Bicycle Commute Challenge

Day 1, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Sunny in Kirkland/Bellevue/Seattle despite predictions of rain, but high, sustained south winds with gusts up to over 40 mph meant I worked very, very hard to creep along at a whopping 13.3 mph. Lots of blowdown and branches on the roads. Crossing the I-90 bridge was a hair-raising exercise in controlling the bicycle so as not to be dashed into the railing or into the lake (not sure if that's possible, but it did cross my mind). I'm still riding the extremely upright hybrid rental bike -- going on Week 7, I think, although I've kind of lost count -- and I would have given my jacket for a bike with drop handlebars today.

Finished the ride by having a guy in a small pickup truck honk at me as I rode down S. Dearborn St. I was out in the lane, avoiding the bike lane because lots of motorists right hook cyclists and I've seen many narrow misses on that road. When the bike lane went away, he stopped honking. Eventually he pulled up next to me -- I was in the far left lane, turning left, and he was in a middle lane going straight -- and he wagged his finger at me sanctimoniously. I shook my head and pointed emphatically to indicate I was in the right place. He rolled down his window and we had the following exchange:

Him: You have to ride in the bike lane.
Me: No, bikes can ride anywhere on the road.
Him: No, bikes have to ride in the bike lane.
Me: I work for the Bicycle Alliance, I know this. Bikes can ride anywhere.
Him: No, bikes have to ride in the bike lane.
Light turns green and we start to go.
Me: Bikes are vehicles!

...at least I got in the last word. It wasn't an angry exchange at all, just one in which we were clearly in totally different worlds, communication-wise.

Good for you for sticking up for yourself. I'm always amused by motorists who make it a point to scold cyclists but don't actually know the rules of the road. I would say overall cyclists know the rules of the road better than most motorists. Just an observation.:)

I'm impressed with you for riding today! Here on the other side of the state we are having sustained 30 mph winds that seem to be swirling from every direction. The dust in the air has all but obliterated the sun.
I was going to ride today, get ride to work month off right - but I'm glad I chickened out!
Tomorrow won't be significantly different. Maybe I can start the month off on Wednesday!

good for you! i wimped out today, but 'm glad you were out there
AND you defended all cyclists.

AND got the last word in..

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

AND got the last word in..

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That's the most important part. :D

Hopefully tomorrow will be more conducive to riding for everybody. It is a tad disappointing to start off Bike to Work Month with a day so blustery that only crazy people choose to ride.

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Originally Posted by kfergos

That's the most important part. :D

Hopefully tomorrow will be more conducive to riding for everybody. It is a tad disappointing to start off Bike to Work Month with a day so blustery that only crazy people choose to ride.

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not just the crazies, also the oblivious.. (at least at my office)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

not just the crazies, also the oblivious.. (at least at my office)

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Goodness, that's a scary thought. The only cyclists on the road today were (a) Crazy but experienced commuters like me; or (b) Totally oblivious non-cyclists unaware of how dangerous it was. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

My DH rode to work this morning, before the wind really started kicking up. We have 30 to 50 mph gusts now. :eek: He has wisely asked that I come pick him up after work. TsPoet, I think all your dust has arrived in Spokane. It's getting very ugly outside. bikerHen

Day 1, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Amazingly enough, I had a headwind! This felt so not fair, since I'd struggled against a headwind all morning, and had spent most of the day anticipating a nice easy ride home. Silly me. I left wearing a vest, but when I got to the UW -- there's a stoplight there that takes forever -- I changed into my jacket because I was so cold. I later was quite glad that I did that, because it was raining hard by the time I got home. I was extremely miserable and regretting my decision to ride yesterday.

All in all, Day 1 of Bike to Work Month pretty much stank for commuting by bike.

Day 2, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Amazingly, relatively calm (yesterday's wind gives a different perspective; I might complain about a 10 mph to 15 mph headwind normally, but after yesterday, it's a mere breeze) and scattered sun breaks lit the morning up. After last night's scouring thunderstorm, everything looked freshly-scrubbed and clean. Lots more bike commuters out today, all of them faster than me. I resisted the urge to do some commuter racing, reminding myself that I was on mile 60 by the time I got to work, and I still have 140 more to go this week. Most of those zippier cyclists probably aren't riding that many miles.

Amusingly, got honked at AGAIN in the exact same spot as yesterday. What is it about S. Dearborn and people thinking cyclists have to ride in that bike lane, which is full of debris, parallel cracks, and storm drains? I'm hoping to go 3 for 3 tomorrow -- let's see how long I can keep the streak going. :rolleyes:

Ravenous again when I got to work. Not sure why I'm hungrier than usual; maybe riding against the wind burns more calories? One Clif bar doesn't seem to cut it. Good thing I have oatmeal raisin walnut cookies at work, too. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bikerHen

My DH rode to work this morning, before the wind really started kicking up. We have 30 to 50 mph gusts now. :eek: He has wisely asked that I come pick him up after work. TsPoet, I think all your dust has arrived in Spokane. It's getting very ugly outside. bikerHen

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Oh it was so nasty yesterday. I got really scared at one point here in ML I was on my way home and this gust of wind actually scooted me and my bike over! I was so glad to get home! And I made it with out being nocked off my bike!

Today was much better! Except for Mr. Jerk driver who decided he needed to pass me in a round a bout and almost squish me!!

Day 2, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Nothing exciting happened on this ride, except that I had a headwind again. I did see two people I knew riding on the trail.

Day 3, Morning Commute (21 miles):
Rode in on the Burke for something different and averaged about 1 mph faster than I usually do in the mornings, so even though it was 1 mile longer, I actually got to work just slightly sooner. I assume that's because (a) it's flatter, with only a very gentle uphill trend until you get to the UW; and (b) once I get in among other commuters, the "commuter racing" syndrome kicks in and I have to keep up. I rode "with" a guy on a recumbent from the UW all the way to downtown; I passed him on uphills and he zoomed by me on downhills and flats. It was fun to keep catching up to him at stop lights (the great equalizers in cities) and continue our little conversation along the way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kfergos

Amusingly, got honked at AGAIN in the exact same spot as yesterday. What is it about S. Dearborn and people thinking cyclists have to ride in that bike lane, which is full of debris, parallel cracks, and storm drains?

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They don't realize that. The good thing is that if they are honking at you, they are seeing you. Better to be honked at or yelled at than hit.

On the other hand, getting honked or yelled at is demoralizing. IMO it is the worst experience about bicycling. So I go ahead and note every license plate and report it through our Motorist Contact Program. Check and see if your city or state has that sort of thing. I don't care what the result of that is, it is just incredibly empowering to report the incident, however minor.

You might also check if there's a place to report debris in the bike lane. Our city has a website, you can report debris and in my experience it gets cleaned up promptly.

I have a spot like that in one of my regular routes, where I was taking the lane appropriately and getting honked at. I found an alternative way to handle the area without feeling like I was sacrificing my safety. Or I might look for an alternative route. But sometimes there isn't any other realistic option, or the other options are worse.

Good luck, and kudos for riding in bad weather!

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Originally Posted by Melalvai

They don't realize that. The good thing is that if they are honking at you, they are seeing you. Better to be honked at or yelled at than hit.

On the other hand, getting honked or yelled at is demoralizing. IMO it is the worst experience about bicycling. So I go ahead and note every license plate and report it through our Motorist Contact Program. Check and see if your city or state has that sort of thing. I don't care what the result of that is, it is just incredibly empowering to report the incident, however minor.

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Melalvai, that's a good point -- I'm glad they are at least seeing me to honk at me! I don't assume they know there's debris/danger in the bike lane, but I'd appreciate some leeway.

The same guy honked at me this morning. Thanks to your suggestion, I remembered to get his license plate number, and I'll try to find somewhere to report this. It's amusing that he's honking, too, because honking is illegal except in an emergency here in Washington. So he's breaking the law while erroneously telling me I'm breaking the law.

Day 3, Evening Commute (10 miles):
Rode west on the I-90 bridge to do an errand in Bellevue after work. Holy moly, I'd forgotten the crazy west wind on the bridge! Why does it seem like there's always a wind blowing to the west on the I-90 bridge, almost regardless of which way the rest of the wind is going? Anyway, it was a slow and grueling ride into Bellevue, riding south and west against a southwest-ish wind. Happily, it didn't rain on me, so I completed my errand dry and comfortably. Still, I'm glad it was only 10 miles. My legs felt like cooked spaghetti.

Day 4, Morning Commute (20 miles):
An amazingly nice morning. Virtually calm (What a relief!), with high clouds and not many people out for some reason. I took it easy and rode at a gentle 13.9 mph pace -- not exactly smokin', but it was pleasant to arrive not exhausted. Found a pair of sunglasses on the I-90 trail that looked like they'd just fallen, since they were in perfect repair. If you lost a pair of sunglasses on I-90 this morning, let me know. :cool:

As I mentioned above, the guy in the pickup truck honked at me again and spurred me to write this blog post. I'm going to grab some of the stickers we have that has the RCW number for "bikes are vehicles" and carry them with me. This is 3/3 being honked at this week in this place. It's so odd: I've ridden this route numerous times without a problem, and suddenly this week I'm honked at every time I ride on that road. Something to do with Bike to Work Month? Random chance? Who knows? I'll just keep riding and see what happens.

This has been a rather exciting commute week, hasn't it? For me it was wind and thunderstorms on tuesday, narrowly missing a hailstorm, then yesterday it was a steady rain, not heavy at least. Today MIGHT be the first day this week I don't get rained on.
I am impressed that you got that guy's license plate number. could you tell me how you do that???

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

This has been a rather exciting commute week, hasn't it? For me it was wind and thunderstorms on tuesday, narrowly missing a hailstorm, then yesterday it was a steady rain, not heavy at least. Today MIGHT be the first day this week I don't get rained on.
I am impressed that you got that guy's license plate number. could you tell me how you do that???

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It really has been a heck of a commuting week, and alas, not the best for encouraging non-commuters to try riding, either.

To get the license plate number, I read it -- he was ahead of me but not far away for quite a while, thanks to traffic; I'm not 100% sure of the last digit, thanks to my out-of-date glasses prescription -- and then just kept repeating it to myself. That only worked because this happened mere blocks from my work, where I was able to write it down real quick before I forgot it. :p

I actually have a pen and paper in my handlebar bag... but so far, going from an incident to getting to that pen has never happened.
thanks

Day 4, Evening Commute (20 miles)
I GOT MY BIKE BACK!!!!!!1 :D

The bike shop, we'll call it Shop A, built me a new fork (pearlescent pink to match my fenders) and a new front wheel, put on a pair of handlebars I already had, and gave me a new stem. Frankly, though, I'm not satisfied with my experience there. I had to call them probably 10 times over the last month and a half to get updates; they only once called me back, despite repeatedly promising to give me an update. They built the fork and waited to do all the other work after it was done, even though they could've done everything else (build the new wheel, put on the handlebars and stem) beforehand and then just slapped the fork in. They had questions for me that held it up, but they never called me -- I had to call them and then they said, "Oh, we were waiting because we need to know if we can go with X instead of Y." WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST CALL ME AND ASK?! They wrapped the bar tape so badly part of the bare bar is sticking out, and although I asked them to paint the new stem to match the fork, they didn't do that (by the time I found out, I decided just to live with it because it'd take so long to get the darn thing painted). Their customer service, in a word, sucked.

Now I feel like I need to have somebody I trust go over their work to make sure that everything's done right. The brake/shifters look twisted to me, and I don't think the handlebars and front wheel are aligned right.

Anyway, I rode home on the repaired bike and it wasn't the heavenly experience I hoped for, but I have to give them credit for building a really nice fork. It was a nice evening but with a steady headwind. Is a pattern emerging here...?? Oh, rode up Dexter and then got stopped for the first time ever at the Fremont Bridge as they opened it to let a boat through. Alas, I didn't really get a view. I think all of Seattle was out on the BG between Fremont and the UW.

Day 5, Morning Commute (20 miles)
Gorgeous morning. Sunny, clear, tailwind (:eek:) most of the way; through the haze I saw the Olympics, Mt. Rainier, and the Cascades. I caught up with my mother, who had left the house a bit earlier than me but was gawking at the mountains. We rode together through Kirkland to Bellevue Way, where we split off (she sang "You take the low road and I'll take the high road..." because she rode up Bellevue Way and I turned onto Northup). So it was a very nice start to the ride. The tailwind was delightful, it was sunny, and I was on my almost-finished repaired bike. Things could hardly get better. I am having to readjust to the gearing on my bike, which is low but not nearly as low as the rental bike. I'm having to work harder on my normal bike, but I'm also going faster, so...

At least, so I thought. Then I got a free jersey at one of the Cascade swag giveaway stops. Granted, it says F5 really big all over it, but free's free.

Then things got really uncomfortable. I rode up to my work doorway -- it's also a bike parking facility -- and a guy was standing there. He was fairly short and skinny, had long-ish curly blond hair, huge sunglasses and a bandanna on, and wore a "Hempfest" T-shirt. Since he was right in the doorway and I couldn't avoid him, I said, "Hi."

Him: Oh, um, hi, I can't get in.
Me: Do you have your card?
Him: [Pulls out a card and swipes. Sure enough, it doesn't work] I just want to get in and get my bikes. I have a Schwinn and a Kona in there.
Me: OK, well, I can't let you in if your card doesn't work. (This is the parking facility's rule, and I'm not about to break it for a stranger in a hempfest T-shirt.)
Him: I just want to get my bikes. My bikes are in there.
Me: I believe you, but I can't let you in.
Him: [Stares at me]
Me: It opens at 9:00. You can come back then and get your card reactivated.
Him: But...dude...I just want my bikes.
Me: I can't let you in. Please step away from the door.
Him: [Doesn't move]
Me: Could you please move away from the doorway so I can open the door?
Him: [Saunters over to the other side of the doorway, away from the card swipe] I'll hold the door for you.
Me: No, please don't. Step away from the door.
Him: [Doesn't move. We stand there looking at each other for a while.]
Me: [I decide to swipe in and see what happens, since I have to get in eventually]
I swipe the door start to maneuver me and my bike through the door. He grabs the door and holds it. I look at him, then start to walk in. He goes to follow me inside. I stop and say:
Me: You can't come in. Don't come in.
Him: I just want my bikes.
Me: I can't let you in. Don't come in.
He steps closer. I put my hand on his chest and physically push him away.
Me: NO. GO AWAY. You can't come in. (I had to say this quite loudly and firmly, although inside I was freaking out)
He pauses, looking confused, and I rush myself and the bike inside, pulling the door closed behind me. I've never felt better about hearing that door lock shut behind me.

Whew. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Working in Pioneer Square is never boring.

Wow. Way to go to hold your ground. If he was a bike thief, he needs to work on his technique!

Kerfogos: I'm glad you got in without him.

Didn't you work there or still do? If so, say that you are an employee and you will report anything unusual.

Sometimes one has to tell a white lie...in case, he threatened you physically.

This is no different than a friend who I knew was cycling solo in Ireland who was trailed by a car with a guy or asked about herself: she fibbed that her husband was up ahead on her on bike.

Good that your bike is repaired but it would have been better if it ran more smoothly. Did you have to pay the high rental amount for the other?

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Didn't you work there or still do? If so, say that you are an employee and you will report anything unusual.

Good that your bike is repaired but it would have been better if it ran more smoothly. Did you have to pay the high rental amount for the other?

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In fact, I am an employee there, and I did report the incident to my manager and to the Executive Director.

I did pay for the rental bike -- it was a total of $985 for 6 weeks. I could've bought a very nice bike for that, if I'd known. Ah well. The insurance company is supposed to reimburse me for that. Also, the shop I rented it from agreed that I could keep the bike since they'd made more than double the intended selling price. So I do get a free bike out of the deal.

Day 5, Evening Commute (20 miles)
My legs were so tired by Friday I didn't think I'd make it home, but I fell in behind a guy who pulled me probably 10 miles -- what a wonderful guy. He was OK pulling, so I just stayed right there and let him do the hard work. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm, with a slight head wind (of course). Because I rode with that Good Samaritan, I actually made it home in pretty reasonable time.

On Friday I found out that the left crank arm on my bike was bent in my crash. None of the 4 bike shops who looked at it noticed, not even the one that did all the work. I even mentioned it to them on Thursday: When I went to clip in with my left foot, pedaling felt all wonky and bizarre. I said, "There's something weird with the pedal." Their response? "There's only one way to put a pedal in." Nothing about it maybe not being the pedal at all. Instead they sent me off on my ride without resolving the issue. :mad: It took my mentioning it to the good folks at JRA, who immediately said, "I bet the crank arm is bent." Sure enough, we looked, and the pedal was sticking out at a slightly off angle. I had JRA order me a new crank, which is not going to match my old one. So now I'll have a mismatched pair of wheels -- gray in the front, black in the back -- and mismatched cranks -- black on the left, gray on the right. *Sigh*

I took all weekend off, and only rode 3 miles each way to and from church on Sunday.

Day 6, Morning Commute (20 miles)
Just under 50°F and quite rainy. Hardly any other bicyclists out. I was quite glad that I wore my booties, as my feet got fairly damp anyway. Thank goodness for wool socks. This is a day that tests commuters' commitment; there we definitely no fair-weather cyclists out today. My legs are still somewhat tired from last week, but I'll get through one way or another. More cookies! :rolleyes: Happily, no exciting stories on this commute. Just a normal day.

Day 6, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Thank goodness for other people who want a workout and are willing to pull into the wind. I had a headwind all the way home, but I found a guy who was riding my speed and didn't mind my slipping in behind him. We rode all the way from the UW to Kenmore on the Burke together.

Day 7, Morning Commute (8 miles):
Accompanied my mother to Bellevue. It's always pleasant to have company, even if the company is much slower than I am. I'm really OK with taking it easy now and then. I caught a bus from the Bellevue Transit Center the rest of the way to work, as I needed to get in early. I barely made the 7:03 bus and got to work about 15 minutes earlier than usual.

Day 7, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Rode the opposite of my usual commute and went west across I-90 and then north up into Bellevue. I picked up a set of SPD pedals from Dean at Pedal Dynamics. I really like Dean, and would love to give him more business, but he mostly works out of the Overlake Transit Center -- really not handy for me at all. One day a week he comes to the Bellevue Transit Center, which is when I get to work with him. Great guy. I recommend him if you're looking for a bike shop.

Anyway, didn't get the pedals installed because my replacement crank arm hasn't come in yet. I'm somewhat apprehensive about switching to a different kind of clipless pedal; I've used eggbeaters for the last 3 years, clipping in and out is second nature now. I don't really want to tip over on the learning curve for SPDs, but we'll see.

Day 8, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Surprisingly strong south wind this morning, with a predicted north wind tonight -- the usual recipe for Headwind Both Ways. Fortunately it's supposed to be 60 and sunny this afternoon, and the weather's even saying highs into the low 70s for later in the week, so overall not too bad.

My legs felt quite leaden today. Not sure what to do about it except rest, and I'm not going to rest until the month is over.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kfergos

Also, the shop I rented it from agreed that I could keep the bike since they'd made more than double the intended selling price. So I do get a free bike out of the deal.

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Great...at least that's something. :)

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Great...at least that's something. :)

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Yep! It's a decent little hybrid, not something I'd ever choose for myself, but since he was willing to part with it, naturally I would take it. I immediately loaned it to a friend for the month of May, since my friend wanted to do Bike to Work Month but didn't own a bike.

Day 8, Evening Commute (20 miles):
This commute felt shorter than usual because I just got brand-new SPD pedals for this ride. I also got a new, non-bent crank arm. It's funny -- I adjusted to riding on the bent crank arm (I think I rode about 146 miles with it) and now the straight one feels a little odd. It was a nice evening, but once again north wind-y.

I've been monitoring the discussion about calling out when passing, and thinking about that some as I ride on the Burke. This guy passed me twice yesterday, and neither time said a word. He rode behind me for quite a ways, long enough to see that I called out almost every single time, yet it seemed to not have occurred to him that I might like that same courtesy.

When I got home, my new Terry Butterfly was waiting for me! Of course I immediately replaced my old saddle and then eagerly awaited the next morning, when I would get to try it out.

Day 9, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Between the new pedals, handlebars, and saddle, it feels like I've gotten an all-new bike in the last few weeks. I can see why people rave about the Terry Butterfly; it felt natural and comfortable the instant I sat on it, and the rest of the ride continued in that vein. I think I will need to fine-tune the positioning, but overall I believe it'll be a good replacement for my worn-out, battered, and bent old Jett. I'm going to reserve judgment on the Butterfly for another few commutes, but I have high hopes that I'll have many, many happy miles on it.

Lovely morning this morning, too: Sunny and clear, although hazy and smoggy enough that I could barely make out the Olympics and Cascades, and Rainier didn't look particularly crisp. That's one advantage to wintertime riding: When it is clear, it's really clear. Now we've got all those particulates not getting washed out of the air so regularly and they're obscuring the pretty views. Still, I think I had a bit of a tailwind, or at least not a headwind -- woo! -- and made pretty decent time, just pedaling along and enjoying it all. All-round very pleasant morning.

Note to self: Start carrying water on commutes.

Oh, do any of you ladies have recommendations for where to get a good bike fit done? Between the new pedals and new saddle, I feel like I'm not really in the optimal position anymore, and I ride enough that being in the right position is really important.

Check in with Knottedyet. She can either do a fit, or put you in touch (she's a PT in Seattle).

Well, there's always Erik Moen for bike fit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kfergos

Oh, do any of you ladies have recommendations for where to get a good bike fit done? Between the new pedals and new saddle, I feel like I'm not really in the optimal position anymore, and I ride enough that being in the right position is really important.

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I also recommend Erik Moen at Corpore Sano.

+1 on Erik.

I'll put a plug in for my coach (who is also a PT and a bike racer) and her company RealRehab
www.realrehab.com

Thank you all for the PT/fitter suggestions. I'll take a look and see who's covered by my insurance. Seems like there are plenty of good options around here -- pretty novel, since I don't think they ever heard of such a thing in Massachusetts. :rolleyes:

Day 9, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Gorgeous afternoon! So gorgeous that it seemed like everybody who owned a bike was out on the Burke. I kept seeing all these ladies with deep scoop-neck shirts on and huge cleavage valleys, and all I could think was how a bee in the boobs would feel. Actually, I know from personal experience -- it's no fun. On my ride, I had a number of large buzzing insects bounce off my face or arms. I bet those ladies had no idea what risk they were running.

Day 10, Morning Commute (20 miles):
I don't want to exaggerate, but this was one of the most gorgeous mornings to ride EVER. OK, maybe not ever, but close. Apparently everybody else thought so, too, because everywhere I looked, there were bicyclists. I'm sure the motorists were going a little crazy. All in all it was a fabulous ride even though I had what I can only describe as Friday legs. If you've commuted both ways 5 days, you'll probably have some idea what I'm talking about.

No free swag this time, but awesome anyway. Had hazy views of the Olympics, Mt. Rainier, and the Cascades as I crossed Lake Washington. I love my commute. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kfergos

Note to self: Start carrying water on commutes.

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Me too. I am always forgetting that.

The weather hasn't killed me yet! I just haven't gotten back into posting. Let's see, I'll do a quick summary:

End of last week, very beginning of this week: Gorgeous. Sunny, warm, a zillion bicyclists everywhere.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: Increasingly cold, rainy, and windy and correspondingly increasingly awful for cycling. Tuesday soaked on the ride in. Wednesday afternoon nearly blown off the I-90 bridge on the way home, plus caught in gigantic downpour(s). Somewhat killer headwinds on the way in this (Thursday) morning. Friday, Bike to Work Day, is not looking significantly nicer.