VACANCY

Nothing happening for a long while. Maybe blogs are dying off due to facebook/Tumblr, etc. Heck, I had to look up my own blogs... btw, thanks, Google.

It's internet blackout day- Also a good day for black ice!

While the many players big and small go dark or dim online in an expression of dissent, I'm merely skipping the facebook - it eats up plenty of our time and energy; there's a behavioral science PhD thesis born every week in honour of such distractions. But the real news is, as is so often the case in Canada, the weather.
You can't really black out the weather. You can ignore the media, the latest city budget (a mix of good and bad news, but mostly a sign the mayor is losing "friends" faster than pounds) and you can get tired of a luxury liner that's being treated like a soap opera, but you can't ignore the weather - not when Winter shows up. It's that family member you miss until their arrival. Oh yeah... mean drunk, bitter humour, and tells you off when you're not dressed suitably.
So, have you been riding your bike, all the same?
I have - and I've found a few things of note to share with anyone else who is questioning the sanity of the enterprise. As Mark Twain once put it: Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live. Bearing in mind he lived in an era before such vehicles were equipped with brakes - think Flintstone feet - and that the traffic may be slightly worse ;) now, I want to remind you to keep your brakes in tip top working condition.

#1 liability in winter for brakes - water in the brakelines freezing
#2 - your stopping time changes with the climate - so does wear on the braking surfaces
#3 - tyre inflation factor into stopping just as with accelerating and steering

Solutions to 1, fairly straightforward - Oh, and this problem often affects your shifting cables too - more on that later - get them pre-treated or maintained with a synthetic lubricant. This isn't something you can rely on figuring out immediately, so count on your trusty bike mechanic (they exist!) to cover this - it is simple but easy to screw up. The lube should prevent any water from building up too fast and won't allow cold snaps to freeze the brake and housing into a solid unit. If you have no parking option other than out in the open - in the rain/snow etc. - this basic bit of maintenance, along with lubing your chain on a weekly basis, is KEY. Stainless steel is a better material for control cables versus most OE (original equipment) bike setups retailing below $500. But lube is key no matter the kind of metal strand composition - I keep finding myself explaining to customers that ALL gear needs love and maintenance, no matter the price point. Some components will cost more and tolerate rough treatment, but there's always a limit, and winter riding will introduce you to 'new' ones. I'll talk about this more when I cover the needs of multi-speed bikes.

#2 - Unless you own a more expensive commuter-specific model with hub-based brakes, you can expect stopping time to take longer - especially with the rear wheel. With either rim or disc, this means the pads will wear down in less time than you might think - just like lots of wet-weather rides - so check their wear lines - most pads have indicator marks - or ask a qualified bike shop to assess for safety or replacement. These are small expenses to prevent larger problems - don't skimp, please don't ignore this. I'll cover this in further detail, including caring for your wheels.

#3 - keep the air in the tyres within the indicated pressure on the sidewall. If you can't read the pressure, use more light, ask for help or - because this part starts crumbling sooner than others - replace them with new ones!
I had too many (3) customers this year alone complain that no-one told them they need to keep putting air in (to the tyres). I've recovered from my initial shock, and now I am telling you. A lot of flats - those annoying and often expensive issues - and accidents - where the tyres flex or unseat from the wheel rim as you steer! - are easily prevented with the right air pressure. Who wants an extra trip to the bike shop, or emerge?

Right now the cold will be convincing most of you to stay off your steeds. Those of us who choose to persist owe ourselves and our fellow commuters the consideration of mutual safety. If your bike has a problem - or you aren't sure it doesn't, if you aren't asking how to make your ride safer in changing conditions, that's an opportunity to pay attention, learn, or visit a qualified mechanic.
Enjoy whatever weather we get next - keeping the rubber on the road.
Next time - winter myths, and myth-killing -  about tyres!

Professionalcrastination

I guess it's not putting things off if you really can't find the time. Or means of deploying a keyboard.
That is to say, you can't blog while biking, so from time to time, the very subject of this site will throw a 36mm Headset wrench into the gears of production (which is a thing much easier to explain finding there than one of the original wooden clipless sabots, invented by hard-drinking Walloon Belgians one blurry weekend in 1902*).
Where was I?
Oh yes - For January, - in CANADA, it's been phenomenal cycling weather - mostly hovering above freezing with very little snow or rain - so my good intentions, clever plans and circus tent full of ideas about how to manage riding in the crap winter throws down... they are on hold. I suspect we can't count on this lasting much longer, but I will accept a good day for riding with equanimity. And the consequence of not having so much time to devote to a blog? I will shoulder that burden along with the leg fatigue. It ain't all bread and roses.
I'll be back before the Lunar New Year - and I really think Black Water Dragon would be a nice name for a racing frame. I suppose the way frame design is going, it would be a carbon fibre composite. In the meantime, keep your tyres plump and your chain slick - there's riding to be done!

*This is a complete fabrication, so don't look for a pair on eBay

The New Year already started

Hello, and welcome to roadrubbings, weblog for bicycle blurbs, badinage and breakdown. Troubleshooting, that is.
I've been advised (by people I respect) that I should pursue writing more seriously, so almost immediately, I made the cardinal error of thinking about reviving my derelict blog. But -
You know what's popped up since the last time I worked on a weblog?
Facebook. Love it, loathe it, it's now a mountain that must be negotiated. I plan to lure many of you here through the mountain. So you likely already know me in some way.
This is a "new" blog, mostly dedicated to cycling,
as a means of experiencing the city, the peculiar physical link between human and machine and the cultural issues that the bicycle connects with. I am sure to find more reasons for writing as I go along.
Roadrubbings should come to reflect my pursuit of fitness, joy and activism as a cyclist, or as I put it, in the face of Toronto's pound-foolish mayor, as a "two-wheeled taxpayer".
The city I live in, love in, and work hard to stay on good terms with, is currently beset by chief administrators widely acknowledged unfit to serve the needs of most of the electorate.
Their first year in power has has a marked - largely negative - effect on the city's achievements and on collective aims for bicycles as a viable transport option.

Since it's just really started acting like Winter in this bend on the road, I might get to some basics on cold weather riding - and staying focused on the psychology of full-season cycling.
Taking care of the body, or the machine (hello, road salt!) might be good themes, too. While at work - surprise, it's a bike shop - I see the health of riders and rides being neglected, much the way vets will see it with animals, though the upshot is different - nobody crashes their hamster because of faulty brakes, right?. Well, I hope not.
I believe that 'taking care' is an extension of our capacity intelligence and love.
I love cycling and hope to help you care about it, too.

Here's to the New Year - it's practically here as I write this. So, as you think of champagne - or better yet, dim sum (Mmm-Mmm!), why not tuck away any bike you won't be riding, pick my brains for maintenance, riding or storage tips; put me to work, with all this stuff I know.
As Spring approaches, this should also serve as a platform to discuss training and my first big charity ride, the 2012 Friends For Life Rally. More to say about that soon.
To Bee, and my Sisters, thanks for the kickstart. Every writer is a candle in search of a match. With any skill, the story will shed some useful light.