LA River Commuting

Though I lived in LA before, the area where I am now is largely a mystery to me.  I worked and commuted on the Westside, rarely venturing east of 405, so being thrown in the middle of Northeast LA has been interesting!

Though I've only done it a handful of times, my commute has been amazing.  Believe it or not, there are only two miles of my 15 mile commute that are not on trails - just one example of LA's growing bike infrastructure.  

The past two weeks that I've been commuting by bike I have seen LA full of life in a way I never had before.  Jacarandas are in bloom, showering purple petals down over everything.  A flock of wild parrots chatters every morning at the first leg of my ride.  May Grey is in full effect, so mornings are cool, cloudy, and a bit misty - and we had a thunderstorm on bike to work day!!

The highlight though has to be the LA River Trail, which I take the entire length of.  It's been cleaned up quite a bit, and is now shared by cyclists, joggers, and all of the wildlife that makes the LA River its home. 

It's also the location of an awesome new Bike Cafe!!  Spoke is a rad little place that just, just opened (I was riding by as they were painting the mural) and that deserves its own write up.  I rolled in on Bike To Work Day and had coffee and a banana before continuing on my ride, and it was fantastic.  

If you're in LA and ride the trail, you can't miss it!

And, in true LA fashion, there's also a bit of weirdness on the trail.

It was gone the next day.

My commute also offers something else a bit new - hills!!  I've been riding Oblivion here since I live at the top of a hill, and also do a bit of climbing to and from work.  I'll still be using my single speed and fixed gear bikes, but probably not for commuting.

The only real downside is that I feel like the roads are so bad, I need a CX bike.  Might be a fun thing to build if I get some spare time, but I need to get the shop up and running and finish the backlog before I take on anything else.

If you ride the LA River Trail, say hi if you see me!

Last Flowers

I rode my final commute in to work this past week, and stopped along the way to photograph some of the flora currently in bloom on my ride.  

The bay area is covered in Ice Plant, which blooms lilac or yellow this time of year.  Fitting that the blooms would just be fading as I take my last ride.

This is a drought tolerant sedum (I think) that has these brilliantly purple flowers in full bloom along Seaport.  

And the torch lilies.  I'll always love the torch lilies. 

 I'm certain I'll find just as many lovely things on my new commute, but this was a great note to end this one on.  So long, Bay Trail.  

Great News for Bay Area Commuters!!

Caltrain has announced the addition of a third bike car to their bombardier trains!  They won't be quite ready until later this year, but this is still a huge win for anyone who has ever been left in the cold, late to work, or stuck waiting another hour when trains were too full of bikes.  

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition was the driving force behind this, along with their program to have riders report bumps - which it seems like enough people have done since there's a chance being made.  

Recently there's also been a change in the way that Caltrain deals with bike cars - more Caltrain employees are actively preventing people without bikes to stay out of the bike cars (which is greatly appreciated) and there are a few who try to get as many bikes as possible on the train so people can get to work on time, even if it is against policy.  Please remember that if you do get bumped, these people are just trying to do their jobs!  I know quite a few who are cyclists themselves, and who advocated strongly for more bike space on the crowded trains.  

The bombardier cars are smaller, and only hold 24 bikes as opposed to the original 48.  The original cars can be packed with a lot more if needed though...

From SF Streetsblog.  Yes, this happens.  

Whereas the bombardier cars:

Image via Beyond DC

With seats in the middle, there's only a small amount of room on either side to store your bike.  Old trains can carry a total of 96 bikes currently, the bombardiers 48, so bumping that number to 72 will help immensely.  

If you get bumped from a train, please please please report it!  As you can see, it does make a difference.  You can follow the links here to do so.  

Things I Find On My Commute: Sci-Fi Edition

Sometimes when I'm on the bike trail I let my mind wander a bit.  Often I'll be daydreaming and think I see a giant bird or a gnarly creature out of the corner of my eye, but it turns out to be a sign, or a log, or something.  So I was pretty sure my eyes were deceiving my on a recent ride into work - there's no way...that isn't...wait...

Yep, that's a Dalek.

"Can I please take a photo of you and your Dalek" is not a phrase I say very often.  

This awesome guy had built a full size, fully functional Dalek that he could pilot around.  It had a camera, voice changer, a motor, you name it!  And in my geeky excitement, I completely forgot the name of the artist who built it.  So, if you stumble across this Mr. Dalek Builder, thank you for the Dr. Who history lesson and the information about the Dalek building community!

"EXTERMINAAAAAAATE"

Things like this are one of the many reasons I love bike commuting.  Though I can't say I run into many characters from sci-fi shows, I can at least add a Dalek to the awesome-things-found-while-commuting list.  It's definitely one of the weirder ones on that list!

I meet cool people on the train sometimes

Friday morning I was on the train to work, on complete autopilot, when another lady cyclist commented that we both matched our bikes.

I asked her if it was intentional - she was wearing teal leggings with a black shirt and a teal backpack that matched an older teal Specialized (I think, I hadn't had coffee yet) that she said she had been using as a beater.  She said it was pure coincidence, but it was a pretty awesome accident! 

I was in an orange tank with orange gloves and an orange helmet, which is all intentional on my part - visibility, a cool color combo, and appeasing Giants fans and all that.  We got to talking a bit about bikes and commuting in style, and then parted ways at the next stop.

Thank you, rad stranger.  It was a brief but excellent encounter that made my day!

Bike Month: Bringing out the Bikeyness in Everyone

With May as Bike Month now being recognized in more and more places, I'm starting to see more companies and people doing little things here and there to celebrate it.  I have to admit, it's pretty awesome that all of the places that I frequently visit are now in bike mode, and even if it's only for a short while it at least gets people aware and might even get a few more out riding.  Here's some of what I've seen recently!

Mint, a fairly popular budgeting website, has finally caught on that biking can (surprise) save you money.  If you log in, you're given a financial tip about biking that will take you to an infographic, which you can check out here.  They talk about the cost of a bike vs. a car, and even though many of us still own vehicles, the cost of filling up multiple times a month compared to filling up every other month or so does add up.  And with all of the money you save using your bike instead of a car, you can spend it on more bike stuff!  

The health benefits of cycling are also mentioned, and with cyclists taking less sick days, getting exercise, and other benefits overall, it sure beats sitting in a gym on a spin bike!

Modcloth, a vintage themed clothing site, is also celebrating bike month with a whole section of cycling-inspired clothing and accessories.  Modcloth mostly caters to women (sorry guys), but looking at their featured bike gear shows a lot of fun stuff with even a few mens t-shirts included in the mix.  It might seem like a small thing, but I'm glad that Modcloth has chosen to promote cycling, especially in such a casual, welcoming way.  People don't need to be intimidated and think that you need a full kit and a bike that costs more than your soul to ride, and the more people feel comfortable riding casually on whatever bike they love, the better!  

Timbuk2 is also celebrating with some nifty new commuter bags, and they've started a Bikeshare program.  Plus they have a whole slew of bike related products all made in SF.  They're also having a Facebook giveaway - enter here!

And what better way to get people to ride by having them compete against each other?  Team Bike Challenege is a Bay Area competition where your company and your team can compete for points against others.  Points are based on miles and trips, with more rewarded for trips that would replace a car and frequency of riding.  There are some prizes from REI for the winners, though it looks like Apple is in the lead and is going to beat everyone...again.

REI of course is celebrating bike month with classes and events, depending on your area.  REI has always been a big advocate of cycling anyway, and also supports Bike to Work Day/Month in the Bay Area with incentives for those that pledge to ride (and do) for the first time.  Last year they sent me a $40 gift card just because I rode every day!  They have also expanded their commuter line quite a bit, so if you've been looking for good clothing to use on your rides to and from work, check them out.  

And, surprisingly, Walmart - yes, Walmart is having a Bike Month sale, with their bikes and bike accessories all marked down.  Now, I don't support box store bikes, but if it makes their customer base aware that Bike Month is a thing, and maybe gets a few more people out riding...then I might allow it.  

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great (and bike-full) Memorial Day Weekend!  Get out there and ride!

The Long Way Home

It's hot.  

We're in the middle of a heat wave, and temperatures were in the nineties yesterday and today.  While the afternoons are pretty merciless, the evenings bring a bit of a breeze, and a nice reprieve can be found along the bay.

Very few other riders were out braving the heat.

So, despite the heat, I took the long way home along the bay trail.  I kept a slow pace, chugged a lot of water, and stopped to take photos and admire the view here and there.

One of the many sloughs.

I realized that I miss a lot when I'm speeding to work along this trail in the morning.  Maybe it's a combination of the lack of sleep and the rush to get to work, but there were a bunch of little surprises that I hadn't noticed before.  

Artichokes, for instance.

Wait, are those...

Right before the Bridge to Nowhere (that's actually its name) I found what had to be at least a hundred wild artichokes growing.  None of them had flowered yet, and they were smaller and slightly different than what you'd find in the supermarket.  Maybe they're not proper artichokes, but they're definitely in the same family. 

I wonder how they'd taste!

Leaving behind the little artichoke patch, I continued my jaunt.  Lots of other people were out walking, riding, roller blading, and it seemed like more than anything there were quite a few kids learning to ride.

Once I got a little ways past the crowds, I stopped by the San Mateo Bridge to enjoy the few and take some photos.  

If only it had a bike lane...

I continued home, slow and steady, just enjoying the ride.  Despite the heat, it was more than worth it!

Of course, now there's some sort of creaking noise that is either coming from my headset or my bottom bracket.  Looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend...

Awesome Little Commute Things

Torch lilies are blooming, which adds a nice pop of color to my commute and makes the landscape look like something out of the Jurassic period.

Some of them do look like a torch, fading from yellow to red, while others are solid yellow, red or orange.  Though they've been on display for a while now, most of the stalks had opened up by this past week and I had to stop for photos.  

I'm not the only one enjoying the day - check out the hummingbird right over my saddle!

The lilies stretch alongside a part of the bay trail that runs through Redwood City, with a few scattered further north.  They're such a treat to see this time of year that I go a bit slower on this part of the trail in order to enjoy them more.

These ones were tall!

I often hear the stereotype that California has no seasons, but any bike commuter (native or otherwise) will tell you that we do have seasons, and the best way to see them changing is by riding a bike.  I'd miss little things like this if I were in a car every day, but riding lets me see every little nuance and watch the world change.  

Bright days and blue shadows - I love spring in the bay!

Aside from my usually awesome commute, it's also been pretty great to finally have a workshop to go to.  After work I've been heading over there to make a little progress, and tomorrow I'll be spending the whole day there for the first time since I moved with hopes of finishing the main triangle of the current frame I'm working on.  Also it's nice to finally not have my jig taking up most of my kitchen.

This weekend I'll also try out my new rollers, so we'll see how badly that ends.

Stay Frosty

Winter commuting has officially begun!

Icy conditions ahead.

I know for many of you this hardly counts as winter, but when everything is frosty and icy in the mornings and I get to bundle up in my cold weather gear, it does feel a bit like a winter wonderland.

The ice has caused its fair share of accidents (I often stop this time of year to help riders that have wiped out on one of the two bridges that I cross on my commute) but most riders around here are experienced enough to know to be cautious.  Dangerous though it may be, I love the way the ice looks and always enjoy seeing a layer of it collecting on my tires. 

The tracks of the riders coming off of the bridge.  Cold doesn't stop most people from riding around here.

It's in the high twenties when I leave and the low thirties when I arrive, so I get to see the world frozen on my entire ride to work.  Frost on the ground and autumn leaves still clinging to a few trees...what an awesome time of year. 

Five More Minutes

I always look forward to when the days slowly start to become more and more autumnal.  Crisp mornings and leaves crunching under my wheels as I take my early foggy rides to work are some of my favorite days all year, and combine it with fall colors and pumpkin everything and it's pure bliss. 

Ready for my morning voyage!

While this is my favorite time of year, the one aspect of the seasonal change that makes it bit rough is the darkening morning hours.  In the midst of summer I'd sometimes wake up to natural light well before my alarm went off, but lately dawn hasn't even begun before I need to get up and leave.  It's tough some days to get motivated and head out into the dark and chilly mornings, so I developed a bit of a system to help me get going when all I want to do is stay in bed.  

I'm a total night owl.  I'll stay up all hours of the night given the chance, and then sleep until two in the afternoon.  Even if I do force myself to get to bed at say, eight in the evening, I'll still sleep until noon.  So what do I do to keep myself motivated when it starts getting harder and harder to get up?  

Lay everything out the night before.  Keeping all of my cycling clothes next to my bed keeps me from having to face the cold and hunt around in the morning.  

Don't go to bed hungry.  Getting home late makes it tough sometimes to have a decent dinner, but even if just have a bowl of cereal or a banana it's better than nothing.  No one likes to wake up hungry and having to ride to work - your body will thank you.  

Get thee some adequate gear.  Good cold weather and rain gear is expensive, but anyone who rides in these conditions frequently knows it's well worth it.  If you're not comfortable on your rides, you won't want to keep doing them!  

Light the way.  Along with gear, you need good lights for those dark mornings (and evenings!) and you need a way to power them.  There are lots of USB chargeable lights these days, but use whatever works for you, makes you visible, and lets you see.  

Change it up.  Maybe you feel unsafe on your ride.  Maybe it's starting to get a bit old.  If you can, try taking a different route - even if it will add on a few miles.  An exciting, safe route that you look forward to is a big factor to getting out of bed in the morning.

Seek out a bit of friendly competition.  "If I don't ride today, so-and-so will give me crap!" It might seem petty, but having a friend to either ride with or otherwise push you can be a great motivator for some of us (especially those of us with a competitive streak).  A riding buddy is ideal, but even a coworker or friend who can give you some good-humored motivation does wonders.  

If it breaks, fix it.  Keep up with maintenance.  Get a fitting.  Upgrade parts if you need to.  Make sure your bike is something you want to ride, and you'll look forward to riding it no matter what time of day.

Have a good attitude.  "Man, I *have* to get up early tomorrow" will put you in a negative mindset.  "I get to ride my bike tomorrow morning!" is much better, as cheesy as it sounds.  

Put yourself in someone else's shoes.  There are people that have to ride much further than you.  There are people who have to ride much further than you who maybe are missing a leg, or an arm.  There are people who wish they could ride a bike.  Appreciate that you can ride! 

Don't kill yourself.  If something is hurting, or you have to take care of your family, or you're not feeling your greatest, take a day off.  It's okay to miss a day every so often to catch up on sleep or let your body heal, if that's what you need.  And if you have joint pain, get a proper bike fitting!  

This is what has been working for me, but everyone is different.  And while I am still sleepy getting on the bike in the morning, watching the seasons change and looking forward to a few months of fall colors during my commute is worth it.  

Being A Jerk While Riding to Work

I had an encounter on my ride in this morning that's stuck with me all day.

It was a beautiful morning, and there were hardly any people on this particular part of the trail, so I slowed down and pulled over to the right to take a photo.  I was fumbling with my camera a bit and a guy passed me in the usual way - I wished him good morning, and he went on his merry way.  

Yeah the photo doesn't really do it justice.

After putting my camera away and getting back to my normal speed, a few minutes go by and I notice I'm about to overtake the guy that passed me before.  And yeah, I get competitive, but I wasn't racing anyone at the moment - he just happened to be going slower than my cruising speed.  

At this point, there are more people on the trail, and he looks over his shoulder before passing a pedestrian and sees me right behind him.  I wasn't drafting him, but I was certainly close.  Immediately he goes into full sprinting mode, which still wasn't faster than my current pace, so when there's a clear area to pass I give him a friendly "passing on your left" and start to pass.

Well, this guy would have none of it.  He goes into all out beast mode to keep me from overtaking him, and remember how I said there were more people on this part of the trail?  I lost my window and had to get back behind him to not hit any joggers or other pedestrians.  As soon as I was behind him, his pace slowed, and then the second time I had the chance to pass, he wouldn't let me by again.

Finally the trail was clear of people and I was able to sprint out.  That was the last I saw of him.

The reason it stuck with me, per se, is that even though he was being a bit rude, I realize that I might have been coming off as not the nicest person either.  Here he had passed me before while I was taking photos, and maybe he just thought I was trying to one-up him...really, I'm sure that with his bike he could have kicked me to the curb, but the speed he was cruising at would have made me late for work.  If he had maintained his speed that he was keeping when I was trying to pass, I would have gladly stayed back! 

So if you're reading this dude-who-probably-hates-the-girl-in-the-orange-jersey, I'm sorry if I ruined your day :/.  

As far as the photos go, I'm getting a little better at the whole panda thing.

The rule of thirds isn't exactly my priority here.

Well, okay, maybe not.

Grey Monday Commute

Slight drizzle right now, and they're saying *maybe* thunderstorms!  I love gloomy summer days.  

The Various Commuters of the Silicon Valley

It's always around the same time, every year, when you start to see them.  Bright eyed, bushy tailed, sometimes a little clueless, often looking at lost as a kid on their first day of school.  To be fair, sometimes it does feel like the first day of school - many have no idea where to go, what to do, they've forgotten to get some of their supplies (or they got the wrong supplies), and they don't really know the rules yet.  The veterans all act in their own ways, some eager to help, some indifferent, some outright annoyed. 

Ahh yes, winter melts away, the flowers start blooming, allergies run rampant...

And it's fair weather commuter cyclist season. 

Now, I have nothing against fair weather riders (mostly) so I hope my comparison doesn't come off as rude or condescending.  Seeing more people coming out to ride is something I love, and even if it's your thing to only ride when it's nice, that's okay.  I'm just glad you're out here.  That, and I like seeing all the bikes.

Like my District parked in front of another District - I couldn't find the owner, but excellent bike choice fellow District rider!

Bike To Work Day is upon us, and it's pretty much summer here in California.  Bike shops everywhere are having sales, bike swap meets are going on, and people are getting out and starting to ride again, or testing the waters for the first time.  Most of these people will be gone when it starts to get dark early again, or the first major rain happens, but every year I see one or two that stick with it and become full on commuters.  I tend to find though, that during this time, people can be categorized in a few different ways. Here are some of the more common ones that I've found on my adventures, on both the train and trails...

Potholes

So I fell on the way home last night.  Apparently what happened was that I was attacked by a rogue pothole on The Strand that caused a part of my fender to come loose, which in turn got caught in my rear wheel, causing the rear wheel to lock up and me to fly over the handlebars.  It was good times.  Really, I hit the pothole because I have a terrible headlight and can't see anything, but that's a different thing entirely.  

However, it seems that the part of my fender that caught the tire tore a good chunk off of it in the process.  

Really, I have no idea if it's still rideable.  That didn't stop me from riding on it to work today, but just to be safe, I ordered a new tire last night and ran this one at a lower PSI than usual.  It seems okay, and no flats so far...soooo...

Thanks for making sturdy tires, Tufo.

I met a woman on my ride to work today who's been commuting daily by bike for 32 years.  You go girl! 

2012 Distance Count: 217 Miles | 349.2 Kilometers

Strand Ninja!

It appears as though sometime last night someone went out onto The Strand and the adjacent sharrowed street and stenciled inspirational sayings for cyclists.  I got to ride today while being greeted by "Nice Bike!" and "Lets ride LA!"  I had to get to work, but later, I'll try to get some photos. 

Cleaned my commuter last night, and it's about 75% less sandy than it was before.  Of course, after riding this morning, it's probably gross again.  Oh well.

Mmm, chain grease

Only got honked at twice today, for stopping at a stop sign and proceeding when I had the right of way.  Thanks motorists!

2012 Distance Count: 189 Miles | 304.2 Kilometers

On Horses

Tonight's commute resulted in a new favorite insult.  

I hate one of the following words, but I won't omit it so you can all experience the full effect:

"GET A HORSE, FAGGOT!" 

Stay classy, Hermosa.

2012 Distance Count: 168 Miles | 270.4 Kilometers

The Things I'd Have Missed

Usually I take my rides home a bit slower, as I'm a bit tired at the end of the day and like to enjoy my night ride along the beach.  But competition always gets the best of me.

I had just hopped on the Strand, which is the bike path I take coming home, when I was passed by a fellow commuter.  I'd seen him before - a lean, fast rider who rides a carbon Giant.  Today I decided that I was going to keep up with him, so I pushed forward and kept about 20 feet behind him the entire length of the strand.  After a while, he noticed that I was keeping pace, and I hoped that he didn't mind - he was going fast, it was a really good workout!  When the Strand converged on the street that I take the rest of the way home, he slowed down and I caught up to him.  I thanked him for keeping the pace, and he laughed, saying he had just initially been trying to pass me!  We chatted a bit on the way home about our commutes, our steeds, and how we had mutual respect for each other in regards to stopping at stop signs.  His destination was much further south than mine, so we parted ways and he continued on.

Now tell me - when was the last time this happened to you in a car?  Has it ever happened - keeping pace with someone to eventually slow down for a nice chat?  Meeting a new person and exchanging pleasantries from your motor vehicle?  

You just don't get things like this in a car.  Sure, I have a lot of unpleasant encounters, but the little ones like this really make my day, and really remind me how much I enjoy the ride.

Thanks Andrew, it was great meeting you!  Hopefully I will see you again on my commute.

 

2012 Distance Count: 154 Miles | 247.8 Kilometers

The Sand Dune Game and Southern California Jogger Mothers

Yesterday I awoke to find it absolutely pouring rain.  I don't mean misty, or even a moderate rain.  I mean sheets upon sheets of furious raindrops pounding down with a vengeance.  I don't mind riding in the wind and rain, but I will not ride if A) I worry the rain is strong enough to damage my bicycle and B) I worry the SoCal drivers are already going to be not so great already. 

That said, it was nice to get back on the bike this morning.  Then I remembered that storms always render the bike path a minefield of small sand dunes.  My ride suddenly became a minigame of dodge the dune, which is a lot of fun until you lose.  Fortunately, I had only one close call, a slightly wobble, but I quickly recovered.

Then I encountered Her.  

I don't know what it is about Southern California Jogger Mothers.  But I see them out all the time - they have a double stroller, 90% of the time containing only one child, and said stroller is so wide that it takes up the entire width of the bike path (because you see, Southern California Jogger Mothers are far, far better than any cyclist, and can use the bike path all they want as opposed to the lowly pedestrian path that they should be using).  What little space is left on the bike path is taken up by a small, untrained dog on a leash who is running erratically all over the bike path, preventing any chance of anyone passing these woman and their cargo.  If you politely inform a Southern California Jogger Mother that you need to pass, you will be met with a glare and some unkind words on common courtesy as she clutches her latte with her fake nails, iPod blaring some terrible boy band.  

"Thanks, have a nice day!" I'll say.

"Get a job and car like everyone else!  F***ing cyclist!" She'll say.  

I really enjoy encounters with Southern California Jogger Mothers.  But today was especially interesting due to the sand dunes.  I saw her, up ahead, and there was nothing I could do.  I kindly asked to pass, and was promptly ignored.  So I slowed down and stayed on her tail, biding my time.  There was a widening in the path up ahead.  I knew it, she knew it.  My mental soundtrack switched to Ride of the Valkyries, and I began to make my move, pacing myself just right.  She was speeding up.  She knew.  And she would be damned if some entitled cyclist tried to pass her on this bicycle path. 

I made my move.

She made hers.

For a brief moment, our eyes met.  My gaze was calm, cool, collected, and hers full of seething rage - the rage was almost palpable.  Her tiny, yappy dog had a sense of something wrong, and was lunging at my wheels while emitting high pitched noises that may or may not have been attempts to bark.  She tried to say something, flecks of white saliva flying from her mouth, her face red from running and hate.  I thought I heard something as I switched into my high gear and sped off, avoiding the dunes along the way.  It sounded like a banshee howling.   

The rest of my ride was fairly uneventful.

2012 Distance Count: 147 Miles | 236.6 Kilometers

Weekend!

Or almost the weekend, anyway.  Everyone knows weekends in California start Thursday night anyway...and I'm pretty sure half the population of LA doesn't work on Fridays.

It was a great week for commuting - cold, slightly cloudy mornings and foggy evenings.  I'd like to get out for a short ride this weekend, but I have a major project due Monday that is going to prevent me from doing just about anything.  At some point, I'll return to my regularly scheduled weekend programming of wrenching, riding, and bike photography.  

2012 Distance Count: 140 Miles | 225.3 Kilometers

Beautiful Morning

I watched low hanging clouds drizzle rain over Malibu while the sun shone through the cracks in the sky. 

All these people in their cars have no idea what they're missing.

How lucky am I? 

2012 Distance Count: 119 Miles | 191.5 Kilometers