Cycling

§ What?

I like to cycle! Mainly for commuting to and from work, the gym, anywhere else.

If you assume you work some place 48 weeks per year (4 weeks to holidays, 1 week to illness, etc.), that translates to 240 working days. Of those, maybe I’m in the office 80% of the time, so 192 days.

Of those 192 days, I think I would probably choose to commute 180 (allowing 12 days for dangerously-inclement weather). I cycle in the (light) rain & snow, in heat and in wind.

§ Bikes

We have two bikes in our family.

§§ Raleigh Technium 460

This is a hand-me-down from the mid-1980s, with 27” x 1.25in wheels. Not a collectible, but a solid workhorse. The only missing ingredient for making it the perfect commuter bike is the lack of a threaded hole in the seatpost for installing a rear-pannier system.

I’ve fitted it with a lightweight rear fender, a rear-wheel rack for mounting two Arkel bags, and new grip tape, but otherwise it’s pretty much original.

§§ Motobecane Hybrid Beast

This bike, man. It’s been a piece of work. It was our first bike in the city, a purchase made before we had a clue…

It came with bent gear-guards, a bent rear-fender that was integrated into the frame in a very painful-to-undo fashion. It’s heavy, the gear-shifters are stodgy.

I took off most of the “built-ins” to reduce weight and narrow its failure surface area.

The bike came equipped with got 700c x 40 (622-40) tires, that desperately beckon to be replaced.