Having collectively agreed
title, design and other relevant stuff with my fellow collaborators, I’ve been
able to buckle down to some concerted content, retaining that all important
sense of momentum. Just as well really since the temp market is dead as the
proverbial right now. (Don’t be fooled by the sudden rush of emails in one’s
inbox offering assorted positions, these are so recruitment consultants can
meet their weekly KPI (Key Performance Indicator) targets).
Mercifully there’s plenty of
inspiration around and the weather’s becoming more spring-like so I might even
take the Holdsworth on a quick saunter, if only to confirm that heavy duty rim
tape has solved the pestiferous puncture plague. Other excitement includes
these BTwin automatic touring pedals, which are essentially SPDR homages and
dead ringers for Wellgo RC713, right down to their sealed cartridge bearings
and Cro-moly axles.
Now, touring wasn’t the
first word that sprung to mind given their small platforms, though crucially
recessed Shimano pattern cleats enable one to saunter through stately homes,
café’s and other social settings with decorum. Cleat longevity and relative
ubiquity are similar boons, though single sided designs are always less
convenient than their duplicitous siblings when riding fixed on the public
highway-I’m prepared to accept this latter lament says more about my
track-standing skills, or lack thereof!
“Road rage” is a construct
with which most of us are familiar; though I am inclined to suggest giving this
phenomenon a label almost legitimises such and absolves their perpetrators of
all responsibility. Studies have shown that a small minority of drivers
actively target motor/cycle enthusiasts riding mid to high end machines dressed
in technical/performance attire. Having been on the receiving end of such
behaviours in both contexts, I can testify as to their intimidating effect but
have been to escape unscathed or while astride a 750cc Kawasaki, turn the
tables on my aggressor.
Contemptuous as I might be
towards pop/pseudo socio-psychology (or indeed any other form of faux
intellectualism) I once employed an anecdotally useful index for predicting
driver behaviour-based upon age of and model of vehicle, insurance group
operator/occupant age, gender etc. For example a kindly grandmother piloting a
3 series BMW is an entirely different proposition to the same vehicle presided
by two young males.
However, said instant reference seems no longer valid and aggression all too often appears a substitute for skill/competence. Other than keeping my own standards of road etiquette high am undecided about the best route of tackling such casual contempt.
However, said instant reference seems no longer valid and aggression all too often appears a substitute for skill/competence. Other than keeping my own standards of road etiquette high am undecided about the best route of tackling such casual contempt.
On the one hand, high
quality helmet camera footage posted to you tube is commendable and
constructive means of highlighting such inexcusable displays whether they arise
through wilful intent or elephantine ignorance. Part of me
questions whether such accentuates or fuels naked aggression in a select
few. I also ponder whether these behaviours can be attributed in some manner to
the economy-people feeling disempowered in various contexts, taking frustration to the highways, this might go some way to explaining
the incidence of uncomfortably close/otherwise confrontational encounters
recently.
This same antagonistic hypothesis has been muted in the context of riders using high power see-with
systems, although frankly, it’s something of a red herring so long as helmet fare are saved for trail action and bar mounted beams angled away from
driver eye-line.
Having switched back to
those friskier Panaracer Ribmo slicks, I was astounded to discover the
otherwise fantastic Exposure dynamo lamp refusing to engage-nothing serious,
traced to minor corrosion of the copper wire-easily corrected but a reminder
that even the best quality equipment, subjected to lashings of dodgy water will
eventually succumb to Mother Nature’s malicious side.
This also prompted me to
acquire some spare cabling and research a possible rear counterpart given
there’s a second port sat idle…Speculative enquiry points squarely in favour of
a rack mounted Bush & Muller unit with a neat, snag-evading cable run...
