followup: Vision 40 recumbent bicycle tires

I went out for a ride on my Vision 40 recumbent bicycle. As I thought, the wider tires are wonderful! I'm not sure what ever started the trend towards narrower tires in the late 70s, but for most bicyclists, I think wider is better.

I've been reading the book Just Ride by Grant Peterson. In the book, he covers many developments in bicycle technology that had been driven by elite racing. Grant asserts that many of these developments have not been helpful for motorcyclists. Lower handlebars, narrow tires, and carbon fiber frames have done little to encourage average cyclists enjoy the activity more. While I believe it is true, I still slip into thinking of old racing standards when setting up my bicycles.

I've just about eliminated my use of clip-less pedals. Since I stopped using them, I no longer have need pain following long rides. Flat pedals have enabled me to stand while climbing a hill for the first time in many years. The only place I use clip-less pedals is with my recumbent. I'm debating a switch to flat pedals for this bike as well.

changing seasons, changing tires

It's fall in northern Minnesota. I've started to shuffle the bicycles around, and I'm almost ready to think about mounting studded tires for winter. This afternoon, I'm going out for a ride on my recumbent. It should be a beautiful day -- temperatures in the lower 60s.

the recumbent got a new set of tires about a month ago. They're quite a bit wider than the old ones. I've only been out a couple of times since changing them. So here's my theory: anything lost in terms of performance is minimal compared to the comfort gained through cushy wide tires. I will make a ride report later.

Watch out! slow traffic ahead.

This is my first blog entry using the Raspberry Pi. Why bother, you might ask? Maybe its been about the challenge of making a $35 computer into a useable tool. I'm not sure how practical this is. However, the RPi is evolving, and it will be interesting to see how well the equivalent of a Volkswagen Beetle (original 36 HP) will do navigating the internet.

It might be a little like my experience of travelling between Crookston and Thief River Falls today. I was on my Vision recumbent. It was 43 miles, not much traffic, and a very pleasant ride. I also got buzzed in close proximity by a full size van that didn't seem to care about the speed limit in town. This was the kind of thing I was used to when I lived in the Twin Cities, but is a rare occurance for me now. *Sigh*

... And now, for something not so different.

It's been a while since I spent time with this blog-- despite my best intentions. Church life became more complex-- and what time I've had for recreation-- well, let's just say I would rather be out on two wheels, than writing about it.

I've had a curious sequence of events on the two-wheeled front. I sold my 1982 Yamaha Seca 650 to a friend. I've still got my 1989 Yamaha Venture. One motorcycle is more than enough for me. Besides, my passion and interest seem to have moved back towards bicycles.

It was somewhere during my last vacation that I wanted to get back to riding a mountain bike. I have an old one at the cabin-- and on one of our visits, I mounted new tires and had a great time riding it on fire roads. This lead to the purchase of a Salsa Spearfish 3. It's a wonderful bicycle-- full suspension 29'er... It walks over the stuff that used to bounce me around on my old GT Karakoram. I'm thinking of new adventures-- Perhaps the Maah Da Hey trail in North Dakota.

On another front-- I've been playing around with my Raspberry Pi. How is this connected to the two wheel front? It's interesting how much you can discover by having less. the Pi is much like stepping down from a motorcycle to a bicycle. While it seems to be able to do less, it tends to cause you to have more focus on what you are doing. I haven't really decided how to best use it-- but I'll keep you posted.

I went out for a ride on my Vision recumbent the other day, and discovered that the shifter for the front derailleur was broken. Strange-- different shifter, and it broke in exactly the same way.

I've not been happy with shifting on this bike. The combination of long cables and an even longer chain makes shifting sloppy, especially for contemporary index shifters. I longed for a non-index set. Shifting on the recumbent does not have to be very precise, and can be accomplished easily by feel and sound.

This leads me to a short rant about bicycle technology. Index shifting has a place. In competition, the advantage of hitting exactly the right gear when you need it can make a difference. It's also useful for new bicyclists who could care less about the intricacies of a bike. Click the shifter into the right gear number and pedal. No problem.

But for me, indexed shifting seems like a solution in search of a problem. Non-indexed systems never go out of adjustment; they work simply and effectively. It takes very little time to develop the skill to center a derailleur after a shift. Indexing adds needless complexity to a straightforward solution. Besides, it feels good whenever you find the gear perfectly.

Likewise for all of the conveniences of shifters that are placed at your fingertips. I can't think of a time when reaching down for a shift presented much of a problem-- at least for the way I ride-- both on the road and off. an inexpensive simple part has been replaced by expensive engineering marvels. While this may be exactly what a lot of people want, it's not what I do.

Years ago, this would have been a typical retro-grouch rant with an unhappy ending. I've had to search through catalogs and bike shops for new-old-stock parts whenever something wore out. When I couldn't find what I was looking for, I gave in to newer technology.

And so it was yesterday, when I began my new shifter quest for my recumbent. While I wasn't paying attention, several Chinese manufacturers have begun to sell inexpensive new components using new technology. "Trickle down" stuff that "serious" bicycle people wouldn't want anything to do with. I found the perfect non-indexed thumb shifters at Rivendell Bicycle for under twenty dollars. God bless the Chinese.

I have not had as much time to post during Lent, which is not a big surprise. However, I have had a chance to get out on two wheels. All the bicycles have been out, and I just picked up my Yamaha 650 Seca.

This bike is now thirty years old. Like my bicycles, it is a well-worn and trusted companion. Last Fall, I added a windshield. I've been pleased and surprised at how versatile it has become.

We are having a wonderfully early spring in NW Minnesota. It's time to relegate the cages (cars) to the garage as much as possible.

While my posts have been infrequent, they will probably pick up after Easter. I hope you are ready for a wonderful spring wherever you are, and wherever you are lead.

The ethical dimensions of Raspbery Pi: Why it should matter.

I'm on the bandwagon of folks who ordered a Raspberry Pi. Initially, I was attracted to the idea of a versatile low-cost computer that would be obtainable to most anyone who had a desire to work with computers. In the late seventies, I had friends who were bread-boarding there own Z-80 based computers, and the 'Pi' comes closest to the spirit of that endeavor. None of us had much money-- but we could obtain the components necessary to build such a modest system. It wasn't useful for anyone else in particular, but it was fun.

The world has changed a lot since then. Instantaneous communication has become the norm-- hand held computers in the form of cell phone are commonplace. We take for granted the ability to text or call someone from wherever we are. But it requires resources, and usually a long term contract with a cellular provider to be able to do so. The ability to communicate, and with it the ability to develop relational capitol, has become a necessity for empowerment. De-centralized  communication, as we witnessed in the Arab spring, is essential for change which serves the common good.

The 'RPi' is an easily affordable communication tool which makes accessible the language of machines, and with it the ability for children and adults of modest means to participate in the liberation, quality, and hopefulness which come whenever we move closer to all people having a place of the table-- the realm of open community.

I've watched from a distance the amazing development of open source software. Through an communal evolutionary process it has been transformed from a tool for geeks to a system for everyday users. It is remarkable. As affordable hardware moving in the direction of being open source, I believe the 'RPi" creates new possibility for pushing the boundaries of open source community. If we understand God to be 'open source' in that God is in relationship to all creation. Perhaps the creation of egalitarian communication capabilities moves us closer to this open source.

This seems like a tall order for such a small device. It can not be the ultimate manifestation of an emerging community ethos. But it can point to and participate in an ultimacy which is beyond itself: a community of belonging and participation where everyone is invited.