Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I may not be chic, but I am trendy!
Between 2008 and 2009, Johnson County, Iowa saw a 118% increase in the number of female bicycle commuters. And one of them was me!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather...
When I first started commuting by bike, I came up with a sure-fire strategy for dealing with the rain: I took the bus. I ride to work in my office clothes, and I couldn't figure out any way to avoid getting soaked. Copenhagen Cycle Chic claims that you can cycle while holding an umbrella, but I tried that once when I got caught in a rainstorm half-way to work, and I am here to say that it doesn't work. It's hard to steer with one arm, and I constantly felt that I was about to catch the wind and be set aloft, like Mary Poppins.
This summer, my job offered me an awesome new perk: an extremely cut-price membership in a shiny new gym. For $25 a month, I now have access to a shower and my very own locker in which I can store all my showering stuff. This revolutionized my strategy for riding in the rain. I could throw my work clothes in a waterproof bag, ride to the gym in running shorts and a t-shirt, and then shower and change into my work clothes there.
The thing is, it's fun to get soaked when it's 75 degrees out. I don't think it's going to be fun in November, when the temperature is hovering right above freezing. I'm going to try to make a real commitment to commuting in all weather next year, so I've been trying to think of an alternative to getting wet and changing. Last weekend I went to Target and purchased this hideous poncho:
At the same time, I procured these slightly-less-hideous, but still pretty ugly, rain pants:
I don't know if they'll be enough to commute to work in my work clothes and keep dry, but we'll see. I may have to combine the hideous rain gear with stopping at the gym to change.
The real challenge, I think, is going to be ice, not rain. I'm thinking about putting studded tires on my old bike and making it into a snow-day-only beater bike. Hopefully I should have a month or two before I need to think about that too seriously.
Anyone have any good tips for bad-weather commuting?
This summer, my job offered me an awesome new perk: an extremely cut-price membership in a shiny new gym. For $25 a month, I now have access to a shower and my very own locker in which I can store all my showering stuff. This revolutionized my strategy for riding in the rain. I could throw my work clothes in a waterproof bag, ride to the gym in running shorts and a t-shirt, and then shower and change into my work clothes there.
The thing is, it's fun to get soaked when it's 75 degrees out. I don't think it's going to be fun in November, when the temperature is hovering right above freezing. I'm going to try to make a real commitment to commuting in all weather next year, so I've been trying to think of an alternative to getting wet and changing. Last weekend I went to Target and purchased this hideous poncho:
At the same time, I procured these slightly-less-hideous, but still pretty ugly, rain pants:
I don't know if they'll be enough to commute to work in my work clothes and keep dry, but we'll see. I may have to combine the hideous rain gear with stopping at the gym to change.
The real challenge, I think, is going to be ice, not rain. I'm thinking about putting studded tires on my old bike and making it into a snow-day-only beater bike. Hopefully I should have a month or two before I need to think about that too seriously.
Anyone have any good tips for bad-weather commuting?
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