Whispers from Beyond the Death of the iOS Blogger App

Hello, friends!

A lot has happened since my last post in October 2015. A quick timeline:

• June 2016: Twins turned one!
• August 2016: Learned we were expecting one more!
• April 2017: Baby Bee arrived!
• June 2017: My office moved from 7 miles away from home to 1.5 miles away!
• Summer/early Fall 2017: Hotter and more humid than a dog's mouth.
• Mid-Fall 2017: PERFECT biking weather. 

I was able to sneak in a couple of rides to and from work before it was getting dark before I could get home. I found my helmet (need a new one!) lights, and get them charged, but I'm not feeling very organized about it just yet and plan to start fresh in the spring when the days are a bit longer and the temps a bit more favorable. 

The twins are now two-and-a-half, and the baby is almost 9 months old. We were gifted my brother-in-law's bike trailer (yay!) this summer, so when it warms a bit, I'd also like to take the Tinies (the twins) on our local bike trail (Grant's Trail, from Kirkwood to Mehlville). My BIL also provided us with two helmets appropriate for young children, so we're all set.

I have also been able to walk to and from work a couple of times but that also requires organization and a bit more time over my schedule than I've managed with a nursing baby. But she'll have broader food options in a few more months and with my 40th birthday(!) coming up later this year, I plan to reinstate a lot of things that have been pushed aside for high-risk pregnancy or to care for three very young people in the past 3.5 years. (How? So fast. So long. So everything.)

Goals for my 40s:

• Ride/walk to work as often as possible
• Start running again
• Streamline my wardrobe and possessions
• Capsule wardrobes 

I hope to start posting more regularly here again - I'll aim for once a week.
It's good to be back. ❤🚲

I Miss My Bicycle.

Hi all! I am just popping in quickly to share how much I miss riding! Spring has sprung in St. Louis, and things are starting to bloom, both inside and outside. With twins on the way this summer, we're also furiously house-hunting, but also preparing for the very real possibility that we might bring them home to our (a little too little) house for a while, and that's okay, too.

The temps are climbing, and there are more sunny days these days, and I am so ready to get on the bicycle again! I am also measuring about ten weeks ahead of schedule, so I'm not going to be riding any time soon. Still, when I am walking or running errands by car, I see people riding, and I'm so happy for them!

I mentioned here that we almost moved a year ago to a more bikeable area. As we're considering where to move now, I still consider bikeability. I would still love a place that facilitates biking to work, but we're also looking at areas that will allow me and the kids (The Hubs is not a big cycling enthusiast) to bike to neat places in the neighborhood. My vision of cycling with kids has, with twins, morphed from whether to get a Yepp-style seat to planning to get a trailer instead.

The home we had under contract last year was in a part of St. Louis County called University City. It's a very walkable neighborhood, but we were looking at purchasing knowing we'd likely consider private school if we had children. And tuition for two is a little daunting! We're focusing more now on Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and possibly parts of Olivette (Olivette offers access to the Centennial Greenway, which would be like a bike highway into downtown Clayton for work, shops, restaurants, and coffee; Webster and Kirkwood offer charming and complete downtown areas of their own, but retain some of the difficulties I currently experience riding from our house to Clayton for work). Webster and Kirkwood offer access to Grant's Trail, too, which offers access to Grant's Farm with no car-park charge, which is appealing with littles on the way!

Centennial Greenway Ribbon Cutting - Source

Kirkwood, Missouri, Independence Day - Source

Downtown Webster Groves, Missouri - Source

It's been a very hot market in these areas, though, and we haven't found a home that sings to both of us just yet. We'll keep our eyes open and we'll buy when we find the right one.

All is otherwise well, and for the record, I miss running, too! But it's all worth it, and it's all temporary, and soon enough, I will be able to share my enthusiasm for seeing the world on two wheels with tiny new humans, which is pretty exciting! I am sure some of my love of cycling comes from my dad's love of cycling. He used to take long rides with me on the back of the bike in a yellow plastic seat...at least, until I figured out how to untie my shoes and drop them along the road every few minutes.

Not yet.

The nearest dream recedes, unrealized.
The heaven we chase
Like the June bee
Before the school-boy
Invites the race;
Stoops to an easy clover
Dips--evades--teases--deploys;
Then to the royal clouds
Lifts his light pinnace

-Emily Dickinson

First, I had to look up pinnace, so let me go ahead and define that for you: "a small vessel used as a tender to larger vessels amongst other things". (Source: Wikipedia)

'Tis spring.  Finally. 
'Tis also, finally, Daylight Savings Time.
Not that it matters...

I have been sick with a terribly unrelenting upper-respiratory virus for the past 3.5 weeks. Combined with a pattern of Wednesday and Sunday ice and snow, I haven't been riding yet at all. I haven't had a day in nearly a month where I haven't encountered a terrible coughing fit that resulted in me feeling light-headed afterward. I've gone to the doctor twice; I have suffered a round of antibiotics, and progress is minimal. I'm just going to have to ride this out... pardon the pun.

In other news, we released the contract on the house we hoped to buy. It was a foreclosure, and we found the seller to be difficult to work with (putting in mildly) and the house needed far more work than we had allowed for in our budget, and honestly, after haggling with the seller for nearly two months, we lost interest. The home was placed back on the market, and immediately taken down, so I suspect someone else has it under contract. That's okay. We'll keep an eye on the market and if something else compels us, then great. Until then, I am 2 miles from a great bike trail, 2 miles from church, and six miles from work. Now if only I can kick this cold...

That said, it's gorgeous outside, and tomorrow, while significantly cooler, looks like it will be clear, so perhaps, if I'm feeling up to it, I'll attempt a ride.

Bicycles and the "Winter Breaking Point"

As a fair-weather cyclist, I've found this winter exceptionally difficult. I think starting this blog has exacerbated things, because as each Friday has rolled around, I've been a little more hard-pressed for blog material when I'm not riding much, if at all (my last ride was in early December; my schedule, daylight, and nice weather have not cooperated to make room for a ride since then - ouf).

And today, they are calling for another 6-8" of snow in our area, with another 1" of ice. Which makes me feel a lot like this:




Yeah.

So, I'm going to listen to the weather and hunker down for a little while longer. No matter how bleak the weather, and how short the days, they are getting longer, and spring is just a few weeks away. A week from tomorrow marks the return of Daylight Savings Time, which, with sunsets currently stretching to 5:30 p.m. and beyond, means riding to work will be an option when mild mid-week weather presents itself. So the riding posts will begin again, and I can start blogging about bicycling again, and soon.

Someday, this winter will. end.

A Funny Story

I spoke with a local paper this week about commuting to work by bicycle in St. Louis County for a story they are planning to run about Complete Streets.

Paper: "Do you commute regularly?"

Me: "Uh, no. I'm what you might call a 'fair-weather' commuter."

P: "Did you ride this week?"

Me: "Have you been outside? No."

P: "Are you planning to ride to work this week?"

Me: "See answer to previous question."

P: "Do you know anyone who is planning to commute to work this week in St. Louis County?"

Me: "See answer to previous question."

This is what my street looked like on Tuesday morning...

The roads were much better by Wednesday (with snow still encroaching on most lanes, and totally obscuring bike paths and shoulders, even on arterial roads), and Thursday we woke to more fat, slippery, slushy, icy snow in the region. This morning brought reports of mist and black ice. No thanks - I'm just not that adventurous, though a major hat-tip to those of you who are -- be careful out there. 

I am exaggerating the conversation for the effect of this post, but this was the gist of it. The conversation was perfectly lovely, and I'm so looking forward to seeing County streets become more multi-user-friendly, and reports and discussions will only help this happen. Despite the fact that I couldn't help them find a cycling commuter who is riding to work this week, I was able to share what I love and loathe about my commute to work. I'll be looking for the story, and will post it here when it's available!

Fiets-losophy: Thoughts on Guilt, Social Media, and the Bicycle Rider

You're doing it wrong.

You're not doing it enough.

You're not a real cyclist.

I came back to bicycling slowly. Awareness of bicycles as a means to stay fit crept into my consciousness back in 2007, before I married The Hubster, when I needed a way to cross-train on days I wasn't running. I dragged the Trek to St. Louis from my hometown in Kansas, aired up the tires, and took the bike out. I was shocked at how easy and difficult it was all at the same time. The fat tires and aggressive riding position felt awful and slow. Also, I hated wearing a helmet, and I thought I had to wear padded bike shorts to ride, which made me not want to ride. So after the wedding, I stopped, and I didn't touch a bicycle again for years.

Then, starting somewhere in 2012, bicycles started to creep back into my consciousness. I started to see them referenced on some of my favorite blogs. Most of the writers had bikes that looked different from the "grown-up" bike options I was familiar with - e.g., mountain bicycles, "mountain-bike-lite" hybrids, serious road bikes, or ten speeds. I was seeing "upright", "city", or "Dutch-style" bicycles, though I knew little more than that I thought they were very chic and lovely.

In the spring of 2013, however, I was smitten -- and had been bitten by the bug. I started reading bike blogs voraciously, and following cyclists on Twitter. I quickly decided that I wanted to buy myself an upright bicycle, and keep my mountain bike, too. The bike blogs were amazing inspiration. There were people all over the place who were completely in love with bicycling and riding 3, 6, 10, 25 miles to work...every day. In all sorts of weather. And they looked healthy and happy. 

I used the stories from the blogs and the comments to inform the purchase of my own upright bicycle in very late May - a Linus Dutchi 3-speed in black. I immediately purchased lights, and outfitted it with front and rear baskets.  I rode it my own 13 miles round-trip to work, 4 miles round-trip to church, and 15-22 miles round-trip to/on my local multi-use trail. I loaded it into the back of my car and drove to other trails in the area (St. Louis is rich for these). I got the mountain bike back out and rode it around a little. I packed it and took it with me to KC to ride trails with my brother when I picked up my Mother's nearly 40-year old 10-speed to fix up and ride. And here's what I've discovered, so far:

• I do love riding bicycles! 
• Having the right bicycle for the type of riding you are doing can be really important - - I get bicycle stables. (I'm pretty pleased with my three bikes.) 
• An upright bicycle is heavy. An upright bicycle with three baskets is even heavier, and will punch you in the throat with a handlebar when you're trying to shove it into the back of a vehicle. That hurts.
• I really hate wearing a helmet. Still, I will wear a helmet mostly to keep people from telling me to wear a helmet, which I find more unpleasant than actually wearing the thing.
• I love the fabulous bike trails in the St. Louis area - especially Grant's Trail and Creve Coeur Lake.
• It's amazing how quiet the world is when you're biking through a neighborhood without cars or pedestrians. 
• Animals don't immediately run away from a bicycle like they do from cars and pedestrians. (I think this speaks volumes for bicycles.)
• I cannot ride to/from work or church without sweating profusely if it's over 85 degrees, and I do not like to sport a red face and drip sweat for half hour after I arrive somewhere. I can ride slowly, but hills are hills are hills, friends.
• I think anything between 40°F and 75°F is just about perfect for any outdoor activity, save, perhaps, swimming. I'll grant an extra 10°F in either direction without complaining. This pretty much gives me the bulk of March to June and September to November to ride, and a few odd days in the remaining five months. Otherwise, I'd just as soon hide inside or be somewhere with better weather.
• I don't much care for riding at night/after dark. I will, however, ride after dark for a short trip within St. Louis neighborhoods where I can avoid busy streets. This pretty much knocks out work commuting in November and the first third of March. 
• I am not interested in riding in snow or ice... or lightning.
• I am looking forward to trying my work commute on the ten-speed, because with the upright bicycle's heavy weight and three gears, some of the hills on my commute are brutal. Brutal. (Even if someone else wouldn't mind them, I still find them steep.)
• If the ten speed (which is about 5-7 pounds lighter than the upright bike, with all her baskets) is significantly more pleasant to ride to/from work, I will have to decide whether to make the ten speed my work commute bike (with a rear rack and fenders, it's just about ready to go), or upgrade the hub and shifters on the upright bicycle to an 8-speed Shimano (versus the 3-speed Shimano). This bullet is THE. BIKE. DECISION. of 2014.
• My mountain bike's exact role is unknown right now. I am not pleased with the fit (feels really small and crowded), the handlebars, or the grips, and need fenders and a way to carry things. I just can't decide yet which direction I want to go. Smooth tires and commute-y, with a full rack? Or keep the knobby tires and just add fenders and a small rear rack (like on the Motobecane), and *slightly* swept-back, wider bars? I'm leaning toward the latter, because then I think the mountain bike would be just about perfect for a trip down the Katy Trail. 
• I'm a designated bike-lane sort of girl -- which I'm gathering quickly is very controversial. I don't like taking the lane, and I don't like riding with cars (though I will in order to ride as safely and predictably as I can). I don't want to be on the sidewalk, either. If it were up to me, there would be a network of Grant's-Trail-type multi-use paths connecting all of St. Louis City and County, with designated bike lanes on most roads (and protected lanes on arterial roads). That would make me happy. Also, I'd like to ditch the helmet in that circumstance, if I'm totally honest.
• I need a bike rack. But not on my roof or on my car all the time.

As you will have noticed, at least so far, I have a fair amount of things (excuses, even) that keep me from riding. It's cold and dark right now, and we got snow Wednesday night and the metro area is bracing for another 8" this weekend. I've pretty much accepted that, other than to get to and from church on a reasonably mild and clear-road day, or the odd unseasonably-warm-day-on-a-weekend, I'm probably not going to do a lot of riding until the return of Daylight Savings Time. I'm completely open to the fact that, with just a few weather-ideal days in June, September, and October, I've really only begun to rediscover bicycling, and I may feel very differently after another year. I know I'm excited to welcome the return of Daylight Savings Time and spring come March, and to see what that brings. I'm purchasing my bike rack today - it will hold two bicycles and fold away in the back of my car when I don't need it, which will mean I can take any bike any place, and bring a second bike for the hubby or a friend. This will be fantastic.

Right now, though? My bicycles are ornaments. The upright bicycle is simply too heavy and unwieldy (see, e.g., throat punch) to lug to and from my basement, but I've moved the lightweight mountain bike back downstairs. The red ten-speed is keeping the (surprisingly, still up-and-decorated) Christmas tree company, and will probably stay in the living room for easy-access should a lovely weekend day present itself.

And I feel guilty, and sad, and like an impostor. The blog posts by the most dedicated of bicyclists have lately become somewhat of a burden instead of a blessing and inspiration to me. Twitter offers a constant reminder of all the people out there riding in the worst weather and on the shortest days. I read about people bicycling in parts of Canada with 6" of snow on the ground 6 months out of the year (and even fewer long-light days during those six months), or in Boston or Chicago (with aggressive drivers and snow-covered bike lanes), or in busy, car-crazy Los Angeles, where every few days, it seems someone is hit while riding by a distracted or drunk driver. And its a little overwhelming. Because I'm new, and maybe I'm not doing this right and missing something. Maybe I'm not riding enough, and therefore, not a real cyclist. 

Except that I am. And so are you, if you ride at all, and if you want to be. 

I am a huge proponent of the idea that a little bit of good swapped for something bad is a whole lot better than nothing at all. So I smother my kale and quinoa in butter and salt (I sure do): I'm still getting more - and more real - nutrients from that meal which are far better than anything I'd find at a drive-thru window, which is probably what I'd be eating instead (if I'm honest). 

Likewise, I probably rode my bike to work or church over about two dozen trips between the last couple days of May and the very end of October. I also did another half-dozen "just for fun" rides around my neighborhood or on my favorite trails. I may have stayed home, or I may have spent that time running errands or shopping in my car, and I know I would have otherwise used my car for the work and church trips. That's 36 trips of between four and 20 miles that weren't made by car. Let's say I did 12 trips of 13 miles each, 12 trips of 4 miles each, 2 five-mile fun rides, 2 10-mile fun rides, and 2 20-mile fun rides. 

That suddenly sounds like a fair amount of riding, when I've felt so focused instead on the time I wasn't on the bicycle, and which isn't fair. And, are you ready for this? Those rides encompass two hundred and seventy-four miles that weren't spent in a car, and didn't use gas, or spew ickypoonasty stuff into the air. 

At $4/gal and 27 mpg average, that's ten gallons of gas I haven't had to purchase since May. Only $40, but, according to this site, you emit 271 g of greenhouse gas per km driven, versus 21 g/km on the bike (taking into account your own fuel, and what it took to produce all of the things to get you moving in either instance). Converting mi to km, 274 mi is 441 km. 441 km driven produces 119,511 g (about 264 POUNDS) of CO2 emissions. Biking the same distance? 9,261 g, or just over 20 pounds of CO2. 

And that feels like something. And it is something.

In another metric, at 35 calories per mile (I'm small, and slow), I've burned nearly 10,000 calories on my collective rides. I'm still the same size and shape, but I like to think that I've made room for that extra slice of pizza or extra cream in my coffee without my belt getting tighter. Seriously: let's do some math. I bike an average of, say, 8mph, taking into account slower commutes and faster bike trails. I've spent about 34.25 hours on my bicycle as a result. That's approximately 280 calories burned per hour, versus about 60/hour if I'm totally sedentary. Even assuming a fairly active alternative (100/hr) -- which driving is not -- I've burned 180 cal/hr more on the bicycle over 34.25 hours, which is 6,165 calories I'm not carrying around as excess, or almost 2 pounds. (Considering the average American adult gains a pound per year as they age, and my average weight this year is -- perhaps not incidentally -- two pounds lighter, this is certainly something.) I've strengthened my heart and lungs in the process. I have said of running: once you've done it, no one can take it away from you. Bicycling is the same. 

Yes, more could be better -- better for the cost-per-use of the bicycle; better for the earth; better for my waistline and heart and lungs. But something is still something. And I want to go into 2014 focusing on that, and feeling proud about what I have done in just half of 2013, and what I may do in 2014 - and even if it's about the same, or a little more, or a little less, that's all good enough.

Cheers, Happy New Year, and happy riding! 

(Whenever - and however - you ride.)

Sartorial Cycling: Dressing for Transitional Temps

Happy Friday night, Fiets-Friends!

Today, let's talk about layering for riding. On Sunday, I decided to ride Fleur to church, which is about two miles each way from my home. It was in the low-40s when I left, but was supposed to be near 60 for my ride home. HEY, those temps require different outerwear, y'all.

So what to wear to ride?

As always, start with what you want to wear. It's a bicycle ride, not an ice-climbing expedition. {The dog is optional; mine isn't a fan of baskets, for the record.}

Consider that you will be INCREASING wind exposure (by moving through the air, sometimes quickly), while WARMING your core through physical activity. So really, you'll warm yourself up once you're going for a few minutes, but the air will feel colder -- especially on your arms (which aren't moving as much as your legs), hands, and face/ears. 

Personally? I don't mind a brisk breeze on my face, but cold ears give me a wicked headache. 

Early in the blog, I suggested wearing a handkerchief in your forehead to prevent helmet-forehead. For cool, but not yet cold, weather, try binding the bandanna over your ears. It will block the wind but let most of the sound through. 

I also recommend a scarf; err on the warm side (they are easy to loosen or ditch). The other form of cold that gets to me is a cold neck and chest. I like winters so much more since scarves really caught on a few years ago!

Finally, if you have a jacket that is primarily wind-proof, or at least wind-resistant, grab that one. I was far chillier on my "coffeeneuring" ride when it was in the 50s in a wool tee and polyester fleece jacket than in my sleeveless shell, light cardi, and ancient raincoat (this jacket's at least ten years old; serves me well in a number of circumstances).

A lot of smaller layers allow you to tailor your outerwear during the ride and to adjust as necessary for the ride home, when temps have shifted. I ditched everything but the jacket and helmet for my ride home two hours later. 

Finally, a note on hair: with long tresses, I often like a braid or braids, because of the ease, but a low bun also plays nicely with a helmet. It also, if anything, creates a soft "o" or  "s"-type wave instead of crimpy-type "z" waves. I just twist my hair onto itself and secure ends with an elastic or small hair clip.

As the daylight wanes, and the temperatures continue to drop, I will likely be focusing my transport rides on these shorter jaunts within my more immediate neighborhoods. I do plan to continue Sunday church rides into and through the winter as long as the streets are clear.  I look forward to the experience and sharing what I'm learning with you here! I'd also like to lobby for the workday to shorten to from no earlier than an hour after sunrise to no later than an hour before sunset -- just to have a fighting shot at some daylight for part of my commute -- however I'm commuting. 9-3 from November to March, anyone?

Cheers, and happy riding!

x

The World Looks Different When You Ride

This past week has been a mixed bag, as far as bicycling goes. 

The Good:

I mentioned my "stable" post in and by Bikes for the Rest of Us, and got some great feedback from the post's authors about how to adjust my hub gearing on Fleur (Linus Dutchi) in order to fit my riding needs better.

I've been in touch with my LBS about making this change, and about the work needed to Julek (90's Trek 8000) and The Radish (70's Motobecane 10-speed).

Here's the starting plan for the bikes:

• Adjust the ring from 22 to 18-tooth to adjust second gear on Fleur.
• Give The Radish the attention it needs - new brake hoods, a once-over.
• Julek needs to have a crack in the shock looked at; not sure yet if I'll keep the shock or return to the original fork (I still have it).
• Julek needs some smooth tires.
• The Radish and Julek need fenders and small rear racks.
• The Radish needs serious wheel love. The spokes are loose and wheels are out of true.
• The Radish needs some reflectors, too, to be compliant with current law.
• Kickstand upgrades for everyone.

I will start with The Radish, then Julek, then Fleur, since that's the order in which they are rideable. Which brings us to...

The Bad:

Can we talk about daylight savings time? I have never been profoundly affected by daylight per se. I love rainy days, and as long as things are green and lush and moist, I'm happy. I get far more bummed out by days when it's miserable to be outside - freezing and grey, or hot and brown. Truly, I blame Portland for ruining things with evergreens and mild temps year round.

This year, the end of Daylight Savings Time hit me like a ton of bricks, because it effectively meant that, even with mild weather, to commute to and from the office, I'd have to commit to riding 6(+) miles in rush hour traffic in the dark. And, at least at my current comfort level, I can't.  I struggle with the ride home during rush hour in the best of circumstances, and I need more than a blinking red light and an awesome headlight to get me over this. Like a body-suit made of reflective-coated titanium or something, I don't know. That said, sometimes on Fridays I can scoot a little early, and that may buy enough daylight to make the occasional winter ride possible. So don't totally give up on me. Plus, riding to and from church and local businesses is still very much a possibility, because those are often daylight-hour activities, even as the Winter Solstice approaches. 

The Ugly:

If I am often busy, November presents a special challenge, due to NaNoWriMo, in which I have participated most years (and I am determined to win this year; I won in 2009). Nano collided with an already-busy schedule last weekend and I basically spent Saturday and Sunday running around like a crazy person. The chief (or at least, most relevant to this blog) implication of this is that I have officially "failed" coffeeneuring, in that I could not find time for a challenge-worthy bike ride at any time during Saturday or Sunday. However, I've been assured that continuing without winning is still grounds for submission and cheers, so I will try to coffeeneur this weekend and on future weekends. I do so like the this is not about speed or distance or getting somewhere; it's about biking leisurely to a leisure activity vibe of the thing. I want to celebrate that, especially since it is so much more accessible to me right now than  distance rides, night rides, and commuting to work.

The Game-Plan:

I will use these long, dark nights to provide the incentive to get the remaining bicycles up to speed, to seize the opportunity to ride on weekend days, and to find space an time in my schedule to breathe... and ride.

The Silver Lining:

Out of frustration comes (if you're looking for it) insight. 

On a practical level, I've determined that I need a paper calendar. I love my phone's calendar for its ability to remind me of things with alarms, but I have the terrible habit of checking only to see if I am free for the specific window requested of me, and not considering the larger picture (what the rest of the day, weekend, or week holds for me). I'm a visual person, so this isn't really a surprise, but I hadn't thought about it until my overbooked calendar caused me to miss out on something I really enjoyed and wanted to do (ride my bike to a coffee shop without feeling awful and rushed).

On a philosophical level, my feelings about my car are changing. I don't know if it was the recent hybrid eclipse, but people have been driving so recklessly that I've come to resent my car commute something fierce.  I'm paying much closer attention to how I feel when I'm driving, versus how I feel on the bicycle. And it's marked. My stress levels, so long as I permit myself to have adequate time to reach my destination without rushing, are low-to-nonexistent on the bike. But in the car, I can't control that nearly as easily, because I am a driver, and can't just choose side streets to interact with pedestrians or the sounds of nature instead of stop-and-go arterial or inner-belt nonsense. I'm paying attention to these things.

If I can't ride consistently, at least I can share.

Here are some great bike links I stumbled across this week:

If I ever think something "bikey", Commute by Bike posts about it shortly thereafter.
Tips from the cycling sloth... 

And, thanks to Melissa @ Her Green Life, I've been thinking a little extra about what I want in bike infrastructure lately, which has resulted in some very interesting ready about old freeways and bike lanes.

Are you in St. Louis? Are you interested in bike infrastructure in the community? If so, please make note of an upcoming event by Great Rivers Greenway in which the Bike Plans from three bike-friendly communities will be presented. It's an all-morning event next Wednesday, 11-20-2013 from 830pm-130pm. Admission is $15. I hope to go, but it will truly depend on my work schedule that day. 

Finally, who doesn't love a little Bikeyface? Let's look at her new posters. I am such a fan of the top poster with the three different bicycles.

That's all from me this week. 
Here's to riding - whenever and however it suits us, so long as we ride!

What the heck is #Coffeeneuring??

I freaking love Twitter.

I love all social media, to be honest. I'm a talky person (I am sure you're shocked to learn this) and I love projects and sharing information with people who think about the same kinds of things. My Facebook group of friends is diverse and wonderful, but it's through Twitter that I can really explore my feelings and experiences with money management, simple living, decluttering, and bicycles.

And so, through Twitter, I found Mary G. of @coffeeneur. I mentioned her in last week's post. She started this fantastic DC-based project called "coffeeneuring" after reading about it online (another person started the term; but it is my understanding that Mary is the one who really ran with it). There are something like 19 rules, but they boil down to these essentials:

1. Within a fairly short period of time (around 8 weeks?), visit 7 coffee shops.
2. They must be different coffee shops.
3. You must ride your bicycle.
4. The total (round-trip) ride must exceed 2 miles.
5. You must take a photo of your drink, which must be coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or cider.
6. The rides must take place on a Saturday or Sunday, some holidays, or your days off, but shall not exceed two per week.

Here are all the rules.

She sets it up as a challenge, and if you send photographic evidence and a brief description of your experience and the length of your route, you get something as a prize. I don't know what the something is, but I seized upon this as an opportunity to keep riding as the days shorten and as I evaluate my bike commute's place in shorter, colder days (remember, I'm pretty new to this, and still figuring all of this out).

I joined halfway through the challenge, and so must ride every single available weekend day between now and Sunday, November 17, in order to complete the challenge and win. So as soon as we returned from a family trip to the Lake of the Ozarks, I hopped on Fleur, and we moseyed to St. Louis Bread Co (mostly because I was sure it would be open on a Sunday evening), arriving home just as the light had started to fade. 

 It was a great experience! I timed myself through MapMyRide, which is one of my favorite apps. The time shown includes my time at the coffee shop. 

Shop 1 of 7.

Total (round-trip) route: 5.3 miles. 

My drink was a venti chai tea latte.

The best part about my ride was: powering up a hill I had to walk up last time. Also, this tiny older gentleman spent about 45 seconds ogling my bike when he left the shop, and Fleur was totally flattered.

The worst part about my ride was: powering up a hill I had to walk up last time. I also forgot to get one of those stick-in-the-coffee-hole plastic doohickeys, and my yellow purse is now pretty dirty. My suede wedges also need to be clean, and so does Fleur's front basket. Will have to address these things before Saturday's ride...

I sure hope to complete the challenge. I am a total project-addict (did I mention that already?) and next month will be a busy one. I've just come off a minimalist game, where I decluttered one thing for each day # of the month (1 thing day 1, 31 things day 31) for a total of 496 items purged. I need to get the donate-able/sellable/specially-recyclable stuff to the right places and reclaim my dining room because tomorrow is also the start of NaNoWriMo! This writing project will be eating my life alive for the next 30 days so my posting and riding will probably reflect it, though I picked up coffeeneuring specifically with the idea that I could ride to a coffee shop with the computer and write for a nice block of time while maintaining interests outside of crazy-frantic-novel-writing.

If this intrigues you , by all means try it out, just for fun, and if you're on Twitter, follow Mary and "compete" the next time there's a challenge! 

Cheers and happy riding!

Night Rider & New Helmet

A couple of things sparked this post:

1. I bought a new helmet, and right after I bought the new helmet, I received a comment reply from a Trisha at LGRAB (on her post about her Carrera folding helmet) asking about my experience with the Yakkay helmet I bought earlier this summer. So I thought I'd share my thoughts about the helmets I currently have.

2. Biking at night is something that seems totally normal and totally terrifying to me, all at the same time. So let's talk about that, since I could avoid it pretty easily from May until now, but HEY WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF SUNSHINE.


"I have no lid upon my head, but if I did, you could look inside and see what's on my mind..."
-Dave Matthews Band

I currently own three helmets.

A 2006 Giro something-or-other that was the least-offensive-option when I started riding my mountain bike again to cross-train (I needed something to compliment the running I'd just discovered). This helmet is US-certified. It has vents, but I find it tight and hot when I wear it in the summer, and it dents my forehead unless I wear it with a bandanna, and then I have to remove a pad so it isn't too tight. I paid about $50 for it, new. It looks like this when I wear it:

A 2010 Yakkay Smart One which I bought secondhand via Amazon, because the suckers are expensive. ($80 I think for a new helmet and $60 for covers?) It is EU-certified but not US certified, and I think I know why; more on that in the reviews. There is a Smart TWO which is available for sale in the US. The primary difference between the two (from what I can gather) is that my helmet has a fabric strap to secure the helmet at the base/back of head; the Two has wires that dial for tightness. It looks like this when I wear it without a cover (most of the time in the summer; details in the review):

(I don't have a photo yet with the cover on, because I've only used it once; the helmet is theoretically safer without it, among other benefits when it is warm outside, and I'm certainly not just wearing the damned thing to look cool.)

And the newest member of the brain bucket club, my 2013 Nutcase. I have wanted a secure, adjustable-size helmet and kept coming back to the nutcases. I like their patterns, and unlike the Giro Surface, which made me look like this, I  think this one suits my narrow face a little better. This is what I look like when I wear my new Nutcase:

I took this last night after I got home from a rehearsal (the reason the chin strap is released). It was blurry enough that it looked dumb in color, so I made it B&W. This is what the helmet looks like in real life; the design is called Mellow Swirl, which is totally weird, but whatever. 

So, my thoughts about these helmets. There are good and bad things about all of them. I may keep all three or let one go. I don't object to having multiple helmets if they all serve me well, but I don't need every surface of my home covered with bike-related goodies, either. I welcome thoughts, experiences, feedback (about these helmets, other helmets, and how many helmets - whatever).

The Giro is secure, and pretty comfortable, though it's snug. As mentioned, I must remove the front pad to fit a freaking handkerchief under the helmet, and it gives me a head dent when I remove the helmet, even after just 20 minutes. And if it's warm, that means I have a head-dent for like half an hour. Not my favorite look. It's vented, and it is very light, so it's a pretty good summer helmet. But it gets very warm when the temps inch upwards above 70 or so, largely because the pads are continuous enough that even if air can get into the helmet, it doesn't move around much to cool you down. Also, it's the most aggressive/racy/MTB-type helmet I have, and I don't feel very feminine in it, which matters to me. I'm also concerned that, at 7 years old, the foam may be past its prime. That said, the helmet lives inside in a temp-controlled home, so it's not like it has had to suffer the ravages of sun and ice or anything. I welcome any feedback about whether the age alone is enough reason to part with the Giro, or whether you'd hold onto it.

The Yakkay is very light-weight, and the most minimalist/stylist. It's also a champ when it comes to ventilation, which I did not expect. At all. Here's why it works. The half-bowling ball style has four perfect circle holes on the top of the helmet. Instead of linear pads inside, the Yakkay features fairly stiff circular pads, which aren't very soft, but which hold the helmet just a bit away from your scalp. Air can -- and does -- flow between the helmet and your head. I still sweat -- heavens knows I would sweat riding in the summer without a helmet -- but I can feel a breeze! And that's pretty awesome. HOWEVER, the helmet does NOT feel particularly secure, and, in fact, slides back on my head. The lovely mid-forehead position it enjoys in my photo, above? Only stays that way when I wear the handkerchief. Otherwise, it slides back on my noggin. And this bothers me tremendously. I don't know, but suspect, that the more rigid Yakkay Smart Two's back-of-the-head fit system helps prevent this better than the strap. But it occurs to me that if I were to get into a bikey accident and need it, the helmet may not do for me what I need it to do. This is also due, I'm sure, to chin-strap slippage, which seems to be aggravated with this helmet. So, take that as you will. I'm thinking about ditching the Smart One in favor of the Two if I can try it on first and if it feels more secure. But only if I can try it first. Too expensive to guess. (The "hat" covers fit both models.)

The Nutcase is new, and my feelings about it will surely develop into more profound thoughts over time, but here's what I think so far: (a) it fits like it was made for my head. Given my issues with the first and second helmet, this is lovely. (b) the padding is so soft. So. soft. (c) it's adorable. (d) I can already tell that if it's over 65 degrees my brain will melt. So far, the fact that it will clearly be warm is the only meaningful downside. I sort of think it's just another reason to move to Portland, OR (with milder summers and winters), but hey. I tend to think most things are reasons to move to Portland (I love it there).

Michael Knight: I need ya buddy!

KITT: Right away Michael.

-Knight Rider

Now, a quick little bit about riding at night. 

I'm just starting to get into night riding. I'm largely embracing it because autumn is upon us and the light is waning...even with extended daylight savings time. So while I've been able to avoid it for the most part by focusing on riding my bicycle to work or other daytime activities, it's closing on in the time that night will fall before I can get my rumpus out of the office, and long before I pull my bicycle into my driveway at home. 

I have ridden after dark a handful of times since I started riding again last spring. Once to a happy hour 2 miles from my home in the same suburban area as my home, which ran from 8-10pm (I had a single beer and an appetizer, and it was about 90 degrees outside). Twice to my evening rehearsals (also 2 miles away, same suburban area), and twice to meetings, which started while it was still light out and weren't totally dark when I was heading home. There was one occasion a couple of weeks ago when I was late at work finishing a project and was about 30 seconds from needing my lights when I pulled onto my street. In every instance, I was, ultimately, safe and pretty comfortable. That said, here's what I've gathered from my experiences so far.

1. I am so glad I purchased really really really bright, high-quality lights. Mine are by Serfas, and I talk about them here. They were about $150, so you bet I take them off my bike when I park it out of my sight. If I am locking my bike to something, the lights are coming with me, thatstheendofthestorythanks. This is what they look like when they are on my bicycle at night:

The back (red) light blinks, and attaches by a neato little bungee. The only complaint I have is that the bungee is wholly detachable, and I lost one at the supermarket a hot minute after I purchased the lights. I'll have to look into a replacement, just in case. But it means I can attach my light to my bike rack, my seat post, or just about anything else I can wrap it around. The light has several settings: high-steady, mid-steady, low-steady, high-blink, low-blink.  

The front (white) light is nearly as bright as my husband's Maglite. It is fantastic! It has several brightness settings, as well as a blinking option, which I endeavor only to use at dusk, because it's too intense (for me AND drivers) when it's truly dark. Then I use a steady beam on the front of the bicycle.  You can get a sense of how bright the beam is on the high setting in my photo. It's resulted in a complete white-out of the top of the plant on my porch and part of the exterior wall of the house. I can see the road in front of me pretty well, as well as obstacles and objects, and people can see me coming. When it is angled slightly at the ground, my front basket is SUPER shiny, and I can see the road, signs ahead of me are illuminated, and even some leaves above my head are a bit illuminated. I try to aim it down just a bit so it's not obnoxiously bright in someone's eyes while they are driving. I'm nice like that.

This is what my sleepy neighborhood looks like when I ride at night:

Dead. All the people were inside and silent. Seriously. In two miles, I saw one car. Which brings me to my next point: yay for only seeing one car. Seriously.

I live in a very safe part of the county, and while quiet back streets are always worth paying extra attention to, they are not scary where I live. This was my first time taking my quieter route home after dark; in past evening rides, I favored the more brightly-lit main streets (nothing arterial, but in each mile-long stretch, I probably get passed a dozen times by cars, even at 10pm on a Thursday; more if it is earlier). And here's the thing; I don't like getting passed by cars when I am riding at night. Hate it. It's so much harder to confirm they see you and are giving you enough room when they pass, and in one of my rides in my idyllic suburban setting, a huge-ass Suburban hollered at me, honked and scared the snot out of me, which really put me off night riding. I was actually pretty anxious before starting this ride, and decided I preferred the quieter side streets... and it was better. I don't know if your part of the city or county will be as safe on side streets, but it's something to consider. I was passed by one car on the way home. One. Single. Car.

Still, I rode faster than I do during the day. There isn't a lot to see, but there are a few streetlamps, as you can tell from my photo. It was so quiet, and quite chilly, and my 20-minute ride took just fourteen minutes on the way home. I stood up on the hills and kept my butt in a productive gear. I consider it my cardio for the day, too. All in all, I don't know that I'll avoid night riding, and I may make it a goal to test my fears in this safer setting, but it's not my preferred time to ride, just like it's not my preferred time to run. Maybe my small & female instinct is just too strong, and I'm not sure I want to totally quiet that voice, because she probably keeps me safe from time to time.

Cheers and happy riding!

xx

Of Illness + Excuses

Ever since I returned from Montreal on the 27th, I have been fighting major allergies and a cold. I'm currently at the stage where the tissues aren't needed constantly, but breathing continues to require extra effort. 

I have struggled with minor asthma issues throughout adolescence and adulthood -- usually brought on by strenuous exercise or very extreme weather (heat/cold). 

This is a huge reason why I run very slowly - I top out at 5.5mph and often run as much as 1mph slower than that - and am so happy to embrace "slow biking". 

At any rate, this is all to say that when breathing is hard, it's exhausting. I wanted to ride to work on Tuesday (low in the upper 50s, high in the lower 80s) and I slept poorly and was so exhausted that it just seemed like a miserable proposition. Then it warmed up, and I didn't feel any better. 10 days after I started to feel icky, I'm still feeling... exhausted. Under the weather for sure.

The weekend will be warm, but next Thursday, we return to highs around 80 and lows in the 50s, so I'm hoping to bike to work again next week. It's been a long time since I've biked to work, and timing and/or meeting locations have not allowed me the extra minutes I need to make biking a viable option, which is problematic, too.

This is why I want to talk about reasons for biking and St. Louis: traffic. For all its ups and downs, St. Louis has pretty amazing traffic. Drive in Chicago, New York, or any major city in Europe, and you realize that our "rush hour" woes are pretty insignificant, especially if you can avoid the central corridor (we generally can with our work commutes). In those big cities, people often hop on the bike because it's faster than public transportation and faster than sitting in the virtual parking lots that rush hour can become. But that's not the case for me in St. Louis, and, as a result, biking too often becomes the "if I have time/luxury" option, when I'd like to strive to have it be the first priority, at least with a little more regularity. Between heat, illness, and, frankly, inconvenience, added to the fact that there isn't as much visible bike-commuting in the county (which is a safety issue), I have allowed myself to fall into a pattern of making excuses to take the car instead. The car is, frankly, easier, and I find myself a little bit jealous of the bloggers who are in towns where biking is the easier, better, faster option, because it provides the extra incentive to hop on two wheels instead of four. 

My dedication to incorporating bicycling into my life has not waned; I knew summer in St. Louis would be a challenge and remain shocked that I have been able to ride as much this summer in glorious weather as I have been able to do. But if I'm struggling with some of these "ifs and buts", then you probably are, too. So let's look at them.

Weather. The heat is a real thing. For me, I am unwilling to kit up and then change at the office. My door doesn't lock, and the bathrooms are small, and I don't want to get ridiculously sweaty, since there is no shower at work. So for me, that means lows in the 50/60s and highs not exceeding 85 (all Fahrenheit) or so is the max for an hour ride or longer. My test ride to work last June was to/from (back-to-back, or about 13 miles) in slightly shy of 90-degree heat. Even with water, it was hard, and it took me well over 30 minutes to cool down. I don't enjoy running or bicycling in that type of weather, so I don't. I am not naturally inclined to exercise, so one of my rules for myself is that if an activity makes me resent being active, it's not worth it. Riding when the weather is more pleasant, on the other hand, makes me wonder why I don't do it more often!

Similarly, I will not ride when rain is very likely on the way in (sprinkles are fine) or if thunderstorms are likely. It's not particularly safe to ride in lightning, and it's not worth the risk to me, when coupled with decreased visibility and slick roads (for me and for the cars). This is as much a reflection of the fact that St. Louis is becoming, but is not yet, a particularly bike-friendly city. Especially in the County.

Not sure about snow policy yet; I am planning to set up my mountain bike for some light commuting, and if it handles well in light snow, I'll base my winter precip policy accordingly.

Illness. If I can't breathe easily, it will affect when and how I ride. So bad allergies, upper-respiratory illnesses, and asthma can affect how I feel about riding. These are safety, comfort, and "potential resentment" issues, too. 

Time. This is my biggest issue most days for work, or for church. It takes me 7 minutes to drive to my church and park, so I need about 10-15 minutes from door to seat. I don't sweat when I drive (at least not just from driving), so I don't need cool-down time. It takes me 25 minutes door-to-seat for work in the morning. Ditto sweat/cool-down comments. It takes me close to 20 minutes to bike to church, and 10 minutes to cool down. It takes me 50-60 minutes to bike to work, and 10-20 minutes to cool down. So if I can leave at 10:15 am for a 10:30 church arrival time by car, I need to leave at 9:55-10:00 by bike. If I can leave at 8:30 am to comfortably be in the office by 9:00 am. I need to be on the bike by 7:30-7:45 am in order to be just as cool, calm, and presentable by 9:00 am when I travel by bicycle. 

Some of this is problematic because of how I'm wired... I tend to procrastinate, and I don't naturally manage my time well. So even when I get up early enough to be ready and leave by 7:30 or 7:45, I often get distracted by coffee, the Internet, some project I decided to tackle "really quickly" before leaving for the morning. 

I am very curious to see how trying the mountain bike and road bike, once they are ready for a commute, affect my transpo time to work, and affect my feelings about the hill that is in the middle of the ride!

So time, she is my biggest enemy. The issues cut straight to my personal Achilles' Heel (time management) and flirt with the temptation of faster travel and convenience. 



I want to address these because anyone biking in St. Louis is likely to face these same issues (maybe not the heat as much if you sweat less than I do or can tolerate it better). Part of incorporating bike transportation into my life will be about changing my habits and prioritizing bicycling over the ease of the car. This may require tweaking my hours slightly, forcing myself into better morning routines, or just getting out there even when I'm hesitant. I continue to look to the more consistently cool fall weather to have multiple days to push this new (to me) habit. The one thing I know for sure is that the more I ride, the more I want to ride; the less I ride, the easier it is to just take the car.

Do you have "nah, take the car" voices that you fight off when you get on the bike? If so, let's talk about and through them. Let's talk. And then ride! 

Cheers and happy riding,
R