Park Problems

Park Bike Stand LOOKS Pretty Good!

BEFORE I started migrating up to Ocean Shores, my dear wife bought me a Park bike stand. Bless her heart, as people in Texas say. Oddly, despite my advanced educational status and surplus of free time, I’m unable to figure out how to attach ONE piece to that stand in any functional way. Luckily, the thing seems to work anyways.

How Does THIS Plastic Piece Function?

PS: To my loyal reader: it may simply be a function of myself being an old fart, but I think I prefer my own bikes to have at least ONE functional brake, even if riding in fixie mode…

Madeleine/Judy Get a Little Love in the Park Stand...

 

Changing Judy Into Madeleine

I'm in no real rush here. Part of the enjoyment of a new bike is changing it into what you wish it to be. In many ways, it is very akin to what James Stewart did when he asked Judy to change into Madeleine.

The Mercier, when it arrived, was both pretty complete, but strangely lacking at the same time. A couple of photos illustrating the situation, follow. Definitely not something you'd get from a bike show. Also not something for someone not wanting to make a few tweaks. I COUNTED on making tweaks. And my loyal reader will surely get tired of hearing of the tweaks to come.

Brakes Weren't Hooked Up, and there Were No Levers, Other Than the Crosstops

Oddities - Well, Other Than the Upside Down Stem, Which I Felt Compelled to Try. I Will Switch it Before Hooking Up the Brakes

Cane Creek Headset with USELESS "Warning" Label. Lawyer Jokes Come to Mind...
Advice on How to Remove THIS Decal Without Damage is Welcome!

Still, the siren call of Madeleine has influenced me. My VERY FIRST supplemental purchase was oriented into changing a "Judy" into a "Madeleine." Mon Dieu!" My subsequent purchases may be a bit more prosaic, though this might be a good ride to try out Michelin tires on?

Brooks? We Don' Need No STEENKEN Brooks! Mine is Lightly Used. That will Soon Change...
Madeleine Begins to Emerge...

Lock Ultra FAIL

JRA, in his One Speed: Go blog, has a recurring theme, in which he hands out yellow cards to bikes at racks that were locked poorly. You can see a representative sampling of these, by clicking on THIS link. In the past, I have always shaken my head and clucked my tongue at the horrible locking jobs he captured.

Fortunately, I learned two lessons today. Both were learned cheaply, in contrast to what MIGHT have happened. Actually, I learned three lessons. The third lesson was that John Romeo Alpha does not lurk around the bike rack where I work. There are real advantages to living in North Texas rather than in Arizona.

Had JRA lived closer, I might have found a little yellow card affixed to my bike that said something like the picture below:

I came out from work to go home today, only to find my bike completely UNLOCKED. Buddy. A fairly pricey cyclocross bike I've ridden nearly 10,000 commute miles on. I was shocked. Then I was thankful. Then I remembered how it happened.

LESSON 1
When I pulled up to the rack today, I dropped my bag off the back, and THEN I noticed a crowd of pedestrians walking towards the gate. Proving that not only motorists have a powerful urge to "get there first" or "must pass" that cyclists complain about. I bundled up my stuff and got there first. Well, that would have been a bitter victory had Buddy been missing with both U locks still securely fastened to the rack in their usual "wait for Steve to come back to work" position. Better to get to the gate at the end of the line than to walk home seven miles.

LESSON 2
I work in a fairly low threat location. That is further reinforced by my typically superior locking approach. One U lock captures the frame and rear wheel. The second U lock captures the front wheel. I was told that bikes had been stolen from this location with the security guards looking on. Well, today I got lucky. It was a powerful reminder. People are mostly pretty good. Either that or they're so used to see Buddy locked well that they've stopped looking.

I do not WANT to have to rush to build Madeleine into the bike I'd like to ride to work. And, thanks JRA, for NOT being around my work location today. And thanks to all my coworkers for not taking my bike home. And no, I did NOT forget my "just a minute" locking when I stopped at the major coffee store on the way home from work. Though that lock would certainly deserve the usual John Romeo yellow card note. But for THAT lock, the bike is within sight at all times. It just has to be good enough to slow the thief down long enough for me to run outside. Unlike the U locks, it doesn't have to protect without observation through an entire work day. And THEY only do that if you use them. Or maybe Ham's last comment "Mercy, Mercy Me," was prophecy...

Madeleine

Second try at this with the "new" Blogger. My first attempt went "poof!"

With one exception, all the bikes I've ridden have had names. That exception is my road bike. Also known as "the bike with no name."

I've written about my new bike. I indicated it was a Mercier S3X. It's a fixed gear, three speed bike. It is made in Taiwan, with a famous French name. After a bit of consideration, I came up with a name for it, after a short two rides of less than a half mile in total. We shall see if it "sticks," but I think it will.

Madeleine

Madeleine's a rather French name. Not Taiwanese at all. Still, Madeleine is appropriate. You see, Madeleine was a character in Hitchcock's "Vertigo." Played by Kim Novak, Madeleine was what she seemed but not QUITE what she seemed. She was also "Judy." Strangely appropriate for a "French" bike built in Taiwan.

The name is still more appropriate considering that I'm a fan of Jaguar cars and Madeleine drove a Mark VIII Jaguar. An almost identically visually similar Mark IX may be seen below.

Mark IX Jaguar at Mercer Island, Washington Concours. Dan King Observes

Madeleine is a PERFECT name for a bike that is all it seems, but still NOT what it seems. A good Mercier name. As you will see, it IS turning a bit French. In the trailer, watch for the Jaguar right before Madeleine tries to jump into San Francisco Bay, just before the halfway point.