Saturday, 11 January 2014

A few small things

Commuter Bike Wonky


So my commuter bike (bought from Paddington) was a bit wonky when changing gears and so I took it to my local shop (MC Cyclery - who I think are the best) for a service and it turns out the bike hadn't been built properly and the derailleur was essentially set up too wide on both sides and was flicking my chain both into the frame and into the pedals. 


That's a lesson in - if it feels wrong:
  1. Take it to the shop and, 
  2. Find a good bike shop you trust. 
I was unlikely to go back to the original shop - as towards the end of the purchasing they made a rude gesture when they thought I wasn't looking - but I'm definitely not going back now.

Rain


I made the decision NOT to get fenders on my bike because:
  1. I don't intend to ride in the rain.
  2. Fenders are expensive.
So this week, there was a bit of light rain here and there and I thought, oh, as long as it's not raining heavily, I'll be fine.

What I didn't expect were the puddles left over from the rainy periods.

But I thought, you know, back wheel flicking water / dirt on my back, that's fine, I can wash my clothes.

What I learnt was, you actually should think about your front wheel a bit more when approaching a puddle.

This is what happens:

(image via beckysaysthings.com)

I love that someone already took the effort of drawing the pleasure of this experience.

And because I'm trying to commute in my work clothes (ie. dresses), it was highly embarrassing not knowing if I had maintained my pretty state of appearance, or if I now had a mud splat across my face / front.

I took my glasses off and wiped my face, and hoped I had gotten most of the debris off..

I've slowed down when approaching future puddles from now on.

Riding To Important Things


I thought I was trapped at work with crappy food choices and then I realised I had a bike and could essentially ride somewhere to eat! So excited!

Bourke Street Bakery here I come!

surry-hills-dawn

[EDIT: I had a sausage roll from them today and it was amazing!  Who knew you could get sausage rolls with actual food in them.]

Current Progress / Plan For The Start Of 2014


As I've only started work again (and dropped the ball in the first week of January), I am trying to commute every day (unless for time / weather / drinking constraints, it is easier to drive / bus in).

I'm planning to ride at least 30 km every Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday morning.

I aim to work up to adding the MC Cyclery LaPa ride on Tuesday mornings.

Commuting


I've discovered that commuting is possible in most situations but that the following factors should be considered:
  • Max temperature / time of day - riding to lunch can be hot.
  • Humidity - mid temperature + high humidity = high temperature
Yep.

However, in other news, my commuter bike has not been stolen yet.  :)