Bike month is coming. Here we go again!

Next month is National Bike Month.  Inside bike month is Bike Week (May 16-20), and Bike to Work Day (Friday 20 May).  It is also the month of the Ride of Silence, (Wednesday 18 May.)  It’s always the 3^rd Wednesday in May.  It’s appropriate to use May as the center for all of this.  By mid-May, the weather across the entire continental United States is usually mild enough to permit almost anyone to ride a bike with little extra preparation.  (For more info on Bike month, Bike Week, and Bike to Work Day follow the link to League of American Bicyclists.  For additional info on the Ride of Silence please follow this link.)

Long time readers will be well aware that I am a strong proponent of vehicular cycling and utility cycling. 

Definitions follow.  If you’ve read me for a while, you might want to skip down to the next paragraph.  Vehicular Cycling means simply, riding a bicycle on the road, as the operator of a vehicle.  In other words, a cyclist behaves according to the rules of the road, and asserts a presence on the road, just as any other vehicle operator.  The term utility cycling takes a little more explanation.  People tend to get hung up on bicycle commuting.  While commuting, riding to and from the workplace by bike, is certainly good, it is only one form of utility cycling.  In the broader sense, utility cycling refers to using the bicycle for any utilitarian purpose.  In other words, it is using the bicycle instead of a car for any purpose that one might ordinarily use the car for.  Grocery shopping, pharmacy, odd errands, all come to mind.

As a preparation for the upcoming celebration of Bike Month, I’d like to shift the emphasis from commuting to utility.  Let’s start with one odd statistic.  In the U.S. the typical vehicular trip is five miles, with a single occupant, and five pounds of cargo.

Now, please reflect on that statistic for a moment.  While you’re at it, think back over the last week.  Where and how did you drive?  Of course, most folks went back and forth to work about five times in the week.  But what else did you do with a car?  A trip to the Post Office?  A run to the video rental store?  Possibly a quick trip to the grocery and pharmacy?  For most drivers, about half of the weekly mileage is composed of these short trips.

Now let’s pose a question.  What would happen if you used your bike for just one of those trips per day?

First off, the obvious:  You would keep the car parked and do 35 miles less in it.  With today’s gas prices, that amounts to a typical savings of more than $5.00.

It would take you about a half hour for each of those trips.  That’s at a comfortable leisurely pace.

You would have added three and a half hours of good, gentle, cardiovascular exercise to your week.

You would have no trouble parking.

You would enjoy some exercise, get some fresh air, and likely see something interesting.

By the time you include parking, gas, un-parking, return trip home, storing the car, etc., the time used is just about the same, and possibly even shorter.  And it’s a lot more fun than sitting in a car and just vegging out in traffic.

Contest?  I’m thinking of proposing a bit of a contest.  Let’s think along these lines.  Number of Utility miles in May.  Or possibly, we could consider the Number of Utility trips in May.  Or some combination of both?  Please don’t be bashful.  Weigh in on this.  I’d like to hear from my readers and friends on the idea.

Utility Cycling ~~ Stuff You Can Do on a Bike

Take a bicycle.  Any working bicycle.  Just as it is.  It can take you places.  That’s its primary function.  And that is a valuable, good, and worthy thing.  But we humans also tend to want to carry stuff with us as we move about.  This means, to really use a bicycle, it needs to take us places, and to carry stuff.

Small stuff isn’t a problem.  It can go in pockets.  But larger, or heavier stuff starts to require more infrastructure than the basic, unadorned bicycle has.

Let me illustrate a problem.  A young lady I know was going of to college for the first time.  I’d trained her.  I taught her to ride in traffic, to get from place to place safely, and to use the bike as more than a pleasure and fitness tool.  She took a bike to campus with her.  Almost immediately she found a good sound use for it.  The bookstore was way the hell and gone away from where she was quartered.  She rode the bike there, and bought her first semester’s load of books.  The double armload went into two large plastic bags.

There was no place on the bike for these bags, and the lady in question did not have a back pack.  She draped the bags over her wrists, one on each side to balance the load, and mounted the bike.  She managed to get going, but the first turn brought her down.  The bags swung independently of the bike, and one of them went into the spokes of the front wheel.  Result?  Some road rash, and two nicely sprained wrists.

This particular lady solved that problem by using a backpack.  There are other solutions.

Three strategies for Carrying “Stuff”

Racks: With a rear rack on your bike, and panniers on the rack,  it’s possible to carry an amazing amount of varied stuff.

Utility Trailer:  There are a variety of these things on the market.  They can be uncoupled from the bike when faster and lighter riding is desired.  They allow for more bulky loads.  They can usually carry more weight than the rack and panniers approach.

Back Packs and Messenger Bags:  Like the trailer, you don’t have to carry these all the time.  The drawback is that you have to support the weight as well as supply the power to move it.

And one more idea:  If you are really getting into hauling stuff, you might just want to investigate portuer bikes or “heavy haulers.”  (I’ll write more in this in the near futre, along with examples.

Things I’ve managed to transport with a bike:

Two 50 pound bags of lawn fertilizer

20 paver flags and 20 each eight foot 4X4s (multiple trips with a trailer)

One large window air conditioner

SAG support load:  One cooler, tool kit, multiple spare tires, first aid kit, and radio

A large dog

A squirming cat

Enough clothing to allow commuting for a week

Three large bags of laundry to and from a Laundromat

One automotive automatic transmission

A carburator, intake manifold, jack stands, hydraulic jack, and tool box

A medium child

Multiple adults (one at a time on a tandem)

Tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, bike tools, clothing, food, and cooking equipment

Enough stuff to self support a one week tour

Two large automotive tires, mounted on their wheels

Improbable things I’ve seen transported by bike:

A half dozen chicken coops with live chickens

A live Poland-china sow

A spinet piano

Two adults, two children, and a dog (on one bike; not a tendem!)

Three complete bicycles

One small motorcycle

A miniature “pop-up” camper suitable for sleeping two adults

A 20 foot extension ladder

A “long board” surf board

A sea kayak

An injury victim in a stretcher (trailered)

The rider’s prosthetic leg (while he was riding one-legged)

Winnings and Commuting:

Below is David Lakly, the proud new owner of the Origin8 Scout.  This was the First Prize in the 

The Great and Weird Road Dragon Bike Contest.

I’m sure that some of you might have entertained the thought that this contest was a send up.  Honest, it was real.  David is a real person, not related to me.  I don’t really know him all that well.  But his contest entry was a standout.

David speaks of his ability to get lost.  Now he will be able to go and do that in the woods as well as on the road or paths.

When asked why he wanted to win one of the contest bikes, David’s reply was illuminating.

“Well, I really want to learn to do a lot of my own wrenching.  However, I only have one bike, and fear of mistakes leading me to being without a ride makes me more hesitant than I want to be.  Having a backup option would allow me to really get my hands dirty and figure out the mysteries of things like adjusting cantilever brakes or pulling and regreasing a bottom bracket. “

Congratulations David

Folks, keep watching this blog.  I will be posting more news about the contest as I have it.  Progress on the Grand Prize Build will be coming soon.  And hopefully, I will be able to update you on the winners a bit later in their on, as they experience their new bikes.

Commuting:  It’s still Bike Month.  I’d love to have some commuting or utility cycling stories from some of you.  How are you doing out there?

Friday Follies ~~ And the Winners Are..!

But first…

It’s Bike Month, Bike Week, and Ride Your Bike to Work Day!  So get out there and do it!  If not now, when?

Perhaps this week has given you some ideas, but you haven’t put it all together yet.  If so, good!  Next week we’ll be covering some info about approaching commuting and utility cycling.  Maybe, just maybe, you can start getting even more out of your bicycle.

And now, without further ado…

The Great and Weird Road Dragon Bike Contest

It was a difficult task.  I had to choose from literally dozens of entrants.  (I guess everyone already has all the bicycles they want.)  But, after hours and hours of contemplation, navel gazing, and Hamlet-like vacillation, the job was complete.

For the Second Prize, Mountain Bike, Brandon.  (Last name withheld by request.)

The First Prize, Origin8 Scout, single speed mountain bike goes to David Lakly.

The Grand Prize, yet to be built, Single Speed/Fixed Gear Conversion goes to Teresa Moore.

Lisa Price takes the consolation prize of “a thing from my shop.”  (Ill be choosing a suitable thing in the very near future.)

Keep watching this blog for photos of the winners with their winnings.

The Contest, like most of my bright ideas, did not go at all as I envisioned it.  I rather expected floods of responding emails.  I was attempting to do two things here, drive traffic to this blog, and increase membership in the South Side Cycling Club.  Both of those things happened, but not nearly at the levels I envisioned.

I did manage to learn a thing or two from the experience.  I have had a lot of fun with it.  On the other hand, I won’t do this again soon.  And on the third hand (bicycle mechanics all have at least three hands) when I do hold another contest, it will take a totally different form.

Thanks to all who read this blog, and all who entered.

Bike Week ~~ Why Commute?

BikeSnob NYC has been referring to Bike Month and Bike Week as a celebration of smugness.  I guess it could be that.  I’d like to suggest that we can make it more.  We can, and should, use this time to invite our friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family to ride.  Get someone on a bike, and you have helped.

I’d also like to suggest that this week is an especially good time to invite folks to use their bikes to get to work.

Stats:  Typical Trip in the United States = 5 miles, 1 passenger, 5 pounds of cargo.

Surely we can reduce this in some way?  If we who ride cannot find a way to replace at least some of that with something saner, then who will?

Please consider the following issues.  Our roads and streets are becoming more crowded and difficult.  Congestion is a serious problem.  Bicycles don’t take up as much room on the road.  We have serious money problems at all levels of government.  Roads are falling into disrepair.  The money to fix them is going to be harder to come by.  Bikes don’t damage the roads as much as heavier vehicles.  That saves us a lot of cash. 

Riding your bike can save you a bucket load of money.  It doesn’t burn gas.  It’s that simple.  Every mile you ride, instead of driving, is another mile that you preserve your investment in your motor vehicle.  I derive an enormous amount of pleasure from a very simple thing.  It’s a lot of fun to not go to the gas station every week.

My brother is very knowledgeable about automobiles.  He is a real “car guy.”  Back a few years ago, when I had just purchased my new truck, he was helping to admire it.  He asked me what kind of fuel mileage I got.  I replied, somewhere around 40mpg.

“Wow!  That’s incredible!”  he replied.  There was a pause, as he thought about it, and then he said,  “That’s not possible.  How do you figure that?”

“Simple,”  I replied.  “I keep track of all the miles I go, and all the gas I use.  I divide the gas into the miles.”  (I should add, at that moment my commuter bike was leaning against the side of the truck.)  It took a few minutes for the penny to drop.  But the truth is, I spend only about half as much in gas for the distances I travel to work, the store, etc.  In a year’s time, this amounts to a considerable savings.

So those are pretty good reasons to ride instead of driving.  It’s also a lot more fun, and it’s good healthy exercise and mental therapy.  But one of the bigger objections to bike commuting is often unvoiced.  It’s the “image problem.”

In short, many folks won’t use the bike as a tool to get to work because,  “People will think I’m a dork.”  Let’s deal with that.

First off, people already think you’re a dork.  If you ride, your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers know it, and they think you are out of your mind.  So you can relax.  You aren’t going to hurt your image by riding a bit more and doing some practical good.

Besides, being thrifty is getting to be cool again.  (It’s about time!)  And your day will come.  Let me illustrate.

Back in the early 1970s I was a rider.  I rode to work.  At that time, I did not work in the bicycle industry.  My acquaintances all thought I was a total idiot, at best a goofy eccentric.  Gas was cheap and plentiful.  Cars were big, powerful, and fast.  Then there was this complex political/economic thing, and the Arabs hit us with an oil embargo.  Suddnely gas cost twice as much, and worse, it was almost impossible to get it!

Overnight, I went from being an idiot-eccentric to a guru.  People thought what I did was cool, and they sought me out to ask me how to do it too.

“I used to worry about what people thought, until I realized that mostly they don't."

Contest Prizes, and Audax 200K Preparations

(See the post from 5/4/10 for Audax 200K details)

The Great and Weird Road Dragon Bike Contest

Here they are, the Grand Prize (still a work in progress) and the First Prize.

Pay Attention!  This is one possible "donor frame"

And here's another...

 These are some of the "goodies" that will make this a real ride

You will notice that the Grand Prize shows two different frames.  No, there are not going to be two bikes.  But rather, I will finish the frame that is appropriate to the winner.  That means the winner gets to pick which of these frames will be finished out as a fixie/singlespeed.  There is a lot of appeal either way this project goes.

As for the First Prize, that’s an Origin8 Black Ops Scout.  It’s a rigid 29er, with Avid disks.  The bike is suspension-ready, for those who just have to have a shock.

There’s still time (barely!) to enter (and win!) this contest…  But you are going to have to hurry!  Prizes will be announced on Bike to Work Day.

Want to know how to enter?  I’ve put this up enough times.  Start looking through the back posts on this blog.  You should be able to find everything you need.  Good luck and good hunting!

 Preparing for this weekend’s Audax 200K?  Mostly you should be resting.  Oh yeah!  And you should be contacting me, right now!!!!  It’s real, and it’s happening this coming Sunday.  That’s 16 May 2010.

What should you bring?

• At least two spare tubes
• A bit of cash for munchies at the stops
• Your favorite on bike foods
• Sunscreen
• Any spares that are unique to your rig
• Dress for the weather (Rain or Shine we’re going!)Your best smile!

Bike to Work Week is Coming

(Please see the post from 5/4/10 for Audax 200K details)

Bike to Work Week is next week, May 17 through May 21.  Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 21.

I’ve spent a lot of time, here and elsewhere speaking to the various benefits of “Utility Cycling.”  I use that phrase for a reason.  A lot of us get hung up with the idea that our bikes can only be used for one practical purpose.  That would be commuting.  The truth of the matter is that the bicycle can take the place of an automobile for just about any practical function.

If you are a regular subscriber to my Tuesday Tome weekly email newsletter, then you have seen my weekly Commuter Log.  I record the milage that I do on a bicycle, for strictly utility purposes, going shopping, running errands, and yes, going to work.  I also assign a monetary value to this travel.  In short, the use of the bicycle, in place of a car, saves a lot of money.

There are health benefits to the practice too.  Instead of just traveling in a car, I get to use necessary errand and commuting time to ride.  That’s free exercise, and it saves money.

At the same time, I get to have the positive “head space” of riding, instead of driving.  In fact, a lot of my utility riding is pretty therapeutic.

And I get to park in a prime spot, right at the door.

I urge each and everyone of you, please give it a try.   Ride to work at least one day next week.  Ride to the store, or some other errand, at least three times.  I’m pretty sure you will enjoy the process.  At the same time, you do good, for your wallet, your community, and your planet.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ Bike Month

(See the post from 5/3/10 for Audax 200K details)

This is a vision of the world.  Imagine, more bikes than cars on the roads.  Imagine, Interstate type highways, limited access indeed, but in a different way.  Imagine that these interstates are closed to cars, and are for bikes only.  Try to picture our cities as quiet and clean, with well ordered processions of bicycles and pedestrians moving along greenways.

Picture a nation in which the majority of the population is fit and healthy.  Can you see a nation in which the typical senior thinks of a 100 mile ride as a good day on the bike.  For that matter, what if the typical young teen thought the same thing?

How would our world look if we didn’t squander a huge amount of our income on rapidly depreciating automobiles, and the support of a huge infrastructure to serve them?  What if we stopped subsidizing middle eastern potentates?  What if the average private car or truck lasted 15 to 20 years, because it was only driven about 3500 miles a year?

What would this world look like?  What would it take to make it possible?  What if our recreation and fitness were also our primary means of travel?

Is this a fantasy?  Can this dream come true.

Please think about it.

Audax 200K Visualization:

(See yesterday’s post for details)

It’s just after 7:00 AM.  You have pulled into the parking lot to make ready for the ride.  The Sun is just peaking through the trees, low on the eastern horizon.  You look around.  Other riders are starting to arrive too.

In short order, everyone has bikes on the ground and each is sorting and checking equipment.  It’s a little cool, and you are trying to decide.  Do you want to wear arm warmers and a vest for the first couple of hours, only to carry them the rest of the day?  Or…  Are you going to tough out the first couple of cool hours, and not carry the extra stuff with you?  Should you apply sunscreen now, or wait until later?  (The answer to that is do it now!)  Are your tires pumped?  Bottles full?  Have you forgotten anything?

Soon it’s time.  The Road Captain calls you all together for a quick pre-ride briefing.  And it’s time to go.

A group of you assemble and push off.  Just like that, you are heading south on the Peachtree Parkway.  The group is big enough, and you all take command of the right hand lane.  The pace quickly establishes itself.  After the first mile, folks begin to settle down, and steady up.

In short order, you are all at the edge of Peachtree City, and startng the long climb to Senoia.  There will be the possibility of a stop in Senoia, but everyone hopes not to do this.  Better to go long on this first leg.

Once clear of the hills around Senoia, you are out on GA-85.  The group has settled down, and the leader starts to push the pace a bit.  This is fast country.  The road is flat, and there is little traffic.  It’s a good place to “bank “ some time.  By the time the turn for GA-362 comes up, everyone is feeling a little winded.  This road is one long set of rollers, so it’s a good place to settle down a bit, and ride a steady, even pace.  Recover and breath, hills ahead!

After the long climb up to Greenville, the group makes the first planned stop of the day.  You’ve done 33.5 miles, and your legs are good for it.  It’s going to be a good day!  It’s just over 16 miles to the town of Pine Mountain, and a quick stop to stretch and fill bottles.  Then the climb over Pine Mountain.

The group breaks up a bit on the Pine Mountain leg, but stops and regroups at the intersection with GA-85A.  Then there’s the tremendous downhill blast into Warm Springs.  Lunch awaits.  A brief break after lunch.  Time to check gear, re-apply sunscreen, and get mentally prepared for the return leg.

The big rollers on GA-85 are still ahead of you.  Your legs are feeling a bit tired, and you are a touch “loggy” after the big lunch.  But the general mood is upbeat and happy.  The pace is controlled.  It won’t really start to pick up again until 17 miles later, in the little town of Gay. 

You are conserving water.  The store in Gay is notoriously unreliable.  If necessary, an alternate water stop is possible in Concord.  But the next planned stop, after Gay, is in Digby.  That’s a big, reliable store, with good stocks, and the all important restrooms.

By Digby, you know you have this thing done.  It’s just 20 more, mostly easy miles to the end.  You look around.  You know you are tired, and you can see it in the other riders.  Tired, but not too tired.  Let’s go finish this thing!

As the group enters Peachtree City, the Road Captain forms you up into a column of twos, to ride north on the Peachtree Parkway.  This is a tradition.  It’s the triumph of a long hard ride, well done.

A snack, an change of clothing, possibly a quick shower at the end.

Is this a good day, or what?

Thursday Thoughts: Back in the Saddle ~ So to Speak

Last week was kind of spotty for posting.  ‘Fraid it’s been that way this week too.  Some of you have gotten used to regular posting on this blog, and I thank you.  You noticed that I was mostly absent.  I appreciate the concern.  No, I haven’t gone anywhere.  It was just an incredibly intense week or so.

There are big “doings” at the shop.  Most of that is backstage, but it has its affect.  Mark is, gradually, withdrawing from an active role in the business.  The shop is looking for a buyer.  That generates a lot of concern.

At the same time, my personal life got a bit complicated.  Nothing serious.  In fact a lot of it was happy and fun.  But it was all time consuming.

So April is almost over, and Bike Month is upon us.  The triathlon season (which started in 1897) is in full swing.  (You may have noticed a few more folks on those “bendy over bikes,” out on Robinson road, gripping their aerobars, and being fast.)

One of the seasonal questions I get asked is,  “What are you doing for Bike Month?” 

The honest answer would be,  “I’m turning wrenches, fixing bikes, and riding.”

It’s the simple truth.  With Bike Month looming ahead, and Bike Ride Across Georgia, early next month, the weather getting sweeter, events galore, and of course the aforementioned triathlons, things have gotten a bit busy in the service department.

Outside of business hours, I lead rides, and I ride.  I ride into work a lot.  I manage to get on my bike for a lot of other stuff.  Which brings me to the focus of this post.

BIKE MONTH:  AN AGENDA

• Get on your bike.
• Get on your bike regularly.
• Do something useful on your bike.
• Use your bike instead of your car.
• Attend the Ride of Silence.

Ride of Silence: 

Wed. May 19, 2010.  7:00 PM.  Peachtee City Hall.  12 miles.  1 hour.

http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php

Worldwide Ride To honor those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.  We'll have a brief discussion before the ride, then ride in silence slowly thru the city streets, and afterwards regroup at Partner's Pizza for food & socializing.

Locally, we have had 9 reported bicycling accidents in PTC within the last five years with half sustaining injuries or death.