Benefits of a bike rack

In addition to helping you get in shape, saving you gas money, and freeing you from using oil when possible, riding a bike makes beer taste better.

A Day Off

Taking the day off from biking to DJ a friend of a friend's wedding. When love calls, you answer.

Sunday Ride

One of Crisi's and my favorite times together is our Sunday bike ride. Today, we joined up with Jacob, Bingham, and Angie for a decent 16 1/2 mile ride on the Greenway, stopping periodically to water up. While talking with Crisi about how hungry we were at the end of the ride, I brainstormed a great idea that I have no idea how to make come true.

See, people on the Greenway get hungry, but there is only one restaurant accessible by bike path: Sal y Limon, the new gringo Mexican joint that replaced Fiesta Acapulco (no, I don't consider Dodge's Chicken a restaurant.) I propose that the restaurant offer a discount to people who travel by bike, similar to what the Red Rose (RIP) used to do. Sal y Limon would probably get more business, and I would get a Speedy Gonzales for under $4. Win win!

Come to think of it, most businesses should offer discounts to those of us who don't want to drive. We are saving space in their parking lots. Make it happen, Murfreesboro. Let's incentivize bike travel!

(I know this is preaching to the choir. Can anyone help me with this?)

The Maiden Voyage

For my first video installment of The Hesher's Joyride, I made a short video of my trial run to school on bicycle and talked a little bit about my experience on the way. Enjoy!

Music: The Futureheads, "A to B"

For transcripts, please write to:
The Oprah Winfrey Show
PO Box 909715
Chicago, IL 60690

The Gear

Being married to a planner has really benefited my life. Grocery lists are made before we get to the store. Vacation plans are prearranged, usually with Groupon discounts on restaurants and random fun. I mean, in Las Vegas, we knew where and when to get cheap sushi, what casinos had the best odds and lowest table limits, and how to get show tickets for cheap, and none of that was thanks to me. Crisi makes the plans, and all I have to do is pay for it and enjoy the ride. Pretty sweet!

So, when it comes to planning out this bike commuting experiment, I feel like I should take a page from Crisi’s book and prepare a gear list. For your reading pleasure, I will now think aloud everything that I will need to be ready for a day of school after a 4 mile ride:

The clothes:
- T-shirt, tennis shoes, athletic shorts, Crocs for the ride in and the ride home
- Clean button-up shirt, khakis, belt, dress socks, dress shoes, occasional necktie

Nourishment:
- 2nd breakfast for when I get hungry (‘bout 9:30, before my first class starts)
- Lunch (I avoid the cafeteria except in the most dire situations)
- Snack for after school and the bike ride home
- Water bottle

Bike:
- Helmet
- LED lights for front and rear of the bike
- Bell
- U-lock
- Mini air pump
- Spare inner tube
- Tire lever

Toiletries (to stay at school:)
- Deodorant
- Hair jelly (I’m a Dapper Dan man)
- Aftershave lotion
- Wrinkle releaser
- Washcloth for freshening up

Extras:
- Cell phone
- iPod
- Chapstick
- Classroom keys (very important)

This sounds like a lot, which it is, but half of it will be attached to the bike or stored in my classroom closet, and the other half can be packed the night before. The only question is, “Where will I get my coffee in the morning?”

If I forgot something or you have some suggestions, comment below!

A new resolve

It all started with a bike rack. A $20 cheapo find on Craigslist, the sole remnant of a cruiser bike stolen from some dude's apartment in the West End of Nashville. After a failed attempt at home installation, I took the rack to MOAB along with my Trek Navigator and had it modified and installed for $15. Suddenly, a realization hit me - maybe I can commute to work some this year.

Then Google maps came in to play. After playing with the route, I found a safe, 3.9 mile residential path between my apartment and Siegel Middle School. A new resolve was born - I will attempt to commute to work for 25% of the school year. That's 45 days, 360 miles, 14.4 gallons of gasoline saved, $50 extra dollars in my pocket, and hopefully an inch or two off of my spare tire. Maybe 25% is a little low for a goal, but I gotta start somewhere, and I hope to exceed it.

So this blog will be about new challenges, my adventures on the road, and the day-to-day grind of a first-time bicycle commuter. Check back on me, and maybe I'll see you on the road.