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

Monday, July 27, 2009
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

Monday, July 20, 2009
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

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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:


View Larger Map
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

Thursday, July 2, 2009
This is exactly what my commute looks like. Exactly.

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.

Logging Miles

Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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.