We celebrated the 4th of July last Friday - the Birth of the Nation, as we like to call it here in America. I found this interesting, being an European. We, the Europeans, like to find things that make us feel better than our American Big Brothers, so if you happen to ask a person from pretty much any European country when he's celebrating his Independence Day, you should hear a question "Which one?". You see, we managed to screw up our history so much that we could easily celebrate more than one "Rebirth of the Nation", which makes us clearly "better" than Americans.
Here, in Boston, we had our Independence Day on July 3rd this year, as the city governors were worried that people will get wet on the 4th from the wild, wet storm we were getting. And they did. A day earlier, from another storm. Which means that this year's fireworks were canceled and we didn't really celebrate anything.
Here, in Boston, we had our Independence Day on July 3rd this year, as the city governors were worried that people will get wet on the 4th from the wild, wet storm we were getting. And they did. A day earlier, from another storm. Which means that this year's fireworks were canceled and we didn't really celebrate anything.
Speaking of getting wet. I got completely drenched when riding my bike back home yesterday. I left my office when a storm was brewing right above my head. I was hoping to make it back home before the downpour starts, but since I was riding my Slowrunner, I only made it half way to Lexington Center. At that point I decided to stop under a tiny roof and wait for the worst part to end. And this was the right decision even though I was completely soaked already. I wasn't cold though - with air temperature of 88F (31C) and humidity of over 70% it's hard to be cold, even if it rains.
As I was ducking under that tiny canopy, I made some interesting observations about my bike. First of all, this thing is really long, so if you get caught in the rain make sure that the canopy you found is long enough. Next, the X1 cargo bags that came with my bike are surprisingly good in catching about half a gallon of rainwater each, which means that if you ever find yourself running low on water on your ride, just look into the X1 bags. Chances are, you will find plenty there to fight your thirst. Finally, because this bike weighs as much as a motorcycle, there is absolutely no way you can carry it over any fallen trees you will likely find on your way after the storm. That creates a problem that may be tricky to solve sometimes. Fortunately, X1 bags are large enough to fit a gas-powered chainsaw, which would come handy in such situations.
As I was ducking under that tiny canopy, I made some interesting observations about my bike. First of all, this thing is really long, so if you get caught in the rain make sure that the canopy you found is long enough. Next, the X1 cargo bags that came with my bike are surprisingly good in catching about half a gallon of rainwater each, which means that if you ever find yourself running low on water on your ride, just look into the X1 bags. Chances are, you will find plenty there to fight your thirst. Finally, because this bike weighs as much as a motorcycle, there is absolutely no way you can carry it over any fallen trees you will likely find on your way after the storm. That creates a problem that may be tricky to solve sometimes. Fortunately, X1 bags are large enough to fit a gas-powered chainsaw, which would come handy in such situations.
On the positive note though, the stock Edgerunner fenders work really well in rain, even if you ride through 8"-deep puddles and the Deore disc brakes work equally well wet or dry, even though they make a funny, whiny noise when wet.
Anyway, it seems that the days like the last Sunday when we could enjoy low humidity and temperature around 78F (25C) are an exception at this time. It is simply way too hot to ride a bike (to work at least, unless I start to shower at work).
(yehudamoon.com)
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