Darkness

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• @Nate

  Got out for 60 km yesterday, crystal clear sunny with crazy 40kph katabatic winds for the first hour and a half of the ride. It was 16 C at home, and at 400m elevation it was maybe 10, with the wind even stronger over exposed parts of the ridgetops.
  First ride in The V-Kit to boot. Love the way the sleevecuffs hold up my armwarmers. No other jersey does that. Good stuff.
  Merckxy Christmas everyone

  Awesome, glad you like the kit! Did a 60k ride with G'rilla the other day, in nearly windstill conditions and sun. Was a bit chilly, though. My Pedalwan has come far, but he did show up in 40 degrees with insulated booties and tights. He has more to learn, yet. No issues, though, on his putting the hurt on me as usual.

• @frank
  What's up with the Rules? I can't get them to come up at all. Makes it difficult to go back to them for reference from time to time ...

• @Mikel Pearce
  Shit. I don't know. And they work in test, so this will be a matter of production-debugging. Always fun.

• @frank

  I love the Rotundos - I had other 3T's on there and the bend/drop was within a millimeter on them, but they felt totally different. Pick either bar, but just make sure that you match all the bars on all the bikes, or you'll go crazy.

  Ha, matching the bars on all one bike that I ride on a regular basis won't be too much of an issue. I ride my second bike too infrequently for exact matching fit to be a big concern, but I do need to grab a used set of Speedplay Zeros from Ebay for it. Can't stand riding without my Speedplays now, and I'd probably ride it more frequently if I had some on there.

  I'm hoping sometime in 2012 I can give my ride a bit of an upgrade with some sweet new wheels and Rotundo-style bars (be they 3T or Ritchey).

• One of my favorite days of the year is when the days inch back towards getting longer. I love the texture of that post, Jim. Kind of a NIN, The Cure goth feel: I wear Zwarte on the outside because Zwarte is what I feel on the inside. Nice.

• @G'rilla

  This article is a metaphor for life and for The Rules.
  

  
  Yesterday, Seattle was dark for 15 hours 34 minutes and 37 seconds.

  
  The author mentions a specific amount of time, but "yesterday" refers to the author's entire life up to this point. It could be 15 years, it could be 55 years.
  

  
  I rode to work in the black, and in the black I rode home.

  
  Wherever you go, there you are. The author is surrounded by blackness not because of the environment, but because of himself.
  "Black" symbolizes The Rules that the author has broken. He feels guilt. It is inescapable.
  

  
  The darkness is good to me.

  
  Sometimes, breaking The Rules benefits us. Insulated MTB boots warm our smallest toes. Winter tights keep our bits and pieces from permanently shrinking in the frozen wind. Fitting a softride post to our mountain bike tells other mountain bikers that they should avoid us, thus keeping us true to road cycling.
  

  
  It shields my filthy chain from those who would judge it.

  
  We are afraid to meet other Velominati because we fear that they will judge us.
  

  
  It casts anonymity over the creaking of my bottom bracket.

  
  The author is more concerned with the uses of nipple lube than other kinds of lube.
  

  
  It erases your matching kit to shear black, pretty socks and all.

  
  We leave the house with appropriate white socks, but the darkness turns them to black. Even when we try to Obey the Rules, we later find that we have not.
  

  
  It calls you to simply pedal.

  
  The author finds redemption. Colors, measurements, and bubble levels are outward signs that any hipster could adhere to. The true Rules are inside you.
  One may grasp the noodles of death yet still exhibit The V. Even those who wear both the polka dot jersey and polka dot bib shorts are allowed to stand on the podium.
  Why? Because they pedal.
  

  
  And, on the best of days, it gives me the jump on a fellow commuter.

  
  The "fellow commuter" is also the author. He has transcended not only The Rules, but also himself.
  

  
  Come feel the power of the darkside.

  
  The author has been transformed and no longer uses the darkness to hide or deny. He has found strength inside himself. He can obey the rules or make his own.

  Chapeau, G'rilla!

  Life is like an analogy. La vie Velominatus is also like life in that it is an analogy.

• @frank

  We've had amazing weather here. Cold, but dry. Amazing Fall, and while I've had to ride Bike #3 the most, I have gotten out on the TSX and R3 regularly.

  Full Screen

  Merckxdamn, the TSX is a gorgeous piece. Looks almost as fab with @Frank on it as @Marco does. :-)

• @frank
  your brave for pulling out your phone while riding

  @mcsqueak
  Im lusting after the 3T Ergosum with matching stem and seat post

• Just a piece of information...today here in São Paulo, Brazil we had around 36°C (around 97F) and now we have a nice storm with small ice rocks...kind of typical weather for this partof the year (summer).
  This means road bike only at maximum 9am, and no mountain biking unless you love mud and carrying your bike on the back...