Schwalbe Marathon Dureme

These 700x40 Schwalbe Marathon Duremes have several hundred miles on chip seal, smooth asphalt, gravel, and dirt. Just look at the little rubber nubs (is that the right word?) still standing there proud as your cat at the back door with a bloody bird at its feet. There's a ridge nub running down the center of the continuous middle tread, and amazingly it is still there.

I agonized over the purchase of these tires because I thought they'd feel lifeless and horribly slow. But I eventually pulled the trigger because I thought they looked right. I wanted some wider tires on the Quickbeam than the 32mm Pasela tires I had. I needed some volume for comfort and control, and wanted some tread because I thought it might help on the gravel climbs a little. I also thought they would make my gravel-leaning, fixed gear all-arounder look a little more ruggedly handsome. I might as well just come right out and admit it. Looks are important.

They might not be as supple and fast as a Grand Bois tire, but they don't seem dead or horribly slow either. In fact, to my senses, they feel good on gravel. They have what I'd call a comfortable, stable feel. These Duremes are also tough, and probably just as important as anything else, they LOOK tough. Because when you are no longer a slave to performance, you can enjoy looking cool.

Elemental

"Are you lost?"

Stopped right here, I pull my camera out to show you all this road.  It is a new one for me, and part of a new 60+ mile loop northeast of the house.  As the camera comes to life, the slow moving pickup slows to a stop beside me.  I glance up, see the passenger window is down, and wait for the rancher to say something.  When I decide the silence is bordering on awkward, I say, "Good morning!"

He returns the greeting, and adds, "Are you lost?"

Cautiously, I wonder if he is sincerely concerned or a little suspicious.  After all, why would a goofy-dressed bicyclist be out here on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere?

I tell him I have a map, and think I am where I hope to be, but that some of these county roads are not signed.  He confirms that I am on the correct road, and asks another question that could be interpreted as either suspicion or genuine helpfulness.  So I tell him my plan to make a left turn, head west, and take a few other county roads back to North Shore Road.  He pauses and processes that information, and says, "You are nowhere near North Shore Road".

I think he underestimates the comfortable range of a bicycle.

So I pull out my map, and recite the sequence of roads that leads back to North Shore Road.  Either his suspicions are satisfied, or his understanding of a bicycle's range is expanded.  Then he asks, "Oh, so you live over there?"

"No, I live in Sanger."

Another pause to process information.  I think his understanding of the bicycle's range is significantly expanded.  Then he wishes me well, and drives on at about bicycle pace.  So I decide to go ahead take that photo of the road, and include the back of that pickup before it fades out of sight.

Golden Gravel

Sometimes one can roll to a stop, point, shoot, and by some lucky coincidence capture an appropriate reminder of what that moment felt like. This morning was one of those times.

Cygolite Metro 300

This little light surprised me. I'm not a bicycle lighting authority, and this wasn't written to convince anyone that they should scrap their current lighting set-up and use this instead. This post is simply a story about how surprised I am.  It appears technology leap-froged over me again.

I wanted an easy on/easy off light. I've been enjoying the simple Quickbeam lately, and wanted to take it out in the dark. But I didn't want to spend the money for a special dynohub wheel and light combo. I also didn't want something permanently installed or as heavy as a generator hub. I didn't want the clutter of wiring. And for the intended use of the Quickbeam, I can live with less than Edelux performance.  

I went first to the Rivendell Bicycle Works website. I knew there had been a lot of technology improvements in the bicycle lighting world, and I knew that Rivendell sold lights. Maybe, I figured, they'd have some kind of basic commuter light that would be acceptable. What I found was the Cygolite Metro 300, and that it has a built-in rechargeable battery that plugs in to a USB port. Cool. I also found that it would easily last long enough (actually much longer) to cover my 1-2 hour typical light/dark fringe ride. The Rivendell folks suggested that it was a good value in a light. So it probably would have enough light for me to be visible to others and find my way down the road without hitting the larger obstacles.

I rode for an hour this morning using the low, steady mode. It was much better lighting than I expected. The beam filled the road with plenty of light for my moderate pace. As I approached home, I switched to high, steady mode. I believe this compares favorably with my Edelux. I didn't expect this much performance from such a small, light weight, easy on/easy off, conveniently rechargeable light. 

Since I am not an everyday bicycle commuter, or a ride-all-night rando freak, if I were a first time bicycle light shopper, I'd probably skip the dynohub thing and use something like this. Why? It's less expensive, it can be used on multiple bikes, it weighs less, and performs similarly. For an hour or two in the dark, a couple of times a week, this little light is surprising.

Of course, I think I was the last one on the block to get a smart phone.  So consider the source.

Slow Start

window view

Starbucks, Gainesville, Texas

You might think, after so many bone dry, hot summer days, one would be eager to roll out into a rainy, 70-degree morning.  In all honesty, however, there was some minor procrastinating going on.  After glancing at the weather radar and the "100% chance of rain" forecast, cooking a big breakfast seemed like a good idea.  And one more cup of coffee.  And a couple of bike tweaks.  But, as the photo illustrates, the ride did finally start.

In about 3.5 hours of riding, there was zero rain.  There was what you might call an occasional drizzle, and it was a perfect day for fenders.  Just the kind of delightful contrast that someone weary of hot and dusty would want.  Why did it take so long to get out the door?

Blessing Reminders

Although Mrs. Pondero rages against grasshoppers on the premises, she adores me (yeah, I can't explain it either) and puts up with me storing a gravel dust encrusted bicycle indoors.  It leans against the back of the couch in the middle of our combo kitchen/dining/living room.

The front door opens to the east, the back door opens to the west, and both doors have large glass "windows" in their upper halves.  So when the sun is rising or setting, much of the room is in shadows.  But there is a beam of sunlight that points directly to my bicycle.  When it glows thusly, I hear an angelic choir.  

It is as if the finger of God is pointing at one of His gifts to me saying, "Remember how blessed you are."

He actually points much more frequently to Mrs. Pondero with such reminders, but she's not one to sit and pose for photos like the vain Quickbeam.