It's been a long time comin' - Bike Month

May is Bike Month and in celebration I am working to bring Buzz Commuter back. Every day this month I will post at least once (if not more) as I get back in the saddle and on track.

First is a short film I really enjoyed and wish to share...the time has come!

Thank you, Abhishek, for such a great film.


The Convert from Abhishek Mukherjee on Vimeo.
This is a short film promoting Jacksonville's Bike Month in May. Please visit http://jacksonvillebikemonth.com for more information.

Starring (in order of appearance):
Jacquelyn Mills, Abhishek Mukherjee, Katie Smith, Chris Jackson and Corey Callahan

Original Music by Goliath Flores
Directed and Produced by Abhishek Mukherjee and Katie Smith
Cinematography and Editing by Abhishek Mukherjee
Audio Mastering by Eric Jenkins

Jacquelyn's Pashley bicycle provided by Koula Redmond
Chris's bicycle provided by ZenCog Bicycle Company

Shot on location in Jacksonville, FL.
Shot entirely with a Nikon D90, 18mm-105mm f/3.5-5.6, 50mm f/2.4

This video uses these sounds from freesound.org:
bicycle by Klankbleed ( http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/107776/ )
freewheel by Corsica_S ( http://www.freesound.org/people/Corsica_S/sounds/74792/ )
beeps by junggle ( http://www.freesound.org/people/junggle/sounds/26777/ )

On the road again...

It's been far too long and I have little to no excuse. As of this week, however, I am back on the bike! I can't express how great it is to bike commute again. I am looking forward to writing about another year of commuting and the different challenges of commuting in a different state and city.

Not much to write about in this post, except that I'm back on the buzz. Look for more to come and info about some of the new programs/shops going on here in Eastern Washington.

2 weeks!

Looks like I haven't posted in about 2 weeks. In some ways it goes by quickly...and in others not so much.

Apparently I've been busy...though it's not much more than work and riding bike. A friend let me use his old road bike, a Novara Trionfo. He got it in about 1988/89. It has a steel frame, but weighs much less than my Buzz. It's been a lot of fun getting used to the bike and I've already put close to 100 miles on it in the last week. Definitely a different design than an urban commuter. When I stood up to pump the first time I just about sent myself over the handlebars!

I went downtown for the Tour de Fat hosted by New Belgium brewery. I ended up going to the wrong park first and then was too late when I did get there...oh well. Maybe next year or something.

I did get in a good ride and even was able to help a couple of people out with a flat tire on one of the trails.

I have now surpassed the 400 mile mark on the Buzz bike. That is about 700 miles total on the bike. The distance seems to be adding up quickly so I need to make sure my cycle computer is working accurately...or maybe I'm just not paying enough attention to the amount I ride anymore.

I have been waiting to see the new bikes from Novara for 2009, and here is one of them...probably my next bike. The Buzz Road bike. A drop handle-bar urban bike with disk breaks. Pretty cool. Can't wait to try one out. I like the idea of a quick urban bike than can double as a road bike when I need it. My Buzz V is nice, but I don't like taking off the panniers or box when I want a faster, more agile bike for cruising around. I figure that is where the Buzz road would come in handy.

I have some more to talk about, but I am a bit tired and, with the weekend off, I have some time to write more tomorrow.

Rest and Relaxation

I kinda took the day off today. I only rode about 7 miles and went sailing instead of a big ride to let my legs rest a bit. The 7 miles was uphill on the way to my friend's house with the sail boat (catamaran to be more specific), but that meant a nice downhill on the way back after a morning of a little sailing on a local reservoir. The wind was calm...good thing since I've only been sailing once before. It was fun.

I'm including some photos from my ride in downtown Denver yesterday. The first photo is of the BikeDenver bike parking for the Taste of Denver or something like that. This was at round 5 or six in the afternoon. Not as full as earlier in the day, but people were still stopping in...what a great service. Definitely beats trying to park a car. Volunteers would check the bike in and out. Nice...I think I may have to volunteer for that too.

This next photo is of my bike. I like the sign in the background. I was just parking there to make some photographs when I turned around and noticed the sign. You can also see my new big box on the back. I got this so I could store my camera and some other stuff while I'm out and about. It's big (27 liters), but it seems to work ok. I had to use a piece of wood between the box and my rack to keep enough space to have my panniers. I can carry a lot for crap now.

The last photo here is of this cool clock I saw as I was rising past an old industrial building just off Mississippi and Broadway in south Denver. It's broken of course, but a nice subject non-the-less. I hope to get some more photos in better light before it is gone as part of a reconstruction project for the area. It's too bad some of the old parts of the building can't be saved for the new construction. Maybe it will...still pretty cool. I really like the look of the old warehouse/industrial areas. There's something very historic about them like the ruins of a past age.

Of bikes, blogs and clothing...1st complete month.

August has been the first calendar month I have been bike commuting. So far I have over 300 miles since I started in July. I'll have to see how many miles I had at the end of July to get the breakdown for August. More to come on that.

It is interesting to have more than one bike to ride. I'm not bragging here, but there are definitely enough differences between certain bikes that, if a person rides a lot, could justify wanting more than one bike.

My mountain bike is very nice and I enjoy riding it, but it is hard to really do much distance on the road or on mixed bike trails. I also feel bad wearing my tires on pavement when they are really made for dirt. I just don't get out as often to mountain bike and usually ride off-trail portions of the local Bear Creek Trail system that is easy access from where I live. It's fun, but after riding it several time I would like to try other sections. I'm sure this will come with time as I become more familiar with the area.

My commuter, on the other hand, is the work-horse. I have logged around 600-700 miles since purchasing it in May of this year. I've even added another box I can lock to carry my camera gear and other things I deem valuable when I am out and need to lock the bike up. Even though my Buzz is heavier than my mountain bike I prefer to ride the Buzz because it works much better in the city and on the paved trails. I can keep my speed up better since it does not have knobby tires even though they are 26" like my mountain bike. I also have all the lights and even the bike computer on the Buzz because I use it most ofter...it is, after all, my commuter.

This brings me to my point...I see the possibility of picking up a road bike for the weekend rides with more miles and for recreation purposes. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) I also like the idea of a cruiser bike for just tooling around town or DT Denver.

I guess only time and money will tell. I'm waiting for the new Novara Buzz line to be introduced and see what makes my mouth water. Who knows, maybe there will be a road-style bike and a cruiser this year. That would be my luck!

I've been having a lot of fun lately keeping up on the several blogs on cycling and specifically a few in the Denver area. I'm really impressed with the information and opinions, not to mention the amount of time and dedication the blog authors (blogger I believe) give to their blog to make it up-to-date and relevant. Kudos to those who make these great blogs. If anyone reads this I hope to list several of these blogs. I currently have a few, but I have found other good ones not listed yet (there's that time and dedication part).

Lastly, I just want to express my opinion as I watch some changes in the cycling culture. When I started commuting over 10 years ago (I commuted for a couple of years in Boise, Idaho by bike and foot) I was always fighting with the concept of cycling clothing. I have never been excited about compression bike shorts (though I understand the advantages and benefits) and preferred to wear street clothes while riding so I could easily go to work, to class, and finally out for a beer without constant changing clothes for the rides. I can see wearing a cycling "outfit" on recreational rides; especially long rides that can cause chafing and other discomfort, but not for commuting.

When I started bike commuting again a few months ago I kept my dedication to wearing street clothes while riding. This has some unfortunate consequences in the Mile High area. Heat and afternoon thunderstorms can make wearing regular street clothes challenging. I find I need to change my shirt when I go to work in the afternoon and need to carry a rain jacket for those afternoon t-storms. It doesn't always cool down with the rain, however, and this creates other challenges.

I decided to do some research and found a few cycling dedicated companies designed and carried some great urban cycle-wear (specifically Swobo and Swrve). There may be more, but I was able to find these two...both have more traditional cycle clothing and great stuff (not only bike shorts, but knickers too)...some I can see myself wearing, other...not so much, but they are carrying clothing that I could easily commute in and then wear into the bar for a beer without reeking or having to change (or at least deal with showing off my white-guy thighs). I've even found jeans for cycling...great stuff.

Recently on Bike Hugger I saw a post for Hincapie (apparently a well-known bike clothing brand...please forgive my ignorance) and a new line of casual cycling clothing geared toward urban cycle-wear with street clothing appeal. At least for now, with growth in the urban commuting area of cycing, I can see a real niche market for bike clothing like jeans and functional, comfortable casual bike gear. I'm really looking forward to seeing what new technology, organic and renewable materials along with great design brings to the evolution of urban cycing/commuting.

That's all for now...here's to over a month without a car! I have some pictures from my ride today...I will post them in the near future.

By the way...BikeDenver rocks!

Add some buzz to the Buzz

A friend of mine from work decided to put a 2-stroke engine onto his Buzz V. The Chromoly steel frame works perfectly for this revved-up Novara. He says it gets over 100 mpg and more depending on the amount of pedaling. Pretty sweet little cruiser.

I can remember mopeds from my youth. I was wondering why I haven't seem more of the like with a growing fuel economy concern and travel cost. This motorized Buzz is a great example of what a little work can do. If a muscle-powered ride is too much just add a little engine to the bike and you have a Buzz buzz.


Another co-worker has purchased a Buzz V and is adding an electric motor. The rugged and inexpensive bike is really perfect for this application in my opinion. The picture of the electric Buzz is coming, but in the mean time I do have a photo of an electric Electra...this also belongs my friend with the motorized Buzz.
(Both photos were made by my friend Bob P.)

Rain, Rain, Rain

My late work hours continue, but I do have Sunday (I think that is today) off.

It has been raining for several days now and pretty much all day on Saturday. I think we have about an inch of new rain in Denver just from today...could be more with some risk of flooding because of all the water. This area can use it...hopefully without any damage.

I still ride in the rain...my rain gear is not the best, but it's better than nothing. I need to get some better gear for this winter though.

On my way to where I am staying I got soaked even in my rain gear. My rain jacket is more light-weight and meant for emergencies rather than for downpours like we are getting...it finally soaked through after a while. My rain pants aren't meant for riding and I'm afraid they will wear out. I still need a cover for my helmet since that gets the most wet. I do have rain covers for my bike bags and that works really well. Some of my lights are covered by the rain cover, but I have other lights. The fenders on my Buzz V work really well. My feet were the most soaked after going through a very deep puddle. I don't know if rain covers would have helped in that situation. Better rain resistant/proof gloves would be good too. My gloves were soaked through, but not as bad as my shoes. All in all it was a pretty wet ride, but not like it would have been if I wasn't a little prepared. I'll look into some new gear for the winter...especially since the weather here seems to be very different this year compared to the "norm" (whatever that is).

All the rain makes me think of Portland. Even the low clouds over the nearby mountains look like that area. Love it!

Week 3 & Buzz 29er

It's the third week into bike commuting. Adding more miles...not much more than to work and back however. My schedule has changed for the next week or so and I will have some late shifts.

I'm glad I have several lights for my bike so it's easier to ride at night. I don't know how some riders can go without lights. They are taking a huge risk. There are so many roads without street lighting and people just don't see cyclists as well at night. I'm looking into some better lights down the road, but just having some lights makes a huge difference.

I've added about 27 miles in the last few days for a total of about 123 miles for the three weeks on a bike. I'll keep adding it up.

I was reading a past post on Bike Hugger and noticed that Novara will be introducing a Buzz 29 inch bike for 2009. I very excited about that prospect. I'm curious to see what it looks like. I also heard a rumor that there will be a drop-handlebar Buzz and I wonder if it is the same bike. A drop-bar 29er Buzz would be pretty cool in my opinion. I'll just have to wait, but I am beginning to look for a more road-style bike and that may do the trick.

Novara Buzz V

This is my urban commuter bike. I've added some accessories this file photo does not show...I will put a photo of my bike up soon.

The Buzz series bikes by Novara have been around for a while. I really liked this bike and did a lot of looking around before I decided this would be the best bike for me. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I also wanted the most "bang" for my buck. The Buzz V (V because of the use of "V" brakes as opposed to the disk brakes used on the other Buzz models) offers a lot for it's under $500 price tag. I like the chromoly frame because it is tough and makes for a smooth ride on the road and bike paths. The bike is well built...I have no worries hopping curbs and the puncture resistant tires hold up to the occational off-road ventures. This has really been an around-the-town bike. I also really like the simplicity...I rarely worry about my bike when it is locked-up or when I just park it to run inside the store.

The Buzz V does come with the fenders. Despite the fact people told me it rarely rains in Denver the fenders have come in useful when the afternoon thunderstorms roll in.

All in all I really like this bike. I'm glad it's what will get me around for the coming months.

Day 1 without a car

Yesterday I sent my very fuel-efficient car back to Washington State (this leads to a much longer story I may tell in the coming days).
Today I begin life as a commuter without a car. Not bad. A few months ago I purchased a Novara Buzz V from REI ($449 retail). I have already put over 400 miles on it since I purchased it, but now it is my transportation along with public transportation.
In the coming weeks I hope to report on my progress as a bike commuter.
I did some grocery shopping tonight on the bike...I have some panniers (saddle bags) that I used. Took a little bit to fit everything, but it worked out fine (though my bananas were a little bruised).
I'll continue to update the blog as time goes on, but for now...my first day without a car!

4 official miles today