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Thread: I'm an idiot.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    4,632

    I'm an idiot.

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    I just discovered a route that I could have used to ride to school all summer. I'm not willing to try it now, since I'd be commuting home in the dark at least some of the time, especially if I try to avoid rush hour traffic. That, and I'd have to ride through a poorly-traveled part of campus in the dark. (I'm in a lab and therefore have unpredictable hours; I've left at midnight before.) So I'll try it in spring. I'll have to work out how to carry a computer, though.

    Maybe extra motivation to get that CX bike?
    At least I don't leave slime trails.
    http://wholecog.wordpress.com/

    2009 Giant Avail 3 |Specialized Jett 143

    2013 Charge Filter Apex| Specialized Jett 143
    1996(?) Giant Iguana 630|Specialized Riva


    Saving for the next one...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    108
    Absolutely, you NEED that CX bike now!
    Road bike: Specialized Ruby Comp (2011)
    Commuter: Salsa Vaya (2012)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    4,066
    And you need a bad-*** bike light :-)

    There are lights out there that not only ensure that you will be seen and can see, but are so obnoxious that people don't know if you're a bike or a motorcycle at first glance.
    Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin

    1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
    2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
    2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    Quote Originally Posted by Owlie View Post
    I'll have to work out how to carry a computer, though.
    If a messenger bag is too heavy for you, computers are really sturdier than you might think. Back in the day I had thousands of motorcycle miles with laptops just bungied on the back. Worst thing that ever happened was that one time the removable battery got a little loose, and I had to remove it and reinstall it. Nowadays with solid state drives and non-removable batteries, they've got to be even more vibration resistant.

    And of course you need a new bike. Doesn't everyone?
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    3,176
    You FOUND the route! That makes you a clever and creative person! Shout EUREKA and carry on smiling.
    Each day is a gift, that's why it is called the present.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Cleveland (is a plum)
    Posts
    3
    Plus, you can now use the winter to research a nice laptop-friendly commuter bag! Oakleaf is right; laptops nowadays are pretty sturdy. I commute about 6 miles to work and have a laptop. Most days I carry it in a backpack with a padded interior laptop pocket. On really hot days though (because back sweat is gross), I put it in a nice neoprene case for added impact protection and tuck it into a pannier. If you've got the space, wrap a towel around it too. Panniers that attach to the bottom of the rack where it fastens to the stays as well as on the top of the rack will reduce bouncing if your route is less than smooth. I do about 3 miles of my commute on a road that allows heavy truck traffic like semis that tear up a road like it's their job, and I've never had a mechanical issue with my laptop from jarring or bouncing. Arkel makes some extremely nice laptop panniers. I also use stuff from Golla (http://www.golla.com/). It's not cycling-specific gear like Arkel's bag, but their neoprene cases and laptop backpacks look great and work, and their backpacks fit wide-screen 16" laptops (something I've found difficult to locate in some panniers). I have a bright red backpack from them that really gets me noticed on the road. If you have a 14" laptop, the Loop Pannier from PoCampo is another great option: http://www.pocampo.com. I use some of their other bags and they've all performed brilliantly for me on a bike, and transition perfectly between bike commute to work appropriate to after-work happy hour.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,151
    No kidding! I'm often telling my math students that the difference between the successful and not as successful student is that when the light bulb goes on, the successful student says "Wow! That's so obvious! I must be brilliant!" -- *and* later on, when things are confusing, keeps looking for solutions because s/he knows that that light bulb switch is out there -- while the less successful student thinks "gosh, I'm such an idiot for not seeing that!" and assumes that when not seeing something, s/he is too idiotic and therefore isn't likely to ever figure things out... and it's all attitude and expectation and not at all actual "aptitude."

    Reward yourself with good bike lights

 

 

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