Super Late BTWD Wrap-up

This picture goes at the end, but I am dumb and lazy. These are the lovely people from the Sweetwater School District in Chula Vista along with a representative from Bike Warehouse. They talked me into entering their drawing. I suppose I didn't win.

This is the first stop from my trip at the San Diego Zoo. I apparently left too early for the Adams Ave. Bike Shop people. They weren't open yet. The Zoo had a pit stop open in their parking lot. this is Skink Floyd. He is a skink from Australia (I forget which type). These are the folks from the RECON Environmental sponsored pit stop. I believe they are dressed up as 4 of the threatened local species they are working to protect. Had a good time at this pit stop.
Even when they made me pose with them for a photo.
I didn't get any pictures from the Ridelink sponsored site. I did get to speak with someone from Ridelink about the new Sprinter service in north county. She told me that they have been overwhelmed with bicyclist and that they are working on figuring out how to have this brand new service work better for cyclists. That is the kind of thing I like to hear.

These great ladies work at the Hard Rock Hotel. They had a great spread and were real excited to be hosting this event. It was their first year doing it so hopefully they will do it again next year.

From there I got on the trolley and rode 4 stops into Chula Vista (since I was starting to run late to work). Went to the REI sponsored stop at the BFGoodwrench Aerospace complex. They had a mechanic out doing minor repairs and adjustments on bikes. Plus, free water bottles and tire levers. Good times.
Then I headed down to the first picture and then broke a spoke on my way to the bus (see Bike to Work Day Bummer).

All in all, I'd say the day went pretty well for the city. More sponsors it seems, now we just need more cyclists. Or I need to ride where the cyclists are riding. One of the two.

-Matt

Direct link to REI Cycling store

Bike to Work Day Bummer

Photo from Flickr

Late last night I changed my plan for Bike to Work Day. Since people actually read this blog now, I figured I should try to do you all a service and try to report how BTWD went in San Diego. I stayed up a little late mapping out a route that would take me past 7 different pit stops. This route was 27 miles one-way. No problem I figured, since I'd be getting my miles anyway, I'll substitute a short jaunt on the trolley between downtown and Chula Vista and a quick ride on the bus at the end of my trip.

Would this take longer? Sure. But I'll just get up and out a bit earlier than normal. Anything for my new found readers!

Let's just say that everything went very well early on. I'll post a better report and pictures later. But as time went on I knew I was going to be later and later to work. So I rushed to my bus stop, where there was a bus waiting. Not wanting the bus to leave without me, I rushed up onto the sidewalk so that I could be seen. At that point my back tire locked up. Didn't have a chance to look at it until now.

Broke a spoke.

I contend that no routine damage is so detrimental as a broken spoke. Does it kill your ride? No. You can still ride on it. But I know from experience that riding on a broken spoke only leads to breaking more spokes. I went through a month after I started riding where I broke 4 spokes. I asked what I was doing wrong and what I could do to stop it. I found out that any riding on a broken spoke weakens the other spokes. I had him rebuild the tire.

This means that my trip home, the first time I was going to ride all the way home without using the transit system, is going to be strictly by transit. And what is worse is that I will likely have to wait for a bus that doesn't already have too many bikes on it.

Bummer.

-Matt

Direct link to REI Cycling store

Bike to Work Day - San Diego

I'd be remiss if I weren't to at least acknowledge that Bike to Work Day is tomorrow. I'm fond of Bike to Work Day because it has been, over the last two years, the day where I finally take the plunge and skip the car or public transit and make the ride to work on my own power. It is incredibly liberating. I also like it because, much like the number of visitors to this blog after a link from Commute by Bike, the number of riders on the street jumps up dramatically.

The link for San Diego information is here via Ridelink
If that doesn't work work your way through the Ridelink page

Here is the list of all the rest stops in San Diego: (pdf file)

I'll have photos from my trip tomorrow!




Direct link to REI Cycling store

Bicycle Month

As you may know May is Bicycling Month. To honor this (and to try to make amends for not posting much in the last week or so). I am pledging not to drive for the entire month of May. Also, I'm doing this to make up for the fact that I drove to work on Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday this week. Monday I had a good reason (wife's birthday), Tuesday I made a good reason (worried about being late to an alumni group meeting) and Wednesday I pretended that I had a good reason (decided to get my leg checked out again - it is okay). Too much driving this week, so I'm taking a break.

Unfortunately, this doesn't mean I will not ride in a car (I have in fact already done that). Only that I will need to justify every car ride in public on this blog. All other trips will be taken using my feet, my bike or public transportation (or more likely a blend of the three). I suggest any of you that can, try this out and see how one month can change your life. (He says in a cheesy TV commercial voice.)

So to start here are my justifications for yesterday's automobile trips:
1. I rode with my boss to lunch because he was going there already and I could help get the orders of my other co-workers.
2. I got a ride home from work from a co-worker because he was headed to a hospital (to pick up his dad from a doctors appt.) that is in my area. I accepted the ride because I had already missed the bus that only comes every half-hour and only wanted a ride to the bus station.

On a good note:
I rode to the movies last night to see the "This American Life," 'live' show (it wasn't live on the west coast). Found a place to lock up my bike at the mall that wasn't crazy far away (found a back alley inside the mall and locked it to a handrail) and didn't get any grief from the ticket taker in the theater about bringing in my handlebar bag.





Direct link to REI Cycling store