Archive for March, 2009

I get depressed about the automobile culture in which I live.  I’ve ridden my bike in Memphis for almost two years now and it seems I’ve had virtually no impact on the transportation choices people make.  A lot of people, mostly at work, have said they admire that I ride my bike.  Yet, I’ve had no one join me or even said, “I’m now carpooling with a friend because I agree cars have a negative impact on the environment.”  Even my friend who rode with me to work several times last fall hasn’t expressed any interest in bike commuting again (I’ll give him that he has been having some knee problems).

I wonder when we stopped thinking that undesirable vehicle exhaust was not pollution.  I wonder when we stopped caring about the clothes we wear and how much we weighed, because if we have enough money we’ll just wrap a nice car around us.  I wonder when we stopped caring about our communities.  I wonder when was the last time we could step outside and not hear the sound of an undesirable vehicle.  I wonder when was it we last looked at the stars without them being blurred or dimmed by air and light pollution.  I wonder if people really realize how violent an undesirable vehicle feels and sounds when passing only a few feet from you.  I wonder if we’ll ever go forward enough to allow us to go back.  I wonder if anyone thinks about anything at all.

I feel like I’m doing the right thing by riding my bike almost everywhere I go.  I wonder what Memphis and other cities would be like if even 20% of others rode their bike or took sustainable transportation.  I don’t think that will ever happen in my lifetime.  I guess change takes time.  All I can do is hope.  Besides, I can’t bear the thought of driving an undesirable vehicle everywhere.

I’m not your typical bike commuter, if there is actually such a thing. I unfortunately do not live close enough to work to make my commute door to door. Instead, I drive part way to a local mall and climb out of the valley it is in for a nice little 700 feet of climbing in just under 8 miles one way. Until this year, the same bike I raced in crits and road races was the same I used for my commutes. I don’t have fenders, nor any of the commuter-specific gear. I wear my team kits/gear, and take my hilly commutes as way to force training into an otherwise hectic and busy day, finding sprint points on the rolling hills of Raleigh, North Carolina.

But for me, bike commuting has a lot more value than simply the health and daily training benefits. Obviously, it’s a great way to burn less fuel and save some wear and tear on your vehicle. But even that is a secondary perk for me. The days I bike to and from work are just a little better than those in my car. Cycling into the office is a completely refreshing and almost cleansing way for me to start and end the day. It clears the mind a bit and washes the stresses and annoyances away for the day.

Every road and mountain biker alike will recognize how routes look different by bike versus by a four-wheeled vehicle. I bike some of the same roads I drive in on, but you get to see things from a different perspective – partially because you’re moving at a slower pace (usually, but not always) and are at a different height, but being in the open air of a pedal-powered transport also allows you to literally smell the roses, notice homes, landscapes and some really scenic sunrises and sunsets. You notice and experience things that you’re totally oblivious to enclosed in your car.

While bike commuting isn’t feasible for everyone, I really think everyone should at least try to give it a shot once. Granted, some are too far from home to do a complete route to and from work, but there are plenty of park and ride lots and safe public parking to leave a vehicle behind, like I do. Bike commuting is different than your group rides with its own unique goal — getting from here to there, and then back again. Everyone is different, but for me, the combination of sights, sounds and smells coupled with the physical aspects of starting and ending the work day spinning on my road bikes is a completely rewarding daily ritual.

A sidewall failure of my Sweetskins MTB tire today reminded me of a temporary fix I once read about and actually used once. When you tear the casing of a tire, you can be seriously disabled. You’ve probably blown your tube and replacing the tube won’t fix the tear. A temporary solution you can use is to place some sort of paper currency, preferably a small value bill, between the tube and the location of the tear in the tire. You can then pump up the tire and the bill will keep the tube from protruding from the tire hopefully long enough for you to arrive at your final destination. If you’re like most people, you probably carry a cell phone and can call the wifey or a beer-drinking buddy to come and get you, but why involve an undesirable vehicle when you don’t have to. Besides, it would be more fun to impress your buddies with your ingenuity and adventurousness by fixing the tire with the dollar trick (hopefully with your buddy’s dollar).

I admit I did not use this trick today. Conditions were very wet and cold and getting another flat on affected tire was not unlikely. When I got the flat, I was only about a half mile from work so I cyclocrossed it the rest of the way. It’s good to know that I can still run that far. Then, I caught a ride home with a buddy who lives a few blocks away. I missed an opportunity to re-confirm my dollar trick. Even I am prone to weakness sometimes.

I don’t believe in calling the wifey to come and pick me up in our undesirable vehicle when I have a mechanical on the commute.  While most of the stuff I carry is rarely used, I don’t leave home without them.  Here they are:

1)       Park Tool multi-purpose tool  – all the hex wrenches, tire levers, chain tool, etc.

2)      Spare tube – you never know when you might have a puncture in an un-reparable location.  Plus, I don’t like repairing tubes on the road as I am too impatient and I usually bungle the job.

3)      Permanent patch kit

4)      Temporary patch kit – it bailed me out last week when I bungled two permanent patches.  I don’t like these kits (See my review of Slime Skabs) but they can be handy sometimes.

5)      MTB pump – because I ride MTB tires to work

6)      Cell phone – it’s nice to have as backup in case you do have a mechanical that is not possibly repaired on the road.  I’ve only had to use my phone once but despite being home my wife didn’t answer her telephone and thus was no help at all.  A friend saw me walking my bike and pulled over.  Reason I called:  Had a flat, changed it, started pumping only to realize my pump was broken.  Since I ride Presta valves, the gas station pump was no help either.

7)      Spoke wrench

8)   Aluminum tire lever – I don’t like to take the Park Tool apart and I always seem to break plastic levers, like the park tool levers.  I only carry one because I’ve lost (or my kids have lost) all of my others and I never need more than one anyway.

This was only my second winter in Memphis but it seemed long. I rode through the cold, wind, cold and rain and a couple times, through the ice and snow on the sidewalks I ride next to a busy road. Today, I finally road both to and from work in shorts and T-shirt. Strangely, this week I both road in shorts and T-shirt and on snowed- and iced-sidewalks. Such is the weather in Memphis.

My lowest temperature ride this winter was 12^oF. Not exactly eye-brow raising for northern bike commuters, but very respectable for us southerners. Certainly, the undesirable vehicle commuters were somewhat shocked. They suffered on the way from their vehicle to the door. I told them I still worked up a sweat on my way to work.

Last fall, I converted my Schwinn Homegrown from a nine-speed to a single speed (no, it’s not a fixie, I’m not that cool). After six months on the uni-speed, my legs hurt. While I seemed to get tired riding a multi-speed, I didn’t have constant pain in my thighs. I do now. I don’t care really though. Sometimes, when I flex my thighs I get a really good buzz – from the pain and fatigue radiating from my thighs. Seems weird but I like it. I tried massages for a few days but I didn’t feel much difference. Now, on days when the thighs hurt bad, I use the hammies the entire way.

This winter I learned reasonably well how to do track stands at stoplights. It helps that I’m on a mountain bike with fatties but I’m still happy I can do it. It’s not easy to find an appropriate place at every stoplight that provides a little roll-back so I can shift the bike beneath me. At least I don’t almost fall over while trying it like I did before. I found that practicing without clipless peddles helps a lot.

I also learned this winter that I don’t have to shower just before I walk into work. A friend, who rode with me a few times in the fall, didn’t belong to the gym I belong to which is close to work. So, naturally he couldn’t shower before he dressed for work. I took the same approach the entire winter. I usually shower the night before or in the morning before I start. Then, I do a quick sponge bath in the work bathroom before I change in one of the stalls. Seems to work well and I don’t notice that I stink. At least no one has told me that I do.

All and all it was a good winter of riding. At least I’m not taking the bus like I did last year. I didn’t feel much on those trips. I’ll take another long winter anytime. It’s definitely biking with a feel.