lbs). If nothing else I’m going to get a lot stronger pushing this bike around. My roadie felt insanely light when I hopped on her on Sunday and this morning riding up the hill on Barkly St seemed so much easier than normal. The Boardman also has SRAM double-tap gearing when I’ve only had Shimano in the past. Took me awhile to get my head around that one!

Still, I think the Boardman (doesn’t have a name yet!) and I are going to get along just fine.

Posted in: Bike | Tagged: ,

Breaking up is hard to do

August 7, 2012 20:39 | 1 Comment |

I know it’ll sound like a cliche but it’s not you, it’s me. I feel like we’ve grown apart in the last few months and that we’re just not as close as we used to do.

I sincerely hope that you don’t take this personally. It’s hard for me to imagine my life without you. It’s been a great few years and you’ve been such a huge part of my life. A whole new world has opened up for me because of you. I have so much to thank you for. You helped me get in touch with the person I used to be and that’s such a gift I can never repay you for.

But you have to admit that things have been a bit rocky lately. The closeness that we once had feels like it’s gone. We just don’t fit.

So I’m sorry to say that I’ve found someone new. Someone who will hopefully fit my current wants better. It’s time for a change. But I really am sorry, I hope you can move on and find someone new.

Posted in: Bike | Tagged: ,