Well, these are not official in any way, but here's my summary of the outcomes of my riding thus far.
I began on 9/14, and have ridden twice weekly for 6 of the 7 weeks (last week rode 3x).
That's fifteen 12 mile round trips. If I used my truck @ 14 mpg I would have used 13 gallons.
19lbs CO2 are generated per gallon gas burnt.
That means I've prevented almost 200 pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
Plus I've lost 6 or 7 pounds thus far as well.
(Some might suggest that the lost fat actually was converted into CO2, and had been safely "sequestered" away from the atmosphere in my body. But at least this is C that operates within the food chain and can be seen as "sustainable" in terms of the rapid uptake of C by plants in this version of the carbon cycle).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Riding Loaded...
Ride Loaded... as the folks from Xtracycle say. Today I took a bulky but light load of plastic containers, cardboard, and paper to the recycling center. This load also included my briefcase, duffel, lunch, locks, lights, and an empty growler to return to the local brewery. Leaving for town is easy, it's all downhill. Returning is where I frequently wish I had the Stokemonkey electric assist system from Cleverchimp.A crisp fall day, an easy and useful ride, and on the way home I even had time to stop and chat with old friends I hadn't seen in a while. Would have missed them had I been in a car.
Great riding, peace to all.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hauling cargo.
Xtracycles are really for hauling cargo, but, I have been chicken to really load up for one reason. I was uncertain of my ability to get back up the hill to my home once I went down (!).
However, I decided downhill to work was the best way to start, so today I hauled a huge plastic toolbox containing my anthropology class primitive firestarting kit back to school. Zero problems- didn't even know it was there. En route home I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed a gallon of milk and a quart of ale. A benefit of hauling a beer up the hill, one feels ever so much more smug about drinking it once home.
Super dark, so helmet/headlight, handelbar light, 2 blinkies, reflective ankle bands, all deployed this time. No problems, so I suppose it was a success. It's also getting colder, in the 40s, and it still feels good.
We'll see about November.
Side note- a motorist shaved past too close today and when I loudly requested he give me more room (nothing offensive, just loud), he actually stopped in the middle of his lane, rolled his window down, and then cruised alongside me and said that cyclists are supposed to yield to cars. I told him to review the law, and that bikers are afforded the same basic rules of operation as vehicles, and that I was yielding, by riding on the right side of the road. How far over can one get on a two lane, one way street with cars parked on both sides? Get run over or get doored. He just got peeved, and hassled me for a block or two. What's with people?
However, I decided downhill to work was the best way to start, so today I hauled a huge plastic toolbox containing my anthropology class primitive firestarting kit back to school. Zero problems- didn't even know it was there. En route home I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed a gallon of milk and a quart of ale. A benefit of hauling a beer up the hill, one feels ever so much more smug about drinking it once home.
Super dark, so helmet/headlight, handelbar light, 2 blinkies, reflective ankle bands, all deployed this time. No problems, so I suppose it was a success. It's also getting colder, in the 40s, and it still feels good.
We'll see about November.
Side note- a motorist shaved past too close today and when I loudly requested he give me more room (nothing offensive, just loud), he actually stopped in the middle of his lane, rolled his window down, and then cruised alongside me and said that cyclists are supposed to yield to cars. I told him to review the law, and that bikers are afforded the same basic rules of operation as vehicles, and that I was yielding, by riding on the right side of the road. How far over can one get on a two lane, one way street with cars parked on both sides? Get run over or get doored. He just got peeved, and hassled me for a block or two. What's with people?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Cold Weather, faster riding...
Getting in better shape, it seems. Rides to work are averaging less than 25 minutes, door to door. I'm also pretty much warmed up, but not lathered up upon arrival. Colder weather also helps, too. Rides home have been shaved down to 30 minutes. I plastered DOT red & white reflective tape on the bike, and plan to add another blinky for safety. It's getting darker sooner, and I'm getting used to riding in the dark, something I've never done very much.
I'm more used to the Xtracycle, and am continually surprised at how well it handles. I push it harder and harder and it seems to pretty much do what I ask. Rode with my wife on the snapdeck this weekend, just cruising up and down our street, but that also went well too. I can see how it would work well downtown, but there's no way I could pull any heavy load back up the hill to my house w/o an electric assist setup (or an aneurysm).
Basically, the riding is starting to become my new normal, and all the "unknowns" seem to have been explored- routes, traffic, locking, handling, gear, loads, etc. It's incredibly liberating to know I can get anywhere around here by my own power. I initially thought I'd need an assist setup, but I'm glad I've done without thus far. When I start delivering my twins to preschool 5 days a week, a Stokemonkey will definitely be in order. For now, it's old fashioned muscle power, and it's fabulous.
Thus far: September through mid-October, averaging 2 round trips to work per week, 8 trips total, 88 miles, 2760 vertical feet climbed, and 120 pounds of CO2 saved by not driving. Plus, I've lost 5 pounds too, with no change in eating habits (mmm, beer).
I'm more used to the Xtracycle, and am continually surprised at how well it handles. I push it harder and harder and it seems to pretty much do what I ask. Rode with my wife on the snapdeck this weekend, just cruising up and down our street, but that also went well too. I can see how it would work well downtown, but there's no way I could pull any heavy load back up the hill to my house w/o an electric assist setup (or an aneurysm).
Basically, the riding is starting to become my new normal, and all the "unknowns" seem to have been explored- routes, traffic, locking, handling, gear, loads, etc. It's incredibly liberating to know I can get anywhere around here by my own power. I initially thought I'd need an assist setup, but I'm glad I've done without thus far. When I start delivering my twins to preschool 5 days a week, a Stokemonkey will definitely be in order. For now, it's old fashioned muscle power, and it's fabulous.
Thus far: September through mid-October, averaging 2 round trips to work per week, 8 trips total, 88 miles, 2760 vertical feet climbed, and 120 pounds of CO2 saved by not driving. Plus, I've lost 5 pounds too, with no change in eating habits (mmm, beer).
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Drafting a bus downtown and drive thrus... on an Xtracycle
Rode Tuesday and Thursday this week, and interesting things abounded. Tuesday the wind was steady West at 15mph- riding to work seemed to be "uphill" the whole way. Riding home was like I had an extra pair of legs under me. Average time to work (5.5 miles) has been 25 minutes, today was 35. Average time home has been taking usually 35 minutes with that mongo hill at the end of my ride- today it was only 25! Backwards day, sort of. Awesome.
Today it was colder, breezy, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, I had the great fortune to catch a senior citizen bus at an intersection in the city going my way. Serendipity intervened and the bus and I hit all the green lights for about 7 or 8 blocks, so I cruised behind the bus the whole way at about 25-30mph almost effortlessly. One of my greatest adrenaline rushes of all time is drafting a bus, dump truck, van, or any similar vehicle in city traffic, you can fly and people wonder what the (*&(*& just zipped past them.
I got a lot of weird looks from pedestrians, possibly surprised to see a) an Xtracycle, and b) that such a huge bike was hurtling past them directly behind a bus. I was grinning like a madman. I pulled up beside the bus at an intersection, the bus turning right, I was going left. When the driver looked over at me, she jumped when she saw me, since she had seen me pull behind 8 blocks back nd probably assumed I was long gone. She realized what I had done and gave me a grin and a thumbs up.
On the way home I detoured to Rite Aid and pulled the Xtracycle into the drive thru lane. After a car pulled away, I eased up to the window, and the clerk was obviously surprised to see some weirdo on a bike with a helmet on instead of the usual SUV clad suburbanite. Funny thing was a colleague of mine from my college walked up to the counter inside the store and was equally puzzled when he saw me, it took him a minute to figure out what I was all about, then he gave me a big smile. The clerk was nice to me and helped me, and off I went.
Saw another colleague of mine and his significant other en route home, took them a minute to recognize me, and two blocks later, ran into another friend of mine and her friend, stopped to chat. Not easily possible in a car, for sure. Just about home, I looked up into the shrubs along the road (try doing that at 40 mph) and saw three birds nests I never knew were there.
The things you can do on a bike/xtracycle that you just never get in a car. Great week.
Later!
Today it was colder, breezy, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, I had the great fortune to catch a senior citizen bus at an intersection in the city going my way. Serendipity intervened and the bus and I hit all the green lights for about 7 or 8 blocks, so I cruised behind the bus the whole way at about 25-30mph almost effortlessly. One of my greatest adrenaline rushes of all time is drafting a bus, dump truck, van, or any similar vehicle in city traffic, you can fly and people wonder what the (*&(*& just zipped past them.
I got a lot of weird looks from pedestrians, possibly surprised to see a) an Xtracycle, and b) that such a huge bike was hurtling past them directly behind a bus. I was grinning like a madman. I pulled up beside the bus at an intersection, the bus turning right, I was going left. When the driver looked over at me, she jumped when she saw me, since she had seen me pull behind 8 blocks back nd probably assumed I was long gone. She realized what I had done and gave me a grin and a thumbs up.
On the way home I detoured to Rite Aid and pulled the Xtracycle into the drive thru lane. After a car pulled away, I eased up to the window, and the clerk was obviously surprised to see some weirdo on a bike with a helmet on instead of the usual SUV clad suburbanite. Funny thing was a colleague of mine from my college walked up to the counter inside the store and was equally puzzled when he saw me, it took him a minute to figure out what I was all about, then he gave me a big smile. The clerk was nice to me and helped me, and off I went.
Saw another colleague of mine and his significant other en route home, took them a minute to recognize me, and two blocks later, ran into another friend of mine and her friend, stopped to chat. Not easily possible in a car, for sure. Just about home, I looked up into the shrubs along the road (try doing that at 40 mph) and saw three birds nests I never knew were there.
The things you can do on a bike/xtracycle that you just never get in a car. Great week.
Later!
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