TIME THERE: 28 min.
TIME BACK: 27 min.
WEATHER: sunny, -1C, 4km/hr wind there; partly cloudy, 11C, 26km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants, t-shirt, waterproof shell, scarf, backpack (scarf in backpack on the way home)
NOTES:
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you my new companion: Eastwood. I bought Eastwood for $50 as a "beater bike", one I don't mind killing over the course of a rough winter. The tires are 2" wide and very knobby, the whole bike probably weighs about twice as much as Mike the Bike does, and I even sit differently on Eastwood's saddle, making my whole body position and - importantly - the angle of my legs in relation to the pedals shift forward. I tried adjusting the seat height Thursday night before riding Eastwood to work on Friday, and also tried to figure out some important mysteries like how do the gears shift (they're not numbered and I have to twist the shifters instead of "click" a lever like I do with Mike, so I can't tell if I'm shifting up or down or by how much).
When I rode to work on Friday, it took me about two blocks - if that - to realize that the seat height was way too low for my taste. It was a strange feeling, because my legs felt crouched down and cramped, while my upper body sat more upright than I'm used to. And despite having ridden this bike both to and from work, I still have no idea how the gear shifters work, or if they're working at all! I tried shifting gears and couldn't really tell if anything was changing. That's not helpful.
I really felt the weight of the bike, and my awkward position on it, when going uphill and any time I had to pick up speed. I dreaded coming to a stop, or even having to apply the brakes, because it meant I'd have to work so hard to get back up to full speed again. This meant waiting longer at intersections where I have to wait for a break in traffic to cross, since the slow start-up meant having to wait for a longer gap in traffic than I need to with Mike.
When riding along at cruising speed, without having to worry about inclines or stopping and starting, I didn't notice the bike feeling heavy or slow or awkward. I only noticed how much softer the ride felt, having softer, wider tires and being equipped with shocks and a wide, cushy, comfortable seat. I didn't have to dread cracks in the pavement making my tires skid out from underneath me or fear that my spokes would break if I went off a curb. And, importantly, the bike was solid on the leaf-strewn patches of road, on the remaining patches of melting snow, and going through wet or slightly icy patches. No skidding, no slipping, no falls. I mean, the great majority of the snow melted away already, and there was hardly any ice on the road in the morning, but it was still nice to feel safer and more confident with Eastwood.
I know from my horseback riding experience that no matter how hard you might fall, the moment you're well enough again to get back in the saddle, you should. The longer you wait to get back on the horse, the more your anxiety and fear builds about getting back on the horse, and you find that you never really end up doing it. If you get on again immediately afterward, and keep on consistently riding from then on, you'll be just fine. I know my ride to work on Friday was a more anxious one than usual, and that there was no reason for me to feel that way given the road conditions, and because of that I'm very glad I got Eastwood and made the commute instead of driving again. Otherwise, who knows? My riding days may have been over, all because of a little fear. I think Eastwood was a tremendously wise purchase. Now I need some accessories for the little bugger, and maybe I'll even get those hardcore winter tires that I can only get for mountain bikes! I mean, I can get spiked winter tires for Mike, but the winter tires that would fit Eastwood are MONSTERS!
By the way, the new bike is named Eastwood for a reason: it's old and rugged, but it can still get my heart pumping! ;)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Bike Commute That Never Was
Sticking with my executive decision from yesterday, seeing snow on the ground this morning I opted to keep my bike at home and drive to work today. I dropped off my daughter at daycare and made it to work in good time. Luckily, the roads weren't quite as slick as they were yesterday so I didn't run arcoss any accidents along the way. I parked on campus and walked towards my building, and as I did I felt the harsh sting of jealousy as a cyclist passed me on his knobby-wheeled mountain bike. I should be on that bike! A few steps later, I saw another cyclist go by, and then a third. Come on people, why are you rubbing it in??
The jealousy I felt for those cyclists and the resentment I felt about having to drive today all took me completely by surprise. I mean, I know that the bike commute has grown on me since the beginning days of great struggle way back in the heady times of early September, but I didn't realize just how much it had become such a highlight of my day. I missed my bike dearly, and I missed my ride, too. "That's it," I decried, "I'm getting a knock-around winter bike with fat knobby wheels - no more waiting for my studded tires to come in!"
So I did. I found a used mountain bike for sale for $50 on a free classifieds website, and after work I went to check it out. The tires were flat, the thing was covered in dust, and I could see the beginnigs of rust developing on the gear cassette, but the wheels turned fine and the seat felt cushy and I figured $50 was a pretty great deal for a bike with freakin' suspensions! So I took it.
I spent an hour after picking up my daughter working on the bike - filling the tires, checking the brakes, trying to put the fenders and bike rack from Mike the Bike onto the new guy. I learned after getting remarkably filthy and spending way too much time on it that neither accessory would fit the new bike, as it's longer, lower to the ground, and thicker than Mike (who's one tall and lean machine). I began trying to put the accessories back on Mike, but by this time my daughter (who had spent this whole time getting bike-greasy herself and playing with her trailer) was ready for dinner and was not interested in waiting any longer. So fixing Mike will have to wait for another day.
After I put my daughter to bed, I snuck out of the house and rode the new bike up and down my block a few times just to give it a try, since I bought it without evening having gotten on it. I couldn't believe how smooth and soft the ride felt compared to the hard ride I get off Mike. The new bike must be about twice the weight of Mike, and it's loaded with thick, knobby tires that will provide great traction even on light snow (huzzah!) but has the downside of adding a lot of rolling resistance to the ride. Even then, I didn't feel I had to work harder to get it going. I only went as far as the end of my block, though - perhaps when I take it to the streets and ride to school with it tomorrow I will.
I feel as giddy as a school girl about taking this bike out tomorrow! Sure, it's naked, so I'll have to wear a backpack instead of using panniers, and I'll make sure to bring my waterproof shell so I don't get wet up the back from the puddles of melted snow on the road. But it's a new bike! And it's so different from Mike! And I get to BIKE to school again!! Yaaaaay! Only one more sleep until my next ride! I can't wait!
The jealousy I felt for those cyclists and the resentment I felt about having to drive today all took me completely by surprise. I mean, I know that the bike commute has grown on me since the beginning days of great struggle way back in the heady times of early September, but I didn't realize just how much it had become such a highlight of my day. I missed my bike dearly, and I missed my ride, too. "That's it," I decried, "I'm getting a knock-around winter bike with fat knobby wheels - no more waiting for my studded tires to come in!"
So I did. I found a used mountain bike for sale for $50 on a free classifieds website, and after work I went to check it out. The tires were flat, the thing was covered in dust, and I could see the beginnigs of rust developing on the gear cassette, but the wheels turned fine and the seat felt cushy and I figured $50 was a pretty great deal for a bike with freakin' suspensions! So I took it.
I spent an hour after picking up my daughter working on the bike - filling the tires, checking the brakes, trying to put the fenders and bike rack from Mike the Bike onto the new guy. I learned after getting remarkably filthy and spending way too much time on it that neither accessory would fit the new bike, as it's longer, lower to the ground, and thicker than Mike (who's one tall and lean machine). I began trying to put the accessories back on Mike, but by this time my daughter (who had spent this whole time getting bike-greasy herself and playing with her trailer) was ready for dinner and was not interested in waiting any longer. So fixing Mike will have to wait for another day.
After I put my daughter to bed, I snuck out of the house and rode the new bike up and down my block a few times just to give it a try, since I bought it without evening having gotten on it. I couldn't believe how smooth and soft the ride felt compared to the hard ride I get off Mike. The new bike must be about twice the weight of Mike, and it's loaded with thick, knobby tires that will provide great traction even on light snow (huzzah!) but has the downside of adding a lot of rolling resistance to the ride. Even then, I didn't feel I had to work harder to get it going. I only went as far as the end of my block, though - perhaps when I take it to the streets and ride to school with it tomorrow I will.
I feel as giddy as a school girl about taking this bike out tomorrow! Sure, it's naked, so I'll have to wear a backpack instead of using panniers, and I'll make sure to bring my waterproof shell so I don't get wet up the back from the puddles of melted snow on the road. But it's a new bike! And it's so different from Mike! And I get to BIKE to school again!! Yaaaaay! Only one more sleep until my next ride! I can't wait!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Week Seven - Day Two
TIME THERE: 35 min.
TIME BACK: 33 min.
WEATHER: light snow, -3C (-8C with windchill), 15km/hr wind there; light snow, 0C (-4C with wind chill), 15km/hr wind back
WHAT I WORE: scarf, waterproof shell, turtleneck, cotton gloves inside running gloves, long underwear under yoga pants, winter boots.
NOTES:
There was a layer of perhaps 2 cm of fresh, fluffy snow on the ground this morning, and the white stuff continued to fall as I made my way to school. I dropped my daughter off at daycare using the trailer, and unlike yesterday, did unhitch the trailer and leave it at home for the rest of my trek to school. It's amazing how much of a difference it made in weight - I easily went back up to my usual 14th gear after struggling along in 13th gear with the trailer.
Despite the lack of trailer this time around, I still faced some daunting challenges. This was my first time riding on pavement that was completely covered in snow - this wasn't a light dusting, this was covered. I have ordered spiked winter tires for my bike, but they may take up to three weeks to arrive. In the meantime, I'm stuck with my road slicks. ROAD SLICKS! These are tires meant for minimal traction and maximum speed - neither of which are desirable in road conditions such as these.
I had a few near-misses as I biked through the neighbourhoods closest to me, as the streets I had come to know in bareness now seemed foreign and mysterious under their blanket of snow. I couldn't see or anticipate the familiar cracks and potholes, and managed to skid out a bit because of my inability to avoid them. As I biked along a short stretch of major roadway I felt like I was going to die - there was more traffic than usual, less road space for me, and where I normally biked (close to the curb) the road had 4 cm deep of brown, mushy snow-and-dirt stew that made me feel like my bike was floating precariously over it. "Screw this!" I thought, and took to the sidewalk. "It's only for a couple blocks, anyway."
Getting into the neighbourhood bordering the north side of the river valley, the trouble began in earnest. Here's where I encountered declines, and curves, and curvy declines. Now, when the pavement is clear, declines mean: Yay! Fun! Fast! And I don't even have to work for it! Wooo! When there's 2 cm of loose snow over black ice, these declines spell TERROR. That was the case today. I hit a patch of black ice going slowly around a bend in the road and my wheels gave out from underneath me, throwing me off the bike. I landed on my left upper arm and shoulder. "Yay, my first fall!" I thought, "and it wasn't even that bad!" It felt like I'd just been through an inevitable rite of passage, and it felt good in some strange way. The second fall, on the other hand, sucked. I let fly a little f-bomb action as I went down on a patch of black ice at the bottom of a decline where the road curved to the left. There was a car right behind me and thankfully it was going slow enough that it didn't have to slam on the brakes when I went down in front of it. Just in front of me, there was a car on the curb with its hazard lights on and a hub cap in the middle of the road. Okay, so I fell, but maybe I wouldn't be any better off if I were driving. That made me feel better. Having to fix the chain and the rear fender, both of which had come off in the fall, was less comforting.
I managed to make my way across the High Level Bridge and onto campus without further incident. I did feel sorry for my poor bike, though. It's been a reliable little beast for me these past few weeks, and I felt like I was abusing it today. Sorry, Mike the Bike, I'll be better to you from now on. I promise. If only I could say the same to myself - my left shoulder and hip are bruised and aching, my triceps are sore, the palms of my hands are bruised, and I have a nasty bruise on my inner right thigh from landing on the bike's frame both times, since both times I fell to the left while making a left turn. So: sorry, Body, I'll be better to you from now on. I promise.
On the way home there was even more snow than in the morning, and it was a dangerous mix of slush, ice, and snow given that the temperatures were a bit warmer. While there were some bits of pavement that were bare and wet, the vast majority of the ride gave my slick tires nothing to bite into for traction. I skidded and nearly fell throughout the entire ride, as I gripped the handlebars til my knuckles turned white. I managed not to fall, which is great, but I had several near-falls where I had to drop one or both feet off the pedal(s) to stabilize myself.
I think an executive decision is in order: wait until the snow clears away until I ride again (and it's supposed to warm up over the next couple days, so that's not that big a deal). I can't ride like this, it feels like I'm acting out some death wish and since I'm no Freudian I'm not interested in that. Further, I won't ride in the snow until I have my winter tires. Otherwise, I'm just asking for trouble. And, really, the whole point of this commuter challenge is to keep doing it the whole year, not to injure myself so severely in the second month that I can't ride anymore!
Decision made. Now I just have to sit back and wait til my tires come in and/or the snow clears up! SIGH! How boring!!
TIME BACK: 33 min.
WEATHER: light snow, -3C (-8C with windchill), 15km/hr wind there; light snow, 0C (-4C with wind chill), 15km/hr wind back
WHAT I WORE: scarf, waterproof shell, turtleneck, cotton gloves inside running gloves, long underwear under yoga pants, winter boots.
NOTES:
There was a layer of perhaps 2 cm of fresh, fluffy snow on the ground this morning, and the white stuff continued to fall as I made my way to school. I dropped my daughter off at daycare using the trailer, and unlike yesterday, did unhitch the trailer and leave it at home for the rest of my trek to school. It's amazing how much of a difference it made in weight - I easily went back up to my usual 14th gear after struggling along in 13th gear with the trailer.
Despite the lack of trailer this time around, I still faced some daunting challenges. This was my first time riding on pavement that was completely covered in snow - this wasn't a light dusting, this was covered. I have ordered spiked winter tires for my bike, but they may take up to three weeks to arrive. In the meantime, I'm stuck with my road slicks. ROAD SLICKS! These are tires meant for minimal traction and maximum speed - neither of which are desirable in road conditions such as these.
I had a few near-misses as I biked through the neighbourhoods closest to me, as the streets I had come to know in bareness now seemed foreign and mysterious under their blanket of snow. I couldn't see or anticipate the familiar cracks and potholes, and managed to skid out a bit because of my inability to avoid them. As I biked along a short stretch of major roadway I felt like I was going to die - there was more traffic than usual, less road space for me, and where I normally biked (close to the curb) the road had 4 cm deep of brown, mushy snow-and-dirt stew that made me feel like my bike was floating precariously over it. "Screw this!" I thought, and took to the sidewalk. "It's only for a couple blocks, anyway."
Getting into the neighbourhood bordering the north side of the river valley, the trouble began in earnest. Here's where I encountered declines, and curves, and curvy declines. Now, when the pavement is clear, declines mean: Yay! Fun! Fast! And I don't even have to work for it! Wooo! When there's 2 cm of loose snow over black ice, these declines spell TERROR. That was the case today. I hit a patch of black ice going slowly around a bend in the road and my wheels gave out from underneath me, throwing me off the bike. I landed on my left upper arm and shoulder. "Yay, my first fall!" I thought, "and it wasn't even that bad!" It felt like I'd just been through an inevitable rite of passage, and it felt good in some strange way. The second fall, on the other hand, sucked. I let fly a little f-bomb action as I went down on a patch of black ice at the bottom of a decline where the road curved to the left. There was a car right behind me and thankfully it was going slow enough that it didn't have to slam on the brakes when I went down in front of it. Just in front of me, there was a car on the curb with its hazard lights on and a hub cap in the middle of the road. Okay, so I fell, but maybe I wouldn't be any better off if I were driving. That made me feel better. Having to fix the chain and the rear fender, both of which had come off in the fall, was less comforting.
I managed to make my way across the High Level Bridge and onto campus without further incident. I did feel sorry for my poor bike, though. It's been a reliable little beast for me these past few weeks, and I felt like I was abusing it today. Sorry, Mike the Bike, I'll be better to you from now on. I promise. If only I could say the same to myself - my left shoulder and hip are bruised and aching, my triceps are sore, the palms of my hands are bruised, and I have a nasty bruise on my inner right thigh from landing on the bike's frame both times, since both times I fell to the left while making a left turn. So: sorry, Body, I'll be better to you from now on. I promise.
On the way home there was even more snow than in the morning, and it was a dangerous mix of slush, ice, and snow given that the temperatures were a bit warmer. While there were some bits of pavement that were bare and wet, the vast majority of the ride gave my slick tires nothing to bite into for traction. I skidded and nearly fell throughout the entire ride, as I gripped the handlebars til my knuckles turned white. I managed not to fall, which is great, but I had several near-falls where I had to drop one or both feet off the pedal(s) to stabilize myself.
I think an executive decision is in order: wait until the snow clears away until I ride again (and it's supposed to warm up over the next couple days, so that's not that big a deal). I can't ride like this, it feels like I'm acting out some death wish and since I'm no Freudian I'm not interested in that. Further, I won't ride in the snow until I have my winter tires. Otherwise, I'm just asking for trouble. And, really, the whole point of this commuter challenge is to keep doing it the whole year, not to injure myself so severely in the second month that I can't ride anymore!
Decision made. Now I just have to sit back and wait til my tires come in and/or the snow clears up! SIGH! How boring!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Week Seven - Day One
TIME THERE: ??
TIME BACK: 42 min. (including the ride to daycare, picking up my daughter, getting her dressed for the weather and strapped into the trailer, and heading back to the house)
WEATHER: cloudy, -5C (-8C with wind chill), 19km/hr wind there; cloudy, 0C (-6 with wind chill), 30km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: scarf, cotton gloves layered under running gloves, waterproof shell, turtleneck, long underwear layered under yoga pants, winter boots.
NOTES:
There are many, many reasons why my ride to school must have taken longer than usual. For starters, there's snow on the ground. It started snowing on Thursday the 8th, and has continued on and off ever since. There's not a lot of snow on the ground, it's not in great banks or deep ruts or anything, but it's enough to make me ride with a great deal more caution. Also, it's the coldest weather I've biked in so far, which in turn made me wear more layers than usual, and I was facing the wind in the morning, all of which might contribute to lengthening my ride to work.
Further, it's the first Tuesday back from a long weekend. Between the long weekend and the conference I went to at the end of last week, I haven't biked since last Wednesday, almost a week ago now. So maybe I'm a little rusty. It also doesn't help that I spent the entire long weekend sick with a cold, to the point where my feverish chills and inability to breathe through my nose kept me sleeplessly tossing and turning all night on Saturday. I only started getting better yesterday, and while I feel like I'm about 80% back to normal health, I'm still feeling the effects of being sick for the past four days.
Also, this morning I began biking my daughter to daycare in the Schwinn trailer I bought specifically for that purpose, but have not used for that purpose yet (given that my daughter hates her helmet with a passion). So normally I've been driving to daycare, dropping off my daughter, driving home, picking up my bike, and leaving from there, using the time I mounted my bike as my "start time". Today, I loaded my daughter into the trailer, carefully brought it down the front stairs, then took out my bike and hooked the two up before starting out towards daycare (which is only a few blocks away, but in the opposite direction of work). I dropped her off a bit later than usual, then biked back home with the intention of dropping off the trailer at the house. By this time, the morning had already involved many more swear words than most mornings do, as my cold hands could barely work the pins and latches required by the trailer. When I got home, I figured it would be too inconvenient to unhook the trailer and opted instead to keep it latched to my bike for the duration of my journey. Throughout my entire ride to work, a quote by GOB from Arrested Development ran continuously through my mind: "I've made a huge mistake."
The trailer added weight, rolling resistance, and width to my ride that I'm simply not used to, especially on snowy, dead leaf-strewn streets. I had to drop a gear to keep my legs pumping with the added weight, and on more than one occasion the wheels of the trailer caught on something - a rut in the street, a curb - and caused my bike to drag and skid. Once, heading onto a sidewalk (where it was legal to ride on the sidewalk - don't judge me!), the trailer caught on the curb, bounced around, and managed to knock one of my panniers off. I had to stop, fix the pannier, and make sure the trailer was still attached, before I continued on. Further, I couldn't follow my usual route as it involves walking up a flight of stairs, which I can do with my bike but cannot do with the bike and trailer, so I had to take a longer and more uphill route than usual. At one point during the detour I dropped down the 9th gear, panting and wheezing my way up a sadly minimal incline as pedestrians looked on with worry, and I wondered if I'd be better off just walking. But I stuck to it, and I made it up, and was rewarded with a largely (slight) downhill ride the rest of the way across campus to work.
I wish I could tell you by how much all this slowed me down, but I can't because I managed to forget to check the clock on my cell phone before leaving my house! Without a start time, I can't determine a ride time. I know I got to work at 8:24 pm, which is later than usual, but I also know that biking my daughter to daycare made my start time later than usual. Perhaps I'll never know - ALAS! Even on the ride home I don't have an exact time because of however many minutes were spent in the daycare, chatting with staff and getting my daughter suited up for the weather. Perhaps it'll remain a mystery for ETERNITY . . . or I could try timing it more accurately tomorrow. Either way, really.
Lesson learned, though: leave the damn trailer at home!
TIME BACK: 42 min. (including the ride to daycare, picking up my daughter, getting her dressed for the weather and strapped into the trailer, and heading back to the house)
WEATHER: cloudy, -5C (-8C with wind chill), 19km/hr wind there; cloudy, 0C (-6 with wind chill), 30km/hr wind back.
WHAT I WORE: scarf, cotton gloves layered under running gloves, waterproof shell, turtleneck, long underwear layered under yoga pants, winter boots.
NOTES:
There are many, many reasons why my ride to school must have taken longer than usual. For starters, there's snow on the ground. It started snowing on Thursday the 8th, and has continued on and off ever since. There's not a lot of snow on the ground, it's not in great banks or deep ruts or anything, but it's enough to make me ride with a great deal more caution. Also, it's the coldest weather I've biked in so far, which in turn made me wear more layers than usual, and I was facing the wind in the morning, all of which might contribute to lengthening my ride to work.
Further, it's the first Tuesday back from a long weekend. Between the long weekend and the conference I went to at the end of last week, I haven't biked since last Wednesday, almost a week ago now. So maybe I'm a little rusty. It also doesn't help that I spent the entire long weekend sick with a cold, to the point where my feverish chills and inability to breathe through my nose kept me sleeplessly tossing and turning all night on Saturday. I only started getting better yesterday, and while I feel like I'm about 80% back to normal health, I'm still feeling the effects of being sick for the past four days.
Also, this morning I began biking my daughter to daycare in the Schwinn trailer I bought specifically for that purpose, but have not used for that purpose yet (given that my daughter hates her helmet with a passion). So normally I've been driving to daycare, dropping off my daughter, driving home, picking up my bike, and leaving from there, using the time I mounted my bike as my "start time". Today, I loaded my daughter into the trailer, carefully brought it down the front stairs, then took out my bike and hooked the two up before starting out towards daycare (which is only a few blocks away, but in the opposite direction of work). I dropped her off a bit later than usual, then biked back home with the intention of dropping off the trailer at the house. By this time, the morning had already involved many more swear words than most mornings do, as my cold hands could barely work the pins and latches required by the trailer. When I got home, I figured it would be too inconvenient to unhook the trailer and opted instead to keep it latched to my bike for the duration of my journey. Throughout my entire ride to work, a quote by GOB from Arrested Development ran continuously through my mind: "I've made a huge mistake."
The trailer added weight, rolling resistance, and width to my ride that I'm simply not used to, especially on snowy, dead leaf-strewn streets. I had to drop a gear to keep my legs pumping with the added weight, and on more than one occasion the wheels of the trailer caught on something - a rut in the street, a curb - and caused my bike to drag and skid. Once, heading onto a sidewalk (where it was legal to ride on the sidewalk - don't judge me!), the trailer caught on the curb, bounced around, and managed to knock one of my panniers off. I had to stop, fix the pannier, and make sure the trailer was still attached, before I continued on. Further, I couldn't follow my usual route as it involves walking up a flight of stairs, which I can do with my bike but cannot do with the bike and trailer, so I had to take a longer and more uphill route than usual. At one point during the detour I dropped down the 9th gear, panting and wheezing my way up a sadly minimal incline as pedestrians looked on with worry, and I wondered if I'd be better off just walking. But I stuck to it, and I made it up, and was rewarded with a largely (slight) downhill ride the rest of the way across campus to work.
I wish I could tell you by how much all this slowed me down, but I can't because I managed to forget to check the clock on my cell phone before leaving my house! Without a start time, I can't determine a ride time. I know I got to work at 8:24 pm, which is later than usual, but I also know that biking my daughter to daycare made my start time later than usual. Perhaps I'll never know - ALAS! Even on the ride home I don't have an exact time because of however many minutes were spent in the daycare, chatting with staff and getting my daughter suited up for the weather. Perhaps it'll remain a mystery for ETERNITY . . . or I could try timing it more accurately tomorrow. Either way, really.
Lesson learned, though: leave the damn trailer at home!
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