I'm not just in it for the money!

Hi,

Early on I decided to log my commuting riding separately from my other (more mountain-bikey) riding.

This has been great, and I use Runkeeper for the commuting, and Strava for the other. It keeps all the commute stuff off Strava, but still lets me keep track of what's happening.

From a commuting point of view, I have averaged 29km a week over the last 4 weeks. Work is about 2km away so this equates to about 14 trips a week which is pretty good! I come home for lunch most days, so can easily do four trips a day when I take the bike to work.

This riding is completely replacing an equivalent car ride, I'm not doing any more or less than I would if I were using the car.

The IRD rate for car mileage is 77c per kilometer, so  I am currently saving $22.30 a week by riding - over a $1000 per year.

But wait, there's more!

This also means that I have done about 1 hour 40 of exercise per week, which averaged over the 5 days means an average of 20 minutes a day. Which is close to the the recommended 30 minutes a day - without even trying, dressing up, or inconveniencing myself in any way.

Effectively I'm being paid to exercise.

I find myself using the bike more and more. Since I got the backpack I can go to the supermarket, and carry my laptop back and forth to work - it adds a lot of flexibility.

My ambition now is to take the bike to the airport when I'm going away just for a day. That will save $32 in parking charges on top of the kilometers!

Bike commuting is as quick as the car for the short distances I go, and a lot more enjoyable.

Don't just take my word for it though, here's a link to Mr Money Mustache on the economics of bikes.

Biking for mental health

Difficult subject this.

I'd noticed that I was feeling very happy while I was riding my bike, and for some time afterwards. And then I noticed that generally I was feeling better most of the time.

Which made me think - is biking a way to improve mental health? perhaps even more than exercise in general?

To Google!

Why, yes it is.

There are lots of articles discussing this phenomenon like this one from NYC Bike Commuter.

There are a lot of theories about this, the concentration, the extra sunlight, etc.

But to some extent, who cares why? it just works.

Depression is soul-destroying and dangerous and makes me a person I don't want to be. It's hard on the inside and it's hard keeping it on the inside and it's hard on the people closest to me.

The bike is making things better and better. And the more I do on the bike, the better it is.

Commuting on the bike is great, I'm doing it every day I can and actively increasing the number of days. The weather is not a concern - there's gear for that. Every day I ride the bike to work is a minimum of 20 minutes free exercise and extra well-being.

Getting out at the weekend - to a park or trail - is even better.

I know recent converts to anything (non-smoking, religion, whatever) can be a pain, but really, really, if you've got a bike - use it more. If you don't have a bike, then buy a cheap one and just try it.

Back in the saddle!

Well, it's been over a fortnight since I last rode. Unfortunately this was due to an accident  I had which kind of curtailed my capabilities for a while. Not a bike accident I hasten to add, but a nasty fall that left me with facial injuries.

Anyway, today I was back.

Before riding I tried out the new pump I bought last time I was in Dunedin - I can't show a photo because my phone was broken in the accident. So when I get a working phone, I'll take some photos and do a min-review. My tires on the mighty 29" were quite soft, and since I am always on the road or well-kept tracks, I decided to pump them up a bit.

What a difference! The bike really does roll on now, and is much easier to pedal again - it was already pretty good, but now it's really good.

I went to McLean's Island this morning and a great day for it too. It was a record frost this morning and by the time I headed out, the sun was well up, but still pretty cold and frosty in the shade. A really good mix and great times zooming through the forest.

It's much more exciting when you've smashed your glasses in an earlier accident and are riding without full vision. Surprisingly, it seems more scary than driving the car - maybe because on the bike I'm looking for smaller things - small rocks and potholes rather than buses and SUVs.

Two loops of the Coringa loop - no Strava because of the broken phone - but I had a very happy 50 minutes of good exercise, followed by a delicious long black in the sun. Is there a better way to spend a sunny/frosty morning?

Looking forward to heading back to work tomorrow morning after missing that for a fortnight too. I'll take the car in the morning because I have to go to the optician to get tested for new glasses, but should be able to swap to the bike at lunchtime.

I am so glad to have got into this sport - there are other reasons why doing more exercise is extra important for me - so this is a great way to do that.

A bad thing happens - a lesson for the future

A lovely day in Christchurch today, and I went back to McLean's Island to try out the track on my new bike.

There were a few more people around than the last time I was there, including quite a few families with young children, as well as the gnarly expert riders.

All went well as I headed off on the Coringa loop, I got passed by a couple of bikes, and I even passed a couple myself (hard to believe but true). I ended up behind a woman and her daughter (I'm guessing here), and we were all traveling at about the same speed.

We came up to a family group that had stopped in the middle of nowhere. The parents and a child or two were off to one side of the track. But, 10 meters further on, there were 3 young children stopped in the middle of the track in line abreast. There was a small gap between child 2 and 3, maybe about 30cm.

The two in front of me went through the gap, and I slowed down and aimed for it too. As I went through I felt contact with my right pedal, just a wee clipping of the child to my right. I thought it was very slight, but as I carried on, I looked back and he was down and I felt very bad. By the time I realised, I was quite a distance down the track, and it didn't seem reasonable to try to go back on a one-way track.

So, I hope the child was ok, and not too traumatised. In retrospect, knowing my abilities, I should have stopped and walked the bike through.

It does seem unreasonable to let your children stop in the middle of the track, effectively blocking it. Even if they had been two abreast it would have been ok. So maybe the parents need to think a bit too.

But I know that if I had been there with a young child and another adult knocked them off their bike then I would be upset - so I am sorry.

I'm still learning about mountain biking and today was another lesson.

I try an electric bike

I'm in Auckland on business and went out to Tamaki to catch up with a friend from Christchurch who is working on some top secret innovation out there.

And he's riding an electric bike as his daily transport.

This is (another) John, and the bike he's built.

The motor is in the front hub - John says if he did it again he would try to put it in the rear, because wheel-spin can be a problem (!).

The thermos-like object on the downtube is the battery - which is good for hours.

The small brown box on the carrier is the electronic controller.

So what's it like to ride?

In a word - too easy. There is a thumb control that pushes as the accelerator after you get rolling with the pedals, and the bike just zooms away when you gently push it. I only rode it round the carpark, but there was a considerable slope up at the side which was completely flattened by the motor.

John tells me the top speed is around 40km/hr and that he easily beats traffic around Auckland's congested streets - which I absolutely believe.

The bike weighs about 30kg, but you don't really notice this when you're riding it, and all the weight is pretty low down, so it feels quite stable.

Would I buy one? Possibly not at the moment, since at least part of the point of riding my bike to work is 'free' fitness training. In 10 or 15 years when I am in my dotage, it seems like a good way to keep riding once the spirit is willing but the flesh weak.

All in all, though, tres cool.

First visit to Bottle Lake

So, today I went to Bottle Lake to try riding there.

This is the third Mountain bike track I've tried, after Mclean's Island and the Little River rail trail, and definitely the most interesting and challenging.

Well, ok, the bits in the photos aren't that challenging...

The area is huge, and there are lots of tracks of varying difficulty.

Obviously, I chose the beginner's level track.

I still ended up pushing the bike up a few hills, where the lowest gear (out of 30!), wasn't low enough. This was me though, because on at least one of the hills I saw other people flying up them.

Riding through the forest was pretty exhilarating, swooping in between trees, tight curves, and lots of up and downs.

At one point, the track was underwater, and wading was the only option - glad I was wearing my new Ground Effect shorts. My shoes and socks got soaked though, so that made the rest of the ride a bit squelchy, but also made me feel like a hard-core MTB rider(!).

The tracks are all different and I want to go back to all three. Maybe the next one will be McLean's island  - I'd like to see how the new bike (and my slightly improved technique and fitness) work out.

All in all, I'm really enjoying this new hobby. Fun, fitness, and technology all combined - what's not to like?

A visit to Melbourne

Melbourne is proudly home to the world's most unsuccessful bike share scheme.

Which is a shame in a lot of ways.

It has a lot going for it, a flat city, good cycleways, absurdly cheap rentals, and a very easy to use system.

But hardly anyone uses it, and I'll tell you why. The helmet law is credited with killing the bike share scheme.

Above, a long row of bikes forlornly waiting to be hired.

The system is so simple to use, and only $2.80 for the whole day - I'm sure that's cheaper than one ride on a tram. The cycleways are great - in many places they are kerb separated from traffic.

I am so going to do this next time I am here. This cycle rack is just opposite work and then there is an easy ride down St Kilda road to the great little cafe and generally bohemian St Kilda shopping area.

You can even get a helmet at the same time as you get a bike, many of the bikes have donated helmets, or even official ones that you can use.

Actually, not withstanding my earlier comments, it's a real shame that the scheme is so poorly used.

There's really no excuse.

If you're in Melbourne, give it a go - I know I will next time.