the blog at eric moon dot net

Based on the average commute for the family, our move to the center of town is a major improvement.  However, if I look at it selfishly and strictly based on commute distance, I lose.  I’ve gone from a short and easy 3 miles (and that’s stretching it) to either 9 miles (by car on the highway) or over 11 (by bike).

This new bike commute has required a few changes in my routine.   I used to just put on my “work clothes”, and bring a swap of shoes and my laptop in a backpack and ride to work, no problem.  11 miles is too long for me to ride in jeans or khakis comfortably and quickly, so I have a whole new routine.

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I found out today what my current bike-to-work limit is… 33°F an raining steadily.  If only it would have been a few degrees colder and snow = fun…. but soaking wet and near freezing = just a bit too much for me.  Not to worry too much – tomorrow will be mid-60s and sunny.

Winter in Austin can best be described as ‘unpredictable’.

Yesterday’s bike ride in to work at noon (after a dentist appointment) : 79°F and Sunny.

Last night’s ride home from work : 53°F and Windy.

This morning’s ride in : 31°F and SNOW!

Ok, the snow wasn’t on the ground or falling from the sky as I was biking in, but it was on the cars driving by, so I’m counting this as a day biked to work in the snow!  It’s probably the closest I’ll get the rest of this winter.

You’d think it would be miserable riding when it’s that cold, but for some reason, I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face this morning – I really like cold, sunny mornings when I ride in.  Cold at night on the way home, I can do without, but in the morning, there’s something about it that makes me smile.

Let's Ride to Work

I’ve been riding my bike into work for the past couple of weeks now. It’s been great.   It did rain on the first two days I rode in and I was worried that I picked the wrong time of year to start.  Definitely not the case – I’ve been spoiled since then with cool, sunny, low-humidity days.   It hasn’t all been roses, though, and in the spirit of taking the good with the bad, here are a few of the not-so-pleasant parts:

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Today I joined the ranks of Bike Commuters.

It wasn’t without minor problems, but it sure as heck was better than driving.
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The finishing touches are done! I attached the brake cable ferrules and taped up the handlebars.  I couldn’t wait so I took it out for a spin – what a blast!  It rides great.  I had two small issues, one which I fixed, the other I’ll have to check into.

First, I was doing some “track stand to hammer” transitions and the chain would skip.  Not cool, so I put it back onto the rack and could tell that my chain was way too loose.  I pulled the wheel all the way back into the dropouts and took away the slack. After 10 track stands or so, I can declare – Problem fixed!

Surly with Single-speed Chain

The second issue I ran into is the dreaded “Cantilever Squeal” (Is someone torturing a pig in the neighborhood??).   The front brakes are complaining when I pull ‘em tight.  Rears are nice and quiet. It’s not horrible, but I’m going to play around with them a bit more before I give up.  And it might be my imagination, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t squealing nearly as bad after 10 minutes of use.  Maybe it’ll go away on it’s own??  Fingers are crossed on that one.

A couple of other notes, mainly for myself when I end up replacing some parts down the line:

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