03/24
Bicycle parking in Davis, CA. Photo from askpang. Licensed under the Creative Commons.
Chicago recently passed laws to institute fines against motorists who cause accidents with bicycles. As a cyclist, I think that this is a great thing.
I’m fortunate to live in a city (Minneapolis) where we take cycling seriously — as both recreation and a form of transportation. But even with that level of commitment to the activity, we still have issues with being protected by the police. I know of multiple people of the type who would admit to fault if it was theirs, who have been hit by cars, assaulted by motorists, and so on, only to have the cops write up a report that blames the cyclist (if they bother to write a report at all). While these laws are a great contribution to making Chicago a more bike-friendly city, and something that Minneapolis should institute as well, they are unlikely to do any real good.
To make this change more immediate, a few things have to happen: Read the rest of this entry »
03/16
I’ve often wondered why so many bike companies ship their time trial/triathlon bikes with such crappy wheels. I suppose that if I’d really thought about it, the answer would have been obvious — low quality wheels are great for training purposes and help keep unit costs down. In addition, entry-level triathletes will get great performance out of this bike and all they need to do to make the bike more capable is to upgrade the wheels at a later date.
The P2C (Ultegra group) shown above might well be one of the best values in the TT/triathlon space. Read the rest of this entry »
03/14
Minneapolis, my hometown and place-of-residence, of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., is ranked #2 for bicycle commuters, with 2.5% of the population choosing to ride to work. We’re second only to Portland, Oregon.
By comparison, the national average is 0.04%. Pathetic, especially when you compare the rest of the country’s climate to Minnesota’s harsh variations.
For more on the awesome that is Minneapolis: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles
03/14
Photo by drocksays. Licensed under the Creative Commons.
[This piece is the third in a five-part series in this blog about how to effectively commute by bike, as other articles appear, there will be cross-linking between them. For Part I, click here.]
Contingency Planning
The most important thing you can do as a bike commuter is to remain mentally flexible. As long as you hope for the best and prepare for the worst, you should be fine. That said, there are things you’ll encounter on the road that require a certain set of behaviors, and can ameliorate negative situations.
Drivers. You need to understand one thing — Read the rest of this entry »
03/14
So I’ve got my account over at Trainingpeaks.com, and I officially started on Tuesday. It’s probably a little late to be starting, but better late than never.
Compared to last year, this is a world of difference. Last year, I didn’t get my new bike completed until around June 1st. I didn’t have a plan, except to “race myself into shape”.
Doing that in July is a really, really bad idea. Seriously, don’t ever try it. That’s the time of year when everyone’s flying, and if you go out there you’re going to get lapped, puke up a lung, and have an aneurysm. None of which I’d recommend. Read the rest of this entry »
03/13
1 GNC Ultra-Mega multivitamin
3 500mg tablets of Vitamin C
3 tablets of EP-NO
3 tablets of Optygen
2 tablets of fish-oil
2 tablets of glucosamine-chrondroitin
1 tablet Bayer Heart Health
Fifteen pills.
Plus the heaping teaspoon of creatine in a glass of juice I have after my workouts.
I feel like a walking chemistry experiment.
03/10
Photo courtesy of givepeasachance. Licensed under the Creative Commons.
I got my first surreal phone call of the year at the bike shop this weekend. It was way after hours, and a guy who sounded like he was in his forties and moderately drunk and/or high, called to ask about books covering training for track cycling. I told him that I couldn’t think of any track-specific books (and I still can’t), but I referred him to Joe Friel’s Cyclist’s Training Bible
“That’s that computer thing, right?” he slurred.
03/5
There are parts! Bottom bracket, tubular tire tape, lockring, track cog, and such. So yeah, right now, it’s just a trickle of the cheap stuff, as I’m just sacrificing my bike shop paychecks for these things. Once the money starts to flow from the new full-time gig, I’ll be bringing in the handlebars, crankset, etc. Specifically:
- Shimano Ultegra SL pedals
- Tufo Extreme Conditions tubular tape
- FSA Platinum Pro Track Bottom Bracket (ISIS)
- Shimano Dura-Ace Track Cog (14T)
- Surly Stainless Lockring
The frame will probably happen on the 21st. I heard from the guys at Blue today, and the news is good. The wheels, the most expensive part of the whole bike, will have to wait until April. It’s all good — with the way Minnesota is, the track won’t be open until later that month, anyway.
03/5
Photo by red5standingby. Licensed under the Creative Commons.
[This piece is the second in a five-part series in this blog about how to effectively commute by bike, as other articles appear, there will be cross-linking between them. For Part I, click here.]
Getting Started
The first thing you need to do in getting ready for a bicycle commute is a reality check. There are two questions that need answering — are you healthy enough to undertake a bicycle commute? And, is the distance to the office something you can realistically ride?
The first question is something you should discuss during a consultation with a doctor. I am not a physician, and thus not qualified to provide life-or-death medical advice in this series of articles (or anywhere else in my blog). Should you be healthy enough to make a weekly commute, by all means move on to the next question.
03/4
Photo by Richard Masoner. Licensed under the Creative Commons.
[This piece is the first in a five-part series in this blog about how to effectively commute by bike, as other articles appear, there will be cross-linking between them.]
Introduction
Recently, I wrote about the out-of-control energy costs that are plaguing the United States, their impact, and put forward a pair of ideas about reducing the amount of oil we have to import. One of these ideas was a once-a-week bike commute. (The other was adopting, nationally, a four-day work week with 10-hour days.) As a long-time cyclist, and someone who has been working in bike shops since 1999, I am exposed to all manner of cyclists, including commuters. I’ve also used a bike to commute to jobs — some as close as 2 miles, some as distant as 17 miles. This piece is intended to help you get started, plus teach you things that you’d rather not discover the hard way.
The main reasons for commuting by bicycle are obvious — you’ll save money on gas and you’ll end up more healthy. In the grand scheme of things, you’ll be helping the national economy by reducing demand for oil, and you’ll be helping the whole planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If those aren’t reasons enough, think of it as a fun way to reduce stress and get in shape, and as a reason to buy a few cool toys.
So. You’ve decided to commute to work. Part Two will explain what you need to do to get going.
Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Getting Started
Part Three: Contingency Planning
Part Four: Improving the Experience
Part Five: Commuting in Extreme Conditions
Dan Bailey