arcellus

with all the weird threads and posts and whatnot going on around here lately, i just thought i'd take a minute to say that i think bikes are awesome. i don't stop to think about it too much, but when i do, i can't help but say to myself, "****, i love riding my bike."

that's all.

Sawtooth

I totally agree! I spent my entire commute home on Tuesday riding into a windy downpoor and getting drenched by passing cars but when I got home all I could say to my wife was "Man, I LOVE riding my bike!)

barba

50 miles today.

It was nice.

arcellus

riding home from a friend's house last night, tired, sore legs, 7 miles, lots of uphills, rainy, windy, no rain jacket or fenders (hey, it's spring right?) and all i could do was smile.

emeraldgreen

spring has finally hit portland, and its ****ing rad to wake up to sunlight and the understanding that although I have to go to work all day, first I get to travel those two miles between home and work on my bike.

wonderful.

arcellus

and stare at it all day while you're there!

humancongereel

lately i've been really pissed off at drivers and worried about safety and this and that, and i spend half of my rides cussing and worrying and this and that...and finally, the other day, i stopped. i just rode and it felt great. today i rode downtown, back home, and now i'm going to ride to work for my check, then to citybikes on 20th, then to work again and i'm looking forward to it. i can't wait to get done with my lunch and get the **** out of the house.

srsly

you pdx guys must be missing this "awesome" oyster grey sky and cooler-than-i'd-like breeze we're having the last week or so in seattle. even so, with the weather like this it's "refreshing" to go out for a ride.

karmical

its funny i have been thinking about this more and more lately, with all the rain we've been getting in the bay area, its had a strange effect on me, its made me ride more miles.

i had a guy in a car at a red light actually get out of his car during a heavy downpour the other day and really take off his hat saying that the rain has been keeping him off his bike, and that i have all his respect-

i love riding my bike

humancongereel

rain riding has its own nice aspects. you can hear cars behind you. you can hear them speed up or slow down. you can see headlights reflected around corners.

emeraldgreen

you totally got me on this one. although it makes the buildup to lunchtime better and better. by the time 1:00 hits, i'm singing see you later suckers with my sunglasses on. [except for today because it's pissing rain]

i must admit, although it's been totally rad to feel warmish even riding at night, I've totally been slipping lately on the pretending-it's-summer-and-riding-like-a-maniac tip.

case in point? ate **** HARD on the MAX tracks on wednesday even though it was dry out. In fact, the very reason why I'm posting midday is because of the giant swollen knee from said MAX tracks attack that just bought me a three day weekend.
what am I doing with my day off? just bought my roommate a bike for her birthday and rode it home. ha.

arcellus

i kind of enjoy it as long as i'm geared out. there's something peaceful about riding in the rain. sort of like walking in the rain, i guess.

Serendipper 

I realized with this recent spring, for which I'm grateful to be alive, that it's not just the bike. It's the whole experience of being outdoors, wind in the hair, braving the elements. No matter if its a bike, a horse, or a motorcycle, give me the open air, the ground rushing beneath me, and the sky above me, challenging the supposed greatness of my existence with its awesome spendor and relentless majesty.

arcellus

**** yeah dude, **** yeah. (i'm not quite as verbose as serendipper)

humancongereel

damn those max tracks! me and my girlfriend both ate **** on them a week apart. and i've eaten **** on them a couple of times before, and once i didn't eat ****, but i did an evil nollie or whatever. endo. yeah.

emeraldgreen

jesus! I'm hoping to have this be one-time thing.

like, know thine enemy. my enemy? max tracks.

arcellus

no problems with the max tracks yet. the streetcar tracks, however, are the bane of my existence. i used to live on nw 18th/northrup and worked in ne. every day, riding up from the base of the broadway bridge, i'd have this internal dialogue with the tracks,

me: "okay tracks, you just stay on your side, and i'll stay on mine"
tracks: "so be it, but lest you stray a bit too far southward, YOU'RE MINE!!!!"
me: "bbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrwwwwwwwwaaaaahhhhhh"

humancongereel

yeah. thing is to cross at an angle. even then...my girlfriend and i were crossing tracks near our house on interstate, where the road sort of crosses the max tracks at a 45 degree angle. still don't know how we both ate **** there.

emeraldgreen

yeah, I admit i was totally not paying attention to the tracks that got me. although in a cruel twist of fate, I WAS [kinda] paying attention to some other tracks.

for the total blow-by-blow go to vclce.blogspot.com

enough about max tracks! back to how rad riding you bike is!

marqueemoon

There's a set of tracks I cross every day that I swear every cyclist in Seattle has a story about.

arcellus

yeah, bikes are totally sweet.

jim-bob

I haven't ridden since sunday. I got a root canal and caught the flu, and I'm going totally bat**** crazy.

sloppy robot

which tracks?

Rikardi151

Here in philly some of the trolley tracks have cobblestones between them. WORST OBSTACLE EVER. Especially in the rain, i went down the other day on slippery cobblestones. I always try to cross them at like 25 degrees or more, but sometimes a car door opens up, and you dont have time to think. they SUCK

stendhalian

still getting over a flu and jet lag of 14 hour flight from frankfurt to vancouver...managed to get a nice ride in today. i'd say about 25 km. spring is here!