"Bikes on Board"
Date: Sept 21
Mileage: 10
Ride type: Commute
Bike: 925 fixie
Temp: 43.m./69p.m.
September mileage: 205
Year to date: 1468
give the number of mundane commutes that take place, i was glad to step out a bit and
try something new today. the family schedule made it that i needed to pick the boys up. not wanting to give us at least part of a commute, i planned to do an afternoon Bike-n-Board with the boys right after school. TARC has bike racks on all their buses now. you just flip it down, thrown the bike on, and raise the tire guard. pretty easy. the boys get out of school at 2.40, i at 2.20. i rode the fixie down to their school, maybe a 2m ride. usually i'm bedecked in at least semi-cycling clothes. in the a.m., i had standard fare on, but i the p.m. i rode their in my work clothes, khakis and a button shirt. the one concession i made in the p.m. was to wear the Lake sandals, which are still cleatless.
(crappy pic not me. it might be the husband of a co-worker.)
after collecting them, we only had to walk 1/2 block to meet the 21 Chesnut bus. we waited maybe 12-15 minutes at the most and it came on time (something that's always to be seen with TARCs. timeliness is a serious disadvantage for the underclass who depends on public transpo). i had had some free ride cards from a previous schoolyear, but they were no good. still it cost 25cents per boy and 50cents for me- or $1.00, no i don't remember. at the most we paid $1.50 for the three of us, and settled down for a 30min trip. that, of course, is the irony of the bus trip. it took us almost exactly 30min, and if i'd left from there on the bike it would've taken exactly the same time. boys in tow though, it let us off right at the end of our street. a perfect schedule.
i often rode the 4Fourth Street bus backintheday when i work at a restaurant downtown. it would pick me up at 3.15 or so, and i would certainly have plenty of time there to check in by 4.00, with both stops less than 50yds from the door. it's really the only way a "normal" person is going to take the bus in Louisville. If i had to ride the bus to my own place of work, it would involve a transfer, and would set me back probably 45minutes. for that I can do almost 10 miles in the a.m. it did hearten me that it's something the boys can pull off in a few years when they're older (their school, J.Graham Brown School, has an "urban" mission. it's the only K-12 in the public system, and is the only that does not provide bus service). the good wife, and rarely I, provide taxi service. as they get older, i seem to have to do less taxiing myself. but more commuting.
the Lakes did nicely today. it was 43 a.m., so i rode with an undersock and 1 pair of heavy wools. i would say it was close to ideal. they were quite comfortable riding on the clipless-cleatless flat pedals of the fixie. i will prob put cleats on them soon to mate with all the rest of the bikes, on which i have some form of SPD. i know it's not "Riv style", but i likes clips.
and tomorrow is "World Car-Free Day". i'm set to riding with a new guy, let's call him 'Mick' b/c he's a former rocknroller. there's a chance he's a separated 40something year old who's dating a 20 yrold former student. not too sure about that. we're meeting at Big Rock in Cherokee Park and then in. he does some club miles, but has never come into school that way, so it will be a first for him. the call is for 50% rain, so let's cross fingers and toes. it's a payday, so the afterwork crowd is going back out. we'll see about that as well.
Mileage: 10
Ride type: Commute
Bike: 925 fixie
Temp: 43.m./69p.m.
September mileage: 205
Year to date: 1468
give the number of mundane commutes that take place, i was glad to step out a bit and
try something new today. the family schedule made it that i needed to pick the boys up. not wanting to give us at least part of a commute, i planned to do an afternoon Bike-n-Board with the boys right after school. TARC has bike racks on all their buses now. you just flip it down, thrown the bike on, and raise the tire guard. pretty easy. the boys get out of school at 2.40, i at 2.20. i rode the fixie down to their school, maybe a 2m ride. usually i'm bedecked in at least semi-cycling clothes. in the a.m., i had standard fare on, but i the p.m. i rode their in my work clothes, khakis and a button shirt. the one concession i made in the p.m. was to wear the Lake sandals, which are still cleatless.(crappy pic not me. it might be the husband of a co-worker.)
after collecting them, we only had to walk 1/2 block to meet the 21 Chesnut bus. we waited maybe 12-15 minutes at the most and it came on time (something that's always to be seen with TARCs. timeliness is a serious disadvantage for the underclass who depends on public transpo). i had had some free ride cards from a previous schoolyear, but they were no good. still it cost 25cents per boy and 50cents for me- or $1.00, no i don't remember. at the most we paid $1.50 for the three of us, and settled down for a 30min trip. that, of course, is the irony of the bus trip. it took us almost exactly 30min, and if i'd left from there on the bike it would've taken exactly the same time. boys in tow though, it let us off right at the end of our street. a perfect schedule.
i often rode the 4Fourth Street bus backintheday when i work at a restaurant downtown. it would pick me up at 3.15 or so, and i would certainly have plenty of time there to check in by 4.00, with both stops less than 50yds from the door. it's really the only way a "normal" person is going to take the bus in Louisville. If i had to ride the bus to my own place of work, it would involve a transfer, and would set me back probably 45minutes. for that I can do almost 10 miles in the a.m. it did hearten me that it's something the boys can pull off in a few years when they're older (their school, J.Graham Brown School, has an "urban" mission. it's the only K-12 in the public system, and is the only that does not provide bus service). the good wife, and rarely I, provide taxi service. as they get older, i seem to have to do less taxiing myself. but more commuting.
the Lakes did nicely today. it was 43 a.m., so i rode with an undersock and 1 pair of heavy wools. i would say it was close to ideal. they were quite comfortable riding on the clipless-cleatless flat pedals of the fixie. i will prob put cleats on them soon to mate with all the rest of the bikes, on which i have some form of SPD. i know it's not "Riv style", but i likes clips.
and tomorrow is "World Car-Free Day". i'm set to riding with a new guy, let's call him 'Mick' b/c he's a former rocknroller. there's a chance he's a separated 40something year old who's dating a 20 yrold former student. not too sure about that. we're meeting at Big Rock in Cherokee Park and then in. he does some club miles, but has never come into school that way, so it will be a first for him. the call is for 50% rain, so let's cross fingers and toes. it's a payday, so the afterwork crowd is going back out. we'll see about that as well.
Comments