UltraRob's Adventures

Warm weather is here and it's a great time to start commuting by bike. National Bike to Work Day was last month. The official Colorado Bike to Work Day isn't until June 24th to allow for nicer weather. In Colorado Springs, Bike to Work Day is this Wednesday, June 10th.

Although Bike to Work events can be fun, you can start riding to work anytime. A bike ride is a great way to start the day and can improve your health. With a little planning, bike commuting can be easy.

Here are some tips to make bike commuting enjoyable.

Plan Your Route

Your route can be the difference between a fun commute and a terrifying one. Check to see if you community has any resources on bike routes. Your local bike shop should also be able to help you pick a good route.

I've lived near a bike path that follows a creek for many years. I've been able to use it and connecting trails to avoid most streets to get to most of my jobs.

Be Safe

Follow the rules of the road. Don't count on motorists seeing you and be prepared to take evasive action. Wear a helmet. It can only take a minor crash to cause head injuries.

If you're riding when there isn't much light, use reflectors, headlight and taillight. You can also get reflective tape to but on your bike. I've put some on the back of the seat stays and on the crank arms.

Be Prepared for Repairs

Take a spare tube and pump or CO2 cartridges in case of a flat. Also carry a muti-tool in case you need to make minor repairs. The Crank Brothers Multi-17 Tool is my favorite.

Choose Riding Clothes

When I've had a fairly short commute, I've worn regular pants and a cycling jersey to reduce time changing at work. When I've worked farther away, I've also worn cycling shorts. Some people prefer to wear casual cycling clothes.

Take a Change of Clothes

If you are riding very far, you'll need to take a change of clothes. Depending on what you need to wear for your job that may be easy or more difficult. It's easy to carry pants and a shirt. It's also easy enough to carry shoes or leave an extra pair at work.

Be Prepared for Weather Changes

Depending on where you live and the time of year you will need to have different clothes for weather changes. Rain gear, leg warmers, arm warmers and a jacket are things you may want to carry.

Carry Your Things

I've always used a regular backpack for bike commuting. Some people prefer a messenger bag or putting bags on their bike. Put things you don't want to get wet from rain or sweat in plastic bags or use a waterproof pack/bag.

Find a Secure Place for Bike

Find a secure place to keep your bike while at work. I've had jobs where I've been able to keep my bike in my cubicle at work. Other times I've been able to lock my bike in the loading dock area. If there's no good place for your bike, ask your employer to put in a bike rack.

Freshen Up

If you ride more than a couple miles to work, you'll probably need to freshen up when you get there. It's nice if you have a shower but it's not necessary. You can always go in a restroom and use a wash cloth and towel or something like Action Wipes to clean up. Using the handicap stall gives more room to clean up and change. Also carry some deodorant and use it.

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling

Many states had Bike Weeks in May. The weather in Colorado can unpredictable in May. Instead Colorado waits until June but then does a Bike Month instead of a week.

Part of bike weeks is usually a Bike to Work Day. It isn't that hard to ride to work for most people. Even riding one day a week benefits your health and the environment.

The official Colorado Bike to Work day is Wednesday, June 24th. For some reason Colorado Springs is doing their Bike to Work Day early on Wednesday, June 10th.

There are a lot of useful clinics and fun activities in Colorado Springs all month long. Follow the links below to find more details.

Flat Repair & Basic Bike Maintenance (Clinic)

Thursday, June 04, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Ted's Bicycles

Cruiser Cruise of Historical North End

Saturday, June 06, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (MT)
Leftside Spin

Tube Repair for Women (Clinic)

Tuesday, June 09, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (MT)
CS West Bikes

Metro Rides Bike-To-Work Day Breakfast

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM (MT)
Pioneer's Museum (Downtown Colorado Springs)

Why Cycling-Specific Clothing (Clinic)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 5:30 PM (MT)
Colorado Cyclist

Hand-On for Women Cycling #2 (Clinic)

Thursday, June 11, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
REI

Bicycle Roundup - A Children's Safety Event

Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m.— 1 p.m
Goose Gossage Youth Sports Complex

Adaptive Cycling for all Abilities (Clinic)

Monday, June 15, 2009 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (MT)
Health South Rehab

Unicycling 101(Clinic)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
CS West Bike

Kids Bike Safety (Clinic)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Suburban Shred

Sports Nutrition (Clinic)

Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Ascent Cycling

The Heuberger Subaru Starlight Spectacular

Saturday, June 20, 2009, festivities start at 10 PM and ride starts at midnight
Garden of the Gods Vistor Center

Intro to Triathlon "Race Day"

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Bicycle Village

Bike Commuting (Clinic)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Performance Bicycles

Maintenance Basics (Clinic)

Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (MT)
Bicycle Experience

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Labels: bike commuting, Colorado, Colorado Springs, cycling, mountain biking

The weather was so nice today that I wanted to pick my kindergartener up from school by bike. I didn't get home in time though to hook up either the trailer bike or ride over to my sister's to pick up the Burley trailer. Instead I used my backpack to strap her bike to my back. It seemed like everybody was staring at me while I was riding.

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Labels: bike commuting

I'm not very interested in politics. As far as I'm concerned both Democrats and Republicans come from the same steaming pile. Even so I vote like I think everyone should.

I don't find much of what politicians do surprising but I do find this video surprising. I could understand a political ad like this a few years ago but don't you think it's a bit wacky in this green is cool age?

found via Biking Bis

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling

For at least the last couple weeks, a petition has been circulating around that asks the Google Maps team to add a Bike There option to Google Maps. Currently there's an option for Public Transportation in some cities. GoogleMapsBikeThere.org has more information.

I think having a Bike There option would be great although I think it would probably only be done for the big cities. I'd really like to be able to pick a 100 mile route while I'm on vacation and know I wasn't headed on some suicide ride. A ride I did from near San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara comes to mind.

Currently byCycle.org uses Google Maps for bike routes but is limited to Portland, Oregon and Madison, Wisconsin. Bike Metro provides bike routes for southern California but uses different mapping technology.

I listed several sites for mapping with GPS for cycling a while back. You'd think most of the routes that are shared would be relatively safe but some may not be. Just like if I had GPS and had shared my route from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara. Do you know of any other sites for safe bike routes?

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling, share the road

Today is the first annual Blog Action Day. The idea is that each year they'll pick a topic for bloggers to write about. This year they pick the environment for the topic.

I started writing a post about the green movement a couple months ago before I knew about Blog Action Day. I never finished writing it. I started writing it after I'd seen yet another company using the green cause in its marketing. I no longer remember what it was for.

I recycle. My wife will throw an aluminum can in the trash because she just wants it out of the way and I'll pull it out and put it in the recycle bin. I sometimes commute by bike although I should do it more often. My excuse is it isn't far enough to count as good training but long enough that I need a shower. I feel bad driving my SUV and take our mini-van if my wife isn't using it.

The thing that annoys me about green becoming popular is that now companies are using it in their marketing. There are very few cases where buying something is greener than not buying it. Just think about what you buy and just how much of it do you really need?

One thing that is green to buy is compact fluorescent light bulbs. Although they cost more, they last longer and save you a lot more than the extra cost. I have switched almost all of my bulbs to fluorescent. Some have said they aren't better because they have mercury in them. Power plants spew out mercury when they burn coal so the electricity compact fluorescent bulbs save actually reduces the mercury. The best thing is to not throw them in the trash but to recycle them.

Another thing that is green to buy and save you money in the long run is a programmable thermostat. I like it cool when I sleep but warm when I get out of bed in the morning. We have the temperature automatically drop 5 degrees about the time we go to bed and then back to normal an hour before we get up. We used to drop the temperature during the day too but now that we have kids, Julie is normally home.

Some of the best ways to go green don't cost and are easy to do. Things like recycling, water your lawn in morning or evening when it's cooler, turn the water off when brushing your teeth and turn off lights. Oh, and if you don't need it, don't buy it.

Other Blog Action Day Posts

• Walking and Biking: Better For People and the Planet
• The Adventure Blog: Blog Action Day!
• Some Notes on the Environment: Why I Care And Why An Inconvenient Truth Doesn’t Matter
• 10 Simple Ways To Save Money And The Environment
• It's Easy Being Green

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Labels: bike commuting, Blog Action Day, environment

Cyclelicious posted a good summary of an article on Raise the Hammer about whether cycling is safe. The Raise the Hammer article seemed focused on Toronto but some of the statistics were for the US. One of the stats presented is that there are less deaths per hour of cycling than for driving. From the numbers given, I'm guessing that there are more fatalities per mile for cycling though.

I think how you ride makes a big difference on how safe it is to ride a bike. The Cyclelicous post has links to some information on riding safely. Bicycle Colorado has rules for riding in Colorado.

One thing I won't do while riding on roads is wear headphones. I really think you need to be able to hear whats going on behind you and sense when a car is getting too close. Another important thing is to ride where people in cars expect you to be. One thing I like to do is ride a foot or two to the left of the edge of the road. That way when a car gets close to me I can move right and get a little extra space. Also I find when traffic is passing too close, wobbling a little bit makes them give extra room. I mainly just move my upper body back and forth and only slightly move the bike.

I'm not a cell phone carrying kind of guy normally but I've been taking one at least on my long rides the last few years. In Colorado you are allowed to use the hotline for report aggressive drivers to report drivers while you're cycling. The important thing is to get the vehicle license plate. In case the worst happens, I wear a ID/medical band from RoadID.

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling, share the road