there are a lot of angry people out there so let's not join them

Via various wanderings around the Internet while home sick today, I came up with the following observation:

There are a lot of angry people out there.

Now this is not news to anyone who has had a social interaction in the past decade or so, but it is worth the mention I think.

Much is being said in the media about the "war on cars" etc being led by the pro bicycle movement. Every time there is any mention of creating more bicycle infrastructure, a suggestion that motorists need to share the road with cyclists ,etc, the vitriol in the comments sections of whatever news media outlet publishes such stories reads like a litany of death threats towards cyclists by irate motorists, and Social Darwinism, taking the form of "if you swim with the sharks you will get eaten" type of comments, at its worst. Makes me feel great knowing I am sharing a road with sociopaths. Weeeeeee...

Cyclists don't help themselves though as they knife through traffic, cut people off, and often times act like asses themselves, pissing off the people in cars through irresponsible behaviours seemingly designed to "prove" the negative stereotype of the urban cyclist right, and giving "justification" to the screw loose crowd to risk some innocent person's life in a dangerous game of tit for tat. To them I say thanks for nothing.

Which leads me back to my original observation. There are a lot of angry people out there.

This past year, I have had several motorists deliberately take runs at me in their cars in order to "teach me a lesson" and get me out of their way (in all cases, I was not in their way - I am very careful not to be that ass I mentioned above) for having the nerve to take the lane in order to make a left, avoid a car door, or whatever. All of which, by the way, I am allowed to do - no, supposed to do - according to the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario.

This has prompted me to want to get one of the nice new GoPro cameras. The one with the adjustable focal length so that I can mimic the field of view the naked eye has so that it will be easy to prove how close a person in a car got to cancelling my stamp. So when (notice I said when not if) a person does this again, I will have video for the police.

I have not done so though, as I do not wish to become angry. I am working hard at not being angry, at avoiding situations where this might happen, and why go hunting for reasons to become so? I don't want to litter this blog with videos that show what we all know to be true: There are a lot of angry people out there.

I don't want to be one of them.

That said, as I was watching someone on YouTube have an angry bike ride through downtown Toronto this morning, yelling at other road users who broke the law, who got too close - legitimately too close I might add - that a lot of what I was seeing was actually good. Many people were giving this cyclist a lot of room. They were not cutting him/her off. They were doing what they should be doing. So too were most - as in almost all including the one making the video - of the cyclists that were visible.

So if most of the interactions are good, most of the road users no matter what the mode of transport are behaving themselves and managing to get along, why live in paranoid angry fear?

I don't see the point myself.

Yes, a cyclist has to be cautious. Yes, there are risks. I know all the arguments. But that does not mean that it is worth living in fear.

So I do want the GoPro camera with the adjustable focal length. Littering the blog with good news stories of interactions between road users, high speed "bombs" down single track, and the such would I hope help, for my two readers anyways (heh), inject a little optimism into what I am trying to do here.

And should someone be an ass, I would still have the video for the police.

I just would not fixate on it. I would not waste my time and yours with more pointless negativity designed to give justification for more sociopathic behaviour on the part of motorists and cyclists alike.

Because in a civil society, or in one that pretends to be civil like the one we live in now, we simply don't need any more of that negative crap. We need instead a realization that the other is simply a person. They are not a label.

And the sooner we collectively get that message, the sooner we will live in a civilization that is actually civil.

one rainy evening, imagination soared

One rainy evening...

Rain is my kryptonite. I do not enjoy riding in it. The cold and damp seem to seep through more than the coldest winter day (coldest here defined as -25 Celcius). Rain in the winter is the worst since temperatures fluxuate so much and so rapidly that hypothermia is a real danger if the weather catches you out.

The rainy evening in question starts with a rainy afternoon.

I met with a good friend of mine for a coffee before wandering off to the LBS to pick up my commuter bike which was in for a repair. My friend, a fellow cyclist, does not like using his trainer and since I do not own one, agreed to lend me his for the duration of the winter.

One rainy evening, I set up the cross bike in front of the computer and rode a piece of the 2011 Paris Roubaix spring classic. For forty-five minutes, I rode with the best.

One rainy evening, imagination soared, and my legs woke up from their commuter induced slumber.

cornering a cyclocross bike

Not my video, but a good one.

Once in a while, I like to share something that I stumble across on YouTube because once in a while, something really resonates with where I am right now. And this video resonates.

I have been biking for a long time (over three decades) and love riding in the dirt and fast on the road. Well, fast for me :)

If I have a failing in my dirt riding, it is in looking down too much. I have a hard time trusting my peripheral vision. I have known for years that where you look is where you go, but at times, I forget that. When I don't forget, things go much better.

New to me on this video though is the notion of the weight shift hard over the back wheel inducing an over steer power drift under control. The idea, if I remember rightly, is to unload the front end, load the back end by shifting your weight backwards, and let the bike slide a bit while pedalling evenly at a high cadence. Maintain a constant torque output and a chunk of speed. The ass end of the bike might slide out a bit, but in theory it is easier to control and more speed should be maintained.

Well, this morning, while out mucking around on my commuter mtn bike equipped with studs on a very twisty paved but snow covered lane way, I tried it. I maintained more speed that I normally would through a curve, forced the eyes up to where I wanted the bike to go, did a subtle weight shift backwards, maintained high cadence and torque pedaling, and guess what? The front tracked beautifully, the back obligingly stepped out, and I powered out of the corner on the snow significantly faster than I would have otherwise and felt totally in control. I also applied a bit of downward pressure on the outboard (in this case left as I was turning right) end of the handlebar which helped plant the front a bit.

It felt like an all wheel drive car drifting - slight under steer, relatively a lot of over steer, and way more speed.

I will have to try it in the dirt come spring on the mtn bike and the new cross bike.

What fun!

2013 Kona Jake the Snake

Photo Credit: konaworld.com

All I will say so far is that it is hanging on a hook at my LBS awaiting me to come over with the rest of the money for it. I was not planning the upgrade right now, but since Kona is out of stock and the store isn't, my plan for an April/May purchase went out the window. I came very close to getting caught out like that last time I went to buy a 'cross bike, and don't want it to happen this time.

Thankfully, my LBS likes me and is willing to hold it for me.

The bike is lighter, stiffer, and on the surface at least much nicer than my current Jake the Snake (a 2005) model which is wearing out and getting tired.

I am looking forward to spring now more than I was before if that is at all possible.

After I ride it a bit, I will indicate what I really like about it, and what I think might need work.

In the mean time, it is ORANGE!!!  *big grin*

videos worth watching

YouTube thought I would like to see this. YouTube was right.

The biggest thing I picked up from it, besides a big grin from how well filmed it was (mostly - the transitions between the same scene in different seasons, while well done, got a little old) and a big appreciation for the incredible skill the riders in the video showed was this: keep your eyes where you want to be. Despite my many many years of riding in the dirt, the one trap I keep falling into is looking low. This video really makes it obvious what a huge mistake that is.

Personal riding goal for the year? Look up, look longer, look farther.

95 to 115

One thing I do a lot of when I am commuting by bicycle is think.

Lately, I have been thinking about the nature of cycling, how people use their bikes, what they use for bikes, why they ride bikes, things like that.

Some I know use them purely as transport. They ride upright bikes, often with racks and fenders. Simple and practical bikes. The kind that might be left locked up outside and largely be ignored by someone passing by while the owner is in a coffee shop enjoying a warm beverage. The kind that get used to commute to school, to work, to get groceries. Ones that take to having a trailer attached. Get left in the rain. Not expensive Dutch bikes, but these fit this category well. I refer to inexpensive, almost cheap, lock them and leave them bikes. Plod along bikes, the kind that do not get ridden fast (although they could) because their very nature suggests a slower more relaxed pace.


Some I know ride them in the dirt. They use cyclo cross bikes, mountain bikes. Bikes with knobby tires, with slick tires, with big hit suspensions, hard tail back ends. Bikes with exotic suspensions, bikes with none. Bikes with xtr rim brakes which stop you so fast you get nose bleeds, bikes with huge diameter disks. All sorts of tire sizes, all sorts of tire types. They go fast, very very fast, in the dirt. They come alive when they leave the asphalt and pavement of the city. Lumbering and truck like when out of their element, they possess a soul transformed by the place they are meant to be.


Some I know ride the roads and ride them hard. Race bikes, some steel, some titanium, some carbon fiber, some aluminium. All share common features - hard, thin, skinny tires that roll fast over pavement, and skitter then on gravel. Low drop outs. Low weight. High speed. High control. Low center of gravity, and cornering prowess. Touring bikes, loaded, filled with things, go slow but go far. Explore what is over the horizon.


Some I know ride the urban scene. Trials bikes, fixies, odd ball cruisers. Hipster been seen bikes. Making a statement. Part of the urban landscape. Battered, bruised, well loved. Often old, sometimes new. 

It is their use that defines them, and their use that defines how they are often ridden.

And it is that which made me think.

I am a cyclist. 

I ride for transport, in the dirt, on the roads, and to some extent in the urban scene. 

But I don't fit in any box that anyone might try and put me into.

What I do, no matter what I ride, and for what purpose, is 95 to 115.

And it is in that wonderful pedal cadence that I float away and fly, dancing on two wheels. Regardless of the bike, or the purpose for which I ride.

adobe lightroom 4.3

I have been a fan of Lightroom for a number of years now and consider it to be if not the best then certainly one of the best programs for sorting and editing photographs.

Lightroom 4 is something special. I has breathed new life into my old camera by giving me almost a stop more in both the lights and darks. The difference in processing is quite something. I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about this here - much has been written elsewhere and all I would be doing at this point is repeating what should be obvious to anyone who is following the subject even remotely.

However, LR4.3 is pretty nifty, and that is worth mentioning. I am not 100% sure what fixes they did with the software, but I have noticed a big improvement in the tones I am seeing from my pictures.

Here is a shot from the Fuji X10 (processed from a DNG made from the Fuji Raw Format.)

This picture is nothing special really as a picture. I used the onboard flash as a fill flash and just took it. There was no "purpose" to the photograph beyond seeing how fast the new memory card zipped along. What I noticed is that after minimal processing, none of the blacks are blocked up, and none of the highlights are blown. The colour and tone look better than what I was getting before, even with earlier versions of LR4 (never mind 3 or 2).

Here are a couple of shots from my Olympus E-3 and 50-200mm swd lens (processed from DNG files made from Olympus Raw Format.)

Just a shot because I was bored while waiting for a friend to finish his photograph. This is my Golf. What is worthy of note is that the in camera jpeg preview showed the sky blown out totally since the camera metered off of the shadowed side of my black car. Once in LR4.3, the sky appeared with no processing. After minimal processing, detail came out in the sky and in the shadows under the car. The only blocked blacks are a little bit in the holes in the rims near the brakes and a tiny bit in the rear wheel well. None of the highlights were blown. Again, the tones are very progressive to my way of looking at it.

To me, this one is just delicious. Yes, I got the exposure right, but the tones LR4.3 were able to bring out strike me as better than what I was getting before.

Time for a direct comparison I think.

Here is an older photograph, processed with an older version of Lightroom. I believe it was Lighroom 2 seeing as it was taken in the fall of 2009 and I did not ever have Lightroom 1. Both pictures were denoised slightly using Nik Define 2.0

Processed in LR2 - note, the lights picture right are totally blown out. The shadows are also a bit too deep.

Processed in LR4.3 - note, nothing is clipped or blocked up and the shadows could withstand more lightening without degrading the picture, particularly around the wing. Look at the picture large (click on it) to see what I mean. As an aside, this picture is noisier than the above one, but I did nothing to reduce it except for a slight bump in LR4 unlike with the original where I used Nik Define 2 since it holds up well when viewed at a normal distance.

Here is a more challenging example of the differences between the older versions of Lightroom and LR4.3.

Processed in LR3. The blacks in the original Raw were completely blocked up on the island, stump, and lower right hand corner. Processing to the point seen here largely fixed that up.

This is the exact same file processed in LR4.3. The blocking is gone, and so much more appeared - both detail and colour - than could be attained with LR3.

So, is the jump to LR4 worth it if you are sitting on the fence?

In a word, yes.

cycling end of year wrap up and new goals

I did not make my goals for the year with my bicycle but still managed to have a terrific year with my two wheeled machines. In 2011, I rode 8345km on all of my bicycles combined. For 2012, I managed a total of 7938km split evenly between commuting/around town riding and faster road and rail trail riding. My goal was to exceed the km ridden in 2011 during the 2012 year.

While the mileage for the two years was similar, the way 2012 panned out compared to 2011 was quite different. During the 2011 calender year, my job saw me working in the same city that I live in. I was able to commute all winter and through until the end of spring. This resulted in about 30km for every day that I rode to work - free km if you will. Steady constant cycling all year round brought me to my best year yet in terms of mileage. During 2012, my work assignment was in the next city over, and riding in the winter to that city is problematic at best, and dangerous at worst due to lousy roads, and unploughed (but existing at least) bicycle infrastructure. This meant that most of my mileage during 2012 was compressed into the warmer months of the year with only a little around town riding through the winter months. Even though the total km ridden did not match what I rode in 2011, my 2012 season saw me faster and more powerful on the bicycle and finally approaching the levels of fitness I had back (way back) when I was 29 or so due to the kind of riding I did. Happily, I managed to get fit enough that I could largely ignore the wind - it still slowed me down of course, but it was not the torture that it has been in years past.

So what of 2013?

Work sees me back in the city again, at the same location I was at two years ago. This means I can commute every day again and gain a free 30km per day. The commuter bike is heavy, with studded tires during the winter, and takes a lot of effort of move quickly. The intention is to do what I did last time. I will use the ride into work as a relaxing clear the cobwebs of sleep out of my mind warm up to the day, and use the ride home as a sweaty heart pounding as fast as I can workout. Hammer hard enough, and I will get some decent winter rides in and keep my conditioning up. Combined with all of my running around town for social reasons and shopping, things should be looking pretty good come spring time.

Once the warmer weather arrives in the spring and the roads clear of snow, ice, and road salt, I will add to the commuting several road rides a week. I also hope to get out on the mountain bike once a week as well since my off road skills are fading away to nothing through lack of use.

Essentially, the idea is to combine the best of 2011 with the best of 2012. I am fortunate that I am in a situation where I can do this without impacting the thing that matters most to me: my family.

My daughter is getting older, and is interested in cycling as well. She got her first adult bike for Christmas, and is looking forward to riding with us come spring time. My wife is recovering from some health concerns and is looking forward to getting her bike legs back. We honeymooned at a mountain bike resort a long time ago, and both really miss riding with each other. Our riding together has been hit and miss for a long time. This year looks promising for many family outings along local, and some not so local,  rail trails together. I am really looking forward to this.

So here is hoping that it works out as planned. May your year be good for you, and full of the things that make you happy. There are other things coming up for our household that I won't mention in this blog that make 2013 look like a fantastic year, and I hope that the same is true for you.