My how time flies!  I can't believe it's been over a year since I have posted to this site.  And what a year it has been...

Work

In the last year I was promoted from Web Code Monkey (that's an official title, I'm positive) to Code Monkey Leader.  The projects I supervised went from being in minor maintenance mode to substantial new development mode.  The team expanded to the point where we had to reorganize, or else I would have been supervising 15-20 people which would have been unmanageable for me.  I am now able to focus my time on leading and mentoring a lean team of 5-6 highly qualified web developers.  This group really pushes me to stay ahead of the technology curve.

Home

Since the last post Mrs. GeekCyclist and I separated and divorced. I can't say that I have no regrets, because in the back of your mind there is always a little voice saying "could I have done something different?"  That said, I am happy with the decision, and moving on with my life.  We share legal and physical custody of our wonderful boys, and are doing our best to be supportive parents. I am finding there are a lot of joys and frustrations with the single life, but those are stories for other posts on other days.

Cycling

It's been a while since I have biked to work consistently, but there have been a few happenings on the cycling front:

• When I moved to my new apartment it became even more convenient for me to run errands on my bike.  So while I commute infrequently, I can often be seen riding around Magna with panniers full of books, groceries, or workout stuff.
• I started teaching a "Be a Bike Commuter" workshop for the University of Utah's Lifelong Learning program.  It's a 2.5 hour workshop on equipment, practical concerns and safety of urban or transportation cycling.  I love doing the class and I think the participants enjoy it.  It seems like they do since the U keeps asking me to come back.
• I've started to downsize the bike stable.  That comes with apartment living... By spring I hope to have the Roubaix, and a nicer mountain bike;  I still have a couple of bikes to sell.

Mortality

This may seem like kind of a downer, but in reality it's helping me focus my life a little more.  In the last year a friend lost his wife to cancer. Shortly after that one of my best friends from high school and a fantastic musician/artist lost his battle with an aggressive cancer.  We also lost the former Mrs. GeekCyclist's father to a massive stroke.

Psychologically these deaths threw me for a little loop, but as I look back they are helping me to realize how important it is to cherish every moment and treasure every relationship.  There is something to rejoice in, and something to learn every day and I don't want to sit idly by while life passes me by.

Well - Maybe not the Utah Department of Transportation.  The praise should probably be heaped upon Salt Lake City and West Valley City.  But I am getting ahead of myself...

Back on the Bike

In the last 11 months, my Garmin GPS tells me that I have ridden my Roubaix only 23 times.  The other bikes in the stable have rarely been removed from the storage hooks.  It's been a sad time for two-wheeled vehicles in the GC household.

That has changed the last couple of weeks.  I have managed two long (2+ hrs) training rides, and this week have commuted home from work by bike both Monday and Tuesday.

Someone has been busy while I have been driving instead of riding.

Impersonating Lewis and Clark

Anyone who has a lengthy suburban-urban commute discovers the issues of 'crossings'.  The old explorers and pioneers had to cross daunting obstacles; most frequently large rivers.  In the urban setting the equivalent for the bike commuter is major highways and freeways (although in my case a river comes into play as well).

For me to make the commute from Magna, Utah to downtown Salt Lake City I have to cross some combination of:

• Interstate 15
• Interstate 215
• State Road 201
• Bangerter Highway
• Multiple Railroad Lines
• Jordan River

There are only a limited number of possibilities to cross each of these - for instance, I can cross State Road 201 at 5600 W, 3200 W, Redwood Rd, or use the Jordan River Parkway.  Other than the parkway, all of these crossings are major funnels for automotive traffic.

 On of the more convenient routes allowed me to cross SR 201 at 5600 W and then go under both I-215 and I-15.  The drawback there was that the route traveled through a major industrial area with fairly narrow roads and heavy truck traffic.

All of that was a long lead-in to my discovery that after 9 years of bike commuting, and putting up with chip-seal, re-pavings that eradicate the shoulder, and the actual removal of lanes from certain roads, my two primary routes have been dramatically improved.

California Ave

This stretch of California Ave has always been somewhat treacherous.  It was narrow. The shoulder was deteriorating and crumbling.  The road is heavily traveled by garbage trucks and tractor trailers. In the last 9 months it has been widened to two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound, with a wide shoulder westbound.  They even added an optical attenuator at the intersection at 5600 W rather than an impedance loop so all you riders with carbon fiber bikes can still trigger the light rather than needing to run it when it won't change.

Lake Park Ave

There is a business park in West Valley City that I ride through frequently; especially if I want to ride the Jordan River Parkway as part of my commute.  The problem was that the roads in the park either dead-ended, or dumped you up to a much busier road.  During my 'down time' West Valley City completed Lake Park Ave to connect to 5600 W. It's a very bike friendly route. The shoulder is pretty wide; they added traffic calming roundabouts; and at least a portion of the new roads in the area are marked as bike routes.

So thanks, sincerely, to whichever government departments or agencies (or the developers, these are business/industrial parks so maybe it was the developers that paved the roads).  The changes you have made are not trivial in the life of a bike commuter.

This is a big weekend for bike sales, and over the next few weeks several charity rides and centuries take place.  In case you were thinking of spenging money on a new toy, this is a reprint of a post from my old blog.  It was originally published 08/30/08.

 

If you were paying attention I bought a bike about three months ago [edit: 10 months ago now]. My bike budget is zero [still...], so the question here really isn't about me. In one week I was asked that by two neighbors and two co-workers. It seems like a get this question at least once every couple of weeks. I figure it must be gas prices. Even better, that question gives me a reason to write a new post. It's not what, but where that counts the most... The first thing I tell anyone asking about buying a new bike is that the best choice they can make is to go to their Local Bike Shop (LBS). There are a number of advantages to buying from your LBS rather than a department or discount store:

• Qualified sales staff - if you ask them your question they should ask about the way you plan to ride and can match you to the right bike.
• The bikes are higher quality, even at the bottom end of the catalog.
• The bikes have been properly assembled by qualified mechanics.
• Service is available after the sale, usually for free for a year or at a steep discount.
• Usually any accessories you buy with the bike will be discounted.

What are you going to use it for? Before you head to the LBS you should have a good idea of how and where you are going to ride your fancy new bike. Most people who are buying a first bike are looking to:

• Ride around the neighborhood for fitness and fun
• Ride parkways and paths (remember a car carrier to get the bike to the parkway if you live more than a couple miles away)
• Ride in a charity ride like an MS-150 or a Tour de Cure
• Replace local/short car trips and errands with bike trips
• Commute to work

You should figure out what you think will be your primary use and then your top secondary uses. With the broad range of bicycles available you should be able to find something suitable within your price range. Sometimes the only thing that would need to change for one use to another would be accessories. For example if you want to ride paths and do charity rides but think you may also want to commute or run errands you may want to consider a rack and fenders. The Test Ride For most of the uses listed above, a bike in the 'cross' (not cyclocross), 'comfort' or 'hybrid#39; categories would be perfectly suitable. The key is to take as long a test ride as the store will let you. Bring your helmet, and wear the clothing you will normally wear when riding for your primary use. You want to make sure you are comfortable on the bike. Go back to the shop and have it adjusted and try again if something doesn't feel right. Other Categories The uses above are what most people list when they say they want to buy a first bike. There are other uses, and a lot of other categories. You may want to do technical or long distance mountain bike rides where a full-suspension bike would be appropriate. You may want to commute only, and might have a fairly flat route to work, in which case a trendy single-speed may be just the ticket. The key is to tell the worker at your LBS what you want to do, listen to their suggestions, and try several models before you buy.

In the past two weeks there have been two seperate incidents where cyclists have been critically injured in hit-and-run collisions in the Salt Lake City area.  Coverage from the Salt Lake Tribune says:

 A Salt Lake City bicyclist was found face down in a street late Monday, apparently after a car struck him.

The bicyclist was in serious condition late Monday, said Salt Lake City police Detective Dennis McGowan. Detectives are investigating the case as a hit and run.

Someone found the man about 10 p.m. Monday near 1400 N. Beck St. (300 West). There is a bicycle lane on that section of road, but McGowan said there are skid marks indicating a vehicle may have run over a curb and struck the man. The bike's rear end was damaged. The bicyclist was found in a business driveway bleeding from his head and face, McGowan said.

Anyone with information about the case can call Salt Lake City police at 801-799-3000.

Charges were filed Tuesday in a separate hit-and-run involving a cyclist on March 19 at 6540 S. Wasatch Blvd. The accused driver, 28-year-old Nicholas T. Murdock of Holladay, allegedly told his passenger he liked to speed around the corner of 6200 South and Wasatch before accelerating his BMW from a stop and hitting the cyclist, deputies wrote. Murdock and his passenger got out of the car and looked at the victim; Murdock obscured the license plate and drove away, detectives wrote.

The cyclist remains hospitalized, investigators wrote. Murdock was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury, obstructing justice and reckless driving, all misdemeanors.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12036925

Like many people, cyclists and non-cyclists alike, I am outraged that so far the best the authorities can do is charge Murdock with a trio of misdemeanors.  Compare that to these two incidents, also from today's paper:

In charges filed Tuesday, police wrote that [an] 18-year-old and two other people were walking through [the police] lot when an officer saw the teen "tag" a cruiser with a scribble. Two other patrol cars were found to be tagged, officers wrote. The damage is estimated at $900. The teen was charged with third-degree felony graffiti.  http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12041071

and this:

A knife-wielding man allegedly chased a hiker and his dog down a trail above the University of Utah and then charged police who arrived to investigate. The victim came upon a man standing by a tent... The man told the hiker to leash his dog and leave, moved toward the hiker with an object in his hand, and shouted threats as the hiker ran back down the trail... When officers later approached the tent, the man ran away but then charged pursuing officers with a knife held over his head. Officers deployed a Taser twice. The man, 46, of Salt Lake City, was charged with three third-degree felony counts of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of interference with an arresting officer.  http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12041678

So, let me get this straight.
   
If I spray paint 'Death to all Cyclists' on cars in my neighborhood it's a felony.   

If I chase and threaten a cyclist with a knife it would be a felony.
   
But I can hit one in my car, injuring them critically and then leave them for dead, bleeding at the side of the road and that is only a misdemeanor?!?!

Justice is not blind in Utah, it is stone cold drunk on 3.2 beer (which was probably a factor for both drivers as well...)

The difference in cost between a AA or AAA battery driven system and the brighter rechargeable systems is significant. Unless you know that your speed and the road conditions require the brighter, more expensive systems, I would recommend you start with a low-cost light with a flashing mode. Then, if you decide it's not bright enough for your needs you can still use it in flashing mode, or as a helmet light when you upgrade.

Originally posted on my old GeekCyclist.blogspot.com site on 9/8/08

Welcome to the new home of the GeekCyclist.  Over the next few weeks I will be moving some of the more popular posts over from the old GeekCyclist.Blogspot.com blog.