The Artist Presently Known As Ed

Rover the rider

When I had the light rigged to the top of the helmet, people thought it was a camera. When I put the dog in there, they still thought it was a camera, but the stares multiplied. So did the smiles as I breezed past pedestrians. In my younger, pre-commuting days, I never wore a helmet, but finally Kelli gave me a sufficient amount of hell for not doing so.

Globe, new

I spent much of 2008 making periodic visits to bike shops to learn what frame type is meant to do what. Eventually, I settled on this Specialized Globe San Francisco--a single speed, no less--that was chosen with a lot more care. That it was a single speed was a return to the pure joy of riding, as when I was a kid. It made a great commuter bike. It had a low enough gear that I could do hills with enough effort to be strong, but could also get a high spin cadence on the level stuff. I ended up losing weight for most of 2009, the first year I returned to biking after about 15 years of driving.

Globe, commuter ready

After a few months, I got this bike turned into something with more commuting gear on it. And then I backed it down when I started to feel that it was getting heavy or loaded with stuff that seemed in retrospect to be silly considering most of my riding was within about five miles radius and the age of cell phones rendered it no problem to get a ride if needed.

Later on in the year, after getting the Torelli bike, I converted this bike to fixed gear and got a slightly steeper gear in order to feel right with pedals moving at all times. I still can do some hills on it that I never had done before, even with a geared bike.

Globe, fixie conversion

The San Fran after a year and more of riding and changing stuff. The handlebars were a welcome relief from the stock straight bars; the fixed gear hub made it a whole other beast; the gearing was changed after the fixed gear hub so that it would be more versatile; the saddle came over from the Torelli after the stock saddle was put on the bike I gave to Luke, and two others broke (I guess my balls are too big or something); the tires are Armadillos and have had just one flat due to a direct hit on a nail once; the pedals are now Shimano SPD clipless. The bike is nimble and smooth feeling on the flats but I don't dig it as much on the hills anymore. But for an easygoing commuter, it rocks. The gearing is low enough to always be in control, but high enough to cruise at a reasonable speed. But it does feel differently now that it is converted and I have to pedal at all times.

Globe, fixie hub

I'm pretty sure I am the only dude riding a Specialized Globe San Francisco with a fixed gear hub. I don't know if that makes me crazy, but it does make me a black sheep. I had Mission Hills Bikes put in a Surly fixed gear hub. On account of having a disk brake (this is what makes me unconventional in the fixie world), the hub took some work to find. But it is the real deal. A real fixed gear, not just some half cooked mod. One notices the riding geometry is not anything like a track or road frame which is a far more common basis for fixed gear bikes.

Torelli, newly acquired

Having gotten the bike bug, by mid year I was already looking to buy another! But this time I was looking into fixed gear, a bit more unusual than single speed with a freewheel. I found that after some adjustment, the fixed gear was quite preferable if I was going to use just one gear anyway. This bike came to me as a used bike, but one that had made the previous owner chicken out. This is a picture of when it is new. I have since chopped the handlebars and turned them upright into bullhorn style, and changed the gear ratio to a more reasonable one for hills and general use (hey, I rode Laurel St. on it in one shot, and Texas St. too!). Both bikes are fixed gear now and have Shimano SPD clipless pedals, which helps create a nicer ride with more control and less foot fatigue. I've since ditched the rack and other foof on this bike.

Torelli, chop and flop

The Torelli bike after becoming my main mode of transportation for a year and a half. By now, the rear cog was changed for a lower gear; the handlebars got the chop-and-flop treatment and rewrapped; the pedals are the Shimano SPD clipless style; the saddle got replaced with a Brooks and locked onto the frame with a section of bike chain; the rack got removed and generally the thing was lightened up. The tires are replaced with Specialized Armadillos, which so far have not gone flat due to punctures. They have gone flat due to the pressure that the casings can hold, but that the tubes chafe under over a half year or so, weakening at the valve stem, inside the tire.

I really enjoy riding this bike. It just feels right. It is a bit of a drag up hills if not for a running start or a space to weave in, but that hasn't stopped me from taking most of the nastiest hills in town at one point or another.

Fixies on a stand

Space at a premium calls for this Topeak stand.

Minus one car sticker

The marketing is pretty obvious: minus one car if you're riding a bike. I don't know how many miles I actually rode in 2009 but I do know that my truck mileage fell to 1,546 private miles all year. That is pretty remarkable.

Nirve, reworked extensively

This is a severely rebuilt version of the bike I got when I wanted to start back to riding some, initially to fight depression with some physical activity. I rode it enough in its original form to not like it much, and to damage it some and to lose a back wheel. Then, in late 2008, the ante was upped by a doctor's review of my health and so I threw a bunch of money at this bike, originally a $300 thing, and turned it into quite a nice commuter bike. Except for one thing... the frame was too small to be comfortable—a typical novice situation. So more money got spent trying to fudge the geometry till finally I got interested in another bike and sought proper fit.

Luke Xmas card

Having three bikes got a bit much and the house didn't accommodate them well, so I was looking for a way to part ways with the blue one. Having figured out that I could ride all I needed to ride in San Diego using just one gear, I offloaded the geared bike as a Christmas present for our church pastoral intern, who had expressed an interest in biking, and who had become a key figure in our young adults group that year. So I just gave it to him, even though it was probably a $1000 bike by then, who could sell it for anything near enough to feel like it was paid back? So I just gifted it and felt better than if I had the sand kicked in my face on Craigslist. Then I made him this goofy card to go with the bike.

Luke with the Nirve

Luke has reported having a lot of fun biking. When I met him, it was a bit rounded around the edges, but after some months, he trimmed down a noticeable amount.

Critical Mass overhead in Fashion Valley

This is one of the Critical Mass rides that stormed through the mall at Fashion Valley. Before this I didn't know about a more conservative CM (and certainly non-CM) rider community that scorns this kind of antisocial thing, but frankly it was fun in a way like nothing else. I rode several CM rides in late 2009/early 2010, but have missed as many since due to schedules and the dumb instance of falling off my bike and hurting my shoulder for a few weeks.

Critical Mass blocks Black Friday

More Mass, this time actually within the mall. It actually quite amused me in my capacity as antisocial culturejammer.

Bewildered security guard

The CM onslaught is so mighty that security guards are rendered useless. Of course, they are useless anyway, but this just makes the point in a gloriously rowdy way.

Critical Mass bombs Target

Perhaps the most outrageous thing I've ever seen is CM actually riding THROUGH the Target store at Mission Valley mall. That had me in hysterics. The next month or so the Mass tried it again but this time the security guards had their game on and blocked the way.

Critical Mass at the Coaster

Critical Mass at Mission Beach near the coaster, the day before Halloween 2009.

Taylor cactus

On one group ride, Taylor, a 20 something with a lot of gung ho, went for an off-road trail in Balboa Park's desert garden. He left most of us in the dust with one of his buddies, scaling a pretty steep hill in no time. When the rest of us caught up to the top the crowd grew around Taylor who was negotiating the presence of a prickly cactus stuck in his arm. He raced by fast enough he didn't notice it till he looked back and saw the rest of pack so far behind, and oh... what is this thing in my arm? It took a few folks to offer their suggestions and dig out bike lights and tools and whatever. While waiting, Taylor just reached at the base of the spines and pulled it out.