The Big-Bearded Bicyclist

Today's Commute with Toe Clips, Fenders and Reflective Tape

While looking for things at the surplus to MacGyver the front fender, I also bought DOT-grade automotive reflective tape, the kind you see along the sides of semi-trucks and trailers. Come to think of it, I could probably have gotten it free. Ah nuts! I put some of the tape--red around the back of the bike and white around the front--on my bike last night.

This morning, having toe clips, fenders and reflective tape on my bike, I was excited to commute to work while it was still somewhat dark out. Jihan said, having watched me pedal away from the drop-off point, that the reflective tape was quite bright and really added to my visibility. I had some idea already, having photographed the bike last night and seen the bright orange and white reflection of the light from the camera's flash. I find it amazing how much brighter the reflective tape is than the bicycle reflectors on the wheels. I should probably add some little pieces to the inside of the wheels, following a suggestion made by Sheldon Brown, as reflections on moving parts make for even better visibility.

 

I found also that the toe clips really make a difference, especially on hills. Having my toes strapped in constrained, and therefore focused, the power of my legs and allowed greater application of force throughout the pedals' rotation. Without them, power is only directed forward and downward.

I also noticed, however, that my leg muscles were not used to working in this position. First of all, the toe clips force one to use the ball of one's feet on the pedals rather than the centre, the arch, and so utilize the calf muscles more. In fact, using toe clips caused a number of muscles in my legs to be used differently. There are parts of my leg muscles little used when pedalling with the arch of the foot that are letting themselves be felt right now. And my ankles, more noticeably on the ride home, also got a little tired. I suspect my calves, hamstrings and ankles will receive more of a workout over the next little while.  

What I did not know, as the weather report did not predict it this morning, was that I would also be able to test my new fenders out this afternoon. People at work began freaking out shortly after lunch as they saw severe weather warnings on the weather network's website--thunder showers, hail, high winds, and possibly a small tornado. What would I do, they wondered, finally getting used to the idea of me commuting by bicycle. Shortly after they started talking about it, Jihan also called me to see if I wanted a ride home.

I decided to have her drive towards me, the rain having decreased a little by the time I got off work, while I began to make my way home. I was rather impressed with how the fenders kept the water away from both my feet and the rest of my body. My shoes used to get completely soaked even during light rain and all kinds of crap got sprayed all over me. Not any more. My shoes, even in fairly heavy rain, did not get nearly as wet as before. They mainly got wet from the top.

One troublesome thing after adding fenders has to do with my Saris Thelma 2-Bike rack. I began worrying about it while trying to get to sleep last night. I suspected the front fender would be in the way, so I brought a piece of packaging foam with me to insert between the wheel and the rack's front wheel holder. It turns out a bigger concern than the fender getting bent from the rack--it did get a bit bent, though I was able to adjust it quickly--was the security of the bike in the rack. It almost came loose on the way to the drop-point in the morning.

At work, during my lunch break, I checked the Saris website and they do indeed have a tiny asterisk with fine print stating that the Thelma rack is not designed to hold bicycles with front fenders. I used to love this rack! The fender prevents the front wheel from fully resting in the front wheel support and also prevents the strap from reaching around the wheel. That stinks! The front fender, as far as I'm concerned, is more important than the rear, yet that is precisely the one interfering. What I ended up doing on the way home, and it barely worked, was to simply place the bike on the rack, without any foam in between, and then to use two bungee cords to secure the front wheel, now not sitting as securely in the cradle. Maybe I'll come up with something better still... For now it barely works.

Mixed Bag: Commuting, Fitness and New Additions

Commuting

I completed my second week of commuting to and from work by bicycle on Friday. I feel good about it, even if on two days I got a ride in to work in the morning--one day the weather report called -- incorrectly, it turned out -- for heavy thunder showers, while the other day I ended up having to stay up too late the night before. Anyway, I still cycled a total distance of 293.7 km.

I noticed a few things over the past two weeks of commuting. I still got a very sore neck -- I have not yet dialled in a proper fit or acquired a new handlebar. I also got very wet on one ride, at least for the first half of it, and worse than the rain itself was the dirty water splashing up from the road. Fenders are needed to mitigate that. Also, I've gotten into a bad habit of using the arch of my foot to pedal. Re-installing toe clips, since I don't have clipless pedals and cycling shoes, should correct that. It should also give me some additional power on the hills, of which there are a plenty on my commute.

Take a look at the elevation charts. A colleague at work was asking me about my commute, remarking that the way to work must be especially difficult because of being mostly up hill. So I showed him the following elevation profiles from my commute to and from work, respectively:

As you can see, to work is mostly up hill, with some minor rewards, while back from work, though containing at least three significant ascents, is mostly and drastically down hill. From Waterdown towards Burlington, especially, drops down more than 200 meters. After seeing the elevation profiles, said colleague was even more impressed with my morning commute.

Fitness

Strangely, my weight is doing unexpected things. I usually weigh myself on Mondays. Three Mondays ago I weighed in at 177.5 lbs, two Mondays ago at 177, and then this past Monday, after my first week of commuting, at 177.5 again. It really puzzled and frustrated me. I don't know whether I simply ate that much more during that first week of commuting to offset the energy used or whether I gained the equivalent in muscle mass.

For some reason I decided to step on the scale yesterday morning, just to see where I stood. I weighed in at 173 lbs. I had a hard time believing it, so I weighed myself several times and had Jihan weigh herself too. The scale seems to be all right. Once satisfied that the scale wasn't broken and tricking me, I was quite happy about the new weight. Now I have only about 13 lbs to go to reach the goal set when I began this blog. I hope tomorrow's weight will still be the same...

Now the main thing I need to do is to add some strength training, especially to tighten up the still-too-soft-though-diminishing mid-section. Maybe some crunches are in order.

New Additions to the Bike

I had already decided to put the toe clips that came with my bike back on the pedals to force me back into using the balls of my feet to pedal and generally to more effectively use my pedalling power. I will pay specific attention to hills over the next week to see if the clips make a tangible difference. I hope they do.

I also decided to do at least one thing about rainy weather cycling -- get fenders. I went to MEC to check out their selection of fenders, spent some time online looking at and reading descriptions of various types of fenders sold there, and reading user experiences on blogs and fora. I knew I didn't want the little, dull, clip-on plastic fenders. Part of me leaned towards steel fenders, not so much for the look as for the solid construction. I also liked the look of the Soma EuroTrip Fenders. I didn't want to wait though, so I walked over to my local LBS, knowing that they had some fenders and would likely give me a decent deal and be willing to chat about options. I ended up going with black polycarbonate fenders by Sunny Wheel Industrial Co. (strangely, I can't find the ones I bought on their site).

Anyway, installing them, as I've read in numerous places, and was told by the bicycle store owner as well, was not straightforward or easy. Or, as he put it, 'it's a bitch to install'. The worst part was the front. It turns out the suspension fork on my Montague MX doesn't have eyelets on both sides. One side has two, likely designed for disc brake installation, while the other side has none. I did find a couple of mid-fork braze-ons (I think that's what they're called), the purpose of which I am unsure.

It took me a while to figure out a way to DIY it. At first I thought I might be able to use the plastic clamp from an unused headlight for an additional eyelet, but my fork is too thick. So I went to the local surplus store to look for stuff. I ended up buying a set of nuts and bolts, a set of hose clamps, and some reflector strips. Turns out, after fiddling with them at home, that the screw doesn't actually come out of the clamp altogether, thus rendering it useless for my purposes, that is to fasten the stays to it.

After some further frustration, I decided to modify the front stays so that they could be fastened to the mid-fork braze-ons. I bent them sufficiently to fit. After that, everything else flowed.

A bit more of a close-up showing the way I bent and attached the fender stays.

Here's a pic with both fenders and toe clips installed.

Now I'll have to test them out. I'm sure it will rain again this coming week. I'm interested to see how much of a difference fenders really make in the rain.

First Week of Commuting to Work by Bicycle

Yesterday I completed my first week of using my bicycle to commute to and from work. As mentioned previously, on the way to work I have Jihan drive me up to Waterdown, thus avoiding the extra time it would take to climb up the escarpment near the beginning of my ride. Then, from Waterdown, ON I cycle along smallish rural roads to work in Aberfoyle, ON.

On the way home from work I cycle all the way, door to door, from the office to my apartment. That ride is a bit longer, but the part from Waterdown into Burlington is sweet. Mostly downhill, winding down the escarpment. I actually have to brake to make some of the corners on Mill St. -- the bike speeds up that much. It is, as you can see if you zoom into the terrain view just south-east of Waterdown, a 200m drop in a fairly short distance. See trip below.

Partly because I am not properly geared up for wet weather cycling, and because I got to bed too late on Sunday night to get up early enough to cycle to work, I only did 2 return trips. Oh, and Wednesday night a coworker gave me a ride back because we'd gone to a farewell thing at a pub in Guelph and I didn't feel like much like cycling the distance and get home at 2100 or later.

Altogether, however, I am happy with the total distance traveled this week -- 279 kms. That is more in one week than I've ever done before, and while there were some temporary issues with my Montague MX -- screwed tire on Tuesday and lots of chain/gear noise on Thursday's ride back, having been thoroughly soaked on the morning commute -- both the bike and I are doing fine.

I still need to do more modifications on the bike, however, and dial in a proper fit to both enhance my performance and reduce my physical discomfort. I'd love to be able to visit the Bicycle Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ to get fit properly, or a similar place around here, if it exists. Since I can't afford that, and I am not interested in racing at this point, but just commuting and touring, even my LBS should be able to improve my currently rather inadequate fit. I'd like to do it before making too many more modifications in case specific changes, like getting a new stem, are needed for a proper fit.

Wet Morning Commute: 8 Lessons

Today I did my third morning commute to work from the drop off point in Waterdown, ON. Knowing it was definitely foggy and might well rain, I donned my water-resistant tights and cycling jacket. It was a little on the cool side, but with full-length tights, long-sleeved dry-wick shirt and thin water-resistant cycling jacket, it was nice. It continued to be nice until I was soaked - the jacket is water-resistant, not water-proof.

Here are some lessons:

1) Sometimes when it rains, it pours, regardless of your commuting plans and/or commitments.

2) Water-resistant is not water-proof, but some water-resistant clothing holds up better than other - my upper body got completely soaked as the rain eventually forced its way through the shell (the jacket is a bit old though, so maybe the coating has worn off), but my legs stayed fairly dry beneath the long tights.

3) Rain water, depending upon where in the world you are, may be fairly fresh, but water spraying up from the road because you don't have fenders installed on your bike is not at all fresh. Yuck! Note to self: get some decent fenders!

4) Feet, when not in water-proof shoes or shoes with water-proof covers over them, get thoroughly soaked. If the rain isn't heavy enough to do it, water spraying up from the wheels, especially when going through patches of standing water, will soak them well. By the time I got to work, my shoes were so wet I may as well have been in the bathtub with them. A bathtub with cold, dirty water in it. My feet are still wet. Note to self: get water-resistant/proof booties with which to cover my shoes as I cannot afford cycling shoes, and, get some decent fenders!

5) Shoes and socks take a while to dry!

6) Enough rain will eventually soak through a backpack on the rear rack if it is not designed to be water-resistant/proof, and any clothing within may have wet spots too. Note to self: get an Ortlieb pannier set or, at the very least, put clothing in a plastic bag before putting it in the backpack.

7) When people at work think you're nuts for commuting 69 km/day to/from work during pleasant weather, they think you've completely lost your mind when you come in with your bicycle on a rainy day, soaked. One lady from the customer service department was at the water cooler as I came in. She looked at me and shook her head. Love it!

8) When you come in to work completely soaked and everyone thinks you're nuts for cycling in on a rainy day when you could have taken your car, and you are loving it, you know you're a dedicated commuter cyclist. Note to self: it's okay to stick out my chest and pat myself on the back now :-{)}}}>

First Two-Way Commute to Work

This morning I got up at 4 to do my first morning commute to work. Because of having to ascend the Niagara escarpment between Hamilton and Waterdown (if you look at the terrain view of the map below, you'll see the ridge I'm talking about just this side of Waterdown), I decided to get a ride into Waterdown in the morning and begin my commute from there.

Because I didn't know what to expect, I gave myself 2 hours to cycle from Waterdown to work, hence the insanely early start. Jihan dropped me off at the Tim Horton's parking lot in Waterdown about 10 minutes before 5. Five minutes later I was on my way.

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It was still completely dark as I began my commute along the small country road taking me from Waterdown just about to work. I was a bit concerned that it would be too dark to properly see the road, given that the sales guy at the bicycle store where I bought my Blackburn Voyager 3.3 LED headlight told me all it would do, indeed all any of the lights he sold would do, was to make me visible, not help me see. He said to get a light that would actually help you see in the dark, you'd have to spend up to $200 or more on something like the Busch & Müller lights.

It turns out the little headlight I have, while not really lighting my path, did shine a decently bright spot on the ground about 10-15 feet ahead of me, enough to be able to clearly see pot holes and broken asphalt edges. It also shone a small patch of light on either side of the handlebar and front wheel. Pretty cool and not at all bad. It will do for now. I'll just have to stock up on rechargeable AAA batteries.

It was a nice, cool morning. Not only was it an enjoyable ride weather-wise, but I was also treated to a beautiful sunrise to my right. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me. I heard various birds, some obviously startled by my approach, and saw a great blue heron, which we refer to as dangley legs, flying across the road ahead of me.

Though I felt like I wasn't making very good progress, a feeling not helped at all by the rapid brightening of the sky, I ended up getting to work just five minutes after 6. It took me just over an hour to get there. I had time for a nice, unhurried shower before settling at my desk. One thing I noticed, just about a kilometre from work, was a little pitter-patter sound coming from my bike. The frequency of the sound rose and fell with the speed of my riding. I suspected, though I didn't find out 'til after work, that it may be coming from one of my tires.

It turns out my suspicion was right. By the time I retrieved my bike from the little room in which I keep it at work, the rear tire was completely flat and just about falling off the rim. Not wanting to get everyone at work fussing over me, offering me a ride and such, I carefully walked the bike to the GO Bus shelter next door and changed the tire there. It was my first tire change--I always brought it to the shop to get done in the past (shaking my head at myself now, having wasted the money all that time instead of doing it myself)--and it had to happen on my way home on the first day of commuting.  Turns out I got screwed, or rather my rear tire did, right near work. A drywall screw was embedded in my tire. Having read about some tubes blowing right through larger holes and gashes in the tire, and having also read that a bill can be used to boot a tire, I inserted a 2" X 4" piece of paper between the tube and the tire where the hole is. 

Now off to bed again... All that cycling sure makes one hungry and sleepy. Maybe tomorrow I'll have some pictures to share from my second commuting day.

First Commute Home with Axiom Journey Seatpost Rack Installed and Loaded

This morning I got a ride to work but rode all the way home. I had planned to start from Waterdown in the morning, riding the rest, but had gone to sleep much too late to get adequate sleep for such an early departure. So today I did half the commute with my new seatpost rack loaded up.

I had taken my MEC daypack with me, as I usually do, stuffed with my cycling clothes, water bottle and lunch. After work I got changed, stuffed all my work clothes and the now empty lunch container into the daypack, strapped the pack onto the rack with a couple of little bungee cords and cycled home.

I noticed a few things: 1) with the weight on the rack above the rear wheel, rather than on my back, the ride felt significantly different -- smoother and more stable; 2) the weight on the rack made climbing hills a bit more difficult, forcing me to use lower gears than normal for the same hills; 3) though I still got a sore neck and wrists, not having the daypack on my back reduced the pain somewhat; and 4) the clicking disappeared. Now I'm really not sure what caused the clicking. How could adding a rack and putting some weight on it make the clicking go away? Could the clicking have come from the seatpost? Or perhaps from the rear wheel? If from the seatpost, I can see how the clicking could correspond with my pedaling. If from the back wheel, however, I don't see how it could correspond. 

Just the feel of the weight on the back got me dreaming of touring. I can barely wait! Next year, for sure, I intend to use my vacation time to do some touring. By then, hopefully, I'll have acquired not only a trekking handlebar (actually, I think I'll have that much sooner -- more on that soon), but also Old Man Mountain racks and Ortlieb panniers.

Now I'd better go to sleep so I can get up at an unholy hour to get a ride up to Waterdown. Tomorrow I intend to commute not all the way, both ways, but partway in the morning and the whole way after work.

Wish me luck!

Preparing to Commute Regularly

I'm in a strange financial predicament. I want to be more active and cycle more. To cycle more, both safely and comfortably, I need money to work on my bike. I need to fix some things -- I noticed significant wear on the teeth on my largest chainring, which may need to be replaced, and the bottom bracket may need replacement, or at the very least a good cleaning and lubing, to stop the infernal clicking. I also need to add things -- reflective tape, a decent headlight for night cycling, a trekking handlebar, a handlebar bag, racks (at least a rear one), and panniers (at least a rear set) -- for both safety and comfort. 

Because money is so tight, I finally decided to spend a little money on a couple of bike things based on the fuel I expect to save by using my bicycle to commute most of the way to work and all the way back. The way I see it, if I get a ride at least up the steep hill into Waterdown, I can cycle the rest of the way without taking too much time. The drop point in Waterdown is almost exactly a third of the way to work. That should result in a significant fuel savings. I thus calculated my savings on fuel this month and put that money towards the bike.

In Ontario, to be legal on the road before sunrise and after sunset (my morning commute would start before sunrise), a bicycle must be equipped with a headlight. I wanted a nice headlight that would not only make me visible, but would also light my way. Something like a Busch & Müller Big Bang would be nice, or even one of their IXON IQ or LUMOTEC IQ lights. However, those are way out of my reach for now, so I bought a cheap Blackburn Voyager 3.3 LED headlight to at least be visible.

To avoid having a backpack on my back on my ride to and from work, something that not only leaves the back soaked with sweat but also causes backaches and exacerbates my neck pain, I purchased a back rack. While I'd like an Old Man Mountain rack, that will also have to wait. For now I got an axiom Journey seatpost rack. With the rack in the backmost position, it still cramped the seat bag a little, which is a bit irritating as I am used to carrying my spare tubes and toolset in there.

I haven't tried out the light yet as it wasn't dark when I went for my 20 km ride today, but I did have the seatpost rack installed. There seemed to be some rattling noise coming from its direction. I'm not sure if it was the rack itself or the rear blinky light I have velcroed onto the back. Tomorrow I intend to test the rack with my loaded little backpack strapped to it. We'll see how that works out. The max capacity listed for it is 15 kg, or about 33 lbs. My little backpack won't come close to that.

Big-Bearded Bicyclist Logo on My Banner

Earlier this month I began working on a logo design for this site to put on the banner and, at some point, on a jersey. As on my previous websites, I always create my own graphics -- I do have a bit of a design background, though much neglected, as well.

While I put up a temporary banner without a logo,  I began the design process of the logo by looking for ways to bring both cycling and long beards into a single, simple image. As mentioned on the about page, big beards are more often associated with biker culture than with cycling culture. I'm hoping to do my part to fit beards, man's natural adornment, into cycling culture -- not all cyclists are into shaving, be it of legs or faces.

I shared an early attempt on a beard community forum to get some feedback. The feedback was helpful -- supportive, practical and humorous. One member pointed out how the two components of my original attempt, the big beard and the bicycle, did not mesh. The bicycle was somewhat simple, though not highly stylized, while the beard was too realistic. Another member came up with a very funny design of his own, posted below with his permission.

After leaving the process for a couple of weeks, being extremely busy and overworked at work, I decided to give it another shot last night. I ended up staying up somewhat late working on the logo, using the open source GIMP Image Editor. I really, really like the program. Anyone possessing basic Photoshop skills is able to use this free tool rather quickly. Anyway, I ended up using a more stylized cycling image and redesigned the beard to be similarly simple, stylized and abstract.  

Jihan was already asleep by the time I completed the logo last night, so I had to wait until this morning to show it to her. She really liked the new logo, but had some issues with the banner. She provided some useful feedback and I kept tinkering for a bit, finally coming up with a banner that we both liked and on which the background image -- usually scenes from the road on cycling trips -- can be easily updated. The logo and title can also be easily repositioned. That's the magic of layers. 

I think, while sufficiently geeky, this logo works well on the banner and may actually work quite well on a future custom-designed jersey as well.

Oh Would that Infernal Clicking Stop?! Please! It's Becoming Embarrassing!

That has to be a record in the number of exclamation marks in my title... Anyway, the clicking and the neck pain (not related, though my poor neck is making noises all its own too) are driving me nuts! On yesterday's commute home from Aberfoyle, my Montague MX was clicking more loudly and incessantly than ever.

The clicking noises seem to be coming distinctly from the bottom bracket/crankset area. For a while there was one faint click, when climbing or otherwise exerting significant torque, every time the right crank left the top. Gradually the frequency increased and the clicks got louder. Now, still only with some torque, and mostly when the chain is on the largest chainring, the clicking is loud and occurs with every downstroke. Both sides, now.

I've read up somewhat on the possible causes of clicking noises, and Jim Langley has quite the list, so I suppose now I'll just have to go through things one by one, trying various things--lubing, tightening, etc. The problem I'm a newbie and know very little about bicycle mechanics, nor do I own more than a very basic tool kit. I know I don't have the tools to take the cranks off or open the bottom bracket.

If anyone has some additional advice, please, please share! The noise is driving me nuts! And it's embarrassing to have such a noisy, clickety bike. It's like, shut up already! Shushing doesn't help. Whistling can only cover up so much. And besides, who whistles anymore while riding a bike?

As for the neck pain, it is also getting worse. But I know what the issue is -- I need to get a handlebar with more hand positions, with at least one position that allows me to sit a bit more upright, and in general get my bicycle properly fitted to me.

Commute Home from Work: Aberfoyle to Hamilton

Since Jihan got her knee surgery last week and now needs to follow it up with at least two weeks of intense physiotherapy, she needed the car. While she can walk on the knee that was operated on, she can't put weight on it for too long. Both walking all the way to the clinic from the house, about a twenty minute walk at a decent pace, and walking to the bus stop, itself about 6-7 minutes away, are therefore too much for her. In short, she needed the car, so she drove me to work in the morning, with my bike, and I cycled all the way home.

I've mentioned before that I work out of town, some 36 kms by car (highway), but 42.7 kms by bicycle (smaller country roads). I thought it would take me between 1 3/4 and 2 hrs to cycle home, but my speed has really increased. I left work at 1715 and got home at 1850. It took me just an hour and 35 minutes to cycle home. Since I don't have a bicycle computer, I have to calculate average speed from time and distance traveled. I averaged 26.97 kph.

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Interestingly, while I can certainly feel that I've used my leg muscles, they are not really sore. Mainly sore are my neck, back and wrists, in that order. Usually it is only my neck and wrists getting sore. This time, because I don't have a paneer, yet needed to take my lunch bag and clothing home with me, I had to wear a small backpack. This, I think, caused the backache.

Slowly, slowly, as I can scrape a few dollars together, I'll improve my setup. Anyway, despite needing a few things--cycling shoes and clipless pedals, trekking handlebar, racks, paneers and cycling computer--I am making progress on the fitness front. While last Monday's weigh-in did not reveal any weight loss, this morning I was down to 177.5 lbs, having started a few weeks ago at 187. And my speed and endurance are getting better too.