On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

When I carried the boxes up the stairs, I honestly contemplated that they might be empty. Of course, they weren't. It's just that these wheels are sicko light. Cycling Technology's Mt Washington wheels , assembled by Nico Toutenhoofd , checked in at an insane 776 grams for the pair. This is 5 grams lighter than the claimed mass for the super-pricey (okay, still cheaper than my wheels) Mavic R-Sys Premium , the rear wheel alone . Yet as impressive as the number is, it's nothing compared to the impression one gets from lifting the thing. Even with my Red 11-23 cassette, the glued-on Veloflex Record Carbon tire, and valve extenders, these wheels tip the scale at 1390 grams, just 30 grams less than the R-Sys without tires, tubes, or cassette. Sick. And that's going generous with the glue . Combined with my Lightning SL crankset (170mm, 110mm BCD, 129 gram SRAM Rival/Force chainrings, 9.7 gram Shimano chainring bolts, 580.8 grams total with bearings), when things...

After first noticing it in the Pez coverage of Interbike 2007 , I've really been attracted by the Lightning Crankset . Mass competitive with the 580 gram Zipp Vuma Quad but with conventional 5-bolt chainrings. Chainring compatibility is a big deal: I really like the flexibility of 110 mm BCD "compact" chainrings, but Vuma only supports the 34-50 combo: a 47% jump which when combined with the 103% range of an 11-23 rear results in a relatively small big ring-little ring overlap which can require a lot of front shifts to avoid running up against the cross-chained gears. Except for extremely steep climbs, 36-50 is the better choice, with a reduced 39% jump in the front, improving shifting performance as well as reducing the cross-chaining problem. Additionally, the Lightning has a replaceable spider. This adds flexibility: it can be converted to 130 mm or 96 mm BCD cheaply and easily. But additionally it promises future compatibility with the Quarq power meter . A key a...

Better:

Yesterday I did the Noon Ride . Turn-out was quite poor: the slightest hint of rain and these guys confine themselves to the refuge of their cubicles (at least those lucky enough to still have cubicles... it's tough out there). Of those of us who showed, only two opted for the climb of Old La Honda Road : for me the light rain we were encountering at that point made the prospect of a slippery cold descent of Highway 84 unattractive. So we stayed in the low-lands. The no-frills Noon Loop . With the small group, basically a "leg-opener". My focus was to ride efficiently in the group (my first real group ride in over a month), stay relaxed (especially my shoulders), and stay in the drops (a major focus is on keeping a more aerodynamically favorable position when I ride: I tend to drift too upright, in part because of my tendency towards shoulder tension). I accomplished these, but towards the end of the ride a headache and nausea become increasingly prominent. It'...

Today I caught the 10:12 train from 22nd Street. It's the first time I've had the energy to take the train to work since returning from Southeast Asia almost two weeks ago, which is a relief, but significant is that it was such a late train. Why the dilly-dally? Of course, I watched the inauguration. Wow! I am still wrapping my head around the fact that we elected an intelligent, articulate President of the United States. In this nation known for its lack of interest in national and foreign affairs, of its low standards of education, of its rampant antiintellectualism, it took a remarkable alignment of the fates to give us someone who can express ideas as effectively, directly, and coherently as Barack Hussein Obama. As Obama gave the oath of office, thrown only momentarily by the Justice Roberts' blunder , subsequently corrected, I was thinking ahead with anticipation to the speech which would follow . A feel-good, inspire-the-troops, don't rock any boats perfor...

I admit it. I cracked. Cracked under the pressure. It's so easy. Click. Click. Click. What? Me? Oh, nothing, I'm just clicking my mouse. Playing. Just adding them to my cart. Oh, just adding my address info. Just to pass the time. Now my credit card. Goofing around is all! Now my mouse pointer is hovering over the "acknowledge" widget. But I'm not going to actually hit it. Click. But my, you've gotta be really impressed with these wheels... The hand-built Mt Washington wheels, produced from stock components by Nico Toutenhoofd's shop Cycling Technology . Super-impressive at a hard to believe 778 grams for the pair. So many gimmick wheels have come on the market. These date back to the old Mavic Heliums. Mavic, the worst of the offenders, has continued the game with the Ksyrium series, and more recently the R-Sys which was just recalled. All of these wheels are designed as much to look novel as to meet some tangible goal of performance....

After hearing the governor's very short and to the point state of the state address stressing the present California budget crisis (referencing the "sword of Conan" 1 -- I love it!), I drafted the following letter to my state legislators, Jay Leno (senate) and Tom Ammiano (assembly). Please support an increase in the state gas tax. Gasoline prices have fallen substantially in the past months. The increase in support for mass transit, alternative energy, and energy conservation which came with $4/gallon gas is dissipating. The state is in a budget super-crisis. The best way, by far, to raise this revenue is with fuel taxes: tax what you want people to use less of, not what you want them to do more of (for example, earn income). Please support a higher gasoline tax. The Governor delivers his State of the State address. Of course, it's all pointless. Californians are as addicted to their cars as anyone. They'll never give up the freedom-is-slavery which is ...

Being sick just sucks. I fall behind in my fitness. I fall behind in work. I fall behind in personal responsibilities. Our society just has zero tolerance for being sick. It's especially hard since it seems absolutely everyone is training hard right now. In the wintered regions, I read about guys like Christian Vande Velde's trainer sessions . Lance Armstrong's in Australia riding hard (for his rumored $1M appearance fee), Dave Zabriskie is shaving his head (it doesn't get any more serious than that!). Closer to home, we're way ahead of those Euro Pros, as we're already well into the 2009 season . I already missed San Bruno (I was in Laos), then the first Early Bird Crit (I was in Cambodia), then the second Early Bird crit (I was in bed). For this weekend, my teammates are planning for their first training camp (I'll be in New Jersey visiting family, also missing the third Early Bird crit). Hopefully I won't catch something else on the plane...

I formally pulled the plug on plans for the Austin Marathon . I told my coach, Dan Smith , that being sick three times in the past month (I'm clearly coming down with a cold as I write this) combined with two doses of serious jet lag (traveling to and from Bangkok, a 9 hour difference) has just put too big a dent in this, the critical month for marathon preparation. Really, for a marathon everything needs to be in place four weeks before. That's 17 Jan, one week from today. I'm just not going to be there. Not even close. Time to refocus on getting well, finding a more modest next running goal, then refocus on cycling after that. I spent hours staring at the ceiling at the Golden Banana guest house in Siem Reap. I don't set goals lightly. Yet to show up in Austin with the goal of simply making it to the finish without damaging myself is of no interest to me. If I go, it's to qualify for Boston. If I can't do that, I don't go. I can't be disappoin...

Fetal pigs for sale in Luang Prabang A cycling trip... but the focus wasn't on the bike. The riding was more about working through my head cold on insufficient food. A physical challenge. But the memories are of impressions. Encounters. Sights and sounds. For example, humans and animals. Pakbeng ... Ban Faen ... Udonzai ... Pak Mong ...: chickens, pigs, wander freely onto the road, from house to house, wherever they wish. I ask our guide Ken: how do the owners keep track of which are which? They know, he said. And anyway the chickens know where their home is: they come back there each night to eat and sleep. " And eventually to die ," I think as he says this. Chickens everywhere. In the US, it's a rare thing to get away from the sound of cars. In rural Laos, welcome relief from the ubiquitous sound of engines, but the sound of roosters is everywhere. Which would I prefer had I been raised among the chickens? Ban Faen : a very special dinner with the vil...