Not much update yet on things - still haven’t really felt like pulling the bits off my bike to check things. Mostly this is because I’m trying to catch up on a less-than-productive work week last week, combined with the start of a couple of classes this week.
This “time” you speak of, she is an elusive creature, no?
But, there are some good things to report on the meat-bits front, I reckon. Last night, I could actually see folds at my knuckle when I straighten the finger out, so it seems like the swelling is going down a bit. I’ll spare you images this time around, as now it really just looks like a sewing project gone horribly awry. The doc is pretty sure that I sprained my Teres Minor, as I have some strength and motion in certain directions and pain in other specific angles. My neck is clicking and popping a bit, but in a good way so far - more dropping into better alignment as swelling reduces. Will probably get to see my chiropractor pretty soon since he won’t be working against the tissuue quite so much. Ice has continued to be my friend.
I’m really happy that the general antibiotic course is over with. That stuff was making me a bit dopey, which didn’t assist in the whole trying-to-work efforts of last week. Actually have had a few moments of sharpness this week, which never should be taken for granted.
Hopefully, the grumpy/funky mood of not riding will not infect me. The yoga (still very light and careful) is helping, certainly, but the “Not-Riding-Jim” is potentially a Kilkenny cat and so I’m watching him very carefully…
In nothing else, it would be nice to get a light ride in so I can change the beeriffic photo that has remained my most recent on Flickr since last week. Not quite sure what angle will be comfortable… Zeus with the moustache bars? Singlespeed mtb? Get the cables rigged on the Hilsen? Sounds like Saturday’s project.
Meanwhile, a pretty cool bicycle model (or two) has been announced by GP over at Rivendell Bicycle Works: The Roadeo. Announced first over on the RBW “Knothole” journal, he clarified and elaborated on some points after it kicked up two vigorous threads on the iBob list and over on the RBW Owners’ Bunch list. (While I’m thinking about it, do kids grow up reading about Bronco Nagurski anymore? Of course, I read a lot more about football players back then.)
The announcement is pretty exciting - having refined the larger clearance for bigger tire models with the Saluki/A. Homer Hilsen/Sam Hillborne, they created a model at the other end of the spectrum. The Rambouillet had previously been their “lighter” road model, but if you read through the description, it was always thought of as a versatile road bike that wanted to see trails and trickier topography. The limit really was brake reach, which got solved first through the use of a 650B tire size (Saluki/584) and then with the advent of the Silver Long Reach brakes (A. Homer Hilsen).
This meant that while the Rambouillet had a lot of attractive features and fans, it was in reality pretty close to the Hilsen - perhaps more change of emphasis than of the basic design.
But, a lot of folks have continued to ask for the Rambouillet and openly lament its disappearance from the Rivendell line. However, the Roadeo seems to offer a lot of the Rambouillet’s zippiness in a lighter framed model. It freakin’ sounds fast… (and you should just read through GP’s description, if you hadn’t by now.)
The other thing which gets mentioned in that post is a newer, leaner, meaner version of the Quickbeam. Which, if you haven’t figured out by now, is pretty much the bike I use for every type of riding. There’s something about that aesthetic of using a limited system to find a certain richness of experience.
Which, quite honestly, I’m looking forward to getting back to.