A Week Without Rain - Commuting Still Challenging Route-wise

Never grow tired of watching the wild life along the Willamette on my commutes. They break up the large expanse of water and architectural squareness around me. These Canada Geese were a few of a larger group going south up river, I suspect in search of breakfast, which must be a challenge with our water levels so high there is not much bank for them.

We actually had a full week without significant rain and actually had a couple of pretty awesome sunny days. What a joy to not be all bundled up or sweating in waterproof gear!

What do you think of this access to our bike overflow area? Good thing I was not rolling with panniers. These two trucks could have actually backed in a bit further, but I suppose they are not sure of where the rear of their vehicles are so they stopped short, actually sticking out. Given the space arrangement, this also means they narrow down the approach. Those bars on my bike are only 390mm if that gives you an idea. But, hey, I figure if anyone scratches their vehicles by accident, that's the risk of choosing to park there and not pulling as far into their respective spaces as they can. <chuckles>

This week is also our Rose Festival's Fleet Week where several Navy ships arrive in Portland. Of course with all the fears these days, it also means increased security and closing off areas along our Waterfront Park, making getting in and around across the Willamette a bit challenging. Of course given spring and summer are also Portland's heavy construction times, this just adds to commuting by bike challenges. There are sections of the Eastbank Esplanade and Springwater Corridor that are currently closed (high water and construction, respectively), Morrison Bridge is closed to bike traffic for construction work, parts of the Esplanade are closed due to other construction, Waterfront park is closed to ped/bike traffic, a few portions of ped/bike path are closed on the west side of the Willamette due to high water. Quite challenging to say the least to get in and out of downtown.

Oh, speaking of security, they have a huge floating boom that apparently is marking a no approach zone around the ships, appears to be basically half-way across the river. But more amazing, to me, is seeing the coast guard patrol boats with machine guns cruising up and down the river.

Wow, I had not realized we were in such a hot zone before. I wonder just what would happen if they had to use that thing? Could they control it enough to not actually hit all the hundreds of civilians milling about?

Other than all of that, this week was a good riding week, as I said, because it was spring like temp-wise. The bonus of the week was I actually rode the road bike, which the last time was back in early April. I stopped because the wet grit of commuting was taking a major toll and I would rather use the SUB in crappy weather stuff. I must have the SUB dialed in pretty well because outside of the difference in geometry, the two bikes feel nearly the same ride wise. I am sure the road bike is faster since I am pushing 10 pounds less weigh and all, but, still, to have them feel similar is pretty nice.

I am going to swap the road bike's pedals and try some Time ATAC XS pedals which have a slightly different MTB cleat so I can still use my expensive carbon MTB shoes. I will see if they adjust a bit easier and ride any better than the SPD's I've been using for so long. I think I'll stick to the Power Grip pedals on the SUB, since they allow a broader range of shoes and practicality for the SUB.

The rides with Evan this week were fun and I love watching him ride. He's got a nice fast cadence, I think he is spinning faster than I am. I commented on his good cadence and he said it was probably back when he was learning and forgot to shift. Cute. Today on the last just under a mile stretch he wanted to sprint home, so I said okay and shifted to my big ring (okay, not so big 48T) and we took off. Since I got the jump I actually stayed ahead, though the  last 3 blocks I was significantly running out of air! Any longer of a distance and he would have had me, I was not that far ahead.

Hope everyone else had a good week and got some good riding in.

Bike Nerd Adds Analog Clock

Well, since today was basically grey and I did not have an inspirational moment to take much in the way of pictures, I went bike nerd today when I got home from work.

I  have thought about having some kind of clock on the bike, because it is too hard to be riding and pulling out my cell phone to see what the time is. I really did not want to just strap a wrist watch on and I know I do not want to buy a cycle computer for just the clock part.

What I was looking for was something readable, small but not too small, waterproof (hey, it's Oregon!), and would mount securely but simply.

I guess it was time to do some research, internet style, of course. Hmmm, bicycle clock, clock on a bike, clock mounting on bike. Okay, then, just a few million hits, let's check out the images results. Hmmm, some of these look promising, so let's click here.

The site was Cruiser Customizing, yep, that's right, uh huh, a motorcycle site. They had some interesting products, some adapters, and hey, check it out, a little, round analog clock. Well, what the hey, let's order it and give it a try. A week later, today, it arrives and I open up the packaging. Ooo, chrome, well, it's small enough it should not show too much.

Well, now where to mount it? I want to keep the bars as clean as possible, since they already have my shifter mounts. I want to be able to easily glance and see the time. After a few tests, I decide I can use my existing headlight mount. I do have to do a little grinding on the clock mounting housing so I can rotate it 90 degrees, not how it was designed, of course.

After I get the housing to rotate in its bracket, I mounted it to my headlight mount and with a little bending had the position quite usable. Haha, now I have my bike clock, old school analog and the numbers and hands glow in the dark!

Oh, yeah, that's right, I'm a bike nerd and proud of it.

Old School = New Bars, Plus New Tires

Have really gotten into the rhythm of commuting now, even in the rainy weather there is no thoughts of if, just what am I going to have to wear or bring. Must be spring as we are having a few more dry days and rides, though we do continue to have those wet days, too.

The sunny mornings, especially, are such a nice treat.

Around the water front there are definitely changes going on, as well. Way more cyclists, artists and meandering people. Huge lines form at the many food carts placed around downtown. Outside of the heads down, no slowing down speedster cyclists and the 3 abreast stroller pushers I really enjoy slowing down along the waterfront area and watching and taking it all in.

The bike room at work was overfull a couple times this week, must be the nice weather. I've been working with our facilities team to locate a secure overflow area. We happened to have a old, unused storage area in our parking garage, so we have a bike rack coming (the one in the picture is no good). To keep my life simple, I've decided to use the overflow as my standard storage location. See, my bike has a nice window view, too.

I decided that riding in the drops of my ergo style handlebars was not working out, so I began a search for some old school drop bars. Ideally, I looked for the same brand and model as my road bike as I know those fit and work well for me. Being the Nitto Model 185 is a product of the late 80's and early 90's, my search was not turning up a lot. There are certainly a many newer models, but I'm stubborn. Finally, I found one online store in Japan that carried a version of the Model 185 in 40cm (many other bars seemed to start at 42cm, which is too wide for me). Done.

Loving the Continental SportContact 1.6" tires so much, I wondered if I could find a narrower set, since Continental's site listed a 1.3" tire. Must be relatively new as when I first bought mine, the 1.6" was the only size available. Well picked up a set of 1.3" tires and put them on. Discovered that not only are these narrower, they are also shorter, so there was a huge, dork gap between my fenders and tires. Fortunately, I still had the full fenders that use to be on Evan's road bike (he wanted me to switch his to RaceBlade fenders).

Well, a few hours of trial fitting, adjusting, making new brackets the SUB  has well fitting fenders to compliment the new skinny tires. Looking forward to some fast riding now.

Awesome Commuting Weather Today!

Wow, the weather was so different than most reports for Monday (3/7). Some sun, a bit cool temperature wise, but so nice for riding in with Evan and to work. This picture was taken just before reaching the Steel bridge.

There goes Evan on our route to school. What an enjoyable difference to ride in something other than rain and wet! Really enjoyed riding, chatting and being out in the fresh morning air.

We spun along fairly easily, not being in a great hurry to get anywhere, we have the route timing down pretty well these days, so no rushing around. Funny, when I drove we always seemed to push the time to the last minute, I guess it seemed like we should get there faster than we usually did. You'd think we would figure that out and leave earlier. Must be something about cars that makes one feel faster or to be far more lax and leaving with enough time to not be rushed. Go figure.

Loving being back on the road bike and the backpack is working out nicely. For me, I am also making my return from work trip over the edge of Mt. Tabor park so I'm working a bit harder, which has been good training.

Today's ride was also nice and I do feel I am beginning to build up the strength. This morning, instead of riding on the flatter Division St. to 52nd Ave then cutting over to Lincoln/Harrison, I decided to ride Harrison over the southern edge of Mt. Tabor Park. I've often been reluctant as I sort of felt intimidated to start my ride with a slow climb. Anyway, the climb was not too bad and I just took it easy and focused on how my legs were feeling or was it yelling back at me?

Once I made the intersection where the road drops back out of the park or continues up into the park I decided this is not a bad way to go. From the intersection it is all down hill until a brief flat section to SE 60th. Then I am basically on my regular Lincoln/Harrison ride into downtown Portland. I felt very good, maybe it was the climbing warm-up, the legs felt strong, I was in my big chainring all the way until MLK.

Home bound I also had a good ride, felt strong, and even climbing the 2 miles up Harrison/Lincoln from 21st to 60th was not bad. Climbing is getting easier, I am spinning in higher gears. Nice to have the hip healing, only some limits with my right side, but not too bad - actually feel better riding than walking.

Gear in Review

This is my Lowe Alpine backpack with the air zone, which places an air space between the pack and your back. It is small, but can hold my lock and cable, tool kit, space for clothes and my small purse. There are not too many dangling straps and there are two side stash pockets that are handy. This pack also comes with a rain cover that really keeps everything inside dry -- and I have totally tested this in downpours recently.

The backpack is not the lightest with all my stuff, but carries well, feels balanced and I do not have any hot spots or points of excess pressure. Very comfortable and only at the point that actually rests on my back do I get a little sweaty wet.

My only complaint was I did not have easy places for my phone and camera pouches like on my messenger bag. Well not wanting to overly compromise, I came up with a working solution. I removed the strap from an old shoulder bag, that had already donated a portion as my tool pouch (I wrote about that earlier).

Since I don't use the backpack waist strap, I took the clamps from my messenger bag chest strap and attached the short end to the waist strap fastener. Through other clamp end I forced the wide shoulder strap and then stitched the strap end closed. The loose end of the shoulder strap I threaded through the hydration tube loop on the backpack shoulder strap. I have a single plastic webbing loop that keeps the strap from pulling back through. I now have a handy chest strap that I can attach my phone and camera pouches. If I am not using it, I can just remove the strap, which happens anytime I am riding in the rain. I did send my request to Timbuk2 for waterproof pouches, so we'll see if anything comes of that.

Ridin' in the Rain




 I'm riding in the rain
Just riding in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ridin' what I love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
The road's practially all mine
I've a smile on my face
I ride down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just ridin',

Ridin' in the rain

==========================

Well, they did say it would rain, starting Sunday and we would pretty much have a wet week. This morning was quite wet with wind, ouchy, the rain stung a few times as it was blown into my face. Fortunately the temperature was not too bad and I stayed fairly comfortable in my rain gear. Well, except, once again, my knees. I think I've figured out that the vents pull too tight and allow water to capillary in. Argh, how frustrating. I'm going to try my other hiking rain pants and see if there is much difference. If my knees stay dry, I may send the rain pants back to Showers Pass.

Continue to feel stronger on my rides, especially with my hip getting back into correct alignment. Of course, I may have relapsed some as I had a bit of a fall this weekend while installing a new garage door opener. I took my tumble being about 2-1/2 to 3 feet off the ground and landed on my right side. A few bruises and sore spots, so I moved my chiropractor/acupuncture appointment up from Friday to Wednesday.

Ride summary, morning, as I said, rain with wind. Felt like I was rolling along with a good pace, not over doing my exertion as I don't shower at work, just remove the rain gear and go to work. Lot's of water on the roads and there was some deep puddling in spots. Only saw a few other bike commuters out this morning.

This afternoon was relative mild, even with the rain as the wind had calmed down a lot. I made a bit longer ride as I detoured to my pharmacy on the way home. Once again, wet knees, which sucks, but everything was comfortable and dry. I started using my backpack, again, and with the rain cover everything stayed nice a dry. Just in case, I did have my clothes inside plastic garbage bags, back up never hurts. I like having the weight off the bike as the responsiveness is much, much better, which is more important to me. I also realize I keep my upper body fairly still even when maneuvering about so the extra weight does not seem to affect me as much as I notice the extra weight on the bike.

Hip Pain is a PITA! -- Build Up New Tool Pouch

Argh! The sharp pain in my left hip when sitting is a royal PITA! A bit better today (Sunday), but still there. As long as the angle of hip and leg is basically straight, I feel no real pain or discomfort. Sad I could not get in to see my chiropractor/accupuncturist Friday, but I am scheduled for Monday morning. Is it even related to my bike commuting? Maybe, will ask my doctor.

Well to alleviate as much load as possible, I re-setup the SUB by transferring my lights and prepping my panniers. I guess I am glad I have the option of two different bikes.

Not one to leave well-enough-alone I decided to work up a new bike kit pouch. My goal is to have something that keeps everything together, can be placed easily between the various carry methods I use (panniers, messenger bag, backpack), and is aesthetically pleasing to me. I have hordes of various bags that I have acquired and, at their time, served their purpose quite well. Rather than have them just sitting around, I found one that looked like I could convert easily to a tool pouch.

Most of this pouch was actually the front section of an Overland Equipment shoulder bag. I first pre-tested how well my various bike stuff would fit, then figured out where to cut the stitches and what pieces I would need to re-sew.

Here's the tool pouch, note that lower and upper flaps, and the main pouch are wholly intact. I attached two pieces on the sides to fold in from left and right to ensure everything stays inside.

Here the top flap is opened up and you can see the side flaps that I added. Just sticking up is the tip of my Portland Design Works combo CO2 pump.

Here all flaps have been opened up. The nice thing is the lower flap has a mesh zippered pocket, which is great for the patch kit and my multi-tool (with the 2 halves separated). Plus, if I use a patch, the garbage pieces can be place in the pocket rather than leaving crap out on the road.

There is a large, open pocket behind the smaller pockets which is great for carrying the spare tube. Note the pump, the pocket next to the pump holds 2 CO2 cartridges.

Here you can see all my stuff laid out.

I would like to say I cut and sewed all of this up, but I cannot. I trimmed some excess material. I sewed on the side flaps, then sewed on the black seam ribbon. That's really it. All the pockets and stuff were already there.

Well, that's my re-use project, putting a no-longer used shoulder bag into daily use as my bike kit pouch.

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.

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.