Tuesday, May 13, 2008

More Lessons Learned

Every day is a learning experience.
  • Quick release skewers are waaaay better than a solid axle and hex nuts
  • If you have a solid axle and hex nuts, make sure that your multi-tool has a wrench that fits the nuts
  • CO2 pumps are apparently not air-tight; if the canister seal is broken and you leave the pump in your seat bag, when you go down at lunch to patch your tube, the canister will be empty
  • Coworkers who offer to give you a ride to your car after work = AWESOME

Monday, May 12, 2008

A Couple of Solid Bike Commuting Weeks...

..under the belt and aside from a few mechanical mishaps here and there (with which Dave and the guys at AJ's Bikes and Boards were able to assist me), everything seems to be going quite well.

Some lessons learned:
  • Have spare tires on hand, not just spare tubes
  • If you have a CO2 pump, you should also have a few spare CO2 canisters
  • A mini patch kit is a good idea even if you carry a spare tube
  • Make sure the tension on you pedals isn't too high, because the screws that come with your cleats are surprisingly easy to strip out
I'm not sure if it's just me or if traffic has actually been noticeably lighter the last few weeks. I paid $3.59/gal on Friday and by this morning, it had jumped to $3.65. That's the likely reason for fewer cars on the road, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. At the same time, I have noticed a few more people on bikes in the morning. With the industrial areas I ride through, you always see the blue collar guys that either can't afford a car or lost their license, but I'm seeing more of those guys plus a few more people who actually know the rules of the road and are riding bikes that don't look held together with duct tape and chewing gum. I've even seen one or two more bikes at the bike rack here at work. That seems to be inconsistent though.

It may not be for long though. I've been getting lots of questions from coworkers as well as from people I don't even know, about my commute, how I clean up, how I manage to not reek, etc... It's pretty cool. One of my manager's bosses even told me I was his hero. That was pretty cool. Now, if only I could find an angle to work that into a raise...

May is National Bike Month.