Wednesday, 15 February 2012
The weekend's snows have passed, leaving only a thin layer that dissipated by evening yesterday. The weather is supposed to clear today and then bring in rain tonight. I decided to make use of the full day of daylight, which is one that stretches to nearly eleven hours and leaves me plenty of time for a commute before and after a work day of 8.5 hours.
Early in the season, as I return to commuting by bike, I expect each way to take up to an hour. So I prepared my departure in anticipation of sunrise at 7:30, and I left as soon as it was well lit, by 7:20.
The bikeway was clean for the most part. Some light mud remained on the path underneath I-75; muddy tractor tracks documented some recent work removing trees near the firemen's training station; very light frost clung to the bridges west and south of Eastwood Park. Otherwise, the way was free of fallen branches and broken glass. This year's light touch of Winter has been easy on the bikeway, which allowed me to begin bike-commuting almost a month earlier than any year that I've kept records.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 35°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, quilted gloves
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:49:39 for 11.86 miles
Heart rate: 142 bpm HRave, 159 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 1 pedestrian
Playback of the ride
Showing posts with label quilted tights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilted tights. Show all posts
15 February 2012
25 October 2011
Bike-commute day 95—to work
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Going to work today is the second half of my commuting day, since I drove to work yesterday with my bike in the van and then rode home. This part of the year always has an alternation of drive-bike-bike-drive since the daylight is so short. And tonight, during the drive, I'll stop at Cardinal Fitness to get in a bit of weight training. The leg routine is due tonight.
Today was the first time I broke out the quilted tights. Since my breath was visible when I took Howard out, I thought that a heavier layer would be good, even with the temperatures above freezing. At some midpoint of the ride, I decided that I was overdressed. I had begun to heat up, even though my effort was not too great. I've got to learn once again when the added layers are necessary, when they're too much.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 07:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:15 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
Going to work today is the second half of my commuting day, since I drove to work yesterday with my bike in the van and then rode home. This part of the year always has an alternation of drive-bike-bike-drive since the daylight is so short. And tonight, during the drive, I'll stop at Cardinal Fitness to get in a bit of weight training. The leg routine is due tonight.
Today was the first time I broke out the quilted tights. Since my breath was visible when I took Howard out, I thought that a heavier layer would be good, even with the temperatures above freezing. At some midpoint of the ride, I decided that I was overdressed. I had begun to heat up, even though my effort was not too great. I've got to learn once again when the added layers are necessary, when they're too much.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 34 to 41°F at 07:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, quilted tights, Gore-tex jacket, ankle socks, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:15 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
25 March 2011
Bike commute day 8, to work
I oiled the chain on my Trek 850, since it was noisy last night. Did it affect my efficiency then? I think so. It felt so. My time was much slower then. But time is affected by many factors. My pedalling seemed smoother this morning, but my work was still labored.
Since the first quarter of my commute to work is downhill, I get little sense of how I feel. I could be horribly tired, even achy, and I could still make it to the first checkpoint (at about mile 2.8) in a normal time.
It's the second quarter (from miles 2.8 to 5.6) where I discover suddenly that I may not be up to the commute today, or so I think momentarily. The terrain is generally flat, along the Mad River, but it is also gradually uphill—Google Earth reports the rise as 11 m, about 36 feet. My legs seem leaden, my heart thumps loudly, my left arm aches from the heart exertion, my breathing is labored, my sinuses fill repeatedly, I cough phlegm clots, even my contact lenses ache from the attacking cold air. I think alternating threads: I'm gonna have a stroke; then Wow, so this is what it means to be alive today! and when I swerve around where the Canadian geese have dropped white and green poop sticks, Some day I'm gonna bring some rat poison-laced bread for these damn geese; and If only it wasn't so fucking cold! but also, almost simultaneously, What a fragrance that is from Requarth Lumber's millworks! and again, Oh no, I've hit that pocket of cold again, same place every day; and, approaching the Findlay Street underpass, Ugh, that stench of burnt carbon from the foundry! lasts until I pass the low gate near the Irwin Street entrance, while I picture some momentary, fragmented scenes from my 19th Summer when I worked in the grinding room of C-E Ehrsam Foundry in Enterprise Kansas.
Usually after about 20 minutes of riding, as I start the third quarter (from miles 5.6 to 8.6), the aches and pains give way to endorphins, and I relax into the smooth turns and glides through the quiet morning. —And I just realized now while refining the route in Google Earth, that this is a slight climb in my morning commute, of 30 m or 100 ft over the 3 miles.
As I approached the Burkhardt Street crossing, for the first time this year I heard a cyclist behind me, announcing his intent to pass. I turned to say hi as he passed, and instead said, "Well hello, Jeff! I just mentioned you in my blog about commuting by bike." I increased my speed to nearly match his, he slowed a bit, and we continued a conversation until we separated at the trestle remains north of Linden Avenue. Some of the talk helped clarify what I know about his commute, and I will add a correction to the posting of a few days ago.
Bikeway housekeeping
Now for some notes for cyclists using the path today:
Temperature: 32 to 35°F at 06:50 and at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: none to light
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, longsleeve skinsuit, arm warmers, wool-poly jacket); Bottom with 2 layer (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks. Woolen full-face stocking cap, quilted gloves. (Comfortable; a bit sweaty in the last half of the ride.)
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 0:53:00 (approx.) for 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist going my way
08:21—mile 0.0; departing from home.
08:35—mile 2.81; passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:46—mile 5.59; passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
09:00—mile 8.59; passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:14—mile 11.86; arriving at work.
Since the first quarter of my commute to work is downhill, I get little sense of how I feel. I could be horribly tired, even achy, and I could still make it to the first checkpoint (at about mile 2.8) in a normal time.
It's the second quarter (from miles 2.8 to 5.6) where I discover suddenly that I may not be up to the commute today, or so I think momentarily. The terrain is generally flat, along the Mad River, but it is also gradually uphill—Google Earth reports the rise as 11 m, about 36 feet. My legs seem leaden, my heart thumps loudly, my left arm aches from the heart exertion, my breathing is labored, my sinuses fill repeatedly, I cough phlegm clots, even my contact lenses ache from the attacking cold air. I think alternating threads: I'm gonna have a stroke; then Wow, so this is what it means to be alive today! and when I swerve around where the Canadian geese have dropped white and green poop sticks, Some day I'm gonna bring some rat poison-laced bread for these damn geese; and If only it wasn't so fucking cold! but also, almost simultaneously, What a fragrance that is from Requarth Lumber's millworks! and again, Oh no, I've hit that pocket of cold again, same place every day; and, approaching the Findlay Street underpass, Ugh, that stench of burnt carbon from the foundry! lasts until I pass the low gate near the Irwin Street entrance, while I picture some momentary, fragmented scenes from my 19th Summer when I worked in the grinding room of C-E Ehrsam Foundry in Enterprise Kansas.
Usually after about 20 minutes of riding, as I start the third quarter (from miles 5.6 to 8.6), the aches and pains give way to endorphins, and I relax into the smooth turns and glides through the quiet morning. —And I just realized now while refining the route in Google Earth, that this is a slight climb in my morning commute, of 30 m or 100 ft over the 3 miles.
As I approached the Burkhardt Street crossing, for the first time this year I heard a cyclist behind me, announcing his intent to pass. I turned to say hi as he passed, and instead said, "Well hello, Jeff! I just mentioned you in my blog about commuting by bike." I increased my speed to nearly match his, he slowed a bit, and we continued a conversation until we separated at the trestle remains north of Linden Avenue. Some of the talk helped clarify what I know about his commute, and I will add a correction to the posting of a few days ago.
Bikeway housekeeping
Now for some notes for cyclists using the path today:
- Small amount of glass on the in-road marking on the north side of the crossing at Airway.
- Broken glass bottle on Creekside Trail, about 0.25 mile south of the Airway crossing.
- Broken glass bottle on Iron Horse Trail, about 0.3 mile north of the Woodbine Avenue crossing.
Temperature: 32 to 35°F at 06:50 and at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: none to light
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, longsleeve skinsuit, arm warmers, wool-poly jacket); Bottom with 2 layer (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks. Woolen full-face stocking cap, quilted gloves. (Comfortable; a bit sweaty in the last half of the ride.)
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 0:53:00 (approx.) for 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist going my way
08:21—mile 0.0; departing from home.
08:35—mile 2.81; passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:46—mile 5.59; passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
09:00—mile 8.59; passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:14—mile 11.86; arriving at work.
17 March 2011
Logistics of Biking to Work
At a dinner meeting of Dayton Bicycle Adventures, I asked several people if they planned on commuting to work by bicycle. —Now I didn't ask everyone there, just those sitting near.— Some replies were along the lines of "I don't have a way to freshen up after the ride."
That's often a truly fundamental issue about commuting by bicycle. If your expected commute covers more than a few miles, or if you are a cyclist who just will not take an easy ride, you'll find it important to have a shower when you clip out from your commute. Here's what you need to plan for—or at least what a guy would need to plan for. (I'm pretty much removed from knowing exactly the typical woman's needs for a refreshed feeling after a bike ride.)
Cycling clothes
You'll need three kits of cycling clothes.
Cold weather may mean at least these additional items.
Safety gear
Make sure you have
Repair pack
Make sure the under-saddle pack is filled with these essentials.
At the workplace, you'll need these items in your shaving kit.
Work clothes
If you don't have a locker or storage at work, you'll need to pack this minimum to go with each commute.
Look forward to a later note on how to prepare for actually biking the commute.
That's often a truly fundamental issue about commuting by bicycle. If your expected commute covers more than a few miles, or if you are a cyclist who just will not take an easy ride, you'll find it important to have a shower when you clip out from your commute. Here's what you need to plan for—or at least what a guy would need to plan for. (I'm pretty much removed from knowing exactly the typical woman's needs for a refreshed feeling after a bike ride.)
Cycling clothes
You'll need three kits of cycling clothes.
- One kit to wear to work, wash, and let dry.
- A second kit that is waiting at work, cleaned and dry, which you can wear on the ride home, to then wash and let dry.
- A third kit waiting at home, cleaned and dry, which then becomes "Kit One."
- A skinsuit (or jersey and bibshorts)
- Cycling gloves
- Socks
Cold weather may mean at least these additional items.
- Two pairs of Lycra tights
- Two pairs of quilted tights
- Two pairs of quilted gloves
Safety gear
Make sure you have
- Two or three helmets, enough to allow cleaning and drying between rides
- One or two pairs of impact-resistant glasses with dark, clear, and yellow lenses
- A bike chain or coiled cable with a lock
- Personal identification with Medical Power of Attorney information
- Cellphone
Repair pack
Make sure the under-saddle pack is filled with these essentials.
- 1 tube
- 3 tire irons
- Patch kit
- 2 CO2 cartridges (or a frame pump
- Multi-size hex wrench set
- Multi-
tool . - $1 in change
- $5 bill
At the workplace, you'll need these items in your shaving kit.
- Shorts & jersey cleanser
- Facial scrub
- Shampoo
- Body wash or bar of soap
- Razor
- Shaving cream
- Baby oil or moisturizer
- Towel
- A+D cream
- Baby powder
- Tube of antifungal cream
Work clothes
If you don't have a locker or storage at work, you'll need to pack this minimum to go with each commute.
- 1 pr jeans
- 1 shirt
- 1 pr socks
- 1 pr shoes
- 1 pr underwear
- Jacket at work for lunches out with coworkers
Look forward to a later note on how to prepare for actually biking the commute.
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