Bike storage construction, 'my' bike ramp and reflectivity

For some time now, I've been reluctant to store Fizz in the office building's bike storage area. They've been doing some serious remodeling and the workers are not timid about moving a bike in a rough fashion while it's still locked to the racks. I'm certain that's how my clip-on  rack basket got twice damaged: when someone lifted Ruby by the basket instead of grasping by the rack or saddle. I was able to repair it with Threadlocker, but I've learned to remove the basket while it's in storage.
When I've made appearances in the loading dock where the bikes are stored, the construction workers make joking comments that they're working on "A bike ramp: just for you!". I laughed this off, surely this ramp will be multi-purpose and serve as a delivery entrance too.

Well, the ramp and new entrance are almost finished, here's some shots.

The old ramp is discarded in the foreground, made of metal, steep and slippery when wet.

New, concrete ramp with a more forgiving grade. It just needs a railing.

The new door to the new ramp.

Ruby, on the left, is covered in construction dust.

Old entrance.

So, while all this is going on Fizz stays stored in my office in addition to the custom-logo bike rack. I've been making changes to Fizz too. While I absolutely refuse to put reflective stickers on Fizz's frame or fenders, I have no issues with making components and accessories reflective.
Now that the basket's been repaired, I can use it again, and I really missed having the rear basket. It's perfect for trips to get takeout lunch and keep it level and leak-free.

I love my rear basket.

A Portland Design Works reflector/fender light was installed by Thick Bikes and I attached two large reflectors with zip ties to the rack basket:

A slow moving vehicle triangle and reflective tape added to the Fly6 mount:

I added iron-on reflective tape to my rear saddle bag. 

I've got a few FIKS: Reflective stickers on my helmet and my Timbuk2 bag has a huge reflective band and shoulder strap.

 The Rickshaw basket bag comes with a large reflective band.

My u-lock holster (on the front rack) and seat-post barrel bag came with reflective strips. 

SHA-POW!

Where'd I get the supplies?
Reflectors, 3M tape and refective safety tape: Home Depot... in the mailbox section.
Iron-on reflective tape: Fabric/Craft store... Michael's or JoAnne
Helmet stickers: FIKS: REFLECTIVE
Bags: Timbuk2 and Rickshaw Bagworks

The Hi-Viz Pink Cyclist Club: the vest

It was inevitable: the hi-viz pink reflective vest. I hate the orange, I'm at peace with the yellow, but I really wanted a pink one too.

I really love my Endura jacket, but the thing's BLACK. I prefer to more visible... much more visible. I like a nice hi-viz reflective vest over it.

Finnegan checks out the new duds

Reflective mode: ON! *SHA-POW!*

You might see that Endura added some reflective piping to the jacket. Can you see it? It's near my wrist. Look closer.
Yeah, that tiny bit of reflective piping doesn't meet my needs.

I can't wait to wear it about town.

The aspiring Doris

Am I the Doris wanna-be? Am I already a Doris and denying my Fredliness? If so, when did I enter the realm of Freddom? Was is when I donned the dorky reflective vest? Is that like the green blazer of the Masters golf tour? There are many aspects of cycling I'm not familiar with and still need/want to learn, so I'll consider myself The Aspiring Doris for now.

I love these blog posts by women also embracing their inner Fred:

http://echointhecity.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/life-with-a-hardcore-cyclist-the-seven-fredly-sins/
http://highonbike.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/please-call-me-fred-2/

Credit: blogger extraordinaire Echo in the City

I realized just how Fredly I am when last night I took Ruby out in my neighborhood. The roads around here are very residential and very seldom see roadies or Freds. It's very hilly so you won't see a senior citizen on a cruiser. You may see a child learning to ride on training wheels, but the hills keep the kids off the streets. These kids won't even walk up our driveway to get candy on Halloween, they sure aren't going to ride a bike up these hills.


I rode around a few of our streets, finding that I loved the hills because the ride back down them let me get up to a whopping 24 miles per hour. That felt delightful. There were no cars on our streets because everyone was indoors watching the Penguins playoff game. I had the streets nearly to myself. Out of habit, I was signalling turns. I stopped after a few turns as there was no one around to signal to. I felt silly.
It was dusk, so I made sure to bring the lights and vest. I was lit up like, well... a Fred. I felt out of place here, anyone that I'd seen on a bike around here was just in a tee shirt and shorts, perhaps wearing a helmet.


The sight of a cyclist with a bright headlamp and blinkies was alien out here. One of the few cars that passed me took a long look. I also know Hubby's going to hear from some of our neighbors the next time he's out walking the dogs and stops to chat... "Hey, was that your wife we saw riding around the other night? With all the lights and bright yellow vest?" 


I decided I was well-lit enough for a quick hop on McMurray Road.  No drivers honked or buzzed me. It wasn't so bad, my mettle must be stronger than I thought.

My pannier runneth over!

This morning, I'd loaded the Monster and brought her into the office from the garage at home. I'd wrenched my back getting the 40-plus pound behemoth onto the rack. Great, just what I need!

I started out to the Strip for some produce, I was completely out of bananas. I need to eat at least one banana a day. Emergency banana run! I looked at the radar and decided it probably wouldn't rain, but I took my waterproof jacket and wore waterproof pants too.
Surprisingly, getting on Ruby loosened up the knotted muscles in my back.

I finally attached both my Chasing Mailboxes patches.

I wish I had brought the raincape, because as soon as I left it started pouring and didn't let up for a good 50 minutes. I bought 25 pounds of fruit and vegetables, the non-waterproof pannier was heavily-laden not only with food, but rainwater.















Yesterday, I saw Yale zipping down the trail near the office and I wondered if he would encounter hubby as he was due to arrive at the office any minute and he walks the trail, sure enough they ran into one another and Yale asked him when he was going to start riding with me. Hubby told him that my cycling was "Her time". Looks like I won't be getting him on a bike anytime soon.

Safety!

Even my dog is hi-viz and reflective!

I'm getting very close to 1000 miles for the year. I should have it wrapped up later today.

          

Cop Corks Friday Flock, dualities and The Pedicab Races.

Friday started off with an early dismissal at work which meant I was free to ride all afternoon before Friday Flock. I met hubby for lunch and we ate outside at the Casino and I watched the cyclists on the RiverWalk and folks paddling about on the river go by.  I hate eating at the Casino, but he loves it. I loathe having to run the gauntlet of smoke to get to the buffet he set his sights on. He'll endure anything if it says 'all you can eat'.

Hubby and I went our separate ways and I went back to base with the intention of grabbing Ruby and being on my way, but leg cramps prevented that. I spent 45 minutes stretching, massaging and walking off horrible calf and foot cramps that had me in tears at one point. It's my own fault, I spent the past two days not drinking enough water and eating poorly. The cramps subsided finally and I was able to get over the the South Side and then back into town and taking the Strip/Polish Hill route to Oakland for the Flock of Cycles ride. I probably could have taken Panther Hollow, but I wasn't sure if I was able to ride up that hill. That hill looks like a doozy.

Friday Flock

I hit Oakland just at 5:45, grabbed some Afghan lamb and rice at Conflict Kitchen before heading over to Dippy where we assembled for a ride that ended up at a wonderful ice cream shoppe. In tow were Yale, Stu, Terry, Marko and many regulars. A few of them thought it novel that I wore a dress. I don't really see what's so remarkable about wearing a skirt or a dress on a bike.

A group of motorcyclists thought our group was picture-worthy and they hooted and waved to a fellow 'biker gang' as we rolled by them.
Our group even got a special corking near Homewood Cemetery/Frick Park by a police officer who turned on the light bar. That was awesome ².

The officer was thanked by every one of us, I think.

Parking all of our bikes in one block of Shadyside proved challenging. We got creative.

The cone I had didn't give me a roller-coaster blood sugar ride. That's the mark of good ice cream: not so much sugar, but lots of fat. Ah, milkfat goodness.

Upon exiting the shoppe, I realized I had never been in this part of the city on a bike. I would have to figure out how to get back. In. The. Dark. I didn't even know whether left or right would get me closer to Downtown. I was completely disoriented. I enlisted my phone's navigating app to guide me and it took me down Baum to Liberty and on to the Strip. Whew. Thank you, technology!
On the way there, I stopped in Bloomfield to remove my jacket and put on my reflective vest when a man came over to me after two girls (also wearing skirts, FWIW) on bikes had passed and told me he had wished they were wearing reflectives and lights like I was. I looked up and sure enough, the girls had become nearly invisible just half a block ahead of us. Ninja Chicks.

I felt twinges of thigh cramps coming back while riding through the Strip and I was thankful they didn't fully cramp up while I was trying to ride. I clearly need to take a day (or two) off to let my legs rest and re-hydrate myself.

Being the outsider

On my way past the ballpark, I felt out of place being outside the park while it was full of fans and much noise emanating from them. It was odd, but even more interesting was the dichotomies of the dim silence that was enveloping me where I was.... on a dark bridge, above a quiet river and no traffic around me and the noise from the far off cheering fans in a bright stadium that would wash over me in waves as some exciting play would rouse them in unison. It made me smile as I filled my senses with sound, light and breathed in deeply the smells of the river and our lush city.

Pedicab Races

I passed many pedicabs waiting for the game to end and for their fares to come pouring out of the park. I suddenly found myself in a rare moment where I was able to manage a burst of speed; this would be 16-17 MPH, if you're keeping score. My normal pace is the 10-11 MPH range. I zipped past a lumbering pedicab and the driver shouted up to me, "You're making me look bad!".  I smiled and gave a sorry-shrug back at him. Another pedicab had a fare of 3 in the back of his cycle-rickshaw and they decided it would make good sport to race their cab against me as we waited at a light. I gave them a good show of getting into a low-built-for-speed position and donning my best steely-eyed competitive glare before setting off at a speed just fast enough to over take the sluggish rickshaw.

Bruise mystery solved.

I've noticed a mysterious pattern of bruises on my right knee and I had trouble determining the cause.

Where are these coming from?

Oh, the shifter. *BONK*

They started after I moved the saddle forward. It doesn't hurt when I knee the shifter paddle when I dismount, but I guess I bruise easily in this spot and I'll have to put up with brown and purple spots all over one knee.


A wonderful day, 33 miles.
Coming up: several days of rest for my legs that were torn apart by muscle cramps.

FIKS Hexalate reflective stickers

It's no secret that I love being reflective, being seen. I love Fiks Hexalate stickers.
I was frustrated with my inability to get the stickers nice and straight and in any semblance of a pattern on the Lilac Monster. My 'patterns' looked awful. I discovered a trick from a Japanese site where they used masking tape to get a nice, perfect pattern. I'll demonstrate on Ruby:

Cut the pattern you wish to use

Place masking tape on the stickers

peel the backing off

Press the stickers onto the bike

Peel the masking tape away....

....and....

Viola! Perfectly aligned Hexalate pattern!

Lightweights Flex Tape

I purchased this Lightweights Flex Tape heat transfer reflective tape some time ago and haven't gotten around to working with it until tonight. I'm allergic to my ironing board, so this wasn't a project I was enthusiastic about undertaking.

I tested out a few pieces on a cheap hi-viz orange jacket that needed some reflectivity.

It was surprisingly easy to use.
















Presto! Slow Vehicle Triangle thingy:

I decided to add reflective tape to my gaiters too:

I'll be interested to see how well the tape stays on the gaiters, they take a lot of abuse and washings.

UPDATE: 2 weeks of use/abuse and one wash and trip through the dryer.

I see some cracking on the gaiter, but it seems to be holding up overall and still reflective.

There's no such thing as 'too reflective'

Can you see me now? I like to glow. The mornings are getting darker and I felt the need to up my visibility. The crappy light I bought for my handle bars did nothing but illuminate the inside of my basket, so I took the advice of fellow cyclists and bought a Busch & Muller Ixon headlamp. This thing is awesome. Thank you German engineers! I can actually see where I'm going *and* drivers can see me. 
The reflectors are from 3M, FIKS and RydeSafe. Too much?