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General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: Jakobpunkt on April 02, 2015, 08:30:48 AM

Title: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Jakobpunkt on April 02, 2015, 08:30:48 AM
Last year my bike was a wreck. It kept breaking down over and over and I kept not getting around to fixing it. Consequently I rode the bus a lot.

But this spring I invested some $$ in getting it properly repaired and tuned up, replaced some parts that were overdue, etc. So now my goal for April is to use it like it deserves. I will bike (or maybe walk if I feel leisurely) the 4 km to work all month and not take the bus at all.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Jakobpunkt on April 05, 2015, 04:23:18 PM
Week 1 update:
There were only two working days last week, but I biked both of them.

On Friday evening, I discovered my front wheel had a flat. Super frustrating, especially since it's in the same spot on the tube (rim-side, right near the valve) that kept happening over and over on my rear wheel last year. But I pulled up my big-kid pants, engaged my stoicism, and just patched it up. Then on Saturday I rode to the library and the patch held. So far so good.

Btw, if anyone knows why those kinds of flats can be so common, and how (short of buying a new wheel) I can prevent them, I'd definitely appreciate it. My rim tape is intact, the rim feels smooth, I'm careful not to twist or pinch the tube when I replace it, so it's truly baffling.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: kpd905 on April 05, 2015, 05:05:07 PM
I'm in.  I'll be walking all year, I am about a third of a mile away.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Jakobpunkt on April 05, 2015, 05:25:37 PM
kpd905, that's awesome. Way to arrange your life.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: kpd905 on April 06, 2015, 06:33:03 AM
kpd905, that's awesome. Way to arrange your life.

Definitely, I had a commute that was an hour each way at my previous job.  That got old fast.  Now my fiance and I are both 1/3 mile away.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Jakobpunkt on April 07, 2015, 09:58:10 AM
Last year I replaced the tube repeatedly to no avail. Same hole, same spot, over and over. When I patch tubes the patches tend to stick, and the patch material is thicker than the tube so I think I'm better off with the patch for now. But I'll check out the link you posted.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Jakobpunkt on April 07, 2015, 02:13:39 PM
Thanks Moustaches, that is the first thing I checked. I'm wondering if there's some non obvious cause that an expert might know about, I guess.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: alsoknownasDean on April 24, 2015, 07:48:45 AM
So far so good, although one Friday night I took the tram home (after having too many beers after work), and went into the city to collect the bike the next day. Does that disqualify me?

The commute is about 8km each way. I need to relube the chain though, it's moving a bit less freely than it was the other week.

The only thing about riding my bike to work daily is that I'm very hungry when I get home. I doubt I'm losing any weight if I'm eating more when I get home from work.
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Kmp2 on April 24, 2015, 07:57:56 PM
Oh the hunger! I just upped my commute from 4k round trip (a lovely jaunt I could do all weather in my work clothes) to a 20k round trip. I get less hungry when I make sure to take a breakfast and eat after my morning ride... But we have still resorted to ordering pizza after we ate a normal dinner... Hollow leg syndrome I swear! I should adapt in a few weeks and things will be back to normal again, then I usually start losing weight. Enjoy the rides!
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Oslo_gal on May 06, 2015, 07:54:09 AM
Woop woop! I'm signing up for this one - very convenient since April is gone ;) My public transport card expires in a few days, and I want to save a few bucks (approx $100) and walk or bike to work For the rest of May and well into June (in June, I'll want to use public transport to get to the woods for hiking and fun stuff, and getting a month pass will likely be worth it). I live close to my workplace and have flexible hours, but my main challenge is getting out of the house early enough to not show up ridiculously late for work. Biking used to be my preferred mode of transport, but now I live downhill from work, and I don't see the point of biking uphill for 5 minutes. Walking is probaly 20 minutes and public transport is 5 - 10 minutes. I feel a bit ridiculous for using public transport at all when walking is this easy, but I really haeven't thought about it too much untill now. Challenge everything, right?
Title: Re: Walk or bike to work all April
Post by: Le Poisson on May 06, 2015, 08:38:33 AM
I just started riding in April - so I'm late to the game. My goal was 3X per week on the bike, but now I'm on track for a full week of cycle-commuting. My biggest challenge with biking to work is that I am expected to log XXX km per month in driving on my mileage expense. Not driving is interpreted as not doing my job.

Its a conundrum. I get around it by logging miles on transit (sometimes I have to head into the big city for meetings) but lately I haven't had to go downtown for anything. A comment was made in a meeting last week that I only have 500km on the year logged so far. Ruh Roh.

On the flipside though - I've stretched a $25 gas card bought on points out for a month. I think that's a personal best for me. Also, I have to wash the car to get the dust off it. Its starting to look bad. And my legs are getting some pretty good definition.