Well, both my training for the Human Power Challenge and my plans to ride to the Lacey Alternative Energy Fair this Saturday have been derailed. I strained my back recently while helping some friends move and now I’m laying around like an invalid because doing pretty much anything hurts. Since in-valids can’t fly space ships, that means the velomobile is off limits for now. I can’t even lift my leg high enough to get into the velo at this point. It’s got me seriously bummed and annoyed. I really hate it when I can’t ride and I’m itching to get back to pedaling.
Training for the Human Power Challenge
April 9, 2010 By 1 Comment
I’m starting to get pretty stoked for the Left Coast Velomobile Gathering and the Human Power Challenge coming up on Memorial Day weekend down in Portland – see the Events page for more info. I’m excited to see other velomobiles and meet their owners – maybe even something as amazing as this:
But my competitive side is also starting to get fired up for the HPC events. I’ve been riding pretty hard during my commutes to and from work, but it’s only 3 miles each way and I haven’t been getting out on any long rides lately, so I feel like my endurance is probably pretty pathetic right now. One of the HPC races is a one-hour/50k speed challenge. I know that I’ll probably never keep up a speed of over 30 mph for an hour in the Team, but I’m sure going to try. So I’m going to be putting in extra miles and effort over the next two months to hopefully get myself to a somewhat respectable point where I at least won’t die on the track. I’m also hoping that by the time the event rolls around, my hard work will have resulted in a svelte physique like Champion from the Triplets of Belleville.
*Excellent 3D renditions of Champion (and Madame Souza) by Michael Grote, a CG artist in South Wales.
Nothing but Legs
I will compare myself to this image every day in the mirror to gauge my progress - I've got a ways to go
GeoManGear Rocks
April 6, 2010 By 2 Comments
GeoManGear has blown me away with their level of service. It’s rare to find a company that will completely stand behind both their customers and the products that they sell, but GeoManGear clearly does – and fast too! I’m getting ahead of myself though.
I got my new Magicshine headlight charger from GeoManGear over the weekend. But when I tried plugging it in it did the same exact thing as the old charger. After a moment of frustration (thinking I had somehow managed to get another bad charger), I realized that I was being illogical and that the problem was more likely in the battery. I had wanted to avoid messing with the battery pack because it appears to be well-sealed in multiple layers of heat shrink plastic. Even at this point I was hesitant, so I jumped back on the mtbr forums where a bunch of people have Magicshine lights to see if I could find any extra justification or troubleshooting ideas. I ended up finding a couple different threads posted within the last two weeks detailing problems within the battery pack, so I decided that I really needed to see what was going on underneath the protective plastic layers.
I cut the plastic off and peeled back some cardboard covering the contacts and a small circuit board. What lay underneath was a scene of utter horror, okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but see for yourself below. Most of the wires and connections on the circuit board were caked up with corrosion and one of the contacts leading to the battery cells had completely rusted through. Apparently, even with multiple layers of plastic, the moisture here in Olympia is just insidiously pervasive. It looked like maybe it could be cleaned up and fixed, though my soldering skills are pretty shabby. I figured that even if I could get it working again it might be a good idea to get a new battery pack so I could have a back up.
So I wrote back to GeoManGear explaining the problem and asking how I could order a new battery pack because I couldn’t find one on their site. I also apologized for my mistake about the charger, which had prompted them to send me a new one. The very next day I got a message back saying “we’re sending you a new battery” and a delivery confirmation came quickly thereafter.
In both instances – for the charger and the battery – I had inquired about replacements, fully prepared and expecting to pay for them (the Magicshine comes with a negligible warranty, but for under $90 what can you expect?). Both times I got a response in less than one business day saying “we’ll send you a new one” – no fuss, no questions asked – and the parts were shipped out the same afternoon. It’s just plain ridiculous! The only thing they asked was that I send back the defective parts. I wish every business was even this responsive, not to mention gracious.
I don’t give recommendations lightly, but GeoManGear has astounded me and I would recommend checking them out if you’re in the market for bike lights. Their selection is rather small, but the company is run by people who bike and who actually test and use the products they sell. It’s clear that they care about what they’re doing and about their customers.
Here is the Magicshine battery revealed:
