SO Much to Post About, So Little Time...

I've neglected this site dreadfully. I have so many videos and pics of my new bike and little anecdotes, and I swear, I will start posting them soon.

I Want This!

This is on my "wish list" of things I want to get for my bike. As part of trying to be as visible as possible and letting the drivers and other cyclists and pedestrians know what I'm going to do, I think having actual turn signals, like cars do, would be a help, especially at night.

http://www.global-merchants.com/home/bike.htm

More Biking Around Our City

Not much to say...this is one of the things we do for fun! Soon, though, we're going to start recording the idiots we see who don't know how to follow road rules, like the guy on his bike going the wrong way, on the wrong side, of 2nd st. for whom I had to veer to the right. Out of every 10 people I see on bikes in this city, especially at night, only about 1-3 of them are actually on the STREET, following most road rules, and have lights at night. In fact, MOST people don't have lights.
WTF??

Over the weekend, some douche was going the wrong way on a one-way bridge, where the bike lane was obscured by construction fence. He was heading STRAIGHT FOR US!! We were where we were supposed to be. To this guy, and every other assbag who tries this in the future, I WILL KICK YOU INTO TRAFFIC next time. Road rage, close up and personal.
There's got to be a way to get these idiots to obey the law...why the hell aren't they getting ticketed or something? They are more of a hazard to cyclists than the people in cars are. I've had only one semi-close encounter with a car, also on this video, but at least HALF A DOZEN with other cyclists who were in MY lane or running THEIR red light, etc.
(Bob and I did run a light, by the way, in this video, too, by accident, we were aware of the cross-traffic, as we always are while on the street. I don't mean that kind of running the light, I mean people who never even thought about stopping, who didn't even see us at the GREEN LIGHT because they weren't looking.)

Other than that, cycling's been fun and much different than driving a car for more than the obvious reasons. It's much more personal. I try to make eye contact with other people on the streets and indicate my intentions and be sure that I know they see me, because it's not as obvious.
On the other hand, when a driver runs a stop sign when I had the right of way, I can yell at him and he hears me. :D ...Like that assbag in the Cadillac last week. I told him he was an assbag for not stopping and when he tried to yell back from his metal cage, I told him I hoped he crashes.
I should probably curb myself a bit better, but on the other hand, it's great being able to express it. Cagers can only yell impotently or beep or gesture, there's no "dialog." hehe.

It's great to be able to DO something besides sit when I get into traffic. On a bike, there are so many options. I can weave through the cars, not recommended, but I'll do it occasionally. I can pull over to the sidewalk, get off my bike, and walk to the intersection, cross at the light and be ahead of the cars that are stuck.
I can get off on the sidewalk and find a side street to turn onto.
Sometimes, but very, very rarely, I can just ride up onto the sidewalk and find a safe place in which to get back onto the street. I've only done that twice, and only because I had an appointment or similar, and only if the sidewalk was more or less clear. I detest when people use the sidewalk as their personal bike lanes, so I'm not about to do it myself.

Riding a bike instead of driving a car means, (much more for Bob than for myself,) that we always have to be aware of the weather forecast and be prepared for, during the warm months, rain. That was how I found out that my first bike did not have the kind of wheel rims/brake system that worked in rain. Luckily, I expected it to be...harder, and had tested them before I went too far or fast.
Winter will be an interesting challenge, again, especially for Bob since he commutes a couple of miles on his folding bike. We're looking at rain gear and cold weather clothing that will be bicycle-friendly.

Even the heat brings its own issues for those of us who ride a bike everywhere. During the extreme, and even the not so extreme, heat-waves we've been having, we learned that taking a hankerchief along with us was a good idea. I am fine while on the bike, but as soon as I stop, I get very over-heated! Not very attractive.
I'm glad I got a basically worry-free haircut as well, because otherwise, it wouldn't look too good when I arrive at a restaurant or elsewhere, and with all the humidity, both from the weather and from myself, I'm glad it's naturally wavy enough that I don't have to style it and worry about the curl falling out. (I'm glad I don't have to style it, period!)

Riding a bike as part of one's lifestyle as opposed to riding it for a sport also means needing to change how and what we take with us when we go somewhere. For now, my stuff goes in my lightweight hemp backpack/purse, but I'm finding that my back isn't happy having something on it, so I'll be putting that on my bike's rack until I get a basket or panniers.

All in all, it's a lot more fun to ride a bike than it was to drive,or even ride in, a car.

We took a truck out yesterday from PhillyCarShare to pick up a piece of furniture and it was a long, boring ordeal. The drive was the long, boring part. I hate being confined, too, and being in a car now makes me feel almost claustrophobic.
I mean, I couldn't even stop anywhere I wanted and get out, you have to think about "where will I park the car?" And traffic? UGH.

The only thing, and I mean only, bad thing about riding a bike for me is that, in the condition I'm in, if I ride too many miles or too many days in a row, I'll be flattened, exhausted and in pain, more than I usually am, for days as "payback."
But, on the brightside, I'm also getting much more exercise than I otherwise would, and it doesn't feel like I'm working at it, because it's fun.

The Search is Over (Originally Posted 8-5-08)

...For my new bike, at least. I was initially happy just to have GOTTEN a bike a couple of months ago, but that happiness soon faded when I realized that listening to the "experts" instead of my intuition, even when I knew nothing about bikes, had been a bad idea. When I decided to get a bike, I'd thought I'd get one at a small, local place and recycle a used bike. However, I'd done some degree of research and felt that for what I'd be using it for, a hybrid was probably the kind I'd want. I said as much to the people when I was looking at bikes, but was told that a bike with suspension and bigger tires with nubbier tread wasn't going to be necessary for me for use around the city. I made the mistake of assuming the guy knew better than I did, so I went along with it and got the 1980 Schwinn Collegiate 3. I had no idea it was steel, (or what the implications of THAT even MEANT at the time!) or that the rims were chrome-plated, and that meant that they would not stop AT ALL in the rain.
I didn't realize that the "comfort" handlebars that I initially wanted would make steering harder and also aggravate my elbow tendonitis. After a month, I went back assuming they would make these issues right. I merely got a laugh and a "oh, she figured out the brakes don't work in the rain," some different handlbars and slightly adjusted (but still the same) brakes and was sent on my way despite my telling them to do "whatever it takes to make it stop," and telling them how uncomfortable I am on it. Okay, so I won't make THAT mistake again.

This time, I did more research and better understood what I was looking for, having ridden around on a steel dinosaur for two months. Turns out, the thing I'd been riding wasn't even the right SIZE for me. The frame wasn't the right size for the height of the handlebars for my body, nor could they be set right for the height I needed the seat. Ever. The guys at the shop had shrugged this off, too, when I asked if I could get a longer stem for it, and they'd said it wasn't possible.
I started looking for the right HYBRID.
I started looking at SIZING.
I tried to find out what size bike someone with my inseam and body size should have.

Then, I found out what brands of bikes were supposed to be good, or pretty good and narrowed it down to the ones versions that had everything I was looking for.

Finally, I started looking at, (or looking FOR,) bikes. By this point, I was in considerably more pain than I needed to be in from that damned Schwinn and needed another one. So, I started test-riding bikes. Trek was already out of the running. I don't like some things about the company and their version of the style of bike I wanted didn't have front suspension anyway. I rode a Giant...something or other, and felt that it was awkward and somewhat cheap, but at that point, I wasn't sure if it was because I'd been so used to being on the steel monster. If nothing else, it was certainly put together well.

I found a Diamondback Edgewood, (owned by Raleigh,) and although I'd been hell-bent on getting a low-step, (because it's harder to get on and off a bike gracefully in a skirt if it has a high top tube, and I haven't worn anything but skirts or dresses all summer,) I'm also open-minded, and since this bike had the other main things I wanted, I gave it a test-ride. I immediately loved how smoothly it moved and it felt very sturdy, not cheap in comparison to the Giant I'd ridden. I'd been concerned about the size, (the frame itself is actually only a 15", but has 700 x 40c tires,) though, and said so to the owner of Frankinstien Bike Worx, who felt that this bike, with some adjustments, would be good for me. I wasn't about to take another person just at his word, though, so I rode it around the block a few times, and again after a few more adjustments before I was sure. I love THIS bike. I've only had it a few days and probably ridden 20 miles on it, just in Center City. The best part is that, although today I've had to take a break just because I can't maintain physical activity like bike riding every day, I haven't had a sore neck or shoulder blades since I got this bike. Every time I rode my Schwinn, that's what happened to me, as well as painful elbows, which I also no longer have. I barely even have to hold the handlebars on this one, whereas, I was pitched forward, leaning half my weight on the Schwinn's- not what one should be doing on a comfort bike.

My new one is a hybrid with front suspension and seat suspension and wider, nubbier tires, and as I'd thought, it's GREAT on these city streets- like on uneven black top, potholes, manholes, sewer drain covers and ESPECIALLY and most importantly, COBBLESTONE! Riding on cobblestone is like riding on a horizontal mountain, so I may as well have a bike that's part mountain-bike.



It's been about 2 weeks since we sold the car. I don't miss it. I know Bob doesn't miss the money we'd be spending on it, and he doesn't mind sitting on the train with his laptop and coffee, doing work half an hour before he's actually at work. He's away from home the same amount of time, except that during his commute, he actually gets something done so it's not a complete waste of time. He's not stressed like he'd be in the car.

When he gets home, and/or on weekends, we go out on our bikes to do our errands, get dinner, groceries, etc. We're both getting in better shape, and cardiovascular health concerns aren't something our doctor will have to lecture us about. I don't even have to worry about wasting time in a gym anymore. I always thought cardio machines were useless and boring, and now I just wonder why people don't just get a bike and actually GO somewhere. So simple. Ride to the store, don't even think about calories, (not that I ever did, but most do.)


Below is a little montage from July of me out and about in Philly. It's goofy, I know. Bob is goofing around in the beginning on his folding bike. He takes it on the train and rides it the last mile between his last Septa stop and work. The rest is me first on my Schwinn, then on my new Diamondback. I don't recommend riding in traffic like I'm doing on South St. at the end. It's not for everyone, and I didn't think I'd do it, and wouldn't have with my old bike. But definitely don't do it unless you have really good observation skills, great balance, great reaction time, (test it at the Franklin Institute!) a rearview/sideview mirror, (I would be lost on the streets without this,) common sense, great depth perception and for best results, I'd recommend that you've driven a car for many years and never had a car accident. If you managed that, AND have the other abilities, you probably did something right
and have much less chance of getting hurt on the street.

That said, I tempted fate and did something I knew was pushing it the other day and almost fell. I won't make that mistake again- I failed to make a decision about where I was going to go, I had my seat up too high and lost my balance when I stopped suddenly on uneven street. I didn't hit the street; I caught myself before I did, (thank goodness for my helmet or I'd be brain-damaged...oh, that's right, I don't wear one, I don't believe in the powers of the "magic helmet," it was my balance that saved me,) but it was close, close enough that someone from the sidewalk reached out, (unbeknownst to me,) to try to catch me because it really looked like I was going down! (Thanks, Mr.!)
Confidence is good. Too much confidence could probably get one killed, and I see a lot of people out there looking to get killed. I don't plan on joining them.

New Mode of Transportation (Originally posted June08)

MY BIKE!!!!!




Today, I drove a car for the first time in a while. I'm so used to just leaving the house on foot and walking to where I want to go or jumping on the train or sometimes getting a cab if I'm running late, (on the way, never on the way home, I just walk, even back from the dentist, 4 miles away on the other side of the city,) and I realized something- using a car is now a big pain in the ass to me!

Ugh. Being belted in. Having to have eyes in the back of my head, and not even just that, but the fact that it's hard to see because the car itself gets in the way. I took this stuff for granted before, now it's an annoyance.
Having to park it, lock it, damn, locked the keys in it...
Wonder what that noise is that it's making...
Feeling isolated.

I definitely don't miss it, in fact, by the time I was finished with my errands, I was thoroughly stressed out and couldn't wait to get out of the car.


Then later, we went to this place someone posted about on PhillyBlog. Bob and I had been thinking about getting bikes for a while and some people said that this was a good place to go to get a good pre-owned/recycled, or whatever you want to call it, bicycle. Since we were going to get dinner at Whole Foods, (our home away from home, it seems,) and this place, Via Bicycle, is at the end of the block, so we decided to check it out. Before I knew it, "Mac" had helped me select a bike from the tons of bikes in various conditions and of varying ages. He and the other guys who work there were very busy, as a steady stream of bike owners came in and out, either with their bikes for tune ups or to pick up bikes, etc. Regardless, it didn't keep us from being helped, but there was no pressure, which was nice. Again, I have to say how much I like the experience of buying something from a small, local place. You can't beat the customer service, and they were great.

I didn't care too much about the color or the brand, so when Mac asked me what I thought of the red "Schwinn" Collegiate 3, I looked at the size and shape and said, "fine." He brought it out and proceeded to get the appropriate handlebars, seat and pedals, all of which were missing!
I'd told him that I had some "different" specifications than most for my bike in that I needed one that would accomodate my bad lower back, and told him how I felt the bike needed to "fit." He made adjustments to the seat and handlebars and when he was satisfied, he took it for a spin outside to make sure "it wouldn't fall apart" before I tried it. He made some more adjustments, then I tried it, feeling very unsteady, as I haven't been on a bike in about 15 years.

After some more discussion, we came to the conclusion that it would need different handlebars and a new seat, a weird-looking gel cushioned one that I've only recently seen, (and made fun of because of the shape!) which is "vented," that is, it has a slot-like hole in it. It also has some substantial springs underneath. We had to decide how to adjust everything to take the pressure off of my back, which ended up meaning I can't lean forward really at all, so the handlebars will compensate since they turn upward and backward from the stem. I'm also getting a longer stem, because my seat needs to be up too high for the height of the handlebars, but a higher bike would be too big for me. That's what happens when one is very shortwaisted and relatively long-legged for one's rather short stature.

I get to pick up my refurbished CUSTOMIZED bike on Wednesday. Of course, the customizing won't end there! I will be putting a big basket, wire, most likely, on front, and one of those wire "saddle" type baskets over the back tire, I think. I'll need some lights...it has a bell, though.

Yay! My "green" deed for the day- giving a vintage Schwinn a new purpose!