Author Topic: June Cycling Challenge 2015  (Read 23899 times)

PindyStache

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #50 on: June 10, 2015, 11:23:12 AM »
The local weather prediction for this afternoon is "gusts of 40-60KPH." This could be an interesting commute home ....
If it's a tail wind it could be really fun!

I keep hearing about these alleged tail winds. For some reason, on my old route, the wind would shift while I was work and it was always a head wind.

One thing I say to myself for motivation when climbing is "I'd rather be climbing than going into the wind." But I think the powers that be must have a bit of earwax and hear "I'd rather be climbing and going into the wind" every time...

June will be a slow month for me, with some paternity leave as our family grows. Finally got out for a decent ride today, the first "recreational" riding in a long while for me, though also stopped at a few stores along the way. Plus badass points to my 3 year old. He complained that it was too cold when we went into the grocery store with AC!

MLKnits

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #51 on: June 11, 2015, 05:49:41 AM »
The local weather prediction for this afternoon is "gusts of 40-60KPH." This could be an interesting commute home ....
If it's a tail wind it could be really fun!

I keep hearing about these alleged tail winds. For some reason, on my old route, the wind would shift while I was work and it was always a head wind.

There are strong headwinds on my ride home almost half the time. They're coming in from the north, so I'm assuming it's northern Canada getting back at us for the gorgeous spring this year.

(And as it turned out, we had a tremendous storm midday, and another one in the evening, but it was clear, hot, and breezy while I was biking home. Phew!)

aetherie

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #52 on: June 11, 2015, 06:09:21 AM »
Do any of you seasoned bike commuters have advice on weight-triggered traffic lights? The first light I hit on the way home, coming out of the office park, apparently doesn't change unless a car pulls up. (I sat there by myself through an entire cycle yesterday.) It's a large intersection - two-lane office park road crossing six-lane road - with no crosswalk. Are my options pretty much just "find an alternate route" or "accept the possibility of having to wait a while for a car to show up"?

Nancy

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #53 on: June 11, 2015, 06:42:08 AM »
Had two negative experiences lately, but I'm going to focus on the positive ones: made a toddler laugh hysterically while we waited at a long red light (love when kiddos realize I can see them too); chatted with a 12 year old girl cyclist about her bike/biking in the city; chatted with a nice woman at another red light (people don't really talk to strangers where I'm from, which has always made me sad-that's why these experiences were great).

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #54 on: June 11, 2015, 06:46:18 AM »
Do any of you seasoned bike commuters have advice on weight-triggered traffic lights? The first light I hit on the way home, coming out of the office park, apparently doesn't change unless a car pulls up. (I sat there by myself through an entire cycle yesterday.) It's a large intersection - two-lane office park road crossing six-lane road - with no crosswalk. Are my options pretty much just "find an alternate route" or "accept the possibility of having to wait a while for a car to show up"?

Yes. A few different strategies. Both as a cycle commuter and as the guy who makes the lights work.

1. Call in to the works/engineering/planning department of your town/city/county and ask them how their system works. Most systems are on induction loops which rely on the magnetism (for simplicity's sake) of the metal in a car or motorcycle to trigger the lights. Some work on video detection, and some on infrared. I would guess that 90% of north america is on induction loops. If that's the case, you may be able to cycle the lights by putting a rare-earth magnet on the bottom of the lowest point on your bike and stopping directly over the sawcut square in the asphalt. Be sure that the magnet is right over the cutline. Preferably at a corner of the square. Tricky. It is important to call in because the more calls your engineering department gets, the more likely they are to adapt to the needs of their road users. We are constantly improving the roads for cars with a small budget for bikes. Be vocal to get more budget - this stuff gets political fast.

<EDIT: Note - our traffic operations group give a pie in the sky answer to this inquiry saying that the metal in your chain is enough to trigger the loops even if you have a composite frame. I disagree.>

2. Give the push button a press. Often I give up on the signals and just hit the walk button - but if you do this, the law says to walk your bike through the intersection - and that is important. If you push and ride, drivers stop seeing a need to wait for the red light and start running it - especially at pedestrian signals. Please walk your bike if you put in a pedestrian call. Pedestrian buttons work differently in different jurisdictions, but they always force the light to cycle. Often you will have to wait through a clearance interval which could be anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds before you get the green light.

3. Alter your route - if you switch to a road with heavier auto traffic, the loops will be triggered more often meaning that you don't have to deal with the issue since the cars are triggering the light for you.

« Last Edit: June 11, 2015, 06:49:23 AM by Prospector »

aetherie

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #55 on: June 11, 2015, 07:42:35 AM »
Thanks, Prospector. There's no crosswalk at this one, so #2 is out (that would have been my first choice). But I had no idea that most lights used induction loops - that's cool! I'll try to call and confirm. Sticking a magnet on my bike sounds like just the sort of solution I wanted. There should usually be enough traffic that it's not an issue - the first two times I went through there were cars waiting with me, and yesterday I only had to wait through one cycle - but I don't want to risk being stuck there forever if it's raining, you know?

Other than that, my first 3.5 commutes have gone really well. Yesterday a guy pulled up next to me at a light, windows down, looked over and said "wanna race?". I thought it was funny.

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #56 on: June 11, 2015, 07:49:16 AM »
No problem - we are just in the process of considering cyclist detection on our network. And its funny that its only been discussed since I started biking to work back in April. I am the only guy in my office that bikes to work.

Within the municipal branches there is a big disconnect between planning, engineering, economic development, and the health department on the benefits and costs of cycling. Getting the ear of one department doesn't mean you have everyone on side, but the engineering and planing department are the ones that will make changes at street level. Ec Dev and health will apply pressure. We have a problem right now where our (engineering) safe cycling routes don't match Ec Dev's preferred routes so there are conflicting maps circulating about cycling in the area - one takes you past bike shops, cafe's, and hardware stores. The other takes you on roads with wide shoulders and bike lanes. Too bad one group didn't talk to the other when putting this stuff together.

FWIW, cyclist detection usually uses video (sucks in snow/rain/dust/dirty conditions - plus maintenance to keep the lens clean) or infra red (can have lots of false positives from critters) or a compact, denser, more sensitive induction loop. Since we are used to induction loops and they are cheap and easy, thats probably the direction our guys will go in - not that its the perfect solution. 
« Last Edit: June 11, 2015, 07:52:04 AM by Prospector »

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #57 on: June 11, 2015, 07:55:08 AM »
2. Give the push button a press. Often I give up on the signals and just hit the walk button - but if you do this, the law says to walk your bike through the intersection - and that is important. If you push and ride, drivers stop seeing a need to wait for the red light and start running it - especially at pedestrian signals. Please walk your bike if you put in a pedestrian call. Pedestrian buttons work differently in different jurisdictions, but they always force the light to cycle. Often you will have to wait through a clearance interval which could be anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds before you get the green light.

Prospector, do you mean it's illegal to ride the bike through the crosswalk, or in general if you ever hit the button and go back into the street? There is one light that I will occasionally get stuck at, so I turn into the 7 11, ride up to the light, push the button, and then use the parking lot entrance to turn back out on the road and wait for the light to change as I'm in the lane.

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #58 on: June 11, 2015, 08:00:53 AM »
What you are doing is legal here, but really poor practice.

Seriously, call in the location and see what the local Eng. Dept. says.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #59 on: June 11, 2015, 08:29:33 AM »
What you are doing is legal here, but really poor practice.

Seriously, call in the location and see what the local Eng. Dept. says.

Oh I have. I was just curious as to your take on it. This intersection is hardly worth my time. There is never any traffic on it, and it does shift okay on the rare occasion cars show up. It actually makes sense for cars, since it mostly an entrance to a park coupled with a regularly busy-ish road. I only ran into issues on it super early in the morning. I can run it (even though that is even worse practice). I have one light where the path comes out mid-block, and you are supposed to use the ped signal, even though I always take the road. I don't know whether to feel sad right now. Back in 2013, Colorado Springs was number 9 in the country. Now we are 109. That means that 100 additional cities have rocked the infrastructure development, which is great news, and my city still rocks for bikes. I do call the engineering department on occasion, but I'm on paths most of the time instead of streets, so it's not a big deal for me.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #60 on: June 11, 2015, 08:32:42 AM »
Oops. Forgot to post the link to the stats. I meant to do that in the last post.

Redfin did a good study this year on it. Here is the link.

ohyonghao

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #61 on: June 11, 2015, 09:39:25 AM »
In Oregon they recommend to place the bottom bracket over the circle, or on the bicycle inductive loops, to put it on one point of the square.

One thing you may consider is looking up your state/province/local municipalities laws on bicycles.

In Idaho there is the Idaho stop, where red lights/stop signs, can be treated as yield signs.

Recently though they passed a law that says after one full cycle, like the situation that aetherie ran into, you are allowed to proceed with caution into the intersection and run the red light, but that any accident resulting from such a maneuver is your own fault.  It was originally pushed by a motorcyclist who sometimes ran into the same problem (so much for the bicycle chain being enough), and then was picked up by some of Oregon's bicycle advocates who added in the bicycle language.  Though it's hard to say what a full cycle is when the light just doesn't change.

Back in 2013, Colorado Springs was number 9 in the country. Now we are 109. That means that 100 additional cities have rocked the infrastructure development, which is great news, and my city still rocks for bikes. I do call the engineering department on occasion, but I'm on paths most of the time instead of streets, so it's not a big deal for me.

Looks like Portland, OR has dropped from #1 to #19 even while improving it's bike score from 70.3 to 72 respectively.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #62 on: June 11, 2015, 11:19:19 AM »
We have a "dead red" law here, but that doesn't help if you're on a minor street trying to cross a major one. Another option would be taking a right on the major road, biking up to the next controlled intersection, assuming it has a crosswalk or better triggered light, and crossing then, and backtracking.

My area has a mix of induction loop and infrared, with pretty much 100% of new intersections being IR.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #63 on: June 11, 2015, 11:58:52 AM »
In Oregon they recommend to place the bottom bracket over the circle, or on the bicycle inductive loops, to put it on one point of the square.

One thing you may consider is looking up your state/province/local municipalities laws on bicycles.

In Idaho there is the Idaho stop, where red lights/stop signs, can be treated as yield signs.

Recently though they passed a law that says after one full cycle, like the situation that aetherie ran into, you are allowed to proceed with caution into the intersection and run the red light, but that any accident resulting from such a maneuver is your own fault.  It was originally pushed by a motorcyclist who sometimes ran into the same problem (so much for the bicycle chain being enough), and then was picked up by some of Oregon's bicycle advocates who added in the bicycle language.  Though it's hard to say what a full cycle is when the light just doesn't change.

Back in 2013, Colorado Springs was number 9 in the country. Now we are 109. That means that 100 additional cities have rocked the infrastructure development, which is great news, and my city still rocks for bikes. I do call the engineering department on occasion, but I'm on paths most of the time instead of streets, so it's not a big deal for me.

Looks like Portland, OR has dropped from #1 to #19 even while improving it's bike score from 70.3 to 72 respectively.

It's still a good thing!!! As I said earlier. The fact that these awesome places have increased their score, but still dropped the overall ranking, is good news for the rest of the country. Never thought I'd be as proud to be here as I am.

We have a "dead red" law here, but that doesn't help if you're on a minor street trying to cross a major one. Another option would be taking a right on the major road, biking up to the next controlled intersection, assuming it has a crosswalk or better triggered light, and crossing then, and backtracking.

My area has a mix of induction loop and infrared, with pretty much 100% of new intersections being IR.
TGC, here in the springs, we have that law too I think. Also, the good majority of  our lights (that I run into) are based on either infrared or cameras. When the issues arise (like I mentioned earlier) it's usually due to broken cameras. That being said, we're still rocking the bikers here, and it makes me so happy, I can't even explain.

jorjor

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #64 on: June 11, 2015, 01:45:50 PM »
Today I was riding to work, and was on a bike lane that is on a one-way street. I came up to the major intersection, and on the other side of the intersection was a road closed sign because they started re-surfacing the road today. I was upset because I had one of two options as I saw it: go backwards on the bike lane against traffic or turn onto the very busy road during rush hour.

What I ended up doing was turning onto the major road during our green and then hopping onto the sidewalk that no one was using after a half block, before turning back the way I came on another road. Technically illegal to use the sidewalk, but seemed the safest route. I backtracked a ways and got over to the next usable bike route. Added about 1.5 miles to my commute.

I think they really should have had a notice of the road closed before that, because this is a highly-used bike route.

ohyonghao

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #65 on: June 11, 2015, 03:11:12 PM »
Today I was riding to work, and was on a bike lane that is on a one-way street. I came up to the major intersection, and on the other side of the intersection was a road closed sign because they started re-surfacing the road today. I was upset because I had one of two options as I saw it: go backwards on the bike lane against traffic or turn onto the very busy road during rush hour.

What I ended up doing was turning onto the major road during our green and then hopping onto the sidewalk that no one was using after a half block, before turning back the way I came on another road. Technically illegal to use the sidewalk, but seemed the safest route. I backtracked a ways and got over to the next usable bike route. Added about 1.5 miles to my commute.

I think they really should have had a notice of the road closed before that, because this is a highly-used bike route.

On one of the roads here they are doing some construction, I think to widen the road, but they had to block off one lane.  What they did though was to block the bike lane, and only half of one car lane while leaving about a bike lanes worth of road.  Glad someone thought of it rather than blocking both bike and one car lane.

jorjor

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #66 on: June 12, 2015, 10:11:43 AM »
No biking to work today. Rain all last night and this morning, and the bike trail currently is better suited for kayaking in most places. View of the trail from my office window.


aetherie

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #67 on: June 12, 2015, 01:30:45 PM »
Wow jorjor - I suppose kayaking to work could be a whole different kind of fun! Hope it dries up for you soon.

Update on my favorite traffic light: yesterday I looked for a square in the asphalt and didn't see anything obvious, but someone in a car came along soon after I stopped there (and may have wondered why I was staring at the pavement...). Today I emailed the county traffic engineering dept and got this response:

Quote
Good Afternoon Ms. ___,

That particular phase (commercial entrance) of the intersection traffic signal at ____ Parkway and ____ Road is activated by an in-pavement magneto-inductive loop.  While they are designed for cars, providing your bicycle is not a non-metal composite, it should pick up your presence if you sit on it long enough (i.e. not roll ahead or behind it).  We can spray paint/outline the general area of the loop wire early next week if it does not rain.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Traffic Division
___ County

So I wrote back to say yes, please do spray paint it so I can find it, and thanks for the quick response.

Guess I'll try sitting on it like they say, and then get a magnet if that doesn't work!

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #68 on: June 12, 2015, 01:37:36 PM »
Glad you sent it in! I'm hopeful that enough others do that you get better detection!

In my earlier response I forgot to include microradar - which is a really good system to detect cyclists - look for a dot on the asphalt if your city uses this:

http://www.sensysnetworks.com/products/microradar

TrMama

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #69 on: June 12, 2015, 01:40:01 PM »
Can I just vent for a moment? I absolutely hate coming across whacko drivers and being their verbal punching bag. If you think I'm doing something wrong, report me to the police. Please do not scream obscenities at me or expect me to ride in an unsafe way that requires ignoring the time-space continuum.

Further, I find it hilarious when you act all surprised that you're not anonymous. You're name (aka your license plate) is clearly displayed on the part of the car you're trying to intimidate me with. I love calling out the number to you to remind you of this fact.

Breathe in, breathe out. Remember that 99.99% of drivers here are very kind and respectful.

FoundPeace

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #70 on: June 12, 2015, 02:01:27 PM »
Today I'm going to complete my first full week of commuting from work by bike. I've found that my biggest issues are:
1. Saddle sore-I've been a bit sore since Wed. and I'm even wearing cycling shorts.
2. Sore wrists-I try to move my hands into different positions (road bike handlebars) to mitigate this, but I imagine I will gain more endurance over time.
3. Dehydration/low energy- I've started taking a water/snack break around mile 9 for about 10 minutes. This has helped considerably.

Any of you vets have any advice? I imagine that most of these problems were caused by me just jumping into this and doing 15 miles every day.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #71 on: June 12, 2015, 04:13:53 PM »
Today I'm going to complete my first full week of commuting from work by bike. I've found that my biggest issues are:
1. Saddle sore-I've been a bit sore since Wed. and I'm even wearing cycling shorts.
2. Sore wrists-I try to move my hands into different positions (road bike handlebars) to mitigate this, but I imagine I will gain more endurance over time.
3. Dehydration/low energy- I've started taking a water/snack break around mile 9 for about 10 minutes. This has helped considerably.

Any of you vets have any advice? I imagine that most of these problems were caused by me just jumping into this and doing 15 miles every day.

Saddle soreness is just based on inexperience. The longer you regularly ride, the less it happens (especially if you are already wearing cycling shorts). Once you get through it (I think the worse I've heard was 3 weeks), you'll never have to deal with it again unless you take a super long break from riding. I ride a mountain bike so I'm not that familiar with drop handle bars, but I did notice a huge improvement in my endurance when I started wearing padded cycling gloves. I didn't specifically notice things in my wrists, so you might just be more observant than me. Drinking while you ride is a good way to stay hydrated, but if you have good spots to take breaks, and they've been helping, by all means keep on going with the breaks. You might want to try reducing the length of your breaks if you are worried about the time. Biggest advice I have is to keep on riding. It's a great feeling overall.

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #72 on: June 14, 2015, 10:45:11 AM »
Brag: Never done a century ride before - just got in from 106 km on the Waterfront trail. I had wanted to ride in to Toronto for the meetup yesterday, but life conspired against me, so I did it today. The Waterfront trail is really nice!

mskyle

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #73 on: June 15, 2015, 07:47:04 AM »
I went five days without cycling (illness and out-of-town family stuff over the weekend)! And then yesterday I only rode a mile and a half. I think the last time I was this bike-less was in February. It felt good to be back on the bike this morning even though it was raining.

b4u2

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #74 on: June 15, 2015, 08:53:21 AM »
I'm not set up for rain yet so I have missed a lot of days. I rarely ride my Harley in the rain unless I happen to be on a trip and have to in order to reach my destination. It's only a 2 mile drive to work so I'll wait for a nice day to ride again.

Cookie78

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #75 on: June 15, 2015, 09:21:10 AM »
So yesterday I finally got around to tuning up my bike for the season. I've been riding it 2.5 weeks each day to work already.

I checked the tire pressure and it was about half of the lowest recommended level (yikes). Filled them up and had a much easier ride in to work this morning. I cleaned it up a bit and adjusted the seat up another inch. It still might be a little bit low. Also I need to get some oil for the chain. It's filthy and I wiped off lots of black gunk. What's the best way to go about cleaning it?

ohyonghao

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #76 on: June 15, 2015, 11:16:19 AM »
So yesterday I finally got around to tuning up my bike for the season. I've been riding it 2.5 weeks each day to work already.

I checked the tire pressure and it was about half of the lowest recommended level (yikes). Filled them up and had a much easier ride in to work this morning. I cleaned it up a bit and adjusted the seat up another inch. It still might be a little bit low. Also I need to get some oil for the chain. It's filthy and I wiped off lots of black gunk. What's the best way to go about cleaning it?

I use a citric degreaser for my bike with an old tooth brush.  I got the degreaser from Nashbar.  I pour it into a yogurt cup and dip the toothbrush in and apply it over the chain and the gears.  I then use a nice dish soap, which happens to be recommended for home brew beer cleaning, and wash down the entire bike, and remove the degreaser.  Once that is done I then oil the chain back up.  I check tire pressure every Saturday on both bikes before I take my road bike out.  Usually I'll be down about 10-20 psi from the week before.

TrMama

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #77 on: June 15, 2015, 04:05:51 PM »
Another vote for citrus degreaser. However, I've learned you can get giant jugs of it for cheap from Home Depot. It's marketed for cleaning grease off your garage floor, but it also works great on bikes. I use a "tile brush" (same isle at HD) to scrub the gears and  also use one of these for the chain. http://www.mec.ca/product/4007-008/mec-chain-cleaner/?q=chain%2Bcleaner.

If your bike has rim brakes (rather than disk brakes) don't forget to wipe off the rims regularly. The grit that gets between the brake pad and the rim acts like sandpaper and wears down the surface of the rim.

I also use an old rag dipped in degreaser to wipe down the frame and then hose all the degreaser, and dissolved grease, off with the garden hose. Takes about 10 minutes.

Mrs. PoP

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #78 on: June 16, 2015, 07:17:59 PM »
The last two days a truck belonging to a local business has rudely honked, and I felt dangerously sped up and over-swerved (the right tires ended up in the dirt from unsafely swerving back into the lane) while passing me on a 2 lane road that doesn't have much of a bike lane in the direction I was traveling.  This time of year, there's not much traffic, so I generally feel safe in the road since cars have plenty of space to go around me without impeding traffic.  The county I was riding in recently passed an anti-cycling harassment ordinance, which makes harassing cyclists (and pedestrians) a crime.  So in my mind, this truck has now committed a crime two days in a row. 

What should I do? 
1 - call the business and report the driver?  It's a local business and there is a truck regularly parked a couple of blocks from my house so this guy (or one of his coworkers) may work in my neighborhood.  I'm reticent to make trouble with neighbors, but part of me thinks the business owner should know if the employees are doing such a disservice to the business' reputation.
2 - call the police and report the driver?  I have no proof, since I don't have a go-pro or anything like that.  Also, I've heard the police aren't all enthusiastic about the new ordinance, so I'm not sure the reception I'd get calling the complaint in. 
3 - ignore the harassment. 
4 - modify my route by going on the other side of the road where there is an off-road path.  It's less convenient since it's shared with dog walkers and pedestrians walking both directions, has quite a few pot holes, and isn't all that wide.  This is the route I take when there's traffic during snowbird season, but I really enjoy riding straight through on the road in the summer, so it'd be a bummer to switch just because some driver is a jerk. 

What would you do?  What should I do?  FWIW, I'm a relatively small blonde girl, and the idea of someone pulling over and getting out of the car to harass me even more is terrifying. 

MLKnits

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #79 on: June 17, 2015, 06:25:09 AM »
Speaking as a business owner, I'd say call the business and report it, at least as a first step. You can always escalate if the owner doesn't take your report seriously.

I'd basically sell it as this person is damaging the business' reputation, endangering people, and risking serious liability. Imagine a truck branded with their logo seriously hurting someone? There's an insurance and lawsuit risk, particularly if the driver had a history of being aggressive around bikes--and especially if you'd told the owner and it didn't stop. For those reasons, the owner will probably try to stop it.

You don't need to identify yourself when reporting it to the owner, IMO. Just an "I live in the area and this is happening."

That said, I'd say for the few days after you report it, consider taking the modified route, just in case. Then you can switch back to your regular route.

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #80 on: June 17, 2015, 06:40:09 AM »
I agree about the liability to the business owners - and in one of these cases lawyers can kill a small business quickly - especially if they are only minimally insured, but not knowing the whole story, there is some risk that the driver IS the business owner. Especially if the business in question is a microbusiness - for instance a roofer or a an upholstery shop that is limited to just a guy, his hands and his truck.

I would start the call by asking who does deliveries for the business, just to find out whether you are talking to the driver or not. Having that extra arms length is a safety item for the caller. If the owner is the driver, then it is up to the cyclist to feel out how to proceed.

patrickza

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #81 on: June 17, 2015, 07:05:58 AM »
Ok I'm in the challenge, seem to be on top, but this isn't strictly fair as my bike is electric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu0IHH8EAvQ). I do pedal almost constantly when I cycle, and in terms of saving cash an electric is more cost efficient as electricity is cheaper per mile than food, so it is very mustachian. Actually more so for me as I charge at home and at work on the communal circuits, so the electricity is free.

So am I allowed to challenge or should I be handicapped?

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #82 on: June 17, 2015, 07:32:06 AM »
Ok I'm in the challenge, seem to be on top, but this isn't strictly fair as my bike is electric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu0IHH8EAvQ). I do pedal almost constantly when I cycle, and in terms of saving cash an electric is more cost efficient as electricity is cheaper per mile than food, so it is very mustachian. Actually more so for me as I charge at home and at work on the communal circuits, so the electricity is free.

So am I allowed to challenge or should I be handicapped?

Depends on how you look at it I guess - If we are talking about getting cars off the road and saving cash, then yeah, your miles count probably even more than the 'recreational miles' the rest of us are logging (If it weren't for recreational miles, that chart would look very different).

If you see this as a competition for who has the  gruelling-est way of getting to work, or who get the best workout, then you are cheating.

Finally, if you see this as a communal effort to up the non-car miles each month, get cycling mainstream, and get rid of cars, then welcome to the team, and you are boosting us all. Thankyouverymuch!

TrMama

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #83 on: June 17, 2015, 11:01:47 AM »
1 - call the business and report the driver?  It's a local business and there is a truck regularly parked a couple of blocks from my house so this guy (or one of his coworkers) may work in my neighborhood.  I'm reticent to make trouble with neighbors, but part of me thinks the business owner should know if the employees are doing such a disservice to the business' reputation.
2 - call the police and report the driver?  I have no proof, since I don't have a go-pro or anything like that.  Also, I've heard the police aren't all enthusiastic about the new ordinance, so I'm not sure the reception I'd get calling the complaint in. 

I would do 1 and 2. Where you able to get the plate# of the truck? Even if you weren't, if you can say a truck from company X harassed me at this location and time, that should be enough for the police to call that business and have a chat with them. Even if the police don't like the new harassment law, it was passed for a reason and you have the right to be protected by it.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #84 on: June 17, 2015, 11:33:19 AM »
Ok I'm in the challenge, seem to be on top, but this isn't strictly fair as my bike is electric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu0IHH8EAvQ). I do pedal almost constantly when I cycle, and in terms of saving cash an electric is more cost efficient as electricity is cheaper per mile than food, so it is very mustachian. Actually more so for me as I charge at home and at work on the communal circuits, so the electricity is free.

So am I allowed to challenge or should I be handicapped?

We've had e-bikes in this challenge before, so I see no issues with it. Last time, the person used a username and appended E-Bike to it, but they eventually started riding a regular bike, so changed back. If you have no desire to separate them out before, I'd just say use your username.

b4u2

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #85 on: June 17, 2015, 11:40:32 AM »
I really want an ELF but I'm not paying $5,500 for a tricycle. I could buy a really nice used car for that kind of money.

MLKnits

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #86 on: June 18, 2015, 06:31:12 AM »
There was another cyclist on the road today! That literally hasn't happened since I started bike-commuting in April. There are often people biking on the sidewalk, but no one else ever seems to be on the road. This guy rolled right past me at a stop light, which is a pet peeve of mine, but to his credit, I only managed to keep up with him for most of the rest of my ride, so he wasn't entirely wrong about being faster than me (just mostly wrong ;).

Here's hoping it starts a trend. Maybe a few years from now there'll be bike lanes painted on my route ...

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #87 on: June 18, 2015, 07:11:57 AM »
I have moved all my belts down one notch since I started cycling back in April. I thought it was just in my head but its sustained across all my pants and belts now. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but its still nice to see that I'm down by whatever one belt hole is.

Also my legs are gaining noticeable definition. Lazy office worker syndrome is being beaten back.

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #88 on: June 18, 2015, 07:22:51 AM »
This week I started carrying a little speaker plugged into my phone and listening to some tunes on the way to/from work. I really like it! #1, I get to listen to music without headphones (which I think are a little dangerous, and which pedestrians and drivers are always shaming cyclists for on the local social media), and #2 pedestrians and other bikes can hear me coming! Not cars, though, unless the windows are wide open and the radio is off.

On the down side, got stuck behind a garbage truck for a while today. Fun fact, garbage trucks and bikes go just about the same speed on that stretch of road.

Cookie78

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #89 on: June 18, 2015, 10:39:52 AM »
Not cars, though, unless the windows are wide open and the radio is off.


This reminded me of a story from yesterday morning. There is a stretch on the way to work where I have to use the overpass to cross a freeway. Almost all the bikes use the sidewalk, protected by a concrete barrier, because traffic is dangerous here. There are three crosswalks for the off/on ramps. Mostly vehicles stop for bikes to cross, occasionally they don't, especially if they are going at high speed. Yesterday traffic was extremely slow and I watched to see if the next car was going to stop for me. She was playing with the radio instead (going less than 5mph 3/4 of a car length from the car in front of her) so I slowed down to a near stop. At this point my front tire was about 3 feet from the front driver side headlight. Her window was open, so I just said 'Hello'. She slammed on the brakes immediately. I think I may have startled her. lol. I said 'Thank You' and continued on my way.

TheContinentalOp

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #90 on: June 18, 2015, 03:21:45 PM »
Just got back from biking from Washington DC to Pittsburgh via the C&O Canal Towpath and The Great Allegheny Passageway. (No cars the whole way!)  Including to and from the trailheads and getting off the trail for food and drinks it came to 384.7 miles. It was a pretty mustachian trip. I camped along the the way, but I think I might be getting too old to sleep on the ground. The worst was Day 3 from Hancock to Cumberland. It rained and the towpath doesn't drain well at all. My bike and I were covered with mud and I rolled into Cumberland. The C&O Trail Outfitters right downtown had a free bike wash and cleaned me up real nice.

Mrs. PoP

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #91 on: June 18, 2015, 05:59:39 PM »
Thanks, Prospector and MLKnits.  I gave myself one more time to get a truck number or plate number to use when calling the business, but the truck didn't appear again.  It's been two days without.  Hopefully this means their job that put them on that route is over and I don't need to worry about that truck. 

ohyonghao

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #92 on: June 19, 2015, 05:20:24 PM »
Just got back from biking from Washington DC to Pittsburgh via the C&O Canal Towpath and The Great Allegheny Passageway. (No cars the whole way!)  Including to and from the trailheads and getting off the trail for food and drinks it came to 384.7 miles. It was a pretty mustachian trip. I camped along the the way, but I think I might be getting too old to sleep on the ground. The worst was Day 3 from Hancock to Cumberland. It rained and the towpath doesn't drain well at all. My bike and I were covered with mud and I rolled into Cumberland. The C&O Trail Outfitters right downtown had a free bike wash and cleaned me up real nice.

Congratulations on the epic trip TheContinentalOp!  I was going to do STP this year, but ultimately decided to focus more on racing.  I did get a century ride in twice this year, and might try another couple during the summer.  I find that I hit the wall at about 70mi.

I have entered my first road race (as compared to my Monday night closed circuit races) and look forward to a 48mi route, 2200ft of elevation gain on a cloudy Sunday morning.

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #93 on: June 20, 2015, 11:50:23 AM »
Posting to follow. 

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #94 on: June 20, 2015, 11:51:42 AM »
Posting to follow.
Just a quick heads up: a new post is created every month. I always post the link to the next month as the last (ish) comment on the current month.

jordanread

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #95 on: June 20, 2015, 11:52:40 AM »
Oh, forgot to say, tonight is the starlight spectacular. 22 miles after dark, with over 1000 other riders. So much fun.

Le Poisson

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #96 on: June 21, 2015, 08:14:01 AM »
Posting to follow.
Just a quick heads up: a new post is created every month. I always post the link to the next month as the last (ish) comment on the current month.

Or we can favourite your profile, and find it through your signature.

Maya

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #97 on: June 21, 2015, 07:29:13 PM »
Drove half way and bike the remaining way the other day (30 k total biking) strictly speaking not much savings as I normally only drive 10 k rather than 30. Think I'm going to start biking all the way - 30 k, leave my bike overnight and then bike it home the next day. Have garage parking at work. That will actually make a cost savings of about $3.5 per bike part.

Biked 20 k to and from a park today as our family activity.

FunkyStickman

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #98 on: June 22, 2015, 07:54:45 AM »
I've ridden 93 miles commuting this month. Haven't put it in the sheet, just been too preoccupied. But I'm riding.

b4u2

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Re: June Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #99 on: June 23, 2015, 06:30:56 AM »
Finally stopped storming here so I was able to ride the bicycle again.