GTC | Bike Commuting

It Rained

Yes I rode to work. Yes everyone asked me if I rode today, even though I have rode my bike every day this year, although I did ride the bus a couple of times due to injury and/or illness.

Actually, it was nice to finally get wet since it has been one of those dry dry years. But yes, I was cold and wet and miserable.

One thing I hate about rain is what it does to your chain! Crunchy and sans lube, I need to address that later.

There I go talking about the weather … sigh, I bore even myself sometimes.

Enough chit-chat

I have come to an interwebs crossroads. Sometimes I think I wish to have a blog that has a broader scope – giving me more chances to post. But that opens up some options: should I ditch this blog and start a new one? Should I just post everything here? Change the title and keep the domain name? I do not want to have more than one blog anymore. I think I have four and do not post to any of them more than once a month. (except the tumblog which is this pretty self-sustaining)

But then if i broaden my scope, what would I talk about? Things I love? Most of those are covered better elsewhere. Things I hate? I do not think a negative blog would be of any benefit except for my own amusement. Finally I have to maintain a small sense of online decorum due to being an employee of the public and a parent of younglings, so I never can say what I really want to say. (watching Star Wars right now so yes younglings is the right word)

Letting another blog die on the vine feels like defeat, but I have done this many times before. Friends may remember Once in a Lifetime, or Moby Dick that met the same fate. I can live with another small defeat. Note to self: If you have a blog that is updated only when you have time, and you never have time, you should be taking a lesson from that. I am a slow learner.

I would much rather make stuff, build planes, take pictures, read books, play guitar, and stop worrying about this blog business.

This was fun for a while and I appreciate all of my readers and support. Thanks for the love, comments, links and the $12 of Google ad money. I will still be reading your blogs and tweets.

Keep the rubber side down
Keep your car at home
Godspeed
Paul

Christmas is coming. Just sayin. Click image to order.

via: http://www.ahrensbicycles.com

I think I mentioned I was doing this a while back. Check out the whole set for details. I estimate it will hold only 12 and not 24 beers. I need to add one last support beam from the upright to the horizontal bars. The whole thing took two nights and I like the way to turned out. I used some scrap aluminum from an old project and the wood is left over from the Radio Flyer wagon rebuild. All I had to purchase was a bunch of screw and nuts from the hardware store. It holds my clothing bag and laptop for commuting. Everything is strapped down with a spare inner tube.

Final touches: more support like I mentioned, and better quality wood slats that will be stained to match the bike and weather sealed. Also I don’t think my front fender will work on there anymore. Maybe I will build wood fenders? Has to be easier than this. I think I know how to bend wood … I saw it on PBS!

I saw a girl riding her bike out in Mesa who looked like a she was riding to campus, but I thought, “nah, she is not riding that far.” I went to the store, did a little shopping and as I was driving home I saw the same girl who apparently yes, was riding that far. Good for her, you might think. A real trooper. Yes she is a real trooper, but her seat was so low and her tires so un-inflated that she had to lean side-to-side to get that old Trek 800 to move forward. She could have gotten there with so much less effort. It was over 100 ° that day!

Here are a few simple rules that I see violated every day. If you follow these rules you can go farther with less effort.

1. Pump up your tires. I ride at max psi and then some. This alone can decrease your effort considerably.
2. Properly oil your chain once a week. Do you really want to waste energy making noise? Plus the squeaking sound makes you a person on a bike instead of a cyclist.
3. Properly adjust your seat height. When your seat is in the right position you get to use all of your leg muscles. When it is too low you are only using two. When it is too high, you are just going to get chaffed. (I rarely see it too high)
4. Pedal with the ball of your foot.* Not your heels or arches. Again, you get to use more muscles this way.

Follow these rules and you can get to where you are going with less effort, guaranteed. Plus you will exercise all of your leg, and someday have killer gams like me. One last rule: wear a helmet so your family will not have to feed you with a spoon.

*The ball of the foot is where the toes join with the rest of the foot. (via Wikipedia, the source of all trvth)

I thought the rocky, abrasive trails of central Arizona were tough. Just take a look at this video from (what I am assuming is) the Frech alps. High-speed switchbacks. I would not ride this thing on your bike.

If you have not seen Madsen cargo bikes, you are missing out. Drool drool drool. Think extra-Xtracycle with a built-in hot tub.  You can enter three ways:  follow them on Twitter,  subscribing to their email newsletter, or option #3 put a banner up, which I will choose only because there is a surfboard involved.

Hmm. Looking at the preview, this post looks strange with the words “Gratuitous self entry” at the top. Changing to “Gratuitous entry” … that still looks strange. Meh, I’m gunna leave it.

Get it? A pun!

Anywho I am taking my own sweet time with this rebuild. I have two new components to show you. Click the video for more. You cannot tell from the video but it is fixed only now. No free wheel on the flipside. Still enjoying that feeling of being connected to the bike and road. Due to other hobbies old and new this rebuild could take a while.

Just noticed the new parts are named Mary and Paul – does Peter make components? I know of this Peter.