Dealing with the weather

I finally have an excuse for owning two bikes: one stays on the trainer and keeps me from having to spend that entire minute or so taking it off or putting it on the trainer when the weather allows for outdoor riding.

And so far this has been a truly strange fall/winter. Last Wednesday I rode in mid-60s temps under a clear sky. Thursday was a bit cooler but still a great day to be outside on two wheels. Friday brought a screaming wind out of the NW that made me find excuses not to ride - I really hate having the front wheel jerked around by a quartering wind. Saturday was clear and cold, meaning a heavy jersey and a vest. Sunday was cold enough to graduate to a winter jacket and windfront bibs - but no face mask. Yet. But I was amazed to see a steady stream of riders past the farm around 11 a.m. I'm guessing it was an event of some sort, the riders seemed a notch above duffers and all the bikes were in the range of a month's salary.

Yesterday was dark and wet, heavy mist/drizzle most of the day. Enough to keep me inside but not enough to relieve the drought.

Today is warm and sunny. I guess I'll try to abandon the office early. Otherwise it will be an hour on the trainer while watching Family Guy reruns.

Actually, Saturday I did a new route that takes in a few miles on a gravel road. I did this on the second bike with new, cross-style tires. Very enjoyable. The cross bike is on the trainer. Which I suppose gives me a reason for a third bike: one built only for the trainer. That leaves the cross bike and the road bike ready in case the weather allows a ride.

Yeah, that's it.

Metro life

Yesterday I learned that a cyclist (slightly known to me) routinely pays a homeless guy a few bucks to watch his bike while he eats in a restaurant. I think he does lock the bike to a rack with one of those thin chains-with-lock-attached, similar to those used by kids, to keep the homeless guy honest. But, seriously.

Anyway, given a $5,000 bike and the sort of thievery that goes on around here, I suppose that's good insurance. Is valet parking next?

Weekend festivities

Two gorgeous rides over the weekend. Nothing like temps in the 60s and fall colors in the trees to make life wonderful. Saturday I used the road bike for a tour of the roads in the western part of the county. Sunday was an ATB ride to test out some of the new paths around town. I found you could ride almost completely around Chapel Hill/Carrboro on trails and paths with just a minimal exposure to the idiots who clog up the local roadways in their SUVs.

The Employee Transportation Forum

So I went to last year's Employee Transportation Forum which allegedly promotes walking, cycling, inter-modal, etc. Someone of my experience should have realized that it's just one of those dog-and-pony shows that organizations have to put on to ticket-punch their requirements for state or federal funding.

See also: diversity in hiring.

Anyway, I had discovered that my building had not one but two of the most-sought-after requirements for cycling to work - showers. And they were nice showers, too - not those cheap metal stalls that factories use for decontaminating someone after they have been sprayed with toxic materials or subjected to a speech from Dear Leader. But actual enclosed stalls within a nice room with a bench for changing.

Too bad they were both filled up with old files and other assorted junk.

I asked several people why we couldn't clean out at least one of those showers for the use of the cyclists (there are several in my building). Never got a straight answer. As usual in a bureaucracy, no one wants to rock the boat.

Incoming in (winter)

I put the cross bike on the trainer over the weekend and rode it for the first time last night. It's always discouraging to admit winter is here and there's no longer enough daylight to ride. Sadder still when the weather is otherwise perfect - crisp air and afternoon temps in the 60s.

In the spirit of BikeSnob - Best of Raleigh Craigslist

Hey, want a Fuji 54cm? Well, that's all the info given on the ad - it's a Fuji and it's 54cm. Oh, and they want $900 for it. For that kind of jack perhaps a photo will help your decision. Here's one:



Looks like he/she used a camera phone with some nose oil liberally smeared on the lens. Uh, do I get the wheels for $900? Sure, and here they are:



Looks like they are sneaking out the door the morning after a wild night and they woke up next to a Triax bike that still had the WalMart sticker on the seatpost.

Still interested? Here's another look at the deal of the day:



I can only suppose they are selling the bike to afford some furniture. Perhaps a rug or two. With the windows painted over they don't need any curtains. Nice floor, though. Don't let the front chainring scratch that wood.

Apparently, Portland is the place:

Clicky

I cringe when they compare cycling to indie rock. But otherwise it's somewhat heartening to see that their bike paths are well developed.