The nose...

I realize that my topic may make some squeamish. That's not my goal. If reading about perfectly normal bodily functions bothers you, please turn away now.

I have mentioned many times that this is my first winter where I am riding consistently. One weird thing I have noticed is that my nose runs almost non-stop while I am out in the cold.

It's been bothering me. I know it is normal, but I wanted to know why it did that. So, I headed to the google to check it out.

It turns out that the nose tries to warm up the cold air before it enters the lungs. To do this, the blood vessels in the nose get wider. Wider blood vessels produce more mucus. That mucus has to go somewhere.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle...

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A fuel cell bicycle?

While doing some random internet searching, I came across this bike:

It almost looks like a rocket bike with those jet packs on the back. Actually, it is a hydrogen fuel cell bicycle. Of course, I went straight for the snark. Why would someone spend $3000 on a bike that would do the work for them? I mean, you can get a motorcycle that might have a little more speed for that much money.

Then I got to thinking. There had to be a real reason for producing a fuel cell bicycle. So I checked out the company, Horizon Fuel Cell Technology.

My snark was replaced with, "Gee-whiz, that is a good idea."

The idea behind this bicycle is that bicycles are needed to prevent congestion in major cities. Building a fuel cell car does nothing to address the problem of congestion. Another issue with the car is the amount of money and effort that goes into building one. The company believes that spending their resources on many bicycles rather than one car is a better bet. They even have a fancy picture that makes their point.




Interesting concept. I am curious to see how this plays out.

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3 Feet Please

I found this today (click on the picture to visit the website) while looking around various cycling websites. I wish I was paying more attention so I could give credit to whoever called my attention to it. It seems like a pretty good idea. I don't really believe that most motorists want to do us harm. Maybe a little visual reminder will help.

Check out the media section of the website. I am surprised by how closely the cars pass him in the video. Personally, I think that video should be used to show why you should not ride on the shoulder, but I do not know the specifics of the route. He may have a good reason for doing so.

I'll probably get one once the weather gets a bit warmer here. There's really no point in me getting on now. It will be covered by a jacket for the next three months. Plus, I blew my cycling budget on a rain cape earlier this morning.

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2008 - A review

The original purpose of this blog was to highlight my utilitarian trips by bicycle. I have always enjoying bicycling, but I did it more as a sport or pleasure. It was occasionally a mode of transportation. If it was a really nice day or my car broke down, there was always the bike.

In 2008, I changed that. I looked at my bike as the first vechicle and my car became what I used when I could not use the bike. The only thing I miss about driving is listening to the radio at ungodly loud volumes.

I really began slowly. It was a trip to the grocery store or church. Then I would try school every once in a while. Eventually, I began riding to school every day. There were times in 2008 that my car sat in the driveway for more than two weeks.

By the end of 2008, I had ridden a hair more than 3000 commuting miles. (I did not count pleasure rides.) That is more than 1000 more miles than my original goal. To put that into some sort of perspective, I put roughly 6000 miles on my car during 2008.

There are a number of things that I learned throughout the year...

• Those white lines that are painted on the road to tell the cars where to stop get very slippery in rain.
• There is nothing better than riding in a snowstorm.
• Riding with kids is awesome.
  
• There is an art to dressing for the rain. I have tried more than once to create a post about it, but I have a hard time putting it into words.
• After a while, the cars really do begin to get used to you being on the road.
• The worst thing about doing a blog is the guilty feeling about not updating it.
• The second worst thing the shamelessly promoting it.
• I really need to take better care of my bike chain.
• Other than my email, the only website I check every day is Yehuda Moon.
• There is a certain peacefulness to riding everyday.
• If I do not ride, I start to get crabby.
• Golf courses have a funny smell.
• Beer tastes better after a long ride.
• Beer tastes better during a long ride.
• I can carry anything I want on the Xtracycle.
• Secretly, I like it when people are amazed that I rode on a bike.
• I really need to get my backspace key fixed on my keyboard.

2009 has the potential to banner year for me. I have some great plans. I hope to share them with you all as they happen.

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Coffee to go - part two

A while back, I did a write-up on a coffee mug I was using for commuting. A year later, I am on my second mug.

The first one broke because I never did get around to making it fit tighter in the bottle cage. I was coming down a hill and hit a rather bumpy area. The original bottle bounced around and popped out of the cage. The stainless steel part was intact, but the plastic lid was in pieces.

If fixed that problem. Version 2.0 is fixed up with an old bicycle tube and electrical tape. Surprisingly, all the mug needed was the little bit of thickness under the rubber grip. I added the tube down the sides so that the rattle would not drive me bonkers.

So far, this setup has held up very well. I have used it every day since the weather has turned cold without a problem.

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A belated David Babcock update

back in July, David Babcock was shot and killed in Toledo. He was a first-time bicycle commuter. This case really bothered me because I used to ride the area he was killed. It's been almost ten years since I have moved from Toledo, but I still recognize the area as if I had never left.

I would even ride the area at the same time as him. To imagine someone killing another person for no real reason is mind boggling. The story was that Dounche Jones was attempting to rob Babcock, but he resisted. So Jones shot him in the face. Nothing was stolen.

Jones was caught because he was overheard bragging about the murder to his friends. Two separate people heard this and went to the police. There is plenty of hope for people doing the right thing.

During a three-day trial at the start of the month, these two gentlemen and seventeen other witnesses presented their case to a jury in Toledo. It took two hours for the jury to return a guilty verdict. Having served on a few juries, the case has to be pretty open and shut to return a verdict in two hours.

A few days later, 20-year-old Dounche Jones was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after 18 years.

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SmartLock

I found an interesting lock while playing around on the internet this morning.

SmartLock is a cable lock that has cores of compressed air and liquid running through its body. If cut, the liquids spray out over the perpetrator, his tools, the bike and the scene of the crime. A bike that has been stolen will be covered in coloured dye (the dye renders the bike undesirable and therefore unsellable) as well as transluscent Smartwater - an invisible forensic property marking liquid.

I like the idea. You can see a video of it in action here.

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