Draggin'

The mighty dragon raised his head, ready to unleash a fiery death upon the town dwellers below. But wait; what's this? A lovely young maiden stepped from the crowd. She offered herself to the dragon, pleading that he spare the others and take her instead. The dragon was so taken by her beauty, that he began shedding tears of joy. Unfortunately, his tears were so massive that they flooded the town and all perished...
Oh, wait...you mean "dragging", not "dragon", huh? What I meant to say is that I have been dragging the last few days. I was feeling so rundown yesterday that I could not pull together the strength to ride in to work. Had to admit defeat and take the car. I know I should not complain, but the heat in San Diego has been unforgiving. After days of it, I am completely drained. It just has been too hot to get a good, restful sleep. Sometimes, as much as I hate to admit it, I need a break from the normal bike commute.
So, what do you do when you're just too tired to ride? Commuters can be notorious for riding in "no man's land". We are riding in a constant physical effort zone that does not offer much physical improvement, but is a hard enough effort to wear us down over time. Alternating easy and hard effort days can help. On the easy days, ride at a pace that feels too easy, maybe even guilty. Use lower gears and spin easy. On the hard effort days, push it a bit and throw in a few really hard effort bursts. This can help to "wake up" your muscles. I'll admit that I am a victim of "no man's land". I find it difficult to ride easy when I have to get to work, plus I have hills to climb, no matter what. But, I am trying to be aware of it and force myself to ride easy on the easy days. Altering your route, even by just taking a different side street for a block or two, can provide the visual variety you need. Bike commuters will often seek out different routes to work or home. Sometimes even a longer route can be just the change to revive the soul.
If you are already worn or burnt out, go ahead and skip a day or two. Take public transit if available, bum a ride with someone, take the car if you have to. You body needs to recover or it will only get worse.
You know it's true - eat right and get plenty of rest. Riding takes a lot of energy. Make sure you are replenishing you body of the water and nutrients it needs. Riders just starting out may not realize how much more food they need to eat. Just make sure it is healthy food. You'll need carbohydrates and protein. Eat sensibly and you should be fine. Commuting by bike does not give you the excuse to eat an extra doughnut or cookie at work, although I have been guilty of it once or twice.
If you are more mentally than physically tired, a non-commuting type ride may be in store. After work or on the off day, plan a leisurely ride with no real time commitment. It can be a planned destination ride or just a wondering ride with no set route. Either way, this is a ride to break away from the daily got-to-get-to-work-right-now routine. Let you body and soul rediscover the pure simple joy of riding a bike.

Ride to OB

My DD and I recently took a bike ride on the OB bike path. It now starts on the east side at Hotel Circle. The path is a nice, flat ride right into Ocean Beach.

Are Bike Commuters Happier Than Others?

Article here from Planet Green. For the most part, I would say we are. There are the physical benefits that translate psychologically. It also depends on if you are commuting by bike because you choose to, or if you have to. Individuals getting around on bike because they cannot afford any other method may not be happier because of. For them, it is just a hard fact. But, in general, for those choosing to bike rather than driving or public transit, odds are they are happier for it. :-)

Quiet Streets

The ride in today was nice...quiet streets for most of the commute. Why? The K-12 public schools finished up the school year yesterday! My ride in to work takes me near the elementary and high schools. What a difference in the amount of traffic with no school. Hard to imagine how may parents there were driving their kids to school! Oh well, I will enjoy the summer commuting while I can.

Financial Woes Trump the Cycling Whimsy

Financial woes have forced corporate to pool all money together, so the cycling whimsies will be put on hold. It is time to go extreme ghetto. Instead of an Xtracycle, we're now going to have a go at bucket panniers. It's a far cry from the load carrying capacity of the Xtracycle, plus you cannot give other people a ride on buckets, but at least it should allow for trips to the grocery store. There are plenty of ideas and designs on the internet about converting buckets into panniers. Here are a few...
IBIKETO - http://www.ibiketo.ca/guide/how-tos/how-make-panniers-out-buckets
Crazy Guy on a Bike - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets
Instructables - http://www.instructables.com/id/Best_Cat_Litter_Bike_Buckets/
Wheel Revolution - http://wheelrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/05/bike-bucket-diy.html

Carrying the Load - The Answer

Just checking on the Xtracycle site, and I believe this confirms the answer - the Xtracycle is the way to go to haul musical equipment.
Ben Sollee is on a 330 mile tour through Kentucky and Tennessee to raise awareness for poverty, carrying his cello on an Xtracycle. The tour is documented with some great video, complete with some of his performance at each stop. If he can carry that huge cello for 330 miles, I think one can carry just about anything on an Xtracycle. Way to go Ben! Best of luck to you.

Carrying the Load

Musicians, how do you carry your instruments if you cycle? Do you strap it onto your back? Strap it to your bike? Use a trailer? Use an Xtracycle? I am looking into carrying an electric guitar (in its hard shell case) and a practice amp (weighs about 30 pounds). I'm thinking this would be a good reason to get the Xtracycle (one of these days...), or rig up a trailer. Any musicians got a cool solution?