I need a new bike - dilemma part I

i have a friend who once said whenever he gets a new car, he immediately kicks a dent or puts a nick in it. just to get it over with.

i totally know how he feels.

about 48 hours have passed since i started asking around for advice on a decent commuter ride. and the answers have been pretty consistent - Surly, Salsa, and maybe Bianci. No one has recommended modern Schwinns and I know better than to even bother with ugly ass Giants.

Thing is, i'm used to not worrying about where i lock up. i mean, i know dudes who commute and never park outside but bring their prized rides into their office/cube space instead. that ain't me. if i have to fret about the paint getting nicked or some meth head jacking my wheels, seat, or whatever, it ain't worth the trouble.

then there's the issue of licensing your ride w/ the state - yes, it's only a few bucks but ugh, more government bureaucracy. one of the best things about riding is the simplicity of bicycle technology (er...lack of motor) and how this requires very little parasitic off-shoot industries (i.e. no pinche auto-insurance dickwads, driver's ed classes, etc).

but...damn the Surly Pacer is a sweet ride. now, why the f- doesn't it have mounts for a rack on the seat stay?!!!!

*sigh*

is it worth going into debt over? won't i have to get a little matching cap to wear w/ it? will i have to replace my pocket knife w/ a switchblade and be ready to cut some sucka-ass-punk who tries to mess with it?

i can picture it now:

"nice ride, now hand it over."

"piss off."

"I said hand the bike over!"

"death first!"

*glock glock*

thud.

I need a new bike

it is a new year and i need a new bike.

there's just no way around it. Of the 5 hand-me-down bikes i've been in possession of over the last decade, all of them have something askew.

The blue Trek is pretty much thrashed, I got the front changer hooked up to a shifter that looks like a charred finger, and I cannot stand riding the streets on 26" wheels. The lavender Schwinn Townie is a delight to ride but heavy, squeaky (I refuse to change the saddle as it is an original part, which I'm guessing goes back at least 25 years), and isn't equipped to hold panniers (though, I really do love the front basket). The Benotto frame was stripped over a year ago to outfit the Bridgestone, because the Bridgestone has rear mounts for a rack and the Benotto doesn't.

But as I've come to painfully discover - The Bridgestone frame is simply too small for me to have panniers on. That is to say, despite switching out 2 difference racks, and two different kinds of panniers, my heels keep hitting the latter no matter which way i put it together. So I need to get a new bike.

The problem is, i actually don't know that much about bikes. I just love riding them. I have a benotto, bridgestone, trek, and schwinn, and know that i don't like cannondales. But other than that, I'm pretty much at a loss when it comes to shopping for a new ride. I mean, clearly a more classic road frame with rear mounts and 700 wheels is what I'd prefer, maybe with townie handle bars, but what's a reliable and affordable make/model? I don't wanna read a book on the subject and Craigslist is overwhelming. Ugh. Dear internet-universe, what do you recommend?

Copenhagen, the state, everywhere

Been watching the proceedings in Copenhagen for almost 2 weeks now and this picture pretty much says it all.

The message from industrial civilization to the living world: "Out of my cold dead hands."

Carbon Offsets, Me & Your Money

Hey Copenhagen! Car bombings in Iraq/Paki/Afghanistan, melting glaciers in the Arctic, and ice on the roof tops of this sunny little beach town I live in. Crazy times, eh? You know, there's been a lot of talk about carbon trading, carbon offsets, carbon credits, and whatnot. Some folks don't believe that planting a few trees in downtown L.A. makes up for all the diesel jet fuel burned by fat first world tourists traversing the globe to take pictures of places that their countries used to look like before they "developed" it; some folks are skeptical that investing in a wind turbine farm in Oregon can make up for the blowing up of an entire mountain in West Virginia just for some lousy, dirty coal, and a few hundred jobs. Some folks say it's too late to turn back the tide and industrial societies will simply keep burning fossil fuels until there's none left to burn. I say screw all that.

You CAN make a difference in slowing down climate change and the way to do that is to pay me. If you're tired of those pesky impersonal carbon offset front groups supported by the likes of Al Gore, and wanna help out a real flesh and blood human being attempting to reduce his carbon footprint, pay me. If you're sick of those generic letters boasting about how your money can go to support Greenpeace banner drops at climate summits or Peruvian basket weavers, and just wanna help a guy afford some decent panniers, start sending your money my way asap.

I sold my car years ago and ride a bike daily, even on cold ass days like this where anyone in their right mind would never leave the house. I tend a garden, chickens, own a rain water barrel, and a tuning fork for my instruments as I don't wanna purchase batteries for an electric tuner cuz' batteries have lithium and mercury in them or something. I've stopped using paper towels and dry my hands on my hair/clothes/or just wave them around in the air. I worm compost practically everything, thereby preventing landfill overuse. I even go so far as to pocket compostable materials and/or recyclable materials when proper disposable facilities are not available. I try to pee outside whenever possible. Yeah, I do a lot of utterly ridiculous things to try and "make a difference" and it's high time my efforts got subsidized.

So send me money. I tend to eat more food than my co-workers who drive and it gets expensive. I also wear out shoes a lot more often as I tend to go on nature walks, ride a bike, and do other outdoor activities whenever possible. It's freakin' cold outside these days and I need some wool sweaters, shirts, or gloves. I also need a haircut, bike tubes, a massage, and an accordion that works. You may be asking - what about other tools for sustainable living like a wheel barrel or solar panels? I'm one step ahead of ya. Because sustainable living isn't just about the reduction in energy consumption but also about owning less material possessions, when it comes to wheel barrels and the like, I simply "borrow" from my neighbors when they're not home. As for solar panels - yeah, I could definitely use a whole bunch of those.

Who knows? If enough of ya'll start sending me dollars (I'd prefer Euros), I might be able to go full time w/ this sustainable living gig and stop working for the man all together. In return, I'll do my part to not shop for frivolous things, grow my own food, brew my own beer, organize fruit tree picking expeditions, and generally spit in the face of every greedy capitalist swine whenever possible. No time to waste! The earth is in dire straits! Pay me!

Crappy Trader Joe's Parking

*sigh*

If you ride a bike and occasionally shop at Trader Joe's in downtown, then I don't need to tell you their bike parking sucks. It was only during a recent interaction though that it fully dawned on me how crappy bike parking equals conflict with cars.

For those unfamiliar, the downtown TJ's main entrance faces a HUGE car parking lot, with I'd estimate at least 200 spaces, bordered by Mobo Sushis, Longs, and El Pollo Loco - The facade of the former building has 2 bike racks. Yeah, you heard that right - approximately 200 cars spaces and 2 bike racks. These racks hold at the most 4 bicycles, and as you might imagine, are often taken, which puts folks like me in the difficult position of locking up to grocery cart racks and...handicap signs.

The latter of which I found myself standing at last week as a middleaged woman with a blue placard kept edging her white compact closer and closer to me. She looked wealthy and annoyed by my presence even though I was a good 2 feet away from the concrete parking buffer. I tried to make the best of the situation by signaling that she could come much closer but she barely budged. Finally, I ignored her, finished suiting up and left...feeling a tad guilty and like her, annoyed.

I'd only locked up to the handicap sign because two other bikes already were latched to the grocery cart stands and it looked crowded. But why this vying for space to begin with?

I bring this up with a friend while riding. He says in a better world, the property company that houses Trader Joe's would take out 2 car parking spaces and install a covered bike corral or pavilion which could house upwards of 30 bicycles. I say, from a business perspective, this makes perfect sense - the average car parking space houses one customer, while the same amount of space could house 10 on bikes. So why the crappy bike parking situation?

My friend shrugs, says people would worry about homeless folks or whatnot, usual Santa Cruz boogeyman factor. I laugh and point out that as it stands, the new Southern California looking ugly ass shrine-to-over-consumption Safeway building off Almar and Mission has more bike parking out front that Trader Joe's. In fact, the schmucks have actually put up a sign boasting how dedicated Safeway is to saving the earth. Sheeeeit. Earth to Trader Joe's, you gonna let Safeway out eco you?

Random Ride Report

Yesterday morning heading south on Murray I pass two people sleeping across the railroad tracks in sleeping bags. One has his/her arm over the other in a tender manner that juxtaposes nicely against the scattered bits of trash and newspapers.

Tuesday night by Soquel and Frederick, some douche in a big black SUV with his cell phone up his ass, coming in the opposite direction, makes a left right in front of me. I brake enough in time and he speeds up to get out of my way. I get home and recharge the batteries for my lights.

Saturday morning by Broadway and Ocean, in the bike lane (as usual), no helmet (not as usual), bright beautiful day - white compact on my left slows to turn into driveway, i assume he sees me, he doesn't. I brake and fumble for my bell, i miss the bell, and end up yelling the first thing my brain can come up with: "Whoah, whoah! WHOAH!" He slows down just in time for me to pass - maybe a foot away.

Whomever said separate bike paths (i.e. away from car dominated roads) aren't necessary is clueless.

Give me good bike parking...or else

I meant to take this pick months ago when I first noticed that the Mission Street strip mall which houses Coffeetopia, La Mission Mexican Restaurant, and Ristorante Avanti, had taken out a single car parking space and replaced it with 5 bike parking rings. This can house at least 10 bicycles - though a better rack could probably fit in at least 5 more. No complaints though, whomever made this happen deserves much props....

Poetically enough, the day I took the former picture was right after that powerful (global warming induced?) storm about two weeks ago. The latter picture here is what really peaked my interest.

I've seen a lot of local gas stations close down over the years - the site of Fin's Coffee on Ocean St, the empty lot on the corner of Water and Ocean that used to house a Shell, the one near Almar and Mission that keeps opening and closing, the former corporate station gone "Bio-Diesel" on Ocean/Soquel that never really seems to have any business - But from what I can tell, these have all been due to crappy economic times. The station above was only temporarily shut down after the storm caused the roof to collapse - still, I always like it when mother nature strikes back.