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Old 04-20-15 | 04:40 AM
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Jim from Boston
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Joined: May 2008
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50+ Commuters: Say Something...

Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
About your bike, your commute, or your philosophy on life.

Post something you feel the youngin's ought to know. Don't be shy, they look up to us... even if they don't realize it yet!
What do you say? But since you asked, I’m introspective about my cycling lifestyle, and I use Bikeforums as my journal. From previous threads:

About the bikes, from ”How many bikes do you own?':

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
The Road Bike is a Specialized S-Works, and the Mountain Bike is a Connondale; I forget the model (not currently here at my workplace). I also own the remains of my beloved, unrideable Bridgestone RB-1 totaled in an accident. The police are asking me what I want them to do with it.

From, ”Describe your commute”:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Kenmore Square, Boston to Norwood over 30 years

Route: Reverse commute from downtown on four different routes of a minimal distance of 14 miles, each defined by a different hill; can expand to about 30 miles to train
Environment: In order of hill difficulty: Gritty urban, pleasant suburban, pleasant urban, ritzy suburban
Hills: One moderate hill on each route, then smaller hills; estimate only about 1-2 miles flat
Frequency: Variable over the decades; currently about 50% in winter; 75% nice weather (work is an obstacle)
Bike: Specialized S-WORKS CF Road Bike; Cannondale beater mountain bike (fenders and Marathon Winter studded tires)
Bike name: NA
Cargo: Ortlieb panniers on the Cannondale; backpack on the S-WORKS
Helmet / Mirror: yes and yes (left and right Take-a-Look eyeglass mounted mirrors)
Destination:
Parking: inside about 100 feet from my desk, directly through a door from the outside
Cleanup: shower facilities; place to hang clothes, and a table fan available to dry; for most of the time I wear surgical scrubs
Amenities: coffee shop and cafeteria on site; almost all my personal service needs like barbershop, dentist, dry-cleaner/tailor, supermarket and drugstore, and good take-out restaurants are all within walking distance of work, or a short hop on the bike; bike shop two blocks away
Alternative Transportation: train, car, bus, taxis, car rentals, Zipcar, place to stay comfortably overnight.
The philosophy of life question is more ethereal. This is probably my most profound answer re the cycling (commuting) lifestyle. From, ”what makes cycling so much fun?:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
My magic moment when I realized what makes cycling fun (important) to me was at a lunch with two doctors about 20 years ago. We got to talking about the vicissitudes of life, like sudden death, or trival symptoms as harbingers of a serious disease. We eventually came around to that old chestnut to live life to the fullest everyday.

As we were leaving, the surgeon, a marathon runner, said, “Well, any day with a run in it is a good day for me.” I was already an avid cyclist and cycle commuter, and that clicked with me, any day with a ride in it is a good day for me.
If interested I wrote my cycling autobiography as my Introduction to Bike Forums, updated since 2008.
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Last edited by Jim from Boston; 04-20-15 at 04:46 AM.
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