We Don't Need No Stinkin' Downtime

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Originally uploaded by BodhiDave

Surprisingly (to me at least), when the weekend rolls around I'm not looking forward to a sabbatical from the physical labor of my daily commute. Saturday mornings I'm full of energy and ideas geared towards getting out there on my bike and by Ten I'm looking at maps and getting antsy.

Yesterday alone I put more miles and hours on Isabelle than I do in about three week days, riding at random through downtown Norfolk with only one real destination in mind that somehow I kept putting off till later and later. Taking turns at random, practicing track stands, discovering locations I've driven by but never seen before.

I did manage to pull off a few ephemeral and shaky stands, but no more than four or five seconds long when a light luckily changed. I sat on a bench in a quiet corner of Ghent near the art museum for over an hour, enjoying a cigar and listening to Cake. I nodded to other bike riders, smiled at couples walking by, made faces at kids out with their parents.

I've read reports detailing how people who walk and bike have more close friends and acquaintances than those who don't (I don't have the link to the article now, but I believe BikeHugger.com blogged about it) and after yesterday I know it's true. When your main mode of transportation is your body, out there, in the open, where you can say hello and stop at will, you can easily connect with people. You're not encased in glass and metal, locked away from the world. You're in it. It's very enjoyable.

Anywho, clicking the picture above will take you to my Flickr account where you can view the new discoveries I made right in my backyard, all within a few miles. I hope in some small way my writings and images will inspire you to get out there on your own and see new things for yourself. Don't take it from me, find out for yourself.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, it's back to cigars and Law & Order: CI for me. :)

- David

Random Notable Bike Siting

I also had a pic of four Dahon folding bikes all chained up together near the ferry landing, but apparently I deleted it.

This adorable old-school looking bike was outside the busy MacArthur center in downtown Norfolk yesterday. I've always loved old bikes, even before I rode, and I had to snap a picture. I can just imagine the rider as some European girl in fall attire worthy of Copenhagen Girls on Bikes.

As the cool weather comes on, more and more bikes and their riders are appearing. Yesterday I had a hard time locking up my bike outside the mall (grabbing a thirty-day ferry pass and vitamins) because nearly all available locations, from light posts to cement columns to restaurant fences, were in use. It's nice to see, and I nod and smile to every bicycle rider I come near, but it's also frustrating because of all the Unseasoned Curlies doing things that are illegal, dangerous, and annoying. Like riding the wrong way on roads, not having proper protective gear, riding at night without reflectors or lights, and crossing against signals.

I'm not saying that in less than two months of commuting I'm already a veteran. I'm positive I do things both intentionally and unconsciously that those with more experience would shake their heads at. But most of the things that have me making sour faces seem so simple and common-sense. Now that I align myself with the bicycle culture I don't like seeing things that give us bad reps. I'd be annoyed myself if I was out getting groceries one evening and I almost ran down some guy on a bike because he had done nothing make his presence known. And I seriously don't understand how people can ride into traffic head-on, hugging the curbs, without helmets. That'd scare the hell out of me, even in some kind of protective bear attack suit.

I wish there was more education during drivers safety courses, or more people took the time to research safe and legal biking practices before they got out on the streets. I'm always torn between politely suggesting safer pedaling and minding my own business. As a twenty-four year old kid who still randomly gets carded for R rated movies I feel strange suggesting to silver-templed men that they shouldn't have their iPods blaring in their ears whilst in traffic.

Anyhow, the purpose of this post was to share cute bikes, not bitch. As the temperatures drop I hope more of us are picking up their bikes and getting some exercise and some time with nature in.

Have a good weekend!

- David

Around Town

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Originally uploaded by BodhiDave

This past Saturday I realized a little daydream I've been having every time I look out my window and see the tall square spire of a church across the water in Ghent. It's always there in my line of vision, calling to me from above the modest miles and green trees, so when my baby had to work and I had a day off I decided to bike there.

I spent some time in preparation trying to find the best route there once I got off the ferry, wanting to avoid any traffic that may exist early on a Saturday. I made a list of turns on a piece of paper and secured it to my bike light with a rubber band, as is my practice. I did get a bit lost, misjudging how far away everything was (a lot closer than I thought) but eventually made it. The goal was the trip and not the destination, anyway, which I kept easily in mind.

I passed by lazy shops and people walking their dogs, and despite being in busy downtown Norfolk I was the only one on the road for most of the journey. Because of my lack of precision I did miss a little coastal action, but I ran into a packed high school football game instead and that was fun to see. Tons and tons of people streaming from parked cars into a field I hadn't known was there.

I took the above picture after placing a camera on the edge of a railing and running with my bike held up across the small street and into the grass. If you click it you can see more shots from my adventure.

Work has been busy like crazy lately, just though I'd pop in and say howdy. I'll get back to my regular posting schedule in the next few weeks.

- David

One Gear to Rule Them All

Again, I feel complete.

She arrived yesterday in a big rectangular box with the word "Mercier" printed on the side, which I easily hefted into the elevator, full of excitement.


Ever since I ordered it I've been eagerly awaiting the Twentieth, which they had listed as the shipping date, and when UPS alerted me I'd have it by the Eighteenth my impatience only grew. Every day stuck in my truck and traffic, watching the leaves change without me, wasting time and money idling on the interstate, was another day in Hades.


Unpacking was surprisingly easy. The only stress came when I had to bring scissors perilously close to one of the tires to clip those hardcore plastic ties they had holding it to the frame. Even with my sprained wrist I easily lifted it out of the box one handed. After Killer the Cadillac's fifty pound weigh-in I giggled every time I lifted my Mercier. By the way, I named her Isabelle.

Amazingly I was calm as I tore off protective cardboard tubing and cheap cloth guarding against dings and scratches, laying out each piece around the upright frame already installed with rear tire and chain.


I only needed to install the seat, front tire (make sure the forks are the right way to avoid confusion!), handlebars and pedals. The online store who sold me the bike provided helpful YouTube links of instructional bike building videos, but I ended up not needing them. Nice idea though, I thought it was really cool and helpful of them to do. I've never built a bike up before, but the manual was easy to follow and my young years working on a farm provided the rest of the practical knowledge I needed.

After uncharacteristically making sure everything was perfectly centered, straightened, and lined up, finally she was done! Finishes touches came with the addition of my front and rear safety lights and the mount for my GPS unit, and later the next day, a front brake. (Yes, I pussed out. Approx. eight brakeless miles in traffic is some tense shit. More on that later.)


I hurriedly put on street clothes and borrowed a dollar from my gal and headed out to the gas station to pump up my tires. Yes, I ride a bike daily. Yes, I'm dumb for not having an air pump. Trust me, it soon bites me in the ass...

After half walking, half jogging to my local 7 Eleven and fighting the intense urge to just jump on Isabelle, flat tires and all, and ride away I finally put seventy-five cents into the machine that would make my bike complete. And stared. And stared some more.

In my haste I had not noticed that the nozzles on my tires were different from the ones on my old bike, or a car. Or the machine that was now counting down the three minutes of use before it'd shut off. I was horrendously and solidly screwed. I walked away down the street before the pump even had time to turn off.

The next morning, after purchasing an air pump that would accommodate the 110PSI my tires require, I learned that the nozzle type is called "presta", while the kind I was familiar with is "schrader". This is one of those little details it's good to keep in mind.

So I walked around Olde Towne Portsmouth, heading vaguely for a bicycle shop I knew would be closed, hoping to run into another cyclist on a windy night at 8:30 who would have a pump on him and allow me to use it. But alas, no luck. Crestfallen I headed home to eat vegetarian corn dogs and curly fries fresh from the oil fryer and watched Hitchcock movies and old episodes of Project Runway while Isabelle silently stared at me.

The next morning, again hoping to run into a rogue bicyclist with a pump (and again not succeeding) a plan was hatched to have the gal drive me to work for half an hour until the bike shops near there opened, then take me to get a pump, then drive herself to work after dropping me off. The main problem with no air in my tires is that most times (like today) she starts work hours after me and gets off hours before. Not so good on the gas, cash, or the time.

One of my co-workers (who has been asking me about my bike since I wrecked my old one) came out for a look and remarked that I'd have to go to a Sports Authority or something to get a pump. I hadn't even thought to check sporting goods stores. I was so caught up in the bike shop image it hadn't even occurred to me. Google Maps showed one 1.8 miles away. I called, I inquired, I rejoiced. They were open already, and they had one. Hurrah! Drive drive, buy buy, pump pump, hoocha hoocha hoocha, bicycle.

Lessons learned? Be prepared, don't get caught up in thinking hardcore bike shops are your only bet, and pay attention to the little things.

I'll write more later about my first rides, this post is long enough and it's gettin' on near lunch time.

Take er' easy, pardner.

- David

View My Commute

Click the title of this here post for the medium-sized version, or here for the full-sized one in all it's glory. The higher up you go, the better it looks. You should probably right-click the links and choose "Save As" so it can download first. Otherwise it may be choppy.

Yes, it's sixteen minutes long. Yes, that's sixteen times longer than most people's attention span. But it's worth it. And I'm not saying that only as the creator, but also as a... client?

My goal was to impart the trip as a complete fluid whole, from getting my bike off it's kickstand to getting into my office so there is very little that is cut out. I recorded continuously from the time I left my apartment until I entered my office building and only cut out those parts that the camera didn't pick up well, like the elevator ride (too dark) and transferring the camera from my bike to my body during the ferry ride (too choppy). The rest is just in fast-forward to save time.

It has a fun soundtrack that I hope is enjoyable and entertaining and I put some work into it so it shouldn't be too amateurish. So far the part where I'm sitting on a bench eating a breakfast bar in fast-forward is the viewer's favorite.

This is the project I was gathering commute footage for when I got into that fateful collision with lord only knows how many dollars worth of full-body decals and fuel-inefficiency. I'll do another of the trip back home in the near future.

Comments are welcome!

- David

Guess They Were Right

So, apparently all those sites and people that said not to ride on the sidewalk because you're nearly invisible zipping in and out of crosswalks and intersections were right. And I have proof!




I just happened to be taking videos during the previous three days for a project I'd like to do on a tiny Hello Kitty camera I bought my girlfriend for a Christmas present. The thing never stopped recording, I was impressed.

This happened on August 30^th and at the time of this writing I am still sore and swollen in places. Injuries include a very swollen and unbendy knee with road rash, a broken hand over my pinky and ring fingers on the left, a sprained right wrist, and cut lips. Just today I called the place I'll have to go to for physical therapy so I can still use my hand like normal, and the only way to get my pinky knuckle to pop back up (it's completely inside my hand at this point) is with surgery that I'm not gonna get. I can live without it.


Now, I'm inclined (but not impartial) to believe that the accident is the fault of the motorist, and not this humble bicyclist. He pulled out in front of me, I was visible on my monster of a bike with white t-shirt and flashing lights, he obviously was looking up the road for traffic and not checking for pedestrians. Had I been there a second or two earlier he would have run me down instead of causing me to body-kiss his car. This is upsetting.

My gut reaction is one of, "What the hell! I could have died! Why wasn't he watching out for pedestrians! I'm gonna sue for medical expenses and a new bike for me and all my friends and co-workers!" (See, even in my anger I'm still slightly altruistic.) But as the cop who took down the report explained, I was actually breaking the law. In Virginia if you're over 16 you have to be on the street. A law that I know isn't enforced with any kind of fervor.

While I may not agree with it in all cases (I see old people on bikes all the time, they should not be in traffic) it did remind me that being on the road riding along with traffic is actually safer. Drivers can see you, they're expecting some kind of vehicle, and it's the least common accident that bike riders are involved in. Also, it's a lot smoother ride for you and a lot safer for walking pedestrians as well. Just as we bike riders are in danger being slower moving vehicles on the street, walking folks are in the same boat with bicycles whizzing by at high speeds.

Besides my body, my bicycle is le toast. That's French for fubar, which is slang for "broken". The tire is wonky and the front forks are pretty bent up. I took it to a bike shop and the guy (who was swamped, it was Labor Day) took a look and said if I wanted to attempt to fix it I'd need to schedule an appointment and he'd see what he could do.

So, in true David style, I just decided to go ahead and just buy my new bike. One payroll advance and some Google-ing later I've pre-ordered a 2008 Mercier Kilo TT. Some people scoff when they hear that after my ER visit I'm getting a bike with no brakes, but again, it's true David style. This tiny, quiet boy who gets carded at bars (and sometimes movie theatres) lives on the edge. Oh yeah, the edge. The bike does come drilled for brakes and a rack if I want, but we'll see.

Lesson learned: Do not ride on the sidewalk. Something bad will inevitably happen to you or a pedestrian. Helmets are good. Wrist guards are good. Don't trust people to not run you over. Also, somehow try to train your instincts to divert your momentum and dodge dangers instead of trying to bring yourself to a dead stop. Sometimes you won't have time.

- David

*Update!*



Broken hand and a sprained wrist! Month and a half of physical therapy! All better now!