Bicycling can kill you (but that’s why it’s fun)

At the risk of sounding overly dismissive, cycling is fun because it’s dangerous.

There’s such a thrill descending a hill, picking up speed as you hunch over the handlebars, hearing the whirring of your hubs and feeling like your momentum could propel you up the side of a mountain. And then you hit a pothole or a frost heave and the front wheel comes up for one terrifying moment and your mind goes blank and you, contrary to instinct, let the bike have it’s head, and you feel the front tire bite and begin to track straight and true down the road. That sweet terrifying moment is the reason that cycling will always rock as hard as Jeff believes Van Halen rocks.

The downside is that you can get seriously hurt, or killed. I read about them in articles emailed to me. My first instinct is to dismiss them as amateurs who couldn’t handle riding on the street. This is what is called a ‘defense mechanism’ to insulate myself from the reality.

I’ve come close to being one of those articles. I T-boned a speeding cab on first avenue somewhere before Belevue where a sidestreet inexplicably goes two way. There, I was lucky to get away unhurt and with only a taco’d front wheel. I’ve also smacked into the pavement headfirst at thirty five miles an hour and earned an extended stay in the Intensive care unit of Nyack hospital (I owe you money kids, I know… much love, peace, you’ll get it). The risks are very real to me and I choose to ignore them, not in a cavalier way but after having made a concession in my head that the rewards of riding are a lick of the elixir that is the purest form of speed available, and worth more than the chance that I’ll get hurt or killed.

It is the decision I think that many cyclists who became cycling fatalities made as well. Let this entry be a memorial to everyone who had to pay the price for so much joy. I pledge to ride as much as I can to honor their spirit and I will remember them everyday so as not to join them.

some bags for harry

I am not a terribly acquisitve man, but something about backpacks hooked me a few years ago. Maybe it's because I am short (5'4) and it's been hard to find a good fit. Or maybe I am a spazz. Anyhow, I have bought a few and I am here to help Harry in his quest for a good bag.

One huge caveat: I am a two strap chap. I like a backpack. It makes more ergonomic sense to me. But all these companies make shoulder bags, so phooey.

THE BAGS
1.Re-Load MidPack aka The Sandwich Bag
PROS: It has a really cool sandwich; storage space; customizability; just a neat looking bag.
CONS: Skimpy sternum strap; poor support to storage ratio.

I used to buy humble backpacks, the EMS student-y style bag. Certainly not bad...but not waterproof, not terribly enduring, not great storage. In short, not ideal, a bit hinky.

So, the itch was there.

And then I won my fantasy baseball league; I came in to some funny money. Why not spend on a well-built, custom bag that met my needs. Custom, comfortable, the bag just for me.

My more bike fiendish pals recommended a few companies, including ReLoad. Simply put, ReLoad makes good looking bags. One look at their stuff and I was hooked. Trite but true.

So, I set about designing the me bag. I mean, how cool is that: you get to pick colors, add a big something to the bag, really deck the thing out. The ReLoad people were uniformly lovely. I knew that someone made my bag and they really cared about the product.

The bag came it and its sheer size was a shocker. Tis a monster, at least relative to the piddly bookbag. And there was my design. I had a big ass sandwich on my back.

The dimensions and ostentation took some adjustment, but ultimately they are my favorite aspects of the bag. It is a cool looking thing (that sandiwch is the logo of my fantasy baseball team. VIVA LA WALLBANGERS!) and it hold a fload of stuff. I carried a turkey on my back. and a computer.
ice

I just wish the danged thing was a bit more comfortable. For all the obvious skill and love put in to the sewing, I feel like the component straps are not that nice. If you are gonna be a dumbass and get a bag big enough to haul turkeys and you are dumb enough to actually carry turkeys on your back, then that bag should be able to carry turkeys with some modest comfort. The shoulder straps aren't terribly well padded and the straps are a bitch to adjust.

I will say that the ReLoad people were quite nice and personable.

CONCLUSION: Glad to have this bag--I will always treasure my Sandwich Bag. And I would think about buying another ReLoad if I could specify straps and get measured up. But I am not sure this is a solution for Harry...