Yes, a basket!

Okay, so maybe I should have gone for the bigger basket..

..but having a basket is great!

Sure, tell someone that you're getting a front basket and they'll say, "but won't it affect the handling?"

Answer: yes.

But can I deal with it?: yes.

Most loads will be much lighter than the one pictured above and adapting to the altered handling is very quick. Just like when I switch from road bike to mountain bike- it feels goofy for a minute, but my brain figures it out.

Even when I've got a heavier load-- I never ride this bike very far or up anything super steep. The grocery store is about 4 miles away.

I could easily install a rack and go the pannier route with this- but there's something nice about just setting your stuff down instead of having to pack it all up into bags. Sorta like when I had my Xtracycle. The X easily swallowed up grocery sacks without any packing.

So I like my basket! Besides, it kinda handles like a loaded touring bike when it's loaded down. And that makes me wistful. :)

It's not always peaches

Whilst reading and writing bike blogs, it can be a bit too easy to wax on about riding bikes as all peaches and pie.

Oh, bike riding is so wonderful! It's so easy! So fast! You can stop and smell the roses! It's so fun! It brightens my day!

and blah, blah, blah..

but let's be real-- sometimes--

sometimes it kinda sucks.

Sometimes, you wake up extra early in the morning so that you have time to put on studded tires so that you can ride the icy roads to get to your bus stop to get to work.

While installing a tire, you pinch the tube, causing a flat. You patch it, get on with it, and ride out the door only to discover that your rushed job didn't hold.

In desperation, you grab a can of instant-flat-fix, only to let half the can foam everywhere. A third of the can finally goes in the tire. The tire pressure is low, but rideable.

About a mile down the road-- you realize that a third of a can of foam isn't going to cut it. You're flatting again and not even halfway to the bus.

You ride the flat, until finally jumping off to scamper onward-- pushing, shuffling, running. You're overdressed and sweating, worrying- will I catch my bus?

And you finally get there-- only to discover that the bus arrives 15 minutes later than anticipated. Huh.

..

And somehow, even on a crap ride such as that--

it still makes me happy.

What happened this year?

I'm in a funny place. I'm nearly 26 years old. I graduated from college 3, almost 4 years ago. I've done this and that-- did trail maintenance on Mount Rainier for a summer, worked in a fancy restaurant, chaperoned my old college cycling team, coached a junior cycling team, went on a bicycle tour across the country with a close friend, moved back to 'Seattle' to work in a bike shop.. and I'm sorta done with dinking around. I wouldn't mind another adventure. :) The Sierra Cascades and Great Divide are on my list. But I'm done with dinking around. I've been waiting for that clear path to emerge-- for the brambles to pull away and reveal the journey I was meant for.. but I feel like I just keep whacking at bushes that keep growing back.

Meanwhile, I keep riding my bike.

JANUARY

My first mountain bike! I was spoiled-- full suspension off the bat. I took it to every local mountain bike destination I could get to.

FEBRUARY

I went to a Bike Swap for the first time! I unloaded an embarrassing amount of bike stuff-- then put my profits into a new complete set of Arkel panniers.

MARCH

Still learning how to mountain bike! Also discovered Whidbey Island as a great weekend ride. MMM-- Cappuccino!

APRIL

I really immersed myself in Seattle bike commuting-- and often used coffee as a carrot. I think I filled up a couple Stumptown punch cards. And I discovered the strange thrill of riding across I-90.

MAY

I got to visit my college town, Walla Walla, for some good, ole' fashioned wheat-field riding that made me fall in love with cycling in the first place. It was wonderfully juxtaposed by later house sitting in West Seattle, which meant riding through the industrial part of Seattle every day. Then top it off with track racing on the velodrome and some multi-modal foldy rides!

The variety of bikes I ride begins to make my head spin!

JUNE

I went for a mountain bike ride.. and ended up PARAGLIDING? Also- more track racing; steadily climbing the ranks from beginner's night to Friday Night.

JULY

First adventure race. More track. More foldy.

AUGUST

Xterra: off-road triathlon. Street Scramble: urban orienteering by bike.

SEPTEMBER

Xterra US Nationals in Utah. The Enchantments with Laura.

OCTOBER

More musing than riding. Lots of wistful map reading, but less riding. Tried cyclocross again, but ended up selling my cross bike. Losing bike steam, looking forward to orienteering season.

NOVEMBER

Tried luring myself out the door with cinnamon rolls. Sold my Long Haul Trucker, the front end of my Xtracycle. Sold full suspension frame/fork, built up steel Salsa Ala Carte! Orienteering season begins!

DECEMBER

Of course, I've acquired another bike. I just can't help it. From Craigslist, I bought an old but pristine Specialized Hardrock (Chro Mo!). After new tires, fenders, shifters, locking skewers and a basket-- it'll be ready for puttering around town and pedaling to the trail head for a mountain run!

TOMORROW

I'm moving to Issaquah!

MOUNTAIN BIKING, TRAIL RUNNING and better BIKE COMMUTING! eee!

It's even closer to the track!

So, What's in that Bag Thing of yours anyway?

I've got a trunk bag. More specifically, an Arkel TailRider. I love it. And it's always on my bike.

Some people like those itty bitty bags that carry the most minimal flat kit and nothing else. That's great for a bike that you want to behave like a sports car. You wouldn't want to burden a race horse with a mule's load!

But my bike is a mule. A workhorse. And he carries my comforts and securities.

So what's in there anyway?

Well, here is a "surprise search" of the current contents of my TailRider.

First of all-- I've got a bright triangle hanging off the back of it.

The east side pocket houses my 'tool kit':

• spare tube
• tire levers
• ginormous multi tool
• temporary spoke fixer-doodle
• a box filled with other doo-dads:

• tire boot (temporary patch for a cut in the TIRE, not tube)
• spare chain link
• spare bolts
• little roll of velcro
• AAA batteries for my red lights

The west pocket houses the battery pack for my Down Low Glow and another spare velcro strap. Sometimes there are snacks in here, too. :)

Open it up, and the first thing you'll see are the spare clothes I decided to bring with me that day. Almost always that includes my Showers Pass rain jacket in case of a downpour. I also like a second set of gloves in case I over/underestimated the weather or if my first pair get soaked. Sometimes I might even have a spare hat, booties, or some other layer of clothing.

Under that, I keep a bus schedule and maps. Even though I have an iPhone, it's nice to have a hard copy so I don't rely on cell towers and battery life.

Oh! And my pump is in there, too-- to complete my tool kit.

In the lil' side mesh pockets are other treasures-- like snacks and a copy of my health insurance card.

I don't have a chain guard, so I have these metal bands to keep my jeans out of the way of the chain. They're quick and a bit more casual looking than the yellow velcro sort.

Chamois butter! Or anti-chafe lotion for your butt. Sometimes reapplication is necessary, so these lil' packets are handy.

And of course, PLAYING CARDS. For when you meet up with a friend at a coffee shop and you feel like a few rounds of Gin Rummy.

OTHER THINGS I'VE CARRIED:

• Spare front flashing light. *I rely on my rechargeable light most of the time, but I've had an AA-battery-operated light in my bag for back-up.
• More snacks. Clif Bloks or Fun Size Snickers bars.
• CO2 cartridge & applicator-- I have a sizable pump for infinite air, but sometimes in the rain, dark, or sketchy neighborhood-- it's nice to fix a flat faster.

Is this a gross over use of the Hipstamatic iPhone app? Yes, but I lost my Photoshop in my hard drive crash-- so bear with me!

The Hide-a-Bike Makes an Appearance

Alright, what is this "cheap bike whose purpose is to lock in the woods while out on a trail run" you speak of?

And why don't you just spray paint it so it looks less attractive and steal-able?

Because it's SO PRETTY! :)

This bike rocks. I can tell already.

And it doesn't even have its front rack/basket yet.

The Point is to be Cheap

So I got this new used cheap bike.

It's a Craiglist bike. Steel rigid. Purple. I paid $80 for it.

I put on new tires, new pedals, new brake pads and soon- new brake/shifter levers. And a Wald front basket/rack with struts.

As I'm picking around the store (I work in a bike shop), I ask, "these tires or these ones?" I hear, "well, isn't the point of your bike to be cheap?" "Yeah, well, but," "then I'd choose the cheap ones."

"These pedals or these ones?" "Well, isn't the point of your bike to be cheap? You don't want anything desirable looking on there." "Yeah, well, but" "then I'd choose the cheap ones."

ARG!

Choosing cheap is not my natural impulse.

Bikes-- it's like they grow on trees!

So, it's kinda funny.

I just weaned my bike corral from 6 down to 4.. and now I have another one. Sigh.

It's just inevitable.

(...here comes the justification...)

But THIS bike is the "cheap bike." The bike that's cheap enough to get stolen without causing a heart attack.

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm moving to Issaquah!-- which means I am just miles if not meters away from all sorts of awesome trailheads. (eeeeee!!) Of course, I want to ride my bike to the trailhead! But that means stashing my bike in the woods.

So this is the Wood Stashing Bike. Could also do double-duty as Lock Up At Bike Stop Bike and after I put a big front rack/basket, it could even be the Town Bike. Who knows!

But it is oh, so charming. Like a mutt at the pound. Photos coming..

And for the record, I own:

1. Trek 520 ........................(road touring, my all around bike)
2. Salsa Ala Carte .............(rigid mountain, for off-road adventures)
3. Dahon Speed D7 ..........(folding, for multi-modal commutes)
4. Masi Coltello ................(track, for racing at the velodrome!)

and now..

5. the Wood Stasher :)

ISSAQUAH

Many of the excuses that people come up with for not riding a bike are easy to defeat:

It's rainy. (Wear a jacket.)

It's too far. (Take a bus partway.)

I don't want to wear lycra. (You don't have to.)

And so on.

But one excuse is hard to deal with: the place in which I live is not friendly to bicycles.

I wouldn't tell someone to ride down a four lane arterial and enjoy it. Bicycling is supposed to be FUN.

The town I currently live in isn't the best for bicycles. But I was a cyclist before I came here, I have good traffic skills and I am determined to escape the suburban mess and find peace on a far-away squiggly road. But it's a fight to get out. I feel like there are parts I have to "endure" in order to reach the "good stuff."

And while I live where I live for financial (and other) reasons-- I found that saving some money does less for my happiness than really great bike ride starting from the front door.

I'm moving to Issaquah!

View Larger Map

Lookatthat! Cougar MOUNTAIN, Squak MOUNTAIN, Tiger MOUNTAIN, Oh MY!

Oh, and there's also Grand Ridge, Duthie Hill and Soaring Eagle-- all of which I can bike TO, no car required!

Oh, and the Lake Sammamish trail and the Iron Horse that'll take you all the way to Eastern Washington.

And the local brewery serves locally brewed Rogue beer.

WHAT?!

Petite Sweet, Arlington

I'M EYEING YOU!!

..next time. When I go for a longer ride.. that whole wheat cinnamon roll is MINE.

But this time,

Oatmeal raisin cookies!

And hot coffee to swig it down.

The best winter ride motivator: halfway cookies!

Mural Tour

My dad and I were riding along the streets of Arlington, when-- whah? Hey! --gotta pull over!

MURAL! Both sides of the street.

One side featured the local river- each scene melting in the next.

Even the park benches melted a bit, too.

On the other side-- Washington's diverse landscapes from mountains, to forests, to ocean!

Including the little stuff- like these little purple fungi thingies I love finding in the forest!:

Washington- we've got it all. Trees green year 'round, ferns bigger'n you-- mountains, rivers, volcanoes, rain forests-- dry on the other side, rolling with wheat-- go the other way and: OCEAN!

There were more murals in town, too!

BEAT THAT TRAIN!

Smartwool Neck Gaiter: FAVORITE WINTER ITEM!

This Smartwool Neck Gaiter is my current favorite cycling accessory. I don't know what I did before this little tube of brilliance! Necks are SENSITIVE and catch a lot of cold breeze stickin' out there like that!

This simple accessory makes a BIG difference in my comfort level.

It's not tight, so it doesn't feel constricting. (And I HATE constricting. Ask my mom. I always took my jackets off as a child.) But it's snug enough that you can pull it up over your chin or nose if you need to. If you pull it up and combine it with a headband or beanie-- you can create a 'balaclava' effect, without being totally committed to wearing a balaclava. And I don't like being committed to the clothing I'm wearing.

I'll be wearing this thing fall to spring!

Whitman Cycling: Most Improved Woman

As a freshman on the Whitman College Cycling Team, I was chubby, fresh off of knee surgery, and bore relentless enthusiasm. That summer, I entered a stage race so over my head that the race organizers let me start an hour early. (Then it became more of a stage RIDE than RACE, I guess). But that didn't budge my enthusiasm one bit. I was a happy clam! I was riding my BIKE!

By the time my sophomore season rolled around, I was 4 pant sizes smaller (14 to a 6). My goal was never to lose weight. It would take me an HOUR to eat enough breakfast to make it to mid-morning snack. I just really, REALLY loved riding my bike.

That spring, I made it onto our Nationals squad-- and we won the women's team time trial, the team omnium, podium'd our girls in the criterium and Mara won the road race.

At the year-end team party, I was awarded a skin suit to recognize my vast improvement.

So to the next Most Improved Woman on the Whitman College Cycling Team:

SMITH PIVLOCKS!

Just keep riding!