November 4, 2009 Commute To Work

Today's commute wasn't too bad. The weather was good again. Probably high 50s, very clear and sunny. I had to wind through a bit of traffic and ended up cutting off some guy in a truck. I'll make a note to send him some cookies in the afterlife by way of apology. Almost no headwind the entire trip in. Until, that is, the last 5 miles. Then I got lambasted (I've always wanted to use that word) with a horrendously destructive headwind. Thank goodness for low-end gearing.

Stats for today:
Total Time: 1 hr 19 min
Total Distance: 18.29 miles
Average Speed: 12.1
Maximum Speed: 32 MPH

I hate a flogging headwind

After a two-week absence from biking, I finally got back in the saddle. My wife was on vacation, I had Scout stuff to do, our shop had a parade and shop ride to organize, yadda yadda yadda.
This morning was (almost) the perfect morning for a ride. It was 50 degrees, sunny, and clear. Of course, this being Utah, SOMETHING about the weather had to be horrible, and this morning it was the headwind. I fought it about 3/4 of the way in today. On sections where I normally cruise at 18MPH, I had to struggle just to maintain 15MPH. It even got me on the downhills, which really bit the big one. I grunted through it, though, and managed to make somewhat decent time.

Stats for this morning's ride to work:
Total Time: 1hr 18min
Total Distance: 18.41 miles
Average Speed: 13.2 MPH
Maximum Speed: 32.2 MPH

October 12, 2009 Commute to Work

My commute today took me from home to campus to work so far. The weather was in my favor, and was between 45 and 60 degrees the entire time I was in the saddle. Traffic, on the other hand, was no in my favor. Several new construction sites popped up along my route, causing a lot of weaving and the occasional frantic dodge.

Stats from today's commute to work:
Total Time: 1 hr 16 min
Total Distance: 18.11
Maximum Speed: 31.9 mph
Average Speed: 14.3 mph

Schwalbe Marathon Plus

I recently added two new tires to my inventory. I was sick of getting flats (about one a week), so decided to upgrade to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. First off, they are supposed to be "unplattbar" (that's German for flat-less). Second, they have a lot better tread on them than my stock slicks. With Utah winters being what they are, I was in the market for beefy tread, so these filled both my requests.
To start things off, these were the most difficult tires to install. Literally. I have never, ever, ever had such a hard time getting tires on. In fact, I almost gave up. Finally, after several embarrassing attempts, I found the key. I inflated the tube about 4 pumps-worth, stuck a tire-lever under one side of the bead, then got the forearm workout of a lifetime trying to roll the daggone thing onto the rim. Of course I was so absorbed with getting the tire on, that I wasn't careful of tube placement, and ended up getting a pinch flat. This lead to some mental cursing and several under-my-breath comments. I took the tire off and started again after I patched the tube.
On my ride in to work today, I did notice quite a bit more rolling resistance than I was used to. It was not dramatic, but it was definitely noticeable. I'm asusming that the extra layer of puncture-resistant rubber was the cause.
However, when I got to work, I made a discovery that made the pain of installation and the extra rolling resistance worth the hassle: a construction staple. You know those heavy-duty, 1 1/2" staples that they use to attach electrical wire to plywood? Yeah, one of those was stuck in my tire. Miraculously (or maybe not so miraculously, since that is how the tires are designed), the tube was still at full pressure, and hadn't even been punctured. The extra weight on the pedal-strokes is worth not getting a flat.

A Note On Frequency of Commuting

Like I may have mentioned, I am not as hardcore as some. I try to bike whenever possible, even in the rain and snow. I lived in Alaska for two years, and my job was to ride a bike no matter the weather. So those kinds of things don't get to me. But there are days when I don't have the luxury of biking. Today, for instance, I simply have too many errands in between work and Scouts tonight, and can't invest two hours in a bike commute. This doesn't happen that often, but it does occur. And last night, my wife happened to be in American Fork when I got off of work, and showed up to give me a ride home. I know, how selfish of her, right? So when there's a warm car waiting for me, I'm going to ride in it. If there is a day with no commute stats, know that there was a legitimate reason for me to drive. And if there are only stats for half of the commute, know that my wife decided to take pity on me and pick me up.

October 05, 2009 Commute to Work

I have been biking to work for some time already, but decided to take a different route this morning. If you are familiar with the Provo/Orem/Lindon/American Fork area, you know that in order to get from Provo to Lindon, you have to climb a big hill. Well, you probably have never considered it "big", since you were mostly likely driving a car. But it's big. And to get from Lindon to AF, you go DOWN a big hill. So no matter how you look at it, Bill Cosby was right: "Goin' through the snow to school, uphills both ways".
Today, I decided to ride University Parkway until the canyon, then cut up 800 N in Orem. This was a sad attempt to circumvent the hill issue. I still had to climb.
Going that route, though, the climb wasn't too bad. Normally, my hill-climb is about 1 1/2 miles of a slogging, boring hill. The new route I took reduced the hill to a 1/2 mile sharp climb. I'm still trying to decide which one is better.

Stats for the commute to work:
Ride Time: 1 hr 14 min
Total Distance: 18.34 miles
Max Speed: 30.5 mph
Average Speed: 14.8 mph (wimpy)

Now, my time actually wasn't too bad, considering I took a 5 minute break about halfway through. It was getting a little toasty after the sun finally came up, so I had to take off my fleece and beanie. I also had a headwind on the last 2 miles in AF, and I was trudging along at 10 mph. All in all, not too bad.
Traffic wasn't horrible. Potholes, however, were. Most bike commuters have intimate knowledge of every pavement seam and pothole on the road, so this comes as no surprise. You'd think that the BIKE LANE wouldn't have potholes, though, wouldn't you? And you'd be wrong.

Staying Clean At The Office

OK, so biking all that way is a messy job. I am one of those sad people that runs incredibly hot. Literally. I really and truly start sweating just sitting in an ari conditioned car. It's kinda gross. So biking 17 miles does a number on my personal hygiene. Here at the shop, we do not have a shower. Granted, we have a hose bib for a washing machine and a big in-floor drain. But these are kind of in the middle of the repair area. I'm fairly certain that me showering back there is a violation of a few health codes.
To solve this issue, I keep wet wipes, Gold Bond, a towel, and a stick of deodorant here. It gets the job done.
I usually work for 7 hours at a time, so it's plenty of time for my clothes to dry out. I hang them up in the back, and they're ready to go when work's over. I have noticed, however, that dried sweat still has a malodorous quality to it. I'm investing in a bottle of Febreeze tonight, which should handle most of that problem.
I do carry my clothes with me each day, though. Some people leave their clothes at the office, but since I go to class each day before work, I need normal clothes anyway. I just wear my work clothes to school and then huck them in my pack while riding. I do, however, leave my shoes here. I just don't feel like lugging a pair of shoes on my back when I've already got one pair on my feet. Since I don't use clipless pedals, I don't have any problem with wearing my biking shoes as "school shoes". They're just tennis shoes, anyway. No need for fancy-dancy bike shoes here.

My Stuff

I'm starting this blog off with a list of gear that I use for commuting and such. It begins with the bike, obviously. I ride a Trek 1200 road bike, which I bought new in 2004. It's been to Alaska, Virginia, New Jersey, and Utah so far.

Nothing fancy, but more than a decent bike. Still riding stock tires, but I'll be upgrading to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires in the next few days. These thin fellas just aren't made for the rigors of commuting down Route 89. Too many flats and no actual riding make Jack a sad boy.

I've got a seat bag from Trek which contains a spare tube, two CO2 cartidges, and a Topeak Cobra CO2 pump.

I've got a Nashbar frame bag as well, which holds other sundry goodies. In it are yet another spare tube (laugh all you want, but don't come crawling to me when you get two blow-outs in one ride), my Park Tools multi-tool, a pack of Slime Skabs (tube repair), a pair of tire levers, and my handy reflective legband. Some people have told me that I carry too much. These people are wrong (if you're one of those people, don't worry, you can still change). During the hours that I commute, my wife is at work, and most of my friends are either working or at school. I can't just call someone and say "Uhhhh, I need a ride". Besides, I carry spare clothes in my backpack anyway, so I really do not mind the extra weight of a spare spare tube.

Mounted to my handlebars is a Trek headlight, though it's a bit too dim for night riding, so I'll be upgrading that soon. I also have a Cateye Astrale 8 computer.

Right now, I'm not using clipless pedals. I simply go through too many stoplights on my commute, and it's just a huge pain to clip in and out (especially since they're clipLESS, but I still have to clip. The misnomer irks me enough to make me not wear them). I personally prefer regular old toe-clip pedals, but without the annoying straps.

In my backpack (which also has textbooks and clean clothes for work) I manage to stuff SealSkin waterproof gloves, a pair of waterproof pants, a rain jacket, a fleece beanie, and a long-sleeve thermal shirt (just in case). If you've ever lived in Utah, you know that it is FREEZING in the morning. At least, until the sun comes over the mountains. I may pack heavy, but I'm never cold.

I am fortunate enough to work at a bike shop. This means that bike-commuting is encouraged. A lot. I do have a little easier than some. I have access to bike tools, spare parts, and accessories that some people will never get close to or be able to afford. Little perks are nice.

So that's it. That's what I use on my grueling commute.