Not that I really intended to shut the thing down for four months (and I have no excuse or reason for the hiatus), but January seems like a good arbitrary point on the calendar to reboot this little endeavor. And what better way to reboot at the beginning of a year than with some resolutions for 2015? I'm terrible at resolutions for myself, so let's try some resolutions for this blog and my bikes.
ONE, NO MORE HIATUSESESES: I'd like to say that my many extended blog-pauses resulted from having nothing good to say, but c'mon. When you look at some of the things I've thrown up against this electronic wall, it's clear that my standards can't possibly be that high. So in 2015, I intend to overcome my own writerly laziness/inertia and -- as the new media folks say -- generate content.
TWO, GET LESS STUFF: One of the things that has happened in the four months since this blog last wasted your time is a major downsizing in the test fleet here at The Cycle. That Raleigh Clubman I spent so much purple prose on? Under a new roof. The Xootr Swift folder? Shipped off to a new owner. In fact, the only bikes you might recognize from the pre-hiatus days are the Cannondale tandem and Dear Spouse's Raleigh 20 folder. My collection of single bikes? Traded en masse for one used Litespeed that (in theory) covers all their functions. My hope is that fewer bikes means less maintenance, less clutter, and (most importantly) less for my OCD brain to obsess about.
THREE, FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS, STUFF-WISE: I've always tried to do this, but I'm human. I get distracted by shiny baubles as much as the next fella. I give in to the fallacy of "Widget X costs more than Widget Y and was used by Famous Guy Z to win the Tour of Q, so obviously, it will make me happier and more fulfilled." As a biker and blogger, though, I'm going to try to fight against that urge in 2015 and beyond. It's been an occasional theme here in the past with my critically-ignored Hail to the Cheap series (which focuses on parts that work way better than their humble origins might suggest) but it's going to be a guiding principle going forward. I want to find the stuff that just works. Maybe it isn't the prettiest stuff, maybe it isn't the high-techiest stuff, but it performs reliably and doesn't break the bank.
I think those three make a pretty decent go-forward manifesto for The Cycle. As we move into 2015 (the eighth year this little drivel-spew has existed), I'd like to thank my loyal reader(s) for the patience and the pageviews. I don't know if this thing is ever going to grow up and become a Big Boy Blog, but I truly enjoy making it and people (inexplicably) keep reading it. What more could a writer ask for?
2 comments:
Bring it, Jason! Looking forward to reading of your adventures.
first, welcome back! I was getting worried that you weren't coming back from SD (no, not South Dakota), but I was too polite to bring it up (hey, I'm a midwesterner).
second, best wishes on your search for true happiness. Is it inside of the seat tube of that next bike? Is it in that new bit of empty space in the closet? Beats me.. let me know when you find it. I'm exploring the idea that happiness is doing stuff. "things" are just tools to be used while doing stuff. If the "things" are essential, then keep them, but don't go after them for the sake of going after them (although... I did see a neat watch with a bezel that's a slide rule... such is life as an engineer).
If your version of "doing stuff" is running a halfway house for wayward bikes, hey, that's not such a bad thing to do. Give them some shelter and some love, and when they are back on their feet/tires, send them out to a nice home where they can be useful. Or maybe work with a local place that is teaching kids to work on their bikes?? That might be fun too.
In any case, welcome back to the midwest (ha!!)
Steve in snowy Peoria
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