What Happens When Wearing a Rain Poncho While Riding A Bicycle?

I don't mind riding in the rain as long as it is not cold; so when the weather finally warmed up again and the snow melted it was time to get back into my routine of bicycle riding.  It was spring, and it was raining but it was warm.

The rain was not heavy, so I put my backpack in a plastic bag and strapped it to the bike rack; then I put on my poncho, which I bought at a grocery store last year, and set off.  I do not have a lot of money for fancy high-tech equipment so I make do with the department store stuff and get creative, and this poncho is proof that you can be O.K. with the low-tech stuff.

The problem with ponchos is that the wind pushes them up while you ride and they wrap around your shoulders leaving the rest of your body exposed, so I tried an experiment- I used binder clips to clip the poncho to the bike in front, (binder clips are those stiff boxy triangle black metal ones). The clips were strong enough to hold it down.  I had to wrap the part of the poncho that I wanted to secure around something like the handlebar, the neck or the cross tube and then bunch the edge of the poncho and clip it together.  I tried to clip the poncho to the handle bars but felt it was restricting my movement so I tried to clip it to the cross tube.

 It worked well enough and I think with a few more attempts I will be much more dryer when I get to work. I think that if I clip it tightly around my wrist I might have part of the problem solved.

The binder clips and poncho came in handy when I arrived at work.  I locked up my bike and lay the poncho over it then used the binder clips to hold it on.  The bike was nice and dry when I came out after work.

I plan to always carry a few binder clips or clothes pins in my backpack from now on.

Review of my New Bike Schwinn Discovery Hybrid

My old huffy mountain bike was getting old and was taking more of my time to work on it than I was riding it. The last straw was a rear tire that was out of true and needed to be replaced entirely.

WHY THIS BIKE
We looked over the internet and did a lot of comparison shopping; and I did visits to some bike shops. We had several criteria: price was top on the list. We wanted something that would get me to work reliably and able to tackle all the hills between here and there. My experiment with a mountain bike converted to a commuter was OK but I learned I wanted something lighter, quicker and smoother rolling. The new comfort bikes seemed to hit the mark so we chose the Schwinn Discovery.

SHIPPING AND ASSEMBLY
We are very happy with amazon and got the special shipping so it came in two days. The bike was double boxed and well packaged.

I guess about 90% of it was already assembled. I just had to put on the seat, handlebars, front tire, peddles, and the front fender. Having been tinkering on bicycles all my life there really was no problem. I had to do the front fender twice, the first time I mounted the top behind the bar but that brought the front edge against the tire so I remounted it in front of the bar and it was fine. From opening the box to getting on it and riding was less than an hour.

Assembled it was a beautiful bike to see.

SHAKE DOWN
I rode it around the parking lot at our condo and several neighbors were immediately interested in where they could get one too.  I expected there would be a few minor adjustments, there always is when you get one of these in a box. I felt one break pad needed to be a tiny bit lower. And after I rode on the streets a few miles I began to feel that the break cable could be tightened a bit. The rear fender rubbed the tire slightly but a twist of the mounting screw to move the rod that held the fender quickly fixed it. I was pleased that for the most part the factory put it together well and seemed to have high standards.

THE TEST RIDE
I rode it on the bike paths and on the streets both flat and hilly. The performance was wonderful compared to the bike I have been riding. The frame is much lighter than my old mountain bike- that alone will improve my experience. I am thrilled by the shock absorbers in the front forks and the seat stem, since I have a bad back this is as good as it can get. It climbed the hills better than my old mountain bike and the gears were as smooth shifting as I could hope for.

Over all I am happy now that I have owned it for about four hours and would give it five stars out of five.

Why I love My New Schwinn Discovery

How I Fixed My Bicycle's Derailleur- Sort Of.

I have had ongoing problems with my old huffy that I bought from Toys R Us years ago. I have ridden in to work daily for a long time.

It has proved to be a good transport for the money, in fact it has been a great transport when I consider the savings it has brought us; but lately parts have been giving way to the laws of physics that say all things decay.

The derailleur was the latest, it literally came apart on me a few days ago and I was afraid the old friend was a goner. I am not much of a bike mechanic and I learn on the go, so it was with caution that I began to tinker with the mangled pieces of rolling gear and twisted housing.

Taking the derailleur off of the bike was easy since it was mostly in pieces, but putting one in its place was not so easy. I have a bike I found in the dumpster a few years ago that has been a source for many spare parts, so I thought I'll just take the piece off of it and fix my bike.

 My Huffy is a mountain bike that I have modified slightly for a commuter bike but the salvaged bike was a racing bicycle. The racing derailleur was still on the remains of the frame. The chain laced through it. I looked and looked but couldn't see how to get it off of the chain or the get chain out from wrapping through it. I gave up. Later I returned and looked the contraption over again. It had a hex head on one of the axes to the roller gear. I figured a hex nut meant there was a threaded bolt in there somewhere and if I took a wrench to it the thing would come apart. And that is just what happened, spilling a roller, an axle, it's barrel sleeve, and two washers on the concrete floor. I crawled on all fours for about twenty minutes looking for the parts and re-engineered the thing.

I thought they are both bicycles they both have gears, chain, crank and derailleur so the parts should be interchangeable. I was wrong. The part from the racer seemed to have more of a back angle to it. The mounting hole for the stabilizing nut was a different size and threaded which the huffy wasn't. There was a tiny flange designed to keep the part from spinning around the axle that was different.

Both were pretty shot so it didn't matter if I made it worse, indeed I don't think I could have made it worse. I filed the flange off of the part until it was smooth and hoped for the best. I had to find a bolt that would fit the new racing part to the old huffy frame. The clamp for the cable was rusted and had to be worked free but after a while I was able to thread the cable through. It looked like it would work- maybe.

I put the wheel on and turned the crank. The wheel turned. There are adjusting screws on the derailleur but no matter how long I spent I couldn't get it to go to all positions. The chain was a fraction too small to accommodate the higher back angel of the new part, but I could get it into most of the gears.

It is not a perfect fix but it is going to have to work for the time being until I can get a new solution.

Which may be a new bike.  

How I Rode Home With A Broken Gear Derailluer

I admit I do not take good care of my things so I accept it when they fall apart; and that is just what happened as I was bicycling on my way home.

I should have taken warning when the eight year old bicycle was complaining in the morning. I could sense it was not happy because with each turn of the crank there was bumpiness in the feel of the chain. I looked and discovered that the derailleur was bent and the bottom roller was slightly sideways. That it was bent was not surprising since it was a cheap part made out of sheet metal for a bicycle that sold at a toy store. It probably is more amazing that it lasted as long as it did- considering I rode it almost daily.

I carry a few tools these days since the bicycle has been showing signs of rebellion or senility and I have had to stop and fix little things on the way lately. I took a pair of pliers out of my backpack and twisted the soft metal one way and another to make it straight again. The metal must be suffering from fatigue because it was bent sideways again by the time I got to work and the roller was bumping on the inside.

I was naively hopeful of making it home after work without calling my wife for a ride. I got about one block and my chain fell free of the derailleur and began to beat against the spokes. I saw the roller was gone, the metal was twisted in two ways and the one side was flipped up.

There was not a hope for a roadside repair. I had about six miles to go so I started to walk. I admit I am a little slow in the brains, so it took me about a mile to figure out that I could sit on the seat and push myself along. If I rode in the gutter my right foot could push against the curb nicely and like a scooter I was riding again. At the top of the first hill I just sat on the seat and coasted down to the bottom. I rode the momentum until the bike slowed to almost stopping.  I kept on with my curb scooting for a while and made it over the next hill this way.

Now I began to think, I still had three miles to go and the scooting against the curb was getting old so I figured why not lay the chain over the front sprocket by hand and lay it over the back gears, since the power is on top and if the bottom dangles it shouldn't matter. I would be riding as if it was one gear. So I gave it a try and with only gravity and tension holding the chain in place I pushed off and began to crank. It was working! But after about twenty feet the bike hit a bump and the chain bounced off the gear, the front sprocket spun freely and flung my foot forward. I tried again and got about fifty feet, and the same thing happened again, I just had to be careful not to hit an potholes. But I couldn't keep the tension up and the chain came off again letting my crank spin freely. I kept tying it again and again but my frustration got the better of me after about two miles of going a hundred feet at a time and then resetting the chain.

There was nothing for it but to walk where I had to and coast where I could. It was about the only time I was thankful for the rolling hills because after pushing to the top I was looking forward to a long coast to the bottom.

It was after dark when I got home. I just put the bike under the tarp in my back yard and tried not to think about it. 

How I Prepare for Bicycling In Extreme Cold

The other day the temperature was about 30 degrees with a wind chill in the single digits. Since my son had the car I had no option but to bicycle the seven miles to work.I know there is some high tech gear for cold weather riding but I am just the mail room guy and can't afford the good stuff.

I had already bought some gloves for my hands since it had been getting colder day by day. In this cold, the knit gloves would not be nearly enough so I tied some grocery bags over my hands to break the wind. I put on a sweatshirt over my long sleeved undershirt and a windbreaker over that. I put on a pair of nylon shell pants over my sweat pants.

I thought with these precautions I would be able to face the challenge of the cold. After putting plastic bags over my gloves I found that I couldn't snap on my helmet and had to take the gloves off, put my helmet on and then start over with the gloves and bags.

I know these measures helped but not so much as I had hoped. My mouth, nose, and throat hurt from the cold. When I arrived at work my fingers were stinging and my feet were in pain from the cold.  I ran cold water in the sink and put my numb hands in; my hands were so cold that the water felt like it was burning. It took about a half hour to change into my work clothes.

The next day was even colder. This time I found some large gloves and slipped them on over my knit gloves then put the plastic grocery bags over them. I put on two pairs of socks and then tied grocery bags over my shoes. I put on two pairs of sweats and nylon pants over them. I added a jacket over the windbreaker and a ski cap under my helmet. Last I wrapped a scarf around my nose, mouth, and throat.

Bundled up I was ready for anything. The cold was still bitter and my eyes watered badly. With two gloves and grocery bags over my hands, I couldn't push my glasses back up my nose and they kept slipping lower and lower until I had to stop, take off the bags, and gloves to push them back in place then reassemble the gloves and bags on my hands. That was the only real problem I had, the layers worked.

It took a lot longer to get ready but it was worth it I was much more comfortable even if all those shopping bags made me look homeless.

What is it like to bicycle in autumn?

Autumn is one of the best times to ride a bicycle. The cool air keeps you from getting too hot, the beauty of the changing seasons surround you, and the humidity is down so you don't get sticky.

I enjoy seeing the change in the local scenery. Gardens lose their colors, squirrels are crazily searching for nuts and seeds to hide away for the winter.  Homes have a quieter look about them since their occupants like the squirrels are preparing to nest for the winter.  The leaves overhead are brilliant in fiery colors; they fall in a lazy rain of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns.

There is one danger that is not often considered in riding a bicycle in autumn. Those beautiful leaves that color the trees blanket yards and roads. When they are wet they are slippery. When they are dry they hide potholes.

I was bicycling a different way home from work and my attention was divided between enjoying the beauty of autumn and looking at the road. I noted patches of leaves on the road and continued past some and through others. I went through a patch of leaves and my front wheel sank about eight inches below the ground. The bike stopped as the rear tire came up. I held onto the handlebar and was thrown into a handstand.  My ribs came back down onto the handlebar while my feet looked for mother earth. The bicycle twisted sideways and lay down like it was playing dead. Falling off I broke my fall with my hands and found myself on all fours.

I was fortunate and thankful that I did not suffer any injury other than bruises. Most people experience a broken wrist from that kind of fall. I surmise that my speed was just under the threshold which would have caused such an injury.

Every season has its beauties and challenges. If you are aware of the challenges and respect the dangers you can enjoy the beauties. 

How Traffic Rhythims Affect The Quality Of Bicycling To Work

I never considered that traffic patterns could have such a major effect on the enjoyment and safety of bicycling to work, until I was late to work and saw different activities on the road.

I try to leave for work with enough time to cope with all the challenges of bicycling, but if I leave on time there is heavy traffic. A lot of cars compete to make the left turn at the second light I come to and then the cars bunch up behind me on the boulevard. I slowly negotiate left turns across lanes among cars. I pass several schools where the moms are crowding the curb to get into the parking lot.  There is a contractor's oversize van parked in my way as I come down a hill. The last half mile is fraught with speeding people late for work.

If I leave for work fifteen minutes early the patters are different. The school where the kids are being dropped off is quiet and only a few cars are there. Traffic is light at the mini mart. The left hand turns are easier nice since there are fewer cars on the road. The last half mile is a relaxing wind down on an almost empty road.

I do not often have the leisure to leave early. A few times I have been late and it was better than early since the traffic pattern was even lighter than the normal times. I could ride in the center of the lane without the worry of cars passing inches to my left, or bunching up behind me. I could drift across lanes and make a left turn without looking over my shoulder the whole way. The moms were gone now that they were done dropping kids off to school. The contractor's van had already left giving me a clear passage down the hill. The last half mile was the relaxing dream that bicycling to work should be.

It felt much safer to not have to concentrate on the traffic.

I do not have the liberty to make my own hours but if I did I would opt for the later commute which is more enjoyable. 

How I Rode Eight Miles On A Flat Tire.

I admit I am not the kind of guy who spends a lot of time with details. I do not get the oil changed in my car every 3,000 miles like the manual says I should. I do not change the filter on my home air conditioning every 90 days like I am supposed to. I just turn things on and expect them to run. I accept they may not be new anymore and live with poor performance. It makes life interesting.

When my bicycle tire is a little low I figure that is life and it will mean a little extra huffing and puffing on the cranks that is all.

The other morning it was just that. Not only was the tire low but the valve stem was at a slight angle suggesting the inner tube was slipping with the roll of the wheel. I could have taken two minutes and forced the tire forward on the rim to straighten the valve and pump the tire up, or I could just get on with it- which is what I did.

So I started to work on a low tire. BIG MISTAKE! I did not get half way before I knew I was in trouble. The front fork was wobbling back and forth. Looking I saw that the tube had gone flat and the rim was rolling on the rubber tire, which was folding one way and then the other throwing the steering back and forth. The valve stem had completely disappeared; it must have been drawn inside the rim by the friction of the rolling wheel.

I rode slow, very slow, hoping the rubber tire didn't come off of the rim, and because the kind of guy I am I did not carry any tools. When I came to a corner I took the turn at a crawl fearful of having the tire come off and wrap around the forks. The cranks felt like I was peddling up a steep hill all the way, and when I came to a hill I was crawling slower than ever. I worried all the time that the rim or tire was being damaged. I got to work on that flat tire fifteen minutes late.

I had no tire pump and no change for the air pump at the service station, (they all charge fifty cents for air in this town) so, I began the long ride home on the flat tire.I worried about the rim being damaged all the way.  I rode slower than I had since the third grade. I was watching the tire more than the road. My forearms burned with the ache of keeping the wheel straight as the tire wobbled from side to side.

The ride home normally takes forty minutes but this time it was more like an hour and a half which turned my legs into rubber. I went to sears and bought a new inner tube. When I took the tire apart to replace the tube I found the valve stem was completely gone. There was no way it could have been pumped up.

Now every morning I greet the bicycle with the pump in one hand and feel the tires with the other to see if they need any air.

When I lost my lunch while bicycling to work.

I should have not been surprised that forgetting one of the little details before my bike ride will lead to a very bad day.

It is hard enough to manage the details of the morning but when you bicycle to work there are added dimensions to getting ready for the day. You have to have that change of clothes, extra deodorant, water bottle and so much more.

I checked to make sure I had everything I needed set in my back pack; clean socks and shorts, a washrag and face towel, my work shirt, my lunch, wallet, keys and other little things. If I forget something it is an hour ride back to the house to get it, and then an hour back to work; but it was all there.

I strapped my backpack to the back of the bike and pushed off to the morning ride.  It was a crisp morning but the cool helped me make head way and I was pushing my limits a little. Half way to my job I stopped at a light and heard something strange behind me, a thump. I looked around but there was no car nearby, so I didn't give it a thought and when the light turned green went on my way.

Later I was coasting down a nice slope and again wondered about that sound. Feeling uneasy I stopped and looked my bike over; when my eyes rested on my backpack strapped to the rack I realized the sound was my lunch falling out of the unzipped compartment of my pack.  A panicked search found my wallet and cell phone was still in  place since thier zipper was closed.

I rode back up the hill watching the gutter for the fruit and granola bars of my lunch bag. At the intersection there was no sign of my lunch bag. I considered tracing my route all the way back to home but would be over an hour late for work. I do not want to be the guy who is always late so I headed off to work thinking that I was going to eat out of the vending machine unless I could find a forgotten rice cake in my desk. It was going to be a long day without my snacks.

There are many things to remember when riding a bike to work daily but you must never forget to zip the zippers or you can just forget everything.

The Conquest Of The Middle Hill

I bicycled to work in the morning and worked a long day on my feet in the mail room printing reports and documents then running all over the building to deliver them. It was a very long day.

I was glad to be off work and was looking forward to getting home. My bike ride was peaceful and relaxing after such a busy day. As I was rolling through a shady neighborhood I heard the familiar sound of pat, pat, pat over my shoulder. It was the footsteps of a jogger who was catching up to me. I was not in the mood for the humiliation of being caught up to by a jogger, so I changed gears and stood on the cranks to give it all I had. As the muscles in my legs groaned in protest the sound of the runner receded away behind me.

With satisfaction I kept the effort up and listened to the sound of the jogger growing faint behind me. My route turned a corner and went a ways to the foot of a small hill. I was tired and eased up a bit- the hill was going to be really hard.

I changed gears to tackle the hill and set my pace for a not too easy conquest when I heard the runner approaching.  Muttering a word I shouldn't have said under my breath I stood on the cranks and gave it all I had left. It must not have been enough because over my shoulder I could still hear the pat, pat, pat, of the approaching athlete. The hill seemed to grow in my mind and become steeper than I ever remember it to be. The pat, pat, pat grew louder, it was no longer behind me but beside me.

I couldn't be overtaken and strained my legs against the cranks while I pulled against the handlebars. I pulled away but only for a moment. I couldn't keep the struggle up, and just slipped into a pace to keep me moving forward but my speed was declining.

The wiry form of the marathoner passed me by. I looked to my right to see who it was that had the strength to pass me while climbing a hill, and saw the white hair and thin form of an old man in his seventies. I shifted into my easiest gear and took it easy the rest of the way.

If you know someone who needs encouragement you should order a copy of Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of joy, my book of comfort and hope. You will be glad you did.

$9.62 plus $4.17 shipping

Visit my print on demand partner the Book Patch for bulk orders or digital download TheBookPatch.

To learn more go to AEDozat.com. 

To read the book blog post CLICK HERE.

(c)Adron Dozat 9/10/14

How Equipment Performance Affects Bicycling

I have an old bike. I bought it at Sears and I am generally very happy with it considering the price was under $100.00. I've ridden it for over ten years now and it shows.

As time went by I've had to make repairs and replace parts. Some parts I have scrounged off of abandoned bikes I have found next to dumpsters and in alleyways. There pieces that I got from different shops that do or do not deal in bicycles. Some of the components on this bike are not for this type of bike at all. Some of the parts do not work together so well.

Thier remains are some worn out pieces still- it is ongoing. The shifter on the left almost takes two hands to use. The front breaks are always needing adjusting. The rear wheel is out of true, and the front gear is badly worn, but I make it work.

I get on it and I know it is not a pleasure ride, I am just getting to work, and I know it will be work getting there.

Sometimes I think it is just too much trouble to ride this bike, that there are too many problems. I consider the pros and cons and often the pros win and I bicycle to work but occasionally the cons win and I drive the car. It is a decision I have to make every time.

 I realize that if your equipment does not work well you will need to be dedicated to riding and not casual about it. I often decide to ride my bike in spite of the problems with it, but it is a decision I have to remind myself of  that I'm dedicated to bicycling and accept the difficulties.

Bicycle Riding is Good For Depression.

Those closest to me know I have a struggle with depression. A slight word could send me into a dark mood with negative thoughts for days. Sometimes I don't know why but I get depressed and go for long walks at night and spend hours feeling sorry for myself and reliving every failure I ever experienced.

I do not know the science behind it but exercise seems to help, and riding a bike, in particular, seems to lift my mood. Maybe it is the chemicals in the brain that start to flow, or maybe it is the pounding of the heart that makes the body go into overdrive, I do not know exactly but something positive happens when I bicycle to work.

Forget all the neurological biological science stuff it is hard to feel down when you are dodging potholes, avoiding cars, grinding through gears up a hill, and trying to get through an intersection before the cement mixer rolls over you. There is just no freedom to think depressing thoughts because you are focused on getting to work without a visit to the ER on the way.

Driving is lazy on the brain. You can drive a car without thinking about it and so you spend your time thinking gloomy stuff; especially if the radio is playing some country or other sad music. Then you just drift to work while thinking sorry dark thoughts.

Driving a car to work is no big thing;but if you bicycle to work you have accomplished something before you even punch the time-clock. People are impressed and over time you become a legend. It is hard to be depressed when you are a legend.

Bicycling to work is not a cure for depression but for me it helps and enough things that help can make a big difference overall. 

What Happens On The First Ride Of The Season?

The snow and cold has forbidden me to ride since November. Others can bicycle in the sub-freezing temperatures but I grew up in sunny California; I do not have the thick blood required to suck in polar air without getting frostbite in my lungs.  I have witnessed those with more severe constitutions bicycling in the freeze of winter and it causes me to wonder at their iron nerve and concrete resistance to glacial cold.

The worst winter in memory is coming to a defiant end. With the warmer weather I am feeling the call to return to my morals and ride the bike to work again. Today I lugged the poor thing up from its exile between the laundry machine and the hot water heater in the dusty dank basement. It looked unhappy to have been in social quarantine for three months.

A quick inspection confirmed that the mice had not chewed through the rims or that the cables had not become bunched up around the sprocket on their own. I ignored the cobwebs and began turning the crank. It still turned and the wheels still looked reasonably round and true. That was all I needed. I found my helmet next to the kitty box, (what the kitty was doing with it I thought was a matter best left alone- cats can be so condescending).

Today would be a shakedown ride, about half way to work and then back just to make sure things were OK.

My normal route was up the sidewalk and across a short grassy stretch to a path. The first surprise was that the grassy stretch was a quagmire of mud and soggy soil; I sank beyond the rims and had to stand on the cranks and fought to keep forward momentum. I envisioned sinking between the buildings and not being found until sometime past the next millennium.

Next was a gentle incline that memory told me was an ideal warm up for my daily ride. Memory is faulty. I strained and panted all the way up. It seemed some convulsion of seismic activity turned the gentle incline to an alpine slope, after all I couldn't be that out of shape!

I found my stride after emerging onto the road behind my townhouse and began to enjoy my ride. The day was crisp with a winter nip left in the air. I made a mental note to wear my windbreaker tomorrow morning. I coasted behind the neighborhood swim center and raced a squirrel for a dozen yards until it climbed a tree.

The old bike seemed to be OK. I noticed a few squeaks in the chain and decided to give it a good oiling when I got home. The front break cable seemed a little soft but I remembered rebuilding the front break and having to tweak it some, so it the mushy response made sense, I would have to live with it until I get a new one. The left gear shifter still had a rough feel to it. I had hoped a season of convalesce would have caused the bike to return to its old self but it seemed the bike still needed my loving attention.

I had been on city streets and chose to return home on back roads and paths. Once off the street onto the quiet woody paths the peace and quiet began to charm me. I remembered this was the best part of riding home from work- the tranquil time silently coasting through woods, where there was no one talking to you, no demands, and no time to think about the mess back at work, just ride the bike. It was a time alone with mental activity turned down and life turned up. I felt it was too long a season that I neglected such a peaceful relaxing practice.

The first ride of the year made me realized how much I had missed the bike riding every day; I missed not only the exercise but the spiritual and emotional benefit of it. 

My Simple Bicycle Mirror Is The Best.

My kids gave me a bicycle mirror for my birthday. It was funky looking to me and I wondered if I would ever use it. The mirror was oval and had a stem that stuck from the side to attach to a sleeve that would wrap around the handle grip and it had a Velcro strap to tighten it on. It just looked too simple.

After a few days, I tried it out. It stuck out from the side of my handlebar in a sort of annoying way, and I had my doubts.

It was positioned about where the driver's side mirror would be on a car, so I found myself naturally glancing at it to see what was coming on the driver's side. It swiveled so I could tilt it one way or another to get a better view. The grip was easy to twist up or down while I was riding and so I could effortlessly scan the distant and near road with it. I decided I liked it; in fact, I have come to rely on it a lot, and feel much safer with it.

There are several bicycle mirror designs on the market but this one from a department store would be hard to beat. If for some reason I had to replace it I would look for one just like it.

What Happend When I Almost Did Not Ride My Bike To Work

Maybe I am starting to get lazy or maybe I am having problems with time management but I have been finding myself thinking, "I will just do more at the house and leave later and drive instead of riding the bike. " Or I muse, "It might rain, so for safety I will take the car instead of the bicycle."

The other day was a nice day but cool. I was having those thoughts that it was too cold and there were a few things I needed to do so I will just drive. An argument went back and forth between the Good Me and the Bad Me. The Good Me said I need to get the exercise, I need to save the money on gas, I need to be responsible with the earth's resources. The Bad Me said I am tired, I need a break, I will only save a couple of dollars on gas, I won't have time. The Bad Me was winning, but in the end I decided to ride the bike since there would be time if I got organized and it was basically a good thing.

I rode over the hill and began to really enjoy the beautiful day. I turned on the country lane and admired the rolling hills, trees and sky. The lazy tranquil streets were filled with singing birds and drifting autumn leaves. I was enjoying the he blue sky, the colorful leaves and the crisp air felt good. The ride made me feel energized.

As a car went by the silhouette of the person inside made me think, "They left the wooden box of a house that kept the nice day out and got into a metal box with wheels (a car) that is keeping the nice day out. They can't possibly be enjoying this nice day like I am."

I almost missed out on a beautiful day if I had gotten in a car and rushed off, I counted myself blessed to have ridden a bicycle that day.

What Is The Best Day Of The Week To Ride A Bicycle to Work

I work at a grocery store. Most people get Saturday and Sunday off, but those are the busy days for the grocery store so I work on Saturdays. It is Saturday that I most look forward to riding my bike to work.

Bicycling to work on the week days causes a lot of worry and tension. There is the traffic and the congestion, there are school buses that stop and interfere with the flow of traffic. There are sanitation trucks that smell of trash stopping every few feet to pick up garbage. People are in a reckless hurry to get to work, or to school on time. Cars turn corners without looking as you approach the intersection. Cars so not have room to give you a safe distance as they pass. Kids are everywhere, on the sidewalks, in the intersections, standing in the road waiting for the bus or getting out of a car without looking.

Saturday is different. The schools are closed so the buses are in the yard, the union does not allow the sanitation trucks to run on the weekend, and any one going to the office seem to feel the office is lucky to have them so there is no need to hurry. The kids are gone.

The roads are empty and the cars are few. You have the road mostly to yourself, and can go for blocks without seeing a car; and when you do they pass wide since there is room. The anxiety of watching over your shoulder and checking the mirror is almost gone.

The neighborhoods are quiet; all you can hear are the birds. (I have seen deer on Saturday mornings which one does not see except in the dead of night.)

On Saturdays you can concentrate on biking and not on staying alive; you can take your time since there is less activity to stop you and slow you down, you can look around and enjoy the ride. You say to yourself, "This is what it is all about."

What Happened When My Bike Was Stolen.

I had a funny feeling about locking my bicycle outside my church for the Friday night youth club where I volunteer. I locked it to a post away from the door thinking it would be out of the way of people entering and leaving, but it was out of sight of watchful friends.

After the meeting, I went out to bicycle home and it was gone. I looked all over for it. I walked around the building hoping it was in the bushes. I went down the path to the high school next door because I assumed the theft was done by kids and they would drift back to familiar territory. I kept looking and walked over to the shopping center to look, but no bike.

The walk home is between seven and eight miles. I have done it before and it takes about two hours. I was angry and depressed, as I walked I kept asking God why he let this happen, and why do people do such things.

After about two miles my cell phone rang. My wife had received a call that my bicycle was found at the top of some hill by friends who recognized it. They brought the bike back to church and put it inside.

I turned and started back to the church. The bike was there, the lock was still on it. It looked like someone had tossed it off a truck. The rear tire was twisted, and the front fork was completely turned around.

After about fifteen minutes of repairing and untangling the lock and forcing things back in place, I was able to get on and ride home- sort of. The back wheel was so badly bent I took twice as long as normal. At home, I made more repairs and got it good enough for another ride or two but the bent wheel was very unsafe and the breaks were bent and useless on that wheel.

I slowly rode it to work the next morning. On the way home I began to think about options. I could buy a new bike but I had no money. I could take the bike to the bike shop and have it fixed but I had no money. I knew the rim had to be replaced, but I had no money. I remembered a bicycle that was set out with the trash last summer which I salvaged thinking it would be a good bike for my daughter. It had nice rims and new tires which we bought to make it ready for her. She rode it once and refused to try again, it was not cool enough for a kid with a learner's permit.

My bike is a mountain bike and the salvaged bike was a street commuter type. I took the knobby mountain bike tires and wheels off of the front and back and put on the tires from the salvaged bike. They were bigger, so of course, the brakes did not fit. The salvaged bike was a drop frame for a girl and the cables to the rear break were threaded from the bottom up where the break on my bike threaded the cable from the top down. There was no way to could use the back break from the salvaged bike. I took the front break off and tried it on the back of my mountain bike, but the hardware didn't match since the mounting shaft was the wrong length.  I had to disassemble both breaks and use the parts I could to make a working break. It worked; in fact, it was a better break than what I had to begin with.

When finished I took a look at all the parts left over. It occurred to me that there were extra reflectors. Good, I wanted to add some to the cargo crate mounted to the rear rack so they were attached.

It was a big pain, but the retrofit and cannibalizing of bicycles gave me a sort of upgrade. I have ridden it to work and I feel it is a quicker ride.

There was one other thing I took off of the salvaged bike- the lock. I use both locks to secure my bike now. If someone takes it they will have to work for it.

What Can Happen When You Bicycle to Work On County Road 108.

Riding a bicycle to work every day can be wonderful or it can be stinky, I mean really stinky.

Recently my work place had a one day relocation to a church building that was outside town. It was nice for me since it was less than half the distance I normally ride and because it was down a beautiful county road with sheep pastures on one side and shady trees all around.

It was a beautiful day the weather was warm the sky was blue with white clouds drifting idly above. A soft breeze delivered rusty and golden leaves from the rustling branches to the earth. The sheep were busy doing nothing in the field and the farms had the gratified sleepy look of a good harvest. I admired the rolling hills on one side and enjoyed the trees with their cooling shade and autumn colors.

This country road turned out to be a sort of expressway that short cut between two freeways without going through town so there was a lot of traffic. There was no shoulder but being experienced with cars zooming past at freeway speed inches way I just dealt with it and kept on going.

A truck passed belching diesel fumes in a faint black haze. There were other commercial vehicles with thick exhaust escaping at every seam and gasket. The smell made me sick to my stomach.  The harder I tried to get home the harder I was panting and sucking in the poison of angry combustion engines. One vehicle would speed by trying to outrun its exhaust of corrosive carbon gas and another would follow with thick smelling diesel that left a burnt rubber flavor in my mouth. The smell mixed with the acrid odor of burning oil and hot tires to create a stew of stink. I felt that I had wandered into a chemical warfare test zone utterly out of character with the beautiful landscape I was passing through.

Thankfully I turned to the shady suburban road that leads directly home. I wanted to raid my wife's garden of rose petals and shove them crumpled into my nose to try to get the stink out, but instead chose a soapy shower which did wonders.

I was disappointed that a pleasant ride turned rancid but the experience has reminded me of the great need to make alternative choices that will help conserve our world. I am not the victim of the exhaust fumes that day any more than any other day because every day all the residents of my community called planet earth suffer. We should all take a moment and smell the roses but if they are covered with carbon exhaust we can.t and should consider what we can do to conserve God's gift of planet earth.

How to Try To Keep Your Feet Dry While Bicycling In The Rain.

A little rain is no reason to abandon a bicycle ride to work if you take a few creative measures.

Everybody has a different reaction to the cold and wet; and for me if my feet are wet I just can't stand it.

There are fancy equipment to keep you dry; but I am poor so I go with the low technology- grocery bags.

Before I started out I put plastic bags inside my shoes so my feet would stay dry. I tied them above my ankle and tucked the tops inside my sweat pants. This seemed to work for about five miles which was about twenty minutes for me, but for some reason my feet were getting wet. When I arrived at work water was squishing between my toes and when I took off my shoes I found about a gallon of water was in each shoe. I changed my socks for the dry ones I brought but made the mistake of putting my soaking shoes back on. The socks were immediately saturated and my feet were just a wet as before. They had to be a little dryer but I couldn't say if it was by much.

Work had to be done so I put up with cold wet feet while everybody else was comfortable.

Going home I didn't bother to try the plastic shopping bags, I just suffered with wet feet. The shoes spent about an hour in the laundry dryer that evening.

In the future I will consider shopping bags inside my shoes and on the outside. I will bring not only a change of dry socks but a change of shoes or slippers to wear at work.

What is The Hardest Thing About Riding a Bicycle to Work Every Day

There are obstacles to everything in life, and the successful people in this world learn how to overcome them. The rest of us, like me, just grit our teeth and either quit or grind our way through them.

Riding a bicycle to work has obstacles. There are rough roads, potholes, hills, rain, cold, bad drivers and the list could just go on. Each of us asses these challenges differently. One person may feel the weather is overwhelming and quit, another may say the hills are the thing and give up. For some it is not a question at all, they see these things and say, "Tough it out and just keep on going."

For me it is my wife. She voices fears for safety, and fears for health, fears for time management, and fears for late arrival which may cost my job. Twice this week she sent me a text on my cell to ask if I was OK and if I wanted her to come with the van and bring me and my bicycle home.

It makes me feel that she does not have faith in me or she thinks I am lazy, a weakling, that I can't handle it or that I am foolish. (I will give her the last one.)

People are who they are, you cannot change them- that is God's job. You do have to love and accept people. We should be a blessing to others. We should try to inspire them to their best.

It may be her way of expressing love, care and concern. It may be that she feels I am doing something that she is left out.

I am grateful that she is my wife, she puts up with a lot. Maybe once in a while I will let her bring the van and give me and the bike a ride.