April 20, 2006
People on bikes are blooming like the flowers and trees on the streets of Lawrence. Welcome back from your winter slumber!It's been over half a year since I last posted on lawrence.com. I've been on the ride ever since. Back when I committed myself to biking year round I wasn't sure how or if I would make it. But here I am having made it through my first winter season of riding.I took fewer recreational rides during the winter but I commuted every work day except those few days when snow wasn't cleared off the roads. Otherwise any day rain or shine was game. And it felt like a game figuring out how I should prepare for weather I've not biked in.More than anything the thing I like is the misconceptions I erased in my mind; the road blocks that kept me from enjoying the ride. I've lived in this town for 15 years and I've always had a bike to ride. But in the past I always psyched myself out from riding on cold or wet days. Sometimes it was even the chance of precipitation or cold that would keep me from going.But now I know better. I can ride in any weather except maybe 2" of snow on uncleared streets. And to be honest I could probably do that but my one experience with that taught me that it might just be better to find another vehicle. And the fact is days like that are very few in the course of the year.It's all about being prepared and having the right clothing. Right clothing also doesn't mean that you have to go out and buy the $300 gore tex jacket for rainy weather. I wear no lycra and I only have a couple of arm warmers and balaclava that are biking specific. Most days it's some nylon running pants over long underwear and some kind of fleece over whatever layers are necessary.What about rain you say? Cover up your usual clothes with a cheap ($7 - $10) pvc rain suit. The rain suit can be carried any day there is a chance of rain. Another thing I learned about the chance of rain: 30% chance of rain means that only 30% of the day will there even be a chance of rain. And most likely the 20 minutes it might take me to get to work will not be during those times.So now it's not a choice whether or not to ride. I just ride. And now I've got all year to enjoy my bike.
Comments
lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.
leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says...
Thanks for posting, Chad!
I've been wanting to do a car-free summer, which I've now realized I need to pare down some (I think use of the car only 1 day/week is fair), but my big dilemma now is getting my daughter to her preschool each day. It's up on the hill at University and Iowa. I live in East Lawrence, and all of the routes I come up with are via very busy, narrow roads with lousy sidewalk access (she'll be in a bike trailer). Anyone have a route I'm missing?
April 20, 2006 at 3:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rpk (Robert Kerley) says...
Well done! Riding this winter has been eye-opening and invigorating for me as well. Co-workers stopped asking "are you still gonna ride when it gets cold?" around November; now it's just expected!
April 20, 2006 at 3:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chrysanthalbee (chrys anthalbee) says...
leslie.. i try and avoid high traffic areas as much as possible as well, for the most part. the main thing you have to contend with besides the traffic is that you either have to go up a short, steep hill or a longer, less steep hill to get up the mountain (oread). here's part of my route to work and it avoids some higher traffic areas by going through old west lawrence. and, it gets you up the hill.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=135826.
maine is busy so another street could work better but it's the best place to cross 9th. i then (in my terminology) "terrace".. i go up 10th then back south on missouri just to keep me from going up the entire hill at once. on west hill terrace the sidewalk is nice and you avoid the traffic that is on that road in the morning. this is also where you'll get most of your climbing workout.
i'm not sure where you're biking from so YMMV. good luck though. i'm happy to see so many people get out on two wheels.
April 20, 2006 at 3:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OnShakedown (Chris Tackett) says...
anyone have an old road bike to sell? something nice, but cheap?
April 20, 2006 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lori (anonymous) says...
Leslie, is there a bus route that would get you near her school? You could take her by bus and ride back (then you would get to use the nifty bike racks on the bus, too), and then in the evenings you could ride up there and take the bus back.
Back when I actually rode alot, I would go down 9th to mississippi and ride up miss; at least it's a gradual incline. The sidewalks aren't too bad, butyou do have to watch it. The other option is to take 10th to Indiana, and ride up from there. Hope you have alot of gears; you'll need them, hauling that kid up the hill!
April 20, 2006 at 11:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lori (anonymous) says...
Chad, how do you handle your work clothes and such? I feel like I have to lug an extra 20 pounds on my back, between water, clothes, my lunch, etc.
April 21, 2006 at 7:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
unicornpop (anonymous) says...
I too love to ride my bike, when I had one. I have now had two bikes stolen from me....granted partially my fault for not locking them up. So if you happen to see either a red, DeSoto adult trike with a chrome basket on the back of it (a gift from my grandfathers will) or a 1973, dark green Schwin Collegiate, could you please holla back at a girl.
April 21, 2006 at 7:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chrysanthalbee (chrys anthalbee) says...
OnShakedown.. i don't have any old bikes lying around but i see plenty of them at garage sales and occasionally i see bikes (among other things) pop up on the lawrence freecycle group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lawrenc...
lori.. i have an enormous chrome messenger bag (http://www.chromebags.com/). i carry my work clothes, lunch and a kitchen sink. but you don't need a messenger bag nor do you need to spend a hefty sum of money on a bag. my wife uses a backpack for her commute and generally that's the best bang for your buck. they're stable and can carry all the necessities. if you do go the messenger bag route make sure it has a waist strap. they are essential for keeping your bag from swinging freely on the shoulder strap and throwing off your balance. another option is a panniers/rack setup. this frees you from having to carry a bag on your back while riding and it lowers the center of gravity so some people prefer this method. alas, i'm not only a bike slut but i am also a confirmed bag slut so i own the 3000 cubic inch kremlin chrome bag. and i want another smaller one too..
unicornpop.. my heart goes out to you. those bikes would be hard to replace. it's true you need to lock your bike up at all times to keep it from getting stolen but i'm hoping some kind of karma comes back at all bike thieves. on a related note make sure when you use a U-lock that you lock up as much of your bike as you can. i always try and get my back tire and frame locked which only leaves my quick release front tire vulnerable. if i locked my bike up at night outside i'd use a cable that hooked onto my U-lock and would go through my front tire as well.
April 21, 2006 at 10:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
beatle919 (Marcy McGuffie) says...
Chad: Glad to see you back!
April 21, 2006 at 11:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chrysanthalbee (chrys anthalbee) says...
thanks beatle and leslie for the welcome.
check out the top story in this newsletter, re: bike trailers. think we can get the new wal-mart to provide something like this?
http://www.ealingcycling.org.uk/Subje...
April 21, 2006 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lori (anonymous) says...
I don't want to have to go back every three days....but I'd consider buying one.
April 21, 2006 at 5:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fletch (anonymous) says...
Hooray for Chrome bags! I've got a Chome Metropolis, and it was worked great for commuting through all types of weather and commute types (worked well in Lawrence, Rhode Island, and Texas). I try to wear my work pants (usually khakis or slacks) and strap my right leg so it doesn't get caught in the chain. The bag's been big enough to fit work files, lunch, a shirt (and pants if I have to squeeze them in), and almost anything else I could need. Plus on most days it's got enough space left that I can stow my helmet and bike gloves in the bag while I'm at work so I don't lose track of them. Out of the 4 or 5 messenger bags I've had over the years, it is the best I've ever had for a bike commute.
April 21, 2006 at 11:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )