Ride Your Bike To Work Every Day, A Journal

What Happens When Wearing a Rain Poncho While Riding A Bicycle?

2015-04-21T17:07:00.001-07:00

I don't mind riding in the rain as long as it is not cold; so when the weather finally warmed up again and the snow melted it was time to get back into my routine of bicycle riding. It was spring, and it was raining but it was warm.

The rain was not heavy, so I put my backpack in a plastic bag and strapped it to the bike rack; then I put on my poncho, which I bought at a grocery store last year, and set off. I do not have a lot of money for fancy high-tech equipment so I make do with the department store stuff and get creative, and this poncho is proof that you can be O.K. with the low-tech stuff.

The problem with ponchos is that the wind pushes them up while you ride and they wrap around your shoulders leaving the rest of your body exposed, so I tried an experiment- I used binder clips to clip the poncho to the bike in front, (binder clips are those stiff boxy triangle black metal ones). The clips were strong enough to hold it down. I had to wrap the part of the poncho that I wanted to secure around something like the handlebar, the neck or the cross tube and then bunch the edge of the poncho and clip it together. I tried to clip the poncho to the handle bars but felt it was restricting my movement so I tried to clip it to the cross tube.

It worked well enough and I think with a few more attempts I will be much more dryer when I get to work. I think that if I clip it tightly around my wrist I might have part of the problem solved.

The binder clips and poncho came in handy when I arrived at work. I locked up my bike and lay the poncho over it then used the binder clips to hold it on. The bike was nice and dry when I came out after work.

I plan to always carry a few binder clips or clothes pins in my backpack from now on.

Review of my New Bike Schwinn Discovery Hybrid

2015-01-02T15:26:00.001-08:00

My old huffy mountain bike was getting old and was taking more of my time to work on it than I was riding it. The last straw was a rear tire that was out of true and needed to be replaced entirely.

WHY THIS BIKE
We looked over the internet and did a lot of comparison shopping; and I did visits to some bike shops. We had several criteria: price was top on the list. We wanted something that would get me to work reliably and able to tackle all the hills between here and there. My experiment with a mountain bike converted to a commuter was OK but I learned I wanted something lighter, quicker and smoother rolling. The new comfort bikes seemed to hit the mark so we chose the Schwinn Discovery.

SHIPPING AND ASSEMBLY
We are very happy with amazon and got the special shipping so it came in two days. The bike was double boxed and well packaged.

I guess about 90% of it was already assembled. I just had to put on the seat, handlebars, front tire, peddles, and the front fender. Having been tinkering on bicycles all my life there really was no problem. I had to do the front fender twice, the first time I mounted the top behind the bar but that brought the front edge against the tire so I remounted it in front of the bar and it was fine. From opening the box to getting on it and riding was less than an hour.

Assembled it was a beautiful bike to see.

SHAKE DOWN
I rode it around the parking lot at our condo and several neighbors were immediately interested in where they could get one too. I expected there would be a few minor adjustments, there always is when you get one of these in a box. I felt one break pad needed to be a tiny bit lower. And after I rode on the streets a few miles I began to feel that the break cable could be tightened a bit. The rear fender rubbed the tire slightly but a twist of the mounting screw to move the rod that held the fender quickly fixed it. I was pleased that for the most part the factory put it together well and seemed to have high standards.

THE TEST RIDE
I rode it on the bike paths and on the streets both flat and hilly. The performance was wonderful compared to the bike I have been riding. The frame is much lighter than my old mountain bike- that alone will improve my experience. I am thrilled by the shock absorbers in the front forks and the seat stem, since I have a bad back this is as good as it can get. It climbed the hills better than my old mountain bike and the gears were as smooth shifting as I could hope for.

Over all I am happy now that I have owned it for about four hours and would give it five stars out of five.

Why I love My New Schwinn Discovery

How I Fixed My Bicycle's Derailleur- Sort Of.

2014-12-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have had ongoing problems with my old huffy that I bought from Toys R Us years ago. I have ridden in to work daily for a long time.

It has proved to be a good transport for the money, in fact it has been a great transport when I consider the savings it has brought us; but lately parts have been giving way to the laws of physics that say all things decay.

The derailleur was the latest, it literally came apart on me a few days ago and I was afraid the old friend was a goner. I am not much of a bike mechanic and I learn on the go, so it was with caution that I began to tinker with the mangled pieces of rolling gear and twisted housing.

Taking the derailleur off of the bike was easy since it was mostly in pieces, but putting one in its place was not so easy. I have a bike I found in the dumpster a few years ago that has been a source for many spare parts, so I thought I'll just take the piece off of it and fix my bike.

My Huffy is a mountain bike that I have modified slightly for a commuter bike but the salvaged bike was a racing bicycle. The racing derailleur was still on the remains of the frame. The chain laced through it. I looked and looked but couldn't see how to get it off of the chain or the get chain out from wrapping through it. I gave up. Later I returned and looked the contraption over again. It had a hex head on one of the axes to the roller gear. I figured a hex nut meant there was a threaded bolt in there somewhere and if I took a wrench to it the thing would come apart. And that is just what happened, spilling a roller, an axle, it's barrel sleeve, and two washers on the concrete floor. I crawled on all fours for about twenty minutes looking for the parts and re-engineered the thing.

I thought they are both bicycles they both have gears, chain, crank and derailleur so the parts should be interchangeable. I was wrong. The part from the racer seemed to have more of a back angle to it. The mounting hole for the stabilizing nut was a different size and threaded which the huffy wasn't. There was a tiny flange designed to keep the part from spinning around the axle that was different.

Both were pretty shot so it didn't matter if I made it worse, indeed I don't think I could have made it worse. I filed the flange off of the part until it was smooth and hoped for the best. I had to find a bolt that would fit the new racing part to the old huffy frame. The clamp for the cable was rusted and had to be worked free but after a while I was able to thread the cable through. It looked like it would work- maybe.

I put the wheel on and turned the crank. The wheel turned. There are adjusting screws on the derailleur but no matter how long I spent I couldn't get it to go to all positions. The chain was a fraction too small to accommodate the higher back angel of the new part, but I could get it into most of the gears.

It is not a perfect fix but it is going to have to work for the time being until I can get a new solution.

Which may be a new bike.

How I Rode Home With A Broken Gear Derailluer

2014-12-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

I admit I do not take good care of my things so I accept it when they fall apart; and that is just what happened as I was bicycling on my way home.

I should have taken warning when the eight year old bicycle was complaining in the morning. I could sense it was not happy because with each turn of the crank there was bumpiness in the feel of the chain. I looked and discovered that the derailleur was bent and the bottom roller was slightly sideways. That it was bent was not surprising since it was a cheap part made out of sheet metal for a bicycle that sold at a toy store. It probably is more amazing that it lasted as long as it did- considering I rode it almost daily.

I carry a few tools these days since the bicycle has been showing signs of rebellion or senility and I have had to stop and fix little things on the way lately. I took a pair of pliers out of my backpack and twisted the soft metal one way and another to make it straight again. The metal must be suffering from fatigue because it was bent sideways again by the time I got to work and the roller was bumping on the inside.

I was naively hopeful of making it home after work without calling my wife for a ride. I got about one block and my chain fell free of the derailleur and began to beat against the spokes. I saw the roller was gone, the metal was twisted in two ways and the one side was flipped up.

There was not a hope for a roadside repair. I had about six miles to go so I started to walk. I admit I am a little slow in the brains, so it took me about a mile to figure out that I could sit on the seat and push myself along. If I rode in the gutter my right foot could push against the curb nicely and like a scooter I was riding again. At the top of the first hill I just sat on the seat and coasted down to the bottom. I rode the momentum until the bike slowed to almost stopping. I kept on with my curb scooting for a while and made it over the next hill this way.

Now I began to think, I still had three miles to go and the scooting against the curb was getting old so I figured why not lay the chain over the front sprocket by hand and lay it over the back gears, since the power is on top and if the bottom dangles it shouldn't matter. I would be riding as if it was one gear. So I gave it a try and with only gravity and tension holding the chain in place I pushed off and began to crank. It was working! But after about twenty feet the bike hit a bump and the chain bounced off the gear, the front sprocket spun freely and flung my foot forward. I tried again and got about fifty feet, and the same thing happened again, I just had to be careful not to hit an potholes. But I couldn't keep the tension up and the chain came off again letting my crank spin freely. I kept tying it again and again but my frustration got the better of me after about two miles of going a hundred feet at a time and then resetting the chain.

There was nothing for it but to walk where I had to and coast where I could. It was about the only time I was thankful for the rolling hills because after pushing to the top I was looking forward to a long coast to the bottom.

It was after dark when I got home. I just put the bike under the tarp in my back yard and tried not to think about it.

How I Prepare for Bicycling In Extreme Cold

2014-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

The other day the temperature was about 30 degrees with a wind chill in the single digits. Since my son had the car I had no option but to bicycle the seven miles to work.I know there is some high tech gear for cold weather riding but I am just the mail room guy and can't afford the good stuff.

I had already bought some gloves for my hands since it had been getting colder day by day. In this cold, the knit gloves would not be nearly enough so I tied some grocery bags over my hands to break the wind. I put on a sweatshirt over my long sleeved undershirt and a windbreaker over that. I put on a pair of nylon shell pants over my sweat pants.

I thought with these precautions I would be able to face the challenge of the cold. After putting plastic bags over my gloves I found that I couldn't snap on my helmet and had to take the gloves off, put my helmet on and then start over with the gloves and bags.

I know these measures helped but not so much as I had hoped. My mouth, nose, and throat hurt from the cold. When I arrived at work my fingers were stinging and my feet were in pain from the cold. I ran cold water in the sink and put my numb hands in; my hands were so cold that the water felt like it was burning. It took about a half hour to change into my work clothes.

The next day was even colder. This time I found some large gloves and slipped them on over my knit gloves then put the plastic grocery bags over them. I put on two pairs of socks and then tied grocery bags over my shoes. I put on two pairs of sweats and nylon pants over them. I added a jacket over the windbreaker and a ski cap under my helmet. Last I wrapped a scarf around my nose, mouth, and throat.

Bundled up I was ready for anything. The cold was still bitter and my eyes watered badly. With two gloves and grocery bags over my hands, I couldn't push my glasses back up my nose and they kept slipping lower and lower until I had to stop, take off the bags, and gloves to push them back in place then reassemble the gloves and bags on my hands. That was the only real problem I had, the layers worked.

It took a lot longer to get ready but it was worth it I was much more comfortable even if all those shopping bags made me look homeless.

What is it like to bicycle in autumn?

2014-11-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

Autumn is one of the best times to ride a bicycle. The cool air keeps you from getting too hot, the beauty of the changing seasons surround you, and the humidity is down so you don't get sticky.

I enjoy seeing the change in the local scenery. Gardens lose their colors, squirrels are crazily searching for nuts and seeds to hide away for the winter. Homes have a quieter look about them since their occupants like the squirrels are preparing to nest for the winter. The leaves overhead are brilliant in fiery colors; they fall in a lazy rain of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns.

There is one danger that is not often considered in riding a bicycle in autumn. Those beautiful leaves that color the trees blanket yards and roads. When they are wet they are slippery. When they are dry they hide potholes.

I was bicycling a different way home from work and my attention was divided between enjoying the beauty of autumn and looking at the road. I noted patches of leaves on the road and continued past some and through others. I went through a patch of leaves and my front wheel sank about eight inches below the ground. The bike stopped as the rear tire came up. I held onto the handlebar and was thrown into a handstand. My ribs came back down onto the handlebar while my feet looked for mother earth. The bicycle twisted sideways and lay down like it was playing dead. Falling off I broke my fall with my hands and found myself on all fours.

I was fortunate and thankful that I did not suffer any injury other than bruises. Most people experience a broken wrist from that kind of fall. I surmise that my speed was just under the threshold which would have caused such an injury.

Every season has its beauties and challenges. If you are aware of the challenges and respect the dangers you can enjoy the beauties.

How Traffic Rhythims Affect The Quality Of Bicycling To Work

2014-11-19T20:50:00.001-08:00

I never considered that traffic patterns could have such a major effect on the enjoyment and safety of bicycling to work, until I was late to work and saw different activities on the road.

I try to leave for work with enough time to cope with all the challenges of bicycling, but if I leave on time there is heavy traffic. A lot of cars compete to make the left turn at the second light I come to and then the cars bunch up behind me on the boulevard. I slowly negotiate left turns across lanes among cars. I pass several schools where the moms are crowding the curb to get into the parking lot. There is a contractor's oversize van parked in my way as I come down a hill. The last half mile is fraught with speeding people late for work.

If I leave for work fifteen minutes early the patters are different. The school where the kids are being dropped off is quiet and only a few cars are there. Traffic is light at the mini mart. The left hand turns are easier nice since there are fewer cars on the road. The last half mile is a relaxing wind down on an almost empty road.

I do not often have the leisure to leave early. A few times I have been late and it was better than early since the traffic pattern was even lighter than the normal times. I could ride in the center of the lane without the worry of cars passing inches to my left, or bunching up behind me. I could drift across lanes and make a left turn without looking over my shoulder the whole way. The moms were gone now that they were done dropping kids off to school. The contractor's van had already left giving me a clear passage down the hill. The last half mile was the relaxing dream that bicycling to work should be.

It felt much safer to not have to concentrate on the traffic.

I do not have the liberty to make my own hours but if I did I would opt for the later commute which is more enjoyable.

How I Rode Eight Miles On A Flat Tire.

2014-10-13T18:40:00.002-07:00

I admit I am not the kind of guy who spends a lot of time with details. I do not get the oil changed in my car every 3,000 miles like the manual says I should. I do not change the filter on my home air conditioning every 90 days like I am supposed to. I just turn things on and expect them to run. I accept they may not be new anymore and live with poor performance. It makes life interesting.

When my bicycle tire is a little low I figure that is life and it will mean a little extra huffing and puffing on the cranks that is all.

The other morning it was just that. Not only was the tire low but the valve stem was at a slight angle suggesting the inner tube was slipping with the roll of the wheel. I could have taken two minutes and forced the tire forward on the rim to straighten the valve and pump the tire up, or I could just get on with it- which is what I did.

So I started to work on a low tire. BIG MISTAKE! I did not get half way before I knew I was in trouble. The front fork was wobbling back and forth. Looking I saw that the tube had gone flat and the rim was rolling on the rubber tire, which was folding one way and then the other throwing the steering back and forth. The valve stem had completely disappeared; it must have been drawn inside the rim by the friction of the rolling wheel.

I rode slow, very slow, hoping the rubber tire didn't come off of the rim, and because the kind of guy I am I did not carry any tools. When I came to a corner I took the turn at a crawl fearful of having the tire come off and wrap around the forks. The cranks felt like I was peddling up a steep hill all the way, and when I came to a hill I was crawling slower than ever. I worried all the time that the rim or tire was being damaged. I got to work on that flat tire fifteen minutes late.

I had no tire pump and no change for the air pump at the service station, (they all charge fifty cents for air in this town) so, I began the long ride home on the flat tire.I worried about the rim being damaged all the way. I rode slower than I had since the third grade. I was watching the tire more than the road. My forearms burned with the ache of keeping the wheel straight as the tire wobbled from side to side.

The ride home normally takes forty minutes but this time it was more like an hour and a half which turned my legs into rubber. I went to sears and bought a new inner tube. When I took the tire apart to replace the tube I found the valve stem was completely gone. There was no way it could have been pumped up.

Now every morning I greet the bicycle with the pump in one hand and feel the tires with the other to see if they need any air.

When I lost my lunch while bicycling to work.

2014-09-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

I should have not been surprised that forgetting one of the little details before my bike ride will lead to a very bad day.

It is hard enough to manage the details of the morning but when you bicycle to work there are added dimensions to getting ready for the day. You have to have that change of clothes, extra deodorant, water bottle and so much more.

I checked to make sure I had everything I needed set in my back pack; clean socks and shorts, a washrag and face towel, my work shirt, my lunch, wallet, keys and other little things. If I forget something it is an hour ride back to the house to get it, and then an hour back to work; but it was all there.

I strapped my backpack to the back of the bike and pushed off to the morning ride. It was a crisp morning but the cool helped me make head way and I was pushing my limits a little. Half way to my job I stopped at a light and heard something strange behind me, a thump. I looked around but there was no car nearby, so I didn't give it a thought and when the light turned green went on my way.

Later I was coasting down a nice slope and again wondered about that sound. Feeling uneasy I stopped and looked my bike over; when my eyes rested on my backpack strapped to the rack I realized the sound was my lunch falling out of the unzipped compartment of my pack. A panicked search found my wallet and cell phone was still in place since thier zipper was closed.

I rode back up the hill watching the gutter for the fruit and granola bars of my lunch bag. At the intersection there was no sign of my lunch bag. I considered tracing my route all the way back to home but would be over an hour late for work. I do not want to be the guy who is always late so I headed off to work thinking that I was going to eat out of the vending machine unless I could find a forgotten rice cake in my desk. It was going to be a long day without my snacks.

There are many things to remember when riding a bike to work daily but you must never forget to zip the zippers or you can just forget everything.

The Conquest Of The Middle Hill

2014-09-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

I bicycled to work in the morning and worked a long day on my feet in the mail room printing reports and documents then running all over the building to deliver them. It was a very long day.

I was glad to be off work and was looking forward to getting home. My bike ride was peaceful and relaxing after such a busy day. As I was rolling through a shady neighborhood I heard the familiar sound of pat, pat, pat over my shoulder. It was the footsteps of a jogger who was catching up to me. I was not in the mood for the humiliation of being caught up to by a jogger, so I changed gears and stood on the cranks to give it all I had. As the muscles in my legs groaned in protest the sound of the runner receded away behind me.

With satisfaction I kept the effort up and listened to the sound of the jogger growing faint behind me. My route turned a corner and went a ways to the foot of a small hill. I was tired and eased up a bit- the hill was going to be really hard.

I changed gears to tackle the hill and set my pace for a not too easy conquest when I heard the runner approaching. Muttering a word I shouldn't have said under my breath I stood on the cranks and gave it all I had left. It must not have been enough because over my shoulder I could still hear the pat, pat, pat, of the approaching athlete. The hill seemed to grow in my mind and become steeper than I ever remember it to be. The pat, pat, pat grew louder, it was no longer behind me but beside me.

I couldn't be overtaken and strained my legs against the cranks while I pulled against the handlebars. I pulled away but only for a moment. I couldn't keep the struggle up, and just slipped into a pace to keep me moving forward but my speed was declining.

The wiry form of the marathoner passed me by. I looked to my right to see who it was that had the strength to pass me while climbing a hill, and saw the white hair and thin form of an old man in his seventies. I shifted into my easiest gear and took it easy the rest of the way.

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(c)Adron Dozat 9/10/14

How Equipment Performance Affects Bicycling

2014-08-22T03:39:00.002-07:00

I have an old bike. I bought it at Sears and I am generally very happy with it considering the price was under $100.00. I've ridden it for over ten years now and it shows.

As time went by I've had to make repairs and replace parts. Some parts I have scrounged off of abandoned bikes I have found next to dumpsters and in alleyways. There pieces that I got from different shops that do or do not deal in bicycles. Some of the components on this bike are not for this type of bike at all. Some of the parts do not work together so well.

Thier remains are some worn out pieces still- it is ongoing. The shifter on the left almost takes two hands to use. The front breaks are always needing adjusting. The rear wheel is out of true, and the front gear is badly worn, but I make it work.

I get on it and I know it is not a pleasure ride, I am just getting to work, and I know it will be work getting there.

Sometimes I think it is just too much trouble to ride this bike, that there are too many problems. I consider the pros and cons and often the pros win and I bicycle to work but occasionally the cons win and I drive the car. It is a decision I have to make every time.

I realize that if your equipment does not work well you will need to be dedicated to riding and not casual about it. I often decide to ride my bike in spite of the problems with it, but it is a decision I have to remind myself of that I'm dedicated to bicycling and accept the difficulties.

Bicycle Riding is Good For Depression.

2014-08-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Those closest to me know I have a struggle with depression. A slight word could send me into a dark mood with negative thoughts for days. Sometimes I don't know why but I get depressed and go for long walks at night and spend hours feeling sorry for myself and reliving every failure I ever experienced.

I do not know the science behind it but exercise seems to help, and riding a bike, in particular, seems to lift my mood. Maybe it is the chemicals in the brain that start to flow, or maybe it is the pounding of the heart that makes the body go into overdrive, I do not know exactly but something positive happens when I bicycle to work.

Forget all the neurological biological science stuff it is hard to feel down when you are dodging potholes, avoiding cars, grinding through gears up a hill, and trying to get through an intersection before the cement mixer rolls over you. There is just no freedom to think depressing thoughts because you are focused on getting to work without a visit to the ER on the way.

Driving is lazy on the brain. You can drive a car without thinking about it and so you spend your time thinking gloomy stuff; especially if the radio is playing some country or other sad music. Then you just drift to work while thinking sorry dark thoughts.

Driving a car to work is no big thing;but if you bicycle to work you have accomplished something before you even punch the time-clock. People are impressed and over time you become a legend. It is hard to be depressed when you are a legend.

Bicycling to work is not a cure for depression but for me it helps and enough things that help can make a big difference overall.

What Happens On The First Ride Of The Season?

2014-03-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

The snow and cold has forbidden me to ride since November. Others can bicycle in the sub-freezing temperatures but I grew up in sunny California; I do not have the thick blood required to suck in polar air without getting frostbite in my lungs. I have witnessed those with more severe constitutions bicycling in the freeze of winter and it causes me to wonder at their iron nerve and concrete resistance to glacial cold.

The worst winter in memory is coming to a defiant end. With the warmer weather I am feeling the call to return to my morals and ride the bike to work again. Today I lugged the poor thing up from its exile between the laundry machine and the hot water heater in the dusty dank basement. It looked unhappy to have been in social quarantine for three months.

A quick inspection confirmed that the mice had not chewed through the rims or that the cables had not become bunched up around the sprocket on their own. I ignored the cobwebs and began turning the crank. It still turned and the wheels still looked reasonably round and true. That was all I needed. I found my helmet next to the kitty box, (what the kitty was doing with it I thought was a matter best left alone- cats can be so condescending).

Today would be a shakedown ride, about half way to work and then back just to make sure things were OK.

My normal route was up the sidewalk and across a short grassy stretch to a path. The first surprise was that the grassy stretch was a quagmire of mud and soggy soil; I sank beyond the rims and had to stand on the cranks and fought to keep forward momentum. I envisioned sinking between the buildings and not being found until sometime past the next millennium.

Next was a gentle incline that memory told me was an ideal warm up for my daily ride. Memory is faulty. I strained and panted all the way up. It seemed some convulsion of seismic activity turned the gentle incline to an alpine slope, after all I couldn't be that out of shape!

I found my stride after emerging onto the road behind my townhouse and began to enjoy my ride. The day was crisp with a winter nip left in the air. I made a mental note to wear my windbreaker tomorrow morning. I coasted behind the neighborhood swim center and raced a squirrel for a dozen yards until it climbed a tree.

The old bike seemed to be OK. I noticed a few squeaks in the chain and decided to give it a good oiling when I got home. The front break cable seemed a little soft but I remembered rebuilding the front break and having to tweak it some, so it the mushy response made sense, I would have to live with it until I get a new one. The left gear shifter still had a rough feel to it. I had hoped a season of convalesce would have caused the bike to return to its old self but it seemed the bike still needed my loving attention.

I had been on city streets and chose to return home on back roads and paths. Once off the street onto the quiet woody paths the peace and quiet began to charm me. I remembered this was the best part of riding home from work- the tranquil time silently coasting through woods, where there was no one talking to you, no demands, and no time to think about the mess back at work, just ride the bike. It was a time alone with mental activity turned down and life turned up. I felt it was too long a season that I neglected such a peaceful relaxing practice.

The first ride of the year made me realized how much I had missed the bike riding every day; I missed not only the exercise but the spiritual and emotional benefit of it.

My Simple Bicycle Mirror Is The Best.

2013-11-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

My kids gave me a bicycle mirror for my birthday. It was funky looking to me and I wondered if I would ever use it. The mirror was oval and had a stem that stuck from the side to attach to a sleeve that would wrap around the handle grip and it had a Velcro strap to tighten it on. It just looked too simple.

After a few days, I tried it out. It stuck out from the side of my handlebar in a sort of annoying way, and I had my doubts.

It was positioned about where the driver's side mirror would be on a car, so I found myself naturally glancing at it to see what was coming on the driver's side. It swiveled so I could tilt it one way or another to get a better view. The grip was easy to twist up or down while I was riding and so I could effortlessly scan the distant and near road with it. I decided I liked it; in fact, I have come to rely on it a lot, and feel much safer with it.

There are several bicycle mirror designs on the market but this one from a department store would be hard to beat. If for some reason I had to replace it I would look for one just like it.

What Happend When I Almost Did Not Ride My Bike To Work

2013-10-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Maybe I am starting to get lazy or maybe I am having problems with time management but I have been finding myself thinking, "I will just do more at the house and leave later and drive instead of riding the bike. " Or I muse, "It might rain, so for safety I will take the car instead of the bicycle."

The other day was a nice day but cool. I was having those thoughts that it was too cold and there were a few things I needed to do so I will just drive. An argument went back and forth between the Good Me and the Bad Me. The Good Me said I need to get the exercise, I need to save the money on gas, I need to be responsible with the earth's resources. The Bad Me said I am tired, I need a break, I will only save a couple of dollars on gas, I won't have time. The Bad Me was winning, but in the end I decided to ride the bike since there would be time if I got organized and it was basically a good thing.

I rode over the hill and began to really enjoy the beautiful day. I turned on the country lane and admired the rolling hills, trees and sky. The lazy tranquil streets were filled with singing birds and drifting autumn leaves. I was enjoying the he blue sky, the colorful leaves and the crisp air felt good. The ride made me feel energized.

As a car went by the silhouette of the person inside made me think, "They left the wooden box of a house that kept the nice day out and got into a metal box with wheels (a car) that is keeping the nice day out. They can't possibly be enjoying this nice day like I am."

I almost missed out on a beautiful day if I had gotten in a car and rushed off, I counted myself blessed to have ridden a bicycle that day.

What Is The Best Day Of The Week To Ride A Bicycle to Work

2013-10-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

I work at a grocery store. Most people get Saturday and Sunday off, but those are the busy days for the grocery store so I work on Saturdays. It is Saturday that I most look forward to riding my bike to work.

Bicycling to work on the week days causes a lot of worry and tension. There is the traffic and the congestion, there are school buses that stop and interfere with the flow of traffic. There are sanitation trucks that smell of trash stopping every few feet to pick up garbage. People are in a reckless hurry to get to work, or to school on time. Cars turn corners without looking as you approach the intersection. Cars so not have room to give you a safe distance as they pass. Kids are everywhere, on the sidewalks, in the intersections, standing in the road waiting for the bus or getting out of a car without looking.

Saturday is different. The schools are closed so the buses are in the yard, the union does not allow the sanitation trucks to run on the weekend, and any one going to the office seem to feel the office is lucky to have them so there is no need to hurry. The kids are gone.

The roads are empty and the cars are few. You have the road mostly to yourself, and can go for blocks without seeing a car; and when you do they pass wide since there is room. The anxiety of watching over your shoulder and checking the mirror is almost gone.

The neighborhoods are quiet; all you can hear are the birds. (I have seen deer on Saturday mornings which one does not see except in the dead of night.)

On Saturdays you can concentrate on biking and not on staying alive; you can take your time since there is less activity to stop you and slow you down, you can look around and enjoy the ride. You say to yourself, "This is what it is all about."

What Happened When My Bike Was Stolen.

2013-10-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

I had a funny feeling about locking my bicycle outside my church for the Friday night youth club where I volunteer. I locked it to a post away from the door thinking it would be out of the way of people entering and leaving, but it was out of sight of watchful friends.

After the meeting, I went out to bicycle home and it was gone. I looked all over for it. I walked around the building hoping it was in the bushes. I went down the path to the high school next door because I assumed the theft was done by kids and they would drift back to familiar territory. I kept looking and walked over to the shopping center to look, but no bike.

The walk home is between seven and eight miles. I have done it before and it takes about two hours. I was angry and depressed, as I walked I kept asking God why he let this happen, and why do people do such things.

After about two miles my cell phone rang. My wife had received a call that my bicycle was found at the top of some hill by friends who recognized it. They brought the bike back to church and put it inside.

I turned and started back to the church. The bike was there, the lock was still on it. It looked like someone had tossed it off a truck. The rear tire was twisted, and the front fork was completely turned around.

After about fifteen minutes of repairing and untangling the lock and forcing things back in place, I was able to get on and ride home- sort of. The back wheel was so badly bent I took twice as long as normal. At home, I made more repairs and got it good enough for another ride or two but the bent wheel was very unsafe and the breaks were bent and useless on that wheel.

I slowly rode it to work the next morning. On the way home I began to think about options. I could buy a new bike but I had no money. I could take the bike to the bike shop and have it fixed but I had no money. I knew the rim had to be replaced, but I had no money. I remembered a bicycle that was set out with the trash last summer which I salvaged thinking it would be a good bike for my daughter. It had nice rims and new tires which we bought to make it ready for her. She rode it once and refused to try again, it was not cool enough for a kid with a learner's permit.

My bike is a mountain bike and the salvaged bike was a street commuter type. I took the knobby mountain bike tires and wheels off of the front and back and put on the tires from the salvaged bike. They were bigger, so of course, the brakes did not fit. The salvaged bike was a drop frame for a girl and the cables to the rear break were threaded from the bottom up where the break on my bike threaded the cable from the top down. There was no way to could use the back break from the salvaged bike. I took the front break off and tried it on the back of my mountain bike, but the hardware didn't match since the mounting shaft was the wrong length. I had to disassemble both breaks and use the parts I could to make a working break. It worked; in fact, it was a better break than what I had to begin with.

When finished I took a look at all the parts left over. It occurred to me that there were extra reflectors. Good, I wanted to add some to the cargo crate mounted to the rear rack so they were attached.

It was a big pain, but the retrofit and cannibalizing of bicycles gave me a sort of upgrade. I have ridden it to work and I feel it is a quicker ride.

There was one other thing I took off of the salvaged bike- the lock. I use both locks to secure my bike now. If someone takes it they will have to work for it.

What Can Happen When You Bicycle to Work On County Road 108.

2013-10-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Riding a bicycle to work every day can be wonderful or it can be stinky, I mean really stinky.

Recently my work place had a one day relocation to a church building that was outside town. It was nice for me since it was less than half the distance I normally ride and because it was down a beautiful county road with sheep pastures on one side and shady trees all around.

It was a beautiful day the weather was warm the sky was blue with white clouds drifting idly above. A soft breeze delivered rusty and golden leaves from the rustling branches to the earth. The sheep were busy doing nothing in the field and the farms had the gratified sleepy look of a good harvest. I admired the rolling hills on one side and enjoyed the trees with their cooling shade and autumn colors.

This country road turned out to be a sort of expressway that short cut between two freeways without going through town so there was a lot of traffic. There was no shoulder but being experienced with cars zooming past at freeway speed inches way I just dealt with it and kept on going.

A truck passed belching diesel fumes in a faint black haze. There were other commercial vehicles with thick exhaust escaping at every seam and gasket. The smell made me sick to my stomach. The harder I tried to get home the harder I was panting and sucking in the poison of angry combustion engines. One vehicle would speed by trying to outrun its exhaust of corrosive carbon gas and another would follow with thick smelling diesel that left a burnt rubber flavor in my mouth. The smell mixed with the acrid odor of burning oil and hot tires to create a stew of stink. I felt that I had wandered into a chemical warfare test zone utterly out of character with the beautiful landscape I was passing through.

Thankfully I turned to the shady suburban road that leads directly home. I wanted to raid my wife's garden of rose petals and shove them crumpled into my nose to try to get the stink out, but instead chose a soapy shower which did wonders.

I was disappointed that a pleasant ride turned rancid but the experience has reminded me of the great need to make alternative choices that will help conserve our world. I am not the victim of the exhaust fumes that day any more than any other day because every day all the residents of my community called planet earth suffer. We should all take a moment and smell the roses but if they are covered with carbon exhaust we can.t and should consider what we can do to conserve God's gift of planet earth.

How to Try To Keep Your Feet Dry While Bicycling In The Rain.

2013-10-20T16:20:00.002-07:00

A little rain is no reason to abandon a bicycle ride to work if you take a few creative measures.

Everybody has a different reaction to the cold and wet; and for me if my feet are wet I just can't stand it.

There are fancy equipment to keep you dry; but I am poor so I go with the low technology- grocery bags.

Before I started out I put plastic bags inside my shoes so my feet would stay dry. I tied them above my ankle and tucked the tops inside my sweat pants. This seemed to work for about five miles which was about twenty minutes for me, but for some reason my feet were getting wet. When I arrived at work water was squishing between my toes and when I took off my shoes I found about a gallon of water was in each shoe. I changed my socks for the dry ones I brought but made the mistake of putting my soaking shoes back on. The socks were immediately saturated and my feet were just a wet as before. They had to be a little dryer but I couldn't say if it was by much.

Work had to be done so I put up with cold wet feet while everybody else was comfortable.

Going home I didn't bother to try the plastic shopping bags, I just suffered with wet feet. The shoes spent about an hour in the laundry dryer that evening.

In the future I will consider shopping bags inside my shoes and on the outside. I will bring not only a change of dry socks but a change of shoes or slippers to wear at work.

What is The Hardest Thing About Riding a Bicycle to Work Every Day

2013-10-08T19:18:00.001-07:00

There are obstacles to everything in life, and the successful people in this world learn how to overcome them. The rest of us, like me, just grit our teeth and either quit or grind our way through them.

Riding a bicycle to work has obstacles. There are rough roads, potholes, hills, rain, cold, bad drivers and the list could just go on. Each of us asses these challenges differently. One person may feel the weather is overwhelming and quit, another may say the hills are the thing and give up. For some it is not a question at all, they see these things and say, "Tough it out and just keep on going."

For me it is my wife. She voices fears for safety, and fears for health, fears for time management, and fears for late arrival which may cost my job. Twice this week she sent me a text on my cell to ask if I was OK and if I wanted her to come with the van and bring me and my bicycle home.

It makes me feel that she does not have faith in me or she thinks I am lazy, a weakling, that I can't handle it or that I am foolish. (I will give her the last one.)

People are who they are, you cannot change them- that is God's job. You do have to love and accept people. We should be a blessing to others. We should try to inspire them to their best.

It may be her way of expressing love, care and concern. It may be that she feels I am doing something that she is left out.

I am grateful that she is my wife, she puts up with a lot. Maybe once in a while I will let her bring the van and give me and the bike a ride.

What Happens When a Bicyclist Stops To Take A Rest On The Lawn.

2013-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

I bicycled to work but after work I stayed at that end of town so I could volunteer at a youth program at church, and since my employment and church were only a few blocks apart but my home is eight miles away it made sense to just hang around for a couple of hours instead of bicycling home and bicycling back.

So after work I rode over to the church which was locked, I was not surprised since I was over an hour early- and no one ever gets to church that early. I found a nice piece of lawn in the shade at the side of the building where I lay down and lazily watched the clouds drift by. I was able to admire the bright white of the steeple against the blue sky. The mild October breeze cooled the air nicely and blew slowly spinning leaves out of the trees. I even dozed off for a while.

I was thinking about the program at the church and my part. It was nice to take some time and go over my task and consider some of the things I was to do. It was good to take the time and get ready like this and I felt my part in serving would be better off for the time of reflection, meditation, and planning.

Someone coughed in the trees and I turned to look. Under the trees was a family of deer. The mother was guarding the three young from the unwelcome bicyclist. She coughed or barked or maybe both at once and raised her forleg. After a moment's hesitation she stomped it down with a thump on the ground. Clearly an act of aggression, meant to intimidate me and send me and my bicycle on our way. I did not move and watched her repeat this gesture several more times, as she kept her eyes fixed on me. After a few minutes she turned and strode into the trees with her tail flicking as if to say some final word like "You got away with sitting there this time, you might not next time."

Riding a bicycle as a lifestyle causes you to slow down and make choices. If I was driving a car I would have raced home and rushed back later I would have hurried through the day, hurried through my planning and not done as well as I did at our church outreach. Nor would I have had the opportunity to come to terms with one of God's creatures in just the same way.

When My Bicycle Beat the Bus

2012-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

My bike had a flat tire just as I was getting ready to go to work. I couldn't find the leak and didn't have time to fiddle with it. So I had to rely on public transit also known as the bus

Looking at my watch told me it was a little after three, normally I could leave around 3:10 pm and be at work by about 3:50 pm, a trip of roughly 35 or 45 minutes. Walking five minutes took me to the bus stop where people were camped out waiting for the green bus to arrive. "When does the bus come?" I asked someone who looked sober and English speaking. "It is late." I am afraid I did not receive this information well, but as uncertainties began to haunt my mind a distant rumble warned of an approaching bus. It stopped at the cub and I witnessed with concern as people flung themselves from it in gratitude as they sought the safety of immovable soil. I wondered why so few of those who had been waiting for the bus stood still not getting on. Braving my safety I put my head gingerly inside the folding door contraption and asked if he was going to, Kings Contrivance shopping center. "Nope you want the green bus, it takes you to the mall where you catch the brown bus to Kings Contrivance. I am going to Laurel." "When will the green arrive?" I asked. "It's late." The driver said. I returned to the spot where I wait trying to look like I belonged. The smell of the cigarette smokers was really bothering me. They were standing in a small group creating a white cancerous cloud that drifted my way.

At last the rumbling grinding noise of the green bus could be heard. It remained far away for a long time. Everyone was watching as it came a few feet and then stopped and then it sputtered forward a few more feet and stopped again. At last the driver found his mark and stopped at last a mere twenty feet away. The riders took the last puffs of cigarette and looked the bus over. With dubious confidence we climbed the steps. It was already 3:30 and I was just getting on the bus.

The bus wound its way through neighborhoods for no apparent reason. On occasion it would stop and pick up a passenger or let one off. The distance from the shopping center to the hub where I would catch the next bus was about two miles in a straight line on a map. In the world of bus transit there is no such thing as a straight line and the meandering route clocked at least twice that. In only twenty five minutes the bus arrived at the mall where all the buses in town meet for donuts and cigarettes. Any who were left on the bus departed to wait in a row of acrylic bench filled huts that lined the sidewalk. The apparent policy is that having discharged its passengers the bus would rolled forward to a little convention where the bus drivers stood around taking the union mandated fifteen minute brake. I wonder if they don't get one break an hour.

I checked the charts and maps posted on the acrylic huts to determine when the next bus would depart to my hopeful destination. It was my expectation that the bus system ran frequent and convenient routs. The truth of the matter was that the buses depart hourly. My next bus, the brown, would depart in about an hour! I would be late for work before I even got on the bus. For an hour I sat and watched the clouds drift by in the sky, the cars roll up the street, the other would be passengers smoke more cigarettes and the kids scream while they play in the sidewalk.

At long last the brown bus arrived. I was about to leap on when the driver advised me that he would be leaving in fifteen minutes after his break. My blood pressure was about to give me an aneurysm the time was almost five o:clock.

Finally after a long fifteen minutes the driver admitted us unfortunates and began his rumble around town. If one was to draw a straight line from the bus hub to the shopping center it would have measured about four miles but those politicians and city planners who design bus routes are not knowledgeable of straight lines. On this bus ride I saw parts of town I never knew existed and never want to see again. We rolled back and forth; one stop was in a random parking lot of a hotel, one stop was in front of a clinic and later the bus returned to stop on the other side of the clinic. It went up a street to make a stop that was a five minute walk from the shopping center where I caught the green bus. It meandered to a construction site, a cemetery and a church, (this I did not understand since it was Wednesday and this church had no services on Wednesday, besides which the bus doesn't run on Sunday when the church does have services). At one stop the bus parked for five minutes because apparently it had as spasm of efficiency and was ahead of schedule. The bus went one way up an industrial park and then back down the other side of the street in the same industrial park. At last I could see the shopping center where I worked at a grocery store. My blood pressure was begging to return to safe levels when the bus turned and went up another side street to wait a minute across the street from the fire station- perhaps the firemen take the bus to fight fires? The bus made another stop at a school then at last pulled into the back parking lot of the shopping center; where the driver parked at a pole marked with a sign that said brown.

The exhausted passengers leapt to safety, relieved to arrive before daylight savings time. A look at my watch told the time to be 5:50. I was almost two hours late. Taking the bus took almost two and a half hours when I could have ridden my bicycle to work in less than forty minutes. I really have to fix the tire on my bike.

What Happens When Bicycle Riding Late at Night

2012-09-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

First, you should NEVER ride a bicycle at night. Riding a bicycle is dangerous any time but bicycling at night adds many more dangers. If you must ride a bike at night you should do it only as a last resort remembering to observe every caution and safety measure available.

I have no choice, in grocery, there are too many variables in scheduling associate's hours. If you want any hours at all you have to take some "closing" shifts. Once or twice a week I punch out, put on my bicycle helmet and begin the six or seven-mile ride home. The bus doesn't run after 10: pm so I have to crank my way home.

In warm summer months it is nice. Most of the roads are deserted and only a few cars are out. Those on the road have bright headlights that give early warning of their approach. For most of my ride I can command the center of the road where the cracks and debris are minimal and the rolling is smooth. I enjoy the reflective solitude in traveling at night where you are accompanied by your own thoughts and you can really think things through.

Most streets are dark as are most of the homes you roll past. You know inside people are warm in their beds resting. Few lights are on as people watch late night TV, finish the last chores of the day or wrap up some work for boss or teachers.

You are not really alone as you drift through silent neighborhoods. A million crickets sing in rhythm to the katydids in the trees to make a song that breathes in waves overhead. Eight pair of bright eyes low to the ground in the darkest part of the road turns into silhouettes of a family of raccoons crossing the road. An unseen dog faithfully barks every night at the same place when I cruise past. The elementary school is a dark meadow visited by a small heard of deer, with two or three doe and four or five spotted fawns; they stop their grazing on the garden beds and raise their heads to watch me silently coast past. Further up the black shape of a fox or coyote dash across the gray pavement.

This is not the only wild life I pass going home. The beer and wine shop is lit up by neon lights and the parking lot is illuminated by the floodlights like two artificial angry moons. Loud voices arguing over the roar of revving car engines cut the peace. Another quarter mile is the cantina where laughter mingles with the sound of canned music and billiard balls colliding with one another. A regular sight is to see men urinating on the side of the building from which they previously bought their drink.

Five minutes more and I am locking my bicycle to the back deck of my townhouse. Inside the lights are too bright and the walls too close, but it is safe, and comfortable; it is home and there is a bed upstairs. A scratching at the door tells me the cat is eager to get out and explore the nightlife.

How Get To Work On Time While Riding a Bicycle

2012-09-16T16:28:00.003-07:00

I hate being late to work, I do not want to let bicycling to work become an excuse. The last thing I want to hear is someone saying something like, "Yea, he is late every day because he bicycles to work. He should get his act together." What I want to hear is, "Wow! Can you believe he peddles in every day on a bike and he is here early?"

Well, it was a hard and tiring week, so on Saturday I just couldn't get out of bed; just a few minutes more seemed to whisper in my head. At the last possible minute I jumped out of bed with a silent curse and stumbled into foggy action. I rushed around eating my banana and gathering up my stuff in the dark so as to not wake my family. My shower was barley a rinse, and shaving would just have to happen another day.

Most mornings I put a few drops of oil on the chain but acts of love would have to wait. I kept shoving the key in the lock upside down in my haste until a glance told me to turn it over, when you are in a hurry sometimes the simplest things become so hard. I shoved off across the lawn and down the first grassy decline taking a short cut to the road.

This first road has a meridian down the middle that is a mess with bushes and trees, so it has to be circled; but for no apparent reason the normally deserted street is peppered with passing cars that kept passing at the crossing point forcing me to wait. At last a driver let me cross, and I bounded up the sidewalk on the far side and down a bike path through the public space. It is a narrow twisty path and goes about two tenths of a mile, shifting down I cranked it faster than safe. Crossing three bridges leads to a very steep climb back to a street, it is a very rare day that my heavy Huffy mountain bike can take it but with the momentum and quick gear changing the climb is conquered. The next climb is a fight, it is not long but it is another steep one, slowing me down little by little by the weight of my bike, backpack, lunch, and change of work clothes which grows heaver each yard.

A stroke of luck, or God's mercy, finds me at the top and no cross traffic at what is normally a fast and busy street. Taking advantage of the vacant street I give it all I got for the next mile covering slight inclines and declines. The sun is up now and shining through a mist, almost fog, that hangs in the air. I said thanks to God for the first green light I sailed through, but as I approach the second a lady in a red car looks like she is going to run her red light as I am going through the green. She stops about ten feet into the intersection leaving me a foot of clearance, this made me brake for about ten feet and louse speed; now I had to shift down and back up. With a sigh and a shake of my head I press on.

The next half mile is a decline through suburbs so I give it everything. My legs ache, I am using calories needed to make it through the day. A look at my watch tells me the progress is good, not great, but good. At the bottom of this decline is one of the biggest intersections in the town of Columbia MD with a long red light controlling a high volume of traffic. It is frustrating for me to come to the light after racing downhill and stop to give up momentum and speed to wait three minutes for all the light changes, but today the light was green and I flew threw, keeping my speed.

A half mile and a turn to climb a hill that takes the "safe" road. I always take the safe road even though it is thirty percent longer than the main road; the main road has very high speed, no visibility, no shoulder and many merging points for cars coming off of freeway. The safe road is hilly and winding but I feel I will be alive at the end. Although tired I climb the steep hill and cross to coast downhill. For two miles I give it all I got, over one rolling hill after hill. About half way and I start a long low grade climb but I am experiencing a second wind, a runner's rush, and checking my watch tells that arriving on time is possible. Topping this hill leads to a long and fast decline. I am going downhill dangerously fast, the cranks are spinning so fast they are almost not engaging the wheel.

At the bottom I have to go up again this time over a freeway overpass that has traffic merging at high speed as they exit the freeway and I am trying to get past or ahead of around them. At my speed I do not have much time for decisions as a car approaches. I take the lead seeing plenty of space for them to yield and stop, since I do technically have the right of way. My fortune is holding out they wait as I zoom past.

The other side of this overpass is another red light that never seems green for me. I squeal my brakes all the way down the other side. My watch tells me I can still make it to work on time, if only this light would turn green.

Finally I get through the intersection to start the last climb and there is construction on the road. The city is repairing sidewalks and has a crew of workers breaking up concrete, building forms and pouring fresh cement. The man stands in the middle of the road blocking traffic he has a sign that says stop on one side and slow on the other. I stand on peddles and gasp for air to get to him while his sign still says "slow." I can't afford for him to turn it to "Stop." Crank, and crank, and crank I am getting closer and closer to him; behind him is a line of cars waiting for him to turn the sign for them to pass. Maybe he sees my exhaustion or determination but he holds it for me and I get past the construction.

Seeing the shopping center I work at now gives a little panic of worry about the time. It is just a little higher up the hill, (in a car these never seemed so high). After the last yards a left turn puts me in the parking lot, where a moment later my bike was standing by itself locked up safely at the bike rack. A look at my watch relieves and astonishes me to see that it is four minutes early until my shift. Going through the door I get a "Good morning," from the boss- she has no idea.

What I Learned While Riding My Bicycle, Slow Down.

2012-09-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

I learned a life lesson while riding my bicycle the other day.

There are times when I want to race, race and race some more when bicycle riding to work or home again. I hit the hills where I want to power crank my way up, and when I get to the top I pour on the speed to capitalize on the momentum until I am flying down the other side at unsafe speeds. I feel the thrill and rush of going as fast as I can; I exult in setting a new personal record home.

This is fine but it is not all. I learned the value of slowing down and even coasting for a time because my front gear-shiftier broke so I was not able to switch up and down the gears. It was discouraging; I was stuck in one gear, my second gear on the front sprocket. So I just rode my bike, no racing, and no speed record, just getting where I needed to go.

It was a different experience to coast along without pumping power into my legs and spinning the crank as fast as I could; in fact, it was fun! I drifted up streets and looked at the passing scenery; I glided down hills and took my sweet time climbing the next hill. It was relaxing and enjoyable.

My mind was more relaxed since I was not concentrating on potholes, gears, anticipating the next hill, and the push, push, push, push of cranking the bike as fast as possible. I was thinking about less demanding things.

I was more relaxed when I arrived at work and had energy to spare because I had not spent every ounce of strength just trying to get to work. I had some reserves left. When I got home I had energy for chores and duties needed to be done for home and family.

Reflecting on this I realized that sometimes you need to slow down and enjoy the ride. Many people say you have to stop and smell the roses. When I was racing along I didn't even see that there were roses on the way now I add extra time so that I can see the beauty around me and enjoy the ride.

(c) Adron