Eric-B.net

NJ Transit Woes

It was slow at work yesterday, and after being here since 8 with no break, I decided to get on my bike and catch the 4:13 east bound train. I had to hurry to get to the station on time, but I was able to make it with a few minutes to spare. I hear the train pull up and get behind everyone looking to board the train, as I always do when I have a bike. At this point I notice two conductors shaking their heads at me.

“No bikes,” said one of them.

I asked, “Why? Are you full?”

He replied, “No bikes on holidays.”

“But…”

“No bikes on or the day before holidays,” he said before I could finish.

“But, this is how I got here this morning,” I pleaded.

He says, “Well they must not have known.”

By this time all the passengers have boarded the train. The conductors hop back on without a care as the doors close behind them, and my hopes of a nice and early day home fade away while I watch the train pull away.

I decided to look up the bike policy, in case I was losing my mind. http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BikeProgramTo

Standard-frame bicycles and Segways are permitted on other rail lines at all times, except:

• On weekday inbound trains that end their trip in Hoboken, Newark or New York between 6-10 a.m.
• On weekday outbound trains that originate in Hoboken, Newark or New York between 4-7 p.m.
• On major holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day)
• On Fridays prior to major holidays.
• On Friday after Thanksgiving.
• On the eves of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

If the bicycle or Segway is considered by an NJ TRANSIT employee to pose a hazard to the safety of other passengers due to overcrowded trains or other operating conditions, the employee may prohibit the bicycle or Segway from entering the train car.

So, while Easter is not on the list of major holidays there, one could argue that today they could deny me from boarding, but it says nothing about the day before a holiday. In addition to that, they are not running a holiday schedule today. This makes the conductors claims even more worthless. And I flat out asked him if they were full, of which there was no way possible at 4:13 pm on a Thursday at their 2nd stop. He could of fed me that line of BS, but instead he just made up a rule.

I filed a complaint. Some of these conductors need to be taken down a notch. Its a shame that the world is full of ass holes, and occasionally people give these ass holes over paid jobs with a uniform.

On the bright side I just started using iMapMyRide for my iPhone and have been wanting to try the trip home anyway. It took me 33 minutes to ride 5.79 miles home. Today I will time the trip right from my office parking lot.

Bike Weather Again

I recently purchased this for my bike http://us.dahon.com/accessories/2010/biologic-bike-mount-iphone. I never liked the way it sat in my pocket or how I had to hold it to do things, and this is much more secure looking than mounts that I have seen in the past. I got it from Amazon from a store that ships locally. I should have it soon, maybe even by Saturday for a ride before the weather starts getting colder again. They also make something you can attach to your spokes to charge the iPhone, and they left some room for it in that case. Its $99, and not worth it right now. I will just have to remember to keep my phone charged.

Tomorrow will be my first ride to work, and probably the last for a few weeks. I don’t care for the morning ride with a “real feel” of less than 42.

I Hate My Bike

For those that do not know, I have a Diamondback Response Sport from… 06, I think. I loved this bike. It was awesome at its price point and I would use to go to work every warm and sunny day.

Recently, I noticed that the inner most adjustment for my rear mechanical disc brake would not adjust. I ordered a new set of rear disc brakes with a larger rotor for a little more stopping power. About that time I bent my rear rim. Interestingly enough, I popped some spokes opposite the drive train. Usually it would be the other way around. I got them replaced and the wheel trued. Not 5 rides later did I pop some more.

Now, I have had this bike for a while, and I have mostly used to to get to and from work for the past 2 years, but before that, I would take it on trails, hop logs, catch what little air I could off of jumps, etc. Now its is fucked after a few normal street rides.

I think my my local bike shop might not have taken a look at a single spoke other than the ones that had popped the backing. I think this because the people there talk down to me because I live in a rich town that can drop the equivalent of my months salary on a gay street bike that they ride during normal people’s work hours because the rich people here can afford to do that kind of thing. That and I bought a bike for $400 that in all actuality would cost $800 in their shop. Same parts, same frame material, same weight for about twice as much money, but Diamondback slipped in the 90s and made some cheap shitty bikes. They also will not carry anything over the $800 mark these days, making them too lack luster for just about every bike shop out there. Back to my original point, they don’t seem to give a fuck because I haven’t emptied my pockets at their store.

You can get a really good bike at the higher price points too. I must be fair. However, Specialized and Trek are overpriced shit. More so Specialized than anyone, but I hear they will no longer make them in the USA. This might actually make them affordable, not that I condone killing off more American labor. Of the higher price point bikes, I want a Kona Kahuna 29er. The 29 inch tires make a world of difference. They also fit my 6’6″ body much nicer. However, it would cost me a grand. I would do it, and I should have done it instead of buying this new PC. I realize that now. The only downside would be my constant threat of theft. To come out of work, a store, or whatever, and have my bike gone would make me furious for weeks.

I would still buy it, and I have enough tax money left over. The issue is that I am trying to take on a of other things that are so damned expensive that I cannot do both. This leaves me with the need to buy a new wheel set.

The local store wants $95 for a rear wheel, where I can get the set of 2 for $95 with $16 shipping online. Can you guess which one I am going to go for? I just hope they hold up. All I have to go on is recommendations from other big guys online. Its a double walled rim, which is what I have now. They guy at the bike shop seemed to doubt that on the phone, and I wasn’t sure. Its is just one more reason why I doubt them, and my only reason that I fear this new wheel set will not help my current situation. I just wish I knew why the whole wheel is suddenly going so easily.