han's blog

The NW got some huge snow last month. During a mad dash to the video store in I stuck my car on hill due to having to stop at the stop sign . 10 years in Alaska tells me to back it up and park it . I do, and hump it on foot determined to get the choicest vids before the snow storm hits. In the morning I go to check on the car. Totally buried under a good foot of snow 8) . Put a call to my insurance for a tow, due to the high snows
...They Are Not Towing ! At this point i resign to foot and Bionx-Bike power.
I recall DAVEW's townie in the dead of winter... I am inspired . Do some research on snow/ice tires
but no one in my area has them on hand. I decide to just air the tires down and lower the seat so I can use my feet like rudders . I put some old sheet metal screws into my shoe soles like spikes and call it good. Completely forget my car in the snow for days and days. All grocery ,video trips and wine runs are done on the Bionx bike and it works like magic :D . Folks just stare like 'how the hell..?' as it plows along. The Next week i finally get the gall to pull my car from the remaining snow and mud. Upon doing so I hear a hissing coming from the front passenger side. Jump out, sure enough I have just punctured the tire. Its amazing how quickly you can get a car unstuck when you Really have a time limit :O . Long story-short, I'm dead set on not buying a new tire or using the spare as I want to sell the car asap so I get a can of fix-flat and fill up at Jiffy-lube .It slows the leak by about 80%. I will get a used tire on Monday.
Sunday evening I decide to bike to an aquarium shop 4 miles away. I do. Its closed when I get there. *grrr* Sundays! Figure Borders books is open, It is , get the free read in for a couple hours. I suit up, get on the bike to head home. I'm guessing the Tire Gods waited till the end of the year to pile on the love because upon leaving the Borders curb I catch a rear Flat ! And since its SUNDAY, no Bus for over an hour! I just start humpin the 3.5 miles as I don't have a tube. About 1/2 way home I get a lazy idea .I get on the bike. I put my crotch right on the neck ,leaning my weight forward off the back tire as much as possible . I hit the throttle and hope not to endo over the bars or hit a bump . The battery is toast but this trick gets me the rest of the way home in record time with no rear rim damage or Jewel damage :) .

So. During an apartment move to a bigger but half price crib i lost the 48tooth chainring i got like 4 months ago.
During some major rummaging i found it under a bunch of dvds Finally! Right away took the ring and ride to Revolution Cycles before forgetting again. ended up leaving the front derailleur on as a chain guide for now. The result is total perfect cadence compared to before . Dogman's comment had me concerned about not being able to ride hill if the
motor died . I tested this and the 24 cog was suitable for this hilly area with 0 assist. So far so Good :)

BE THE BIKE

So over the months since getting my Bionx it seems others have said before me, I am out performing my big ring. As I've gotten in better shape again ,what I have come to love about bionx is the 'takeoff' assist or just getting up to speed before I get my own momentum going. Previously I did a lot of searching on how to get bionx to assist past the normal 20mph , since then I've become totally content with it's inherent limits .
Ok, Bionx can assist with 'takeoff'. You know, like in the time trials where the coach runs pushing the rider till he takes off? Most People who ask the famous 'how fast' question would love for the coach to just push forever. Anyways ,now 'up to speed' isn't up to par :( with my new legs. Past 20 on a flat I end up pedaling like an eggbeater to maintain. So , I started thinking of swapping cogs ,then I thought of the last time I even used the front derailleur . Yep , just then i figured I could shave a good pound off,stop some rattling and chainsuck all in 1 fell swoop. Ordered a 48 tooth ring ,plan on removing both babyrings ,shifter and cable. May go with a downhill tensioner or plastic chain guard ring. Any suggestion ?

hey now. Yep ,I messed around for a years and the price went up 200 bucks since eying the Limn Bionx last spring. So, i call Classic cycles on Bainbridge island Wa and put down a deposit over the phone so I don't try and change my mind. In the a.m. i get on the raingear and ride to catch the bus into Seattle city. Bike down to get a lazy ferry ride of the pond the Classic cycles.
Classic cycles is a nice clean new pro shop, ton of old vintage race bikes for the past 100 years on display . I noticed something really strange about Bainbridge while waiting to install the hub, no one is on the cellphone :? ! Just across the water is like a whole other society=D .Same thing i found in Portland, no spadex, people ride bike like Europeans ,there are tons of people ride but not alot of 1000 dollar rigs. A lot of hand-me-down cared for bikes. Anyways, back at the shop they are done with my old Stumpjumper , I roll up the hill for the test in A2 , I just grin. So quiet, smooth and taut. I pay the man and roll to the ferry terminal. Coming off the terminal there is a large group of bikers waiting to ride off the ferry, i accidentally leave in my dust ;) and make it up Marion for the 1st time without having to walk up .

Man :? ! Went riding with my Buddy Dom to see that new Jet Li/Jackie Chan matinee . As he is only runnin man power so far i stay in 0 or gen1 . I always leave the battery attached per the guy whom installed it,plus we're in a good neiborhood. Cool Movie, I thought Jet was retiring from acting and just gonna direct, I'm glad he hasn't retired yet , he portrays a really mischievous ,playful Monkey King, and as always he steals the show . I had the 90 dollar popcorn and snuck in with a water. on the ride home i attribute my excess energy to the ton of salt laden popcorn i just made sure i consumed in it's entirety to get my monies worth . I have it in gen 1-2 gen for a good 4 miles home on the Burke-Gilman trail .
At Doms apt complex he notices a teen struggling his BMX up a super steep driveway , seemingly refusing to walk up what is at least a 30 % grade. i can not resist, pop into assist 4 ,some granny gears and go flyin up this crazy hill huffing just loud enough so the kid turns :jawdrop: to see me get to the top to do a double fist in the air little 'yee-doggies' . So i turn around and try to hit 4 gen but dont hear any chirps , about 1/4 of the way down with breaks squealing i go over the 1st speed bump ..low and behold i glance down to see the Bionx battery teetering like a bouncing icecube over the bottom bracket! This is not good at all.. this is like the Goldfish scene in 'Me and You and Everyone We Know' the 2nd speed bump knocked the battery on the ground.
It's all slow motion now and i certainly have the BMX kids attention ,i think i let out an 'oh crap ,no... crap' the thing just picks up speed and skids down the driveway at Dom and the inevitable concrete curb that it come to an ugly stop at. I get off ,pick it up like a wounded kitten, take a deep breath ,put it on the serial connection,take a breath again and push Mode. 3 little birds of joy come singing out of the tiny white console . i'm like 'thank you baby jesus' I wanna laugh and cry at the same time.. Emailing Bionx 1st though.