Now That’s The Spirit!

Uh-oh, hassle with the four-wheeled gravel recumbent!

Happily I’m greater than able to fixing the difficulty myself…simply so long as the difficulty is a free fuel cap.

In any other case, if that doesn’t work, I determine I’ll simply pour some Dumonde on it. Scoff if you’ll, however this is able to not be the primary time I’ve repaired THE CAR THAT I OWN with Dumonde. Awhile again the hood latch wasn’t catching so I put some liquid grease on it:

Drawback solved. Perhaps I ought to run a bottle by way of the fuel tank.

Talking of Dumonde, thus far the Bike Snob NYC Spirit Of Gravel Lube-tastic No matter-I-Referred to as-It Contest is operating as easily as…hmmm, I can’t consider something that runs actually easily, regardless of how exhausting I attempt.

Oh, effectively.

And particular because of the commenter who re-did the log in an R. Crumb type, by the best way!

I puzzled briefly if it was AI however everyone knows it will possibly’t do bicycle drivetrains.

As for the submissions, thus far they’re fairly compelling certainly. In actual fact we might have this complete Spirit of Gravel factor fully discovered already, which goes to save lots of me a whole lot of work:

To me, the Spirit of Gravel is all the pieces, in every single place, all of sudden. As all of us hurtle by way of area on this large rock, what’s gravel apart from crumbs which have chipped off of our large rock? The tiniest of crumbs are microscopic mud, which we even inhale into our very lungs! However anyway, I might actually use that lube to calm down my squeaky chain so I don’t should drown it out with these ridiculous diatribes, thanks.

See that? We’re all product of gravel! How’s that for profound?

Additionally, right here’s some verse that’s higher than something you’ll discover in The New Yorker, and but right here it’s on a awful bike weblog:

Speak about casting pearls earlier than swine! Sadly, I could should declare it ineligible, because the bard didn’t use the proper electronic mail topic line.

Hey, sorry, I don’t make the foundations.*

*[Actually, I do make the rules. And don’ t you forget it.]

And eventually, right here’s a contestant who has boldly chosen the extremely irreverent “Insult the decide’s bicycle” method:

=====================================================================Get a Rivendell already! 

Not simply any Rivendell like your wimpy tube A. HOMER HILSEN, “probably the most versatile, helpful highway bike we make or may even think about”, however quite a Rivendell like mine, a SAM HILLBORNE,  “FOR ALL ROADS— paved, grime, or gravel; and the sorts of fireplace trails a Conestoga wagon might negotiate…”

It will be even higher, if like mine the body was made by Waterford and it had double high tubes.

====================================================================

Hey, I can deal with insults, however excerpting the A. Homer Hilsen web site copy and never mentioning this quote is one thing I don’t know if I can forgive:

Anyway, the competition stays open, so that you’ve nonetheless bought time to submit.

Or, you already know, simply purchase your self a bottle of chain lube and spare your self the difficulty. I don’t know the way a lot they promote it for however it couldn’t be that a lot, might it?

Talking of the Spirit of Gravel, I’m now residing in an arctic wasteland. This implies any gravel is at present beneath no less than a foot of snow. Due to this fact, I’m unable to turn out to be one with it by placing my tires instantly upon it, and as an alternative make do with a frigid Gravel of the Thoughts:

Checking the forecast, there’s no signal of the deep freeze ending anytime quickly, both, and should you pay attention intently you’ll be able to even hear the crackling of the ice floes upon the mighty Hudson:

And but nonetheless I experience, as a result of it’s both that or face actual life:

And so I layer up and take to the roads:

Regardless of the chilly, any spot that sees sufficient solar is a slushy mess–particularly the place individuals have flung snow into the roadway whereas digging out their automobiles–which suggests full fenders are a necessity:

This makes bike selection easy, as a result of I’ve one (1) Official Designated Full Fender Bike, and it’s the cruelly maligned but splendidly versatile A. Homer Hilsen, seen right here in all its mac-and-cheese glory:

We might not have gravel, however we do have highway salt:

At this level I’ll take what I can get.