Yield Strength Didnt I mention the splendiferous hues of autumn yesterday?As the seasons change the foLOOK OUT, JORTS COMING THROUGH!Its the new On your left.Jarring, isnt it?Oh, and would you look at that, I got a new bag!See that? I didnt have to resort to the Electric Techno-Paranoia after all:The bag is out of stock, but when youre me nothing is out of stock:Lets just say Ive got connections in the Waxed Canvas Mafia.See, youve got your Regular Mafia:Your Velvet Mafia:And your Waxed Canvas Mafia:I probably shouldnt say any more or youre liable to find me chopped up and stuffed into a HappiSack:[Photo: The Waxed Canvas Mafia]If you see one of those bouncing along on the OCA with a single foot hanging out of it youll know its me inside:As for my new bag, it may be too small to conceal a body, but Its exactly what I needjust big enough for snacks, gloves, and that sort of thing:Or maybe a book and some toys when Im taking kids to the park on Columbus Unmentionable Day:And yes, that book does contain cycling references:Of course the constable would have been fine if he were riding a Rivendell, a bike so stable even a Scottie couldnt knock you off it:My infatuation with this bike remains as exuberant as the foliage, and its at home on everything from smooth roads:To terrain of about this degree of roughness:So do you call this a trail? Or is it technically a gravel road surfaced with extremely large gravel?Either way, anything beyond that on the Roaduno and I guess youre doing what these spoiled Gen-Zers today call underbiking.Speaking of so-called underbiking, you may recall I did some in Vermont on the Roadunos polar opposite, George Plimptons Y-Foil, a.k.a. The Charity Ride Destroyer, a.k.a. The Pumpkin Spice Nightmare:In the comments on yesterdays post, which addressed the subject of yielding, there was some discussion of gravel roads and giant trucks. As an inveterate city-slicker, when I find myself on a gravel road, I of course just assume it exists entirely for the sake of quaintness, and that I can count on it being relatively motor vehicle-free as a bonus:Wow, look at all that pristine gravel!, I thought to myself. And nobody else is even riding on it! But what I soon realized is that not all gravel roads are created equal, and that some of them are heavily used by farmers. Moreover, one of the gravel roads I chose was just such a thoroughfare:While the drivers exhibited no outward hostility, Im sure they were thinking to themselves, Whats this asshole doing? Anyway, all of this is to say I duly moved aside and dismounted when necessary, though in retrospect I probably should have made a video and ranted about how rural roads need more protected bike lanes. Regardless, I made it to the ferry alive and intact:And I didnt even have to squeeze a boob!That may or may not be a win, depending on how you look at it.
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