interview # 1

Alright. The holiday season has caught up with me and I haven't posted in a while. Sorry. My bad. But I'm back! :) Here's the jazz I promised you last time: An interview with a real, human TraVeloer! 

Without any futher ado, here it is...

Name: Lex

This is Lex.

Occupation: Student

Major: Art & German

Year: Junior

Bike: Schwinn

How often do you commute by bike?

Well, I have class four days per week, so at least 4 days week. And sometimes if I'm feeling up to it, on the weekends, too. So maybe 5-6 times a week.

How long have you been commuting by bike?

I'd say since at least over the summer; Since maybe July or August. Whenever I got the new bike to replace my last one that got stolen.

How far is your average commute?

Primarily for getting to campus (I live approx. .5 miles from campus), and the from place to place on campus, ya know, between classes and whatnot. So maybe up to a couple miles a day...

Do you bike during the winter or fair weather only?

For fear of crashes, not in the snow; I'm not a graceful person to begin with. Rain is fine, not gonna stop me, but snow is testing fate. :)

How do you commute when you're not on your bike?

Unless I'm walking, I use my car. But I don't drive to campus.

Where are your most common commute destinations?

Campus. I use to bike to the bank when it was close, but I moved farther away so I don't do that anymore.

Why do you choose to commute by bike?

Gas - not just the money, but the exhaust in the air. It's healthier. And it's actually nice to be in the wind and not closed up in a box. Bike versus car, you can notice things better - you can stop and pick things up. 

What benefits do you see to biking?

Is there anything other than what I just said? haha, I think that's about it. 

What is the extent of your mechanical knowledge?

Not very extensive at all. I have a tire air pump. I'm pretty sure that if worse came to worse, I could get it (the wheel) off of my bike. I can lift [my bike] and carry it up the stairs to my apartment!

Thanks Lex!

More to come later, folks. Stay tuned and happy holidays! :)

Oh, hello Winter. Welcome to Michigan! (It's about time!)

No, it's cool - you can bring Snow with you! 
Ya know, as it's not only the first day of snow, but also the first day of DECEMBER, I started to worry weather or not the snow would ever come. I mean, hell, it was 60 degrees just two days ago. And 50 yesterday! I can remember bundling up under Halloween costumes to battle the near-freezing air as a kid, but I've witnessed the relatively warm fall weather carry later and later into the winter season over the years, and this year I almost saw the first day of December in Michigan while wearing a t-shirt. 
Coincidence? I think if one considers the expansive and currently undisputed science produced by the world's top scientists, it becomes clear that the late-coming winter isn't as much a fluke as it is a result of some serious climatic changes at large. And almost all of the science strongly indicates the changes in our climate are anthropogenic (caused by humans). Let me be more clear: climate change is happening as we speak and there is no uncertainty among any credible climate scientist about it. 


So what's the big deal? Read any amount of Bill McKibben's Eaarth and you'll find plenty of reasons it's a big deal. McKibben composes the strong scientific evidence of climate change into a compelling book with a strong message. He points out that because of earth's higher average temperature (up about 1 degree celsius) the tropical zone around the equator is expanding north and south, pushing all other climate zones further toward the poles. The consequences of this include increased tropical storm severity, decreased crop yields, rising sea levels, vast species extinctions, widespread drought in some places and catastrophic floods in others, and less snow in Michigan. 
A lot of these are reactions to the increased amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, like oil and coal. 


That's why I ride a bike. Driving a car uses an immense amount of energy from oil and spews all the carbon byproduct directly into the atmosphere. Climate scientists say we can't continue to do that if we wish to pass on an inhabitable environment to our children. So I don't do it. I've decided there's no excuse. Not even today's snow. 


Some Pictures from today:

Snow covered bike lane on the way to school.

Snow covered bike after the ride home.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about riding my smooth, skinny tires in the snow (this was my first snow ride). I fell only once each way on my commute. Luckily I was going slow and they were easy, harmless crashes. :) 

I discovered today that standing up on the pedals to climb a hill is no longer an option on slick roads; standing up takes the weight off the back wheel - the power wheel - and thus a loss of traction. Commence fall number one. 

I also learned that braking on a shiny surface is a bad idea. Shiny surface = ice. Braking on ice stops the wheel from spinning and again, loss of traction. Now the bike is no longer below me. Commence fall number two.

My housemate is biking his third winter this year and says it's not usually this bad. Understandable, since yesterday's warm weather meant the precipitation was rain, and the sudden over-night temperature drop froze the water, which was underneath the snow this morning. Snow on top of ice always results poorly for things trying to move on top of the snow. In this case, me.  But I have no injuries, bruises, or broken anything. So I'd say today was, overall, a successful commute! :-)

Now if I could only get my butt down to the bike shop to buy myself some fenders.... 

Not again....

Alright, so I was hoping we wouldn't get into this so soon, but we need to talk a little bit about the purpose of roads and who should have rights to their use. Roads are funded by government taxes collected from all tax paying citizens. So shouldn't each of those citizens have equal right to use the road? Or must you drive only personal cars on their surfaces? What about industrial/commercial uses? What about bikes?
In Michigan, state law has granted bicycles a [semi-] equal legal right to the road as a means of transportation. (I'll write more on legal equality later.) However, I am not convinced that this equality is a shared viewpoint all across Michigan. Sure, nearly 10 million people can't all be of one mind, but if a law is in existence it should be at least be acknowledged by all, regardless of their viewpoint on the issue.

Let's cut to the chase. Here's where today's rant is sourced:

 This yard brush is practically on top of the bike lane dedication paint! 

AND it's in front of/below the bike lane sign!!

Look, leaves are fun to jump in and all, but when they are piled up in such a way that they hinder the safety of my commute, I'm no longer jumping with joy. This example of bike lane obstruction is only one of many many many instances in this city, but this one stands out to me because of the blatant ignorance of the existence of the lane.

Another example:

If bicyclists truly have equal right to the road, the blockage of bike lanes would not be acceptable. In the case of cars, if there is ever an obstruction in the road (i.e. downed tree, snow, etc.) there's a crew working almost immediately to remove it. Why isn't this the case for bike lanes? Are there simply not enough bikers to report the obstruction? Or is bike lane maintenance not a priority to the city?

Now, I see some misunderstanding in this picture likely stemming from one of two places; first, the homeowner. The person who placed this yard waste here could have been mistaken about the purpose of the bike lane and/or their direct affect on the lane, or they could have been mistaken about when the city was scheduled to pick up the waste, or they just don't care. Otherwise, the problem could be the city who could either be slacking on their pickup or don't put enough funding toward maintaining the bike lanes in the first place. Either way, these obstructions (usually piles of leaves) in the bike lane require cyclists to swing out into the motorized vehicle traffic to avoid plowing into the obstruction, however, the exact action of dodging the obstruction puts both the cyclist and drivers at risk of an accident.

In an attempt to solve the problem, I am contacting the Kalamazoo Transportation Service Center to see what can be done about removing the brush, but due to the holiday weekend, I have not yet been successful. I'll keep you updated. (Feel free to try yourself!  (269) 375-8900)

On a lighter note, I have arranged our first few interviews with other "TraVeloers"! Stay tuned for more! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy TraVeloing!

Bicycle "Proper"ganda

For that past few years my family has done a "Secret Santa" style of exchanging gifts (buying one gift for one person is much easier on the wallet than for everyone in my rather large family). Since we don't know who our santa is, we send out our wish list to the entire family via email. I sent out my list last week and I accidentally asked for "bicycle propaganda" instead of "paraphernalia". My mother promptly corrected me. However, I got curious and began to scour the web for bicycle propaganda. I loved what I found so much that I have to share! 

Nothin' like a little anti-Nazi prop'ganda to scare yer kids into doin' what they s'pose ta! :)

(find this poster here)

Not exactly propaganda per se, but one in a very clever collection of car advert knock-offs.

Poster reads:

"360 degree Moonroof.

Just one of many amenities this vehicle offers. Boasting the most sophisticated engine in the world, unparalleled biofuel technology, advanced health maintenance system, 10-21 speed options, and contour leather seating. You'll wonder why you ever drove a car."

Find the whole collection at http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=1788#body

There are a few others I'd like to add, but I can only post so many bites of info on this blog and I've been restricted to these two for now. If you would like to find other fun poster, visit CICLE.org, a great website that coincides with many of my core motives for choosing to ride my bike.

Anyway, it's nice to be back on my bike after a brief Thanksgiving hiatus. My legs got so tight over the weekend!

Happy riding to you all!

The ups and downs of cold-air physics.

Well it's a heck of a lot colder today than it's been so far this year. 

today is probably the coldest we've seen yet this fall. It's barely 32 degrees with a windchill of 25. Sure, some of my morning commutes have been chilly, but this is the closest taste of winter we've had lately. Almost time to bust out the wool socks!

A plus of the cold air is the effect it has on my riding. First of all, cold air is much more dense than warm air due to the slowed molecular activity, so the air in my tires is much harder and less likely to escape, maintaining inflation. The rubber of the tires also gets harder in cold weather, which means less depression against the road and therefore less friction. The cold air also sucks moisture from the air, so there is less water vapor which, ultimately, is resistance against my body. So, with less wind resistance, less road friction, and proper tire inflation, riding a bike in the winter becomes somewhat "easier". 

However, "less wind resistance" is subjective; there may be less water vapor today, but certainly higher wind speeds (in excess of 25-30 mph), more than accounting for the decreased wind resistance. Though most bikes aren't engineered to be supremely aerodynamic (since most riders aren't able to achieve speeds fast enough to account for aerodynamics), if you introduce high wind speeds to the equation, bikes can suddenly transform into wind sails, ready to blow you over (if it's a side wind). 

Here is a picture of a four-story building on campus that I like to refer to as the "wind tunnel". 

It's on the west side of campus and stretches north to south. A section of the first level is cut out so that pedestrians may pass "through"/"under" the building, but because the long side of the building faces prevailing winds, it also acts as a channel for these winds that are trying to pass, maximizing their speeds as they rush through. Heading westward under this overpass leaves you straight on against the power of the eastwardly winds. I don't care how little water vapor there may be in the air, when the wind is blowing, this tunnel is ruthless!

(the good news is I successfully made it through the wind tunnel to my destination for a tasty falafel deluxe sandwich at Shawarma House!)

Soggy Bottoms and Invisibility Cloaks

So here I am on Monday morning, the start of the second week of TraVelo To and Fro. I'm making my morning commute to school as I type.

"How the heck are you typing if you are riding a bike," you may ask?
Well for starters, I'm just that awesome. But truthfully, I'm not on a bike. I'm on a bus. It was rainier than I had anticipated this morning, so I decided to bike only the .5 miles to the bus stop, and let public transit carry me the rest of the way.

Is it cheating? Not exactly, as I hadn't promised, vowed, or sworn myself to commuting only via bike. And if you will, let today's experience be a lesson to new or aspiring TraVeloers - accessorize. And I'm not talking about fancy bracelets, hats, or a spiffy new pair of those all-in-one sunglasses with the built-in headphones, GPS-receiver, and espresso-maker to make you look cool while riding your bike. I'm referring to simple, usually-not-too-expensive gadgets that can make your morning commute MUCH more comfortable and sometimes safer. In my current case: fenders. Without them, you can arrive at your destination with a very wet butt and very wet feet. Fenders not only protect you, but also your bike and can cut down on the recovery cleaning you have to do after a rainy ride. They come in all shapes and sizes; you can get a pair of plastic easy on/easy off Eleven81 fenders for roughly $15, or you can go all out and spend the $55 on the more durable Planet Bike Cascadia fenders, or anywhere in between.

Among other accessories that can help ease your ride are gloves. Last week my gloves disappeared (okay fine, I lost them), and in the late-fall/winters of Michigan, gloves can be essential to prevent finger loss to frostbite, particularly when it's wet and/or windy. I searched for a full week and suffered with red, stiff fingers during each ride. If I had these bar mitts

found at barmitts.com, I may not have been so miserable (I might get these for the winter). But I finally gave up last Friday and just bought a new pair of gloves. Not only was it uncomfortable to go without gloves last week, but at times it was unsafe, too; I lost some dexterity and found it difficult to grip the even colder metal brake levers when I needed to stop. So I'd pull my hands toward my mouth to breathe warm air over them or shove them in my jacket pocket, but then my hands weren't on the handlebars where they should be, again endangering me. Moral of the story: if you do a lot of cold-weather riding, get some gloves. Thank yourself later.

And finally, lights. Due to both daylight savings and Michigan's northern latitude, it gets dark around 5:00pm this time of year. That means the evening rush hour is in dusk or darkness, making it that much more difficult for drivers to see cyclists of any sort. The batteries in my headlamp died a couple months ago, so I've been relying on the extended daylight and my reflective vest to shout "BIKE!" at car drivers (though I still always wear my Blinky Super Flash from Planet Bike). But now that it's so dark, I need more to improve my visibility. A couple weeks ago, during my ride home at night, a car coming from the other direction was turning left across my lane onto a road I was soon to pass. I didn't have my light, so I wasn't as visible as I could have been. By the time the car began to turn, I was precisely where it was trying to be and things nearly ended tragically. Luckily the driver saw me at the last second and stopped abruptly, thanks to either my reflective vest or bright lime green helmet. Either way, I know I need to replace the batteries on my forward-facing white light to maximize my visibility, aside from Michigan law requiring that I have one. So even though we all want to be Harry Potter, sometimes taking off the invisibility cloak is better for our health. :)

The Birth of TraVelo To-and-Fro

Hola. Howdy. Hi.

Welcome to TraVelo To-and-Fro.

Alright, first things first; let's clear the air:

"What the heck is TraVelo To-and-Fro"? 

It's frequent velo travel, or bicycle commuting. 

travel - verb; to move from place to place.

velo - velocipede, noun; a human powered vehicle on wheels; a bicycle

to-and-fro - adjective; a continuous or regular movement backward and forward. 

Travel + Velo = TraVelo*. "TraVelo" consistently between two places and you're creating a back-and-forth, or to-and-fro, motion. Thus, TraVelo To-and-Fro.

*DISCLAIMER: "TraVelo" is a verb I have independently coined for this blog. (If it existed before now, I surely didn't know about it.) "TraVelo-ers", so to speak, are not part of any elite, exclusive, or highly trained society. There are no tests, fees, age restrictions, or statements to memorize to be considered a TraVelo-er. TraVelo-ers don't meet on a bi-monthly basis in an undisclosed location while wearing special cloaks to discuss the techniques of "TraVelo-ing". In fact, if you're reading this, you may already know a TraVelo-er or even be one yourself and not know it. So if you feel like you might be in the wrong space or out of your realm of knowledge while reading this blog because it contains "highly sophisticated jargon" such as TraVelo, I encourage you to read on and laugh at yourself later for thinking that now. Rest assured, TraVelo is meant to be as simply understood as... well, whatever it is you easily understand... like the metaphysics of fragility. Okay, maybe "riding a bike" is more easily understood. Whatever. Let's move on.

"Okay, I understand the name, but why blog about riding a bike?"

Well, because "TraVelo-ing" is more than just riding a bike, for many reasons. But the most important part, the main reason I'm blogging about TraVelo-ing, is that a TraVelo-er doesn't have to be an ultra-super-human-legs-of-steel-power-bar-eating-cycling maniac in order to TraVelo. And I'm here to prove it. 

"Who are you to prove anything?"

   Well, to answer the first part, "Who are you?": I'm a 22 year old full-time college student. I live a hilly 3.5 miles away from campus where I commute to at least 5 times a week, and 4-4.5 miles from most downtown destinations. I live in a midwest city with a metropolitan population of nearly 330,000. I am halfway through my second year of seasonal commuting, but I will attempt to TraVelo through the winter this time around (wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!). I'm on my second bike, as the result of an expensive choice to make a significant upgrade from my heavy mountain bike to a nicer, lighter road bike. I know a little bit about bikes - I'm not a professionally trained bike mechanic, but I aspire to be. I'm not Lance Armstrong, and I don't aspire to be. But I like to ride by bike, and I choose to do so instead of drive a car (not owning a car makes it easier).

   Now, how will my position prove how easy it is to TraVelo? It won't. Not entirely, anyway. But this blog will. Sure, a bulk of what I share will be my personal stories and adventures as a TraVeloer - I'll take pictures of the places I visit on my bike; I'll share the obstacles I encounter and how I dealt with them; I'll post videos of my routes and analyze them (hopefully for your benefit); I'll also walk you through the repairs and maintenance I do and share safety tips and commuting tips. 

   But here's how this blog will do what I can't: it won't be only my experiences. I will interview other TraVeloers I meet who aren't necessarily a healthy, young, collegiate male (though some might be) and share their stories with you. I want to introduce you to the middle-aged mother, the old-aged athlete, the rich business person, the homeless person, the standard nine-to-five-er, the professional cyclist and the newbie, and everyone in between and show you why they TraVelo. Their bikes will vary, their motives will vary, their experiences will vary, and they will vary. And that's the point - that anyone can TraVelo. We'll learn about their challenges and how they deal with them, and then look at the ups, comparatively. 

There's a lot to be told about TraVelo-ing. I hope to cover most of it here on TraVelo To-and-Fro.