Author Archives: Rich Freggiaro

First it was mathematics as a tool of White Supremacists. And now this… Staff members within the University of Oxford’s music department have reportedly suggested removing sheet music from the school’s curriculum because of its purported connections to a “colonial past.” Professors said that music notation has not “shaken off its connection to its colonialContinue reading “All That Jazz”

I got my first high quality LOOK clipless pedals back in 1992. Later I switched to Shimano pedals with a very similar design. Shimano tried to develop its own pedal , but the LOOK system was so elegant that Shimano gave up and paid LOOK to license their design without patent infringement. I’ve ridden overContinue reading “Pedal Problem”

Since the Covid lockdowns started back in March 2020, organized bike rides and bike tours have pretty much vanished. Most ‘gatherings’ are verboten and even an outdoor, well spaced event like a fund raising bike ride has to make so many adaptations and follow so many rules that organizers simply give up. So yesterday, theContinue reading “Dorito Power”

It has been a little over one year since most of the USA went into some form of lockdown. Remember the instant toilet paper shortage? Last March I made a trip to my local Raley’s on a Sunday, and to my shock the shelves were empty of almost everything and fellow shoppers were wandering aroundContinue reading “Deja Vu All Over Again”

I have a friend whose youngest daughter just started riding her first training wheel bike. That is an exciting moment for any parent. This friend wants to ride with her daughter. She has an old abandoned Specialized Rockhopper stowed away in a barn. I offered to try to bring it back from the dead. WhenContinue reading “Resurrection”

We are approaching the first anniversary of The Time of the Covid, and I’m beginning to suffer from vaccine envy. I know a lot of people over 65, and most of them have already had at least one dose. Stoker got her first dose and her second is scheduled for next Friday. My parents gotContinue reading “Pooling Resources”

Riding in a group, or ‘peloton’ is fun. But it can be dangerous, especially if some of the riders are inattentive or do not follow group ride etiquette and protocols. That happened on Sunday. We were riding south on Alpine Road between Live Oak and Eight Mile. I was in front, Margaret was on myContinue reading “The Pothole Problem”

Some days you’ve got it, some days you’ve got most of it, and some days you haven’t got it at all. The French say ‘un jour sans’ for an off day, and Saturday that was me. I started from home and rode to Linden to meet the Stockton Bike Club ride at Orlando’s. My planContinue reading “Stealing Shelton’s Segment”

My friend Steve is a really fine fellow and a strong rider. He is excellent company and it is a pleasure to converse with him. We laugh a lot even when we are drinking iced tea. He is also one of the most intelligent and practical people I know, and he can install or fixContinue reading “The Sock Guy”

This is not a political blog. Once upon a time I thought mathematics wasn’t a political subject. But times change…and guilt must be expunged. First a little herstory: In 1978 I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of California, Davis. I was quite proud of that accomplishment at the time.Continue reading “It Doesn’t Add Up”