Bicycle Commute Challenge

[Biciclista]

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

[kfergos]

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

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 () 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.

[Melalvai]

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

[shootingstar]

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?

[kfergos]

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?

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. 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! Happily, no exciting stories on this commute. Just a normal day.

[kfergos]

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.

[shootingstar]

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.

Great...at least that's something.

[kfergos]

Great...at least that's something.

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.

[Blueberry]

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

[Biciclista]

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

[thelawgoddess]

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.

I also recommend Erik Moen at Corpore Sano.

[malaholic]

+1 on Erik.

[Eden]

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

[kfergos]

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.

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.

[Melalvai]

Note to self: Start carrying water on commutes.

Me too. I am always forgetting that.