Morning Lights, New Mini-purse, Another Great Day to Ride

Pleasant ride in to work this morning, left early enough to still catch the city lights before they faded out with sunrise.

This picture was taken at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, looking west to downtown Portland. The challenge was finding a steady rest for the camera. First few shots I used a sign pole, but soon found the wind was making it sway causing blurry pictures. This was actually hand held.

Only a few other cyclists out at this early of time, around 7:15am. This morning I thought I would take a risk and go with lighter clothing. I wore ankle SmartWool socks and my summer biking capris. I did use my light fleece knee warmers, though. I might be risky, but I ain't stupid. Top wise, I wore a Cami, medium weight Lycra sweatshirt and my fleece jacket. I was actually quite comfortable.

In my backpack (day 2 of commute test for it) I did carry my rain pants, a lightweight summer rain jacket, my extra rain gloves and SmartWool arm warmers. I am liking the Lowe Alpine ND 25 pack. Feels comfortable, carrys the load well, and is quite stable while riding. I am thinking this may be my primary commuter pack and I'll save the messenger bag for when I am doing biking errands, as the messenger bag is easier to get into. I've also started using a small, REI Tara City Bag to hold wallet and stuff. I put this into the front section of my backpack.

What is really nice is I have a bag for my personal stuff if I run out at lunch. Plus, it is the perfect size so I can put my Kryptonite Evolution Mini in the back section. Before the bag, carrying the lock was rather awkward, at best. The cable I just loop across one shoulder so that has never been an issue. I was trying to do the one bag for everything, which is why I started with a messenger bag - just don't like having to transfer stuff all the time, and knowing me, I would likely forget something important. The city bag is small enough so I don't carry too much, but easily fits into whatever primary carry system I am using, and it is always ready with my non-biking essentials.

The ride home was a bit cooler, and the wind from the east had definitely picked up. I was not sure I had enough warm layers, but I did okay. I added 2.5 miles to my solo commute as I made a swing by the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I was kind of glad, because that was the same route I take when I go to meet Evan at his school, then ride home. It's climb from downtown to home is much more gradual, so I only had to really deal with the wind, rather than both wind and a steeper climb on SE Harrison St.

23 Consecutive Bike Commute Days, Still Tryin' Out Gear

Funny how day to day the weather "predictions" change and, often, have no resemblance to the previous day's 7 day forecast. So much for our super sunny days to close out the week. As you can see, lot's of clouds for the afternoon ride home. That's the Burnside Bridge in the picture.

This morning was mostly foggy and another pleasant ride in with Evan. Mostly low gear spinning again.

Today, I used a new backpack and it actually felt good weight wise and the space between my back and the bag part of the backpack did leave the back non-sweaty. Will have to use it a few more times to be sure. Still need to work out a likable way to carry my cell phone and camera. That is one of the nice things about my messenger bag is the strap is ideal for attaching the phone and camera pouches. For now, I'm attaching the pouches to the waist strap of the backpack. (Backpack is a Lowe Alpine Active ND25 Women's). Plus, the Sea Blue color is pretty cute, don't ya think?

I think I need to do some minor adjusting to my cleats, shoe to pedal feels a little off. I'm not sure why I struggle with this adjustment so much, but it takes a lot for me to get the combination to be just right. I wish they could invent a really good fit tool. I'm glad my pedals are the dual platform style, Shimano cleat on one side and a platform style on the other. This allows me to use any shoe, as well as, I can clip out and just use the platform side. That helps when I am trying to figure out where my foot feels right on the pedal.

Monday will be 100% commute by bike for January. My total miles will be just under or near 290 miles. Equating that to driving, that is almost a full tank of gas saved because I biked. Plus I do less short trips and less midday driving, so I think my savings is up even more. Have to be sure to drive on weekends to keep the battery charged up, though.

The ride home was a bit more tiring, as I rode my solo route which has a bit more steep sections than the longer round-about route when I go to Evan's school first. Definitely could feel Harrison St climb today. What was fun was there was another cyclist who jammed the flats through the Ladd district and certainly rode faster down the few descents. But, yippee, skippee I caught and passed him on the climbing sections. Yay for being smaller, so likely lighter.

If I keep using the road bike I should get stronger faster getting up Harrison St. (from 21st to 60th) for those 2 miles.

Spinning in the Fog - Or, How Low [of a gear] Can You Go?

Just a tad foggy this morning as Evan and I began our commute, temperature was mid-30's. Wasn't long before I had to take my glasses off because they, too, were fogged up.

We rode pretty comfortably, mostly just spinning. We've come to realize that whether we ride hard or more relaxing, it takes about the same 30 minutes. So, spinning easy and enjoying the ride was our choice.

Another successful, ride in my work clothes, except my sweater was in my bag. Used my SmartWool arm warmers under my fleece jacket and that made the temp very comfortable. We'll see about tomorrow, though, as there is a slight chance of rain, or so the report is at 10:00pm tonight.

I'll be using a new backpack that has a mesh back and the bag is actually not resting directly against the back. Will see how this feels. Of course, I am also trying not to carry everything, since I really don't need everything - you know, like car keys and that sort of stuff. Just wallet and house keys.

After going our separate ways at Evan's school, the ride was pretty normal. I did stop right before crossing the Steel Bridge to take a foggy picture. Parts almost look black and white. A train was crossing as I got there.

Knowing that I would have a long wait to cross at my normal spot, I rode a bit further south (to the left from this view) and took another street. The train was still going when I reached my building, so I was glad I took the "longer" route, at least this morning.

In the afternoon, met back up with Evan and his legs were still feeling tired. So we did a low gear, spin only ride home. I mostly stayed in my lowest gear (39x23), except for a few short stretches. Evan was in his second to lowest gearing. Time-wise, we did not take that much longer. We'll get him there. It is nice that we are close enough to have many choices in how we ride to and from.

Lead Legs - Argh

Today's dark, morning ride was quite foggy (7:00am). Very quiet, only saw a few other riders out at this early of a time.

The temp was fairly mild, I basically wore my work clothes (lightweight pants, cami and sweatshirt) with just a fleece jacket, polar fleece gloves and my fleece earband. Things were a little damp because of the heavy fog - sure glad I had my awesomely bright headlight.

Too foggy for any morning picture, really could not see anything of the city or bridge lights. Just before I got to work, I noticed that my rear light had stopped working. What? Batteries should be lasting longer than that. I checked them later and found one of the batteries had come partially out of the holder -- hmmm, will have to fix that.

The picture above is just off the east end of the Steel Bridge as I was leaving to meet up with Evan at his school. Still a lot of water out there. The normally inclined portion of the floating Eastbank Esplanade is still pretty flat.

Wow, for some reason the legs felt sluggish for the ride home. So, just enjoyed the ride and spun along in lower gears. Funny thing is that Evan felt tired, too. So we relaxed and enjoyed the ride. He practiced spinning lower gears. Turns out he did not have a very big lunch so I said he did not get enough fuel for the whole day. We'll be packing him a bit more protein tomorrow.

Of Flats and Internet - Commuting Goes On

Gee, don't realize how much we depend on the internet, until it's gone. While switching providers to gain more speed, there were 4 days of absolutely no internet. Wow! Sure glad to have it all back.

Thursday, January 20, 2011
The commute last week (20th) was, weatherwise, fairly uneventful. Lot's of clouds, as you can see here, and a little cool. Notice how brown the Willamette is? So much rain, lot's of mud, tree debris flowing along. This was taken on the upper portion of the MUP, just east of the Steel Bridge.

I was on my way to meet Evan at school for our ride home. As we were leaving the school, Evan said his bike was pulling to the left. So we stopped just a block away. His front tire was flat! At least it was not raining like my recent flat tire adventure! I got out the tools and took the tire off and we discovered a first -- the stem had completely separated from the tube, plus the tube had, somehow, rotated 180 degrees! How bizarre! Shortly we were back on the road.

The next day's ride home was about the same, slight chance of rain, but mostly just plain grey. Here's another in my on-going series of the Steel Bridge. I guess because it is the biggest landmark next to the work building, plus, I just like all the lines and angles.

Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday (21st) was the first test of using my new Keen shoes only. I did put cleats on and under certain conditions the cleats do crunch on the ground, but it was nice not carrying an extra pair of shoes. I guess I'll have to do a gear review sometime soon. The Keens are definitely not as stiff soled as my normal biking shoes, but that's okay, I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of stiffness for carrying less. Bike commuting is feeling just, well, just normal. Evan is still lovin our joint bike commuting, too.

The weekend was spent replenishing the spare tube supply, getting Evan some new gloves and a neck/face shield. I tweaked my tool kit so it fits into a nice bundle in one of my water bottle cages, but can easily be removed and plopped into my messenger bag. Speaking of messenger bags, I replace the small one with a medium and it is so much easier to carry my stuff. I guess it is spreading the load out more. I like the messenger bag better than a backpack, my back gets less sweaty and it just feels more comfortable. Plus, I think I carry the load lower so it seems to have less impact on my back.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Following a very nice weekend, Monday was pretty nice, too. This was shot through the Steel Bridge (surprise, surprise) toward the Broadway Bridge (foreground) with the Fremont Bridge in the background. I'm still trying to get that just right image using the Steel Bridge as frame. Someday.

Legs are getting stronger and going up the few hills are draining me a bit less. I guess using a bike without super low gearing is paying off, beyond the pure joy of riding my favorite bike.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Okay, catching up to current events. Love seeing the check marks as I log my commutes on the Bike Commute trip log. (I'm sure my doc would love it, too, cuz I'm getting some kind of exercise in daily, ya know, 2 30 minute spins a day.)

I was initially home half day as I needed to be there for the internet installer. Funny, he ran a little late on finishing, so I had to rush to get to work to a meeting. I left at 12:20pm and got in at 1:10pm. Seems no matter how fast I try to go, my ride is about 30 minutes. Not much I can do about stop signs and red lights. Nice in that I rode in my work clothes, fortunately we have a casual dress code, but, hey, still just work clothes.

The evening was really nice, this is a picture of, can you guess?, the Steel Bridge. I love evening/night images. The river looks so calm and you cannot tell it is a rustic brown due to all the run-off.

This is a shot from the same location, just the other direction. 20 rides and each one has had something different about it.

16 Consecutive Bike Commute Days

Loving being able to bike to work everyday, been wanting that so much for so long! Pretty much have my "ideal" routes figured out, both when I am riding alone and when I am escorting Evan to and from school. I am looking forward to the changing seasons, changing light. I even find myself getting up before the alarm goes off - haven't been there for a while now.

For the statistically minded: For January, 13 days bike commuting, 176 miles; 8,599 calories burned (approximation); 171 pounds of CO2 saved. I have not used 5.87 commuting gas gallons (based on my 30mph Honda), so have saved about $23.00. A fill-up now lasts about 3 weeks, that includes our extended drive out to Boring a couple of times (50miles round trip). According to some formulae, I am running about 100 some mpg by cycling.

A bit foggy to get a really great night light shot of Portland. But, to see how the camera does, I took a couple of hand-held pictures near the Hawthorne Bridge. This was the best of the two. I'll keep an eye out for better weather conditions. This morning (about 6:30am), it was foggy and overcast.

If I find the right light, I'll use my mini tripod since the shutter speed is pretty slow at this light level. I do like the lights, just something about them.

The ride home was pleasant, a bit cooler (40ish) but dry. This was one of the bike routes along NE Tillamook as I headed to rendezvous with Evan. This was a moving shot.

As Portland progresses, I hope they can update more bike ways to be like the recent NE Going St. where they added speed bumps, turned all the stop signs and limited access to NE Going. It is pretty nice being able to just ride along, practically non-stop, rather than many streets where you are constantly stopping and going.

Sitting and waiting for Evan I took this picture of just branches against the sky. Just an experiment.

Tomorrow I'll be using a regular backpack for my commute. I'm trying different things to see which is most comfortable and efficient. My small Timbuk2 is a bit small if I am carrying shoes and extra gear like my rain jacket and pants. Plus with lock and cable,  it can be a bit heavy.

Will see how the backpack feels. I suspect that come the warmer days the backpack will be a bit warm on the back. But, I'm figure I'll need to carry less so weight should go down and I can go back to my messenger bag, which covers up less of my back.

I replaced Evan's full fenders with a pair of SKS Race Blades like I put on my road bike. They will allow him more tip up room when he is moving the bike around, rolling it on just the rear wheel. Plus, I am pretty impressed with how much splash is reduced on the bike for having just partial fenders.

Radac Rides Again

Today was the initial trip riding my favorite bike, Bridgestone Radac, to our new work location! In preparation, I knew it would be high chance of rain, I did add a set of SKS Race Blade fenders and I also transferred the bike lights from my SUB.

I think it was meant to be, because when I got home and was cleaning up the Radac, I noticed the SUB had another rear flat tire. Sheesh, how many is that on that tire now?

What a wonderful ride, rain and all, it has been such a long time since I rode this bike. The most recent was probably one or two commutes back in Septemeber 2010 for the Bike Commute Challenge. I had to spend a little time adjusting, it is such a different feel, basically going from a mini-van to a sports car. The partial fenders actually did a pretty good job of controlling spray, even on the seat stay area, where there was no fender coverage.

It was quite rainy, on and off all day and pretty much on during both directions. Too rainy for a decent photo op, so I'll post an earlier one. This was from the Eastbank Esplanade looking south along the Willamette River.

The Radac has higher gearing than the SUB and I could certainly tell on the way home, I did not have any "bail out" gearing. I think that is also a good thing as it will force me to get stronger.

So far, weather service says tomorrow will be dry, even partly sunny! That will be nice, get to actually enjoy the biking. Tomorrow is also the go in early, then leave early to meet up with Evan after school, then we bike home together.

About to Bring out the Radac Road Bike

For a possibly rainy day, it actually turned out pretty nice. Temperature was mild and the ride in, while dark, was mostly pleasant. The SW, W wind was blowing pretty good.

Rode in with basically my messenger bag just to readjust for when I ride the road bike instead of my SUB. Wasn't bad, back a little sweaty, but I also chalk that up to wearing my rain jacket, which breathes okay. Just dressed a bit warm, probably could have been fine with a fleece jacket.

The Steel Bridge picture was taken midday as I was heading out for my half day off, since Evan is out of school because it is MLK, Jr. day. (Bigger Flikr size here, Big Picture of Steel Bridge) Note the height of the Willamette flowing under the bridge. We have certainly had a lot of rain and several tributaries were at flood stage. I may have to invest in a slightly larger messenger bag, my small, which was purchased more as a large daily purse, may not be quite big enough if I am carrying my rain gear.

Hah! Finally got a picture of Evan riding. This was on the last stretch toward home. I was in front and had the camera in a pouch on my messenger bag strap. I got the camera out and shot "intuitively" (aka blindly). Not too bad. He's a strong rider, lovin' riding with him.

After an afternoon of picking up Evan's friend and doing some airsofting  in Boring, OR, we got home and I started to prep the roadie for it's maiden commute voyage, well, at least maiden to the new building. Still amazes me how light it is when I pick it up (it's about 10 pounds lighter than the unloaded SUB).

Here is the Radac, circa 1989/1990, ready to go. Notice I transferred the headlight, had to make a slight modification to the mounting arms for a just right fit and light beam adjustment. I have also put on some SKS Race Blade fenders, kinda half fenders, so will see how those go. I don't really like fenders on the road bike, but, will see.

I'm about to do some research into a different way to keep the spray down without having to do some much fender adapting. Be nice if it works out.

Well, suppose to have some more rain tomorrow, then we are actually suppose to get some sunshine, that would be really nice. Will make bike commuting even more pleasant, plus I bet there will be a lot more cyclists commuting if we do get some sunny days.

Well, stay tuned and will write about how the road bike and I did on tomorrow's commute.

Gear, Gear Everywhere - Organizing My Tools and Extras

We all know about things like messenger bags, backpacks, panniers, saddle bags and frame bags. These are all great at carrying the things we need for recreational riding, touring and commuting. The challenge I have is how to carry the things that go inside so that they are easily accessed and at the ready? My recent adventure in flat repair in the rain on my commute to work showed I need help.

The gear I needed was spread in different sections between both of my panniers, plus inside my daily messenger bag (aka purse). A lot of things got wet!

• Spare tube
• Patch Kit
• Tire levers
• Multi-tool
• CO2 / Mini-pump w/2 CO2 cartridges
• Some wipes and rubber gloves

I've tried putting everything into different types and sizes of travel bags, stuff sacks and what have you, I just never really liked them. I guess cuz everything was, basically, still just thrown in. I know, I know, who cares as long as you can get to them, right?

A while back at the Handmade Bicycle Show, I bought a cute organizer because it was cute and purple, how could I refuse? Anyway, that was definitely form way over function as I really could not use it with the stuff I had (sniffles and frown).

Well, the other day, I got it back out and laid out my stuff and thought, "how can I use this?" Well, the only way was to actually remove all the nice pouches, elastic and internal velcro and "rebuild it, we have the technology, it will be better" (in my best million dollar man voice - haha).

After a lot of seam ripping, stitch tearing, measuring, cutting, new stitching and re-stitching the inside and outside layers I can roll up all my stuff, except for the spare tube and patch kit.

See, I told you it was cute, just love the color! The nice thing is that I can easily transfer this to whatever main carry system I am using and should I have to use anything and it is a bit grungy, whatever is around it should still stay fairly clean.

Here is what the inside looks like. The CO2 filler/mini-pump is held in place with an elastic band at the bottom and a velcro strap near the top. This makes access easy. The two CO2 cartridges are held by elastic. In the middle, obscured by elastic are the two halves of my multi-tool and then, last by not least, are the tire levers. Just above the pouch you can see the baggie that has my wipes and 1 pair of rubber gloves.

I guess I should also note that I have ordered a Soma Stash Bottle (7.5" tall), which I think my pouch will fit into. Not sure about the tube and patch, though, will have to wait and see when I pick it up on Wed (1/19).

I know, a bit vain, but, hey, I am the one carrying it all after all. Anyway, I must like it since I am writing about it and feeling inclined to "show it off" to everyone. LOL I guess the other thing that comes to me is that I am really picky and often have to create, build, sew up what I need, because I cannot seem to just buy something generic off the shelf and have it fit my needs and aesthetics.

Appreciate My Employer's Transportation Benefits

Earl Blumenauer's Bike Commute Act Page. Being a new, regular bike commuter, I find myself searching for a variety of information. I found and read about the Bike Commute Act and it reminds me of the pretty cool benefits I have from my employer.

• Indoor, secure bike storage -- I have to say it is pretty nice to be able to roll into somewhere dry and not worry about my bike sitting vulnerable for 8 or more hours each day.


• Lockers and showers -- though my goal is to ride in ready to work, I know others have further to go and do appreciate being able to spruce up for the day.
• Public transportation -- I also have a paid-for TriMet pass which I appreciate as my back up for when I absolutely cannot bike in or if I have a non-repairable emergency. Buses and our light rail, MAX, all transport bikes.

I hope more and more employers take advantage of the benefits to providing their bike commuters with any combination to provide more incentives ($20/commute month, offsetting maintainance of bike storage facilities).

Another Full Week of Bike Commuting

Well, I have to say riding when it is upper 40's and a bit rainy is better than really cold and dry, I've changed my mind from earlier claims.

This is a shot of downtown Portland from the pedestrian/bike bridge over the rail tracks to get to the Eastbank Esplanade and the Steel Bridge.

I am not quite sure why I like the image, I just do, I guess. I think maybe some of it has to do with looking like a mosaic or mosaic type reflection, though you are just looking through the safety fencing.

Evan and I do seem to have our prep patterns down and can get out the door pretty efficiently. We also have our landmarks down so when we get to that certain point, it's like, "gosh, we are almost there, already."

For me, it's like getting to live one of my big wishes, to be able to commute daily. I am glad Evan has wanted to and enjoyed biking to school. He says it helps wake him up.

While not on the bike or a bike route, this is a picture of the Portland sky from my 5th floor at work. I liked the clouds pattern, the light, and the interplay of buildings and nature. I've been using my new little Canon PowerShot camera, keeping it handy even on the bike.

I took this closer shot of those same clouds as in the wider picture above. Just something about the lightness, wispiness compared the framing, darker, thicker clouds I suppose.

Will see what the ride home brings ... to be continued.

Ride home started a little earlier so I could ride down to Showers Pass headquarters. I had emailed them a question about my wet knees the other day and talked to them on the phone today. They said I could stop by to so they could check to make sure the knee vents had the seam tape (apparently there were some issues with some of their rain pants).

Seam tape there, so we agreed I would just keep an eye on things. The most likely cause the other day was lots of rain, I was squatting for quite some time to fix the multitude of flats, which pulls on the material. Since it was only one time, likely a "user" error, hahaha.

Love the service from Showers Pass, and really love that they are a local Portland company. Their stuff is worth the money, as well as you are buying some amazing customer service.

Cloudy, Drizzly, but Still Photogenic

Drizzly, but pretty warm today. Nice, uneventful ride and as we passed the place I flatted yesterday I let out a, "Woo Hoo! I survived the flat zone!!"

One thing I've noticed about biking versus driving is the nuances of light even on days that look totally non-photogenic. This picture was taken from my usual area on the Steel Bridge. In the car I would see it as just another Portland grey day. On bike, I was drawn to the subtle light.

The only nuisance today was my rear Reelight started rubbing against the inductive magnets. I've had so much trouble with the rear one. Took it off when I got home, since most of the time it is quite obscured by my pannier. I put the inductive magnets on Evan's bike so his Reelights blink a bit faster. Kinda miss them, maybe I'll do some more research on improving the mounting some time.

I feel okay about that as I have my regular lights which I use even when it is daylight but cloudy, foggy or rainy. Plus my panniers have huge reflective patches on them.

Here is a picture without flash of my SUB. This was taken just a bit before 5:00pm, drizzly out, so light was flat and it was evening.

This next picture was taken at the same time, but with the flash. You can see where I have put on the Lightweights for Wheels and the patches on my panniers.

The Lightweights are barely noticeable during the daylight or if you are looking at the bike. This gives me improved visibility from the sides.

I have been tracking my commuting, since my biking goal is about commuting. I've commuted everyday since the week after xmas, giving me 12 consecutive work days. I am lovin' it, since this is the first time I've worked close enough to make daily commuting and being a parent reasonable. Plus, I filled the car up on 12/24 and am still going on the tank of gas (about 180 miles, 100 of those being 2 50 milers for airsofting in Boring). My joy of driving is back since I am not "having" to drive just to go to work.

I've also noticed that I am less aware of time. I mean it must have been a total commute to work of around an hour plus yesterday with my flat. I really did not feel that hour, where if I was driving I would be totally, annoyingly aware of that hour. Nice.

OMG! When it Rains, it Pours

Well, I wish I could say this is what my commute looked like today, but alas, it was quite different.

It all started harmless enough. Thanks to a 2 hour late school opening, the temperature was around the 40's versus the initial 30 of the morning. The temp rose those 10 degrees in less than an hour - house windows were steamed up on the outside! It was raining, kind of a medium, you know, not light but not heavy either.

Evan and I got the rain gear on, I loaded up the panniers and we started out. Some wind, but not awful and definitely it felt much, much warmer than the first two days of the week. We were rolling along quite nicely, Evan continuing to practice his no-hands riding where it was safe and not a lot of stop signs. Just a little over half way to his school I mentioned, "Feels like my tire is flat," because pedalling became a little harder, but I really could not see much because of my panniers. Evan's reply, "Your tire looks flat."

Well, I stopped to check and sure enough it's flat. I asked him if he could get to school on his own from where we were and he said, "yes." I said good-bye and he pedalled off. I started to do the fix flat activity, pretty straightforward, I've changed a lot of flats in my day. HA - little did I know what lay ahead.

After I got the tube out and filled with some air, I located the leak. Trying to keep it as dry as possible, remember, it was raining, I sanded, added the glue and placed the patch. After holding pressure on it for a bit, I then filled the tube again to make sure the patch held. Cool, looks good. I put the tire back together and proceed to fill it. Gee, it's taking, like, forever, "What the!!!"

I pull everything apart, again, fill the tube and, WHAT?!, there's another hole, on top of an old patch. I check the tire trying to see if something got left in it - nope, all clear. I patch that hole, put everything together, begin filling it up, using the last CO2. Nice, the tire is filling up, getting firmer. Then all of a sudden, phhhhhhhssssst, then ssssshhhhhhhhh, then no air in tire! I'm thinking, "@#$#@$$%%%$#$%$!!!!!!"

Once again, take it all apart, can't find the leak, then remember, "oh STUPID, you have a tube!" I put that in and now have to use my micro pump. I get it as full as I can with that and pack everything back in to my pannier. I am now covered in that black, grimy residue from my brakes, so I use the puddles to try and get as much as possible off. Put the panniers back on the bike, put the gloves back on and I am off - a mere 30 some minutes since I flatted. (I should note I did call into work and let them know I was okay and still on my way, just having fun playing with my flat tire.)

Oh, yeah, shortly after I started my repair a couple of cyclists went by, literally, went by - I don't think they even looked. A short while later an elderly man rode up and stopped and asked if I was okay. I said, "I'm okay, and thanks for asking." We chatted a bit and then he was off. Then, a short bit after that a lady came by walking her two dogs. She said how it was not such a nice day for problems, I said it was at least better than if this had happened yesterday in the windy cold weather (windchill to 25 degrees).

Finally I get to work and take the rain gear off and OMG!, the knees of my work pants are totally soaked! What the? Well, not much I could do but head to my desk. Fortunately they dried quickly. Can it get any worse? Fortunately, not anymore today.

Lessons learned?

• You have a spare tube! Use it!
• Pack some handi-wipes, in this weather you cannot help but get dirty.
• Use my bit bigger pump that has a small inline guage, then I know how much air is in there.
• Have tools easier to get to - had 'em in my purse/messenger bag, which was stowed in one of my panniers.
• Should have taken a picture - just for the sake of having a picture.

So, not only was it raining, in terms of my adventure, it poured - hahahaha.

The ride home was totally uneventful and quite warm (51 degrees). One little hill and a short stretch just before we got to our street I did a sprint out and each time Evan caught me. (As much as one can sprint with a 28 pound bike, carrying about 5 pounds in two rear panniers.) Dang, he's pretty strong.

Made a quick trip to the bike store - more CO2, spare tubes and clean up wipes.

To Wear or To Not Wear - That's the Question

Brrrr and windy today, wind chill to 25 degrees, blowin' from the east. About the same for the ride home, plus threatening to snow, though, as you can see, nothing so far when I left work a bit before 3:00pm.

My layers inbound were a lightweight thermal top, Smart Wool arm warmers and my  medium weight fleece. I used a Buff on my neck, a medium headband for the ears. Bottom-wise, I wore my lycra capri leggins, Pearl Izumi knee warmers, Smart Wool ski socks, my regular bike shoes and Sugoi neoprene booties.

The combination was pretty comfortable considering the low temps and east wind. A few of the gusts almost caught me off guard. I had wanted to stop and take a dark, morning picture of the city line, but it was too cold and windy for me. Hopefully will have another chance to get a "night lights" picture of the city line, just love the look of the city lights reflecting off the water.

For the trip home, I added my rain jacket to the above because I would be heading into the 20mph east wind. Sounded good and I was fairly comfortable starting out - usually a bad sign when exerting oneself. The jacket proved just a bit too much given I was riding uphill from 70' to 253' above sea level and riding into a strong head wind. By the time I got home, the fleece, great for wicking, was quite wet as was my rain jacket. Lesson learned.

Figuring out the right combination of layers for the given weather is proving quite difficult, especially since we tend to have ever-changing conditions, but I think I am getting close. Things I know for sure are:

• Love Smart Wool - the ski socks are just about right.
• Booties - let me use my regular cycling shoes and my toes stay warm, dry in the rain.
• Smart Wool arm warmers - provides that needed extra layer on my arms without having to wear additional layers over my core, which tends to get warm if too covered up.
• Thin and medium head bands for my ears - if my ears/jaw are comfortable, then my TMJ does not totally pain out my jaw, which can be quite painful and tough to get rid of.
• Gortex, lined gloves for when it is really cold or wet - hands stay all comfy.
• Knee warmers - my knees seem to be the most susceptible to cold, these give me just enough extra layering.

I figure about the time I get this winter layering figured out, it will be time to adjust to warmer temps and I can start all over.

Fine-tuning My Headlight Mount

Just before my full-time commuting, I had been working on a custom mount for my B&M Ixon-IQ headlight. I tried to create a simple, aluminum bracket. I'm all about functional aesthetics.

However, the guage used did not hold up to the vibrations and where I had notched clearance for the front brake cable a stress cracked formed. Darn!

Well, it was a good idea, just not the right materials. Given the vibration because the headlight was stuck at the very end, I would have had to make a support brace and that, aesthetically did not really appeal to me.

I have used Ram mounts in the past for things like mounting my GPS in the car as well as a video camera, so I looked at that as a solution. While a bit more, okay, a lot more $$ investment over my hardware store supplies, they are proven quite sturdy. I tried two different sizes and found the smallest, while more aesthetically pleasing, did not have the holding power for light.

 Here you can see the small form of the tiny mount, really cute, but the clamp section was not stiff enough and tightening the bolt bent the clamps halves without maintaining a tight enough fit on the end points.

Bouncing the bike caused the headlight to go droopy, dropping the light angle down too far.

I ended up using my "temporary" mounting solution, just refining how I attached the original mount bracket to my custom piece. I would love a bit smaller form factor, but this is quite sturdy and provides much better adjustments than my original homemade bracket.

Here is what the light looks like on the bike. I can easily reach the light to switch from off to on, change from low beam to high beam. You can also see why a standard handlebar mounting bracket would not work in my case, since the space is used by my MB-5's original thumb shifters. Plus, with the headlight a little lower, the light angle with ground is lower providing a bit better road condition definition (more shadows).

A Change in the Weather is a Coming

Enjoyed a beautiful ride into work this morning, though it was on the chilly side. Evan's ears were getting cold, so buying an ear band is in order. (National Weather Service shows it was about 36 degrees and SSW winds at 3mph. Sure felt like it was a little harder than that, though). After reaching Evan's school, I continued on toward work. It was such a beautiful morning that I stopped in the middle of the Steel Bridge to take a few pictures. Wonderful winter light.




View west toward work on the Steel Bridge multi-use crossing.

The ride home was significantly chillier and, of course, coming from the east so I got a head wind. (NWS report 40 degrees, with upto 21mph winds bringing a wind chill down to 30 degrees). Funny though, even with just a light, long sleeve cotton t-shirt and my medium fleece I was still overheating.

 

Long shadows of winter, wonderful light and shadows.

Weather reports are a bit finicky, we are suppose to maybe get some snow, freezing rain in the next day or two, then, so far, temps will rise and we will have just plain rain. Will see how my bike commuting commitment goes if we do get the snow/freezing rain. Can be rather crazy out riding with the cars without weather challenges.

Making a Secure Rear Bike Light

I originally mounted my Dinotte 120R light below my rear rack. This offered an out of the way location and was the most unobscured should I be carrying anything. This worked pretty nicely until I started using a pair of panniers, then I discovered getting to the on/off button was very awkward, if not nearly impossible if I was wearing gloves.

The mountings I use tend to be semi-permanent, meaning not easily removed. Even though the little Dinottes are designed for easy on and off, transferring between bikes, I preferred a bit more secure mounting. Less hassle for me to have to take the light on and off when I went into and back out of some store or other stop.

Anyway, I found I needed to relocate my light and I chose to use my seat rails (see it in the photo below). This also required a custom mounting since most light attachments are designed to be attached to the seat post, though those do not meet my out of the way and secure criteria.

As you can see, I was able to located the light as high as possible and tucked inbetween the seat rails. Thank goodness for the small form factor of the Dinotte!

To make the mounting, I used two cushioned "P" clamps, readily available from the local hardware store. I removed the rubber liner and then flattened one clamp flat. Once flattened, I then reformed it to the shape of the light. The second clamp I also flattened and cut to match the mounting holes of the shaped clamp.

Next, for mounting, I used two small, nylon "P" clamps, which wrap around the seat rails, with the mounting holes facing on the outside. I did have to add a rubber spacer between the light and the flat mounting bar (you can just see the rubber spacer in the picture). The light mounting brackets are attached to the top side of the nylon "P" clamps. If clearance with the seat had been an issue, I would have just located the mounting surface below the seat rails.

This actually provides a nice, higher mounting point from  my light and the on/off button is very easy to reach, even when riding, but I don't recommend that maneuver.

On the Dinotte, it is an extremely bright, single red LED with 3 different flash options. I have had several comment on how bright the little light is from a significant distance.

Newbie Daily Commuter

Following the move of our office headquarters in December 2010 from the suburbs, Lake Oswego, to downtown Portland, OR, my goal was to use my bike as my primary transportation. The move changed my one way distance from 15 miles down to 5 miles.

Prior I had signed up to help with the BTA*'s Bike Commute Challenge in September through a co-worker, fellow cyclist. I committed to 1 bike commute per week. I continued with a 1 per week commute through November.

The 3 work days I had in December were bike days, as has been every day in January, so far. I am loving the closeness, it feels like "wow, I'm already there" now. I've had clear, cold days, overcast mild days and, of course, cool , wet days. I'm having to trial and error the right combination of layers to meet each type of weather condition.

The other cool thing, is that my son, when he is here, bikes to school (a bit over 4 miles) since I am biking to work. I use to drive him. Escorting him adds about 5 miles to my total, round-trip commute, but we are enjoying it. He has picked up no-hands riding on only our second trip.

Plus, we find ourselves smiling when we look over at the inbound, freeway traffic, cuz we are sometimes moving quite a bit faster.

Well, I'll be writing more and sharing some of my solution creations I've developed, using my converted MTB commuter, which I call my SUB**. I am planning to write up my custom light mounts and how I managed to mount full fenders on my son's road bike which does not have any eyelets (it is a late '80's tri type framed bike).


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*Bicycle Transportation Alliance
** Sport Utility Bike