Winter is coming!

The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting chillier, and I'm psyching myself up for riding all winter long.

A big help is bikewinter.org - they give a lot of useful tips and tricks. This is also where I discovered the monthly Midnight Marauders' ride - a load of fun.

Last night, I did some maintenance - brake tightening, chain lubing, and a general once-over. I've also just purchased a set of planet bike fenders on Amazon ($28.18) and some nice gloves ($32) from the local bike shop.

This brings my total commuting costs up to $399.51 since April.

I need to go searching for my hats and ski masks (I know I have a nice blue one somewhere). I'm not sure about eyewear - I think that my metal framed sunglasses won't be very comfy for much longer. Maybe a few yellow-tinted and clear safety glasses? Or, perhaps ski goggles?

Costs update

Mom visited last weekend, so I purchased two 3-day CTA passes ($24)

I decided to get access to my company's bike room (four blocks from my office) to use during poor weather ($10 deposit)

The previous total was $305.33, so the total I have spent on commuting since April is $339.33

Virtuous Cycles

Wired has an interesting article examining evidence that as bicycle ridership increases, per-rider accidents with cars decreases, causing a virtuous cycle. As riding increases, safety increase, so more people ride.

Also, I have a bit of catching up to do for costs:
My previous total was $171.06.

Since then, I've spent:
$20 to the CTA for an occasional L train ride.
$45 to Working Bicycle Co-Op for a guest helmet and U-Lock (they gave me a free blinky red light, too)
$30 to a woman named Julia for a yellow Schwinn Continental Tourist (for guests)
$39.27 to BicycleTires.com for fresh tires and tubes for the Schwinn.

This brings my total commuting and bicycling costs up to $305.33 since April 28, 2008.

Car vs Bike wars heating up all over the country

As more people decide not to buy $4-a-gallon gas and start pedaling to work, road rage seems not to have been left behind. This NYT article, "Moving Targets," covers the increasing Car v Bike tensions.

I hate to admit this, but I have had my own share of taxi-induced road rage.

Be safe out there...

Parts-Buying Spree

Ive been struggling to do grocery runs with just a backpack, plus I'm getting tired of having a completely soaked back everywhere I go. So, I've decided to splurge on some load-bearing equipment for the bike.

As soon as I stop by the hardware store for some bungee cords, I'm looking forward to hauling a 25 lb sack of rice on my new rack.

Just arrived:
Planet Bike Eco Rack ($17.00 + $4.50 s/h)
Incredibell ($7.65) - it's louder than I can yell

On the way:
Wald 542 Rear Folding basket ($17.00 + $4.50 s/h)

Other commuting costs:
$10 for the CTA

Total commuting cost since April 2008: $171.06

Odd things I have carried on a Chicago CTA "L" train.

When you don't have a car, you sometimes find yourself hand-carrying odd things through the public transit system:

• A bottle of champagne (while dressed in all black).
• An ugly ratty blue sleeping bag stuffed with all my clothing (while dressed for business).
• A heavy (50 pound) full-sized electronic keyboard halfway stuffed into rolling luggage.
• A metal stand (for the keyboard, on a separate occasion).
• A chair.

I very nearly carried a 4' x 2' chrome and white modernist coffee table as well, but I decided against the purchase at the very last moment.

Commuting expenses:
$20 for CTA (6/26/08)

Total commuting costs since arriving in Chicago: $111.02

Weekly Update: 6/9/08

Interesting article in the NY Times about the effects of $4.00 gas on low income rural workers.

So, is this peak oil, or are things just messed up due to instability in the Middle East?

There is also reports of speculators flooding the oil market (all the money that used to go to housing and the stock market had to go somewhere). Does this mean oil is the next bubble?

Costs for the week:
More bike maintenance: $7.98 for new handlebar grips.

More money to the CTA: $20

Total for the experiment (since April/08): $91.02

Repairs and blinky lights

While refilling my tires with air at a neighborhood air pump, I damaged my bike's air valve (I have no clue how I managed it), and ended up limping home with a flat front tire.

Purchased a new tube (with Slime sealant built in): $7.86

I also will be working a week or so of midnight shifts pretty soon (yuck). I realized that not only is my bike black, but it is reflectorless and lightless. So, off to Amazon for some Planet Bike blinky front and rear lights.

Purchased new Planet Bike Front and Rear kit: $10.18

As long as I'm talking about costs, I might as well come clean on my CTA bill. Since arriving in Chicago, I have purchased $45 in CTA fare (this also includes the cost for interviewing at jobs, etc).

So, my total is $63.04