Next week I'm off to Amsterdam, Belgium and France with Dr. Ed. It seems like every cycling tour brings a new twist and my next adventure is no exception. Unlike my prior three tours, this time we are flying in to and out of different airoports so I can't use my hardshell bike box. Instead, I need to pack my bike in disposable cardboard box.
Yesterday, I went to my local bike shop to pickup a box. They will give you a cardboard bike box for free since they are just going to throw them out anyway (these are the boxes used to ship new bicycles to the store). But they charge you $65 to pack the bike in it. I decided I'm going to pack it myself since I have the time and the mechanical knowlege. But I really have no clue on the logistics.
Enter Rohan. He's the head mechanic at the shop. Plain and simple, I love the guy. He's a nice, calm dude who always goes the extra mile for you. I'm not sure of his nationality but he's likely West African or Hatian. When I entered the service area he gave me the calm, smooth and slow "is everything allright with you, Jeff?". It's a great open ended question that can really elicit any response. When I told him I needed to pack my bike in a cardboard box he gave me the simple steps as well as some zip ties and a piece to protect the front fork:
1) gear up to the largest cog on the cassette to protect the rear derailer
2) remove the pedals
2) remove the saddle/seatpost
3) remove the front wheel
4) zip tie the drive side crank arm to the chainstay to keep the crankset locked at parallel
5) remove the handlebars and stem
6) set the front wheel on the non-driveside of the frame locked into the crank arm (takes a little practice once you get it, it's easy)
7) set bike into the box
I just did a dry run and it fits pretty well. I picked up some pipe insulation at Home Depot for $5 that I'm going to use to protect the frame. If I can get motivated I'm going to finish the job today so I just have the soft packing left for next Wednesday.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Definitely Starting to Assimilate
I'm working my way through the Assimil language program. Not 100% sure what to make of it yet but I'm starting to see some benefits. For instance, I learned my first grammar rule! This is the bizarre thing about Pimsleur. You have such great speaking abilities but you are a bit like a robot in that you are just repeating certain things back without understanding the rules.
The grammar rule I learned is regarding definite articles. While doing PIM, you kind of just mish mash the definite articles you hear when you repeat them back because they take so many forms and can sound very similar. What's a definite article you ask? In English, "the" is the only definite article and it's used for both singular and plural nouns. Additionally, nouns in English aren't assigned a gender. Well, they are in Italian. Kinda sexist, huh? Leave it to the Italians.
There's a different definite article for each situation (and a few exceptions which follow): 1) feminine singular nouns use "la" (la mano); 2) feminine plural nouns use "le" (le mani); 3) masculine singular nouns use "il" (il bagno); and masculine plural nouns use "i" (i bagni).
But wait, there's more: "lo" is used with masculine singluar nouns beginning with: a) the letter S and followed by consonant (lo scompartimento); b) the letter Z (lo zucchero) or c) a vowel -- but you drop the o and combine l' with the noun (l'operaio). Oh and finally, "gli" is used these same situations a) (gli compartimenti) b (gli operai), and c (gli zucchero).
Easy stuff, huh?!
The grammar rule I learned is regarding definite articles. While doing PIM, you kind of just mish mash the definite articles you hear when you repeat them back because they take so many forms and can sound very similar. What's a definite article you ask? In English, "the" is the only definite article and it's used for both singular and plural nouns. Additionally, nouns in English aren't assigned a gender. Well, they are in Italian. Kinda sexist, huh? Leave it to the Italians.
There's a different definite article for each situation (and a few exceptions which follow): 1) feminine singular nouns use "la" (la mano); 2) feminine plural nouns use "le" (le mani); 3) masculine singular nouns use "il" (il bagno); and masculine plural nouns use "i" (i bagni).
But wait, there's more: "lo" is used with masculine singluar nouns beginning with: a) the letter S and followed by consonant (lo scompartimento); b) the letter Z (lo zucchero) or c) a vowel -- but you drop the o and combine l' with the noun (l'operaio). Oh and finally, "gli" is used these same situations a) (gli compartimenti) b (gli operai), and c (gli zucchero).
Easy stuff, huh?!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Old Time's Sake
When I showed up for my weekly ride on Saturday I noticed there weren't any A riders to be found. The A rides coordinator was out of town but supposedly others were riding. I wasn't sure what to make of it. All I know is I wanted to ride. So I decided to ride with the B's for old time's sake.
After taking almost 2 hours to go 25 miles I realized I've been affected. I can no longer do the "slow" miles. It's not that the pace is all that slow, it's just that there seems to be constant stops. Flat tires, waiting for the rest of the group, people stopping for water, etc... When we got to the first official rest stop I decided to call it quits. I headed back to my car solo and realized I may never be able to ride with the B's again. Now I really need to lose that weight!
After taking almost 2 hours to go 25 miles I realized I've been affected. I can no longer do the "slow" miles. It's not that the pace is all that slow, it's just that there seems to be constant stops. Flat tires, waiting for the rest of the group, people stopping for water, etc... When we got to the first official rest stop I decided to call it quits. I headed back to my car solo and realized I may never be able to ride with the B's again. Now I really need to lose that weight!
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