The Old Pueblo

I moved out of the 505 and down to the 520. Tucson is hot. I'm unpacking my Kona and will hit the streets next Monday! Watch out Tucson, I'm red chili breakfast burrito on fire!

18 degrees at 6:00 a.m.

I rode my bike to the train for my commute to work this morning. If you leave out the constant fogging up of my glasses, the snot encrusted scarf, and my constant fear of hitting an ice patch, it was a great ride!

Mechanically, the bike handled pretty good. The only thing I noticed that had me paying a little more attention is the slow and sticky shifting in the cables... no doubt due to the cold.

I enjoyed being one of the few crazies out there riding in this weather. I could imagine people at the intersection wondering to themselves, "What a crazy guy that is out there at 6:00 a.m. in this freezing weather!"

I also saw one of my bike compadre huffing and puffing into the station. He was happy to see that I was out there. I have to say that I was pretty stoked to see him too!

Another great day for the bike blog!

Fall Biking

The biking bug has got me! Out of the blue the urge to go for a ride hits me. This morning I saw a guy on a mountain bike all decked out in his cold weather gear and I thought, "Dude, I can be doing that too.." Then the light turned green and I looked into the rearview mirror to watch the guy pedal around the corner. This biking bug has been slowly getting stronger and stronger.

In the mean time I've been told that layering works wonders in beating the cold. Wind proof gloves, and some long johns. Good grief! I just felt like I was 8 years old getting dressed for the walk to grade school. Something about that word, "long johns," makes me think about waaay back when growing up. Ha!

Okay dudes. I'm gonna get ready for the epic booger freezing bike ride. I'll post pictures soon.

My last ride

My last ride was a few weeks ago and man, it was awesome. The air was cool and the morning was a little dark. The wind passing my ear and silence. I wish that I could've stayed in that animated state forever.

While my biking has been cut back significantly due to the weather and safety concerns with the darker evenings, I have been spinning and running at the gym, reading my favorite biking magazines and waiting for the weather to get warmer.

I haven't forgotten about you guys.

Haven't been riding

I feel terrible. I haven't been riding my bike. Work schedule, travel, etc. Now the weather is getting cold. I need to toughen up and get going again.

Interesting bike setups

Aggressive seat angle, bungie cords. Must make the bike go faster!

That would explain the burned up seat lug: heat generated speed friction.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

In these darkening times

In these darkening times I find myself in need of another bike light. My morning "Mark Cavendish" sprint to the train station has become more challenging with the dark mornings (whether the fall time adjustment will help remains to be seen, literally). The only problem is that my flight deck is an already crowded place - what with bike bell, bike computer, light #1, and 2 brake/gear shifter gadegtry. Adding a light #2 will be a challenge.

So, I've been thinking of making a special mini-rack out of PVC piping and two clamps. This small contraption will be attached to the stem and, in theory, would give me additional room to mount two lights.

I'll take a picture of it once I'm done.

Message from BikeABQ

Hi everyone,

On behalf of BikeABQ I am very excited to be able to invite you to the Can You See Us NOW? bicycle ride and rally. This will be a short (4.3 mile) ride down Route 66 on Sunday September 20. The point of this ride is to gather together as many cyclists as possible to collectively ask motorists "Can You See Us NOW?" Mountain bikers, children with training wheels, triathletes, roadies, commuters, tourists... everyone who rides a bicycle can come and add their voice.

Bells, horns, whistles, signs, flags, and streamers are also all welcome at this event

We will start at 4 pm from High Desert Yoga, 4600 Copper NE at Jefferson. With an APD bicycle patrol officer escort we will cruze down Central Ave to Tiguex park. At the park there will be a short rally.

Come to the start early to sign up, beginning at 3 pm. The event is free, but there will be numbers for the first 100 people. Each of these numbers will have the name of a New Mexico cyclists who has died as a result of a crash with a motor vehicle in the past 20 years. That's right, 100 cyclists have died between 1989 and 2009 (to date). We will also be riding to remember and honor these people.

At Tiguex park we will read the names of these victim cyclists. There will also be two short speaches about how we can work together to make cycling safer for all. New Belgium Brewery's Team Wonderbike will be there and we will have some other cool give-aways too.

Questions?? e-mail me

Want to help?? Print the attachment and post it anywhere you think a cyclists eyes might see it. Recruit your friends. Post the event on your facebook page. Post the BikeABQ link or NMCycling link where people can go for more information. E-mail me and I'll find another job for you if that isn't enough!

Thanks, and see you on September 20!

Jennifer Buntz

A strange week for commuting

This week started out pretty odd.

First, Albuquerque cops hand out bicycle lights:

Free bike lights... and a warning ticket; a hug and a smack.

Then, I receive an email from The Don who said he was going to have a talk with the mysterious and powerful Mr. COG about the Rail Runner bike strap problem. I suspect The Don will make Mr. COG an offer he can't refuse:

And today, after 267 miles the rear Michelin City Tire got "nailed."

I whipped out the new tube and in no time I was back in the saddle.

I could hear my father, "Son, you always have be prepared." Thanks Dad.

It was a crazy week!

Rail Runner bike straps: the saga continues

The "Bear Trap" buckle mechanism; a real pain to thread. You push down on the part with the little mini-teeth, but it opens just enough to give you a hard time.

The frayed strap end; a real challenge to properly secure your bike.

The whole contraption. Your wheel rests in the cradle and the strap loops through your rims and spokes and meets up with the Bear Trap and, in theory, it is suppose to secure your bike.

But the reality is that bike commuters don't mess with the contraption (which is designed to hold only two (yes, 2) bikes. Here we have four bikes (and we added two more at the next stop).

Bike strap abuse.

Now that you've seen the mess that is bike commuting on the Rail Runner. Imagine these bikes swaying back and forth as the train rumbles down dilapidated tracks. Usually the end bike winds-up sideways or falling down completely, blocking the door way.

Now, imagine the dozens of Rail Runner riders backed up trying to get on and off the train with this mountain of... uh... mountain bikes in the way and your bike commuter frigg'n around with the mess trying to dislodge their war pony before the door slams shut. If your bike is, say, in the back of this mess and you have to get out in a hurry at your stop, good luck. 85% chance that you're not going to make it.

Santa Fe Farmer's Market

7:00 a.m and the Market is coming to life!

How can your significant other be upset with you if you bring these home?

My father becomes sad when he sees sunflowers; childhood memories that boarding school was right around the corner.

The accordion reminded me of the Tiger Lillies.

Breaking down: pannier saga continues…

So, a few posts ago I revealed my cheapness and creativity in one swoop with the purchase of a Sunlite rear rack for the Red Shark (aka: 2003 Kona Hahanna) and two strap gizmos for a total price of $30 bucks (and using my tricked out Timbuk2 messenger bag). Like all great ideas, this one ended up sucking a little more than usual.

First there was the constant frigg’n around with the straps trying to tie the bag to the rack. Then there was the wobbly bag itself; rolling this way and that way while riding. The final straw, however, was that it looked like a home made camper- in other words, pretty low budget.

So, based on my vanity and on this experience I decided to break down and buy real bike bags. Still being the low budget money grub that I am, I shopped around and came up with the Avenir Metro Pannier for $39 dollars (I still think I paid too much)

But, dang, these bags are awesome! I rode them this morning for the first time and I must say the Avenir Metro Pannier is just the right size. Not too big, not too small. However, they make the Red Shark feel like a lumbering C141 with full load and filled tanks; which is very heavy. You’re not going to put one gallon milk jugs in there (maybe if you buy two half gallon milk jugs and stand them side by side in one of the larger compartments, and on the other side three large boxes of Fruitloops. The little side, side bags are big enough for snacks, my trusty mini-hand pump, and tools. Look, you’re not going to fit a 15 inch laptop in there, so don’t try (and if you do you’ll probably be buying a new one from all the banging around and stuff when you ride to home/work … there goes that new bike you’ve been eyeing all summer long).

I can’t quiet explain the way a bike handles with panniers. You’re not leaning into curves, you’re taking your time, and you feel the added weight when pedaling. In comparison to music listening, you’re jamming to Barry Manilow instead of AC/DC. And you get the distinct feeling that people are pointing at your bags and making fun. Children are saying, “Look mommy, that man’s bicycle is going to have little baby bikes soon.”

Riding to El Pinto

“Riding to El Pinto.” Sounds like a good western movie eh? Unfortunately it’s not – it was my ride last evening to a great New Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque’s not so great north-north valley for dinner with pals.

I’d never ridden in the north valley before and was looking forward to the new experience. For example, when you start noticing used syringes on the sides of roads and broken beer bottles, you know the neighborhood will get interesting. And 4th Street was interesting.

One young homeless dude without a shirt and dirty ratty jeans and no shoes and one gallon water jug (what is it with these water jugs and zombied out homeless guys? I see this combo more and more) started jumping up and down and shouting at me from across the street, “Hey man! Hey man! That’s a niiiiice Kona man! Better keep an eye on it bro!” I was actually keeping an eye on my bike computer to see how fast I was getting out of there.

I rolled by a trailer park access road and one young thug in a bombed out Dodge Neon shouted through a rolled down tinted window, “You crazy mother******!” Ah yes, to be called crazy by a local crazy was an honor - I finally made my street bones.

At El Pinto we ate, drank, and made merriment with stories and laughter. Time passed and the beer was served in too small glasses. Soon, it was dark and I gritted at the thought of my ride home through the north valley. Fortunately, I was saved by a ride home and subsequently lost my street cred; he took it:

Cheapskate

I’ve learned I’m cheap.

Bike commuting has taught me some pretty interesting things. Last night while riding the train back home I struck up a conversation with a fellow 505 bike commuter, a real nice guy. By the end of our conversation we were both united in our cheap struggle to save money for biking gear. It was Us vs. Bike Gear Companies and Bike Shops.

Take for example glasses marketed for bicyclists at a popular online bike shop:

$49.99, on sale for $29.99

Or…

Glasses at a popular online hardware store:

Not on sale for $8.88

We talked about all kinds of ways that we save money on gear. There's the safety vest he bought at a safety uniform store for less than $18 bucks. There’s the chainsaw oil by the gallon for $8.95 (a real money saver when you consider a few ounces of bicycle chain-lube costs like $8 dineros.

Look around for the savings and don't settle for the over priced stuff they sell at most bike shops... other wise you're not using your head, even if like you're a millionaire (in that case you're really, really not using your head).

Another great day in the ABQ!

Crazy path keeps me safe

I’ve been a bit concerned lately about bike vs. motorist rage in New Mexico. I read an article about an Oregon firefighter who tried to whack out a cyclist by shooting him in the head (his wife and child were also riding with him, and, presumably watched this sad situation go down). Fortunately, the bullet hit the cyclist’s helmet and mysteriously missed his head. Do you need any more reasons to wear a helmet?

At an intersection in Santa Fe I saw some geezer Santa Clause looking dude in an old beat up truck yelling at a woman cyclist in a yellow summer dress and riding what looked like a step-through city cruiser (a real threat to cranky old men, believe me). And near UNM I saw a cyclist shoot his middle finger to some young thug who, in turn, was shooting his index finger, pistol fashion (or Contador style) out his window with his left hand. Absolutely crazy!

Reading poster comments to a local news item on the hazards posed to cyclists when the state transportation department “partially paves” roads (another article here) reinforced my efforts to avoid roads when I can. And so, here's some pictures of my daily crazy commuter path that keeps me safe:

Fields:

Old dirt roads:

Sidewalks:

And crazy places:

Bike paths:

But, eventually, I hit the road:

Excuse me while I kiss the sky

Bike junkies want NMDOT to spend more of your tax $$$

The Albuquerque Journal has done it again. This time they went a head and printed another bicycle story, further inciting bicyclist and motorist rage. The story is about a fringe group of two wheeled radical fanatics called the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico, or BCNM (A creepy version of the Hell’s Angels), who want nothing better than to stop the state transportation department from saving money by partially paving highways. These bike junkies tell us that the partial paving makes these bicyclists ride in the road nearer to cars and trucks and semi-trailers, who by the way, all drive within the speed limit and obey all traffic laws and are courteous to all on New Mexico’s roadways. Red light cameras? Don’t need them. Traffic court? Not here. Traffic patrols? No way.

For their part, the transportation department says it saves them money to partially pave roads.

But the BCNM fires back, “It's because of this kind of practice that New Mexico's ranking by League of American Bicyclists has dropped to 46th place among the fifty states." Don’t tell the Journal’s Glen Rosales this; he thinks “Albuquerque is one darn bike-friendly town.”

For their part, the normal law abiding citizen-motorists of our enchanted roadways give us additional reasoned arguments in support of the thrift transportation department. Comments to the online article read thus:

“When these bicyclists start paying license fees, are required to carry insurance, and generally pay a fee equal to what the motorist pays in gasoline taxes, they can demand these improvements...not until then!

…

I think they need to finance the roadway in an equal fashion to the motorists (in the form a license, registration, insurance, and fees). Until that happens, I see no valid voice from this group.”

Another voice of reason puts it this way:

“I have shared the road all to often with this arrogant group of self serving creeps that think they have as much rights on the road you provide for motor vehicles, who by the way pay taxes for the use thereof.

…

Not all of us ride bicycles and therefore most would agree that they should pay for their own paved surface.”

So there you have it: New Mexico bicyclists don’t pay taxes, are uninsured, don’t have licenses, are arrogant creeps who should subsidize a completely different parallel transportation system in the state. Oh, and judging by the photo below, these bike junkies have a death wish riding on a partially paved road (see the abrupt end of the road? That’s what they call partial pavement.):

Who would smile and ride a bike in such a dangerous place? Bike junkies high on smoking that anti-flat green gunk in their inner-tubes, and bike junkies who free base chain oil... that’s who! What a bunch Creeps. And I'm proud to be associated with these wierdos! They are good people.

Breakfast burrito and coffee for the bike ride

I have a new camera! Now I'll be posting random photos of my days, usually bike related.

Today's photos are items that all New Mexicans know by site, smell, and most importantly, taste: The Breakfast Burrito and Coffee:

Chuck full of simple carbohydrates for that quick burst of energy you'll need sitting at your office computer, or for that break-time bike ride for some good quality coffee or lunch. The quality of the 505 burrito varies from heavenly to, well, hellish. This particular breakfast bomber was procured from Whole Foods. There's a lot of good stuff at Whole Foods. Breakfast burritos isn't one of them. The Santa Fe Whole Foods breakfast burrito is too watered down, the green chili isn't hot enough, and the clumps of potatoes are too large and too hard, and where's the eggs? The cheese?

One of the first real useful thing that my rear rack assisted me with was:

COFFEE HOLDER

The bike rack is a great coffee holder! Coffee in Santa Fe is like coffee everywhere on the planet. This cup came from Whole Foods, too. WF coffee is good; a counter point to their breakfast burrito. The best coffee, though, comes form Ohari's:

Don't let those lightning bolts fool you; they're real. One sip and BAM! You're good for the day. I don't know, at this point, how coffee effects my bike ride except to say that I'm unusually thirsty after a cup. I just did a google search for coffee and biking in the hopes of finding information on effects of caffeine and physical exercise and discovered: Mr. Scharf's World Famous Bicycle Coffee Systems, where I further discovered:

AND

Coffee Bicycle Bell

Despite these interesting trinkets and thoughts of how a cup of coffee functions in the cup holder when you're out of your saddle and "dancing on the peddles", I found a web site citing a study that:

"Found that caffeine is not the dehydrating demon some people believe. In fact, [the study] concluded that caffeine is no more a diuretic than water."

So, I guess it is safe to drink your coffee or quadruple espresso but you might be a tad edgy during the morning traffic rush.

The saga of the bike bag/rack/pannier

With the New Mexico heat wave and the treacherous five mile ride up Paseo del Norte, I figured it was time to drop the messenger bag for a rear bike rack and pannier bags. Simple. Go to the bike store, pick out a rear rack and bags and, bingo! Finish.

It didn't work out quite like that, largely because I'm cheap. First, I discovered that rear racks can get expensive ($45+), add bags ($65+) and you've got some major investment going into schlepping your stuff on your bike.

First, I went to amazon.com and figured I'd purchase a bag and rack system for nearly $90. My problem was the shipping time: up to 5 days for delivery, and the price (and later... the small size):

Because I bike commute to work, I needed something sooner and something comparable in price. So, next I stopped by the REI here in town and picked out this number for $95:

The Topeak Dynapack DX. Pricey, sleek, and... too damn small. I brought this bad boy home, loaded stuff up and discovered its fatal flaws: too small, and only holds 10 lbs. And I saw this system in action on another bike and the side swinging problem was too much. So, I scrapped this plan and settled for:

The Sunlite rear rack. Holds upto 40 lbs. and only cost $24 at The Broken Spoke Bike Shop in Santa Fe, NM. And for a bag I resorted to my old and trusty timbuk2 messenger bag. I know... you're asking, "How do you mount that bag to the rear rack?" Answer: with two of these ($3 each from REI):

The result (total cost $30):

I'm happy I saved money and I'm happy I get to use what I already have. I hate unneeded consumerism- especially when you already have what you need to get the job done!