Barack Obama has chosen Amanda Simpson as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce, marking the first transgender appointment in an American presidential administration.

Simpson has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. While working at Raytheon, she transitioned from male-to-female over a six-year period, and successfully lobbied to add gender identity to Raytheon’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

As skeptical as I am that President Obama had much to do with the appointment, I do think it's cool to see one more wall come down in the gender and sexuality arena. Of course, I'm looking forward to the day when this isn't news, but until then, congratulations to Miss Simpson on breaking through another barrier so the next generation can follow her into the halls of influence and power.

( Read the whole article... )

I currently ride a Trek 7.4(?) hybrid bike, with some other modifications (nice seat, springloaded seatpost, new rear derailleur, some other things)

I want a road bike. Not a lot of money to spend--would like something used I think. I'm female, and very long from hip to knee, with a 34" inseam, short torso, and long arms. I'm 5'8". Basically I'm a monkey. I'm looking for something that will allow me to log plenty of miles but I'm kind of afraid of crashing on the ice this time of year. I've been riding indoors as a result, but I feel like I'm bouncing all over the bike, I think because of the hip to knee length. I crank up the seatpost but it seems like the handlebars are too close to the seat or something.

So I have a few questions:

1. Should I get one of those specially designed "women's bikes" or will it be silly because of my height/proportions?
2. Any former or current (horseback) riders here? I feel like being on a road bike is kind of like being in two point position. It's actually more comfortable for me than the upright feel of the hybrid.
3. What kind of bike might I find that would allow me to ride comfortably without spending a fortune? What kind of bikes should I be looking at? I thought about modifying my current bike but it's so much money to get brifters and rework everything I might as well get a new bike. True?
4. Are studded tires worth it for winter? I'm in the upper Midwest. Also how should I dress? I get COLD.

I had a Schwinn Varsity I fished out of a Dumpster and fixed up but it was uncomfortable for me (standover height too tall) so I gave it to my brother who promptly made it a single speed. Should I look at riding another one because of cost, or is there some happy medium that will get me an aluminum frame bike for under $500?

I feel as though I got a reasonable, if not huge, amount of sleep the last couple of nights, but as the end of the workday approaches, I'm really feeling tired. I should probably make a point of going to sleep early tonight, lest this prove to be some sort of encroaching illness.

After over a week of no work, my alarm clock's once again set for 8am for tomorrow's workday. I got a fair amount done today, and over the last few days, but nowhere near as much as I was optimistically planning for the vacation.

At least staying home today led to some tasty pizza! There are even leftovers for lunch this week.

Hope you all have a great Monday!

Hi all! Ok, so I just wanted to get your help in finding decent bike computers for myself and my bike partner. I am looking for speed, distance, a backlight that stays on for 4-5 seconds or so, and a screen that is visible. I would love to have cadence as well, but I guess I could sacrifice it if it meant that I could actually read the screen. Yep, I have 20/20 vision, but these computers are so freggin tiny. Here are some opinions on popular models I have purchased and/or researched. Looking for a model that is easy to read and reliable. :( Help?

Cateye V3: Bought this a week ago. It was a pain to install, heart rate was improved and more reliable than previous double wireless model. Unfortunately, if the magnets move even slightly during your ride, the cadence/speed measurements will just stop reading and need to be readjusted (they have to be 4mm from the sensor). The deal-breakers: very hard to read, backlight stays on for about 2 seconds, buttons are difficult to press. I assume the V2 will have the same problems.

Planet Bike 9.0 Protege: Perfect screen, has all needed functions. No backlight? I am thinking about buying this and fixing a KNOG frog light next to it for constant light against the screen. Not sure if it would work though.

Blackburn Delphi or Neuro: Poor customer service, poor warranty service, $35 handling fee when fixing units, still receives interference?

Knog NERD 12 function: The speed scrolls actively and I have heard that it is very hard to read. Not sure how the warranty/service fairs. Anyone have this?

Hi everyone,
I just joined this community not because I'm new to cycling, but because I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am primarily a runner, but I recently stress fractured my femur and pelvis from over training. I have taken the last month and a half off of everything, some swimming and lifting here and there, but not as much as I am used to. So, I bought a new bike (dama bianchi, alucarbon w/ ultegra components) and am going to try for a century in June to jump start my training again. The problem is I am very afraid of overtraining on the bike as well. I am planning to start at about 25-30 miles and build from there again. This whole injury has been really devastating from an emotional perspective, but I have managed to keep up my diet and all things considered I have done a decent job, not major weight gain or anything. So I am excited to get back into cycling, and learn more. Any and all advice on training and injury recovery would be great.

Here's a friend's review...

Plot is pretty standard but OMG *SWOOSH* and then *BANG* and *SWOOSH* and AAAAAAAA! and then there was this bit and they were all RAWR! and then *SWOOSH!* and OMG! then RAWRSWOOSHRAWRBOOMSWOOSHFROOM AAAAAAAAAAA! RAWR! *SWOOSH!* YAAAY! and then it was over.