Just crossed the three
hundred mile marker on the Croix de fer 2.0 when Joshua’s viral infection
decided I was its next host. While a less catastrophic assimilation than those
depicted in John Carpenter’s seminal 1982 shocker “The Thing”; nonetheless I
spent two days and a further three nights in a feverish and convincingly
comatose state, moving only to expel gallons of phlegm into the dog’s
previously empty water bowl…
Reverting to more appetising
propositions, these past few weeks with the Genesis have awakened a strange and
irrational yearning to equipping the Ilpompino with a disc-braked front end.
By
my own admission, such urges belong firmly buried in the “want” vault since
we’re talking new fork, wheel build, calliper, cables and related disc
components. Then of course, a single, well-honed cantilever is more than
adequate for stopping a speeding fixer and 70odd kilo pilot.
We’ll blame it on the fever
for a moment since these usually induce a strange, contemplative state of
euphoria somewhere in their gestation. Is Northern Soul simply an excuse for
wearing big trousers and recreational use of amphetamines? Why does the
scriptwriting process for certain “flagship” TV soaps apparently employ so
little hard research? Has mainstream politics lost its legitimacy?
Joking aside, those TRP HYRD
fitted to the Croix de fer, were the real catalysts for this proposed upgrade.
For the uninitiated, they’re a hybrid design employing an open hydraulic
calliper-with all the obvious benefits yet commanded by a high quality cable,
thus maintenance/repair are pretty straightforward and they’re fully compatible
with standard road/brifters.
Costs for this sort of
specification aren’t outlandish by any stretch of the imagination but too
exotic for said fixie. A quick wander round the web suggests something Deore
flavoured with corresponding front hub and a shop branded carbon composite fork/aluminium
alloy steerer is a more cost effective and therefore, realistic proposition. Not
a priority, rather one to seize should a suitable ensemble come under my radar
and moreover, at the right price.
Maybe it’s just another
illustration of the “Confirmation bias” in full flow-the notion that “When men
wish to construct or support a theory, how they torture facts into their
service! (Mackay, 1852/ 1932, p. 552)” However, further trials of driver-less
vehicles add fuel to my particular belief that Public Service Vehicles (Buses,
Trams etc) along with Heavy Goods Vehicles will become fully automated within
ten years.
This has a wealth of
implications and contrary to widely held opinion; technology and development is
not neutral. It does not exist in a separate sphere but driven by the
inventors’ (or corporations) own ideological leanings.
At the moment there are
questions of their hazard perception programming/equipment. How will they
recognise, or indeed distinguish between cyclists, motorcyclists, horse-riders,
pedestrians, children/adults etc?
When will these calculate is the optimal
point/distance for overtaking? Human error is to blame for a great many
accidents but at some level, computers are still potentially flawed in exactly
the same fashion as they’re programmed and developed by humans.
Because the technology has
come on stream, does this mean it will flourish by default? Does it actually
toll the bell for commercial drivers as I first thought, or is it a proactive
response to a dying trade, aging operatives not being superseded by young
blood?
Computers are excellent at
fast paced calculations and repetitive tasks but while they can operate within
pre-set tolerances, they still cannot determine whether something is correct
beyond this coded framework.
I can see the possibility of
android operatives, housekeepers, companions and pets a’la Ridley Scott’s Blade
Runner, though feel humans will not be replaced, or made redundant in the
flavour suggested by proponents of de-skilling theory. Public perceptions of
photography fuelled by falling prices and point n’ shoot technology implies
there is no longer any mastery required…
Another thing that’s been
with us since time in memorial and similarly variable in quality is the humble
paint defending patch-kits. You know the sort; they stop cable outers chewing
through your head, seat tube but were notorious for peeling come the first hint
of a muddy trail, sudsy bucket or lick of solvent.
Technology filtering through
from other industries (“Helicopter tape” being the most obvious example) has
forced manufacturers to develop vastly superior versions.
Zefal skin armour large
shown here is a comprehensive ready cut set made from 250 microns thick
polyurethane, which is supple and extremely stretchy at moderate temperatures.
Good, unhurried preparation is pivotal but proved delightful to fit and hasn’t
shown any obvious signs of cultivating that fuzzy, filmy outline to date.
Elsewhere, issue 4 of Seven
Day Cyclist hit the digital newsstands this week:
http://www.pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1038&category=Sport&subcatid=234&subcategory=Cycling&title=Seven+Day+Cyclist&titleid=2582
I’ve also been up to the midlands following some leads for my book exploring the lives of ex car workers and capturing some shots of the Fosehill district since opportunity presented.
http://www.pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1038&category=Sport&subcatid=234&subcategory=Cycling&title=Seven+Day+Cyclist&titleid=2582
I’ve also been up to the midlands following some leads for my book exploring the lives of ex car workers and capturing some shots of the Fosehill district since opportunity presented.
No comments:
Post a Comment