I’m no longer cool. 1

Posted by Chris on August 27, 2007

This weekend Amanda and I went to Outback Steakhouse for her birthday meal. When we were finished we pack all the toys (all 100 of them) and headed out to the car. Once we got there we realized that we didn’t know where the keys were. Without blinking I automatically assumed that I left them on the table and headed back. I get inside and start looking around like the big idiot who lost their keys. I walked up to our table and started looking under peoples feet. The manager was in the back asking the bus boys. Everyone was on CODE RED terror threat lock down looking for my keys.

Then Amanda called me from the car to tell me she found them in her purse/diaper bag. At that precise moment I looked like biggest dork because I had to admit to the SWAT team that it was a false alarm and the keys had been in my wife’s purse the entire time. This is when I realized that I have finally lost every shred of coolness I ever had. Now that I’m not burdened by being cool anymore I can now wear socks with flipflops…

I lost it today… argh! 1

Posted by Chris on August 27, 2007

On today’s ride in I total lost it on a woman talking on her cellphone harassing me about taking a lane. As she passed me I yelled at her to “Get off your cellphone!” Not sure why I did that except I really hate people driving while talking on their cellphones (and harassing cyclist to boot). Once we got to the light I yelled at her and told her that “Bicycles have a right to take a lane when no bike lanes are present!” She said I was holding up traffic. She then told me to fuck myself. My blood was boiling and I proceed to yell the following: “FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING HUNT!” But I didn’t say hunt, I said the worst thing I could think of saying to a woman… THE C-WORD! Through out this whole episode she was still talking on the cellphone.

Who ever was on the other end of her conversation must have been laughing their asses off, I would have been. The best part is this was a 25 mph zone and I was keeping up with the traffic in front of me. She ended up having to stop at a light because the car (which had been in front of me the whole time) had to stop.

I totally handled this situation the wrong way. I should have just ignored her. Better yet, I should have remained calm got her license plate and called the police. Now she will forever hate cyclist on the road, I felt a little ashamed after the whole incident. I can only hope that when she goes to work and tells her friends about it, someone corrects her and lets her know she was wrong.

Commuter Peloton 2

Posted by Chris on August 23, 2007

Yesterday I commented on a Bike Commuters post about how cool it is to see other commuters riding their bikes. I got all warm and fuzzy about how bike commuters are comrades in arms and how our wave is like a secret handshake. I also touched on how I try and start conversations with commuters at lights and usually finding someone to chat with while I ride.

Last night on my ride home I was running behind because I caught a flat (2nd time this week!) and I came to a stop light. I noticed a couple of shadows behind me, there were two riders. One that I had met before and another friendly guy. We started joking about how this was a traffic jam. The light turned green and we all started pedaling at the same pace. We started to naturally form a pace line with each rider taking turns up front. At the next light we continued our conversation about flats. The light turned green and we continued the pace line. This went on for about four lights before I had to turn off.

What an amazing experience to be apart of, three total strangers held together by the common bond of cycling. It was cool to see how we just started naturally working together. I almost wanted to continue past my turn off and stay with the pack. I had an overwhelming sense of safety for those couple of miles.

Why don’t bicycle commuters organize pace lines to work? Its sort of like car pooling but on bikes. You can share the work by leading the pack and save energy by drafting. There is also the safety in numbers advantage too. I’m going to hit the message boards and see if anyone wants to start a commuter peloton.

Self-Interview on Biking To Work. 5

Posted by Chris on August 21, 2007

As I was riding into work today I thought it would be cool to do a self-interview on biking to work. I have a few friends that have been really interested in starting to ride and I figured this would be a good way to share some of the lessons I learned. I have to admit this was inspired by a blog post on Bike Commuters. Here goes…

Why did you start riding to work?

Initially I was using it as a way to increase my fitness level for mountain biking. My plan was to mountain bike 2 times a week then ride a few times a week to work. Then I had my second baby and realized that going mountain biking was a lot of work for only 1.5 hours of riding. I figured that I could replace my 40 minute drive with riding and get 2 hours of riding by only adding 30-40 minutes to my day. Now I get to ride 5 days a week!

How long have you been riding to work?

I started in April riding randomly here and there. Then I slowly increased the frequency to every other day. I’ve only been riding to work full time for the last 4 weeks. I’ve taken a few force breaks from riding due to equipment failures (which always sucks).

How far is your commute?

My current route is 15 miles one-way, 5 of which are on isolated bike paths. Initially, I was taking a route that was 14 miles but I got tired of dealing with a dangerous stretch of road. Too many idiots harassing me and no bike lane. I figure I could just ride an extra mile and have a safer more enjoyable route. I tried about 4 different routes until I settled on my current one.

How do you break up the monotony of riding the same route everyday?

I’ve been setting fitness goals. At first I was just struggling to complete an entire week of back to back commuting. Recently, I started pushing as hard as I can on one day and then recovering the next. I also look for faster riders (the ones who wear the team kits that match their bikes) who are passing me and trying to catch up with them or pace them.

I’ve also been trying to talk to as many fellow commuters as possible. Every once in a while I will meet someone interesting and we start chatting while we ride. You can really pedal through a ton of miles with a good conversation. The next time your at a light try and start a conversation with a fellow commuter, you would be surprise how much you both have in common.

What was your biggest misconception of riding to work?

How safe it was to ride to work. I’ve had a few close calls that I avoided by staying alert and riding defensively. But nothing that has shaken me to the point that I felt like I had a brush with death. I did a ton of reading on the web about riding defensively. Like anything the more you know the safer you are.

What is the hardest part of biking to work?

Getting my bike setup properly so I’m not hurting by the end of the week. When you put 100+ miles in a week you really start to appreciate good posture and proper bike fit. You also learn what a proper fit feels like. For the last 4 weeks I’ve been fighting some serious saddle sores. Yesterday I just put a new saddle on that puts the pressure on my sit bones instead of my crotch.

How do you deal with traffic?

I don’t trust anyone on 4 wheels or more. I also read this site (http://bicyclesafe.com/) at least once a week to remind myself “How not to get hit by cars.” I think the most important thing is to be hyper aware of what’s going on around you. I also try to give myself as many advantages as possible by running my flashing LED’s in the day, wearing bright colors, wearing a safety triangle and using a rearview mirror. I probably look like a big commuter dork but my goal is not to pick up chicks, its to get home alive.

What advice would you give to a new cycling commuter?

Having the proper fitting gear is the difference between success and failure. If your serious about riding to work you will need all the essentials to make it comfortable and safe. My biggest problem area has been finding the right saddle. It’s been the difference between agonizing pain and all day comfort.

Pack your bag the night before and layout your riding clothes so all you need to do is eat breakfast and get dressed in the morning. Keep all your toiletries at work so you don’t have to cart them back an forth every night. Here are some more good pointers.

Bike fit is also extremely important. If you are planning on buying a bike go to a shop that will take the time to measure you. If they just hand you a bike and let you test ride it, walk out the door.

Pick up a book on bicycle maintenance so you can do minor adjustments and repairs. Nothing is more frustrating then having to stop riding because your waiting for a shop to do a simple adjustment. It’s also good to know how to fix your bike out on the road. Learn how to change your tires and carry a pump (or CO2) and extra tubes so your not stranded.

Whoa that’s a lot of advice…

What does your equipment list look like?

Informal Study 4

Posted by Chris on August 20, 2007

Now that I’m riding to work I’ve been keeping track of all my close calls. I’ve noticed a trend and it’s rather disturbing. 4 out of the 5 close calls I’ve had involved women. I’m not making this up to be a sexist asshole, these are the facts.

The first one was when I was on Campbell Avenue taking a lane and coming up on an intersection with a light on a one way street. A woman was busy talking on her cellphone and looking the wrong way before she decided to pull out in front of me. I yelled “HEY! HEY! HEY!” and she looked up with the “OH SHIT I DIDN’T SEE YOU” look on her face.

The second one was on the Los Gatos Creek Trail bike path. A woman was flying down a narrow bridge in my lane not paying attention and coming directly for me. I (again) yelled “HEY!” and she swerved and apologized profusely. She must have been going over the 15 mph limit.

The third one happened today. I was on Campbell Avenue taking a lane (on a one way street) and I came up to an intersection where a woman had a stop sign. She stopped then looked the opposite way the traffic was heading and started to pull out. I yelled “HEY! HEY! HEY!” (again) she then gave me the same “OH SHIT I DIDN’T SEE YOU!” look as the first woman.

The forth one happened today as well, I was going down San Thomas Express way and I came up to a on-ramp where I saw a woman speeding around the corner not looking and just merged on to traffic. I stopped right before the on ramp since I usually don’t trust anyone who is merging that I don’t make eye contact with. She gave a quick glance and slammed on her brakes with a “OH SHIT I DIDN’T SEE YOU!” look on her face.

Maybe I’m just randomly getting unlucky with these drivers. It’s disturbing that almost every situation involves them looking the wrong way. If I wasn’t a cyclist but a speeding car would they have gotten killed? If I hadn’t been riding defensively and yelled would I even be here to write this? I’m going to keep posting my incidents and see if a trend emerges.

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