Tuesday, April 13, 2010

the draft is coming...

It has been leaked, with the first pick in this year's NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams will select Barak Obama. An unnamed source inside the Rams camp was quoted as saying, "True, the man's done nothing in football and skipped the combine, but he has unlimited potential and huge upside. It was good enough for the Nobel Peace Prize selection committee. It's good enough for us, and we think he'll put butts in seats. Can we sign him? Yes we can!"

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Wednesday, April 07, 2010

bike search complete


The bike search is officially over. The new weapon of choice will be the Bianchi Infinito. It's an Italian bike, which I didn't think made much of a difference until I made up my mind, based on the really cool picture, a video from the internet and pouring over a bunch of reviews in magazines and on the internet.

I went out in search of said bike and to my dismay...there isn't one to be found, at least around me. I was hoping to test ride one, but I can't find one, much less one in my size.

So I'm throwing caution to the wind and going for it. I ordered one. I was told it's on a boat in China. It'll take time to traverse the Pacific Ocean. Then time to cross the country. Then at least a week to get across the city of J'ville. I'm thinking mid-May. If I had picked a bike made in the U.S., none of that would be an issue. I'd have had several to test in different configurations and be on the thing already.

Mid-May is not as much of a big deal for me as it is the youngster. I still have my current bike, which fits me just fine. The youngster is the one struggling, because his bike definitely doesn't fit him. My bike, after talking to the bike shop guys, is one size too big for him, but they can make it fit, until he grows a little more and then it becomes the perfect size for him. He, more than I, can't wait for my new bike to show up, so we can put him on my bike and craigslist the one he's got now.

It'll happen when it happens though. The boat's not moving any faster just because my bike's on it

4/23 - OK, it gets worse. Instead of slowly getting closer, the bike is actually getting farther away. It's not on a boat. Apparently it's a very popular bike. They oversold their stock. I'm on a waiting list, but as the sales guy at my bike shop said, "I talked to the Bianchi rep. and he doesn't think it'll be a problem." OK, so you have my money for a bike on which you can't guarantee delivery, let alone a delivery date. For whom is that not already a problem?

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Thursday, April 01, 2010

April has us bike shopping

I know, we just bought nice bikes.

And if you're saying that, you'd be right - sort of.

When I bought the youngster's bike, I purposedly didn't go too nice/expensive. He was in 8th grade and I knew he'd grow. We needed a bike reliable enough to do 100 mile rides...a decent road bike. It didn't have to be super light with top of the line components or anything, though.

Well, it's two and a half years later now, and he's grown about a foot. He was complaining that his bike shoes, that he got for Christmas 2008, were too small. We went to the bike shop to get a larger size. The guys at the bike shop set him up, but they wanted to watch him on the bike, so they knew if they had to adjust the cleats that attach the shoes to the bike...so he rode it around the parking lot while they watched....and started shaking their heads.

The bike is way too small for him. They've already used tubes on the handlebars to extend them out, and seat posts that are offset to put the actual seat back farther. We're at the point where there's nothing more to do, and they were showing me that his knees were getting in the way of his elbows. He just needs a bigger bike.

I could just get him a larger version of what he has now, but I have a better idea - better for me anyway. He's grown enough that he can ride my bike - and he wants my bike. I don't blame him. It's a nice light carbon fiber frame bike. In the meantime, I've learned a little about bikes in the last 3 years, and have a better idea of what I want to be riding. As I see it, this is a perfect time for John o' the Lumberyard to get a new bike, and pass his down to the youngster. He's excited about the idea. I'm excited about the idea. The wife is even on board, if not quite as excited as either the youngster or me.

So....John's bike shoppin'. I have a few bikes in mind, but I'll use this month to do research and maybe in May we'll get something new. We'll see.

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