• More Snow

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    Dog, Snow and Gate

    Snow, ice and sleet. I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to ride recently. What to do? Well, since the bikes have been inside more than out, I build a bike rack. This make-shift three bike rack consists of scrap wood: a 2×10 with notches for the rear wheel, and a 1×2 for stability. Two notches on the outside for 1.8-2.1″ mountian bike tires, and a single notch for a 28-30 mm road tire.

    Having previously owned five cars at the same time, and currently owning five bikes, I have some observations: 1) While parking five cars can be a hassle, at least they don’t fall over. 2) Five bikes take up about as much space as a VW bus. 3) Keeping track of the maintenance on five bikes is just about as difficult as keeping track of five cars, all of which required different weight engine oil. I hope this pattern doesn’t continue.

    Bike Rack

    I did manage to get off of the trainer and ride the fixed gear for about 35 minutes on a nearby trail. My skip stops/skids are improving, but that may just be a result of the wet pavement and ice. Since we’re on the subject, I’ve been contemplating a new paint scheme for the fixed gear. More on that later, think metallic paint and wood grain contact paper…

    If you haven’t noticed, I’ve started referring to the singlespeed commuter as the fixed gear. Since building the flip-flop wheel in December I haven’t fliped back to the freewheel side. So, the bike is effectivly a fixed gear. It is also no longer a commuter; since the move I haven’t had a need to commute to work. As a bonus, the full fenders and treaded road tires have worked out well in the snow, ice and mud.

    Having the fixed gear also allows my Gunnar to stay inside where it is dry and more importantly, to stay shinny. What is the point of having sparkly bass-boat metallic silver paint if its covered with mud? That is not really the (whole) reason; I have the road slicks on the Gunnar and I’m too lazy to swap back to the knobby tires.

    Coffee Cup

    Mmmmm, Cappuccino makers are great gifts. Oh yeah, Eric finally started updating his blog again.

  • Maintenance

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    M2 Frame

    Biking has been slow since the move, and the cold weather isn’t helping. I’ve been trying to use the trainer, but it is quite boring. Anyway, I was bored, so I took the Gunnar and M2 apart for some winter maintenance. Neither bike had anything wrong, just routine disassembly, cleaning, lube and reassembly. The M2 got a new pair of tires, some Michelin XC AT 2.0s. The old rear Michelin XL S was getting a little tired, and had duct tape holding some rips in the sidewall. The old front tire was a Specialized Roll X Pro that has held up well, but was worn out.

    Gunnar Parts

    I also swapped the 36t small chainring back on the Gunnar. I bet you were on the edge of your seat to hear that one…

    Gunnar Crosshairs

    The Gunnar, rebuilt and clean. Hopefully the snow will melt soon.

    Schaeffer Farms Trail

    After the I finished cleaning and reassymbling the M2, and before the ice and snow, I took it out to a nearby trail. The Schaeffer Farms Trail system proved interesting, and I was able to get in about 45 minutes of riding, only the last half in the snow. A few inches of snow and ice are forcasted for tonight and tomorrow, so I guess its back to the trainer…

  • Review: tomtom One

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    tomtom One

    After a week of driving around lost, I bought a GPS. I did some research and decided on the tomtom One. This GPS is an entry-level model with basic features and a relatively low price. I chose the tomtom because it is small, got positive reviews, and was inexpensive (about $400). After two weeks of almost daily use I have some observations:

    Positive:

    • The user interface and menu system is excellent. In my opinion it is superior to the Garmin systems I have used (Nuvi & StreetPilot).
    • The maps are acceptable. I am waiting for a set of updated maps on DVD from tomtom. The maps were free*, except for $6 shipping. Future updates are about $50.
    • The unit is small and very thin. It easily fits in your pocket.
    • The suction cup mount works well. I initially had it mounted on the windscreen, but I though it was a little too conspicuous. I moved it to the center console, using the suction cup mount on the premium Honda wood grain painted plastic. It renders the storage bin unusable, so I may change the mounting position at some point.

    Negative:

    • The USB data connection transfer speed is painfully slow
    • The included software for OS X does not work. It hangs consistently and is useless.
    • The included software for Windows is pretty awful as well. While the Windows version actually runs, it is slow and has a poor user interface that violates just about every standard for a Windows application.
    • The USB charger must be connected separately from the in-car dock. A minor inconvenience that is one of the trade-offs on this entry-level model
    • While giving turn-by-turn voice instructions the tomtom One does not convert street names to speech, another feature only found on the more expensive models.

    tomtom dock

    Summary:
    The tomtom One is an acceptable in-car GPS. It compares favorably to other similarly priced units, but lacks some useful features. I would not hesitate to recommend this GPS, but only after disclosing the lack of a powered dock and absence of text-to-speech functionality.