Black Friday on a Bike

Well, I didn't actually bike ON Black Friday...but I did this weekend! I did my Christmas shopping by bike, and what fun!

Picked up some garland and lights at the hardware store & took them home to decorate, then headed to the shopping center for some more goodies (somehow I seem to have only shopped for myself!), and ran back home.

I have to say, biking is way more pleasant than driving among the holiday crazies! I stuck to the back streets, used my signals, and enjoyed the cool weather (thankfully we got a cold front this week, so everyone's now in the Christmas mood). Even better, I didn't have to mess with traffic!

Gearing up for the season, I'm hoping for this adorable Nutcase helmet and will probably treat myself to the fantastic Dahon commuter that I keep rambling about.

Any fantastic new toys or tools on your Christmas lists?

Temptation

Oh goodness, what to do!

I was saving up for a new computer...my old one is 5+ years old now, and showing its age.

BUT.

My dream bicycle is on sale.

So the question becomes: do I treat myself to an early Christmas present with my cash, or go ahead and buy the bike? It's not like I actually need either of them, but boy do I want them both.

Sewing s'more!

I've recently started sewing, and since my initial project of a bike basket tote bag I've been hunting bike-themed fabrics for a purse and/or clutch to take along on my shopping excursions.

This multi-colored bicycle fabric is actually a body pillow cover I picked up on clearance from Target. Assuming I can finish all of the Christmas tote bags I'm making, this is going to be the fabric for a handbag. I may make it a smaller tote sort of bag to fit in the front basket, which would be a trick. All it really needs to be able to handle is: keys, glasses, phone, and credit card/I.D.

...does anyone else craft specifically for their bicycle, or am I insane?

Biking to Better Health

We had a health screening at work today, which I generally take part in because it saves me money off of my health insurance.

Since my health screening last year I've changed very little: I'm a big fan of eating junk, and that continues to be my largest problem. I'm not fond of fruits & veggies, I eat way too many big, greasy hamburgers, and I am known to drink Dr. Pepper like a fiend.

The only thing that's really changed is that I a) started riding my bike to work more and b) bought the "errand" bike for quick trips to the store, etc.

Granted, I've never really had a problem with my weight, but: my weight's gone down, my BMI is lower, and the only thing I can attribute this to is bicycling.

That certainly provides a little more incentive for me to train for the MS 150, too!

Hit & Run

A cyclist-ANOTHER-cyclist was killed this week.

STARRS and bekindtoCyClists have both posted rewards, since the driver who killed the man stopped to get the bike out from under the car but but left the cyclist in the street to die.

We don't know much. We know it happened about 12:25 a.m. We know it was a man named Stacy Palmer, who apparently biked darn near everywhere (not at all uncommon in Flour Bluff), we know he was riding with traffic, and we know he was hit by a green GM passenger vehicle.

But we don't know if it was intentional, we don't know if it was a drunk driver.

We do know that this wasn't the first cyclist hit-and-run, and it probably won't be the last. It's just a bike-unfriendly town, and it's a real shame. It's an even bigger shame that it takes tragedies like this one to bring attention to the plight of cyclists here.

No more Jesse De Leons. No more Barb Savells. No more Stacy Palmers.

Stay safe out there.

In the Bag

My original quest for a roomy, colorful rack trunk bag was so unsuccessful that I pounced on the first non-black one I could find.

It is great, but of course since purchasing it I've found a couple of intriguing options for my NEXT bag.

Terry Bikes' Juicy Rack Bag is adorable, unique, AND recycled. It doesn't have panniers, though, and I recently found them handy while trying to lug all my gear to soccer (I fit cleats, socks, shin guards, 3 bottles of water, wallet, bike lock, sunscreen and trail mix inside on Sunday).

And the Sherpani Vela, which is lovely, useful, and from a female cyclist-owned company...though sadly not being released until the spring.

My 2 Mile Challenge Update is...not as good as last week, despite a solid 30 miles of biking this weekend. I missed my commute all week (as well as Tuesday of this week) AND didn't even get to the store, so my numbers are way down. Only 34.12 miles.

It's not looking likely to hit that 400 miles, but maybe I can turn it around!

Cycling in Fashion

I've noticed something odd.

Last Saturday, I biked to the Farmer's Market. On the way I stopped at a convenience store to get some cash, and had a nice little chat with a lady there about my bicycle (my "errand running" Huffy cruiser), the dangers of cycling in Corpus, and what good exercise it was. I was wearing a skirt (with short underneath, of course), sandals, and a tank top.

The other day I biked to the grocery, and as I locked up my bike had a family admire it (the little girl even asked her mom why THEY never got to ride their bikes to the store!) & chatted about my baskets and how much they held. I was wearing a sundress and matching pink tennis shoes.

On commute days, I'm in full regalia--padded bike shorts, jersey, tennis shoes--and no one says a word to me. Stuck in traffic, pausing for a bottle of water at the corner store, waiting at a bus stop, I seem to suddenly be "Other". A Spandex-clad Creature forcing her way on to the road, not to be engaged.

Has anyone else noticed similar treatment? Is "the serious cyclist" intimidating?