Andy Laub

I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge bike nerd. I’ve spent countless hours poring over cycling websites and forums, reading about new gear, and just generally obsessing about things that a normal person wouldn’t give a second glance to. I have brand preferences, and I can list off the parts that I would put on my dream bike at any given time, from memory. I’ve cleared well over 3000 miles this year on a bike I’ve only had since March. So why have I only broken 100 miles (nearly all of them indoors) this month? There are a few reasons:

Weather

It’s October, and apparently it’s been decided that good weather is done for the year. It’s cool at best; windy and rainy at worst. I feel bad for not riding to work, but I don’t miss the hassles that it brings in terms of clothing and preparation. I’ll admit it – when you’re used to getting places under your own power, driving becomes one of those guilty pleasures.

Reliability

I’ve been constantly afflicted by a flat rear tire in the past two months. I couldn’t figure out what was causing it, but I was going through a tube every few rides or so. For that reason biking was no longer a reliable mode of transportation for me. I couldn’t justify trying to squeeze in 15 or 20 miles if I knew I’d have to spend a portion of it on foot, hoofing it to a gas station.

Time

I was trying to average 20-25 miles a day when I was riding during the summer. It wasn’t terribly difficult when I was going to and from work twice a day, but no matter how you slice it that ends up being nearly 90 minutes of riding, which is a time commitment that I’m just not interested in making when reason number one comes into play.

Disinterest

When all the reasons above combine it makes for an experience that’s just not enjoyable anymore. One alternative is to train indoors (I picked up a set of rollers earlier this year), but it is seriously boring, and not something I want to do everyday (if at all).

A Solution

With all this in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to start running.

Here’s the funny thing about that. I suck at running… or at least, I did. I couldn’t run a mile to save my life, and if by some miracle I did manage, my lungs would be on the verge of exploding so it may have been a self-defeating act. My very first run (in recent history, at least) consisted of a distance of about 1.5 miles, half of which were walked.

I paid for it dearly. My major mistake was opting to wear the Nike Free’s that I used for Wii Fit. While they were fine for a more aerobic use, they were terribly unsuccessful at dealing with the foot-to-pavement interaction, and my hips were out of whack for two days afterwards.

When I finally did recover (read: when I could walk without being in pain), I decided to give it another go, this time in a pair of borrowed Nike Shox. While I didn’t much care for the feel of them (Shox in general seem relatively heavy) they did a much better job of absorbing the impact and left me feeling much less damaged the second time around.

The fact that I committed to a second run at all is something of a miracle, as I don’t think I’ve ever reached that phase before. Apparently, that’s all it took. I lucked out and found a pair of Nike Zoom Start +, and the deal was sealed.

Nike +

It was no accident that I ended up with a pair of shoes that are Nike + compatible; that was basically one of my only requirements when searching. When it comes to exercise, stats have worked in my favor in the past, so I had no doubt they would work their magic again.

I was right. When base your distance on landmarks instead of hard data, it’s easy convince yourself you’ve gone farther than you actually have, and to feel more entitled to a break. The little voice in my ear told me otherwise, which made the little voice in my brain say “Keep going! You can do it!”

As it turns out, I can do it. In spite of the extremely temperamental weather (which fades to the background once warmed up) and the sporadic pain (which is assuaged by time on the rollers) I’ve found that I actually do love to run. It’s such a simple activity, and that’s why I was always frustrated that it always seemed to escape me before. It carries a lot of the same traits that I enjoy about cycling without the drawbacks. I’ll openly acknowledge that it’s harder on the body, but I’m getting more done in less time (in terms of exercise) and I don’t have to worry about random equipment failures.

And I can listen to music while exercising, which is basically a deathwish on a bike when you’re on public roads.

Speaking of raccoons, allow me to regale you with tales of urban nature this Labor Day weekend:

Tale #1

It was about 9:00 on Friday night when we were sitting in the media room. I was messing around in Little Big Planet while Abe was doing… whatever he does. We heard a noise, but didn’t think much of it, as we live in a house where noises are practically de rigeur. Honestly, I’m not even sure I heard the noise at all. I don’t really pay attention well.

So ten or fifteen minutes later, we go to the basement bedroom to find that the screen in the window has been pushed outward, leaving a much-larger-than-cat-sized opening and reducing the number of active cats in the household by one. From what we can deduce, Marshie (shown in anger mode), saw something (most likely a cat) outside that caused him to lunge at the screen. Imagine the surprise of both parties when the screen gave way and Marshie was suddenly outdoors.

By the time we got out there, he was frantic and desperate to return to the safety of the house, but so confused and upset that he ran past us several times. He finally showed up at the back door, where we were able to let him back in. He was still pretty upset, but a few minutes and some Party Mix brought back the Marshie we know and love.

Tale #2

We were driving and saw a raccoon. That was pretty neat.

Tale #3

So, it’s now 4:00 on Sunday morning. Sleep is happening, because that’s what I like to do at that time of the day, when I awake to banging on the same basement window as before. Inspection reveals two subjects: Subject A is a white cat sitting on the ledge of the window well (at ground level) – it’s the neighbors’ cat, and very likely the one that riled up Marshie the other night. Subject B is a rabbit that the cat has chased into the window well, and is now trying to escape.

This particular window well was added to the house when the previous owner started to finish off the basement. The window is probably 4′ x 3′ or so, and this well is sized to accommodate a human who would be climbing out of that window in the event of an emergency, so it’s of similar dimensions. That would be why the rabbit is having so much trouble. They are pretty impressive jumpers, but aren’t exactly practiced in the vertical leap; he’s manages to get about six inches from the edge, but then falls back down.

Let’s finish this story. I grabbed a towel and a pair of gloves and went outside. I managed not to step on the rabbit when I jumped down into the window well, and that’s pretty good considering I was only half awake. It was when he continued to run in circles that I realized getting the towel on him might be more challenging than I had originally thought, but he finally paused for a second so I went for it. Unlike birds, mammals just freak out more when you cover them with stuff, but fortunately he just kind of bumped into the window and stopped long enough for me to pick him up.

I set him down next to the ledge and uncovered him, and I think he was dazed for a minute because he just stared at me. Then he hissed (I swear!). Then, finally, he ran away, where he was probably eaten by that cat. I went back to bed.

How was your weekend?

I like to save money on stuff. Not that that’s unusual – but between places like Amazon and just general sales on things, I have a hard time convincing myself to shell out a bunch of money if I don’t feel like I’m getting a good deal. Oftentimes this involves a little extra shopping around, but it’s worth it.

But then sometimes, stuff just basically ends up right under your nose.

Anecdote #1

With a Best Buy gift card burning a hole in my pocket, I finally decided to pick up Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS. I don’t generally enjoy buying games for the DS as I feel that $35 is an awful lot of money for such a tiny cartridge; but the gift card dampened the impact, if only a tiny bit.

And then they picked the next day to knock $15 off. It’s still on sale – definitely pick it up if you’ve been on the fence. It really is amazing what they’ve been able to accomplish on the DS platform.

Anecdote #2

I’ve long thought that the Keen Newport H2 would be the perfect sandal if they’d just add a cleated option for us bikers – there’s just no way I can justify that kind of money if I can’t use it for biking, as my typical summer footwear rarely breaks the $10 mark.

And then, thanks to BSNYC I discovered the Commuter. At $115, it’s at the higher end of what I’d be willing to pay for such a product, I figured I’d think more about it when (if?) biking-in-sandals weather returns. But that same afternoon, REI sent us a catalog and was all like “we’re having a sale!” (it started today). $85 is still a lot for sandals, but that’s about what I paid for my (well-worn) Shimanos and I expect these to be even more useful when off the bike.

My friend Gary bought a cyclocross bike. This is not news, because it happened nearly two years ago. It’s a Bianchi Roger, a single-speed road frame with beefed up components (and disc brakes!) perfect for traversing muddy trails and grassy knolls. But equipped with a set of slicks it became a formidable commuter bike – light, strong, and fast. But while there was a lot to like, certain bits left me wanting. Most of what it did (albeit with less weight) was matched by my own single speed; the two were simply too similar to ever logically share a garage.

It was last summer that I started to be more and more enticed by road riding. I looked at plenty of road bikes, but none really stood out as “the one”. These would be ideal for commuting but also for longer ventures that just weren’t practical on my Bianchi. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. At the same time, I’m not denying that I’m rough on my bikes, and I feared for the safety of a road bike under my ownership – which is why I started looking at cyclocross bikes again. Then I found the Trek Portland – basically the Roger with gears. But I wasn’t a fan of the Shimano Tiagra components on paper, and the price was higher than I was comfortable with. Still though, it was about 90% there, and I was tempted.

At first sight…

One day I wandered over to LeMond’s site (a subsidiary of Trek, focused solely on road bikes) to admire them as I often do. It was then that I discovered the LeMond Poprad, and I was smitten. While the Portland is billed as a commuter bike, the Poprad is a CX bike through and through. Many of the components are similar (Avid BB7’s, again!), but the Poprad uses Shimano 105 throughout the drivetrain (with the exception of the Bontrager crank). Instead of aluminum, the frame is steel, which means the tubes are skinnier and the whole frame is more classically proportioned than the Portland and Roger. And the graphics were timeless.

So the Poprad became my dream bike (which is not doing too badly considering it’s not the same price as a car), but alas, the price was similar to the Portland’s, and still more than I was willing to part with for a bike I wasn’t sure I needed. And then the colder weather set in, and my love of all things two-wheeled went into its annual hibernation.

Now spring is (almost) here and I’m in better shape than I ever have been, and I’m itching for some longer rides. The first ride out on the Bianchi, while nice, wasn’t as satisfying as it could’ve been. I just had that nagging feeling that I was using the wrong tool for the job. After obsessing over the new offerings for 2009 on the various manufacturer sites, I was left wanting. Some were close, but nobody – not even LeMond – was making the bike that I wanted.

Google delivers

So it was purely happenstance, then, that I was searching for the Poprad on Google, with very low expectations. The odds of finding one seemed relatively hopeless – there are no local LeMond dealers, and Trek/LeMond have an agreement with resellers that while the bikes may be purchased online, they may not be shipped; only picked up at the store. Plus it would have to be a good price, and most importantly, it would have to be my size.

But somehow the stars aligned, and I found a shop selling a brand new 2007 Poprad (which actually is slightly more attractive than the ’08 in that it only has a 9-speed cassette instead of a 10-speed and can accommodate a wider, more durable chain) for a great price. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw they were located in Minneapolis. Okay, maybe not – but I’m pretty sure I swore. A barrage of emails later, and they were holding the bike for me so I could make the trip over and check it out.

Less than a day later I was driving home from Minneapolis, my new Poprad tucked safely in the back of the car (on top of the dining table from IKEA – I love hatchbacks, by the way). The shop I bought from, Freewheel Bike, was nothing but helpful, and I highly recommend them for anyone in the area.

How is it?

I think it’s great. Unfortunately Wisconsin has felt the need to assert that it’s not spring just yet and given my aversion to cold, I am off to a slow start in terms of mileage. But the rule of thumb I’ve adopted is that I need to put at least a mile on for every dollar that was spent, and I’m committed to that. In the meantime, I’ll sit and stare at my bike on Flickr (or glare at weather.com); it will have to do.

I guess April is Earth Month (is that an official thing?). When I first found that out, my response was “screw that, it’s still too cold for bike riding.” But then we went a brief (and I mean brief) ride over the weekend to check out Abe’s new bike, and it felt so good to be back.

So I toughed it out, and I’ve been riding to work. Forty degrees is not as bad as you think. Fifty is gorgeous. It’s supposed to be 55 today and that makes me happy. Spring makes me happy. It apparently also makes me write in sentence fragments.

But what I’m trying to say is: biking is awesome and I love it. Spring is awesome, and I love that too. I saw a robin this morning, and that was a sign that today is a good day.

I have been riding bikes in some form or another for over 20 years, and yet during those times, it was only in my formative years that I enjoyed biking at its simplest: coaster, brakes, one speed, get on and go. After that it was a ten-speed “jack of all trades” mountain bike with skinny road tires and terrible brakes. Then it was a mountain bike, then a full-suspension mountain bike, then finally a real mountain bike. And I thought I was done evolving; I was content in my little 27-speed front-suspended aluminum-framed niche.

But then I was bitten by the single speed bug. Hard. So I bought one. And except for 2 outings at the local singletrack, It’s all I’ve been riding. I estimate that I’ve put about 250 miles on it in the past two months, and while it hasn’t all been fun and games (like the times I smacked my knees against the top tube or last Friday when my crankarm fell off), I love it.

It started off being a bit painful, considering my normal riding style. I’m used to riding in the largest chainring and one of the smaller cogs and only downshifting when I need to. This is fantastic for my efficiency and I can haul ass relatively easily, but it’s not getting me any exercise, and my bike’s drivetrain made all kinds of noise. So trading efficiency for simplicity has been a win-win in my opinion. I’m able to maintain a higher cadence than I would’ve on my other bike, because I’m spinning a lot more to go the same speed and I’m getting used to it.

Yesterday was a prime example of the type of ride I love; a nice ride around town, punctuated by some moderately technical off-road tomfoolery. My other bike sits neglected and I’m not getting the technical workout that I would at a place like 9 Mile, but I’m having fun and that’s the important thing.

For the first time in what has literally been years, I took the bike out to Nine Mile yesterday for a ride. I had a good time, though it was not without its painful moments. I knew that my endurance wasn’t up there even before starting due to a late start this year and a lack of long rides, but I did about as well as can be expected in spite of various components on my bike that were openly plotting against me.

The biggest culprit was the tires (above). I bought Kenda Kross Plus tires to replace my worn out (OEM) Hutchinsons because I knew my bike would spend a lot of time on pavement and opted for a smoother ride provided by the slick center section. The knobs on the sides did an admirable job of providing traction in most off-pavement cornering situations and made this setup perfect for a commuter bike.

I knew there were going to be problems when my bike slid out from under me on the second turn of the ride. I’m not sure if that was a hint that I needed better tires or an affirmation that I should’ve indeed worn my gloves, which I had left in the car and figured I probably wouldn’t need. Honestly though, this was just some really lose, fine dirt, and no tire is going to save you from that.

Just slightly injured, I continued on in search of a good single track to start the real ride. There were no trail maps at the time, and there was a wedding going on near the chalet so I didn’t want to disturb. My philosophy at Nine Mile has generally been “let’s see where the trails go and hope we can find our way back.” Fortunately this has worked well so far as I am still here.

Back to the tires. The two situations where they really were a hinderance were:

1. Quick descents leading into sharp turns. I’ve decided that riding semislicks on single tracks is kind of like the drifting of the biking world. You’re not leaning much in these situations so you’d be relying on that center section of tire to provide stopping traction. My approach was to just modulate the brakes until I was going slow enough to make the turn, and then let the back wheel lock up a bit to slide me around. It worked pretty well, actually,
2. Ascents on smooth dirt were also an issue because in these situations I was already up and leaning forward, taking the weight off the back wheel and inducing some slippage.

If I was a serious trail rider or had another bike, I would set it up with some better off-road tires, but this honestly wasn’t so bad. I kept away from the long uphill logging trails (which in the past had wood shavings), something that absolutely would’ve killed me.

The other and more minor issue was with my pedals (PS: the Crank Brothers site is hot). This was my first time riding clipless in a full-on trail setting, and it was OK. There were no times where I was struggling to unclip, which can prove disastrous when you’re trying to abandon your bike as it’s headed for a tree (not that mine was).

The way Crank Bros’ clipless pedals work is best explained by picturing two lines crossing each other with a spring holding them in an “X” shape. When you clip in, you compress the X horizontally and it springs back around your clip. This can be done from any angle and they call it All Access.

An unexpected caveat with the All Access system was that scraping the bottom pedal against a rock pressured the springs to open and release your foot. This led to a few times where I thought I was clipped but wasn’t, which can be a problem when you’re landing off of a jump and your foot slips. Still though, for pure aesthetics and ease of use I love the All Access design.

In spite of all this, and my chain skipping once or twice and also jumping free of the chainrings completely, it was a good time. I really want to go again today.

We went camping with some friends this weekend, and that was fun, but the State Park pass system sucks. You can either buy a year-long pass for $25 or a day pass for $8.

The better deal is obviously to buy the year pass, but the problem is it’s this terrible sticker that you have to permanently affix to your windshield. There are a couple problems with this:

1. I don’t like sticking crap to my car. And this crap doesn’t come off so after the year is up you’re left with a permanently useless sticker.
2. Each pass is intended to be paired with a vehicle which really doesn’t make much sense from a consumer standpoint. Why not offer a tag or static sticker that can be moved from car to car? That way when my car is inevitably getting fixed I can swap the pass to Abe’s car or vice versa. If you really want to get technical, join the 21st century and let each pass be paired with up to 2 or 3 different vehicles and that’s it.
3. I don’t like sticking crap to my car, especially ugly crap.
4. If you decide you want to take your motorcycle to the park, you’d have to stick this to your bike. Furthermore, on bikes without windshields the front part of the sticker is adhered to the surface leaving only the back visible, and I’m sure this is too much for a typical warden to wrap his or her head around.
5. People don’t like sticking crap to their motorcycle either, nor do they like buying motorcyles with crap stuck to them.
6. The Parks Department is retarded.

Stuff that’s been happening:

Things I did buy

Clipless sandals. So much better than the shoes I have because there are no socks required. Considering if it’s not warm enough for me to be wearing sandals I’m not going to be going biking either, it all works out pretty well.

Also, some parts for a thing for my car.

Things I won’t buy

For the last two months I’ve been thinking pretty hard about getting a digital SLR camera, namely the Canon Digital Rebel XT. It came highly recommended from a number of people and I really think it’s a nice camera especially compared to the others in its price range. As a bonus there’s a hefty rebate going on through one of my favorite companies. That brings the price down to under $700 for the whole kit, and it comes in black:

But I don’t think I’m going to jump on it for a number of reasons. I don’t know that I’d really use it enough to justify the price, regardless of how affordable it is. I’ve also noticed that I’m not even taking my small camera with me everywhere (even though I should). And honestly, I know that if I really wanted it I’d already own it. So that’s delayed, for now. I’m still thinking a larger one would be nicer just because of how grainy everything is with this tiny lens.

Things I saw

Finally, Cars, like every Pixar film before it, was a great movie. I can’t often say this about movies I watch, but there was absolutely nothing I didn’t like about it.

home A&W airport plane New Super Mario Bros Brain Age airport taxi New York New York pizza slot machines room sleep leftovers Paris Bellagio Imperial Palace cars The Venetian The Mirage Treasure Island Chipotle mall Apple Store Macbook fashion shows Caesar’s celebrities Lamborghini NYNY nap dinner MGM Grand lions Madonna bright lights NYNY pretzels room Brain Age sleep checkout Monte Carlo adidas Store bus The Wynn bag check KFC Ferrari bus Fremont St. old casinos porn stars waiting bus The Wynn dinner Avenue Q taxi airport Pizza Hut plane iPod airport home

Pictures are worth more words than I wrote.

Back from Chicago! Architecture today, cars…soon.

I believe this was IBM Plaza.

Cranes, working on The Donald’s new building. They had just started this last summer.

Watching the cranes.

I’m not sure hocking bags was what they meant by Design Within Reach.

Obligatory cockeyed skyscraper shot.

I can’t think the name of this company without hearing the music to go with it.

This company doesn’t have music, but they make up for it with great burritos.

The amphitheater at Millenium Park on Michigan Ave.

The beams that criss-cross the seating and greenspace in front of the stage.

One of a pair of lions in front of the Chicago Art Institute.

The Sears Tower and friends, as seen from our hotel window.

A building across from our hotel.

Another building rising above the building across from our hotel.

So today I went back to the ol’ homestead to see my parents. The sun was pretty low in the sky as I was driving back out of the driveway when I left, so I took a pretty picture.

Pesky snow, always has a tendency of postponing things. Like school or FedEx.

Or the post I was going to write for today.

In this case, the plants indigenous to the atrium of our building.

I ♥ blue skies.

New Franz! Time to push some old junk off the iPod (hopefully not for much longer) to make room for this new rawkmusik.

Abe, George, Mark, fountain.

Sssssnakesssss are sssssomething elssssse.

Ssssser Seriously, they’re nice. I remember the very first time I held a snake – it had to have been first or second grade, maybe, but it was really surprising because they feel exactly the opposite of what you’d expect. They’re obviously scaly but still very smooth and not at all wet. And this was the first time I ever noticed all of its muscles working as it moved around in my hand.

Amazing. Nature has a way of doing that.

Mod buildings + greenery = success!

We went for dinner last night in Stevens Point, and while driving around there came across yet another nice car. This time it was a black 1990 Audi Coupe Quattro. However, mileage and age were still the deciding factor when I passed on the purchase. I have to continually remind myself that I want a car that is newer and has less miles than mine, not one that is older and has more. It is proving difficult.

I also had a chance to sit in the brand spankin’ new Honda Civic and I was very impressed. I’ve only seen the sedans, but they’re proving to be very handsome. The classic Honda solidity is there, and the overall feel is similar to the one in the newer Accords. I really like it, and if I needed a brand new car I think I’d be sold. There is some talk that Honda’s planning to resurrect the CRX next year as well, which is an exciting possibility and would make a great replacement for the outgoing Acura RSX.

The Landmark, as seen in the windows of Baird/.

Sometimes when you’re stopped at a red light, and a grasshopper lands on your windshield, you’re lucky enough to have a camera with you.

Today was one of those times.

The week of destruction continues.

The Nike Frees became the latest victims of a vicious game of tennis – going for a close shot, my shoe stops and my foot keeps moving. Suddenly, the liner of the shoe, along with my foot, is sticking out of the front. I played the rest of the game barefoot, which really made me appreciate how comfortable these shoes are. Now the question is whether to pick up another cheap pair exactly like these and risk this happening again (since they’re not exactly made for tennis) or to get the trainers in hopes they’d be more resistant to this kind of thing.

Still another shot at the kittens’ new home.

Another shot of the kittens’ new home.

The kittens’ new home.

So Operation : Cat Transplant occurred yesterday with almost zero hitches. We were unable to apprehend the mom, so after half an hour of looking and some heartfelt goodbyes the kittens were on their way to their new home. The coming weeks will be filled with more learning and exploration, with plenty of mousing practice I’m sure.

I’m listening to Keith Urban’s Be Here right now and actually liking it. This is the first country album I’ve ever, ever bought, but it’s one of those that totally blurs the genre line. It has its share of southern influence in the instruments that are used but at the same time I’m totally fine with banjos and the like being part of any kind of band as long as the music is good. The only thing that really defines it as country is the twang in his voice, which is interesting considering that he’s from Australia.

In more media-related occurences, we watched Constantine on Friday and Win A Date With Tad Hamilton last night; both were decently good but nothing I’d need to see again. And, after some hemming and hawing, I finally picked up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m only about 4 or 5 chapters through it because I’ve not had much time to read since yesterday, but it’s good just like all the other ones are so I can’t wait to get further into it.