Commuting by Bicycle

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Desert Pirates Ahoy!

There we were riding our bikes heading over to the bike co-op when Casey spied the Pirate ship looming over the corner at Roosevelt and 3rd street. It was majestic with it’s red sails flowing in the breeze pointing the way towards the freedom.

Commuting by bicycle here in Phoenix has it’s good days and it’s fun days and this was one of both for sure. I am finding that riding my bike around this city is way more fun that wasting my money on the gas that is costing more and more everyday.

The rising cost of living here in the great country we all call home is what most of us are trying to offset by riding our bicycles in the first place, right? Will riding your bicycle help you to save some money? Help to leave a smaller carbon footprint? How will it matter in the years to come if we all started by riding our bicycles now?

I for one ride my bike every where I go, it is my only means of transport, my bicycle is the way I get from place to place everyday. Yes I enjoy the freedom it gives me, and I truly think I am doing my part in trying to make the world a better place.

Should the people who make the rules be more tuned to how we as a small group of dedicated bicyclist’s think and wonder about how the humble bicycle can change the world around us? I think so how about you?

The Pirate ship was a sight to behold sitting there with it’s sense of freedom for all to see. You would never think of something as simple as this making an impact on how commuting by bicycle would be the way to go.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Bicycle Frame Tech

Let’s take a look at the carbon fibre frame first, this is a bicycle frame that is easily produced and in certain parts of the world mass produced. They come in many different sizes and shapes anything from the light weight road bike of Europe to the “Comfort bike” of North America.

Ranging in price from $700 to $6100 these great bicycles have all the features you expect from a top quality manufacturer. Some of the racing style frames sport the highest caliber hardware, wheel and tire combinations offer high performance and inspire confidence in your skill level, Not to mention how much they add to the coolness level.

Even the Mountain bike has a definite place in the carbon fiber hall of fame, with tube shapes that offer strength, durability, and the lightweight feel of the carbon fibre. Pushing the limits of rider skill is easy on bicycle’s like these.

Many of the top manufacturer’s offer carbon fiber technology in all kinds of configurations, Colors, and even make bicycles for kids.

The next level of frame technology is the alloy frame, most of these bicycles are durable and have been put to use since the dawn of bicycle time. High-Ten steel, chrome molly, aluminum, these are just some of the different kinds of material that bicycles are made of.

Depending on your choice of bicycle, mountain bike, road bike, touring bike, or just a good old cruiser there are lots of different options and hardware. Tire and rim sets are getting to be a very big part of a good bicycle these days. Most road bicycles and touring bicycle come equipped with 700c deep V rims and those really cool tires that make riding so much easier.

It’s like the bicycle has been given a whole new life with all this new technology and the upgrades to the gearing and the increase in braking force. Make us just want to get right out there and ride into the sunset right?

Well now that I have given a short look into the new high tech world of bicycles I hope this has started you thinking about maybe giving ol blue a break.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Prepped and Ready to Paint

Ok, I got the frame all stripped down and sanded, ready for the first coat of primer. Still thinking about the colors and how I want the accents to go. I have been talking to a friend and he suggested that I go with a two toned blue/white combination with off setting pinstripes of the same colors.

It really doesn’t take much to set up a bicycle frame for painting. Just stripping the paint then sanding to make sure all the rough parts are smooth, then use a good piece of steel wool to finish it off. Shake up the primer and shoot.

Make sure to give it a couple of good coats and stop and shake up the can a few times. Let it dry for about an hour in between each coat that way when it come to sanding out the primer everything comes out smooth.

So I have been thinking about the paint a lot because I really like this frame and the way it rides is really great so I want it to look just as good. With the right rack on the back, maybe a small basket up front and I will have a cool bike for commuting.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Choosing the Right Frame Size

Most of us are of average size so choosing the right size bicycle frame can be a simple exercise. This is accomplished by using the standard sizing system that Trek has come up with. It goes something like this, for a road bicycle the average is between a 43cm-47cm if you are less than 5’2”. For someone that is between 5’ 3” and 5’6” go for a frame size between 47cm-50cm. Over 5’7” to 5’9’ it’s a 50cm-52cm. 5’9” anywhere between 52cm-56cm. Anybody 6’ and over it’s 56cm-62cm, now these are just the standard averages.

For those of us that are either very tall or on the shorter side, one of the fore most bicycle experts, Sheldon Brown has come up with a simple but effective way to measure the frame to have a perfect fit. First you have to measure your inseam in cm then multiply by .65 to get the size of the road bike frame that fits you.

Now all of this is knowledge that comes in handy when looking for the right size bicycle that fits your needs. Whether it’s a commuting bicycle or a touring bicycle it will be way more fun and comfortable to ride if it fits your body size to begin with, right?

How do you measure a bicycle frame you ask? Well the dimensions for frame size are taken at the top of the seat tube down to the hub of the chain ring.Top Tube lenght (TTL) is measured in a line from the head tube back to the seat tube, this tells you how long the bicycle is.

Now remember that Mountain bikes are measured in inches, road bicycles are measured in centimeters, cruisers and kids bicycles are sometimes given in small or extra large for the beach cruisers.

Using this handy guide as a starting point will help you to choose the right size frame so that you can get the most out of your bicycle with the least amount of stress and strain of your body.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Bicycle Co-Ops, A Good Thing

Yesterday I finished building my bicycle down at the bike co-op. I changed out the rear Axel, bearings, the headset, and the handlebars. Put on a new set of grips, changed the rear tire out for a better street tire than the one I had. It is looking like a very good bicycle if you ask me. Next I am going to start prepping it for a new paint job, I am thinking Deep metallic blue with white pinstripes. Sounds cool right? Once that is all done I am going to put a rack on the back for carrying stuff, maybe a basket on the front and there we go.

Now all of this could not have been done without the Bike co-op that I go to every Sunday, one of the many reasons the co-op is a great place to go is all the tools and parts they have. The expert advice you get from the volunteers and in general the people that you meet there always have something to say or some cool new trick that makes doing something real easy.

It’s a fun place to go and it gives back to the community that makes all this possible for people that don’t have the money or the stuff to fix or build a whole new bike out of thin air. This makes the second bicycle that I have gotten from there. All I had to do to get them, besides the work involved in putting them together was a few hours of volunteering my own time to help some of the other people that came in to get a bicycle of their own.

Special tools like the crank puller, spoke wrench, chain breaker, and not to mention the handy wheel truing stand make fixing or building a bike fast and easy. When you need the expert advice it’s right there standing right next to you.

Anyway now that I got my bike ready to go, how do I want to set it up for commuting? Should I go for the classic touring bicycle, bags and racks? Or the stripped down version for speed and maneuverability for everyday riding in the city?

Things to consider are what kinds of racks or panniers will fit on the old Schwinn frame? How much am I wanting to spend on said racks and panniers? Do I really need some of these accessories that I am thinking about?

I guess these are the things I will be looking at in the days and weeks to come as I put more and more miles on my bike and start exploring the many different bike routes that cross the city where I live.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Put some racks on that baby and you're set to go on some long haul rides to work and back.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Art Auction @ Rusty Spoke Collective in Phoenix, AZ

Tomorrow at my local bicycle co-op there's gonna be an art auction and live music with proceeds to benefit the Phoenix cycling community.  If you're in town and like art/bikes come on over to 1023 NW Grand Ave from 7pm until midnight.  There'll be beer, wine, art, and live music.  Hope to see you there!

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

And in the beginning there was a new bicycle, and it was good ...

I guess you could say it all started last week when I broke a couple of spokes on the back wheel of my bicycle. One thing lead to another, my friend and I ended up building a whole new bicycle out of the parts and stuff down at the Rusty Spoke bike co-op. Yes, I know it sounds a little bit extreme but somehow in my crazy world that is how it goes most of the time.    Looking back now it turned out pretty good really, the bicycle that we put together in about 3 1/2 or 4 hours works very well and it’s a step up from my old bicycle in a lot of ways. So for now I am just going to finish working out all the bugs and make it a solid, dependable road bike before I start hanging lots of cool stuff on it.    I have been riding it for about a week now, except for a missing lock nut it is very strong and rides like butter. The crank set up is good and I like the gear with 26” wheels and tires it rolls smooth and the handling is fast and tight not to bad for an old Schwinn.  Overall I would say a few more adjustments, make a new bracket for the rear brakes and it’s a good start for my next road bicycle. Now since I do a lot of everyday riding and my bike is my ride I want to cut down on the “extra” trips that occur a lot over the course of a week or so.  So I figure now is the time to look at some new gear, maybe put a flat rack on the back to help out. Being as it’s an old Schwinn frame things might be a little limited in going with some of the newer panniers and bags, but I am still going to check out the different options and see what is what.  It would seem that this new project is shaping up pretty nicely so I guess I better stop blabbing and start.

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Giving Love to Your Bicycle the Simple, Easy Way

Every once in a while I get a bug in my ear and spend some time doing a little bit of maintenance on my bicycle. Now I’m not talking about doing a complete overhaul on it; just a little bit of love goes a long way. So I came up with these few easy tips to help you keep your bicycle in tip-top shape over the course of its life.  

Make sure that the air pressure is up to the recommended PSI in both tires; this is the one thing that most of us over look all the time and it can make riding your bicycle a lot easier over the life of the tires.

Another simple but quick little trick is to keep the chain and all the moving parts clean and lubricated. About once every 2-3 months either take it down to your local bicycle shop for scheduled maintenance or for you diy guys take a Saturday and have a little bit of fun doing it your self.

Make sure that the brakes and the cables are in good working order. Check the wear on the pads to be sure that they are wearing evenly and the cables have not stretched to far as not to be effective in operation,

One of the most over looked things to having a comfortable riding bicycle is having the seat and handlebars adjusted to the right position for your height. Make sure that the seat height is well in tune with your riding style, as this will keep you from over taxing your muscles that could lead to strained or even pulled muscles. keeping you from riding on those great summer days.

Last but not least is keeping your bicycle clean. Washing it once a month will not only make it look good, but it will add to the performance of your bicycle over the life of same.

Now I could go on and on about maintenance and other stuff but this is just a short overview of some of the most over looked things that can make the riding performance of your bicycle substandard. Remember it’s way more fun if your bicycle is in top riding shape, this in turn leads to you being in top shape too...

[commutingbybicycle-blog]

Living in the City

Riding a bicycle in the big city can be a very exciting time for a bicyclist. The sights, sounds, and even the displaced air from the bus can be uplifting if you know what I mean. Mostly I like the way the flow of the city is always on the move going everywhere at the same time. Never slowing down always on the go this is what keeps bicycling alive for most of us that live in the city. Commuting by bicycle is a great way to see the city around you moving at that speed of life that is always fascinating to watch. People have some of the funniest reasons to drive their cars, but never any good reasons to ride their bicycles any farther than the local park. Then they just want to sit and enjoy the summer breeze or hang out with the ducks in the pond. This is a great way to spend a day in the life keeping the stress level down making the best of a beautiful day in the city. Does this sound like you? Are you sitting there thinking about getting your bicycle down from the garage wall right about now? Well if you are think about this for a minute, what would you save over the course of a month if you rode your bicycle every where you went? Commuting by bicycle back and forth to work, the gym, over to the grocery store. Just think how much fun it could be to get back into shape, finding your groove. Well my friends riding a bicycle is one of life’s greatest challenges in commitment to self, and at the same time a greater commitment to the lifestyle of the bicycle community that is growing by leaps and bounds every day. The bicycle community in my city (Phoenix) is always on the go riding around all over the place. Doing things for the community, having festivals to celebrate bicycling and it’s people, and in general just having a great time of it. So if you are seriously thinking about commuting by bicycle give it a try, hey what’s the worst thing that can happen? Having a great time, saving some money, helping some of the people in your community to a better place in life. Sounds like a fun thing to me....