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Spent most of the week on the road for work. It was a good trip - a conference on emergency management in my current focus area - but I had to be socially on constantly. Got back around dinnertime Thursday night and was basically useless all day Friday, even with a half-day off (we put in some extra hours during the conference for various reasons). I did get in one run Thursday morning but otherwise it was a week of too much restaurant food and not enough exercise.
After a week of not being here, I resumed the bike experiment today. This morning's ride was 8.5 miles at just over 9 miles per hour. That includes a couple of stops to talk to E, who was out walking (and conducting digital gladiatorial battles with Japanese pocket monsters), but it's still not the sort of speed I need to sustain if I'm going to commute this way.
The bike shop warned me that bike tires lose air faster than car tires, and they weren't kidding. The tires on the new ride are spec'd for 65-100 psi and they were sitting around 50. Found out that the floor pump they sold me didn't come with an adapter for my valve stems, which pissed me off, but the compressor from my car kit took care of the job quite nicely. I still have some adjustment issues with the front brakes and the front derailleur, but I'll let the professionals handle those next weekend.
Wildlife seen on today's ride: the resident snapping turtle in the creek in the park. Two yard ducks. Most interestingly, a Cooper's hawk soaring across a residential street in front of me and pulling up (and through tree branches) to parallel me for a few seconds. I heard a lot of bird-squabbling around that time but didn't see anyone pursuing or being pursued.
Also tested today: bike shorts, which look just as ridiculous as you'd expect but do significantly increase comfort thanks to the built-in nad pad (a term which I am now trademarking). As they do not include pockets, I also rode with the chest harness I use to hold my phone and ID and keys while I'm running. It, too, looks mildly ridiculous, but it's far more secure than the pockets of any normal shorts I own. So two successful gear checks there.
After a week of not being here, I resumed the bike experiment today. This morning's ride was 8.5 miles at just over 9 miles per hour. That includes a couple of stops to talk to E, who was out walking (and conducting digital gladiatorial battles with Japanese pocket monsters), but it's still not the sort of speed I need to sustain if I'm going to commute this way.
The bike shop warned me that bike tires lose air faster than car tires, and they weren't kidding. The tires on the new ride are spec'd for 65-100 psi and they were sitting around 50. Found out that the floor pump they sold me didn't come with an adapter for my valve stems, which pissed me off, but the compressor from my car kit took care of the job quite nicely. I still have some adjustment issues with the front brakes and the front derailleur, but I'll let the professionals handle those next weekend.
Wildlife seen on today's ride: the resident snapping turtle in the creek in the park. Two yard ducks. Most interestingly, a Cooper's hawk soaring across a residential street in front of me and pulling up (and through tree branches) to parallel me for a few seconds. I heard a lot of bird-squabbling around that time but didn't see anyone pursuing or being pursued.
Also tested today: bike shorts, which look just as ridiculous as you'd expect but do significantly increase comfort thanks to the built-in nad pad (a term which I am now trademarking). As they do not include pockets, I also rode with the chest harness I use to hold my phone and ID and keys while I'm running. It, too, looks mildly ridiculous, but it's far more secure than the pockets of any normal shorts I own. So two successful gear checks there.