This is the first time I've ridden wet roads in shorts since I was 17. I'm happy to report that bike shorts DO dry faster than jeans. I'm sad to report that my calves and shins are caked in a thin layer of dried, gritty road grime. Now I know how my bike chain feels after I ride in this stuff!
I took it kind of easy on the way to the bus to keep the road grime to a minimum. It's days like this when I think a front fender would be a really good idea. A few things stop me, though. One is price, the other is the fact that I have no clue how I'll put it on the bus with fenders, as there's a spring-loaded arm that snaps over the front wheel. That arm would bend, deform or otherwise ruin my fender.
Despite the wet roads, I already have seen two other bicycle commuters downtown today, and it's not even 7:00AM. Yesterday, I saw the bike/bus commuter who uses the Revive recumbent again. Still no sign of the bike commuter who shared my route back in the Fall. I haven't seen his bike since September or so. My guess is he's a two-season and/or fair-weather bike commuter. Either that, or he switched jobs.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Grimy commute
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2 comments:
Most fenders are hard plastic/polycarbonate and very flexible. I doubt that arm of the bike carrier will mess it up. Also, depending on where the arm hits the wheel you might be able to gently lift the fender over the arm. As for price they're not that expensive. $25 plus shipping and handling from performance. I used to tough it out without fenders, but now that I have them I won't have a commuter bike with out them. Heck, I'd throw a pair on my racing bike if I could get away with it..
I use Planet Bike's Speedez fenders: http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7016.html
Got them from Nashbar for $25 or something.
For the grimy legs: http://www.greasedmelon.com/crap/shower.jpg
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