5 posts tagged “bicycle”
It's almost the middle of January and we still haven't seen anything that amounts to much snow. Sure there are a few centimetres here and there on the paths in the mornings, but that's not snow. Why do I care so much about the amount of snow when I don't participate in any winter sports? (I could argue that being a couch/mouse potato is just such a sport, but that's neither here nor there.)
It all comes down to the mud. Snow is great. It's all the prettiness of rain but without the wet. Dry rides to work in the morning make for a clean and fast commute. However when the temperature goes up above freezing in the middle of January all that snow tends to get a little chaotic and transforms into a liquid state. Hello mud. I can't recommend fenders for your bicycle any more than I already do, but I have yet to figure out how to keep my drive train as clean as my backside is with them. Luckily if there's mud, it means it's warm enough to wash my bike outdoors. I do have company coming over tomorrow, and nothing says, "Welcome to my home," better than a shiny Surly in the front hall. Be sure to comment on how welcome you feel if you stop by.
In other news I should be the proud owner of Batman: The Animated Series on DVD when I get home from work tonight (or the Post Office, depending on the mood of the mail carrier today). Nothing beats the cold like curling up on my Sumo and watching TV, but on DVD, so it's almost as classy as a movie. Speaking of movies, Bandidas came out this week. I had never heard of this one until I perused the new releases section at Roger's Video. If I manage to watch it this weekend I'll be sure to share my thoughts. Salma Hyak is always a pleasure to watch (and for more than the dirty reason you're thinking right now dear reader). If the movie is as funny as I'm reading it is, I should enjoy it. It'll balance out my other planned viewing experience this weekend, Hard Candy, nicely.
For a short work week totalling only three days I feel I've packed in enough excitement for a full week. Maybe more.
Wednesday started out innocently enough. I woke up a little sleepy (6.5 hours of sleep will do that to a man) but it's always tough to get back to work after a week and a bit of vacation. Being the week between Xmas and New Year's here in Canada, work was quiet.
Things started to get a little more interesting on Thursday. I woke up yet again a little sleepy (5 hours of sleep this time) having played Kdubapalooza the previous night. Not a problem. A little sleepiness is no big deal. Whoops. Wrong on that one. I was a little slow getting out the door and didn't arrive at the bike racks at work until 8:20 AM or so. I didn't just forget my bike locks did I? Could that be why my bag felt a little light this morning? Doh! It's only 5.5 km back home and another 5.5 back to work again. I can do that.
Okay, back at work and my bicycle is now locked up safe and sound. This day has to start getting better. No lineup at the elevator. Nice. Get to my desk and go for my keys in my bag. And. Nothing. Check again. Nope. Not there. Check with co-worker to see if she still has my spare desk key to unlock my laptop. No luck. It's only 5.5 km back home and another 5.5 back to work again. I can do that.
27.5 km of cycling later I'm now sitting at my desk, with keys and finally starting my work day at 10 AM. Yay! Thank goodness for flex time. Everyone had a good chuckle about Mr. Forgetful Jason.
Finally, it's Friday. What can go wrong on a Friday. It's the furthest day from a Monday. Well I got to work with all my locks and keys by 8 AM. Managed to get the work done for the day in good time. It's still a slow week so things aren't that bad. Wait a minute. It's 10 minutes before quitting time and I still haven't received a file to finish some reporting that needs to be done today. Yup, I don't have to worry about the 2 hours of minus time I took yesterday because I got to work an extra 2.5 hours today. At least I got the report out and all the dedicated people working on Monday can get reports to work with (yes, people apparently work on New Year's day).
Since I got to work early and stayed until 6:30 PM I haven't seen daylight today. No problem, a bicycle ride is fun no matter what. Let's just hop on the ol' Surly, and...gee the back end feels heavy. A flat tire on this the greatest week of all time? Of course it is. Luckily my favourite bicycle shop, King Street Cycle was still open and can repair a flat while I wait. I needed a chance to finish the Quirks and Quarks podcast from the past week anyway. Turns out a staple decided to set up shop in my rear tire. $12 later and I'm finally cycling home.
The day got better because dinner was waiting for me when I got home. Yay me.
You know, I don't think this winter cycling is that big of a deal. It was - 8 C this morning with a light dusting of snow. Nothing to fret about. I did notice there was only one other bicycle locked to the bike racks at work instead of the three I saw yesterday. The Canadian Winter must have claimed another life. I blame the polar bears. I honestly thought that commuting by bicycle in the winter would be more exciting. It's not. I don't see the need for a 'Day 3' post, but if something interesting happens I'll be sure to share.
Well today was my first day commuting in what could be called winter. There was a nice dusting of snow one morning a few weeks back, but it was only -2 C out. This morning was -7 C, and there was a bit more snow and ice. The fact I'm typing this should prove that I survived. I actually had a great time while I was at it. Alexis was nice enough to lend me her bike so the salt on the roads wouldn't un-shine my bike. What a keeper.
I kind of regret not buying a mountain bike (Alexis' bike is) in the spring. Not that I don't like my Cross-Check, it's just that riding around on big ol' balloon tires is a blast. I didn't even notice the rough sectioins of my commute. No wonder Alexis is always smiling when we're out for a ride.
There is more snow tonight, so I'll have to see if I have as much fun tomorrow. Two pairs of socks are my friend.
I've been commuting to work by bicycle for the past month or so since we sold our car. Being predisposed to all things on two wheels it was a blast to start bicycling again after about 6 years without owning one.
That line, "It's like riding a bicycle, you never forget," is a bunch of bullshit. You may remember how to balance a bicycle, but I hardly call that riding. Wobbly may not be the best word, but it's the one I'll use. My first few turns were interesting. Who would have thought an 18 pound bicycle would be different than a 400+ pound motorcycle. The nerve of physics, sheesh. After the first week things were better, and I can even ride without hands on the handlebar now (just don't tell anyone, it's against the law 'round these parts). I'm a little disappointed that a road bike frame doesn't bunny hop like I could my old mountain and BMX bikes, but it's a fair trade-off for speed.
Did I mention how fast bicycling is in Waterloo? I assumed that commuting to work by bicycle would be slower than taking my motorcycle but I was wrong. One way is about 5.5 km (3.4 miles for my U.S. WoW'ers). It takes about 3 more minutes to get to the office by bicycle, but instead of having to walk from the parking garage, I get to lock up just outside the back door. And changing out of my bicycle clothing into office attire is not big deal, because I had to do the same thing when I rode my motorcycle in. So we'll call it a tie.
Now where bicycling is kicking taking a motorcycles ass is in the cost of petrol and the exercise. I'm actually saving 20 to 30 minutes each day because I no longer have to go for a jog before work. Also, the ride is a nice wake-up which is especially welcome because I don't drink coffee. (Yes, Alexis, you're stash of organic/fair-trade beans are safe.)
All-in-all I can't recommend bicycling to work enough. Even if you're dream ride is an Electra Betty Cruiser with streamers. And anyone that rides motorycles can be happy to know that bicyclists are just as friendly, just resist the urge to wave.
