My Motto

Hop on. Ride hard. Repeat



Thursday, June 6, 2013

How I became a commuter

I've long enjoyed riding to work.  Typically, I only do it on Fridays because it doesn't work out well on other days of the week.  Maximize family time, ya know?

This week changed that.  Our minivan broke down on Tuesday, leaving us with just one vehicle.  In fact, I left work on Tuesday to rescue Michelle, David and Leah and then had to ride back to work.

By the end of the week, I will have commuted to work 3.5 times.  As you can imagine, I'm pretty pleased about that.  That will net me about 42-43 miles I probably wouldn't have rode otherwise.

This got me to thinking.  Gas prices are around $4.30/gallon right now.  If prices stay that way or go higher, riding to work more often kinda seems like a no-brainer.  It would probably save me about 3/4 to 1 gallon of gas per commute day.  That's somewhere between $3-5/commute day.  If I do that 2x/week over the next 12 weeks, we're looking at $72-120 in savings.  I could deal with that.  Money is tight everywhere.  Why not save a buck or two.

Monday, June 3, 2013

To Sam or not to Sam, that is the question!

As any cyclist will tell you, we are never satisfied with the bike/s we have.  There is always something "better".

We swap cranks, saddles, handlebars, pedals, deraillers, brakes, you-name-it in the eternal quest for "The Bike".  Once we've changed over everything possible, that's when get serious about which bike will be the next bike.  The next bike will, of course, will be "The Bike".  We're sure of it.

Actually, I should confess that the process is not nearly that linear.  Cyclists are always thinking about the next bike, no matter what they currently have, even if they just got back from the bike shop after picking up a new ride.  We were probably thinking about the next, next bike before we even laid our hands on the next bike.  It's kind of sick.

Why was I writing this post?

Oh yeah, to Sam or not to Sam?  Which bike will be the next bike?  The eternal, unanswerable question.

A couple months back, I upgraded several components on Gimli the Road Bike.  Handlbars were swapped, pedals were switched, shifters were changed and I even added a shiny new stem (just for kicks; it was totally unnecessary).  A nice set of fenders were also added during the upgrade process and that's where we ran into a problem.

With fenders, the frame will allow 23 mm tires.  Nothing wider.  Riding 28s had been my goal, but I would need to take off the fenders and, well, I really like the fenders.  Riding in the rain is kinda fun when you're not getting soaking wet and covered with road grit.

Ideally, I would like to have a bike that fits 32 mm tires at a minimum (35 or above would be ideal).  Gimli the Road Bike won't even come close.  I was hoping I might be able to squeeze 28s on but that was a no go.

What to do, what to do?

Ever since I first got back in to cycling, I have been mildly obsessed with Rivendell Bicycle Works, out of northern California.  They have a vibe, an aesthetic, a philosophy that really speaks to me.  They make bikes that are comfortable to ride, look very retro-cool, and are designed for the average joe (not racers).  Their bikes are designed to be useful in many different circumstances, from riding to the store to fetch a gallon of milk to doing a century ride.  These are not cheap bikes by any means but I have yet to hear anyone, anywhere say they are not high quality or they are uncomfortable.  They only complaint I have ever heard about them is that they are not as light as some other bikes.  The owner of Rivendell is very up front about the topic of weight and has a well thought opinion on the topic.  Read it here.  If you complain about the weight of the frame then you really didn't do your homework.

Several months back I had set my sights on purchasing a Sam Hillborne.  The cost for the frame alone is $1225!  My estimate for saving up that amount of cash was in the 5 year range (that might even be conservative).  But I was dedicated.  I will perservere.  I will buckle down and save every last penny I can find.  I will not give in to temptation.

Why is this so important?  I feel like a compromised when I purchased Gimli.  I went with something that was kinda in the ballpark of what I wanted but wasn't really all that close.  I rationalized (I'm pretty good at that, by the way).  Since I purchased Gimli back in 2011, I've upgraded essentially everything on the bike.  It's actually pretty cool now, but it's not quite what I want.  Had I saved all the money that has been put into Gimli, I might have a Sam Hillborne right now.

In my head, I hear the little voice saying, "Steady now, stay the course!"

But...what if I could find a different bike that would be cheaper but would still fulfull all of the objective requirements I have for the next bike?  What if?

What do I really want to do on the bike?  Typically, my head is in two different camps.
  1. Ride a bike that is comfortable and solidly made with good quality components, even if it is a little slower than other peoples bikes.
  2. Ride a bike that is still set up comfortably but might be a little lighter and a little faster.
The first bike would be much more of an all-arounder capable of hauling some stuff and doing fast rides by myself.  It is when I'm with others that I would be disappointed.

The second bike wouldn't be able to have much more than a handlebar bag for a load but would keep up with friends a little better.  Let's face it, fast is fun.

The Sam Hillborne is much more of the first kind of bike.  I seriously doubt I wouldn't be happy with it.  It's just that it will take so long to save the money!

Realistically, it will take at least another year before I have saved up enough money to do anything worth doing.  Basically, this is a debate that will rage in my mind for at least that long and I will change my mind more times than I can count.

In the end, it is pretty trivial.  I have two good bikes that I will continue to ride even if they aren't "The Bike".

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Really, that's all I've done so far?

Just yesterday, I did the 65 mile route for the 100 Grand Bike Tour (which I highly recommend, by the hoo).  When I was done, I uploaded the data from my Garmin 500 to see how we did.

Overall, it was pretty good day.  I rode with Dave Vanderschaaf and Scott DeKryger, pacelineing it the whole way.  This was definitely new for me as I typically ride alone.

Just for kicks, I checked my mileage total for the year.  598.

What?

598.

Seriously, that's it?

Yep folks, it turns out having 3 kids, a lovely/beautiful/fantastic wife, and a full-time job will cut into your ride time.  Who-da-thunk?

At this pace, I'll be satisfied if I get 1800 miles for the year.  That would be 600 less than 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.  Oh well.  At least the kids are cute.