back to it

I didn't ride much during February or March because... well, I just wussied-out when the worst of the winter weather came rolling in (I worked from home a lot during that time), but now I'm back in the saddle.
The legs are very weak and rusty and I'm still not super confident on the fixed gear so, the commutes are going slow.

frostbite

crap.
On Sunday I got minor frostbite on my nose. It's swollen and the skin looks kinda funny. I didn't do it on the bicycle though, we went snowboarding at Jay Peak VT this weekend and the low temps and windchill were just crazy. Temps at the base were around 0 degrees and the wind chill knocked that down to around -20.
Now, I'm probably always going to have to be extra cautious in cold weather to avoid more damage, which might mean wearing a balaclava or face mask. I hate both of those options.
crap.

thoughts on fixed gear bikes

I have been running little errands on the fixed-gear bike but I was nervous about commuting through the city on it. Today I jumped on and went for it.
Not so bad. I had to use my front brake only once, and that was at the bottom of the hill at the end of my street.

Here's what I learned on my fixed commute.

• 99% of the time it's no different than any other bike. I guess I don't coast much.
• The remaining 1% of the time is 'exciting'. Some would call it scary.
• 'Sudden stop' is deprecated, and is replaced by 'swerve' or 'crash'. You decide.
• My commute time was significantly slower because I was being so cautious.
• My legs are sore. Riding fixed uses different muscles, especially when going down hills and trying to slow down.
• My lockring needs to be tighter.

mind numbing

Ok. first off. I don't like golf, never have, probably never will, too boring and the thought of watching it on TV is mind-numbing.
Well, I've found something even more boring... watching people doing trackstands. Youtube is filled with video's of people doing trackstands. There's even a trackstand contest that goes on for about 8 minutes. Boring! Watching grass grow is more exciting.
Sure, a trackstand is a slightly nifty trick and it impresses non-bicyclists for about one minute, but c'mon... really.

don't believe the widget

Since the Northeast is experiencing an arctic cold blast, I havent been bike commuting much lately. I've been opting to work from home instead.
This morning though, I check my Dashboard Weather Widget and it says it's currently 40 degrees in Providence. Sweet!
I dress for an above-freezing commute and head out the door.
Within 2 minutes I'm thinking "This sure doesn't feel like 40" so, I stop and put on my vest. By the time I'm halfway to work it's obvious I've made a mistake... my hands, feet and face are frozen and the wind is whipping through my wool sweater, making my arms cold.

I get to work, go to weather.com and check the current conditions for Providence, RI... 21 degrees, with windchill it feels like 10 degrees. Nice. I make a mental note to never use the weather widget again.
At lunchtime I walk over to the Walmart (*blech*) they just built near my office and I buy a pair of thin dress socks to wear under my regular socks, and some glove liners to augment the thin knit gloves I wore today. I'll also wear my work shirt under my sweater for the ride home, that should help block some wind.

The ride home was not so bad. The temperature was actually a little colder than my morning commute but the wind had stopped so I was able to cruise a little faster and, just having warmer hands and feet made everything ok.

new blinkies

I was at the local bike shop tonight and I saw they had these tiny little blinkie lights, the Sigma Micro's.

I picked up the white one to keep in my messenger bag as an emergency front light.

Holy crap is this little sucker bright!
It certainly isnt as bright as my Princeton-Tec EOS, but on a dark country road a motorist will still see this blinkie from a mile away!

It has one terrible flaw though. Due to the way the top part of the light's lens is scooped out, the person riding the bicycle can also see the blinking LED. This was so distracting I wanted to turn it off after only 1 mile. I got home and put a small piece of black tape over the top part of the lens... that helped. Putting it under the bars might also help hide the blink from the rider. This design is great for a rear blinkie but, someone should have thought it through a little better on the front version.

Still, these little lights are so small and lightweight that they're worth the $12 even if you just carry them in your saddle bag in case you end up riding home in the dark when you weren't planning to.

fixed ride

A good friend of mine used to call me 'iconoclastic' because I was always bashing on anything popular or trendy. I feel that the more popular something is, the more you should be wary of it.

I guess I have officially lost the title of iconoclast now that I have built a fixed-gear bicycle.

In case you havent been paying attention to the bicycle world lately, fixed-gear bikes are all the rage with the urban hipster crowd. Apparently they have been led to think that fixed-gear bikes are cooler than regular bikes, and riding one gives you punk rock street cred.

So, what on earth would possess me to follow the crowd and build a fixed gear bicycle? Well, I have always loved the stripped down look of a track bike. I want the extra leg workout that a fixed gear will impose and, lastly, I like challenging myself to master things that are difficult. I like challenges.

I picked up this pink 1986 Bridgestone 550 for $100 a few months ago. It fits great and it's in almost new condition but it's been sitting in the basement collecting dust. Now it's a fixed gear!

dog stories

This happened a long, long time ago...

About 9 or 10 of us were out on an early sunday morning ride. The pace was pretty leisurely and we all talking while riding three abreast down the quiet country roads. Tim, one of the groups strongest riders, was in more of a 'training' mode than we were and he was cruising about 75 yards ahead of the rest of us.

Suddenly, from out of a backyard on the left, came running one of the biggest Rottweiller's on the planet. The dog was moving insanely fast and heading straight for Tim. Tim's head was down and he didn't look up or show any sign of alarm. He must have been mesmerized from watching his front wheel because he didn't know the dog was coming.

I stood up and started sprinting... I don't really know why. In a flash I was right on top of the dog, my front wheel almost hitting his back legs. The dog was so focused on Tim that it didn't know there were other cyclists behind him.
A few more strong pedal strokes and I starting passing the dog on it's right. I leaned down towards the animal and yelled at the top of my lungs.
The dog simultaneously dodged left, away from the terrible noise that just assaulted his right ear, and spun it's head to look in my direction. The animal lost it's footing, tripped and tumbled. With it's legs splayed out like a deer on ice the dog skidded to a stop in the dirt on the side of the road.

Behind me, the rest of the cyclists rode past the dog laughing and swearing at it while it just sat there looking very confused and frightened.
We had to fill Tim in on the story because he was oblivious to the whole thing. By the time he turned around after hearing me yell, he had missed everything.

Everyone chuckled for the rest of the ride and had fun making up new nicknames for me, like; "Jeff, the dog conquerer", "dogslayer" etc, etc...
Good times.

more motorist weirdness

(Before reading this next post, see my other post about my nighttime light setup. Yes... I'm pretty sure most folks can see me.)

So, tonight I'm cruising home and I'm keeping a real good pace. A car is ever so slowly passing me. The passenger of the car looks over at me for a few moments. I guess that they are probably surprised that I'm traveling with them at 20+mph.

Out of nowhere, with no turn signal... or for that matter, no right hand street to even turn onto, this car just begins drifting into the breakdown lane and pushing me into the curb. Stunned, I stand up and start braking while looking around to figure out what's going on, I mean... I was right at their door! They must have been staring at my blinking ass-end for the last quarter mile at least. The occupants of the car look oblivious to the fact that I'm there!
They keep pushing and I start to freak because I'm pinned in with no good exit. Do I stop completely, or sprint past them?
Suddenly I hear a 'Whoot-Honk' siren and a red light flashes. Someone is yelling.
An EMT ambulance had been behind the drifting car and saw them nearly drive me into a mailbox. They flashed the lights and drove up alongside the drifting car. The passenger EMT is screaming at the motorist.
"What the hell is wrong with you? What are you doing, don't you see the guy on the bike?!"

This kind gesture, unfortunately, only makes the situation worse. The clueless motorist, frightened by red lights and a uniformed person yelling at them, swerves towards the curb even more. The car is now literally about six inches from my handlebar and moving closer.
I am forced to bang on their window. I didn't want to hit their car but, I'm trapped and about to get squashed.
"Hey! what the fuck? you're about to kill me!" I shout at the passenger window while banging my hand against it.

The driver stops instantly. I guess for some people, when confusion gets overwhelming, that is a logical response.

I just sneak past the car and start speeding away. The ambulance, now with the red lights off, slowly passes the car and pulls along side me. I look at the passenger EMT, shaking my head in disbelief. He says "what the hell is wrong with some people? It's not like he couldnt see you... you couldnt possibly have any more flashing lights on you!"

"Thanks" I say "I'm glad somebody noticed me"

Just another wacky commute in the world of insane motorists I guess.

bicycle lights

I'm not afraid of riding alongside cars. I don't the fear chaotic urban streets. I don't fear angry and impatient motorists.
I do however fear getting killed by someone when riding after dark.

So, here is my current light setup for wintertime commuting.

REAR LIGHTS:

• Princeton Tec RF6 blinkie on my seatpost.


• Cateye SL-LD100 blinkie hanging from my messenger bag.


• Cateye TL-LD130 blinkie also hanging from my messenger bag.


• Reflective decals on by fenders, cranks and seatstays.
  


• My Bailey Works Super Pro messenger bag also has big reflective patches on it.

FRONT LIGHTS:

• Light and Motion Vega 4watt LED headlight.


• Princeton Tec EOS 1watt LED in blink mode.

This might seem a bit excessitve but, you can never be too safe when it comes to nighttime riding.

night photos

some pics taken while out cruising along the cove at night

satan is my motor

Yesterday I drove the car because I had to go to the Mass office.
On the way home I pass right by our Providence office that I normally bike-commute to. Around the time I got to the Providence office it seemed that every road and highway in the state came to a complete standstill. This is a common occurence for about a week or so after the daylight time change. Folks seem to forget how to drive in the dark and widespread chaos breaks out.
Anyway, a commute that should take only 15-20 minutes took me over ONE HOUR! Yes, 65 minutes to travel the 7.5 miles from the Providence office to my house. I sat at one intersection through SEVEN light-cycles before I got through. I was so pissed off. I just kept asking myself "Why? why am I stuck in this car? I HATE this!"

At one point I saw a guy behind me get so frustrated that he pulled out of the line of stopped cars, crossed the yellow line into oncoming traffic and... drove! He just drove up the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. The oncoming traffic blew their horns, flashed their lights and swerved to get out of his way. He went for about a quarter mile before turning left onto a side street. Insanity!

I saw only one bike commuter. Sad.

So, after last night's drive from hell, there was NO WAY I was getting in a car today! Rain and darkness be damned! Today, I'd ride naked through a blizzard in Nome Alaska just to avoid sitting in traffic again!
My bike commute took me only 35 minutes. Same as it does every morning and, yes, I stop and wait at all (ok, about 95%) of the traffic lights.

OK, I'm glad that riding my bike to work is healthy for me, green for the planet and all that other happy crap but honestly, it would be closer to the truth to say I do it because I'm impatient, I hate sitting still and I hate stupid people.
Is that wrong?

If caring for the environment doesn't fuel your bicycling engine, let hate do the job. It works for me.