Dan on Bike

I rode to work this morning over the normal route, and I met the family for supper at the Dog N Suds in West Lafayette. That is some good root beer!

Miles Ridden: 6.1

My daughter has an after school choir practice today, so I didn’t think I’d be able to ride to work. However, I decided to ride in, and then ride home for lunch. I’d be going home for food anyway if I had driven, so I can replace one car trip with cycling.

On my way up the hill, I noticed that my shoes didn’t match! So, I got to go back and climb the hill again. I also got to ride to a meeting this morning.

Miles Ridden: 10.7

I had some time after yard work today to ride, so I went down to West Point and back (Division Road west to Granville Bridge, then south on 700W. Same route back). On the way, I passed a group of young girls (probably sisters) playing outside a farm house. The youngest, around 5 or 6, came running down the driveway and shouted to me “Nice spandex!”. I said thank you and rode on.

Some areas of West Point have seen better days

Miles Ridden: 18.6

BTW, it’s very nice to ride a freshly tuned bicycle. A big thank you and a hearty “Well Done!” to the boys in the service department at Hodson’s Bay Company.

I remember the first time I rode up the hill on Newman Road. I know that I’ve written about the hill many times, since any ride to work or West Lafayette will normally involve that route. But the first time was much different.

I had only been riding seriously for about a year, and I think it was before I bought the Trek. which means I was still using the Murray. This was also a few years before we moved out West.

My sister with her Schwinn and me on the Murray in LaPorte, IN – circa 1998

The League of American Bicyclists held their summer meet up in the Lafayette area that year, so there were many routes marked around the area – all starting from a residence hall parking lot on State Street. I picked the 19 mile route that went through Montmorenci.

Towards the end of the route, I was on Division Road and found the subdivision where a co-worker lives. Who knew that I’d be living there a few years later? A quick left on Newman brought me to the bottom of the hill. I put the bike in the easiest gear and started up. I’d never tried a hill that steep before, and it was killing me. When I got to the speed limit sign at the top, I pulled over and took a long water break – trying to stuff my lungs back into my chest. It’s easier for me now.

I know that many riders probably find that hill to be kind of easy, but they are more experienced than I was, have a lighter bike than the 45 pound Murray, and are carrying much less weight than I do.

The ride today was leisurely, and a little windy. I headed up the now infamous hill (and I got most of the way up without using the granny gear) and east on Newman and SR26 to McCormick Road. I followed it north past US52 to Morehouse Road. Just a smidge to the west I found Taft Road. Heading south, I crossed US52 to Klondike Road, west on Fat Ass Road, and south on 400W. Back on Division Road, I rode east back home.

Click to see the route in Gmaps Pedometer

Miles Ridden: 14.4

My bike was ready to pick up at Hodson’s Bay today. I walked down the hill to the shop during lunch. They gave it a tune up ($50) and fixed the broken spoke (60¢). I rode across the shopping centers and up the hill on Wood Street to get back to work.

After work, I started on the North Work Route home – Grant to Salisbury to Lindberg. I was on Lindberg when my phone rang. My wife was at the auto mechanic and the van wasn’t done yet, so she needed a ride home. I told her I’d ride back to my car and come pick her up. I more or less reversed the route, except for the one-way section of Grant Street. Instead, I used Northwestern and State to get back to Grant and the garage. On Grant, I saw a jogger running along the sidewalk, and he turned towards the street. He looked to his right, and then jumped out into the bike lane (without looking to his left to see me). I yelled out something like “WHOA!”, and he stopped one step later. I pulled the brakes – locking the rear wheel for just a microsecond – and swerved around him. He turned towards me and said “Sorry”.

I don’t like yelling at people. When I have in the past, I never feel very good about it later, and I wish I wouldn’t do it. However, instinct took over, and I pointed out that it was a two lane road. He said “Sorry” again, and I felt stupid.

Later, on the other end of Grant street, these two college boys started across the street when I was quite close. I moved over to the left side of the lane. One of them looked at me, smiled, and walked in front of me anyway. His buddy had stopped, so I had to swerve left across the double yellow to miss them. Remembering how yelling didn’t help, I decided to try sarcastic instead. In a smarmy tone, I said “Don’t mind me, boys”. The first guy turned to me as I passed and let loose an amazing string of profanity and suggested physically impossible and incestuous acts. At that point, I felt pretty good for holding my cool and making him explode.

I rode up the ramp in the Wood Street Garage to my car, packed it in the trunk, and headed east.

Miles Ridden: 4.6 action packed miles

This month’s total is 38.2 miles – more than double the same month last year.

The weather was nice, and the house was kid free, so my wife and I took a quick ride. We cycled west on Divsion Road and went north, then south on 350S. Coming back to Division, we went home. It was her first ride of the year.

Miles Ridden: 2.3 (according to Gmaps Pedometer)

It’s only March, and I’Â’m already making excuses why I can’t ride to work! And today is the best weather day so far this year. Pathetic!!

I’ll list my reasons here, and you can judge for yourself:

• I need to take my dress shirts to the cleaners (which means I’ll have to pick them up on Monday).
• My daughter is going to a movie with a friend, and I want to get home quickly to be there when they are dropped off.
• I have a meeting at 2:00 off campus, and then a 3:00 on campus.
• I want to head across the river for lunch, and on the bike I wouldn’t have time to get back for my 1:00 meeting (also off campus).

Except for the first one, I could have found ways around the problems (rescheduling meetings, skipping meetings, flex-time work day -– notice I’m not thinking about skipping lunch). The shirt thing is a bit of a show stopper – mostly because I can’t carry the dirty shirts, plus my ride home clothes, on a bike with no racks or baskets. I guess I could make a separate trip into town just for that reason, but doesn’Â’t seem to be very efficient.

Miles Ridden: 0

As I threatened yesterday, I rode the just purchased Specialized into work today. I wasn’t a great ride, but as always, I still felt good when I got in.

The shoulder on SR26 becomes my bike lane
The bike is the Hard Rock model. I don’t know where it fits in the Specialized line, but I’m guessing towards the bottom. It was pretty comfortable, and rode OK, but it took a little getting used to. The handling was different than I’m accustomed to on the TREK, and I’m thinking that the handlebars may be a little shorter. Also, the weird double lever shifters are awkward. The worst part is that the front brakes are out of adjustment and provided absolutely NO stopping power. There’s my next home repair job.

I can’t imagine why someone would advertise a painting company with a sign painted this badly
Since this ride has no racks, I had to eschew the panniers for a canvas attache style bag. I’ve never liked biking with these because it makes breathing more difficult with the strap across my shoulder and chest. Tomorrow, I may try my son’s backpack.

I came home on the South Work Route after a harrowing trip down the hill on Williams street. I was squeezing the hell out of the rear brake level so that I wouldn’t go screaming down the hill and into the middle of River Road/US 231.

Miles Ridden: 8.5 (estimated)

— WARNING – NEWBIE ALERT!! – WARNING —

It’s true that I don’t have much experience or aptitude in mechanical matters. My auto service is done at a shop, and the same goes for the bike. However, I thought it would be easy to change my tires.

I switched from my Pirelli “Mid Towner” slicks to a pair of Michelin “Wild Grabber” tires. The Michelin’s have a hash mark style tread that grabs pavement well without giving a bumpy ride.

I had never before used the tire levers I bought a few years ago, and I found they work much better than the pair of screwdrivers I used in my youth. What I found odd was the tubes were stuck to the tires. I had planned on using new tubes anyway, but I’m guessing the old ones are shot. I got the front tire with new tube on the wheel and took it out to the van to pump it up. As the pressure went up, I noticed markings indicating that this tire is designed to spin a certain way. Who knew?? Of course, I had it on the wrong way. It didn’t take to long to switch it around and reinflate.

After changing the front tire twice, the rear wheel went quickly. Unfortunately, I found that the cause of my wobbly rear wheel is a broken spoke. I wanted to try out the new tires, but I didn’t feel safe riding on that wheel. (Sure, I’ve been using it for two months, but I didn’t know then!)

I packed the bike into the van and took it down to the bike shop for a spring tune up. The guy asked me if I needed it back right away. I joked that I could wait until tomorrow, and he gave me a very serious look of surprise. It was going to be 10 days. 10 days! I gave the bike a quick hug and left.

On the way home, I stopped to visit a friend that had a used Specialized bike for sale. It is an entry level mountain bike with just a little rust on the components, and I picked it up for my son. However, it may be my bike for the next 10 days.