Tagged “bicycling”
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Finding Stuff
It's been a slow few years, but I found my first iPhone so far. I tried to see who it belonged to, but required a face to unlock it. I set it on the porch of the closest house. Seems like a reasonable place to put it. Hopefully it found its owner.
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Stuff Breaking While Bicycling
It's going to happen when you bike - something breaks on you. This year has had a couple of memorable moments.
First, I lost my crankset. I was about a mile into my ride home when my pedals felt wrong. Wobbly or something like that. I thought maybe it was the forks. After a few minutes, it got worse and suddenly, both pedals were down, and I couldn't pedal at all. It turns out that somehow, I had stripped the non-drive side crank arm spline. The crank arm should have fit into the crank, meshing with the spline. That had worn out, and now the arm just spun around. I stopped, cranked the bolts as tight as I could, and babied the bike back home. About $26 later (plus shipping), I got a new crankset. Nothing special, but enough to keep the biking moving.
Yesterday, when biking, my rear tire went flat. Stopped and pulled it apart. I had a thorn resistant tube in the back, and it seemed that the valve stem rotted away and leaked. Threw it away and put on a replacement tube. However, while replacing the tube. I noticed some 1/4" holes in the tire itself. I had known that the tire was worn out at least a year an a half ago, but it was still ok. I thought the tread was just worn. However, I could clearly see through the tire. I put it back together, pumped it up, and babied it to the local Sheetz gas station where they have free air. Pumped it up, biked home, and swapped out the tire and tube to another thorn resistant tube I found in my collection.
Score so far this year:
- New crankset
- New back tire and tube
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2021 Bikes
COVID doesn't make biking to work easier.
Year Distance Bikes to Work Start End Comments 2021 5090 km ? ? ? 2019 6956 km / 4322 miles 160 Feb 4 Dec 10 2018 6860 km / 4263 miles 144 Feb 19 Dec 5 2017 9258 km / 5753 miles 179 Feb 20 Dec 7 2016 7530 km / 4679 miles 158 Feb 29 Dec 8 2015 6393 km / 3973 miles 139 Mar 10 Nov 6 2014 5978 km / 3603 miles 124 Mar 21 Nov 7 2013 4377 km / 2736 miles 104 Apr 2 Nov 8 2012 5450 km / 3406 miles 120 Mar 13 Oct 26 2011 4763 km / 2977 miles 106 Mar 27 Nov 4 Bike to Work bike only 2010 4849 km / 3031 miles 95 Apr 7 Nov 3 2009 3356 km / 2013 miles 79 Apr 17 Oct 22 2008 3211 km / 2006 miles 73 Mar 30 Oct 16 -
Partial phone return
Biking on West Lake Road, found a completely destroyed telephone. Pulled out the SIM card and the SD card, put it in my phone. Got a phone number, so I called it. The guy picked up, and came over to collect the bits. Turned out he was extremely happy because it had all the pictures of his twins on it.
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Happy New Year! 2019 bicycling statistics
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2019 | 6956 km / 4322 miles | 160 | Feb 4 | Dec 10 | | 2018 | 6860 km / 4263 miles | 144 | Feb 19 | Dec 5 | | 2017 | 9258 km / 5753 miles | 179 | Feb 20 | Dec 7 | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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More stuff I've found
Here it is, December 12th, and I'm still bicycling. The big snow hasn't hit yet - in past years, it hit around December 7th, but everything's melted off again.
More things I've found:
- More phones: Apple iPhone - completely demolished, but returned to owner via SIM card.
- Plastic toy grenade
- Rear red blinking light for bicycle. I wrapped some wire around it and am still using it.
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Quiet so far this year
I haven't written anything here for a while. Just a follow-up to things I've found so far this year on the bike:
- $5
- $1
- Phone - returned to a 5 year old. Texted the number for 'mom', and she answered.
- Tablet, found in the gutter of the Bayfront parkway. Found the owner via Facebook. After a week of procrastinating on it, I mailed it back.
- Flashlight
- A bunch of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Yoh cards
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2018 Biking year in review
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2018 | 6860 km / 4263 miles | 144 | Feb 19 | Dec 5 | | 2017 | 9258 km / 5753 miles | 179 | Feb 20 | Dec 7 | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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Biking to work
Found a Samsung phone with a SIM card. The card was disabled, so no luck returning it.
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2018 - Here we go again
Yep, so it's 2018, time to update the table.
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2018 | tbd | 3 | Feb 19 | tbd | | 2017 | 9258 km / 5753 miles | 179 | Feb 20 | Dec 7 | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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2017 Bike to Work
Final results!
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2017 | 9258 km / 5753 miles | 179 | Feb 20 | Dec 7 | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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Bikes to work....so far
The updated year so far.
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2017 | 8xxx km | 170 | Feb 20 | TBD | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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2017 Biking so far
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2017 | 7xxx km | 140 | Feb 20 | TBD | | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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National Bike Challenge
The National Bike Challenge has ended - I ended up 992nd in the US with a total of 5,719 points, 131 days ridden (May through September). Pretty pleased that I broke the 1000th place mark. Ended up 3rd in Erie, and 41st in Pennsylvania. Not too bad! As there are a few months left in the year, I have the potential for raising my ranks for the 'all year' category.
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More brick roads in Erie
Just when I thought I would find the only brick_road in Erie when bicycling, I found a few more in the Glenwood Park area: Glenside Ave. and Norman Way. I wonder how many more hidden gems I'll find while exploring the city. There are some mountain biking @trails in the little park at the corner of 38th and Eliot Road.
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Update on phone found on September 29
- September 29 - Samsung S3 Prepaid - Near Hammermill. In grass, display cracked. Returned to owner.
- September 7 - Alcatel, Hammermill and East Lake. Dropped on sidewalk, but in great condition. Brother called, will return to his mother.
- August 30 - Samsung J3 phone, Mohawk and 6th, found in bike path. Display smashed, but still worked ok. Got phone number, was prepaid, could not return.
- August - Prepaid phone. Turned on ok, but then failed to turn on. Got phone number, contacted owner. Due to dead nature of the phone, was trashed.
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More phones
- September 29 - Samsung S3 Prepaid - Near Hammermill. In grass, display cracked. In process.
- September 7 - Alcatel, Hammermill and East Lake. Dropped on sidewalk, but in great condition. Brother called, will return to his mother.
- August 30 - Samsung J3 phone, Mohawk and 6th, found in bike path. Display smashed, but still worked ok. Got phone number, was prepaid, could not return.
- August - Prepaid phone. Turned on ok, but then failed to turn on. Got phone number, contacted owner. Due to dead nature of the phone, was trashed.
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A little brick road in Erie
While bicycling to work, I found a little stretch of brick road on East Park Avenue in Erie PA. Here is the Google street view for the road.
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Another phone
- September 7 - Alcatel, Hammermill and East Lake. Dropped on sidewalk, but in great condition. Brother called, will return to his mother.
- September 30 - Samsung J3 phone, Mohawk and 6th, found in bike path. Display smashed, but still worked ok. Got phone number, was prepaid, could not return.
- August - Prepaid phone. Turned on ok, but then failed to turn on. Got phone number, contacted owner. Due to dead nature of the phone, was trashed.
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Finding Phones
This blog series is going to be about all the phones that I find on the side of the road. It's hard to keep track of the sheer number of phones I find, so this is some attempt to do so.
- September 30 - Samsung J3 phone. Display smashed, but still worked ok. Got phone number, was prepaid, could not return.
- August - Prepaid phone. Turned on ok, but then failed to turn on. Got phone number, contacted owner. Due to dead nature of the phone, was trashed.
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2016 Biking
(Assuming I don't bike tomorrow.)
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2016 | 7530 km / 4679 miles | 158 | Feb 29 | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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2016 Biking
Not completely official, but this is what is done so far
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2016 | 7503 km / 4662 miles | 158 | ? | Dec 8 | | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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Biking 2015
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2015 | 6393 km / 3973 miles | 139 | Mar 10 | Nov 6 | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3603 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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Bike to work 2015 YTD
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2015 | ??? | 105 | Mar 10 | xx | | 2014 | 5978 km / 3623 miles | 124 | Mar 21 | Nov 7 | | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
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Bike to Work Roundup - 2012-2013
|+ Year |+ Distance |+ Bikes to Work |+ Start |+ End |+ Comments | 2013 | 4377 km / 2736 miles | 104 | Apr 2 | Nov 8 | | 2012 | 5450 km / 3406 miles | 120 | Mar 13 | Oct 26 | | 2011 | 4763 km / 2977 miles | 106 | Mar 27 | Nov 4 | Bike to Work bike only | 2010 | 4849 km / 3031 miles | 95 | Apr 7 | Nov 3 | | 2009 | 3356 km / 2013 miles | 79 | Apr 17 | Oct 22 | | 2008 | 3211 km / 2006 miles | 73 | Mar 30 | Oct 16 |
2013
- 4377 km / 2736 miles
- 104 bikes to work
- Started Apr 2, ended November 8
2012
- 5450 km / 3406 miles
- 120 bikes to work
- Started Mar 13, ended October 26
2011
- 4763 km / 2977 miles (bike to work bike only)
- 106 bikes to work
- Started March 27, ended November 4th
2010
- 4849 km / 3031 miles covered
- 95 bikes to work
- Started April 7, ended November 3rd
2009
- 3356 km / 2013 miles covered
- 79 bikes to work
- Started April 17, ended October 22nd
2008
- 3211 km / 2006 miles covered
- 73 bikes to work
- Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
- Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
- Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
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Schwinn Info
Here is my Schwinn info: Schwinn World G0585 (I assume this means a Giant frame manufactured in May, 1985) 27 x 1 1/4 wheels Front wheel: Weinmann, 27 x 1 1/4 - 16x630 30.5 cm, Xun Yu hub
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Hail
We got the first day of hail today. Always seems to happen on this week in October (at least in 2009), near the end of biking to work. And the updated blog rewrite is coming along. Mostly, I'm just removing old junk that's accumulated over the years. Hopefully it still works when I'm done.
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2012 Bicycling
It's getting near the end of the 2012 bike to work season, but today I hit 100 bike to works. My record for a year so far is 106. Hopefully I can beat that one!
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BicycleErie
Working on my latest project, BicycleErie. This will have maps of bicycle friendly routes, bike racks, and other such things. Let's hope this one takes off!
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Arduino Bike Computer
I'm currently working on an Arduino based bike computer / data logger, based on a Arduino Uno and an SD shield. It seems to work quite well, and I use it for recording my progress on my bike trainer. I'm going to replace it with a RBBB and a micro-SD adapter I found online to make it portable.
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2011 Bike to Work Roundup
2011:
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4763 km / 2977 miles (bike to work bike only)
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106 bikes to work
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Started March 27, ended November 4th
2010:
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4849 km / 3031 miles covered
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95 bikes to work
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Started April 7, ended November 3rd
2009:
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3356 km / 2013 miles covered
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79 bikes to work
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Started April 17, ended October 22nd
2008:
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3211 km / 2006 miles covered
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73 bikes to work
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Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
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Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
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Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
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15000 km
Yesterday, my bike odometer turned over 15000 km. I was excited! Amazing how much it all adds up over the years. Currently up to 86 bikes to work.
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2011 Bike to work progress
2011:
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3690 km / 2300 miles
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80 bikes to work
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Started March 27
2010:
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4849 km / 3031 miles covered
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95 bikes to work
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Started April 7, ended November 3rd
2009:
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3356 km / 2013 miles covered
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79 bikes to work
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Started April 17, ended October 22nd
2008:
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3211 km / 2006 miles covered
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73 bikes to work
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Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
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Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
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Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
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3000 km, 2000 miles
On the bike so far:
3216 km, 2010 miles.
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Gifts from the road gods
As you bike along, occasionally you find things that have been dropped, left, or lost. So far this year, I have found:
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A Transformer toy (pretty well used)
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Loose change
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Wallet (returned to owner)
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Keys (sent back in the mail, do not know if it made it back yet)
Last year, I found 3 phones. No phones that were workable have been found yet.
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2000km
So far on the bike this year:
Road km: 2032 km, 1270 miles
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End of the biking season for 2010, start for 2011
As 2011's bike to work season rolls around, here are the statistics for 2010's Bike to Work season:
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4849 km / 3031 miles covered
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95 bikes to work
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Started April 7, ended November 3rd
For 2009:
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3356 km / 2013 miles covered
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79 bikes to work
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Started April 17, ended October 22nd
For 2008:
* 3211 km / 2006 miles covered
* 73 bikes to work
* Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
* Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
* Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
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10000 km
Today, the odometer on my bike hit 10,000 km. Not bad; it's always exciting to roll over to another 1000km and feel like you're making progress.
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Bike to work so far this year
2308 km (1442 Miles), 49 times. Doesn't count any biking I did on the bike trainer.
* Started April 7
2009:
* 3356 km / 2097 miles covered (originally wrote 2013, unsure of why)
* 79 bikes to work
* Started April 17, ended October 22nd
2008:
* 3211 km / 2006 miles covered
* 73 bikes to work
* Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
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Cheap internet bike racing part 5
The project is pretty reliable now. I regularly train against previous rides. Having beat a previous time, it's quite exciting and stimulating to try to retain the lead. I have been dropping seconds quite frequently. All I have to do is keep going at it, and I'll be in good condition for a springtime time trial I'm training for.
I also have added code to publish the times and distances to IRC. For example:
*** #bike 1266376160 *** demobiker (~demobiker@xxx.com) has joined channel #bike <demobiker> 900.000000 0.008644 <demobiker> 1100.000000 0.010805 <demobiker> 1300.000000 0.012966 <demobiker> 1500.000000 0.015127The format is:-
Time in milliseconds
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Distance in km
Eventually, the software will be able to pull in competitors times and display the differences, just as it does with prerecorded times.
Here's what I spent so far:
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$20 for used bike trainer.
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$3.50 for a female connector, used in the joystick.
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$1.50 or so for postage. The magnet and sensor was donated.
Pretty inexpensive. Hopefully some more people will join in and build similar projects.
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Cheap internet bike racing part 4
Looks like the GUI I wrote in GTK seems to be stable, at least in the living room. I need to take it down to the bike. When I was running it yesterday, I got 3km into the ride when the program crashed. What a horrible feeling. I think I had some mutual-exclusion issues with how GTK handles threading. Seems to be stable now, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow.
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Cheap internet bike racing part 3
The sensor is hooked up and I've done a few minor time trials. With the data collection feature, I'm able to automatically generate plots of various practice runs.
In the above graphic, I have two of my runs, plus one of my son's.
Total cost so far: $4.50 (I needed a socket for the connector, bought at Radio Shack). I had the rest of the parts at home, plus the reed sensor was sent by my dad ($1.50 or so, shipping).
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Cheap internet bike racing part 2
For the internet bike racing project, I modified an old Gravis Gamepad Pro controller to have a stereo headphone jack connected to two of the buttons. The plan is to get a reed (magnetic) switch, connect it to the bicycle and have it tripped by a magnet on the rotating wheel. This then acts as if a button was pressed on the joystick, and signals the software to do some processing.
(Image not found: DSCN1260.JPG)
(Image not found: DSCN1255.JPG)
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Cheap internet bike racing
My newest project is a way to race other people with bike trainers on the internet. My goal is to have this as inexpensive as possible - hopefully under $10 or so. I'm not as concerned about fancy graphics or racing courses as much as "am I winning?", and having a reasonable price. So far, I have a simple C program that reads the joystick and calculates the time and distance traveled.
Distance (km) = 0.177 Time = 0:00:29.332 km/h = 54.025 Distance (km) = 0.179 Time = 0:00:29.452 km/h = 64.830 Distance (km) = 0.182 Time = 0:00:29.676 km/h = 34.730 Distance (km) = 0.184 Time = 0:00:29.876 km/h = 38.898 Distance (km) = 0.186 Time = 0:00:30.084 km/h = 37.402 Distance (km) = 0.188 Time = 0:00:30.284 km/h = 38.898 Distance (km) = 0.190 Time = 0:00:30.508 km/h = 34.730Not too fancy so far, but data collection seems pretty good. -
Start of the biking season
Start: 6207 km. Did 12km yesterday in the melting snow. Now all I need to do is keep it up.
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City of Erie proposed cellphone ban
Here's the text of the City of Erie's proposed ban on cell phones while driving. See also the proposed law for Pennsylvania.
C I T Y C O U N C I L O F E R I E
INTRODUCED BY:
COUNCIL FILE NO. OFFICIAL ORDINANCE NO._______________
AN ORDINANCE
Amending the General Offenses Code of
the City of Erie, Part 7, by adding a new
Article 739 Prohibition of Driving with
Hand-Held Mobile Phones, and providing
Penalties for violations thereof
WHEREAS, Erie City Council by resolution dated November 18, 2009, requested that the Solicitor draft an ordinance to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in the City of Erie,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA:
Section 1. That Part 7 of the Codified Ordinances, General Offenses, be amended by the addition of a new Article 739, Prohibition of Driving With Hand-Held Mobile Phones to read as follows:
Legislative Findings and Purpose.
Erie City Council finds that the use of mobile telephones while driving motor vehicles has been a factor in many traffic accidents nationwide; resulting in loss of lives, injuries and property damage, and a prohibition of the use of such devices, other than in a hands-free mode, is in the best interests of the safety the people of the City of Erie, and persons driving on the streets and highways within the City.
Prohibited Conduct
No person shall use a mobile telephone or wireless communication device in any way, including for voice communication, messaging, emailing, or internet activity while operating a motor vehicle, bicycle or other vehicle on any street, road or highway within the City of Erie, with the exception of:
(a)
Persons using such a device entirely in a hands-free mode for voice communication, including dialing without the use of either hand.
(b)
Persons using a mobile telephone to call “911” for emergency assistance, or to report a traffic accident or unsafe driving by another motorist, although effort should be made to exit moving traffic before calling if such can be done promptly and safely under the circumstances.
(c)
Persons using a mobile telephone or wireless communication device while maintaining a motor vehicle in a stationary position in a parking lane or space out of moving traffic lanes, and not in gear.
Penalties
Any person convicted of violating this article shall be guilty of a Summary Offense, and shall be subject to a fine of not less than $150.00 nor more than $300.00.
Section 2. That all ordinances and parts thereof in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
Section 3. That this ordinance shall be effective 20 days after passage and signing by the Mayor.
We do hereby certify that the above ordinance was finally passed by the City Council on , 2009.
SIGNED
Attest: _______________________
President of Council
City Clerk
THIS ORDINANCE APPROVED THIS DAY OF , 2009. Mayor
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Shortest day of the year
Only about 20 more days until the shortest day of the year, meaning that it's almost halfway to bicycling season! Well, I've seen a few riders even today, a dark, rainy day. I wish I had the cajones for that.
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End of the biking season for 2009
Well, I gave up a few weeks ago. Here are the statistics for 2009's Bike to Work season:
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3356 km / 2013 miles covered
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79 bikes to work
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Started April 17, ended October 22nd
From 2008:
* 3211 km / 2006 miles covered
* 73 bikes to work
* Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
* Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
* Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
Looks pretty close. I think I could have started a bit earlier. I quit as late as I could due to the length of the days. Plus, I biked some extra distance to get the miles up!
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Still biking
I'm still biking to work. I expected that I'd be done last week, but I still made a few more trips in. Next week is looking a little so-so; biking in the dark is not very fun and the drivers are getting more and more inattentive (or am I becoming more invisible?). However, after the time change, then biking is almost certainly out.
We'll see how it goes as time goes on. The Crescent Lodur (my Swedish bike) is still going strong.
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Last bike to work?
I just crossed the 2000 mile mark for the year. Very cool. With all the snow on the ground and the darkness lasting later into the morning and starting earlier in the evening, it's becoming more and more difficult to keep going. I'll refrain from declaring bike commuting season over for at least a few more days, but I'm rather pessimistic at this point.
As Dylan Thomas wrote:
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
A poem obviously written about bicycle commuting.
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Snow
And it's the first day of snow in Erie. And the last bike to work, probably.
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More complexity
Well, now I have wiki-like links in the blog here. For me, this means that I can have easier ways to get to static pages like the about me webpage. So what does this mean to this blog? Well, nothing, but hopefully, with the Bike to Work Week website, it will mean additional integrated wiki type functionality. Plus less remembering html tags and such.
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It's not a race
For those of you who aren't racing (the first rule of Super Secret Bike Commuter Race is you don't talk about Super Secret Bike Commuter Race), here is a calculator for determining your score as you're riding along.
Here are the British rules:
The Game
Dropping / Pulling anyone higher in the Food Chain Number makes you stronger and more attractive to burds*. Getting dropped / trying to keep up with anyone lower means your soul hires a kudos remover to lower your self worth. If you scalp someone you have to maintain or extend your lead for such a time as to have the dude you passed admit to themself "I was done". Nipping by, then running into a side road / hiding in traffic won't wash, Be honest with yourself. *Not strictly true
Rules:
1/ No Dangerous Manoeuvres (Don’t be a danger to any other road users or yourself) Falling off causes pain to you and others around you, don’t do it! (oh and you loose yer points)
2/ Don’t ride like a c0ck, we’re all just trying to get somewhere!
3/ No passing at Lights/Junction/Crossings, if you do, it doesn’t count
4/ All passing on open road ONLY. Filtering in traffic is null and void (you know whether you’ve dropped someone fairly, and haven’t turned off straight afterwards)
5/ Pavement passes, either you or the target is void
6/ Show no pain, unless, like me your face is just like that
FOOD CHAIN NUMBERS:
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Scooters
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Roadies with shaved legs - like girls *
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Proper rapid Single speed (real men, messengers, tarty shiny fixies) *
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Roadies with hairy legs - like men *
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Faux Single Speeds (fakengers, dirty/functional bikes, silly egg beater gear) *
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Touring Bikes (Mud Guards) *
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"Fast Hybrids" *
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MTBs on Skinnies *
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MTBs on Nobbies
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Bromptons / collapsing bikes
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MTB full sus on Nobbies
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Shoppers
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Shoppers wicker baskets
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Electric bikes
- Pedal Adjustment +1
• ONLY FCN 2-5 gain points for overtaking the same FCN and Higher Chainers
• Recumbents, Tandems and Segways are worth +2 points as a rare bonus
• Sinclair C5 +20 points as a hens teeth bonus
FCN Adjusters:
CLOTHING:
None:+3
Non-Cycling: +2
Baggies: +1
Lycra: 0
Team Kit: -1
TDF Jersey: -2
BAGGAGE:
Panniers: +1
Back Pack/Courier: 0
Nothing: -1
HEAD GEAR:
Face Mask +1
Helmets/Nothing/Sunglasses: 0
Bike Caps / Wrap arounds: -1
ACCESSORIES:
Herman's Safety Wing" (orange plastic lolly-pop): +2
Trailer:+2
Beard: +1
Child seat (each): +1
Power meter: -1
Aerobars: -1
Coloured tyres -1
PEDALS (If you can identify) FCN2-8 see note above:
Flats: +1
Toe Clips: 0
Evidently Clipless/spds (cycling shoes): -1
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1550 Miles
So far biking to work, I'm past 1550 miles, having ridden 60 times to work. I still would like to make 2000 miles before the end of the year. That means probably around 20 rides more. I'm not sure if that's possible; that's the goal, though. We'll see how the weather and daylight hold up.
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One thousand miles
I've passed 1000 miles so far this year. Last year's count was 2006 miles...I have a long ways to go if I'm going to be able to match last year's record. So far, it's 38 bikes to works...at best, I could do maybe 55 more bikes to work, but that's not going to happen. It's nice to have a goal to make; I just hope I don't disappoint myself.
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Where is summer?
It's been a while since I've biked to work...lots of rain, no sunshine. What happened to summer?
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Biking to work so far
So far, I appear to have biked around 712 miles to work this year (28 times). We'll see if I can beat last year's record.
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Bike to Work Week relaunch
Updated Bike to Work Week to be more blog-ish...based on the same software as this site. I'd eventually like to use the multiple user feature to get additional contributors.
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Multiple blog users
I updated my blogging software so that multiple bloggers could post to it. I'm thinking about expanding my Bike to Work Week site into a bike commuter news type site, and this software would drive it.
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Erie critical mass
Friday, March 27th, we will be meeting for the monthly critical mass bike ride. We will be meeting at 6:00 PM at Perry Square, which is located on 6th and State in downtown Erie, PA. We will ride through the streets of Erie for approximately one hour, and all ages are welcome. This is not a vigorous ride, so cyclists of all types should feel welcome to join.
We held the first critical mass here in Erie in September, and had approximately 32 participants. We held the second critical mass in October, and had approximately 45 participants. Unfortunately due to weather, we have not been able to have a critical mass community ride all winter, so this will provide everyone with the opportunity to take out their neglected bicycles and ride them through the streets.
Come one come all!
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Erie bike races and kids bicycle safety rodeo
Bike racing in Erie, PA!
Announcing the 2009 Erie Downtown Criterium and Kids Bicycle Safety Rodeo!
Sunday May 24, 2009 will see the return of bicycle racing to beautiful Downtown Erie, PA!!!!!
The day will also see a full agenda of events oriented to get kids out and riding safely too, including kids races, a bike safety rodeo and helmet check and we are working on a free or inexpensive helmet program for kids in need!
More details will be coming soon but please put the date on your calendars and plan to come out and race, spectate and/or help out with our events for the kids of the greater Erie area!
If you have helped out with kids races, bike safety rodeos and helmet checks/giveaways in the past PLEASE, PLEASE give serious thought to helping us out with this one.
Chief organizers of the event are Mario Mazza and Ken Bestine who have worked very hard to get the event moving forward. I will be heading up the efforts aimed at the kids events so please contact me directly if you can help out. Keep in mind we all have at least the assets of time and energy to give. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Erie Achievment Center.
Cheers!
Greg Troyer
Please contact me if you would like further information.
- Speedmaster 7000
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Pennsylvania bike support
I received a mail today regarding making bicycling in Pennsylvania safer by requiring clearance from automobiles.
Pennsylvania is a great state to bicycle in but there are some areas that need cleaning up to make it safer for all of us. Pennsylvania was ranked 38th as the most bicycle friendly state by the League of American Bicyclists. In an attempt to make it better, are two important pieces of legislation: 1) a “4 foot passing law,” requiring motor vehicles to pass cyclists with a minimum of 4 feet, and 2) a law protecting cyclists from the dreaded “right hook,” where a motorist passes a cyclist on the left and turns right into the bike’s path.
There is also a proposed amendment to add protection to all “vulnerable users,” such as buggies and pedestrians walking in areas without a sidewalk, and not just limit it to cyclists, but this has yet to be been added. This legislation is being introduced by Rep Ron Miller that has had only 6 sponsors as of February 6th.
Please contact your state representative on this important legislation.
SAMPLE LETTER or EMAIL
(Thanks Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for writing it)
Dear _____________:
I support legislation that is being introduced by Rep. Ron Miller that will require motorists, when changing lanes is not possible, to give at least four feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist. It also requires a motorist who is making a right turn not to interfere with a bicyclist who is traveling straight. This is the same legislation as HB2689 from last session.
Your co-sponsorship of Rep. Miller’s legislation will be greatly appreciated.
For additional info:
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Roller races in Erie
A friend of mine forwarded an e-mail to me about some bicycling roller races being put on in Erie. Chris Coulston's e-mail reads:
I recently put together a device which allows up to four cyclists to race one another on rollers. I made a video about the device and posted it on YouTube under RollerRace. The motivation for building this device was to hold Gold Sprints races. Together with the guys at Competitive Gear we will be hosting gold sprints at the Boardwalk Bar on Sunday January 25th in downtown Erie. Registration will start at 1pm, racing at 2pm. There will be a $5 registration fee, spectators are free and welcome. Each race is a 500m standing start race, run in an elimination form. Other races in different formats may be held, time permitting. The bar will be open and the kitchen should be serving. Please note that this event will be taking place in a bar serving alcohol, I'd advise leaving anyone under 21 at home. A variety of bikes in different sizes will be provided. All the bikes will be equipped with toeclips and straps, so your sneakers will work just fine. The Kreitler rollers being used will be equipped with fork stands so riding the rollers will be almost as easy as using your trainer. Of course you are encouraged to have fun and dress up in your team kit, a chicken costume, or a speedo/cape combination. So practice that high speed cadence and get the word out. Invite that neighbor who expressed an interest in cycling last summer.
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Documentary about bicycling to work
Gina Szafraniec contacted me about her film, about four people who bike to work in Minnesota. Looks fascinating - I hope she's successful in releasing it!
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Chainless bicycle
The new Trek Soho features a carbon composite belt rather than a chain. It will be interesting to see how the new belt lasts through the weather and through shifting. Sounds like an interesting alternative, nevertheless.
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Phoogle - Google maps for PHP - Broken
While working on my Bike to Work Week web site, it suddenly appeared that Phoogle, the Google maps generator that I use, stopped working. Thankfully, a fix was issued for the "Cannot use string offset as an array" error. In short, the fix is:
add:
if(!trim($data)) return;
as the new first line of the characterData function.
It also appears that you have to replace the instances of [Response] with ['Response']. Fortunately, I fixed that issue myself along the way.
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Bike to Work Week - Lattitude magzine
Here's another magazine - Lattitude - that Bike to Work Week (and myself) were mentioned in.
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Beautiful election day weather
I (coincidentally) took the day off, the same as election day. The weather was fantastically nice (20 degrees C, if you can believe the thermometer), so I biked to the polls. The great thing about showing up on election day at 1pm is that there was no line.
I don't think that this beautiful weather will last much longer -- it was almost like summer; however, I'll enjoy it as long as it lasts.
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End of the biking season
Due to cold, rain, and darkness, it appears that it's now the end of the 2008 biking season, for me at least. It's been a really good year! Here are a few statistics:
- 3211 km / 2006 miles covered
- 73 bikes to work
- Started on March 30th, ended October 16th
- Covered the distance from Los Angeles, CA to Davenport, IA (and a bit into Illinois)
- Based on working every day for 52 weeks, this comes out to be 28% of the time! Actually, a bit higher if you take away holidays, vacations, etc.
See this map at Bikely for the virtual ride.
I'll have to start setting goals for next year; I think I can do a bit further. If I really start training, I should be able to go further than this year, especially if I grit it through the rain and snow. I'm really not that type, though. I'd like to be able to do 80 bikes to work next year, if I can.
Of course, if I get up enough nerve to make a few more rides in, I'll post it here.
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Critical Mass - October 31, 2008 - Erie PA
Critical Mass in Erie, PA, will be taking place again on Friday, October 31st, at 5:30 pm at 6th and State Street at Perry Square. Join us for a nice bike ride! You can view a related MySpace Page here for further details. However, that's really it. Critical Mass, the last Friday of each month. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
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Two thousand miles
Today I passed the 2000 mile mark! Unfortunately, it's rather dark in the mornings, so I'm afraid this might be the last bike to work this year. We'll have to see next week, but it's quite an accomplishment!
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Biking to Work - 3000+ km
I've been keeping track of how much distance I've been putting on the road by biking to work this year. To keep it interesting, I'm pretending that I'm biking from Los Angeles to New York, and I'm using Bikely to follow the actual roads. I just reached the 3000km mark, near Iowa City, Iowa. There's still a lot of distance left, and I'm certainly not going to make it this year; however, it's a great mental game to play to help you realize how much you've really accomplished.
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Transportation fringe benefit for bicyclists
The $700 billion bailout bill has bought a bit of benefit for bike commuters. Read the text of the bill here. The amounts therein still seem somewhat piddly when you throw around numbers like $700 billion, but every bit helps.
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End of the biking season?
There has been severe rain here for the past three days. I don't want to speak prematurely, but it sure seems like the end of the bike to work season, at least for those of us who really don't appreciate getting soaked on the way to/from work (which I had, several times).
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Critical Mass - September 26, Erie PA
According to the count I heard, 28 cyclists participated in the first Critical Mass event in Erie! We started at Perry Square, went around the square, and down 6th street. We returned down 10th, went down State street, and then went westward to Frontier Park along the Bayfront. Unfortunately, that was a good place for me to continue home, while the rest of the participants circled back along 6th street.
Here are the (decent) pictures I took on Flickr.
Update: 2008 Nov 1: Here's another page with a description of the event.
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Small Wonder
While biking to work today, I was stopped at a red light. When the left hand lane got a green signal to make their turn, I heard a large engine starting. A Wonder Bread truck had shut off its engine while it waited for the light to change and, as the light changed to green, had restarted its diesel engine. Saving fuel, saving the environment, and cutting down on noise pollution. I like it all.
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How does Critical Mass work?
As far as I can tell, there is no further information on the Critical Mass event to be held in Erie other than on this page. So how does it work? According to the wiki, it generally happens on the last Friday of the month. So, with the winter months closing in on our little community, will there be enough momentum to make it stick? Tune in and see...
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Critical Mass in Erie PA
When: Friday, September 26th at 6:00 PM
What: Bicycle Awareness Rally
Where: Perry Square, Erie, PA
Join your fellow cyclists for a community bike ride. It's time to take back the streets for bicyclists in Erie! Critical mass bicycle activism in effect!
Update: See this post for updates.
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Triathlon
I did the Presque Isle Triathlon! Here is a copy of a mail I sent to Chemda of the Keith and the Girl Podcast regarding my entire experience.
Dear Chemda (and Ironman Bobby)-
I just wanted to tell you how much the episode with you and Ironman Bobby discussing your triathlon inspired me. I had been biking to work quite regularly over the summer, 12 miles each way, and was in decent shape from that exercise. When I heard the episode, I did a search on triathlons in my area. I found out that there was going to be one in two weeks, and I felt that if I had prepared for it a few months ago, I would be ready. I had not swum for a long time, and I had never run at all, much less run a road race.
Over the next two weeks, the idea kept eating at my head, until the day before the race, I went down to the preregistration area. I talked with the people down there, and they encouraged me to join, just for the fun of it all.
I biked home unconvinced, and was up late, watching movies and eating popcorn, falling asleep on the couch. When I woke up, I went to bed, and set my alarm in time to register for the day of the race, in case I decided to do so at the last minute.
When the alarm clock went off, I figured to myself, "if I don't do this, it's just going to be one more thing that I haven't done, and I'll regret it." So, I dug around in the house, dug out a ratty pair of shorts, an old swimsuit, a short wetsuit that I had, a pair of swim goggles, and put my mountain bike, a fairly slow bike, in the back of the car. I drove down to the starting area where there must have been 300 or so competitors. I went up, registered, and was in the waiting list for no shows. 15 minutes before the race, I got lucky, and got a number. I went to pick up my chip, which I had no idea how it works or what to do with it, and put it on.
The swim portion was pretty short, in Lake Erie, but in 4 foot waves, so just going into the water was pretty scary. About 10 people turned around after 5 minutes due to the height of the waves, and the helpers in kayaks had to rescue several swimmers. I plugged along doing backstroke most of the way so I could keep my head above water and breathe in the huge waves. It was unnerving following so many people in the water, with occasional cries of "Help!" around me. When I hit the beach, I was pretty spent, but I kept going. I stripped out of the wetsuit which didn't want to come off, put another pair of shorts over my swim trunks, and hopped on the bike.
The bike leg went pretty quick. All the bike commuting paid off, and I actually passed a few people on it. As I reentered the transition area, the fellow in front of me, when dismounting his bike, lost his balance and crashed in front of the timing pads, throwing his bike into the trees.
The last leg, a 5k run, was painful, but I pushed through it regardless. I had never run anything before, but I figure if I made it so far, I can at least run 5k. I just kept telling myself to go on, and so I did. When I reached the end of the race, I felt fantastic. Just having done the race was a tremendous rush.
When I was done, a fellow came up to me and asked my time, which I had no idea of as I wasn't paying attention and didn't even realize there was a giant clock at the end of the race. He wondered how I had done it with no equipment, and that I hadn't even taken my bike lock off the bike. I laughed to myself...in my haste, I didn't even bother to remove it. Oh well.
Chemda, I just wanted to thank you and Ironman Bobby for the inspiration you provided to me - not only in convincing myself to take up the challenge, but also along the route.
James in Erie PA.
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Bike to Work 2008
I'm going to plan to bike to work again starting earliest March 17th, based on when I stopped last year (weather permitting, of course). This will get me in decent shape in time for Bike to Work Week!
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Bike To Work Week . Org started
In an effort to generate some interest in bike commuting, I've started BikeToWorkWeek.org. I did get some positive feedback from the City of Erie, so hopefully we'll see something show up next May!
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Last Ride of the Year?
Well, after the last ride, it's been dark, rainy, and cold. That may have been the last ride of the year. We'll see. I'm still hoping to sneak a ride or two more in, but it's feeling more and more like winter out there (6 degrees C at the present). Time to move on to new projects and hobbies.
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Bike to Work #54 - Darkness
The ride to work was done with a good start in the early morning hours. The darkness made everything a bit more hazardous. I had to pay extra attention to the traffic, but it was still a warm ride, arriving in a record 43:30! Not quite sure how I did that, as it didn't seem any faster than normal.
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Bike to Work #52 - Close Call With The Train
On my way up Cascade Street, three boys were on bikes ahead of me. Suddenly, the bells for a railroad crossing ahead of all of us began ringing. They all sprinted ahead to beat the oncoming train. I would guess that the last one crossed the tracks only five seconds in front of the locomotive.
I once was in a train when it hit a car. The result? Four deaths. Did I feel anything? No. I looked at the locomotive afterward, and you couldn't even tell that it had hit anything. They did have to bring in a crew with torches to cut off part of the plow, but that was the extent of the repairs that were necessary.
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Bike to Work #51 - Storm
I got about a half a mile from home when a clap of thunder stopped me. I waited -- no more, so I kept going. As I progressed, the storm paralleled my course to work, lightning striking out in the distance. The rain started, but stopped again as quickly. It was extremely nice to get to work and dry off.
The ride home was via the bayfront. They are ripping out the train tracks at the entrance to the Bayfront Convention Center. Of course, crossing there means riding on gravel. Hopefully they'll fix that soon.
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Bike to Work #50 - Yes, 50!
I was pretty exhausted on the ride home today. However, I must admit that it felt really good to have completed fifty rides to work this year! At about 12 miles each way, that comes up to 1200 miles! At 10 mpg and $2.75 a gallon, that's $330 saved! Plus the exercise, better air, and fun that comes with it.
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Bike to Work #49 - Be More Careful
I need to be more careful. I was crossing a street, and barely missed an oncoming car. I swear it wasn't there before.
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Bike to Work #48 - Race
I raced a friend of mine from the hill at Laurel Hill Cemetery and beat him (surprisingly) down to 26th street. He hit many traffic lights, and I was able to glide through most of them, passing by many cars. All in all, he arrived to work about 15 minutes ahead of me. Not bad for a time of 43 minutes and 44 or so seconds.
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Bike to Work #47 - Long Ride & Night
Rode to Asbury Elementary School, a mile or so past my usual destination. After I was done there, it was about 7:45, and almost night. I'm glad I had the rear taillight. Even though it was dusk, I biked with no real problem. However, if I had waited 15 more minutes, then the ride would have been much more dangerous. I need to get or make a headlamp.
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Bike to Work #46 - Close Calls
On my way back home, I had a close call: a woman pulling out of a side street onto 10th ran a stop sign and braked just short of me. Having just seen an ambulance at 10th and Peach, I was being extra careful.
Continuing on my way home, I spotted another gal texting on her mobile phone.
Accidents waiting to happen.
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Bike to Work #45 - Summer
A nice, warm ride today. Summer is still hanging around for a little while at least. The ride home was pretty decent except for the last 15 minutes, when the wind picked up and the temperature dropped.
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Bike to Work #44 - Recumbent
Bicycling on the way in to work today, I talked to a fellow that was biking on his three wheeled recumbent bicycle -- i.e. a bicycle that you lay on your back and kick with your legs out in front of you. I thought that looked like a clever and relaxing way to transport yourself from point A to point B. However, there were some drawbacks that I noticed a few seconds after following him:
* Very slow. And I'm not really all that fast.
* Very low visibility. He had a large flag on the back of him. Lucky that, as he would have been easy prey for automotive traffic.
* Did I mention very slow? On the uphills, it is impossible to stand up to gain leverage. It was like following a turtle.
All in all, a comfortable, yet non-speedy way to travel. And this fellow had a long way to go yet - from 38th and Sterrettania down to Hamot. I think at that point, Sterrettania is a lot safer than some of the side roads. And you have no chance of bailing out.
Kudos to him though!
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Erie's Worst Streets
After doing lots of bicycling on the streets of Erie, I have come to the conclusion, as many of you surely have, that Erie needs to get more dentists because of all of the fillings that will be lost due to the poor conditions of the streets.
Erie does have many decent streets and has been working extra hard over the past few weeks to patch up many of them near the 10th and Cherry area. In fact, since 10th street was repaved, biking on it is like biking on silk. It is that smooth. However, there are a few offenders that I would like to point out:
- 8th street from the Bayfront to the airport (at the least). It is a patchwork of bumps, cracks, and disintegrating concrete.
- Pittsburgh and Greengarden. Especially near the train tracks.
- Cherry Street. A rollercoaster of life threatening potholes. The bad part is the potholes and cracks, not the rollercoaster part. I would consider that part of its charm.
Please add your suggestions in the comments.
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Bike to Work #43 - The Windy City
No, not Chicago. Erie was the windy city today. Biking back was a lot of work. On the way to work, I tried Cherry Street - A real quick downhill run! I didn't try it back uphill, though.
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Bike to Work #42 - Stuff I See on the Ground
Biking to work, I see lots of strange things on the ground. Things that I, unfortunately, don't have time to pick up or investigate. Within the last month or so, I've see the following items:
- Multiple pennies, at least 3
- A cell phone without a battery
- A broken bicycle light
- A GM MasterCard (still in working condition)
- A key
Got stopped by a train on the way to work, as well as every stop light. Lots of traffic on the way back. I seem to be stuck near the 45 minute (good time) time and 55 minutes (bad time) marks.
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Bike to Work #41 - Speed Racer
I did another bike to work today. Made it home in about 49 minutes and 18 seconds, which is about as good as it gets. I can't seem to really break that time. Another thing to note is that my stopwatch only calculates time based on the time that my wheels are moving, not actual time. So, if I stop and take a break, then I can reduce my "in motion" time. Cheating? Maybe. I haven't decided that one yet!
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Bike to Work #40 - Freedom of the Wide Open Road
I never thought I would make it this far biking to work. It's far more the exception than the norm to take the car to work nowadays. In fact, while I like to take the car, when I do, I often miss the "freedom of the road" that the bicycle give me. It's not the saving money. It's not the saving the environment. It's the freedom.
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Bike to Work #39 - Tube Problems
Well, my front tube is misbehaving again. Seems to be losing its pressure. That's a real shame, but I'm not going to change it out, just am going to keep refilling it each morning.
I hit the 2000 km mark on my odometer this morning! I suspect my total km for this year is somewhere near 1700 as I think I had some distance on the bicycle before I started for the year. Next year I might switch my odometer to miles, just because it means that bragging about the distances I've gone is easier than dividing by 1.6. I'm located in the US, where we haven't figured out how to be international yet.
See all tags.