Rainy days

We've had some rainy days recently and I'm getting a bit tired of coming into work, feeling like I just jumped into a pool.  Feet are soaked, pants and shirt are drenched. 

I've recently added in a rain coat to my front bag, it folds up into a nice bundle.  I've also added a ziplock bag to my front bag, so I can put my wallet, keys and cell phone in.  Never know when rain is going to come..

Lessons Learned: 

• Even if your cell phone is in the front bag, the bag isn't water proof!  Ziplocks are however.

Parking the fat bike in Ottawa

Parking this bike with it's 26"x4" wheels is a little more challenging then one might expect.  I don't fit in most of those pre-defined sized bike tire racks that have been around since I was a kid.

The best I can do is, hope that someone didn't park on the ends and lock my bike up to that.  Fat bikes aren't for everyone, that's for sure.  I'm debating about when I get my next set of rubber, that I go with a 26"x3.5".

I'm almost positive that when I parked on the end, once at work.  Someone thought I was just being a jerk and let out the air in my rear tire.  Jerks.  I pumped up the tire (arm is still sore two days later) and I haven't had any issues with it.

Lessons Learned:

• Be mindful where you park.

Visit to Dutch land

For work I get to travel sometimes but about a year ago I visited Dutch land while at a conference in Kalkar Germany.  When I got there, I was surprised on how much bicycles were used.  They had a few things going that I thought were cool.

At first glance, I was shocked to see that I didn't see a single bike with some crazy chain on it, when the bikes were locked up.  But after some careful inspection, I noticed that in fact every bike had a lock.. just it's part of the bike design.  Brilliant. Asking a local, he informed me that bike theft was a very rare event.

Then there was the breaks.  They all were using hub breaking system, seems to work great.  They have little maintenance issues with these and you can grease your chain up and not have to worry that you won't be able to break afterwards.  I think a lot of places could learn from there bike styles and there bike lanes.  They had lanes everywhere for bikes to go on, with a slight separation between them and the cars.  I myself, when using the lanes in Ottawa.. I'm always afraid to get door'ed! 

Door'ed : (When a car door whips open, into a bike lane.)

Also, people in dutch land for all sorts of reasons.  I've seen SO families that bike together, on a single bike...

Being predictable

I've come to the conclusion that in order to be safe on the road while driving a car, driving a motor cycle, driving a motor bike, or walking is to be predictable. 

If everyone can figure out what your doing, then everyone can drive safely.

Today, I almost hit a woman.  It would of totally been my fault, since she was stopping at a stop sign on a bicycle path.  This should be a yield but I've never seen a yield sign on a bike path in Ottawa. It's always a stop sign and at this particular crossing I've never seen anyone ever stop there, since the road is a dead end and you can see cars VERY clearly. 

But since the woman decided to obey the law and not be predictable, an accident almost occurred and I can assure you that it wouldn't of been me that would of got hurt.

Many time, when I come to a stop light. I'll pull into traffic and take the road from the cars.  Just so they know what my intention is, either turning left or going straight.  Once the traffic starts to move again, I'll move back to the right side of the road, so I am not slowing traffic down.

Lessons Learned:

• Not everyone has common sense.
• Being predictable is essential to safe riding

Blinking lights on bicycles

I can't stand being behind someone with a red blinking light.  Honestly, I get a head ache.  These aren't cool.. and are totally unnecessary!  They aren't a replacement for red reflectors..

See when someone has a white blinking light, I normally let them pass. But when it's a red in the rear, I can't do anything about it but let stop and let the person get a good lead on me.

PLEASE STOP WITH THE RED BLINKING LIGHTS!!

Lessons Learned:

• Do onto others as you wish to be done onto you.  (Really, if I had a life motto, this would be it.)

No car challange

I was going to make this a huge, post.  Day by day, blow by blow events about the challenges that I came across, but there were no real challenges, it was REALLY easy. I made a challenge to myself, mostly due to no-one watching, I could have easily used my car.  The challenge was simple.

• Wife and Kids are gone. I have the house to myself;
• When away, don't use the car or van, for ANY REASON;
• Groceries done by bike;
• Go to the movies and watch Guardians of the Galaxy;
• Go to work by bike (Already doing this);
• Go to church by bike;
• Go over to my brothers place by bike.

You get the point.  And the challenge is over and I won! I've always said I wasn't doing this to be greener, nor to help save the environment.  I'm doing this for me.

Lessons Learned: 

• No kids, means the groceries bill is much smaller.
• Picked up a small bungee cargo net for the rear of my bike, this made the grocery toting easier. Put the groceries in a plastic bag, tie up said bag, put it under the bungee net and the way I went.  Yes, I didn't get eggs...

Do Fat bikes move faster then speed bikes?

I know it's improbable, due to the large size of my tires and the resistance/grip I'm getting with my 26x4 tires, but it sure feels like I can coast a lot faster then most other bikes I come across.  I feel like I am forever holding onto my breaks when I'm trying to leave the downtown core. 

This is especially true when I stop at a red light at the top of a small incline. When all the bikes take off, I'm holding myself back..  Maybe it has to do with gravity and my weight density, compared to theirs but I'm starting to wonder if there is something to this fat tire, other then it can hold my weight and not get a flat the moment I hit a pot hole!

I'm able to hold the fat bike at 22-27km with no motor and I can definitively tell my legs are getting stronger.

Lessons Learned:

• When stuck in a line with a bunch of other bicycles, try to remain with the flow of traffic, people passing people in tight spots causes accidents.
• I know this is obvious but I see some people who just feel they are SO much more faster and deserve to be at the front, as if they are in the "Tour of France" or something.
• Once my bike starts moving, it just wants to keep going!