Knowing that you have let somebody close to you down is the hardest thing to comes to term with. But picking yourself back up and building that relationship back is even harder and time consuming though the return of that great feeling is worth every sleepless night, every gray day.

There are plenty of things that I see on a daily basis that I don't question but other days I find my self wondering more.

- Skinny jeans....really...i guess the sub-category could be Hipsters but thats for another day
- Commuting to work on a trek madone 5.5 with carbon bontrager wheels....when their commute is only 4 miles, but i guess if i had money to burn i too would get something flashy and fancy but i'm realist, commuting puts a beating on your ride.
- Not being able to manufacturer anything here any more (Evergreen Solar). There is going to come a time when there will be nothing left to outsource. We have to become leaders in intellectual property AND cutting edge manufacturing before we loose out the world passes us by
- Position of lights on your bike and helmet. It does no good if the light on the back of your helmet is obscured by your back pack, which by the way is large enough to host a small expedition up Mnt Everest.
- Ipods.....can people do anything without them....strangest places i've seen them...grocery store, butcher shop, waiting for a table at a breakfast shop, listening while reading....the list goes on

The list goes on but this is all i could write before returning to my other commitments

and Northwave shoes....amazing for the price...Deore XT clipless pedals...also top notch,

Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that McDonalds will sell you organic free trade coffee in a styrofoam cup (recycle number 4-polystyrene).....
just a thought

Rode in today trying out the new Northwave Raptor shoes. Pretty sweet so far. Just have to dial in the cleats a little better and they should be all set. So far i like the ratchet system, shoe fit and comfort. Also just slapped on some new Shimano Deore XT pedals. I am done with Crank brothers for now. 4 pedals in 18 months...just got tired of having to send them back. Lets see how these handle the commute and occasional recreational ride/race. More details on the shoes and pedals as i get use to them

I have been lax on updating this for one reason or another but honestly just haven't found the rythym required to rant about stuff everyday. However, with that I will say that as a bike commuter i have a dislike for drivers, joggers and roller bladers and most other bike commuters who don't know the rules of the road. On the other hand, on the occasion that i do drive to work, i have a dislike for cyclists, runners and roller bladers.....I would like to think that when i commute I respect the other people around me and always act curtious to those around me hoping that this will help paint a better picture of cyclists..however it is on a daily basis that i see more cyclists cut off joggers, bike through red lights, act with a total disregard for the safety of others, erasing any positive things i have done.

Oh yeah, just realized that my PowerBar Endurance and Recovery drinks are made not in the USA...I deal with enough bad products coming into work from out-sourced contractors that i'm skeptical of any quality control on food products: See Label below for PowerBar Recovery Drink.
Ingredients:
C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (MALTODEXTRIN, FRUCTOSE, DEXTROSE), SODIUM CITRATE, BEET JUICE COLOR, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM CITRATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE
Country of Origin:
China

Arnolds and Chocolate Syrup

So, the long over due review of Arnold's. This seafood restaraunt is located right on Rte 6a, conviently located next to the famous Cape Cod bike path as well. This place is well known and every tourist has been there at some point. Yes, it is a tourist trap...but well worth it. If its fried, Arnold's has it, even a delicately fried lobster. Something i tried for the first time. Fried Lobster is unique and tough to find. I would recommend the side of fried whole belly clams before fried lobster. Arnolds has a large dining area and a seperate drink bar. The menu is predominately local fried seafood. While there I sample the Wellfleet fried scallops which were well done. The breading was even and fried perfectly. The scallops were not chewey or gray in color.....healthy scallops. There have been some sickly scallops out there, which can be identified by a grayish color to the muscle and the muscle falls apart too easily. The fried clams were good, portion size was average.

The whole bellies were not gummy, though one was gritty but out of the three portions, there was only one gritty belly, which isn't too bad at all. THe lines will be long but they move relatively fast at food rush hour. This place can best be enjoyed just prior and after food rush hour, they have mini golf nearby to keep you occupied and ice cream as well if you need a reward for biking there. Good stuff

CHOCOLATE SYRUPS: Ok....so i like chocolate...its no suprise to many of you. I have a junk food gene...So, occasionally i like to have chocolate milk. I used to use HERSHEY's chocolate syrup or Stop & Shop brand however I noticed they all contain less Cocoa and more High Fructose Corn Syrup. HOWEVER, I bought some Nesquik the other day and it contains no high fructose corn syrup but rather..regular good old sugar. Nesquik does taste slightly different in that is has a textured taste to it and its not as creamy or smooth as hershey's syrup but the overall taste is better....

Mind dump

I recently stopped here again Capt Simeons . Its been a year since my last visit. THe restaraunt closed over the winter and the owners sold it to a friend who stepped in to keep the business afloat. I think thats the story or at least one version of the story that I heard from someone in the parking lot. I have heard other stories. THe location is pretty good, right off Rte 103 and the dining room overlooks a working dock and harbor. I think the room doesn't give enough of a view though. Got the usual fried clams. They were just average. One had some grit to it but otherwise, average. I liked the french fries which seemed to be cooked better than the clams. Other patrons had some pretty nice meals showing up at their tables so maybe it was an off day. The menu is rather large and has maine seafood pretty much covered. I would go back eventually, maybe try them at more of peak hour for food service and see what they can do then.

I still haven't gotten the last of the cape cod fried vacation pict up yet, I'll dump that down soon enough.

Been riding the Jamis Nova Pro lately, and its a solid ride.. ABout 7 days on that bike and my knees seem to like the position better. I'm still waiting for the call from LA to join "The Shack" team but I think i have better luck winning on a scratch ticket.

Fried Vacation

So, the vacation has come and past and I finally had a few minutes to download some pooly shot photos of a few of the places we visited for the requisite fried clams. The First place we went to was The Lobster Claw.
I don't have any picts of the fried clams but heres the review. We hit this place during a peak hour for lunch and an off peak hour for a snack right before dinner time. The fried clams at lunch were well breaded and seasoned slightly. The breading was light and fried very nicely. The portion was good and the french fries were of the thin variety. The warden got chowder and something else that escapes my memory but we both agreed it was tastey. However the second time we went, the clams weren't as good, maybe the oil wasn't that hot becuase a few were a little extra chewey. However all fried seafood when not screwed up completely is still a tastey treat. The Lobster Claw was good and I would recommend this establishment over a few others. Overall its worth a stop. I didn't notice if they had a take out window or now but since its located on busy Rte 6a its probably better to eat inside. It can get really busy around lunch and dinner rush hours.
Places also frequented for a quick lunch was Finbars. Great burgers and decent hot dogs. We didn't try any of their fried treats but we did have their Fish Taco's and they were super good, an awsome value....definately a place i would go back to. It looks like it used to be an old Dairy Queen so there is only outdoor seating on some picnic tables which was pretty accomidating.
A place for sandwiches that we visiting alot was the Village Market on Main street in Orleans. I really like their Mad Russian sandwich and their California wrap. Call ahead and the sandwiches are ready when you are on your way to the beach.

Next up will be Arnolds!

So, it's august and that means that Cross season is about a month away. There has been a great debate in my head if I will even go out this year or sit this one out until the knee tendonitis stops bothering me and i can get some decent biking in. With those thoughts crossing my mind. I got the Creamsicle out of the rafters and threw some air in the tires. The Jamis is ready to ride. Two days on the bike and its a nice difference. The brazilian was kind enough to let me try out some new bars, FSA RD200 shallow drop. These bars are STIFF. THe Ritcheys that came off the bike were not great. After only two days of riding the ride differences are already quite apparent. The Jamis does not accelerate as quickly as the schwinn or redline but it handles/soaks up the bumps much nicer with a more solid feeling. The Redline is twitchy and can give a punishing ride its so stiff. The schwinn road bike accelerates faster and tracks middle of the road. Thats all for now....

Food: The Meat House. I have been buying steak tips and chicken from them lately and its some good stuff. Nothing on the fried front this week. Vacation was good, hope to get a pict up a good place, albiet a tourist trap, a good place amongst the many we found while on the cape

So far this week, 3 days and 3 different riding conditions. Monday was a 50% chance of rain so the Iron giant made its way to work and tuesday was the best day so the Schwinn came out for some action and yesterday it was the redline becuase its a solid, stiff and spirited ride. Knees are holding up since all bikes have the same saddle to pedal distance and they are all within 1 to 2cm of fore/aft. However i know if this keeps up the knees will bother me.

The Geax Street Runners on the Giant are starting to show some sidewall cracks due to age. These tires are about 3.5 years old and have really be used mainly for commuting and carting the elder chaos machine around town. So they have taken their fare share of abuse and done amazingly well. I will finish the year out on them and then get another set.

Gotta get some new cleats on the shoes for the crank brothers. However yesterday my road shoe developed a big rip in the velcro strap so the left shoe is fitting loosely and not snug. Time save up for some shoes. The thought will be to get a really good MTB shoe that will also double as my Cross and road shoe. Any thoughts out there?

Right now I'm really jonsin' for one of these.

I don't quite understand the price but sometimes its just worth it. I don't think there is a pound of meat in the lobster roll so why do they cost 11 to 14 bucks. I understand the picking fee but still......however taste wins out .....and they will be on the menu from the weekend. Probably will prepare my own from some fresh one bought off the Will and Wendy. He's sellin' right off the truck these days for some $$$ . Nice guy
Have a good weekend..unless i get the engergy to update it again

Back...

So i got 7 days of eating my way through middle cape...or whatever reagion it was I was in. Even got some days where i put the rubber to the road as well. Was able to bike to the beach just about every day we were there, except the day it was raining, that day I chose to drive.

We ate at many fine establishments and many not so fine.
One location that we frequent more as tradition than anything else is The Orleans Inn. They have a nice cosey looking inn but what we go for is the outside dinning that overlooks the bay. The menu is pretty large and the daily specials can be quite good. Their Ginger Chili salmon is a great pick as well as their.....Whole Belly clams. Their clams were good, a thicker batter but fried to a nice golden brown. Clam size was a little smaller than I have seen but the taste was still pretty good. The bellies were juicy and flavorful but not as sweet as a colder water clam. It was a good location to eat out. The scallops were so so, but i think they had so many orders for them that I don't think they were seasoned enough and maybe were rushed through, but they portion was still generous.

More on the other restaraunts later.....

Humid bike ride back to work today. Rode the iron giant today becuase the threat of thunder showers. The rest of the week looks to be a good set of days for more riding...definately going to be testing the redline vs the jamis very soon....as cross season aproaches i have to decide which i like better, the positions fit pretty good now for both. The Redline is snappier in accelerations but it can be punishing as its really stiff.....and the jamis is more sluggish but it soaks up the bumps rather well. We'll see....
C-ya

Before I go on vacation , i must rave about the new tires i'm riding these days. Panaracer Evo 3Panaracer Evo 3. These tires are super sticky....corner amazingly well, roll super smooth and have been unscathed by crappy peoples republic roadways. These tires are by far better than my Micheline Krylon Carbon and so far exceed my michelin Pro-3.
Its been a great few weeks commute wise. The redline is back in action and rolls very nicely with a new saddle as well, very cush and stable. The position is different than the schwinn and jamis, more upright and easy to power around joggers and roller bladers.
Big plans for vacation. Going to see if fried clams from the cape live up to Maine fried clams....last year I was let down but this year I'll be sure to visit a few more locations for a more thorough comparison becuase its going to take some good cooking to beat even these tastey bits and these were from my second favorite spot.
York Lobster and seafood

Goin on vacation....so this thing of a blog will be quiet for a few days...but does it really matter anyways.....enjoy

THe sun

Wow, the sun is out.
The rides in have been soggy but otherwise not too bad. Warmish weather helps when its damp out. The clip on fenders are pretty good too at keeping alot of road spray off the bike and body. NICE. And when it dries out, they take 2 seconds to undo.
Well since the sun is out, rather take the long route home than write about. Enjoy the sun

Soggy

I hope to provide more structure to these random postings that way you can skip the parts that don't interest you (most likely the last half of any posting).

Commute/Bike: It has started off as a soggy week to say the least. The Iron Giant took a heavy beating on monday during a 45 minute soaking downpour of a ride. The elder chaos machine wanted to help dry the giant off and get it ready for the next day but i quickly learned, never give them grease or oil. It was everywhere in a matter of second but none on the bike. It was rather funny to watch though. Got the bike wiped down and dry before applying some new Squirt Chain Lube. All exposed cabling got a wipe down with Teflon silicone oil....I didn't think silicone needed Teflon but it sounded good and it has worked well so i haven't switched. Stick with what works well and what you trust. The Geax tires are holding up really well after two years of commuting on the iron giant. I hope that in the next few weeks i can get a few miles on the Panaracer Evo III and see how they handle and hold up on the busy pothole filled streets of the republic. I got them on some old Ritchey Pro wheels. These were amazingly tight to get on the rims to a point that I snapped a tire iron. The bead is amazingly tight so we'll see how they hold up. A new saddle is on the way too....90% off a sella so that should be interesting too see how it goes. I wish you could try a saddle out before buying it. Its just a matter of finding out what fits best. I have one specialized toupe but i can't afford another right now....so any imitation cheapo that is on sale will have to do the trick. The "carbon" saddle on the redline is the least comfortable seat and needs to be replaced before putting mileage back on that bike.

Food: Did get to munch down one of these the other day


Lobster rolls are something that i like to enjoy but can't figure out why they are so expensive. Are you getting 2 pounds of lobster meat in the roll. I haven't a clue but the other day it was 9 bucks for the roll and some interesting looking onion rings, more like onion fries that were tasty but not crispy enough. The lobster meat had only a very light dressing of mayo so it was good.

Rant: I understand items in very simple terms and sometime the complexity of situations is lost in translations. On the news the other day, I heard that Goldman Sachs is making record profits and will be dolling out remarkable bonuses to all employees. Wasn't this one of the companies that helped sell junk and facilitate the downfall in the market. They weren't the only player nor the biggest contributor but they do deserve the blame. I understand rewarding employee's for hard work, leadership and retention. However when you see the totals on these bonuses, it is staggering that the same people who almost destroyed a company are now getting large bonuses. These are people who offer little "core necessities" to the marketplace. You trade paper! (Speaking of paper-this makes for an easy analogy in my simple mind) However if you look at the paper industry which has been hit extremely hard you see a direct trickle down of the effect from the mill and pulp processors down to the loggers. These are workers who work extremely laborious jobs, fight to keep finding work even when the mills and pulp processors are not accepting wood, yet keep going without large bonuses or rewards. I don't want to say that a 50 hour work week at Goldman sachs is a cupcake job but at the end of the day, who do you think has to take more advil and figure which bills get paid and which don't at the end of the month. I would also have to imagine that the thousand or so ex-goldman sachs employees that got cut less than a year ago must be pretty infuriated that the executives are going to take home some record bonuses. I don't want to draw any conclusions from my nonsense just yet but at the end of the day I rather see the "logger" take home a paycheck than the management from GS. I don't pretend to understand many of politics at play in any industry and I am still wading through the information to make a better judgement but sometimes certain issues just sound unbelievable.

money pit

The usual eventful june has continued unencumbered. The furnace developed a leak and my "fix" didn't seem to work. Being that i'm not a plumber and wanting to destroy my furnace, i called in a few experts to take care of that.

This week has been rough on the commute. The bike path is being re-surfaced in a few new areas and I really think it will be a great improvement. The areas already finished are pretty smooth and perfect for when you are tired and don't want to deal with the bumps.

Got some new rubber on the wheels as well. Panaracer Evo III. A pretty nice looking tire. More of an update on them when i get some mileage on them. Maybe an update after a 100 miles of commuting...cambridge potholes....jogger avoidance...Those are on some old Ritchey Pro deep dish wheels. Those things can take a beating and still hold true. Alot better than some other wheels that have been on the commuters.

Been doing some eating and biking as usual when the sun comes hot and the temps get hotter...not too mention I really like providing links to places that are solid places to support and frequent.

I go here alot for a drink and some tapas.
Chapman Cottage They have a great wine selection and bottles are SUPER CHEAP. The bartender Tumi is very nice, and the owner and chef are wonderful people. A great place to stop for a drink or three.

Also, been going here for change of pace for the fried clams.
York Lobster and Seafood Its a great place for fried clams. Their breading was nice, portions were good. Whole bellies were good. Not as good as Yorks Best but really close. I don't like a heavy battered piece, and they weren't over fried. Just close to perfection. After a long morning ride or morning with the chaos machines....a perfect mid day break. Since this is open air dining under a pavilion, i'm not sure how the skeeters will be at night but dining at the lunch hour was awesome.
enjoy

Busy week

This week is the typical cliche...."where has my week gone." Well in my case, down the crapper. Between the fridge dying, broken screen door and the car going into the shop. It has been challenging. However it has made the work week fly by.

For starters they have some new pavement laid down along the river and its pretty nice to roll along on something so new and smooth. Its pretty amazing. But there have been two days that rolling to work on two wheels hasn't worked so I've been forced to drive. The lastest and greatest auto to grace our families presence is our rental car (to tide us over while the 'Ru is repaired). A Jeep Commander, 2008. I have never sat in a bigger piece of poorly enginnered junk in my life....except maybe my parents Reliant K station wagon. I could spend a week talking about whats wrong with it. But instead I will talk about its positive attributes.....do you hear crickets chirping....yes....thats becuase this car has NONE. You can't see stop lights becuase the front windshield is too small, there is less front seat room than the civic, same amount of back seat space as the 'Ru and the cargo area is 5 feet off the ground. The car has 2300 miles on it and the transmission sounds like its about to die when you have it in reverse and the motor has a rolling idle already. I am wondering why Fiat would want to buy into this, I can only hope they rally the workers, redesign many models and inject some quality into this lackluster peice of sh#$@. However since the union has them by the cajones, i'm pretty sure we'll continue to see some junk roll off hte assembly line.

Back to biking. Got some new team bib shorts. Have been trying to break them in a bit. We switched from Craft to Pactimo. I really liked the craft product line. Craft Their jerseys and bib shorts were of great quality. So with many members taking cuts in pay we went with Pactimo. Now I have never heard of them so i didn't know what to expect. For starters their race cut jersey is awsome. The cut is perfect, the material is a nice waffle style, full zipper, great jersery. One of my favorites. Their full length sleeve jersey is not the waffle material but a thicker fabric. It feels ok but once you really work up a sweat it sticks to you like glue and the logo/images on the fabric are slightly blurry becuase of the material. lastly, the bib shorts. They have a lot to live up since i have gotten acustomed to Verge and Craft bibs. The bibs have a great over the shoulder fabric, smooth, soft and comfortable. The chamois is top notch and fits perfectly. I wish it had silicone leg grippers like the the craft but the leg grippers do work, I haven't tried with leg warmers or knee warmers yet. So far i'm pleased with the line-up with the long sleeve exception. Its a product that i support and they have plenty of other items in their line-up that could be even better.

New tires...Panaracer will be on the commuter within the next week or two so i'll post some info about them shortly.

HOla

The weekend is finally here!!!!
MIT graduation is today so that complicated the commute a little this morning, many nervous parents and parallel parkers. It is interesting to watch people who don't parallel park often..do so, especially around the peoples republic.

Have to rush it home and beat the expected rain. I hope that it will hold off but if not, no big deal, its warm enough out that getting drizzled on isn't a big deal. The hardest part is getting the bike inside, wiped off, dried and re-lubricated and get it ready for next week.

Shoes....Still thinking of buying a single pair of shoes that stiff enough for road, forgiving enough for hike a bike MTB Sessions and mud-shedding for CX season. Right now i have a pretty sweet pair of Adiddas road shoes that are about 4-5 years old and my MTB shoes are a pair of Answers that are pretty nice but are probably a half of a size to big when compared to the road shoes and they are terrible at shedding mud. Time to start looking at a good shoe that can do it all....and it's also time to start looking for that money tree...

Its been a pretty nice week on the wheels. This morning ran across a few deer down by the river. Something i have not seen ever. Even came across the largest snapping turtle i've seen since i was a kid. This thing was a big as a hubcap.
Logged about 400 miles on the schwinn, 300 on the redline, 200 on the MTB...however i thought the legs would come around and be good for 5 days of riding but i'm finding that wednesdays ride home is always the toughest, the legs feel empty and powerless. Thursday I feel a little better than wednesday and fridays aren't bad but not great either. Slow steady improvement though.

Just since monday gas at the local pump n' serve has gone up 6 cents so i feel pretty good about keeping some money in my pocket....

This morning was Harvards graduation day. Even at 6:30am grads were all over the place. I was amazed by the number of students running through red lights and walking as slowly as possible in front of traffic and in the cross walks. I can't tell you how many had the "deer in headlights" looks I saw when they finally look up from the middle of a cross walk and see a dump truck and myself coming down the street...we had the green light....and I will admit that there are a fair share of cylcists that blow through red lights but not paying attention and stepping off the sidewalk onto a busy street without looking....


Since i like links lately. I had a cookie from them the other day and they are pretty tastey and i like cookies. I only wish that more would appear.
Geoff and Drews Cookies

Still looking into getting rid of these Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals. They are crap. I keep them in good shape however the bearings stink and the mechanism / spring that holds the cleats in place keeping breaking. THis is on top of the already really soft cleats that wear out rather fast. I really like the crank brothers philosphy and support for racers and events but i'm down three pedals now in a years time. Might switch to Deore XT on all bikes. Change is good right?

And since i finally got a camera, with batteries no less. Here is the first picture....Seriously...we can't manufacturer a steel disc in this country. Wow...I passed over 4 of these on the way to work the other day. Yes, I go so slow i can see where these things are made, but i will say that some were made in the USA, others in South Africa and Mexico.....but the point remains the same.

Sweet ride in this morning. Slightly cool but humid. Saw over a dozen rabbits down the NE boathouse. At least 4 wild turkeys down on river road, i really have to get a camera working for these moments. However I must say that 6:15am, i'm pretty brain dead and i'm lucky to make it work in one piece. This morning I was shocked that they have torn up a huge section of the river path, no more pavement. Almost endo'd in some soft sand but saved it at the last minute. However there a few people behind me who probably got a good laugh at that bobble. Going to have to take a different route home.

There is still something off about the front headset/fork. There is a dull clunking sound. The fork/stem are all tight and perfect, just can't figure this one out. Might have to throw a 6-pack the brazilians way and have him take a wrench to it. Still working on the cleat position. It was suggested that I just use one pair of shoes for all rides..road, CX and MTB. It may come to that but I will need to get better shoes first. Something that will work for all disciplines.

I'm thinking end of june or mid-july for some wells ave races along with some MTB events just to get ready for august cx races. I'm sure to bring a new level of suck to any event I participate in but i'll be there stinking it up. Going to try and get the elder chaos machine to go and maybe do a kids race. He would be all for it...except he has to pedal his bike, right now he just pushes it around with his feet. we will see what the summer holds

If you don't want to read my next rant about stuff I don't fully understand, I would stop reading right here. I just read that Sichuan Tengzhong Industries from China is going to buy Hummer..I didn't think it was possible to make Hummer even more un-reliable and crappy...i take that thought back....When Hummer was first introduced to the US it was in the form of the military troop vehicle...but good thing for us good ole' Arnold S. govenor of Cali said he must have one and a short time later, the average consumer could buy an H1 hummer. They were marketed on being a symbol of AMerican patriotism....i don't know how they are going to market that now...good luck.
So being a father and working on a thin budget, my chaos machines really put the hurt on most toys. It wasn't till recently that i started noticing that not of their crap is made in china. Some is made in Italy and some items are actually made here in the USA....I know....we still manufacture stuff here at competitive prices. Not every company is sold out. Here is a great example American Plastic Toy. I don't usually support many cuases but this is one i think might be worth the effort. Thats my pointless ramble for the day. Since I learned how to use the links application here are a few others:
Boston Organics
Russos Produce market

Mondays

It was cooler out than expected this morning but I was glad for last evenings thunder shower as it pulled all the dust and pollen out of the air. Ride in was emotionless and boring. I'm still waiting to see how long its going to take them to repave the section of the river path however I was suprised to see the construction crew out at 6:30am.

The new glove update is exactly as I expected. The lack of a terry cloth section or something smooth to wipe off the morning nose crust off is kind of annoying. It's like wiping your nose off with 200 grit sandpaper.

Weather is looking up for most of the week. Back to riding the schwinn this week. Now i'm working on getting the cleats in the right position between my road and MTB shoes so this upcoming cross season there will be knee problems. THere were none last year however the cleat positions vary enough so that its noticeable.

Thats it for now

R & R

There is nothing sweeter than escaping to vacationland for a few days of R & R. However with the twin chaos machines in tow, it's less R & R and more hanging out by the wiggly bridge, town dock and the Fort. All of which is fine by me. A weekend spent eating fried clams, ice cream with some good beer can really help recharge the system not too mention a night out with good friends talking like adults over some Tapas and wine. We had a great night here: CAVA. Food and wine pairings were perfect although it did put hurt on the wallet, it was worth every penny. Since we were having such a good time, we had to round the night out at The Rosa (Rosa's) with some pizza and mussels. Probably the best mussels in new england but don't take my word on that. An epic evening of food, wine, and good conversation. I think over the course of the weekend the elder chaos machine and I must have thrown a few hundred rocks into the harbor, terrorized a dozen or so green crabs and had at least three of the most interesting conversations with the local lobsterman.

The Giro is moving along and Levi is not. I'm not sure if he has the fitness yet or the killer instinct to really put the hurt on. Either way, its been a fun one to read and follow. The Weather this week isn't that spectacular so commuting should curtailed which is fine becuase there are too many errands to run after to work that can't be done if I were biking. Its kind of tough to strap a case of Size 5 diapers to your back (192 count) or 5 months of long overdue dry cleaning. Now that wedding season is approaching, time clean the suit and the few dress shirts. Get rid of last years wrinkles, stains, dust and spit-up (not my own). Can't beat 99 cents a shirt. But we will see, might just ride the iron giant anyways since the legs are feeling good and the temperatures are still relatively mild and nice (despite the rain).

In the next few weeks there might be an ESC sighting along the river....but I'd believe an economist before I believe that.

New Gloves

With my commuting time increasing and summer temps rapidly approaching, its time for new gloves. I generally like gloves with some minimal padding, gel or extra layers of fabric material. I was using a pair of Pearl Izumi Aerator, or something like that. These gloves were light but the padding was terrible. There was a HUGE gel strip at the base of your palm that was too thick as well as a large gel pad at the base of the fingers, also to thick. The gel pad never really shrunk down over time and if the gloves were just a bit off and not fitted properly the gel pads were more of a nuisance than a benefit. However the space between the thumb and pointer finger did not wear out from riding on the hoods too much, an added bonus. A down fall of two other brands of gloves (Addidas and Sette) These full finger gloves were good for cooler days and warmer days. I wear full finger gloves becuase if you wipe out, picking gravel and sand out of your scrapes is not an enjoyable experience. Just a matter of personnal preference.

So this leads me to my latest acquisition. AXO - Kicker Full gloves. They retail on PricePoint for 9.95 right now. Price subject to change depending on what day you look at the website. These gloves are simple. The have a very light palm fabric that is thin, filled with breathable holes. There is ZERO padding....so you feel the bars and all the road vibrations 100% of the time. These gloves don't have a velco strap but rather they are the new slip-on-cuff style. I like that feature. Also each finger tip has PLENTY of silicon gripper material so your fingers stick to the levers easily. The two down sides i see to this glove are that you get what you pay for. A glove that will breath really well but not last that long. The palm material is thin and not reinforced on the high-contact areas and more importantly, where do i wipe by running nose? The Pearl Izumi's had a nice terry cloth section for booger collection, the AXO only have a synthetic leather peice that could be quit abrassive later on. However we will see how they stand up to the commute and weather. They are plain and easy on the eyes. Graphics and logos are not obtrusive. Maybe i'll get techinally advanced and take a picture and post it. Off for the weekend......

The daily Commute

Since i got two young chaos machines at home....the time to train let alone race is non-existant. My commute begins at 6:15am and i'm in the office by 7am...back out the door at 4:15 and home by 5/5:15 depending on traffic. Then its family time which is currently more important than training. I want to say that in a few years i'll get back into it when the chaos machines are older and off playing soccer and more independant. I do miss the racing, the preperation of the day before, the start line nerves, but I see the bigger picture and few years off maybe with some limited handfull of events will only make it that much better later on down the road

So the long of the short is...pedals. Right now I'm commuting on the Redline and or the Giant. Both of which have Crank Brother Candy SL pedals. The Cross bike and Road bike also share Crank Brother products. The Road pedals, Quattro SLs have been pretty awsome and smooth, no problems, however it is the Candy's that are crap. I have broken three pedals in less than 12 months. The tines just open up to much and won't accept the cleat. The spring slides out of place. Luckily crank brothers has decent customer service and will repair them for free ( i just pay shipping). I think there is problem with the design on the longevity of these pedals. I might have to save up and switch all bikes back over to Shimano XT pedals. I liked the platform of the pedal but the constant un-reliability of the product is wearing thin.

Hopefully i'll get my commute photo's up and you can enjoy those artistic masterpieces.

yupp...thats a bike and me riding it

*note the broken computer....not tight