Finally Clear!

Tracy and I devoted the best hours of our Sunday to restoring the Assistant's car (an Audi A4) to its original shine. Washing, rubbing out the finish, and finally waxing with a synthetic hardshell sealant. Whew; now the car is unrecognizably lustrous, but we were rewarded with 24 hours of straight wind, rain and cold.

Today the clouds parted, and just as I arrived home I took a quick snap of Mt. Fuji from the doorstep. Multiple work projects have both of us on our toes, but it is so nice to come home in the daylight and have a view of this..



Fuji-san with parting clouds and fresh snow

Group Ride - 16K!

Larry, Lisa and I went for a group ride on Saturday morning. Larry was riding his GT Avalanche 2.0 that I mentioned in a previous post, Lisa was riding her Panasonic touring bike, and I was riding my Cannondale single-speed (Lisa has now said that she would like a single-speed mountain bike!).

I usually ride alone or with Brian - alone the goal is just to ride; with Brian it is to ride and find new trails. In a group ride, the goal is social. Nobody is racing to get to the top, we stop frequently to rest and chat. The different pace and conversation livens up the ride, giving new charm to an old trail.

In the end, we rode 16 kilometers, which doesn't sound like much, but you have to remember that we live in a valley, so 8 kilometers of that was straight uphill!




Larry and Lisa, still fresh early in the ride.


The road got steep for a while and we had to push the bikes.



We made it to the top, although Larry looked exhausted!



Victory ballet at the top.

Not Squandering riding time

The weather forecast was wrong. Though it so often is wrong, I was quite surprised this time because, for a change, it was wrong in our favor: the morning dawned cool and sunny. Not wanting to lose another morning to net-surfing, we got out for an hour on the single-speeds.

The feeling of being alone in the woods in the cool morning air is one that we can't get enough of. We also want to share it - so we are trying to get a little group ride going for Saturday morning. If it works out, there'll be photos posted!

Squandering Riding Time

The sun has been rising by 4:30 these days (it rises even earlier in the summer), which means a lot of prime riding time before work.

Yesterday Brian and I went for a long-ish single-speed ride. There was no traffic, and once we got off the beaten track, no people either. We had intended to do the same today, but we squandered our morning net-surfing and trying to get out of the Crimson Room, a really fun (and frustrating) game online.

The weather forecast is now calling for rain later today and tomorrow morning - I suppose we should have ridden after all!

New Company Car

Whew, I'm finally back at the pc, with enough time to catch my breath. So much happens so quickly around here! Tracy and I had a great time riding our DH bikes on the weekend, but again didn't slow down enough to take pictures. I'll make that a priority next trip to the tall mountains.

My company provides a car to the Personnel Director, and that car since 1991 has been a Honda Legend. It was handed down through the ages until Tracy and I began referring to it as the 'Dark Legend of FIA'. The previous DoP was able to secure an Audi A4 from the president for business use, and so the Dark Legend was relegated to be the assistants' work car.

The automobile certification and registration process in Japan requires all cars to have a substantially expensive 'inspection' every two years. The viable road-life of a car then becomes dictated not at all on reality, but on where the utility curve crosses an artificial cost-of-ownership curve. There is no resale value. At least this makes the life-cycle predictable, so the replacement car was ordered last February in anticipation of the Dark Legend's 14th, and final, birthday.

The replacement was carefully chosen to maintain the president's timeline of Honda cars, and to be the pinnacle of the lineup, as the original Legend had been. It arrived last Friday, with only 9km on the clock.


2005 Honda (Acura RL) Legend http://www.acura.com/models/model_index.asp?module=rl

This is the first Legend to be sold in this part of Japan with the 'night-vision' option. That was the biggest factor in the 3-month build time. Also, the car was outfitted with the company logo, and the names of past directors from 1972 to present, painted on the sides.. Here you can see my name as the present 'Director of Feeling Imagination Action Spirit'!


Directors' Names

Anyway, the list of technological breakthroughs on this machine is extensive.. Intelligent AWD, infrared cameras, internet-navigation-communication, keyless everything. I am most interested in what's under the hood, though. Let's just say that this town is waaayyyy too small for 300 hp. I hope to get out of second gear sometime soon though, and will report my impressions then!

Another Weekend at Fujimi Panorama

It was another lovely weekend with no rain. Well, at least there was no rain until we got in the car and started driving home. You just can't beat that. We never expected to get two great, non-rainy days of downhilling.

Sometimes it is the little things that matter!

Fox Launch Suit updated review

Hooray for Cambria Bike!

Last Monday morning, after a weekend of uncomfortable downhilling in my old, ill-fitting, hand-me-down protective gear, I ordered a new protective vest (the Fox Launch Suit) and knee/shin guards (in my size) from Cambria Bike. Since I was ordering anyway, and to make the cost of shipping worth it, Brian also bought a Fox Launch Suit and some downhilling pants.

Unbelievably, our order arrived last night, just five days after placing it. Naturally, I wanted to try on my new gear immediately. While I cannot yet vouch for the Fox's flexibility or durability on the trail, I can say that it looks and fits great. The only (very minor) drawback is that the wrist-holes (the "cuffs") are a little too tight. Anyone with larger hands (i.e. a man, like Brian) might have some trouble with this.

Although today is Brian's birthday, we are going to postpone any formal celebration until a rainy weekend in favor of going to Fujimi Panorama this weekend to hit the slopes (on bikes, of course).


Here I am trying on my new protective gear

So - now I've been using the Fox Launch suit for three months; and what do I think? Well, it does the job and is a better fit than my old armour. However, the little arm holes are very small, too small for larger hands to push through. Also, the armour is pretty hard to get on and especially off due to the arm tightness all over. After three months of infrequent wear (maybe 10 times), the right armpit was completely ripped. I sewed it up along the seams, but it seems that the rip went beyond that, as there are still little holes and I know it will tear again.

Overall rating: 6/10 (it gets a 6 because of the price; had it been any more expensive, I would have rated a 3).

Online Bike Shops

In a post a few months ago, I explained how the internet had given us easier access to so many little luxuries, such as books and food. Something else we shop for on the internet is, of course, bike stuff; and with all the great online bike shops available, we are sure to find what we need somewhere.

Here are some of our favorite online bike shops:

• A.E. Bike - If you are looking for parts (or bikes), A.E. Bike is the place to shop. They have a good selection at competitive prices, and they ship quickly and hassle free, even overseas. We usually receive our orders from them within two weeks.

• Jenson - This is the place to shop for bicycle accessories, such as clothing, helmets and cycle computers. You can also buy bikes and frames. If you are ordering from overseas, the folks at Jenson require proof of address/identity the first time you order (which can be emailed or faxed), but all successive orders are hassle-free. Jenson also ships quickly and we tend to receive our orders within a couple of weeks. Jenson was also voted number one retailer by mtbr.

• Cambria Bike - this place is also an excellent online retailer. Cambria Bike offers good selection and good prices, too. Best of all, they ship super-quickly (we are expecting our new protective gear tonight, and we only ordered it five days ago!).

Where NOT to shop:

• Performance Bicycle - not all bike shops are created equal, especially regarding the service to overseas customers. Performance simply made too many mistakes the few times we ordered from them, such as double-charging our credit card and taking more than two months to ship the order.

If anyone has any other online bike shops they like, please post a comment to let us know about it! We are always on the lookout for new places to shop!

Coffee Crisp - Canadian gold!

Friends are wonderful. Especially when they give you presents! A care package from a friend back in Canada landed Brian and I some sugary sweet Canadian snacks, including maple syrup, maple toffee spread, maple candy, Coffee Crisp chocolate bars and Smarties.

We have unanimously decided to postpone our Healthy Lifestyle for a few days - just until we finish off these treats!

Fujimi Panorama

In the (very) short story "The Marry Month of May", the esteemed author O. Henry declared that May was the "month presided over by the spirits of mischief and madness". Perhaps he was envisioning the Fine Art of Mountain Biking?

Brian and I rode DH (downhill) (for the first time this season!) on Saturday. Our favorite downhill trails are part of Fujimi Panorama, in Nagano Prefecture (facing the Yatsugatake mountain range and, downrange, Mt. Fuji). We bought our season passes, which allows us to take the gondolas to the top of Nyugasayama, from now until early November, when snow, and thus ski season, takes over (strange but true: downhillers prefer not to ride uphill).

The conditions on Saturday were great - dry and uncrowded and getting out on our downhill rigs was awesome fun, especially as I had not ridden the Bullit since putting on the new fork, tires and pedals; a great day to start getting back into downhilling form. Brian began his third season on his GT DHi, but also with a different fork (my modified Super T Pro, better suited to his weight).

We usually go to Nagano on the weekends during downhill season, and we stay, often "camping" in the parking areas of the around the gondola. Most of the folks we know there do the same. Last night, however, we packed up the Pajero and '4-wheeled' into the mountains and camped beside a river. It was quiet except for a waterfall - a wonderful campsite. Despite the after coffee morning sprinkles, we went back to Fujimi Panorama, hoping for sunshine and some good riding. The gods of mishchief were against us, however.

On Sunday, Fujimi Panorama hosted an unusual run/bike race event, which was held on one of the DH trails (C) and through the grounds.



Unknown Racer #1 - The soaking rain made for some unpleasant race conditions.


Adventure Series Racers persevering through brief hot sun and cold, cold rain.

The shame was that Sunday was sooo wet, even we opted out of riding. We watched the race for a while and drank more coffee, but in the end gave up and packed up (I still feel sorry for those racers).

We took the Chuo highway home, and received yet another great view of Mt. Fuji when the clouds parted:



Despite the rain, we had a great weekend and thoroughly enjoyed riding our downhill bikes again.

The only thing missing? Our friends Chris and Wendy, who are fun riding buddies, great riders, and good people - now on business trips and surely missing the fun.

Commuting

We haven't been going for morning rides very much recently, but I have been commuting to work by bicycle.

The nature of my job means that I do not always work at the same place; for the next week or so, I am working about seven kilometres up the road from my apartment (and I do mean up - it may be a short ride, but at least it is all uphill!).

Riding to and from the office offers more benefits than I could possibly name; for me, the little jolt of adrenaline in the morning gets me ready for the day, and the return ride helps release any pent-up frustrations that may have resulted from a day at the office.

If you can, I urge you - ride your bike to work!

Zeal Optics - one user's review

Finally - after years of unattractive, unfashionable and even, at times, unbearable sunglasses, I have found the ones for me.

My face is not abnormally shaped (at least, I don't think so), and yet, all the good sports sunglasses that I find make me look like a big, bug-eyed creature from Planet X. Well, after much research and a lot of patience, I found the perfect shades - the Zinks from Zeal Optics.

I ordered two pairs of these durable, yet fashionable, glasses (last year's model) from Overstock.com. Not having tried them on before the purchase, I was worried about the fit - I had never found active-wear glasses that fit me properly before. I relied on Zeal's description - the Zinks, said Zeal, were made for "extremely small and narrow faces".

I have been the proud owner of the Zinks for about two and a half weeks now, and I couldn't be happier. They fit, they are perfectly comfortable for riding, hiking or just sitting on the beach, and, the colors are great. Added bonus: the lenses are interchangeable.



Tortoise shell Zinks



Pink Zinks

Re-establishing the Routine

Monday is over, and Tuesday has begun; we started back to work yesterday, laundry is being done, dinners are being prepared - thus have we begun to get back into a routine of non-vacation life with renewed vigor.

Back from Golden Week

We got back home, after a long but pleasant drive in the rain, yesterday evening; and today, as it was still raining, we decided to have a day of rest (what is it that makes people need to rest after a vacation?).

We spent seven days and seven nights driving, camping and hiking around the beach on the Sea of Japan. We passed through multiple prefectures, and camped in four separate prefectures, spending the most time in Kyoto (not the city).

We took a lot of photos, and here are just a few:


Mystical Sunset over the Sea of Japan.


Brian's Pajero, a great SUV, parked at Campsite Three, where we spent the most time.




Brian smiles for the camera!

For a map of our route, visit Japan Rider, where you can also find even more photos.