LOVE IT!

http://www.bayviewcycle.com/NewFiles/Acc_pages/Bags.html

Ever since I bought my bike (April 18, 2006 – my baby is three months old) I have become a bit of a gear head.  I’m not surprised…when I bought my IPOD, I bought all things IPOD to go with it. 

Anyway, my latest purchase has been the Trek Grocery bag and I love it.  Since my commute is pretty short, I’ve been known to extend it a bit with a stop for something for dinner and then be faced with the how do I get stuff home dillemma.  A regular pannier (which I did purchase, of course) is great, but it carries what it carries and no more. 

The cost was a little steep ($49 Canadian) but it does exactly what I wanted it to and then collapeses away to nearly nothing when I don’t.  I got mine from Bayview Cycle in Toronto.  www.bayviewcycle.com.

I biked to work on the hottest day of the year and the world didn’t end.

What I liked …

- the wind kind of caught the back of my shirt so I was extremely cool on the way to work. 

I also like my sense of accomplishment.  I didn’t use an ounce of gasoline to get me here.  Instead I did it myself and made no negative impact on the environment.  

Another thing I liked is that I planned to do this and had a whole wardrobe of clothes to pick from once I got here. 

My new panier is cool. I can stuff it with lots of things.

What I didn’t like…

My helmet.  I think I’ll wait until the end of year sales and see if I can get one I like better. 

The work showers…someone had already been in there and the floor was WET.  Yuck. 

The work lockers…we’re not allowed to leave things in the lockers unless we’re in the building.  I do anyway, but it is disheartening not to know whether or not the stash of shampoo, deoderant and baby poweder will be there.

I’ve also decided that, while thunder storms do freak me out, I’ll be tough about it.  I figure if it is raining, that just means it is cooler.

To do today: Straighten my front wheel…I think the nut is loose.  Also, raise my seat.  I think I like it a bit higher than it is.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about bicycle commuting lately and so many of the sites I’ve been to really encourage biking to work, even in bad weather. I’ll admit that I’m a fair weather biker and the decision to bike or drive to work is made as I lie in bed and listen to the forecast.

Problem 1 – for the most part the weather guy is wrong. “Risk of thunder storms”… I drive to and from work with my arm out the window in the sunny weather.

Problem 2 – right around 4:30 (when I’m finished work) we tend to get really frightening thunder and lightening storms.

Anyone else have trouble with that?

My current favourite site: www.runmuki.com/commute/ Paul Dorn’s Bike Commuting Trips.