Blog Entries for Commuter Files

Prototype Commuter lights

commuter@bikeman.com — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0100

I came across one of the coolest safety lights for commuters. Even though it is still in prototype, it has a lot of promise. I mean how many times have cars nearly swiped you with mirrors or worse yet doors! This rear light has a red light for safety and two green lasers that produce bright green lines on the road surface about 3 feet on either side of the bike creating your own bike "lane." I hope this product eventually comes to fruition. See the video .

Cool iPhone App for commuters

commuter@bikeman.com — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0100

I know it's been a while. It's actually been a while since I have actually commuted. I was laid off from my full-time job a bout a month or so ago. But today I took out the Casseroll to ride to a meeting downtown. Man it felt good. Yeah I have been getting in some miles on the road bike, but commuting is different. There is more of a sense of purpose. Going out for a 40 mile road ride is just for enjoyment, you would never go out for a 40 mile loop in the car every day for fun (if you do [...]

New Salsa Casseroll

commuter@bikeman.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0100

The new ride came in and was it ever worth the wait. Now I'm not just saying this because I love my Salsa bikes. This Salsa Casseroll Single Speed is a dream to ride. When I picked it up, I was a little thrown back by the size of the tires on this thing. They are ginormously wide--Continental Contact 37 !! Wickid huge pal. But those things can take some serious pressure and I've got them jacked up to 115psi and they roll like nobody's business. And they roll over everything--crac [...]

Bike to Work Week

commuter@bikeman.com — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Nothing marks the passage of Spring like the annual Bike to Work Week . In a strange twist of fate, it happens to fall on my birthday week this year. So in lieu of all the hundreds of gifts and well-wishes, please just get out on your bikes, ride to work and leave those cars garaged. I have been trying to recruit a few more people to ride this week, but so far the regular excuses keep coming up. One of them actually said it was too cold. Oh dear lord.

In early Spring, I like to re [...]

The New Spring Fashions?

commuter@bikeman.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Well it's been a while. Last week I had my first ride home in shorts! I was trying to think when the last time was--I bet I have to go back to October. Man, that's a long time to be wearing tights or rain pants. It was nice to just change out of shorts and a jersey. Those extra layers really add to the changing time each day. Some days in the winter I think I spend more time looking for clothes, putting them on or washing them than I do actually riding. But no more. This weekend we'r [...]

New Ride on the Way

commuter@bikeman.com — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Well I did it again. I just couldn't resist. I may have a problem saying no to bikes. But an offer came up that I couldn't refuse. Just look at the new Salsa Casserole and tell me that I did the wrong thing. Ok then. Here's my reasoning: The Redline 925 has been a great bike and will continue t be one. However, I will need to get another set of wheels after this season. They've taken a beating in the wet, salt and sand of the winter. So I would probably drop a good chunck of c [...]

Retired old bag

commuter@bikeman.com — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:00:00 +0100

I originally purchased my first Patagonia Critical Mass bag in 1999. A lively
bright blue beauty with one large main compartment, one inner
compartment and a smaller outside compartment. At the time, I thought I
could get into bike commuting in Boston (perhaps riding a couple of
times a week to save on my lengthy walk from the commuter boat to my
office), so I needed a sturdy bag to haul my clothes, dress shoes and
showering items.

I slowly began to bike [...]

A January Thaw?

commuter@bikeman.com — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Not sure when this thaw is coming, soon I hope. It's fargin cold, no two ways about that. Last week we had two days below zero--the lowest was -14 here in Portland. Now my old limit was -15--on days this cold, I would try to start up the car and drive in, but I think that limit is too tame. Granted, there was no wind last week so eventhough it was cold, it was tolerable with the right clothes. I actually overdressed on the -14 day. I wore a poly filled down jacket and I was soaked by the [...]

You don't light up my life.

commuter@bikeman.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Hard to believe that I was so smitten with my light just a few short weeks ago. I went to turn it on last night after a very long 12 hour day at work. I was beat. I clicked the power on...nothing. I tried to unplug it from the battery, replug it in, pushed the button several times all with no success. COME ON! It's nearly 9 p.m. and I have to ride home in the flippin rain, again, now with no light? How is it that my $25 Cat Eye rear flashing light has made it through 3 cold winters, dozen [...]

A Bad Day Turns Around

commuter@bikeman.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Last Tuesday was shaping up to be one of those days I didn't want to ride in. This was entirely weather related. The wind was gusting out of the East at 30-35 mph with sustained winds at at least 20-25 and heavy rain. Slapping on the rain gear I would hear the wind howling outside. I live in a fairly sheltered area, so I knew I was in for a beating. It didn't start off too badly, at least I knew all my rain gear could take the abuse. The fixie was gonna be the issue today. One gear in th [...]

Is Anyone Out There?

commuter@bikeman.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 +0100

So where the hell did everyone go? All of those folks who started riding to wok this summer have gone back to their cars? Just buy a light, the fun continues even after darkness falls. I have a theory (ok it may be unfounded, but a theory nonetheless) that it may be safer to commute home in the dark with the appropriate lights. My rear flasher can be seen up to 600 yards away--no joke. And it has 4 different flashing modes to mesmerize even the most inattentive drivers. My front headlight prom [...]

Fiat Lux

commuter@bikeman.com — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Fiat Lux. I took four years of Latin in High School. Although I don't consider it a total waste of time (calculus takes that cake) I'm able to intersperse little phrases like fiat lux into my daily life. It basically means "let light be made." So as we creep towards the bike commuters darkest time of year, I would like to share my initial thoughts on bike lights. You can check back to my last year's blog post for the lights that have failed me in the past. I also got som [...]

Summer Rants

commuter@bikeman.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I have a bunch of little rants this month--a few things that have been bothering me. But, I throw in some nuggets of joy as well:

I hate cigarettes. Some jackhole threw one out the window after blowing a big puff of smoke as I rode by him. How gross is that? I let out a big cough and a "thanks chubs" and apparently the dude heard me because he said he was sorry. But come on, stop throwing that crap out the window. I guess littering goes along with the stupidity of smo [...]

Vacation

commuter@bikeman.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I'm on vacation this week which means no commuting. I'm feeling like a blob and really feeling the pinch of that whole gas thing. Neither my wife or I have to buy gas to get to work (she works from home) so it was a real shocker to fill up a tank for $60 only to see it drain away on a long car trip to Southern MA. I remember the days early on in my career that I was commuting an hour and twenty to get to work. It was 52 miles one way with $1.10 in tolls. What a huge waste of time and res [...]

Horrific bike crash (not me)

commuter@bikeman.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100

My friend sent me a link to perhaps one of the most horrific bike crash photos I've ever seen. I just can't imagine how something like this can happen. A group of racers are essentially bowled over by a drunk driver in Mexico, killing one American and injuring ten others. The driver, a 29 year old, fell asleep while drunk at the wheel.

I've seen a couple of different crops of this photo and on this page it shows a police vehicle, which was being used as a pace car, swervi [...]

The Perfect Ride

commuter@bikeman.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

The perfect ride. It's a little routine I go through when I have to take the short route home to at least make it interesting. Some days, I just don't feel like riding home. It's a strange thing but by the end of the day at work sometimes, I just want to crash and chill out with a beer. But one thing that I've found that's nearly unattainable on my way home is this "perfect ride."

Pretty simple really, I try to make it home without stopping at all for [...]

White Bikes

commuter@bikeman.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0100

So it's Spring here in Portland, Maine. Where the hell are all the bikers? I've seen a few more in the morning, but not a total flux of morning commuters. I had such high hopes this year to see more people out there. I mean $3.58 for gas? Holy chainsuck. Come on folks, what will it take?
I hope all it takes is a the White Bike program I'm helping start at my work. The concept is not new. Folks in Europe have been doing it successfully for a long time. The concept is to provide [...]

Fix it and forget it

commuter@bikeman.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:00:00 +0100

There have been a lot of changes around the Magoon household in the past few weeks. New baby, new job are a couple of big ones. But the biggest one in terms of biking is my conversion to fixed gear. I know I've been writing about how my freewheel has been crudding up due to the weather, well it totally died, violently. So I was all ready to get a new freewheel, but since the Redline 925 came with a flip flop hub, I thought I'd give it a try.

My main concern was not the consta [...]

Put away wet

commuter@bikeman.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:00:00 +0100

As I've mentioned several times, it's been a rough year for commuting. And not just for me, for my poor bike. I was able to do some much needed cleaning of the Redline this week as I actually had some "down time." My wife and I are celebrating the birth of another baby girl! So I am at home this week. In between diaper changes and naps, I managed to sneak into the garage to clean of the trusty steed. My seemingly new bike is looking pretty beat.

Cleaning a bike [...]

Splashdown

commuter@bikeman.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Another stellar week for bike commuting. Monday was clear and fairly warm with temps in the 20's so I actually got out the road bike and took a longer route in. It was nice to see some of the old summertime haunts along the way. It wasn't so nice not to have the studded tires because I did come upon some icy corners that scared the crap out of me at 20mph--ooops. No down time though, so that was good.

Tuesday, here we go again with the sleet and rain. It felt like tiny daggers o [...]