Thank god for the NJ state legislature, once again saving us from ourselves. And putting every bike shop in the state out of business.
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/bicycleretailer/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003599447
New Jersey Passes Bill Banning Quick Release Wheels
By Lynette Carpiet
JUNE 15, 2007 -- TRENTON, NJ (BRAIN)--The New Jersey bicycle business may be in serious trouble unless retailers and suppliers take immediate action. State legislators earlier this week approved a bill banning the sale of all bikes equipped with current quick release wheels and tabbed tips.
Under the bill, it would be illegal to sell bicycles with quick release wheels unless they met performance specifications that are not commercially available. Assembly bill A2686, which was introduced in February 2006, passed in the assembly with a vote of 77-3 and is now headed to the Senate Commerce Committee.
While originally drafted to ban quick release wheels on children’s bikes, the bill was recently amended to include bikes with 20-inch or larger wheels. It also stipulates that the secondary retention device on a wheel meet certain specifications, including that it activate automatically and always prevent wheel separation.
“It’s being promoted as a bill intended to protect children,” said Bob Burns, Trek’s legal counsel and spokesman for the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association. “But the language would make every bicycle with quick release currently for sale in New Jersey illegal. This bill is not intended just for children’s bikes.”
Furthermore, Burns said there’s currently no secondary retention device on the market that would comply with the bill. “No system always retains the wheel,” he said. “Even the bolted axle, if the bolts aren’t on right, the kid’s in trouble. As of right now, there’s nothing on the floor that meets this definition and nothing on the horizon that is commercially proven.”
For the past year, the BPSA had been working with Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, the bill’s sponsor, on alternate language that would not prohibit the use of quick releases. The BPSA is now encouraging all dealers to contact New Jersey state senators and voice their opposition to the bill.
While it’s likely that the bill as written would be pre-empted by federal regulations that currently define how a quick release should perform, the law would still be in effect until a successful legal challenge was mounted in the courts.
“Bicycles are regulated by the Feds. If you start getting state-by-state regulation of bicycles, it will make selling bicycles in the U.S. very burdensome and extremely expensive for manufacturers and retailers,” Burns said.
“We need to get the New Jersey Senate Commerce Committee to listen to us and get them to consider the impact the bill would have on the bicycle business in New Jersey,” he added.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
If you're the cop...
...who was tailgating me, off duty, driving a big, new Dodge Ram pickup truck, red, with white stripes (in Sayreville, NJ)...fuck you. Fuck you, you hiding behind your badge, abusing your authority motherfucker. You got my license plate #, you can easily find out where I live, come get me. I called the Sayreville cops non-emergency number, they said they know who you are, you're not a Sayreville cop (wouldn't tell me what police station you work out of, lucky for you), and that you are basically an asshole who likes to, yep, you guessed it, abuse your authority and hide behind your badge. Pussy. You are the cop that makes everyone hate cops. You are the cop that makes it a much harder job for all the good cops out there. You don't deserve your position - and when I see you again, and I will, you better believe I'm going to do something about it. Punk.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
The Paris Debacle
I gotta admit, I'm impressed with the judge and prosecutor in the Paris Hilton situation. Who would have thought that the law, the man, the powers that be, would actually feel embarrassed into doing the right thing in the USA? And especially in LA.
The whole celebrity worship thing escapes me. Maybe because I've gotten work with some semi-famous musicians, maybe because of my out of control anti-socialism, maybe I just think, incorrectly, that I'm smarter than everyone else. Who knows. But I know it made me a tiny little bit angry when I heard that Paris Hilton was being released from prison after three days (with her lawyers, and the obviously corrupt sherrifs department inexplicably calling it five days). Not very angry, and not suprised in the least...which to me is a sad commentary on how things work here - how completely different the treatment is for the rich and famous. Really? She was let out? Why on earth would anyone be suprised. And I don't consider myself to be overwhelmingly cynical.
At first, when I saw the pictures of her crying in the back of the police car, her face puffy with tears, I felt bad for her. Hey, I'm human, why not. Nobody likes to see a girl cry. But even that has completely faded upon reading that she was screaming for mommy, yelling "It isn't right" (no? Why not?), and that she had to be dragged away. And you could hear her screams reverberating down the hallway. At that point, fuck you. Because of course she didn't expect that to happen. Of course she thought she was going to get away with it. Even after she was sent to jail, she knew she'd be getting out in a day or two, after a psychologist coached her on how to act (you think you'd be able to get your own private psychologist in jail? Yeah, me neither), and the nudge nudge, wink wink arrangement with the sheriffs department.
Although I wasn't suprised they did it, I'm still shocked at the brazenness of everyone involved. Did they really think they could do it in that blatant a fashion? That they could just say "fuck everyone else if they think the same laws apply to us" with no backlash whatsoever? A couple quotes that stick out for me:
Thank you. Seriously. Not that I really have any more confidence in the judicial system - not so long as the big white collar criminals are allowed to basically run this country, and nobody ever does anything about it, but putting Paris back in jail to placate us, well, that has at least made my weekend a little more enjoyable, knowing that I'm having a better time than that pampered cunt.
And that's the story, right there. Paris' family, lawyers, PR people are all trying to say she's being treated unfairly. She's not. Which this guy clearly doesn't believe:
What. The. Fuck.
Kathy Hilton, Paris' equally delusional mom, is out of her mind. She's mocked the judge, telling him to enjoy his fame, she's complained to the press about unfair treatment, said:
I wish I could get into her head, for a minute. Figure out exactly why she believes that they're above all the rest of us. Is there no sense of reality there? I mean, I guess it makes sense; the world truly is their playground. But do you not have the sense to not mock the judge, in his own courtroom? Damn.
In the end, however, this is all just a distraction being played up by the media. Keeping us occupied from what's really going on out there. Maybe after reading this nonsensical accounting, you should go over to Alex Jonses website, and get some information on stuff that really affects us...our civil liberties being taken away, real corruption that hurts our standard of living...stuff like that. Not nearly as sexy a news story, I know. Whatcha going to do.
The whole celebrity worship thing escapes me. Maybe because I've gotten work with some semi-famous musicians, maybe because of my out of control anti-socialism, maybe I just think, incorrectly, that I'm smarter than everyone else. Who knows. But I know it made me a tiny little bit angry when I heard that Paris Hilton was being released from prison after three days (with her lawyers, and the obviously corrupt sherrifs department inexplicably calling it five days). Not very angry, and not suprised in the least...which to me is a sad commentary on how things work here - how completely different the treatment is for the rich and famous. Really? She was let out? Why on earth would anyone be suprised. And I don't consider myself to be overwhelmingly cynical.
At first, when I saw the pictures of her crying in the back of the police car, her face puffy with tears, I felt bad for her. Hey, I'm human, why not. Nobody likes to see a girl cry. But even that has completely faded upon reading that she was screaming for mommy, yelling "It isn't right" (no? Why not?), and that she had to be dragged away. And you could hear her screams reverberating down the hallway. At that point, fuck you. Because of course she didn't expect that to happen. Of course she thought she was going to get away with it. Even after she was sent to jail, she knew she'd be getting out in a day or two, after a psychologist coached her on how to act (you think you'd be able to get your own private psychologist in jail? Yeah, me neither), and the nudge nudge, wink wink arrangement with the sheriffs department.
Although I wasn't suprised they did it, I'm still shocked at the brazenness of everyone involved. Did they really think they could do it in that blatant a fashion? That they could just say "fuck everyone else if they think the same laws apply to us" with no backlash whatsoever? A couple quotes that stick out for me:
"Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system," said L.A. Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries.
Thank you. Seriously. Not that I really have any more confidence in the judicial system - not so long as the big white collar criminals are allowed to basically run this country, and nobody ever does anything about it, but putting Paris back in jail to placate us, well, that has at least made my weekend a little more enjoyable, knowing that I'm having a better time than that pampered cunt.
(Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee) Baca defended his decision, citing Hilton's "severe medical problems" and "inexplicable deterioration" while in custody."
He said he thought her sentence was stiffer than usual for such a crime, noting it would normally be punished with home confinement.
Herbert McClure, who recently served a month and a half behind bars for the same offense, disagreed.
"It's wrong. I had to do 45 days, so why should she get treated any differently," he said. "If you do the crime, you pay with time."
And that's the story, right there. Paris' family, lawyers, PR people are all trying to say she's being treated unfairly. She's not. Which this guy clearly doesn't believe:
"She is America's Princess Di," said fan Jake Byrd.
What. The. Fuck.
Kathy Hilton, Paris' equally delusional mom, is out of her mind. She's mocked the judge, telling him to enjoy his fame, she's complained to the press about unfair treatment, said:
"I know they don't want to do anything. They made up their mind," she said before angrily stalking out of the courthouse with (husband) Rick by her side.
I wish I could get into her head, for a minute. Figure out exactly why she believes that they're above all the rest of us. Is there no sense of reality there? I mean, I guess it makes sense; the world truly is their playground. But do you not have the sense to not mock the judge, in his own courtroom? Damn.
In the end, however, this is all just a distraction being played up by the media. Keeping us occupied from what's really going on out there. Maybe after reading this nonsensical accounting, you should go over to Alex Jonses website, and get some information on stuff that really affects us...our civil liberties being taken away, real corruption that hurts our standard of living...stuff like that. Not nearly as sexy a news story, I know. Whatcha going to do.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Random things that suck
The Yankees suck.
Cops suck.
Baseball sucks.
Every player on the Yankees sucks.
Hockey sucks.
Tacoed rear wheels suck.
Entourage really, really sucks. I give a fuck about four spoiled assholes charmed lives. This show is based on Marky Marks life, which means he thinks his brother reeeeally sucks.
Tendonitis sucks.
Shoulder injuries suck.
New York City fucking sucks.
Not having my bike for a week sucks.
Chelsea Center sucks.
The two Hildegards suck ass.
Being overweight sucks (the bike would really help, right about now).
15 degrees above the average temp sucks.
Cops suck.
Baseball sucks.
Every player on the Yankees sucks.
Hockey sucks.
Tacoed rear wheels suck.
Entourage really, really sucks. I give a fuck about four spoiled assholes charmed lives. This show is based on Marky Marks life, which means he thinks his brother reeeeally sucks.
Tendonitis sucks.
Shoulder injuries suck.
New York City fucking sucks.
Not having my bike for a week sucks.
Chelsea Center sucks.
The two Hildegards suck ass.
Being overweight sucks (the bike would really help, right about now).
15 degrees above the average temp sucks.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
A good ride gone bad.
Hot as hell around here lately - around 90, midday, which is about 15 degrees hotter than normal for this time of year. But I still gotta ride, right?
Yesterday I sissed out of a ride, for every reason in the book. It was too hot, my new shoes weren't fitting well, my feet hurt...so at about the 3 mile mark, I took a short loop home, ending up with 7 miles. Weak. The worst part was, by the time my tastefully decorated townhouse was in sight, I was starting to feel better; nothing unusual for me, as I generally don't ever feel good til I have at least 5 miles in, and the heat was definitely exacerbating things. But with the homestead in sight, my day was done.
I felt shame. So I set a goal for today - 50 miles. From my place, to my LBS of choice (Bike Haven, in Fair Haven, NJ), and back, which is about a 50 mile round trip. For the record, there are closer bike shops, but Bike Haven is the best. But I digress...
I set out at about noon, which was definitely later than I wanted to go, and felt just as crappy as I did the day before, but this time I slogged through it. One interesting note was my heart rate seemed to be 10-15 beats per minute faster than on a cooler day - something I decided to take note of. Wisely, I think. I wasn't keeping a very fast pace at all...slightly under 15 mph, but again, heat, heartrate, yeah, better to take it easy. And the miles were rolling away...5...10...15...At one point, I seemed to pick up a wheelsucker... The guy had a nice bike - a Trek 5500, but he wasn't dressed like a cyclist, and even though he looked like he was in decent shape, he wasn't built like a cyclist. Not that I am, right now, but I have pretty strong legs, and I like to climb. He first started falling behind on a climb (really hilly terrain), closed the gap on a descent a bit, fell behind on the next climb, closed up a bit on the decsent, then finally fell back on the next climb. Kind of like Savoldelli chasing Simoni, in super, super slow motion. He disappeared for a while after the last climb, but I stopped for a minute to adjust my shoe, and as I got started again, the guy caught up to me, and told me he was busting his ass to catch up...which is kind of funny, because I am by no means fast, but as I said, he wasn't built like a cyclist, nor was he dressed like one, so that probably explains that.
Anyways, we go our separate ways, and I settle in for the rest of the ride to the bike shop. I noticed around mile 17 that I actually felt pretty good...but just a short time later, at around mile 21, my legs started feeling pretty dead. No problem, just a few miles more to go. I get there, receiving the kind of congratulations that a fat guy will receive for riding 25 miles, hang out for a bit, and then split. No food on me, and I'm starving, so I hit a deli at mile 28, got a sandwich...and that's pretty much when it all went to hell.
I eat my sandwich, get back on the bike, go out to a light, I'm making a left. Light turns green, I clip in...there are cars all around me, so I want to get through the intersection as fast as possible, so I hammer the pedals...for about one and a half revolutions...and then...all of a sudden...I'm going sideways. This can't be good. Much like Wile E. Coyote, when he runs off a cliff, and then falls after looking down, I crash, but good. No idea what just happened. I'm ok, thank goodness, barely a scratch...but my back wheel is tacoed. Great. So I call a friend for a ride, go back to the bike store, and find out the wheel is gone, and the handlebars as well. That'll run about $400, thank you very much.
*sigh* Nobody ever said it was a cheap sport.
Crazy as it sounds, I actually think I may have been sabotaged, while at the deli. When I was picking up my bike, I looked down and saw the quick release on my rear wheel was open, and it definitely was not on the way down to the bike shop, or from there to the deli. The bike was only out of my sight for a couple seconds while I was in the deli, but I was in there for 20 minutes, eating, and one of the dozen or so kids that walked past my bike could easily have flicked it. The guys at the bike shop assured me that I could very well have been right, since there's no way I would have made it 28 miles with an open quick release, and there's no way the fall would have opened it up. Who knows. Maybe just a freak accident. That ain't making this any cheaper.
The worst part? Outside of the money...I had about a 10 mile an hour tailwind. I never have a tailwind going home from there. I so wanted to ride that tailwind home....
Stay tuned for pics of my new Ksyriums! lol
P.S. Shoe epilogue - picked up some nice inserts, which really helped with the fit. Good thing - Sidi doesn't have a return policy.
Yesterday I sissed out of a ride, for every reason in the book. It was too hot, my new shoes weren't fitting well, my feet hurt...so at about the 3 mile mark, I took a short loop home, ending up with 7 miles. Weak. The worst part was, by the time my tastefully decorated townhouse was in sight, I was starting to feel better; nothing unusual for me, as I generally don't ever feel good til I have at least 5 miles in, and the heat was definitely exacerbating things. But with the homestead in sight, my day was done.
I felt shame. So I set a goal for today - 50 miles. From my place, to my LBS of choice (Bike Haven, in Fair Haven, NJ), and back, which is about a 50 mile round trip. For the record, there are closer bike shops, but Bike Haven is the best. But I digress...
I set out at about noon, which was definitely later than I wanted to go, and felt just as crappy as I did the day before, but this time I slogged through it. One interesting note was my heart rate seemed to be 10-15 beats per minute faster than on a cooler day - something I decided to take note of. Wisely, I think. I wasn't keeping a very fast pace at all...slightly under 15 mph, but again, heat, heartrate, yeah, better to take it easy. And the miles were rolling away...5...10...15...At one point, I seemed to pick up a wheelsucker... The guy had a nice bike - a Trek 5500, but he wasn't dressed like a cyclist, and even though he looked like he was in decent shape, he wasn't built like a cyclist. Not that I am, right now, but I have pretty strong legs, and I like to climb. He first started falling behind on a climb (really hilly terrain), closed the gap on a descent a bit, fell behind on the next climb, closed up a bit on the decsent, then finally fell back on the next climb. Kind of like Savoldelli chasing Simoni, in super, super slow motion. He disappeared for a while after the last climb, but I stopped for a minute to adjust my shoe, and as I got started again, the guy caught up to me, and told me he was busting his ass to catch up...which is kind of funny, because I am by no means fast, but as I said, he wasn't built like a cyclist, nor was he dressed like one, so that probably explains that.
Anyways, we go our separate ways, and I settle in for the rest of the ride to the bike shop. I noticed around mile 17 that I actually felt pretty good...but just a short time later, at around mile 21, my legs started feeling pretty dead. No problem, just a few miles more to go. I get there, receiving the kind of congratulations that a fat guy will receive for riding 25 miles, hang out for a bit, and then split. No food on me, and I'm starving, so I hit a deli at mile 28, got a sandwich...and that's pretty much when it all went to hell.
I eat my sandwich, get back on the bike, go out to a light, I'm making a left. Light turns green, I clip in...there are cars all around me, so I want to get through the intersection as fast as possible, so I hammer the pedals...for about one and a half revolutions...and then...all of a sudden...I'm going sideways. This can't be good. Much like Wile E. Coyote, when he runs off a cliff, and then falls after looking down, I crash, but good. No idea what just happened. I'm ok, thank goodness, barely a scratch...but my back wheel is tacoed. Great. So I call a friend for a ride, go back to the bike store, and find out the wheel is gone, and the handlebars as well. That'll run about $400, thank you very much.
*sigh* Nobody ever said it was a cheap sport.
Crazy as it sounds, I actually think I may have been sabotaged, while at the deli. When I was picking up my bike, I looked down and saw the quick release on my rear wheel was open, and it definitely was not on the way down to the bike shop, or from there to the deli. The bike was only out of my sight for a couple seconds while I was in the deli, but I was in there for 20 minutes, eating, and one of the dozen or so kids that walked past my bike could easily have flicked it. The guys at the bike shop assured me that I could very well have been right, since there's no way I would have made it 28 miles with an open quick release, and there's no way the fall would have opened it up. Who knows. Maybe just a freak accident. That ain't making this any cheaper.
The worst part? Outside of the money...I had about a 10 mile an hour tailwind. I never have a tailwind going home from there. I so wanted to ride that tailwind home....
Stay tuned for pics of my new Ksyriums! lol
P.S. Shoe epilogue - picked up some nice inserts, which really helped with the fit. Good thing - Sidi doesn't have a return policy.
Friday, June 1, 2007
New shoes
Normally, this would make me happy. I love shoes, and I ain't afraid to admit it. Bike shoes, no less, which I love even more. But...I bought a pair of Sidi Genius', which are really nice shoes. Unfortunately, I have gigantic feet, so the shop had to order them. Size 49 (euro sizing, obviously), Mega, which denotes wider than their usual shoe. I tried the 48 regular, but my toes were touching the front, and it was definitely somewhat narrow. So, the new shoes arrive, I go try them on, and they seem to fit. Maybe slightly wide, but I can tighten them up pretty good. So, I have Cliff (owner of Bike Haven, my favorite local bike shop) throw some cleats on it, and I'm off. Now, for some reason, I don't get to try them out on my bike right away - some bad weather, some mechanical difficulty (broken spoke). Got them almost two weeks ago, tried them for the first time today. And they're too big. Not way too big, I can cinch them up so my feet are solid in them, but still...just slightly too big.
Fuck.
Weird thing is, they still feel better than my other pair, a pair of Pearl Izumis. I'll probably keep 'em; as much because I would feel like I was taking advantage of Cliff, whose been really, really good to me, as anything else. And they do feel pretty good.
Moral of the story - go to Bike Haven. They're that good. Cliff would take them back in a second, I've no doubt. But I don't want to be a dick. And fuck, I can afford it.
edit: Fuck that. I gotta exchange them. I don't want to throw away $225. I'll figure out a way to make it up to Cliff.
Fuck.
Weird thing is, they still feel better than my other pair, a pair of Pearl Izumis. I'll probably keep 'em; as much because I would feel like I was taking advantage of Cliff, whose been really, really good to me, as anything else. And they do feel pretty good.
Moral of the story - go to Bike Haven. They're that good. Cliff would take them back in a second, I've no doubt. But I don't want to be a dick. And fuck, I can afford it.
edit: Fuck that. I gotta exchange them. I don't want to throw away $225. I'll figure out a way to make it up to Cliff.
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