SIR Achives. For those of who are who are bored by simple bike routes around Seattle, here are some local long ones.
Archive for July, 2003
Saddleco Flow — Cool Saddle
Jul 31st, 03
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SaddleCo. Hat tip to “Road Bike Rider”:http://roadbikerider.com on this one. Very cool looking saddle. Have you seen the innovative Flow saddle at www.saddleco.com? It has intrigued a number of roadies, and they’ve asked us to review it.
The Flow has a see-through mesh top stretched across a nylon perimeter. It promises comfort, lightness, airflow and cool looks.
Pretty cool looking. Great lust factor.
Spam, spam, spam, spam…
Jul 31st, 03
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I’ve been trying to understand the various spam filters:
* SpamAssassin: Welcome to SpamAssassin. Interesting to see the techniques that they are using. I’ve also been using outclass which uses Bayesian analysis rather than the header, text analysis, blacklist and collaborative spam-tracking database.
* “Vipul’s Razor”:http://razor.sourceforge.net/. They noted Vipul’s Razor which I’ll have to look at that. Sounds pretty cool.
* “Spamotomoy”:http://spamotomy.com. They review spam filters. An interesting read. I like the p[oints about disposable email addresses for instance and also the reviews.
Last Step: Threading the Derailleur
Jul 30th, 03
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Well, I’m almost done. I’ve gotten everything on the bike. Including:
* Michelin Cyclocross Jet tires. It is amazing these fit. They are fine in the rear, but a little tight in the front mainly because of the brakes not because of the fork.
* Suntour Brakes with new brakepads. I took the brakepads off of the Teknos and put them on the Suntour, so braking power should be good.
* Lock ring (how can a little ring cost $20 BTW!) is on, so I’ve got a 13-26 cassette in the rear.
The main step remaining is threading that rear derailleur. I got some great advice from Vintage Bicycle Discussion Area. They basically suggested, getting a string down and through and then pulling it through. This won’t work because it is so small a hole. Also suggested putting a derailleur housing through. Fails for the same reason.
Best advice I’ve gotten so far them and Steve Hooper is to get mechanics wire which is very stiff or bailing wire to get there, then use it to pull through the derailleur cable. And, of course, next time I replace, make sure to pull a new cable through by taping it on to the old one before pulling.
Joi Ito’s Guide to FOAF
Jul 30th, 03
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Joi Ito’s Web: Technorati talks FOAF. Hat tip to “Ludwig”:http://www.theludwigs.com for creating a Friend of a Friend link. He says none of his friends are FOAFed, so I thought I’d join him 
BTW, how does John find so much time to post. It’s amazing!
More on the Madone 5.9
Jul 29th, 03
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:: Lance Armstrong Official 2003 Tour de France Website: Close look at the Trek Madone 5.9. Some moe details, but not the price which will be amazing I’m sure. Coming this fall to a bike store near you. Will have the new Dura-Ace 10, new ultralight fork from Bontrager.
Although it is slightly lighter, the main advantage is aerodynamics. Says, you’ll save a minute over a 200km ride. Wow, 160 miles and you sae 60 seconds. At the pro level, that’s amazing. For us ordinary mortals, maybe we should train a little more
Still what a drool factor. Just look at the “photos”:http://www.lancearmstrong.com/lance/OnLine2.nsf/Docs/D37499CB86AB278C86256D15006F21CD of the Dura-Ace crank and the frame itself.
Guns, Germs and Steel
Jul 28th, 03
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Amazon.com: Books: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Been looking for books to get for my brother’s birthday. I think I already got him this one, but if you don’t have it you should get a copy.
It explains one of lifes biggest questions, “Why do the White men have all the cargo?” (or translated from the New Guinean), why is it that the Europeans ended up with all the money and power. A great read.
Great summary of a great Tour de France
Jul 28th, 03
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News: Chris Carmichael on the Tour de France. _A great summary by Chris. Here are some excerpts_
There are always heroic performances in the Tour de France, but in 2003 we saw more than usual. Tyler Hamilton surprised everyone, including himself, by finishing the second stage of the race after breaking his collarbone inside the last kilometer of Stage 1. He soldiered on through the mountains and time trials, attacking all the way, and ended the Tour de France fourth place overall, with a stage win from a solo breakaway and a second place performance in the final individual time trial. In 2004, I expect Tyler to be standing on the podium in Paris with Lance Armstrong, though the CSC leader will have to wait at least one more year to win the yellow jersey.
This 2003 Tour de France will be remembered most for the epic battles between Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich for the yellow jersey. Armstrong was not as invincible as he was in previous years, and Ullrich was stronger than he was back in 2001, the last year he and Armstrong faced off in the Tour. Lance had to call on his team and his experience to find the strength and the strategy to win his fifth Tour de France, and he will savor this victory for a long time.
Even after accomplishing the goal that he has pursued since this time last year, Lance won’t take that much time off the bike. Following the Tour, Lance and I need a short break from each other. He doesn’t want to follow structured training for a few weeks, and I don’t think he needs to, so we’ll talk less frequently than usual during August. He is booked to ride a few post-Tour criteriums, and there are some media obligations to take care of, but he’ll still find time to ride almost every day. Once the excitement dies down, though, it’s back to work on preparing for the 2004 Tour de France. There are plenty of riders already lining up to challenge him next year, but I believe that if Lance arrives at the start next year in the same or better shape than he was in this year, no one will be able to ride through him to win the 2004 Tour de France.
Tide Charts
Jul 28th, 03
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NOAA Tidal Data. When sailing, its important to know what the tides are doing. This is the official NOAA site for this.
Says that tomorrow at noon will be slack tide in Seattle at -2 feet below mean low/low tide. So, at 1PM or so, the tide is going to rising or surging.
wadamb’s blog
Jul 28th, 03
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Adam Bosworth’s Weblog: More on the same. hard to imagine adam with writers block, some good comments on dusconnected apps. hat tip to satoshi.