Thanks, Dad!

On Friday, as I pulled into the driveway, I noticed a Cadillac parked across the street. An elderly gentleman was moving slowly around it, pulling things out of the trunk. As I walked up, he gingerly pulled the spare tire out. I said hello and quickly returned to my garage for my floor jack and star wrench. In a matter of minutes, I had the tire changed for him, and my wife had brought some water out for us. He thanked me profusely and we returned to our evening's activities.

I don't mention this to toot my own horn. I mention it as an excuse to explain why I went over there and fixed the man's tire without thinking twice. It's because growing up I watched my dad do it. Hundreds of times. Everything from killing snakes to clearing sewer drains. Electrical repairs, construction jobs, you name it. If someone needed help, he was the first to show up and the last to leave. He still is.

I also learned a lot of my (admittedly basic) mechanic and repair skills from him. I wish I'd paid better attention when I was younger, because there's very little he can't do, and not so much that I can do.

Still, thanks to him, I'm not afraid to replace brake pads and rotors or even replace a valve cover gasket (head gaskets are a bit over my head, though). Instead of buying a new $400 dishwasher or dryer, I order the $20 of parts, grab my tools, and fix it. When the toilet or the sink quits, same deal.

But more importantly, when someone else needs help, thanks to him, I know how to help them. And I have a reason to help them. Because my old man taught me that it's the right thing to do.

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Dad showed me by example how we're supposed to treat people in need, and on occasions like Friday, I'm glad that I got the hint.

Thanks, Dad!

A recent Op-Ed

I just stumbled upon this recent op-ed from our local newspaper...

Motorists should give bikers a little leeway

By Janette Heitz

When I turned 50, I decided, with the encouragement of my husband, to take up bicycling. Since then, I have pedaled thousands of miles, including a ride across the United States, annual rides in Holland and a seven-week jaunt in Africa.

I have learned many life lessons while riding my bike, and a local radio call-in show recently reminded me of lesson No. 1: I have a bull's eye on my back.

The show's topic, bicycling and motorcycling, generated calls from disgruntled drivers who are fed up with those of us who see the world on two wheels.

I agree with the callers that there are many arrogant bicyclists who run stop signs, ride on the wrong side of the road, don't wear helmets, talk on their phones while cycling and ride three and four abreast.

I am not here to speak for them. I am writing on behalf of us good guys, the ones who follow the law.

We are out there getting our exercise, saving gas money and reducing Lexington's carbon footprint. When I get on my bicycle for a ride, I consider myself an ambassador for all cyclists. I'm the cyclist who is smiling at you, waving, nodding my thanks and helping you to safely pass me. I don't want to anger any driver; I know that if I aggravate you, you might take it out on the next guy. And then he will have a target on his back. (read more...)

I'm not sure that I can add much to her commentary, except to say that fortunately the "bad apples" are far, far outnumbered by drivers who are at least accommodating, if not careful and conscientious sharers-of-the-road. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad apple to put a cyclist in the hospital...

Should be an interesting 2009 Tour...

From the AP (Jim Vertuno) this morning:

AUSTIN, Texas --

Look out France, Lance Armstrong is making a comeback.

The 36-year-old Armstrong is breaking out of his three-year retirement and aiming to win yet another Tour de France in 2009, a move sure to shake up things across the Atlantic and give a boost to a sport that has missed its biggest star.

In a formal statement Tuesday, Armstrong called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer. Just as likely, it's also about his relentless desire to compete and win, especially at the Tour, which he won a record seven times from 1999-2005.

(read more)

I really, really hope that this doesn't turn into another Michael Jordan should-have-quit-while-he-was-ahead case. Either way, I may have to pickup digital cable before next July.

In other news, I guess I should be prepared for the weather to be a little crazy going forward. It usually is around here. Yesterday evening it was 64 and a howling wind. This morning it was nearly seventy, and this afternoon pushing 80 and sunny. If things go the way they have in past years, we'll have several months of chilly mornings and hot afternoons (or vice-versa...). This is where "modular" clothing comes in handy. I'm talking about arm warmers and leg warmers, of course. It's an easy way to convert from long sleeves/legs to short... even on the same ride, if need be. I'm saving up for a set... for the leg warmers I'll probably stick with basic black, but for the arm warmers, I'm considering a pair of these...

Ha ha... just kidding, of course. Knowing me, I'll probably stick with black arm warmers. Actually, my wife has been learning to knit, and I've discussed getting a custom-knitted pair of arm warmers... she's considering it...

Cold Snap!

It was cool and overcast this morning, but a pleasant ride. The weather report said it was going to be sunny and warm on the way home.

Boy was it wrong. 64 degrees and 18-25 mph winds. Downright chilly, compared to what I was expecting. The worst part was the arms. My core and legs were plenty warm from the effort of riding, but let's face it, other than steering and holding up my head, the arms don't do much. I could have pulled on my jacket, but then I would have overheated.

Still, it was a nice ride. Instead of zooming straight home, I got to run a couple of errands and explore a new neighborhood. Each time they build one, I find a new way to avoid some heavy traffic or narrow roads. It's all good. It's encouraging to be able to do more than just ride to work, even if it takes a little longer than driving.

I'm considering making my own "grocery bag" pannier. I want something that will double as a pannier and a shopping bag in the store. I've got some ideas that I need to get on paper. Maybe when I get some drawings done, I'll post them for feedback.

Lights and brakes

Friday's ride was pleasant, but relatively dark. For the first time in perhaps a month or more, thanks to the far edge of Gustav, we had an overcast and slightly drizzly day. Well, OK, it actually rained pretty steadily while I was at work, but thankfully was dry during ride times.

This ride got me thinking... summer is almost over, and it's only going to be getting darker and rainier as the seasons change. Two important things come to mind: visibility and stopping ability. I'm particularly concerned about these issues because of my earlier loss of my good taillight, and the fact that my rear brake cable was making strange noises - and not working very well - when I used it. It would not be a good thing for that cable to snap during an emergency stop... although that is why a bicycle has two independent brake systems.

After a quick trip to the bike shop, I was all set to work on both issues. I already have a pretty good headlight, so I didn't worry too much about that. This light won't really work for true dark riding - when you need the road illuminated - but it does a very good job of making me visible. And it transfers easily to my other bike. What I did pick up was the biggest, brightest tail light I could find... and it happened to be 20% off! This thing has ten - count'em ten LED's. Two point out to each side (though still visible to the rear), and the other six point straight back. It's really two independent 5-led lights in a single casing, so you can set the top and bottom rows to do different things (solid, flash, sequence or random).

We'll have to see how this thing works in the real world. One thing I don't like is that I had to mount it on my seatpost, which puts it underneath my new seat bag. I'm concerned that this might reduce visibility, especially for people who are seated high up (large trucks, for example). I could clip it to the back of the bag, which would help, but now I'm afraid that it will snap off. I also don't like hanging it from my rack, because the rack's blinkie-mount doesn't stay put very well. I left my old light on the rack as a backup.

I'm considering adding a small blinkie like this one to the back of my helmet when things get darker. Perhaps it will help.

The other major bike work for the weekend was, of course the brakes. I picked up a pair of brake cables and some housing at the bike shop (same trip as the new blinkie), and in about a half-hour this evening I had the rear cable replaced. Now that I've seen the cable off the bike, I no longer think it was in danger of breaking, but it was certainly a bit stretched. There was also a light sheath over one section that had broken, and I believe it was this bit of plastic that was making the "unravelling cable" noise.

In closing, I'll give props to two very good website. The first is one that I have referenced for a very long time - the Park Tool website. They provide extensive repair help and tutorials on the use of their tools. The second I have only stumbled upon recently: BicycleTutor.com. This site has quite a collection of video lessons on a variety of topics. I'm just poking around this site, but I expect it will prove quite useful in the future.

Heat, speed, and a bit of 'cross!

(Don't ask why I'm posting this at 4:30am...)

Man, it was hot on the way home today! I don't know what the thermometer actually read, but it was just that right combination of heat and humidity that sucks the air right out of your lungs. And of course, I was in a hurry to get home! Fortunately, I had a good bit of speed in the old legs.

The fun part was the 100yd or so of deep, loose gravel and the pit of unrideably deep gravel I had to traverse because I ignored a "road closed" sign. Apparently over the weekend, the road crew working on a key stretch of my new "short" route to/from work decided to rip up one end of it and completely rebuild the road. They've mostly finished the majority of the road, except for finishing the sidewalks and medians... generally it's been in a condition that I can ignore the "road closed" signs and weed through the construction equipment to get through.

Not today, though! Just after the recently rebuilt bridge, they had completely destroyed the roadbed and begun rebuilding it with a fresh layer of gravel and crushed stone. The best part of the zone was at the far end where I had to dismount and carry my bike cyclocross-style up over a 2-foot high "wall" where the new roadbed met the old.

Hoo boy! Those good times, they just keep a rolling! It's no fun doing cyclocross when your bike weighs over 40 pounds!

Slacking, habits, and routines

I had a quite busy holiday weekend. We took the time to do some fall cleaning around the house. On Monday, I did a brief 40-minute ride on my road bike, but most of my "exercise" came from pushing - and repairing - a lawnmower and moving things around the house.

Yesterday, an appointment kept me from riding, so today is my first commute back. Boy, was it hard to get going this morning. Still, I'm learning that a bit of routine and habit makes it easier to keep rolling. I suppose it's a form of inertia. As long as I'm "rolling" - consistently riding to work - I tend to keep rolling. When I stop, I tend to stay stopped.

So, what do I do? Well, first is the "ride home" routine. When I roll back into the house the day before, I rack the bike and give it a very quick check for problems. I put my helmet, sunglasses, gloves, and shoes in the same spot, right next to the bike. Four fewer things to hunt for the next morning.

Then there is the "night before" routine. I (almost) always pack my pannier before bed the night before. This does two things for me. First, and most obvious, it is again one less thing to do in the morning. Second, psychologically, it puts me in a position of having to take action (unpack the bag) to not ride, instead of having to take action (pack the bag) to ride.

Third, there's the "morning of" routine. When I get up, I put on my cycling outfit before waking the kids. Okay, I end up wearing the shorts a little longer than I like, and I'm sure I look a bit goofy in the drop-off lane at school. But again, I must take action (change clothes) before I can drive to work.

The combination of all of these routines results in the default follow through being to climb on the bike and start pedaling. Anything else requires backing up and redoing something.

Contrast this with my default "drive to work" day... I roll home the day before and toss my helmet/gloves/shoes somewhere (maybe different places) in the house -> now I must gather them up on the way out, vs. sliding behind the wheel. I don't check the bike -> now I must fix that flat I hadn't noticed. I fail to pack my bag the night before -> now I must pack the bag, vs. showering and dressing. I throw on clothes instead of bike gear -> now I must dress in bike gear, vs. simply walking out the door.

It's setting your self up for success or failure. When I take a few moments to make the preconditions such that it's easy to ride, I ride. When I allow things to slide, it's easier to drive, and the bike stays parked. As long as I'm doing these things consistently, they become habit, and they happen. When I have days off (long weekends are a killer), it is hard to re-start the routine, and it becomes tempting to drop the bike and drive.

It will be interesting as winter bad weather rolls in how I maintain this. I am already planning to drive at least a few days a week so that I can start back into swimming. I will need to find a way to make the routine balance out properly.