Tag Archives: Commute Report

Balancing Speed and Duration

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Temperature at Departure: 16°F
Average Speed: 13.2mph.
Wind Chill Factor: ~0°F

That, my friends, is cold. It may not be Antarctica cold, but it’s cold. I did OK in the clothing department, though my face suffered a bit. I’ve not bothered yet with the balaclava, on account of not liking the affect it has on breathing and how grungy they get, though this morning gave me cause to seriously reconsider that position.

I’ve found, that on days as cold as today, that as much as clothing, the trick to keeping warm is to balance the time you spend out in it, and the speed at which you ride in it. You can’t go too fast b/c the bitterly cold wind will work it’s way through clothing eventually. For me, it starts with the fingers and toes and moves in from there. Then again, you can’t go too slow b/c the cold air will, eventually, work it’s way through the same clothing.

The thing is… the trick, you see, is that it’ll take a lot longer on a calm day to get cold than on a windy day. So…

For that reason, I typically err on the side of taking it real easy on cold days and minimizing the break away sprints. Even on the downhills, I’ll feather the brakes in order to keep the speed down. For me, today’s temperature, at 16°F, and wearing my claw finger Toastadas, 16mph was about all I could manage before the digits felt the bite of the frigid wind. Faster than that, and they started to ache a bit.

So take it easy out there. It’s cold out.

Warm Morning Commute – ~34°F

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Temperature at departure – ~34°F.

It was pleasantly warm on the way in to work this morning. I was dressed more heavily than usual, on account of the drop in temperature expected this afternoon, but even my face, which I typically leave uncovered, was relatively comfortable. Even with a mildly stiff NNW wind, I wasn’t that cold.

Third day back in the saddle and I’m already feeling better because of it.

Other than the temperature, it was completely, blissfully, wonderfully uneventful.

I’d almost forgotten about cold and persistent headwinds…

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My last commute was in October. Early October. It was relatively warm out in the 50′s and 60′s. It took nearly two months for the Dew Drop to arrive, and in that time, I only rode the Torelli twice. Both of those rides were in October.

Kansas is notorious for having about two weeks of Autumn. It’s hot for months. Then it’s fantastically nice for two weeks. Then it’s bitter cold for months. Spring comes, and it’s fantastically nice for two weeks before it starts raining, and then it’s hot again.

I missed Autumn. I missed the fantastically nice days. Honestly, I could have gotten out, but my motivation was quite low, and I opted to get back into pool again instead. But the new bike is here, and while it’s just in time to head off the expanding waist line, it’s too late to enjoy the last few really good days of the year. Sure, we may have more mild days coming up in the next few weeks, but I’m not counting on it.

So both yesterday and today, I faced cross/headwinds on every ride. Plus it was cold. Kansas is up to it’s old tricks…

Back to the new bike. The Dew Drop is a wonderful ride. It’s smooth on it’s 60psi 37mm tires. It’s quiet… nay *stealthy* on it’s new drivetrain components. It’s solid and sure on it’s disc brakes. It has really comfortable bar tape. I think it’s rubber. Basically, as Noah puts it, it’s a sweet ride. He even got a picture of me with it.

I look kinda goofy.

The bike does not.

Balance in All Things and the Mid 40′s Cut Off

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As much as the last couple of weeks has been characterized by increasingly aggressive and downright rude cohabitants of the roadways, yesterday was characterized by increasingly accommodating and pleasantly polite cohabitants. No less than four times a driver at a four way stop gave up his or her rightful turn in line (at no risk to myself or anyone else) to allow me to go first. Each time was given with a smile and a friendly wave. In spite of an eroding trust in my drivetrain, it was one of my more enjoyable rides home.

This morning, while not unpleasant, was cold. I can’t speak for others, but for me, the mid 40′s is the cut off for my thin gloves and feet without wind breaking plastic bags. I made it fine, and without major difficulty, but I could have been warmer. I did have the presence of mind to wear long sleeves under my wind breaker, which kept my upper half warm, without being too toasty, however, I think I could have also done with some sweats to keep the legs warmer. As easy as I take it in the mornings (to avoid getting too swampy by the time I get to work), I just never quite warmed up. Besides, it’s only a 30 minute ride… that’s hardly time to warm up anyway.

Speaking of eroding trust in the drivetrain, I’m riding the equivalent of a Yugo right now. While I have full use of the wide range of gears the triple up front and the 9 out back give me, I’m unable to hammer it without the chain slipping off the badly worn cogs on the rear. It screams in protest and just won’t do it for me. That’s ok. I’m kind of in the mood these days to slow it down and take it easy. One day I’ll actually bring my camera along and snap some pics. Don’t expect much though, when I do, my routes don’t generally involve much in the way of scenic, unless you find Suburban Neighborhood, USA to be scenic, that is.

Grinding Gears and Loose Cables

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I had an interesting ride home yesterday.

About 2 miles in at 99th and Metcalf, I was stopped at the light. When it changed, I did as I normally do, which is to say I stood up on the pedals and cranked to get going. Unfortunately, this time, I cranked, and the pedal just flew around accompanied by the horrendous sound of gears grinding. Not just any gears grinding, but angry gears grinding, and with serious attitude.

Aside from the embarrassment of having just suffered the equivalent of either falling down in public, or getting hit on the head with <insert random object here> (don’t tell me you don’t laugh at those things happening to other people… you know you do), I was immediately concerned that my chain had finally snapped. A quick look confirmed that this was not the case. *whew* But I noticed immediately that my rear derailleur wasn’t moving when I shifted. Huh. Looks like the cable snapped. That’s better than the chain by far, but it leaves me with three gears for the ride home, and the chain is wrapped around the highest gear on the freewheel.

Did I say three gears? Well… thing is, see, you don’t want to cross your chain like that. If you’re in the highest gear on the cranks, you don’t want to be in the lowest on the freewheel. Likewise, if you’re in the lowest gear on the cranks, you don’t want to be in the highest on the freewheel. It torques the chain unduly, causing excessive wear and tear, and possible kinking. I’ve known for a long time that the Fire Mountain was in dire need of an overhaul… every last component of the drive train is in serious need of replacement. They’re all original, after all, and I bought the bike in ’93. Everything is so worn, in fact, that if I can’t just replace the chain, or the cranks, or the freewheel… If I replace one, the rest won’t work with it. So the last thing I want to do now is something that will cause excessive wear and tear to any component. I just want to get home. Stuck in the highest gear on the freewheel as I am, that limits me to the top two gears on the crank.

I did try crossing the chain, but with the wear already worn on the freewheel and chain, there was a lot of slipping. I stuck it out for the rest of the ride in the top two gears. Though I dreaded not having the full run of my freewheel, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The worst part of the rest of the ride home, in fact, was waiting for 5 (yes… 5) minutes for traffic to clear at 75th and Lamar. I think I’ll be avoiding that intersection from here on out… I’ll find a lighted intersection to jump onto 75th, thank you very much. The car behind me didn’t honk or anything, either. I was rather surprised, but they could probably very easily see that I wasn’t any happier with the waiting than they were.

When I got home, I checked the cable, and it wasn’t snapped. Joy! It had just slipped out of a relatively loose anchor bolt. I pulled it back through, tightened the bolt up good and proper, and I was back up and running again. I still need to replace the drivetrain, but for now, at least, as my ride in this morning confirmed, I have all my gears back.

Oh, and Happy Halloween Month!!

Checking the Weather Before You Leave

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When you drive to work, unless the weather is seriously severe, you can usually get away with not checking it. After all, you’ll have the benefit of being able to control the conditions within the confines of your car. If the temperature outside is cold… you can turn up the heat. If it’s hot out, you can blast cool air until you’ve cooled down. That is, unless your AC is busted, or the fans don’t work anymore. Even then, you’ll be out of the wind. Unless you’re missing a windshield, or your side windows are stuck down. But if your AC is busted, and the fans don’t work, the windshield is busted and the side windows are stuck down, what are you doing driving that piece of frell to begin with?!

On the other hand, those of us who choose alternate forms of transportation can benefit from checking the weather. In fact, if we don’t make it a normal part of our daily routine, then there’s a chance we’ll pay dearly for it. Or at least pay a little bit, anyway. Over the summer, I’ve fallen out of the habit of checking, since pretty much every day was warm enough not to have to worry about it. On those days it rained, it was pretty obvious from looking out the window and I adjusted accordingly. I was lucky in that there were very few days with dry morning rides and wet evening rides. However, I can’t rely on mornings being warm any more.

Take this morning, for example.

I donned my normal riding clothes… that is to say, those clothes that are normal for me on warm days, stepped into the garage and opened the door. I noted that it was a touch on the chilly side, but I didn’t sweat it too much. I figured I’d be chilly at the beginning, but warm into the ride the closer I got to work. That, strictly speaking, was true. I did warm into it, and went from outright cold, to uncomfortably cold. What felt chilly standing in my garage out of the wind, turned into downright cold once I got going.

But did I turn around immediately and get warmer clothes?

No. Of course not! That would have meant… well… turning around! Turning around means admitting defeat, and I was not going to admit defeat. No way. So, as the temperature hovered around a downright chilly 45°F or so, with my speed pushing the wind chill down into the 30′s (and even the 20′s if that chart is to be believed), I bravely pedaled on in my shorts, sleeveless workout jersey, and thin (but long fingered) gloves.

I saw two others out this morning. Both were bundled up as if facing an arctic morning. Quite the contrast to my free and easy summer gear. “Silly people… I bet they’re hot and sweaty in all that” I thought, shivering to myself.

Looking now at the weather, tomorrow morning appears to be much the same as today. Mid 40′s in the morning, mid 70′s in the afternoon. Maybe I’ll consider wearing something more appropriate tomorrow.

Wrong Side of the Bed

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Is it just me, or have more and more people gotten up on the wrong side of the bed lately? Last week and today, I’ve had more people honk at me, yell at me, drive within inches of me, or otherwise try to levy some measure of aggression against me while on my commute than in the previous 9 months combined. I really don’t get it. I’ve not been doing anything different. I ride the same line. I ride the same speed. I do nothing different, except perhaps to do it with more confidence, yet it’s a fact that the flak I receive for it is on a dramatic incline.

Are people irritable because of the economy, and the impending election? You know what? That’s not my fault. Don’t take it out on me.

Are people irritable b/c their kids aren’t around anymore having one off to college? You know what? That’s not my fault. It’s what you’ve been raising them for. Don’t take it out on me.

Did they not get that raise? Not my fault.

Did they get chewed out by their boss? Not my fault?

Did they lose money in some ill conceived investment? Not my fault. Don’t take it out on me.

Are people irritable b/c they’ve dried up, or can’t get it up? You know what? That’s not my fault. Don’t take it out on me.

I won’t go into specifics, on account of not wanting to spread any more ill cheer than I already am, but three people honking at me while within inches of me tends to put me a little bit on edge, and reduce my overall charitable attitude. I have to confess… it was an immediate, knee jerk reaction that was out there before I could stop myself… each time they honked at me (again, as they passed me with inches to spare) I threw a single finger salute their way. Hey, I’m not proud of it, but I never said I was an ambassador for the cycling community.

I have to confess, also, that I’ve been on the irritable side lately. Have been for about a week now. I’m not completely against the idea that maybe… just maybe, this is evident in my riding, but I still hold to the contention that I’ve been doing nothing different while I ride. I just figure if I’m irritable lately, perhaps others are as well.

So, is it just me, or have any of you, my fellow bike commuters, also noticed an increase in random unprovoked negativity on the road?

Thunder and Rain and Quivering Pillars of Heaven

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Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, “Give me your best shot. I can take it.”

I love that quote. I love that movie. Whenever it’s raining like it was this morning, I can’t help but think about good ol’ Jack Burton and his shaking pillars of Heaven.

Also, I can’t help but wonder how many other people are out braving the weather to get themselves to work on pedal power.

I saw half a dozen yesterday morning, and more yesterday evening. I saw none this morning.

What I did see, and what I’ve seen every morning for the last couple of weeks, is a parking lot on I435 eastbound. The construction at I69 backs up traffic all the way to the Lamar overpass. I smile a little inside (and outside, truth be told) every time I go over that bridge. It must suck to be parked on 435 every day…

Perception of Temperature is Relative

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We’re approaching that awkward time again. You know, when it’s cold in the morning, but perfect in the afternoon…

49°F at departure this morning.

I distinctly remember moments last February and March when a 49°F morning would have been a welcome relief from the below freezing temperatures. 49 sounded warm. Not quite toasty, but definitely warm. It meant not having to bundle up in layer upon layer just to keep the air from freezing my breath. It meant being able to wear just my helmet without worrying about my ears. It meant not having to worry about my toes or fingers. It meant being able to put on the standard cycling gear and just riding.

This morning, 49°F felt cold. And it was cold compared to the mid 70′s we’ve had in the afternoons. I wore my trusty windbreaker and long fingered BG Gel gloves. I was a touch warm up top, but only barely, and my fingers were chilly. Everything else warmed up fine once I got moving.

I’ve been able to ignore the weather for the last few months. That luxury is coming to an end as dressing for the temperature becomes a necessity once again.

Glorious Rain, or… My Eyes Are On Fire!

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Kansas City woke this morning to a good and steady rain. Since the latest incident, I’ve had trouble sleeping, on account of being unable to find a really comfortable position that doesn’t involve pain of one sort or another. Combine that with a dog that wouldn’t stop whining from about 4:00 on, and I awoke rather grumpy. However, seeing that I’d have the opportunity to ride to work in the rain went a long way towards cheering me up.

My clothes being already at work, and the bike being all packed up, all I had to do was get dressed, grab a towel (for to dry off with at work), and ride. Since I got a late start (as has been the trend lately), there was more traffic than I normally see. The downside is that I have to worry a little more about cars seeing me, a possibility enhanced by the rain, which in turn tends to exacerbate the stupidity of most drivers. The upside is that with more traffic, the chances of being stuck at a stubborn red light are greatly reduced. There will always be a car there to trip the switch for me.

It was a wonderfully relaxed ride in. I took it slow and easy, both to enjoy the rain, and because I had to. See, my shoulder and hip are still protesting nearly every movement, and it’s only the knowledge that keeping them in motion will keep them from stiffening up teenage boy in the back seat on prom night. There were a few times where my speed topped 25mph, but only b/c I was going downhill. Those were the least pleasant moments, because the rain slapping my face actually stung.

Everything was going well. I was targeting puddles and just enjoying myself when suddenly, around mile 5 of 8, my eyes started burning. Badly. The only cause I can come up with is that rainwater was running through the pads of my helmet and picking up a summer’s worth of sweat and grime, and depositing it in directly in my eyes. It kinda sucked, actually, having to blink away both the rain and the burn.

Still, all in all, and all things considered, it was still a fantastic ride through the rain. I wonder if his brief foray into my world persists through today…