The Traitor Wander parked at the northern end of the Tramway bike path. They can still run you over on this thing, but they can’t claim they never saw you.
The temps finally inched above 40 yesterday afternoon so I kitted up and got out for a short ride on the Traitor Wander, the next bike in line for review in Adventure Cyclist.
I’m no longer equipped for nor inclined to those long subfreezing training rides we used to enjoy Back In the Day®, when everyone dressed up like the little brother from “A Christmas Story.”
But 40-something I can handle, especially since I’m no longer afeared of fenders. The new Shimano XM7s help keep the toes toasty, too.
I briefly considered running, but I already had all that heavily loaded legwork under my belt from emptying Chez Dog, and I hadn’t been on a bike since returning to El Rancho Pendejo, so off I rolled.
I saw a few other desperadoes out there pedaling, a couple of them wearing shorts. That’s way past Manly Points and deep into Dummy Country.
Today the weatherperson is predicting a high in the low 50s, which is my idea of the perfect December day. So I’ll be out for more than an hour. So will everybody else, but as the Buddha has taught us, life is suffering. They’ll just have to suck it up and learn how to share the road with my fat ass.
Tags: A Christmas Story, Adventure Cyclist, Back In the Day®, December, Traitor Cycles, Traitor Wander
Mad Blog Media 
December 19, 2015 at 10:48 am |
Trying to get a few extra rides in this week and next. I’m really close to getting 10,000 miles for the year! Think I’ll pass in the next few days if the weather holds. Luck, good health and an abundance of great weather this year has played to my favor. Most miles ever and this year included rides in Banff, Colorado and Missouri Ozarks!
December 19, 2015 at 12:16 pm |
10,000 Sharon! Wowee Zowee. Best year I ever had was 2640. Congrats to you.
Your link to those Shimano XM7 shoes was very timely. Thanks! I am shopping for a pair of new mountain/touring shoes, especially with laces and top velcro strap. Sandy’s homemade pizza is now coming out of the oven. After that, a trip to my LBS is in order.
December 19, 2015 at 4:40 pm |
Glad to oblige, señor. I usually just roll in Sidis with some Kucharik toe covers, but those covers are on their last legs (ho ho ho) after only about a thousand years of foul-weather use. I save the full booties for the sort of weather I mostly won’t ride in anymore.
December 19, 2015 at 4:21 pm |
Well done indeed, Sharon. I never approached that kind of mileage, even when I was still racing. My personal best — that I can document, anyway — was 7,857 miles in 1992. My record-keeping got sloppy after that, but I doubt I ever surpassed that, and if I did, it wasn’t by much.
We may have to crown you our queen, bow down to you and stuff.
December 19, 2015 at 6:23 pm |
Gawd. Had about half that mileage back when I was pushing it. I think my PB was about 6k.
December 19, 2015 at 6:31 pm |
Whenever we get together for the first annual Mad Dog Media Paseo del Bosque 32, I am getting on Sharon’s wheel. Where we go to lunch afterwards is up to Senor Perro Loco.
December 19, 2015 at 7:36 pm |
Toughin’ it out here in Santa Barbara – got a nice easy ride in this morning, getting back 15 minutes before it started raining! Spent the afternoon with the in-laws crankin’ out a zillion ravioli and tortellini to enjoy – starting TONIGHT!
December 20, 2015 at 10:10 am |
Aha — out in Ronnie Raygun’s old stomping grounds, eh? Hope your weather’s better than ours. We seem to be pegged at cloudy and 40-something, which is not awful but less than awesome.
For sure you’re gonna be eating better than we are.
December 21, 2015 at 10:03 am |
Next day was a little cool by SB standardshttp://cycleitalia.blogspot.com/2015/12/holiday-grettings.html but we’re toughing it out. Sausage-filled ravioli with the wife’s rustic red sauce complemented by plenty of vino rosso from Puglia was a nice replacement (and more) for the calories we burned.
December 21, 2015 at 12:04 pm |
Nice looking bike! I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the brooks saddle. After years of wanting to try them out, I broke down and got the pre-aged last year when I was building my soma saga. Now all of my fleet except the 2 mtbs are equipped with a brooks. One bit of advice is you may want to tilt the saddle back just a bit. They’re not as comfortable sitting level like most saddles. The idea is to pretty much stay on the fat part where it’s springy.