Found: the National Road

Saturday, 9 March 2013

My ride today started with errands to mail a package—getting there only a minute before the office closed—and to drop off a CD at the library.

Then I took the Great Miami River Trail north toward Taylorsville Reserve, thinking of Troy as my turnaround point. When I crossed the Miami River from Harrison township to Wayne township, I noticed a small farm building that was clearly from the 19th century, so I crossed over to Powell Road and rang the bell at the owner's house.

When he opened the door, I pulled out my 1938 map and asked, "Are you perhaps Mr. Spahn?" He answered, "No, but I bought this house from the Spahn family in the 1970s." I asked about the barn and whether there still are remnants of the lock on the Miami and Erie Canal that passed just east of their home. He invited me in to talk with his wife, who has a much greater range of information about the location. We three had a great time talking about the locks, distillery, former owners, and old buildings that still stand nearby.

His notes on the 1938 map helped clarify where Johnson's Station had been. Where today Little York Road passes underneath the railway through a large tube is where Johnson Station had been. Today, the area is home to several businesses, including Butler Asphalt and the Miami Valley Shooting Grounds. A modern bridge has replaced the crossing that existed even as early as 1875, and a new bridge has been built at the north end of Rip Rap Road Park as part of the Great Miami River Bikeway.

Remnants of the National Road, at the end
of Silvan Cliff Road, Vandalia Ohio

Back on the bikeway, I headed north again, more cognizant now of the canal that parallels the bikeway and the Miami River, until the canal crossed over the river where Taylorsville Dam is now. About a mile north of the dam, I took an abandoned road up out of the park, over two sets of active railway, and up a ravine to the Cassel Hills Golf Course. I spoke with a manager near the clubhouse, who mentioned a toll house monument just outside the golf course entrance. Just beyond that monument was a rolling bluff-top neighborhood and an old cut into the hill, curving down toward the river. It was the remaining excavations for the National Road curving up from the river to Vandalia. The former village of Tadmor lay along this part of the trail. In 1875, the village may have had only three houses, owned then by W. Crook and M.S., and J. Sunderland.

I left exploring this trail for another day, when I could walk the area with hiking shoes rather than cycling cleats.

Remnants of National Trail bridge across the Miami and Erie Canal, just outside Tadmor Ohio

I returned to the bikeway along the same abandoned road, and headed further north to photograph the remains of a bridge that crossed the canal, near the former location of Tadmor. I descended to the river, hoping to find remnants of a bridge crossing. But I was disappointed in that hope. Instead, what looks like a stream outlet to the river is so gradual—and serves no actual stream from the surrounding forest—that it seems to be an engineered exit for fording the river.

Finally back in riding mode, I continued on the new bikeway into Tipp City. I had used a lot of time in my explorations, so I turned around here for a bonk-tinged ride back home. I'll leave for another Spring day a ride to Troy, which was my planned turnaround for the ride.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 53 to 56°F late afternoon
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 14:40 to 19:30 for 44.95 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 9 cyclists, 25+ pedestrians, 6 dogs

The Huffman Connector

Monday, 18 February 2013

Today was a slog, riding my trail bike on the bikeway so I could explore the Huffman Connector.

 The bikeway in Eastwood Park has a rough layer of asphalt that stretches from the lagoon, east through the park, and under Harshman Road along the Mad River.

After the Mad River underpass, the rough asphalt layer climbs to the entrance to the Dayton Well Fields.

 The path is dug to an existing underpass of the railway, though the whole area is water logged from seepage from underneath Harshman Road. I suspect this will be a problem that requires further engineering to answer the wet conditions before applying underlayment and asphalt to the path.

The underpass was built in 1918, as attested by a date on the south approach. I guess that it was built by the railway company to allow higher speeds and eliminate infringement of auto traffic.

The connector work is in progress on the segment that closely parallels Springfield Pike and skirts the west and south edges of old Harshmanville. Almost the entire reach is in various stages from the Harshman Mansion to the railway underpass near the merge of Springfield Pike and Highway 444.



A few segments have a well-rolled rock underlayment, 

some segments have the top layers of dirt scraped away, other segments have a loose dressing of crushed rock, and others have a lightly compacted rock. The next coating of a rough asphalt will not be laid until all the path is at the same readiness.

The digging stops neatly at the boundary marker of Riverside, just a dozen feet from crossing into Greene County.


Inside Greene County, much detail work awaits final surveys and on-the-ground planning. Construction will include rerouting Springfield Pike into a two-lane underpass of the railway. The west arch of the underpass will be reserved for bike traffic, the east for auto.




After the railway underpass, the bikeway will curve into a 3-turn zig-zag down to an existing rough trail. This trail will be upgraded to bikeway standards, and it will climb Huffman Dam in another zig-zag.

Perhaps in late spring, the full routing from Eastwood Park to Huffman Dam will receive the final smooth coat.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 50 to 56.7°F at 13:57 to 16:09
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 16 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: 02:12 for 18.6 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 13 cyclists, 23 pedestrians

Why I'm not commuting

Saturday, 17 November 2012

Today was cool, but great for a two-layer ride. And this was my first ride in a couple weeks, during a long fallow period of riding because of classes taken at Wright State. And for other reasons.

What's been keeping me from commuting
It has been 9 months since I commuted to work regularly by bike. My last work commute was a day before Eastman Kodak "offered" me "early retirement." On the same day they served lay-off notices to the first 30% wave of their employees. Over that period, I've been rethinking what it must mean now to use my bicycle in a meaningful way that relates to commuting by bike, now that my workplace is my home.

I've been busy in the past 9 months, busier even than when I was a direct employee. The time saw a change in mindset from job hunting to building a viable business. Eastman Kodak provided 8 weeks of coaching for the job hunt, hosted by Judith Schimpf, a sensitive facilitator at Lee Hecht Harrison. I ended the sessions early to start taking Summer classes in marketing at Wright State. I started with the basic Introduction to Marketing, taught by Dr. Wakiuru Wamwara-Mbugua, whose pre-professorial experience included several demographic and interest group studies. Then I completed the Summer with Entrepreneurial Small Business, taught by Dr. Kendall Goodrich. His background includes management positions in large companies' marketing departments, and his advice superbly guided the building of a Business Plan for what was to become my company. And now I'm studying College Algebra, a pre-requisite for taking Managerial Finance.

At least since the Entrepreneurship class, my business Documentorium has been gestating. I've become more receptive to contracts instead of a direct position (though Chuck is much less comfortable with the idea than I). I've designed a simple business card and brochure, with stationery to match. I've gone to two trade shows now, and  I have planned and started an approach to contacting target clients. I've been practicing my Elevator Pitch in phone calls and meetings. It's getting honed and focused as I use it. Best news: I've been active with a couple contracted jobs, though I'm not working full-time yet in a writing capacity. So where I have available time, I spend it in administrative and sales activities.

What's been my biking activity—and hope
In this time of transition, I've biked to the local post office when I had books to deliver after they sold from our Amazon storefront, Words and Beyond. I biked also a few times to the Second Street Market. But for the most part, my bike leaned on the wall while I drove to classes at Wright State University and to errands.

I know that the direct route to Wright State is not one I want to use for biking. Way back in 1980, I had taken the route along Colonel Glenn Highway and Airway. Even then the traffic was extraordinarily heavy, and it's worse—much worse—now. There is good news, though; construction is underway on a dedicated route that can end at the university. Perhaps as soon as late Spring 2013, Five Rivers MetroParks will complete a connector between Eastwood Park and Huffman Dam. Then the route will be indirect, but safe—a ride of 12 miles that should be easily done in 50 minutes.

Reconsidering the bike commute
So working from home means rethinking what a commute is. One alternative: take a morning ride to prepare for work at home or a late afternoon ride to mark the end of the workday at home. Another alternative: use more errands as opportunities for bike commuting. Another alternative: rethink my comfort level, so I can dress in casual business instead of cycling lycra and arrive at a destination without needing a shower.

Today's ride conditions
I started out around 3 p.m., took the bikeways to the gym that was known as Cardinal Fitness (now it's Every Body Fitness), and turned around for the return trip. I checked my time about a mile after the turnaround: 4:19. Then after coming up from the bikeway and riding the neighborhood streets back home, I saw Marty Moseman and talked with her for a bit before I got home at 5:10.

Temperature: 53 to 59°F at 16:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 15 mph from the south and east
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, light tights, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: about 2:00:00 for about 26 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: no data

Bike-commute day 94—to gym and home

Friday, 14 October 2011

It's been a very long time since I stopped at Cardinal Fitness on my way home from work. I was able to stop there today only because I worked a partial day. That left the afternoon for the gym visit and going to the Neon to see The Future.

I had to leave Kodak at noon, since overtime is not allowed. I had worked a very long day Wednesday to finish revisions on a book that must be reviewed and completed by the end of October. After FrameMaker "blew up" three times while making the PDF, it finally succeeded after I made enough space available for builing the intermediate files. So I left that evening after 12.5 hours of work. So I cut the workday short to avoid recording more than 40 hours. CEO Antonio Perez announced several acts of belt tightening. And in August, Kodak announced that about a thousand of its patents on imaging technology were offered for sale. Perhaps revenue producers like the Versamark and Prosper brands offer another strength in the transition to a digital focus.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 56 to 60°F at 11:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 15 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 1:02:06 for 15.82 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm HRave, 149 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 10 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 93—to work

Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Ugh! My lungs still clog at the thought of the diesel emissions from the school buses I have to follow each morning. Do school buses get a pass on emissions, or do the school districts just evade action by the EPA and OEPA?

Way back in 2006, the Dayton Business Journal reported on several school districts that benefited from an OEPA program to retrofit 238 school buses to lower-pollution engines. None of the $120,000 was awarded to the Dayton school district. Since then, Dayton was awarded retrofit money several times. Perhaps the buses that serve my neighborhood were overlooked. Or worse: those buses were retrofitted, the exhaust has been reduced up to 80%, and the amount is still offensive to a cyclist waiting behind a bus while kids are boarding.

The transportation department of the Dayton School District offers this information:

The Transportation department is located at 4290 James H. McGee Blvd., Dayton, OH 45427. The Transportation Department provides the community a safe, professional and efficient means to transport eligible students in the Dayton area. We provide transportation for over 15,000 students to and from school, athletic events and field trips. Transportation is also provided for special events as assigned by the district superintendent.
Our school bus fleet travels over 8,000 miles per day and over 1.5 million miles a school year! The transportation department employs over 300 employees, including more than 250 qualified school bus drivers and substitutes. Additionally, there are highly qualified mechanics that maintain our fleet, body shop/metal workers to repair damaged school buses and trained paraprofessionals that ride and assist our special needs students.
The Dayton Public Schools transportation department has received the highest marks for safety and reliability from the annual Ohio State Highway Patrol inspection team. We strive to provide safe and reliable transportation for our students by managing effectively time, resources and personnel.

The school district now advocates a neighborhood school program, in which students are enrolled in a school near where they live. With 22 elementary schools, 6 high schools, 2 special centers, and 2 community schools spread throughout the city, all are an easy bike ride away. So why drive the 8,000 miles each day?

In 2009, the city received a grant of $583,000 to develop a "Safe Routes to Schools" program. The award went to five projects that focused work for Cleveland Elementary, Edison Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Kiser Elementary, and Ruskin Elementary. In support of the program the regional transportation planning agency, MVRPC, developed a well-reasoned plan for implementing similar programs for the entire city—and by example, for the entire Miami Valley. The federal money didn't arrive in Dayton until 2010, as reported by the Dayton Daily News.

I hope that the city and MVRPC continue to write grant proposals and fill applications for broadening the accessibility of schools, shopping, recreation, and places of employment for cyclists and walkers. Let's give those diesel school buses their final destination: the junkyard.


Ever the counting habit affects me. This morning, I counted 17 areas along the bike-commute where walnut alerts are necessary. While counting, I said good morning to some of the regulars: Gary and Amy on their tandem, Gladys, and Gene and his dog Patches. I also saw the group of regulars heading north from their start at the Gazebo. Usually they ride on Wednesdays, and often Bob Pinnell leads the ride. There must have been collusion among the five riders to change the day.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 51 to 57°F at 07:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south and east
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:14 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 7 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 92—to work

Monday, 10 October 2011

Today as I came south from Burkhardt and approached the canopied way along the DPL executive golf course, two deer were in the clearing. On seeing me, one deer bounded away from the K-Mart dock area, across the bikeway, and into the overgrowth that borders the houses to the west. The doe, who was grazing on the west side of the bikeway, looked up from her foraging and watched me as I passed. Calm, confident.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 55 to 61°F at 07:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the north and east
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:37 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm HRave, 151 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclists, 5 pedestrians, 4 dogs, 2 deer
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 85—to work

Thursday, 22 September 2011

The bikeway was very sparely used this morning. That was good, since I had energy to spare for the ride and not much to devote to counting the users. I first sensed the spare energy as I approached the Findlay underswoop, out of which I climbed to a sprint on the plateau and scattered the geese snacking on the greens.

I also made pushes at the former Multi-Service plant and under the canopies north and south of Burkhardt.And mentioning Burkhardt reminds me of how bad that intersection is. From a driver's perspective, the crossing is as good as unmarked. The paint markings on the pavement are at the high point of a rise that prevents their observation from a car. The crossing signs that should alert drivers from each direction are so distant from the crossing and so mixed into the confusion of foliage and signage that a driver can easily miss them completely. From a cyclist's perspective, the wild growth of weeds and shrubs is never contained, and the sight lines to the west are always obstructed. At least the sight lines to the east are open.

This morning's crossing proved my point for fully stopping there. A driver of a Pepsi truck must have been distracted as he approached from the west, because—even though I had stopped—he stomped on his brakes when he caught full sight of me at the crossing. I heard his load crunch against the inside of the cabin as the brakes took hold.

His stop wasn't perfectly timed to keep a person in the crossing safe, by perhaps 2 feet. Since he was obstructing the path, I saluted his hard stop, pointed at the crossing marks, and waved him on past.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 53 to 59°F at 07:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:16 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 80—to work

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Today seemed like the first day of Winter because of the sudden change from temperatures in the 90s to the mid-50s. Last night, when we saw 58°F on the way home from seeing a double bill of The Debt with Helen Mirrin and The Help with Jessica Chastain, Chuck asked, "When are my tickets for Palm Springs?"

I think he was only half joking. Suddenly Summer is over, and we begin the trudge toward Winter.

I took an easy pace this morning, since it was my first time out but for an errand to the Famers' Market on Friday. After the crossing of Linden, I saw Millie and Gladys bundled up in in jackets. I asked them if they were enjoying the first walk of "winter."

Ride conditions
Temperature: 53 to 56°F at 07:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the northeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:57 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 120 bpm HRave, 141 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 4 pedestrians
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 76—to work

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Yestereday's forecast indicated rain storms this evening, but the skies are clear and the air is chill this morning. Only after I had ridden for the block along Princeton did I notice that I hadn't changed the bike profile on the Garmin device, so I stopped before the corner to make the change. Once more on the road, the speed and cadence righted themselves.

My route through Dayton View is also the route for several school buses now. Some of the drivers must be still asleep at 8 a.m., to judge by the strange driving choices they make. Last week, as I was stopped on Superior at Broadway, a bus driver turned left onto Superior, and his arc came to my right since a street crew was chopping down a tree on the left side of the street. This morning, another bus only slowed for the 4-way stop signs at Oxford. I guess that the drivers need only a regular license and a clear background of driving. But it seems the requirements for school bus driving should be more rigorous.

Finally safely removed from traffic once I reached the descent from the Monument Avenue bridge, I had the way to myself until meeting the first cyclist just outside of Eastwood Park. And I met the New Zealand couple just as they connected to the bikeway coming from the west at Woodbine.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 54 to 60°F at 08:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: mostly calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:49 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 9 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 72—to work

Monday, 22 August 2011

Very few people on the bikeway this morning, and only a couple of the regulars. The most notable was a cyclist who headed parallel to me just outside of Eastwood Park. I rode the bikeway immediately adjacent to Springfield Street, and he took the right edge of the right lane. His pace was just a bit better than mine, and he passed in front of me as I took the crossing into the winding creek path.

I passed the Kiwi and her younger riding partner, this time with us going in opposite directions near the DPL executive golf course. And I passed Paul in the curve between Woodbine and Woodman. I stopped and u-turned to ask the names of his two dogs: Ruby and Bettis-the-Labrador. Pet names can tell a lot about a person, and I surmise that Paul was a Steelers fan about ten years ago.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 55 to 60°F at 07:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:22 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 119 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 5 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 69—to work

Wedensday, 17 August 2011

I left early for once, at 07:50, to have time to shower and prepare for a 9 o'clock meeting. The ride was rushed, barely enough chance to recognize the few regulars on the way. I was planning topics to discuss in the coming meeting.

Once in the conference room, I waited ten minutes before deciding my colleague wouldn't show. And when I got to my cube and started up our email and meeting scheduler software, I found the meeting had been rescheduled.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 55 to 64°F at 07:05
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:25 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 135 bpm HRave, 146 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 66—to work

Friday, 12 August 2011

The ride today was laborious, so much so that I asked myself often, Are you coming down with something? Didn't you get enough sleep? Are you run down or overtraining? Or is it that last night's dinner didn't have enough calories for this morning's ride? I'll wait out the day to see how I feel...

Late in the afternoon, after a larger lunch than usual, and after a large cup of fluids, I feel better at my desk. Since I'm driving home, there's no road test for me tonight. But my guess is that the lowered food intake for dinners is resulting in a lower energy store.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 56 to 61°F at 07:20
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:40 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 127 bpm HRave, 142 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 3 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 37—to work

Tuesday, 14 June 2011.

The initial leg of my commute from home is often a source of misjudging how the ride will go. Since it is downhill through my crossing of the Monument Avenue bridge, it's easy to feel strong and fast. This morning was no different on the descent to the river, and it was during the route along the Mad River that I thought my legs feel like iron weights, and not at all like powerful steel pistons. After the exhilarating ride with Jeff Collier yesterday, my body today was exercising some grudge against me, avoiding any successful push to reach again the higher performance level.

Every aspect of a bike ride has its yin and yang. Today, as I approached and slowed for the Airway Boulevard crossing, an auto driver from the east slowed, stopped, and waved me forward. There were no other cars from either the east or west, so I resumed my spin and waved and mouthed a Thanks! to her as I crossed. Then as I slowed to approach the Burkhardt Avenue crossing, a black sports car from the east also slowed without clearly intending to stop, and I applied reverse pedal effort to stop my fixed gear before reaching the marked crossing. The car continued its slowed traverse of the crossing, the driver glared. I read his license plate "LTH 1" clearly as he continued to the west.

The last leg of my route, perhaps the most sociable part, is where I often meet the most people that I know by name. Today Millie was walking south to bring Gladys to their morning walk, and Paul (who I had fictionalized his name as Double-Dog-Jason) was heading north with his two dogs. Today's ride included a short errand off the bikeway—a jaunt across three parking lots to a Shell gas station to buy lottery tickets. One of my past lotto numbers was a winner of a whopping $2. So no retirement nest egg from the last purchase.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 54 to 59°F at 07:55, 64°F at 10:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:45:35 for 12.30 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm average, 143 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 36—to work

Monday, 13 June 2011.

Shortly before I reached Eastwood Park, Jeff Collier alerted me to his overtaking me. We rode together through to his turn east to parallel highway 35. He spoke of his 180-mile ride this past weekend, with a group that rode from southern Dayton to Kentucky. It was mostly flat, he said, and they ended the ride with a few selected hill climbs to make the ride worthwhile.

Hmm. His pace had me puffing a lot, not very able to keep up half of the conversation. My afternoon review of the commute showed me why: my HR was over 143 and ranging up to 155 throughout our ride together, with a short exception for a full stop at Springfield Street for heavier traffic than usual. But that I kept up and maintained a high HR for the duration shows that I've been easy on myself as a lone rider. Time to step up to what I really can do.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 56 to 60°F at 07:55, 63°F at 10:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph, variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:25 for 12.03 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm average, 183* bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 1 cyclists, 3 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.
* not reliable, a more likely HRmax was 154.

Bike fun day—Sunday to the gym

Though the sun was shining, the wind hasn't been told that it's no longer March. I benefited from the gusts up to 20 mph on my way east and south to the Cardinal Fitness at Smithville and Forrer, but I got a challenge for my ride back.The wind coming up the Mad River and Great Miami River was especially tough, and I had no gear to shift to on the Lotus fixed gear.

Since I planned to work in the garden all afternoon, I decided on stopping at the Brunch Club for a late breakfast. My indulgence included Eggs Benedict and a side of two pancakes. My gardening included transplanting a Japanese mum, pulling out several crabapple volunteers and diseased junipers, and planting a forsythia, two peonies, and three Calla lilies.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 51 to 63°F at 11:30 and 15:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph, gusts to 20 mph from the west and south
Clothing: 2-layer top, 1-layer bottom; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 1:37:00 (approx.) for 25.39 miles
Bikeway users: no data

11:50—departing from home.
12:04—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
12:12—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
12:25—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
12:39—arriving at Cardinal Fitness.
 49 minutes
13:31—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
13:44—trestle remains at Linden.
13:55—west gate to Eastwood Park
14:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
14:19—arrive at Brunch Club.
48 minutes
Last leg home not timed, approximately 10 minutes.

Bike-commute day 15—to workTime for the Spring tune-up

I rode the least likely bike for good times today, so I can bring it to Kettering Bike Shop for a minor tune-up. I've been planning a biking trip for Easter weekend: drive to Mammoth Cave KY and do some road biking on Good Friday, take the Grand Avenue tour and meet some members of the Bowling Green Bicycle Adventures for riding the Sal Hollow Trail on Saturday, and take the Introduction to Caving and perhaps some road biking on Easter Sunday, then drive back to Dayton late that day. And this bike, meant for stump-jumping and challenging trails, needs some alignment of its shifting. The small sprocket in front doesn't keep the chain well, and sometimes an energetic shift will throw the chain off the big sprocket. In the cassette cogs, there is a lot of sloppy action when the chain is forced to cross from the inner cogs to the outer front sprocket.

I've tried adjusting the shift movement myself in years past, but it is a frustrating chore if you have neither patience nor practice. The better alternative is to have a reliable bike shop do this for you. Typically the cost is under $35. You can find several websites that guide you in adjusting the shifters and brakes—almost too many offer their advice. Here are some sites for adjusting the shifters, and each has a connecting link to information for adjusting brakes.

• Harris Cyclery
• Videos 
• Bike Tune-Up Index
• E-How
• LiveStrong

The sloppy shifting comes from a couple sources. The most common source is the gradual stretch that shift cables naturally go through for the first few months of use. This stretching is recognized by bike shops, who encourage you to return for a tightening a month or so after receiving new cables. Another source of sloppy shifting comes near the end of a cable's useful life, when the metal breaks down, becomes brittle, or frays at friction points. In addition to the cable, the mechanical assemblies that hold the cable to a shifter, derailleur, or brake can loosen or fail. Your bike mechanic will notice and repair the developing failures of cables or attachments, but the cost of materials may increase the basic price for a cable tune-up.

Because commuting by bike from March through October can total almost 3000 miles, I usually take each bike in for a tune-up once a year.

Housekeeping notes

• Creekside Trail had small amounts of broken glass at several locations between Fairpark Avenue and Airway Road.
• Creekside Trail had a fallen tree across the path about 0.4 mile north of the trestle ruins.
• Iron Horse Trail had broken glass about 0.1 mile north of the pedestrian access at Arcadia Avenue.
• Iron Horse Trail had broken glass at the bridge as the bikeway joins Spaulding Road.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 37 to 43°F at 07:10, 51 to 56°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Mongoose MGX D40
Time: 0:56:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 2 pedestrians, 1 dog

08:16—departing from home.
08:29—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:41—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:56—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:12—arriving at work.

Bike commute day 6, heading home

It had begun to rain very lightly by 16:20. I closed up work as quickly as possible and headed out for the commute. The object: get home safely, not necessarily quickly. Accomplished, though the ride was generally pretty good with the rain letting up to a sprinkle from Woodman through the end.

Temperature: 62°F at 16:25, 53°F at 18:10
Precipitation: light rain
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the west
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks; open-finger gloves. Very cold.
Time: 0:56:00 (approx.) for 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 10 cyclists, 13 pedestrians

17:02—depart from work.
17:17—trestle remains at Linden.
17:30—west gate to Eastwood Park.
17:40—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
17:58—arrive home.