As promised, I commuted to work this morning, however, it didn’t go as well as I had hoped.

It wasn’t raining, but it had been and was still rainy, so I put my rain fly on my commuter’s backpack.  If I had put it on properly, it wouldn’t have flown off and grabbed the spokes of my back wheel.  So after dealing with that minor fiasco, I was back on my way.

Traffic was terrible.  Over the holidays, a bridge, the city had been building for over a year, was completed and traffic was diverted from the old bridge to the new one which runs parallel.  This new addition was clearly difficult for people to accept as the traffic bottlenecked at the bridge despite it being wider and devoid of the sprinklings of pot holes common to its predecessor.  I managed to safely pass the “parked” cars on the right to maintain a reasonable speed.

Once I passed the car clutter, I experienced the strongest headwind that I have ever encountered on a bike – which I am sure is due to my inexperience.  I looked up the wind measurement and found that weather.com reported sustaining winds of 22-25 MPH with gusts of up to 35 MPH.  Not knowing what this really means, I did a little research and found a measurement called the Beaufort Wind Force Scale, more commonly referred as “The Beaufort Scale”.  It seems that Sir Francis Beaufort, an admiral in the British Navy, developed this scale to bring common terms to identifiable wind behaviors.  Unlike the Saffir-Simpson Scale, used for measuring hurricanes, the Beaufort Scale includes measurements for casual breezes and zero wind.

Using the Beaufort Scale, I estimate that I was riding in between Beaufort numbers 5 & 7, probably spending the most time in the 6 (Strong Breeze) region.

This had a daunting affect on my commute.  First, I could not gain any speed.  I normally average out at about 16 or 17 miles-per-hour for my 19+ mile commute, but this morning, I had trouble maintaining 12 mph.  This added significant travel time.  I also dealt with a lot of cross wind, particularly when I turned down a different street. This turn made significant change in my direction thus changing the angle the wind was hitting me.  The cross winds were so harsh that I pulled over twice to check for flats because my back wheel felt very loose.

My legs are sore.  More from lack of riding then effects of this morning’s winds, but I know I exerted my self more than usual.  My ride time was roughly 28% more than normal due to the heavy winds.

I figure I need to learn how to ride in such conditions, so I did a little research.

1.  Overall, every place I found gave this as the first and most important tip:  Make yourself as small as possible, giving the wind the least amount of surface area to hit.  Sit back in your saddle, pull your elbows in and get low.  Be careful not to get too low, though.  Arching your back past horizontal can create a negative aerodynamic effect by increasing turbulence.  Do your best to keep your back parallel to the ground and inline with your head.

2.  Keep your head still.  Shifting your head from side to side as you pedal, may normally provide your with better cadences, but during headwinds, it allows the wind to shift back-and-forth from one side of your body to the other.  This makes it more difficult to keep your bike straight, thus increasing fatigue.

3.  Gearing.  I have found conflicting advice on gearing.  Some places indicate that you should gear up to maintain a slower, but smoother cadence decreasing wind resistance.  Others indicate that you should gear head winds the same as you do hills.  When it is more difficult to pedal because of the environment, make adjustments to maintain cadence.  I agree with the latter.

4.  If you expect to be riding in windy conditions, avoid wearing loose fitting breakers.  Breakers cause wind resistance and keeps it from “blowing through you”.  This is good and needed, however, wind breakers that flap in the wind create unnecessary resistance and drag causing fatigue.  If you don’t have a tight fitting breaker, you may try putting your breaker on under your jersey instead of over it.

5.  Never stop pedaling.  Coasting allows the wind to have its way with your and your bike.  If it doesn’t push your wheel out from under you, it will gradually send your bike of course.  If you find yourself making constant adjustments to keep your bike in a straight line, maintain your pedaling.

6.  Crosswinds are dangerous!  Not only can gusts blow you of course, but constant crosswinds can be dangerous also.  Leaning into a constant side wind to maintain course can set you up for an accident if a truck passes by temporarily blocking that wind.  This can cause you to veer in the direction of the wind and the truck!  If you can’t avoid it, be careful while doing this.  Keep your upper body loose and prepared for sudden shifts in wind patterns.

7.  Be careful when riding with a tailwind.  Tailwinds generally allow for riding with less effort, however, don’t stop spinning as a great tailwind can shift into a nasty crosswind without warning.  If you are coasting, you will get pushed offline.

Winds are non-negotiable.  Learn to deal with them and keep a positive attitude.  Remember that you burn exponentially more calories when riding into a headwind, so be prepared.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Wow… December was a very good and bad month for me.  It was a good month in the fact that I like the holiday season, especially Christmas.  It was really bad for me in that I didn’t ride my bike but one day, Christmas day, the entire month.

I couldn’t decide on a title for this post, so I gave it two.  I could’ve actually given it many more – Belly Buster, Scale Tipper, Glut Gut.  You get the picture.  I have put on 11 pounds since Thanksgiving.  Compare this to last year, I lost about 30lbs from Thanksgiving to the first of the year and had lost a total of 50lbs by the beginning of February.

I attribute this to several things.  First, the most obvious, I am not watching what I am eating.  More to the point, I am eating tons of junk!  I am perpetually snacking.  This is very bad.  Second, I haven’t been exercising.  I haven’t been biking, I haven’t been to the gym.  My healthy life came to a screeching halt right around Thanksgiving.

Sure, it is not uncommon for Americans to put on weight around this time of year, but I don’t need to fall into senses of justification.  I need to get back into the swing of it.

Starting on Tuesday, since I am unable to on Monday, I am resuming my strict routine.  Bike to work, workout at the gym, eat my brought-from-home lunch, bike home – with my professional work routine sprinkled in between.

The holidays are over and so is my excessive behavior.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Back in October, I posted an entry entitled Commuter’s Shopping List, which listed all the items I thought I would need in order to successfully commute to work regularly.  Now that some time has passed and some purchases have been made, I figured I would write a follow-up entry to share my progress on the matter.  So here goes…in the order of my original post

Bike Rack.  If you remember from my earlier post, I have a Jeep with oversized tires.  This little fact limits the types of bike racks that I can get.  I didn’t buy either of the two racks that I was considering before.  Instead, I bought the Swagman XP: 2.  It has the ability to carry two bikes and has a locking mechanism that secures both bikes.

Cycling Clothes.  I learned a bit here.    I ended up with mostly Pearl Izumi products.   Gloves are important and I was able to find some pretty good ones.  They make thicker ones that are  warmer, and thinner ones that provide more finger dexterity, but the ones that I found are working great.   Pearl Izumi’s Arm and Leg warmers are great for using those summer outfits in the winter.  The ones I got have Therma Fleece which adds a little more warmth the some of the alternatives.  I also got some Calientoes, which are basically toe covers for your bike shoes.  They haven’t tested out too well, though.  They keep my feet warm enough, but they have torn on the bottom and sides. 

Panniers.  I ended up not getting panniers at all.  I decided to get a commuter’s backpack by Novara (REI Brand).  This way I didn’t have to worry about extra weight on  my back tire and how I was going to mount the thing.  The backpack I got is a commuter style.  It sits higher on my back making it easier to ride with it on.  It has a compartment to store a U-Lock and rain fly to keep it dry in wet weather.  I carry my laptop, clothes and shoes, and emergency supplies (spare tube, etc.) in it.  It doesn’t have enough space to add anything else.  That is its only downside.  It is probably the best purchase I have made.

Multi-Toolkit.  I purchased the Crank Brothers Multi 19 Tool.   I still don’t know how to use half of what it has, but I have it for when I need it.

Cycling 101 Class.  I already blogged about this experience.  Check it out here, if you haven’t already.

And there you have it.

Joe.

Saturday morning I planned to join the weekly group ride with the Atlanta Cycling group.  I was running a little late, but I figured I would still make the ride as they sometimes do not start promptly at 10am.  I also had my doubts that the group would even ride at all as the temperature was in the low thirties.  I arrived to Atlanta Cycling Vinings to find I was wrong on both counts.  The parking lot was full of vehicles with empty bike racks, but there wasn’t a rider in sight. 

As I was contemplating leaving or taking to the route on my own, I was surprised to see a rider zoom by to the back corner of the parking lot.  I had decided that I wanted to ride despite having missed the group, so I got my bike ready and rode over to where I saw the rider that had zoomed by.  I asked how far ahead the 20 mile group was and he replied that he didn’t know.  He had tried to catch them and gave up when he realized they were too far ahead.

So we decided to ride.  At first, I thought the ride may be a bit easier, but the other guy, being 17 years younger than me, shut down that idea before it had time to flourish. 

We left somewhere around 10:20am which was late enough to ensure we had no chance of catching the original group.  Interestingly enough, we did pass some of the fallout riders. 

What is it about passing someone while running or riding that makes it so invigorating?  Anytime I am riding along and see someone ahead of me, despite how far they are, I start trying to close the distance until I eventually pass them.  The opposite is true as well.  I can’t stand the thought of being passed.  Anytime I sense that someone is closing in and wanting to pass me, I push myself harder to keep it from happening. 

When I was riding with Mike’s Bikes about two months ago, one of the riders, Molly, commented that she thought that was a common feeling and that I need to figure out a way to avoid it.  I guess that makes sense.  There will always be someone out there faster, with more endurance, and overall better than you.  Pushing yourself is fine, but it can be overdone.

My partner Saturday’s in crime, err… that is to say: the other late dude, told me about his father during our ride.  How he permanently damaged his body by over training for Ironman Triathlons.  Now he can no longer do stressful exercising without falling into relapse. 

At 38, I am really excited that I am getting back into shape, but hearing this awful tale gave me caution.  A body needs its rest, especially when it is rapidly approaching middle-aged.  I am the type to go all out when I do things.  It explains the fair amount of injuries I have sustained during my life.  It is not that I have “no fear”, but it’s that I give it my all.  I guess I am going to have to manage that attribute from here on out.

To bring this post back around to its original topic, we finished our ride with a fairly decent time/average.  I found out that he is riding to train for a triathlon next year.  With that and Tom Daugharty planning to compete in one also, I am feeling a bit left out.  We shall see what the future holds.

And there you have it.

- Joe.

This blog post was originally going to be about my frustration with and the danger of traffic signals that operate on sensors.  It is very annoying when trying to obey traffic laws, you are ignored by traffic signals.  In times when traffic is light or non-existent, you will have to run the light because it will never change for you.  This is a very dangerous scenario!  We all know, there is an inherent danger to running red lights in motor vehicles.  At least in that case, the vehicle is easy to see.  Run that same light on a bicycle, and your chances of being seen decrease dramatically.

This brings me to the second part of my post - the “A Day Late and a Dollar Short” part.  As I was riding around town on Black Friday, I got caught by a traffic light that wouldn’t change for me.  There were no cars and no crosswalk button that I could push to encourage the light to change to green.  My choices were to wait a very long time for a car to meander down this secluded side street,  turn around and abandon my trip, or attempt to run this red light with as much precaution and safety as you can get when breaking the law.  This made me realize that though bicyclist have as much right to the road as motorized vehicles, the roads were not designed with bicyclists in mind.

First I started researching how traffic lights that change based on vehicle presence worked.  I found that there are three basic types:  Ones that use lasers, ones that use air hoses, and ones that use inductance.  If you’ve seen the “pressure plates” at stop lights that look like your vehicle tire must be on them to work, then you’ve actually seen the inductive loop sensors.  Those pressure plate looking things are not actually pressure sensors, but are cuts in the asphalt to insert a coil of wire used in inductive loops.  I am not going to butcher the explanation, because I barely understand it myself.  There is a good explanation of it here.  Let’s just say that inductive loops provide a electromagnetic field which is interrupted by large metal objects (cars, trucks, etc.).  Bikes do not have enough inductive material to interrupt that electromagnetic field.  During my research, I found several products that were created for bicyclist to solve this problem.

GreenLight has two products (one an improvement over the other) that promises bikes will “Stop Getting Stuck at Red Lights!”  Here is their explanation of how their product works, but the abbreviated version is they have small metal magnet that  you place on your bike that will interfere with the electromagnetic field at intersections, “fooling” the computer into thinking your bike is a large metal object, thus triggering the light to turn green.  At $24.95 with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee, it is probably worth a try.

If you are not wanting to buy a product, Instructables.com has a DIY version that involves epoxying a magnet to the bottom of your bike shoe.  Comments to the blog post indicate it works and suggest other alternatives.

Personally, I don’t run into this problem very often in Atlanta.  I happened upon it Friday, because I was biking around town in Columbus, GA.  If you are running into this problem often, try one of these solutions and let us know how it went.

And there you have it.

- Joe.