What a Difference a Week Makes

Seven days ago, I posted about our local Ginkgo tree in all its glory. The post, here, noted that the fall color of the Ginkgo is quite brief. Well, today, that same tree's photo is below. All that's left of its foliage is what is still on the ground underneath. Note that the neighboring Maple trees haven't changed much in the intervening week.

King Richard's Reign was Short

Lighting Up a King

While I'm not sure if Rantwick plans to do a post about his "King Maple," here in North Texas, we were treated to a brief show of autumn color by the very same tree I posted about two full years ago, here. Unlike 2021, however, we had a brief bit of Indian Summer while the tree was showing close to its very best, and it was much better than the photo in the afternoon sun as sunset approached.

As in 2021, we had a brief freeze; followed by moderate days. Sadly, I expect this display to be brief as there's a cold front expected by the weekend and the tree will quickly become bare. Perhaps this tree is honoring King Richard III, another monarch whose rule was very brief.

King Richard's Tree in Texas?

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

On occasion, I notice that cycling has its seasons. One such appeared here. Other things around our neighborhood are interesting or odd (or both), such as here. Right now, as in the video below, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Have a happy one. In North Texas, it looks like we'll be at our coldest of the year, but it looks like a cold and dry Christmas.

Ancient King Close to Home

Rantwick, as is his habit, likes his "King Maple." Even this year, though he was a bit tardy, his post shows it here. He hasn't yet said which "RAT" he might be at this year. Myself, I've been marooned in Ocean Shores over the winter, only returning to DFW recently. The trip was somewhat surreal since pandemic responses ranged from one extreme to another along the way. When we left, fall color hadn't really made its appearance in the Pacific Northwest. Arriving back home, it seemed somewhat summery, with warm days and even warm nights. Until recently when we hit a cold spell.

Ancient

At this point, I'll digress. Many millions of years ago, long before any Maple trees existed that could claim to be any sort of king, there was the Ginkgo.  Gingko fossils have been found that are 170 million years old (the Middle Jurassic Period) and almost identical to the Ginkgo biloba; native to China. The Ginkgo biloba is found around the world. It is the last remaining species of its order. Certainly it is an ancient tree.

King

Ginkgo trees are not usually considered to have spectacular autumn color. According to Wikipedia, "the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall sometimes as quickly as one day. However, if the leaves remain, the tree truly can be considered as a king of the forest. It's been that way since the dinosaurs dominated the animal kingdom. At the top of this post is such a King. While perhaps not the largest tree in the neighborhood, it is rare to see one so colorfully yellow with almost all of its leaves. That is the result of a fall freeze followed by many more moderate days without much rain or wind. Long live the King!

Close to Home

Strangely, this particular king isn't in a distant arboretum or otherwise hiding away. While I've noticed it in past years, it is nicer than ever this year. Where is it? It's across the street from my own house in Colleyville, Texas! You can't get much closer to home than that. Below, you can see the King, with 2 of its courtiers - 2 Maple trees that it puts to shame. If you look closer, you can also see a few Christmas decorations. Autumn arrives late in North Texas!

Texas Weather Education

Leftover Graupel Seen on the Way Home From Work

I must admit I've learned stuff about weather down here I NEVER heard of up in Washington State. Besides the ever present "wintry mix," last year I heard forecasts of "postal mix" and this year the latest meteorological fad seems to be "graupel." For the ignorant, a "postal mix" consists of "a little bit of rain, a little bit of sleet, and a little bit of snow." All presumably "in the dark of night." Graupel, on the other hand, is "soft sleet." Darn Germans!

We had graupel this morning. It just seemed like round snow to me. I guess I'll never be a television weatherperson...

Spring Snow

With all the talk about flowers, I noticed it is true what I was told about "not being out of the woods until Easter." Seen this morning outside my Quebec hotel...

Bicycle Dreams Part 2

At the end of my first night dream, Buddy had simply gone off with someone and was nowhere to be found. When I awoke, this was disturbing, but I knew the bike was not really gone. Or at least so I though. I didn't actually go check.

Then, the following night, I experienced a continuation of the dream. As mysteriously as it went away, the bike simply came back. And, as strangely, it's return seemed simply ordinary. At the end of it, I concluded that bike dreams seemed a bit like bikes in real life - simply ordinary and a bit dreamy all at the same time.

Come Monday, I rode to work in the rain. Later, a coworker I'd never met made a point of meeting me. I'm not exactly sure why, but he thought riding in a "postal mix" was something extraordinary. Actually, the name "postal mix" was a weather term I had never heard before Monday. For those not "in the know," a postal mix consists of a little rain, a little sleet, and a little snow. Cool, eh?

What a Difference a Year Makes



Last Winter, I FELT BOLD, With the Snow Flying All Around. None of That, This Year



Palm Tree - Still Dead This
Winter Due to Freezes in 2011

It was a year ago this week that I last drove to work. You can judge the conditions from the banner at the top. That shot was taken a year ago as of Saturday. And that was better than previously, where ice led to uncontrollable spills. In the news, ice slid off Cowboy Stadium and THAT was major cause for injury concern for the Superbowl attendees.

The Last Ice of Last Winter. There's Been None Since

THIS year, our temperatures have been hitting the low 70's on occasion. I can't recall any temperatures much under about 25F.
Perhaps all that winter clothing I bought last summer at the 75% off sale is doing some good!

Did Getting All This Stuff Cause Our Unusually (Even for North Texas) Mild Winter?

Shut Your Stupid Piehole!

Cyclists face many dangers every day that are irrelevant to motorists. For example, it is possible, in theory to be killed by a bug hitting you in the throat and crushing your windpipe. In fact, one of my favorite shows, Mythbusters, tested that myth using a motorcycle.

What they didn't consider is that people on bicycles can also attain very high speeds on level ground. According to Wikipedia, unpaced speeds of over 80MPH have been obtained, with motor-paced speeds of nearly 170MPH achieved. What's more, should any female reader feel safe, the female records are within 10MPH of what men achieve.

Still, my loyal reader might feel that such speeds are unlikely on the next commute to or from work, if only because motorists would get in the way. And I'll treat the subject of SLOW MOTORISTS KEEPING ME FROM GOING in a future post. Still, I know I felt that way. But some lessons are learned over and over even by cyclists that OUGHT to know better.

It is winter now. Even in North Texas. Among other things, winter is a relatively bug-free time. Last year, in early February, ice sliding off Cowboy Stadium injured people before the Superbowl. Today, it got up to 73F. And I was reminded of a cycling danger - the danger of riding with one's mouth slightly open. Read the title again and you WILL reach the proper conclusion. Yuck! I can't really endorse everything that is "Dr Atkins approved."

Even in January, a HIGH Temperature of 73F WILL Attract a Few Bugs!

 

All Washed Up

Lightning - From Wikipedia

In North Texas, we have to take our opportunities for inclement weather when they arrive. While we get lots of practice with "hot and dry" in the summer, wet don't get a lot of opportunity to explore the finer points of cold weather. It DOES rain around here, but it isn't the kind of rain I grew up with. In Seattle, the rain takes a week or more to accumulate to an inch or two. A little drizzle and a lot of gray clouds is the rule around this time of year.

Around DFW, on the other hand, the rain REALLY lets you know it is serious stuff. Lightning, thunder, flash floods and more. And then, as quickly as the rain arrived, it is past and drenching Louisiana or Oklahoma. I think the term around these parts is the rain comes down as a "frog strangler," but I'm not from around here. Regardless, it'll come down as several inches in an hour.

Last week, however, we got lucky. It actually rained THREE DAYS IN A ROW! Multiple rain days tests a cyclist's ability to not only stay dry on the commute, but also to keep stuff dry over multiple days. Any fair weather cyclist can ride ONE day in the rain. After all, the shoes and gloves and stuff can dry out and things will be back to normal. I was doubly lucky, because, after the first rain day, on Monday, my new "waterproof winter boots" showed up.

Fortunately, Chandra has a DIFFERENT Salomon Shoe

On Monday, rain had been forecast, but I was prepared with my yellow rain outfit, and the blue booties I carry along to cover my cycling shoes. Things went pretty smoothly. On the way home, to keep my "not too cold" full fingered gloves dry, I rode barehanded. Wet gloves are not a lot of fun, but puckered up fingers dry out quickly.

Early the next morning, before I realized theyd snuck onto my doorstep the previous evening, I received a text from Chandra. THAT is shown at left. Chandra put up a post about HIS Salomons, but took it back down. Perhaps it'll be back up by the time my loyal reader reads this.

Well, as it transpired, I had gotten Salomon boots. I picked them over the North Face Snow Sneakers because I wanted something a little higher cut than the North Face product and I'd read quite a few good reviews.

Half way through this text exchange, I went out and the shoes were there, in a giant box. It wasn't as bad as Jon's box, but it WAS pretty big. And it was raining. HARD. It turned out we got three or four inches that day. It was a good test of new boots that claim to be waterproof.

Well, they WERE waterproof, as long as you do not try to emulate a powerboat while riding your bike. I do not recommend riding through deep standing water in Salomon Deemax 2 Winter Boots. The water will splash up and under your rain gear and come in through the top of the boot. Or at least it happened to me with my right foot. The left stayed nice and toasty and dry. Even the right didn't get very wet. It was dried out during the day and suffered no further dampness. In my own defense, there were a couple of lightning strikes on the way to work and that was a bit distracting. The closest one was about a mile away. That seemed a little cozier, but reading up on lightning again from Wikipedia reminded me that lightning can strike ten miles away, and it was also a bit disconcerting to hear about DFW flight delays because the ground crews were not allowed out when potential lightning conditions existed. Of course, by THAT time, I was more than half way to work and there was nothing to do but complete the journey and plan on some further lightning research.

Salomon Deemax 2 Winter Boots with Canari Rain Pants

To futher test out the rain stuff, I wore my Canari rain pants that I'd bought last summer at 70% off. The Showers Pass pants seemed entirely too overkill. The Canaris worked well enough, though cold hard rain created the illusion of wetness, while the reality was that they stopped the rain and I was feeling the coldness of the drops.

I also tried using plastic grocery bags to keep my gloves dry. It didn't work real well the first day, but some fiddling gave better success the second. I really can't bring myself to put those tight latex gloves over winter gloves.

Unfortunately, by Wednesday afternoon, things were drying out, so I only got three wet days, but it was a lot of fun, except I felt a little sorry for my coworkers who had to walk in from their parking lot without proper weather protection. I also discovered on Wednesday afternoon that 60F is about as warm as you'd want to cycle in the boots. Rumor has it they'll be good down to zero with wool socks. Maybe even a little colder with shoe covers. Our all-time record cold in North Texas was -8, so I think these puppies will work VERY well for the half dozen times I need them - and being cleatless, they'll also work well for walking in cold or wet weather.

Boots Have Sealed Soles and Tongue, with Thinsulate Insulation

Simple Cold Weather Locking Tip

Hung Like THIS, Rain Drains into the Locking Mechanism and Freezes. WD-40 Helps Some

Last winter, I related my problem of a U lock freezing so that I couldn't open it. This is a lock that I leave at the rack at work. I really do NOT like to lug heavy locks around, but I DO like to lock my bike securely. WD40 helped. The lock was left on the rack as shown above.

HOWEVER, I found an even better solution for keeping U locks operating in freezing cold weather. THAT solution is seen below. What could be simpler than simply hanging the lock so moisture drains OUT of the mechanism instead of INTO it? DUH!

NOW, all we need are some HARD freezes to test this theory out. February is coming, so I'm optimistic...

Hung Like THIS, Moisture drains Out of the Lock and Avoids Freezing the Mechanism in Place
OnGuard has a Cover that Rotates to Keep the Key Working. My Kryptonite Hasn't Got Such a Cover

Resolution Tested

Yesterday morning, my resolution wavered. It was dark. It was cold. The Armadillo blew off the rear rim of my wife's bike (modern tire on an old, non-hook bead rim. About 3/4 miles from home which is too close to want to fix it in the dark but far enough to let me THINK; "Golly, maybe I ought to simply DRIVE" to work. After all, I hadn't done anything to get Buddy properly tuned after I got it back from the shop (at a cost of 0.6 Jaguar Units - bikes ARE different). Even when I got home, I thought about it once again. But then, all the stuff I'd taken off to take it in appeared, the tires were topped off, and then I was suddenly off again. A close call. Seeing the dusty parking pass didn't help...

Temperature Twenty to Forty

Top of the Photo - Attire for Temperatures Around Freezing for the Ride to Work
Bottom of the Photo, Attire for the Ride Home on the Same Day
You'll Note Wool Socks are Carried on the Way Home. They are TOO WARM for 50F Conditions!

Mostly, what I wear for my commute depends on the temperature and conditions when I leave in the morning. I'll bring along added items to make things comfy on the way home as well, but the morning is what really counts because that is usually the low temperature commute and shedding clothes is an option for the ride home.

The morning temperature ranges of interest in North Texas are (Fahrenheit):

• over 60
• 40-60
• 20-40
• under 20

In 2011, the coldest morning was 15F and the warmest was 86F. This time of year, it is rarely over 60 or under 20. Even with wind chill, I've never experienced morning temperatures under 8F, but even that is a perfectly manageable temperature.

Today, I'll talk about what I wear on my morning commute when the temperature is between twenty and forty. Unlike the 40-60 range, one needs to start seriously considering the cold, but extra measures are limited, and most North Texas cyclists have got the items they'll need.

Head and Neck

For headwear, I wear one of two balaclavas, though at the top end of the 20-40 range and with tailwinds, I often simply stick to my headsweat and pull it down over my ears a bit. Even when I wear a balaclava, I'll bring the headsweat for the ride home. I have a "winter cap" I got on sale last summer, but haven't used it yet. In addition, I accessorize with safety goggles in order to avoid watery eyes due to tears caused by wind in my eyes. Those stay in the trunk on the trip home. For those without a balaclava, a good cap and a neck warmer works as well. I'd wear my dinosaur hat, but it won't fit under or over my helmet. Still, dinosaurs ARE rather chic...

Core Warmth

Moving down, I really don't pay a lot of attention to the "layering" advice you often read in bike blogs. Frankly, it is simply more trouble than it is worth. I found that to be the case even when my commute was 20 miles rather than the current 7. Instead, I find that my "high vis black" cycling jacket in combination with a sweatshirt works just dandy. It is a simple combination. At the upper end of the range, I sometimes swap to a long-sleeved cotton tee shirt. In this range, I typically wear my "high vis black" soft shell gloves. These tend to be too warm for the return trip home, so I'll carry regular, full finger cycling gloves in the trunk. I really like the soft shell gloves, but if I didn't have any, a pair of windproof work gloves in combination with the cycling gloves cut the chill nicely. The LONG SLEEVES on the sweatshirt are an important ingredient, since they combine with the cycling jacket to keep my arms comfortable all the way down to the bottom of the temperature range. At the upper end of the range, I'll often eschew the sweatshirt in favor of a long-sleeve cotton t shirt.

Legs and Feet

For my legs, I wear work pants. I'll choose warmer ones when it is colder, but most work slacks work well even down to 20F. I also use reflective Velcro cuff bands which keep breezes at bay and grease off the pants. I have a few pairs of camo cuff bands, but haven't used them since the reflective ones seem to work just fine. To finish the outfit off, I use wool socks with shoes that work with the bike of the day. The wool socks are too warm for work so I carry a pair of cotton socks in the trunk. This is one area where my strategy changed. Formerly, I'd wear cargo shorts in combination with sweat pants, but my v3 commute (7 miles versus the v2 20 miles) makes that somewhat extraneous, particularly since I no longer drive on occasion in order to facilitate laundry exchanges.

Quick Switch for Work and the Ride Home

Thusly attired, when I get to work, I simply swap out the sweatshirt for a work shirt and swap the wool socks for cotton ones. Pretty simple,and I'll usually wear the cotton socks on the ride home. More often than not, the sweatshirt works fine, with the cycling jacket relegated to the trunk.

Commute clothes are really, however, what works for YOU. I prefer the KISS approach, without buying a lot of "special" items, and without having to carry much extra stuff along.

Safety Goggles Really Help at Freezing. The Cyling Jacket and a Sweatshirt Works Down to 20F
Nowadays, I Usually Wear Work Pants in the Colde. One Advantage of the Shorter, v3 Commute

North Texas Endless Winter

75% Off at LBS was Irresistible to Me. The stuff in the Photo Cost Well Under $100 - Total

Yesterday, I noted that we'll soon be getting 100F+ temperatures around these parts. My cycle computer thinks we're there already. What does all that mean in the larger scheme of things? Well, it means it is time to SHOP SHOP SHOP for winter gear!

While I've not mentioned it on this blog since I stocked up on winter stuff at the Hotter 'N Hell 100 last summer, I keep an eye open for clothing that "expands the envelope" for cycling. Mostly, I get stuff that will work here in North Texas, but eventually, it'll come in even handier when we all return home again. Not long ago, I got a pair of Showers Pass rain pants with my REI dividend. The immortal Tracy Wilkins swears by them.

This weekend, as noted here, a LBS has winter wear on sale for 75% off. Their Hurst store still has a lot of "M" wool socks. The "L" ones are all gone. Gloves and shoe covers vary. They have quite a few balaclavas and skull caps because I couldn't see buying a lifetime supply. The guys at the cash register told me that someone from Mexico came and bought $1400 worth of winter wear - and that was AFTER the discount. Apparently, on rare occasions, it even gets cold in Mexico...

Cold Dark Winter - North Texas Version

Dead Sago Palm? Bedford, TX

In the last couple of weeks, I've been noticing the effects of our unusually cold winter snap last February. For those of you with short memories or new to visiting this blog, I'll post a reminder photo of Buddy in the snow. However, the signs are unmistakable. For example, palm trees - at the northern edge of their range, tend to have what they refer to as "crown rot." Considering that we're now at mid May, I suspect the two specimens in these photos may have departed this earth and will have to be replaced by new members of their species, or with trees that can withstand our occasional North Texas cold.

 
What's more, with the onset of warmer weather, I notice that the human element has acquired a decidedly paler tint than is typical for May weather. Hopefully, the leg in the photo is not indicative of a vitamin D deficiency...

That Leg Looks a Little Pasty!

The Same Leg (and shoe) in 2009

Tim Horton and a Cyclist's Impression of Quebec

Tim Hortons, Saint Sauveur des Monts, Québec. The Closest Tim Hortons to Dallas is in Kentucky. I Wish it Was Otherwise
The Ski Hill is Up on the Right. Québec Snow in Late February is Much Icier than BC Snow at the Same Time

OK, OK, it isn't enough to talk about Tim Hortons in comments about a post that actually SHOWS a photo of a bike rack at a restaurant of a chain that has its world headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois. Tim didn't have bike racks. I looked. Tim also didn't have free wi fi, as did that place with the maple leaf grafted on to its arches. Free wi fi is highly desirable when you get a message from ATT telling you that your unlimited data does NOT apply and you'll get stuck for  $15.36/MB.

In many ways, Québec was infused with bicycle indications. The first of these came when I arrived at Montréal's Trudeau Airport. Right in the area where we arrived at customs, there was - a bicycle cop. She was outfitted much the same as the Fort Worth bicycle police officers, but I'm not sure exactly how useful a bicycle would be in a crowded terminal. About as useful as a Segway, I'd guess. Do Segways have locks? Regardless, the bike would be good to get to the other end of the terminal but then you'd capture the scofflaw on foot, or so I'd imagine from having watched too many movies.

The airport was lacking in some other bicycle amenities, however. There was no place to rent a bike at the terminal, nor did they seem to know where I might go locally to rent one. There also appeared to be no practical way to depart the airport by either bicycle or even by car. Fortunately, the GPS in my rental car eventually got me out of the airport, where soon I noticed that all the freeway onramps had signs posted to let me know that no bicycles or pedestrians were allowed on these limited access roads. This is different than Texas, where cyclists are not, technically prohibited from any but a few toll roads. Montréal's freeways in the city center were more logical than those in Vancouver, but neither place made paving over the city center the priority it would have been in an equivalent US city.

In the morning, I got to my business meeting and noticed that one intrepid cyclist had tracked through the snow and ice to work. Later on, I talked to an engineer that knows the cyclist and noted that he lived fairly close by. I can empathise. I was also told that cyclists were catered to by the businesses around Québec. This time, I didn't have a chance to spend much time around downtown Montréal. Perhaps in a future trip. I shall try out those separated pathways for myself, though the local reports I heard were less glowing than what you read in the press.

I also searched for some Jakeman's syrup, but all I saw was the stuff in maple leaf bottles. You know, the stuff that Rantwick showed in his very initial FARATS post. I didn't buy any because it's readily available here in Texas at TJ Maxx for less than half the price. Rantwick chose wisely when he elected to pick Jakeman's instead.

Airport Syrup - Same as Texas TJ Maxx at Twice the Price

Snow is No Big Deal at Trudeau Airport

Spring Cleaning

Last weekend, it seemed that spring was in the air. Winter may be mild in North Texas, but that doesn't mean that things don't slip a little during the winter. With a big, fresh bottle of Eezox Cycle Tune-Up, a sunny day, the afternoon to myself, and a gallon of Simple Green, it seemed time to do a little bike spring cleaning.

Buddy Might Like to be Dirty, but it Also Likes Getting Cleaned Up

First, I cleaned up Buddy. While I haven't ridden Buddy to work much this winter, Buddy got taken exclusively on the worst days of the winter. Rain. Ice. Snow. I paid special attention to the minor damage, such as the scratches on the chain stay, and removing the failed chain catcher. While not shown in the photos, I also removed the water bottle. As located, it makes locking to the bike rack at work more difficult. I don't have an inside office door to park this bike any more ,so it'll have to get a little tougher. While still a very sweet ride, this bike will probably approach 10,000 miles this year, so it's no longer a precious item to be babied so much as it was two years ago.


The Paint Chips on the Chainstay are the Biggest Manifestation of My September Crash



Chain Catcher Broke. You Just Can't Rely on Unreinforced Plastic for Jobs Like This



After getting Buddy all cleaned and lubed, I did the same with my wife's bike. I rode it nearly a thousand miles last year with no more maintenance than chain lube. I went with Eezox for this chain as well. When I asked her when she'd last overhauled the bottom bracket, she replied "you're supposed to do that?"

Apparently, some more work is due on this 40 year-old Nishiki before too awfully long. Among other things, those "suicide levers" will be going and the ancient, plastic bar tape will get replaced by some excellent Fizik tape. I'm afraid to ask how old that chain is. All I can say is that the friction shifting works as well as one might ask for on the bike, so maybe there's been maintenance done on the bike she never knew about. The lock holder got removed after this photo and I'd love to replace the stem shifters with downtube shifters. Campy shifters would look wrong on this bike, but they shift so sweetly!

My Wife's Bike Also Got Some Attention

Theory and Practice and Canada

The Queen's Canadian Flag. More Properly Know as "The Royal Standard of Canada"

“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.” In theory, this quote is from Yogi Berra. In practice, there are at least two other claimants.

In theory, I’ll be in Canada this week. In practice, I’ll be in Quebec. Looks like a return to warm woolen socks!

Avez-vous Jakeman's? Parler lentement s'il vous plaît.

Deja Vu Sorta

New Gas Station Along the Old Route
Cheap Coffee and Hot Dogs for Cyclists

They say you can't go home again. In some ways you can't go to work again. Well, at least if you go to where you USED to work, it just isn't the same. Not exactly, anyway.

Since mid November, as reported in this post, I haven't commuted to Fort Worth Alliance Airport any more - until today. It was Deja Vu All Over Again, and then it wasn't.

For those who don't know the particulars, I regularly made the 40-mile roundtrip commute from home to Alliance Airport from April 2009 through Remembrance Day of 2010. During that time, I put the better part of 6000 miles on Buddy, more miles on other bikes, and I and learned a lot about how a transportational cyclist can successfully operate in a vehicular manner over all types of roads in all weather and lighting. Every day. My v3 commute, by comparison, is about 7 miles each way. The difference is a lot more than just the mileage, as I was reminded today. I did the old commute again because I needed to take care of some administrative stuff with my engineers at Alliance, and I expected it would take pretty much the whole day. I looked forward to deja vu on the old commute with a little trepedation mixed in. It'd be fun, but sometimes reliving old experiences reminds us of what we didn't enjoy rather than our memories that grow fonder with the passing of time.

It all started out real familiar. I rolled out of bed about 45 minutes earlier than my new commute, and was ready to depart in plenty of time. Other than having to remember not to make an early LEFT turn, it all seemed familiar. In fact, it was SO familiar that the main difference I noticed was that the mighty P7 light eliminated any past questions about whether the video traffic signals would recognize the forward progress needs of the commute cyclist. I must say I highly recommend a bright, steady headlight to trigger those video-triggered traffic lights. In fact, I triggered them easier than my motorists along the route. About the only other differences on the way to work in were my thoughts - about 1/3 of the way to work, the thought hit me that if I were making my new commute, I'd be at work. About 2/3 of the way to work, the thought hit me that if I were making my new commute in the worst weather in recent memory, I'd be at work. Still, the ride itself seemed just like it used to be in the predawn darkness. When the sun peeked over the horizon, I was nearly at work and simply noticed a few more new houses in the developments close to the Alliance Gateway Freeway. It was as sweet as ever to head up the last stretch, and then finally move into the left turn lane to turn into the parking lot.

Then, I brought the bike inside and started to notice not everything had remained unchanged. I experienced Obamacare first-hand when I encountered our former shower that was now locked, thanks to the "nursing mother" provision. Then I found that the cafeteria doesn't have chorizo for omelets any more and they'd changed cooks. What's more, there was no green salsa. Well, none of those were strictly commute related, and there is another shower in the building. It was fun to see people who KNEW I was there because "Steve's bike is here" in the office I was borrowing. Still, Alliance seemed a little less legendary. The larger differences became apparent on the way home. Homeward bound is the real test anyway more often than not.

The first big difference was that, in contrast to early November, the trees looked dead. My daughter, Abbey A, really was the first of our family to observe that it looks really DEAD in Texas in winter.The grass looked dead too. It's Texas winter. No more color for these cowboys and cowgirls until the weather warms up seriously. Somehow, I didn't notice that change nearly so much on my new commute, but seeing dead-looking trees again that were full of leaves the last time I'd seen them made an impact that hadn't been apparent in the morning darkness.

Color or B&W, the Scenes Look Pretty Much the Same. Even the Grass is Beige

Gratuitous Bike Shot to Provide a Little Color

Then, as I rode along, I noticed that pockets of snow remain from last week's ice and snow event. We may not be in the snow belt, but even Texas still has some, and more is expected tomorrow. Maybe quite a bit more. We shall see. More things one didn't notice in the predawn ride in to work. There certainly was none of this stuff around last November.

Snow on a Roof in Keller, Texas

Snow Remnants in a Yard in Keller, Texas

On a more serious note, there were still remants of the gravel and sand used to provide traction near the intersections. In the predawn darkness, a cyclist could easily go down if he weren't in the habit of riding in "the line of sweetness." As it was, the sand made a lot bigger impression on me when I could actually contemplate it at the leisure of a red light. This CAN'T be good for the drivetrain!

Note all the Sand at the Intersection Approach. I Can't Remember WHY I Appear to be in the Right Wheel Track. I Usually Approach this Light
From the Right Side of the Left Wheel Track. It May Have Been the Other Photos I Took That Led Me Astray
You Don't Notice This Stuff So Much in the Morning Darkness when the Mighty P7 Makes all the Lights Change



One thing that also was different was seeing a coyote on the way home, only about four blocks from Colleyville City Hall. I've often seen coyotes on the way to Fort Worth Alliance Airport, but usually fleetingly and in the dark or dawn. This was the first time I've EVER seen one in the late afternoon in a fairly mature neighborhood. Remember y'all, keep your cats indoors! Those coyotes are more hungry than usual this time of year.

Colleyville Coyote. This is the First One I've Actually Gotten in Pixels. He Doesn't Look too Fat to Me
A Coyote in an Urban Setting at 5:30PM Suggests These Guys are Extra Hungry



There were also differences in ME. For one thing, influenced by my new commute, I wore work pants for the commute. They worked well in the 30F morning ride, as well as for the 50F evening return. High vis cuffs finished off the look and kept wind from blowing up my leg as they kept my pants away from the chain. Simple and effective - and they keep the "High Vis Police" at bay. Sorta.

Work Pants Work Well for a 20-Mile Winter Commute

What's in a Man's Purse?

Buddy was pretty much the same. About the only change from the "good old days" was the addition of the MIGHTY P7. I was very careful since it's only got three hours on the high setting and I like to charge it on the weekends. Still, there WAS time to stop for coffee on the way home. Asked where I'd been recently, I noted I'd been transferred to Hurst, but I got to to to Alliance for the day. Those baristas have memories like elephants!

Buddy and the Mighty P7, Reclining at a Store of a Major Coffee Chain I Have Neglected Recently

The final change was on the very last leg home. How THOUGHTFUL of Colleyville to add a "cyclist potty stop" at the locale where construction might cause some cyclist delay. I really hadn't noticed the added cycling facility on the way in to work.

However, in all seriousness, I think the new v3 commute has softened  me a bit. I certainly encounter a lot less motorists on narrow, two-lane roads than formerly, and there aren't any high-speed, divided roads on my new commute that compare to the Alliance Gateway Freeway. The combination of the longer distance and the tough (in spots) roads, sharpened my skills and my awareness of developing traffic situations in a way no other method could have done. I deeply appreciate those lessons, but, in some ways, you really can't go to work again - unless it's more than just for a day. I'm also thankful that I didn't complete LCI training when this was my regular route. Even as it was, there were a few moments when I felt like I represented the bike-ed version of the "Provisional Wing of the Irish Republican Army." A little softening isn't necessarily bad...

I Don't Think the "Turn Around Don't Drown" Sign Refers to the Portapotty...

ABC Quick Check is More Than Just the Bike



You KNOW It's a Bad Sign When YESTERDAY's Bike Track is Still Prominent

I've written here many times about my misadventures with "ABC QUICK CHECK." In truth, those problems really validate WHY one ought to be checking stuff and, more often than not, the misadventure consists of finding something before getting 20 miles from home. In my own riding, I include an element usually omitted from lectures on the subject - a little check ride. Before getting on the bike, all systems are checked, as in the video at the bottom of this post. The extra little check ride, before pushing the bike, adds a validation of the basic check by spending just the start of a ride in validating that everything really IS OK. I like redundancy when I can get it and the check ride confirms the results of the basic ABC. Usually.

The Local Road Surface This Morning. It May Not be Deep, But it IS Really Slick - Literally

I LOVE This Headlight, But it Didn't Save me from a Slick Patch



Safety-Oriented Cyclist Concludes that When a Fall Breaks Parts and Knocks the Chain Off the Chainring,
it Might Be Difficult to Operate Predictably

This morning, it illustrated that the check ride is about more than just the bike. As you know, from my post yesterday on "Second Pass of the Luftwaffe," things are a little slippery around North Texas at the moment. Looking outside, it was apparent that the check ride might be more a test of the road than the bike. For the first time in recent memory, my "A" portion of the "ABC" consisted of letting some air out of the tires to improve traction. To make a short story even shorter, while initally things looked pretty sweet - even to the point that brakes actually slowed things down (something you can't actually check in icy conditions without at least a token check ride and which did NOT happen yesterday), even the mighty P7 light was unable to save me from a fall that busted the plastic cable lock holder (not really a major loss) and caused my chain to jump off the chainwheel. I'm really glad I was riding with my feet OUT of the toe clips. I elected to walk home, as the prospect of touching the freezing chain with bare fingers was less than appealing, as was the prospect of rerailing the chain directly with a gloved hand. It's an advantage of an "around the block" check ride - one need not deal with on-road failures. The light enabled me to find the various bits in the dark, but prudence suggested another Land Rover commute was in order. Still, that check ride opened up the flight envelope a little. Dan G, the LCI demoing the ABC below is fond of noting that we "drive" our bikes. Well, today, I rode it to see if it WAS drivable. That check convinced me that I lacked confidence to operate the bike predictably, traffic or no.

As in flight test, cycling envelope expansion is sometimes a slow and very incremental process if one values safety. The end objective is the same in either case, to become better. Doncha just LOVE this weather? [insert quote from Gordon Cooper in "The Right Stuff" here, but this blog doesn't use that language]

Pilot of Northrop F-5E Tiger II Expands the Envelope Incrementally - from Wikipedia