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By "warm enough" I mean 40 degrees, mostly a couple of days of 40+ finally helped to melt off most of the snow from secondary roads and make them more or less safe for a road bike. With Madison's record season of snow it has been 3 1/2 months since I biked anywhere. With gas as it is I'm planning to bike everywhere it is practical to do so.

Here's to the first ride of the season and a hint of spring! :)

Hi Jerad:

___Congrats on saving the most fuel of any of us for the day!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Seconded! I've got a nice bike I could use but because of where I work I can't get there that way. :p

Enjoy while you can! If the weather where you are is anything like here, it may or may not last. Last week, I rode my motorcycle to school, enjoying a sunny, beautiful high of 69, then two days later it snowed all morning for the only time this season. Go figure.

I biked 7.6 miles after work yesterday and saved 62 cents gas equivalent! Went to a Book Store and Jack N the Box.

Good job leaving the car behind!

I took the studded tires off the commute bike last night. I'm looking forward to easy rolling on semi-slicks. Now, of course, it is sure to snow. It keeps threatening to, but has been missing us.

A few more ski trips and it will be time to see if I can again make a tank of gas last 6 months.

Greg

Jerad, you have got to move down to SW Austin.

It's acceptable biking weather all year long. Austin's a bike friendly city, with a big lobby in favor of more lanes/trails.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/bicycle/

But more than that, my neighborhood in SW Austin is a mecca for biking. Not only is the Veloway 2 miles from my house, but there are miles and miles of roads with lanes plus a small highway (Mopac/SH 45) with little traffic and wide shoulders were one often sees more bikes than cars.

Now that the marathon is over and my calves/knees are recovering, I'm planning on getting out my "Specialized" for some runs.

Let me know how I can help with a job search. :)

It's acceptable biking weather all year long. Austin's a bike friendly city, with a big lobby in favor of more lanes/trails.

You can ride all year long here, too, as long as you have the right equipment ;)

I've gotten so obsessed with that elusive 40+mpg in my signature that I got back on my bike after almost 10 years :eek: Since last fall, whenever I go to Curves or the grocery store (.5-1 mi. from home), I've been taking my bike. Even in these winter months, since the main streets are clear unless we've had snow that day. (If I didn't need my FEH to show off at MiHG meetings, I could bike to them too ;)) My biggest problem has been the short days, but now that we're in Daylight Savings time, I have more time after I get home from work :) My poor bike will need a major tune-up this spring :o; I'm planning on getting something more like a mountain bike for next winter. Other than that, my biggest problem is that when I go grocery-shopping, I always over-estimate the capacity of my backpack :rolleyes:

Hi Debbie:

___I have to get a pic of you and Jerad for co-drivers of the week on your bike’s sometime in the very near future :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Debbie:

___I have to get a pic of you and Jerad for co-drivers of the week on your bike’s sometime in the very near future :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

So, Jerad, do you want to ride yours here, or shall I ride mine to Madison :D :D :D

A Bob trailer ( http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailer.php?product_id=10 ) is a good solution for the overloaded pack. Also, get a rear rack and panniers. I take the panniers for small grocery runs, and the Bob when I plan to get more. I've learned to take both panniers even if I only plan to get a few items, because I inevitably buy more than I expected. A yakima cargo net (bungee cord net) is helpful when I buy more than will fit in the cargo bag on the Bob. I haven't had to hide any of my groceries in the bushes and make a second trip yet!

Make sure the new bike has eyelets for a rack on the rear dropouts. Braze-ons for the top attachment point are nice but not essential. There are racks that just clamp on the seat post, but they have caused some seat posts to break.

A heavily loaded Bob can be a bear to handle when the bike is stopped, but its narrow profile is great in bike lanes and in the wind. Burley's cargo trailer hauls more and is stable for loading and unloading (2 wheels), but isn't as narrow. We kept our Burley kid trailer, because it makes a great cargo trailer & we used it enough that it wouldn't sell for much anyway. Definitely a lot more wind resistance than the Bob.

What the heck, I'm sure I responded to this a few days back... my post vanished? Well anyway...

A Bob trailer ( http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailer.php?product_id=10 ) is a good solution for the overloaded pack. Also, get a rear rack and panniers. I take the panniers for small grocery runs, and the Bob when I plan to get more. I've learned to take both panniers even if I only plan to get a few items, because I inevitably buy more than I expected. A yakima cargo net (bungee cord net) is helpful when I buy more than will fit in the cargo bag on the Bob. I haven't had to hide any of my groceries in the bushes and make a second trip yet!

Make sure the new bike has eyelets for a rack on the rear dropouts. Braze-ons for the top attachment point are nice but not essential. There are racks that just clamp on the seat post, but they have caused some seat posts to break.

A heavily loaded Bob can be a bear to handle when the bike is stopped, but its narrow profile is great in bike lanes and in the wind. Burley's cargo trailer hauls more and is stable for loading and unloading (2 wheels), but isn't as narrow. We kept our Burley kid trailer, because it makes a great cargo trailer & we used it enough that it wouldn't sell for much anyway. Definitely a lot more wind resistance than the Bob.

I had been thinking about how to replace more trips with the bike but wasn't so sure how grocery shopping would work... thanks for the practical advice!

So, Jerad, do you want to ride yours here, or shall I ride mine to Madison :D :D :D

:D

All this begs the question, is a bicycle a legit means of
completing the MPG loop at Hybridfest?? Miles per box of
Wheaties GGE, or what?
.
_H*

Hi Al:

___If the bicycle can maintain an average speed of 20 mph through the up hills and down hills, traffic signs and lights and that final last climb (that was a b***h, wasn’t it ;)), sure :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

A Bob trailer ( http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailer.php?product_id=10 ) is a good solution for the overloaded pack. Also, get a rear rack and panniers. I take the panniers for small grocery runs, and the Bob when I plan to get more. I've learned to take both panniers even if I only plan to get a few items, because I inevitably buy more than I expected. A yakima cargo net (bungee cord net) is helpful when I buy more than will fit in the cargo bag on the Bob. I haven't had to hide any of my groceries in the bushes and make a second trip yet!

Make sure the new bike has eyelets for a rack on the rear dropouts. Braze-ons for the top attachment point are nice but not essential. There are racks that just clamp on the seat post, but they have caused some seat posts to break.

A heavily loaded Bob can be a bear to handle when the bike is stopped, but its narrow profile is great in bike lanes and in the wind. Burley's cargo trailer hauls more and is stable for loading and unloading (2 wheels), but isn't as narrow. We kept our Burley kid trailer, because it makes a great cargo trailer & we used it enough that it wouldn't sell for much anyway. Definitely a lot more wind resistance than the Bob.

Hi *Greg* --

Thanks for the interesting link :) I've seen the Burleys before, but never the Bob. I'm a little leary of pulling a trailer, but I *have* been thinking about panniers. Then again, I'm sure my waist-line would better off if I buy less at one time & more frequent trips :rolleyes:

(A side-note about the Burleys -- I used to do a lot of organized rides, anywhere from 50-100 mi. Whenever I'd pass a rider pulling his/her kid(s) in one of those trailers, esp. going uphill, I'd teasingly ask the rider if they would trade places in 10-15 yrs. ;))

Here's a 2006 thread where I saved $57.37 in gas by biking -
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t333161.html

A better trailer than the BOB is a Burley Nomad, and here's a thread where I used it for grocery shopping -
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t360121.html

Am working on my 4th (of 6 total) semesters where I avoid driving to school the entire semester... not counting weekends at the library, of course. Often this means riding in the morning at 25-30 degrees, occasionally in snow. But it's less than 2 miles each way so I actually save time by not driving and having to walk from the free parking areas far from campus proper. Will have to move in July, so hopefully I can get a place similarly close! And yes, it is getting warmer now too.

My experiences with racks & panniers; and with trailers:
For the last 3 years, I have used a rack with panniers, they are Ortlieb brand, which look like rafting drybags, and I can easily put a briefcase or backpack in each one; normally I only need one as they are so large. I highly recommend this method & brand, as it is completely weatherproof and barely changes the bike's handling. The lack of zippers and extra pockets really improve pannier longevity, and come built into my briefcase anyway.

I also have an older BOB trailer that I bought used in 2001, which I've taken on a 2500mile bike tour as well as a 1200 mile tour, plus many runs to the grocery store. Very reliable and tough trailer, zero problems other than a couple of flat tires, so for bulky and heavy items I recommend it. A trailer does slow you down, more rolling resistance and the weight of a trailer is significantly more than that of a rack (10 lbs or more--a lot considering a solid touring bike is 25lbs or so, mountain bike 30--very generally speaking of course). I haven't tried a 2 wheel Burley, but would guess the weight and rolling resistance would be even more, as would cargo capacity? But for daily commuting, rack & panniers are in my experience 100% more convenient and easier to use. And even if I go on another long tour, unless it is a solo one where I am fully-self-supported with camping gear, I will use the panniers instead of the trailer.

And yes, my bike easily fits in the back of the xB with the back seats folded down, no wheels have to be taken off--goodbye roofrack, that thing sucked 3mpg from my car!

Kinder
1973 Raleigh International, 12 speed with downtube shifters