The Bike Nazi

'12 - off to a great start!

2012-01-31T21:53:00.001-07:00

We were blessed with a mild and dry January. However, it's nice that in one four-day span our mountain snowpack went from about 50% of normal to 95%. Sweeeet! Despite that, there was only one day - the first of those four - on which I was dissuaded from bicycling to work... I took the bus. (That evening I braved the streets on my beater mountain bike and rode over to the library for awhile.)

Bus commuting - it was breathtakingly expensive! A dollar each way - imagine! But then I considered... lots of car commuter pay well over $2 for a parking space for the day. And at 60 cents per mile - a middle-of-the-road estimate of the total cost of operating a car - I'd be spending between $4 and $5, if I only drove between home and the office. Riding a bicycle really distorts one's perception of reality.

It's Leap Year - 29 days next month. Which begs the question... why does the 29th belong to my employer, rather than me? Seems to me that "Leap Day" should be a paid holiday. But I digress.

Happy and safe riding.

Daredevil freeway cyclist in Seattle

2012-01-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

Seattle has a renegade bike rider who illegally operates on I-5, but disappears before he can be busted.

Story (and photo and video) HERE.

According to the story, bicycling on the freeway is a "jailable offense" up that way. And based on the video of this yokel, he'd be getting off lucky if all he got was some jail time! He's operating in a very narrow stretch of pavement, on the far left side of the traffic flow! It's amazing that somebody hasn't pasted him.

The Seattle area has become notorious for its rush-hour traffic jams. But even if the freeway is only going 11mph, it's still a dangerous place if your operational space and sight distance are compromised.

Many people don't know this, but it's legal to operate a bicycle on any freeway in Idaho.

Legal... but safe?

I've ridden on the Interstate around Boise. Eastbound out of town (toward Mountain Home) it's not too bad. I've ridden out to the Blacks Creek exit on several occasions. You can see for miles up the road, and the shoulder is as wide as a traffic lane. (The debris and junk is HUGE out there! Ya gotta watch out not to run into a chunk of tire tread or boulder or abandoned Geo Metro.) But I'd never dare to ride "the connecter" during rush hour... the equivalent to what this Bozo has been doing (and getting away with, at least so far).

On the other hand... it's unlikely he'll end up killing anybody but himself, and motorists are out there killing other people every day with their irresponsible and inattentive behavior.

Lessons from great cycling cities

2012-01-24T13:35:00.002-07:00

Christine Grant of Seattle has written an interesting article after observing some of the world's most bicycle-friendly cities. These are the lessons she learned, about what many of them share in common:

1. It's the infrastructure, stupid!
If the available roadways and pathways aren't perceived as safe, they'll never enjoy widespread use by casual cyclists.

2. Bike Share! Bike Share!
This is probably most applicable in large urban places...citizens are more likely to ride, if they don't have to commit to ownership (and maintenance, storage, etc.) of a bicycle.

3. It's safer than a soda.
Citizens need to buy into the health aspects of regular transportation cycling. (An education issue?)

4. Say "thank you."
Rather than viewing bicycle infrastructure as a huge financial burden, some cities "thank" transportation cyclists in a very public way. (After all, cycling is much cheaper than motor transportation, both for the cyclist and for those who furnish the infrastructure.)

5. Forget speed bumps... turn streets into backyards.
Motorists tend to ignore signs and traffic calming devices... it's harder to ignore benches, planters, and even a ping-pong table. (I had to "steal" this photo from the article. Who wouldn't love to live on a street like this?!!)

6. Let prices tell the truth.
There's no such thing as "free parking," for example. That huge parking lot surrounding your favorite mall? You pay for it when you spend money at the mall.

7. You don't need "bike clothes."
Yeah, you can ride a bike while wearing a necktie or suit, or a dress and high heels.

8. Electrify it.
In hilly places or for people with compromised health, motorized assistance can supplement pedal power. (But not those noisy little 2-stroke chainsaw engines, please!!!)

9. Admit it - it's emotional.
People who sit in traffic every day can't appreciate how satisfying the bike-transportation alternative is. Grant: "I spoke with dozens of urban cyclists who talked about the curious happiness derived from activating your senses and connecting with your city on a bicycle. One Amsterdam father’s voice actually cracked with emotion as he reflected on his morning and afternoon rides with his son. His toddler sat in a front-mounted childseat. The father talked about how nice it was to smell his son’s head during the commute to day care."

10. It's a virtuous circle - or cycle.
"Better infrastructure recruits more people onto bikes, which creates more advocates for better infrastructure, which recruits more people onto bikes, and so on."

(Photo snapped by Christine Grant)

Book: It's All About the Bike

2012-01-18T13:40:00.002-07:00

"The pursuit of happiness on two wheels"

The title grabbed me; I grabbed the book.

Journalist and cyclist Robert Penn set out to acquire the ultimate bicycle, piece by piece. He started at Brian Rourke Cycles in Stoke-on-Trent, England. (Coincidentally, my great-great grandfather emigrated from Stoke-on-Trent to the USA, 150-odd years ago.) Mr. Rourke builds custom frames, and he built one just for Mr. Penn. From there he traveled the world... to Oregon for the ultimate hubs, to Italy to pick up his gruppo, to Germany for his tires, to the Bay Area to have his wheels handbuilt, back to England for his Brooks saddle.

Wherever he is allowed, he watches his stuff being manufactured. (Campagnolo wouldn't let him in... they have a strict policy against journalist tours. They're apparently afraid of competitors stealing their innovations that are still on the drawing board.)

The story of the bike-being-built is interspersed with observations about bicycling, history, etc. (On not-so-custom bikes, Penn has ridden pretty much around the world.)

A snippet from the book:

"The one dramatic blow-out I had that still gives me flashbacks was in the Fergana Mountains in Kyrgyzstan. I was coming down from a pass on a gravel road, on a loaded touring bike. When the hairpins finished, and the road opened out before me, I let the brakes go. At full tilt, the front tyre - a cheap Chinese-made tyre I'd bought in the market in Kashgar - blew. The bike slid briefly, then the handlebar jack-knifed and I was off. Somehow, the bike was propelled into the air. As it came down on top of me, the teeth of the chainrings scalped the side of my head.

"A few hours later, I reached a farm on the road - the first settlement I'd seen all day. Blood congealed with dust covered the side of my face. My shirt was shredded. Looking like a cross between a cage-fighter and a Sadhu, I leant my bike against the gate and walked up the path. Children and women scattered, shrieking. The farmer, a barrel-chested Kyrgyz man with taut, mongoloid features, appeared from the shadows with a pistol at the end of his stiff arm. I tried a few words of Russian. No reply. Then his eyes flicked past me to the gate, and my bicycle. The pistol arm fell limp. The leathery brown skin on his face was re-set to a broad grin. Ten minutes later I was eating kebabs and yoghurt as his wife sponged blood from my head. I had the bicycle to thank for my salvation: it was the last time I would ever grace it with a cheap tyre."

Penn's final thought, as he takes his first ride: "At Gospel Pass, we [he and his bicycle?] slipped through the notch in the rock and the landscape fell away. We began freewheeling slowly downhill. The views into mid-Wales were magnificent. The world lay beyond the handlebars. I was in the best seat in the house: a seat that had cost over $5,000. That's a lot of money for a bicycle, I thought. Then again, it's not a lot of money for the loveliest thing I've ever owned."

(The title of the book is a light-hearted response to a book by Lance Armstrong: It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.) It's a quick read, at less than 200 pages. I'd recommend it to anybody who regularly feels "happiness on two wheels."

More death by distraction

2012-01-18T11:38:00.005-07:00

(Sorry to keep beating this dead horse... it's only because cyclists are particularly vulnerable in a traffic accident. We totally depend on other roadway users being responsible.)

A sad update on a tragic story...

A few nights ago, an 18-year-old college freshman, Taylor Sauer, was killed in a collision on the Interstate an hour or so southeast of Boise. It happened at night, and the evidence suggested she plowed into the back of a slow-moving truck on an upgrade... and then was subsequently hit by another truck. Very weird. When I read about it, I assumed either she was drowsy (which happens out there on the superslab), or somebody wasn't paying attention.

A story on the Deseret News website sheds additional light.

"The one-time high school salutatorian apparently passed the time on the long drive by communicating with others on Facebook."

Moments before the fatal accident, she posted this message: "I can't discuss this matter now. Driving and facebooking is not safe! Haha."

A life wasted. Several other individuals with damaged property and horrible memories to last a lifetime. Thank goodness nobody else was (apparently) injured or killed!!

Death by distraction

2012-01-17T12:14:00.001-07:00

Remember back in the good old days, when people paid attention to their surroundings when driving, walking, cycling, etc.? And maybe even drove (or strolled) "defensively"?

That seems to be the exception rather than the rule any more.

Here is a story at USA Today, about "earplug oblivion." Pedestrians - predominantly males under 30 - put on their headphones or jam in their earplugs, and saunter into the path of a car, truck, OR TRAIN! Who's at fault when you're groovin' to your righteous tunes, and a train with horn blasting turns you into hamburger?!!

I saw a "hipster" on a bicycle just yesterday. He had on the Hipster beanie and the Hipster earbuds and the Hipster fashion attire. He was riding on his single-speed Hipster bike... I didn't notice whether it had brakes, but it had the big Hipster rims. He was nonchalantly riding through red lights; in fact he passed me when I was stopped at a red light. He seemed oblivious to his surroundings. (And I can't help but feel that such individuals foster resentment among motorists.)

Meanwhile, behind the wheel...

The Idaho AAA is reporting that according to a survey of 400 Idaho voters, 87% are in favor of a law prohibiting texting while driving. 59% favor "prohibiting cell phones for any purpose while driving."

Will this result in any legislation? Based on past history, it seems unlikely. As a particularly vulnerable roadway user, even though I favor small government, I'd like specific laws. (Some citizens obviously feel that anything that isn't illegal, must be okay.) I'd settle for a clarification in the Inattentive Driving law. Something like, "Inattentive driving includes, but is not limited to, operating electronic communication devices while driving."

Full disclosure: I very occasionally use some music earplugs when I'm riding - both bicycle and motorcycle. But on the bicycle I do so at volume levels that won't drown out at least some of the ambient noise. I'd hear a 100-deciebel train horn blast, I'm thinkin'. And - I never listen to music while navigating heavy traffic or sharing a traffic lane. And I pay extra attention to my rearview mirror, and constantly scan for potential hazards. (I realize the stakes are high! Some people seem not to.)

(Back in October, I observed that while a vast majority of motorists believe that texting while driving is dangerous, 35% of them confess that they do it. So in essence, what they are saying is that unless it's against the law, they'll do it. Safety alone isn't a compelling enough reason to stop. That would reinforce the notion that a law needs to be passed.)

Celebrity bicycle carnage

2012-01-14T09:58:00.003-07:00

Actor Gene Hackman is recovering after being hit by a pickup truck while bicycling in the Florida Keys. He was airlifted to the hospital, tested, and released... with a few bumps and bruises to show for the adventure. He was not wearing a brain bucket. Story HERE.

I'm impressed! The guy is 81 years old... out there on his velocipede. It gives me hope.

I've been enjoying his work since "Bonnie and Clyde," which was probably the first R-rated movie I ever saw. (Dad took me to it when I still needed "a parent or guardian.") But I digress.

Here's wishing Mr. Hackman a speedy recovery!

Icicles on da whiskers!

2012-01-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

This winter has been extraordinary so far... even in a place that's "the banana belt of Idaho" for our mild winters.

We've had a dusting of snow one morning... that's it! Even the temperatures have rarely dropped below 20. It's been great - from the viewpoint of the bike saddle...

Today it was just below 20. The pavement was frosty enough that I was paying attention, but not hazardous by any means. I accumulated some moustache-cicles on the way to the office. Was glad for the balaclava and the gloves. (The gloves aren't heavy enough for an all-day ride at such a temperature, but are fine for the few-minute commute.)

The winter sports enthusiasts are chompin' at the bit. The summer sports enthusiasts - you know, water skiiers, rafters, and the like - are getting a little anxious. I'm a bit unsettled when I see the mountains surrounding town without any snow in January. BUT - the precipitation year is still young and I expect things will turn around. (Word is that the reservoirs have enough water in 'em for the farmers, who have "first dibs." And I expect water to come out of the faucet when I twist it.)

$5 gas in 2012

2012-01-03T16:17:00.001-07:00

Between the normal supply/demand cycle that peaks in the summer, and the unrest in the middle east, some experts are predicting that gas will top $5/gallon this summer. (Story HERE.)

Ouch! Expensive gas always has a negative impact on the economy. When people are pouring their money into the gas tank, they're not buying filet mignon and speedboats and junkets to Vegas. Since it's an election year, I expect the incumbents to do everything they can to keep prices down. They don't want their supporters to stay home on account of not being able to afford the trip to the voting booth.

If past history is any indicator, commuter habits seem to be impacted by a run-up in gas prices, more than pretty much anything. Our office bike-parking facility bulges when the weather is nice and gas is expensive.

Naturally, those who will be impacted the most are those who choose to live long distances from their daily destinations. And particularly those who live far away, and who drive Hummers, super-duty pickups, etc., for their daily transportation.

"Idaho stop law" - not just Idaho

2012-01-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

Idaho's bicycle stop law is the envy of cyclists pretty much everywhere else.

In essence, the Idaho law requires cyclists to treat a stop sign like a yield sign, and to treat a stop light like a stop sign. From the saddle of a bicycle, the law seems common-sense. Gaining velocity requires a lot more energy than maintaining velocity. (The same is true for a 4000-pound vehicle... but not on the part of the operator, who just has to stomp on the gas.) And who hasn't been victimized by a non-responsive traffic signal?!

(NOTE! The law doesn't require a cyclist to roll cautiously through a stop sign, or to proceed while the light is red. And I'd never suggest to casual/novice riders that they take advantage of the relaxed restrictions. But an experienced, responsible cyclist can do so safely, and also without alienating motorists.)

Well... Idaho is no longer alone. As of 2012, cyclists and motorcyclists in Illinois can proceed through a red light, after waiting a "reasonable" amount of time for it to change.

What's reasonable?

That has yet to be determined, or written into the law. As of now, two minutes is what they're using. If you roll up to a red light, and it hasn't changed for you in two minutes, you can start watching for an opening.

(In real life, I'd start watching for an opening after 15 or 20 seconds, in which I could make a quick right-turn, then a quick U-turn, then another quick right-turn, all legal. But again, I'd not recommend that procedure to an inexperienced cyclist... ya gotta be on your toes. The stakes are high!)

Story HERE.

Strong Finish

2011-12-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Got in a 20-plus mile ride today (December 31) ... in shorts! (If I had a do-over, I'd choose long pants. It was in the upper 30s and I knew I was pushin' it.)

For the month - 496 miles. For the year - 6606 miles. My second-best-ever year for cumulative miles, and my 9th year with more than 6000.

If only success were measured solely by bike-miles, huh?

A year ago, as I contemplated the topic of new years' resolutions, I "publically" resolved "to be a transportation cyclist in 2011." I guess I did allright... I showed up at work 228 times in '11, all of 'em on the bike.

In 2012? Um, I'll try to be a transportation cyclist. And... 150K miles* is just over 6000 miles distant. I'll shoot for that.

(Cumulative miles, since I started "transportation cycling" and keeping track, in 1986)

If you're reading this, I hope you got in some quality saddle time this year... and that you do even better next year! Be safe. May the wind be at your back. May the goatheads be scarce.

Big - and illegal - bike load

2011-12-30T09:23:00.002-07:00

I hope a trailer was involved...

Dude gets stopped by the cops (in Pasadena), riding at night without the required headlight and rear reflector. (It's nice to see the police doing their job and enforcing bicycle laws, huh? Not enough of that!)

During the traffic stop, dude is busted for having 23 pounds of Narcotic Cannabis in a cooler. (Story Here.) Bummer, maaannnnnn!

I'm no expert, but I'm thinkin':
1) That's too much reefer for the guy to claim it was just his personal stash, and
2) That much reefer would be like a bale! It must've been one of those big Igloo football-team-size coolers. And I hope the guy wasn't packin' it under one arm as he rode or something.

Ever bike?

2011-12-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

"Ever bike? Now that's something that makes life worth living! ... Oh, to just grip your handlebars and lay down to it, and go ripping and tearing through streets and road, over railroad tracks and bridges, threading crowds, avoiding collisions, at twenty miles or more an hour, and wondering all the time when you're going to smash up. Well, now, that's something! And then go home again after three hours of it ... and then to think that tomorrow I can do it all over again!"

― Jack London

Pain at the Pump '11

2011-12-20T09:53:00.001-07:00

According to a CNBC Story, "the typical American household will have spent $4,155 filling up this year, a record. That is 8.4 percent of what a median family takes in, the highest since 1981."

The Missus fills up the Family Truckster every 3 weeks or so... she probably poured $2000 worth of gas into the tank in '11.

I spent maybe $500 on gas this year, and 90-plus percent of that was for two motorcycle adventures - to the California Redwoods, and to eastern Washington.

That's bad! A story last spring said the Energy Department estimated the cost would be $3235 for the year - up 28 percent from the previous year. Turns out that estimate was way low. Mamma mia!

$4155 - that's a big hit on the budget of us "99 percenters," no? I think of the stuff we would've gone without, if we'd spent that much on gas. That thought helps motivate me to get pedalin' on some of these cold winter mornings.

And speaking of cold winter mornings... like everybody else, I'm growing a bit concerned that I'm not seeing any snow up on those nearby mountains. December has been as dry as dust! But on the bright side, I sure love riding my bicycle on dry, traction-sand-free roads. That is a luxury this time of year.

From the story: "Next year isn't likely to bring relief." But taking up bicycle transportation could bring a huge amount of relief! Plus, if a few million people did it, it would modify the supply/demand equation in a meaningful way... maybe gas would drop by $1/gallon. (Of course, if that put everybody back in their cars, the price would go back up. Like most businesses, the oil companies will charge for their product what the market will bear.)

We need a bike-riding president!

2011-12-16T07:55:00.007-07:00

Yeah, I'm a special-interest group. A one-issue voting bloc.

Can our president ride a bike? Competently?

George W. Bush attracted plenty of detractors and criticism, but he set the bar for bike-riding presidents. His Secret Service guys were frequently huffin' and puffin' to keep up. He even flew out to Idaho and rode at the Tamarack Resort. (Sadly, because of security issues, it's unlikely we'll ever have a bike-commuting president.)

President Obama has proven that he can at least keep his bike upright. He has been seen occasionally riding a "comfort bike," most often with his family. Nothin' wrong with that.

How about the others who are vying for president?

Ron Paul (my favorite candidate in many respects... but I digress) recently had his photo - riding a bike - on the Drudge Report. So he, too, can at least keep the bike upright (while riding with one hand!), but his quadriceps don't give the impression he's "king of the mountain."

I found a photo of Mitt Romney riding a bike - many years ago in a previous life as a Mormon missionary. And once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget... right?

(That's Mitt on the right... the one with the awesome hair!)

Regrettably, I can't find a photo of Michele Bachmann on a bike. And not too surprisingly, no photos of the Newtster on a bike, either. (haha!)

The cyclists' Christmas carol

2011-12-13T09:39:00.002-07:00

Isaac Watts must've been a cyclist.

Watts wrote "Joy to the World."

Consider:

No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground...
(Verse 3)

Riding in the Canal

2011-12-11T20:24:00.002-07:00

Once farming season is over in these parts, they turn off the water in the canals.

Years ago, my daughter Hollie and I enjoyed a ride up the channel of the Ridenbaugh Canal, from Protest Avenue eastward. On Saturday I invited Miss Mackie to give it a try, and she was game.

The temperature was in the upper 30s, but not warm enough to melt the ice. We rode carefully over the shorter patches, and walked across the longer ones. We rode under Broadway Avenue, which was an adventure all to itself.

I can't in good conscience recommend this ride. The concrete is rarely sidewalk-smooth, and three of our four tires came back with goatheads. And there are a lot of rocks, dirt piles, weeds, patches of water or ice, and other obstacles.

The first "mountain bikers"?

2011-12-09T18:24:00.006-07:00

The modern "safety bicycle" came into being in the late 1800s, and was embraced by the public at the time... and is largely responsible for starting the evolution toward paved roads. The hoardes of cyclists demanded better-quality roads than the muddy thoroughfares that crossed the Fruited Plain up 'til that time. (That would be a hard pill to swallow, for many in our car-centric society nowadays.)

(For anybody interested in bicycle history, I recommend the book Bicycle: The History, by David V. Herlihy. It's comprehensive... and has lots of good photos and illustrations.)

Normally we think of the "mountain bike" as originating in the Bay Area, in the late-70s, early-80s. And indeed, that is when cycling enthusiasts first had the vision of a recreational bicycle ideally suited for trails and dirt-road travel.

However, it could be argued that "mountain biking" was already 80 years old by then. A couple weeks back, I was watching a show on PBS about Yellowstone National Park, and an old photo caught my eye - of a group of cyclists posed on the geologic features at Mammoth Hot Springs.

I did a bit of digging, and discovered The 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.

They were organized in 1896. According to the Fort Missoula Museum website, "The Corps, consisting of eight black enlisted men, soon was riding in formation, drilling, scaling fences up to nine-feet high, fording streams, and pedaling 40 miles a day. Each bicycle carried a knapsack, blanket roll, and a shelter half strapped to the handlebar. A hard leather frame case fit into the diamond of each bicycle and a drinking cup was kept in a cloth sack under the seat. Each rider carried a rifle (first slung over the back, later strapped to the horizontal bar) and 50 rounds of ammunition."

As for the bikes... they had steel rims, tandem spokes, heavy-duty frame components, and weighed 32 pounds.

In 1897, they rode, essentially cross-country, from Missoula to St. Louis, a distance of 1900 miles, in 34 days. Provisions were dropped along the way at intervals, but they rode - or pushed, in the really gnarly stretches - the whole distance. It wasn't easy. They were "greeted triumphantly" at every whistle-stop along the way.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that bicycles never caught on in certain situations, for military transportation. Probably too cheap.

Cycling at the southern axis

2011-12-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

Dacre, the son of my friend Crystal, is working/adventuring in Antarctica. And he's discovered Antarctic cycling! (Some nice photos there...)

Suddenly I feel like a wuss for getting all dressed-down when it goes below 20 degrees. (Of course, it is summertime down Antarctica way... or at least late spring.) I doubt Dacre bike-commutes to work, but I'm happy he's able to saddle-up. Also, looks like there aren't quite as many trees as back home in Colorado.

Elite Snobs?

2011-12-05T15:23:00.002-07:00

Elite (Merriam-Webster): The choice part.

Writer Will Doig asks, "Are urban bicyclists just elite snobs?" in an very interesting column at Salon.com.

It looks like thousands have commented; I just read the first page of (predictable) comments. Doig: "Railing against bikes, in fact, [is] a great way to sell papers. A hundred years ago, newspapers ginned up scare stories about the threat that hapless women on bicycles posed to pedestrians. Today, old-school tabloids like the New York Post have found that the bicyclists-versus-everyone narrative still resonates."

Never discuss politics, religion, guns, or bicycles at the family holiday party! haha

Doig believes that cyclists need to turn the attitude down a few notches, because they're often unintentionally rubbin' people the wrong way. "Jeff Mapes, author of 'Pedaling Revolution,' thinks the smugness factor is almost accidental: 'I know a lot of cyclists who say their commute is the best part of their day' — not exactly the kind of thing that the co-worker who just spent an hour in gridlock wants to hear at the water cooler."

He writes from the big-city (Manhattan) perspective... feels that drivers feel threatened as their infrastructure is shrunk to make way for bicycle infrastructure. I know we have some of that resentment in less-populated Boise, but it's not felt as acutely, I'm sure.

Do I feel "elite" because I ride a bicycle? Heck yes! That makes me totally superior to those losers in their cars! But if I wear it on my sleeve, maybe I'm doing more harm than good. Besides, I'm not sure I'm part of the "elite snob" demographic, which Doig portrays as "young people and newcomers," encroaching on the establishment. Heck - I was cycling before most of those "trendy hipster" cyclists were even born, and I've been here for the duration. (My contemporaries are the ones who are complaining about those whippersnappers on their velocipedes.)

Be in court on 12/15!

2011-12-04T19:56:00.003-07:00

From the Citizens for an Open Greenbelt Facebook presence:

Mark you calendar for December 15th. For those who can attend, a reminder that our hearing before Judge Cheri Copsey is on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 3:30pm at the Ada County Courthouse. Our attorneys would like as many of you to be there as possible to demonstrate to the judge that this is an important issue in the Treasure Valley for those who believe that our Greenbelt should be truly open. The judge will be hearing COG's Motion for Summary Judgement and Garden City's Request for Dismissal.

I hope to be there.

If you're a cyclist, but wouldn't often have occasion to use that stretch of the Greenbelt... why does it matter?

Here's why I'm involved:
1) The Greenbelt is envisioned, by those who first envisioned it and by many Greenbelt users ever since, as a contiguous bicycle path that will eventually go all the way from Lucky Peak Dam to Eagle Island... and perhaps points beyond.
2) It's the principle of the thing. I'm offended by a 2-bit provincial mayor - John Evans - whose power has evidently gone to his head. All Idaho citizens should be offended, since it was us who gifted that stretch of Greenbelt to Garden City, with the stipulation that it be maintained as a bike path. Yep - that's the wording in the agreement. Garden City's citizens should be offended that the mayor has spent $15,962 of their dollars (as of October) to fight those who are trying to get it reopened.

I expect Judge Copsey to do the right thing for THE PEOPLE. And I hope to be there, to watch her do the right thing.

Bike-sharing - coming to Boise?

2011-11-17T13:01:00.002-07:00

There was a brief article on the Statesman website about a possible bike sharing program coming to town.

The Central District Health Department (State of Idaho) envisions deploying 140 bicycles, in 14 stations scattered about town. I s'pose it would be similar, but on a smaller scale, to Boston's "Hubway" scheme that I commented on last month.

The Health Department is involved, because they want to fight back against the "obesity epidemic" and bad air quality. Noble motives, to be sure... but as much as I'd like to, I can't imagine that local-errand bikes will make much of a dent. (I snidely commented that the bikes will enable people to run for a big fast-food lunch.)

Another eyebrow-raiser is the cost... the grant the CDHD has applied for is $650,000. That figures out to about $4600 per bike. Mamma mia!! I'm thinkin' private enterprise could do it for substantially less... they ought to let out a contract. (Or perhaps they don't think people will participate, unless it's on Italian racing bikes with the full Campy Record setup!)

Autumn on the Greenbelt

2011-11-14T08:48:00.001-07:00

Mackie and I enjoyed a leisurely 7-mile ride on the Greenbelt over the weekend. It was beautiful!

LDS missionary killed while cycling

2011-11-10T11:27:00.007-07:00

Actually missionaries.

20-year-old Derek Walker, from Fairfield, Idaho, was killed while riding a bicycle in Donna, Texas. He and two other missionaries were struck by a hit-and-run driver; two were fatally injured, the third was treated and released. The driver later turned himself in. Story HERE. (Another story from the Deseret News can be read HERE.)

I see 'em now and then when I'm riding. They're easy to spot... 19- and 20- year olds, always two-by-two, wearing the trademark white shirt and tie and name tag, often a suit jacket. In these parts at least, usually wearing helmets. (If they're not, they're breaking the rules.)

I always greet them warmly. "Hello, elders!"

Although I never met Elder Walker or his companion, I take this rather personally. Two of my brothers have gone Up Yonder.

Many, many, many years ago, I was a white-shirt-wearing elder. I served a 2-year Church mission in Uruguay.

It was probably much different in Uruguay in 1973, than in Texas in 2011. Except for Montevideo, the capital city, there weren't really any traffic issues because relatively few people owned cars. Public transportation, bicycles, etc. - that's how you got around.

I once had a bicycle mishap, and have always felt that I received some "divine protection."

My companion and I were riding home at night, after a visit went longer than expected. It was a dark, moonless night... really dark, because it was a couple miles out of town in a rural area. I was riding a gnarly old "beater" bicycle, with "drop" handlebars that had been rotated around for a more upright riding stance. I was also carrying a briefcase in one hand, and a filmstrip projector (roughly the size of a toaster) in the other. No headlight. Foolhardy, in retrospect. At the time, we were just anxious to get slowly and safely home.

I never saw the pile of dirt on the shoulder of the road. It was maybe 18 inches high, and it stopped my forward progress immediately. And it should have caused a disastrous face-planting crash. But it didn't.

As the bike catapulted, somehow I completely cleared those turned-up drop handlebars, and hit the ground running on the other side of the dirt-mountain. (I can't explain it.) Not only did I not land in a heap... I didn't drop the briefcase or projector! I shook my head in wonderment at my good fortune, and went back to check out the bike. The front rim was badly bent. "Taco'd," as they say. We walked our bikes the rest of the way into town... me holding my front wheel in the air since it wouldn't turn.

I took a photo of my bent bike the next day.

Why didn't the Good Lord protect His servants in Texas? (We missionaries are all on the errand of the Lord.)

I don't know. He rarely intervenes in human affairs, or there would be no tragedies.

I do know this: when you consider that there are 52,000+ missionaries* scattered across the globe... many assigned to work in unsavory, dangerous places... it is truly amazing how few of them are victimized by tragedy.

May the Lord bless and comfort the families and loved ones of Elder Walker, and his deceased companion Elder Strong, of Taylorsville, Utah.

* There are 52,000 full-time missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to the website. That number, of course, doesn't count the thousands of missionaries serving for other denominations, who I believe also enjoy special blessings, and perhaps special protection, because of the cause they are dedicated to.

Boise elects pro-bike leaders

2011-11-09T13:15:00.002-07:00

According to Talyn Brumley over at the Boise Weekly, yesterday's election keeps pro-bicycle leaders at City Hall.

Wow! Do those 12% of voters who made the effort, realize what they've done?!!?

"[Reelected Mayor] Bieter told Citydesk that he believed bicycle transportation would become a higher priority in the near future."

"[Newly-elected Councilman] Quintana said that he was eager to begin improving alternative transportation such as bike paths."

That's all hunky-dorky [SIC], but ACHD, not the city, does the roadways in these parts. (Although I acknowledge City Hall surely wields heavy influence.)

If our city fathers seriously want to make our community more bike-friendly, IMO the place to start would be at the police station. The stated position of the BPD is, "Bicycle violations are not a prioroty for the department." When yokels on bikes are breaking the law all over town, it fosters resentment as well as making bicycling less safe. Surely Bieter and Quintana could be more effective than I am, at encouraging a little more vigorous enforcement and education effort by our law enforcement people.

(By the way, I voted. Mostly for the non-winners. And I've gotta admit I paid no attention to their viewpoints on bike issues, figuring that's a function of ACHD.)

What gets cold first?

2011-11-08T20:40:00.002-07:00

What part of your anatomy gets cold first... to the point of being uncomfortable?

Ears? Nose? Fingers? Toes? Somethin' else?

My fingers are always the first thing that "stings," if I'm not wearing the full-finger gloves. Maybe it's because I'm using my fingers, and my ears and nose are just up there, hangin' useless on my head.

Below 40F, my fingers get uncomfortable. I'm good down to about freezing, without ear protection. Pretty much everything else can handle the 15-minute commute ride without discomfort, down to single digits or so.

Bike Snob NYC on sharing the road

2011-11-06T22:27:00.005-07:00

BikeSnob NYC waxes snobbish (or more accurately, he's reacting to snobbishness) with regards to sharing the road with motorists. You know... the motorists who have an attitude that they own the road and cyclists have no business on the road, particularly if it inconveniences said motorists.

Sometimes, when drivers violate my space or demand I get out of the way, I simply ask them, "Why?" The answer is always the same: "I'm in a car, and you're on a bike." Ah, of course, that's an excellent reason. See, they don't give cars to just anybody. Only really important people get to drive. Plus, you've got to take a test to drive a car, and it's so hard that they don't let you do it until you're in your teens. Never mind that these people are usually driving cars with Blue Book values significantly lower than what our bicycles would fetch on eBay; either that, or they're driving some really expensive contraption that any sane person would be embarrassed to be paying for, like a Cadillac pickup truck, which allows you to look like an idiot at the country club and at the ranch. The fact is that a motor vehicle is a "major purchase," and major purchases are how people express their self-importance and project it to the rest of the world. But they're not important, they're merely self-important.

(From the book Bike Snob, P.102. I love the part about the Cadillac pickup truck. That notion is almost as absurd as the Porsche SUV!!)

Previous BikeSnob excerpts here and here.

(Apologies if your internet reader doesn't do well with my hard-coded color.)

New back tire

2011-11-03T12:54:00.003-06:00

I replaced my back tire last night.

The old tire - a Vittoria Randonneur, 28 width, in white rubber. (For summer, you know.) It had 2400-odd miles on it and I knew it was time to replace because I could see the red underneath the white. (I assume it's the puncture-resistant layer. In those 2400 miles I only had one flat.)

I was a little disappointed in the mileage. The previous tire - a 32 width with black rubber - accumulated 4000+ miles. Both tires are about the same price. I'm not sure if the mileage difference is due to the different rubber compound, or the width. I suppose the 32 has somewhat more rolling resistance than the 28, but not appreciably more. I'll take the increased mileage, if I have to choose one or the other.

I put another "32 black" on the rear - we'll see how she does.

In another month or so - when wet or icy roads become more common - I'll switch over to tires with more tread. Or just break down and ride the fat-tire bike.

Cycling up 27% in Salt Lake City

2011-11-02T12:21:00.002-06:00

An article at Deseret News says that there's been a 27-percent increase in bike commuters in the past 12 months. Impressive!

The findings are based on volunteer counts taken at specific locations, and comparing this year's with last year's. It may not be a truly accurate indicator... but it's all we've got.

What drove the increase? No doubt the poor economy is a factor. Everybody seems to understand that riding a bike is meaningfully cheaper than driving a car. The bike/ped coordinator also cites the positive health and environmental impacts, and improvements on certain bikeways around town.

One of the reader comments is interesting. "Red" suggests that cyclists should volunteer to drive a street sweeper down the primary bike corridors from time to time. (I'd get on board with that notion!)

The article also links to SLC's official bicycle website. I need to check it out - it looks like it has a LOT of good info. For one thing, I didn't realize that SLC is a SILVER level Bicycle Friendly Community (as recognized by the League of American Bicyclists). They passed up our Bronze level. SLC has obviously changed since the days when I visited somewhat regularly. (20+ years ago.) I still envision those big wide awesome streets, but with few cyclists or cycling facilities.

Counting bikes?

2011-11-02T11:37:00.000-06:00

Fellow bike commuter Bob T sent me this note:

I noticed something interesting on the way to work today. I was heading east on Emerald and just after turning south on Maple Grove I noticed one of those rubber hoses on the road used to measure traffic levels. Except the hose extended over the bike lane only. I have never seen anything like this before. In the past I think that the ACHD has had to count bikes manually, but this appeared to be an automated system.

Hmmm. I know the device he's talking about - a pneumatic hose that, when run over, increments the number on a traffic counting device.

Like Bob, I've not seen one of those in use solely in a bike lane before. I'm also a little bewildered at the timing. Late October seems an unlikely time to be counting bike traffic. (Unless it's being counted by somebody to support a position that too much is being done for the very few people who ride bikes. And that seems unlikely.)

Off-season riding

2011-10-31T10:53:00.003-06:00

For many casual cyclists, after Labor Day the bicycles and the white clothes go back into storage until next June.

Now in these parts, it's occasionally dropping below freezing. Adios, tomatoes.

But - even in winter conditions, bicycling is a viable form of transportation with the proper gear. And that gear isn't necessarily expensive - especially compared with driving a car.

A few years back, I categorized the winter challenges as DARK, COLD, and SLIPPERY. Dark and cold can both be easily dealt with; slippery not quite so much. (If 2-ton motor vehicles are slippin' and slidin', it can be downright hazardous.) I refer you back to the POST FROM YESTERYEAR.

Decidedly MALE bicycle!

2011-10-27T10:31:00.003-06:00

Now this is funny, and clever!

The Seattle Sperm Lab (?) has deployed a custom-built utility bicycle, used to transport sperm samples to reproductive centers and fertility clinics. It is getting a lot of attention.

Story HERE.

(I hate to be judgmental, but they really need it to be piloted by a virile-looking bike guy wearing some blue-and-white lycra and a color-coordinated bucket. Also... they apparently pay $60 for a "viable sample" of sperm. Sixty bucks?!! Nice work if you can get it, huh?)
(-;

Boise not a bicycle town?

2011-10-24T21:06:00.001-06:00

Ever heard of Ignite Boise? I hadn't, until I was pointed at it by fellow cyclist Ellen. "Ignite Boise brings together an inspiring and unexpected blend of thinkers from business, art, technology, government and academia. All with ideas. And all willing to share them." Evidently the speaker has 5 minutes (and 20 slides) to make a presentation and a point. One after another. (Sounds just about right for our ADD society, huh?)

Steve Burns is making a presentation, "Bicycle Town USA - Not Yet!"

The synopsis: "Boise is considered one of the best bicycle towns in the country. Imagine if you could actually ride all over town (and not just in the foothills) safely! It’s time to do for the roads in town what we did for the trails in the foothills–come up with a plan and fund a comprehensive system of bike paths so you can travel all over town. This talk will show how that could be done."

Now, I don't know the background of this Steve Burns fella. But I'm guessing he must either be new to these parts, or he's not very serious about his on-road cycling. Because you can ride all over town safely! I feel qualified to make that claim, because I've been doing just that for 25+ years.

Furthermore, Ada County already has 180 miles of bike lanes, and 46 miles of bike routes. I'd suggest that's a pretty good start on Mr. Burns' envisioned "comprehensive system of bike paths." Our road-builder, ACHD, has a demonstrated track record of bike-friendliness. They're putting bike lanes wherever feasible and practical. (There are some roads where it just ain't gonna happen... not enough real estate.)

And finally, I believe it's counter-productive and "bike unfriendly" for Mr. Burns to suggest that it's not safe to ride on Boise's streets. He's propagating a widely-held but incorrect viewpoint. (In my viewpoint.)

(I did a web search for "Steve Burns Boise." The director of our local zoo is named Steve Burns. Could it be the same guy?)

(Hat-tip to my friends Ellen and Paul for pointing me at "Ignite Boise.")

New England bike-commuting snapshot

2011-10-16T06:40:00.002-06:00

We're fortunate to be spending a few days in New England, to visit family and enjoy a change of scenery. (Unfortunately for us, the famous fall foliage is a few weeks behind schedule, and the autumn colors are just starting to emerge. But hopefully a jaunt to northern Vermont will give us a better glimpse.)

We're "headquartered" in Providence, RI, a hilly community with old, narrow streets. I've seen very little here in the way of bike facilities, although the narrowness of the streets lends to slow traffic speeds. (Also, the streets tend to be in pretty poor condition. People slow down when they're dodging potholes.) I've been somewhat surprised at how few cyclists I've seen here.

Yesterday we spent the day in Boston. I saw more cyclists there, although fewer than I expected. I saw a few bike lanes, and some "sharrows." (Sharrows have a bicycle logo and some arrows painted on the pavement; frankly I don't know how they would be any different from what we call a "bike route" back home... a street that's specifically designated as "bike friendly.")

Also in Boston I saw sidewalk riders (which quickly gets complicated when they're attempting to ride on sidewalks occupied by thousands of pedestrians). And the usual complement of "salmon" going against the flow. I guess they annoy everybody else, everywhere. And everywhere you look, bikes are locked to parking meters, trees, railings, fences. Some have obviously stayed too long; every part that isn't physically locked up has gone missing.

Boston has also recently started hosting a "Hubway" bike sharing program. All over the city in strategic places, you can find a rack with a row of shiny silver comfort bikes. Swipe your credit card or your membership token and it releases a bike. Then you just drop it off at a rack close to your destination. So - you can be a dedicated big-city transportation cyclist without even owning a bike. What'll they think of next?!!

Early reports are very encouraging. In the first month there were 36,000+ station-to-station trips on the shared bikes, and 2,319 Bostonians signed up for an annual membership.

Overall, I'm happy to be a transportation cyclist back home in Boise. Our rush hour is small potatoes compared with what you see in the big city. Our streets are wider and better organized. And despite obvious problem areas and bottlenecks, it's pretty easy to get anywhere you might be going on a bicycle in Boise.

Motorist-Hypocrites

2011-10-05T12:26:00.000-06:00

The AAA is reporting that drivers text and yap on their phones, even though they know it's dangerous.

According to the AAA Traffic Safety Culture Index, 95% of drivers believe that clickey-clickin' on those tiny keyboards while driving is dangerous, but 35% of 'em do it anyway. 88% of drivers believe that talking on a cellphone while driving is dangerous, and 67% of 'em do it.

From the article: "Texting and cell phone use are not the only distractions in the car, but they are the major preventable ones that have drawn the attention of researchers, safety advocates, lawmakers and the general public. The threat is real, researchers say, because studies of cell phone records of crash-involved drivers suggest that using a cell phone while driving is associated with roughly a quadrupling of crash risk."

The NHTSA estimates that 16% of fatal crashes involve distracted driving. In Idaho, 60 people died in 2009 in distracted-driving accidents, yet Idaho is one of 16 states that don't have a texting- or phoning-while-driving law, despite public opinion favoring such laws. AAA-Idaho spokesman Dave Carlson: "When we reached out to Idahoans last February to hear about their experiences with drivers who text and use cell phones, we were overwhelmed by the responses supporting specific bans on cell phone use."

Frankly, I remain amazed that the auto insurance industry doesn't have graduated rates, or a discount for motorists who don't engage in such dangerous driving practices.

BikeSnobNYC on cyclists' supernatural powers

2011-10-01T07:56:00.004-06:00

Awhile back, I commented on the book Bike Snob. I found the author to be very "well informed" as only practical experience can inform. I intend to share some favorite bits from time to time.

Here he describes how cycling transcends many of the annoyances suffered by other forms of commuting:

When you're stuck in your car on the highway because an accident or construction has suddenly transformed a twenty-five minute jaunt into a three-hour nightmare, or you've been sitting in a stopped subway train in a tunnel for half an hour after a particularly miserable day at work, you feel impotent - and nothing is more frustrating than impotence. These are the times when you attempt to bargain with the universe: "If you make this train move now, I swear I'll be a better person." Then you try to think of people worse off than you. "Well, at least I'm not in prison." But really you are in prison, and even worse, you don't deserve it. Eventually you might try the stuck-in-transit last resort: meditating until you attain enlightenment and transcend the material plane altogether. Unfortunately, it's the very rare traveler who can pull this one off.

But you'll almost never feel that maddening impotence on a bike (unless your saddle is adjusted improperly, causing crotchal numbness). Sure, you've got to travel by car, train, or bus sometimes, but the truth is that you can actually do it a lot less than you'd think. A bicycle can often make a trip that might take an hour take just a fraction of that hour. Or, even if the trip does take longer by bicycle, at least you've got almost total autonomy. You can pick your own route, you can make your own schedule, you can weave through traffic. And when you get to where you're going, you don't have to look for parking. On a bike, you're self-sufficient, and you're virtually immune to delays.

When it comes to commuting or running errands, your outlook changes considerably when you bookend your day with a little recreation. ... Being packed onto a subway or a bus or even stuck in your car in traffic makes you feel like cattle, and that's an awful way to feel. If you never want to feel like a cow again - physically or mentally - start riding your bike.

(Good stuff! Pages 51-52. The author can also be read on his blog. Oh - and I'm jealous! I want manufacturers and suppliers to send me stuff to use and review!)

Flat tire!

2011-09-29T07:42:00.003-06:00

I finally got a flat tire! On September 26. Cause - undetermined. The hole was there, but no evidence as to what caused it.

My most recent flat was on June 6. 3 1/2 months and 2251 miles ago.

A testament to the tires I'm rolling on - Vittoria Randonneurs.

Last year, between June 6 and September 26 - 8 flats. 2009 - 6 flats. 2008 - 7 flats. Yep, the tires are the difference. (I know what you're thinkin'. This guy keeps track of his flat tires? What a freak! I'm just happy that they seem to be taking less of my attention lately! If I start only getting one flat every 3 or 4 months, I'll probably quit keeping track.)

Those tires are a little harder to mount than some others. And they may roll ever-so-slightly more harshly. But I've got a new undisputed-champion favorite tire.

Out-of-town ridin'

2011-09-18T15:08:00.003-06:00

For several years I've dreamed of traveling to northern Idaho to ride the Coeur d'Alene Trail - 71 miles of paved rail-to-trail Nirvana. And early this year I penciled in the second week of September to finally make it happen. But alas - circumstances that have arisen have changed my plans. Next year we'll try again. (Early September is spoze to be the prime time, because the crowds have tapered off but perfect weather continues.)

So, to partially ease the pain, I instead took Thursday off, and rode a round-trip between Banks and Lowman. It's nothing spectacular, like the offering in northern Idaho, but it was pretty sweet. It, too, is another ride I've wanted to go on for years, and finally turned dream into reality.

It's 34 miles in each direction. Lowman is roughly 1000 feet higher than Banks. And there's a higher "summit" in between the two. But frankly, it's not a grueling ride by any stretch. The shoulders are generally adequate, and there are few places with really tight "blind" curves. I wouldn't recommend it on a busy weekend day, but it was pretty nice on a Thursday.

It's probably been 15 years since I last rode 68 miles in a day. The first half was cake. And the second half was tolerable... but by the time I was 20 miles or so from the finish, I was counting down the miles and looking forward to the finish line. It took a little over 5 hours of "saddle time" and about 6.5 hours on the clock.

The day was mercifully cool; in fact, precipitation sputtered a bit as I started the return leg... but just enough to be refreshing.

The thing I really noticed was how quiet it was. Sound always seems to carry in the forest, and in retrospect I believe it's an illusion... it just seems to carry because there's so much less background noise.

With friends like these...

2011-09-13T16:47:00.006-06:00

I was riding up the street this afternoon when a gal in a white convertible pulled out from a stop sign, into my path. It happens frequently enough that I always try to anticipate, and as I slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting her, I also yelled out the customary "HEY!!!" - my horn substitute.

She slammed on her brakes - right in my path (as is frequently the case) - and I was able to change directions and pull around the front of her car.

Then she said something that kinda caught me off guard: "I didn't see you. I'm a bicyclist too!"

What? Am I somehow spoze to feel better about almost getting slammed into, if the person doing the slamming rides a bike from time to time?

Actually it distresses me if a fellow cyclist is so careless when driving. I was right where I should be on the roadway. I was wearing my hi-viz reflective vest. What else can I do?

Hopefully she rides more responsibly than she drives... or she wouldn't last long. (But on the other hand, if she bicycles irresponsibly, it's still highly unlikely she'll kill anybody. And careless motorists kill innocents all the time.)

(NOTE: When I post a comment like this, it's with mixed emotions. This is not in keeping with my mission of being an advocate for bicycling. But it is the reality of being a cyclist. Riding defensively and expecting the unexpected is a matter of survival. And every time I avoid an accident, I demonstrate that survival isn't so far-fetched.)

Optical illusion

2011-09-12T16:43:00.002-06:00

The days are getting shorter; lately as I ride in to the office the sun is very low on the eastern horizon and a lot of headlights are in use.* (Sigh. I like when the days are getting longer...)

This morning as I rode in the bike lane toward downtown, I saw a cyclist up ahead, in the bike lane. He had a steady-glowing red light. I assumed it to be a taillight, but was baffled because it seemed to be closing distance on me. And sure enough, by the time we were a block or so apart, I figured out what I was looking at. It was an adult male cyclist, wearing a helmet, riding up the wrong side of the street... with a red light clipped to the visor on the front of his helmet. We crossed, me in the bike lane, he in the parking area between the bike lane and the curb. (Sigh again...)

* I haven't started using the lights again yet, under normal circumstances. (Bob T swears by using lights all the time, even in the daytime... and there's doubtlessly some wisdom in that. Motorcycles are mandated to have always-going headlights because it enhances visibility and thus safety. I really oughtta switch to rechargeable batteries and go that route. But that's a different topic.)

Car free? Not quite.

2011-09-09T21:38:00.005-06:00

I've stated before that it would be difficult to function without at least occasional access to a motor vehicle. Most of us have the need to haul big stuff occasionally, and/or travel with passengers or as a passenger, and/or go on longer out-of-town trips.

When the Tour de Fat comes to town once a year, they challenge a participant to abandon the car and ride a bike exclusively (or at least mostly exclusively) for a year... and that participant gets the bike! This year there was a bit of a dust-up when Josh Gross of the Boise Weekly accused last year's cyclist convert - Lisa Brady - of breaking the rules. She defended herself quite well, and pointed out that car transportation isn't expressly prohibited. Hmmmm... various interpretations. The whole cantankerous debate can be seen HERE.

I decided to keep track of my own car-transportation ways for 12 months.

Over the course of a year - September 2010 thru August 2011 - I kept a journal of my car trips, both as a driver and as a passenger. And in that time I traveled by motor vehicle 50 times. (I may have omitted a trip or two from the journal, but that's my best effort to keep an accurate record.)
- Three of those were out-of-town family excursions - to the Oregon Coast, McCall, and Sumpter, Oregon.
- 20 were local trips, and I was a passenger.
- 23 were local trips when I drove and had passengers.
- One trip was to take the car for an emissions inspection. (Why me?!!?)
- Ten or so trips were to procure and transport large and/or heavy stuff. Three trips were to get Craigslist bicycles! One for the granddaughter, one for my son, and one for myself.
- I only went car-trippin' 2 times in April, and again in July.

Bike thefts - up!

2011-09-01T08:53:00.001-06:00

Thanks mostly to the harsh economy, I'm guessing, bike thefts are up this year, according to an article on the Idaho Statesman website.

May-July thefts this year: 223. Last year: 179.

The cops are advising people to lock their bikes securely. They say thieves unload 'em at second-hand stores or on the Craigslist. Which somewhat surprises me... when my sweet bike was stolen a couple years ago, I scoured the Craigslist for probably 3 months, watching for any sign of it.

Also noted is the free bike registration with the Boise Police. (Which prompted the comments - predictably - to become a debate about those freeloading bike riders who aren't paying their fair share. Some folks just aren't informed, and obviously enjoy their state of blissful ignorance.)

(Illustration grabbed from the "One Less Van" blog.)

92 playgrounds in 84 days

2011-08-27T16:55:00.009-06:00

We did it! Princess Mackenzie and I have visited every public playground in Boise by bicycle, since June! We mopped up today with a 20-mile loop in southeast Boise, visiting 6 playgrounds.

- 44 playgrounds are at parks.
- 25 or so are at elementary schools.
- The rest are playgrounds at churches, neighborhoods, apartment buildings, etc. If they didn't have a fence around 'em or a stern "no trespassing" sign, we gave 'em a whirl.

Most were visited using the bicycle/Tag-a-long setup. Recently, however, Mackie has ridden her 16" bike (her dad's bike 20 years ago). We cheated on one hot July afternoon, driving to a point in west Boise and then riding a 10-mile loop and visiting 10 playgrounds out in that corner of town. But the rest were visited on rides from our front door, and returning to the front door. If I had to guess, I'd guess that we rode 300-400 miles on our quest.

Will a 4-year-old remember the Summer of the Playgrounds? Time will tell. I've documented most with photos. I also got a little antique-looking statue of a pretty little girl on a trike to gift her, to commemmorate. I know I'll always treasure the memory of the happy hours I spent with my princess.

More, should you be interested:
- Photos (not all the playgrounds, just my favorite photos) - here
- List of all playgrounds, with dates visited and Google Earth "overlay" of all playgrounds - here

Book Review: Bike Snob

2011-08-27T08:36:00.003-06:00

My daughter gifted me with this book on Father's Day. (Sweet and thoughtful of her!)

It has no author name, other than "BikeSnobNYC" - also the name of his blog. I've visited the blog from time to time - he's prolific, and obviously a deep thinker. He can write more than I can read! haha

He is identified as "a frequent racer, daily commuter, and former bike messenger himself. He has been published and profiled in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Outside, and Bicycling Magazine."

From reading his book and occasionally the blog, he seems to mostly be snobbish toward motorists (I can identify!) and "hipster" cyclists, whom he regularly scorns, or at least pokes good-natured fun at. "Hipsters" would be the folks whose main motive for cycling seems to be making a fashion statement.

The book was enjoyable to read, and I'd recommend you pick up a copy. I intend to post a few excerpts over the next few days, always attributing the commentary.

BikeSnobNYC on hipsters (pages 122-123, 126):

[An] important fact about hipsters is that kleptoparasitism is an essential component of their survival technique. Kleptoparasitism is when one animal steals another's prey or nesting materials. ... Hipsters kleptoparasitize their vintage band T-shirts, haircuts, and tattoos from other humans in order to make themselves attractive to other hipsters. With the shants of a mailman, the knuckle tattoos of a prisoner, and the haircut of a young Rod Stewart, the hipster kleptoparasite walks the streets of his habitat like a mating lizard with his throat pouch engorged.

So once the bicycle became trendy, the migratory pattern of the hipster changed. ... In a way, the fixed-gear bicycle was the lightning bolt that struck the primordial soup of trendiness...

Clearly, the hipster's standing in the community is defined by his or her bicycle-having status. Either hipsters have some cool bike and want other hipsters to notice it, or they need an excuse to talk to other hipsters so they comment on their bike, or they don't have a bike at all but are acutely aware of this absence so they use it as an opportunity to engage another hipster to help them find one in the hopes it will serve as the pretense for a blossoming love affair, like the plot of a bad romantic comedy.

Hat-Tip to ACHD

2011-08-23T11:36:00.003-06:00

Ada County Highway District, or ACHD, is the agency that maintains and builds roads in these parts. And I have ongoing appreciation for those folks.

First of all, they are proactive about trying to make the infrastructure as bike-friendly as possible, given space and budget constraints. Their efforts have been rewarded with a "Bike Friendly Community" recognition ("Bronze") from the League of American Bicyclists.

And second, they are very responsive to input from citizens.

On August 15, I emailed them (tellus@achdidaho.org) with concerns about:
- tree branches that were partially blocking a bike lane on a busy street,
- goathead vines that some yokel had harvested from his vacant lot, and tossed into the gutter pan,
- my ongoing concerns regarding the camera-activated traffic signals.

August 15th was Monday. By Wednesday or Thursday, the branches had been trimmed and the goatheads swept up! Amazing!

They promised to get back to me on the traffic cameras. I'm hopeful something can be done to make them more "sensitive" to cyclists.

Motorists often mistakenly believe that cyclists pay no highway taxes, since they don't buy gas. The reality is, property owners also pay highway taxes. (Which makes sense - you benefit from having a road to your house, even if you don't use it as often as the guy with the Hummer next door.) In my experience, ACHD is by far the most responsive government agency in these parts. The city, county, state and especially the Feds could learn something from ACHD.

(Side note: I was a charter member of ACHD's Bicycle Advisory Committee. I stepped aside after a couple years, because I believe such a committee is best served by rotating citizens with various viewpoints and ideas in and out, to keep things fresh and interesting.)

Playground Vandalism

2011-08-16T19:06:00.002-06:00

Granddaughter Mackie and I can see "light at the end of the tunnel." We are trying to visit every playground in Boise by bicycle between June and August. The current count is 84 - of 90 playgrounds that I'm aware of.

On July 3, we visited Nottingham Park in west Boise. A lovely little neighborhood park and playground. It was the first time either of us had been there.

On the night of August 15, vandals torched it. Here's what it looks like now. (The photos were grabbed off the Idaho Statesman website - story HERE.)

You can be either part of the problem, or part of the solution. An asset, or a liability. It's pretty easy to decide which group these miscreants belong to.

"No idling" campaign

2011-08-15T08:46:00.004-06:00

An "idling reduction campaign" kicks off this week in Boise. No - it's not about getting city workers to quit loafin' on the job. It's about getting motorists to not sit there with their engines running, when they're not moving.

The memo can be read HERE (PDF document).

Facts - according to the "Be Idle Free Boise" website:
- Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel that restarting the engine.
- Each gallon of fuel burned emits about 20 lbs. of carbon dioxide.
- Frequent restarting has little impact on car engine components such as the starter and battery.
- Inhaling exhaust fumes is linked to increased risk of heart and lung disease, asthma, and allergies, especially in young children.
- Idling gets you nowhere!

A couple of personal observations...

The worst offenders, as far as idling vehicles go, would be government-owned vehicles. I regularly see buses at bus stops idling away. And the only place you'll EVER see a cop car with the motor shut off is in the overnight parking lot. Don't they create CO2 emissions?

It's a little distressing that when gas is $3.50+ per gallon, the City still needs to conduct a campaign to get people to switch off the motor when they're just sitting there. But sitting in traffic, engine running, is the norm. (On those rare occasions when I take to a motor vehicle, that drives me nuts! I can barely tolerate sitting at a traffic signal, and if it's gonna be a wait, I always shut off the motor. If other people are in the car, they look over at me like maybe I don't know what I'm doing.)

Hand-mounted blinky turn signals... ?

2011-08-11T13:23:00.000-06:00

Jack O'Neal of Portland has invented some motion-activated LED-blinky turn signals, mounted on the back of bicycling gloves. Theoretically they will make urban cycling safer, by providing better visibility of cyclist turn-intentions to other roadway users.

Story HERE.

He's trying to secure $50K in startup capital. He thinks they'll sell - and people will buy - for $50 or less.

If I did much cycling in nighttime or overcast conditions, I'd probably be more interested. They may be a hit in a place like Portland, where the sun doesn't shine quite as often.

My own strategy is to be aware of traffic in front of me, to the sides of me, and behind me (using a rearview mirror), pick my openings carefully, never be unpredictable, and signal my intentions. I've never had even a close call. (I regularly see cyclists putting themselves in peril by riding in a more "squirrely" fashion.)

Here's a suggestion... how about if motorists signal when they're turning? Oft-times, that seems secondary in importance, if they're holding a phone or a beverage in their turn-signal hand. And then they get uppity if I don't read their mind.

(I liked one reader's comment - I had the same thought - "Forget this. Give me one with the LEDs lining the length of the fingers. I like to make my middle finger visible at night.")

Power to the bike-riding people! Sat., 8/13

2011-08-08T10:23:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, 8/13 at 10am, there is going to be a bike-rider rally to protest the Garden City Greenbelt bicycle ban.

If you live around Boise and ride a bike, you should be interested. And I hope you'll join us - strength in numbers!

Meet at 10am (be 5 minutes early) at the northwest corner of Glenwood and Riverside Drive (near the Moxie Java).

I've commented before on the bike ban. In a nutshell, there's a stretch of publically-owned Greenbelt between an exclusive housing development (developed by the guy who is now mayor, and who lives in the development... but I'm sure that's just coincidence) and the Boise River, that has been decreed off-limits to cyclists. The Citizens for an Open Greenbelt group is suing to have it reopened, but in the meantime, this protest is a "raising awareness" type event.

If several hundred cyclists showed up and walked their bikes along the path, it would be a beautiful thing. Please spread the word between now and Saturday... and join in! I hope to ride to the event with my granddaughter, participate, then ride home, enjoying the relative coolness of a summer morning ride/stroll.

Epic ride with granddaughter

2011-08-07T17:04:00.002-06:00

By the time we'd completed our loop, Mackie and I had:

- ridden >20 miles (using the bike / Tag-a-Long),

- visited 6 playgrounds (bringing the total for the summer to 73!)

- fed carrots to three miniature horses and three full-size horses.

We dealt with 90+ degree temperatures by staying well-hydrated and soaking our noggins and shirts with cool water.

Those miniature horses are a kick! If you don't have carrots, they won't give you the time of day, but they come a-running if you have carrots. I've never figured out how they even know, but they seem to know.

"Clean Energy" comes to Boise

2011-08-06T14:59:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week, the first commercial CNG (compressed natural gas) station opened here in Boise.

17 years or so ago, the public transit provider at the time, Boise Urban Stages, switched their buses over to run on CNG, and accordingly built a private CNG filling facility. And a couple years back, apparently the trash service converted their vehicles over, mostly to avoid new diesel regulations. (How ironic! Trash trucks that smell better than those big ol' diesel pickup trucks! haha!) They have now opened it for private citizens to fill 'er up.

The sign says "clean energy." And it's certainly much cleaner than diesel, and apparently more so than gasoline. The main advantage, at least for now, is that it's about 2 bucks cheaper than gas.

Of course, everything is relative. From my seat, this new energy doesn't look particularly clean - OR cheap.

If CNG gained widespread popularity, it would doubtlessly cause the price to rise... along with the cost of natural gas for everything else... like heating houses.

I s'pose if I were shopping for a motor vehicle for local transportation, I'd take a serious look at CNG. At least it's an American product, unlike a large percentage of that terrorist fossil fuel that people burn. (I guess Honda is the only manufacturer who builds such a vehicle at a factory, although other vehicles can be retrofitted. The main issue is the high-pressure tank needed to hold the fuel. Oh - and the very limited availability of filling stations.)

Bike lane enforcement

2011-08-06T12:25:00.004-06:00

Now and then, when I see a car - or more often a pickup truck it seems - parked in the bike lane, I wish we had a no-nonsense mayor like the one in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Seems that Mayor Arturas Zuokas got tired of bike lane violators, and used a tank to crush the car of one of the scofflaws. Fortunately, the car was only a Mercedes-Benz... Zuokas says, "In the past few days, expensive cars have been illegally parked in almost this exact place – a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari." Story HERE.

Boy howdy! What's the penalty for speeding, or running a red light?!?

Auto repairs - too 'spensive

2011-08-06T07:50:00.000-06:00

According to the AAA (hardly an anti-car organization!), one-fourth of American drivers are unable to keep their cars in good repair, due to the economy.

So what?

Are those vehicles prowling the streets with defects that could affect safety? It's a sobering thought. (On the bright side, it's fairly rare to hear about an accident caused by mechanical failure. In most situations, the failure is the brain operating the vehicle - you know, the one behind the steering wheel.)

I can identify with those expensive fixes, though! Back in the day, a competent, mechanically-minded person could do many of his own repairs. But nowadays you open the hood and can't even see the motor... and unless you have a computer that talks to the car's computer... fuggeddaboudit!

I found an easy solution to car repairs - DITCH THE CAR! Even if you can only cut your driving in half, your car should go for twice as long between fixes.

National Night Out, in retrospect

2011-08-03T12:25:00.002-06:00

Last night I attended, and briefly spoke at, the N.N.O. event in a neighborhood across town.

The event was very impressive, and I told 'em so. A good neighborhood is made up of good neighbors. I'm guessing there were 60 to 70 people in attendance. They arrived walking, in cars and on bikes - even one kid on a skateboard. They ranged from infants to probably 80+ years old. The "potluck" was ample and tasty. I followed a protein-loving teenager through the line, who got pizza and chicken. (He might've been the kid who arrived by skateboard.)

They started out with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem. Sweet. (I'd be comfortable in such a neighborhood.)

Despite the high-temp of 97 degrees, my granddaughter, Princess Mackie, attended with me. She wanted to go, because we planned on hitting some playgrounds afterwards, as we took the "scenic route" home. She's a fussy eater, but ate a plate of food.

Dottie - the gal who invited me and was "hostessing" the gathering, is a spark-plug! During our phone conversations, she told me of her personal love for bicycling. Her daughter is also an enthusiastic transportation cyclist, although she's currently stoved up following an intersection near-collision crash. (Which also partly explains their interest in bicycle safety.)

My presentation was quite brief, actually.

When I asked the audience if they harbored some resentment towards cyclists because of near-misses they'd had, or their observation of cyclists flagrantly violating the law or being bad roadway citizens, I saw a lot of folks nodding in agreement.

I covered my philosophy of being a safe cyclist:
- Be Legal!
- Be Visible!
- Be Predictable!
- Be Defensive!

... along with explanations and examples of each.

Predictably, there was much interest in Idaho's famous "bicycle stop law." We discussed it at some length.

Folks seemed impressed that I've ridden 4000 bicycle miles this year. (A milestone reached earlier the same day, coincidentally.) They also were impressed that Mackie and I are bicycling to all the playgrounds across the city.

I told 'em that if there is ONE THING I would ask of motorists, it's to give the appropriate amount of attention to driving. Piloting a 3500-pound lethal missile around is a big responsibility. If your inattentiveness can end up killing somebody... it deserves a lot of attention.

Fortunately, I was just wrapping it up when the fire truck came roaring down the street, horn blaring... because the audience attention was gone. (Dottie invited the fire and police departments, as well.)

I sincerely hope that I was a good Ambassador for Bicycle Nation, and perhaps they went home feeling a little better about sharing the road with cyclists. Or... maybe even bicycling themselves! If nothing else, I'm a living testament to the fact that you don't have to be Lance Armstrong - or even particularly athletic - to be successful at getting around on a bike.

On the way home, we visited playgrounds at Cole Valley Christian School, Valley View School, Mountain View School, and Mountain View Park. (Bringing our count for the summer to 64!)

Easy LBS pickins?

2011-08-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

My colleague Bill* was shaking his head ruefully, and wondering how he'd explain the $240 bike bill to his wife.

Bill recently started riding his bike to the office, a few times a week. He noticed that his back tire was worn down to where he saw some of the casing showing through - time to replace. So, he took his bike to a nearby bike shop to get the work done. And somehow, before they were done with him, he had laid down 240 bucks. Ouch!

Bill: "Since I was getting the back tire replaced, might as well replace the front tire, too." That was the only other detail I heard. (I told Bill - after the fact - that my front tires typically outlast 2 or 3 rear tires.)

Even if he got top-of-the-line tires - $40 to $50 - how could he have ended up with such a huge expense?

I like the notion of supporting the LBS - Local Bike Shop - but I also like the notion of the LBS treating customers with respect and honesty. And frankly it bothers me a bit that Bill paid so much. Fer cryin' out loud! Even with the upgraded tires, there's no way he could sell his bike for anywhere near $240!

There may be further explanation - maybe he decided that since he was replacing the tires, he might as well replace the wheels, too. (??) But on the surface, it would appear that he was "had" by a local retailer. Too bad. Makes me feel somewhat better that I do most of my own work.

* - his real name, but hopefully not enough to positively ID him...

National [Bike] Night Out

2011-07-28T16:07:00.000-06:00

No... it's not an opportunity for me to announce that I'm gay. (Ha!)

N.N.O. is, according to the website, "an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in our fight for a safer nation."

And - it's almost upon us again! Tuesday, August 2.

I'm participating! A neighborhood group has invited me to come and talk about bicycle safety. An active member, who is very interested in bicycle safety for various reasons, heard me on Doug McConnaughey's "Weekend Idaho" radio program a few weeks back. And apparently my wild-eyed zealotry didn't seem totally nonsensical to her.

I'm even invited to enjoy some potluck beforehand! Sweeeeeeet! (I love to "fuel up"!!)

If things go according to plan, I'll share some notions about bike safety with the group for 7 or 10 minutes, and then entertain questions and discussion. I'm really looking forward to it. And, unless the temperature is oppressively hot, I hope for Mackie to tag-a-long with me, because there are 3 or 4 playgrounds in the neighborhood, that we haven't visited yet. We can do all of that, and still be home before dark!

(I love the concept of promoting neighborhood spirit. We've lost a lot of that, just during my lifetime. When I was a kid, we knew pretty much everybody within a half-mile radius. Now I'm barely acquainted with my closest neighbors. We all tend to just hunker down in our bunkers any more. Of course, unlike driving a car, riding a bike at least gives me an opportunity to say "hello" when I ride by and see a neighbor out-of-doors.)

Moment of Clarity

2011-07-27T21:15:00.005-06:00

Epiphany: the sudden realization or comprehension of the larger meaning.

I've been seeing a lot of this, the past few days.

A week ago, granddaughter Mackie was reluctant to ride. I believe it's because she's outgrown her 12" bike, and just never got comfortable on the next bigger size. (Going from 12 inches to 16 inches is a huge commitment!)

But after some coaxing, she got on board. We rode a lap around the park - about 1/2 mile of nice, smooth sidewalk. She wanted to go another lap... and then another.

Since then, she's been very persistent in her efforts to talk me into going riding with her. Every night, we've ridden 3 or 4 loops around the park. Every lap, she's a little less wobbly and a little more confident. When we get home, she rides around and around and around in our driveway, until I insist that it's time to stop. This weekend, I hope we can expand her horizons by getting on some paths a little farther from home. She's excited - I'm excited!

Bike-commuters beat Jet-commuters

2011-07-18T14:49:00.002-06:00

This is pretty funny.

In the great Los Angeles Basin - not exactly a stronghold for transportation cycling - JetBlue Airlines was promoting a $4 fare (!) for a flight from the Burbank Airport to the Long Beach Airport. (I'm assuming it must've been some kind of promotion, since I can't imagine a plane even taking off, let alone going someplace, for $4 per passenger.)

Somebody threw down the gauntlet - challenged cyclists to race the airplane from the one airport to the other.

A cycle group called the "Wolfpack Hustle" made the trip in about an hour and a half.

The advertised flight time for the JetBlue is 20 minutes. But then factor in the trip to the airport, the arrival at least an hour before departure time, etc., etc. - "by the time the plane took off, the cyclists were already in Long Beach." Sweeeet!

Story HERE.

9 Months Straight!

2011-07-09T08:43:00.004-06:00

October 10, 2010 thru July 9, 2011 ... that may be the only episode of my life in which I accumulate some bicycle miles every single day for nine consecutive months. I haven't left town for more than 1 night in all that time, and unless I spend the whole day "abroad," I've lately been trying to ride every day.

Now I admit... a few of those days have seen rides that were only done to "keep the streak alive" because of time constraints, conflicting duties, etc.

Of course, all streaks eventually come to an end... and today is the day. For you see, the asphalt ribbon beckons seductively. I'm going to straddle the other 2-wheeled contraption that vies for my attention - the motorcycle - and spend some "quality time" rumblin' down the highways and byways. (Specifically the Oregon and NoGollyfornia coast and points in between.)

[NOTE: If you're one of those Facebook burglars we've heard about, who preys on the folks who announce their departure and burglarizes their houses during their absence... fuggeddaboudit! The house will be occupied for the duration. And the occupants are heavily armed, with clear instructions to make sure your body falls into the house instead of ouside the house... for legal purposes, you know.]
:-O

Hasta la vista, baby. I'll be bach.

Hawk attacks cyclists in E. Oregon

2011-07-06T13:57:00.002-06:00

I've commented before on my bird observations. Audubon I'm not... but every now and then, a bird and bicyclist cross paths in interesting ways.

On July 4th I was riding east of town, when an enthusiastic blackbird aggressively defended his nesting area. I tried to reason with him, in English, explaining to him I wasn't there to rob his nest.

Over in Pendleton, cyclists are being targeted by a bigger and scarier aggressor - a hawk! Story HERE. A swainson's hawk swoops down on 'em and smacks 'em on the brain bucket. One guy said it was like a baseball bat whackin' his lid. Another guy is sporting talon-holes. (Better the bucket than his skull, huh?) One more reason why a helmet is a good idea!

Boise is #1 for skin cancer

2011-07-05T12:05:00.000-06:00

According to The Daily Beast, Boise is the number-one skin cancer city. (Based on number of sunny summer days - 51 - and instances of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.) Interesting, and a little disturbing, since I do all of my bike riding in the great out-of-doors.

I haven't heard the mayor, or Chamber of Commerce, excitedly declaring "We're number one!"

Do you sunscreen before a ride? I don't, but probably should. (When I take the granddaughter and we're anticipating being gone for more than an hour or so, we'll grease up. But usually I don't take the time.)

Since I ride year-round, and since the intensity of the sun builds as it gets higher in that summer sky, I rationalize that I get naturally and gradually accustomed to those more intense summer rays. My exposure to direct sunlight is most often limited to an hour or less at a time. And I rarely get sunburned... when I do, it's almost always when I'm working in my garden or some such activity, rather than cycling. (And it's usually my head that gets burned... because when I'm riding, I'm wearing the brain-bucket. The top of my head doesn't get much sunlight at all.)

A good friend, Damon, developed melanoma 15 years or so ago. (He lived in Boise, but moved to the Sacramento area.) It really changed his life... whenever he's outdoors now, it's with a wide-brim hat and long sleeves. He scrupulously avoids direct sunlight whenever possible.

Summer Tires

2011-07-02T17:40:00.004-06:00

A couple days ago, my daughter saw me mounting my new white Vittoria Randonneur tires, and commented, "Oh! You're putting on your summer tires!" Yep! Of course, they'll have to come off after Labor Day...
(-;

I acquired some white ones, just for kicks and giggles, because they were the same price as the black ones. (And possibly they might contribute ever so slightly to my being visible.) After a couple days, I'm a bit disappointed - I didn't know the roads had dirty stuff on 'em! At least the sidewalls are still pretty white...

The old tire finally came to the end of the line... when the tread of your [black] tire is no longer black because the stuff underneath the tread is showing through, that's the sign. (That tire - a 700x32 Vittoria Randonneur - lasted an incredible 4016 miles... on back! And on top of that, in all those miles I had two flats TOTAL!! Yep - definitely my favorite tire.) (Anybody wanna buy a tire pump? HAHAHAHA!)

Doctor makes house calls on his bike

2011-06-30T11:35:00.002-06:00

A doctor still makes house calls? In 2011?

Dr. Tony Ohotto, a geriatric specialist in Portland, makes house calls on his bike! Story HERE. He is joined by Kevin Callahan, a therapist, as they visit oldsters around Portland.

That is too cool!

Callahan travels almost exclusively by bike. Ohotto splits bike trips and carpooling with other medical staffers. I s'pose if your doctor told you to get more exercise, it would mean more if he arrived on his bike, than if he arrived in his Mercedes-Benz.

My dad was a doctor, and one of the last I knew of who would make house calls when the situation warranted it. (I remember his big tan leather "doctor bag." I sat in the car on a few occasions while he visited a patient. Yeah... he went in a car, rather than on a bike.)

Bike Rodeo

2011-06-24T09:31:00.002-06:00

There is essentially no formal effort to educate bike riders on how to be safe and do things right. And one gets the impression that a lot of kids learn from clueless teachers. So it was exciting to help put on a Bike Rodeo yesterday evening, to give 10 or so Cub Scouts a bit of education. (I'm a cubmaster these days, and every June is the traditional Bike Rodeo... intended to provide both fun and education.)

I enlisted the help of a couple gifted and willing volunteers - Clancy, who reads and occasionally comments here, and Dave, who works in the same office building as me. Clancy is very mechanically-inclined; works at the Boise Bike Project and builds up bicycles... including a bike he built out of wood! Clancy rides a lot, too. And Dave is the only other guy at my office - maybe 800 people - who rides his bike year-round. I've ridden with him and have observed his safety skills.

During preparation, I had a couple setbacks. I made the mistake of storing some milk for refreshments in the church refrigerator overnight. It was gone. ("Thou shalt not steal" is a hard concept to understand, apparently.) And the night before, I drew out a little road practice course in the parking lot with sidewalk chalk. A half-hour or so after I was done, a fantastic thunderstorm blew up out of nowhere - it poured rain for 15 minutes or so. The next morning I went to survey the damage... there was absolutely no evidence that a course had ever been there! D'oh! Fortunately, I'd used less than half of the chalk, so my assistant Jared and I were able to redo the course in 45 minutes or so.

As for the Bike Rodeo, we started with a couple learning sessions. Dave and I taught about how to ride safe - my rules in a nutshell are BE LEGAL, BE PREDICTABLE, BE VISIBLE, and BE DEFENSIVE. Clancy and Andrew (a Varsity scout with considerable bike skills and a sweet single-speed) taught the ABCs of safety-checking your bike before you ride.

Following the learning sessions, we sent the groups to: 1) a big loop - 5 times around is a mile, and 2) our chalk-outline road course, where they could practice straight-line riding, signaling their turns, stopping and starting in a smooth fashion, and riding the slalom course.

I got the impression that the evening was a success. Nobody got hurt, and I didn't kill anybody! (I struggle a bit with the limited attention span of 8-10 year olds, but my granddaughter gives me experience with that almost every day.) The chocolate milk (as plugged by Kristin Armstrong) and peanut butter cookies (all cyclists love peanut butter!) topped the evening off nicely.

Bike Nazi hits the airwaves!!

2011-06-22T12:24:00.002-06:00

Does anybody still listen to radio? Besides me?

(Some of the youngstas are asking themselves, "What's radio??")

On Saturday morning, bright and early at 7am MDT, I've been invited to be on "Weekend Idaho with Doug McConnaughey" on KBOI radio, 670 on the AM dial. The topic is supposed to be "transportation cycling." (Give me a soapbox and a megaphone, and I love to "preach the word"!!)

I've listened to Doug for a long time, early (5-8am) on Saturday and Sunday mornings. His program is quite relaxed and not "hot headed" like most talk radio. It's a call-in show, with guests and a wide variety of topics, mostly "local" topics as opposed to ranting about Washington, D.C. And I particularly like it because he plays an eclectic mix of music, as well.

If you're interested in listening, but don't have a radio, or are outside of broadcast range, it can be heard on the web HERE.

Doug frequently gives the phone numbers to call in - DO IT if you feel so inclined! (Don't call just to whine about those crazy bike riders, though.)
:-O

---

If that weren't enough, also this weekend is the "Boise Rec Fest" at Ann Morrison Park. I'm helping staff a "Citizens for an Open Greenbelt" booth. The COG group is working - now in the courts - to get a short stretch of Garden City Greenbelt opened for bicycle use. It's currently closed to cyclists, even though the state deeded the land to Garden City with the stipulation that it be maintained as a "bike path." (Ironically, I've never seen the stretch of path in question - it's on the north side of the Boise River, west of Glenwood Street. But the Greenbelt is supposed to be a multi-modal path - including bicycles - so that's why I somehow got into the fight.)

Anthing bike-related will probably be mostly "toy-bike"-related at something called the "Rec Fest." But most toy bikes could also conceivably be used for transportation.

Come by and see me from 1-5pm. (The weather should be perfect for outdoors stuff, and there are a lot of other goings on at Ann Morrison Park. Saturday and Sunday - my shift is on Saturday.)

Summer Bike Fun!

2011-06-18T10:43:00.004-06:00

My granddaughter and I have a daunting task in front of us ... in the three summer months, we intend to visit every public playground in Boise. By bicycle.

Daunting - why?

Boise has 44 city-park playgrounds listed on the website. Garden city has 2 or 3. Plus - most of the elementary schools have a playground. Plus - there are few playgrounds in church yards and other quasi-public places.

The closest is across the street - we visit it several times a week anyway. The farthest from us are 10 miles or more. We'll need to build up some momentum to get to those! (And hopefully pick days when it's not 100 degrees.)

We're off to a decent start - since the beginning of June, we've already visited 17 playgrounds. (Mackie gets upset with me when, after a 10-minute stop, I say, "Okay - we've gotta go." But when we're headed for another playground, she's pretty quick to forgive.)

Whittier School:

Manitou Park:

Liberty School:

Phillippi Park:

Bike Austerity

2011-06-17T07:36:00.007-06:00

One of the compelling reasons to choose bicycle transportation is the relative economy. I love cycling because I'm frugal! It warms my heart that I haven't made a car payment, or bought commuting gas, for years and years, and my main expenses are patches and the occasional tire.

However, another guy at the office makes me look extravagant by comparison!

He seems to have a collection of several older "ten speeds" that he rides. (Actually pretty nice steel-frame bikes from back in the days when they had butted tubes and nice lugs... but he obviously is hesitant to upgrade any more than is absolutely necessary.)

I snapped a couple photos of his makeshift bike treatments.

In the first photo, you'll see how his worn out saddle has been "covered" - looks like with an old t-shirt held in place with a spring clip.

In the second photo, you'll see how he replaced some of the handlebar tape with a stretch bandage - you know, the kind that's used for taping a sprained ankle or gimpy knee. And it's held in place with duct tape. (NICE!! Red Green would be very impressed!) (Apologies are in order - the photo is a little blurry as it was snapped indoors without a flash.)

Boise Bicycle Project goings-on

2011-06-15T13:47:00.004-06:00

The Boise Bicycle Project is an awesome endeavor.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I never stepped foot inside the place until perhaps 6 months ago. Since then, I've dropped in regularly for various reasons... usually in search of parts. Granddaughter Mackie has accompanied me a couple times. Stanley the shop dog intimidates her a little... for no other reason than they are close to eye-level with one another.

Their main focus is on recycling bicycles and bike parts. And getting bikes underneath kids who don't have one.

But they do a lot more than that. And a lot more than I was aware of.

Jimmy Hallyburton, the director of the place, recently wrote in to Boise Weekly: " I could go in-depth about the 1,200 students that BBP and SR2S taught bicycle safety to in the month of May, or the two straight weeks of Bike-in events from June 10-25 during Pedal 4 the People. I could explain how we collaborated with the Idaho Transportation Department to make and implement a Sharing the Road video into 300 different drivers' ed programs, and how we certified 12 new LCI instructors to teach safe riding practices throughout the state. BBP hasn't put in any bike lanes, but we've recycled about 3,500 bicycles and taught countless numbers of people about safety and repair."

Talk about making a difference! Hats off, BBP! (My new favorite Local Bike Shop.)

They haven't asked for much in return... but right now their hand is out. They are trying to raise $115K so they can buy the building they are currently leasing. They are in the midst of some very creative fund-raising efforts; tomorrow (6/16) there will be a Poster Party at 217 S. 11th Street. (31 artists designed a bike-themed poster; limited-edition prints will be for sale to raise funds.)

I encourage one and all to hook up with one of their fundraisers, and get familiar with their facility. They are here to stay, and hopefully soon in their very own real estate!

Sadly, I just read that some lowlife broke into their facility last weekend and stole $1000 worth of cash and merchandise. I wish Stanley had been there to bite him on the arse!

"The Race"

2011-06-13T16:46:00.000-06:00

(The Bike Nazi generally steers away from the "competition" side of bicycling, mostly because there seem to be plenty of sources for such info. And because I'm generally not very interested. But now and then, something catches my interest, and I share in the hopes that my audience may also be interested.)

The Boise-flavored "Half Ironman" took place over the weekend; it attracted around 1500 participants. It consists of a 1.2-mile swim (at Lucky Peak Reservoir - still mighty cold in June!), a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. Pretty impressive. 1200 or so of the starters finished. (My granddaughter and I were bicycling on the Greenbelt toward the end of the competition, and some of those poor runners looked beat! But they were still going.)

But that's not "the race."

Early next month, the celebrated Tour de France gets underway. Despite the fact that professional cycling has taken a big PR hit recently, with the allegations and accusations about illegal drug use, the Tour remains popular and famous. Of course, the "tour" races consist of both individual effort and teamwork, and cover several thousand miles in bite-size chunks, for the better part of a month.

But that's not "the race," either.

This week, "the race" starts... for the 30th time. I refer to the Race Across America, arguably the most grueling test of athletic endurance you'll find anywhere.

What's it all about? From the website, "RAAM is a race! But unlike the three great Europeon Grand Tours (Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro de Italia), RAAM is not a stage race. RAAM is one continual stage, similar to a time trial. Once the clock starts it does not stop until the finish line. RAAM is about 30% longer than the Tour de France. Moreover, racers must complete the distance in roughly half the time allowed for the Tour."

So - you get on your bike at the Pacific Ocean, and take a little ride to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, you cover 3000 miles and climb 170,000 vertical feet. Typically the winner crosses the finish line in 8-9 days, thus averaging 300+ miles per day.

Suddenly the Half Ironman - which perhaps 1% of the population could even finish - seems pretty wimpy by comparison.

(I don't follow the RAAM, but I've thoroughly enjoyed a couple DVDs my daughter gave me - documentaries about the race. And I'm happy to give a nod to those awesome competitors. I hope they occasionally ride their bikes to the office, too!!)

Cub Scout Bike Safety Quiz

2011-06-03T18:12:00.005-06:00

I recently became a Cubmaster for Packs 2, 44, and 88 here in Boise. (They are all small packs, and meet together.) Sometime over the summer, we'll be doing the traditional Bike Rodeo, where we teach and practice cycling skills in a nice offroad environment (a huge, paved parking lot).

This is a quiz that was provided with resource materials; I thought it was interesting. And I've got disputes with a couple of the "official" answers. (Yeah, always the rebel.) The questions ... followed by the answers. (Don't cheat!)

(Cub Scouts) Safe Bicycle Riding
True or False Quiz

1) Bicycles should be ridden on the right-hand side of the street.
2) Bicycle riders should obey all traffic signs and signals.
3) Stop signs are round in shape.
4) Pedestrians have the right-of-way on sidewalks and crosswalks.
5) Bicycles should be "walked" across busy intersections.
6) The signal for a right turn is stretching the right arm straight out.
7) Riding a bicycle at night without a front light or rear reflector is unsafe.
8) It's safe for a bicycle rider to carry a passenger.
9) You don't have to stop at a stop sign if there is no traffic.
10) Hitching a ride on another vehicle is safe if the driver is careful.
11) Bicycle riders should give a hand signal before making a turn or stopping on the street.
12) It's safe to ride a bicycle that is in poor condition if you are a good rider.
13) If you're riding bicycles with friends, you should travel in a single file.
14) Your chain should be loose enough to slip off easily.
15) It's OK to ride a bicycle in either direction on a one-way street.
16) It's not safe to pass another bicycle on the right.
17) Even a good rider should "walk" his bicycle through heavy traffic.
18) The faster you ride, the safer it is.
19) Bicycle riders should stay at least 3 feet from parked cars.
20) If you don't ride on busy streets, you don't need a horn or bell.

My answers [and the "official" answer in brackets, where mine differs]:
1) Oh, so TRUE!!
2) True.
3) False (they are octagonal).
4) True.
5) Maybe. If there's a crosswalk, then walk if you feel better about it. If there's not a crosswalk, ride (with traffic flow). [True.]
6) True. (The "official" answer is going to be false, but the right-arm-out will probably be just as meaningful as the left-arm-squared to most drivers in 2011.) [False.]
7) True.
8) False. (Unless it's on a bicycle designed to carry a passenger.)
9) True. (In Idaho! That's the law! Sweeeeeeeeet! HOWEVER - if I were teaching bike safety to 8-10-year-olds, I'd tell them to always stop at a stop sign.) [False.]
10) False.
11) True. (I rarely make a "stopping hand signal." But I rarely stop when stopping isn't necessary.)
12) False. (Assuming that "poor condition" refers to operational condition, and not faded paint or a bit of rust.)
13) True. (As a rule. Riding two abreast is legal in Idaho, but only if you're not impeding traffic flow.)
14) False.
15) False.
16) True (As a rule. Exceptions: cyclist you are passing is turning left, etc.)
17) Huh? Like when you're crossing a street with heavy traffic? The question isn't specific enough. [True.]
18) False.
19) True.
20) True. (The "official" answer may be false, but in Idaho and most jurisdictions, hollerin' is a legal substitute for a horn or bell. And who's gonna hear that little tinkle-bell with the windows rolled up, the A/C blastin', and the 2000-watt hip-hop blastin' even louder?!!) [False.]

Hmmmm... another local bicycle organization?

2011-06-02T13:42:00.004-06:00

It's news to me. The Boise Weekly is reporting a first-ever meeting in late May of the Boise Bicycle Congress. The apparent objective is to gather cyclists from disparate interest groups, with a common purpose of "advocacy."

The motives for people attending, other than beer and pizza, were diverse, according to the article. "For some, it was disappointment with what they considered toothless laws or absent infrastructure. For others, it was the lack of a decent bike map. What united them was their frustration that despite Boise being thick with bike organizations, there was little advocacy."

Apparently the bicycle organizations are focused on their specific interests - recreational mountain biking, racing, bike recycling, etc. I always thought of the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance (WEBSITE) as an advocacy organization, but apparently they "aren't interested in advocacy, only in community events." A more recent group - the Idaho Pedestrian and Bicycle Alliance (WEBSITE) seems to be picking up momentum, and in fact the article says that the director of that group chaired the event. (It also says she's moving away.)

IMO, part of the challenge (for people trying to gather the troops) is that cycling isn't really all that bad in these parts. In fact, our situation would be envied by cyclists in most places. Yeah, there are some streets that take some courage to navigate. And there are some Neanderthals out roaming the streets, that could benefit from some "eye-opening" in the form of education or enforcement. But they are the exceptions, rather than the rule.

Strength in numbers. If one or two voices in the wilderness are crying out for stepped-up enforcement or education or bike lanes, it's not as likely to garner attention, as if somebody can tell ACHD or the Boise Police, "I represent 2000 voting, taxpaying bike riders, and we feel..." So I'm supportive of an active advocacy group. (Whether I'd rather spend time going to group meetings or riding my bike? That's another story! For me and most cyclists, I would reckon.) I guess we'll see what shakes out.

(Did you attend the organizational meeting? If so... what happened? Anything?)

"Native American" Helmet

2011-05-29T15:14:00.005-06:00

We collected some Canada goose feathers at the park, and gave Miss Mackie a custom brain-bucket treatment.

The first time, the feathers were just stuck in loosely, and they blew away as we rode home. Each loss was a tragedy. So we returned and collected more feathers. This time I used an old tube and cut some tiny holes in it to anchor the feathers underneath the visor. It seems to be doing the job quite nicely.

We put some miles on it this afternoon, to visit and feed carrots to our pony friends, and a quick stop at a tractor store. Mackie was thrilled because the horn on the tractor worked.

140K miles

2011-05-28T17:27:00.002-06:00

Anybody who's visited here regularly knows I'm somewhat a slave to my odometer. I keep track of the miles I ride each month, and have since I took up transportation cycling, in 1986. Yeah, it's a little shallow, but it motivates me. I update my Stat Page each month.

On September 1, 2004, I clicked over 100,000 miles. I wrote about it at the time (although that's back before the Age of the Blog) - it can be read HERE (PDF file). At the time, I speculated about the likelihood of my ever seeing 200,000 miles.

So far, I'm maintaining some of my momentum, even if my average MPH has dropped 1 or 2 over those years.

At the end of April, I'd accumulated 139,425 miles, and started counting down the 140,000 mark. The countdown ended today. Woo-hoo! (As it clicked over, I was riding on South Cloverdale, and listening to Muddy Waters "Folk Singer." (I don't listen to music often, just every now and then when it doesn't compromise my safety.) Earlier in the day, granddaughter Mackie and I had "tag-alonged" down to the Boise Bicycle Project to dig through their parts bins.

Onward to 200K!

If I survive another 10 years, and can wrap it up by then, I'll feel pretty good about it. Maybe invite everybody over for cake and ice cream!

(A while back, reader and friend Bob T sent me a link to an article about another guy who hit 200K, so I know it can be done.)

Gas prices - soaring! "Bicyclers" - soaring!

2011-05-25T13:20:00.004-06:00

HERE is an interesting article: "Number of Bicyclers Soars Along with US Gas Prices."

It says road bike sales are up 29% from a year ago. It says "bicycle commuting in America has more than doubled since 2000." Wow!

I'm a little bothered by this, from the article:

[Andy] Clark, president of the national advocacy group League of American Bicyclists, says it’s often hard to recapture that sense of fun [that you fondly recollect from childhood bike riding] when you’re biking to work in the street. Sharing wide roads designed for faster, larger gas-powered vehicles is not just intimidating, it's also dangerous.

This, from the president of a bicycle advocacy group? I'd expect it from the SUV Owners Group, maybe.

If you're clueless and making critical mistakes, then yes - sharing the road can be dangerous. But virtually all of the danger can be mitigated, by riding legally, visibly, predictably, and defensively.

The "road going bicycling community" has always had a conflict.

On the one side are "vehicular cyclists," disciples of John Forester, who boldly declare that cyclists should share the road with motor vehicles (obeying traffic laws, of course).

On the other side are the L.A.B. and numerous other organizations who emphasize the need for dedicated bikeways, lanes and other facilities. They are the advocates for more casual cyclists, and although I definitely line up with the vehicular cyclists, I acknowledge that dedicated facilities are invaluable for occasional cyclists, children, etc. - those who aren't comfortable sharing a lane. (Of course, the hope is that those casual cyclists will evolve into vehicular cyclists. Because the reality is... there will never be bike lanes going to every destination.)

Speaking of dedicated bike facilities... Mia Burke talked about bike boulevards when she was in town a week ago. I've never experienced them in person, but the concept is interesting and attractive. An existing roadway is converted into a "bicycle priority" roadway. Cars are allowed, but the street has features (blockages, speed bumps, etc.) which discourage motorists from using it as a "through street." I'd like to see a couple of local experiments; maybe Boise is ready. Check out this info, and video.

BBW Diary - Days 6 and 7

2011-05-21T21:40:00.002-06:00

Frankly, I'm surprised to even be writing this, since The Rapture was spoze to have happened. (It just doesn't pay to make plans, huh?)

Day 6 - Friday

Ride to the office - routine. (Short sleeves! It's starting to get pretty nice! But with hi-viz vest...)

Afternoon ride - out Hill Road, Castle Drive, State, Glenwood, Adams. Routine. Less windy than the last couple days.

Ride home - routine.

In the evening, I hooked up the BOB trailer, and ran an errand to pick up some junky Chinese merchandise at Harbor Freight Tools.

Ended the day with 31-odd miles.

Day 7 - Saturday

I hit the motorcycle road with some friends at 6am... we rode to Twin Falls to attend the Temple down that way, and to enjoy the scenery, including a pretty awesome Shoshone Falls. I'd hoped to be back to Boise in time to attend the Boise Bike Week Pedal Power Parade, but bummer, it didn't work out that way.

I ran some errands in the evening, with BOB trailer attached... but finished the day with only about 4 or 5 miles. (With 300+ motorcycle miles, however. Yeah, I know - that doesn't count.)

BBW Diary - Day 5

2011-05-20T08:42:00.003-06:00

Day 5 - Thursday

In a word... WINDY! (Not a complaint, just an observation. One should not complain when it's in the 70s and sunny.)

Ride to the office - routine.

Routine mid-afternoon exercise/recreation ride, out Hill Road, Gary/Glenwood, and back in on Adams. (Very routine route.)

Ride home - routine. Other than the wind.

My friend Aaron brought his mom's bike over - a pretty purple "cruiser" bike that had a slightly-wobbly back wheel. Got the wheel trued up nicely. Ride on, Mom!

Aaron is doing springtime prep on his bike and his mom's. He's hoping to put his car under a bird-poop-resistant cover, and do a lot of bike commuting over the warm months. (Since he's from Idaho Falls, I'm trying to convince him that all months are warm months in Boise!)

In the evening, Princess Mackie and I rode to a nearby playground, and I spent a blissful 45 minutes pushing her on the swing and merry-go-round. And she went 4 rungs on the monkey-bar without assistance - a triumphant moment! We watched the bright orange sun-ball drop behind the western horizon, then headed for home.

Finished the day with 25+ miles. (Turned over 400 miles for May.)

Ride a bike - save your heart!

2011-05-19T13:51:00.003-06:00

A study of 10,000 civil servants in the UK indicated that bicycling 20 or more miles a week reduced the chances of coronary heart disease by 50%. Not insignificant.

Propaganda HERE.

This perplexed me a bit: "The popularity of cycling in the United States as a form of exercise or as a recreational activity is marginal." Maybe it's just my little corner of the world... but in these parts I see a lot of "recreational" cycling (mountain biking, cruising the greenbelt, etc.); it's just hard to get those toy-bike riders to envision how rewarding it can be as transportation.

BBW Diary - Day 4

2011-05-18T22:36:00.000-06:00

Day 4 - Wednesday

Ride in to the office - routine.

I went on an afternoon ride at 4:30 or so... and disaster befell me! While riding along Fairview near 23rd or so, next to some large vacant lots, suddenly I heard the telltale click-click-click and could see that I'd picked up something in the front tire. Turns out it was somethings - FIVE goathead thorns! What the?!!? I've never had more than two at any given time! If somebody didn't deliberately scatter 'em, I s'pose it's possible the wind blew 'em out. Fortunately that's pretty close to my office, and the tire hadn't deflated by the time I arrived. The tube already had two patches; I normally replace a tube once it has four or so patches - so this one was done.

The flat tire adventure made me fashionably late for the Mia Burke presentation at city hall. But I didn't miss too much, hopefully. What I heard was excellent. She is an awesome advocate; she really has the technical savvy, plus she's genuinely passionate and smart about cycling. (On the questionnaire they asked attendees to fill out, I suggested that she move to Boise... you know, maybe for five years... to become our pro-cycling bomb thrower!)

I also had the pleasure of crossing paths with several old friends - Clancy who reads and comments here regularly, plus Lynn who used to serve on bicycle committes with me, and Gary Richardson, who was an ACHD Commissioner some years back, and was famous (infamous?!) for his bike-friendly attitude. Unfortunately, his attitude was played up as anti-car. "Can't we all just get along?" (We could use more people of conviction and courage serving in public office.)

The ride home from City Hall was routine. (No more flats!) I finished the day with 21-odd miles. (And turned over 2500 miles for the calendar year.)

BBW Diary - Day 3

2011-05-17T20:49:00.002-06:00

Day 3 - Tuesday

It barely stayed above freezing last night. (Not a huge deal for the cycling - but I'm glad my tomatoes survived, out in the garden spot!)

The ride in was fairly routine.

The afternoon "joyride" was sweeet! Today the wind seemed (gentle) from the east, so I rode east. I always like the "into the wind leg" to be first... so the ridin' is easier on the return leg. Went out around Barber Park. Warm Springs & Greenbelt out; Boise Avenue back.

The ride home was fairly routine, except a bit more hurried than usual, due to an early-evening commitment.

A little over 22 miles total... very routine.

BBW Diary - Days 1 and 2

2011-05-17T08:29:00.002-06:00

I might as well make note of my bicycling over the course of Boise Bike Week 2011. By the end of the week, I'll know if anything was out of the routine and ordinary.

Day 1 - Sunday

In the morning, I rode to church and back. For years, I had an early meeting and so I needed to arrive independently of my family, and always rode the bicycle. As of fairly recently, I no longer attend that early meeting, but church is barely over a mile away over flat terrain; I can't bring myself to ride in the car (even though the car is making the trip, with or without me). Maybe on rainy nasty days...

In the afternoon, I had another meeting at the church - Scout Committee. It was somewhat cold and rainy, but just the same I took the scenic route, to get a few extra miles in. But I ended the day with only about 8 miles.

(In the evening, I rode in the Wagon Queen Family Truckster - a fairly rare occurrance for me. We rolled across town - maybe 12 miles round trip - to a family gathering. There were 6 of us in the vehicle, so it almost rose to the level of efficient transportation.)

Day 2 - Monday

It was pouring rain at go-to-work time! I busted out the Gore-Tex pants; the last time I wore 'em was last year sometime. Put some grocery-store plastic bags over my shoes. (I really oughtta get some decent shoe covers.) My efforts paid off - I was dry when I got to the office.

It was nicer in the afternoon at go-home time. No rain, insignificant wind. (Rather than go on a fitness/recreation ride in the early afternoon, as is typical, I worked on through and left at 4:30 or so, to run an errand.) Today is my son's birthday - I rode to the bicycle store and got him a blinky back light and frame-fit pump. (He's riding to work himself, on a lot of days.) I finished the day with 15+ miles.

(Other obligations precluded me from participating in any of the official Boise Bike Week scheduled events. BUMMER! I really wanted to go hear about the Vogel family's 3-year bike adventure from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego!)

Self-driving cars!

2011-05-12T09:16:00.000-06:00

Is the world ready for self-driving cars? Apparently, we better be. The nerds at Google are lobbying the State of Nevada to legalize self-driving cars on their roads. Story HERE.

Supposedly, the cars are safe. They use "roof-mounted video cameras, radar and a laser range finder to detect surrounding traffic." They've logged thousands of accident-free miles in testing (with a human driver behind the wheel, ready to intervene if need be).

If I was driving a White Freightliner, or even an H2 Hummer or Ford Expedition, I probably wouldn't be too worried. Those cameras and lasers would probably detect and avoid plowing into my vehicle. But as a guy on a bike, I can't help but be concerned. Those intersection traffic cameras don't give me a lot of confidence, if the auto-car technology is similar. They are very hit-and-miss with a target as small as a guy on a bike (and I'm a pretty big guy on a bike!). When the only consequence of not being detected is red-light frustration, it's not that big a deal... but the stakes are considerably higher if a moving vehicle is comin' at ya!

I s'pose if they log a few million safe miles up and down the Las Vegas Strip, dealing with drunken pedestrians and more distracions and roadside "clutter" than pretty much anyplace, my confidence would be elevated. And... they can't be much worse than a human-behind-the-wheel, who's mostly driving his little fancy-fone and only occasionally looking up to see what's in front of his moving car.

Swarm!

2011-05-11T16:26:00.000-06:00

Anybody who's ridden a bicycle for any amount of time has probably dealt with the hilarious "Bee in the Shirt" routine. You know - where a bee (or stinging relative) flies into your shirt, and hilarity erupts as you try to rid yourself of the critter, while simultaneously not crashing.

It's even more exciting on a motorcycle! In fact, it's probably a good exercise in mental concentration... when you're traveling along at 50 or 60mph while being stung.

I rode right through what must've been a swarm of bees today. Suddenly there I was - in the cloud. I must've bumped a dozen or so, and missed a lot more.

Fortunately, I emerged at the other end, not having irritated them so bad that they sent the Attack Signal... and none of 'em flew into my shirt. Whew!

Bike Rodeo Saturday

2011-05-11T14:41:00.000-06:00

This is short notice, but it's the first I heard about it.

There's a Bike Rodeo this Saturday, 5/14, 10am - 2pm at the Overland Park Shopping Center.

More details HERE.

Highly recommended, if you know kids who are of bike-riding age. (Do they also educate clueless teenagers and adults about the rules of the road??)

Since one of my biggest complaints is lack of any formal bike education, this sort of thing is VERY welcome! The police may not be the very most informed people about bicycle law, but there's a better chance of getting accurate info from them, than from a family member who's obviously clueless, and not very interested.

Thinkin' GREEN!

2011-05-10T08:57:00.002-06:00

Maybe it's because in these parts, even the desert is green right now. But this seems to be the time of year when everybody starts thinkin' green.

The local Toyota dealer is peddling cars by claiming they sell more "green vehicles" than everybody else. You'd think George's Bike Shop would have something to say about that. (But then again, perhaps metallic green is the most popular color in Toyotas right now... and you do not see very many green bicycles.)

The Idaho Green Expo takes place this weekend in Boise. According to the website, it is brought about by a "collaboration with businesses, non-profit groups, concerned individuals and government agencies seeking to promote sustainable products, services and behaviors in Idaho. Among the many volunteers working helping to produce the Expo, you'll find architects, farmers, doctors, builders, restaurateurs, "green" retailers, community activists and publishers. Basically…people like you."

Okay... I admit a bit of cynicism, but I'm guessing most of the movers-n-shakers are in it for a different kind of green... foldin' money! And, I'm guessing that the vast majority of attendees will arrive in their motor vehicles. They'll drive downtown in the SUV (or perhaps the Volvo or Subaru or Prius) and circle the block a few times, looking for a sweet, nearby parking spot. They may end up buying a refillable water bottle to use, instead of the Yuppie Water they've drunk in the past. Perhaps a reusable shopping bag - made of recycled materials. And maybe a bumper sticker to put on the back of the car, proclaiming their "awareness."

Individuals can sign up to be a member of GreenWorks Idaho HERE. It's free (which was a pleasant surprise, frankly), but members need to adhere to the GreenWorks Pledge:

I believe a sustainable community is built on a healthy environment and a strong local economy. Therefore, I support GreenWorks in their efforts and pledge to do my part by continually improving my sustainable living practices and to clearly demonstrate my commitment to the environment.

I pledge to do my part to continually:
- Minimize my use of resources and reduce my ecological footprint in my daily actions
- Support businesses that are equally committed to the environment, and
- Strive to be an example to others of sustainable living practices

Sounds pretty good... on paper. I expect they are mostly interested in your support of "businesses that are committed to the environment."

I'm sorry! I obviously woke up on the cynical side of the bed this morning. Or maybe it was the business-as-usual bumper-to-bumper traffic during the morning commute. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, and please prove me wrong if you can:

For the vast majority of Americans, the single most significant choice they make, when it comes to impact on the environment, is their routine choice of transportation.

Transportation cycling: "Conservative" or "Liberal"?

2011-05-04T21:33:00.001-06:00

I recently commented that some folks see everything through their political glasses. They see the people who lean "the other way," politically, as the source of all the world's ills.

IMO, that level of polarization oversimplifies a lot of complex problems. And, it results in a lot of contentious stalemates, when the zealots refuse to budge. (As for the Republocrats and Demicans - I say throw 'em all out!)

BUT... is transportation cycling a "political" thing?

Personally I think not. The whole environmental thing seems to lean liberal. But at the same time... the conservatives pride themselves on their frugal ways and "conserve" seems to jibe with "conservative"... no?

Reader Marcus pointed me at an article at the "Momentum" website... the Question of the day: "Is conservatism necessarily harmful to progressive cycling policy?" Elly Blue and Lolly Walsh do an interesting point/counterpoint. The article is HERE. (It's too short!)

Marcus recommends the Momentum website; he says it has all sorts of information to help establish and/or maintain a "utilitarian lifestyle." I'll be checking it out.

(Thanks, Marcus!)

Two books

2011-05-02T19:10:00.006-06:00

I recently read my granddaughter one of my favorite childhood books, The Little House, authored and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.

It's the story of a little house (strangely enough!) in a pastoral setting, surrounded by tranquility and the beauty of nature. As time goes on, however, the distant big city expands, first bringing roads, then neighbors, and ultimately tenements, elevated trains and the rest of the ugly urban package. The little house falls into disrepair, and of course can no longer be happy until descendents of the original owners happen upon it, and remove it to a new pastoral setting far from the teeming masses. The story has a happy ending.

As a child, I obviously understood from that book that country living is far superior to urban living. In fact - urban living is something best avoided. Just see how everything turns brown and gray and dingy, as urban blight surrounds that poor little house!

In the book, we never get much of a glimpse of the occupants of the little house. But it's a safe bet that they worked the land. After all, it was just a little dirt lane connecting their charming home with the rest of civilization - unlikely that dad or mom commuted. (And it's unthinkable that they might've been able to bicycle into the big city, at least back when it was just a nighttime glow over the horizon.)

It was harsh to become an adult and discover that the big, ugly gray city is where the jobs are. Of course, I've also been fortunate to discover that with some effort and imagination, one can still have some quality of life in the city, even if one does without the expansive vistas in every direction.

I still love the book, as did my kids, and as does my granddaughter.

I also recently read another book, Joyride by Mia Birk.

Ms. Birk was the official tireless advocate for bicycle transportation in Portland, Oregon, as it became recognized as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the land. And Joyride recounts some of the struggles that she encountered, as she battled, in a firm but gentle way, on behalf of her vision.

She was fortunate to be surrounded by other "visionaries" who got on board mostly, and sustained her. But I'm guessing they'd all acknowledge her as the catalyst.

I was particularly interested in reading Ms. Birk's book, because she's coming to Boise in May, to do a presentation about "Bikes and Cars: Sharing our Roads in the Treasure Valley.

(The fact of the matter is... if Portland can be bike-friendly, Boise has more potential. Our climate is considerably more bike-friendly, as is the geography. Everything else can be tweaked.)

From Joyride, describing the dilemma of urban sprawl, which is probably our biggest challenge:

Fact: If we build houses far from work places, groceries, parks and schools, and provide no mass transit service, bikeways or walkways, the vast majority of us will drive. Obesity, stress and pollution levels are all higher in sprawling areas, which are less safe overall, factoring in both crime and traffic safety. Older suburbs often have no sidewalks. Schools are often located on major roads. Parents are expected to be chauffeurs. At a young age, kids become addicted to auto transportation. It's hard to break these habits later in life. Suburban residents are so acculturated to driving everywhere that they simply cannot imagine doing it any other way. (Page 163)

She could be describing The Little House!! (And she's most certainly describing Boise and vicinity.)

(I'd recommend The Little House for everybody. I'd recommend Joyride for Portland residents, and for people who are interested in making their hometowns more bike-friendly.)

Busted? Traffic school for you!

2011-04-28T11:56:00.002-06:00

For as long as I can remember (since I was a heavy-footed teenager, that's for sure!), motorists who ran afoul of the law could opt to take a traffic class, to avoid losing their driver's licenses. (I took such a class once in my teenage years. I don't remember much about the class, but 2 or 3 hours of misery seemed a small price to pay, to hang onto my flyin' license!)

Now, over in central Oregon, they're trying the same thing with cyclists. A cyclist who is cited for breaking the law can pay the fine and do the time, or can opt to take a ($50) "diversion" class.

Lt. Chris Carney of the Bend Police Department: "Not everybody understands a bicyclist has to follow the rules of the road."

Amen to that!

They've got the police, bicycle advocates and educators, and the courts on board. The class is conducted by a LAB-certified instructor.

I would love to support such a program in the Boise area. I've long contended that education/enforcement are what we are most sorely lacking to be a truly bicycle-friendly community, and this program covers both ends. I just don't know if we could get all those power players on board. Most seem content to ignore bike violators, unless there's a crash.

Story HERE.

Upcoming Boise-area bicycle events

2011-04-27T12:45:00.004-06:00

Here are some that I'm aware of, and hope to join in with. Please let us know of others.

There will be a "Ride and Seek" scavenger hunt on May 14th (Saturday), originating at Veterans' Memorial Park. It's a fundraiser for the Boise Bicycle Project and AmeriCorps. More info HERE.

Boise Bike Week runs from May 15-21. It is "a week promoting bicycling in every form." This is the ninth year; it has become part of the bicycle fabric of Boise. I've participated before, and will participate again. More info HERE. It kicks off with "Family on Bikes," 5/15 (Sunday) at the Egyptian Theater. Nancy Vogel and her family - of Boise! - will tell of their 3-year bicycle adventure from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. The grand finale is the "Pedal Power Parade" on 5/21 (Saturday), originating at Capitol Park. In between are a bunch of rides, picnics, training sessions, etc. (Looks like it's the biggest and best BBW yet!)

Bike transportation advocates should enjoy a presentation/discussion on May 18 (Wednesday) at 6pm at Boise City Hall. The presentation is by Mia Birk. Ms. Birk was one of the key players over the past 20 years or so, in making Portland one of the most bicycle-friendly cities. She now extends her expertise across the Fruited Plain, with a firm called Alta Planning and Design. More info HERE. (I just read her book, Joyride, and will be commenting on it in the near future.)

Bike transportation - not so efficient after all?

2011-04-25T15:52:00.001-06:00

I've smugly declared that bicycles are "the most efficient form of human transportation ever devised." And I'm rarely, if ever, challenged on that assertion.

One reader observed that if you consider the cost of calories for that amazing "hybrid bicycle engine" - you know, what you spend at the grocery store - it might not be so cheap after all. But a person has to eat whether he drives a car or rides a bike, so it's very hard to measure... and I continue to maintain that all things considered, a bicycle is considerably cheaper than any alternative.

But... maybe not?

I found an amazingly comprehensive report called Bicycle Energy by David S. Lawyer. He has some interesting and detailed observations.

On the surface, indeed a bicycle seems more efficient by many-fold, over a fossil fuel-powered automobile.

But Mr. Lawyer points out that for every food-calorie burned in riding, it might take 10 calories to grow, distribute, and cook that food. Nit-picky?

How about this one... Do you want to factor in the life expectancy of the vehicle? He observes that while an automobile might last a 200,000 mile lifetime, a bicycle lifetime is 525 miles. (525 miles? What the??? Per month, maybe? But consider the millions of bikes that will never be anything more than the occasional recreation toy. Many of them probably do only last 525 miles - spread over 10 years.) If you factor that in, one car might take the driver (and passengers) many hundreds of times more than one bicycle, over the lifetime of the vehicle. So maybe per mile, the energy to manufacture a car is less than for a bicycle... all bikes considered.

He's got all sorts of stuff - rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, inclines and descents, small car vs. big car, etc. You guys with your slide rules and scientific graphing calculators might really enjoy it. (My head started aching, so I just kinda skimmed over a lot of it. And if you're asking, "What's a slide rule?" you were born too late! It's kinda halfway in between that graphing calculator and the abacus.)

Let's ride!

Brush with the Law

2011-04-24T16:18:00.004-06:00

I had a strange experience Saturday. I bicycled out Eisenmann Road, which is at the very southeast end of Boise Valley... the edge of the high prairie. And, I stopped on the last overpass over I-84, to snap a photo and enjoy the beautiful day and a bit of rest.

As I stopped, a state highway patrol car pulled over on the other side. The officer got out and motioned me over.

"Were you up here a few minutes ago?" he asked.

"Nope, just got here."

"Did you see another guy on a bike?"

"Yes, I did," I answered honestly. "We passed maybe 1/2 mile back - he was going in the other direction."

"That must be who I'm looking for."

He got in his cop-cruiser, turned on the lights, and took off.

Hmmm... the other guy hadn't looked like a ne'er-do-well... just another guy out enjoying the beautiful day on his bike.

I stood there for a couple minutes, snapped a couple photos.

As I turned to get back on my bike, lo and behold, a county deputy comes pulling up. WHAT THE?!!?

He got out of his car.

"How ya doing?"

"Fine."

"Have you been here for very long?"

"Oh, maybe five minutes, but I'm getting ready to leave." (I thought maybe I was upsetting them by loitering.)

He paused for a couple seconds, then said, "You're not thinking about jumping, are you?"

"... Heck no!"

Wow! What a question!

Apparently, it would seem, somebody driving underneath saw me, or maybe the other cyclist, and phoned in a concern that there might be a "jumper" on the overpass!

Jumping was the farthest thing from my mind! You'll search far and wide to find somebody who enjoys life more than I do! (In fact, I bet cyclists don't even get counseling as often as the general population - it's therapeutic!)

(Before I got home, I'd turned over 2000 miles for the year.)

Wildlife Close Encounters

2011-04-20T13:01:00.003-06:00

This is the time of year when the earth comes alive. Boise is getting spectacularly beautiful, with blossoms on many trees, the daffodils and tulips, and vibrant green new foliage.

The critters are on the move, too.

Yesterday (after leaving the dentist's office), I got a flat tire on my way to the office. I was close, so I decided to just walk a couple blocks. And I had a rather amusing encounter with an urban squirrel.

(Poor squirrels! They are the Outlaw Bikers of the animal kingdom - their motto is "Live Fast, Die Young, and leave a Furry Patch on the Highway.")

Anyhow... I was walking down the sidewalk pushing my bike, and I spotted Mr. Squirrel in the gutter, behind a parked car. Just at that moment, for a reason only he could understand, he decided to head across my path for the lawn and trees on the other side of the sidewalk. He ran, and came up against my rolling front wheel. For maybe 3 seconds, he scurried along right next to the rolling wheel, actually rubbing against it - then he made his move, trying to dash in front of it. He was a bit too close - the (flat) tire rolled against his little noggin, and I felt a grating sensation... like when you hit a round rock and push it in front of your wheel ever so briefly. Poor guy! He jerked loose and altered his trajectory, leaving at least a foot between the wheel and himself, and made it to the other side. He appeared to have not suffered any permanent damage, but I suspect he had a bit of road-rash under his chinny-chin-chin.

As I went on down the sidewalk, I cast a glance backwards. He was standing on the sidewalk, watching me with what seemed to be a hurt-feelings expression. "Why did you run over me???"

Then on my way home, I was riding the asphalt and noticed a little garter snake coiled up. (On cool but sunny spring and autumn days, they seem to enjoy the warmth that gets absorbed by the dark-colored asphalt. Unfortunately, that tends to put them right in harm's way.) Since my granddaughter loves toads and lizards and snakes, I stopped and collected him. They're a little stinky, so I used one of my "emergency rainstorm grocery bags" that I carry to cover my shoes in the event of an unexpected downpour.

As expected, Mackie loved him! We put him in a big wheelbarrow and exchanged pleasantries for an hour or so, then we bagged him back up and took him back home - right to the spot where I had found him. The story had a happy ending, I hope. (And we hope he'll come out to see us sometime in the future, as we go by.)

Bicycle vs. Huge Diesel Pickup

2011-04-19T08:56:00.000-06:00

I had to stop at the dentist this morning, so I got an early start.

At the first traffic signal of my commute (Cassia / Latah), a guy in this huge white dually-diesel pickup had to stop at the red light, while I went through on the green light. His light turned green and he roared on by.

The next light up the way (Latah / Rose Hill) turned yellow just as he was approaching, and he slammed on the brakes. I got another good look at his awesome truck. A triple roll bar -looking contraption, with five huge spotlights mounted along the top. (I don't think it provides any actual roll-bar functionality; it's probably just to mount the lights on. But it sure looks macho! The few feet of space in the pickup bed that are lost... a small price to pay for all that macho vibe!)

I couldn't have done any better if I'd written the script... the light turned green just as I got there! I very much appreciated the furious roar of diesel torque, as he "floored it" to keep the guy on the bike from getting the hole shot.

The dentist's office is only another quarter-mile up the road from there... and imagine my delight when I pulled into the parking lot, and there was Diesel Boy, just shuttin' 'er down. Hahaha! I walked through the door just ahead of him.

BSU Campus - closed to bikes?

2011-04-18T14:33:00.004-06:00

On Saturday my granddaughter and I rode a stretch of the Greenbelt, including behind the BSU Campus. I noticed a new sign on a "sandwich board" sort of thing (temporary-looking) that said something like "no bicycling beyond this point." Hmmm...

I've commented before about the sometimes-disturbing carelessness of pedestrians. (The Phone Zombies are particularly dense on campus.) But I've got to admit I've also seen, and had close encounters, with some careless cyclists. (There are places to go 25mph... and there are places where you go 5mph. It takes judgment - and not particularly acute judgment, IMO - to make such determinations.) I can confidently declare I've never caused a hazardous situation in my occasional rides across campus. (There have been times when a Zombie would've walked straight into me... or into the side of a brick wall, or an open manhole, for lack of paying attention.)

I don't know what the specific restrictions are on bicycle use. I would hope that students on bicycles don't have to walk 'em clear across campus. It's fairly narrow north-to-south, but it's probably a mile from east to west.

Ironically, a recent article at the Arbiter (student newspaper) website lauds the recognition BSU got, as one of the Top 20 Bike Campuses. And the timing is bad - a bike ban on campus as gas prices approach $4. (Everybody knows how poor college students are... right?)

Like many rules, this one is going to penalize many conscientious citizens, because of the actions of a few irresponsible citizens.

Earth Holidays '11

2011-04-14T11:21:00.007-06:00

Earth Hour was on March 26th this year. Did you celebrate? A confession - I TOTALLY missed it - didn't even hear about it until a day or two later. Too many other pressing issues, I guess.

However, I'm not going to let Earth Day get by, the same way! It's April 22 - next Friday. I s'pose government offices and banks will be closed. And if you're REALLY serious about your earth-friendly ways, you can celebrate Earth Week, which runs from April 16-22.

Just in case you've been asleep under a rock for the last 35 years, and are clueless, these "Earth" celebrations are ostensibly an opportunity for self-examination, and renewed resolve to be less harsh on our Mother Planet. Do something meaningful, like maybe a new bumper sticker on the SUV.

Yeah, I confess I'm a little cycnical. And one should NEVER discourage another from adopting more earth-friendly ways. But at the same time, I'll reserve my right to roll my eyes when I see a bunch of "save the earth" type bumper stickers plastered on a car. Maybe Earth Hour and some sloganeering is those folks' level of commitment. Can you say "poseur"?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say for the vast majority of Americans, the single most significant choice they make, when it comes to impact on the environment, is their routine choice of transportation. And putting a bumper sticker on your Ford Excursion or Hummer, or even your Volvo or Subaru, doesn't make it one bit more earth-friendly.

Here's an Earth Day music suggestion: "Save the Planet" by Edgar Winter's White Trash. (My all-time favorite environmental song!)

Last year's snide commentary - HERE. (With links to the snide commentary from previous years.)

Lamentations over gas prices

2011-04-12T18:58:00.003-06:00

As predicted (a no-brainer, really), rising gas prices have affected people's driving habits. There is much grief througout the land. Here is a story at the local daily paper website. Ironically it portrays a guy whose lifestyle has deteriorated because of his more expensive 4-mile SUV drive to the gym. (What's wrong with this picture?!?)

And here is an eerily similar article from the Chicago Sun-Times. They focus on personal tales of woe; I s'pose that's understandable, because their readers can identify.

But just mention bicycle transportation as an alternative, and most people dismiss you as some sort of eccentric crackpot. And they love to point out the drawbacks of bicycling... "I live too far from work" ... "I have errands to run" ... "I have to drop off a child at daycare" ... "it's too hard" ... "it's dangerous." (Or they change the topic, and start the complaints about bad cyclist behavior. That's helpful to the conversation, huh?)

I like the ones who see everything through their Political Glasses. It's Obama's fault that gas prices are so high! (Of course, last time they were hovering around $4, and a Republican was in the White House, the blame was laid elsewhere. Or vice versa.) And driving a big gas-guzzling vehicle is either viewed as the ultimate act of patriotism, or overt treason, depending on one's politics.

No denying it. There's definitely some give and take with ANY form of transportation. Sometimes I'm cold, wet, and miserable on my bike ride. Sometimes I'm in a pickle because I have to haul something that pushes the limits, on the bicycle. I can't drop off a child (unless I have the Tag-A-Long bike - then it would work nicely!). I can't shop for groceries, for the month. But on the other hand, most of the time the fuel price isn't critical, whether it's $1.25 or $5.25.

Do motorists believe there is no downside to car transportation? If you drive, you are subject to the fickle nature of the fluctuating fuel market... that's the fact, Jack. Deal with it!

Gear Review - Aerostich Dispatch Bag

2011-04-11T19:31:00.010-06:00

For awhile, I've been wanting something that would carry an overnight's worth of gear when I go on a motorcycle adventure. (When I go longer than that, the saddlebags come out, but they're overkill if I'm just making an overnight run a couple hundred miles away, and staying in a motel instead of camping.)

After considerable noodlin' of the situation, I settled on the Aerostich Dispatch Bag.

Aerostich, out of Duluth, MN, makes some awesome motorcycle gear including the Roadcrafter zip-in suit, as used by SERIOUS touring motorcyclists. Their catalog is always chock-full of interesting gear; I've ordered some nice stuff from them over the years including some elkskin "roper gloves" that are fantastic. Their website is here.

I got the bag in the hi-viz yellow. It has a large reflective panel as well, making it about as visible as it can be, without disco strobe lights. The Dispatch is the smallest of 3 bags; the base is 12 inches across and the top 18 inches. (Volume is 1100 cubic inches; the bigger "Courier" holds 1700CI, and the biggest "Parcel" holds 2700CI - a regular back-mounted duffel bag! I was willing to sacrifice some hauling space in exchange for long-term comfort, since I'll be using different luggage when more volume is needed.

The Dispatch should carry my netbook computer, rain gear, some provisions and toiletries quite nicely.) I expect this will be a good option for (bi)cycling, as well - an alternative to a briefcase or backpack. I expect I'll continue using my fanny pack for my sack lunch and a couple small items, but the Aerostich bag would be nice when I need to haul some clothes or whatever.

It's expensive at $77 - but build quality is excellent (made in the USA, too!), and after comparing with some other brands, that was right in the ballpark for quality gear. Hopefully after a summer's worth of use, I can post some follow-up impressions.

Product Review - Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires

2011-04-11T11:42:00.003-06:00

I just replaced a set of Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires. They were the "factory original tires" on my Cannondale T1 bicycle, and they served me over 2 winters and 3000+ miles. (Excellent mileage. I swapped them out for skinnier tires over the warmer months of last year.)

What I liked:
- Excellent mileage. In my experience, I tend to get 1500-3000 miles of life out of a rear tire (substantially more out of a front tire; I assume due to weight distribution and that the rear wheel provides the driving force). So the Marathon Racer is at the high end.
- Reflective sidewall. Visibility is always important, and the reflective sidewalls provide significant help at night.

What I didn't like:
- I was disappointed by the number of flats I got with these tires. I probably had 10 punctures over the life of the tires. Strangely, most were in front.

People who have commented on this blog have been very positive about their experience with Schwalbes. They make a "Marathon Plus" tire, with additional puncture protection, and I would hope they would fare much better.

These tires are quite expensive, as bike tires go. In the $45-50 range. You never know, but it seems unlikely I will buy a set. My new favorite tire is the Vittoria Randonneur. I got almost as many miles with a Vittoria, and didn't have a single flat over the life of the tire (!), and they're substantially less expensive at $27-30. (A reflective sidewall is available for a few bucks more.)

Water's risin'

2011-04-10T15:28:00.002-06:00

Pretty much every spring in these parts, if the winter snowfall has been normal or higher, we have plenty of water running down the Boise River through town.

They measure the water at Glenwood Bridge; as you can see, the water is high enough that it has rendered the bike/pedestrian underpass pretty much unusable.

We found an alternate route; some punk kid was riding his BMX bike under, turning around, and coming back again, then repeating. He commented that the water was cold.

Automobile co$t - up, up, up!

2011-04-07T08:41:00.001-06:00

If you're doing a comparative analysis of your transportation options, bicycle seems to just keep getting better.

The American Automobile Association - hardly an anti-car group! - just released their annual "Driving Cost" study. Not surprisingly, costs are up. According to them, it costs 58.5 cents/mile to own and operate an average sedan ($8776/year - that's based on 15,000 annual miles). SUV drivers pay a premium for such prestige - 74.9 cents/mile ($11,239 annually).

Other notables:

Costs included: insurance, license/registration, taxes, depreciation, finance charges, fuel, maintenance, and tires.

Depreciation alone costs $3,728/year. Ouch! So just having a car sitting in a driveway or garage will cost you ten bucks a day. (Fortunately in real life, depreciation trails off. So if you have an old beater that you use now and then, your cost will likely vary considerably.)

The AAA started releasing the annual study in 1950. That year, it cost 9 cents/mile to own a car. (And yearly numbers were calculated on 10,000 miles/year, rather than 15,000.)

Personally, I'm glad I ride a bike, because I don't have $8800 per year of "slush" in my budget! Ding-ding-ding-ding...

Row, row, row your Bike

2011-04-06T14:07:00.004-06:00

I happened to notice an ad for a used "Rowbike" on the Craigslist.

I was very curious. It's more or less a recumbent. More or less.

But - the seat slides along a horizontal rail, forward to backward. A combination lever / handlebar stem is pulled back, then released, in a rowing action to trigger the forward motion. Some sort of ratcheting mechanism apparently drives a fairly standard-looking chain/derailleur on the back wheel.

You've gotta love innovation, huh?

The Rowbike website is HERE. It includes some little video clips, so you can see the contraption in action.

My first impression: it looks like it would provide a pretty good aerobic workout, comparable with a stationary rowing machine. It would definitely exercise the upper body more than a conventional bicycle. I'd probably really enjoy riding one - for a change of pace - along a dedicated bike/pedestrian path. HOWEVER... I can't help but think that safety might be compromised by the need to "row" the thing. (But at least it's not going "backwards," like rowing a boat, huh?) Nor can I envision people going on cross-country trips on their rowbikes.