September ... Gone

Now that October is half over and I haven't been in the saddle since September 14, I'm amazed at how quickly a month can pass without a single ride.

Not that I don't have a myriad of grand excuses. Wet weather, cold weather, sleeping in, feeling ill, etc.

But here is some good news: Google is working on a Bike There option for their maps, which will incorporate trails and junk!

Time for Rest

Two weeks with a nasty cold, and I haven't ridden once. Good news is I'm taking some time to recoup. Bad news is I won't be posting anything until the end of September. Until then, watch this video as a reminder to always check cross traffic in an intersection even if you have right-of-way:

Three Rights Make a Left

I encounter one particular intersection on my commute that makes me nervous enough that I go pedestrian to avoid it. Here's a Street View of it:

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It's a left turn from Southbound Quivera to Eastbound 87th. While it looks manageable here, it's not so friendly when I hit it just after 5:00 PM on my commute home. There are two lanes of left-turn traffic and after the turn vehiculars make mad lane changes to get to the lane they need to hop on I-35 north or south.

The CommuteOrlando Blog offers some alternative left-turn options that might just work for me in this situation. Here is a flash from the blog that does a good job illustrating some of the options:

The Box Turn might be a good option, except that would put me at the head of the pack for the Eastbound traffic, and I think that would really piss off some drivers. The Jug-Handle Turn would take me another block in the wrong direction, but it's an accepted maneuver at my u-turn point, as you can see by the road sign:

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I do like the three-rights-to-make-a-left option, too. I may experiment with these and see which one leaves me feeling the safest without eating up too much commute time in the process.

Renegade the Middle

I'm getting fed up with cars passing too close to me.

I try to be very accommodating to cars on the road. I hug the right curb like Kansas law tells me to do, and I signal my turns so they're not surprised by a sudden change of direction on my part.

Most of the time, drivers pass me with at least half a lane's width between us, but sometimes, drivers pass so close that I could reach out and polish their windshield as they pass.

It's very unnerving, and I've noticed it happens at one particular spot of my commute more than any other.

There is a stretch of Blackfish Parkway in Lenexa that has random occurrences of a median, which makes the lanes very tight. I'm talking Kegle tight.


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No matter how far to the right I ride, some yahoo wants to pass me here. Typically, the driver just needs to pace me for about 50 yards where the road opens back up and he can pass me safely.

But no, they really need to save 30 seconds and risk my life in the process, so I end up riding the gutter and holding back my urge to kick their passenger door.

This morning I decided to use a different strategy. Where the road has no median, I ride to the right like a good citizen. As I approach the median zone, I totally hog the lane. Right down the middle, I tell ya.

As soon as the median ends, I scoot to the right to let my vehicular kin pass. So far, it works like a charm!

Grocery Gettin'

I read somewhere yesterday that a good number of car trips are less than two miles in distance. Whether that's true or not, it was in my mind when I got home yesterday and the Missus mentioned that we needed a few basics from the grocery store.

I offered to take on the task by bike. My son followed up with an offer to ride with me (on the fastback), so after getting down my non-commuting mid-1990's model Trek mountain bike, airing up the tires, and attaching the fastback we were on our way.

I have fond memories of that Trek mountain bike. But now that I've been spoiled by my well-fitted Trek commuter, I find the mountain bike terribly uncomfortable. Alas, I cannot use the fastback with the commuter due to the bike rack.

So that got me thinking about how I really need another bike. Something that serves as a grocery-getter. A bucket bike, perhaps? I've seen this model on the 'net:

... but at $3k, it's a bit much. At $1200, this one is more my speed:

Tax the Cyclists!

In the forums on bicycletimesmag.com, I came across a very interesting Canadian op ed. The gist is the author is miffed because cyclists don't have to pay taxes in the form of licensing, tags, and the other soft costs that come along with car ownership. We could also mention gas taxes, personal property taxes, and disposal fees for oil and tires where appropriate.

On one hand, it makes sense. If we want infrastructure specifically for or friendly to cyclists, why shouldn't we help pay for these improvements? And why can just anyone purchase a bike and take to the roads without any formal certification? Lord knows I see enough cyclists running stop signs and passing dangerously close on MUTs to lead me to believe they have no idea what they're doing.

But on the other hand, it doesn't make sense at all.

Here deep in the suburbs of O.P., KS, everyone pays for infrastructure, not just car drivers. Just merely living in JoCo is enough to necessitate your participation in chipping in, and I'm fine with that. It's the same thing with schools. We have four kids in our JoCostead. And while not one of them attend public schools, we still help fund the schools in our district through our taxes. It's the same with the elderly couple with no school-aged kids next door. In some ways, it's like the poll tax the UK had; you exist so you pay. In this sense, cyclists do pay for infrastructure.

Some infrastructure comes from fuel tax. Gas is a bit higher in Kansas compared to Missouri, but our roads are also much nicer. But saying that a cyclist uses the same roads and should therefore pay a fuel tax is absurd. When I drive a car to work, my car gets roughly 30 miles per gallon. If I drove our family minivan it'd be more like 20 MPG, maybe even less. If I drove the van to work instead of the car I'd pay more in fuel taxes. That makes sense because the van is larger so it does more damage to the roads than my commuter car, and in some circles you might argue it does more damage to the environment as well.

When I ride the bike, my efficiency ranges from 200 to 600 miles per gallon equivalent, depending on who is calculating. But that's not actual gasoline consumed, mind you. It's more like spaghetti or burritos consumed. Plus, the actual damage to the roads is practically nil because the bike is so light weight. There seems to be no logical way to charge cyclists a fuel-equivalent tax. Perhaps I should pay a burrito tax?

Now that we're staring down the loaded barrel of socialized medicine, one could argue that cyclists should pay fewer taxes! Think about it. Minimal if any environmental damage is done on a bike, including noise pollution. This means less carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, plus no hearing damage due to annoying loud bass-heavy stereos or exhaust pipes. And let's not forget the health benefits of actually riding a bike like weight loss and increased cardio-pulmonary efficiency. Shouldn't we be rewarded for this?

That might not fly. What about licensing requirements? Would anyone argue that having a license to drive a car is a bad thing? I sure wouldn't. In fact, with a teenager in the house I think we should be stricter with who we let behind the wheel.

I'm not sure when or why we started requiring drivers to be certified, but I support it. For automobiles, not for bicycles. To put it simply, automobiles are killing machines. I know, even a ball-point pen in the wrong hands is a killing machine, but cars are about the most deadly device out there. And since our roads are clogged with them it's prudent that we regulate who can and cannot get behind the wheel. It seriously pains me to say that, but it's true. Bicycles, however, don't come with the inherent danger. If the streets are clogged with bikes and a collision ensues, I feel pretty good about the survival rate.

I'm not sold on the idea of taxes for cyclists, and I'm more convinced that cyclists deserve a tax break rather than additional tax burden. I think the person who wrote the op-ed piece is simply annoyed because she sees cyclists as annoyances.

There was a time that I used to agree with that point of view.

It Itches

I haven't ridden since Friday and I'm itching to get on the saddle.

It's just been one of those weeks; multiple trips to the dentist, storms, late and sleepless nights, early morning coffee with friends ...

Friday looks to be my first opportunity to ride, so that's my goal.

I Love to Bike! (When it's convenient, anyway)

At what point does one cross over from a fair-weather bike commuter to a hardcore cyclist? Perhaps the question is rhetorical, but one thing is for sure: I'm still fair-weather.

This afternoon I need to meet my wife and kids at the dentist office, which is a mere 7 miles from my work. The options to pull this off were:

1. Bike to work, bike to dentist and back, bike home.
2. Bike to work, borrow a car to dentist and back, bike home.
3. Drive to work, drive to dentist and back, drive home.

You probably already know I elected to exercise option 3, and I feel sort of scummy about it. Option 1 would've been ideal, but a 14 mile ride would've taken serious time out of my work day, not to mention I'm not exactly a fit cyclist yet, so commuting home after throwing in a random 14 mile ride in the middle of the day would've been rather painful. Option 2 would've been nice, but I'd hate to have to borrow someone's car. That just feels weird.

As I increase my commuting frequency I'll have to figure out what to do in these cases. I know I've read somewhere about a guy who drives to various locations during his workday, so he leaves his car at work. I could've driven the car to work Sunday afternoon and biked home, I guess.

The Baptism

My first commute in the rain! Many people at work offered to drive me home, and I faced quizzical looks when I explained that I was looking forward to riding in the rain. It felt like a rite of passage; as if I'm now a legit cyclist commuter.

It was quite pleasant, but I did learn a few lessons from the experience:

• Potholes disguise themselves as standing puddles of water
• Goggles are a good idea, even when it's not sunny
• Rubber soled shoes are slippery when wet
• When drenched, cotton is very heavy
• Fenders are a good thing, but somehow your lower legs still get muddy
• Wet brakes squeal like pigs. Motorcycles say Loud Pipes Save Lives; I say Wet Brakes Save Lives.

BREAKING: Sotomayor Rides a Fixie

Still a Poseur, but Improving

I hate to admit it, but sometimes I'm a sidewalk rider.

I know, I know. It's supposedly more dangerous riding on sidewalks than with traffic, but this particular stretch of my commute gives me the heebie-jeebies:


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It doesn't look menacing in the photo, but by the time I hit this bridge coming home it's dominated by angry trolls driving big vehicles. Here's the good news. In the early morning this overpass is empty and today I made my first venture onto this multi-lane behemoth. Results: I shaved 10 minutes off my commute, increased my avg speed to 13 mph, I felt safer than I usually do on the sidewalk, and I felt legit.

I've read the articles and I know traffic coming from behind isn't nearly as deadly as traffic turning into you from the sides. And I'm always coming across horrific sidewalk injury stories like this one.

I do come across—and take advantage of—a wide multi-use trail on my commute, but even that poses some challenges. Mainly dog walkers using super-long leashes, groups walking shoulder-to-shoulder, and there was a deer I nearly smacked into.

I guess it's just a matter of knowing and addressing the risks.

Commute in Action

This is exactly what my commute looks like. Exactly.

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.

Logging Miles

I've discovered there are many options to logging bike mileage. Since I can't decided which to use, I picked three to run through the trials to see which one I like best:

• http://www.bikejournal.com
• http://velod.com
• http://www.mapmyride.com

I'm looking for something web-based, easy to use, and that tracks cumulative miles. Any bonuses would be nice, for example I know at least two of these sites keep track of component wear and tear.

If you have a mileage log that you prefer, I'd appreciate the advice.

Kick It Route Down

Biking in felt good this morning. I was actually chilly, which is my preference, and to my amazement I fully realized that I have my route down.

I know when to pump hard to gain momentum for a coming hill, I know when to coast and enjoy the break from pedaling, I know shortcuts to avoid harry intersections, and best of all, I know which gears I need to be in. That was frustrating for a while. I was constantly shifting gears trying to find the sweet spot.

On Sharrows and Bike Lanes

Bikecommuters.com has a post about the new sharrows in Long Beach, CA.

A sharrow (share + arrow) is a visual representation of where a bike might be in the shared space of a lane. It differs from a bike lane in that a sharrow doesn't indicate dedicated space for bike riders.

I've seen mixed reviews about the uses of sharrows. On the one hand, it's a fairly inexpensive way to remind drivers that they might encounter bikes. Inexpensive, that is unless your city does it like Long Beach and they paint the entire length of the sharrow lane green.

That seems like overkill to me. Not only is that sure to be a tax burden, but it can't be safe when it's wet.

Personally, I'm a fan of the bike lane. I know there is a movement to treat bicycles like every other vehicle on the road, but that just doesn't make sense to me. Bikes are nothing like cars, except they get you from A to B, but so do my feet, and I don't expect to be treated like a car when I'm walking.

If cycles are treated like autos on the road, we'll just end up with more congested traffic and frustrated drivers. Look, I choose to convert my 40 minute round-trip car commute to a 2-hour bike commute, but should my decision impact to poor sucka who has to tail me in the sharrow lane? Road heckling is sure to ensue.

Ideally, in JoCo, I'd love to see all major roads have bike lanes, such as Metcalf, 95th, Quivera, and the like. A good alternative are mixed-use trails. On my commute, I get to experience all the above, except for sharrows. We ain't got those in Kansas. Whoooo-wheeee!

Fine Tuning

I'm looking forward to commuting again tomorrow!

I had to take the bike in for some fine-tuning. I bought a new bike for the commuting adventures; a Trek 7.1 fx (pictures coming soon). I outfitted it with panniers and full fenders. One of the fender bolts was rubbing against the back tire and it got to be like nails on a chalkboard, so I took it in to have the mechanic fix 'er up.

Plus, I never realized how much for granted I took having a kickstand. Kickstands are minor miracles, especially when you're trying to attach panniers to the bike, or standing on the shoulder on Shawnee Mission Parkway trying to adjust the saddle height.

I think she's good to go now, though, but I realized that the days are officially getting shorter now so it won't be long and I'm going to need to invest in some lights.

Inaugural Commute

I picked a pretty bad day to begin my bike commute.

This morning was nice. I got up early enough that the traffic was light and the weather was mild. But this afternoon is another story. It's just 3:00 and it's 93 degrees with a 106 degree heat index.

Ouch!