I got my bike!

Pics tomorrow...

I picked up my Trek 1200 today. My financing was approved for more than enough to buy the whole bike almost twice, so I splurged a bit (read: went into more debt than originally planned) on accessories and did it right.

Rear pannier-compatible rack. Let's face it, a bike like this doesn't deserve a seat-post mount rack.

NiteRider Evolution Smart light. With higher speeds comes the need to see further ahead. This is a great light from what I've seen so far.

Shimano SPD pedals. Yes, the double sided mountain bike pedals like what I have on my hybrid.

Bottle cage, in silver. Because I need hydration and my bookbag doesn't agree with camelbak. Maybe a set of panniers to go on my new rear rack is in the future.

Another Trek Incite 6i computer. Although, all I'm really using is the mounting bracket. The 6i has the ability to switch between two wheel sizes, so I'll just use one of the computers and swap it between bikes.

I haven't had much time to ride it. Today was crazy, as I also sold off my wife's old van that's been sitting around for way too long. Looks like rain and bad weather is in the forecast for the next few days. I'm not going to let a little water stop me from enjoying my bike, though!

Escort SOLD! Road bike, coming soon

I sold my Escort to a long-time friend and occasional commenter to this blog, whose current main mode of transportation is an inefficient-yet-handy GMC pickup. I isolated the source of the noise I was hearing from the engine and it was just a loose bolt holding a pulley. As it turns out, the clutch really was the only major thing wrong and I'm already prepared to help fix that up.

Today, while I was picking up my spare spokes, I checked the bike shop to see if the used Trek 1000 was still around. I didn't bother asking, but it wasn't visible. Since the Orange Trek 1000 was a wash, I went ahead and put a down payment on the closeout Trek 1200 today, instead. Effectively, I've put it on layaway. They also told me about interest-free financing for up to 2 years. After that, you get hit with uber-heavy interest rates. I basically put 40% down on the bike once you count taxes. Depending on our whole moving plan, I could have my 1200 paid off in a month or maybe two. If the financing goes through, I'll have my bike on Monday and be paying on it for a couple of months. If financing doesn't go through, I'll still be paying on it for a couple of months, and I'll get it when I've paid it in full.

Just to make sure it's the bike for me, they went ahead and fitted the bike to me, had me give it the initial shakedown run, and all that good stuff. Everything is so precise that it almost feels twitchy, but in a good way. It's also darn quick, very light, and a very different kind of fun than I'm used to having on a bike. I didn't get to put much more than a mile on it today testing it out. I'll be thankful for the triple crank once I find some hills. The gearing is really, really tall.

So much for the warm-up!

It actually dropped in temperature today while I was at work, or at least it seems like it did. My forecast showed partly cloudy today with temps in the high 60's. When I got out of work it was about 48, still overcast and here I am in mountain bike shorts.

Definitely not a fun ride home. I also had to ride though some mud, which got my tires and shoes pretty dirty.

Oh yah. Tomorrow is supposed to bring more rain. Freaking great. Somehow, Saturday is supposed to be awesome. Let's just hope Indian Creek didn't wash out the trail.

I may be selling my car at a discount to a friend of mine who lacks a fuel-efficient vehicle for getting around town. He definitely has more use for it than I do right now. I'm not banking on anything, but it would be kind of cool to keep it in the circle of friends. I'll probably get to wrench on it a few more times, at least. :)

If it works out, I will probably try to get my road bike soon. It's just a matter of what's out there. I've been convinced by the masses that I don't need a beater bike and that with proper locking, I should be safe while I'm at work. The area isn't that bad.

This weekend should be fun. My wife and I are going fishing and probably going to brush up on our shotgun skills with some trap shooting. Yee Haw.

Road Bike Quest - The Update

Things just aren't going well for me. Here's why:

• My car hasn't been sold, nor traded yet. Some of this is probably my own fault, it seems I rarely have time after work to try to get people out here to look at it.
• Human Resources and Property Management told me that I absolutely may not bring my bike into the building. This includes stairwells, storage closets, my own cubicle, or the access-card-controlled elevator lobbies in the parking garage. They said that they've had similar requests in the past and if they granted me an exception, they'd have to let everyone bring their bikes into the building. What? All three of us?
  
• I'm just getting discouraged and impatient.

That said, I'm re-thinking my strategy on this. Part of me really wants to believe that no one would mess with a nice, shiny road bike hiding in the parking garage that's supposedly "safe". I really, really want a nice snazzy bike to show off. The other part of me is thinking that I should get a cheapo beater road bike.

There's a Schwinn World Sport at my LBS. It's used, it's chromoly, and it's probably about as old as I am. Okay, maybe a few years younger. It's in rough shape. It's got 27" wheels, tires that are okay but not great, a nasty saddle, a rusty rear cluster and chain, missing a brake pad on the front, completely destroyed handlebar padding stuff, and it's just plain ugly. But it has a TON of potential. It fits me, it's dangerously fast but that's partially because it's unsafe at any speed without front brakes, and it is almost identical to the road bike I had when I was in middle school, except bigger.

If I got it, I'd immediately replace the saddle, chain, cables and brakes, and I'd throw clipless pedals on it and see how everything holds up. If it stays together nicely, I'd eventually want to splurge for 700c wheels, and I'd probably re-paint it, flat black or some plain color that's not attention grabbing, but not the ugly beige color that's on it right now.

We'll see. I'm going to call up there tomorrow and see what Kevin wants for it. I still need to sell my car, but I think my cash might be better used refurbishing a beater that won't get stolen.

Today, while I was at JCCC, I decided it would be awfully fun to brush up on my skills in riding down flights of concrete stairs. That's what mountain bikes are for, right? I had a lot of fun playing around. I started with little 2-3 step drops, and worked my way up to conquering this little narrow stairway with about 8 steps. No, I didn't have anything other than my helmet on for protection, and yes, I had my bookbag, MacBook and all, on me while I played around. I go down some pretty steep dirt and grass hills, so I was confident that stairs were not going to present too much of a challenge. Concrete is a little less forgiving than grass, though.

What do you think? Old road bike? fix it up? Or should I go for a newer road bike, use it less often (maybe once a week or so) and hope security keeps the hood rats and bums away from my bike?

G'night!

Talk about posting late... I need to be in bed. GRR! Anyways, here we go.

Lunch: Thai. Chicken Pad Se Eu with plenty of Sriracha hot sauce. This sauce isn't really that hot, but it's really, really tasty and it adds a bit of heat to whatever you put it on. Great for adding flavor and heat to anything that's either tomato-based or already spicy. Sloppy joes, spaghetti, asian food, chili, you name it.

On the way home, I took Indian Creek Trail from JCCC. I do believe that I am actually the geekiest bike commuter in the world. You'd better get crack-a-lackin' if you wanna keep up with me, homeslice. I'm rollin on dub-six wire spokes, sportin the high-speed EV-DO internet connection with my MacBook. In Black. Boo-ya. Game over. Actually, I had to get online to ask my wife a question because she was at work without her cellphone.

Update on the new bike? Well, there's someone with a Giant TCR who would at least like to look at my car. I am waiting for more information (model year, frame size, etc) on that. Then there are about 3 other people who want to look at my car, but they'd be going the cash route, not trading it. Who knows. I know recent Giant TCRs are darn good bikes. I see a few on my monday night rides, and I'd trade my Escort for any of the ones I've seen. I'm trying to be patient, but it's hard.

What an evening

Still raining pretty hard on my way home, I was greeted with another surprise that was not of the welcome variety. I was almost home, when I heard a kind of grinding noise for about two pedal rotations and then BAM, my cranks became almost impossible to turn. I could turn them backwards, but they had a lot of resistant turning forward.

Disgruntled, I hopped off the bike and walked it through my parking lot and up to my apartment. I didn't even have the front door closed by the time my 'bar bag and lights were removed, and the bike got inverted.

Bottom bracket number two has left this world and passed on to a better place. This is seriously grating on me. This one didn't even last me a month. I don't have a crank puller, so I'll have to either take it to the shop, or go buy a crank puller. I should probably just buy the crank puller. Freaking unreal.

So, giving up on the Outlook for a while, I braved the rain-slicked highways in my Escort to take it to the guy who wanted to look at it. She held up great on the highway, even with the clutch. The guy wants to talk to his dad about my car first, as his dad will probably end up with my car. I need to go back up there tomorrow to see where he sits on this whole deal. As with anything on Craigslist, there are no promises worth relying on until you have cash or goods in your hand. The car's still for sale.

I had to go to the store just now, and I was astonished by what I saw. Flurries and rain. Together. What the deuce is going on? It's the middle of flippin' April! By the time I got out of the store, the rain was gone, leaving only really gooey, sticky flurries that turn to a thin layer of slush as they land on soaked, near-freezing surfaces. Children were going mad, trying to catch flurries on their tongues, and running around like it's winter all over again.

No road bike. Hybrid is down for the count. Looks like I break out the trusty mountain bike for a while.

A quick, informal poll: Where do you park it?

Where do you leave your bike while you're at work?

In your office/cubicle?
In a storage closet or indoor stairwell?
In the locker room?
Covered bicycle-specific parking (cage, bike rack, etc)?
Outdoor bicycle-specific parking?
Chained to whatever stationary object you can find?

Let me know. I have been talking to management and HR about the feasibility of parking indoors once I get my new bike.

Starting to sprinkle!

It's beginning to sprinkle this morning! I hope the rain clears up before my return trip.

After spending two days off my bike and getting plenty of sleep last night, I had no excuses. I pushed myself pretty hard (14.6 MPH Average) but not as hard as I did during last week's hammerfest. It felt pretty good to hammer up the hills. I didn't full-on mash it, standing out of the seat or anything, but I kept it in a higher gear than normal and just let my legs and lungs burst into flames, sparing neither cadence nor gearing to give them any reprieve. On the flats, I opened it up even further, making gratuitous use of my top two gearing combinations. I didn't hammer it on the flats as much as I did last week. I kept a quick pace going, though.

The weather forecast for this weekend looks pretty gloomy. I'm not sure where I'm going to get all my miles this month. My wife is off work today (and every Friday) and we have a lot of running around to do. I certainly won't be doing a lot of riding tonight, even if the weather's good. On the bright side, tonight might be the night I get my bike.

The blood is in the water, can you tell? I don't think I've been obsessed with anything this bad since *cough* someone pointed out a potentially unhealthy obsession with a certain coffee shop that shall remain anonymous. Heeheehee.

A little update

I had today off, but I didn't get to enjoy the nice weather. I was too busy running around trying to raise funds by selling stuff that I own.

Why don't I have my road bike yet? Well, a few reasons.

1) Nick, the guy who's thinking of trading me a bike for a car, has a pretty funky schedule.
2) I'm kind of holding out to see if my Escort will sell so I can get a Trek 1200 instead of the 1000.

Nick wasn't there when I took my car up to the bike shop Wednesday night. I went in there today (details below) and Nick had one foot out the door. I may go again tomorrow, hopefully I can catch him at a good time.

After talking to another bike shop (same company, different branch) I was convinced to look at a closeout Trek 1200 as well. I test rode that bike today and it's really nice. I hadn't actually ridden the Trek 1000 yet, so I went out to the other store today and also took it for a spin.

My initial reaction is that I really, really like road bikes. My next reaction is that I don't particularly care for the Trek 1000's Sora brifters. The thumb button thing basically requires you to retreat to the hoods when you're shifting. Minor downshifts on the RD can be performed in the drops, as can upshifting the FD. If you need to pick up the speed a bit, you have to move to the hoods to bump up a gear or two. With the Tiagra brifters on the 1200, I can pretty easily upshift or downshift from within the drops or over the hoods. On either bike, I think I might want to add some Cane Creek Crosstops. We'll see if I have any room for things like my handlebar bag, light, and cyclo-computer first.

My final reaction is that even though the 1200 is a better bike, it only came in one color scheme last year. While it's a nice looking bike, it's hard to beat the eye-grabbing Orange color. That's a really sharp looking bike.

About my other problem... last night, I went ahead and posted my Escort for sale for $750. That's about how much I'd need to pick up the Trek 1200, because it's on closeout pricing. I'm still kind of confused, but I think I might go for the 1000. It's a perfectly decent bike. Like any new bike, it'll take some getting used to, but I'm certain that it'll serve me very well.

Tomorrow looks like lots of rain again. It figures, since I spent a lot of time cleaning the drivetrain after Wednesday's grimy, wet commute.

I hate the rain.

Photo: 2006 Trek 1000 in the "Flare" (I believe) color scheme. Credit trekbikes.com.

It was 45 degrees and raining at a pretty good rate for my whole commute. I'm on the bus and my legs (in work pants) are completely soaked. My shoes are buckets of cold water that happen to have my feet within them, and I'm just not loving life right now. I know. Fenders, Shoe Covers, Rain Pants.

Other than whining about the weather, not much to report this morning about my ride in.

On my quest for a road bike, however, an exciting possibility has popped up. Hoping to find a good used road, touring, or 'cross bike, I visited three bike shops yesterday. Acme Bicycle Co. downtown didn't have anything in my size that I liked. With 54cm being my maximum size for a road bike (which would offer zero clearance), it's hard to find a used bike my size.

The second store I went to had a bright orange 2006 Trek 1000 as pictured above. Not only do I love the color, but it's 52cm, which I know is really what I should be riding on a road bike after getting sized up at the Trek Store on Monday.

It's exactly what I had in mind. I wasn't actually expecting to be able to get a Cross or Touring bike, but figured if someone had such a beast laying around that they no longer wanted, they might be willing to trade. Some interesting facts about this bike:

• It was purchased at this very same store around Christmas and returned not long ago. The buyer ended up not being into cycling.
  
• It is last year's model, which is completely indistinguishable from the 2007 since it's the same frame and components -- and offered in a color that's valid for 2007.
• It has less than 50 miles on it. I had a hard time telling it had been ridden until I saw a little grime in the crevices of the front fork.
• If I get it, the bike shop manager is willing to give me the store's "new bike" warranty, free labor and tune-ups for life. I can use the warranty at any branch of the shop.
  

Now for the kicker. He was asking about the same price for this bike as I expect to get out of my car. When I told him that, he seemed interested in my car... interested in trading it for this bike! The manager had no way of knowing that I'd been trying to trade it, and I wouldn't have even thought to ask if a bike shop would take a car for trade-in!

Anyhow, if I don't get any offers on my car today, I'll throw a battery in it and take it out to Nick at Bike America in Overland Park. If he's happy with it, then I have my new bike!

Gah! Woke up late!

30.6 miles yesterday should not have kicked my butt the way it did. Oh wait, maybe it was staying up until almost 1:30AM waiting for my clothes to get finished in the dryer.

I woke up a little after 7:00, far too late to catch the bus - even by car. I was reminded this morning why I absolutely hate traffic. It's the first time I've had to drive all the way to work since my face has healed.

I continue to get barraged with ridiculous, insulting offers of trades for my car. I think part of this is because a great many craigslist car hunters think that anything over $100 is a really, really nice bicycle whereas those of us who have seen the light know that $350-$400 is pretty much the "ground floor" for brand new adult bicycles. Old, good bikes can be found for $100 and up, but I'm pretty sure if I did find the bike I was looking for, even used, it would probably be going for $500 or more.

I went ahead and put a cash price on my car's posting. I'd actually accept less than what I'm asking, but I want people to see I'm serious on this, and I'm not looking to trade my car for a bike-shaped toy or a beater bike I could buy from Salvation Army for $35.

Wow...

Well, as to be expected, I've certainly gotten quite a few responses on Craigslist (as well as via email and replies to my previous post) about my desire to trade a car for a bicycle. I need to see for sure what kinds of bikes a few people have to offer, but of the ones I've seen, I'm not terribly tempted to trade yet. A recumbent exercise bike, a late 80's/Early 90's Centurion Ironman (not a bad bike, I'd imagine) and a cheap mountain bike have been offered so far.

At this rate I might just hawk the car for cash. I also have a van I'm trying to get rid of for my parents. Who knows? Maybe that will get me close to saving up for a decent bike.

Also, it looks like moving plans have been altered significantly. My wife and I are downright sick of where we're living. It used to be a somewhat exclusive, affluent community. Now, it's full of drunken college kids who party until 5am and litter the area with beer cans on a weekly basis, entire echelons of non-english-speaking labor workers (who pack in between nine and twelve people per apartment, stay for 6 months, then leave) and jerks that don't clean up after their dogs' messes.

I'm talking about a pit bull terrier, not a chihuaha. And yes, it's a purebred pit that's leaving the piles. I honestly don't mind pit bulls, and this one is a nice dog. The owners leave something to be desired, though. A single dog turd in the commons area is forgivable. Fifteen cute piles of poo? Not so much. Double that, and smells like a manure factory after every rain? Completely unacceptable. Imagine what the summer heat will do when there's even more! Oh wait, most of those piles will turn into clusters of mushrooms as they rot.

Now, after all this, they want to raise our rent. For what, I'm not entirely certain. As-is, the bang for the buck where we're at is fading fast. There's nothing to warrant paying more in rent. We've been here for quite a few years, trying to save up for a house. Something always gets in the way. This year, it's the huge chunk of change we have to pay in taxes.

There are a few options we have. Our goal is to get into someplace that feels like home, where we can be happy. Preferably, our own house.

The move we were planning on making would have upped our rent, but gotten both my wife and I closer to work. It would also immediately resolve the degrading situation about where we live. It would cost a little more (still affordable) and would mean packing everything up twice. Once when we move there, and eventually when we buy a house. We'd be comfortable and happy there, but it would be inefficient for saving up for a house.

If we stay where we're at, we'll be paying more rent (not as much as if we move) while remaining miserable. It's the easiest option, though. Hopefully we could cut our budget to save some cash and move next year.

The third option, thanks to a generous offer from my parents, would be to move in with them. They have a three bedroom house with a finished basement (which basically adds a closed-off bedroom and recreation room combo). If we move down there, we'd basically half our rent, pay less for utilities and all that, and be able to save money really, really fast. Also, most of the stuff we pack could remain in storage. We won't need much furniture or any of our kitchen ware. The cons are that it's further away from work for both of us (making for a three-season, 17-20 mile round-trip bike commute that still uses the bus - the roads do not get cleared well out there in the winter) and going from a 2-bedroom 940 square foot apartment to the equivalent of a 400 square foot loft.


Right now, it looks like we might be moving in with the parents. My wife has lived with them before. Back when we first met, she was living with a complete slob of a roommate and my parents offered her the finished basement for a few months. That was about 10 years ago, believe it or not. Looks like we're going to be spending some more time down there.

With a 20 mile RT, it looks like I'm going to actually need that skinny-tire machine... I'm half-tempted to buy a $20 ten-speed and refurb it myself.

Still around freezing this morning and I couldn't find my gloves. I was mildly chilly and took it easy. I'm almost certain I'll be at the monday recovery ride tonight... Maybe I should see if I can take one of the Trek Store's 'cross bikes on the ride as a test-drive? :)

I think it's time for a road bike...

I'm so convinced, that I'm pretty much willing to straight-up trade one of my cars for a good road bike, or sell the car to buy a road bike.

Now, my dream bike at this point in my life would be a nice, gently used Redline Conquest but in reality I'll probably have to settle for something more along the lines of a used Trek Pilot 1.2 or maybe a 1500.

I'm sick of surfing craigslist all day long, finding nothing but bikes that people expect to get $800-$1000 out of. I don't care if it was a $1200 bike and you rode it for one season - you won't get me to cough up a grand for your bike.

Not only that, but there are other circumstances in my life right now. We have two cars and an SUV. One of my cars barely sees any use. It still runs, but it needs a little bit of love. I'd get a lot more use out of a solid road bike than I'll ever get out of that car. I'm kind of hoping that someone in KC is getting sick of looking at the bike that they bought in '05 which sat in their garage all summer last year, but needs a car for a teenager or something.

If I decide to sell, I may only get $500-600 out of my car -- Not exactly the kind of money I'd need for a brand new bike. I guess I start watching the bike shops and pawn shops a bit closer for used bikes.

On Starbucks and coffee

I never thought I'd say this, but I guess I've come to actually respect Starbucks just a little.

I mean, yes, it's a gigantic corporate chain. Yes, they use quick push-button machines that make the same mix every time, requiring less skill to operate than more traditional ways of making espresso-mixed drinks. No, their stuff isn't the BEST I've ever had. All of these are very good reasons to stay away from the place, especially if there's an independent coffee shop nearby that makes consistantly tastier drinks.

But, I'll give them this... Their employees are usually friendly, the place is always clean, they use Fair Trade certified products, and their drinks are (because of methods mentioned above) consistently the same, every time, unless the operator (whom I still kinda refuse to call a 'barista') isn't paying attention. And you know what? Their mocha is a wee bit on the bland side, but every time, it almost hits the spot. Starbucks' Sumatra is a very tasty brewed coffee. They're not all bad, but some blends of their brewed coffee are flat-out rancid. I feel the same way about some of the local roasters, though, so I can't complain too much.

In the end, I don't know why I had as much hostility against Starbucks as I did. I can tell you that I really, really miss working at JCCC and getting the most mind-bogglingly-tasty quad-shot venti Mocha in the western hemisphere when Sandy was on the clock. I can also tell you that I'd still rather kick it at The Daily Dose, or Broadway Cafe than Starbucks any time.

Oh yeah. This is a blog about bicycle commuting, too.
I woke up later than I wanted to. My alarm went off at 5:30 and I didn't snap out of my coma until close to 6:00. I was up way too late playing a rematch of Monopoly with my wife, who finally got her revenge against me.

I was weak as hell this morning, pulling off about 12 MPH average. I didn't put on that many miles yesterday, so it must have been the lack of sleep. As you can imagine, I went to Starbucks on my way to work this morning, where I was able to ponder my almost daily routine.

One last thing. Not that any of you noticed, but I had been getting pretty lazy about tagging and categorizing my blog posts lately. I went through and labeled all of my old posts. Last night's post was my 150th post! This darned blog is getting to be quite the bizarre autobiography.

Run off the road this morning - I broke my face!

Photo: Yes, I realize I look a little dee duh dee in the picture. Stuff is swollen and I'm not feeling too great.

I was riding my bike to the bus stop as usual this morning, when a GMC pickup changed lanes into me and forced me off the road and into the curb. I lost control and flew off my bike, landing on my face.

Carnage:

Two facial fractures, one causing massive bleeding in my sinuses

big ol' scrape and goose egg on my chin

2 chipped teeth

2 broken-off teeth (stumps)

goose egg right above my right eye (helmet slipped upwards a bit)

No concussion, and the bike is just fine. I was RIGHT AT the bus stop when this happened. I didn't get the plate numbers and only one person stopped and asked if I needed an ambulance. I rode back home and had the wife take me to the E.R. since she was home.

I'm probably gonna be off the bike for a while.

Snow, close calls, and revenge

Well, I stepped outside and thought I saw a snowflake fall. I decided to grab the ski goggles just in case it was going to really start coming down, but didn't need them on the way to the bus. The snow was just a light dusting. Maybe it will continue a bit? I kind of like riding in the snow.

As I was coming up Strang Line Road for the last leg of my commute, I had a car come within inches of me. It took me by surprise, and made my heart skip a beat. The inside lane was wide open, so I don't know if I got buzzed intentionally "to teach me a lesson" or if it was just accidental. If it was accidental, the driver was merely inches from hurting me. It was a green 2004 Ford Mustang V6 and I got the plate numbers.

I didn't need them, though. Out of nowhere, I saw an Olathe Police cruiser next to me (going the speed limit in the inside lane.) It must have been less than a quarter mile behind me when the incident happened, but there were no other cars between him and the Mustang. I was hoping beyond hope that he saw what happened.

As he passed me, I saw him veer into the outside lane. I was sure he was going after the reckless Mustang driver. A few seconds later, the emergency lights kick into action. The mustang pulls over. This is all unfolding about a quarter of a mile up the road from me. A little while later, as I pass, I thank the officers who are talking to the driver. They wave to me.

I'm not sure if the motorist got a ticket or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Even if the driver didn't get ticketed, I'm sure that being pulled over for failing to give a cyclist some room will change the way that person sees us. Hopefully the officers gave the driver a quick lesson on traffic laws regarding bicycles, too. I'd be happier if the motorist was cited with willful reckless endangerment or something that would cause the loss of driver's license. Then they can ride a bike, wouldn't that be poetic?

One officer seemed visibly angry and was standing on the sidewalk. Perhaps a fellow cyclist or motorcycle rider? At any rate, justice was served today.

Top ten things...

I posted something similar on BikeForums a while back, but it seems my top ten always evolves. I'm still very new to utility cycling, so I'm certain that it'll take a good year or two before I really find my top ten groove.

10) The way my knobby tire tread looks like it's standing still or going backwards under Sodium streetlights. It's strangely hypnotic, and I have to tell myself to keep an eye on traffic instead of watching the pretty pattern when I'm riding my mountain bike.

9) The increased sharpness of all my senses.

8) Free parking pretty much anywhere!

7) In winter, being halfway to my destination before I could even have my windows scraped off, and never being cold waiting for my vehicle to warm up.

6) I can blow off steam on my way home. If I've had a bad day at work, I can just hammer it until I'm about ready to pass out. By the time I'm home, I'm far too tired and lazy to be pissed at much of anything.

5) The looks, questions, and awe of other people. Co-workers, people working at places I ride to, and drivers on the road always seem to be curious. Some of them assume I've lost my driver's license or I'm too poor to own a car. Others think I'm going to get myself killed, and some actually root for me. Once in a while, people talk to me and ask my why I'm doing it.

4) My health. I'm getting stronger and healthier. I haven't lost much weight yet, but my waist is shrinking, which can only mean I'm toning up. My heart and lungs are feeling better than they have in 8 years.

3) There's nothing that wakes me up faster than making that first big climb on my bike.

2) When I'm riding, all the distractions fade away. I have time to think about things on my way to work. I've actually solved problems and come up with some of my best ideas while I'm just sitting there pedaling away!

1) The zen of transportation under my own power

The commute this morning was peaceful and chilly. I got out a little later than I'd like, but at least I got to bed early last night and got a good night's sleep for a change.

Also, I added a few new Links to my blogroll. A Midnight Rider is a fellow bike commuter that comments frequently, and some other readers of mine post on Commute By Bike. They're definitely worth a read.

Snowy Singletrack Saturday

I decided with the weather, it would be a novel idea to go have some singletrack fun after making two MORE grocery trips today, and playing around on my way to the pharmacy - the shortest way is to go through a field, which is fun on a mountain bike.

There are a few acres of abandoned yet practically unusable land kind of between my apartment and one of the entrances to the Mill Creek Streamway MUP/Bike Trail. I've walked around in it a few years ago, and recall there being some wheel ruts but it mostly looked like paths that deer had carved through the brush.

I also did some rock climbing. All in all, I put on about 4 miles today, but less than a mile of that was on pavement, and it was snowy pavement anyways. There was a LOT of climbing involved in the pseudo-wilderness, but it was fun, and the return trip was mostly downhill.

Click the photo for a page with all the pictures I took.