Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Been riding, not writing

I've been commuting on the Trucker and I'm impressed.  It's been a long time since I've ridden a bike with 700c wheels (15+ years) and I had forgotten the feeling of "rolling."  It's an amazingly comfortable bike and now that I've taken the rack from the Bleriot and put it on the LHT, it has become quite a bit more useful and an outstanding bicycle for getting to work.

When I first returned to biking, I went from a Specialized hybrid to the Rivendell Bleriot, a jump in magnitude akin to leaving the rutted and muddy oxcart trails



for the TGV


Adding the LHT wasn't so much a revolution as an evolution.  The Bleriot handles well enough, but with the smaller 650b tires and the low bottom bracket, I snag a pedal fairly often while pedaling around a turn.  I've just now un-learned the "no pedaling while cornering" habit and that has made quite a difference in commuting.  The feel of the bike along with the larger tires gives a completely different ride and I've come to really like the impression of ease of motion I get with the Trucker.

I am looking forward to adding a front rack and getting on the road for a little camping and/or distance riding with it.  The Bleriot has a many good features, but touring is most definitely not its strong suit -- especially with a load much beyond my expansive posterior.  I've added a Minnehaha Bag Company Medium Bag to it after moving the rack to the Trucker.  I'll probably get some bigger tires for it and use it as a day-tripper.  I've also a mind to sell it and save up for the Pugsley that I've been dreaming of.

Anyway, the stable is, uh, stable for now and I'm looking forward to riding more, but that will probably wait for a couple of weeks yet as the gardens need planting.  More on this later.

TTFN, Yam.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Gardening without misery

I was able to help the lovely and charming Mrs Yam clear up part of the yard today. Typically, I find myself later convulsing with swollen sinuses, dibilitating fits of sneezing and a temporary blindness due to my eyes swelling shut. I would attempt to alleviate the symptoms with anti-hystemines and a neti pot.

This year, none of that happened. I began getting alergy shots last fall and continued faithfully with the regimen throughout the winter and now I'm seeing the benefits of the shots. I'm thrilled to see that they actually work and I am looking forward to May and August this year (tree pollens and ragweed pollens, respectively) as months that I can see, hear, smell and taste without the use of allergy medicines.

It may not be for you, but if you are the least bit curious, I heartily endorse it.