Category Archives: Article

by Toni | February 5, 2011 · 9:21 pm

Why would someone ride in the rain?

“Mommy, why would someone ride a bike in the rain?”

The little girls voice was behind me, still walking up to the door of the Pines Hills branch of the Albany Public Library. The mom hushed her and they hurried inside out of the weather. It was an interesting question, even more so since a little kid asked it. I was standing there under the roof taking a moment to catch my breath, sheltered from the rain, before I locked my bike up.

It caught me off guard.

Why did I ride out in the rain today? I am not a hardcore cyclist. I tend to not ride in the rain, cold, or snow. That weather, goodness, is not really my thing. I tend to go for the sun streaming down on hot roads and tank tops.

I really don’t know the answer to why I rode out today in horrible weather. Maybe it could be because I went on a ride last night for Friday Friday. Or, maybe the library is so close that I didn’t want to drive. A better answer would be there are rarely parking spots on Saturdays and several cars did the loop around the building before leaving. Those all would have been good answers for today, but why would someone normally just ride in the rain?

I rode in the rain today because I wanted to. I missed being on my bike and it felt good to get back in the groove. There really isn’t a reason that the weather should hold me back. Winter is way too long in the northeast to stop riding. Or at least for me it is.

Why do you ride in the rain?

Written by Toni

4 Comments

Filed under Comings and Goings, Winter Cycling

by Christopher | February 3, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Amy Poehler Spotted At Interbike

Since when does actress and comedian Amy Poehler work for CatEye?

Written by Chris Belsole

Use The Other Lane

Do these words not mean anything to anyone anymore? I was riding into work today excited as I took the bus the last two days because of all the snow. Although I probably could have rode the second day due to the actual amount of snow we got being blown way out of proportion of what they were predicting. I rode in the left lane most of the way because the right one was full of snow and I did not want my bike to be a big pile of slush by the time I arrived at work. As I was riding a car passed me on the left. He literally went into the other side of the road to pass me. Then another and another after that; each one closer then the one that preceded it. I considered taking the lane, but the middle of the lane was full of snow. Now, I don’t know if everyone is familiar with Western Ave. west of N Allen St., but there are two lanes, and instead of using the other lane most cars decided to merge into oncoming traffic to pass me.

Maybe I was at fault using the left lane instead of the right, but if there is another lane that is not in use why would someone merge into oncoming traffic to avoid me. I know the rule of “Don’t pass on the right,” but I would rather someone had pass me on the right today then get into an accident while passing me.

Written by Chris Belsole

2 Comments

Filed under Article

by Christopher | February 2, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Late Winter Advice

Sure winter is almost half over, but it is never too late to get some good advice. Street films has a great video about Chicago suburbanites commuting through the winter with all the amenities.

Written by Chris Belsole

Pannier Problems

I love this site BikeHacks.com. There are a lot of neat tips and tricks that you can do with spare bike components or if you are into DIY projects. Here is something we can all do. All you need is a floppy bag that does not fit right as a pannier and some cardboard. It is a pretty simple solution to a pretty common problem.

Coroplast Bike Pannier Assist