I miss my bike

I decided that since my legs were so sore, maybe I just needed a couple days of time off from the bike to recuperate.

OH WOE.

I miss it. And I'm also nervous about riding again. On the plus side, I will commute back to the temporapt/Hotel Holmes with Noel on Tuesday, so at least I won't have to brave the first post-break ride by myself.

In other news, I briefly and awkwardly stopped by the opening of the Mission Bicycle store (in the Mission! NO WAI!) Maybe someday I will be able to afford one (with orange wheels/handlebars and a blue frame that will get stolen the next day!) but until then, I'm sure I'll be walking by this place, oh...EVERY WEEKEND haha.

Is it me or is the downside of having improved leg muscles this new and not entirely comfortable fit to all your pants?

/need shorts

Rainy Rain

I have come to a conclusion regarding cycling in the rain:

FENDERS ARE WORTHLESS.

Not that mine are on at the moment, but I can imagine how it would go. You just have to realize that rain falls OUT OF THE SKY and does not spin up off your wheels. Some of it that has already fallen MAY INDEED come spinning up off your wheels, but that will be the THE MINORITY compared to the vast quantity of droplets coming down (and, in San Francisco, oftentimes sideways) directly on your head, thighs, shoulders, face.

You will need a rain jacket and certainly rain pants AND SHOES WITH GRIP. At that point, having a fender, not having a fender -- what is the difference? You will be protected from any and all water, whether it comes out of the sky or off of your wheels.

I rode from Caltrain to the Castro yesterday and it was so incredibly soggy. That, and glasses do not have wind shield wipers! Nor do they have..."glasses wipers."

This morning it was still raining, so I decided to do the BART/walk thing. Really, though, it wasn't THAT much drier and it took longer, of course. I guess the other reason, though, is that I'm planning on hightailing it over to the Kabuki after work to catch a flick before bed, which is INCREDIBLY irresponsible, given my current zombie state. We'll see. I suppose I could've biked, but, you know, zombie state. I need some sleep first.

Shopping Aftermath (Dammit, math...)

I ended up going with Arkel's Commuter bag, after reading the testimonial about how someone got hit by a car, bike went flying, and their bag stayed on the rack, laptop fine. If I am lying dead on the side of the road after an accident, my bag had BETTER be on my rack. Plus the way they described the usage possibilities, "If you need to carry a laptop, extra clothing, a pair of shoes, lunch and all of your very own 'nick nacks', then, the Commuter is right for you," is exactly what I need it for (minus the shoes. My job doesn't require dress shoes and I am too poor to have cycling specific kicks.) Can't wait for it to arrive.

Happy hour local shopping consisted of fenders (black, although for some reason the lady was trying to sell me pink ones, sheesh), Valencia Cyclery water bottle (I needed one and I might as well represent), water bottle holder (may pick up another, we'll see), fingerless gloves (mostly to keep my hands warmer, but they are padded to keep pressure points comfier, I guess), and a rack. This stuff will get installed at some point soon. Maybe I'll bother Joseph again, "Trade you time on Rock Band for bicycle assistance!" (He helped me with my wheel and seatpost locks, and the holder for my u-lock that makes me too nervous to use; I don't mind throwing the lock in my backpack, anyway.)

Once all that was bought (mostly by my mom as an early b-day present! Thanks Mom!) I had been planning on picking up some a couple pairs of skinny jeans, since the only pants I really feel very comfortable riding in right now are my Anthropologie cords, but then I realized that what I really need is a good jacket. Hoodies and my puffy vest are good, but when it's chilly and the wind really starts blowing, they don't cut it. I really really REALLY want to take advantage of this sale. This jacket is exactly what I want and they have it in blue. And it's half off. Who could ask for more? The only problem is that I have student loan payments to make, not to mention a 200 dollar CalTrain pass to spring for. I'm probably also going to get a VTA pass for at least the first month while I continue to work on getting my mileage up. Soooooooo, grah. We'll see about that. Also want to grab the waterproof cover for my bag, which I should do with the jacket, if I order it, to save on shipping (10 bucks!)

*yawn yawn* I guess I gotta think about sleeping soon. Another long day tomorrow, but just Kabuki and Casto theaters so it should be an easy ride. Key word: "should" ;D Either that or I won't be able to move when I wake up. We'll see. I wouldn't feel like too much of a pussy if I took the day off of the bike tomorrow. Did a decent job today.

Bike Shop Happy Hour vs. The Shopping List

Valencia Cyclery is having a happy hour event on Thursdays this month where clothes and accessories are 20% off between 5 and 7 PM. Today (later...like after the sun comes back up) is the last day I will be able to go since I'll be commuting home next week, so it looks like I have some shopping to do. I'm wonder what of the things I want/need I should try to get. Here are some things I have come up with that would be nice to have:

Repair kit

This is sort of necessary, but I think what I need to find out is the extent. I've heard all you REALLY need is "two spare tubes, tire wrenches, and a pump." Maybe a multi-tool. *doesn't even know (yet) what a multi-tool is* I do want to learn some basic repair stuff just in case, though, as you can tell if you've browse my links.

Fenders

Duh.

Rain Clothes

My mom shipped out my rain jacket, but I wonder if that will be too big to ride in. Even with a jacket, though, my legs and feet will get soaked. Trying to figure out what to do. They certainly make rain pants and covers for shoes and things.

Clothes in general

I'd like to get a pair or two of straight leg skinny jeans to wear when I'm riding around town, but I'm not sure what to wear for the commute (which I guess I still haven't explained in detail -- next post). I guess just whatever is comfortable, since it will be disgusting by the time I get to work anyhow. Luckily, I hear they have showers.

Eye Gear

I have a lot of problems with wind in eyes making them tear up completely so I can't see anything. Not exactly the safest way to ride, one-handedly while trying to dab under your glasses with the other hand, nor does it look cool to be crying and biking down the street, lol. I don't have a solution here yet. Some people say wrap around sunglasses'll do it, but I feel like I would a) need sunglasses but also not sunglasses, since I will eventually be riding at night, I think and b) something that goes over my glasses. Maybe goggles? I hear they fog up. I don't know!

Gloves

This is a must. When I went to Xav's house (which I could map out in a future post -- it's about a five mile ride) my hands were so cold! Of course, that was pretty tricky because I hit the fog wall. Got super cold and damp. I need a better jacket for this type of thing, too *mentally adds that to the general clothing section* Seems like fingerless gloves would be the way to go? I don't really expect it to keep my hands warm, per se; just cutting the wind would be nice.

Water Bottle Holders

This is another no-brainer, but the bike didn't come with even one, so I will have to figure it out.

Rack and Bags

Yes, the pannier debate continues. Biking with my backpack on is not such a big deal, but it really depends what is in it. Right now I have biked comfortable with a notebook, textbook, and the bike lock, along with some incidentals like cash, cards, DS, maybe a couple CDs -- whatever.

The thing is if I am taking fresh clothes, food, my laptop, etc, then it could get bulky. I can recognize the fact that having panniers will make me feel like I can carry more when it will still be just as hard to move the bike with more stuff on it. I think my real dilemma is that I don't want to just get one big, waterproof bag, since that would throw off the balance. I was thinking if I carry my laptop and maybe clothes in one back, and everything else (toys, books, food) in the other bag, then it would be ok, but I wonder how much that really is.

Also I'm just really paranoid about how to make sure none of this stuff falls off in the middle of the street. Plus I like feeling pretty narrow -- fit more places and cars are less likely to clip you?

Let me know if you have any ideas on things that are good to have. I can't afford much now, but anything worth while will be looked into :D In the meantime, I'm going to bed z_z

My Bike (of April 22, 2009)

Here is what I can tell you about my bicycle right now:

- It's a used Trek 7300 FX, mens (for better or for worse).

- It works.

- I bought an OnGuard Bulldog DT 5012 Bicycle U-Lock and Extra Security Cable, but am finding my bike frame is pretty thick, so it seems pretty tricky to lock it up sometimes.

- I got wheel and seat post locks. The original quick release bolts (bolts?) are in my room, not getting oil on the floor.

- These are the lights the lady at the bike shop recommended. VERY bright. I like them a lot, and also that they velcro to anywhere you want to attach them. All over the frame, looped through a backpack zipper tie or something, you know. I'm trying not to think about how much money I would've saved buying them at Amazon.

I'll take a pic soon, since I know at least one person who would like to check it out.