August 2009 ~ Community Bikes

Another beautiful day!

I had a nice trip that started out a little bit on the misty/rainy side this morning, but the rain drops gave way to haze and fog just out of traffic's reach, maybe 50 feet above ground for the rest of the work-bound commute. I haven't used the bus at all this week, and it feels good.

Over lunch today, I had to head to the cave (round trip: 7.6 miles) to troubleshoot one of my personal servers that's residing there. I took my lunch with me and ate it there. Root beer, some left over pizza and a granola bar. Tasty. Despite my wretched diet, I'm losing a few pounds here and there once again.

This is the descent that wreaked havoc on the Un-Lenexa Midnight Cave Ride. There's no slippery mud on the slope, so it was a magnificent 85-foot drop into the limestone mines of days gone by. I still have no idea what the grade is, as my GPS doesn't work through 85 feet of rock and I suck at trigonometry. Not to mention that the 85 foot altitude change is just a guess from one of the folks in the leasing office.

The cool air outside near lunch time wasn't much warmer than the cave's internal temperature, so it actually felt warmer due to the increased humidity and lack of wind. The same humidity and lack of wind made this a genuine death slog on my way back to the office.

This was actually from the parking lot of the cave's upper entrance, as taken last Thursday.

The homeward ride was a little warmer than I'd have expected, but the winds are staying relatively calm -- not common for this time of year. I'm loving it, though. In the back alley across the street from my home, I saw these two delivery trucks deadlocked. I'm calling it "Mail Wars" - I wish I could have gotten my camera out quicker. This was taken after the UPS truck had backed up to allow the FedEx guy to pass through.

Random Tunage:
Say Anything - Baby Girl, I'm a Blur
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko

c'Dude needs some help.

With two jobs, a family and a busy summer, commuterDude hasn't gotten around to drumming up funds for the MS150. He hasn't posted it on his site yet, but I know he could use some help. If he doesn't get enough pledges in the next 10 days, he isn't able to ride. Period. I personally don't want to see that happen. The National MS Society is a worthy cause, and it hits close to home for my family. If you have the means and the desire for even $5, pledge to the National MS Society on his behalf. Don't forget to see if your company will match your contribution on the pledge page.

Nice commute with Grey, Hen House Update

... and I hope that's how he spells his name.

Anyhow, I got out a little early this morning, and saw a cyclist carrying a good pace up ahead of me. Being 5:30ish in the morning, I figured it had to be Grey. If that's the case, I probably wasn't going to catch up with him, but it didn't keep me from trying.

Sure enough, though, as I was pulling up to Johnson Drive on Merriam, I saw him bombing down the hill and turning in front of me. I'd closed in on him, but only because I took the easier route. I think he takes Quivira to 75th, then Nieman to Johnson Drive, whereas I take 67th east to get on Merriam Lane.

He was racing cyclocross yesterday, so was taking it easy this morning. Grey's version of "taking it easy" is somewhere toward the upper end of the speed I can maintain for the distance of my commute. Still, it was nice to run into him. I only see him a few times per year, and it's usually not for very long. In fact, this might be the only time I've actually commuted WITH him versus just seeing him in passing along the way. I bid him farewell as we turned onto Main, mostly because I just couldn't keep up the pace anymore. I took it easy up the hill into Downtown KCMO and used it as a bit of cool-down time.

Hen House Bike Parking
I've been in communication with a few different people from the company that runs the Hen House Market stores, and they've been a real pleasure to work with, asking for suggestions on where and how to mount their new bike rack. My suggestions were:

Under the overhang, near the building
Perpendicular to the wall so bikes can park on both sides of the rack
Spaced far enough from the wall to make the closest spot usable.

After hearing from the director for that specific store, I checked the rack out last night (sorry, no camera) and I don't think I could have placed it better myself. It should be bolted down soon. Again, I find it exciting when local businesses that I patronize take a few steps to accommodate cyclists. With so much residential space nearby, it makes sense that people will show up by bike.

Matt from Hen House also wanted me to let you know that they're now on Twitter, where they advertise some of their specials.

Random Tunage:
Sarah Mclachlan - Into The Fire
Chicane vs. Natasha Bedingfield - Bruised Water

Fender Kludge.

Props go to commuterDude today for his advice on affixing my new fenders to the brake stay... drill bit and "Go Lance!" yellow zip-tie style. I also discovered (and am here displaying) the fact that when Planet Bike sells you silver "polished aluminum bonded to polycarbonate" fenders, you get clear polycarbonate fenders with a layer of what appears to be mylar glued to the inner surface. This ply happily separated from the fender itself upon drilling. You can see the dent-like appearance of my fender as shown above. I am contemplating finishing the job by peeling this anemic layer off right now. I would be willing to bet that clear fenders look awesome until the first time you ride and they get all scuffed, stained and thrashed on the inside. Then, they would just look ugly and ridiculous. Now that I have them attached, I just need to find a way to adhere the wayward "polished aluminum" back to the lexan from whence it came...

An Open Letter to Hen House Market

To whom it may concern,

I use a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation and like most Americans, I tend to patronize shops that are basically in my neighborhood. It was with joy that I saw a bicycle rack in front of your Lenexa location, as I usually have to find a less-than-suitable spot to lock my bicycle up while shopping. I am happy that you've decided to accommodate bicycles as transportation and given them a dedicated place to park as opposed to posting signs that forbid bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades.

I do have one concern, however. As of Labor Day 2009, the bicycle rack isn't bolted down or otherwise secured in any way. The rack is light enough for one person to lift onto a pickup bed, probably even if there's a bicycle locked to it.

Please contact me if you need help or suggestions for properly securing the rack at this location and any others.

Thanks again!
--Noah
http://kc-bike.net/

Photo of the rack in question. Some have suggested that I lock it to the hood ornament of that nice Benz in the rock-star spot. Somehow, I don't think that would work too well. :)

Until this thing gets bolted down, I think I'll stick to locking my bike to one of the brick support columns. By the way, the above note was sent through the official online comment form to Hen House Market in regards to the location I saw this rack at.

Road Trophy

Road trophies are those fascinating items you find... well... in the road whilst riding your bicycle. You are not obliged to keep them in order to consider them road trophies. Never before have I seen an ALTERNATOR in the road. Nothing else to indicate vehicular distress -- simply a lonely, worn and dirty alternator. I removed it from the road, as it was positioned to cause all kinds of problems. One of these days, I have a project in mind that requires an alternator, but that is a story for another time, and probably another website entirely. It also requires an alternator that really works, not just some crap I literally found on the side of the road.

Fenders. Finally.

It's been a few months without fenders. I got my Cascadias in yesterday and put them on last night. Just in time, so it seems, for more rain.

I went with silver fenders this time, and I kind of like the look. The rear brake bridge kept rubbing on the tire, so I had to leave that part off. Hopefully sometime this weekend I can figure out what kind of modifications it needs in order to fit, because without that piece, the rear fender seems like it could spend quite a bit of time rubbing on the tire itself.

To go, please...

Since The Goat is really good at hopping curbs and medians, it is sometimes a lot faster to get take-out by bike. :)

Mr. Sunshine

Mr. Sunshine has been getting up later and later these days. I love the sky's gradient just at the beginning of dawn.

Bob says HI! I haven't seen him much lately, but he comes around once in a while.

Lately, bike commuters in Kansas City have been looking more like this (sorry for the blur) - it's interesting to see people in dress clothes with bikes. Most of them, like this guy, are seen walking the bikes on the sidewalks. I'm not sure if any of them actually ride these bikes, or what. This isn't an uncommon sight at all, though. I've seen more bike commuters this summer than ever before. With the mild weather we've been having, it's not much of a surprise.

As seen on my homeward commute. This is beyond the usual foreclosure stuff I see a lot of. These are respectively Nuisance Abatement and Unfit For Human Habitation notices. I did not read them to figure out what they were put up for. I just took the picture.

Here's my new phone. I just ordered some vinyl skins and a protective cover for it, in hopes that it won't end up scuffed and battered like my old phone. This is probably the last time it will look like this for a while. I'm thinking camouflage.

It opens with a full QWERTY keypad for email and text on the go. I'm liking it so far.

Fishies! Last weekend, Jeff gave us one of his old fish tanks. Behold.

It's finally ready for habitation, so we picked up some inexpensive tropicals to help fill it out: Black Mollys, Rummy-Nose Tetras, Neon Tetras and Blackline Rasboras

They joined the Chinese Algae Eater (shown below, we named him Wiggles) and some other unknown-species Tetras we've had in a 10Gal tank for the last 5 years or so.

Also, while scoping out fish, I made a new friend. I didn't bring her home, though. Perhaps I'll get a tarantula one of these days. I kind of like them. I'm pretty sure my wife would freak.

Random Tunage:
Noma - What's Out There?
INXS - Need You Tonight

Dark Side Ride Recap

I think we had a total of 13 riders, including one who's new to the full-distance dark side rides (he came to the cave ride too!) and to cycling in general. I think he's hooked.

I saw this right before I went on the DSR. Confident in the Hard-Case's abilities, I rode on it anyway, without any problems. I replaced it Sunday night. This tire had about 3,700 miles on it without a single puncture. The tire on the front is now up to 7,400, also without a single puncture since I put it on.

It's hard to put into words exactly what's so awesome about riding a bike at night. Having only a narrow cone of light ahead of you seems to intensify all of your other senses. Nature's noises and the subtle susurrus of mechanized synergy jump out at you. Variances in temperature and humidity surprise you more. Crisp air off the streams, putrid vapors of roadkill and skunk, earthy tones from nearby gravel roads and the distinct smell of recently-mowed grass fill the nostrils.

All the while, you can be cruising with a small group of people and no one says a word for miles, then spend the next half hour talking about hobbies non-stop. The DSR rides tend to vary a lot in pace. On this particularly cool (for August) evening, some people were hammering just to stay warm. We always re-grouped, though. This was taken at 195th and Holmes.

And then the turn-around point in Belton

I'm not sure if this morning was a record low or not, but I don't ever recall needing a windbreaker in August. September will be truly bizarre. I logged a puny 250 miles this month.

We'll see what the weather does...

Tonight is supposed to be the August 2009 Dark Side Ride. I've ridden in a lot of rain this month. While I'm not vehemently opposed to riding in it, I'm pretty sure I only know two other guys crazy enough to join me for this ride if it's pouring down. I'll probably still be out there at spring hill high school rain or... uhh... no rain. Feel free to join us, just bring lights, reflective gear, a helmet, and maybe a poncho.

This morning, mist and drizzle met us. It was actually refreshing, and not enough to make the roads wet. John C, myself and Lorin (whose bikes are pictured below in that order) converged on Starbucks to caff up and talk about random stuff.

The new phone (an LG Env3) has a panorama feature that automatically stitches things together. I really don't think the photo quality is much better than my last phone. It just takes higher resolution photos. Oh well. It's everything I need in a phone, and it was almost free.

Brakes: You're Doing It Wrong!

... as seen on the bike/bus homeward commute. I have a new phone on the way. Hopefully it will have a better camera. I can't always get to my Canon for stuff like this.

"Only" two miles

I had to stop somewhere after work on the way home, and I'm testing some new stuff out on my mountain bike this week. Actually, just today. I think I found out what I needed to know after one day of use.

On my way out, a guy was on break, standing next to my bike. We talked for a bit while I unlocked it and got things situated. He asked how far I have to ride to get home. I said "Not too far, only 2 miles."

He repeated: "HAH! 'Only' two miles."

I think a lot of people have this recollection of "Running the mile" in gym class more than a decade ago on their high-school 400-meter ovals. When it comes to cycling, they fail to comprehend how oddly efficient it is -- likely because many people haven't ridden a bicycle nor walked very far in quite some time.

I haven't ever sat down to do the math, but I've heard experts say you can travel 4 times faster, 4 times further in the same amount of time given equal effort between cycling and non-mechanized transportation. I didn't break out into Wikipedia mode on this poor fellow, but I did explain that it's faster and easier than walking the two miles before I bid him farewell.

I think this kind of confusion is one of the biggest barriers to getting people out of their cars and onto bikes for short errands.

Get your lights charged... it's time for another Dark Side Ride!

What: August '09 Dark Side Ride
When: 9:00PM Friday, August 28, 2009
Where: Spring Hill High School, 199th and Ridgeview Rd.
Route: Belton Out-and-Back 33 miles, so bring lights that can survive for 3 hours or so.

Lights, helmets, and some kind of reflective gear required for this one. See you out there!

Nippy

Last night: Cheap Japanese take-out on the way home. Have I mentioned that I love the springclip on this rack? It's the gift that keeps on giving. John, I'm pointing at you. This thing rocks.

60°F this morning. 74 is the average low. Cold? No, but a bit of a shock to the senses for the first 1/4 mile until I got warmed up.

The cool morning air exposes the warm, humid steam that still lies beneath the surface of a good chunk of Kansas City's streets and sidewalks.

This chubby pigeon reminded me of The Godpigeon from The Goodfeathers cartoon. It was part of the Warner Bros. Animaniacs cartoon series.

Sprint

I realized part-way there that I'd left my wallet on the coffee table at home. Bus pass and work badge were both inside, so I returned home. On my second attempt to get to the bus, I made it in 6 minutes flat, with a solid average speed of 20 mph. I pulled up just in time to throw the bike onto the front of the bus with John C's singlespeed.

Obviously, I suck at sprinting, but that's a new personal record for me on this short route. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna catch my breath now. Then make coffee: some Kohana Rockin' Like Austin dark roast that my parents brought me back from their trip to Texas. Stuff is gooooood.

Does It Ever End?

May was hot (for may) June was a freaking scorcher, with temperatures and heat indices that rivaled solid August numbers. July was kind of May-Like, and August is feeling a lot like fall. What the heck is going on here?

Mad props to Mother Nature for tricking me this morning with an innocent-looking overcast sky that decided to unleash on me half way to work. You got me good. Such a prankster, you are!

On my way home, it looked like it was going to open up on me AGAIN. Fortunately, I beat the second storm of the day home by a good 40 minutes or so.

This whole month has been riddled with rain, overcast skies and vibrant thunderstorms. As I sit here, winding down for the night, we have another round coming in. This will be the 3rd batch of
storms in 24 hours. I'm really ready for my fenders to come in.

The storms might be unseasonal, but this little guy wasn't scared at all. My wife saw it while I was trying to catch lightning on camera. The above photo was the closest I got. I'm honestly surprised the next photo came out as clear as it did, using Program (AE) mode, manual focus and the lowest flash setting on my camera (EXIF Here). No doctoring, not even color adjustment or anything. I just cropped it. I'm amazed at the luck.

Oh yeah. Warning: There's a spider photo in this post. If that bothers you, don't look.

Haha.

School is back in session

What's that mean for me? Less teens on the road during my commute. More school buses.

I eschewed the bus this afternoon, relishing in the break from the storms. The temperature was just about perfect. It was kind of humid, Turkey Creek was swelling and the plains near the creek were flooded.

Ambivalent, not apthetic

Karen alerted me to news that 20 cyclists participating in one of the weekly rides in Kansas City got pulled over and ticketed -- to the tune of $95 each -- for running a stop sign, presumably all in a group.

Now, I'm not going to point fingers DIRECTLY at the weekly ride, or the nefarious behavior of the local ~~yacht~~ bicycle club, but suffice it to say, I'm torn. I most certainly do not want to stand in their defense. At the same time, I can't say I feel sorry for them.

They had it coming, but their transgressions as a group aren't much different than the transgressions I witness frequently -- by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike. It just so happened that this group was preyed upon because it was easy, predictable pickings. Entrapment? Please.

I feel that this will give a lot of the bike haters (and believe me, there are many in this town) a reason to say "we told you so!", and that sets a bad precedent. While I don't know how the math works out statistically due to how unbalanced the transportation mode shares are, I can say that I see a LOT of motorists doing the same things that they accuse cyclists of. And I see a lot of pedestrians pulling some of the most asinine and brazen of jaywalking stunts, too (and NO ONE complains about them)

If cops are going to get into the business of camping out near intersections for the purpose of issuing "failure to stop" tickets, I would bet that Warren can think of an intersection that might be a good candidate...

Our society has become fueled almost entirely by entitlement and superlative self-importance. We're talking about a culture of individuals who in the not-too-distant future may happily throw all of humanity under the bus to spare their own existence.

Stuff from the weekend

Didn't do much this weekend. Storms came and went and came again for its duration.

The road rash on my leg (which covered just a bit under 5 square inches) is almost completely gone. I used a total of three Tegaderm sheets on it:

1) Tuesday morning at the office, after gently cleansing the wound with water.
2) Tuesday night, after showering and deep-cleaning the wound with a wash cloth
3) Friday night.

You're only supposed to leave them on for 3 days before changing them out. Friday night, I did the alcohol test. If I rub alcohol on it and it still burns, it will still probably scab over. By Sunday morning, there was definitely a fresh layer of real skin over everything. Tegaderm came off. 5 days isn't too bad at all. I can't recommend this stuff enough for road rash and other abrasions! It just sucks that it can be hard to find in reasonable quantities. Places sell the box of FIFTY 4 x 4.75" Tegaderm sheets but if you need that many, you might consider driving your car or picking up a different hobby. I've had the best luck finding boxes of 4 or 5 at CVS, but not always.

While my wife and I were out running errands, we happened upon a gathering of classic car nerds. I stopped for the photo-ops. Despite a bicycle being a very practical machine for getting around, I have a soft spot in my heart for things with a lot of horsepower and/or that classic look.

Juxtaposition: '73 or '74 vs. '09