Riding With Dex

I was not too keen on riding this morning as various residential circumstances seemed to prevent me from hopping in the saddle, especially a leaking dehumidifier in the basement. Nevertheless, I let go of the idea that I needed to be at the office right on time and attacked the large meandering puddle before putting foot to pedal. As I rode in, slowly through the soupy summer air, I imagined taking this ride (below) with Dexter Gordon. Unfortunately, that isn't possible in the literal sense, but we all can certainly move along posthumously with his music.

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As thoughts of Dex's album began to percolate more than my earlier funk, I was moving uphill past the local coffeeshop where 3 or 4 cyclists relaxed with their java. If I hadn't left late I might have been more inclined to stop and chat with them. 

Final Views of UK Bikes

There is, at the risk of being so banal, a great number of bikes of many types in UK cities. Is it social psychology, policy, geography or the design of Britain's cities that makes this the case? And how do bikes affect the aforementioned factors? Will bikes lead to H.G. Wells's dream of utopia? Perhaps for riders only. 

Among all those I saw, bikes offer much more efficacy to their users because they are low tech machines that maximize the potential of human locomotion. And because they are easy to repair, manage and operate, the do not leave their users dependent on something out of their control. No additional infrastructure is needed for bicyclists, save for a relatively hard surface. And when paired with trailers and dynamos, bikes are all the more effective, whether to carry something or move along at night.

Edinburgh Bike with Trailer

Glasgow Parking Lot

Argyle Street Bridge

Wee Bike in Windermere

Liverpool Train Station

Tools Sought!

Well, by some stroke of luck, or as the consequence of a two day span of diurnal biking, not only did I see several bicyclists today but one of them needed my help and asked for it! If yesterday I was feeling so much a unitary peddler, today I was, in a very small way, among the nascent hive of central PA bicyclists! All of this transpired at the local library, where I renewed a copy of Restaurant at the End of the Universe for my son. On my way in another biker called my attention asking for tools, as his seat was very loose and needed a 5mm hex wrench. I rifled through my tool pouch and, well, unfortunately I didn’t have what he needed. It was a pleasure to try to help!

non-Celebratory?

My morning into the office ride was made almost celebratory because I saw two bicyclists on the road, one of whom I passed and another who headed in the direction opposite mine. The former biker didn’t hear my greeting because he was dangerously plugged into his ear buds, and the latter likely saw me but didn’t seem to care to acknowledge me (we’re so rare here shouldn’t he?). Perhaps it’s sad to say celebration is in order when you get to pass another cyclist, but that is the reality here and I suppose in most places. Might some display of solidarity, like annoying whistles attached to bike frames, be in order? The “Few Bicyclists League”? or “Almost Missed Me Corps”?

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?

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.

One Mild Skid-Slip / 44 degrees

Today's commute, amid dark grey skies and a damp penetrating low 40s air, was quickly interrupted by a westbound motorist intending to turn left through a gap in opposing traffic. We just saw each other as I headed east in the shoulder of the Carlisle Pike, my tires skidding and sliding perhaps six to eight feet in reaction. We eyed each other with plain faces.

Later I stopped to make a photo at one of two major intersections on my ride:

Two other bicyclists on the road today: one older & bearded, the other well equipped in outdoor cycling gear with a whistle at the ready.