The Ibex

My favorite animal is the ibex, a rock-dwelling animal that looks like a cross between a goat and an antelope. The particular attributes that draw me to the ibex are as follows: their most apparent feature (on the males, at least)--gigantically curled and long horns; creepily enticing amber-colored eyes; and their superb agility in climbing and descending. I once saw a nature show on TV where two male ibexes were battling for the rights to mate with a female--though their collisions were (literally) head-splitting, neither one lost his balance.



Why am I making this Melville-like digression from my bike-related blog? I will explain. In determining the best way to transport my gear (tent, sleeping bag, clothing, food, water, books, iPods, etc.) on my bike up the coast to SF, I had originally planned on loading up with racks and panniers. Unfortunately, I found out that my new Cannondale road bike, particularly its various carbon-fiber components, could not handle such a direct load. I was recommended to check out a dragging trailer instead. A company called BoB (as in Beast of Burden) makes various bike trailers, one of which is called the Ibex! Of course, with such a name, it had to be mine!



As you can see, I assembled and attached the Ibex to my bike and, voila!, and I had created the ultimate seamless touring animal-bicycle hybrid. This morning I took it out for a spin on a mostly-flat 40-mile ride. Although some reviews I had read warned of slight feelings of drag and instability, the vast majority were generally favorable. I agree: once I got going pedaling, balancing, and turning was pretty much the same as without the Ibex, and after a while, I forgot it was even there. A shock absorber and hinged-fork gave the Ibex, I like to think, a similar elegance and ability as its namesake. One problem came when I huge truck cut me off and I had to stop short and slam on the breaks. The Ibex, wanted to keep going and curved off the side, tilting my bike over. Thankfully I was ok (the truck and I weren't going that fast), but it's something to keep in mind, especially when the Ibex is loaded up with all my stuff (it comes with a neon yellow waterproof bag). For the rest of this week and next I'm gonna put weights on it to train for my trip to SF, which I anticipate that I (or the Ibex, I should say) will be carrying about 30 lbs. You may also have noticed the flagpole sticking out of the Ibex; right now, the flag is a logo of the company, BoB; I'm trying to thinking of putting a different flag on, a California Republic flag? a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap? a picture of an ibex?!?