Dark/Lonely Ride

Did a ride from work (Burlingame, CA) to home (Milpitas, CA). Started late so it got dark fast. But no worries, had my Dinotte 200L to light the way and a 140L in fast strobe mode to fend off any cars thinking of getting too close. Temperatures started to cool but my base layer wind blocker kept the cold air at bay. The ride was uneventful. At least I had my iPod shuffle to entertain me and it kept my cadence steady at 90+ rpm. I passed one other cyclist on the way home.
Ride Info: 44 miles, 2:15:00
Avg pbm: 159

Not a very good shot of my dinotte 200L in action (setting on high)

Bike To Work Day

One day in the month of May is "Bike To Work Day". The purpose of the event is to promote cycling as a form of transportation to the workplace, to celebrate those who bicycle commute throughout the year, to demonstrate an environmentally friendly transportation option, and to promote clean air.

Normally I commute home from work, but on this day I chose to ride to work. The bike of choice for the event? My Xtracycle. Used mainly for errands around town I figured it would be a good day to ride it all 45 miles!

My Xtracycle is ready to go!

One of many typical Energizer stations set up during "Bike to Work Day". This one just happens to be along my route.

4K Reached!

It's hard to believe that December 1st marks logging 4000+ miles on two wheels for the year so far. November is the month that I logged 704 miles, the most I ever did in a single month.

With Christmas lurking just around the corner, I expect December to be a low month. I will be off every Monday till the end of the year. Mondays are usually one of my bike commute days. Its also has been getting much colder in the mornings, making me want to make some excuse to drive into work. I will just have to stay focused.

Product Review: Ultra GatorSkin

As of today, I have over 600 miles on a pair of Continental Ultra GatorSkin tires in 5 weeks. I have been using 700x23 size tires from different manufacturers, and this is the 1st time trying out a 700x25 tire size. I have used Continental tires in the past, Grand Prix, SuperSport clinchers & Sprinter tubulars. So this brand of tire is no stranger to me.

After making my commitment to commute, I knew I would be needing a good set of tires for the task. Continental came to mind after having used this brand in the past.

First impressions of this tire? Wow! What a smooth ride! I can't seem to get over on how smooth and comfortable these tires ride! On my commute, there are sections of road that just beat me up. The Contis just seem to soak up those bumps eagerly. It's hard to believe that the size change from 700x23s to 700x25s could make such a difference. Running over debris on the road is still nerve racking, but the Contis just take the abuse with no complaints.

The tire size does have some drawbacks, mainly in the handling department. The front tire tracks well on hard turns, but the back seems to be a bit loose when pushed hard. I have not yet experienced these tires on wet conditions but I will update this review when or if I do.

The first day of use, I got two flats on the rear tire, once going to work and then again heading home. I blame myself for those flats for not using a brand new tubes with the tires. The original tubes had two or more patches on them already and they leaked where the patch was. Since I replaced them with new tubes, its been no longer an issue.

The tires are constructed with a wire bead on all available tire size offered. If a foldable tire is desired, only the 700x23 size is available.

Specs:
Tire: Ultra GatorSkin
Size: 700x25C
Color: Black/Black
Weight: 300g
Recommended Inflation: 95 psi
Max Inflation: 120 psi

Commuting by Bicycle

My commute by bike one way is about 29 miles one way. Time wise the bike portion of the commute is about 1 hour 30 minutes give or take 15 minutes. The round trip commute makes for a good workout.

The commute is basically a flat ride with the exception of the short climb on the Dumbarton Bridge. Most of the commute is on the San Francisco Bay Trail with some portions of the ride that require me to use the public roadways.

With the use of my Garmin 305 HR GPS unit, I finally made time to plot my route with pictures on EveryTrail.

You can see my route with pictures here at Bike Commute at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Travel Community