It happened, finally... The batteries failed to get me up the last hill on my way home today. For the first time in months I had to drop into my granny gear - sorry Granny, I had too. With 50+ pounds of battery and motor now being dead weight, thank heavens I still had a granny gear.
Between a little grease on my bearings, the chain needing a good cleaning and lube, all the dead weight, and my largeness due to consuming to much c6h12o6, the ride home today was an awakening. But do note, it is 7:45 AM and I have just finished my second glass of wine - I worked the overnight and just got home - O.K.?
Decisions, decisions, etc.... I am leaning toward selling the e-bike as-is (it will need $40 of new batteries) for $400+ shipping, and I love PayPal, and buying a new bike. I have been eyeing the Dahon Speed TR because it folds (I can take it on a train to Manhattan) and it has the SRAM Daul Drive with an 8 cog gear cluster, plus 3 speed internal hub for a gear range of something linke 29 to 111 inches - you can't beat that on most road tandems!
I have also been playing with a couple of conceptual designs for a trailer/carrier for a folding bike that will allow the rider to haul a substaintial load in the trailer without compromising the foldability of the bike, and then once the bike is folded, the bike stores in the trailer that is then convereted to hand-truck stlyed wheeled lugage/carrier. The attempts I have seen at working this concept have seemed to lack the energy/input of anyone who would seriously use this type of system on a day-to-day basis. I hope my concept can reach the masses and revolutionize transportation as we know it.
On the revolutionarianism side of things, I have been thinking of a new business (in addition to the two I already have) that sells bicycles, bicycle accessories, and other items to caiter to bicycle commuters. What do you think? Is it a worthy business idea?
Monday, October 10, 2005
The Week of October 3
It's a blast running erands on the e-bike. Truely, this combination of bicycle and electric technologies is the most effiecent way of running to the store when you only need a few things.
Monday was a normal day, the kids were in school and Heidi (a/k/a Director of Finer Details, a/k/a Mrs. Jim) was working on her business. While the house was empty I ran packages to the Post Office and made a trip to the hardware store for some odds and ends. Well with a zoom and a huff, I was in town in a flash, parked in my usual parking spaces - "right in front of all the places I needed to go." Before I knew it, I was home without using any gasoline.
Tuesday and Wednesday were weird, these are the High Jewish Holidays - the holiday isn't weird (I'm Catholic, the Mrs. is Jewish - and do we know guilt...), but weird is the kids were only in school for one day, then they were off for two. Well at least we got to spend some quality time together at home (no one went Postal on anyone), but at lunch on Tuesday my 7-year old daughter explained to me how her classmate threatened her and told her he was going to have is brother shoot and kill her. THIS IS ONE TYPE OF INCIDENT EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE SERIOUSLY IN OUR POST-COLUMBINE WORLD. The next 48 hours were spent notifying the Teachers, getting the Principal involved, the kid's parents were dragged into this, and the bottom line was the kid just out of line make inappropriate juvenile-type remarks to impress my daughter - no one actually had a gun. Needless to say, the event made for an exciting few days.
Wednesday the truck got it's first workout it has had in a while. I needed a cubic yard of top soil, there were some awkward packages that needed to be mailed out, etc. Next week we pick up a cord of firewood.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I drove the truck to work (note: since early September I have only used 7 gallons of gasoline in the truck). Not only was I starting my rotation at work, but I was working nights and we were in the middle of a tropical depression that dumped 8 inches of rain across most of the area - it was wet, work was busy, and the luxury of the truck was well worth it.
Last night, Sunday night, I rode my e-bike, this was a welcome change. I have been noticing that I have not been getting a good connection between the charger and the charger's plug on the battery pack. I suspect road grime and poor manufacturing, and a summer of bike commuting have taken it's toll here. I plan on going to Radio Shack to get replacement pieces and do the repairs myself. I also notice that now that it is a little cooler and the batteries have been cycled 50+ times, they aren't keeping the charge they use to - or - this could be a function of a poor charger connection. After I see how the charger connection repairs work out, if I notice little or no improvement, I am going to remove the motor and battery from the bike until the spring and/or sell it to someone in a warmer climate who may get winter use out of it - I would also consider selling the complete bike for the right price ($400.00+ shipping).
The motor removal scheme came to me after I did some work on the bike last week. I removed the battery pack to attach a custom-made light bar to my rear rack that accomodates 3+ LED flashers - I am now very visible from behind! [note: I need to upload photos] The bike felt extremely light without 30+ pounds of lead acid battery, and I realized the bike will feel even lighter removing 20+ pounds of motor. After a summer of riding, I am in sufficient shape that I might not physically need the motor to keep my commute times where they are at now (30 minutes +/- 5 minutes). However, I do like the motor. Perhaps my next setup will be with a brushless (less drag) motor and NiMH batteries (less weight, but more $$$).
Thinking I might swap off the motor I grabbed the stock wheel and gave it a spin in my hands. Wow! The gyroscopic effect was cool, but the grinding of the bearings was unbearable. This made me realize that I really need to overhaul the Cannandale. This also made me think that if I overhaul the Cannondale, remove the motor and battery, I might just end up with a very low rolling resistant and light weight commuting bike.
Now here's my delema. If I over haul my bike, it will cost me about $100 in parts (new cables, I would switch my brakes to v-brakes at the same time, and I would replace the chain and tubes - the tires are still fine), and I would take me 8 hours to complete the job. I value my time at about $68/hour. So the actual cost of overhauling the bike is close to $650.00. Now because I have the highest credit rating in the world (I pay my bills and have no credit card debit), I can afford to lay out $650 for a new bike (hey, isn't that what credit cards are for?). So do I fix the old, or buy new? If I buy new, do I sell the old, or keep it as an e-beater? What would you do if your were in my position?
Monday was a normal day, the kids were in school and Heidi (a/k/a Director of Finer Details, a/k/a Mrs. Jim) was working on her business. While the house was empty I ran packages to the Post Office and made a trip to the hardware store for some odds and ends. Well with a zoom and a huff, I was in town in a flash, parked in my usual parking spaces - "right in front of all the places I needed to go." Before I knew it, I was home without using any gasoline.
Tuesday and Wednesday were weird, these are the High Jewish Holidays - the holiday isn't weird (I'm Catholic, the Mrs. is Jewish - and do we know guilt...), but weird is the kids were only in school for one day, then they were off for two. Well at least we got to spend some quality time together at home (no one went Postal on anyone), but at lunch on Tuesday my 7-year old daughter explained to me how her classmate threatened her and told her he was going to have is brother shoot and kill her. THIS IS ONE TYPE OF INCIDENT EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE SERIOUSLY IN OUR POST-COLUMBINE WORLD. The next 48 hours were spent notifying the Teachers, getting the Principal involved, the kid's parents were dragged into this, and the bottom line was the kid just out of line make inappropriate juvenile-type remarks to impress my daughter - no one actually had a gun. Needless to say, the event made for an exciting few days.
Wednesday the truck got it's first workout it has had in a while. I needed a cubic yard of top soil, there were some awkward packages that needed to be mailed out, etc. Next week we pick up a cord of firewood.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I drove the truck to work (note: since early September I have only used 7 gallons of gasoline in the truck). Not only was I starting my rotation at work, but I was working nights and we were in the middle of a tropical depression that dumped 8 inches of rain across most of the area - it was wet, work was busy, and the luxury of the truck was well worth it.
Last night, Sunday night, I rode my e-bike, this was a welcome change. I have been noticing that I have not been getting a good connection between the charger and the charger's plug on the battery pack. I suspect road grime and poor manufacturing, and a summer of bike commuting have taken it's toll here. I plan on going to Radio Shack to get replacement pieces and do the repairs myself. I also notice that now that it is a little cooler and the batteries have been cycled 50+ times, they aren't keeping the charge they use to - or - this could be a function of a poor charger connection. After I see how the charger connection repairs work out, if I notice little or no improvement, I am going to remove the motor and battery from the bike until the spring and/or sell it to someone in a warmer climate who may get winter use out of it - I would also consider selling the complete bike for the right price ($400.00+ shipping).
The motor removal scheme came to me after I did some work on the bike last week. I removed the battery pack to attach a custom-made light bar to my rear rack that accomodates 3+ LED flashers - I am now very visible from behind! [note: I need to upload photos] The bike felt extremely light without 30+ pounds of lead acid battery, and I realized the bike will feel even lighter removing 20+ pounds of motor. After a summer of riding, I am in sufficient shape that I might not physically need the motor to keep my commute times where they are at now (30 minutes +/- 5 minutes). However, I do like the motor. Perhaps my next setup will be with a brushless (less drag) motor and NiMH batteries (less weight, but more $$$).
Thinking I might swap off the motor I grabbed the stock wheel and gave it a spin in my hands. Wow! The gyroscopic effect was cool, but the grinding of the bearings was unbearable. This made me realize that I really need to overhaul the Cannandale. This also made me think that if I overhaul the Cannondale, remove the motor and battery, I might just end up with a very low rolling resistant and light weight commuting bike.
Now here's my delema. If I over haul my bike, it will cost me about $100 in parts (new cables, I would switch my brakes to v-brakes at the same time, and I would replace the chain and tubes - the tires are still fine), and I would take me 8 hours to complete the job. I value my time at about $68/hour. So the actual cost of overhauling the bike is close to $650.00. Now because I have the highest credit rating in the world (I pay my bills and have no credit card debit), I can afford to lay out $650 for a new bike (hey, isn't that what credit cards are for?). So do I fix the old, or buy new? If I buy new, do I sell the old, or keep it as an e-beater? What would you do if your were in my position?
Sunday, October 02, 2005
October 1 & 2 - Local errands
On Saturday the mini van got a good workout. Back and forth from the neighborhood across town to a softball clinic for the girls (wow they like softball!). I offered to car pool and ended up with 6 very energetic 8 and 10 year olds, and boy can they make a lot of noise - the ear drum splitting headache causing type. So I figure I transported 7 people, the mini van gets 25 MPG, then I must have gotten an honest 175 passenger miles per gallon? How does that work? Like a municiple bus gets like 6 miles per gallon of diesel, yet carrying 50 passengers the bus is getting 300 passenger miles per gallon. Is there actual efficency here?
Saturday I took the bike to the hardware store and picked up another 2-six pack of pumkin ale. A descent 3 mile round trip on the e-bike.
Today, Sunday I went for bagels, a good 2 mile round trip.
[Note: I need to contact Wilderness Energy, the charger seems to not be working well. The likely problem is road grime on the bike-side charger receptor. I am not too sure how agressive I can get cleaning out the charger receptor. Perhaps, this is a part I should wrap daily with fresh electric tape to keep the grime out.]
Monday, I start maintenance work on the bike. I should pick up another couple 6-packs of pumpkin ale, the last ones were short lived - neighbors, they like it too.
Saturday I took the bike to the hardware store and picked up another 2-six pack of pumkin ale. A descent 3 mile round trip on the e-bike.
Today, Sunday I went for bagels, a good 2 mile round trip.
[Note: I need to contact Wilderness Energy, the charger seems to not be working well. The likely problem is road grime on the bike-side charger receptor. I am not too sure how agressive I can get cleaning out the charger receptor. Perhaps, this is a part I should wrap daily with fresh electric tape to keep the grime out.]
Monday, I start maintenance work on the bike. I should pick up another couple 6-packs of pumpkin ale, the last ones were short lived - neighbors, they like it too.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
September 30th - New Pumpkin Ale
I love Pumpkin Ale. I actually just went and grabbed one out of the refrigerator. Boy it tastes good, almost like drinking the finest of pumpkin pies, but it quenches your thirst too. Amazing stuff. This particular brand is Smuttynose Brewing Company, and it is brewed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I only bought 1-six pack today, but it is so good I may just have to buy a whole case.
Today was my first true day off in a long time. I am starting to mop-up some loose ends that have been piling up over the past few days (daze) and weeks. One item was getting orders packed and shipped to customers (my wife and I have a side business, we buy and sell used books, the family started this business back in the late 1960's). I had 8 orders today, and one was shipped in a huge 16 inch by 12 inch by 12 inch box, this size is a little too large to strap on my bike rack, so I hitched up the Burley trailer. With the trailer loaded, I was off to the Post Office on my e-bike. When I arrived at the Post Office, one of the Clerk's was on a break and saw me roll up all encumbered with parcels and she said she was amazed one could do what I was doing. Actually, it isn't all that hard to do.
After finishing business at the Post Office, a rather tired looking new Mom with a double stroller packed with a set of twins and a 3 year old pulling at her shirt tail approached me and asked how safe the trailer was in traffic. [I started wondering, was this person about to do herself and her family in, or was this person looking for alternative transportation and a little excercise, fortunately I found out it was the exercise she was looking for.] I spent a good 20 minutes explaining how safe the Burley product was, how to find low traffic routes, to walk in cross walks and on sidewalks if traffic is too dangerous, and the benefits my family has had using a bike and trailer for more than recreation. The mom then looked at her husband after I explained a 3 year old and a couple days worth of groceries can fit into the trailer at the same time - I guess this guy now knows what is coming.
I left the Post Office and went to the local grocery store. This store is awesome, they have the largest selection of micro-brewed and imported beers, ales, ports, etc. A full 25 feet of refrigerator wall space is dedicated to their beer display, and no two of the same beers are next to each other on any shelf - this is not a Budweiser-only store. Wyck beer, pumpkin ale, Jamakin, Austrian, Norwiegn, beers with corks, bottles wrapped in paper, ....... just an awesome selection [and just 29 minutes from mid-town Manhattan]. Here is where I bought my six-pack of Pumpkin Ale (which I still continue to sip).
Well on the way home, I passed by a neighbor who had also just made a beer run, but in her mini van. Well she thought I had a child in the trailer, and was floored in wild hysteria to find out all I had was a 6-pack and bag of pretzles. She too hadn't realized that there is more than just children that can fit into a bicycle trailer.
I am almost finished with my Pumpkin Ale, boy it tastes darn good. Tomorrow, Friday, is likely the last day I will be riding my e-bike for a few days. I know I have one errand to run mid-day, round trip will be 14 miles. I really need to overhaul the bike. All the bearings need to be regreased. The cables are so stretched that no simple adjustment keeps set for any period of time. My derailuers need to be scrubbed clean of road grime, and it's about time I true my rear wheel. I also need to work up a solution for better mounting my flashers for riding in the dark.
Lots to do before returning to work next Thursday.
Today was my first true day off in a long time. I am starting to mop-up some loose ends that have been piling up over the past few days (daze) and weeks. One item was getting orders packed and shipped to customers (my wife and I have a side business, we buy and sell used books, the family started this business back in the late 1960's). I had 8 orders today, and one was shipped in a huge 16 inch by 12 inch by 12 inch box, this size is a little too large to strap on my bike rack, so I hitched up the Burley trailer. With the trailer loaded, I was off to the Post Office on my e-bike. When I arrived at the Post Office, one of the Clerk's was on a break and saw me roll up all encumbered with parcels and she said she was amazed one could do what I was doing. Actually, it isn't all that hard to do.
After finishing business at the Post Office, a rather tired looking new Mom with a double stroller packed with a set of twins and a 3 year old pulling at her shirt tail approached me and asked how safe the trailer was in traffic. [I started wondering, was this person about to do herself and her family in, or was this person looking for alternative transportation and a little excercise, fortunately I found out it was the exercise she was looking for.] I spent a good 20 minutes explaining how safe the Burley product was, how to find low traffic routes, to walk in cross walks and on sidewalks if traffic is too dangerous, and the benefits my family has had using a bike and trailer for more than recreation. The mom then looked at her husband after I explained a 3 year old and a couple days worth of groceries can fit into the trailer at the same time - I guess this guy now knows what is coming.
I left the Post Office and went to the local grocery store. This store is awesome, they have the largest selection of micro-brewed and imported beers, ales, ports, etc. A full 25 feet of refrigerator wall space is dedicated to their beer display, and no two of the same beers are next to each other on any shelf - this is not a Budweiser-only store. Wyck beer, pumpkin ale, Jamakin, Austrian, Norwiegn, beers with corks, bottles wrapped in paper, ....... just an awesome selection [and just 29 minutes from mid-town Manhattan]. Here is where I bought my six-pack of Pumpkin Ale (which I still continue to sip).
Well on the way home, I passed by a neighbor who had also just made a beer run, but in her mini van. Well she thought I had a child in the trailer, and was floored in wild hysteria to find out all I had was a 6-pack and bag of pretzles. She too hadn't realized that there is more than just children that can fit into a bicycle trailer.
I am almost finished with my Pumpkin Ale, boy it tastes darn good. Tomorrow, Friday, is likely the last day I will be riding my e-bike for a few days. I know I have one errand to run mid-day, round trip will be 14 miles. I really need to overhaul the bike. All the bearings need to be regreased. The cables are so stretched that no simple adjustment keeps set for any period of time. My derailuers need to be scrubbed clean of road grime, and it's about time I true my rear wheel. I also need to work up a solution for better mounting my flashers for riding in the dark.
Lots to do before returning to work next Thursday.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
September 28 - Last day (in rotation).
What an interesting 6 weeks. I have returned from a nice vacation in San Francisco, my friend lost her house in Gulfport, locally gasoline has spiked to $3.65 per gallon, my monthly mortgage has increase by $500 per month to cover increases in taxes, my natural gas bill went up $100 per month, and I think I may have driven my car only a handfull of times. At work there were well over 200 incidents I was involved with that required regulatory compliance (acidents, spills, close-calls, employee issues, etc.). My time was sure filled with interesting events.
As for today, I drove. Seeing that I will be away from the office for more than a week, I needed to bring home a load of work clothes and reference materials I will need while I am not there. The load was too big for the bike trailer.
I still haven't count my bike commute days, this will wait until I get back to work (my spreadsheet) to figure it all out. I feel like I rode 40+ days. In the end I rode more than the begining. Gasoline prices did make a difference for me. Why should I pay high prices for gasoline when I really don't need it?
During my week off, I will do local commuting on my e-bike (groceries, beer, post office, bank, etc.). I also plan to get a load of fire wood and top soil so the truck will be used a little too. Of course there are ball games, play dates, etc. and the mini-van will get a good work out too. I hope to sell the truck, that will happen hopefully sooner rather than later.
I am also looking forward to breaking down my e-bike and doing an overhaul to get things tighter and smoother. I will need new cables, brake pads, grease, and elbow grease and I am sure the ride will be smooth and set for the fall and early winter.
A note on winter. I am thinking of taking the motor off the bike to keep the grime induced deterioration to a minimum.
Regardless, I will be peddling often during the next 7 days. The additions to the blog may be less timely, but keep the faith, I am out here peddling away.
As for today, I drove. Seeing that I will be away from the office for more than a week, I needed to bring home a load of work clothes and reference materials I will need while I am not there. The load was too big for the bike trailer.
I still haven't count my bike commute days, this will wait until I get back to work (my spreadsheet) to figure it all out. I feel like I rode 40+ days. In the end I rode more than the begining. Gasoline prices did make a difference for me. Why should I pay high prices for gasoline when I really don't need it?
During my week off, I will do local commuting on my e-bike (groceries, beer, post office, bank, etc.). I also plan to get a load of fire wood and top soil so the truck will be used a little too. Of course there are ball games, play dates, etc. and the mini-van will get a good work out too. I hope to sell the truck, that will happen hopefully sooner rather than later.
I am also looking forward to breaking down my e-bike and doing an overhaul to get things tighter and smoother. I will need new cables, brake pads, grease, and elbow grease and I am sure the ride will be smooth and set for the fall and early winter.
A note on winter. I am thinking of taking the motor off the bike to keep the grime induced deterioration to a minimum.
Regardless, I will be peddling often during the next 7 days. The additions to the blog may be less timely, but keep the faith, I am out here peddling away.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
September 27 - One more day to go.
Tomorrow, I finish my 6 week rotation. I rode more this time around than on any other rotation since June. I will now count the days to see if I met the goal I set in June, I feel I must be close to it.
The ride in today started about 6 AM. I encountered several motorist who didn't want to stop at STOP signs on small feeder streets, and only did so after I made my presense known with lights, bell, and shouts (don't shout too much, it doesn't pay to piss-off an idiot who is in semi-control of several thousands of pounds of steel - need I say more). I am thinking front-mounted clear/white flasher are in order to be more "Front" visible.
At lunch today with my Manager and Vice President, my manager started a conversation by asking me if I rode my "motor bike" to work today. Well now everyone (like my VP) knows I ride a hybrid ped-electric bike [REMINDER: I work for a (very) large electric utility], I set a goal and I am close to making it, I don't buy much gasoline, I support "green building" initiatives, and that "yes" I am a professional and yes the environment is something I know is important to protect, preserve, and repair if business is to succeed and if we want to continue living in the world as we know it, and finally, I have studied the environment, and I am an environmental scientist.
Oooh. It will be nice to off for a few days to catch up on my sanity (and ride a bit more).
Also, I am thinking of working on my old road bike and getting it back on the road for winter. What do you think?
The ride in today started about 6 AM. I encountered several motorist who didn't want to stop at STOP signs on small feeder streets, and only did so after I made my presense known with lights, bell, and shouts (don't shout too much, it doesn't pay to piss-off an idiot who is in semi-control of several thousands of pounds of steel - need I say more). I am thinking front-mounted clear/white flasher are in order to be more "Front" visible.
At lunch today with my Manager and Vice President, my manager started a conversation by asking me if I rode my "motor bike" to work today. Well now everyone (like my VP) knows I ride a hybrid ped-electric bike [REMINDER: I work for a (very) large electric utility], I set a goal and I am close to making it, I don't buy much gasoline, I support "green building" initiatives, and that "yes" I am a professional and yes the environment is something I know is important to protect, preserve, and repair if business is to succeed and if we want to continue living in the world as we know it, and finally, I have studied the environment, and I am an environmental scientist.
Oooh. It will be nice to off for a few days to catch up on my sanity (and ride a bit more).
Also, I am thinking of working on my old road bike and getting it back on the road for winter. What do you think?
Monday, September 26, 2005
Google News Alert: Bicycle - A really cool feature
If you haven't discovered by now, Google news has a great feature called New Alerts. This feature allows users, like me, to have a digest of articles - with links to full text news articles - emailed to me daily on subjects I choose. Here's the hyperlink to the feature: http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en.
I have chosen the topic "bicycle". Now daily, Google emails me a list of news articles with bicycle in the subject of the article. Every day, I open the email and click the hyperlink, and I have bicycle news [Note: so far the majority of the news is about fatalities and felonies where the perpetrators escape on bicycle, but there is some socio-political news too].
I advocate everyone try the Google news "Alert" feature, it is fun.
I have chosen the topic "bicycle". Now daily, Google emails me a list of news articles with bicycle in the subject of the article. Every day, I open the email and click the hyperlink, and I have bicycle news [Note: so far the majority of the news is about fatalities and felonies where the perpetrators escape on bicycle, but there is some socio-political news too].
I advocate everyone try the Google news "Alert" feature, it is fun.
September 26th - Monday.....
I was due into work at 7:00 AM, not the usual 6:00 AM. So today I left the house at 6, not my usual 4:45 AM. The hour and fifteen minutes makes a world of difference in the amount of lunatics on the road. I would much rather rider earlier than wait for the rush hour to pick up.
On the reverse, I was riding home in school traffic. The Mom's in mini vans and SUVs are drivers of concern to cyclists. They made being visible and cautious a priority on my ride home. On a funny note, a New York State Trooper driving through town passed me and turned right, just yard in front of me. Perhaps "they" should add bicyclist awareness to the driver's education ciriculum at Trooper School. Had he hit me, there would be an interesting law suit, and some really great bad press. Yet, that is not the type of attention I want.
It is late (Parent's open house at the kid's school tonight), and I have a 4:30 AM wake up it I want to work 6 AM to 2 PM tomorrow. Good night.
On the reverse, I was riding home in school traffic. The Mom's in mini vans and SUVs are drivers of concern to cyclists. They made being visible and cautious a priority on my ride home. On a funny note, a New York State Trooper driving through town passed me and turned right, just yard in front of me. Perhaps "they" should add bicyclist awareness to the driver's education ciriculum at Trooper School. Had he hit me, there would be an interesting law suit, and some really great bad press. Yet, that is not the type of attention I want.
It is late (Parent's open house at the kid's school tonight), and I have a 4:30 AM wake up it I want to work 6 AM to 2 PM tomorrow. Good night.
September 25 - Bagel run!
Sunday, September 25th. Tradition continues, it is bagel day here at home. It felt good hopping on the bike and motoring to the bagel store, and then on to the grocery store for milk, eggs, and cold cuts. I spent most of Saturday chauffeuring the kids to ball games, play dates, and all sorts of places - the mini van got a good work out too.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
September 22 - Jim's motor vehicles
Not only am I a bike junky, I am a reformed motorhead. My first “street legal” car was when at 17 years old in 1979, I owned a 1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite with a large enough V-8 motor with 3 sets of carburetors to generate power enough to now supply electricity to a small town for ever and ever. That car today, if still around, is worth a small fortune. I sold the car to pay college bills to get my degree in Environmental Science - there might be something to this? Since my MOPAR days (or daze) it has been VW's, bicycles, and small foot-print vehicles. Those days, a 20-gallon tank of high octane gasoline and a can of octane booster was $20.00 - yeh, like in the late 1970’s I had that much money to burn....., and as I recall, it wasn’t all that fun.
$44.10 today. A year ago $25.00. What will it be next month to fill up the minivan? I see $5.00 per gallon of regular on the horizon. When we get to $5.00 per gallon, I see us all on the edge of a socio-environmental revolution/evolution. Change is good. Pinching the pocketbook is bad. But seeing that I am very rich, yet perpetually poor, higher energy costs are just an added layer of expense to which I can borrow from the future to pay for today - good system, right? If for years deficit spending has been O.K. and working well for the government, it should work for me, right?...... [Note: The minivan has an 18 gallon fuel tank. It takes me about 4 weeks to burn through 3/4 of a tank. The vehicle gets used about every other day to move 4 or more people to here to there around town, and it is used on road trips which aren't being considered here. The VW Beatle (@31+ MPG) is used for moving groups of 4 or less around town, and many times a day on really nice sunny days - this is a convertible New Beatle, wouldn't you indulge a little here?]
I own (vehicle No. 3) a Ford F150 pickup truck. "The best selling vehicle in America!", or something like that according to one of those over paid consulting firms that benchmarks statistics of consumer over consumption. Also, with the amount of recall notices I have received from FORD, perhaps "best" is a term better left in the eye of the beholder/owner. Yes, there are a lot of F150's out there, and I suggest there are too many, especially the elevated, painted, testosterone inject behemoths that burst the boundary of utilitarianism by miles, if not light years. Usually, I drive mine when (1) I am saving the world and responding to environmental incidents and I need to carry Hazmat equipment, or when (2) my home business has a need to move large volumes of material, that it does often. Because my truck only has a V-6 engine (note: an engine smaller than most minivans), it is amazingly fuel thrifty. I drive the truck once, usually twice a week for load carrying missions, and when I feel like it, a third time on dates with my wife or when I want to feel competitive with SUV drivers. On the highway, with a 1,000 pound load, I get an honest 25 MPG – but I consider this is appropriate use of a motor vehicle (what do you think?). Here, I clearly do not have a single occupant vehicle on a daily commute. My F150 is a workhorse, and it is for sale - $14,000.00, 2002 F150 Supercab (4-door, 2-regular front and 2-small rear suicide), V-6, Automatic w/overdrive, A/C, cruise, AM/FM/CD, sprayed-on epoxy bed liner. I last filled up with gasoline in August costing $1.98 per gallon. I am still at 1/3 tank. This truck is awesome.
Regarding beer runs, this is work only for a bicycle. The bicycle applied for transportation beer is appropriate for many reasons, but mainly for the fact you can’t drink too much beer and then ride a bicycle – it just doesn’t work. This isn’t rocket scientist work, just recognition that too much coordination and sense of your surroundings are required to move a bicycle forward without falling over. Once coordination (3 or 5 beers later) is lost, the bicycle doesn’t go too far, the rider ends up upside down a few feet from the start point, and well, you paint that picture from here…..
$44.10 today. A year ago $25.00. What will it be next month to fill up the minivan? I see $5.00 per gallon of regular on the horizon. When we get to $5.00 per gallon, I see us all on the edge of a socio-environmental revolution/evolution. Change is good. Pinching the pocketbook is bad. But seeing that I am very rich, yet perpetually poor, higher energy costs are just an added layer of expense to which I can borrow from the future to pay for today - good system, right? If for years deficit spending has been O.K. and working well for the government, it should work for me, right?...... [Note: The minivan has an 18 gallon fuel tank. It takes me about 4 weeks to burn through 3/4 of a tank. The vehicle gets used about every other day to move 4 or more people to here to there around town, and it is used on road trips which aren't being considered here. The VW Beatle (@31+ MPG) is used for moving groups of 4 or less around town, and many times a day on really nice sunny days - this is a convertible New Beatle, wouldn't you indulge a little here?]
I own (vehicle No. 3) a Ford F150 pickup truck. "The best selling vehicle in America!", or something like that according to one of those over paid consulting firms that benchmarks statistics of consumer over consumption. Also, with the amount of recall notices I have received from FORD, perhaps "best" is a term better left in the eye of the beholder/owner. Yes, there are a lot of F150's out there, and I suggest there are too many, especially the elevated, painted, testosterone inject behemoths that burst the boundary of utilitarianism by miles, if not light years. Usually, I drive mine when (1) I am saving the world and responding to environmental incidents and I need to carry Hazmat equipment, or when (2) my home business has a need to move large volumes of material, that it does often. Because my truck only has a V-6 engine (note: an engine smaller than most minivans), it is amazingly fuel thrifty. I drive the truck once, usually twice a week for load carrying missions, and when I feel like it, a third time on dates with my wife or when I want to feel competitive with SUV drivers. On the highway, with a 1,000 pound load, I get an honest 25 MPG – but I consider this is appropriate use of a motor vehicle (what do you think?). Here, I clearly do not have a single occupant vehicle on a daily commute. My F150 is a workhorse, and it is for sale - $14,000.00, 2002 F150 Supercab (4-door, 2-regular front and 2-small rear suicide), V-6, Automatic w/overdrive, A/C, cruise, AM/FM/CD, sprayed-on epoxy bed liner. I last filled up with gasoline in August costing $1.98 per gallon. I am still at 1/3 tank. This truck is awesome.
Regarding beer runs, this is work only for a bicycle. The bicycle applied for transportation beer is appropriate for many reasons, but mainly for the fact you can’t drink too much beer and then ride a bicycle – it just doesn’t work. This isn’t rocket scientist work, just recognition that too much coordination and sense of your surroundings are required to move a bicycle forward without falling over. Once coordination (3 or 5 beers later) is lost, the bicycle doesn’t go too far, the rider ends up upside down a few feet from the start point, and well, you paint that picture from here…..
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
September 20 - It's over!!!! (my rotation at work)
What a great ride home! Traffic at 6:30 PM in the suburbs of "Mega Metropolis Land" is so great! Bountiful is the warming exhaust of bus traffic, beautiful is the all too present sight of solo motorist wrapped in 7,000+ pounds of mind numbing steel, sweet is the odor of burnt hydrocarbons lingering at every intersection where jackrabbit starts are the norm. I only wish more humans would see and understand this absurdity.
Today, the ride to work was "so bad". The moon was full and provided more than ample light to justify a 3:45 AM wake-up. I had to be sure I was on the road by 4:30 AM to be at work on time. [Note: Night Sun, et.al., natural area lighting is the best, please work on “moon lighting”. Also note: All riders need to be real! Ride with a helmet, and front and rear lighting – it’s cheap, use it!] Going to work, I felt challenged to draft the one car that actually tried hard to pass me (foolishly, they stopped for every red light – At 4:45 in the morning, what were they thinking? Ooops, should I have done a track stand for 2-minutes when no one passed across my path?). Over a distance of 4 miles, I beat the car before they turned onto the highway and drove off to wherever their destination was. Besides the afore mentioned, when I passed the local Dunkin Donuts with all that gusto to draft that car, it was a bummer to see all the Police cruisers from the surrounding towns in that parking lot. Like, enforcement?
Bottom line, I need a few daze(s) to recover from the shift work. Today I just finished a 6-week rotation at work: 7-12-hour days 7-12 hour nights; a straight 40 hours thrown in to confuse the mix; well, my mind is mush.
Please be safe. Plan and ride for the worst, and enjoy all the moments that aren’t bad. I wish you all more good times than bad. Most important. Please keep peddling. Thanks.
Today, the ride to work was "so bad". The moon was full and provided more than ample light to justify a 3:45 AM wake-up. I had to be sure I was on the road by 4:30 AM to be at work on time. [Note: Night Sun, et.al., natural area lighting is the best, please work on “moon lighting”. Also note: All riders need to be real! Ride with a helmet, and front and rear lighting – it’s cheap, use it!] Going to work, I felt challenged to draft the one car that actually tried hard to pass me (foolishly, they stopped for every red light – At 4:45 in the morning, what were they thinking? Ooops, should I have done a track stand for 2-minutes when no one passed across my path?). Over a distance of 4 miles, I beat the car before they turned onto the highway and drove off to wherever their destination was. Besides the afore mentioned, when I passed the local Dunkin Donuts with all that gusto to draft that car, it was a bummer to see all the Police cruisers from the surrounding towns in that parking lot. Like, enforcement?
Bottom line, I need a few daze(s) to recover from the shift work. Today I just finished a 6-week rotation at work: 7-12-hour days 7-12 hour nights; a straight 40 hours thrown in to confuse the mix; well, my mind is mush.
Please be safe. Plan and ride for the worst, and enjoy all the moments that aren’t bad. I wish you all more good times than bad. Most important. Please keep peddling. Thanks.
Monday, September 19, 2005
September 19th - Dark ride.
3:45 AM actually turned out to be 4:15 AM - that snooze button is very dangerous. I was out of the house by 4:33 AM, at the coffee shop (for tea) at 5:00 AM, and I rolled up to the office at 5:15. By the time I took a baby-wipe bath and dressed in my "business attire", it was 5:35. I was well early for the start of my my 6:00 AM shift.
I believe the moon was full, or at least pretty full last night because it was still shining just before sunrise. The moon did a great job illuminating the road, but I still riode a little slower in the dark. After 3 months I know the road pretty well, but there are always some surprises (skunks, tree branches, McDonald bags, etc.).
The ride home was energizing, or at least enough so that now at 9:00 PM I am still awake enough to blog. On the ride home I passed one of my crews. I guess they are not use to seeing this big guy on a mountain bike with panniers barrelling down a hill, I took them by surprise. They are good guys, but they weren't wearing their proper safety equipment - not good.
Also not good was how I was riding in traffic - I have to watch myself. At traffic stops I found myself weaving through stopped traffic to get in front of the line. I probably shouldn't do that. For the traffic stops where I did stop at the side of the road, or in line with traffic, my ride definately slowed down a lot. So in heavy traffic tonight my ride was 45 minutes, it is usually 30. If I drove today, it probably would have taken the same amount of time to get home, but by riding I saved the gas, energy, and left a small foot-print.
I did something interesting over last weekend. Google News lets you subscribe to news alerts using search terms you define. I signed up for a daily digest of links to internet news articles that contain the word "bicycle" in their titles. It is rather interesting to see all the news about bicycles, there are a lot of fatalities listed, but some political, and activist stuff too. For example, today there was an article from an Austin Texas newspaper about one of their editors test riding a Tide Force 750x - there were quite a few references to Lance in that article. I subscribed to the same type of service about 15 years ago when I used CompuServe. I recomend doing it if you have the interest, time, and resources to read daily news involving bicycles, it is simple and dosen't cost anything.
Well, here I am 9:13 PM. Bed time. Tuesday is my last early wake up for 5 days. I have to make the best of it. Chow!
I believe the moon was full, or at least pretty full last night because it was still shining just before sunrise. The moon did a great job illuminating the road, but I still riode a little slower in the dark. After 3 months I know the road pretty well, but there are always some surprises (skunks, tree branches, McDonald bags, etc.).
The ride home was energizing, or at least enough so that now at 9:00 PM I am still awake enough to blog. On the ride home I passed one of my crews. I guess they are not use to seeing this big guy on a mountain bike with panniers barrelling down a hill, I took them by surprise. They are good guys, but they weren't wearing their proper safety equipment - not good.
Also not good was how I was riding in traffic - I have to watch myself. At traffic stops I found myself weaving through stopped traffic to get in front of the line. I probably shouldn't do that. For the traffic stops where I did stop at the side of the road, or in line with traffic, my ride definately slowed down a lot. So in heavy traffic tonight my ride was 45 minutes, it is usually 30. If I drove today, it probably would have taken the same amount of time to get home, but by riding I saved the gas, energy, and left a small foot-print.
I did something interesting over last weekend. Google News lets you subscribe to news alerts using search terms you define. I signed up for a daily digest of links to internet news articles that contain the word "bicycle" in their titles. It is rather interesting to see all the news about bicycles, there are a lot of fatalities listed, but some political, and activist stuff too. For example, today there was an article from an Austin Texas newspaper about one of their editors test riding a Tide Force 750x - there were quite a few references to Lance in that article. I subscribed to the same type of service about 15 years ago when I used CompuServe. I recomend doing it if you have the interest, time, and resources to read daily news involving bicycles, it is simple and dosen't cost anything.
Well, here I am 9:13 PM. Bed time. Tuesday is my last early wake up for 5 days. I have to make the best of it. Chow!
September 18th - Drove, top down....
There was so much rain, and the puddles were so deep last night on the ride home that my drailers got super gunked up with road grime, so much so that my derailers stopped working - not good.
With not enough time to work on the bike before work Sunday (another12-hour shift), I took the VW Beatle. I went top down - I think convertibles are as close as a car will ever get to being a bicycle.
I got home and wrenched around the bike for about an hour, lubed lubable parts, added air in airable parts, and polished (yes it now shines) the frame - there was way too much road grime. I could go on for hours about road grime - just don't get it on your work clothers - it never comes out.
Monday, it's tie day at work. My "dress" clothes are laid out and they'll go into the panniers.
3:45 is looking pretty early for a wake-up, but well worth it.
With not enough time to work on the bike before work Sunday (another12-hour shift), I took the VW Beatle. I went top down - I think convertibles are as close as a car will ever get to being a bicycle.
I got home and wrenched around the bike for about an hour, lubed lubable parts, added air in airable parts, and polished (yes it now shines) the frame - there was way too much road grime. I could go on for hours about road grime - just don't get it on your work clothers - it never comes out.
Monday, it's tie day at work. My "dress" clothes are laid out and they'll go into the panniers.
3:45 is looking pretty early for a wake-up, but well worth it.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
September 17th - Quack, quack, I am a duck - boy did it rain!
I am a three alarm kind of guy. Today, the first alarm went off at 3:45 AM, the send at 3:55, the third (the dangerous one) sounded at 4:00 AM - this is the one with the 7 minute snooze [who came up with 7 minutes? Is 7 minutes the standard for a snooze?]. 4:00 AM quickly became 4:21, I dashed out of bed, brushed my teethed, evacuated my bladder, ran three fingers through my hair, grabbed my gear, and peddled off to work.
This morning I made good time. 7.5 miles in 30 minutes, and I wasn't pushing it (thank you peddle assist). I was a little sweaty with a little more stink today, so I used some babby wipes to decontaminate the crutial parts.
The shift went o.k. but my relief overslept and was late by about 20 minutes, the minutes that made a 1 hour difference in my commute. Had my relief been on time, I would have been home before the heavens opened up. Because "he" was late, I got stuck halfway home with torrential rains resulting in up to 6 inches (and more) of local flooding. Luckly, I made it to the local train station before I got soaked and I waited out most of the storm, including hail and lightening (plus about 3 inches of rain). I hung out for an hour watching the storm pass - there is something kind of peaceful about that - but it would have been better if I watched the storm from home.
By the time I restarted my ride home I had my rain gear on, the roads were littered with branches, motorists were "extra" crazed, and power was out to signal lights in half the intersections I rode through.
I got home, I am sipping a glass of California wine, I am going to eat, shower, cutle my wife (we had to put the dog "down" yesterday - she had cancer, so the bed is more "open" now which is much better now for cuddling).
Dinner is on the table, I shall go. My gear is drying out. I need to get up earlier in the morning to regrease/lube the important parts of the bike since it got drench.
Goodnight for now.
This morning I made good time. 7.5 miles in 30 minutes, and I wasn't pushing it (thank you peddle assist). I was a little sweaty with a little more stink today, so I used some babby wipes to decontaminate the crutial parts.
The shift went o.k. but my relief overslept and was late by about 20 minutes, the minutes that made a 1 hour difference in my commute. Had my relief been on time, I would have been home before the heavens opened up. Because "he" was late, I got stuck halfway home with torrential rains resulting in up to 6 inches (and more) of local flooding. Luckly, I made it to the local train station before I got soaked and I waited out most of the storm, including hail and lightening (plus about 3 inches of rain). I hung out for an hour watching the storm pass - there is something kind of peaceful about that - but it would have been better if I watched the storm from home.
By the time I restarted my ride home I had my rain gear on, the roads were littered with branches, motorists were "extra" crazed, and power was out to signal lights in half the intersections I rode through.
I got home, I am sipping a glass of California wine, I am going to eat, shower, cutle my wife (we had to put the dog "down" yesterday - she had cancer, so the bed is more "open" now which is much better now for cuddling).
Dinner is on the table, I shall go. My gear is drying out. I need to get up earlier in the morning to regrease/lube the important parts of the bike since it got drench.
Goodnight for now.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
September 15th - Cold Beer (in the morning)!!!!!!
What a night at work. A bag of popcorn in an unauthorized microwave caused the fire alarm to go off and the building had to be evacuated. The sirens were tested at the local nuke plant, but most people didn't know about the test and thought there was a meltdown in progress - I got those calls. Some member of the public shot a blow-gun dart into a sensative piece of equipment. And, I could go on, and on, and on, etc.
As I sit writing the blog, I am glad to say it is pouring rain outside. I made it home without getting rained on and soaked. At 5:55 AM it was dark and humid, but no rain. [I need to think about getting some serious rain gear if I am going to keep this up.]
Now for the beer part, when I got home (at 6:25 AM) I found the bottom shelf of the refridgerator fill with very cold Budwweiser! Awesome. It's now 7:13 AM and I am on my third! Catching a buz in the morning (after working all night long) is great! I guess today is a bad day to want to walk the kids to school - what will the other children's parents think? Ha! Who cares! The beer is ice cold!
As I sit writing the blog, I am glad to say it is pouring rain outside. I made it home without getting rained on and soaked. At 5:55 AM it was dark and humid, but no rain. [I need to think about getting some serious rain gear if I am going to keep this up.]
Now for the beer part, when I got home (at 6:25 AM) I found the bottom shelf of the refridgerator fill with very cold Budwweiser! Awesome. It's now 7:13 AM and I am on my third! Catching a buz in the morning (after working all night long) is great! I guess today is a bad day to want to walk the kids to school - what will the other children's parents think? Ha! Who cares! The beer is ice cold!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
September 14th - One more night to go.
Working nights is unnatural. My bio-clock will now be toppsie turrvie for the next 4 days. However, the exercise I am getting e-bike commuting to work really helps keep my energy level up.
The night before last I read the New York State Motor Vehicle Laws (it was a slow night). Much to my surprise, electric-assist bicycles are not allowed to be opperated on public roads in New York State. There is a bill the State Assemble passed and moved onto the State Senate that will change the definiation of an electric-assist bicycle (whose primary propulsion is human power) to be a bicycle that will in essence remove prohabition for their use on public roadways. What a bummer, it is no wonder why more people don't ride electric-assist bicycles - it's against the law. Go figure.
Well, my noncompliance with the law will willfully continue. I just hope the Assembly Bill dosen't die a misserable death in the Senate Transportation Committee.
I am already setting my sights on the spring and new batteries. I am thinking about swapping to NiMH and upping the voltage to 48 volts, this change shall add some pazzaz to the ride. I brushless motor would also be a good thing, but I need a big tax return, or higher gasoline prices to justify the payback period.
I am also thinking about new panniers, or other type of load carrying devices. I have corrugated plastic that I might try my own design. I also am thinking I can zip-tie a plastic crate, or small garbage can to my Blackburn rack - I could do the same with old picnic baskets for a cool retro-style look.
The ride to and from work was descent, however it was a little warm yesterday and a little humid this morning. Now that I am home, it is a good time to take a quick shower.
Still no Blogging from work.
The night before last I read the New York State Motor Vehicle Laws (it was a slow night). Much to my surprise, electric-assist bicycles are not allowed to be opperated on public roads in New York State. There is a bill the State Assemble passed and moved onto the State Senate that will change the definiation of an electric-assist bicycle (whose primary propulsion is human power) to be a bicycle that will in essence remove prohabition for their use on public roadways. What a bummer, it is no wonder why more people don't ride electric-assist bicycles - it's against the law. Go figure.
Well, my noncompliance with the law will willfully continue. I just hope the Assembly Bill dosen't die a misserable death in the Senate Transportation Committee.
I am already setting my sights on the spring and new batteries. I am thinking about swapping to NiMH and upping the voltage to 48 volts, this change shall add some pazzaz to the ride. I brushless motor would also be a good thing, but I need a big tax return, or higher gasoline prices to justify the payback period.
I am also thinking about new panniers, or other type of load carrying devices. I have corrugated plastic that I might try my own design. I also am thinking I can zip-tie a plastic crate, or small garbage can to my Blackburn rack - I could do the same with old picnic baskets for a cool retro-style look.
The ride to and from work was descent, however it was a little warm yesterday and a little humid this morning. Now that I am home, it is a good time to take a quick shower.
Still no Blogging from work.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
September 13 - Working nights
Days are getting shorter! I left the office at 6:00 PM in the dark. The sun was up by the time I got home. I am begining to really enjoy early morning rides, the air is cleaner, and there are fewer people and cars on the road. It almost feels like I own the place.
I am off to bed. I will get up at about 3:00PM when the kids get home from school and get ready to ride back to work.
I am off to bed. I will get up at about 3:00PM when the kids get home from school and get ready to ride back to work.
Monday, September 12, 2005
September 12 - $3.24 per gallon
I finally had to put some gasoline into my pick up truck. The last time I gassed up the truck was in mid-July when I cam back from a trip to Maine. $40.00 bought me a half tank of regular gas (about 13 gallons). Hopefully, this will last until winter time.
I counted bicycles on the rack at the local train station today. Total, 24 bikes, and much to my suprise were the 9 scooters mixed in with the bikes. Now, especially with the high gas prices and nice weather, there are clearly many more people on bicycles. This is a trend that if it contunies might defeat the oil giants at their own game. If less people drive, and those that do drive more economical model cars, then much less fuel will be consumed at whatever price the gas giants can through at us consumers. I am still comfortable and confident that I can continue to ride my bike for months, likely all year long.
I have been driving. There are just some trips where it makes more sense to drive, like if I have little time to go a long distance, or if I am car pooling, or if I am taking a bunch of people somewhere in the minivan, or I have a load to haul in the truck. This is what I consider appropriate use of transportation technologies.
I work nights this week, so the bike commute will be easy. There is some rain predicted, but I'll get wet and change into clean clothes at work.
I counted bicycles on the rack at the local train station today. Total, 24 bikes, and much to my suprise were the 9 scooters mixed in with the bikes. Now, especially with the high gas prices and nice weather, there are clearly many more people on bicycles. This is a trend that if it contunies might defeat the oil giants at their own game. If less people drive, and those that do drive more economical model cars, then much less fuel will be consumed at whatever price the gas giants can through at us consumers. I am still comfortable and confident that I can continue to ride my bike for months, likely all year long.
I have been driving. There are just some trips where it makes more sense to drive, like if I have little time to go a long distance, or if I am car pooling, or if I am taking a bunch of people somewhere in the minivan, or I have a load to haul in the truck. This is what I consider appropriate use of transportation technologies.
I work nights this week, so the bike commute will be easy. There is some rain predicted, but I'll get wet and change into clean clothes at work.
Friday, September 02, 2005
September 2, 2005 - $3.77 per gallon and I haven't driven in days
Today, if I were to sell the 13 gallons of gasoline remaining in my pickup truck I would profit on the sale by more than 100%. This is a rather sick notion considering I only filled my truck up with gasoline 6 weeks ago.
On my e-bike ride home today, I observed the gasoline station that 48 hours ago posted gasoline at $2.44 per gallon is now selling it for $3.77 per gallon. A $1.33 per gallon more in 48 hours, and for what reason? It is likely the same gas has been in his tanks the entire time.
You be crazy, not me. I am sticking with the e-bike.
Note: this weekend I need to repack bottom bracket bearings on e-bike, at 15 years it has been too long and they don't sound too happy. Also, I need to start an inventory on Trek 400 replacement parts to rebuild that frame. If gas and electric gets too crazy, the Trek 400 frame makes a good and fast commuter/cycle-cross type bike good for all weather (i.e. winter) conditions.
I got the new fork for my delta trike. Soon, I'll be e-commuting on my trike.
Anyone want to buy an e-bike? I'll sell my electric C'dale for the first $700.
On my e-bike ride home today, I observed the gasoline station that 48 hours ago posted gasoline at $2.44 per gallon is now selling it for $3.77 per gallon. A $1.33 per gallon more in 48 hours, and for what reason? It is likely the same gas has been in his tanks the entire time.
You be crazy, not me. I am sticking with the e-bike.
Note: this weekend I need to repack bottom bracket bearings on e-bike, at 15 years it has been too long and they don't sound too happy. Also, I need to start an inventory on Trek 400 replacement parts to rebuild that frame. If gas and electric gets too crazy, the Trek 400 frame makes a good and fast commuter/cycle-cross type bike good for all weather (i.e. winter) conditions.
I got the new fork for my delta trike. Soon, I'll be e-commuting on my trike.
Anyone want to buy an e-bike? I'll sell my electric C'dale for the first $700.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
September's Somber Song, and more reflections on today's e-bike commute.
Just today, I read one of those "global" type emails from the "internet police" at work describing how a fellow employee abused their internet privileges and subsequently lost their job. [Actually, from the email it sounds like the person spent more time surfing than doing their job while at work] As such and here forth, my blogging will only be from home.
Considering the death, discomfort, and humiliation being felt by so many American's as a direct result of Hurricane Katrina, in today's work environment loosing your job over internet surfing seems too petite.
Here in New York, I pledge my support to do what ever I can for America to help American's recover from the Katrina tragedy. Mr. Bush, I have not heard you make this pledge, where are you?
TODAY'S COMMUTE
I left the house this morning at 4:45 in the dark, but it was humid and warm (remnants of Katrina). During my 7.5 mile commute, I was passed by only 1 automobile. It was actually a very pleasant ride. However, and refer to a past blog, there was this one little skunk in the same place I almost ran over it last time. Not that I want to run over a skunk (pew!), but this is definitely the type of landmark you want to be riding well clear of.
My head light worked well, even on the more dimmly lighted streets. I also wore a hi-vis DOT Class III reflective vest so anyone within a 1/2 mile using headlights saw me before they could ride me over. [google hi vis clothing for some cool stuff] My ride was about 40 minutes, I stopped at the bagel store, but they would not open for another 15 minutes - gerrrr. I also stopped at the bank to get cash for breakfa$t at the office cafeteria (way more than the bagel shop).
While riding to work today, I notice a local gas station was open and the board in front showed regular gas at $2.45 per gallon. I told Chris, the guy who relieved on our shift, about the cheap price thinking he might want to top off his tank (Ford F150 Super Crew V-8) on the way home. Well, on my way home I saw the price at the same gas station, and on the same price board being $3.65 - $1.20 more per gallon in less than 13 hours.
My energy cost for today's round trip commute was 1,200 calories (the equivalent of my lunch), plus $0.05 for the electric charge in my bicycle battery. Hybrid pedal-electric definitely is a winner in my book.
Hey, does anyone out there want to buy my pickup truck?
Considering the death, discomfort, and humiliation being felt by so many American's as a direct result of Hurricane Katrina, in today's work environment loosing your job over internet surfing seems too petite.
Here in New York, I pledge my support to do what ever I can for America to help American's recover from the Katrina tragedy. Mr. Bush, I have not heard you make this pledge, where are you?
TODAY'S COMMUTE
I left the house this morning at 4:45 in the dark, but it was humid and warm (remnants of Katrina). During my 7.5 mile commute, I was passed by only 1 automobile. It was actually a very pleasant ride. However, and refer to a past blog, there was this one little skunk in the same place I almost ran over it last time. Not that I want to run over a skunk (pew!), but this is definitely the type of landmark you want to be riding well clear of.
My head light worked well, even on the more dimmly lighted streets. I also wore a hi-vis DOT Class III reflective vest so anyone within a 1/2 mile using headlights saw me before they could ride me over. [google hi vis clothing for some cool stuff] My ride was about 40 minutes, I stopped at the bagel store, but they would not open for another 15 minutes - gerrrr. I also stopped at the bank to get cash for breakfa$t at the office cafeteria (way more than the bagel shop).
While riding to work today, I notice a local gas station was open and the board in front showed regular gas at $2.45 per gallon. I told Chris, the guy who relieved on our shift, about the cheap price thinking he might want to top off his tank (Ford F150 Super Crew V-8) on the way home. Well, on my way home I saw the price at the same gas station, and on the same price board being $3.65 - $1.20 more per gallon in less than 13 hours.
My energy cost for today's round trip commute was 1,200 calories (the equivalent of my lunch), plus $0.05 for the electric charge in my bicycle battery. Hybrid pedal-electric definitely is a winner in my book.
Hey, does anyone out there want to buy my pickup truck?
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