Dead Head?

I rarely ride with headphones, but it's tempting to have one's favorite tunes going while pedaling. But I can see the wisdom in recent legislation that fines headphone use among riders. Also referred to as a "squid" thing to do among Portlanders. Canadians feel similarly. I suppose I have no other choice than to abandon the tunes, thereby making today my last ride con musica.

Old Helmet

For the first time in at least a year I dealt with a flat tire. My broken pump provided just enough pressure to hobble from the office to a gas station, where I paid a full dollar to start the compressor! Given the leak's slow pace, I was able to make it home before losing all pressure.

Stopped at the bike shop on my return trip seeking a new seat. Aside from realizing I can find much better prices on Amazon, the shop owner quipped that I need a new helmet because so much of the plastic shell is disentegrated. UV light, he claimed, will weaken the integrity of the foam. Really? Not so says the Bike Helmet Safety Institute!

Knowing More Terrain

Yesterday I rode a faster clip toward the office as I had left home later than expected, but I felt well prepared to do so having biked twelve miles Sunday to Boiling Springs. On the afternoon return trip I met another bicyclist behind the hospital (a short cut sans traffic) and she and I rode together for a minute, and waited at a traffic light for another. From our conversation it was apparent that bicyclists have a knowledge of terrain so much more intimate than motorists. She reflected this knowledge, describing a pedestrian tunnel near a park that she uses to avoid heavy traffic on a state route. I hadn't made the connection before. We parted ways at that light and I felt that I had not only built a better mental map of bike commuting, but developed another link in the human web that is so more accessible outside of cars.

First Longer Trip

Around 8:45am I set out to Boiling Springs on the trusty Trek 800. This was a 12 mile trip, passing through Mechanicsburg borough and many farmettes (many of which are being converted to sprawl). Traffic was surprisingly light -- almost nonexistent -- especially when I reached country roads (e.g. Rt. 174). My bike seat was a painful pressure and I now know that for longer rides something more comfy is in order!

One bicyclist passed me with nary a greeting! Alas he must be so serious?

Bicyclists' Friends: Utility Workers

Lest I grow too jaded about the state of bicycle-friendly commuting here in central PA, I was happy to have a utility construction crew stop traffic for me as I rode up a hill where they were digging. Two "stop" sign holders blocked traffic at both ends of their dig site and waved me through, making my inclined passage in the narrowed road a bit easier.

Derailer Tweak & Sore Wrists

Finally I rode again today. Enough of the massive snow dump -- about 30 inches in the past 10 days -- had melted away from the berms of our narrow roads to permit my bike to pass safely between parked cars and those the passed me by.  The morning air was perhaps 30 degrees, making it quite tolerable with my balaclava.  The ride was even more enjoyable given a small tweak to my derailer adjustment so that my chain stopped popping so much off the high gears.The down side these days is that my wrists are sore from the low handle bar configuration on my Trek 800. Might need to spring for the upright handle bars (sigh) in the Spring. No other bicyclists seen.

Schoolbus and Hiker

I had the pleasure of meeting up along the road with my kids' schoolbus. My daughter was on the passenger side and I could get her attention as I pulled up alongside the bus at one of its stops. We smiled and waved at one another, and then she did her silly Nixon-like finger-peace-sign thing, and then the motor roared them to the next stop. Glad she saw a bike commuter in action! What are the chances?



Very low, actually...I saw no other bicyclists today. Instead, a hiker walked eastward inside the berm, in contrast to all the traffic, with a nice lookin' backpack strapped to his torso. He seemed rather displaced, though; perhaps lost from the Appalachian trail? Who knows...regardless, a good ride.

Two Cold Commutes

January 19
I rode off in 35 degrees this morning, pushing up the steep winding road from my driveway before merging into the main thoroughfare that sends me east.


At the intersection of 15/11 and Market Street (and certainly everywhere else) I often catch sight of the dirty, ugly pile of cigarette butts pushed into heaps along with ruster bolts, gravel, and other trash.

Bicyclists seen: a student bicyclist headed to school; on my last stretch home saw two more bicyclists: one a competitive type, the other a heavy-duty commuter with paniers.

January 21
My second ride this week in morning weather that didn't get out of the mid-twenties. A decent ride nonetheless, but no other bicyclists seen, at least in the morning.