A little something to start the week

I have answered the call, I have accepted the challenge! The http://2milechallenge.com/ that is!

Clif bar (makers of delicious and nutritious snacks) will be awarding $100,000 in grants to non-profits that focus on educating and keeping people safe during smart commutes.

The challenge centers on the data that most of our trips are in the range of two miles or less, and by making these by bike we will not only reduce the amount of toxic material that we release onto the Earth, but we will also become healthier.

This is a great cause, and if you you have been biking for your short trips you should sign up and start logging your miles! If you have not been biking, but you have been thinking about it, this is a great reason to take that next step. Your actions will make a difference in so many ways. Please take the time to sign up.

And if your commute is simply too long or dangerous to make it by bike, then follow me at my profile: http://2milechallenge.com/profile/randomstream 

Give this a shot!

Have a great week.

-J

My Time Unplugged.

Currently I am a law student, so I spend a lot of time reading books, online articles and listening to pod-casted lectures.

What I do not get is much time where I am without some sort of information in front of me that I have to cram into my head.

This is one of the reasons that I really cherish my daily bike commute. I refrain from listening to music or answering texts or phone calls and just unplug for 20 minutes. Sometimes this is just what I need in order to not become over-saturated with substantive laws, procedural issues and "reasonableness" issues that I find myself knee deep in on a daily basis. 

If you find yourself overwhelmed with your day to day drudge try getting away from it all, even if only for a half hour. Get on your bike, or just put on some shoes, and get to where you need to go in a simpler way, your head will clear up and your moral will improve greatly.

-J

New Vehicle

I have upgraded my whips! Gone are the days of commuting to school and town on my dual suspension mtn bike (it has served me well) and the days of a quick easy commute by way of hybrid have come.

The dual suspension will be put to pasture, reserved for days of ruckus and tight single track, never again to be forced to endure the mundane jaunts to and fro school.

Ha, what I am trying to say is that I picked up the Schwinn Trailway on Friday evening.

Though I have only put about 25 miles on it this weekend, they have all been pretty sweet.

Though this is not a review I do have a few high and low points already:

• Highs: 
• Hardtail: no more losing mechanical advantage due to the inevitable bobbing of rear suspension.
• Shifting: ease in the Shimano rapid-fire shifters.
• Speed: the hybrid tires are great, so far they have been great on the roads and have even performed pretty well on some hard-packed dirt trails.
• Lows:
• Saddle: the stock saddle must be replaced ASAP. This one feels like it is shifting left and right with my legs, and makes me feel unsteady.
• Pedals: being a stock commuter the pedals are not as aggressive as I would like them. They are flat and do not offer much tread. I will replace them by the end of the summer.

All in all; a really nice bike so far. The best part is that the handlebars are positioned so that the rider does not have to hunch over, this gives my scoliosis a welcomed ride.

The rack and trunk are supposedly out for delivery as I write. So look for shots of them and a fully assembled blog in the coming week(s).

-J

PS- it is smart commute week, please tell me how you are commuting smartly! I would love to hear!

Adventures in cyclo-commuting: A good start to the long weekend

A busy boy I have been. 

Yesterday I biked a total of 24 miles to and around town doing various chores and running errands. It feels great to displace the car as much as possible. 

The 24 miles, all of which would have been city driving, amounts to about one gallon of gas that I did not burn. According to a few different websites one gallon of spent gasoline yields 20 pounds of pollution released into the atmosphere. So a rough estimate is that for ever 18-24 miles that I bike I will be keeping about 20 pounds of pollution materials out of the environment. This makes me smile. 

Time to keep on keeping on. 

Today I am going to look at a hard-tail bike (more of a commuter style) to replace the rear suspension model that I am currently using. The benefits you ask? Well to name a few: better ratio of exertion to speed/ distance (this bike will result in better efficiency in pedaling), the ability to put on a rack and panniers (to save my back from having to carry the heavy load of school books, and also afford me the ability to pick up books from the library or groceries from the store on my way home from class) and also this bike is equipped with a surefire gear changing system so no random gear changes while hill climbing which also means no fear of random castration from those random gear shifts!

Take care all!

-J

Adventures in cyclo-commuting

Tally up another day to biking wherever I need to go!

I rode to the post office school with increasing time today. It is great to feel progress and also to see the time difference. I use my watch timer to clock myself; getting faster every time.

It has been about three weeks of on and off biking to school and town and I have to say I really like it. Even though the trip is not far, just about nine miles round-trip (I know, my math in the previous post is waaay off!) but it gets my body caught up to the progress that my mind has made for the day and it kind of amps me up for class: definitely not a bad thing.

The time has come for me to show you a few highlights from my favorite way to school, enjoy:

My favorite highway overpass.

The entrance into a rather nice residential neighborhood.

A quick short-cut through the woods.

On the next trip I hope to leave a little earlier so that I can give you a more comprehensive pictorial of the trip.

-J

Adventures in cyclo-commuting: A weekend's worth

Car-less as much as I can, that is the goal.

Over the past two weeks I have commuted by bike 7 times. So 50% isn't too bad, for now.

Last week was a little hectic because I had some house sitting to do after class, on the other side of town. so needless to say last week there was not as much biking as I would have liked.

This weekend however, has been a success so far. Friday after class I took a pretty decent bike tour around the city and through the Arboretum (oops, didn't see the signs!) as well as a few other parks. It was a good time.

On Saturday I took the Border2Border Trail from our apartment into downtown Ann Arbor. It is a nice paved path that runs East to West through Wastenaw. I was surprised the the trip could  be made to Chelsea's place of employ in 25 minutes, actually much faster than by car, and mildly effortless save for one hill.

I look forward to my next excuse to ride into town!

In other news: I am still looking for something suitable to mount a rack and panniers on. But that can wait.

-J

Car-free: 31.6 miles

Cyclo-commuting Day 2

Well after my little popping incident yesterday I remain determined to bike to class everyday.

My 3.2 miles to school day was pretty uneventful, a little warm, but the traffic was pretty calm and the back streets were relatively free of anyone.

While on our 3:00 break I noticed wet pavement outside and dark clouds on the horizon, so I thought that I was certain to get stuck in some rain. However the return trip was as dry as the trip there.

I did notice that my rear tire is a little low again, I am up in the air over whether I should call on REI again, or take it somewhere else. For the meantime, it appears to be holding air, so we are good for now.

Going to have to invest in a portable air pump, that is for certain.

Have a happy weekend. Look for my first beer review soon! First up is Oberon from Bell's Brewery. If you have any suggestions for me to try out let me know!

-J

Adventures in cyclo-commuting Day 1

Due to rising fuel prices, various environmental issues and a concern for my health I have decided to begin biking to school and on other random errands around town.

I have a minor arsenal: a mountain bike and a road bike.

The mountain bike I have had for about a year, however the road bike I recently acquired from craigslist.

I took the road bike out yesterday for my first real road ride, about 14 miles. It was such a welcomed feeling, moving through and amongst traffic with greater agility and speed than a mountain bike.

Today I took the roadster to school on day one of cyclo-commuting, however, just as I rounded the corner to the school my rear tire popped and I was forced to walk the final few hundred yards; MAJOR BUMMER. Thank gosh for REI, they hooked me up with a new tube and threw it on in a jiff! (Some day I will learn the mechanics of biking, however, now I am focusing on learning the intricacies of contract and tort law!)

So tomorrow, be ready roads, because here I come!

-J

(pics of the bikes coming tomorrow)