Goodbye, Sad Bicycle

I found this old bent-up bicycle in the alley a couple of years ago, intending to rescue the Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hub and put it to good use. Instead, it sat in the yard.

But I finally managed to give it away, and not only did someone use the hub but he was able to salvage the frame, and now his wife rides it. :)

University of Minnesota Cyclists Get Screwed, Again

I wrote a letter to the editor of the Minnesota Daily about the above situation, and they ran it, yay! I'm reprinting it here too:

With the closure of the Kolthoff Hall sidewalk and the walk-only restrictions on the western silver bridge, it is once again impossible to safely get from the Washington Ave bridge to north of Washington on a bicycle. I find it hard to believe that the University consulted with any cyclists on closing the silver bridge, as it is unnecessary and focuses cycle traffic into the Washington/Church intersection, thus creating a dangerous concentration of bicycle, pedestrian, and motor vehicle traffic on the southwest corner of the intersection.

I submit two alternative approaches:

1. Replace the "Bicycles Dismount" signs on the silver bridge with a 5MPH speed limit. There is plenty of room for cyclists and pedestrians to coexist on that bridge in light summer traffic, and a 5MPH speed limit would allow ticketing of reckless cyclists (who are the real motivation for the closing, I would assume).

2. Close the west silver bridge to pedestrians and leave it for cyclists - the east silver bridge is a short distance away and unsuitable for cyclists anyway due to the stairs.

I realize that construction is disruptive, and we need to share the burden. But forcing major disruption on cyclists while while other modes are largely unaffected is not sharing.

Bus to St. Paul Campus

There's a dedicated busway from the Minneapolis campus to the St. Paul campus. It was opened to bicyclists too a few years ago. Here's one.

First Bike Commute of the Season

First bicycle commute of the season was yesterday. It wasn't too horribly cold (over 40 F when I left the house). If I'd had my act in gear, I could have started Monday, but I didn't. Second commute of the season was today. My bum has gone soft over the winter, apparently.

I'm really glad to be back on the bike. I find it very satisfying to be getting in a reasonable level of daily exercise. Over the winter, my daily commute is a walk of similar duration, but it's not as rigorous, and the scale reflects this. One of my goals for next winter is to stay more active and avoid my seasonal weight gain.

Project 100, #64.