Bike commute, day 2

[rebeccmeister]

The Villa Maria house was 3 miles from campus, which was just below my threshold for gearing up for a REAL bike commute, so in the summertime that has basically meant I have been showing up in work clothes, soaked in sweat, and marinate in that sweat throughout the day. The new homestead is about 5 miles out, which I deem long enough for a change in commuting strategy: put on spandex, cool down upon arrival for a few minutes, pack a change of clothes and a washcloth.

WAY more civilized.

The smooth pavement and straight-shot road are also WAY more civilized.

And now I've reached a level of Hobo Style where, if I had to pack for a trip, all I would need to do is add a couple more pairs of underwear and socks to my pannier, and I could then just grab the pannier and my backpack, and I'd be ready to go.

Froinlavin broke a fifth spoke last night on the ride home, so I had to fix the Jolly Roger's flat and reinstall the worn-out front tire. At least the debris levels are minimal on the new commute. Sections of the old commute are grimy.

The Jolly Roger is oddly quiet without the picnic basket. Also oddly aerodynamic and efficient. The CETMA rack by itself is hardly noticeable.

Comments

Re: Opinion question

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I spend a lot of time thinking about this, whilst trying to convince myself to ride to work more often.

Re: Opinion question

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

You have a tough bike commute situation, IIRC. But I wonder if it would be more worthwhile in the face of fewer colleagues willing to go for lunch rides.

Re: Opinion question

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the lunchtime ride thing is a huge part of it. 50-some miles of somewhat urban, totally non-scenic riding that I've done a bazillion times, all by myself, on a road with a 65 mph speed limit, or 25 miles with a bunch of friends on scenic quiet roads.
If I lived 5-15 miles from work I'd ride in a whole lot more often, especially if I lived in the Boulder area and had a pretty ride in, with coworkers who commute in every day. But a solo ride on busy roads is demotivational.

Re: Opinion question

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

One of my new roommates is basically in that boat, and I can't blame you or him for making that choice, because that's probably what I'd wind up doing as well.

Although, on the flipside, I'm REALLY careful about where I choose to live, specifically because I want to be able to rock the commute, and want to continue avoiding buying a car. I've car-shopped pretty intensively more than once, but I really don't want the bother and expense of it all. Running errands with J in the car last weekend was a strong reminder of that. Give me a bike and a bike trailer, and I can haul all kinds of stuff and actually enjoy running errands!