12.10.2010 | 10:17 am
One of the best things about language is that it is constantly adapting, evolving. As new words become necessary, they are invented or otherwise created, then — slowly but surely — incorporated into everyday use.
Generally, this happens when an idea for a thing (or modifier of a thing) or action exists, but there is no existing term corresponding to that idea.
Having been dieting for 10 days, I find myself having coined a word:
fiberrhea [fie-buh-ree-uh] (noun). An intestinal disorder brought about by the sudden and dramatic increase of intake of raw fruits and vegetables, especially of those very, very high in fiber.
I am not sure why this word has taken so long to be invented, but I’m happy to have created it. I guess.
Comments (35)
12.9.2010 | 2:44 pm
When you’re mountain biking, there are many, many things to be afraid of. For example, you can — and should! — be afraid that you’re not going to clean the ledge you’re dropping.
Or that you’re not going to clean the ledge you’re climbing.
Or that you’re going to get sucked into a rut and endo.
Or that you’re going to lose traction, slide out, and collect a whole bunch of gravel in the bloody place where your knee used to be.
I could go on.
The thing with road bikes is, it has nowhere near as many obstacles to worry yourself about. Sure, there’s the biggy: cars. And if you ride in groups, there are other riders to worry about. And of course, there can be something that makes you lose traction with the road. Gravel. Water. Oil.
Other than that, there’s just the road.
Except, there’s another kind of obstacle. An easy one to forget, until you suddenly are right there and it’s too late and your doom is certain.
This has happened to me.
Which is Stronger: Pain or Humiliation?
It was 1990. I was 24 years old. I lived nine miles away from WordPerfect Corporation, where I worked as a technical writer, writing documentation about programming with macros.
Most days, I rollerbladed the nine miles to work and back. But a couple of friends I had met at work had convinced me I should buy a bike and start riding it to work.
One of those friends was Bob Bringhurst.
As a person who is highly susceptible to peer pressure, I went a little crazy and spent a ton of money on that first bike — a Bridgestone MB-5. It cost $350.
In-freaking-sane.
I rode to work a couple of times before I ever took the bike offroad. I didn’t have any problems.
And then, one day, as I rode the final blocks in to work, I heard another bike coming up behind me (bikes were noisy back then). I looked over my left shoulder and saw my friend Bob on his own bike, catching up.
So I sped up a bit.
I looked back again maybe thirty seconds later, and Bob was continuing to gain on me.
I didn’t have a lot more speeding up I could do, but I gave it what I got.
Five seconds later, I looked back again, to see if I was now holding Bob off.
I was not. He was seconds from catching me.
Disappointed, I turned to face forward again and accept my defeat with grace.
And then, suddenly, I was sliding in the street on my chest and face.
For I had not known the incredible danger the seam between the asphalt and the concrete curb can pose.
While I was looking left over my shoulder, I had evidently been drifting right (this is remarkably common, and I promise you it is a very scary thing indeed when your driving-permitted child does this while checking to see if it’s OK to change lanes). My wheel had dropped into the little gap, and that was it. Down I went.
I got up. Bloody. Shaking. Clearly hurting. And embarrassed as I had ever been.
“I’m just fine,” I lied, hoping Bob might perhaps just ride by.
Bob came to a stop.
“Why did you fall?”
“I was moving over so you’d have room to pass and hit the curb,” I said, now lying just because I was hoping that eventually I’d hit on a storyline more interesting than mundane truth: that I had just been KO’d by a very narrow crack in the road.
“Uh, see you at work,” Bob said.
“Right.”
And then I got back on my bike, vowing that I would go back to rollerblading the very next day, and would never ride a bike again.
Older and Wiser
Of course, back then I didn’t know exactly how scary a tiny crack in the road can be. It’s extraordinary: if I drop my road bike’s front wheel into the most insignificant hairline crack, it suddenly feels as if my whole wheel has been swallowed and the handlebars are being wrenched from my grip.
Even worse, that little crack on the road is completely invisible to pedestrians, people in cars, and other cyclists. To them, it looks like you’ve just decided — on a whim — to nearly (if you’re lucky) crash your bike.
Now, of course, I know.
And every time I cross a crack — a tiny little crack, especially one patched with that gooey tar stuff — lining up with my front wheel, my stomach jumps into my throat, and I hope that my wheel won’t get sucked in.
Or that at least nobody’s watching.
Comments (56)
12.6.2010 | 12:57 pm
We are now into the beginning of week 2 of the “Let’s Lose 10 Pounds by Christmas” challenge. And I’ve got some very awesome things to announce. Mainly, a few awesome companies have joined in the challenge, pitching in a lot of very cool prizes.
Which is nice, since there are more than a thousand of us trying to lose ten pounds by Christmas. Which, when you add all our weigh together, is very nearly 3.5 Toyota Pria (“Pria” is of course plural for “Prius”).
For those of you who have entered the challenge, today you need to leave the following in the comments section:
- Your starting weight
- Today’s weight
- How much you’ve lost (yes, I know I could figure out 3 by subtracting 2 from 1, but I don’t want to do that much math).
And now, let’s take a look at what cool new prizes (in addition to the prizes I’m already giving away) some lucky losers (i.e., people who lose at least ten pounds by the final weigh-in) will get.
Win a Trek 7.3 FX
What would a Fat Cyclist giveaway be without a bike to give away?
My good friends at Trek will be giving away one Trek 7.3FX — a perfect bike for this contest. Check it out:
I asked Travis Ott why they this bike is a good match for this contest. Here’s what he said:
The Trek 7.3 FX is the most popular fitness bike in America. Outside of starvation, it’s probably the best way for your readers to reach their weight loss goal. And way more fun than starvation.
This bike is all about allowing you to ride longer. IsoZone Grips kills road vibration while giving you an ergonomic grip. Hardcase tires help prevent flats. A comfy Bontrager H1 saddle supplies you with a nice perch.
This bike has an MSRP of $659.99. It’s an awesome bike for working on your weight loss goal, riding around town, and rediscovering what you already knew as a kid: that bicycles are more fun than anything else in the whole world.
And someone who loses ten pounds in this challenge is going to win this bike.
Huzzah!
Win a Ton of Stuff from Performance Bicycle
I’m sure you’re familiar with Performance Bicycle — the big catalog / online bike retailer. Well, Performance has stepped up in a big way, volunteering a veritable cornucopia — nay, a sleighful — of prizes for some lucky “Lose 10 Pounds by Christmas” Challenge winners.
Behold what they’re offering up, and be amazed:
Crank Brothers Cobalt XC Wheelset
This may be the sexiest set of mountain bike wheels I’ve ever seen. Strong. Light. Blue. With a value of at least $949, this definitely qualifies as a grand prize. Performance will be giving one set of these wheels away.
Ascent Adjustable Magnetic Trainer
This super-smooth Ascent adjustable magnetic trainer is a perfect tool for helping you lose weight and maintain your fitness over the winter. Performance will be giving away one of these away to some lucky Challenge winner.
Performance Clothing Kits
Suit up in Performance gear: a set of Performance Team Short Sleeve Jersey and Performance Team Bib Shorts. (For the days when your Team Fatty gear is dirty, you know.) Performance will be giving away FIVE Performance Clothing kits to lucky Challenge winners.
Scattante Spyder Road Helmets
The Spyder has i ntegrated high-tech carbon and aluminum construction, world-class ventilation and a comfortable fit. Performance will be giving away TWO of these sleek Spyder road helmets.
Axiom Spark Headlight/Taillight Combos
The Spark 3.0 USB headlight puts safety first when the sun goes down. Three ultra-bright LEDs provide 3½-6 hours of steady light for quick commutes and rides around the neighborhood at night. Built-in power and light setting indicators eliminate all guesswork. Meanwhile, with four ultra-bright LEDs, four different light modes, battery/light setting indicators and tool-free mounting, the Spark 4.0 LED tail light is the perfect companion for commuters, road cyclists and trail enthusiasts.
Performance will be giving away TEN of these light combo setups!
Scattante Eclipse Eyewear
Whether you’re in bright sun, flat light, low light, or anywhere in between, these stylish cycling glasses with three interchangeable lenses and 100% UV protection manage light with precision and accuracy. Performance will be giving away FOUR pair of these glasses.
Scattante Mira Eyewear
Sharp lines, aggressive styling, advanced ergonomics and vented lenses come together in these compact, performance-driven, cycling glasses. Performance will be giving away FOUR pair of these glasses.
Performance Fitness Packs
Load up on some energy food, courtesy of Performance. This package consists of one Performance WideMouth 24oz Bottle and one box of nutrition bars — your choice of Clif Bars, Mojo bars, Builder’s Bars or PowerBar Pure & Simple Energy bars. Performance will be giving away an amazing FIFTEEN of these prizes!
CarboRocket: CR333
My friend Brad — inventor and honcho of CarboRocket — has recently come up with a new sports drink: CR333, the half-evil endurance fuel. Brad has done multiple endurance events using nothing but this stuff as both his source of water and fuel.
It’s half-black magic, I tell you. Like it’s half the number of the beast or something, with 333 calories per serving.
CR333 is the most potent, complete and effective endurance fuel on the planet. Use it as your stand-alone race and training fuel. No need for messy gels, gooey gummies, expensive bars or clumsy food. Just drink and go and go and go.
Brad will be giving away 5 containers of CR333, each of which normally retail for $36.99.
Easton Snowshoes and Poles
Last — but certainly not least — Easton Mountain Products will be giving a pair of snowshoes and poles to some challenge winner.
From the Quick Cinch binding, to the Virtual Pivot and articulating frame, the Trail™ model snowshoe has all the standard ARTICA™ performance features. Trail is ideal for the casual hiker needing high quality and superior performance.
The ATR-70 Adjustable Trekking Poles, meanwhile, have feather light 7075 aerospace aluminum construction, Three-tier Rock-Lock™ clamps, adjustable comfort strap, and dual-density grip.
Why stop using your favorite mountain bike trails just because there’s snow on them?
What If You Want to Join the Challenge Late?
So maybe you didn’t join the Challenge last Monday, but now you’re looking at the head-spinning quantity and quality of schwag on offer and you’re thinking that maybe it’s time you lose that ten pounds by Christmas after all.
Is it too late for you to join?
Nay, I say. Nay, it is not too late to join. Just leave a comment to today’s post with your current weight and the fact that you are starting now.
But here’s the thing: while you have less time, you don’t get to lose less weight.
Like I said before, this is a ten pound challenge. If you want to win, you’ve got to lose ten pounds by December 23.
No exceptions.
Doing Something Good
A number of you have commented that you’d like to make this into a fundraiser — turn this challenge into an opportunity to do something good for the cancer community.
I couldn’t agree more, and am working on something special.
More on this when I have it nailed down. Stay tuned.
My Weigh-In
I’ll have more to say on how my first week went tomorrow, but — in the interest of keeping things honest — my weigh-in today had me at 169.2 pounds.
That’s a loss of exactly four pounds from my initial weigh-in, which means I am exactly on-track with my plan.
Yee ha.
Comments (926)
12.2.2010 | 11:37 am
If I were a bike bottle manufacturer with an innovative new product, and I were looking for some cheap bike-related publicity, you know what I would do? I would check out FatCyclist.com.
And then I would immediately cross it off my list of blogs to send a bottle to.
Why? Because, it turns out, I’m a little bit cranky about bottles. A little bit skeptical. A little bit jaded.
I am, it turns out, the guy who wrote The Water Bottle Manifesto five years ago, back when this blog was young. And I’m the guy who — during Random Reviewer’s brief, glorious existence — wrote a kinda scathing review of the Gel-Bot bottle (which I stand behind, thanks).
So, if you knew all those things and you were the inventor of the Clean Bottle — a bike bottle with a screw-bottom as well as top — would you send me a bottle?
‘Cuz I wouldn’t.
But the folks at Clean Bottle — foolishly, perhaps — sent me one anyway. And so I’m going to write about it. Whether they want me to or not.
Why The Clean Bottle Exists
Why would you have a bottle with a screw-bottom, as well as a screw-top? Well, for one simple reason: to make it easier to clean.
If you can unscrew the bottom of the bottle, both the bottom of the bottle and the body of the bottle near the bottom should be easier to clean.
Dry Facts About the Clean Bottle
Before I get into my subjective thoughts about this bottle, let’s go through a few things that aren’t subjective:
- How much it holds: 22oz. The bottle is the same height as 24oz bottles, but holds a smidgen less, probably because of its unique bottom. I love that I just got to use “unique bottom” in a sentence, by the way.
- BPA-free: Yes. Which is good, I think.
- Cost: $9.95 direct from the maker, but if you buy 3, you get a fourth free. If you spend at least $45, you get free shipping.
- No threading compatability: None of the tops from any of your other bottles will work with this bottle. For what it’s worth, none of the tops of any of your bottles (including the top from the Clean Bottle) will work with the bottom of this bottle, either. Which means you cannot have a two-headed bottle. Which means you cannot make a bottle built for two. Alas.
- Dishwasher safe: Yep. ‘Cuz If it weren’t, it would have to be renamed the “Extraordinarily Inconvenient to Clean Bottle.” (Once I get into the subjective part of this review, I’ll have more to say on this, by the way.)
- Number of times the Clean Bottle “Bottle Boy” was shown on-camera in the 2010 TdF: 4,328. And referred to by Phil Liggett each and every time. I’m pretty sure Phil and Clean Bottle are BFF.
Things I Like About the Clean Bottle
The Clean Bottle website claims they went through “54 prototypes, 2 patent applications and 3 years” to develop the bottle. That’s a lot of development and research for a bottle.
And there are a lot of things to like about it.
First of all, the bottle fits snugly in every bottle cage I tested it in, both road and mountain. You shouldn’t run into “ejected bottle syndrome” too often.
Next, the valve works well. Which is to say, water comes through it easily, and it doesn’t dribble (although I’ve haven’t had the bottle long enough to tell whether a dribble will develop). It’s easy to pull open with your teeth, and pop back closed in whichever way you choose (personally, I like to close the valve by ramming it against my forehead).
The plastic body is a good thickness; it’s easy enough to squeeze that you can get plenty of drink in a single tug, but not so flimsy that you wind up squeezing out half your drink as you try to pull the bottle out of the cage.
And finally, there’s some nice attention to detail. Check out the photo below (click here for a larger version):
You can see that both the top (on the left) and the bottom (on the right) caps have a gasket, making it so that the bottle screws on very securely, and no fluid leaks out either end.
Now I’m Going to Stop Being Nice
With all those (nice) things said, I have no use for this bottle. First of all, I think it’s got an irony problem. Which is to say, I think this bottle is going to be a lot harder to keep clean than any other bottle.
Take a look at the screw-on bottle top and bottom in the photo above. Now imagine it’s really dirty, thanks to your negligence (shame on you). You think that gap between the inner ring and outer ring in both the top and bottom cap is going to be easy to clean out? (Answer: no).
How about the crud and mold that have made their home under the gasket? (Answer: no)
How about, finally, the very fact that you have double the number of hard parts of the bottle to clean?
You see, that’s the heart of the matter. Honestly, it’s very easy to clean all the way to the bottom of a normal bottle. You just throw it in the dishwasher and let it run. But if you forget the bottle and it gets gross, it’s not the bottle body that becomes problematic, it’s the bottle cap. All the gunk that collects in the cracks and crevices.
And since this bottle has more cracks and crevices (and a gasket) per cap than most bottles, and then has twice as many caps as regular bottles, this bottle may in fact be the second most-difficult bottle to keep clean, ever.
And I have to ask: if you have gross bottle bottoms, do you also have gross drinking glass bottoms? Because cleaning the bottom of a drinking glass requires pretty much the same effort and tools as cleaning the bottom of a water bottle.
Your Loss
My second grievance with the Clean Bottle is the same problem I have with socks: when you lose a part of the set, the whole thing becomes useless.
Well, actually, that’s not so much of a problem with socks if you’re willing to wear mismatched socks. Which I am. In fact, the likelihood of me wearing matched socks is exactly the same of me pulling two matching socks at random out of a drawer.
I digress.
By making the parts of its bottle fully exclusive (the body doesn’t work with any other caps, the caps don’t work with any other bodies), Clean Bottle is expecting you to keep all three parts of your special bottle together.
And if you lose any of the three parts, the whole thing is useless. Sure, the Clean Bottle website says if you lose a part it’ll “get your Clean Bottle working again” (I don’t know if that’s for free or fee), but I know myself well enough to know that I’m more likely to just chuck the whole thing.
So my second problem with this bottle: more parts to assemble and lose = greater likelihood I’ll lose something, and a lower likelihood I’ll spend the time necessary to collect and assemble the parts.
Summing Up
Clean Bottle seems to be well-made and works well as a bottle. But by introducing more parts and adding complexity to those parts, Clean Bottle may actually compound the problem it was designed to solve.
Plus, I’m still a little miffed about not being able to put a drinking cap at each end of the bottle.
Comments (82)
11.24.2010 | 10:55 am
I am thankful for my family. I’m thankful for my wonderful kids — all smart, all healthy, and all have put up with an awful lot pretty much every year of their lives, but still have maintained their humor, their kindness, and helpfulness, while treating me like a better dad than I am. My family also grew by four this year: The Runner and her three kids, including her daughter joining the household (her two boys are on their own). I wouldn’t have ever imagined the Brady-Bunch-ization of my life would be so awesome.
I am thankful for a year that was crazy-busy, instead of crazy-awful. I got married. I got a new job. I did an Ironman. I did Levi’s GranFondo. I did Leadville. I did the Ride for the Roses. I did the New York City Marathon. I did Six Flags Magic Mountain. I hiked Zions. And a lot more. It’s been so nice to be overwhelmed with really exciting and new adventures, instead of new aspects of an ongoing tragedy.
I am thankful I inherited a big, friendly Malamute. The Runner’s dog looks like a wolf, acts like a princess. She lounges beside me most workdays, and is great company. I love having a dog.
I am thankful for carbon fiber. It’s light. It’s strong, it’s increasingly affordable. It can be any shape you want it to be. A new golden age of bicycles is upon us, and a big part of it is because a lot of smart people have learned to do amazing things with this material.
I am thankful for limes. I used to buy Diet Coke with Lime. Now I buy Diet Coke, and a big bag of limes. Twice as good. Easily.
I am thankful for sleep. The less I get of it, the more I appreciate it.
I am thankful for local singletrack. I have so much good riding I can do right from my house that traveling to go ride somewhere else feels like a waste of time. Why should I drive 45 minutes to go ride the — reputedly fantastic — trail in Payson when I can be riding the fantastic AF Canyon trails in fifteen minutes, or the Corner Canyon trails in five minutes? The problem of “too much awesome singletrack” is not a bad problem to have.
I am thankful for Team Fatty. So many of you have done so much in the fight against cancer this year. You inspire me to stay focused, and you honor Susan’s memory. Thank you.
PS: I am thankful for the 25%-Off Sale at Twin Six. My friends at Twin Six have created the absolutely best set of Fat Cyclist clothing ever this year. That’s not hyperbole, either. I really mean that this year the designs and kinds of cycling (and running!) gear they’ve put together for me is the best they’ve ever done. And today only, it’s all 25% off . I love my short-sleeve jersey, long-sleeved jersey, hoodie, tech-T, and wool socks in particular. Check out all the Fat Cyclist gear here.
PPS: Everything else at Twin Six is 25% off today, too. Which makes today an awesome day to do your Christmas shopping for your cycling friends…and for yourself.
Comments (35)
« Previous Page — « Previous Entries Next Entries » — Next Page »
