KingAnt.netthe personal nook of Mark DolinerSkip to content← Older postsI got a new bike!Posted on 2014/12/21 by Mark DolinerNothing special, just a cheap bike for commuting to and from the train station. I got one of the cheapest ones I could find that I’d be happy with: a Retrospec Mantra. Black frame, red wheels, pink seat and handlebar grips. 57 cm. 26 lbs.It’s a single speed with a flip flop hub, so it can be ridden as either fixed gear or freewheel. I tried riding fixed gear for a week and I didn’t like it. I like being able to coast so I can easily position my pedals where I want them at stop lights or when maneuvering. So I switched it to freewheel.It’s been ok so far. No complaints. I mildly wish I had a few gears to make it easier to start pedaling again after stopping at stop lights and stop signs, but it’s not important enough to change so long as my commute remains flat.Posted in All|Leave a commentMy old bike was stolen :-(Posted on 2014/12/21 by Mark DolinerMy 2003 Fuji Silhouette was stolen in mid-October. This is the bike I’d ridden 11,000 miles on. Across North Carolina. From San Jose to Los Angeles. This one:The StoryI had biked to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station around 7:50am. I locked the bike to the bike rack with a cable lock similar to this one. I hopped on the train to San Francisco for work. I returned around 7:20pm and the bike was gone. I’d been doing this for about a month. I had applied to rent a bike locker from Caltrain but I hadn’t received a key yet (they’re slow—it took them a month). I knew u-locks were preferred, but I was hoping my existing cable lock would suffice until I had a bike locker.I was extremely annoyed. The bike was 11 years old, was in desperate need of a tune-up, and worth maybe only $50, but it is mine. I hate crime and I had criminals. It is not ok to take something that belongs to someone else. I wasted a lot of my time filing a police report, listing the bike as stolen on various web sites, looking for it on craigslist and eBay, researching a new bike, researching bike locks, researching bike lights, assembling a bike, attaching fenders and lights, and generally being angry.SuggestionsIf you’re thinking about buying a second-hand bike, always check the bike’s serial number against online stolen bike databases. These two seem popular: https://stolen.bikeindex.org/ and http://www.bikeregistry.com/search_bike.php.You can find the serial number stamped into the metal on the bottom bracket (where the pedals attach). Which brings me to my other point…Bike manufacturers: Please make sure your serial numbers are easy to read! From what I’ve seen they’re generally a pain in the ass to decipher. Poorly etched. Small. Ambiguous O or 0. It’s doesn’t have to be this way! More clear serial numbers can reduce incorrect transcription and improve bike recovery. I’d be happy if serial numbers were e