My tweets

• Fri, 12:58: RT @theIFUND: Wkd reading: @lhfang's @thenation piece on how corporates are buying the election via trade associations, not SuperPACs ht ...
• Fri, 12:58: RT @scATX: .@elonjames on being an ally: "It's OK not to get it." http://t.co/6notIiGw
• Fri, 13:00: RT @MotherJones: Quote of the Day: "The assumption was that, um, the, the, ah" http://t.co/by5fElmJ
• Fri, 13:04: RT @Gothamist: City's Sex Shop Crackdown Unconstitutional, Judge Rules http://t.co/aK5k3Kkn
• Fri, 13:05: RT @MHPshow: Our blog on the invisibility of @BarackObama, made literal last night by Clint Eastwood at the #RNC2012: http://t.co/6L76mV ...
• Fri, 13:08: RT @Colorlines: When It Comes to Children and the Immigration Debate, Words Matter http://t.co/gxhNqVUF
• Fri, 13:20: RT @xanaoneill: NYPD top cop Ray Kelly says best thing to do when being stopped by police is "accept it as a fact of urban...
• Sat, 07:14: RT @radiorookies: 2 teenagers have an honest conversation with #NYPD Commissioner Kelly. Today on @WNYC http://t.co/wztilvPz
• Sat, 07:47: RT @maiasz: ..the Living, Purring, Singing Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial Complex http://t.co/jTuk4LiL
• Sat, 07:53: RT @actuporg: Poland - Government party supports registered partnerships http://t.co/lyMk5bo2 #lgbt #politics http://t.co/JNdn8H17

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Let's Buy a Bike

for folks who missed the fb post, i'm looking to get myself a bike. it's the most convenient way to get around some parts of brooklyn. biking makes me happier than the idea of running. and chicks dig folks with bikes. So.

but it's hard work, yo! my friend Mike is helping me out with inspiration and while i started out thinking I'd yelp the process, he's convinced me to blog the ordeal. (My original plan was to yelp away the results. I'm sure I'll still do that. I've been neglectful of sharing my opinions there.)

only i'm too lazy to get a Real Blog just yet.

so el-jay. for now, it stays you and me and those making their way here.

First Stop: bicycle roots

It was sort-of on the way home from work because i took the long route and had to get off the subway, anyway, and it;s 2 blocks up from that stop. I'd been told by (other, mutual) friends that it was women owned and very friendly. And, indeed, it was friendly. Staff was able to make sense of what it was I was looking for. With a budget of around $500 (hello, credit card!) he suggested a globe

and  was able to show me this   

and this one 

. All the while not making me feel like an idiot and listening to me without pandering or over-selling. Despite the previously-given accolades, I was still braced for stuck-up gear-heads. If any were there, I didn't interact with them. The gears needed a little adjusting on the silver one, which they did easy-peasy.

Most days I lean toward the Silver One. The Blue One is nice, and more visually pleasing in some respects, and the handlebars offer more stability. (This may not be important to most, but the sidewalk/street and I have a rather special relationship of extra-curricular gravitational pulling.) But the Silver One, apparently, will be gentler on my body as i tackle hills and carry weight. Yet, the Blue One, comes with the rack already installed, but that also affects the weight. I need something that i can carry up a (steep) flight of steps after a ride.....so..... I rode them both around the store and they are smooth. I wasn't up for taking an out-side ride with traffic (sidwalking riding is illegal for 13+). So i definitely need to do that before making a final decision.

I put a deposit on the Silver One. Because even if I don't take it home, I still need a Good Lock and a Great Helmet, which, together, will be the cost of my deposit.

P.S. I am only screening comments from non-LJ friends to keep out the spambots. sorry in advance for the fake-in-text-links which are ads. globe and bicycle roots are the only ones that are real link-throughs.

still buying a bike

next stop(s): #Timee's Up's Bike Recycling Program with a not-so-special guest appearance by #landmark bicycles (ignore the address at the website.)

I'd gone to brunch with (the aforementioned) Mike and, since dining at http://www.clementinebakery.com/ I was mostly half way there, decided to continue my journey on to Time's Up and their deep-discount used bikes.  

So many bikes! All used and under $200. Bikes like this no-namer .

pros/cons. let met tell you them.
On the one hand, it's a bit utilitarian. On the other, it's a bit tricked out. It has a kinetic-powered headlight (you pedal- it lights up. the inner elementary-gradeschool-science-geek/Homer Simpson is thrilled by this: "light goes on. light goes off").  an extra lock to the bike to keep the gears from moving if the key is removed. full chain guard (great for snowy-rainy days!). but single gear. which is meh when it comes to longer rides and hills. then again, check out that kickstand! 

the seat leaves a bit to be desired. the guy wasn't able to tell me if it was replaceable or not. (i have a spare seat at my house.) 

The ride up and down the block was smooth enough, through potholes and all. the location doesn't get the greatest amount of traffic. it's not super heavy. but not ultra-light, either. the kickstand/backrack make it a little lopsided in weight, but not terribly so. 

in case it wasn't clear: the guy running it didn't seem interested in answering questions. he's "not a sales guy, just a volunteer".  what makes this better than a new bike? i asked. his response, essentially, was that it avoided planned obsolescence and promptly started explaining what that meant. (lol - like apple stuff, you mean?, i asked but didn't get an answer) ... not quite douchey. but not exactly the listening sort.  tried to convince me i didn't have to worry about the bike being at risk of being stolen.

but under $200... so tempting!  and they have tons more like this. but the colour is kinda' cute.

I wanted to see more, and Landmark was only a few blocks away, so I said I wanted to ponder and would be back. 
I made my way to the other store. And here, I received no attention, not even a greeting. Not dressed to bike or lugging a helmet/chain with me, I didn't seem to matter. I tried making eye contact, but had my attempts avoided. (It was quiet enough, staff could be seen talking amongst themselves.) While I could have asked for help, I didn't see anything out in the open that I found particularly tempting in my price range to knock either the globes or the no-name out of contention. Yes, they had used, but it was "vitage", i.e. hipstery prices. So i left.

Back at Times Up, the guy appeared to have taken a break. I couldn't find him. So I hopped the bus to go home.  

August 26th