Ryan Leech, Bicycle Commuter

If you’re on the fence about bicycle commuting or using your bicycle for errands and short trips, click on the “bicycle commuting” category on the right side of this page to find articles that can help you take the next step!

In all seriousness, the lack of blog updates has been a combination of an aggressive work schedule with associated travel, a bout of “the crud” which seems to be a vicious cold virus and a decent number of inclement weather days.

A “perfect storm” that has put a big dent in my saddle time.

That said, I have a lot of things in the works.  Several product reviews are just around the corner, including:

• Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires (so far, very impressed)
• Cygolite Trion 600 headlight
• Princeton Tec “Swerve” tail light

In addition, I’ve signed-up to attend the League of American Bicyclists’ “League Certified Instructor (LCI)” seminar in Houston, TX.  I’m looking forward to this seminar and the chance to teach cycling safety workshops later this year.

More to come folks!

Time to reflect on my year-end total mileage and key milestones for 2009 (thanks to Garmin Connect which lets me track all of this).  It has been an incredible year for my cycling!  Here are some mileage totals and some key events that made 2009 an amazing journey on two wheels.

Mileage Totals:

• Commuting:  2,118  (biking to work)
• Training:         612  (preparing for an event)
• Fitness:           158  (general fitness rides)
• Recreation:      199  (easy rides with family)
• Events:              96  (organized rides, special events)
• Touring:          163  (overnight touring trips)
• TOTAL:          3349

Another way to look at this mileage is I spent 287 hours on the bicycle, climbed 137,400 feet and burned about 180,000 calories.  It was the most mileage I’ve ever done in one year. 

This was not a surprise since this was my first full year of using my bike to commute to/from work 2-3 days a week.

2009 was a first for this and for completing my first two bicycle tours – one to Fredericksburg, TX and another to Wimberley, TX (a full write-up of that adventure is coming soon).

Other highlights included:

• A VIP ride with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.
• The Conquer The Coast Ride
• Completing the League of American Bicyclist’s Traffic Skills 101 course
• Riding the Lance Armstrong Bikeway

A huge thanks to my family and friends for all their support and a thanks to God for his many blessings, keeping me in good health, etc.

May 2010 be a great year for you and may it see you in good health, with the love of family and friends.  If you haven’t been on a bicycle in a long time, think about doing a little adventuring of your own on two wheels!

Yesterday I came home to see the front tire on my Valencia flat.

Karma can be so fickle.

Might have been a blessing in disguise. While replacing the tube I discovered that it has a stem that is too short. Took the tire down to Bike World where the great mechs there found some appropriate tubes and threw a new one in there to save me the trouble.

I continue to be impressed with Bike World. They have been very helpful every time I have visited and have made adjustments to my Valencia on a moment’s notice (sometimes when riding home on a commute).

Also, while I was there getting the new tubes I saw that they had a 2009 Trek Soho in stock. The new top-of-the-line commuter bike with its belt drive and roller brakes. I did a quick spin on the bike in the parking lot and was pretty impressed. The bike was a bit lighter than my Valencia but I’m not sure the 8-speeds would be enough for my commute based on a quick ride up a small hill at the bike shop.

Still, you know me, I’m always game for adding 2-3 more bikes to the stable!

May is National Bike to Work Month. The week of May 11th is National Bike to
Work Week. May 15th is National Bike to Work Day. Now is the time to prepare
for cycling to work if you are not already a commuter.

Here are a few tips gathered by cyclists in the region who commute. If you have
never considered using your bike to get to work or school: now is as good of time
as any.

Bicycles are not just for recreation any more. Ride on!

Preparation of self for commute:

Keep it as simple as possible. You will not stick with it if it is too burdensome.

Dress for the ride; not necessarily for work (at least at first).

Work clothes can be at the office already or carry them with you. Leave a pair of
work shoes, a towel, toilettes, personal hygiene supplies at the office. These
tend to be bulky items.

Know your route. Rush hour traffic is not a good time to experiment with the
roadway. Map your route prior and consider riding the route on a weekend to
give yourself practice. The route you take by car might not be the route you want
to take by bicycle.

Pay attention to the weather. Be ready with rain, cold and hot weather gear.

Velcro straps or plain rubber bands work great if you ride with work clothes on to
keep the pant legs from getting caught in the chain/rings/etc.

Get a helmet that fits correctly; and please wear it.

Think fun and adventurous thoughts.

Preparation of the bike for commute:

Get the best bicycle for the commute. Take time to find a bike that fits you. A
road bicycle might not work for commuting unless you have more than 8 miles
one-way (Skinny tires are less comfy and prone to flats).

Use quality tires to deter flats; but be ready with safety supplies such as extra
tubes, a patch kit, a multi tool including a chain tool and CO2 cartridges with an
inflator nozzle. Practice changing a flat in a nice safe location so when you
have to change it on the street it will be second nature.

If you will be riding at night a headlight and a taillight that can be seen for 500 ft
is essential to your safety. Two rear reflectors are a protection in case the battery
goes dead on one before the other.

Install a rear rack on your bike so you can attach basket/panniers for carrying
needed items such as clothes, laptops and purses.

If your bike does not have baskets or panniers consider using a high quality
messenger bag. For some, it is much more comfortable than a back pack.
Consider putting fenders on your bike for those commutes when you get caught
in the rain.

Each time your ride check your bike for loose nuts and bolts, check the tire
pressure, make sure the seat adjustment isn’t loose, make sure the handle bar
adjustment is tight, the chain is not too loose or too tight and the pedals rotate
smoothly.

You and your bike are ready to roll!

The commute:

Ride safely, stay alert and obey the rules of the road.

Ride within the abilities of the bike and yourself.

Make yourself visible with the use of reflective clothing, bright headlights, and a
good easy to see rear flasher or two.

Be predictable and signal your intentions. Make eye contact with drivers. Claim
your lane.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Please wear your helmet, and

Enjoy the ride!

Parking

If you can’t take your bicycle into the workplace ask your employer to provide
safe, secure and convenient parking for your bicycle. That means your bicycle
is out of the elements and relatively safe from theft.

One automobile space can be converted to allow for up to 10 bicycles.

Options to consider:

If don’t want to bike commute because you will get to work sweaty but wouldn’t
mind commuting from work to home, consider riding the bus. All VIA
Metropolitan Transit buses have bike racks.

As I prepared to make my left turn onto busy Blanco Road, I was feeling an increasing amount of moisture on my face and saw that my headlamp beam was clouded with rain droplets.

Rain.

Fog.

Both?

I turned around.

As I pulled up the weather again, the following had just been issued:

Statement as of 5:44 AM CST on January 26, 2009

… Dense fog advisory in effect until 10 am CST this morning…

The National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio has issued a
dense fog advisory… which is in effect until 10 am CST this
morning.

Visibilities are less than one half mile in dense fog across most
of the Escarpment and parts of The Hill Country. Also drizzle
induced fog has lowered visibilities to less than 1/2 mile along
the Interstate 35 corridor.

A dense fog advisory means visibilities will frequently be
reduced to less than one quarter mile. If driving… slow down…
use your headlights… and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

Despite being slightly disappointed with this outcome I knew, without a doubt, that I had made the right decision.