A Rare Winter Ride with Betty Foy

Posted by Dottie at 21:32 Betty Foy, Betty Foy, random rides 15 Responses »
Feb 152010

Today I rode to Evanson, a city north of Chicago, to hang out with Holly (who writes the blog Dancing Gypsies), where we had a fun time looking through book shops and clothing boutiques.  Since the distance was long and the streets totally clear of ice, I rode Betty Foy and took the most direct route along a major street. Things I learned on the 9-mile ride:

  • I miss riding Betty Foy.
  • I get a cardio workout riding Betty that I don’t get on Oma.
  • I can sweat a lot even in freezing temperatures.
  • I was in better shape in the summer.
  • There is a reason I don’t usually ride on big roads with fast traffic.
  • Big roads with fast traffic are scary.
  • The city is not that concerned about bicyclists’ safety.
  • Air pollution is a problem. *cough*
  • Sometimes when the route is stressful and it’s dark out and flurries begin to fall, the best way home is riding the train with my bike.

Now Betty Foy goes back in the garage and I go back to my regular commute until the next totally clear day.

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Happy Presidents Day

Posted by Dottie at 12:43 random rides 14 Responses »
Feb 152010

In honor of Presidents Day, I’m blogging midday. Oooh, fun. Here are some pictures I took at Navy Pier last week. The wind was fierce and snow was heavy, so I was the only one outside there. This is my first roll of film from a * gasp * film camera. I love my DSLR and am still learning what all the controls do, but the simplicity of an old-fashioned camera attracted me – no batteries required. I bought an inexpensive Diana Mini after seeing the kind of pictures it can take at Daydream Lilly. I like the dreamy, moody quality and the double exposures. I have a lot to learn and I think it will work better on a bright day, but learning is what it’s all about.

Okay, I’m off for a long bike ride with Betty Foy. Meeting a friend for Indian food. :)

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Happy Valentine's Day

Posted by Dottie at 17:06 random rides 9 Responses »
Feb 142010

All the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate goodness will be half off tomorrow. Treat yourself.

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Bat-cessories

Posted by Trisha at 08:20 the Bat 23 Responses »
Feb 122010

Here in Nashville, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming. Still cold and wintry, but the snow is all gone, so I’ve been able to ride again. The Bat was even talked into posing for a few photos to show off her new accessories — which my brother brought back from Amsterdam as a Christmas present.

I’m still very jealous that he got to Amsterdam first, but these new “On the Road” panniers went a long way toward making me feel better about it. They can carry a lot and fit perfectly on the rack. Great for grocery shopping.

Only problem is, they have to be buckled on and off the rack, which takes time (especially with cold fingers) and I don’t like to leave them on overnight, so I haven’t used them as much as I’d like to. Anyone have ideas for securing them to the bike? I know the canvas could always be cut, but I thought a thin cable lock or chain might be a deterrent — the kind of secondary lock people put on saddles.

One of these is carrying a little more than the other!

My other gift was a “brrring” bicycle bell, which my camera utterly refuses to photograph. Which meant googling “fietsbellen” to find a photo of one just like it! After  going through 9 pages of results (those Dutch have a lot of different bicycle bells!) it finally turned up.

image courtesy of dag.nl

Mine is minus the battle scars, but I love the Dutch crown emblem. It looks great on the Bat, and is a big improvement over the stock bell that came on the bike.

Have you added anything to your bike lately?

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Toasty Warm Hands!

Posted by Dottie at 22:22 commute diary 26 Responses »
Feb 112010

After a two day bike hiatus while waiting out the snow storm, I was back with Oma today for a perfectly energizing commute in the bright, crisp air. The best winter cycling is a full day after a snow storm, when the skies are blue, the snow is clean and the trails are plowed (at least in Chicago – thanks again Parks Department!). The temperature was 12 F, but as I’ve said before, I prefer a super freezing sunny day over a marginally freezing gray day.

As if the sunny morning could not get any better, I made a major breakthrough: Toasty! Warm! Fingers! Usually at 12 degrees my fingers would be burning; today they were toasty warm. The combo was mittens, glove liners and chemical warming packs. In the past I’ve tried and been disappointed by this combo. Today I wore better liners (Smartwool) and removed the warming packs from their package about 45 minutes before leaving. The packs get much warmer after being exposed to the air for a while. Finally, I put the warming packs inside the mitts, outside the glove liners, against the inside of my fingers. The result was TOASTY! I could feel the heat gently radiating the whole, long ride (1.5 hours this morning while I meandered along the Lakefront Trail enjoying the fresh air and taking pictures). Even on the ride home the packs were still warm.

I’m very excited by this development. I had resigned myself to a lifetime of freezing fingers. I think the complete lack of wind helped my fingers today, but I’m hopeful that even with wind this setup would work well. My biggest worry is that this could be an expensive and wasteful habit, as the packs last only one day each.

Does anyone else regularly use chemical warming packs? Or have any other tips and tricks to share for warm hands?

Also, I keep forgetting to post this video about Chicago’s Winter Bike to Work Day last month by Camille Doty, a student at Northwestern’s journalism school, which includes a short interview with me. Nice to meet you, Camille.

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A Foot of Snow and an Earthquake in Chicago

Posted by Dottie at 07:45 commute diary 15 Responses »
Feb 102010

In the last 24 hours in Chicago, a foot of snow fell and a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit. The earthquake caused no major damage and I slept right through it. (Now I will have the song “Little Earthquakes” in my head the rest of the day.) My problem is the snow, which will keep me from riding my bike to work. Last year – my first winter cycling – I was more likely to trudge out in extreme weather. This year I feel like I have nothing to prove to myself and can concentrate on simply getting to work, which today means taking the L train.

I am tempted to play on the Lakefront Trail because the sun is gloriously bright. Unfortunately, I have no snow day off from work. Instead I’ll visit the archives and live vicariously through my past. Here’s a post from last winter.

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February 4, 2009
“Cold Sun”

Sunrise over Lake Michigan

Sunrise over Lake Michigan

Sunday’s warmer weather was a fluke and the temperatures are back in the single digits (as in, 0). The bitter cold has been accompanied by a glorious sun, though, so I forgive nature.

Snow, Lake Michigan, Clouds, Sky

Bottom to Top: Snow, Lake Michigan, Clouds, Sky

The clouds were oddly placed this morning, laying low on the lake and letting the blue sky take over.

ICE!

ICE!

Around the Oak Street Beach curve (Chicagoans know what I’m talking about) the icebergs continue. The waves must have been crashing up last night because they’re now frozen. These conditions last only for 50 yards or so. A guy walked by me here and said, wow, way to go. He asked if he could take my picture, which I was cool with (maybe I’ll end up on his blog or something :) ). I know I am quite an oddity in the cold on my bike and this morning I had a huge package (dry cleaning) on my back rack, adding to the novelty factor.

Sunrise over Lake Michigan, a little further down

Sunrise over Lake Michigan, a little further down

I love how the sun/sky/lake color changed in the ten or so minutes it took me to get from the first picture to this picture.

I felt very lucky to live in Chicago and use the lakefront trail for commuting this morning!

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Memories… How are you dealing with your weather? Seems like it’s pretty crazy all around.

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Meet Iosif: A Glass of Champagne

Posted by Dottie at 22:01 commute diary, featuring . . . 25 Responses »
Feb 082010

On Saturday I mentioned that I met a very interesting person during my commute along the Lakefront Trail. That person is Iosif. Iosif is originally from Siberia, but has lived in Chicago for 12 years. He was at the lakefront on Saturday morning looking for a spot to take a quick dip in Lake Michigan. He regularly swims in the winter. Only for a minute at a time, which makes him feel like “a glass of champagne.” I love that – who doesn’t want to feel like a glass of champagne?! He also informed me that winters in Chicago are worse than Siberia because of the wind.

In a city as big as Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of people go about their lives oblivious to others, I am very lucky to have met Iosif, all because I rode my bike and stopped to take pictures of an ice-covered tree, which he approached me to talk about. After taking his photo, he gave me his email address to send him the digital images and gave his permission for me to post the pictures here. I love technology.

After talking with Iosif, I had a smile on my face all day. Maybe one day I should try out this winter swimming thing, which is undoubtedly way more hardcore than winter cycling!

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Bikes + Women = Film

Posted by Trisha at 08:46 media, news 11 Responses »
Feb 082010

Over the weekend, Jezebel posted about Women of Dirt, a new documentary about women who participate in the sport of Gravity Mountain Biking. In a word, it looks amazing. Though this is miles away from the type of riding we usually feature here, I think we can all agree with the statement at the end of the trailer: “Nothing will ever replace my bike.”

Seriously, watch the trailer and tell me you aren’t a little tempted to give off-road biking a try. I dare you.

According to the site, the film will be shown a few times in Seattle — it’s also available on DVD. Anyone seen it? Is there another film or documentary about cycling that you’d recommend (and yes, I’ve heard of Breaking Away)?

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Guitar Bike: Week 5

Posted by Dottie at 18:03 random rides 13 Responses »
Feb 072010

I missed a couple of weeks of guitar bike photos.  That’s what happens when I’m in a rush. I managed to record today’s departure for class.

My fingers are calloused, I have no natural talent and G is really hard. I’m still having fun, though, and cycling with a guitar on my back is starting to feel commonplace  :)

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Windy and Icy Adventure Ride

Posted by Dottie at 12:52 commute diary, explore 19 Responses »
Feb 062010

Boy, did I have an adventure this morning! The day began like any other. I checked the forecast before heading to the office and read “25 F, sustained winds of 26 mph.” Hmmm. Wind is not something I like to play with, but I really wanted to ride my bike. I clicked for more details: “wind direction north-northeast.” Great! I was heading south to downtown, so the wind would push me merrily along. What about the return trip? Below it said “wind down to 10 mph by late afternoon.” Decision made! Oma and I set off happily…

…and made it about 2 miles. As you can see, the wind was mean and a bit more northeast than north. And there was another factor I failed to take into account: ice. Yesterday we had a small, wet snow – no big deal. On the lakefront, however, the wet snow froze, joined by crashing waves which froze.

My studded tires kept me upright, but after the trail began to resemble an ice-rink and I felt a tiny slip in my front tire, I dismounted. I’m not a fan of falling. Assessing my situation, I realized that every tiny thing was covered with ice and decided to turn around, garage Oma and take the L train. At this point, I met a very interesting person and we chatted for a bit. I’ll have to make that its own post.

I’m glad I tried to bike to work. I had lots of fun and started out my day with an adventure. Although sometimes I have to admit cycling is not practical, I’ll always try before giving up :)

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