Naughty Fred: Being Bad Never Felt So Good

As you're no doubt tired of hearing by now, I've made a New Year's resolution to only ride Ol' Piney in 2018:

Of course, because I'm a semi-professional bike blogger (and also because I'm full of it), in making the resolution I allowed myself to ride test bikes--such as this exotic wooden Fred Sled:

(YES THE GODDAMN BRAKE PADS ARE TOED IN)

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before I cracked like a counterfeit Specialized:

(Oh, wait, that's a real one.)

And if you suspected I wouldn't make it through January without dipping into my vast bike supply then you were correct, because yesterday I went for a ride on the Ritte Rust Bucket:

Doing so felt really good for two reasons:

A) I felt delightfully naughty, like a kid sneaking bacon in Hebrew school;

2) Unlike the Renovo it's my bike, dammit!

Indeed, with regard to that second reason, I'm tempted to say it was like slipping on a pair of old blue jeans.  However, I'm loath to use such a cliché, so instead I'll say it was like slipping on a pair of old underpants--but clean ones, and with plenty of life left in the elastic.  See, as fun as it is to ride a fancy road bike with push-button shifting (and it is fun, that Renovo is a blast) there's nothing like going back to a bicycle you've been breaking in for years.  No smooth, unwrapped crabon bar tops here, just the reassuring roundness of aluminum tubes wrapped in worn tape.

Even the mechanical shifting was a pleasure:

(Rivendell's new mechanical shifting group.)

To be honest, I've been finding myself liking this Di2 stuff more and more, and on my last ride with it I even caught myself wondering if I could ever go back to analog.  Well, I'm pleased to report that I can go back, and as addicting as it is to shift with a tap of the button and a little "zewp" sound, the moving of an actual lever followed by the "gerthunk" of the chain finding its cog remains both satisfying and timeless. 

Also, while the Renovo is an absolute joy to ride, adn while it put me back in touch with my inner Fred, I have to say it felt really good to get back onto a scuzzy bike again:

In fact the desire to ride a scuzzy road bike is ultimately what did me in.  See, this is what it was like yesterday:

And even though I don't want to coddle or spoil the Renovo I also didn't particularly feel like riding a bike with crabon rims, 23mm tires, and tight clearances in those conditions.  (It's just not a confidence-inspiring combination in foul weather.)  As for Ol' Piney, it was too warm and sloppy to ride offroad, and as for riding it on the road...well, you know, I'd have to ride it like this:

Ugh.

Plus I still haven't fixed that broken spoke:

Meanwhile, there's the trusty old Rust Bucket with it's metal wheels and slightly wider tires just waiting to be ridden, and all that stands between me and a brisk jaunt down to Central Park is slapping on those quickie fenders.

So I did it, and I regret nothing--well, almost nothing, since I did manage to slip and fall on some wet wood:

You know those falls where your front wheel goes out from under you and the bike just slams you to the ground in a way that only skinny-tired bikes with drop bars can?

It was one of those.

And look, you can see exactly the path my ass took when I wiped out:

If you think about it, it's ironic that in avoiding the wood bike in favor of something more surefooted I ended up getting taken out by some wood.

Of course, as per the terms of my resolution, I must now run three (3) miles to atone for my transgression.  However, my ass hurts now and I don't know if I can.  Riding, however, is not a problem, and at this rate I can see myself digging a marathon-sized hole for myself in a matter of weeks.

What I'm saying is I've made a huge mistake.

Anyway, despite all this I do still plan to make good see all this through...at least until such time as I come up with a decent excuse for bailing.

from Bike Snob NYC http://ift.tt/2DOC5fC