Caring for the Environment

I really don't give a damn about the environment.

I often get comments about my bicycling lifestyle, complementing me on my concern for the environment. These comments really bother me because I don't care about the environment and it is presumptuous of people to think that I do.

What I care about is not being wasteful. I don't pollute, because it's ugly and inconsiderate towards others. I don't have cable TV (or any channels for that matter), because I refuse to pay to have endless advertising pumped into my home. I got rid of my car when gas still cost less than a first-born child and a left testicle. The wastefulness of driving my car was galling. Maintenance, insurance, fuel, and, worst of all, being under the thumb of the government. "Uh-oh, a cop is following me closely. Is he going to pull me over for no reason? Am I going 3 MPH too fast?"

And then there is the sheer inefficiency of driving a car. For the sake of math, I weigh 200 pounds and my car weighed 3400 pounds. Too haul my mass from one place to another, I brought along 17 times my mass from place to place. That is a transportation methods that only has the purpose of delivering 5.8% of its mass to a destination. Wow. My bicycle, fully loaded with a week's worth of lunch and clothes weighs a little over 50 pounds. So I bring 80% of my mass to my destination with a bicycle. When you go on vacation, do you bring, let's say, even 10 times more than you need to bring? Maybe pack 10 days worth of clothes for a 1 night trip? Maybe that's a bad analogy. I'll accept that.

Regardless, the automobile is wasteful for most of the transportation situations out there, but most Americans cannot be troubled enough to shift their mindset away from their wasteful ways. It's part and parcel of the human condition, really. I am just as guilty, although in other aspects. I recognize that, but I am working on it.

So back to caring for the environment... I don't care. I care about being wasteful. Caring about the environment is one of those touchy-feely, ill-defined goals, such as "Give Peace a Chance," "Help the Homeless," and "Compassionate Conservatism." It makes people vulnerable to marketers and propaganda. Political candidates pay lip service to helping the environment. Propaganda machines on both sides of an issue spew their toxic vitriol. And short of going out there and conducting your own environmental survey, it is hard to know where the truth is. Don't start with me on this one. It is hard to know where the truth is because I have been there (physical locations) and seen the propaganda and lies of both sides, sometimes on the same matter.

Do you really care about the environment? Kill yourself now. Or at the very least, raze your home, quit your job, and become a hunter-gatherer, living in a tree. Actually, skip the hunter part. Just be a scavenger and gatherer. But we can't do that. We are now ill-suited to live strictly off the land in a traditional sense.

But by consciously and methodically eliminating wastefulness, you are probably doing more for the environment than you would if you bought a hybrid car. We need to reach a balance with our world, in all matters. Reaching a balance is very difficult because people need homes and food and leisure. It is very easy for us (as Americans) to sit in our comfortable home, which we already have, and spew dictums such as, "No more clear-cutting forests!" or "Save the spotted owl!" or "We need to drill ANWR to reduce our dependency on foreign oil!" or "The politicians need to do something about the cost of energy!" BTW, top-down solutions are a bad idea. The greatest changes start with the person reading this post.

Try examining your life a little more honestly. Are you living as consistently as possible? I'm not, and I really, really try.

And while I am at it, actions don't exist in a vacuum. Bicycle advocacy is not the panacea for the world's problems. Yes, it will resolve many problems, but moving to a bicycle infrastructure is going to create other issues. I personally look forward to a lot of those problems, but other people are going to be seriously hurting. And people who are in a bad position tend to have negative effects on society (just look at the subprime lending market).

There is no simple answer and I wish people would stop acting as if there was. As deeply and sincerely as I love the bicycle lifestyle, it is not for everyone and it is not a fix-all answer, even though I am frequently guilty of acting as it it were. I would like to remain optimistic about our chances, but I think things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better. Although I suppose that is just the nature of it all...

</rambling></rant>

"You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess"

All things in moderation, including moderation.


For scale, that is a magnum of wine next to the glass.

"I swear, all I had was one glass of wine!"

There is nothing quite like being able to pour one glass of wine and read a book all afternoon. I received a pair of these glasses from my friend for Christmas. Your friends know you best!

Roasting Veggies Without Fire

I have the world's crappiest kitchen. Okay, it's not as crappy as some that I have had in the past. But it is bad. At least the worst kitchen in my past didn't have carpet in the kitchen. Who the hell thought putting carpet in a kitchen was a good idea?!

Why do kitchens in studio apartments always categorically suck? If you find this post and have a studio apartment with a great kitchen, please let me know. And let me know when your lease is up.


Crappy Kitchen

Given my limited kitchen resources, I have to juggle and improvise. I have approximately three square feet of usable counter space I have one of those crappy apartment-sized ranges. Whoever thought this up needs death by bunga-bunga. The oven temperature varies wildly; sometimes a setting of 350° results in 275° or 425° in the oven without any consistency. It does not fit two pans side-by-side. As much as I love cooking, this stove drives me batshit most of the time. I suppose it is just one of the costs of engaging in one's joys.


Nothing fits

So I don't have a gas stove. I have a small electric stove. And a small oven. So small it does not even fit normal baking pans. I think having a small oven must be worse than having no oven. It's a culinary cock-tease, a gastronomic siren. But yet I persist with this silly delusion that I should be able to cook decent meals.

One of the key reagents in many good meals is Roasted Vegetables (cue *heavenly choirs*). Baba ghanouj and squash soup are just two recipes that realize massive increases in flavor complexity by putting a little char on the veggies before proceeding with the Creation. When carbonization is involved, there are even greater gains in simple, yet delicious combinations such as vegetable wraps, fajitas (which truly require fire), and just about anything non-dessert that comes from the kitchen. Every savory meal benefits from caramelized onions.

Corollary to a proper range is an exhaust fan that vents outside, rather than projectile-vomiting the smoke back into one's domocile. Guess which one I have. Seldom is the entree that fails to set off my smoke alarm. Why do so few residences have externally vented exahust fans?! The bathrooms vent outside (toilet lines require vents). How hard is it to also vent the kitchen, too?

Putting a char on vegetables with this stove is tantamount to using a Yugo in an F1 race. But somehow I still manage to place in that race.

I go through a rigamarole to roast vegetables. Depending on the vegetable and the dish, I roast either in cast iron, directly on the burner, or under the broiler. Sometimes, the greatest works are accomplished within te confines of the greatest limitations. Okay, I am not enough arrogant to think that anything that comes out of this kitchen as the greatest works. Or even my greatest works. But it is still better than anything from most restaurants.

In general, most vegetables get a two-stage roasting. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions, for example, get a sear on top under the broiler in a cast iron pan. Then I put them on top of the stove (still in the pan) on the highest heat until the fire department is kicking in my door. By this time, the veggies should be properly caramelized and done.

For bell peppers and eggplant, I turn the largest burner on high, putting the item directly on the burner. As the skin burns, I keep turning the piece with tongs until it is burned all around. Then I wrap it up in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven at 350° for an hour. Peel off the burned skin, save the juices, and you have a great roasted veggie.

If you have any other tips for dealing with lesser kitchens, leave it in the comments.

Garlic and Apples Don't Store Well Together

Note to self: don't put garlic bulbs and apples in the same fruit bowl. I think this is akin to putting garlic bagels in the same bag as any other bagel; they all turn into garlic bagels. The same thing happens with apples and garlic bulbs, too.

Montpelier and Back

I'm still getting around to parsing the XML to present a Google Map of my rides.


At the Winooski River, near the intersections of I-89, 2, and 117.


I dropped my mirror when a bug flew into my glasses. I thought it was a good moment to catch a shot in this area with neat rock formations. Not that you can see those formations.


I tan quickly.

Bag Fetish (Carradice SQR Slim)

On the heels of my last Carradice adventure, I figure I would write about the other Carradice bag that I have and use.

I have a bag fixation. I'm going to descend into a stereotype here: I should have been born a woman. I love bags and shoes. I need the right bag for the occasion and the right shoe for the activity. I have bags galore. No Chrome bag yet, but give me some time and I will remedy that. And I love to shop for bags and activity-specific shoes. The right bag and the right shoe for the job!



A friend gave me the Carradice SQR Slim saddlebag as a gift last November. Wow. I have lots of issues with different saddlebags, and most small saddlebags have severe delusions of adequacy. I have cycled (NPI) through legions of such bags. Broken zippers, not enough capacity, not even vaguely weather resistant, floppy mounting, incompatible mounting systems for my saddle (Selle Anatomica)... you get the idea.

I have tried different racks with different panniers, seatpost racks, backpacks, and trailers. I despise seatpost racks because they produce a very odd moment effect in bicycles, especially when the load is past the rear axle. I'm short, so I ride smaller frames, and I get heel strike on the panniers. Plus racks and panniers are a whole lot of mass to carry when all I usually need are my laptop, lunch, and a change of clothes. I have bought and/or tried almost all of the cargo options out there. About the only ones that I do not yet own are a Bikes@Work trailer, BOB, and Xtracycle. But I am getting there! I'll quickly mention that I do like my Burley Nomad; while not perfect, it is very useful.

But now I have an SQR Slim in my cargo-carrying arsenal. The SQR Slim fits under my seat and does not hit the rear fender of my 18" Trek SU200 (I am ~171cm/5'7" tall). It yields 16L/976cu. in. of very usable cargo capacity with a maximum advised load of ~10kg/22lbs).



The SQR Slim fit my laptop well (14" widescreen Tablet PC) in a rigid laptop case. All told, that was about 5kg/11lb of mass. There was no noticeable slop in the SQR bag while cornering and going over bumps. Because almost all of the mass was ahead of the rear axle, I was still able to corner as hard as I am accustomed without any oddness in the handling of the bike. Other seatpost/tail rack configurations have pulled the tail of my bike out under hard cornering, especially in wet conditions.

If I set myself far back on my seat, my thighs would slightly touch the pack, but nothing that caused any issues and not enough to be problematic even after the longest rides. Another potential drawback for some: the pack also makes its presence known when I get out of the saddle. There is an obvious mass back there and the bike really cannot be flicked. But you don't flick a loaded bicycle anyway.

The bag is made in England, so I suspect they might have some experience with keeping out the rain. It does certainly hold up to the elements well, having been through salt, winter and spring mud, and all manner of weather. The top and bottom of the inside of the bag is a hard plastic shell. This comes in handy for cleaning up lunch container leaks.

There is also a hard plastic "stripe" on the bottom of the bag to help make cleaning the bag easier if you rode in the rain. The shape and size of the SQR slim helps protect your back from the skunk stripe if you are too lazy or too prissy to install fenders. Yeah, that's right; I called you prissy. In case you're feeling some indignation, I have two bicycles without fenders. So there.

I think that the only drawback of this pack is that mount has five exposed bolts on the inside of the bag. The very slight protruding ends of the bolts have worn holes in items that I put in the saddlebag. If I was terribly concerned, I supposed I would put epoxy or something over those bolts. Maybe eventually, or if I have a long ride planned.


It is not a drawback for me, but it could be for others: there is a requirement of a minimum amount of exposed seatpost. On my Bike Friday New World Tourist, there is approximately 7.3cm/2.875in of exposed seatpost. The SQR block fits in there snugly. The block is rather nicely designed to take into account the seatpost binder bolt.


I could not find a torque spec for the bolts that tension the stainless steel binder rings. But hand-tight with a basic allen wrench holds the saddlebag in place when leaning the bike against walls.

Overall, I am very impressed and this bag is well worth the money. I mean, if I actually paid for it. And I would totally buy a couple more of these, but fortunately they are quick-release so I only need an SQR block to attach the same bag to multiple bikes. If you need a little more capacity than a normal saddlebag, don't want to wear a backpack or messenger bag, or don't need the capacity of panniers/trailers, this bag is for you.

Bag Fetish (Alcohol Makes Everything Work Better)

I have a bag fetish. You will hear lots about this as time goes on.

For now, suffice it to say that I enjoy having the right bag for the occasion and I like having it slung on my bicycle properly. I have been quite fixated as of late with English saddle bags, namely the Carradice transverse saddlebags. You know, the ones that conveniently match the nice English saddles like Brooks. I have the Nelson Longflap which is an excellent bag. As Peter White says, it can carry just about everything you would want on a bicycle outside of a tour. A touch spendy, but the reputation of Carradice bags is that they will outlive your bike and probably you. So I would rather spend a little extra dough up front.

I have a Selle Anatomica Titanico LD with the watershed coating. This is a perfect saddle. It is their permutation of a Brooks saddle with a more anatomical design (read: penile nerve cutout). Right out of the box, it fit incredibly and was comfortable for the long haul. The saddle needed retensioning after about 70 miles, but that was no big deal. They even use a standard allen bolt for their tension mechanism. If you are on the fence regarding one, stop hesitating. This saddle is perfect.

I stitched mine, following a hypothesis that a narrower nose and stiffer seat might enhance the perfection. The stitching did firm up the saddle a little and narrow up the nose, but the improvements were not worth the effort. The saddle was just fine as is. The folks over at Selle Anatomica simply knocked it out of the ballpark with this design.

Oh, and the watershed coating really lives up to its name. I have done one full year of riding in Northeast weather (rain, humidity, ice, snow, salt, sun: we have it all in spades). The leather has not been treated with anything other than abuse and crotch sweat. Even where I have torn up the saddle (damned brick walls), the leather is still holding up, albeit in scuffed fashion.

My one beef with the saddle, however, is how the saddle does not like to like to play with the Bagman QR saddlebag supports. The Selle Anatomica does have bag loops, but the rails are set in such a way that they interfere with the QR mechanism on the Bagman QR. I am sure that the normal Bagman support would work just fine. I run a lot of errands with my commuter bike and I like to be able to take the bag off when I lock up my bike in shadier areas.

I got it into my head today that I would attach the female portion of fastex buckles to the bag loops on the saddle and then run the bag straps through the male part of the fastex buckles. Instant quick-release design! I don't know if this is original, so I don't claim it for my own, but these are the odd ideas that occur to me when I am riding.

First and foremost: a drink. Along with the ability to have a lot more of them if necessary. Box wine kicks serious ass in the "lot more of them" department. There are decent box wines out there. And while they are not the best in terms of quality, the wines are palatable and they more than compensate in quantity. All DIY projects require alcohol to work properly. The amount of alcohol consumed on a DIY project is exponentially proportional to how much fun the project is.

From my math minor days, I believe the formula is:
"Fun = (Alcohol Consumed * Project Complexity)^3."

Of course the corollaries of that formula are:
"Project Success = 1/(Alcohol Consumed)^5"
and
"Probability of Injury = (Coeffiecient of Power Tools)(Alcohol Consumed * Project Complexity)^13."

Pretty daunting odds. But I know what I must do in order to make this project fly. Drink more.

Here are the key components:



Oh wait, here are the real parts for the project (.75" fastex buckles and .75" nylon webbing):


Then the alcohol starts serving its real purpose. Why the hell can't I fit that QR mechanism under the saddle?! I know, I'll just jam that shit in there! With a hammer, if need be. I'll make it work! And what do you know? It does work. I didn't even need a hammer. It was a challenge that resulted in much alcohol-fueled profanity, but that QR bracket fits in there.


Note that the top part, the QR portion, does not sit entirely flush with the rails. Maybe with a little grinding from a Dremel tool, it would fit. But my patience just wasn't there tonight. Also note that the mount is pushed almost completely to the seatpost clamp.


So, score another hit for the Selle Anatomica! And score a hit for red wine! You can indeed use these saddles with the Bagman QR supports, but they just require a little cajoling to fit in there. What's more, you can still use the QR mechanism easily enough. I will warn you, however, that if you have your saddle positioned way forward, the Bagman bracket won't fit on the rails anyway.