Campingmobiles!

These two bikes have been our hardcore commuter bikes. The definition of hardcore is "having an extreme dedication to a certain activity," which I can say we have had over the past two years.  One guy on the train recently asked us, "Why do you prefer the 'fat tire' bike?"  I can honestly say I have no idea.  But when I'm riding down Santa Monica Blvd over all the humps and bumps, I'm grateful for a bike that can handle off-road terrain.  We also took them down some paved gravel trails in Elysian Park, which was totally fun and something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing on a road bike.  Maybe I'm on a solvent-high right now, since I've been taking a toothbrush to the chain and chainrings to clean it up, but I will never fall out of love with my husband's Trek or my Bridgestone.

Right now, they're both equipped with a rear rack.  Each bike has a single water bottle cage, although the Trek has room for one more.  The Bridgestone at one point had a Slurpee holder on the handlebars, which has since been replaced by a GoPro mount.  They both have front and rear lights.  The Bridgestone has a bell.  Both bikes have reflectors on the front wheel.  They could definitely use more reflectors, on the rear wheel for example.  Both used to have reflectors on the handlebars, which should be replaced.  The Bridgestone has a non-functioning reflector on the seatpost, which is blocked by the grocery-getting basket on the back.  I have always loved having a basket because you can deliver just about anything, including birthday cakes and pizzas.

Right now, I'm awaiting delivery of an order from Niagra Cycle which will contain two front racks, two front panniers, and two USB-rechargable taillights.  We love our rechargable lights.  They're super bright and eco-friendly since we're not constantly replacing batteries.  We bought a dog-carrier for the Trek, which prompted the purchase of the front rack.  Since the dog carrier is soft-bottomed, it bows down when our dog is in there and sitting upright.  To prevent the dog carrier from rubbing on the front tire, we got a rack that is called a Porteur.  This type of rack is wide and flat, and was originally used for delivering newspapers.  I'm hoping the installation of the racks will be easy, not requiring a trip to the hardware store.  Both bikes have eyelets at the top and bottom of the front forks.  I'm hoping that the added weight of the dog will be equivalent to the added weight of two (lightly) packed front panniers.

Installing the Porteur was no problem, it came in 4 pieces with assorted washers, nuts and bolts.  The weight-carrying capacity is 40 pounds.  I can't wait to ride with Edna Jo.  The look of this bike is different, but not so much so that it's unrecognizable.

Installing the other rack, was a problem.  I had to adjust my cantilever to connect the rack to the top of the front fork.  It's like that TV show "The Swan" which is an extreme makeover with cosmetic surgery.  After all this, we can take some awesome bicycle camping trip.

What we ordered from Niagra Cycle:

• Sunlite Quick Release-Tec Adjustable Front Rack, Black (821471) $38, max load 45 lbs.
• Gamoh Kcl-3f King Carrier, Front Bicycle Rack, Black (437320) $68, max load 40 lbs.
• Seattle Sports Company Fast Pack Panniers, Orange (738710) single, $36, 12 L total volume
• XLC Expedition Pannier Bag Set Large, Black (440749) $66, 28 L total volume
• Infiniti Lava USB Rechargable Safety Light Rear (739542) $26 can attach to helmet

We ordered these items on Sunday, October 4th.  Shipping was free.  The items arrived on Monday, October 12th.  Everything was correctly installed and in working order by October 14th.  We took our first long weekend trip on October 16-18th.  Thanks Niagra Cycle!  BTW I love your motto, "Because Everyone Should Be Biking."

Community Gardens

Thinking of Glendale Active-Lifestyle Meetup Group possible activities include a walk or ride to the following community gardens.  If we could schedule it together with a workday, that would be great!

Information about the following community gardens from http://lagardencouncil.org/

Verdugo Garden Community Park (4.4 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
1621 Canada Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91208
Contact: Armen Tagakchyan
818-548-2054
atagakchyan@ci.glendale.ca.us

Verdugo Garden Community Park 

Palmer Park (1.1 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
610 E. Palmer Avenue
Contact: Armen
818-548-2054

Palmer Park Community Garden

Geneva Gardens (2.8 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
626 Geneva Street
Contact: Alek Bartrosouf
818-359-0108
greenglendale@gmail.com



Monterey Road East | Monterey Road West (3.1 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
870 Monterey Road | 827 Monterey Road
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Alek

Monterey Road Community Garden

Glassell Park Community Garden (1.5 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
3304 Drew Street
Contact: Margarita Darett
323-788-1323
mdarett@sbcglobal.net


Norman Harriton Community Garden (3.2 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
2037 N. Sanborn Avenue
Contact: Mia Trachinger
Garden@FranklinHills.org

Norman Harriton Community Garden

Manzanita Street Community Garden (3.7 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
1101 Manzanita St
ManzanitaStGarden@gmail.com

Manzanita Street

Elysian Valley Community Garden (3.2 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
1816 Blake Ave
Contact: Cyndi Hubach
323-660-9633
elysianvalleygarden@gmail.com

Elysian Valley Community Garden

Jardin Del Rio (3.9 mi from Glendale Metrolink Station)
2363 N. Riverdale Ave
Contact: David De La Torre
310-233-2002
david.delatorre@psterminals.com

Jardin Del Rio

I am a cyclist

Six years ago, I classified cyclists into four groups. Today I propose a fifth category: the commuter!

Originally, I classified myself under "Lonely Loner Laboring" because I spent time alone on my bicycle. People are buzzing about how Southern California is shifting to a more bicycle-friendly landscape. There are bike lanes and sharrows on more of our roadways. Either I'm connecting with more cyclists, or there are more people out there on bikes now.

Just when I think I'm alone, I look around at a red light and Voilà, there are two more cyclists coming up behind me. I love it. Also, I rarely ride alone now. My dear husband is usually right there with me.

Reflecting on my classification scheme (don't get mad, it's what scientists do!) I realize now that with more diversity in cycling, it's useless to try to fit cyclists into boxes.  Many of us crossover into more than one category.  When I wrote that post, I had just started riding with Riverside Bicycle Club (for three months) and I was upset that folks were peer-pressuring me to ride in spandex.

Wavy Bob

I read a lot of articles from Bicycling magazine, which is great but also tends to push people to buy stuff.  You definitely don't need to buy stuff to ride a bike, with the exception of a bike.  It's also good to have lights, a helmet, and some reflectors.  But other than that, wear what you want!  There are many creative solutions for commuters.

Wavy Stacked Bob

The biggest apprehension I hear from people that are unsure about riding a bike to school or work is that they will mess up their hair or outfit.  That's where a little creativity comes in!  For me, it is easier to maintain a haircut that looks great straight out of a helmet.  When my hair is longer, and in the cooler winter months, I use a silk scarf under my helmet to create a hair-flip.  You're not going to come out of the helmet looking this glam, but a haircut like this can get smooshed under a helmet, dry a little bit smooshed and come out looking wavy and soft.  The longer version is best for winter, covering a little of your neck and ears.  The shorter version is good for summer, to keep your neck cool.

Pixie

Pixie

Another hairstyle that worked great for me was a pixie.  Now I understand that this hairstyle may send your boyfriend or husband into a tailspin, but it's not on his head!  You will want to stay cool, but still look cute and then this haircut is for you!  It was great for me when I was doing lots of cycling AND running.  Just enough hair to dump a cup of water on it and cool off, but not a mop of hair to trap the heat in.

Another thing I consider when I commute is not wearing light-colored pants.  I got lots of great colored jeans from Express (and the Goodwill), some of my favorites right now are Gloria Vanderbilt.  Obviously, from the picture you can see that Express jeans are for when I'm leaner and the GV brand is more accommodating to a curvy frame.  I wear tall-ish socks and tuck the bottom of the jeans into the socks (in the Winter) whereas in the summer, I roll up the bottom of the jeans for a capri-style that's a bit cooler for my ankles.  If you get a grease-mark on a dark pair of jeans, it isn't as noticable.  And if someone does notice, just tell them that riding a bike is awesome.   Say proudly, "yeah, I bike to work."

As for shirts, I rock a tank-top as a base layer.  I don't wear a sports bra for commuting, but a regular bra with a camisole-built-in-shelf thingy is a good combination for all-day support.  In hot months, I will wear my reflective vest directly over the tank top and put my work shirt in my backpack.  In cooler months I wear my reflective vest over a button-down shirt.  I don't mess around with safety.  Even though I call these my "dork vests" I feel like it's a seat-belt.  Something that is pro-active.  We saw a guy riding with one of these last night, he had not fastened it in the front, so the vest was billowing around him and it really looked like an angel was flying along with him.  He wasn't even riding fast, but he looked like he was because of his vest flapping.

Summer Safety

Winter Safety

I have written a lot about shoes, and the only thing I will say is that I always tuck in my shoelaces.  The last thing you need when you're riding in traffic is to get your shoelace caught in your chainring in the middle of an intersection.  I've ridden in sandals, sneakers, cycling shoes, and boots.  I've not ridden in high heels (pumps) but that's because I don't really wear those.  Not to say it isn't possible.  The only thing to be wary of is that if you're wearing platforms, you might want to raise your seat up accordingly, or if you're wearing flats (to the point of Barefoot shoes) you may need to lower your seat.

I tried the lifehack called Penny in Your Pants to ride in a skirt.  My commuter friends said it looked like I had balls, so I prefer to ride in a skirt with cycling shorts underneath.  It is fun to ride a bike in a skirt, but doesn't work well in a pencil skirt.  I have some pencil-ish skirts with stretch and a nice slit in the back that can work, but more A-line or even circle skirts work better.  The thing I liked about "Penny in Your Pants" is that you don't have to buy stuff to make it work.  And that's what I love about commuter cycling style.  It's not about the look, but you don't have to look awful.  It's more about creative solutions to adapt to the lifestyle.

However you ride, the important thing is that there are many types of cyclists.  You don't have to fit into a box to call yourself a cyclist.  You don't need a $200 kit.  And if you don't know what a "kit" is, then don't worry about it.  Just ride.