Winter bliss

Ok, so I get into a trance and I find myself chugging along while my head is moving down some other track. Not exactly automatic pilot, but close. We went to see a Tibetan choir in New Bedford, apparently in Tibetan monasteries the head monks occasionally clap or ring sharp bells while questioning novices. It gets them out of their introspective heads and living and answering in the moment. I was chugging along on some long train of thought, thinking how I had said hello to five humans and at least one dog that day. It seemed unusual to see so many people out and about in the winter. Though, of course in was nice to say hi to someone, I don't do that in a car... then again there is all this muck and cloud and cold. Yeesh, there was this icky, grimy snow goo on the side to look forward to the whole way home. And was it me or did it always turn cloudy coming home...

HONK - just then a pick up truck blasts me with the horn. No reason visible, just nasty. Or perhaps he was a Buddhist master and getting me to respond in this moment. Oh look, grasshopper, there are maple syrup buckets. Namaste.



edit - see http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/road.html

Managed to go twice again this week. Car troubles helped a bit. I made the mistake of letting some air out (to aid in gripping the road). I was in a rush and just guessed. It was like biking in on sand. Turns out my quick seeming "swisssh" let the pressure down to around 20 psi (from max of 110). I went slower than when I was sick last week and quite nearly wound up crawling the last mile.

Finally back at it...

Went twice this week. Did a shake down ride over school break and felt comfortable. My dear wife got me some merino wool undies, alas they are getting too warm. It is a miracle, they don't stink 1/2 as much (or they have a bit of a odor, but its not body odor, left over lanolin?) Thurs. I got the tummy problems my family had and I crawled home (heaved later at night). I'm home on a sick day now.

Spectacular light on the various slush and lightly iced ponds and cranberry lagoons on the way in. Still feeling a bit rushed so I didn't take pictures, but will remember the colors rippling off the ice around the dark silhouettes of geese hunkered down in the twilight.

Don't ignore the squeals

Haven't been riding for a long time. Snow and ice and my 27 in x 1.25 tires didn't seem up to the task. Now, I'm trying again. Could have gone twice this week had I played more with the mechanics.

Monday I got going nearly on time and there was an odd thunking sound by the time I about 2 miles away. Turns out the bolt holding the rear rack (with the panniers), brake and fenders decided to come undone. Couldn't just re-attach easily, decided to peddle home (only 2 miles out). Thought I fixed it but didn't do the test ride. Today left and there was a squeak, the clip holding up the rear fender was rubbing on the tire. Less than a 1/10 of a mile I tried fiddling, but it appears I'll need to redo the bolt again.

Why?

Why do I ride? Should I be riding more given pressures to keep up at tasks at work and home? As I've noted in the previous post on miles I pop over to the car in mornings that are hectic or iffy with weather.

I'm realizing that I've only half committed to this idea, admitting the relatively small goal biking to work only anonymously on a blog. And although I have this small goal (2 times a week on average) I don't have a clear view of the reason why I have this goal. Perhaps writing will help me figure it out, for I've noticed that I give up on things that don't seem to fit my outlook and values, or appear not to at the time.

What thou lovest well remains,
the rest is dross
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee
What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage
- Ezra Pound

So, why ride? There is the cheapness that is the origin of this blog. Don't think cheap is a bad thing. It means efficient, saving resources (both money and non-renewable energy sources). I'm not alone, the environmental/stewardship/saving money enters into the thoughtful Minuscar project and what seems like a horde of middle aged males who blog about biking instead of driving like You don't want to; crazy bike commuter, MN bike commuter. Admittedly I think this may have been the driving factor that caused me and others to drag out bikes when gas prices were at $4 a gallon. But I'm not sure this is what is keeping me going. Consider that I've still spent more on bike gear than I have saved on gas (partly because gas prices have gone down). The direct environmental benefits (less carbon, less non renewable fuel used) seem to be pretty slow to add up. But they are adding up. Plus, the more practiced and fit my legs get, the more I'll ride. I'm guessing I'm 30-40 pounds more than I ought to be and getting rid of any portion of that ought to help. But the impact on the environment may not be directly from the miles ridden and more though the changes in perspective, ability to think clearly, and to be inspired.

Lets consider the inspiration others have (as found on the web:)
I read the incredible adventures of a newspaper writer and biker Jill Homer in Alaska and she seems driven to bike, convincing me as I read that she is enjoying subzero challenges and slogging through fluffy snow. She is training towards a goal, being fit for racing. I have some more enthusiasm on days I ride. While my health, or at least my weight, is improving I'm not sure that is the main reason keeping me going. But exercise hasn't really motivated me, look at my gut to prove this.

Is it the challenge from an individual ride? A mountain climber once said it was worth climbing nearby hills as "You can't feel bad about your self when you're climbing." This might be part physical sensation - a "runner's high"?

Biking is unlike other transportation like flying in a plane, or zipping around in a car. YOU are achieving something. You are doing the moving. The bike includes us:

Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds.
The airplane simply carries a man on its back like an obedient
Pegasus; it gives him no wings of his own.

Louis J. Helle, Jr.

To bike is to accomplish something yourself. Travel by bike for its own sake Kent Peterson's Three Hour Tour post. He says it well:

Our devices capture mathematics in metal, casting abstract ratios in solid cogs and chains. Hard roads yield to soft rubber and the resiliency of captured air. Our legs don't pound, they spin. We need not walk or crawl, for we roll with a strength so smooth it seems like flying. Our simple machines, machines that cannot even stand alone without us, come to life when we balance on saddles and dance on pedals and reward us by taking us farther, faster, than we could ever go alone.

I get to ride such a machine three hours each day going back and forth to work.

A thrilling feeling, but is enough to accept traveling to work at a slower pace as opposed to just biking on the weekend for sport? Why commute slowly? Just to save additional time at the gym? I'm not sure I'm that thoughtful about my time management.

There is much poetic moments noticed by others on the web: Ecovelo has a category of "amazing little things" seen during a commute that would have been missed when driving, making the everyday full of wonder and small bits of joy. Rick Smith's Yehuda Moon comic is all about love of biking, look through all the archived comics for the engaging characters and story but I like this and this or this or this. While a given ride can't guarantee such moments of insight they do have their pull.

From Bike Route

Finally there is the sense of moving in an awesome landscape as opposed to driving by it and just seeing it. I've thought of how people pay to take tours through the area I'm bike in every morning and afternoon. There are plenty of marks on the road from the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen and the Coalition for Buzzards Bay watershed ride. Hundreds of people go out of their way to carve our time (and finances) to pursue a recreational visit to where I commute. I am beginning to understand the draw. Its not just the little details, but the overall feeling and experience. I have gone back to my longer ride home through Hiller Farm as it is just so much more spectacular than the shorter, suburban trip through Rock Village (still a nice New England village and a pleasant ride). I feel a part of the open spaces more than the many private house lots. The lift from the brilliant afternoon light as I go by the old farms and open fields and crossing Snipituit pond is something that constantly rewards a visit. All it means is a few more miles and minutes. Its funny, but I don't feel moved to go the same route by car, then I just want to get home. In the car I don't experience the environment, I experience a ride in the car.

From New bike pictures

This is the difference that seems most important to me at the moment. My commute is no longer really a commute of 20 minutes changed to 60 minutes. It is not a time period, it is a journey into and through the land. On the most basic level it is one of the few times I'm doing something outside during the school year. What use to be living in a place if you don't choose to be out in it? I am not passing through the area that is an obstacle between home and work. I'm part of this wide community (both human and natural) and I'm living here.

Mile drop

338.8 mileage in September 2008
318.2 mileage in October 2008
322.6 mileage for Nov 2008
133.7 mileage for Dec 2008

I had some issues with ripping out my valve trying to reduce the pressure. Icy and crusty roads were a problem in December (I don't have a winter set up) and this was the first week I could have gone more days, but Friday illustrates my problem. On Friday I was delayed as son climbed into bed (he had a fever as it turned out) and a mysterious oil smell needed investigation (and a call to the oil folks). I needed to get home early due to a bank appointment, which would have been cut close with the bike. In short I felt like a lot of excuses presented themselves and I took them. I need to really think about what is motivating me to ride, as I find it enjoyable, but is it powerful enough to claw its way through all the other things in life?

Next post perhaps.

Fall commuting

I have very little traffic, so my perceived safety is not a big issue. I have been reading about a how to encourage more biking and there are differences between males/females, distances and about bike paths/lanes. Are we not traffic?

That said I go an additional 3/4 mile going and nearly 2 miles coming home to avoid unpleasant traffic (route 28 and 105) Why do I go out of my way? First, it is a small percentage of my ride. I'm so slow that in my hour or so ride 5-10 more minutes aren't very important in my decision about where to ride. I'm commuting but I'm having fun doing so and the road ought to be scenic and enjoyable.

Now that I've got Neck road back I have a great trip in. I have most cars give me an exaggerated pass (pulling way over to the left lane to go by me). A study shows that cars are more likely to come close to bikers with helmets, presumably because they think these bikers are more proficient and predictable. Perhaps my riding isn't as smooth as I think it is and my blinky light and bright colors warn folks.

The switch to standard time has made the morning commute brighter but the afternoon is now in twilight. Perceived safety by others is a concern (I don't like defending my transportation as a matter of conversation). I've been using a mag light on the front and my Niterider SOL has been returned, supposedly repaired. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. There have been a few (and I mean less than 1/2 dozen) cars come close enough for me to touch (not even close enough to be a "close call"). One happened on the way home yesterday, the car went a few more hundred yards and pulled into a drive way. The driver (later middle aged man) was leisurely walking around his car on the way in. He had to rush by me,... for what? He didn't save any time staying near me, I didn't delay him. I had a momentary inferiority sense, well he's coming home from his hard day at work and was thinking only of home and comfort. But that's where I was heading as well. I was just enjoying the route a bit more, going slower. This might be the reason I continue to bike commute. Not savings, not health, but perspective on time.

From New bike pictures

It is clearly fall, with the leaves dropped from most trees. The colors are wonderful, and the low light coming home has allowed me to keep smiling most of the way. After a brief cold snap in October its been cool (30-40s) in the morning but not freezing. I did get neoprene booties and they are wonderful. My fingers are a bit cool, and I seem to go from freezing on my torso to sweating in little time. Need to start out a bit cooler and warm up as I go along. My car doesn't warm up this quickly.

My mileage for October was less than Sept., probably due to less around town travel (to meeting, post office, etc.) and we missed again this first day (too much unloading from the shed to get going in time). I'd love to get the "tank" cleaned up and kept on the porch for short errands. Travel with family is an event. Worthwhile but logistics are a bit more deliberate than piling into a car.

In other mundane information: I had a mini tune up (the derailler fix) at Southcoast. Gary tightened bits, straightened wheels and fixed the shifting (turned out to be the lever up front was loose!). A great change. I've also raised my seat as my knees began to ache a bit. Now my back was unhappy coming home yesterday. Seems as though there is constant fiddling to be done with bikes. I'm not too put out, but it is an advantage with most cars, maintenance is only every few weeks, even months. Of course I've never had a 20+ year old car.