May 2008 Recap

Too much to cover for storytelling here. You just have to read and look at the pictures from May.

Highlights:

• My convoy program for Bike Week was a success
• I only took 6 one-way trips on the bus, effectively making my ultra-cheap $15 bus pass not worth it. Paying as I go would have cost $10.50. People who take the bus both ways every work day spend about $70 per month.
• I did accomplish my goal of 600 miles for May. I rode 618.
• Went on some fun singletrack rides. I need to do that more often.

May Numbers:
16 bike commutes
3 bus-assisted commutes (round trip)
5 vacation days (no commuting)
383 commuting miles
148 Errand miles
88 Recreational miles
618 total miles
0 Car Commutes

2008 Numbers:
91 Bike commutes, 66 of which have been bus-assisted, 25 bike-only
1611 Miles
0 Car Commutes

Goals for June:

• 600 miles
• Finally get my fat ass back under 200 pounds

Ow OW. But new toys.

I had a credit for a free Minsky's pizza since the last time I ordered from them they tried to poison me with mushrooms when I didn't ask for them. Before picking up my delectable disc, I swung by River Market Cyclery. There they were: the panniers of my desires. Axiom's Journey Series of bags is not only rugged, but very attractive. I picked up the LaSalle model, which holds nearly twice as much as the Banjo Brothers saddlebags are rated for, while sitting further back on my rack.

Not only that, but they come with rain covers. Here they are. One with and the other without the rain cover installed:



After a few weeks, I'll put a review up. They had no problem hauling my ample load home this evening. In fact, I could have used just one of them.

The triumvirate of callous humidity, baleful headwind and obdurate sun made the ride home even harder this evening. With Chris, Karen and I As a homeward convoy of three, there was a symbolic moment of three-on-three. Us versus the weather. Part way back home, we stopped at the Trek Store for water bottle refills and a break. Chris had a coupon for some free stuff, too. I think that's the real reason we stopped.



A few blocks later, I saw yet another Foo reference. Gotta love Foo, even if The Crumudgeonator himself remains guarded about it. Okay, and there are the (not so?) infrequent trolls and morons there. But really, it's funny to see what cyclists of all walks discuss when they're trying not to talk about bikes.



I rushed home as fast as I could with my noodly legs and evil weather. I got to finally bring my wife home from the hospital, after more than 3 days there. She's feeling better and resting now, but still needs a few days before she even thinks of being mobile.

Random Tunage:
Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles
Daft Punk - Technologic

Ow.

I woke up this morning and hopped on my laptop to check Kansas City Weather and peek at the radar. A band of rain appears to be either on top of me or on its way shortly. Then, Twhirl, an application I use to keep my pulse on the Twitter universe pops up with a message from Chris.

So, not only is it actually raining, but I'm going to have company on my ride in this morning. Weather, wind and tired legs be damned, I'm pretty much obliged to ride all the way. If Chris can do it (he lives a good 10 miles further out than I do), then so can I. Right?

I told him to give me a call when he got closer to my apartment, then quickly shifted my efforts toward re-packing my panniers, water-proofing items that needed water-proofing.

The Brookside riders were somewhat quick last night, so I was feeling it pretty good this morning already. Chris, though, being the hammerhead that he is, dragged me into work this morning at a pace that at times rivaled my personal best of 19.2 MPH. We were close to that by the time we hit Boulevard Brewery, but it dropped as I slogged up the hill on Main St. I was the glutton of my own punishment. Chris offered to take it easy and he let me set my pace. The pace which I kept was as high as I could manage. It was quick for me, but he happily spun along, ready to go as fast as I could manage and plenty faster if need be.

Chris, JR, Lorin and I partook in our morning beverage, then waited for the rain to settle down a bit before heading our separate ways.

No photos this morning. My digicam doesn't get along with rain too well.

Stats and numbers:
May is winding down. Dave and I both have a goal of hitting 5,000 miles this year. While Dave is training for races while he commutes, I just want to get from point A to point B. Dave's tactic is to ride 13.7 miles per day average. And if you think my spreadsheet makes me look like a numbers freak, you haven't seen Dave's stats. By now, I think it's fairly obvious that I think I am in competition with Dave, whom I communicate with often but have only met in person once. I don't know if he knows I am in competition with him. I'm pretty sure he doesn't care, or maybe he thinks it's funny because I'm currently way behind him in miles for 2008. But... And this is a big deal to me: I'm ahead of him for May, even if it's only by 20 miles. Knowing him, though, he's got an 80 mile training ride planned for tomorrow anyways. Even if he doesn't see this, he'll blow past my meager 610 miles or whatever I end up with for May. My competition is really with myself, but knowing someone local with the same mileage goal and a completely different cycling paradigm makes Dave a target for me to chase, however elusive and sneaky he may be.

All of this to say I decided not to bracket my miles on a per-day average, but rather to try to appropriately guess how many miles I could pack on in a given month. This month, my goal was 600 miles. I'm 2 miles away from that goal right now, but I'm still more than 500 miles behind where I want to be this year. for reference, I have a goal of 600 miles per month all the way through August. September's goal is 400, October is 300. November is 250 and December is a scant 118 miles to take me all the way to 5,000 miles for the year. The reason I'm currently 540 miles away from my goal is because March and April were particularly brutal this year, netting me a little over 300 miles each month when I figured I could cover 500 miles per month. Silly me.

I refuse to revise my goal slope, though. How it sits is how it will be, and now I get to play a game of catch-up over the coming months. Commuting alone is only going to give me 500 miles per month if I don't take any vacation days or use the bus at all. Errands and recreational rides will have to round out the mix. Fortunately, I have a couple of mile-fests in store for the summer. I won't go on any of the organized club rides, but a few friends and I, if you can't tell, have some fun night rides and perhaps a double century in the pipeline.

I think I'll make 5,000. I know Dave will.

Oh, and Dave? Just in case you are finally figuring out for the first time that I'm watching your miles just as closely as you are? Game on, brother! It's been fun, but I have a feeling you're going to widen the gap in the coming weeks.

Random Tunage:
Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
Information Society - What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)

Brookside Ride

Interesting night. Not two hours after trying to kill myself on my bike, I rode out to Brookside. I've never been on the Brookside ride but I always hear great things. They have two rides. A slow one and a fast one. I wanted to go on the slow ride. Just get some cruising in. After all, just getting to the ride was a 10-mile jaunt.

Brookside is a quaint little part of Kansas City. I like it, actually. It's just between Midtown and Waldo, I guess you'd say.


Any readers here on BikeForums? I think this is awesome.


Bike rack too close to the fence. Lame.


Got some pick-me-up refreshments at Roasterie's Cafe before the ride.


Gathering...


and gathering! Maybe 40 total tonight. Good crowd.


Oops. I took the faster ride. Not terribly fast, but was moving right along.


After we'd dropped everyone we re-grouped.


The PVYC Blue Moose riders blowing by as we regroup.


I didn't realize that the black gentleman in yellow and blue was none other than Kenneth Walker, President of Major Taylor Foundation's KC Chapter. I've ridden with him before, and with his son (hiding behind him) multiple times. They're not only fast, but really down to earth.


Partway through the ride, I got a call from my wife. I had to split, and couldn't finish the ride. I've been kind of mum on the topic here, but she's at the hospital recovering from Gall Bladder surgery. Obviously, getting back to her ASAP was more important than living it up on a group ride. I took Indian Creek trail for part of the trip.


Then, I found what I thought was a bike trail short cut. It's not. It dead ends on a section of Switzer that's been blocked off for almost as long as I can recall. I hopped the barricade and took this picture.


Then took a detour. Figuring I could get to College Blvd this way.


Umm... Then rode about 1/4 mile through grass that was as tall as my handlebars....


More detour than I bargained for, and definitely not a shortcut.

My wife is recovering reasonably well. They're keeping her overnight again (tomorrow will be 3 days in the hospital), but she should be home tomorrow. The kitties and I really miss her.

Random Tunage:
Crystal Method - Busy Child
Ryan Farish - Legacy

Bontrager Hard-Case Tires: The good and the bad

I've been rolling on a hard-case tire for about 8 months on my rear wheel. Constant glass-shard flats and occasional snakebites finally pissed me off enough to swap out the OEM Bontrager Select 25mm tire for something beefier. A Little more than a month ago, my front OEM tire gave out, too. I replaced it with the 25mm Bontrager Race-Lite Hard-Case tire, too.

I haven't flatted once in the rear since I put this tire on. I haven't flatted in the front, either but it's only been a month.

One thing I noticed is that the rear seems to lock up a bit easier than the original tires. They also seemed to have a little bit of squirm to them when cornering hard, but I attributed it to the sidewalls being a bit less compliant.

Today, I put them to the test, unintentionally. I was coming down a steep viaduct and preparing to turn left. The left turn light went green, and I hammered to catch it while it was green. 40 MPH when riding down hill is easy to come by with this bike, and I was going about 40. I went to lean hard like you'd see a racer do, but the bike wanted to slide. I wasn't on the brakes, but I was going to wipe out if I didn't act fast. Not wanting to hit the front brake while it's washing out on the hot pavement, I opted to right myself a bit and hit the rear brake. It locked up instantly and I started skidding again. I counter-steered and feathered the front brake enough to scrub off some speed, but I wasn't going to make the turn. I finally got upright and feathered both brakes again to slow down as much as I could, and then ran head-on into a 4" tall curb between 10 and 15 MPH, doing as much of a bunny hop as I could muster. The front wheel bounced off the curb pretty good. The rear wheel hit hard. I got it shut down before I slid all the way into the concrete streetscape.

That mess narrowly avoided, I'm standing in a flower garden with my front wheel a foot away from a concrete wall. I click out and dismount, fully expecting a mess of mangled rims, broken spokes and pinch-flats.

Aside from two hefty skid patches on the rear tire (the worst shown below) and a roughed-up sidewall on the front, only one word describes the condition of my bike's rolling stock: "Unscathed"



I need to make sure the fork didn't take a beating, but I think these Hard-Case tires saved my wheels. They are, indeed, more bullet-proof than originally thought. Having said that, they don't grip nearly as well as my admittedly crappy OEM Bontrager Select tires. These are definitely not for racing.

Any night-time riders in KC? Read this.

I haven't been on a good night ride since the August full moon ride. I'm talking serious miles in the darkness, riding in the boondocks with a handful of like-minded zombies with only bicycle lights, the moon, and the occasional passing car to light the way. I've only done one other one (in July of last year) and quite frankly, I miss it.

These used to be organized by CommuterDude, but he's got a bunch of other stuff going on. I know he's in, but it's up to someone else to organize it. I think that means Badger and I. Badger's got a hell of a route (35 miles round trip?) and I have the desire to get some people out for a late-night ride.

So here's how I think we're going to do this. We're thinking June 20th since it's a Friday night and there should be a big, bright (almost full, waxing) moon. Weather permitting, of course.

Facts:
These things usually start around 9:00 PM.
These things can run 3 hours or longer, between 30-50 miles.
The pace isn't brutal, but it's not usually lethargic, either.

Therefore:
You will need lighting, a helmet, and reflective gear.
More specifically, you should have head and tail lighting that will last 3+ hours.
You should be ready for some serious fun riding in the boondocks.
Oh yeah, you might want to get permission to be out late.

Fill out the form to be kept in the loop about this specific ride. The start location is going to be kept guarded until the time gets closer. In the spirit of c'Dude's past night rides, this is mostly so we know who to expect, and are positive that participants are properly equipped for a few hours of riding after dark. Think of it as a cross between an underground rave scene and a mountain bike epic, but on the road, not as painful, and without the annoying drum & bass music.

Name




Email




Phone (Optional)



Question/Comment

"Thirty Miles Per Ham Sandwich, Sir!"

I'll get to the headline quote in a moment.

Yesterday was Memorial Day. I think I ended up making three separate trips to the grocery store due to one count of broken-down communication and a count of stupidity. I saw these evil twin police cruisers at a local cheesesteak shop. Mind you, I might ride a bike, but I have a soft spot in my heart for sharp-looking cars, and I happen to think that these are some seriously sexy police cars.



At least one of those grocery runs was made on my way home from the Monday Night recovery ride, so it wasn't a total disaster. Speaking of the Monday Night ride, I saw this and lol'd.


Then there's Dora, who is not amused that "I stoled her yarm."


I cheated and took the bus this morning. A whopping two miles ridden. I went to bed late, woke up late, and was expecting a storm when I woke up. Instead, I just got wet pavement that my fenders would have made short work of. Lame.

So, here's what happened. I was cruising down Southwest Boulevard, just about to enter Johnson County. I approached a stop light at a pretty good clip, probably 25 MPH or so. There's a huge pickup behind me. The light changes, and there's no way I'll make it. I downshift, signal my stop, and start braking. I also move over to the right. The pickup pulls up next to me. F-650 Super Duty dually. Nice. Triton V10 or something like that, who knows. Noisy as hell and reeks of Diesel fumes. I hear the passenger window roll down, and glance over. Two hard-workin' American guys inside. Just about what you'd expect. I'm ready for "Git off duh roawwwd" or something. The ensuing dialog went something like this:

Passenger: "Hey there, what kinda mileage ya get on that thing?"
Me: "Thirty Miles Per Ham Sandwich, Sir! Trying to make a living."
*Some huge belly laughs come from inside the truck.*
Driver: "Right on. Be safe."
Me: "Thanks, guys!"

Not all is as you would expect. It's why I don't judge until it's earned. Condition Yellow, I suppose, keeps me cautiously guarded with 360° situational awareness and ready for almost anything. I'm willing to accept adversity, but I expect kindness and adversity alike, ready for both.

Later on during my homeward commute, I quite literally ran into some chalkwork on Turkey Creek Trail. Outside the spectrum of kindness vs. adversity, it was, in fact, unexpected.




Nearing Aristocrat Motors, I saw these two guzzlers in the overflow parking lot. I can tell they're jealous.


Sorry, you really have to admit, that Porsche has some voluptuous curves and seductive lines. Sitting next to that bricky made-over GMC Yukon, she seems even more sleek and gorgeous.


Great Scott! 1.21 Jiggawatts!


Miscellaneous Photography


I dropped a pair of oldsters. :P Naw, these seniors were just out for a nice cruise. You don't stop riding because you get old. You get old because you stop riding. I almost made the man crap his diapers as I passed. I guess he wasn't using his mirror.


Oh, the business park. Not to be confuzzled with the Industrial Park. This is the last leg of my homeward commute. It's a curvy road with smooth, easy hills and not much traffic to speak of when I roll through.


Jeez, do you think this guy sells... I don't know... stickers or something?!


See this green crap on the ground? It's the bane of my existance. It's everywhere. It's on my cars. It's on the trails. It's in the parking lots. It gets slimy and slippery when wet.


The offending tree. No idea what it is. 15 years ago, I could have told you. Frankly, I replaced most of my botany knowledge with something similarly useless after graduating high school.



Random Tunage:
Madonna - What it Feel Like For A Girl
Spirallianz - Heiterheute (rmx)

Memorial Day

I didn't take these on Memorial Day, but the Lenexa post office was already flying half-staff. I had to go for the breezy photo op. Tomorrow is officially Memorial Day -- a U.S. holiday set aside to remember our fallen heroes who perished in military service. Obviously, there is a strong observance of prisoners of war or those missing in action as well. This is a federal holiday.

Among other businesses and industries, Wall Street will be closed. I, working in the financial services industry, do not work either. Between this and the brewing storms, you can bet your britches that I won't be leading a convoy in the morning. I'll be sleeping in.


I ran 9 miles of errands on The Goat today. Hard telling what's in store for tomorrow, but Tuesday I plan on riding to work and back, weather permitting.

On my way home from church, I saw this wind farm at EcoWorks in Lenexa. I've seen it before many times (I used to deliver Pizza in this business park all the time) but it was churning today.

Too bad I couldn't capture the motion blur with any of my photos of the turbines.



Random Tunage:
Black Dove - Capsule
Basslimit - Paradise

Oh Deer, what a mess!

I took The Goat out for nine slow, sweaty, grimy miles at Shawnee Mission Park. I almost hit this deer. She wandered off the trail, though, completely tame and unafraid of me. I was mere feet from her when I took this photo. I probably could have hiked over and pet her, but you don't want to see what happens when a deer is both afraid of you and close to you. It isn't pretty. I rode off.


Mud pits on the trail are a bit of a paradox. To be earth and trail friendly, you're supposed to avoid riding straight through muddy ruts because it erodes the trail and makes it worse. The paradox? By trying to go around it, your wheel will inevitably wash out, slide into the rut, and either make you very messy if not cause you to lose control of the bike. And you'll still make the rut deeper and erode the trail.

Fortunately, I just got really muddy and didn't eat it. But I further eroded the trail.


These are a bit out of order. This is before I got all messy, at the intersection of the "difficult" loop and the "easy" loop. I rode all parts of the trail once, and sections of both the easy and difficult loops multiple times.


Trying to "capture the trail" again, but my secret is usually to wait until the sun is going down enough to filter the light through the canopy at an angle. It hadn't quite set enough for my liking when I took this.


Trailhead.


Random Tunage:
Gravity Kills - Guilty
Ecano - Run

Bicycle Friendly Community Meeting

Bicycle Friendly Community Meeting, originally uploaded by KC-Bike.

See the other photos I took at the BFC presentation

My wife and I had some fun today, including playing a round of mini-golf, in which she successfully beat the challenge at the end for a free game. The challenge involved putting the ball up a steep slope along a 3" wide plank and into a cup. Make the shot, get a card for a free game next time. Color me impressed.

Later and on a more serious and cycling related note, I rode to the reception for the Bicycle Friendly Communities seminar going on this week in Shawnee, KS. There was a pretty good showing. I got to meet more people (hi, folks!) and catch up with some old pals I've met before but haven't seen in a long time (Ray, Badger, and others). I rode back home with Ray, who had a bit of a journey left ahead of him to get back to Olathe. He's the one I see on 87th turning to Santa Fe Trail drive quite often.

Not a lot of miles ridden today, but that's why they call this a vacation, isn't it?

Singletrack

Singletrack, originally uploaded by KC-Bike.

See the rest of today's photos here.

I hung out with Jason over lunch at ChefBurger. He's always a blast. I ran into Karen on my way home, too.

I met my wife for supper about 5 miles from home. We put The Twelve on the back of the Explorer and came home. I spent some time getting The Goat back in singletrack form, then took it out for about an hour on the trails at Shawnee Mission Park for 5 slow miles of the funnest suffering I've had in a long time. I'll pay for this in the morning, I'm sure.

I love my Tunage and don't often get to listen and ride since I don't listen to music when commuting. My journey this evening was powered by this soundtrack of random tunage picked by iTunes' party shuffle (and the songs then transferred to my LG Chocolate for listening)

Consider it a mega version of Random Tunage:
Real McCoy - Another Night
Nine Inch Nails - 32 Ghosts IV
Peaches - AA XXX
Hooverphonic - Battersea
Alice DeeJay - Better Off Alone
Dave Matthews Band - Crash (live)
Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (Oakenfold Remix)
Prince - Guitar
Nine Inch Nails - Something I Can Never Have
Orbital - Planet Of The Shapes
Orbital - Dŵr Budr

Recovery Ride May 19, 2008

Recovery Ride May 19, 2008, originally uploaded by KC-Bike.

Tim O on his Trek 1500 and his son, Matt on his new (okay, 2006 closeout) 650b Trek 1000. Taken from down low.

Tim and I go way back to long before my cycling addiction. In fact, we met each other through a car club. Full circle.

Check out the rest of today's photos.

Busy Sunday

I rode to church Sunday morning, and encouraged others to do the same. We usually meet in a high school auditorium, but graduation was yesterday and the school was unavailable. Occasionally, we can't use the school for other reasons. This happens a few times per year. Instead, we end up going to our community center. It's not big enough for all of us, but we just meet outdoors (weather permitting). This was a beautiful day for church outdoors, not to mention the ride there (11 miles)



Assistant Pastor Kurt and his wife Emily roll up on their bikes.


Abbey (pastor Kevin's daughter) rolls up. They live just across the street.


Whee! Bikes! (a few more are parked elsewhere)


About as laid back as you can be and still calling it worship. I love this church, the people that make it, and all the stuff that goes along with it. I won't bore you with doctrine, though.






Pastor Kevin will use any excuse to inflate the slide for the kids. They love it.


Mike cooks pancakes. Also in the brunch spread: Bagles, parfait, pudding (???) and juices.


After church, I had about a 15 mile ride to my birthday party at Antioch Park. I took about 1/2 the trip on the road, and in the middle of the trip, I used Indian Creek Trail (Warren's Fave)

Sneaking up on some walkers. Cue the "Jaws" theme.


Kids at the sandlot. Hardly a cloud in the sky yesterday. Just airliner contrails.


Maybe I took a little Singletrack with The Twelve. Contrary to belief, road bikes can go off road. Just gotta be careful. It's fun, though.


The freshly opened section of Indian Creek Trail that has Warren all excited. It was nice not having to use the blighted walking path through Corporate Woods.


Some family members at the shelter at Antioch Park.


... Mating Crickets??? Not sure what was up with this, but they were clinging upside down to the ceiling of the shelter.



After the party, my wife and I went fishing at Shawnee Mission Park.

The geese were flocking. Sheesh.





They swam right through where we were fishing. Notice the red bobber halfway up and a bit left of center in the photo. Somehow they avoided tangling in the fishing line.


FAIL! This guy spent about 5 minutes trying to cram this overloaded bag into this trash bin. Eventually he gave up and just put the lid on top of this bag.


How to have fun at the lake!

Let's see, you can toke on a hookah... ???


Or kick a ball around... These little heathens kicked the ball into the lake. Their dad (the one who's toking above) and the kids were both too chicken to go get the ball. I took a swim and rescued it. I bruised my feet up pretty badly on the rocks while getting out of the lake, though.


Go Kayaking...


Or just go fishing. Hi, Hunni.


This is the only fish we saw. He was too tiny and still refused to take our bait.



This was my sister's B-Day present to me. Those are full of beer. Lots of beer.


The ride in was nice this morning with the exception of my bruised and tattered feet. Chris and Karen joined in for yet another convoy.

Tomorrow is my Friday. I'm on vacation off and on for the next 2 weeks. I've been blogging and photographing like mad here, especially in the face of Bike Week. I'm going to be scarce but not completely absent for the next 2 weeks. For the time being, check out Dave's Good Stuff, as he bike commutes during the week and packs on the weekend training miles. What initially started as a brotherly challenge training for the Triple By-Pass turned into a lifestyle change and a heck of a good read that's mostly cycling related but always interesting and frequently updated. No pressure, Dave!

Random Tunage:
Chicane - Offshore
Hybrid - True To Form

The Twelve is ALIVE

When I took Hybridzilla to JR, he hooked me up with the 8-notch tool I needed to take The Twelve apart. I wasn't sure what was going to happen with my bottom bracket, but I tore into it last night.

It turns out that a good cleaning and my usual application of waterproof boat-trailer axle grease did the trick. The bottom bracket is smooth as butter. This is what the Trek Store was going to charge me $15 for. With the right tool and some ingenuity getting my square-taper crank puller to work for my ISIS-drive splined cranks, I got the bike apart, fixed, and put back together very quickly.

Today, I rode to the KC PHP User's Group meeting (a.k.a. "The Pug"), where half a dozen web development geeks descend on a monthly basis to discuss current projects, get advice, and trade knowledge.

On my way to the meeting, I had an interaction with a motorist who saw fit to come from around me, then cut a few feet in front of me with a nice double-lane-change to get in the right turn lane, when he could basically have just changed lanes to the right. He did it just to be an ass.

So, now stuck at a stop light behind others waiting to turn right, he is directly next to me. I look. His passenger window is down, but driver side is up. I motion to roll it down. He flips me off. I laugh. I knock on the window. He looks ahead. I knock again. He looks at me and says something. I can't hear it. I shake my head.

People are all sorts of big and strong when they're driving their cars that can bully cyclists around and get away at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour. They're a bunch of cowards when their car is helpless, powerless, and stranded in traffic. I wasn't going to read this guy the riot act or get in his face. I would have just told him to watch out for cyclists, and that he cut it kind of close. I was having a nice ride, and my road rage was at a minimum.




Two other KCPUG attendees ride the Lenexa Midnight Ride every summer. I think we might try to get sequential numbers, or perhaps ride together. Who knows? Computer nerds seem to like bicycles. I like to tell myself it's because we're smart. Haha.

I took the back way home, and I took it really, really easy. I actually made a point to ride in such a way that I didn't have to breathe through my mouth. The weather was perfect and I just felt like cruising. I rode through some construction zones -- new streets that aren't open yet, which run adjacent to some big arterials. I took the MUP adjacent to the road for a while, up the big hills. I'd usually stay on the road but I was really more of a pedestrian on my ride home. It was nice, relaxing, and fun. Here are the pics.





















Miles Today: 14.5
This week: 201
May: 405

Random Tunage:
Rob Zombie - Dragula
Orbital - Pants

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 5 - The Wrap Up

This week was a huge contrast to 2007 Bike To Work Week on many levels:

• The weather cooperated every day, with only a few mornings in the 40°s and no rain.
• I am in better shape now
• I live 9 miles closer, making my round trip more feasible. 30 miles instead of almost 50.
• I helped plan this one.
• I got to ride with friends every morning and most evenings. I only encountered Chris once and Karen twice last year during Bike To Work Week.

It's worth mentioning that I met both Chris and Karen during Bike To Work Week last year. Not only that, I met both of them BECAUSE of Bike To Work Week. I really have to pay homage to last year's Bike To Work Week event. It was pivotal on many levels. Not only did I meet two people would eventually come to be my favorite commuting buddies, but the event itself flipped a switch. That switch was one that made me look forward to the days when I could avoid the bus by riding my bike all the way. Prior to last year's event, I would bus to work, and seldom but occasionally ride all the way home. After that event, and after I moved, it was a frequent thing to ride the whole route. One year later, the permanent effects of that moment are still evident.

This is technically the last day for Car-Free Challenge. This is the main thing I was participating in. It's completely possible that people haven't finished logging their miles yet, but I am done with my miles for the Car-Free Challenge. Here's how things stand.

• 182 miles of bike commuting and errands
• 15 miles (7.5 mile points) worth of bus riding from my trip to waldo and back.
• 8.7 miles on a slow-paced group ride monday (not counted)
  

This puts me in 13th place for bicycle transportation, and 20th place among all alternative transportation users.

I am a wee-bit grumpy about some participants this year who seem to fail to understand the "spirit" of the Car-Free Challenge. Epic thousand-mile interstate road trips don't keep congestion off the road, even if you're car-pooling. Logging recreational rides as commuting isn't fair. Riding a mile to school with 3 kids doesn't entitle you to 4 commuting miles because there were four of you on the road. And stopping at a convenience store along that 40-mile training route you were going to ride anyways? That doesn't make the entire training ride's miles count as an errand.

In discussing the rules with other Bike Week Committee members and some of my Convoy Crew, it's apparent that some verbiage needs to be added. Care should be taken, however, to not exclude those of us who for one reason or another either already choose to or are forced to use a bicycle as a primary mode of transportation. I'd rather avoid phrases like "trips that you'd normally use a car for"

Guess what, though? I'm not in it for the competition, nor am I bitter. I just did what I'd probably have done this week anyways, and logged my miles accordingly. My commute wasn't going to score me a place in the top ten; I knew that already. I already have my rewards: increased health, money saved, and many friends made over the past year and a half thanks to bicycling. This includes finally meeting some more people this week who know me from the blogosphere and took the time to say hi. You know who you are.

Aside from the car-free challenge, I hit the following Bike Week events:

• Family Bicycles pit stop on the Trolley Track Trail
• Mayor Funkhouser's LAB/BFC Platinum press conference

What's next this weekend?

• I'll be riding my bike to the PHP User's Group meeting at Daily Dose tomorrow afternoon
• I'll ride to my place of Worship on Sunday
• I'll also ride to my Birthday party after church, at a local park.

To me, though, This pretty much wraps up Bike Week.

Here are some pics from the homeward commute this evening.

My new shifters. Thanks, JR! Compare to my old grip twisties.


Karen and Chris behind me on Turkey Creek Trail




Karen and Chris ahead of me going through the 79th St. Industrial Park


Eight braze-ons. Count them. I checked, and there are at least 8 more on the back. If you count all the eyelets on my three bikes combined, I have the same number as Chris has on this one touring bike.


Yes, I have some bike envy.


Oh yes. I'm finally a Flickr Pro. I didn't think I would take the plunge, but I simply have too many photos up there to not go for it. Of course, it will take about a year for the ads on this site to recover the $25 I spent on it. Some people collect stamps. I pay someone to host my pictures and keep them organized. Mostly (but not entirely) so that you guys can make fun of my photos. Whatever.

Soak it up, this weekend. It looks like we're in for a continuation of the nice weather.

Random Tunage:
Orbital - Lush 3-2
Fragma - You Are Alive

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 5: Lunch with Chris

JR told me he could fix up Hybridzilla while I got some lunch. I swung by his shop and watched him go to town. He installed some new RapidFire shifters and also turned my 21 speed Hybridzilla into a 24 speed. I was already running an 8-speed cassette on it, but the old shifters were only 7-speed. The 8-speed rapidfires work pretty well but I'll need to adjust them a bit.


JR Also lent me a bike. I chose the folding Land Rover bike. I don't know how ye-olde this relic is, but it behaved pretty well, although the rear fender was loose and rattling in the seat stays.


Chris' Touring bike locked up with the Folder.


Mmmm. Chef Burger.


We were joined by a fendered, racked, and front-loaded cyclocross bike. I didn't see the rider, but the bike was gone when we left.


This is the wind-powered clock tower in the Power & Light District.


This is a meal. A good meal.


Obligitory Panda Portrait of me on the Folder.


Random Tunage:
Tri Bowl Nuts - Trapped
Barenaked Ladies - One Week

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 5: Keep on Truckin'

... Long Haul Truckin', that is. Chris finally scored his current idea of a Dream Bike, the Surly Long Haul Trucker. Likewise, I am also truckin' right along, with a non-stop bike-only commuting week looking all but inevitable.

It seems like everyone's getting on board with the Trucker, or at least The Clemonator is the second one I've seen this year who succumbed to its charms. The first was Doug.


With a motto of "Fatties Fit Fine" -- in reference to wide, fat tires as much as clydesdale riders, I'm assuming -- who can resist? The cantilever brakes can take some beefy 29er Mountain bike tires, and the stays and fork have adequate clearance for them as well. This came equipped with 700x37 Continental Contacts. The wide tires, high spoke count and all-steel frameset combine to form a really smooth ride, according to Chris.


All kinds of refinement has gone into the Surly LHT. For starters, there are THREE sets of fork braze-ons (fore and aft of the axle, and midway down the outside of the fork), two sets of seatstay braze-ons (one boss threaded all the way through providing two mounting holes, and plenty of other finesse items, including a bracket on the NDS Chainstay that holds a pair of extra spokes for those middle-of-nowhere roadside mishaps.


It was a quick ride in this morning with a total of four convoy riders. I don't think I've ever had 5 days in a row riding with more than one other person. This week has been awesome.


This is a crappy photo, but the motion blur really does emphasize the experience.


Hybridzilla did pretty well today, even with her gimpy shifter. The grip shift's ratcheting mechanism is all kinds of messed up. It's basically a friction shifter without any friction to hold it into a gear.


Here are some pics from last night. This is the original uncropped photo that I used in yesterday's evening post.




















Bikes at the drug testing lab across the street from where I live. These bike racks are ALWAYS empty. This is a first.


Not bike related at all. I just like it. Dora is batting at the gerbils through their glass cage. She's really cute.


The guy at the trek store told me about "The Dime Trick" to remove spline and ISIS cranks. The bottom bracket is hollow on this bike, so my crank puller doesn't have anything to press against. The end result is that I had a mushroomed dime stuck in the hollow bottom bracket and my cranks were STILL stuck on the bike. I eventually devised a solution to remove them.


Random Tunage:
Milky - Be My World
Notorious B.I.G. Ft. Puff Daddy - Mo Money Mo Problems

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 4: Another round trip

I've gotta jet. No, really. I need sleep.


I took that over my shoulder on SW Blvd while riding at about 20 MPH. I can't believe it stayed in focus as well as it did. Flight fascinates me. And riding a bike, I think, is the closest I'll get to flying while staying on the ground.

I only have time for highlights.

• Another full round trip convoy. Karen was waiting for me when I got to the brewery.
• The bike racks at the drug testing lab across the street from my apartment had bikes (two of them!). This is a first as far as I've ever seen.
• Now Hybridzilla is on the fritz. These cheapo grip shifters suck. XTR Replacements? :P

I'll upload more pics tomorrow.

Miles today: 30
Miles this week: 150
Miles for May: 354
Miles this year: 1,347

Random Tunage:
Kevin Saunderson - Powerbass
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 4: A New Beginning

Not really. Just a different bike, but it felt good to ride something that didn't sound as if it were falling to pieces.

I didn't get much sleep last night, so combined with this week's mile-fest, I had a lot of trouble getting any momentum this morning. I didn't have time for a proper breakfast, so I lashed a pair of bananas onto my rear rack along with my clothes.

Hybridzilla's rear rack is seatpost-mounted and doesn't have a good way to hold my panniers while keeping them out of the spokes. I had to wear a backpack, but I loaded as much stuff as I could onto the rack with its integrated tie-down bungees.

Hybridzilla's treadless slick tires really do roll almost as well as my road bike's narrow tires. I'm constantly amazed at how well behaved this bike is for the mere pittance I've spent on it so far. If I didn't have to carry a backpack when commuting on it, I'd probably use it more often. Unfortunately, buying another cargo rack and set of fenders is an expenditure for a later time. This bike is pretty minimalistic, and I like that.

Look Maww! No Hands!


Approaching 79th and Quivira, I saw John C's tail strobe. Already ravenous, I started working on a banana while watching Karen's LED headlight glisten over the hill near Monrovia, still a minute or two away. Karen wheeled through the intersection. John and I followed along. I was still munching. Somewhere along Nieman, I found a storm drain, where I jettisoned the banana carcass.

I managed 42.8 MPH on Hybridzilla down the 67th street hill. This high-cadence endeavor actually woke my legs up quite a bit, and made the rest of the ride seem a bit easier. As slow as I thought I'd be, we made good time. It's been nice having a daily convoy all week.


I was alone at *$ this morning for a while. Eventually, Lorin and JR showed up. Here's Hybridzilla, all geared up. The second banana is still strapped to the rear rack.


Bungees cause hell on bananas.


Random Tunage:
Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (Pump Mix)
POB - Boiler (Humate Remix)

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 3: Finally Over

It's been a long day, with some odd results.

Here's what the plan was (kinda)

I had a meeting at the Central KCMO Library at 6:00 PM. I get out of work around 4:00 PM. Rather than go home and drive back downtown, I got my wonderful wife to let me kick it in KCMO for a few extra hours.

I figured since I was going to miss the memorial ride of silence, I could at least go down and see Family Bicycles and maybe put a few miles on the trolley track trail, and stop by the refreshment booth Family Bikes set up. Without knowing a solid route, I took Jeff's advice and just used the MAX.

Here's where I got sneaky. I saw the L bus, which I occasionally take to get back home. I haven't ridden it in about a month. I swung by and asked the driver for a transfer, then quickly darted back off the bus without even pretending I was going to ride it. I have a monthly pass for The JO, and The JO transfers are good for a free ride on any metro bus. I could have ridden the L bus to Union Station, but I could beat it there and in the process cut almost 45 minutes off of my trip to Family Bikes.



For what it's worth, I did make my intentions clear to the bus driver before asking for the transfer.

I got to Union Station JUST in time to see the MAX pull out. I decided I'd race it to the next stop. Upon reaching the stop, my panniers jammed against my fender, and my rear fender hit my wheel, bent up, buckled, and locked my rear wheel up. Without delay, I cyclocross-carried The Twelve, ran to the MAX, and racked it up on the front of the bus. I'd assess the situation once I got down to Waldo.

I inverted my bike on the side of the road and got the fender un-mangled, but still not properly attached. I walked the bike to the Family Bikes refreshment station, and asked where the main shop is. About 1/10 mile down the road. I walked my bike to the shop, and was greeted by Theresa, Bruce and Kat. Theresa and Bruce know me from the Bike Week committee. I also saw another cyclist I know, who occasionally rides with my Monday crew. Kat had all but sold him on a Dahon folding full-size mountain bike by the time I was leaving.
Meanwhile, Bruce gave me some hardware to re-attach the mounting bracket for my fenders, and let me use a pair of channel-locks to bend things back into some kind of workable shape.


No folding bikes shown, this is mostly redline and surly stuff. Family has a TON of accessories, most of which are geared towards beginners and commuters.


I lost track of time and missed the Northbound MAX to get to my meeting. There are two "flavors" of MAX. One goes to the Plaza and turns around. Every SECOND bus comes out to Waldo. In other words, if I could get to the Plaza, I could catch a MAX bus to get me to the Library quicker.

I followed the Trolley Track trail for a few miles.


After that, despite Jeff's advice to steer clear of Brookside Blvd, I rode Brookside all the way into the plaza where I found a bus that had just stopped.


Here's the American Century building (one of two). Yes, I black and whited it.


Come on, hurry up!


At the library at last!


Riding home after 7:00 PM, my commute has a completely different... timbre. It's not just a feeling. It's a shift of ambiance and attitude.


I HAD to stop and take a picture of this duckling. Then, I had to restrain myself from throttling a pair of evil Canada Geese for the transgressions of their foul-feathered relative in Springfield, MO a few weeks ago.


I swung by Trek Store to see what the Bottom Bracket situation was going to cost me. They say for $15 they'll take the thing apart and lube it up to see if that helps. I kind of told the guy to piss off. But I wasn't quite that mean. I can take the thing apart myself and re-lube it. Duh. If that fails, I'll probably go somewhere else to buy a replacement bottom bracket.

This red light means that my DiNotte has been running more than 3 hours and is on "Limp-Home" mode. It certainly was a nice day for some extra miles. Quivira (shown below) is really nice after 8:00 PM.


So, this ends another day. The Twelve? Well, she's in the dog house for a few days after what she's put me through this week so far. Hybridzilla came down and got geared up for the morning ride in, and The Twelve joins my wife's Townie on the wall. This is where bikes go when they won't be ridden for a while.


Miles today: 40
This week: 120
May so far: 324

PS: I'm only 4 miles from the most miles I've had in a month this year, and I think I'm on course to clear 600 miles pretty easily this month.

Related:
All of 2007's Bike To Work Week posts (I think I've come a long way since then)
All of 2008's Bike Week posts so far

Random Tunage:
Third Eye Blind - How's it gonna be?
Ian Van Dahl - Will I

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 3: Press Conference

Mayor Funkhouser made a press conference today stating his intentions to make KC a League Of American Bicyclists Platinum-level community by the year 2020. Along side him were various staff members of his, plus the mayor of Shawnee, KS.

We showed up en masse to show our support. I got to hang out with Jason Preu (who got interviewed by a KC Star reporter), and got some JimmyJohn's on the way back to the office. Other friends of mine were also present, including Eric Rogers and Mr. Dahon.

Gallery below.

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 3: Pain & Broken Stuff

You've gotta love broken stuff.

Monday morning, a slight creaking noise manifested itself on The Twelve. I feared it was the bottom bracket going out. Monday evening, I found that my cargo rack was loose and I tightened it up. It didn't fix the noises, though.

Yesterday, the noise was more prominent. It's definitely the bottom bracket. It's shot. Furthermore, my panniers are also in a state of disrepair. I'm going to need a new set soon. I'm tired of taking these to the tailor to get re-stitched. Lastly, I'm really going to need some more padded liners if I am going to keep up this riding 30 miles a day business.

I only took The Twelve out today because I think I might need fenders for the homeward commute. Tomorrow, I'll probably bring Hybridzilla out. Once I get paid, I might try to accumulate a few bikey things that I need. All combined, that stuff would cost less than a few tanks of gasoline, with the panniers being the most expensive piece of the puzzle. The ones I have would still work for light-duty stuff. Maybe my wife can use them when she starts riding more. Who knows?

If anyone tells you that bike commuting has the advantage of being a mostly one-time expenditure that offers virtually free transportation reliably, call them onto the carpet. Granted, even with repairs, bike commuting is often cheaper than just paying for gasoline in your car -- not counting the expensive car repairs and maintenance you're sure to need. Bicycles are machines. They're prone to wear and occasional failure. Bike commuters need to have a plan B. It's a good idea to carry cash for a bus or taxi fare, a cell phone and a friend or family member to help you out, and/or some tools for roadside repairs.

It was another Convoy this morning with John C and Karen. I took this coasting down 67th street at 31 MPH with both hands stabilizing the camera. Scary.


Bike commuters with a sunset backdrop on Merriam Lane approaching Lamar.


Dude. The House of ROCKS. You want gravel? Huge slabs of granite? A four-ton limestone boulder? This is the place for you. Watch out for the snakes catching rays in the morning, though. I can only imagine what the owner was thinking when he decided to start this business. "We'll sell ROCKS, man..."

He must have been stoned. Haha.


Lorin bussed in to KCMO and we all did our usual coffee thing at *$.

In other news, the city is tearing stuff up on 10th street for additional streetscape. This means a lane reduction, parking meter additions, and hopefully more bike parking?






As far as Pain goes, I'm about 100 miles in this week. Each morning, it's getting more and more difficult to get moving. I've been riding slower and slower, too. My body will eventually thank me for all this punishment, though.

Random Tunage:
Benjamin Bates - On My Feet
Amber - Anyway (Steve Porter Mix)

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 2: Bike Commuters!

More than a dozen bike commuters were counted today.

Ask anyone who is paying attention to cyclists in Johnson County, KS. Racks with stuff bungeed down, big backpacks and panniers are not terribly common around these parts. Closer to downtown? That's a different story. Just tooling around JoCo, however, the cyclists were out in droves. Much like my convoy denizens, they came in all flavors. I saw plain clothes riders with bungee-attached loads and seatpost-racks on barely-ridden discount store mountain bikes. I got passed by fixie riders in team kits. I saw recumbent riders with oddly-rigged cargo hauling solutions in place. And there was no shortage of all kinds of road bike riders carrying stuff around, including one gram-counting racer carrying his work gadgets in one of those makeshift nylon-bag-and-cord "backpacks" you get from vendors at trade shows.

This is to say nothing of the usual fare of wanna-be-fast riders that were carrying nothing but could still possibly be commuting by bike.

I was flagging by mid-morning, and kicked things off with a huge Red Bull.


Deb Ridgway gave away these cool pouches made of recycled inner tubes last night.


I can has sinkhole? Good lord, this thing could swallow a Yugo!


Messing around up on the train bridge over SW Blvd. This place makes tasty, delectable beer. In fact, I'm drinking one as I post this.


More camera goofiness.


Sorry, didn't get any other pictures. There was a lot of wind, and I really just wanted to get home. Sadly, I had some driving to do once I got home, and from within my steel and glass cage, I saw most of the aforementioned cyclists.

Random Tunage:
Gravity Kills - Guilty
Orbital - Desert Storm

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 2: Convoy Of Three

I met John C and Karen at 79th and Quivira this morning, and we started our journey with a crosswind for most of the trip.


No sign of Lorin, and John had to move along to work. I saw JR at Coffee Girls and hung out for a bit. With the clouds moving in, I couldn't stay long. It's supposed to rain today.

I slogged up Baltimore for the first time in at least half a year. I've been using Main to get into the Downtown Loop since they took the Baltimore bridge out over I-670. This gave me a better angle at Barkley's HQ, the old TWA building. I didn't realize until recently that Barkley actually re-fabricated the TWA Moonliner. It looks exactly like the original, as far as I can tell from grainy historic photographs.


An interesting cliff off the back of Bartle Hall.


Cloudy backdrop of the west side of the Downtown Loop skyline.


Random Tunage:
Accuface - Journey Into Sound
Inkfish - Eye Am

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 1: Evening Commute & Casa Paloma Ride

Snagged a quick sammich from Jimmy John's for Lunch


The homeward commute was interesting. We had 4 of our original 5. Dean, a fellow bike commuter, latched onto the back of us for a while. We saw Cory on his singlespeed IRO (and damn, he's fast) and two other quick, club-kitted bike commuters, who passed us while we were gathering by the brewery.






Chris still had about 10 miles left to ride after we got back to the Lenexa checkpoint. I watched his bike (and took some pics) while he was picking up some more fuel for the road.


Clem's dashboard complete with homebrew camera mount.


The Dinotte 140R is bright.


My dash.


Casa Paloma ride.


Finally got to meet Chuong


















Mexican Recovery Food


Random Tunage:
Nine Inch Nails - March Of The Pigs
Hybrid - Finished Symphony

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 1: Morning Convoy!

I woke up a bit earlier this morning than usual, as I had made arrangements to meet with a reporter from NBC Action News (KSHB 41 in KC) at about 5:30. I got all my stuff together last night, so all I had to do was throw some clothes on, make a fresh batch of pressed coffee, and roll out.

It was a nippy 43°F this morning, but my cargo pants plus a long sleeve thermal shirt under a t-shirt provided perfect insulation. I rolled up to the news van just in time to see Lorin approaching. We talked to the news crew for a bit, then I recorded an interview. As more commuters started showing up, we did a live broadcast complete with close-ups of some of our commuting gear and another mini-interview. I made sure that it was clear that our Lenexa convoy was a weekly event. Maybe we'll get more of a following this year.

We had to make a few superfluous roll-by passes of the camera so they could get footage of us all on the road, decked out in reflective gear and das blinkenlichten. After that, the five of us were workbound!

Northbound on Nieman


Waiting at Mission Road and SW Blvd for our left turn light.


Riding through northern KCK


One of the iconic grain elevators near Rainbow.


Lorin, John and I met JR at Coffee Girls this morning. Change things up a bit.


The sun is up as early as ever. The downtown skyline glistens in the morning sun.


Random Tunage:
De Nuit - Love You Down (cover)
Peaches - AA XXX

Ready... Set...

GO!

Today was the official kickoff of Bike Week in Kansas City. I am not really partaking in the events this weekend because of how crazy things are right now, but I'm stoked about Monday's commuter convoys and all the other events. Many thanks to the volunteers who stepped up to make this Kansas City's most extensive Bike Week so far.

It looks like my convoy might get a few seconds on a local news channel (KSHB-41) so set your TiVO or wake up early and watch their morning news. You might just see us!

Speaking of media attention, one of KCTV 5's crew is taking the bike challenge, riding and writing. Check out Amanda's Bike Blog. Thanks for the tip, Eric.

I just got done pulling the photos off of my camera from Friday's homeward commute. I didn't take many good ones, but this one just popped out at me. Its completely non-manipulated (aside from scaling it down, and I have the 5MP RAW if you want it).


(Canon PowerShot A530, RAW, f/3.5, shutter 1/200, ISO 100)

I'd normally crop it, probably to 16x9 and get rid of part of the tree trunk to the left, but I wanted to show it as is. I don't know why, but it seems surreal and the fence almost looks photoshopped into the scene. It's not a particularly breathtaking photo, but it really caught my eye.

Friday's homeward commute was just me by myself at a pretty solid pace. I had my first vocal interaction with a displeased motorist this year on Southwest/Merriam coming toward Antioch. Some teens in a riced-out Acura Integra (you know, lowered, big spoiler, huge noisy exhaust cannon, and thumping stereo system) passed me, and the passenger called me something unintelligible. What was funny is that they were at the tail end of some traffic that had to slow down in my wake while oncoming cars made passing unsafe. Ergo, I was holding the line of cars up (at 25 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, oh the horror).

What they did NOT bank on is the fact that I had a nice 8 MPH tailwind and the particular section of road we were on is nice and level. This makes speeds exceeding 40 MPH possible -- but only in short, sprinty bursts since I'm still just a fat man on a bike. With the punks stranded behind cars going a smidge under the speed limit, I hammered, and hammered some more. I wasn't going to do anything other than hang onto them at a safe enough distance to shut down if they did something mean. The passenger -- with eyes as big as saucers -- was turned around staring at me. Then, the driver freaked out and passed 4 cars illegally in a no-passing zone.

Stupid kids. Bikes aren't always the 5mph sidewalk-mobiles you remember as a toddler.

Random Tunage:
Paul Van Dyk - Face To Face (Piano Mix)
Nine Inch Nails - 10 miles high

A tale of rain and road rash

I thought I saw Karen pull out behind me as I rode through 79th. A pale blue single LED or HID light was visible for a moment, but the light vanished. Up Quivira to 75th, then over to Nieman, I saw the light behind me once again as I rode north. Karen shouted at me. I waited for her to get through the light. Next to her, four police cruisers were stopped with officers on weapons and using cars for cover. Karen spoke with the officers for a moment while waiting for the light. I guess someone broke in to steal cigarettes and the officers were clearing the building, concerned there was a second perp. Eeeh. I figure the felons would have tried activating the gas pumps to steal gas the way the price jumped overnight.

Sorry it's blurry. 3.639 for Regular 87 Octane. This is a 19 cent increase over yesterday. I don't know whether to grin or shudder. That's a lie. I'm still shuddering, but between the fuel crunch and cramped space on commuter buses, I realize I might start seeing more bike commuters.


I didn't get any other workbound photos. It started raining on us soon after we got on Merriam Lane.

On final approach to the coffee shop, I rode over a wet manhole cover and the bike went down. It's fine, but I dragged my leg across the blacktop and through the wonderful road grime containing all sorts of delectable contaminants. You can't see it, but there's about 3 square inches of epidermis missing around the scrapes. Fresh meat:


In praise of Tegaderm. I tried various "moist" wound dressings last time I had road rash. The Hydrocolloid dressings did work, but I had better luck with the breathable 3M Tegaderm than anything else.


Tegaderm is the exact same thing that many hospitals use to cover IV insertion points. It's sticky, but doesn't stick to the wound or to fresh skin. It seals in moisture while still allowing air to get to the skin. You can wear it for days and days at a time. If you're careful, it even lasts through a shower or two. The printed label on the bottom of the dressing is made of medical tape. It's for use in hospital situations so that the dressing's application date can be noted.


Peeling the backing off reveals a paper frame around a clear, sticky membrane.


The wound is centered in the frame...


Then the edges are firmly applied, taking care to smooth the wound dressing and avoid sharp creases and wrinkles.


Once the paper frame is removed, only the clear membrane remains. This allows the wound to heal quickly and without scabbing. Fresh, pink skin will probably start showing up under this bandage by tomorrow morning.


At coffee, John showed up along with JR and Lorin. John occasionally commutes by bike but usually by bus. John, Lorin, Karen, Chris, and at least one more rider are on-board for Monday's Bike Commuter Convoy. It sounds like it's almost certain that we'll get TV news coverage. So far, we have a convoy of six.

Random Tunage:
A-Ha - Take On Me
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt

Preparing for Bike Week

Among work, my wife's medical problems and other stuff going on, I'm also preparing for Bike Week, specifically, the commuter convoy.

It looks like one or two of the convoys might even get a quick blurb (or something, maybe more) from a local news station. Although not a lot of people have actually RSVP'd for the convoys, Eric has been sending out mail to people who have signed up for our Kansas City Car-Free challenge. I'm hoping our volunteers get a few extra that just show up.

There are a multitude of reasons to commute by bike. Many of them you can't discover in a week of riding to work. Others, you can't discover for at least a month. To this day -- now almost 2 years into my adventures of bike commuting -- I still notice things and gain an appreciation for things that I wouldn't ever know of had it not been for riding a bike as much as I have.

So, do it for fun. Do it to stick it to the oil execs or terrorists. Do it for the environment. Do it for your health or for the air your childen breathe. Do it for being able to say "hi" to passersby on the sidewalk on their morning jog or dog walk, or even just to clear your mind a bit before and after work. Give it a shot next week, at least once.

And, if you're reading this, you're probably either a bicycle commuter or considering it. Tell your friends and co-workers. Offer to ride in with them.

It was a bit of a camera-free hammerfest on the way home, but here's some stuff from this morning.

Craziness

I have to go to the data center tomorrow morning. I already have a route picked out.

We're racing our pinewood derby cars. I spent a while with some of my cow-orkers doing final assembly.


This is one of our three cars. It adheres to all the BSA specifications, too. It's supposed to be the pacer from Wayne's World.


I took this over lunch. Yes, it's manipulated. I recently installed the CHDK Firmware Hack on my Canon PowerShot A530. This was originally shot in RAW. I'm loving the flexibility and clarity you get with RAW format. I also like the fine-tuning and on-camera scripting ability that the CHDK Allbest package affords the user.


More springtime evidence from the homeward. I racked up about 30 miles today.








We'll see how the weather holds up overnight. If it's nice enough, I'm riding the route to the data center. Otherwise, I need to use three different buses to get out there. I'm not looking forward to that.

Oh yeah. Not that it matters to anyone that reads, but I got my promotion today, after 1 year and exactly 4 months. I guess my commute isn't going to change any time soon. On a side note, I've never ever held the same position more than 2 years since I started working. I either get a promotion, quit, or get laid off before the two year point. At the college, I had 4 different titles over the course of eight years.

Faux Toes

Yesterday Morning





Standing room only. After I took this, one more person got on.


Lorin's bike. My Bike. Bob's bike (which is the same model as Lorin's but newer)


Lunch Yesterday:


The communal dog poop repository. It seems all the loft dwellers in the area come to this small patch of green space to let their dogs do their business. Mushrooms will be growing here in a few weeks.


Last night as I left, I saw... Another bicycle. A real bicycle. The first one I've ever seen other than one of my own. Occasionally, there's a 125cc scooter locked up, but this is the first time I've actually seen another bicycle. The Gas Crunch is on. I can smell it (isn't that called huffing?)

This is a Schwinn Point Beach. I'm still torn on what I think about it.


The following photos are from the ride home. I took the bus to 87th and Antioch. Karen was also on the bus. These are pictures of the most treacherous part of the newish Single Point Urban Interchange at 87th and US-69/I-35. Traffic is insanely fast through here, as people rush to zip through, often in excess of 55 MPH (45 MPH limit). This forces cyclists to the sidewalk for a brief stretch of road, as the outer lane is narrow, right turns are frequent and traffic is hurried. Anti-sidewalk people? You can bite me until you try to negotiate this yourselves in rush hour. You just have to be careful, and take a pedestrian mindset for a few blocks. There is an on-road route across the highway at the cost of about 2 miles. I'm just lazy.

The crosswalk is not visible to cars getting ready to enter the highway. It's around the curve a ways. Motorists cannot see pedestrians waiting to cross. Furthermore, no yellow crosswalk signage, traffic signals or any other hints of a crosswalk exist to raise the guard of motorists.


The crossing is perpendicular to traffic, which is why it goes around the corner. Unfortunately, this cloverleaf-style highway entrance ramp descends rapidly, so the crosswalk is also low.


As you can see, there are no traffic signals nor crosswalk lights here. This is a serious flaw of traffic engineering if you ask me.




As a pedestrian, you can't tell if a car is coming until it's too late because of the descent and blind curve. Motorists often negotiate this ramp at 50 miles per hour. Again, they have no clue a crosswalk awaits.


Ideally, this intersection would have a full red/yellow/green light activated by a crosswalk button (as seen in school zones), but this messy crosswalk should at least have a pentagon crosswalk sign and a yellow alternating flashing light to alert motorists to the potential of pedestrians. This is similar to how MUP crossings are handled in Merriam, KS at 67th street and on Merriam Lane.

This morning, I got to watch an awesome sunrise.








Hazy Crown Center skyline


The old building I still want to explore. No time this morning.




Downtown skyline at daybreak. It's getting brighter in the morning every day.


Random Tunage:
Peter Cetera - You're The Inspiration (solo cover - originally performed with Chicago)
Chumbawamba - Tubthumping

Mister Forgetful

I guess I can't go a week without forgetting something.  This morning was a bit on the crazy side, and I couldn't get out in time for a full commute.  It would have been a great morning for it, though.

I forgot my laptop power cord, so in the interest of saving some battery life, I'm posting this from email.  No pics or tunage this morning.

Gas prices must really be hitting people hard.  The first L bus out of town this morning was standing-room-only.  Usually, the bus would qualify as "full" with most bench seats holding two people.  A few of the bigger people usually get their own bench.  The back seat -- usually seating three -- had four occupants, and no one got their own bench.  No one.  Two riders were forced to stand. I haven't counted the number of seats on the 40" buses, but I am almost certain there were more than 50 people on the bus this morning, compared with an average of perhaps 35 a few months ago.

The nicest day this week

According to some, this will be the nicest day we see this week. It might be all downhill from here. We'll see.

I Got caught by a train on the way home.


On my way to the Monday night ride. 85th is still torn up.


Riders socialize while others gear up.


The last half of the Monday night riders.


Attack Of The Carneys.


It's not Cinco De Mayo without beer. Eeh. Corona is okay, I guess. Call it peer pressure. Oh, Hi Mark. And I think that's John hiding with the Colnago cap.


I haven't seen this house before.


It's got a built-in greenhouse. Not your usual suburban JoCo home.


I was losing serious daylight fast when I got home, so I played artsy fartsy photographer with what was left.






















Random Tunage:
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
Finger Eleven - One Thing

Weak-end stuff and Monday Miscellany

Weak-end stuff.

Our V6 Explorer needed gas this weak-end. We don't drive it much. I can't understand how my cow-orkers can bear to see this 3x per week:


Menorah Medical Center has a decent-sized wheelbender by the ER Entrance. Yes. Another trip to the ER.


Monday Miscelanny. I snapped this pic while waiting for the light to turn in my favor.


It was just Karen and I for the Monday Commuter Convoy. Next Monday's the big day, with the official KC Bike Week convoys. Temperatures were still in the 40s this morning. Hopefully they'll be warmer next week.

The TWA Rocket.


It sits atop the TWA building, adding some retro-cool flair to the neighborhood. I like it.


El Pocito Mexico. Just in time for Cinco De Mayo.


The Pitch office with whispy clouds and the KC Skyline.


It seems something is always under construction down here.


These little alleyways can be a real blessing for cyclists. All kinds of little traffic-free shortcuts await. Not always suitable for skinny tires, though. Some of this stuff is essentially urban singletrack.


Random Tunage:
Aria - One (Holy crap - relentless oontzing and thumping)
Dave Matthews Band - Ants Marching

Got wind?

The winds didn't let up one bit today. I didn't get much sleep last night (3 hours), but I was determined to make it to the Quivira Park group ride this morning. This is its first run in 2008, so I figured I would try to make it. I need miles right now.

I arrived at 7:00 sharp, with temperatures in the low 40s. One lone cyclist - Ed, the ride leader - was lapping the parking lot. We set off north into a 20-gusting-30 MPH head/crosswind out of the NW. No one else bothered showing up.

I feel kind of bad for arriving in the condition I did. I could tell I was holding Ed back quite a bit, particularly up the hills, and even moreso up hills when headwind was involved. I'd watch my speed drop down into single digit territory while Ed pushed onward. Eventually, he'd get far ahead of me and slow way down. Part of my slowness is the fact that I didn't get enough sleep. And I can go around blaming the wind all I want. At the end of the day, though, I'm just out of shape. My average speed for the entire ride was less than 13 MPH. The ride is marketed as a moderate to fast ride, which I'm sure means "16-20 MPH".

I cut off about 2 miles from the end and let Ed go onward at his own pace. Daily Dose had breakfast with my name on it, and I hadn't eaten yet. It was nice to meet Ed. I'm surprised I haven't run into him before. Wish I could have talked more, but I was too busy gasping for air.

So, what I took away from today:

1. Get more than 3 hours of sleep before a 20+ mile ride.
2. Eat breakfast before a 20+ mile ride.
3. Ride more
4. Try to lose some weight
5. Quit being such a wimp

So, after a 24 mile ride, a cinnamon roll, some coffee, a shower, and a nap, I got to go to the pharmacy and pay rent (also on bike) giving me a little more than 27 miles total today. No pics. Awww.

Random Tunage:
Binary Finary - 1999 (Kay Cee Remix)
Taffy - I Love My Radio

I lied. Never a dull moment.

You know me. I just can't stay still. I have to ride, and every ride is seemingly some kind of adventure. If I'm not mercilessly annihilating my rolling stock or breaking something else with my golden crowbar sandbox antics, I'm out taking pictures or being a huge nerd.

See, I figured that I'd pass the day complacently nestled within the confines of my 8' x 8' cubicle, then swing aroud to the bus when I got done working, then probably go home to get my car. I almost always get my car for my First-Friday geek exploits. My friends often have other things lined up.

Well, all that went out the window when I decided to go for a lunch-time ride in the west bottoms, a blighted industrial area. Yes, more history-steeped midwest goodness. So much history, in fact, that I wouldn't even know where to begin. I could probably write a paragraph or two on every photo I took out there. I'll spare you. Enjoy.



























You can't see it but my bike is alllll the way by the stop sign. This might give you an idea of how huge this overpass is. And I'm still 40 feet off the ground below. This is a funky two-level bridge.


Let me zoom in on that for you.








Testing the limits of my digital zoom, in KC's hazy atmosphere, this is the outline of the roller coasters of Worlds Of Fun from 7.5 miles away.


Airplane taxiing (Taxing? Taxeeeying?) at Wheeler Airport.









I wound down the night after the Mall at Applebee's with my friends. It's riding distance from the Maul and practically on my way home. Didn't need to get the car at all. It was a great night.



Random Tunage:
Robert Nickson - Encounter
Armin Van Buuren - Going Wrong

Nothing can prepare you for...

... THE MAUL!

First Friday of the month. Time to geek out. That's right, emo kids. We are taking your precious Oak Pork Maul by storm again this evening. Warning: annoying sound on that link. And judging from the Favicon, it appears to be served by Lotus Notes (a.k.a. Bloated Goats or simply Bloatus), which I loathe with a fierce passion.

Not much in the way of photos this morning. Tornadic cells popped up all over town around dusk. As those storms moved out, another big cell from the southwest brought insane straight-line winds in excess of 80 MPH through the area in the wee hours. Left toppled in its wake are countless trees, newspaper dispensers, trash cans and anything else that weighed less than 150 pounds and wasn't bolted down (and some things that were). At 6:00 this morning, the pavement was soggy. The air was thick with humidity. The air was completely and totally still. I had a really fast ride to the bus stop.

I have too much going on today to make the full ride, but the bus works. Lorin brought his best Tony Robbins impersonation to coffee this morning. Just... wow. There won't likely be anything worth mentioning this evening, but maybe I'll have something this weekend to talk about.

I just got word that the Quivira Park Rides are starting back up. This is a weekly ride on Saturday mornings with a fixed route of about 24 miles. The start/end point is about 5 miles due south of my apartment. I have ridden this route with Tim a time or two, but never with the actual Quivira Park guys. I may try this in the morning. Pics will follow if I do. I really need to get some miles this month. As much as I would love to rack up 100+ miles this weekend, I am a wimp that's nowhere near ready for any of Dave's crazy training rides.

Peace out. Have a good weekend.

Random Tunage:
White Zombie - Blur the Technicolor
Hybrid - Dreaming Your Dreams

Another whimsical musical musing... Hybrid is just great. If you haven't heard them or heard of them, give then a listen. It's ambient breakbeat electronic music backdropped with a full orchestra. Pretty sweet stuff.

The multi-sport commuting obstacle course

First event: Bicycling!

I rolled out into crazy headwind after work. I coasted down Broadway, took off down Southwest Boulevard, and got a ways past the brewery when the sidewall blew out on my front tire.

Now, the sidewall's been ailing for a while. I got this bike a year ago today), and this is the original factory front tire. For a while, my brake pad was rubbing the sidewall. I've been keeping my eye on it, and meaning to pick up a new Bonti hard case tire like the one that's remained trouble free on the rear wheel for many months. I guess I just didn't replace it in time. Not sure what finally triggered the inner tube failure. I was on flat, smooth pavement and not hitting the brakes. It just went PFFFF! Pfff-pff-pff and was flat.



Second Event: Bicycle Hiking. Also known as "The Walk Of Shame"
About 3 miles from my tire failure sits the closest reliable stop for the Dreaded Bus. So begins the Bicycle Hiking. I walked. And walked. And walked some more.


I had more than enough time to make it to the bus stop. I took my time. Took some pictures. I even posed my bike as if everything were hunky-dory.

IRS Facility's parking garage security gates. These have nothing on my data center's entry ritual.


Skyline from the IRS Building. You can see clouds forming.




Looking to the east towards the northern part of Crown Center. The Link (skywalk connecting Crown Center and Union Station) and the Union Station Fountain are visible.


Union Station.


I think this is the main Kansas City Post Office. Not positive, though.


Next Event: Bus Riding.
Not much to say about this one. I took the bus a few miles to get me within walking distance to The Trek Store. Then, Another Hike Of Shame. About 3/4 mile worth.

Fourth Event: Fixing a tire.
I picked up my new tire and a new inner tube, then went to work fixing it myself right there in the shop.


With all that out of the way, it was time to hit the road. Lots of weather bubbling up. Major props to New Media Meteorologist Ed Roberts and the Kansas City Weather Podcast for keeping me and so many others in the loop via live chat. I really appreciate it.














Random Tunage:
Eiffel 65- Europop
Bryan Adams - Heaven

May Day! May Day!

... or should I say "commando day!"

I rarely forget any garments. Occasionally, I'll forget a cell phone or my camera. Rarely clothing, though. Unfortunately, I managed to leave behind the one thing I don't have a spare of. I actually used to, but I... well, never mind.

So. How 'Bout them Royals? Okay, enough dilly-dallying.

It's been getting bright in a hurry in the mornings, but I still get to watch the sun rise from a totally dark sky. Leaving my abode in to the stygian void will only last a few more weeks.


The ride in was a bit of work. The wind often worked in my favor but coming in from Wyandotte County, it turned into a nasty head/crosswind. Once I got downtown, I'm not sure what came over me. Okay, the desire to switch my route up and get pictures from other parts of town came over me. They overrode basic instinct and rationality. I slogged (quite literally) up Summit. Summit has some sections that are easily 20% grade, with a total elevation gain of more than 200 feet in under a mile. On a loaded-up mule such as My Twelve, this is a formidable climb, even though you can't tell from the photo.


There is a lot of really interesting architecture in Westside. Some of it's pretty quaint and classic while there are some newer buildings with more modern and eclectic designs.








Some photos overlooking KC and Crown Center from 16th and Jefferson in Westside.






The Muehlebach Hotel is another part of Kansas City with some interesting history.


One Kansas City Place is officially the tallest structure in the region. It was just being finished when my family moved here from rural Nebraska.


I saw Karen and a few other bike commuters out this morning. As usual, I sipped my morning dose of caffeine with Lorin and JR. It's definitely getting to be bikey out.

Random Tunage:
Lisa Loeb - How (a spine chiller, I really enjoyed Lisa Loeb when she was popular)
Shakta - Lepton Head