50 KM Night Bike Ride

I wanted to go out on a bike ride yesterday, but was busy with work. So today, after coming home, I went out on a ride. It was about 5:30PM. I came back at around 7PM. It felt really good. I was a bit slower than a few weeks ago, but it was still a good time.

Differentiable Manifolds

Morin surface as a sphere, via Wikipedia

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Things got abstract very quickly in complex analysis. We are constructing differentiable manifolds in the complex plane, to see the topology of  holomorphic domains. It blends together quite a few algebraic notions, as well as some beautiful topology, and it’s extremely interesting. The prof told us that this would fit neatly into a Riemann manifold or Riemann surfaces class.

Why is this so interesting? It explains exactly why derivatives and integrals actually work in the complex plane. Well, that’s not really true. It’s more than that. Applying calculus to complex functions is certainly richer than for real functions. We delve into the differential k-forms and their construction⁷. It’s quite elegant, I have to say. Some of my classmates were a bit dismayed by the abstract nature of this week’s lectures, but it had my full attention⁴.

I also noticed that we started using Berenstein & Gay’s book, Complex Variables¹. We’re about 5 weeks into the semester and we are on page 10 or so⁵. The level of difficulty in this class just went up a notch. Also, the level of complexity went up. That’s why they call it complex analysis!

Pre-Typhoon Training Days

Riana Van Niekerk by Allievn

I woke up pretty late today. It was late enough for my wife to get up, have breakfast, and come back to bed. I needed the sleep. With my freelance blogging, I rarely go to bed before 3AM. I know it’s unhealthy and I need to change this, but I haven’t managed to do so. I managed to get about 9 hours of sleep.

Anyway, I didn’t go for a long run, just a very short one with Spike to the park and back, twice today. I felt like taking it easy the whole day. This week, I’ve run about 13.5 km. That’s not a lot, but part of me remembers that I usually start training too aggressively and wind up with injuries a few months later. I just remembered. My week stops tomorrow, so I can get some more mileage in.

There is an earthquake right now while I am typing this. It’s 1:37 AM.

UCI to Phase Out Radios

The UCI has taken the decision to phase out radios in the coming seasons. I think that it’s a good idea. The race will be less controlled by the racing directors and more by the cyclists. Sure, teams are going to be annoyed, but if some basic precautions are taken, it should be really interesting.

* * * * *

Astana pro license under scrutiny. It’s not looking good for Astana, which had it’s pro license revoked in 2008, enabling Spaniard Carlos Sastre of the Cervélo TestTeam to win the Tour de France because Contador couldn’t defend his title. The main concern is because of doping issues. Vinokourov has come back to Astana, and the Kazakh team was made for him. Lance Armstrong is already gone to his new Radioshack team. This leaves Contador on a team that’s going nowhere quickly. I think that Contador should join another team and have them buy out his Astana contract. Apparently, Vinokourov will also be the team director, which is just bad news all around.

This makes Astana a very unstable team. From being on the top of the world in 2007 with Contador’s win of the Tour de France, to having their pro license revoked in 2008 because of doping issues, to winning the tour again in 2009 with Contador and Armstrong getting #3, to once again possibly getting their team license revoked.

If I was on the Astana team, I’d bail ASAP.

6.6 Km Night Run

Tonight, I decided to go for another run. I was a bit sore from yesterday’s run, but I need to train, so I told my wife that I was going out. She said that she would join me. I was surprised, but liked having company.

We took the same riverside route. It was along the Xindian river until the Huajhong bridge. It took me 18:30 to get there and I completed 6.6 km in 35:07. It’s slower than yesterday, but I wasn’t surprised. It was hard keeping accurate time yesterday. Today, it was more focused. We took some breaks, but we did well. I felt that I was dragging more bulk along and that my legs were sore. Not very sore, but slightly sore. Cardio-wise, it’s not a problem. I don’t feel exhausted or winded afterward. That means that my bike training was worth it.

Pinarello Prince Falls Over and Breaks

You’d expect carbon fiber frames to be more brittle than metal, but I’d never expect a Prince to break if it falls over. That’s pretty bad.

My OEM Carbon Fiber Bike

Neo Exile

I actually don’t know if this can be called an OEM bike. I think that it falls into that category since it can’t be a boutique bike. One of the models has been sold at least 40 times and all of the comments I’ve seen are very positive. This bike was designed by the same people behind the Storck Fascenario, and uses the same carbon fiber weave.

OEM Taiwanese Carbon Fiber Bike Companies

Other than looking really nice, the Matrix F-35 is one interesting looking bike. I don’t know anything about the manufacturer, but I might visit the factory and check out this bike.

I’ve spent a bit of time researching Taiwanese OEM bike companies in order to find a great deal. I’ve actually found a 860 gr frame from Neo Cycles that would be a great training bike. It costs about $1,300 and is designed by the same people who made the Fascenario for Storck. It improves on that model with a thicker downtube for more stiffness and stability. The Fascenario 0.7 is a top-end bike. Pinarellos were also made there. Unlike most OEM bike frames, it’s BB30 and the owner of the “brand” will give me other deals on second-hand parts, like Fulcrum Racing Zeros and an ‘08 Campagnolo Record 10 speed gruppo. He told me that his frame works better with 10 speeds than 11. The second-hand Record is cheaper than a new or second-hand SRAM Red gruppo, which is the one that I’d want to get. Unless I find a better deal on components in the second-hand market, I’ll just get Record. I’ll wait about a week before ordering it. This frame hasn’t been reviewed by others yet, but the lower-end frame, the Neo Exile, has been. It’s received great comments from bike riders. I’m also getting a bunch of stuff extra for almost nothing, which is really cool.

I want to get this frame in raw carbon fiber with a clear coat. The decals will be black, so they won’t show. It makes this a kind of stealth frame, which is what I want. I don’t want anything flashy. Good carbon fiber frames can be had new in Taiwan for about $700.

Serotta Meivici Custom Carbon Bicycle

Charles Manantan does a write up on his custom carbon fiber frame that he purchased from Serotta. It’s handmade in the US and costs about $18K for a complete bike. Frame and fork retail for $8K. It’s beautiful, but a bit too bling for me.

How to Buy A Second Hand Carbon Fiber Bike Frame

A great write-up over at Bike Radar, giving you ten steps to fully check out a used carbon fiber frame. I’d suggest to get it professionally inspected. In Taiwan, this is free¹.

[¹] Actually, this can be free in Taiwan, depending on your LBS. My LBS does this for free. I never pay for labor, but that’s here in Asia. Things are different elsewhere.