Thom joins the bike commuting world...
Nothing is ever simple...
This is what Thom had to say about his first day commuting.
[I]Woo Hoo!
One of the bennies of this new gig at Lonely Planet is that they run a
van from the BART station to the office, I am now a member of the
commute-on-the-bike crowd. Yesterday was my inaugural 12 mile ride to
the local station, 45 minute train ride, van 7 blocks to work. It was
an adventure.
I put a Wald basket on the front of my Rivendell, but it blocks any
handlebar mounted head light and crowds the hood, so I'll probably get
rid of it. My bike goes into a locker at the train station and the
locker is narrow at one end, so rear racks may not work. I'll have to
look at panniers maybe. A test of the flashlight as a head light
worked great. Much better than a couple of puny Cat Eyes.
I learned that cell phones don't belong in Bento Boxes. While doing 5
mph on a sidewalk (connecting sections of the multi-use path), I hit a
small bump and dropped the phone. Just like in the movies, time
slowed down. I heard it hit the ground and looked over to see it
bouncing along in the street. I thought, "No problem. It'll stop up
against the curb and I won't get run over as I pick it up." At that
precise moment, out of the corner of my eye, I see the unthinkable - a
storm drain. "Clack, clack, plop!", went the phone as it went into
the storm drain. No rain here, so the drain is lined with leaves
instead of water. I looked in to see the phone nestled gently in a
pile of leaves, showing only one corner of the screen. With no tools
to reach down into the drain and no time to mess around with it, I had
to leave it.
I learned that multi-use trails can be a hazard. Those early morning
strollers just are not expecting my neon yellow clad, bell ringing
body to go zooming by. I had one couple, walking on opposite sides of
the 15 foot wide path, decide to come together, hold hands and sing
Kumbaya as I passed between them. OK, I made up the Kumbaya part, but
they did try to get me to run them over. I didn't hit them, so no
harm, no road kill.
After ordering a new cell phone at work, coming home started badly. I
stepped onto the platform to see the waiting train looking kind of
full. My brain says, "Hmm, nobody on the platform. It's probably
been here a while. Quick, get on this crowded car before it leaves.
You can move to a new car at the next station." Good plan brain. What
it should have said was, "Read the sign to see where it is going..."
So my plan to change cars at the next station became a plan to change
trains to come back and get on the right train.
I checked in on my cell phone and it was still waiting in the leaves
in the drain. I didn't pick up any tools at work, so I still had no
way to recover it. Maybe I can retrieve it this weekend.
All in all, a great time. I save money and get in some miles.
-thom
Do you know how much a replacement cell phone is? I have cashmere that costs less!
V.
Flashlight and mount info
Surefire light, the mount is a Twofish Cyclopblock. The mount is available
at nashbar.
V.
