Current beer-scale: a day off post-whiskey & snow 5.6
Showing posts with label the elements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the elements. Show all posts
3/12/14
Enough
Current beer-scale: a day off post-whiskey & snow 5.6
2/19/14
Back on the horse
Finally found it in myself to get some bike work in yesterday and ride to work this morning. Very wobbly first few revolutions but not a terrible ride. If I hadn't been on the way to work it would have been a very pleasant ride indeed.
Current beer-scale: 7.3
1/28/13
get spoiled
I hear from a lot of riders that they'd rather have it dry and 5 degrees vs wet and 40 during the winter and spring. And I think those people are out of their fucking minds.
I'll take wet and having to wipe a bike down after each ride any day of the week to having to wear plastic bags under two pairs of socks to keep my toes. For the most part I quite enjoyed my ride this morning.
There was a slightly disturbing moment when I saw a car with a grocery cart stuck under it, only to get closer and realize it was someone's bike. But the guy was up and walking around so he was (hopefully) mostly okay, and he had passed me rudely a few blocks earlier anyway. Not saying he deserved whatever happened, but there are certain conditions that it doesn't pay to turn into a sprint, and a wet January morning is one of those times.
Still better than the train.
Current beer-scale: 7.8 w/some awesome Harp at home.
I'll take wet and having to wipe a bike down after each ride any day of the week to having to wear plastic bags under two pairs of socks to keep my toes. For the most part I quite enjoyed my ride this morning.
There was a slightly disturbing moment when I saw a car with a grocery cart stuck under it, only to get closer and realize it was someone's bike. But the guy was up and walking around so he was (hopefully) mostly okay, and he had passed me rudely a few blocks earlier anyway. Not saying he deserved whatever happened, but there are certain conditions that it doesn't pay to turn into a sprint, and a wet January morning is one of those times.
Still better than the train.
Current beer-scale: 7.8 w/some awesome Harp at home.
12/2/11
Be careful what you wish for I guess
So it's another maintenance weekend, thanks to a quick delivery from amazon.
That's a huge fucking box.
And that's a lot of paper.
The dog wasn't even that interested.
And yet, the fenders were still jammed in there enough to be bent out of true.
Whatever, they were cheap and now I have a huge box to wrap a tiny christmas gift in. Good times.
Current beer-scale: 8.9 on a get-me-the-fuck-out-of-here-Friday.
That's a huge fucking box.
And that's a lot of paper.
The dog wasn't even that interested.
And yet, the fenders were still jammed in there enough to be bent out of true.
Whatever, they were cheap and now I have a huge box to wrap a tiny christmas gift in. Good times.Current beer-scale: 8.9 on a get-me-the-fuck-out-of-here-Friday.
11/29/11
go a little heavier next time
50 mph wind gusts are nothing to sneeze at, so to speak.
If I had gotten the new walmart bike ready by this point it probably would have been a good idea to give it a test ride this morning. Unfortunately it's still a set of fenders, toe clips, and a front light short of being ready for a winter commute.
I did at least remember I had a set of cross tires in my parts bin so it's even less ronald-mcdonald-y.
That bike is heavy as shit and might have been a little steadier than the carbon trek. In any event, Lincoln wasn't bad this morning despite having to fight huge wind gusts to stay in the right area. By the time I hit a red at State and Elm I figured that was close enough and hopped off to walk the last block. Good enough.
Current beer-scale: 3.1
If I had gotten the new walmart bike ready by this point it probably would have been a good idea to give it a test ride this morning. Unfortunately it's still a set of fenders, toe clips, and a front light short of being ready for a winter commute.
I did at least remember I had a set of cross tires in my parts bin so it's even less ronald-mcdonald-y.
That bike is heavy as shit and might have been a little steadier than the carbon trek. In any event, Lincoln wasn't bad this morning despite having to fight huge wind gusts to stay in the right area. By the time I hit a red at State and Elm I figured that was close enough and hopped off to walk the last block. Good enough.Current beer-scale: 3.1
11/22/11
let's just say that was on purpose
A little wet this morning, perfect conditions to lay down a bit of a controlled skid when some asshat turns left directly in front of you.
ETA: Add another shitty rainy ride in the dark to come home and I've flat out had it for this week.
One more morning to go. Then it's beer & whiskey time!
Current beer-scale: 7.7
ETA: Add another shitty rainy ride in the dark to come home and I've flat out had it for this week.
One more morning to go. Then it's beer & whiskey time!
Current beer-scale: 7.7
10/31/11
Dig in or dig out
Between the snow that hit the east coast yesterday and the city putting "emergency escape" exits on LSD after the mess of snowpocalypse and the excuse to show clips of cars buried in snow there seems to be a lot of winter scenes on the news lately.
Knock it the fuck off already!
Please let me enjoy the sun that is out and a snow-free late October/early November. It will turn to shit soon enough. Fall back and be glad there are still only leaves on the ground and nothing more.
Current beer-scale: 8.9
Knock it the fuck off already!
Please let me enjoy the sun that is out and a snow-free late October/early November. It will turn to shit soon enough. Fall back and be glad there are still only leaves on the ground and nothing more.
Current beer-scale: 8.9
3/5/11
out & about
You would have thought that a two day work week wouldn't leave me restless but it sure as hell did by yesterday afternoon. I had dug out of my workload by the time the day was over but even now I'm having trouble shutting down the work portions of my brain. There's too much going on in there right now.
So like usual I wanted to take a longer ride last night to clear my head. Too bad conditions weren't really in my favor.
Unfortunately a couple of extra miles didn't realy do the trick. At this point I should just hop back on and tool around the neighborhood b/c I'm already back to thinking about the next week of work. Hopefully catching up on "Justified" will help with that. Then again, some beer would probably help too. You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.
Current beer-scale: 6.6
So like usual I wanted to take a longer ride last night to clear my head. Too bad conditions weren't really in my favor.
The ice was gone, but it would have almost been better with a layer of ice evening things out.
Things get pretty ridiculous at various points of the path with the lousy shape it's in. I was walking to avoid what I thought was the worst of it, but then I actually saw the worst of it.
This could have been an action shot, as two guys came screaming up and realized what they were about to run over. Probably for the best that they managed to stop and walk as well.
Unfortunately a couple of extra miles didn't realy do the trick. At this point I should just hop back on and tool around the neighborhood b/c I'm already back to thinking about the next week of work. Hopefully catching up on "Justified" will help with that. Then again, some beer would probably help too. You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.
Current beer-scale: 6.6
2/25/11
Thank you to whatever power out there decided not to drop an extra 5-9 inches of snow on us last night. I was nearly despairing but awoke this morning to the sun struggling and succeeding to break through the clouds and a ride that was incident and ice-free. I appreciated it.
Current beer-scale: Friday 9.1
Current beer-scale: Friday 9.1
2/24/11
It's not fair. If we get 5 more inches of snow tonite I think I'll lose my mind. Thunder & lightning during some hail I can handle, multiple inches of new snow I cannot. The snowiest Feb in 115 years of recorded Chicago weather history? I'd rather not be around for that, thank you.
I can even handle gas hitting $5 a gallon, not that I give a shit. But another week of snow getting packed on un-shoveled sidewalks and alleys and intersections will have me drinking copiously. Dammit, this week started with so much potential. I hate February.
Current beer-scale: 9.3
I can even handle gas hitting $5 a gallon, not that I give a shit. But another week of snow getting packed on un-shoveled sidewalks and alleys and intersections will have me drinking copiously. Dammit, this week started with so much potential. I hate February.
Current beer-scale: 9.3
2/22/11
Back to it
Holy crap that was rough. Maybe it was just getting back after the extra day off, maybe it was the fresh snow, maybe it was the tensioned chain, but that was a tough commute this morning.
More likely it was a combo of all three, but man was that extra day off sweet. After a nap the chain tensioner went on frankenbike easy. It screwed into the derailleur hanger behind the drop out and there's a spring running the inside length of the tensioner arm that keeps it taunt against the chain. It was that simple; screw it in and fit the pulley arm to the chain line. I was slightly dubious but maybe things will work well enough to squeeze some extra life out of the bike.
I was still dubious riding in this morning; between the taunt chain and crappy snow I felt wiped out before I even got to Lincoln. I was panting like a dog almost the entire way in. At least the snow is stopping by now. Conditions were not in my favor this AM.
The dog enjoyed it though; after yesterday she kept giving me looks like she was wondering what we were going to do today. Unfortunately it was back to the routine for everyone, not just me.
Current beer-scale: 3.2
More likely it was a combo of all three, but man was that extra day off sweet. After a nap the chain tensioner went on frankenbike easy. It screwed into the derailleur hanger behind the drop out and there's a spring running the inside length of the tensioner arm that keeps it taunt against the chain. It was that simple; screw it in and fit the pulley arm to the chain line. I was slightly dubious but maybe things will work well enough to squeeze some extra life out of the bike.
I was still dubious riding in this morning; between the taunt chain and crappy snow I felt wiped out before I even got to Lincoln. I was panting like a dog almost the entire way in. At least the snow is stopping by now. Conditions were not in my favor this AM.
The dog enjoyed it though; after yesterday she kept giving me looks like she was wondering what we were going to do today. Unfortunately it was back to the routine for everyone, not just me.
Current beer-scale: 3.2
2/17/11
A 50 degree morning meant no winter gear, and also got me curious as to the shape that the lakefront path is in. Thinking that it was an easy way to avoid the greater number of bikers out due to the great weather, I indulged my curiosity and headed straight to the path this morning.
Oops. That might not have been the brightest idea. Beyond having to navigate police saw horses, there were huge chunks of asphalt gone with big drops to concrete underneath. Those lines on the path to the right in the pic aren't patches, those are huge craters. Past that, the beach had attempted to swallow the path where it was still whole, making the entire area flush with sand. So conditions were shit, but there wasn't that much ice out even though the path didn't seem to be in one piece. There was even a single-file area by the oak street beach s-curve that you could bike on. It was right under LSD and I swear I was getting road splash dripped on me, but it was passable.
Even in those shit conditions it was worth riding. Thankfully the Chicago underpass stairs were relatively snow-free. As I was moving the police barrier blocking those stairs, it did strike me that there were more bikers on the path than I expected. And they were probably out there all winter while I was taking a shorter route through the neighborhood. And by horning in on their space in the nicer weather, I had become just the sort of extra biker I can't stand while I take side streets and extra people start to show up.
That made me laugh. Which is good, b/c once I got to the office the day turned to complete shit. But that's what I signed up for, and everyone has a right to freak out every once in a while.
Current beer-scale: 9.4
Oops. That might not have been the brightest idea. Beyond having to navigate police saw horses, there were huge chunks of asphalt gone with big drops to concrete underneath. Those lines on the path to the right in the pic aren't patches, those are huge craters. Past that, the beach had attempted to swallow the path where it was still whole, making the entire area flush with sand. So conditions were shit, but there wasn't that much ice out even though the path didn't seem to be in one piece. There was even a single-file area by the oak street beach s-curve that you could bike on. It was right under LSD and I swear I was getting road splash dripped on me, but it was passable.
Even in those shit conditions it was worth riding. Thankfully the Chicago underpass stairs were relatively snow-free. As I was moving the police barrier blocking those stairs, it did strike me that there were more bikers on the path than I expected. And they were probably out there all winter while I was taking a shorter route through the neighborhood. And by horning in on their space in the nicer weather, I had become just the sort of extra biker I can't stand while I take side streets and extra people start to show up.
That made me laugh. Which is good, b/c once I got to the office the day turned to complete shit. But that's what I signed up for, and everyone has a right to freak out every once in a while.
Current beer-scale: 9.4
2/4/11
Cinematic
Yeah it still sucks out there.
Worse, I feel like I sprained my knee last night out with the dog and it's killing me right now. Riding to work probably didn't help but christ almighty is it sore.
The best part of the morning (other than calling 311 to get that fucking abandoned car towed when I finally got to work) was seeing someone else yelling at a car in the bike lane going down Wells and giving her a "well said" as I went by. That was fun, but I still can't wait to call it a week and have some drinks while I collapse on the couch with a compression bandage and some ice. Fantastic.
Current beer-scale: 5.3
Worse, I feel like I sprained my knee last night out with the dog and it's killing me right now. Riding to work probably didn't help but christ almighty is it sore.
The best part of the morning (other than calling 311 to get that fucking abandoned car towed when I finally got to work) was seeing someone else yelling at a car in the bike lane going down Wells and giving her a "well said" as I went by. That was fun, but I still can't wait to call it a week and have some drinks while I collapse on the couch with a compression bandage and some ice. Fantastic.
Current beer-scale: 5.3
1/21/11
Okay, that was cold
When people start to post warnings about wind chill advisories, it might be time to put the bike in the basement for the day. Or it might be time to put on two extra layers and keep your fingers crossed under two pairs of gloves that you make it in before your toes go numb. Guess which one I ended up doing?
The ride in was actually much better than I expected it to be. My toes were getting insanely cold by the time I made it to campus but I wasn't regretting riding the bike. I don't exactly feel great right now but I'm willing to bet the train would have been even worse.
Even better, the boss decided to reward everyone for coming in by springing for lunch. Which always seems to happen when I have leftovers from Pequods but whatevs.
Current beer-scale: 9.1 for the weekend and BEARS! game
12/1/10
Thank god for coffee
Not bad for Dec. 1st. Snow flurries are starting to intensify but temperatures aren't what you'd call "arctic." If I ride the rest of this week and all of next, I'll be at over 1000 miles for the year. Add in the trainer miles and that's a decent-looking 2010. Much prettier than the scene out my window right now:
Yeah, that's snow starting to stick. You could actually see it drift during big gusts of wind this morning on the path. I was thrilled to pour a big cup of coffee this morning, and I think it's time to pour another.
Current beer-scale: 1.2
Yeah, that's snow starting to stick. You could actually see it drift during big gusts of wind this morning on the path. I was thrilled to pour a big cup of coffee this morning, and I think it's time to pour another.
Current beer-scale: 1.2
11/22/10
Remember that time I got hit by lightning?
We laughed and laughed...
I've ridden in some ridiculous shit before. Chicago can get difficult and I try not to complain too much b/c I'm the one choosing to get on a bike instead of a train. Today was one of those days, where a light rain turned into a complete downpour and I kept going anyway. At one point by the lake lightning hit so close I saw a red flash along with the white. The accompanying thunder was so loud I thought it was cracking right over me. Good times. Still better than snow.
WGN had the temperature at 61 degrees when I got out of bed this morning so I was riding no matter what conditions were like. I had been thinking about switching to Frankenbike for a while now and the light rain pushed me over the edge. It's in surprisingly ride-able shape these days. I put some fixation session 23's on for winter hoping they would have enough tread even though they're real skinny. The gearing is a little suspect; bigger than a stock single speed but not even close to as big a ratio as I usually ride on the pilot. Which is good, b/c stopping is always a good idea and even taking it easy I felt like I was spinning away the entire ride. I forgot to put toe-clips on this weekend, how do you just 'forget' something like that? Definitely something to fix in the next day or two. As long as I get through the next day or two.
Thank god this is a short week. Bring on turkey and a few days off.
Current beer-scale: 3.9
I've ridden in some ridiculous shit before. Chicago can get difficult and I try not to complain too much b/c I'm the one choosing to get on a bike instead of a train. Today was one of those days, where a light rain turned into a complete downpour and I kept going anyway. At one point by the lake lightning hit so close I saw a red flash along with the white. The accompanying thunder was so loud I thought it was cracking right over me. Good times. Still better than snow.
WGN had the temperature at 61 degrees when I got out of bed this morning so I was riding no matter what conditions were like. I had been thinking about switching to Frankenbike for a while now and the light rain pushed me over the edge. It's in surprisingly ride-able shape these days. I put some fixation session 23's on for winter hoping they would have enough tread even though they're real skinny. The gearing is a little suspect; bigger than a stock single speed but not even close to as big a ratio as I usually ride on the pilot. Which is good, b/c stopping is always a good idea and even taking it easy I felt like I was spinning away the entire ride. I forgot to put toe-clips on this weekend, how do you just 'forget' something like that? Definitely something to fix in the next day or two. As long as I get through the next day or two.
Thank god this is a short week. Bring on turkey and a few days off.
Current beer-scale: 3.9
11/19/10
Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Okay, getting a little cold out there. Might be time to bring the beard back. To hell with having a job and needing to look professional.
Ah, the weekend. Late ND game and no Bears, but plenty of beer and a nice open couch with my name all over it.
Current beer-scale: 5.1
Ah, the weekend. Late ND game and no Bears, but plenty of beer and a nice open couch with my name all over it.
Current beer-scale: 5.1
10/26/10
even by my standards
that was dumb.
Walking the dog was an adventure this morning. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph, high wind advisory and a tornado warning in the area, amidst a driving rain. Of course she didn't want to stay out too long, and of course I could not be persuaded to take the train when we were done.
The ride ended up not being too terrible. The rain died down until I was getting close to the bike path, and the wind only threatened to blow me off the bike once. It was worth it though, b/c by now the sun is out and even though the wind is still howling through the alleys between buildings it seems pleasant enough for an afternoon ride home.
I just hope my clothes a dry by 5 PM.
Current beer-scale: 4.9
Walking the dog was an adventure this morning. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph, high wind advisory and a tornado warning in the area, amidst a driving rain. Of course she didn't want to stay out too long, and of course I could not be persuaded to take the train when we were done.
She didn't even want to look as I got ready this morning.
The ride ended up not being too terrible. The rain died down until I was getting close to the bike path, and the wind only threatened to blow me off the bike once. It was worth it though, b/c by now the sun is out and even though the wind is still howling through the alleys between buildings it seems pleasant enough for an afternoon ride home.
I just hope my clothes a dry by 5 PM.
Good job, old chap!
Current beer-scale: 4.9
9/16/09
Whoops--spoke too soon yesterday.
It might still be 70+ degrees out, but when the lake is getting choppy that's a sure sign more fall-like weather is on its way.
It was a surprisingly wet ride this morning, but only momentarily. Hopefully it's still a little rough out if I have time to hit the dog beach this afternoon before the Cubs game.
Current beer-scale: 6 Old Styles out of 9
It might still be 70+ degrees out, but when the lake is getting choppy that's a sure sign more fall-like weather is on its way.
It was a surprisingly wet ride this morning, but only momentarily. Hopefully it's still a little rough out if I have time to hit the dog beach this afternoon before the Cubs game.Current beer-scale: 6 Old Styles out of 9
12/9/08
slow leak + fat man = rough ride home
The rain came just in time for me to realize this is why so few people bike in the winter. My fourth flat in three weeks, and 3 of them were holes along the valve stem which means sliming them would do little to no good. But instead of leaving the bike at work and walking or getting a ride, I decided to do what I could with some rubber bands and packing tape. It was enough to atleast stay inflated just sitting in the office, and even if my weight was enough to start a slow leak, I was willing to stop and pump some air in if I had to.
At diversy and cannon, I had to. Things were pretty nasty out, to the point where the entire episode was amusing enough that I took this shot with my phone.
It's even crappier today but rainy crappy, and not something I wanted to bike in even after fixing everything up last night. I have given up on the cross tires for now and put the skinny tires that I never had a single problem with back on. They might not be ideal for these conditions but the roads get clean pretty soon after a snow so unless I'm riding in a blizzard, I'm willing to chance it. I'm not riding in an ice storm though, and that's what today is starting to look like. Outstanding. I hate this time of year.
I'm biking to all my various christmas parties out of spite.
Current beer-scale: 6.7
At diversy and cannon, I had to. Things were pretty nasty out, to the point where the entire episode was amusing enough that I took this shot with my phone.
It's even crappier today but rainy crappy, and not something I wanted to bike in even after fixing everything up last night. I have given up on the cross tires for now and put the skinny tires that I never had a single problem with back on. They might not be ideal for these conditions but the roads get clean pretty soon after a snow so unless I'm riding in a blizzard, I'm willing to chance it. I'm not riding in an ice storm though, and that's what today is starting to look like. Outstanding. I hate this time of year.I'm biking to all my various christmas parties out of spite.
Current beer-scale: 6.7
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