As I went by a Mexican restaurant there was a guy in a big burrito suit that shouted “I love you”. It must have been directed to someone in the other lane since when I replied “I love you too” he laughed. I could hear him laughing as I went up the hill.

Here is a followup post I made on the greenbuildingtalk.com forum where I had discussed my shop out-gassing problem. If you’ve read my old posts on this blog you know that I was very depressed because just a few minutes in the new building and I would start to itch, so much so that I would have to leave. I must be allergic to the formaldehyde used in the OSB. So, some of the following is repetitive but you might still enjoy it (photos added for here):

The out-gassing no longer bothers me. I started by ventilating the shop well. I had had my home AC totally replaced and ended up with the blower unit. I placed this in one door and opened the others. It moved a lot of air. Then I would shut the shop up and turn the heat way up, thinking this would encourage the out gassing. After a few hours I’d draw fresh air through the shop again. I don’t know how long it took as I did not take notes but it was longer than 3 months. The problem got better and better. Now I can stay in the shop all day.

The shop is a blessing to my retirement. It is 800 square feet divided into 3 parts. My part is 17×20. I have my bikes hanging on the long wall. I have 3 six foot work benches and have plenty of room to work on the bikes, dabble in electronics, program microcontrollers, a little wood work (although I usually move the machines outside through the garage door because of the sawdust). I’ll be setting up a small metal lathe and milling machine I already have (may have to buy another work bench). The point being that the shop is now the center of most of my activities. I can even watch TV from the web or movies from DVD while I work/play. I spend a lot of time out there; although I’m writing this from the computer room in the house where I also play my computer games, e.g. Battlefield 2, and do most of my internet work (I have a server in Texas where I host a number of sites - I use to design web sites as a midnight engineer but now just for fun).

I am really enjoying my retirement and seem to be in good health. Part of that is due to riding recumbent bikes which I have been doing for 3 summers. I wish I had know about them before then. A few words now so that you will know about them sooner than I did in my path to retirement.

Lining up for the start of a recent Withlacooche Trail ride.

You can ride a recumbent a long ways without any pain or discomfort. They are great for people with bad legs, knees, back, etc. I could not ride a lean-over-the-handlebar bike, not very far, but on recumbents I rode over 4,000 miles last year. My longest ride in one day was for 122 miles. It took 10 hours, including stops. Then I got off the bike and took my wife out to dinner. I was tired, as you would be with a 10 hour car ride; actually not as seat-tired since I had a range of motion. I typically ride 32 miles 2 or 3 times a week and then 60 miles on one of the weekend days. In addition I may take short rides with the family. I am 67 years old, I am not slow on the bikes but not real fast either. I’m getting faster, but it is not about speed. (I have averaged about 18 mph for a distance of 15 miles).

We have a great place to ride, i.e. the 40 mile long “Long Leaf Trace”. We travel to ride too; last year we had 3 riding vacations which were social events with other riders. There are also special events on the Long Leaf Trace. I rode two there last year, i.e. the Ridesouth Signature ride (where I rode 122 miles from Jackson to Hattiesburg) and the Birthday Challenge. Here is a photo of Butch at the Bassfield rest station during last year’s Birthday Challenge. If you think you might be interested take a look at my web site: http://bentrider.info

The temperature is up to 48 degrees; warm enough. Off I go behind a fairing with a Stratus XP attached. Right now.

And for comparison, here is the 2008 summary:

So, in 2009 I rode a little less often but for longer distances. And, my average speed was up by about 1 mph. Actually my cruise speed is up by several mph’s but I often rode at social speeds. It is interesting, maybe only to me, that I rode close to the same number of hours each year.

… Uh, well, it could have been a bike.

Maybe I should talk to her about a new bike for me, or a major mod, something like a PowerTap; heck, two PowerTaps. Oh, she has already said I could buy whatever I want. In any event, she is happy with her selection, to not be a materi…alistic kind of person. I didn’t believe the salesman when he said people would just stand and watch them as if they were the TV. Now to mess up some clothes. I think Jeanne is stripping the bed now.

The above is as it appeared on my Facebook.

Actually, what I want costs a lot more than a washer/dryer bike, i.e. I want a titanium Stratus XP; maybe. A titanium something. This requires a lot of thought; maybe more research. After all, I haven’t ridden a low-racer yet, such as the Optima Baron.

I called RideSouth yesterday to talk to Jim about the Optima Baron he has on the floor. He has a good price on it but doesn’t think I’d like it. Maybe I should buy a previously ridden one just in case I only kinda like it.

Of course I just read a discussion thread about an F-40, i.e. a faired, body-socked P-38. Supposedly you can hit 30 on the flats with very little effort. I’ve done that but not with very little effort. (Speaking of the P-38, here’s Dudley with his new one.)

Dudley sold me his old one, missed it so much he bought a new one.

Maybe carbon, not titanium. You can tell that I’m still on the quest for the “Big Boss Bike”. Too many bikes, too little time. No, that’s not right, not “Too many bikes”. After all, I still have wall space.

Someone reading my blog just asked if my new XStream is my main bike?.

The short answer is “No, but it is still a bike I will ride a lot, and it has the potential to become my “main” and my eventual “Big Boss Bike”.

So, this got me to thinking about why my favorite bike is my main ride, what my next purchase will be, and my future “Big Boss Bike”. For me it is possible to have more than one “main” bike; as I seem to prefer different bikes for different rides. But, in order to pick a main bike among main bikes I considered the following talking-points that are of particular interest to me:

Rough-road comfort
flexible frame
ability to mount larger tires
Basic seat comfort
tailbone, back, and neck issues
Rider position
upright angle for visibility
handlebar position for good arm circulation and comfort
low BB for good lower body circulation and feet comfort
seat height for ease of putting feet down at stops
Speed
safe at speed
availability of aerodynamic tail boxes and fairings and ease of attachment
ability to chase wabbits
Environmental
cold and wet weather readiness: e.g. good fairing fit and ability to mount fenders
Weight handling
suitable for a heavy rider and a heavy load
easy to balance, whether stopped or moving
easy to attach storage
Distance
last mile as good as the first.
Ever eat something where the first bite was heaven but the last not so good?
Just plain fun

When I consider all that, but not so much “low-speed stability” or “bike weight”, then the answer is clear, at least for me for the time being. My main bike is the Stratus XP. Its lead over the other bikes I own is so great that I’m now thinking my “Big Boss Bike” will be a new a Ti-Stratus XP. However, before that happens I still need to ride/experience other bikes, especially a lowracer. I also need to continue riding and tuning bikes I currently own that are still in the competition, i.e. Xstream, P-38 (which I have not ridden at all due to its weight limit), and the Rocket (the upgrade would be a VRex or Ti VRex, assuming a similar ride as the Rocket). A Tour Easy (like my wife’s), or one of its siblings, would be in the running if I owned one. But I’m thinking they are too much like the Stratus XP to purchase or differentiate (Your comments are welcome). Of course, Jeanne might let me ride her Tour Easy … maybe when she is out of town.

Here are a couple examples of my other “main bikes for different rides”:

I have already decided that I am not a highracer kind of guy; it’s a personal thing. However, I expect to keep riding my Strada which is the best looking bike I own, mostly because of the color coordinated, red aerospoke wheels. It even has red valve-stem covers and red bottle holders. When I want to look especially sharp, my Strada is my main spiffy bike.

I like my Greenspeed GT3 and look forward to many miles on it. I adjusted the seat-web tightness which addresses the only problem I had with it, i.e. sore tail bone. However, 3 wheels do make it a little wide and slow for some rides, e.g. it is a little hard to navigate around trail or road trash. However, the GT3 is and will probably remain my main social and trip machine. It folds for easy transport and is an easy perch for parking lot socializing. And, of course, when riding with other trikers it is a party on wheels.

So, I’m consolidating my thoughts, reviewing my experiences (it’s a winter thing) and planning next year’s rides, bikes, and modifications. I’m also especially contemplative about my eventually “Big Boss Bike”. Your thoughts are welcome.