Photos From the Saddle

While I’m waiting for the paint to dry (house project #2603), I figured I’d collect some thoughts on creativity and riding…

Most recently, Jay Smooth touched on the question of getting started with creative efforts—in his words, beating the little hater in your head (which was followed by another great bit of thoughtspew). I was immediately reminded of Ze Frank’s “Bittersweet” episode, which dealt with the same demon: getting started. And then there’s the simple advice of Beautiful Angle: just start.

It’s nothing new. We all deal with the same problem, and it isn’t limited to just creativity—it’s much the same with riding. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself “I should go ride”, but then found some excuse or reason not to (it looks windy, the route is boring or not long enough, I haven’t fixed that rattle yet, etc.). However, it comes down to starting: if we don’t start, we don’t ride, and any time in the saddle is better than not riding at all (no matter how short or easy it is).

My only goal this past Bike to Work Month was to ride every day. By the end of the month, I’d logged over a thousand miles and had the foundation for a strong summer of riding. Granted, the bigger goal helped, but all it took was me just starting. Some of the best rides I’ve had this winter have been those when I didn’t think about it and just went out and cranked.

In lieu of doing a full commute on the One Way, I’ve been riding it around town for errands and social stuff. Christmas day, in an effort to get away from the family, and to enjoy riding in the brief bit of snow that fell, I went out for a short ride over to a friend’s house to check on their cat. Then Wed. night I rode over to another friend’s house to make gingerbread cookies. By the time I got back from cookie-making, the rim was dragging on the brake on every rotation. Lamesauce.

Other than that, though, I’ve been enjoying the Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket a lot. Great fit, totally comfortable and keeps me dry. I also got some Pearl Izumi AmPhib gloves since wet hands don’t feel so great in the cold. I’m really itching to commute more, but the Ninjabike is still a little too close to my heart to put through that kind of frequent use in the rain and grime. Who knows when I’ll be able to get things sorted out with the One Way.

I got a call yesterday: “Hi. Whaddya think about riding Vashon tomorrow? I’m pretty sure it’s going to be pouring.”  My immediate response was “Hell yeah!” A quick check of the ferry schedule ensured things would work out grand. I had to outfit the Ninjabike for rain, but that only took a few minutes.

So, at 5:30 tonight we rolled out in our full rain gear with giant smiles on our faces.  Made it down to the ferry with perfect timing, ran into an old colleague, chatted along the way over to Vashon, and then got down to business. I’d been years since I rode over there, but things were oddly familiar… even in the dark.

Because of prior plans, we couldn’t ride for all that long, but even still… a good hour of riding in the pouring rain, laughing as you fly down pitch-black roads in the middle of the woods… it was bliss. Especially as we rode out onto the tideflats and turned off our lights to minimize distraction from the calming view across the water… Totally awesome.

The rain gear worked out exceptionally well. I couldn’t be happier with the Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket—it kept me totally dry and comfortable, and the rear pocket worked perfectly for my wallet and phone. We both agreed that our booties were our hands-down favorite pieces of bike gear (my toes were toasty and dry the entire ride).

Made it back to the returning ferry with perfect timing and had a great chat with some of the other walk-on passengers, who were totally amused by our assurances that we were just out to ride in the rain. Back in town, we found a giant puddle (more like a small pond) that required two passes through, just for amusement and effect. I think my bb was totally submerged at one point (sorry Ninjabike!).

All in all… one of the best rides in the past four months.

Feeling a bit restless, I decided to go for a quick climbing session on the Ninjabike after getting home from work. I wheeled over to a decent hill that offers a good 12% grade for a half-mile and huffed and puffed my way up after a quick descent. Taking a quick look at a topo, it looks like I’ve got two 12%-grade/300-feet-in-a-half-mile hills within a few blocks of me. Sweet.

Still waiting on the wheel for the One Way, though I’ll likely get it back this week. Hopefully I can start commuting without issue soon.

Also, I (finally) got my Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket. I love it already… though we’ll see how it holds up in a true NW rain.

That felt good.

Rode to the train on the Ninjabike in the morning and hopped on, then rode all the way home with G this afternoon. It was spectacular. Cold, but spectacular… perfect riding conditions (aside from the temp): no wind, no rain, pretty reasonable traffic. Perfect.

I felt a lot better than I thought I would (i.e. I didn’t fall over gasping for air while riding up Little Euro); I definitely felt the lack of riding, but it all seemed to be there just under the surface of my non-existent cardio. Sweet. Leaving the booties at home was a mistake, though… my toes froze. Lesson learned. The TriNewt blazed beautifully.

Overall, very happy to’ve been in the saddle again.

Got some news re: the wheel from the One Way—the shop offered to re-lace it, or pursue the matter with Raleigh. I’m going to chew on it over the weekend.

Despite the headaches of the One Way saga, I decided to go for a ride last night in the crazy, blustery rain. I wanted to test out how effective my rain gear and lighting was… and I’m happy to report that I had a blast riding in the rain—what I suspected would inevitably get soaked, did, but I was able to stay dry where it counted. Lights worked great… the TriNewt definitely does a good job of lighting up what’s ahead.

Now I just gotta get the whole wheel thing sorted out and it’ll be winter-time commute central.