Go Play In Traffic

I violated one of my cardinal rules last night. I knew I was violating it while I was doing it, but I figured it would be okay (just this once!). I bought a cheap bike floor pump…

Sunday found me, “The Wife” (just an FYI, sometimes when you refer to your wife as “the wife” instead of her actually name, certain fringe segments of the female gender get PISSED. So you have been warned!) and “The Kid” up at my parents house, having a cook out.

Personally, I was engaged in a personal fashion show, looking for the gaudiest cycling clothes I could find as I was finally going to start commuting to work a couple of days a week. I’m getting old and weak and it’s time to put the 8 inch hydraulic brakes on that! (nice deft cycling metaphor there, eh?)

Since I’m only going to be doing it twice a week, I figure three shorts and three jerseys and three pairs of gloves would hold me over. And what some eye melting combinations I found, compliments of Oakley sample sales and my fondness for orange. Yikes. The only way I’m going to get hit by a car is if they are blinded by my red ‘chicken slaughter camo’ shorts…Did find my red Fox DH gloves with the plastic knuckle guards, but I don’t think I can operate the STI with those on.

My parents were quite happy to have on of the 42 bicycles removed from their garage and the Voodoo now has a new home. Down 92 stairs. Out on the walkway to our lanai, leaning against a wall. Very undignified, but I figured this was better then buying something cheap and crappy or just not riding. And it won’t be used as a drying rack.

I can’t find my Kryptonite New York chain, it’s probably hanging out with my Niterider charging, having a wicked good time. And I’m certainly not going to bring my nice Silca pump to hang out on the lanai, so…Time to fix problems with the judicious application of cash. I bought a new Kryptonite lock (Security rating of ‘8’! versus the security rating of 9! For an additional $20) and a Topeak floor pump.

I don’t think I’ve ever managed to levitate myself off the ground with a floor pump before TRYING TO GET ROAD TIRES TO A WEAK100 PSI!!!!!!! But there I was, both hands on the pump, and all my body weight braced against my hands, feet in the air, trying to eek out that last little psi. Needless to say, that pump is going back. Swear the handle was bending half under my weight.

Riding into working this morning was entertaining. Resplendent in red Oakley shorts and the vintage 10th Anniversary Syncrosv jersey and the courier’s bag the size of a small person (which oddly doesn’t let you see over your right shoulder when changing lanes…) I rode to work. 17~ minutes of riding time, mostly down hill the whole way and I was/am tired. I have no car sense and I think I hit all the potholes in the road and my butt was sore.
Oh boy. Now I’ve got the uphill grunt to get home. At least I can roll the bike down the 92 stairs this time.