Ghost Bikes...

Here's a short documentary film I found online about ghost bikes, those white bikes you see chained permanently at various locations, marking a location where a cyclist died in an automobile accident. I know I have seen them here in Pittsburgh, although I couldn't give you specific streets or intersections...

Watch more free documentaries

Volunteers Needed for Bike Utilization Study

I received the following from the Three-Rivers-Hertitage-Trail Yahoo Group, and I thought I would pass it along:

As part of a national bike utilization effort, we are soliciting volunteers to do bike counts any day next week (or any day through the end of September.)

There are three ways that you could participate:

1. Do an on-site count at a pre-identified location during commuting hours (mornings between 7:30 and 9:30, or afternoons between 4:30 and 6:30. We will provide all instruction. Basically it entails sitting at an intersection and counting the number of bikes that go past, what direction they are going, and whether or not they turn. You can listen to music, drink coffee, etc. during the task. We just need to make sure that you have a clear view of traffic and that you are in a safe location. We can help with all of that.

2. "Adopt a Rack" near where you live or work, and commit to visiting that rack at least once during the week during "standard business hours" to count how many bikes are parked there. If you can commit to visiting the same rack on multiple days during the week, that's even better. We are trying to focus on the "busiest" time of day, so counts taken before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. are probably not indicative of true use……

3. You are our eyes on the street. We can't be everywhere. Taking a cue from the National Audobon Society's "Great Outdoor Bird Count" we simply want you to count the number of bikes you see on a given day. If your route on Tuesday takes you from Brighton Heights to Downtown to Oakland to Brighton Heights and you see 30 bicycles that is all we need to know. We'd LIKE to know how many of those 30 were parked at a rack or in the street (as opposed to moving), of course. It doesn't matter what day you count. It doesn't matter if you count every day next week. It doesn't matter if you are driving, and are counting the cyclists you pass. We are trying to do two things here. The first is to try to get a grip on the question "well, how many cyclists ARE there?" We know that any given cyclists may be counted multiple times, but at least it gives us something to start with. The other thing it does is help us identify areas where there are cyclists that are off our current radar screen. That enables us to alter our bike count program and other efforts to be more responsive to real world conditions.

We are working with Bike Pittsburgh to coordinate efforts in the City of Pittsburgh, but our effort does not have to be restricted to that political jurisdiction. If you are located outside of the City, or even in another County, but want to participate, it will help us help you in future ped-bike planning efforts.

If you think you can help with Item 1., please email me, and I'll get you a worksheet and some basic instructions. If you want to help with Item 2 or Item 3, I just need an email with your data once you have conducted the count. I may respond back to you on those for more detailed information on the actual location of the rack, or what you might have seen, but that's about the full extent of your commitment for those tasks.

Please direct any inquiries to:

Sara Walfoort

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2500

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

(412) 391-5590, ext. 339

Swalfoort@spcregion.org

If you can help with this in any way, it would benefit cycling here in Pittsburgh. Personally, I can't do the first one, because the times conflict with my sons getting on and off the bus, but the second and third are definitely possible.

...And Finally You Have to Admit Defeat...

Since finally fixing our rear brake and inner tube, we've been trying to get back into riding on a regular basis to make up for lost time. One of the things that has been an on-going problem is that the rear spokes keep working themselves loose. I have been checking (and tightening) the spokes prior to every ride, and yet by the end of the ride the spokes are loose again. On a related issue, the eyelets in the rear wheel are starting to come loose, and are then sliding up and down on the spoke as the wheel turns. This past weekend things finally came to a head and fell apart.

On Friday we did our first 30+ mile ride in a while, riding the Yough Trail from Duquesne to Buena Vista and back. We've done this ride a couple of times before, so I wasn't really anticipating any issues. Silly me... About 6 miles into the ride, our rear tire flatted. Fortunately we were in a quiet area behind Christy Park, so changing the tire wasn't difficult. What was odd, was that the hole in the tube was right by the valve, as though the tube had torn. I replaced the tube and we continued on. In hindsight, I should have taken this as on omen, and turned around and headed back to the car. Although we didn't have any additional mechanical problems with the bike, the heat started to get to me, and I started to suffer from dehydration. Even though I was drinking greater than normal amounts of Gatorade and water, I started to feel nauseous and weak after about 20 miles. Unfortunately there was nothing to do but push on through the last 10 miles until we got back to the car. After we got home I was a total mess, until I had downed three additional bottles of water. Looking back, I think the problem was that I didn't make sure I was properly hydrated BEFORE we started. So my body started at a deficit, and even though I was drinking along the way (we usually stop every 20 minutes for a drink) my body never caught up.

Two days later we were doing our usual 14.5 mile ride along Beechwood Boulevard. Prior to going our I had to re-tighten the rear spokes again. Towards the end of the ride there was a strange noise coming from the rear wheel. As we pulled onto our street, there was a pop, and I discovered that one of the spokes had become detached from the rim (see the photo). This is different then the usual spoke-breaking-at-the-hub problem. At least we were close enough we could walk home.

Unfortunately the word from the bike shop (Big Bang in West Mifflin) is not good. The rim is shot. Unfortunately Bontrager no longer makes the Super Sport wheel, so we can't get a replacement rim, and I'm going to have to buy a whole new wheel... So much for trying to break 1000 miles by the end of August...

...And Other Days You Still Can't Win...

As posted previously, we flatted our rear tire on Sunday while taking KJ to a picnic. Unfortunately the spare didn't hold air either. We finally managed to get KJ to the picnic, and walked the bike back home.

At the beginning of the week the wife was out and about, so I was at home watching the kids and without a means to get to a bike shop. After a couple of days I was able to walk to the nearby K-Mart and get a set of self-adhesive Slime "Scabs" patches. K-Mart didn't have any Presta-valved inner tubes, so the patches were my only option. Wednesday morning I went to install the patches. There were two different tubes I tried to patch, but unfortunately neither of them would hold air. I've previously had good luck using "Scabs" but now I'm not so sure anymore.

While working on the inner tubes I encountered a new problem: An adjustment screw on the rear brake somehow stripped the threaded hole it was in. As a result the screw no longer could hold the brake arm in the proper position, and the brake pad pressed against the tire. I tried a couple of workarounds, none of which worked. Finally on Thursday I managed to get to a bike shop and purchase a new rear brake assembly, along with two new inner tubes (one to install, and one for my spare). Installing the new brake assembly was not that difficult. Shimano included very good instructions, and the process was simplified by the fact that I was using the existing brake lever and brake cables. Thursday night we finally were able to get out, going for an 8 mile ride to Squirrel Hill to test out the new brakes.

All of this has been quite frustrating for me. We have been doing a record amount of riding in June and July, and at the start of August we were only 250 miles from our annual goal of 1000 miles. I was hoping that for August we might set a new one-month record of 300 miles or more. This would be the earliest we had reached the 1000 mile mark, and I further expected we might break our single-season mark of 1201 miles. As of right now, through the first 12 days of the month we only have 48 miles, which is half of what we should have at this point. It is unlikely we will log 300 miles or more this month. We still have an outside shot to break 1000 miles, since we only need another 200 miles.

The most surprising thing in all this has been how upset KJ is that he hasn't been able to go biking. Although KJ has always loved biking, now he really wants to bike. He's become a biking machine. Every morning he asks if we are going biking, and then asks how many miles we will be doing. Presumably a lot of this has to do with the fact that he is done with camp and doesn't start school until the end of August. So biking gives him the structure he needs right now.

Some Days You Can't Win...

One of the things we have been trying to do for the last several years is to use our bicycling for actual transportation to and from a destination, rather than just for recreation. Our living in Swissvale actually works out pretty well for this, because it is an easy ride to get to the Squirrel Hill shopping district. Once the powers-that-be finally finish the work on the Rankin Bridge, hopefully we will be able to resume our bike trips to the Waterfront shopping complex.

One of the ways we have been using the bike for this is to take KJ to his Friendship Circle get-togethers. Friendship Circle is a youth program for special-needs kids and their typical peers. KJ loves attending it, and fortunately for us, it is based in Squirrel Hill. So I've taken him there on the tandem, and then we've ridden home after things are over. We get our riding in, plus we don't have to worry about having the car available. We've done it twice before, and today was supposed to be an end-of-summer picnic at Schenley Park to close things out.

When doing something like this, it is always important to factor the extra transportation time required (compared to driving) into your schedule. We left the house at 4:45, and the picnic started at 6, so we had plenty of time to get to Schenley Park. Unfortunately today we had problems getting there. The rear tire (with a self-sealing slime-filled tube) suddenly decided to develop a leak, apparently through the valve stem. After re-inflating the tire a couple of times (and only getting about 1/2 mile each time), I decided to change the tube and install our spare. With our current tires this is a quick and painless process. Unfortunately, the spare tube decided that it wasn't going to hold any air either. And I didn't have a patch kit with me...

Our schedule was down the toilet. We were running out of options, and KJ was anxious to get to Friendship Circle. I called my wife, and fortunately she had just gotten home with our younger son. She ended up driving up to where we were stuck (on Forbes Avenue, near the entrance to Homewood Cemetery) so we could get KJ to the picnic. We then walked the bike back home (we normally don't leave the DraftMaster bike rack on the car, it is just too big!). Everything worked out in the end, although KJ was upset that we didn't bike to the picnic.

I haven't had a chance yet to figure out what is going on with our inner tubes, so I will post a follow-up article in a couple of days to let you know what I find out.

Miles of Smiles

On of the things that always amazes me is the reaction we get from time to time about our tandem. A lot of people smile, wave, or even give us a "thumbs-up". Occasionally they are downright weird, like the "professional" looking rider (in wannabe pro-team colors) who passed us and remarked that our bike was "weird looking". I responded that our bike was a standard tandem configuration (which it is), while silently thinking to myself that this guy wasn't the bike aficionado that he made himself out to be. And there are the usual "He's not pedaling!" comments that I just ignore. But the positives outweigh the negatives.

Today we were riding into Squirrel Hill along the Forbes Avenue bikelane. I heard a car coming up behind us, and wasn't too concerned because I knew he could get around us easily. I was surprised when I heard him slow down as he came alongside of us. I looked over, and saw the car in the left lane, with the passenger window rolled down, and the passenger taking a photo of us with her iPhone. As soon as she took the photo, they sped up and drove away without saying a word.

Last week we were riding on Beechwood Boulevard when we started to pass a runner (on the sidewalk) going uphill. She turned and saw us, called out "You're not going to pass me!" and promptly accelerated. She was apparently talking to someone via a Bluetooth headset, and was telling whoever she was on the phone with about the guy on the tandem trying to pass her. KJ wasn't that intent on pedaling at that moment, so we let her win ;)

If you're towing a trailer or a tag-a-long behind your tandem, you'll get even more smiles and comments. The most memorable one we received was on the Yough Trail, when another rider passed our tandem plus tag-a-long on our way back to Boston. He looked us over as he passed us, and when he got to me he asked "Do you need a commercial license to ride that?"

I love the comments and the looks. It makes our day brighter, and reinforces how important it is for me to do this with KJ.

Tandem versus SmartCar

The other day we were riding on the Montour Trail, and at the Enlow ballfield trailhead we noticed one of those tiny little SmartCar Fourtwo cars parked there with a bike rack attached to it. The rack is custom-designed especially for the SmartCar, and has to be installed by the dealer. No way you're going to carry a tandem on there (you would probably lift the front wheels of the car off the ground). My first reaction was "Okay, you're using the SmartCar to carry the bike, but what are you going to use to carry the Smartcar?" It was my first opportunity to look at a SmartCar up close. I was struck by just how tiny that thing is! On a hunch, I went and parked our tandem next to the car. Sure enough, our tandem was actually longer than the SmartCar (see the photo)! Given that the both the SmartCar and the tandem carry the same number of people, a quick comparison might be in order. Our tandem is longer, and has more "cylinders" providing power (4 versus 3). Mileage is roughly comparable, since the tandem gets approximately 40 miles per gallon (of Gatorade). Of course, the SmartCar is faster (especially up hills) and offers better protection in bad weather.

Any other comparisons I missed??

Finally!

Shortly after my last post, the Pittsburgh area got hit with the worst series of snowstorms we've had in a very long time. In the end, February 2010 was the snowiest month we've ever had, and this winter season is shaping up to be one of the worst on record (currently number 6 on the all-time list, but winter isn't over yet...). This week we finally got a break, and the snow started to melt. This weekend we had sunny skies and temps in the mid- to upper-40s, so I decided to take KJ out on the tandem to cure our cabin fever.

In the winter I like to plan our rides to include an indoor destination. It is better (and a heck of a lot more comfortable) to have a warm place to take a break, instead of stopping at a park. Especially if you've worked up a sweat pedaling, you don't want to be cooling down out in the cold. So I decided that KJ and I would go to the Squirrel Hill library (one of KJ's favorite places to go).

Having ridden very little so far, and with exercise primarily consisting of snow shoveling, I try not to worry about how fast we're going, and just completing the ride is an accomplishment. That was definitely true in this case, because what is usually an easy ride up into Squirrel Hill was a bit of a struggle. Sometimes, riding with someone else helps to push you and keeps you honest. When we got to Frick Park (roughly halfway to the Library), I suggested to KJ that we could play in the park instead of going to the Library. KJ wasn't interested, so we pushed ahead to the Library. I may have grumbled at the time, but in hindsight I'm glad we pushed ourselves to do the extra distance.

It was strange to be out riding and still see people who were out shoveling snow from the parking spots in front of their houses. The roads were generally dry, but there were placed where snow was still in our way (particularly the downhill (Eastbound) bike lanes on Forbes Avenue). Even when there wasn't snow, there were issues with debris (mostly rocks and branches) in the road.

After the Library, we stopped at the Dunkin' Donuts in Squirrel Hill (KJ's new favorite place to stop...) to get out sugar fix before heading home.

Freezing My A** Off!

The temperature is below my usual minimum of 21 degrees, but crazy person that I am, I've decided to go biking. There's no snow on the roads, the roads are dry, and there's a weak winter sun trying to break through the clouds and warm things up a little bit. I want to go to the Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library to do some work (free wifi is you have a library card). Since we trying to be more green and use the car less, I decided to try biking.

I have a fleece jersey with a windbreaker, long cycling tights, and cold-weather cycling gloves. I borrowed my wife's hoodie/dickie thing to keep my ears and face warm, and figured I was all set...

One of the problems with cold weather riding is that it is hard to judge whether you are dressing warm enough. When you first go outside, you have to expect to be cold, because you haven't been pedaling and generating any heat. If you dress so that you are warm enough when you first go outside, then you are going to be too warm once you have been riding for a little bit. The other problem you have is wind chill. when you ride, your getting hit with the equivalent of a wind with the same spped as you're traveling on the bike.

The ride to the library actually wasn't too bad. Because most of it is uphill, I was going slower and pedaling harder, which generated more heat. The trip back was another story. After 3 hours at the library I got back on the bike. I wasn't heated up, and the rride back on Forbes Avenue was almost all downhill at a 20 to 25 mph pace. It was COLD! I found out my windbreaker didn't. And thin tights didn't do much to hold in the heat. I was shivering by the time I got to the end of Forbes, and actually grateful that I had to pedal through Wilkinsburg and Edgewood to get home.

Tracking Our Rides: My BikeLog Spreadsheet

The mileage graph that I posted at the end of last year came from a spreadsheet I have with all my cycling data. I know is probably sounds a bit OCD to log bike data in a spreadsheet, but you don't have to be Lance Armstrong to benefit from it.

A quick word about cyclometers: if you don't have one on your bike, you really need to get one. Even if it is the most basic $15 unit. Get one. Now. I find it extremely useful during the ride to know how we are doing. Things like how may miles to the next rest stop. or how fast are we going (versus how fast we usually go on that particular route) are useful information, particularly if you are riding with kids.

After the ride, you have all that data recorded by your cyclometer, so you may as well make use of it! Write it down. Somewhere. Anywhere. It is the beginning of the year, so start now so you will have a full-year's data in December.

My first year of cycling I started recording my data in a runner's log book that my wife wasn't using. The following year (1992), I started using the old DOS-based spreadsheet QuatroPro (Anybody else remember that?) to save my ride information. I'm not exactly why I started doing that, other that I probably didn't have another log book. It wasn't a very sophisticated use of a spreadsheet, since there weren't any calculations being done. The cyclometer kept track of total mileage, so I didn't even need to total my "Mileage" column. Each year I would make a new file/spreadsheet (this was before multi-sheet spreadsheets) and record the cyclometer information from each ride, along with the date of the ride and a brief comment about where the ride was.

Sometime prior to Y2K we upgraded our spreadsheet software to the Windows-based Lotus 123, which had the option of having multiple sheets in a single file. So rather than having a separate file for each year, I created a single file that had separate sheets for each year. I even went back and merged my old spreadsheet log files into this single multi-sheet bikelog. There wasn't a compelling reason to do it at the time, it just seemed logical to have the single big file, rather than a bunch of smaller ones.

Then one day, a funny thing happened. It occurred to me that since I had all this data in one place, I could compare my riding from year to year. This allowed me to compare my current riding against the same period in previous years, to see how I was doing. This led to the creation of a "Summary" sheet in my spreadsheet. This sheet has multiple tables on it. Each table has the year for the vertical axis and the specific month for the horizontal axis. At first there was a single table that showed my mileage for the month. Then I added a second table that showed my cumulative mileage for the year. Then came other tables: number of hours spent riding for the month, number of rides per month, and average ride length for the month. I even made graphs from some of the tables, to better spot trends and make comparisons.

Last year I changed to the standard Excel (.xls) spreadsheet format, and I am currently using OpenOffice to edit the file. I also use Documents to Go to keep a copy on my Palm Centro smartphone, so I can actually update the sheet immediately after the ride if I want (I should do this more often than I do). Every year I add a new sheet for the next year, and add a new row to each of the tables on my summary page. My bikelog has evolved, morphed, and improved over the years. I'm sure it will continue to do so in the years to come.

First Ride of 2010!

Hard to believe, but a week ago we were coming off of an entire week of school delays and cancellations. Up to that point, we literally had snow every day of 2010. Saturday we were in to our third day of 40+ degree weather. Most of the snow has melted from the streets, and the grass is even showing through on most lawns. So the opportunity presented itself to do our first ride of the year.

We did a simple ride, just over to Frick Park and back, a total distance of only 5.6 miles. That was OK, since this was our first time out in almost 2 months (I noticed afterwards that my legs felt rather heavy from the workout). The sun was out and it actually felt warm with my winter jersey and windbreaker. Although the roads were clear, there was still snow and slush in the park itself. And of course, this being Pittsburgh, there were plenty of potholes to dodge. Nonetheless, it felt great to get out and get our cycling season started.

Car for Sale!

Well, my wife and I have made what is probably a milestone decision for my cycling lifestyle: we are going to become a one-car family. We've decided to sell my 2003 Saturn Ion 3 (pictured above).

We've always had two cars in the family. We each had our own car when we met, and we've always had (and always needed) two cars. But now that we're both working from home (usually), it seems as though one car is always sitting idle in front of the house. The costs associated with maintaining a car (even an idle one) are a primary factor in our decision, along with the fact that I can (and do) walk or cycle to just about any service or business I need access to. It is hard to believe that when I was growing up, one-car families were the norm; now it seems like they are the exceptions. For those times that we do need a second car, we figure to make use of Zipcar, figuring that the rental cost will be less than the maintenance and insurance costs for a second car.

I'm going to try to document how this works out for us, and include periodic updates here. Any insights our suggestions you might have are welcome. In the mean time, if you are interested in a 2003 Electric Blue Saturn Ion Sedan with low mileage (56K miles) please let me know...