Brokedown and 2 wheels to go

April 13 – May 19, 2019

Dear reader,

This spring has been a dynamic time.  I have been riding around on Shifty, a bike I normally only use for long rides and off-pavement riding.  My time with the Old Bastard has been limited to the following:

Yes, my handlebar stem developed a crack and, when I attempted to remove the stem with the handlebars attached, became completely separated from the rest of ye olde-fashioned quill stem stump which remained firmly lodged within the head tube.  It was not easy to remove the stem from the head tube.  I didn’t think it would be easy, based on this excellent instructional video:

After some diligent and, eventually, kind of reluctant hack-sawing, I finally got the remaining stump of the stem out and ordered a replacement. 

Beholde!  Ye olde stem stump removed and revealed!

Unfortunately, I ordered the wrong size (25.4 mm).  I am really not sure why I ordered that one, I hadn’t even measured the diameter yet but I guess I figured it would be the most common one!?  So I’m sending that one back and I ordered another one.  I think a 21.15 mm (13/16”) stem will be right for a 1990 Bridgestone MB-5, right?!  It could be a 22.2 mm; however, since I am close to needing reading glasses and it’s a bit hard for me to accurately discern a 1 mm difference in diameter and I don’t seem to have any calipers (although I am pretty sure I once did).  IMPORTANT UPDATE:  If you too, need a replacement stem for your 1990 Bridgestone MB-5, it is actually a 22.2 mm stem.  3rd time is a charm for this stem mis-measurerer!

I must admit, the situation is not ideal.  I feel compelled to shift gears and the spring temperature changes and/or my poorly adjusted shifting system made it a bit unreliable for awhile.  I am also frequently splattered with goop due to the absence of fenders on Shifty.  Fortunately I’ve got a bunch of gift cards for various local bike shops that I will deploy in the near future to at least get a front fender/mudguard.  Here's what I ended up with.

It's better than no fender, and works better with muck than with water (I am guessing the muck doesn't accelerate as quickly towards my face due to its greater mass than water?).  Butt, as I've been too lazy to put the rear fender from the Bastard onto Shifty, I've also had to deal with a soggy bum and I've felt compelled to wash my pants more often than usual (i.e., semi-annually).

I’ve got the feeling that I am near the eye of a vortex of deterioration.  Here’s why:

1. The Bastard is on long-term disability
2. I’ve had an injury on my foot for about 4 weeks - from wearing a sandal!?
3. I should get my house painted and replace the retaining wall, which currently serves as prime wasp habitat.
4. My wrist hurts (yeah, real funny!) from having to shift gears all the time.  And yes, I know that theoretically I could just stay in one gear, but those levers are just so compelling!
5. Also my knee is still not quite fully bendable due to a skiing incident back in February.

Granted, now that I type out my whiny list, it doesn’t seem so bad.  Thanks for taking the time to allow me to vent.  Now it’s your turn!  Oh!  WHAT!?! The NERVE!!!  There, now we both feel better.  Kind of like how everyone feels better now that there are 38 miles of connected bike routes in Omaha!  Let’s take a look at this map, here.  Hmmm.  Looks pretty good.  Better than things used to be back in the 90s.  But they could always be even better!  It’s still kind of a pain travelling east-west across I-680.  There is the Big Papio Trail, but it is pretty far south.  

Oh and someone ranked bicycling in various cities!  Let’s see how OMA fared…1.7 / 5 stars.  Hmmm. I’d say we should have at least 2.5. I think this rating system might be set-up to encourage cities to incorporate better infrastructure and protected lanes for bikes.  Nothing wrong with that.  We bicyclers should do whatever it takes to make things better for us and hopefully that will mean that there are more of us!  Let’s find out some more details about Omaha’s bicyclability… Hmm.  Our highest marks are in Network (Rates How People Are Connected To Their Destinations Using Comfortable Bike Routes) and Reach (Measures How Consistently A Community’s Bike Network Serves Everyone In The Community).  Well, I guess that 38 miles of connected bike routes in Omaha is paying off!  We share our 1.7 rating with strong bicycling communities like Sacramento, CA (where the charming film Ladybird is set), and Duluth, MN (birthplace of Duluth Trading Co. – Purveyor of Durable Goods and Humorously Illustrated Catalogs).  So I guess that’s pretty good, right?!  Can we do better?!  MAY-BEE! I said, CAN WE DO BETTER?!?!!  MAAAYYYY-BEEEEEE!  Take that apathy!  A 1.7 might not seem that great, but even the #1 city of Boulder, CO only got a 3.7, so a 1.7 isn’t terrible.  Terrible would probably be somewhere in Texas.  Let me look into that – Hmm.  I’m sorry Texas, but it looks like Pittsford, NY (suburb of Rochester, est. pop. 29,450) may have earned that distinction, with a 0.4 rating.  I am not sure why a small-medium-sized town would have such a low rating – seems like with so few people around a bicycler could just pedal around with some bright lights and clothing and be perfectly safe, if perhaps not well-liked.  Well, I guess just being a moderately active, most-of-the-time bicycle commuter doesn’t make me a profound expert on bicycling in all situations like I thought it did!?  Wow!  You really can get your mind blown every so often.  I wonder what it will be like when gravity helps it coalesce back together…. wow.

Well it will soon be time for we recently enjoyed the annual Wear Yellow Ride here in Nebraska!  I am not sure if I am prepared, but I am ready to try to keep up with my 72-year-old dad.  I know it doesn’t sound that challenging, but the man is a phenomena.  He went in for a heart stress test awhile back and although the computer didn’t really explode because it could not calculate how a person could be so fit at the age of 72, it almost might have (my dad tried to teach me not to exaggerate).  His heart may (or may not) be stronger that a 1-year-old antelope’s but is almost certainly healthier than this moderately-active 47-year old’s.  As a matter of fact, I am now downgrading my status from moderately- to semi-active.  I am as inactive as possible at work, which has taken a toll on my overall health and, most noticeably, my cardiovascular fitness.

Maybe I’ll get out and do some hiking/backpacking once I get over this annoying spring cold and get the Old Bastard back on track.  Things will soon be glorious again, I can feel it!

You're the inspiration,

BSO