Booty from the Cupertino Bikes Swap Meet
Shimano M520 pedals (new in box): $20
Solvang Century Socks 2 pairs: $5
Pedros Orange Peelz 16oz drip bottle: $2
Entrance fee: $2
Not bad at all!
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Tripel Karmeliet, the Beer for non-beer drinks
I'm not a beer drinker. I don't like it, and never picked up the habit, except for a three week bike trip in Europe where I found that beer was cheaper than bottled water.
Then one day, Charlie Ayers at Google hosted a special dinner and served Tripel Karmeliet. It was a fantastic beer, and I went back for a couple more servings. Then I was stumped. How could I buy it? I found it at Beltramo's, but they had four small bottles for $14 or so. On top of that, there was a time when they lied to me, telling me they had it in stock and then when I showed up they didn't have it!
I was glad when a search on Google brought me Internet Wines and Spirits, which sold the 750ml bottles for $9 each (after the hefty shipping and handling charges), which was quite acceptable. The delivery was quick, and everything showed up unbroken.
I was worried that the beer wouldn't live up to my expectations after this time, but I shouldn't have been concerned. It's just as good as I remembered, and worth the extra effort of finding it online, especially since there wasn't any other beer that I enjoyed.
I'm not a beer drinker. I don't like it, and never picked up the habit, except for a three week bike trip in Europe where I found that beer was cheaper than bottled water.
Then one day, Charlie Ayers at Google hosted a special dinner and served Tripel Karmeliet. It was a fantastic beer, and I went back for a couple more servings. Then I was stumped. How could I buy it? I found it at Beltramo's, but they had four small bottles for $14 or so. On top of that, there was a time when they lied to me, telling me they had it in stock and then when I showed up they didn't have it!
I was glad when a search on Google brought me Internet Wines and Spirits, which sold the 750ml bottles for $9 each (after the hefty shipping and handling charges), which was quite acceptable. The delivery was quick, and everything showed up unbroken.
I was worried that the beer wouldn't live up to my expectations after this time, but I shouldn't have been concerned. It's just as good as I remembered, and worth the extra effort of finding it online, especially since there wasn't any other beer that I enjoyed.
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel about cloning and organ donation. It's also about the value of art. A true literary novel, it's got multiple layers at every level, making the novel rich. Unfortunately, the detached voice of the narrator (one who perhaps was raised to be detached about her body) makes everything quite distant for me.
Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel about cloning and organ donation. It's also about the value of art. A true literary novel, it's got multiple layers at every level, making the novel rich. Unfortunately, the detached voice of the narrator (one who perhaps was raised to be detached about her body) makes everything quite distant for me.
Vanguard reduces hurdle for admiral shares
This is great news! The $250k limit used to be a massive barrier. Now, $100k isn't exactly chump change, but it does affect my investment strategy --- my goal now is to bring as many of my funds up to $100k as possible to enjoy lower costs.
This is great news! The $250k limit used to be a massive barrier. Now, $100k isn't exactly chump change, but it does affect my investment strategy --- my goal now is to bring as many of my funds up to $100k as possible to enjoy lower costs.
Friday, April 22, 2005
The Fuji, after all adjustments
Replaced the Fuji saddle with a Flite (both seats have Ti rails, so no weight difference), replaced the stem with the moto-ace 115 rise 110mm (100g weight increase).
Commute time on my 8 mile (slight downhill) commute: 18mph. (Including slowing down for stop lights, etc, etc.) A full 3mph faster than my Heron. Forget everything anyone ever told you about "weight doesn't matter." It does!
Replaced the Fuji saddle with a Flite (both seats have Ti rails, so no weight difference), replaced the stem with the moto-ace 115 rise 110mm (100g weight increase).
Commute time on my 8 mile (slight downhill) commute: 18mph. (Including slowing down for stop lights, etc, etc.) A full 3mph faster than my Heron. Forget everything anyone ever told you about "weight doesn't matter." It does!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Fantastic New Restaurant Scoop
Lisa & I found a fantastic new Vietnamese restaurant in San Jose. It's so new it's not even in either Google local or Yahoo local. Asia Moon Restaurant, 385 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128. Phone: 408-248-0018, Fax: 408-248-0019. Hours: Mon-Sun 10:30am-10:00pm.
We tried the vegetarian spring rolls (very good, it was truly vegetarian). I then had the filet mignon with garlic noodles while Lisa had the lemongrass string bean with garlic noodles. The garlic noodles were heavenly (the last place we found good garlic noodles was Thanh Long in San Francisco), and the filet mignon was delightful. (The Vietnamese know how to do beef!) The string bean was pretty good as well. Highly recommended. It wasn't crowded (yet), but it soon will be.
Remember: you heard it from me first.
Lisa & I found a fantastic new Vietnamese restaurant in San Jose. It's so new it's not even in either Google local or Yahoo local. Asia Moon Restaurant, 385 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128. Phone: 408-248-0018, Fax: 408-248-0019. Hours: Mon-Sun 10:30am-10:00pm.
We tried the vegetarian spring rolls (very good, it was truly vegetarian). I then had the filet mignon with garlic noodles while Lisa had the lemongrass string bean with garlic noodles. The garlic noodles were heavenly (the last place we found good garlic noodles was Thanh Long in San Francisco), and the filet mignon was delightful. (The Vietnamese know how to do beef!) The string bean was pretty good as well. Highly recommended. It wasn't crowded (yet), but it soon will be.
Remember: you heard it from me first.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Joining the SVBC as a life member.
There are not many organizations I'm willing to associate with for life, but the SVBC is one of them. They were responsible for many improvements in cyclists' lives in the Bay Area:
There are not many organizations I'm willing to associate with for life, but the SVBC is one of them. They were responsible for many improvements in cyclists' lives in the Bay Area:
- Accessbility to Foothill Expressways and other expressways in the area
- Bikes on Caltrain
- Dumbarton Bridge Bike Path
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Lyra's Oxford
Set in the Oxford of His Dark Materials, after the events of that books have taken place. It's a little fluffy piece, but doesn't take too long to read, so it's not a waste of time.
"But it feels like it," Pan said. "It feels as if the whole city's looking after us. So what we feel is part of the meaning, isn't it?"
"Yes! It is. It must be. Not the whole of it, and there's a lot more we don't even know is there, probably... Like all those meanings in the alethiometer, he ones we have to go deep down to find. Things you never suspect. But that's part of it, no question."
The city, their city---belonging was one of the meanings of that, and protection, and home.
Set in the Oxford of His Dark Materials, after the events of that books have taken place. It's a little fluffy piece, but doesn't take too long to read, so it's not a waste of time.
"But it feels like it," Pan said. "It feels as if the whole city's looking after us. So what we feel is part of the meaning, isn't it?"
"Yes! It is. It must be. Not the whole of it, and there's a lot more we don't even know is there, probably... Like all those meanings in the alethiometer, he ones we have to go deep down to find. Things you never suspect. But that's part of it, no question."
The city, their city---belonging was one of the meanings of that, and protection, and home.
Stress Test on the Fuji
Did a 51 mile ride today, about 35 of which was with the club. The wheels, which had been giving me so much trouble before, seem to have settled down and gave me no trouble despite the pounding I was giving them. I know Grant says there's not much difference between bikes and frames when it comes to weight, but let me tell you, the 10 pound difference between my Heron touring bike and my Fuji was the difference between me being able to hang on and accelerate with the fast club riders at 28-30mph, and being dropped on the first rolling hill we came across. Sure, I don't think a pound or two makes a difference, but 5 pounds makes a world of difference, and 10 pounds --- it's like having an extra couple of pounds of muscle!
On the climb I worked full bore (the bike is geared so high that I have no choice other than to work really really hard) and went up the hill at speeds between 6-9mph, a full 2-3mph faster than I was able to manage before. Half of this was due to the weight and the other half was due to the position Terry's given me: it's a position further back and lower and he's right about me being able to recruit more muscles when I need power --- I was spinning up the hill in a 36x27, and my cadence was a full 10-20rpm faster than the folks I passed, even the ones with lower gears. I am extremely pleased overall with the bike. It is light and everything I wanted a light bike to be.
I am not so pleased with the stock saddle. I think it's a bit too narrow, but more than that, the cloth fabric top grabs my bike shorts and causes a ton of chafing, which has rubbed my bottom a bit raw. That saddle will get replaced! And of course, the stem has to show up --- the low position is making my shoulders and neck sore.
Did a 51 mile ride today, about 35 of which was with the club. The wheels, which had been giving me so much trouble before, seem to have settled down and gave me no trouble despite the pounding I was giving them. I know Grant says there's not much difference between bikes and frames when it comes to weight, but let me tell you, the 10 pound difference between my Heron touring bike and my Fuji was the difference between me being able to hang on and accelerate with the fast club riders at 28-30mph, and being dropped on the first rolling hill we came across. Sure, I don't think a pound or two makes a difference, but 5 pounds makes a world of difference, and 10 pounds --- it's like having an extra couple of pounds of muscle!
On the climb I worked full bore (the bike is geared so high that I have no choice other than to work really really hard) and went up the hill at speeds between 6-9mph, a full 2-3mph faster than I was able to manage before. Half of this was due to the weight and the other half was due to the position Terry's given me: it's a position further back and lower and he's right about me being able to recruit more muscles when I need power --- I was spinning up the hill in a 36x27, and my cadence was a full 10-20rpm faster than the folks I passed, even the ones with lower gears. I am extremely pleased overall with the bike. It is light and everything I wanted a light bike to be.
I am not so pleased with the stock saddle. I think it's a bit too narrow, but more than that, the cloth fabric top grabs my bike shorts and causes a ton of chafing, which has rubbed my bottom a bit raw. That saddle will get replaced! And of course, the stem has to show up --- the low position is making my shoulders and neck sore.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Quote from Alan Moore
Excerpt from An Interview With Alan Moore
That seems to be something that people don't understand about super-heroes---there is no perfection, you know? You can't be Superman unless you want to.
Well I think being Superman---I mean to even be a superior being---it's not actually to do with having powers or to believe. You've already got powers. All of us have incredible abilities, talents, things that can achieve miraculous things. Most of us, yeah, we've got all of these superpowers and we never do anything: we sit down on the sofar and watch TV, and drink beer and zone out---and I suppose that if we had got telepahty or super-breath or the power of flight or invulnerability, we'd probably still sit on the sofar and watch TV and drink beer. It's like, most people, it wouldn't matter whether they did rescue a dying alien, jet rocketing here with babies from an exploding planet, or find the magic flying ring or whatever, it wouldn't matter, because it's not heroism or super-heroism or just simply being a decent person. It's nothing to do with gaining special powers to do this with.
If you are a fully aware and awake human being, you will see the quite marvelous powers that you, as an ordinary human being, already have at your disposal. And you'll see how you are using those powers or not using them. Now, I mean, there's plenty of people on this planet---I mean, in terms of what they could accomplish---how much below fictional Superman does say, Bill Gates rate? Bill Gates has this superpower of immense wealth. Now you've got that much money, am I right in thinking that you could pretty much do anything?
Sure.
And Bill Gates is not the only sort of fantastically rich person on the face of the planet, so these are people who have superpowers. When have they saved the world, ended hunger, done magnificent, massive gestures---did they even save a snoopy girl reporter from falling out of a window? They didn't. We have people with super-powers on this planet and they're not necessarily superior people. On the other hand we have some people on this planet who would seem to be completely disadvantaged and not have anything going for them anmd yet they've accomplished fantastic acts.
I'd like people to actually think about, what does heroism mean? What is power? Does Stephen Hawking have a super-power? I mean, he would seem to me upon the available evidence to be much smarter than, say, Superman or Brainiac 5. Ands he's even iun a wheelchair, so he could join the X-men or the Doom Patrol, or any of those kind of differently-abled friendly super outfdits.
The super-powers don't really matter at the end of the day, it's the characters that are important. Just as it doesn't really matter whether me or you or the reader ever gains the ability to run faster than light and get a neat costume. That won't make any difference to us. If we're an asshole now, all we will be then is an asshole in a neat costume who can run faster than light. This is not going to really improve the universe any, you know? The important thing is that ordinary human beings are fanatastic. They are fantastic in what they can do and what they can be. They can do fantastic things to their world for good or ill. They don't need powers. They don't need outfits and chest insignia. With things like Watchmen and a lot of my subsequent work I've tried to sort of suggest that. That habing superpowers wouldn't necessarily make you a nice person and that ordinary human beings are what we've got to work with: we don't have any superheroes here.
Source: The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore, pg. 118
Post script in 2012: Bill Gates has indeed done amazing things with his money since.
That seems to be something that people don't understand about super-heroes---there is no perfection, you know? You can't be Superman unless you want to.
Well I think being Superman---I mean to even be a superior being---it's not actually to do with having powers or to believe. You've already got powers. All of us have incredible abilities, talents, things that can achieve miraculous things. Most of us, yeah, we've got all of these superpowers and we never do anything: we sit down on the sofar and watch TV, and drink beer and zone out---and I suppose that if we had got telepahty or super-breath or the power of flight or invulnerability, we'd probably still sit on the sofar and watch TV and drink beer. It's like, most people, it wouldn't matter whether they did rescue a dying alien, jet rocketing here with babies from an exploding planet, or find the magic flying ring or whatever, it wouldn't matter, because it's not heroism or super-heroism or just simply being a decent person. It's nothing to do with gaining special powers to do this with.
If you are a fully aware and awake human being, you will see the quite marvelous powers that you, as an ordinary human being, already have at your disposal. And you'll see how you are using those powers or not using them. Now, I mean, there's plenty of people on this planet---I mean, in terms of what they could accomplish---how much below fictional Superman does say, Bill Gates rate? Bill Gates has this superpower of immense wealth. Now you've got that much money, am I right in thinking that you could pretty much do anything?
Sure.
And Bill Gates is not the only sort of fantastically rich person on the face of the planet, so these are people who have superpowers. When have they saved the world, ended hunger, done magnificent, massive gestures---did they even save a snoopy girl reporter from falling out of a window? They didn't. We have people with super-powers on this planet and they're not necessarily superior people. On the other hand we have some people on this planet who would seem to be completely disadvantaged and not have anything going for them anmd yet they've accomplished fantastic acts.
I'd like people to actually think about, what does heroism mean? What is power? Does Stephen Hawking have a super-power? I mean, he would seem to me upon the available evidence to be much smarter than, say, Superman or Brainiac 5. Ands he's even iun a wheelchair, so he could join the X-men or the Doom Patrol, or any of those kind of differently-abled friendly super outfdits.
The super-powers don't really matter at the end of the day, it's the characters that are important. Just as it doesn't really matter whether me or you or the reader ever gains the ability to run faster than light and get a neat costume. That won't make any difference to us. If we're an asshole now, all we will be then is an asshole in a neat costume who can run faster than light. This is not going to really improve the universe any, you know? The important thing is that ordinary human beings are fanatastic. They are fantastic in what they can do and what they can be. They can do fantastic things to their world for good or ill. They don't need powers. They don't need outfits and chest insignia. With things like Watchmen and a lot of my subsequent work I've tried to sort of suggest that. That habing superpowers wouldn't necessarily make you a nice person and that ordinary human beings are what we've got to work with: we don't have any superheroes here.
Source: The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore, pg. 118
Post script in 2012: Bill Gates has indeed done amazing things with his money since.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Fitting the Fuji
I'd already fitted the bike as well as I knew how, but somehow I knew something was wrong. On a recent climb up highway 9, I'd found that I had some lower back pain near the top. It went away but I knew more climbing would exacerbate it. One of the problems with fitting yourself is that you have a hard time watching yourself while riding, so I ended up going to Terry Shaw at Shaw's Lightweight Cycles. I wanted the job done right, and Terry Shaw is the most knowledgeable bike fitter I know. (Runner up is probably Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works)
I showed up at Shaw's in the afternoon, and after changing into my riding gear he had me ride around the parking lot while he watched. After that, he had me pedal the bike while holding on to the wall and took a few measurements. Then he moved the seat backwards and down. (I always set the seat too high when getting a new bike, and then end up scooting the seat forward to compensate) He rotated the bars up a little, and that made the bike more comfortable. I still needed a taller stem (which he didn't have in stock), so we ordered a Salsa.
After that, he had me back at the parking lot, and asked me to do a few exercises. One was to set the bike at a fairly high gear, and then accelerate from a slow speed, but rather than push down on the pedal, to kick forward as much as possible, "like kicking a ball." I did that, and the bike almost jumped when I first started. "You bring onboard more muscles when you do this, and it's like firing on 8 cylinders instead of 2. The racing bike almost demands this style of riding, which is very different from the more upright touring position." He then had me do this a couple more times and then had me spin at an easy gear but still maintaining the kicking style. From this, he determined that my stem should be a 115 rise, 110mm stem. (i.e., I did not have the flexibility to go lower)
He also recommended handlebars that weren't as wide --- I had 42s, but I'd do better with a 40cm. He did say that according to traditionalists I'd need a 36cm handlebar, but if you need to stand a lot, wider bars were better. Given that 2cm wasn't that far off from ideal, he suggested that I rode around a bit first before making that adjustment, since that could be an expensive adjustment.
At the end of it all, Terry seemed impress by my performance in my position. "You're not just a tall skinny Chinese guy, you're a tall skinny Chinese guy who's a decent cyclist," he declaimed.
And that was it! $75. As they say, $5 to order a new stem, $5 to adjust the seat, and $65 to know which to order and how much to adjust the seat. If it makes a difference to my comfort on the bike, it's well worth the money. When I first started cycling 13 years ago, I had multiple fittings (one every 3-6 months) while I developed my cycling style. Now with the addition of a new bike to my stable, I'm having to adjust my cycling style yet again. We'll see how it goes!
I'd already fitted the bike as well as I knew how, but somehow I knew something was wrong. On a recent climb up highway 9, I'd found that I had some lower back pain near the top. It went away but I knew more climbing would exacerbate it. One of the problems with fitting yourself is that you have a hard time watching yourself while riding, so I ended up going to Terry Shaw at Shaw's Lightweight Cycles. I wanted the job done right, and Terry Shaw is the most knowledgeable bike fitter I know. (Runner up is probably Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works)
I showed up at Shaw's in the afternoon, and after changing into my riding gear he had me ride around the parking lot while he watched. After that, he had me pedal the bike while holding on to the wall and took a few measurements. Then he moved the seat backwards and down. (I always set the seat too high when getting a new bike, and then end up scooting the seat forward to compensate) He rotated the bars up a little, and that made the bike more comfortable. I still needed a taller stem (which he didn't have in stock), so we ordered a Salsa.
After that, he had me back at the parking lot, and asked me to do a few exercises. One was to set the bike at a fairly high gear, and then accelerate from a slow speed, but rather than push down on the pedal, to kick forward as much as possible, "like kicking a ball." I did that, and the bike almost jumped when I first started. "You bring onboard more muscles when you do this, and it's like firing on 8 cylinders instead of 2. The racing bike almost demands this style of riding, which is very different from the more upright touring position." He then had me do this a couple more times and then had me spin at an easy gear but still maintaining the kicking style. From this, he determined that my stem should be a 115 rise, 110mm stem. (i.e., I did not have the flexibility to go lower)
He also recommended handlebars that weren't as wide --- I had 42s, but I'd do better with a 40cm. He did say that according to traditionalists I'd need a 36cm handlebar, but if you need to stand a lot, wider bars were better. Given that 2cm wasn't that far off from ideal, he suggested that I rode around a bit first before making that adjustment, since that could be an expensive adjustment.
At the end of it all, Terry seemed impress by my performance in my position. "You're not just a tall skinny Chinese guy, you're a tall skinny Chinese guy who's a decent cyclist," he declaimed.
And that was it! $75. As they say, $5 to order a new stem, $5 to adjust the seat, and $65 to know which to order and how much to adjust the seat. If it makes a difference to my comfort on the bike, it's well worth the money. When I first started cycling 13 years ago, I had multiple fittings (one every 3-6 months) while I developed my cycling style. Now with the addition of a new bike to my stable, I'm having to adjust my cycling style yet again. We'll see how it goes!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
The Amber Spyglass
Book III of His Dark Materials
"I remember. He meant the Kingdom was over, the Kingdom of Heaven, it was all finished. We shouldn't live as if it mattered more than this life in this world, because where we are is always the most important place."
Book III of His Dark Materials
"I remember. He meant the Kingdom was over, the Kingdom of Heaven, it was all finished. We shouldn't live as if it mattered more than this life in this world, because where we are is always the most important place."
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
The subtle knife
Book 2 of His Dark Materials.
But Will was there before she could find her feet, and the subtle khnife was at her throat.
"Why did you do that?" he shouted. "Why did you kill him?"
"Because I loved him and he scorned me! I am a witch! I don't forgive!"
And because she was a witch she wouldn't have been afraid of a boy, normally. But she was afraid of Will. This young wounded figure held more force and danger than she'd ever met in a human before, and she quailed. She fell backward, and he followed and gripped her hair with his left hand, feeling no pain, feeling only an immense and shattering despair.
"You don't know who he was," he cried. "He was my father!"
Book 2 of His Dark Materials.
But Will was there before she could find her feet, and the subtle khnife was at her throat.
"Why did you do that?" he shouted. "Why did you kill him?"
"Because I loved him and he scorned me! I am a witch! I don't forgive!"
And because she was a witch she wouldn't have been afraid of a boy, normally. But she was afraid of Will. This young wounded figure held more force and danger than she'd ever met in a human before, and she quailed. She fell backward, and he followed and gripped her hair with his left hand, feeling no pain, feeling only an immense and shattering despair.
"You don't know who he was," he cried. "He was my father!"
Monday, March 21, 2005
Sunday, March 20, 2005
The Golden Compass
Book one of "His Dark Materials" trilogy
"Why on earth should she?" he said. "Why should a distand theological riddle interest a healthy, thoughtless child?"
"Because of what she must experiencde. Part of that includes a great betrayal..."
"Who's going to betray her?"
"No, no, that's the saddest thing. she will be the betrayer, and the experience will be terrible. She mustn't know that, of course, but there's no reason for her not to know about the problem of Dust. And you might be wrong, Chrales; she might well take an interest in it, if it were explained in a simple way. And it might help her later on. It would certainly help me to be less anxious about her."
"That's the duty of the old," said the Librarian, "to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old."
They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.
Book one of "His Dark Materials" trilogy
"Why on earth should she?" he said. "Why should a distand theological riddle interest a healthy, thoughtless child?"
"Because of what she must experiencde. Part of that includes a great betrayal..."
"Who's going to betray her?"
"No, no, that's the saddest thing. she will be the betrayer, and the experience will be terrible. She mustn't know that, of course, but there's no reason for her not to know about the problem of Dust. And you might be wrong, Chrales; she might well take an interest in it, if it were explained in a simple way. And it might help her later on. It would certainly help me to be less anxious about her."
"That's the duty of the old," said the Librarian, "to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old."
They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
First ride on the Fuji Team SL
After 10 yeras of never owning a bike that weighed less than 24 pounds, I finally went whole hog and bought a Fuji Team SL. It weights 16 odd pounds after I put in pedals and swapped out the cassette from a 12-23 to a 12-27.
After fixing shipping damage (which still cost less than sales tax would have been!) and putting on a bike computer, I took it for a 10 mile ride. The first thing you notice about the weight loss is the acceleration. It's amazing to go from 0 to 20mph in about 6 pedal strokes almost effortlessly. Then the climbing. The lowest gear was a 36x27 (thank goodness for compact cranks), but I found that when climbing 15-16% grades I was still standing up and going in a straight line and not to-and-froing like you see on TV sometimes. Very nice. (My touring bike has a low of 19 inches, and I think I've had to go into the granny on the same hills!) Now, Ultegra STI isn't necessary if you have low enough gears that you can sit and spin up anything, but if you have to stand up for any significant hills (anything > 8% grade), then I think STI is almost a necessity. Shifting while standing took a little bit of getting used to, but wasn't as disconcerting as I thought it would be. I found I could shift in both directions (both up and down) under power.
Descents were a blast. This bike geometrically speaking is practically a clone of the Bridgestone RB-1, with perhaps a slightly shorter top tube and a slightly high bottom bracket, so that's not suprising. I took it up to about 35mph, and won't hesistate to do more.
I still have to get the fit dialed in a bit more (whenever I get a new bike I have a tendency to set the seat too high), but I'm very surprised by how I seemed to fit this bike almost naturally. (Once again, given that I selected this bike partly because it was so close to the Bridgestone RB-1, isn't surprising)
The price I paid for this bike $1642 after customization, was nothing short of amazing. My 1993 Bridgestone RB-1 was built from frame up and cost $1800 or so, and that was in 1993 dollars! On the other hand, the RB-1 had components so reliable that even after 8 years it was running as well as it was brand new. I have my doubts that the Team SL will still run like that in 3. (The wheels are the weak spot, they are very light, and even given how light I am, I expect them to get trashed very shortly) Nonetheless, the bike's a great buy, and I look forward to spending a few miles on it.
After 10 yeras of never owning a bike that weighed less than 24 pounds, I finally went whole hog and bought a Fuji Team SL. It weights 16 odd pounds after I put in pedals and swapped out the cassette from a 12-23 to a 12-27.
After fixing shipping damage (which still cost less than sales tax would have been!) and putting on a bike computer, I took it for a 10 mile ride. The first thing you notice about the weight loss is the acceleration. It's amazing to go from 0 to 20mph in about 6 pedal strokes almost effortlessly. Then the climbing. The lowest gear was a 36x27 (thank goodness for compact cranks), but I found that when climbing 15-16% grades I was still standing up and going in a straight line and not to-and-froing like you see on TV sometimes. Very nice. (My touring bike has a low of 19 inches, and I think I've had to go into the granny on the same hills!) Now, Ultegra STI isn't necessary if you have low enough gears that you can sit and spin up anything, but if you have to stand up for any significant hills (anything > 8% grade), then I think STI is almost a necessity. Shifting while standing took a little bit of getting used to, but wasn't as disconcerting as I thought it would be. I found I could shift in both directions (both up and down) under power.
Descents were a blast. This bike geometrically speaking is practically a clone of the Bridgestone RB-1, with perhaps a slightly shorter top tube and a slightly high bottom bracket, so that's not suprising. I took it up to about 35mph, and won't hesistate to do more.
I still have to get the fit dialed in a bit more (whenever I get a new bike I have a tendency to set the seat too high), but I'm very surprised by how I seemed to fit this bike almost naturally. (Once again, given that I selected this bike partly because it was so close to the Bridgestone RB-1, isn't surprising)
The price I paid for this bike $1642 after customization, was nothing short of amazing. My 1993 Bridgestone RB-1 was built from frame up and cost $1800 or so, and that was in 1993 dollars! On the other hand, the RB-1 had components so reliable that even after 8 years it was running as well as it was brand new. I have my doubts that the Team SL will still run like that in 3. (The wheels are the weak spot, they are very light, and even given how light I am, I expect them to get trashed very shortly) Nonetheless, the bike's a great buy, and I look forward to spending a few miles on it.
First ride on the Fuji Team SL
After years of riding primarily on heavy bikes, I finally bought a really light one: the Fuji Team SL. It's a stock 2004 model except:
Descents were a blast --- the bike does ride a lot like my Bridgestone RB-1 used to: extremely neutral and stable on descents (a sure sign of good geometry) with no skittishness whatsoever. This is a bike that wants to carve corners. The wheels seem to be a bit fragile to me, but maybe that's because they feel so light! I took the bike up to about 35mph and will have no qualms doing 40mph.
Ultegra STIs take some getting used to. Standing up and shifting is nice, and a little bit disconcerting at first but I think I can get used to it. The brakes take a bit of reaching to, and I think the handlebars need to be rotated a bit. I think I'll have to dial in the fit a bit more. I don't know why, but every time I get a new bike I have a tendency to set the seat too high at first and then adjust it down. By the time I was done, though, (not surprisingly) everything was set up like my Heron touring bike, except for the low handlebars. (Nothing I'm going to do about it, it's a racing bike and wants to be ridden like one) We'll see. It's better to adjust one thing at a time.
All in all, for $1642 (after new cassette, all the labor fixing up shipping damage, etc), it's not a bad deal. My RB-1 cost $2200 after all was said and done, and weighed 8 pounds more! Of course, the RB-1 ran for 8 years before getting hit by a car, and ran as nice 8 years later as the day I bought it, despite hard use, and I'll be surprised if the Fuji Team SL does the same. Nevertheless, I think it'll be a nice experiment for someone who has between 1993 and now never bought a stock bike (and in fact, after I bought a stock bike in 1992, I almost immediately thrashed the wheels and headset and replaced them with good stuff!).
After years of riding primarily on heavy bikes, I finally bought a really light one: the Fuji Team SL. It's a stock 2004 model except:
- I put a 12-27 cassette on it. (Why do stock bikes always come with such high gearing? I'm not Lance Armstrong and it seems to me that most other riders aren't)
- I made the brakes moto-style (right front, left rear)
- I'm replacing the tires with Avocet 700x25s as soon as I can.
- I've got a Sigma sport computer mount on it.
Descents were a blast --- the bike does ride a lot like my Bridgestone RB-1 used to: extremely neutral and stable on descents (a sure sign of good geometry) with no skittishness whatsoever. This is a bike that wants to carve corners. The wheels seem to be a bit fragile to me, but maybe that's because they feel so light! I took the bike up to about 35mph and will have no qualms doing 40mph.
Ultegra STIs take some getting used to. Standing up and shifting is nice, and a little bit disconcerting at first but I think I can get used to it. The brakes take a bit of reaching to, and I think the handlebars need to be rotated a bit. I think I'll have to dial in the fit a bit more. I don't know why, but every time I get a new bike I have a tendency to set the seat too high at first and then adjust it down. By the time I was done, though, (not surprisingly) everything was set up like my Heron touring bike, except for the low handlebars. (Nothing I'm going to do about it, it's a racing bike and wants to be ridden like one) We'll see. It's better to adjust one thing at a time.
All in all, for $1642 (after new cassette, all the labor fixing up shipping damage, etc), it's not a bad deal. My RB-1 cost $2200 after all was said and done, and weighed 8 pounds more! Of course, the RB-1 ran for 8 years before getting hit by a car, and ran as nice 8 years later as the day I bought it, despite hard use, and I'll be surprised if the Fuji Team SL does the same. Nevertheless, I think it'll be a nice experiment for someone who has between 1993 and now never bought a stock bike (and in fact, after I bought a stock bike in 1992, I almost immediately thrashed the wheels and headset and replaced them with good stuff!).
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