Cycling sabbatical

I didn't ride to work yet again today. The pups took forever to do their business this morning, Gracie acted like a picky eater this morning, and the bike tires needed some air. I thought about it for minute and said screw it and grabbed the car keys.

Once to work, I started thinking about it. I don't necessarily enjoy riding to work. Actually, it's kinda a pain in the ass, especially now that it's starting to get cold. It's much more convenient to drive and my lungs and legs aren't burning from my immediate hill climb on my way home. Why do I bother then? Because it's the right thing to do. I only live a mile from work and it's really unnecessary to drive. Working only a mile from work also makes it hard to spend enough time in the saddle to actually enjoy the ride. Maybe if I lived a little further, it would give me the opportunity to enjoy the ride a little more. Then again, it would also be more inconvenient.

The worst part is, I know there are a lot of people that truly do love the ride. Maybe I need a new bike or maybe just some new components!

Tomorrow, I start to ride again, whether I like it or not.

The week that will never end...

So far the first 3 days of this week have felt like 3 weeks and not 3 days.

Sunday was a big birthday for me. The big number 30! We had some people over on Saturday for dinner and Sunday was a day for just the wife and I. We made homemade clam chowder and biscuits. It was all delicious and a wonderful night. When it was time for bed, I started feeing a sore throat come on and sure enough, I was feeling sick on Monday. I wasn't the only one feeling sick this week though.

On Tuesday morning, just when I was taking the dogs out to do their morning business, Gracie started coughing and hacking like she had inhaled some water. She's done it before, but it's always been because of inhaling water so I didn't think anything of it. When we got home from work she had a bit of a coughing fit again. It seemed weird because it lasted about 5 minutes, but I wasn't overly concerned. Then in the middle of the night, to be more exact 3:30 and 5:30 on Wednesday morning Gracie woke us up coughing and this time coughed up some mucusy saliva. We took her temperature and it was high, so I called the vet and made an appointment to take her in this morning.

Come to find out, she's got what they think is a bit of an upper respiratory infection and maybe a little pneumonia. We got some antibiotics to alleviate that, but they did do some x-rays (I wish I had an image of the x-ray to share). This was good because they could get a better look at what was going on in her chest as well as take a look at the lymph nodes since she just had a tumor removed. They did find 3 white spots on the x-ray which could either be pus packets from the pneumonia or, scarily, tumors. The Dr. said if they were tumors they weren't acting like the round cell tumors that we thought she had. Her thought was, if they were tumors, that they were so mutated that they were actually round cells that weren't acting like round cells or they were something different that were mutated enough to look like rounds cells. Let's just say that we hope by the time we get a second x-ray when this course of antibiotics are done, those white spots are no longer there.

In addition to all of this, I have failed a goal. My goal was not to drive a car to work for at least once consecutive year. Until Tuesday, I hadn't driven to work since February 2nd of this year. The culmination of feeling like death, a 60mph wind storm that was blowing through, and not having anything here for breakfast (therefore I would need to go get something), I said screw it and drove. I also drove today because I still wasn't feeling great and I had to take Gracie to the Vet this morning. More than likely, I will probably drive the rest of the week because I still feel a little crappy and I need to get healthy. The wedding and other stuff throughout the year successfully ate up all but 8 hours of pto at work.

The 2010 Bike to Work Challenge...

It's not dog related, but this is 4 legs & 2 wheels afterall.

May is Bike month and many cities around the country are having some sort of cycling related festivities.  For the last couple of years, Columbus has had a Bike to Work Week (B2WW) which for 2010 has been re-badged as  the Bike to Work Challenge.  It's taking place from May 10-21.  Rides are tallied for the 10-20 with the last day being used as a tallying and award day.

2008 was the first year of B2WW and it was really what spurred me into starting to cycle.  That and my employer also offers an Eco-bucks program.  Here's a little blurb about it.  Basically, every time someone cycles/walks/runs/skips/skateboards/crabwalks to work they get $1, $0.50 if they carpool or take a bus.  It's not a lot of money by any means, but it's a great little incentive.  Now that I cycle full-time, it's a dinner out for me and The Teacher once a month.  Back to the 2008 B2WW...we won!  It was great!

The 2009 B2WW came along and we were obviously feeling pretty full of ourselves and excited to repeat our victory.  In 2009 they made the week actually 2 weeks worth of riding.  That was fine by me because I was sure it would give us the chance to stomp the competition even more...we lost.  We came in second place and it was actually a bit of a punch in the gut.  We had some pretty decent stats though.  We had 23 people that were registered, 21 of which were active, meaning they made at least one trip.

This year, we are at 19 registered riders right now with at least another 3-4 more (that I know of) to register.  I'm sure we'll have at least as many as we had last year.  We are even doing an holding a bike tune-up think in our parking lot on Wednesday, the week before it starts.  It will hopefully be just another way we can get more people participating.  We'll be doing basic stuff as well as answering any questions and maybe providing some free schwag (I've got to get around to finding some first though).

Each year the whole event gets bigger with more cycling related events to take part in.  There is a kick-off party that the Columbus Clydesdale and I will be going bright and early on the first day.  There is also another event on Monday the 17th with the CEO's of Central Ohio.  I think the first party is actually just more of a social gathering while the second event includes people talking about the future of Columbus cycling.  I think I will plan to go to both, but it'll depend on if I can come into work late both days.

One thing is for sure, we will bring victory back to it's rightful home!

A case of the Mondays indeed.

Well, as another Monday rolls to an end, I'm sitting her pondering all the happenings of a day that was slightly less than mundane.

I woke up late...well, I really just didn't want to get out of bed and kept falling back to sleep. At 8am I was finally of enough coherence to make a rational decision and figure I'd better get my feet on the floor and get moving. I got up and went through the normal morning routine (shower, feed Cissy, take the dogs out, feed the dogs, and pack my lunch....wait a minute! Yep, forgot to put the coffee on. Crap! At this point I couldn't wait because I was already going to be late. I gave in and decided I would just drink the crappy coffee at work, packed my bag, threw on my helmet, and out he door I went.

It was slightly brisk this morning. Not too bad, but enough that I was glad I put a hat on under my helmet and put a pair of gloves on. I took my normal route to work (which is only a mile I'll add) and usually there isn't much traffic to deal with. Same this morning other than the last 100 feet. I was coming down the hill that rolls up to the side entrance of our parking lot doing...I'd say 25mph or so and I saw an oncoming truck. There are some parked cars on either side, but only a few and still plenty of room for a bike going south and a truck going north. I wasn't really concerned about it. The truck then started slowing down which I thought unnecessary since there was plenty of room, but hey, if they want to be extra cautious that's fine by me! Then all of a sudden, they start to turn left in front of me!! There was only about 20 feet between me and the truck at this point and at 25 mph that wasn't a lot of room. I clamped down on both brakes, felt the back wheel lock-up and kick out a little, but I managed to steer around the front of the truck as they stopped mid-turn. I came to a stop, past the truck, and perpendicular to the road...PISSED! Sometimes I have a mouth like a sailor and when some moron in a truck nearly runs me over, that side of me comes out. This was by far the closest call I've ever had and it scared the ever livin' out of me. The guy at least acknowledged me, apologized and said he didn't see me, but then told me to calm down. Calm down!? Calm down you say!? You damn near killed me buddy!

I was already late to work, so I let it go and rode the remaining 20 seconds to work.

It's times like this that makes me really think about how some people drive. It was 8:45am, plenty of light, I had a red jacket on, a white helmet, riding a bright orange bike, and practically in the middle of the road. How in God's name can you not see me! And then you have the nerve to completely not understand how absolutely catastrophic it could have been to my life! Yea, if I were in a car, and you did that, I would have been mad, but probably not all that hurt, but on a bike... Really buddy!? I hope you spent all day today in torment thinking about how you almost seriously injured someone, but I doubt you gave it a second thought and just shrugged me off as some crazy cyclist.

Let the bike commuting begin!

January ended with a move to Grandview and February started with the beginning of my goal to commute to work by bike everyday.

I was up early on Monday and ready to go. I was layered up for my 0.8 mile commute (I know, compared to other bike commuters it's nothing) and was actually over dressed. I had my work clothes on (khakis and a long sleeved tshirt), sweat pants, my Craft cycling pants, a sweatshirt, and my Columbia jacket. I also had a neck gater that has an attached hood and my cycling gloves and a big pair of winter gloves. I could have easily cut out the middle layer.

The ride to work was great! I was a little warm for the most part, but since it was only for a mile or less, it wasn't enough to get sweaty. I was really looking forward to my ride home, just to find out that my back tire was about half flat. It wasn't flat enough for me to think that it had a leak, but it was too flat to ride on...bummer. Of course I didn't have my hand pump, so I walked it.

On Tuesday (today) I was excited to get up and give it another go, just to find out that there was some snow on the ground and the roads were looking pretty bad. I decided that for safety sake, I probably should get out on the road with my road tires. I had the new tires and tubes for my mountain bike, but of course didn't have them on because they weren't calling for snow in the morning. I guess I probably could have walked, but I gave in and drove.

Needless to say, my #1 goal for tonight was to get my mountain bike ready to go. It's not much to look at, but it should get the job done if there is snow on the ground in the morning.

On another note, Lynette isn't the picture of health recently. I think the stress of moving has taken it's toll on her immune system. She took Monday off to get some work done and to do some more unpacking/cleaning/organizing. She went to work today, but her fever came back so she's staying home tomorrow. I drove home for lunch today and it was really nice so I plan to do the same tomorrow and have lunch with my lady. It'll take a bit more time by bike, but it'll be nice to double my "workout" :-)

Loving the new house, the new roomie, and all the fun that's sure to be had!

The build list for Regal Beagle

Ok, so I'm a little worried about this because I know I spent WAY more than I wanted to and that I needed to, but there's something to be said about doing it right. So here goes:

For the bike:

Frame: 3rd hand bike co-op - $37.36

Paint: Lowe's - $24.73

Wheels (and rim tape): Baer Wheels - $168.63

Tires, tubes, lockring, freewheel, chain, brake cable, and bar tape: B1 Bicycles - $163.25

Brakes: Bikeisland.com (eBay) - $49.95

Brake levers: Bikeisland.com - $25.00

Crankset: Wheel & Sprocket (eBay) - $49.50

Grand total: $518.42

Tools and such needed:

13, 15, 16, & 17 mm cone wrench: Bikesource - $38.38

Crank puller & chain break: Baer Wheels - 42.68

Bottom Braket tool: B1 Bicycles - $27.74

Total: $108.80

Misc.

Grease: Advanced Auto - $6.18

Dish pan & gloves (for degreasing stuff): K-mart - $5.52

Total: 11.70

Grand Total: $638.92! Ouch!

Reflections:

Looking back, I would have been much more cost conscience and searched a little harder for some deals, but for the most part, I would have done all of the same part replacement. I would have definitely spent a little more on tools and just bought an entire set though. I could have gotten twice as much for only $30-$50 more. I could have cut my costs, a few different ways. I could have looked for a used, or cheaper wheelset, I could have ordered a lot more parts online and probably could have saved an extra $50 or so overall.

As with every project that a guy starts, it's definitely not complete yet (nor will it ever be completely done). The saddle sucks and I'd like to get a new seat post. Luckily, a guy I work with has a saddle that he just bought for a really good deal ($30-$40) and he doesn't like it. I'm going to give it try on mine and if I like it, then he'll pass that good deal onto me. I'd like to get a carbon seatpost because it does absorb some vibration, but I'll probably shop around a lot for that. I also still need to get the fixed cog, but that really shouldn't be anymore than $20 and I've already got the lockring.

I'm well aware that I spent more than I needed too, but it was a great experience! Knowing what I know now, I think the next time I do this, I can save a lot more money. Not only do I already have $100 worth of tools (many of which are the ones that are mostly used), but I also have a lot more knowledge about the whole process. There is still A LOT that I have left to learn, but I would definitely recommend learning more about your bike and how it's put together especially for anyone that wants to get more into cycling, whether it be for commuting, recreation, racing, touring, etc. It's been a really fun project and now that's it's done, I felt the need to name her. The name comes from the fact that the bike is ONU colors (not planned that way) and a girl at work said I should name it after the bar in Ada...The Regal Beagle. Lynette wanted me to name her Ada, but Ada seemed to be missing something...a regality that I felt she deserved.

I already have my next project on my mind. The winter commuter! More to come on that in a later post, but for that project I'll definitely be looking to build it for a rock bottom price.

Here is a good visual representation of the makeover (aka pictures).

Before:

After:

Please feel free to leave some thoughts, questions, advice, etc.

Rant...

Dear Dude in the champagne colored, crew cab, Ford on Ackerman, around 7pm today,

Have you read the Ohio Revised Code's section on traffic laws? I have. Next time you decide it's a good idea to yell profanities at me (as you're getting on the freeway) to get on the f$%^ing sidewalk, why don't you try doing it when you are right behind me (and not driving away) so I can have a chat with you on common courtesy, sharing the road, and the law. I understand that I may have delayed your entrance onto 315N by 5-10 seconds and I'm sincerely sorry. I'm sure you didn't run into any more delays on your 30+ minute commute on the interstate at the end of rush hour.

Hugs and Kisses,

Eric