Excuses to Ride

[leehop71]

Even though it’s still in that brutal heat/humidity season here in SW FL, I still jump at opportunities/excuses to ride above and beyond, or in lieu of, my early morning exercise route!

I’ve gone to the store twice for my wife to pick up small items that will fit in my removable handlebar basket!

Before, I was riding a morning route just M-W-F mornings for exercise on my 7 speed, now I ride everyday except Sundays, because of church, but once the weather breaks I’ll ride everyday and probably more than once a day!

I had no idea how these e-bikes functioned and now I’m semi-obsessed!!

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

I often come up with errands that I need to run just to ride. A few days ago I realized we were out of wiper fluid. Ran down to my friendly parts shop and bought a case of 6 bottles. 50lbs in the rear basket and took a different way home to avoid a very steep hill. I go to a local farmer's market on tuesdays, run up to an Amish farm to buy eggs. I've went to Craigslist deals by bike.

I find that riding for practical reasons is far more enjoyable than just riding for the sake of riding. But I do that sometimes, just not very often.

 

[leehop71]

I often come up with errands that I need to run just to ride. A few days ago I realized we were out of wiper fluid. Ran down to my friendly parts shop and bought a case of 6 bottles. 50lbs in the rear basket and took a different way home to avoid a very steep hill. I go to a local farmer's market on tuesdays, run up to an Amish farm to buy eggs. I've went to Craigslist deals by bike.

I find that riding for practical reasons is far more enjoyable than just riding for the sake of riding. But I do that sometimes, just not very often.

It’s flat as a pancake here which is good but we also have 2 very busy streets with no sidewalks or bike paths that would be very dangerous to ride which I don’t.

That limits where I can go as far as stores go which is why I have a 5 mile route I ride everyday unless I have an errand to run.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

It’s flat as a pancake here which is good but we also have 2 very busy streets with no sidewalks or bike paths that would be very dangerous to ride which I don’t.

That limits where I can go as far as stores go which is why I have a 5 mile route I ride everyday unless I have an errand to run.

It's not flat around here, but there are very few bike paths, and I don't ride on sidewalks. Here's a little example of what it's like running errands up here. I made a run down to Home Depot, about 5 miles on the route I take, which is mostly secondary roads and some through a park, but this road is the only way to get there so I have to take it. This video is on my way back, the turn at the end is me getting off and heading up through the park, which leads me to a quiet neighborhood with a steep hill.

Riding on sidewalks around here can be just as dangerous as the road. Low hanging branches, large cracks, some sidewalks just end, not at a road, just end. Sometimes there's a barrier at the end and a high curb to get back onto the road. Plus they're narrower than bike paths and if you come upon a pedestrian, especially one with a dog, you won't have space to pass.

 

[m@Robertson]

Same exact experience here regarding sidewalks. They aren't graded anything like a city street is so you have root bumps galore under trees.

I'd really hate to have to ride on that no-shoulder road in the video. I try hard to plan routes that never go on roads like that but sometimes you can't help it.

Imbeciles who ride against traffic like that deserve to be hit, frankly. Same thing for joggers who opt for running against traffic in the bike lane. I don't do it, but I wish very much I had a cow catcher on the front of my bike every time I come up against one.

Insofar as excuses to ride go, I try hard NOT to combine errands, so I have a reason to take a trip daily and never skip a day.

 

[leehop71]

It's not flat around here, but there are very few bike paths, and I don't ride on sidewalks. Here's a little example of what it's like running errands up here. I made a run down to Home Depot, about 5 miles on the route I take, which is mostly secondary roads and some through a park, but this road is the only way to get there so I have to take it. This video is on my way back, the turn at the end is me getting off and heading up through the park, which leads me to a quiet neighborhood with a steep hill.

Riding on sidewalks around here can be just as dangerous as the road. Low hanging branches, large cracks, some sidewalks just end, not at a road, just end. Sometimes there's a barrier at the end and a high curb to get back onto the road. Plus they're narrower than bike paths and if you come upon a pedestrian, especially one with a dog, you won't have space to pass.

Thanks for the post Jed! I would NEVER ride on a road like that without sidewalks! Why?

Because my Queen forbids it, and the obvious danger!

I would like to comment on the sidewalk subject!

We have two CVS Pharmacies near us. I went to one of them with no route issues.

I decided to try the second CVS a few days later and chose the ‘less traveled route’ which included a good stretch of sidewalk!

Boy was that a mistake! The condition of the sidewalk was horrific!! I wouldn’t want to walk on it let alone ride a bike!!

Really liking the bike though. I’m still getting a decent average heart rate even with PAS, just not as high as my acoustic bike!

Although my acoustic bike, even though I had 7 speeds, and the route was only 3 miles, I also still had to pedal into the wind and just doing 3 days a week was a chore!

I’m now riding EVERY DAY and once the hot part of the year is over, my errands will get increase and I’ll probably be riding TWICE a day!!

 

[leehop71]

Same exact experience here regarding sidewalks. They aren't graded anything like a city street is so you have root bumps galore under trees.

I'd really hate to have to ride on that no-shoulder road in the video. I try hard to plan routes that never go on roads like that but sometimes you can't help it.

Imbeciles who ride against traffic like that deserve to be hit, frankly. Same thing for joggers who opt for running against traffic in the bike lane. I don't do it, but I wish very much I had a cow catcher on the front of my bike every time I come up against one.

Insofar as excuses to ride go, I try hard NOT to combine errands, so I have a reason to take a trip daily and never skip a day.

Agree with that all the way! Fortunately two of the 3 busy roads near me have decent sidewalks.

One road has sidewalks on both sides, the other just one side.

Whenever a route requires either one of those roads I ALWAYS choose the sidewalk option and if I encounter someone walking or riding ON the sidewalk, I automatically shut off PAS, gear down to a comfortable pedal and excuse myself and I’ve never had an issue!

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

I did get to pass a spandex festooned roadie yesterday on my way to the grocery store. I've found that some roadies will wave or say "hi" others not so much. I told my wife that on today's run I'd have to walk my bike into Home Depot because there's no place to tie up there. No one seems to care and I got all positive comments from people. She asked why the local bike club doesn't do more to get bike racks around. I think it's because the bike club is made up mostly of roadies that don't ride for practical reasons like running errands, so they never feel the need to tie their bike up.

There's a smattering of bike racks around the city, I never ride down there, but all of them are on corners, not near places where you'd actually stop at. My grocery store has a rack that I use, but that was probably put in because the owners are old Mennonites, and the Mennonite community is big on riding bikes. It's rare to see another bike there, one employee used to ride her trike in, but since she got a car with AC she doesn't ride anymore.

 

[mschwett]

... She asked why the local bike club doesn't do more to get bike racks around. I think it's because the bike club is made up mostly of roadies that don't ride for practical reasons like running errands, so they never feel the need to tie their bike up.
...

lol, why is it the responsibility of people who don't need bike racks to get businesses/the city to build bike racks for others? you and your wife should write letters to/call your transportation and planning departments as well as to local businesses that you'd like to have racks!

we have a really easy process here to request the city install a bike rack on a public sidewalk. assuming no obstacles/restrictions, they do it super fast. similarly, businesses with open ground area outside of the public way often retrofit them, and new buildings are required to have them. this really shouldn't be a "local bike club" thing!

 

[leehop71]

I did get to pass a spandex festooned roadie yesterday on my way to the grocery store. I've found that some roadies will wave or say "hi" others not so much. I told my wife that on today's run I'd have to walk my bike into Home Depot because there's no place to tie up there. No one seems to care and I got all positive comments from people. She asked why the local bike club doesn't do more to get bike racks around. I think it's because the bike club is made up mostly of roadies that don't ride for practical reasons like running errands, so they never feel the need to tie their bike up.

There's a smattering of bike racks around the city, I never ride down there, but all of them are on corners, not near places where you'd actually stop at. My grocery store has a rack that I use, but that was probably put in because the owners are old Mennonites, and the Mennonite community is big on riding bikes. It's rare to see another bike there, one employee used to ride her trike in, but since she got a car with AC she doesn't ride anymore.

That’s a great point and a great topic JS!

Here’s a kicker, the CVS I went to that has a great bike route, also did not only NOT have bike racks, but also nothing to lock my bike to, so I walked my bike inside!

Now the other CVS that had horrific sidewalks on the route that I’ll NEVER travel again, had very nice bike racks in front of the store! Go figure!

 

[indianajo]

I'd have to walk my bike into Home Depot because there's no place to tie up there.

At HD I cable up to the outside of the cart rack. The one furthest out, to keep somebody from parking 6" from my bike. I wrap the cable around 2 laterals and one stanchion, so a thief would have to unscrew 4 bolts to get my cable off.
At the grocery I wrap two laterals with the cable, the ones with a flat bar welded to the end of two laterals. Yeah, you can saw it. About a half hour and two batteries I estimate.
Bike racks around here have a slot for the front wheel to fit into. My front power wheel is worth $800 but the rest of the bike is worth $2000. I won't use one of those. No camera is pointed at them, either.

 

[leehop71]

At HD I cable up to the cart rack. The one furthest out, to keep somebody from parking 6" from my bike. I wrap the cable around 2 laterals and one stanchion, so a thief would have to unscrew 4 bolts to get my cable off.

That’s a good idea I man!!

I have a big supermarket store with a decent riding route, but it has no bike racks!

Maybe I can come up with a plan B like you did!

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

lol, why is it the responsibility of people who don't need bike racks to get businesses/the city to build bike racks for others? you and your wife should write letters to/call your transportation and planning departments as well as to local businesses that you'd like to have racks!

we have a really easy process here to request the city install a bike rack on a public sidewalk. assuming no obstacles/restrictions, they do it super fast. similarly, businesses with open ground area outside of the public way often retrofit them, and new buildings are required to have them. this really shouldn't be a "local bike club" thing!

She asked because she doesn't know about the club or the average riders. The club does work on getting some bike infrastructure in place, so far, they've gotten some lanes put in throughout the city. I have yet to actually see a bike use them. The lanes on the road in that video are useless, and in one spot just dangerous. There's a lane to the right of a car lane that exits onto an access road to a main highway. A bike needing to go straight has to cross the lane that's trying to exit.

Most recently they got a new lane on Lemon Street, I haven't seen it yet, but the newspaper said it's a problem because of visibility. So they're going to paint it green like some of the other lanes. To me, that sounds like a bad idea, painting an entire bike lane. That paint on asphalt is very slick, even more so when it gets wet. Around here, it seems the people that plan and make these decisions about bike infrastructure haven't ridden a bike.

 

[leehop71]

She asked because she doesn't know about the club or the average riders. The club does work on getting some bike infrastructure in place, so far, they've gotten some lanes put in throughout the city. I have yet to actually see a bike use them. The lanes on the road in that video are useless, and in one spot just dangerous. There's a lane to the right of a car lane that exits onto an access road to a main highway. A bike needing to go straight has to cross the lane that's trying to exit.

Most recently they got a new lane on Lemon Street, I haven't seen it yet, but the newspaper said it's a problem because of visibility. So they're going to paint it green like some of the other lanes. To me, that sounds like a bad idea, painting an entire bike lane. That paint on asphalt is very slick, even more so when it gets wet. Around here, it seems the people that plan and make these decisions about bike infrastructure haven't ridden a bike.

Speaking of dangerous JS, on that video where you came upon an on ramp type thing and rode right between the merge and the right lane, I felt an anal pucker!!

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

Speaking of dangerous JS, on that video where you came upon an on ramp type thing and rode right between the merge and the right lane, I felt an anal pucker!!

Blue pickup truck on the right? That's the access road from the other side of Route 30. I was watching him close to see if his tires moved at all. It's tight through there. Normally I'd ride the line, but the line is so close to the curb that my pedals would hit. I keep a good eye on my mirrors so I know what's coming up behind me, that's how I knew I was good to pass the dumbass coming the wrong way.

 

[leehop71]

What do you ride JS?

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

If you want pucker factor, this is leading up to that blue truck. It's far worse. I really like the bus blocking the useless bike lane.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

What do you ride JS?

Radrunner 2. This is it with my puppy pouch in the basket.

 

[leehop71]

 

[leehop71]

Radrunner 2. This is it with my puppy pouch in the basket.

Sweet Ride! I ride a Denago City 1 with Fenders added. I also have a Lectric XP 3 Step Thru coming with passenger package!

My wife wants to learn how to navigate it and ride with me on the back!