obfuscated.org

May Miles: 501
Percentage of Monthly Goal: 300%
2009 Miles: 1,309
Percentage of 2009 Goal: 65%

May was, far and away, the biggest cycling month I’ve had. The stars really did align in terms of great weather, not too many “business casual” days at work, getting the bike situation straightened out, and a couple of opportunities for longer weekend rides. I also did my first metric century (100km) in May, and it wasn’t that bad at all. Stephanie and I are talking about doing a 100 mile ride in September and are doing 90 miles for the Livestrong ride in October, so that’s something to work towards.

This was my first full month on the Surly. It really is a great bike. Riding it feels like driving a giant Caddy with big comfy bench seats, but still a good suspension and a reasonable-enough gear box. I was a little worried about moving up to 700×37 tires as opposed to the 700×25’s I’ve been riding for the last year, but if anything that seem to roll better than what I’m use to. I am also slightly ashamed to admit that I quite like the indexed shifting for the rear derailler. Sure, it lacks the flexibility of friction shifting, but man is it a lot easier. (I’m not changing out the silvers on the Bstone, though.) Perhaps most importantly, I bought the biggest frame that would plausibly fit me. This, more than anything, is likely why it feels quite so nice to ride. I recommend buying big to everybody. Anyway, I’m quite happy with it. If you’re looking for a commuter bike or an around-town bike or a touring bike (which is what it’s built for), you’ll be hard-pressed to do a lot better than a Surly Long Haul Trucker.

If it’s like every other June, next month should be pretty ideal for riding as well. Fletcher’s scout troop has a couple of rides planned for the month, and Stephanie and I really want to find time to ride out to Claremont for lunch at the Back Abbey. Should be another great month!

Today is Bike To Work Day. There are bike “pit stops” all over LA, all doing different things. My goal this morning was to check out the three Pasadena stops.

I rolled in to the REI-sponsored stop at the Allen gold line station at about 8:30. They said that they had talked to a lot of riders today.

Gift bags and free mechanical checkups were the order of the day. Also picture taking, it seems. I declined the checkup, but gladly accepted the gift bag.

Quite excited about the REI coupon — new helmet? wheel truing stand? — and the water bottle/patch kit/sun screen. We get out to Claremont often enough that I’ll definitely be able to use the Jax coupon. Those Clif bars look yummy as well. I’m not at all sure what to make of the TMZ-branded combination pen/bottle opener.

The Pasadena city hall pit stop looked pretty mellow from the street.

Inside, though, it was much more of a scene.

They seemed much more geared towards letting city and other very local employees know about alternative transit options. Metro and Fuller had tables set up. I think Pasadena Cyclery was holding a drawing for some sort of Gary Fisher city bike. I really wanted to hit the South Lake pit stop before it closed, though, so I grabbed the nice shopping bag they were offering and was on my way.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the South Lake stop. I rode up and down the street from Colorado to just south of California and back. Nothing. I guess it was getting on towards the end of the time they were to be there. Perhaps they packed up early?

Most disappointingly, this is what I saw when I got in today:

Oh well. I guess we won’t be getting those new bike racks after all. (We were running out of room pretty regularly last summer, and “there isn’t enough space” is a much more compelling argument than “these are crappy stands and they scratch up my down tube so I don’t want to use them.”)

Either way, though, a fun ride this morning. There were definitely more bike commuters than usual out on the road today, and it’s nice to see the city and local businesses help out cyclists. (Even if it is just marketing.)

April Miles: 167
Percentage of Monthly Goal: 100%
2009 Miles: 808
Percentage of 2009 Goal: 40%

April was a rough month, riding-wise. My commuter finally bit the dust, and I was without a bike for the better part of two weeks. After that we were out of town for spring break — we had a lovely trip to Monterey — during which I picked up an ugly head cold that kept me off the bike for another week. Good times.

Either way, and despite missing the troop ride, I was able to make it to within 1/10^th of a mile of my monthly goal. Which is pretty spooky if you think about it.

I’m set to get back on track in May. I finished the Bridgestone, and Stephanie bought me a new commuter bike. (More on that later on this week.) So even if I completely destroy one in the name of “fixing” it, I’ll still be able to ride to work.

My other big cycling acquisiting for April is a Road ID, also courtesy of my loving wife.

The general idea is that if I get hit by a bus and can’t account for myself, the EMT’s or whoever have a few people they can call to figure out who I am. Given that one of Stephanie’s riding buddies was in an accident and was only identifiable because of his Road ID — his bike was crushed under a bus and the EMT’s cut his jersey away (he came through everything just fine and is back on his bike again!) — it seems like a more than fine idea. (P.S.: Carter: if I get hit by a bus and they can’t get a hold of Stephanie, expect a call.)