Daily, many people throw their bikes into or onto their vehicles, then drive off somewhere to go for a ride. This weekend, I saddled up to ride to my car so I could bring it home from the hospital. I'd left it there when I went to meet my wife at there (remember, pneumonia?) and I was getting scared thinking what woes might befall my poor little Focus should I leave it there one more night. I think it sat there at the hospital for three days. I've just been busy, and haven't needed my car. The parking is long term, so no one would care if it sat there for a week, but thieves of opportunity might see something they like.
Anyhow, my bike didn't mind the 35+ MPH flogging on Quivira in peak-traffic hours on Saturday. In fact, I almost suspect it enjoyed the spirited 3-mile jaunt. What The Twelve did NOT approve of was being crammed into the back of a Focus. Sure, maybe if the ride in the Focus was off to some smoothly-paved cycling utopia where upon I'd ride hundreds of miles in a sitting, Twelve could forgive me. Instead, I was using -- no, ABusing my bike to rescue some abandoned car. The mere thought!
A few other grocery and food runs this weekend. Not much to get excited about, but 32 miles for the long weekend isn't too bad considering the fact that I didn't have to ride to work.
The morning air is going to be pretty chilly (relatively speaking), and tomorrow afternoon is going to be a windfest. I'll be doing the bike/bus thing, but time permititng I should be at the Recovery Ride.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Long Easter weak-end recap
Top 10: Tips for transportation cycling
I've been saying this for a while, but spring is practically here. With it comes "driving season" and increasing gasoline prices. More importantly, though, people are starting to wipe the dust off of their bikes and hit the paths. Whether you ride for fun every year, or you've not even sat on a bike in a decade or more, here are some tips to help you out if you plan on riding your bike instead of driving for some of your trips this year.
10) Learn basic bicycle maintenance. If you're replacing your car with a bicycle for some of your shorter trips, you will probably be riding your bicycle more miles than you used to, or you may be riding a bike for the first time in a while. Park Tool and Sheldon Brown both have excellent instructions for bicycle repair. Start with the basics: Cleaning and lubricating your chain, fixing a flat tire, or maybe adjusting your brakes and shifters. In the dead of summer, it might take a week to get your bike back from the shop if you take it in for a flat tire. You can fix it yourself with very few tools, and it's easier than you may think.
9) Get some tools. This goes with #10, but you should have enough tools to do minor adjustments to your bike. Honestly, I got by for almost six months needing no more tools than what came on the Park MTB-3 multi-tool. I keep it with me while commuting for road-side repairs.
8) Learn how to pick a good route. Don't think like a driver. Instead, think of lesser-known roads that may be a block or two away from the big roads you normally drive on. Think of little alleyways or sidewalks between cul-de-sacs, and how you can utilize multi-use paths. If in doubt, check out Veloroutes or other cycling map sites to see if anyone has plotted some good routes. You may also ask in the bike forums regional discussions to see if someone local knows some decent routes.
7) Logistics. Figure out how you're going to get yourself, your stuff, and your bike to and from your destination and stored safely, and get a plan laid out. This is mostly concerning commuting to work by bicycle, but you should also have some idea of how you're going to handle your errands if you should choose to do those by bike as well. Securing your bike, cleaning up if you get dirty or sweaty, and transporting your clothes are things to think about.
6) Take The Lane! Tim Grahl put together an excellent article outlining five reasons to claim the lane with your bike. I can't convey it any better than he did. By staying off of the main arterials, you usually avoid the necessity to use sidewalks. They still have their place for certain situations, but if you're not commuting on a bike path, you should probably be commuting out in the middle of the road where you can be seen.
5) Be visible. Bright colors. Reflective materials on you and your bike. High contrast. At least one bright, red tail light should be lit up even during the day. A second, blinking light is great, too. Headlights when it's dim outside, and a blinking front light even during the day is a good idea. Always, always have DOT-legal reflectors on your bike. There's no good reason not to. It doesn't matter how "cool" you think you look on your bike. To drivers, cyclists on the road all look dorky. Might as well go all out, right?
4) Don't skimp on the bike. I know this hurts to think about, but bikes you find at sporting goods stores, toy aisles of big-box stores and the like are sold and marketed as toys. Things that 100-pound 13-year-olds will ride for a summer and forget about. You wouldn't buy a Power Wheels to get you around town, would you? If you already have an old bike, there's not much harm in getting it fixed up and checked out. If you're going to buy a new bike, I recommend going to a specialty bicycle shop. If you can find a used bike cheap that the shop tech agrees will hold up to your riding, you could get away with spending under $150. Otherwise, consider the $350 price point "entry level" for new mountain and hybrid bikes, and $500 the entry level for new road bikes. You're shopping for a replacement vehicle, not a toy. If unsure, browse the new CBB Commuter Bikes Database for bike ideas.
3) Give yourself some time to adjust. It took me a few weeks to get my routine figured out and for my body to get used to riding a bike again.
2) Learn your local "village". Knowing all those little shops near your home, near your popular destinations (such as work, parks, etc) and along the way is a great way to find stuff that's easily reachable on a bike. You might be surprised by what is nearby. After looking around, I found that there are few places I need to go that are more than 2 miles from my home or office.
1) Stay motivated. Come up with fun goals or get a riding buddy to keep yourself motivated. Soon enough, you'll be hooked!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Slowest... Ride... Evvverrrrrr...
Now, don't get me wrong. This is a great crowd. Some of the nicest cyclists I've met. I took off a little after 7:00 this morning to ride to this group ride. Having never been to this one before, I had no clue what to expect. Common sense tells me that it was probably going to be self-employed or retired riders, being that it starts at 8:00AM on a week day. And I was mostly right.
I took 87th straight across, and followed it as it turns into "Santa Fe Drive" (or whatever) through olde-towne Overland Park. 79th to Tomahawk, curving around to 71st and Mission. Simple, enjoyable ride at a moderate pace. Not too long, about 7 miles worth of riding.
I hung out for a while, then people started showing up and getting their bikes out. A few actually rode to the ride. Most were clad in winter gear, but I was doing just fine in shorts with temps in the lower 50s. These people were hell-bent on ribbing me for my lack of clothing, but I was quite comfortable, and actually thankful for shorts once we got moving... that is, if you call an 8 MPH average pace "moving". I felt like I should have left my bike locked up and jogged with these people, or perhaps brought along a pair of rollerblades. This was without a doubt the most lethargic ride I've ever been on, and that includes my journeys through 6"-deep snow.
I did eventually end up with a breakaway group that took off ahead of everyone else, but this pace was no more than I'm used to with the markedly slow Monday Night Recovery Rides.
Our final destination was Panera at 119th and Nall or so. It took us about 45 minutes to get there. I'm not sure how far it was because of the awkward route we took, but it had to have been considerably less than 10 miles. We all locked our bikes up to the patio fence, then went inside for breakfast. Several people knew me from here or from the Bike Week Planning Committee. As a social event, this ride was plenty of fun.
I took off after a coffee and a blueberry muffin had settled in my belly, and worked my way back via what some would call a "treacherous" route. Straight up Nall to 91st, to Hadley, up to 87th, then straight across to my apartment complex. At 9:30-10:00 AM these roads were well-trafficked but by no means crazy. It was a pleasant ride back, despite strong headwinds.
So, to those who were there, it was nice to meet some new faces. Take no offense to my criticism of your pace. It was nice to just be able to ride and enjoy the sensory experience of an early-spring morning after sunrise. Usually I'm still riding in the morning darkness this time of year.
I racked up a little more than 21 miles, all said and done today. Not bad for a day off, considering that only 10% of my miles are recreational.
Of course, I did ride to a group ride that most people drove to... Then I rode to breakfast... Does that make this morning's miles "errands" or "recreation"???
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Chilly but oh-so-nice
My wife is down and out with the early stages of bacterial pneumonia. She stayed home from work last night. I got my bags packed and we got to bed pretty early (10:00 or so) netting me almost a solid 7 hour coma for which to recover from yesterday's adventures. Her new antibiotics seem to be working pretty well.
This morning, I grabbed some breakfast so she could take her next batch of pills, and threw together a batch of Gatorade for the road and a few PB Sammiches to eat once I got downtown. A quick check of the e-mail via my phone showed that no one other than Karen was going to take me up on my convoy. Flipping over to Wunderground Mobile, I saw that conditions were similar to what most people were predicting. 37°F and a south breeze. I threw on the Deflects and Balaclava (for ear and neck cover) then I was off.
Karen's LED headlight glistened over the crest of 79th to the west of Quivira, and I waited for her to roll up, then it was downtown bound: a mostly quiet single-file trip due to the fact that there seemed to be quite a bit of traffic. We parted ways near the brewery, shortly after passing Sidewalk Riding Wrong Way Bike Ninja Guy. It's always the same guy, too. He waved at us this time.
It's odd how you come to recognize things. I see a lot of the same cars when I ride downtown. This is only my 5th ride into downtown this year, but I'm pretty sure all 5 of them, I have seen the black Ford Ranger with its piercing blue-ish fake HID headlights and its large-ish CB antenna. I used to see it almost daily back in the summer. Then there's the silver Mazda 3 with the 2RUNNRS plates. Compared to the evening rush hour ride home, traffic in the morning is almost non-existant, but I do find myself picking out familiar vehicles.
I was almost flawlessly dressed for the sub-40° temps. Under Armour running shirt under a hoodie, and a chamois under cargo pants worked nicely. KC will easily clear 60° this afternoon, so it'll be the running shirt and my MTB shorts on the ride home, I think. I'll also be dealing with (barely) double-digit headwinds. Should make for an interesting ride home.
Random Tunage:
Nirvana - Lithium
Junkie XL - Mushroom
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Zooooom!
Got to my bike at 3:32. Got to my mailbox at home at 4:42. 15.0 MPH rolling average, with variable (changing direction frequently) winds around 10 MPH. It was kind of a mixed bag of head, calm, and tailwind. This kind of speed (if you wish to call it that) is a first for 2008 as far as a full ride goes.
A little past Lackman on Merriam Lane, I caught up with Karen. I only rode alongside her for a few miles before branching off to take the curvy, fun, slower Turkey Creek alternate homeward route. That KIND OF makes my average speed even a little more impressive (again, if you think 15 MPH is impressive). My goal when I left the parking garage this afternoon was to stay at a cadence of 90 RPM pretty much the whole way. 90 is at the high end of a comfortable cadence for me. Drop below 85? push harder or downshift. Above 95? Upshift.
Personally, I don't think it's impressive considering my personal hammerfest best of 19.2 on the all-road (no MUP) route. But it's nice to see a little speed boost. The Twelve scorched along on the curvy path, but I kept a close eye for pedestrians. Along the straightaway north of 67th, I saw a guy walking, twirling his trekking pole, but transfixed as he gawked off into outer space (also known as The Animal Haven animal shelter). I figured he saw me coming but I slowed it down a bit, perhaps to 12 MPH or so. As I passed him, still twirling his trekking pole, he jumped and let out some single-word expression. He was in his late 50's perhaps. Before I even got to 67th street some two hundred yards further, I'd concocted the following baiku:
Mindless trekking guyI repeated it to myself a few times so that I'd be able to recall it now. I don't think I've actually scared an oncoming pedestrian before unless they were running around a blind curve. What a dweeb. He had almost a full minute with me in his sight, my DiNotte blinking on evil death mode, nonetheless.
Oblivious to others
I scared you to death
I shot through the business parks at a pretty good clip, taking my usual back way to 85th street.
I'm rallying all the riders I know that would possibly come through my area on their way to downtown -- that would be Karen, Lorin, Chris and I. We'll see how many are up for a convoy tomorrow morning. When I saw her along Merriam Lane, Karen told me she'll be out in the morning. As far as Lorin and Chris, I don't know yet.
Random Tunage:
Regina Spektor - Fidelity
ORM - Cube Loop
Long ride on Friday? Anyone in KC/JoCo?
Being that I'm in the financial services industry, I get quite a few nifty holidays. Good Friday is turning into Most Excellent Friday, as I needn't show up to work. Wall Street is closed. So is my office. That's how it works.
Given that I usually require some recovery time after a long ride, I figure Friday's as good a day as any to get some serious recreational junk miles in. I'm not talking a sustained 2:45-3:00 pace. Just some miles. The more, the merrier. Anyone down?
Getting there
The weather is also getting there.
But really, I am getting there. Slowly. In August, it seemed like 170 miles in a given seven-day period is where I started to get fatigued. That was "The Wall" so to speak. There were times that I blew past that figure, but it was painful. Clinically, I was over-reaching and probably under-fed in the area of proteins. I was likely doing more harm than good those times. Evaluating my current situation, I was feeling pretty worn down after a 65-mile rolling week 2 weeks ago (using Wednesday to Tuesday) and now I'm at about 75 miles and feeling a bit better. I guess I thought I'd be ready to rock and roll and just hop back into 150-mile weeks no problem but it's been harder than I'd imagined. Things just don't want to work without hurting. Back, core, and legs mostly. I'll get there.
Last but not least, The Twelve is getting there, too. Really, not much has changed since I bought The Twelve on May 1st. I bought the NiteRider, the pedals, bottle cages and rack the same day I bought the bike. Here's a current run-down of my setup for those who are interested:
I Started with a bone-stock 2006 Trek 1200 54cm
Pedals upgraded to Shimano SPD M525
2x Specialized cheapo bottle cages
Blackburn XR-1 Cross Rack
Banjo Bros. Saddlebag Panniers
NiteRider Evolution Headlight (Upgraded to a 15W bulb)
DiNotte 200L-AA-S
Trek Discotech rear light
Mars 3.0 Rear light (helmet mounted)
Headland CMT Wedge
Shimano WH-R500 rear wheel (OEM got trashed)
Bontrager Race-Lite Hardcase rear tire (I've never flatted since)
SwissStop Green brake pads (OEM brakes sucked!)
SKS Commuter Fenders
Really, it's pretty much perfect for what I do. I've replaced the chain once, the brake cables once, and replaced the crappily-executed original bar tape. That's it. In several thousand miles, that's all this bike has needed save for a few adjustments here and there. How much has this all cost me so far? I'm afraid to total it up, but I know it's probably close to $1400. The original purchase with the accessories I got ran me almost exactly $1000.
So maybe the bike is the one thing that's already there. The rest of my situation is just playing catch-up.
Random Tunage:
Crystal Method - Busy Child
Hybrid - I'm Still Awake
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Great afternoon!
I had to drop some stuff off at the doctors' office before 5:00, which meant I needed to get home with The QuicknessTM. 3:00 hit and I was the hell out of the office. Sun occasionally prying through the overcast skies kept things near 50°F, and an ever-so-slight nudge was given to me out of the north. The 14 mile ride home was blissful. Big storms cells are brewing south of here but never quite made it up to my neck of the woods today. The only moisture I had to contend with was under me. Nothing more than a fine spray ever hit my shoes. I'm very pleased. I've also amassed about 20 miles on these fenders now, and not once have my toes hit the fenders nor have I heard any noise from them. I've strapped the bike to the bus a few times as well, so the fenders don't keep me from using the bus in a pinch, either.
You can check out my first impression of the SKS Fenders on CBB.
I'm sold.
Yesterday, the rain didn't stop... and the fenders only do so much when the skies are unloading on you. I could see muck flying straight forward from my front fender, while watery grime oozed down the sides and out the bottoms of both. They appeared to be doing their part, but it did little to allay my misery. My agglutinant trousers were soggy and frigid. My windbreaker was dank. It's water resistant but had enough exposure to get permeated and cumbersome by the time I arrived home. Not surprisingly, it was also wicking warmth from my torso. We'll just say that it wasn't a terribly pleasant wait for the bus and that the remainder of my homeward trip was interesting to say the least. Not un-enjoyable by any means, but my mind is preoccupied with those sunny afternoons with a slight wind out of the northeast and temperatures in the mid 70s.
This morning was hectic. Some of my family is on a long-ish road trip and I am one of two family members that's taking turns pet-sitting. I picked my wife up from work on my way out of town (yes, driving) and took care of the animals, getting home just in time to throw some stuff in my backpack and hit the road to the bus. It rained almost all day yesterday, and with 97% humidity, the moisture on the ground wasn't going anywhere. With a mild clime of 43°F and an ample layer of water and some big puddles covering the ground, this would be the true test of the fenders.
The results? After two miles of speeds up to 30 MPH (but closer to an average of 15), I had but a few drops of water on the toes of my shoes. Normally, my shoes would be soaked. Water would be seeping down the inside of my ankles from my socks and pants, and most of my front-facing leg surfaces would be soggy. There would be a mud-stripe up the center of my backpack... the rack keeps water off my back like a mini-fender but the backpack sticks out into the stream a little bit. I arrived dry as a bone. I do miss seeing the spray of water in the beam of my DiNotte headlight, as it really is a hypnotic and breathtaking vision -- but a vision I'm willing to trade for warm, dry clothes.
No, I don't wonder how I went so long without fenders. No, I'm not going to turn into a fender evangelist. I'll simply continue riding The Twelve in these conditions that would have otherwise soaked me. And, time permitting, I will probably use these days as full bike commutes instead of wimping out and riding to the bus.
Random Tunage:
IIO - Rapture (Deep Dish remix)
The Killers - When You Were Young
Monday, March 17, 2008
Well, they don't get in the way...
I was worried that my feet would hit the front fender or that it would make it difficult to get my bike onto the bus. Neither was the case this morning. I didn't have any rain or wet pavement to shake the fenders down with, but they don't rub, they don't get in my way, and I can still remove the front wheel and set the bike down without smashing the front fender.
It's raining now, so the fenders will get a good test this afternoon. 
Random Tunage:
Butthole Surfers - Pepper
Ben Folds Five - Brick
Sunday, March 16, 2008
I pulled the trigger... just in the nick of time
Something is different about The Twelve...
I have been looking around for affordable, durable, full-coverage fenders -- preferably with mudflaps. The SKS Commuter Fenders (35mm wide) were one of the few that met my criteria, mostly on price, fitment and coverage. The support arms for the front fender were excessively long and required me to chop them short with a Dremel cut-off wheel so that my feet don't hit them. Other than that, install was as simple as can be without being snap-on fenders. It came not only with the basic hardware needed to install, but with various lengths of bolts and optional brackets to make installation possible on different kinds of bicycles.
Really, I'm amazed at the refinement that went into my Trek 1200, though. Even the brace behind the bottom bracket was perfectly located and already drilled and tapped for attaching a fender. The rear eyelets easily accommodate both the rack and the fender.
So, there you have it. I went for it. I may have said many times that I don't need them, that I don't like them, or that I don't even want them. But we'll see how I like these. Look for a full review after a few rainy rides. It looks like I'll get my first shot tomorrow.
Top 10: why many bike bloggers work in IT
More than 3/4 of the bike bloggers whose writings I peruse definitely work in IT, either as worker bees like myself or in IT management. There are a handful of others that I suspect work in IT but I'm not certain about. Then there are a few who are definitely NOT IT folks. Even among the non-blogging bike commuters I know, there's a similar bias towards techy folks. What's with the disparity? I have my own thoughts on it. This isn't commuting specific, but there seems to be a tie between bicycles, geeks, and bloggers. Here are 10 of my primary speculations for this seemingly unfair balance of us versus them.
10) This is the Internet -- arguably, geeks are the home team around here. Not specific to bicycles, most bloggers have technical tendencies. If you're looking at blogs on the Internet, you're going to find mostly tech-savvy writers.
9) Blogging has a certain social aspect to it, regardless if you're just ranting about life, writing a bunch of short stories, posting your photos or artwork, or working on a serious, industry-relavent blog. IT geeks seem to enjoy the intersection of technology and social circles.
8) Many problems that IT workers face require time alone and away from the problems to work through in their mind. While this is true for many professions, I think a lot of IT-working bike riders use their bike riding time to sort out their thoughts. I know I do.
7) Working in IT teaches you to make adjustments for the sake of efficiency. Applied to real life, it's easy to see that bicycling is an efficient mode of transportation for certain tasks.
6) After dealing with spreadsheets, programming languages, and being stuck "in the matrix" all day, there's something about metal, rubber, sprockets and levers that makes you feel like a real person again.
5) Most office workers sit at a desk all day long. Most IT workers are office workers. Many of these people sit on their butts in their cars, at their desks, and at home. Bike commuting offers them a reason and some motivation to get some exercise.
4) Cooped up in an office is no way to spend a life. A car is usually even more cramped. You have seemingly infinite room to decompress when you're on a bike.
3) Ditching the Information overload. Facts, figures, names, policies, places, numbers, graphs, stats, procedures, schedules, commands, configurations, prices... UGH! At the end of the day, sometimes I just want to hammer out some mindless miles so that there's absolutely nothing pestering me by the time I get home. I can only imagine this is one good reason that anyone with a stressful job would want to bike commute.
2) IT people multi-task without even thinking about it. We're not talking about reading the NY Times while shaving, brushing teeth, drinking coffee and attempting to get to work. There's something blissful about getting time to think, getting where you need to go, and getting your daily cardio all at the same time.
1) Writing regularly in structured sentences, often in narrative form is completely different from most office communication. This exercises different parts of the mind, keeps things interesting, and provides a creative outlet for those who don't have time for more involved expression.
Friday, March 14, 2008
It must be in the air
Seriously. It feels like I've dealt with more rude behavior on the road this week than the sum of all of winter combined. I'll get to that in a bit.
Over lunch, I took a trip to Raglan Road, a new authentic Irish restaurant drawing its inspiration from real Irish pubs. You know, the ones in Ireland. The interior was strikingly vivid, rich in detail, and pleasing to the eye. This was just across the street from Sprint Center where the Big 12 tournament games are going on, so the game was on TV and the place was packed.
I had the Fish 'n' Chips. Good Stuff! But not worth waiting 90 minutes for.
Okay, so on with the commute. I saw this happen right after I left work:
I actually came from the other side of this wreck, but rode up to make sure no one was injured. I was on the phone with 911 as I took this photo. The cop (visible left) was just pulling up. The Tiburon hit the curb and stopped, then got bumped by the semi, which swung the car about, destroying the rear suspension (which the two drivers are examining). No one hurt, but north and southbound traffic was stopped on Broadway at 3:40ish on a Friday afternoon. In short, this is A Bad Thing.
So, I'm on a bike, home free southbound on Broadway with virtually NO traffic going my way. It's about this time that the stuck northbounders start making impromptu u-turns in the middle of the road. This includes a taxi, who nicely let me pass before completing the turn. Then, there's this guy:
He did a u-turn after the taxi, then got up on me at a stop light. Ahead in my lane, a UPS truck blocks the road. Common for this time of day, and if I were driving I'd NEVER use the outside lane on Broadway going southbound. I used the sidewalk. I beat the taxi through the intersection, and hopped off the curb after the UPS truck back out into the road. The taxi was behind me in the other lane, and mister "I have a new Volvo XC90" pulled in right behind me after the UPS truck. Then he tried nudging in between me and the taxi. Then he saw he wouldn't stand a chance of getting around me, and pulled in behind me as I turned right onto Southwest. All along Southwest, this guy was bullying cars around. At one point, he almost ran another car into oncoming traffic. At the next stop light, I took the above photo.
Passing Boulevard Brewery, I ran across Karen. A little ways past Antioch, we both nearly got right-hooked at the same time by a red Civic. Sorry, no pictures of that one.
Oh well. I'm done ranting.
All kinds of interesting stuff
Let's see... after last night's post, it was determined that I had to make yet another grocery run. I don't know what the deal was last night, but I just wanted to push really hard. I'm fat and out of shape. My lungs certainly are better off than they were two years ago, but as you can tell they're still in need of conditioning. Over short distances, I can lay it down pretty hard if I want to.
With the nearest grocery store just a little more than a mile away, I hit it really hard, and it felt good. I caught my breath while grabbing some items from the store, then hit it hard on my way back home, but not before I stopped in the parking lot to pick up a really nice, heavy duty bungee cord someone had left laying around. This also reminds me... I saw a VAULT DOOR for what looked like a small gun cabinet next to the dumpster at my apartment complex. I love locks, locksmithing, and that kind of stuff. No clue what the vault door was doing there, but it's obvious that someone had to partake in destructive entry. I forgot to pick it up last night. I'm only writing this here so I remember to go check it out this evening and see if it's still there. If so, I'll probably disassemble the door (it's usually easy from the inside) and get the lock to play with. Locks are like puzzles to me, and I am an amateur locksmith among other strange traits.
Enough rambling. This morning, you can imagine I was greeted with sore legs. Very sore legs. Although I stretched well last night both before and after laying the smack down on the pavement, I still have a lot of soreness. I took it easy on the way to the bus this morning. The ride happened to take me through two miles of fog so dense that it looked like mist in the sharp beam of my LED light. There was no hammering to be done. I averaged about 10 miles per hour this morning.
Coming off the Quivira Viaduct (where I kind of pushed it a little on the downhill) it was apparent that I was being tailgated by someone driving a PT cruiser. In no hurry and with an open lane to my left, I putzed along at maybe 12 MPH. Just cruising. It's a slight uphill. The driver remained glued to within 10 feet of me. As I approached the entrance to Circuit City, the driver finally decided to pass me. Now, I'm guessing this person was staying behind me because they needed the right lane. And there's only one reason you need the right lane when the left one is empty. It's because you want to turn. I slowed down more in anticipation. I was completely ready for what happened next, but it still cheeses me off. I got right-hooked by some old lady, hunched over her steering wheel. I had to turn with the PT cruiser to avoid broadsiding it because the driver slowed way, way down to turn. I rode along side it and pounded on the window. She screeched to a halt, startled and rolled down the window. I screamed at her, and she said she didn't see me.
I'm going to interject here. This is just insane. She didn't see me? Why was she pacing me? Does she just drive 12 MPH all the time? Why did she use the left lane to go around me? Does she always go into the left lane before making a right turn? Did she somehow miss 10 LEDs on the back of my bike, and two bright orange reflective strips? As she passed me, did she somehow miss half a kilo-lumen of photon energy in her passenger mirror?
Whatever. I told her to be more careful. She didn't apologize. She just drove off. Situational Awareness. I have it. Others don't. I'm conjuring up all kinds of mayhem which I could have wreaked upon car and driver in the moment, but chose not to. I'm talking air-hanky in the passenger window, Gatorade on the leather seats, and cleats meet paint kind of mayhem. Also, Kansas did just recently pass a Concealed Carry program. Not that I would stoop to the level of cage-ragers.
Ah well. I took a nap on the bus (I actually hate when I do this) and showed up to the coffee shop with Lorin to find JR waiting for us, and a new, unfamiliar bike next to the door. A dark navy frame with totally unfamiliar markings. Very thin stays and fork. Definitely steel. Likely custom. Black and purple bar tape. Racy looking, somewhat old school but not ye-olde school. This must be Andrew's bike. He comments here on occasion and had mentioned yesterday wanting to meet up with us. Now, because of various things that had happened last summer, I thought that I'd already met him, but I had not. Today was Andrew's maiden voyage for bike commuting, and he's starting off with a nice multi-mode setup riding from Prairie Village to Waldo, taking the bus to downtown, then riding some more to get up north.
So, our little bike commuter coffee clan had four members again. Bob dropped off the face of the earth back in September, so it's been a while since we've had four bikes outside of Starbucks all at the same time. It was nice running into Andrew. Hopefully bike commuting works out as well for him as it has for so many others.
This is a great time of year to get started commuting by bike in the great plains. As it warms up and gets lighter, things seem to get easier and nature tends to lend itself to longer and harder rides and the discovery of more interesting, possibly safer routes. It also gives you a good solid six months to get helplessly addicted to the habit of riding a bike damn near everywhere as you build your obsessions on all the wonders of the bicycle. Apertome also started about this same time last year. As it turns out, he became a pretty serious year-round bike commuter, even if his cow-orkers don't realize it. Maybe we've hooked another one.
Random Tunage:
Erlend Øye - The Black Keys Work
Stabbing Westard - Save Yourself (whatever happened to these guys?!)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
That's *IT*?!
I had to make a quick jaunt partway through the day to test my "alternate workspace" for business continuity today. You know, in case power gets knocked out in my building or any other emergency somehow makes my current workspace even more uninhabitable than it is now. At this point, I think a fire or an Anthrax outbreak pales in comparison to getting the occasional ear-full of celebrity gossip, political banter and what have you while enduring temperatures in the upper 70s. But apparently the business continuity planners don't see it my way.
So I rode to a nearby branch, where training is usually performed. Various cow-orkers of mine and a few others whom I didn't know commandeered an entire classroom and made a makeshift battle center out of it. We checked to make sure we could access all of our stuff, and that all of the programs we needed were installed. Then, we proved we could work in that environment by printing, accessing our e-mail and actually doing some work tasks. That part was a breeze since there was only one gossiper present in our new office away from office. Without others to gossip with, I could hear myself think. And the Air Conditioning is actually functional in this building. Radical.
I had more madness to partake in this evening, so had to rush home on the A bus. I was in full-on sprint mode once I got off the bus. Some punk kid in a rusty old Taurus was riding my ass from Shawnee Mission West High School all the way to Switzer (I don't know, about a mile, I guess). Approaching the 4-way stop, he rolled his window down and pulled up next to me. Panting and probably rolling my eyes, I figured this kid was going to tell me to get off the road or some such. I was going at least 30 in a 25 MPH section of 85th. To my surprise, he exclaimed "You were going 35 back there! Awesome!" Between huge gulps of air, I managed to ask "That's IT?!" and then thanked him after another gasp. He took off. I took off behind him, again approaching 30 MPH or so. He was long gone, but I was still hurried.
I darted through the BP lot and out onto 87th street. This road is a death trap for cyclists, but I was scooting at a good clip and the outer lane was clear so I went for it. Most of the lights played in my favor. I pulled the hardest, fastest corner I've ever tried as I veered right onto Earnshaw from 87th to get to my apartment complex. I was crouched in the drops, probably going 20 MPH as I leaned past 45 degrees. I was pretty sure I was going to end up sliding sideways and buying some new handlebar tape but The Twelve stuck. I don't think I will try a corner like that again any time soon. A small patch of sand would have ruined my day.
Of course, now I'm paying for it with an asthma attack. But that'll pass. The only times it really bothers me are balls-to-the-wall jaunts like this afternoon's, or really cold, dry air. I think part of this is just my lungs adjusting again and coming out of my relative lethargy for winter. As I recall, there were plenty of other days last year where I felt like I was in pretty good shape except for my lungs.
Does anyone else here suffer from Exercise Induced Asthma or know someone that does? What are you currently doing for treatment?
Random Tunage:
Nine Inch Nails - Sunspots
Nine Inch Nails - Sin
I am Contemplating...
... the insides of my eyelids!
I had a bit of a sleep-deprived night. To top that off, my legs aren't quite accustomed to being used full-on. My knees are hurting a bit, and my right foot has been hurting too. This is only since I've gone back to the road bike. It could be anything: Bike fit, re-learning clipless after 3 months off, or just not being used to the additional distance and saddle time. My bike feels like it fits okay. I don't do a whole lot of forceful pulling on the up-stroke but I'm also far from spinning perfect, smooth circles. I don't really have to justify myself, so I don't know why I'm wasting my breath. Despite nearly identical weather to yesterday morning (but without any wind at all), I chose to head to the bus.
I also used my backpack today instead of the panniers. It's supposed to start pouring cats and dogs today as well, and the backpack works better than the panniers for keeping my stuff dry. While not the most comfortable thing in the world, it's not really a big deal to carry the backpack for the whole trip. I do it whenever I take Hybridzilla downtown, but she offers more upright seating.
Despite having put more than 80 miles on The Twelve since I switched over to it as my primary commuter again, I'm still getting used to riding it. Mostly, it's still surprising me. Trading back to an efficient and nimble bike with a more direct connection to the road is simply amazing. Don't get me wrong -- trading efficiency for winter durability and terrain-conquering antics was fun, but now a road bike simply flies. The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it?
Let's see. It's FINALLY Thursday, and it's taken what seems like a long time to get to this point. Yesterday seemed like it was just about the longest work day of my life. Partially because of this:
Can you grasp that? 82° is when I take almost all of my clothes off and go swimming. It's when I start making sure that I have my water bottles filled completely with ice and just topped off with water before I go on a nice, long bike ride. Needless to say that I was having trouble concentrating and getting work done. Even My little fan felt more like a hair dryer than a source of relief, forcing me to switch to active evaporation techniques just to keep my sanity. That means wetting my face with a rag wrapped around ice cubes and letting the fan dry it off. And believe me, I dried off quickly. We're already up to 75° in the office this morning. I'm not sure I can handle another day in the office like yesterday.
Random Tunage:
Steve Winwood - Back In The High Life Again
Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Friendly Scofflaws
You know my favorite kind of scofflaws? The friendly ones. Those are nice. What's a scofflaw, you ask? It's one who scoffs at laws, of course! You see them everywhere. They cut people off in traffic. They go 90 on the highway. They ride their bikes through red lights. And they embrace it.
Can you guess what else they do? They barrel through crosswalks when they don't have the right of way, but they wave and smile at you. Because they're really just that friendly. So, thank you, soccer mom in the burgundy Ford Excursion with license plates WTE something. My helmet off to you for your display of kindness. It really brightened my day that you took the time to wave as you blasted right past this:
First off, it's thermonuclear yellow and it's sticking out of the middle of the road. I know it had to have caught your eye. It also has one of those red-n-white octo-whatever shapes on it. I know you might not be able to read one-syllable English words, but a stop sign is a stop sign, and they're ubiquitous and universal here in the US. I know you have meals to cook, mouths to feed, and kids to pick up from practice. Please, for the love of all things good in the world, learn what to do when you encounter a sign like this in the future, especially if there's someone waiting patiently to enter the intersection. Smile and wave all you want. Just make sure you stop as well. The five seconds it sets you back will be rewarded by knowing that some nerd (like me) isn't going to berate you on the Internet.
You a-holes don't even wave. Bastions of safety with your day-glo orange vests, your powerful traffic-stopping swing-out signs and four-way blinkers. You'll stop at railroad crossings to guard the lives of those on board. You'll radio the cops if a car passes while your stop sign is out. At the same time, you refuse to give pause to pedestrians with the right-of-way in crosswalks unless you're in a school zone. I would laugh at this dichotomy if it hadn't resulted in countless close calls. Wonder why your dispatcher chewed your ass out over the radio? It's because I called you in, nimrod. You are driving a massive vehicle with your company's name all over it. Each one of your ginormous twinkie-shaped kidlet carriages is individually numbered. This isn't so kids know which moron to ride home with. It's so people like me can return the favor when people like you make my life hell.
What? Can't see it? Let me zoom in for you.
Okay. I need to turn this post around. My blood pressure could probably burst a tubular tire right now.
Really, my ride home wasn't that bad. I just felt like venting. Enjoy some more photos.
The wheel is going to attack these people:
I haven't seen this truck before, but this guy's campaign was something like 3 years ago. I guess Scofflaws also like to deface things. But this was chuckle-worthy.
Obligatory close-up
Old Logo is back, Winter Recap
I switched to my Winter Logo on December 12. It's now March 12. I changed the logo back yesterday. Even though they're predicting snow this weekend, We're in spring now and 3 months is a nice round number.
Over winter:
I rode 56 of 57 work days.
I took The Dreaded Bus one day that I was sick (I should have stayed home) and didn't use my bike that day.
I rode a total of 7 one-way bus-free trips over winter.
I missed one day of work (took one real sick day)
I rode a total of 478 miles.
I drove to work 0 times during normal work hours.
The coldest temperature I rode in this winter was 1°F on January 24th.
Soaking it up before we get soaked
43°F this morning. Balmy, for certain. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I saddled up dark'n'early to ride downtown. I am still getting used to spring. Around here, 43° ostensibly sounds like swimming weather. Break out the short sleeves. Really, it's quite chilly for shorts. Impossible? Certainly not. Unwise? Most definitely.
I over-dressed a little bit, but it was only for a lack of owning anything really appropriate for this kind of stuff. A long-sleeve tee-shirt would have been too chilly, and my windbreaker was too warm. A long-sleeve wooly jersey would have been perfect. Alas, I do not own one of these. Perhaps I'll buy one as Autumn approaches.
My narrow tires traversed the road like razors on rails. Despite headwinds, sitting in the drops gave me some decent purchase against the breeze. Crisp, spring morning air severed by a man-machine united rushed past me but without a sound. Nothing but the hum of tires on pavement and the whispering mechanical whirr of jockey wheels feeding chain to the gear cluster. No cars for miles, either. The soft yellow glow of my halogen beam highlighted all hazards well ahead of me. A rhythmic, hypnotic strobing pattern of piercing white-blue light accented street signs at 120 pulses per minute, providing tempo for the electronic music stuck in my head on the ride in.
Approaching Rosedale, KS I encountered a bike ninja. Dark bike, dark clothes and no lights. At least the rider was on the sidewalk. Say what you will about riding on the sidewalk, but that's probably the safer location for a bike ninja before dawn. There were scads of bike commuters today, evidenced only by myriad bikes locked to various stationary objects all over town. I only saw one other person riding, save for the bike ninja which I could have just as easily missed, but it was obvious that I wasn't the only one who thought it was a stellar morning for a bike ride.
The city streets and parking lots have been more crowded than usual this week with the hosting of the Big 12 tournament here in Kansas City's new Power & Light district. The cramped roadways and parking spaces could easily be a few reasons that people are choosing their bikes right now. When faced with congestion and temporary overcrowding, it becomes obvious that riding a bike is actually the lazy and convenient way to travel, if not the only way to actually get around at a reasonable speed in rush hour. The widespread use of bicycles in densely populated areas such as NYC, LA and Beijing is starting to seem a lot more logical to me now.
Even in the pre-daylight phase of morning, Main street is a disaster with traffic. I ended up hopping on the sidewalk to get past a major logjam of cars. In downtown, it's technically legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk, but you always have to be mindful of pedestrians, getting doored by shops or cars, and of course at every intersection. Fortunately, I only needed to sidewalk it for one city block to get my morning coffee. JR's bike was present, and Lorin walked up as I was taking off my heat-trapping windbreaker. Discussion of sports and bikes over coffee filled the remainder of my time before work. I'm not much for ball sports and kind of see it as people getting paid to chase a ball around, so for the most part I zoned out and enjoyed getting caffeinated and gnawing on a banana that I'd brought from home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking more of what I'd be writing this morning than anything else.
The rest of the week calls for rain and possibly more snow. Today, I am going to soak it up. Tomorrow, we're going to get soaked.
Random Tunage:
Jon Secada - Just Another Day
Say Anything - Baby Girl, I'm a Blur
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Crazy but fruitful evening, too!
Or something. Meh.
I took my brakes off and cleaned the pads up as best I could over lunch. Stopping was a lot quieter and easier for my return trip. These SwissStop pads are silky smooth but grippy and fade-free when they're working right. When they're loaded like this, it's bad news for both your rims and your stopping distance.
I got off the Antioch bus at Johnson Drive this afternoon to take my slightly-shortened route home via Turkey Creek with a modification: Swing by the Mexican restaurant on the way home... While waiting, as you can see, I partook in a beer. I somehow shoe-horned most everything into my panniers, already somewhat cramped for space, and rode the 3/4 mile journey that made up the remainder of my homeward commute. Nothing crushed. All tacos intact. Awesome.
After fooding, I had to drive to the KC Bike Week Committee Meeting. I'm heading up the Bike Buddy program this year, and need to crack the whip on some people to make sure they're going to be available the Monday of Bike Week. Imagine several distinct packs of commuter convoys working their way through the greater KC area. That's what I want to see happen. Of course, I'll be at it every day that week, but we're sticking to Monday as the official Bike Buddy day, to introduce newer or less experienced bike commuters to routes that they might not have otherwise thought of taking.
Now I'm back. I only put on 9 miles today, but it felt good to hit Turkey Creek again. It was such an awesome evening for riding that I regret not riding all the way, but my time schedule didn't have enough wiggle room in it, and the headwinds would have set me back.
And a parting photo of my bike after having the panniers eat mexican food.
Random Tunage:
Bruce Hornsby - The End of The Innocence
Yaz - Only You
My Six-Word Memoir
The Crumudgeonator tagged me. This time, it's a six-word memoir. Six words to sum up my meager existence. That's easy:
"Problem Solver, Engineer, Destroyer and Troublemaker."
It took me no time at all to come up with that gem. And it's for the most part accurate. I wish that I could fit a few obscure adjectives in there for good measure, but alas there is no room. As it stands, I fix stuff, make stuff, break stuff, and rock the boat while doing these things. And I'm damn good at it, too.
Some blog epidemics are forced upon others. As I was called out, so I am supposed to call out others to come up with their own. I'm sure plenty of bloggers in my 'sphere are trembling as I spin the wheel of misfortune to choose my victims.
I think I'm going to let this one continue on a voluntary path, much like the Viral Bag Dump. See how crazy things can get?
http://jmd1125.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-bike-bag-ii-audit.html
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/02/bicycle-bag-dig.html
http://kc-bike.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-i-carry-plus-give-away-contest.html
http://flickr.com/photos/jeffyoungstrom/2273461695/
http://www.bikeofdoom.com/2008/02/14/whats-in-my-bag/
http://cycledog.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-we-carry.html
http://bicycle-diaries.blogspot.com/2008/02/whats-in-your-bag.html
http://averen.blogspot.com/2008/02/bag-dump-in-reply-to-fritzs-bicycle-bag.html
So if you read this, maybe you have your own six-word memoir ready to go. Or, more likely, you do not. No sweat.
Still freezing? Come on!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This morning, it's still a little below freezing. I'm still not feeling 100% so I went to the bus as usual. The colder temperatures are making the all-season SwissStop brake pads on my road bike a little harder than usual. They work great in wet or dry weather, but as they harden up, they start to eat at the rims a bit, trapping aluminum bits in the pads much like my crappy OEM pads used to. I was getting a lot of grinding noise from my fronts this morning. I'll probably clean them over lunch.
Random Tunage:
Collage - I'll be loving you
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
Monday, March 10, 2008
Crazy Day
Ah, the wonders of working in IT. I got sucked into an hour-long meeting that kept me at work later than usual, just so that I could utter two sentences of information security advice while overly verbose project planners and sales dweebs reiterated each other's statements ad infinitum.
Thinking I have the bus schedule figured out, I high-tail it to Union Station to catch the L Bus. While waiting, the Dreaded bus comes by. Odd. I don't think the D bus should be here. After it takes off, I open my phone and check my schedules. Whoops! As it turns out, that particular D bus was the earliest trip home available. I hopped on and chased it half way around Crown Center, finally catching it before it got on the highway.
I rode to the Monday night ride, tooled around with them for a while, and rode back home. It was nice not needing to rely on lights for the entire trip, and we had a bigger crowd than I've seen since November.
In other news, one of my childhood best friends is one of my first bike commuting converts -- actually THE first that I know of, assuming people haven't stumbled across my blog and been suddenly inspired to go buy a bike and start commuting on it. Ryan lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area these days and just scored a shiny new Specialized TriCross Triple which he plans on commuting with. It sounds like he's got a pretty easy route, staying mostly on the W&OD Trail. He sounded pretty pumped up after making a test run to and from the office today, so wish him luck! Eric just got back from D.C. as well, and has a lot of great things to say after having been out there for the National Bike Summit. It sounds like D.C. has it better figured out than we do out here.
Random Tunage:
Lisa Loeb - I Do
Sarah McLachlan - Possession
Bike commuting and weak-end miscellany
Hope you're all enjoying your lack of sleep extra evening daylight. I'm actually pretty well adjusted. I find it's easier if you shift gears to DST during the day on Saturday. When I'm done with the day's time-sensitive things like appointments, I change the clocks mid-day. I'm still robbing myself of an hour, but it isn't during sleepy time.
Despite the stellar weather this weekend, I didn't get out for a ride. Saturday, I had family visiting from out of town, and then I had to practice Bass Guitar for a bit. Oh, you didn't know I played bass? Neither did I. I played briefly about a year and a half ago -- maybe closer to two years. With our praise team's drummer out, my dad would have to eschew his guitar to play drums. I decided to fill in with the bass.
If you ever wonder where my passion for music comes from, you really don't have to look much further than my father. He's a mechanical engineer with a music degree. If I list all the musical instruments that I can think of off the top of my head, he can play more than half of them. I'm a no-talent hack on keyboards, clarinet and bass guitar, but I can make any of them work in a pinch. I can't read sheet music to save my life but I've got a good ear. I'm not a bad vocalist, but I'm shy performing in public.
Anyhow, Sunday I took the bass and performed at church without sucking too badly. It was my biggest audience ever (probably a smidge over 100) but it didn't bother me too much. I'm trying to get over my anxiety of public speaking and this is a small step.
I packed The Goat away again, switching to The Twelve for full-on commuter duty. Believe it or not, I'm actually thinking of splurging for fenders if I can save up for them. I'm still torn on whether to fender The Twelve or Hybridzilla though. 'Zilla really isn't any slower when I'm commuting. My average speed (round trip) is almost always spot on between the two of them. I'll think about this for a few weeks. My main reasons for not going to fenders so far:
- They will get in the way when I have to use the bus rack. It's almost a deal-breaker.
- I don't like the look. I can get over this.
- There are more not-rainy days than rainy ones here in KC, but if something is worth doing, it's worth over-doing. Kind of like the 500+ lumens I throw onto the road every day.
We're headed for warmer stuff this week, and maybe some rain. We'll see how things play out.
Random Tunage:
Way Out West - The Fall
Fluke - Pulse (Trisco Remix)
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Top 10 reasons that March rocks my socks
10. Somehow, March is one of the few months of the year where there's very little chance of both tornadoes and blizzards.
9. Less sick people to avoid.
8. The road bike and mountain bike switch roles (primary commuter vs. recreation)
7. People will finally quit calling me crazy for riding a bicycle in the cold. Now, they'll just call me crazy for riding the whole way in traffic.
6. Grass and trees are coming back to life. While brown and white are cool, I'm about sick of them.
5. More daylight for evening rides, but we get plunged back into darkness for the morning commute as of today.
4. The trails will probably dry up sometime this month for the first time since November.
3. More bike-only commuting.
2. I might actually make my target miles for the month (thanks to #3)
1. Temperatures finally stay reliably above freezing! I think...
Friday, March 07, 2008
No snow. Yet.
I guess the flurries are supposed to hold off until later today. The Goat was smooth sailing this morning, though. I wasn't in much of a hurry, and just took my time. I've still got some sinus stuff. That was part of the reason. But it's also Friday, and if I start my Fridays off good, they seem to go by quickly and productively. That's a Good Thingtm, because I have a LOT of stuff to wade through today. I threw some bananas in my backpack, left early, and had a nice, leisure-pace ride to the bus.
It's that time again. The monthly meeting at The Maul. There's really no quicker way for me to get home than by taking the Antioch bus like I have been recently. Due to the things we usually end up doing after The Maul, I'll probably go home first, then drive there.
Looks like I'll round out the first week of March with about 55 miles. I have a lot of catching up to do to make my goal of 5,000 this year. I'd prefer most of my miles come from commuting and errands, but I need to get a few nice, long fun rides in as well. I definitely need to get on board with some of c'Dude's Populaires. Especially the night-time ones. Oh yes. I love me some night riding. And now that I have the DiNotte, there's no excuse not to partake in a few night rides that would sap my modified NiteRider's 90-minute run time dry.
Alright, peeps. Time for coffee and work. Be on the lookout for another Top 10 this weekend. It won't be as caustic nor as curmudgeonly this time. I promise. Maybe.
Random Tunage:
Rico Soarez - Timeless
Green Day - When I Come Around
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Traffic Signals. The Grand Equalizer.
Bike. bus.
Bike. work.
Bike. bus.
Bike. home.
Bike. electronics store.
Bike. grocery store
Bike. convenience store (I forgot something at the grocery store)
Bike. home.
You'd think with all that bike I'd have racked up at least ten miles today, but alas it wasn't quite. 8 Distinct trips -- some chained together, mind you. 9.5 miles.
Truth is, my bike is awesome for this kind of stuff. And it's no secret to those of us who ride for the little errands that a bike can be just as fast as a car if not quicker. On my way back from the grocery store, I was behind this sweet Audi S4. A typical suburban couple occupied this marvel of modern automotive engineering. Three hundred forty horsepower. Advanced automatic all-wheel-drive. Piercing High-Intensity-Discharge lights. A purring tone from the exhaust. The light turned green and it took off quickly. Not fast. Certainly not as fast as it could if the driver were pushing this track-worthy sedan to five nines. I pedaled. And pedaled. And a quarter mile later I'm stopping behind the S4 again. This continued for the entirety of two miles. Both of us had an average speed of maybe 8 miles per hour for those two miles if you count the stopped time. While I never busted 22 miles per hour (why bother?), the S4 probably got up to 45 or so just in time to hit the brakes again. And wait. And wait. While my DiNotte and NiteRider grew brighter and closer in the rear view mirror.
Bike commuting and utility cycling doesn't have to be about the 30-mile round trip from suburban hell to your job in the Big City. I used the bus today and that took a lot of miles off of my total, and any one of these little trips that I ran, almost all of my neighbors would have driven for. With as much fuel is burned starting a car, and with the car's emissions systems being disabled (and/or too cold to function properly) for the first few minutes of operation, it's these little trips -- the easy ones that even someone who is out of shape could make on a bike -- that are killing your pocket books at the pump.
If you haven't figured it out by now, there are so many awesome reasons to pick up a bike and ride now that it's close to spring-like weather again. And it's not just about the environment or your wallet.
I sound like a fanatic here, but everything really is different and for the most part better on a bicycle. You can say hi (and get one back) to people walking their dogs or jogging. You can feel the wind in your hair. You can feel better physically and mentally. You can regulate your metabolism and get a better night's rest. You can see things without the slight green tint that auto manufacturers put on auto glass to keep UV rays from fading the interior. You can explore. You can go at your own pace.
And you know what? You might just find that your own pace isn't much slower than that sports car in front of you at the stop light.
Ah. Tunage and bikeness.
Leaving my headphones behind wasn't the only bone-head move I pulled yesterday. I think riding all the way to work was a little foolhardy. I started feeling kind of blah by mid-day. With temperatures plummeting and headwinds mounting, I played it safe and used the Antioch bus to get back to home base. Oh yeah, I hiked to CVS Pharmacy over lunch and picked up a set of cheap tin cans headphones. They'll work in a pinch, but they have about the worst frequency response I've ever heard, save for maybe those headphones I bought at Everything's $1 back in 1993.
To make up for my lack of satisfactory tunage yesterday, I picked up the first volume of Nine Inch Nails' new Four-volume album series, Ghosts. Volume I is available for free and I can't stress enough how much you really should go get it, even if you don't listen to (or even if you think you hate) Nine Inch Nails. It includes the first 9 tracks, the digital booklet, and some website-friendly graphics. If you're a fan of how Nine Inch Nails sounds but not of the lyrics, this is the album for you. This album represents a whole new direction for NiN, in that all 36 tracks are completely instrumental. The NiN inspiration, drive, and eloquence are all there. It's odd, because if you heard it, you'd know without a doubt it was Nine Inch Nails yet it sounds distinctly different than Trent's previous work. He's always kind of re-inventing, so this should come as no surprise. When I can afford it, I plan on forking over the cash to pre-order the Deluxe edition.
The weather forecast calls for more flurries tonight. I was too lazy to pull The Goat off the wall, and The Twelve was sitting there ready to go this morning. I'm going to have to switch them out tonight whether I want to or not. With my little bit of a sinus irritation this morning, I took it easy on the way to the bus, and the extra efficiency of my road bike was much welcomed. Oh yeah... and I remembered my good headphones.
Random Tunage:
Nine Inch Nails - 7 Ghosts I
Arqer - You've got that something
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Things 'n' Stuff. March 5th Edition.
First, the Good News.
Forecast: Morning lows around 20°F. Light winds out of the south.
Actually: Morning lows around 32°F. Light winds out of the south.
Result: Forget the bus. I'm going on a bike ride!
It was a great ride in. Two layers of socks kept my toes from getting too cool. Average speed is up about 1 MPH, which is odd, because I felt like I was taking it pretty easy this morning. It's still a mere 14.2 MPH average, well below my average during peak season last year, but it shows that my leggies are trying to shake the winter cobwebs off. I'm also weighing in at 207 pounds again. I got up to 215 over winter from a low of 190 pounds around September, so the fat trimming is in full swing again. I am not watching my weight like a hawk, but I acknowledge that the insulation I took on over the colder months is probably combining with muscle atrophy and slowing me down a bit.
Now, The Bad News.
I forgot my headphones. This means that I am about to spend the next 8 hours listening to telephones ringing, cow-orkers gossiping about the finer points of trashy celebrities, the price of gasoline, tupperware parties, their spouses, and all the other crap they like to spew while I'm making some attempt to do my job. I'm not sure what project they mark their time as falling into while they have these epic discussions, but I'm surprised they find time to actually work. Oh, and there's no Random Tunage today, because THERE IS NO TUNAGE. *jedi mind trick* This is not the tunage you're looking for. There's nothing to fear but lack of tunage. This sucks.
Today in history.
March 5, 2007: I broke my ****ing face and lost some teeth. HEY YOU GUYS!!!
According to Wikipedia, there is absolutely nothing else really interesting that has ever happened on March 5th. Ever. I'm surprised I don't see "1998: A Gnat Farted" on the list. Do gnats fart? Probably not. But if they did, that would probably be about as exciting as Wikipedia's list of March 5th events.
Random Tunage:
Grr. In my office, I have a spare pair of socks. A spare shirt. Spare pants. Extra deodorant. A comb. Even a spare inner tube and some patches. Why, in the name of all things sacred, have I not thought to bring in a spare set of headphones?
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Splendid!
Despite temperatures hovering mostly in the 20s and 30s today, it was simply splendid.
This morning, there was a gentle breeze out of the north and the clearest sky I've seen in months. The air was crisp and chilly, barely 20 degrees as I stepped outside a few minutes past six. The eastern horizon was a deep, captivating violet color with this sliver of red visible just between the cracks of the bare branches of trees. Climbing the viaduct, I could see the sliver of red become more evident as the sun slowly tried to rise. Even though I left a little late, I took it easy on the way to the bus. I knew I'd make it on time. I had on a bunch of thin layers this morning, because I was uncertain what this evening would bring. I had coffee with Lorin while discussing the finer points of this and that before darting off to work.
Temperatures somehow managed to creep up barely into the 40s for my return trip. There was a lady on the A bus who Karen and I had talked to before. She just moved here recently (from Chicago, I think) and doesn't want a car. She's about sick of our bus system in Johnson County (I don't blame her, it's pretty bad compared to most metro areas) and is thinking of bike commuting once things warm up. I referred her to check out Trek's Go By Bike campaign and sign up.
If you haven't heard of this, it's pretty cool. 2 people each -- A man and a woman -- from Omaha, Saint Louis and Kansas City, will be chosen to participate. Winners of the contest will get a free Trek FX fitness hybrid (a flat-bar road bike, basically) with a bunch of commuting goodies. In exchange for that, they'll take pictures and blog about their adventure during National Bike Month (May). If they keep it up and meet all of the conditions, all the stuff is free for them to keep. This is meant for people who have thought of getting around on a bicycle for short trips but haven't gotten motivated or don't have a bike that's usable. Current utility cyclists like myself are exempt from this one, but it should be cool to watch six people get hooked on using bikes for basic transportation.
When I got home, I couldn't stay inside. There were things I needed to pick up. We were out of recordable DVDs (for backups), laundry detergent, and some other stuff. I made a bee-line to the grocery store, then rode back right past my apartment and down towards The Maul to swing by Best Buy. When I declined the plastic sack at Best Buy (I had my backpack with me), I somehow came up with "save the plastic trees." It sounded witty at the time, reading it here, it looks pretty weak now. The guy asked if I ride my bike all winter and I confirmed that I did "but only for really short trips, like a few miles or less" and then came the influx of questions about how I survive in the cold. People go snow skiing at near-zero temperatures for hours upon hours. Do you ask THEM how they do it? I just wish he hadn't reminded me of both the crappy weather and my crappy miles this winter. Winter was fun for the first few weeks. Now? Not so much.
Random Tunage:
Hooverphonic - Battersea
Black Dove - Capsule
Friday spoiled me, badly.
Friday spoiled me. Not just in weather, but in bicycle commuting. Smooth, skinny tires on dry pavement. Efficiently slicing through just-above-freezing air. Watching the sun as it started peeking over the horizon at the end of my journey. Friday was full of memories that have been haunting me, and these last 2 days of riding The Goat to the bus stop have almost been painful.
Honestly, I thought about riding all the way today, despite the chill. Headwinds are the only thing that put a crimp in my plan. Well, and lack of preparation last night. I would have gotten out pretty late this morning. When is this stuff going to be over? Morning lows are supposed to remain well below freezing until the weekend, so I guess I'm stuck on the bike/bus routine for the rest of the week.
Freezepop - Brainpower (Awesome. Cheesy. Just wow.)
Noma - Another Time
Monday, March 03, 2008
A fun little Monday night spin
I took the Antioch route home for a whopping total of 3.3 miles this evening in the sub-freezing temperatures. It's hard to believe that just yesterday we were a few degrees away from swimming weather.
The last 2 Monday night rides have been a bit of a wash as far as riding is concerned. Hecktic schedules end up taking the blame, but I know that if the temperatures had been more optimal, there would have been some riding going on the past 2 weeks.
Today, I waited at the meet-up point for about 15 minutes. 6:30 came and went and I was ready to just pack it up, when Mark & Theresa rolled up in winter 'cross kit and bikes in the back of their Pathfinder.
I'll be honest. With blustery, arctic wind straight out of the North, I wasn't going to get too torn up if there was no ride tonight, but it ended up being a lot of fun. We had about 6 miles of road under us, and about a mile worth of what I can only describe as peoples' back yards. We rode on the crunchy, ice-covered mud ruts left behind by service trucks along a grassy corridor that high-voltage power lines use to cut through residential neighborhoods. It was really messy, and it was a blast. I had The Goat out, while Mark & Theresa used cyclocross bikes. All of them held up to the torture just fine but my Twelve would have gotten stuck.
Anyhow, yet another famous "Mark Thomas Special Stage"
I washed the experience down with a beer, chips and salsa when we got back.
Zogics CitraWipes - Another contest!
I tore into my breakfast with the knife on my Park Tool MTB-3. Oranges are so tasty.
I've also got a pile of Zogics CitraWipes. I cleaned up with them last time I had to fuss with my chain, and they do a pretty good job. More than that, they smell like oranges, which is awesome -- but they're not tasty.
Zogics sells these wipes online and through many local bike shops and sporting goods stores. They're relatively new. Zogics' founder, Paul LeBlanc is an outdoor enthusiast and former member of the US National Cycling Team, so these are definitely made with cyclists in mind. Furthermore, Zogics is a member of 1% For The Planet, a group of businesses that donate 1% of their sales to environmental nonprofit groups.
A full review of these wipes is pending. I feel like I really need to get in a good roadside repair situation and get genuinely grimy on the go to really put these babies to the test. But I have so many of them that I'd like to share.
Here's your chance. Click here and tell me about your grimiest commute ever. Make sure you use an email address that I can reach you with, or else I can't get in touch with you to ship you your CitraWipes!
I'll take some of my favorite stories and post them, and then I'll ship off a pair of CitraWipes to you so you can get clean on your next messy adventure.
Okay, that's just mean!
Friday was beautiful. There's no doubt about that. It was relatively calm, temperatures were nice, and the sun was shining. Saturday and early Sunday it was also nice, but far too windy to do anything outdoors. The few cyclists I did see were gnashing their teeth and fighting the wind. Then, last night we had strong thunderstorms with insane straight-line winds, horizontal rain, and powerful lightning.
Somehow, the roads had mostly dried up by this morning, but with temperatures near freezing and 30-MPH gusts out of the North, I didn't even bother riding the whole way this morning. Sleet is possible sometime today as well.
I enjoyed seeing piles of sandy, salty road silt pushed out towards the gutters, though. That means that the roads are now for the most part clean, and that the next rain we get will likely throw water up onto my bike instead of corrosive, abrasive salt and sand.
Fighting the wind once I got downtown was a chore. Traveling east or west is dangerous, as you're likely to get blown over from the wind's Venturi effect as it channels between buildings. Traveling north is a whole different adventure this morning as well. With wind strong enough to find every little crevice in my clothes, it was a bit on the chilly side, too.
I really wish the weather would quit teasing us.
Random Tunage:
Orbital - Lush 3-3 (Underworld Mix)
Tomski & Jan Johnston - Love Will Come
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Top 10 things I hate about "Green"
A lot of the things I do are environmentally friendly. I believe in being responsible with resources, from personal resources like money to common resources like the air we all breathe. I believe in stewardship, and I believe in taking care of things. That said, I am not an environmentalist. I don't hurt for the Earth. I don't go out of my way to do things on the sole basis that it will save the planet.
You can be green without falling into the "Green Consumerism" trap. Here are 10 things that irk me.
10. Specialty Organic-Food markets. Mostly, I despise the culture that surrounds these overprices places, but they tug at the heart-strings of people who want to exude smug greenness in their lives.
Farmer's markets and even large grocery stores often sell organic foods at more reasonable prices.
9. Carbon Credits and Carbon Offsets. Because money trumps responsibility.
I think it goes without saying that many corporations could do better to reduce their environmental impact on their own.
8. Ethanol made from corn. Seriously, folks. What are you thinking? When food and fuel compete, everyone loses.
In places like Brazil where more efficient (and less readily edible) plants such as sugar cane exists for making ethanol, it's not a bad thing. Here in the US, ethanol from switchgrass might be one answer. Walking or riding a bike for even part of those really short trips you make sounds like a much better idea.
7. Epic "Greeninating" projects. Tearing apart a building to re-do all of the insulation, windows, and HVAC systems to "go green" might be good for a tax credit, but it takes a lot of resources to move all those awesome, efficient construction materials. Then, what happens with all the construction waste?
Efficient building materials are expensive, but often worth the investment when building a new structure.
6. Sending hundreds of pounds of appliances to the landfill in the name of "Green." Replacing all of your 5-year-old stuff with shiny, new eco-friendly gear is a great way to make the company you keep "Green" with envy, but it's also irony defined.
Again, simple things like turning off lights, taking shorter showers, adjusting the thermostat on your water heater and climate control system at home will go a long way. Much like choosing efficient building materials, choosing efficient appliances as part of a new home isn't a bad idea.
5. Buying smugness at the cash register with re-usable "Green" (sometimes in color, always in marketing) canvas bags sold by grocery stores. The ones I saw at Hy-Vee were made in China. Assuming they weren't made in a sweat-shop by children who crank these out for a wage of pennies per day, there's still a great amount of irony in the amount of resources that were used simply to get these modern marvels of environmental friendliness into stores here in the US.
Instead, take your own backpacks or duffel bags along. Personally, I load up my panniers. On a side note, you could get bonus points for getting things from farmers' markets and buy things that were driven from halfway across the state instead of being shipped halfway around the world.
4. Hybrid gas-electric vehicles. More than 100 pounds of toxic, difficult-to-recycle battery materials go into each one. Much like "Green" appliances, at the end of the day it's just one more car on the road in addition to the (not Green) one you probably sold or gave to your kid. Those are just two of the many problems with hybrids.
In the long run, small cars powered by low-displacement gasoline or turbodiesel engines will save more money. Technology has come a long way, and many of these cars burn just as clean as a hybrid.
3. Plug-in hybrids and electric-only vehicles. These are not a panacea -- in fact, they're a less viable solution than traditional gas-electric hybrids. You see, the US still gets most of its electricity from coal-fired power plants. Most vehicles that leech from the power grid are essentially coal-burning vehicles. Once you figure the inefficiency of power transmission to the home, charging circuitry and electricity storage in the vehicle itself, it stops looking so sweet.
I could nod my head to EVs getting their daily fix from a solar or wind power source, though.
2. Guilt. Pack your bags; We're going on a guilt trip in a new GMC Yukon Hybrid! No one likes a guilt-tripper, and given the irony of some of the above points, it should come as no surprise that it's hard to be taken seriously when you're puffing your chest out while causing more harm than good with your Green antics.
Leading by example and encouraging others to make small, simple changes is a much better way to get the message across.
1. Consumerism. This sums up a lot of the previously mentioned items.
Until "Green" actually becomes more about conservation or simplicity and less about how much new stuff you can buy (and how much old, inefficient stuff you can send to the landfill) you'll have a hard time convincing me that the Green movement is about the green rainforests instead of the green-lined pockets.
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