never not working

Evan said I should post some flicks from my sketchbook. Here.







Also I have posted some new videos recently.

my bike

This blog post goes out to Mark Simpson.

Well it took me about a month being here to get myself a bicycle. In some ways, it was kind of a long time - considering how much riding I do in the U.S., and how functional it seemed compared to taking the 25 bus or tube every day, its suprising that it took me a whole four weeks to get back in the saddle. On the other hand, its not like I had an immediate connection, or was interested in spending a chunk of change for something that (unless it was super buttery) ain't coming back stateside with me. And a month on your feet gets you to know the city on a more intimate scale, gets you in touch with the nuances of your 'hood, you notice the details, and you're going slow enough to keep track of the graffiti.

The bike came together with the guidance of Jack and Josh, as well as the invaluable collection of bikes that we nicked parts off of. I owe you guys. And likely, as Jack suggested, I can pay back that due by just giving them the bike back when I leave.

Being big fixed-gear fanatics, after telling them about my own track bike, they really weren't going to settle for anything less.

The frame is some un-named brand, likely a Raleigh, we suspect. Its certainly got that raked front fork kind of geometry, not for the track. We stripped the rear brake, shifters and derailer. The fork and headset were OK (more on that in a second) so they stayed, as well as the cranks and chain rings on the front. Its nice and scratched up, not attractive and steal-able. Also we kept the seat and those cute little mud-guards, if you can really call them that.
Pedals came from a Peugeot that Rich found, gave to Rob, who gave it to me, but the frame was fucked, so I could never ride it (its since been stripped, and the frame nailed to my wall).
Will had given me the stem and bars, which Josh says "make the bike," and in a lot of ways I'm inclined to agree - I've enjoyed riding straight bars on my Panasonic in the past. Plus, the bars are black, matching the frame. They're actually pretty wide and have a little rise to them - comfy.

The wheels came from some bikes Jack had, not quite sure. The back rim is a Mavic open pro, and the front is a cheaper rip-off of an open pro. Its black though. Since this bike used to be a 10 speed, my gear ratio is 52-18, pretty tough. But I can manage - its fast, hills just aren't the greatest.

the negative notes:
We used the wrong size nut on the back wheel, so after stripping it a bit realized the only thing to do was go all out and strip it fully - so basically the wheel may not go back on if I have to take it off. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Its too small - the frame is too little for me, being unusually long-legged I need to get a longer seatpost, then it should be all gravy.
The cones or bearings or something in the front headset is totally fucked. Really wobbly. We think it should make it through 2 months OK, plus since its fixed I'm not putting too much wear on it by breaking. I suspect it may have been part of the reason it was initially abandoned - I think the frame has become ovaled.

but ahhh, to be back on the road!! Its crazy though, things I have to remember: 1. when in dobt, stay to the left. 2. Left turns easy, right turns hard.
Rotaries and merging is the weirdest part, that and the fact that I get lost every time I ride somewhere, but hey, thats how it goes. There are some lovely more country rides that I gotta check out too, and saving money by not riding the tube is a plus of course.

gotta bounce, but for anyone riding and walking in NYCity, I just came across Streetsblog, a pretty cool blog dedicated to pedestrian and cyclist news, issues of public space and transportation.