Bike Stuff
1. Bike Commute Challenge
The Bike Commute Challenge took place during September here
in Portland. I didn’t manage a 100%
biking rate this year, but I did pretty well.
I rode all but three days of the month.
I’ll have to be satisfied with that.
2. 12 people at the light this morning! Didn’t all make it through the green!
The numbers are increasing.
There was actually a bicycle traffic jam at the intersection of
Interstate and Oregon St, by the Rose Quarter.
Lots of people are riding to work and wearing real clothes, not bike
gear.
I like it!
3.
Older Gal passing me up
Now, this is just funny.
On my ride to work, there is a street that has a gentle rise over the
course of two blocks. It’s a gentle rise
but definitely noticeable. I will either
downshift or stand up and pedal. So, I’m
heading up the street one morning last week and behind me comes an older gal
cruising along on her bicycle. This, in
itself, is not surprising. People of all
ages ride bikes, especially in Portland.
Nor is it surprising that she then passes me. I get passed by people every day. But, as she passes, I notice that she is both
older and heavier than I am… hmm… and,
I’m in decent shape so how is she able to cruise right by? Well, I don’t bother myself about it, but
rather just keep on riding to work. When
I get to the bottom of the tram, I see that she is a couple of bikes ahead of
me and we both ride up the hill. After
we disembark and walk through the building to the street, she hops on her bike,
reaches down and clicks something. The
next thing I know there’s a gentle whirring sound and off she goes up the
street. It’s an electric assist bicycle!
4.
Need a bigger basket
As I mentioned before, I need to replace the basket on the
front of Helen. It got broken and bent
in that crash. And, it’s just too
small. I have been looking on line and
at my local bike shops and I think I have one picked out. BUT, I also have the collapsible rear basket
on the right, which is where I put my backpack.
I asked my Pop if I could have the one off my mum’s bike to mount on the
left side. Then I will have three
baskets and that’s enough cargo area for any trip to the store or the farmer’s
market. Ok, true, I usually walk to the
store… but still! And, just because
Helen is such a beauty, I’m going to paint all the baskets brown to match her
trim. It’ll be a winter project.
