Fifty Plus (50+) - By Golly...Maybe He was Right!!!

Our local weather dude claims that March 1st is Meteorlogical (SP?) Spring. He says Dec., Jan., and Feb. are the three coldest hence the winter months....and Mar., Apr. & May are the in-between months hence it's Spring.

Well since I had to go to work last night anyway I opted to try taking the Trek. Son-of-a-Gun, the roads have popped up out of their icy tombs and the sun was shining. Now March is generally when we get our most notable storms but what the hey, I'm going to keep on riding, at least for now.

I even marked the occasion with a couple of pics. WARNING: These are photos taken at my workplace and are somewhat depressing. The old Company ain't what it used to be but who cares about that stuff when one's riding their bike?

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/Bikes/IMG_0004A580.jpg

Here's the Beast tethered to the bike rack, er...what's left of the bike rack. I don't mind trudging through the snow but that rack!?!?



http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/Bikes/IMG_0005A580.jpg

Another view from in the snow. I'm not too thrilled about that smoking area right at the bike rack either. I've lodged a few complaints but I get the impression that I'm just being ignored. Kinda like "Oh, here comes that wierdo with the bike again."

So this is my first Spring ride and I logged a whopping 13.4 miles round trip.

I always pretend that March means spring here in Utah. On Sunday (Feb 28) stoker Malkin and I took advantage of the nice (40 degrees and dry) weather for a 50-mile tandem toot in honor of my 50th birthday. Yesterday, we both commuted on our single bikes.

That all being reported, we are not fooled by Mother Nature. This is Utah and it can snow in July if it wants.

Cheers!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/Bikes/IMG_0005A580.jpg

Another view from in the snow. I'm not too thrilled about that smoking area right at the bike rack either. I've lodged a few complaints but I get the impression that I'm just being ignored. Kinda like "Oh, here comes that wierdo with the bike again."

Looking at that sign, and thinking of the baling wire thread makes me wonder if you might discreetly select a better location for it, and with some nippers and a couple of short sections of baling wire, improve the situation.

Maybe it's just me but I would take the bike inside. Is there some sort of rule that you are not allowed to do that?

What a difference a year makes. Yesterday, March 2nd, the high temperature here was 53 degrees. Someone reminded me that one year ago, on that same date, it was 93 degrees. And that's not the record high for March 2nd here. In 2006, it was 94 degrees. I'm in no hurry for a 90 degree day, but it would sure be nice to at least see some 70's now and then.

Maybe it's just me but I would take the bike inside. Is there some sort of rule that you are not allowed to do that?

Knowing where Cranky works, I'm absolutely certain he can't. It won't fit through the security turnstile. (See first pic.)

As for me, I took the studs off this morning before going to work this afternoon. Yee hah!

This week is my first week at a different library across town. Part of the reason I put in the for transfer was for the longer commute. So far, I'm diggin' it.

God bless you cranky ole riders up in that snow covered waste land. You are a hardy bunch. I so ashamed of my its gotta be 40 degrees before I ride rule. And this winter, I only missed two rides for weather. You're as tough as anyone I know.

Maybe it's just me but I would take the bike inside. Is there some sort of rule that you are not allowed to do that?

TSL's absolutely correct. No how, no way could I take my bike inside the gate. Believe me, many of us have requested that the rule be revisited. I would love to feel secure in riding any of my bikes to work but the company just won't hear of it.

One of my past supervisors was in favor of allowing bikes inside and even told us where we could store them indoors if the rule ever got changed. We couldn't get anyone above his level to even listen to us. Now his replacement just laughs at the thought, in fact this clown is so backwards that I wouldn't be at all suprised if he decided that we should all drive to work as it would be safer!

I rode in again today in glorious sunshine. It was a balmy 37F and the roads were bare and dry. Ahhhhhhh. :)

God bless you cranky ole riders up in that snow covered waste land. You are a hardy bunch. I so ashamed of my its gotta be 40 degrees before I ride rule. And this winter, I only missed two rides for weather. You're as tough as anyone I know.

TSL's the tough one. I wimped out this winter and have only just now gotten back on the bike.

Our local weather dude claims that March 1st is Meteorlogical (SP?) Spring. He says Dec., Jan., and Feb. are the three coldest hence the winter months....and Mar., Apr. & May are the in-between months hence it's Spring.
Another view from in the snow. I'm not too thrilled about that smoking area right at the bike rack either. I've lodged a few complaints but I get the impression that I'm just being ignored. Kinda like "Oh, here comes that wierdo with the bike again."

So this is my first Spring ride and I logged a whopping 13.4 miles round trip.

I usually call it spring if we get one or more days with a temperature above 10℃ (~50℉). I remember when they first started banning smoking in the workplace, one company put the designated smoking area on the 12th floor. The smokers were jumping for joy that they didn't have to go outside to smoke, until, they started looking for the 12th floor, which is a full storey above the roof! I've noticed that a lot of buildings now state that there is no smoking within a certain distance of entrances either.

They should simply move the bike rack, actually there are some very nice racks made now that would look nice, allow more bicycle parking and take up less space. One of those 10 bike racks on a car parking space would work really well. Leave the smoking area where it is. Find out who holds the reigns to the building maintenance budget, get some rack suppliers to send you some information, your interested in two pieces of information, how much is the space required and how much does it cost (including shipping/delivery), pictures are nice. Now on a weekend, take a tape measure and go find a place for the new rack, maybe draw a map to show where a new rack would go. Measure the old rack while you are there. Now pay the maintenance budget person a visit. It's a lot easier to get a change made when all the person in charge has to do is issue a PO. Especially if it's cheap enough that they can just bury it with other things. If they don't like the cost of a new rack, then show them a couple of places where the existing rack could go. I saw one home made rack where they took a length of steel pipe, a couple of elbows and some other lengths of pipe, they buried the lengths of pipe into the ground, leaving about 1m exposed, added the elbows and the longest section of pipe in between, then welded the whole thing together, making a rather large flat U shape, nice and secure bike rack.

TSL's the tough one. I wimped out this winter and have only just now gotten back on the bike.

Thanks for saying so, but I'm not so sure.

First, my new, much, much, longer commute is a whopping 9.3 miles round-trip. Most of this winter was on the short, old, barely worth it commute. Next, I live just that much further from the lake that I get less snow than you. Third, I don't have to deal with traffic on 104.

Of course, the big thing is that having disposed of the car back in '99, I don't have a lot of other choices. It's ride the bike, or don't go to work. It sharpens the focus nicely.

Thanks for saying so, but I'm not so sure.

First, my new, much, much, longer commute is a whopping 9.3 miles round-trip. Most of this winter was on the short, old, barely worth it commute. Next, I live just that much further from the lake that I get less snow than you. Third, I don't have to deal with traffic on 104.

Of course, the big thing is that having disposed of the car back in '99, I don't have a lot of other choices. It's ride the bike, or don't go to work. It sharpens the focus nicely.

+1 no car no ride. got that right. I dumped the car a couple years back. I only regret it once in a while. Like this morning. 30 deg. and breezy. very long train stopped at crossing about 4 miles into my 11 mile commute. nearly froze waiting for it to start up again. the alternate route is way out of the way. had hoped the train would pull out sooner than later. it was later. feet are still thawing out. brrr...

Well, our snow from a month ago is almost gone and we are at almost 50 F with sun today and may be getting close to 60 F by Sunday. Better than the last two years after a tougher winter. Howver, the cherry blossoms may be delayed.