Wednesday, November 14, 2012

One must imagine love

Today the weather got warmer, raising from -1 °C to +8 °C within 12 hours. I commuted by bicycle, and maybe I was a bit too eager, as I was quite tired when I got back home.

Also, I noticed that something is not quite all right with the bicycle saddle. I have a fi'zi:k saddle, don't know the exact model, which has served well since the previous one was demolished in an accident. (I fell headfirst from the bicycle, and because I was using lock pedals, the bicycle followed and flew over me, landing upside down so that the saddle got all twisted and broken. Also the helmet was broken, but I had only some minor scratches.)

The current saddle was an excellent buy, better than the previous one, and in fact I bought it on a discount, half price or something like that, it mush have been an "end of season" sale in September. But now something seems to be coming loose inside, so that the saddle flexes more than it should, which is not a nice feeling. Maybe I should have the saddle replaced at the same time as I have the gear hub replaced with a new one.

This morning I had an interesting discussion about bicycles with a fellow commuter. He has two bicycles, of which one is a very cheap model, which he praised a lot. And he also buys cheap parts for the bicycle, so that when they wear it doesn't cost much to replace parts.

In fact, replacing the gear hub in my bicycle probably costs more than his bicycle... But I have grown fond of the bicycle I have, it fits me well, and riding it is a pleasure.

Today I started reading The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe, the novel which starts the series The Book of the New Sun. I have read the final novel in the series, and it didn't convince me totally of the genius of the author. But there is a fresh Finnish translation of the first novel, so I started again, from the beginning of the story. I immediately spotted some mannerisms of Wolfe... and should one trust the narrator of the story?

(Posting title is from the poem Inventing a Horse by Meghan O'Rourke.)

No comments: