I did my part to entertain my fellow citizens today. Stuck in solid gridlock traffic with nowhere to go, the clock ticking towards the start of Claire’s hockey game, we bailed out of the car and ran the final, thankfully downhill, 1.5km. 

The Clairebarian carrying her sticks turned around regularly to urge me {and the rest of her gear} to hurry along. But the real motivation was the handful of folks who rolled down their windows and heckled me as I ran past. And, I’ll note for the record that it was all happy, helpful, humourous heckling. It was quite lovely actually. 

So if you were stuck in traffic today and some idiot ran past carrying a loaded hockey bag, and you had a laugh, you’re welcome. And if you rolled down your window and made fun of me, thank you. 

Painted Nails & Sharing The Trails

Pendulums swing. For the first time in my adult life, it feels like the whole world is becoming meaner. Crass, and most definitely in a wretched, wicked, way that is intended to be heartless. There is not even the darkest humour in it.

In the face of it all, it matters when folks use their voice, disregarding the potential personal costs, to call out assholes and support people just trying to live their lives. I mean, how sad and pathetic does your life have to be that you’ve given up on trying to make it better and instead are out in society trying to infect everyone else with your bitterness? 

Anywho, I was really stoked to come across this piece by Cy this week. I’ve been spending significantly too much time jumping from one horrible happening in the news to the next and most of my reading has been reportage. But this was an excellent reminder that folks are still willing to step up for their community. 

{Above artwork: Cy Whitling}

The Snow 

Don’t hear me wrong, the snow on our trails can go away at any time. But, that said, I have had some simply silly and amazingly fun rides – day & night – in the last couple of weeks. All the sketchy drifts, all the slipped tires, and all the giggles. 

I was night riding last night with Brixton Jim and out today with Model-T for Fromme-Friday and the sports surfaces were immensely different. Actually, conditions changed aggressively while we were out today as temperatures climbed and sun rays tickled the trails. 

These are opportune rides for practicing brake control and body position and really feeling how slight variations in speed or foot pressure translate to traction. 

Looking back, I would have been sad if we’d missed out on snow rides this year. Even if I didn’t manage to grab any first tracks when it was fresh. I always grumble a bit when the stuff starts falling. I {not so} secretly enjoy shoveling and I like riding in it, but people driving around me on the roads give me the fits. 

Anywho, yay snow! Now please go!

Shimano GF6 Soles

One place most flat pedal shoes suck is hike-a-biking on low-friction surfaces. Muck, snow. The Shimano GF600 (AKA GF6) is better than any other pair I’ve used. At the same time, they give up nothing in terms of uniform grip with the pedal pins.

For the past year, I’ve generally been jumping back and forth between some, tacky-tacky, Giro Latch shoes and the GF6. But in the snow in the Shimano is the only way to go. 

This is down to the incorporation of a surprisingly grippy set of horizontal channels at the toe and heel of the Ultread sole, while the rest of it is covered with pedal-pin happy dots. It’s a small detail in the shoe design that has an outsized influence on me buying this shoe again once this pair is deader-than-dead.

{They’re exceedingly long-lived as well.}

Feb 14th

This Friday just happens to be February 14th, and you know what that means‽ Yes, of course, it’s Lou Costa’s birthday! 

Happy Birthday, Uncle Lou! 

Lou is one of a kind and if you’re a North Vancouver (or adjacent) rider who hasn’t had the pleasure – the experience – it’s worth dropping by Obsession: Bikes just to say hello.

He has been turning wrenches since every mountain bike sported a rigid fork, and he’s been a staple of the greater Vancouver cycling community for decades. 

[Aside] If you do drop in be sure to let Lou know your favourite U2 song, maybe even sing him a few bars! {HAHAHAHA}[/Aside]

{Above photo: Danielle Baker}

Exaction Enmity

Buying a new bike this year? What’s on your shortlist? How does that compare to a month ago? 

I don’t want to be a total dick here, but aside from inter-governmental back-and-forth, it’s nice to see that actions have consequences and plain folks are {at least talking about} voting with their wallets. I already know a few people who have removed brands from contention based on their origin, whether it’s a state or the states. 

After some notably hard times in bicycleritaville, it’s been nice to see shops pumping their CanCon (Canadian content) and seeing local riders responding with interest in those bikes. 

Here I’ll shout out the nice folks at Cap’s Bicycles Langley who have been busy beavers bumping their boutique bunch of Canadiana. They carry Devinci, Norco, {hopefully} Rocky Mountain, and half-Canuck concern Kona Bicycles. 

{Apparently, every CBL visit also includes a free history lesson from Dan!}

Single Speed Surprises

When I rode Thursday night with Brixton-Jim, my Will’s Arcturian was the perfect bike for the experience. 29×3″ tires running 14psi front and rear with CushCore inserts {I probably should have aired down to 10-12psi even}, and I made ample use of my 30x42t low gear. 

Shifting weight, controlling pedal pressure, sitting and grinding up the steepest climbs – where I normally stand on either of my bikes – to dig that rear tire into the snow. If you had asked me I would have proclaimed that I had chosen the right bike for the moment. 

But, today is Friday, and I always ride my Waltworks V2 for the Fromme-Friday ride. To make it worse, Claire had a morning hockey game so Model-T and I started late when the sun was fully in play and the snow was warming up. Traction, up and down, was okay. But not as good as last night. 

Sometimes sitting and grinding, sometimes squatting-standing-squatting in a conflict between producing enough power to turn over my rear wheel and also creating enough downward pressure to dig in my tire. Thankful for my long chain stays and balanced position in both directions. 

We pulled off what I assume will be our last great snow ride of the season, and perhaps in all of 2025, and truth be told, it was surprisingly awesome on the single speed. Not easy, but excellent. 

I would think by now I would fully know that single-speeding is always awesome as long as I bring the right attitude. Attitude is everything. But, apparently, I am still learning it all these years later. 

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Larry Talker Tunes for the Week  

Interesting submission from Model-T this week. A band I’d never heard of and it’s the first album he’s set up that I didn’t fall in love with right away. I will say that the album is progressively stronger from the beginning to the end and I enjoyed the last two songs (Bend The Clock & The Shadow Man Incident) on the first playthrough. Also, I am enjoying the album much more after a couple of playthroughs. 

Here are TW’s notes:

Hot off the press, this album came across my radar – released just last weekend from a band I haven’t heard from since the early nineties.

Parasomnia Dream Theatre

The reason? I vaguely recall hearing about the band however, this was during the time Andrew claims “was the greatest day in music history” (September 24th, 1991)*. Dream Theatre was called Rock, Metal, Prog. I was still deep into the 70s and experimenting with the 80s. The Cars and their debut album, for example, was played almost nonstop.

When I think of Prog, it’s Pink Floyd, Yes, Genisis, ELO, Supertramp (a band that defies classification), Kansas, Alan Parsons, Styx and Jethro Tull; all proper bands. Then Tool came along, and I thought I had the genre covered. What about Rush you say? To put it mildly, I dislike Rush. The radio mute switch gets slapped off immediately. Talented, yes. Music style, no thanks.

Turns out this album has now been played nonstop all week. A “theme” album, it’s an epic that gets deep into sleep (no pun intended). You may never sleep again. Talented musicians, there are too many moments of unbelievable playing to list, virtuosos of their instruments. The production is flawless, with too many subtle and not so subtle details. Every time I’ve fired up the album there is something new.

Seems I have two decades worth of Dream Theatre to catch up with.

Make sure the kids are asleep, close doors (or do the headphones), turn the lighting low, and sit with a cup of ginger tea.

Dream Theatre Parasomnia Tracks:

• In the Arms Of Morpheus (instrumental sets the stage)
• Night Terror (top track – as mentioned, you may never have a good nights’ sleep again)
• Broken Man (top track)
• Dead Asleep (true story?)
• Midnight Messiah (top track – you’ll never think the same about sleeping again)
• Are We Dreaming (interlude)
• Bend the Clock (stellar track, however bleak)
• The Shadow Of Man Incident (Stellar track – you’ll need another cup of ginger tea for this 20-minute finale. Military style drumming, guitars like you’ve never heard, thunderous chorus, and at the 13-minute mark a terrific drum and piano combo that ultimately fades out into, you guessed it, dreamland…wake up!)

*{Drewitors note: September 24th, 1991 || I didn’t invent the idea & it’s hard to argue with Nevermind: By Nirvana | Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik: By The Red Hot Chili Peppers | Trompe Le Monde: By The Pixies | The Low End Theory: By A Tribe Called Quest.}

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