Weekly Ramble

This is a common sight at my work. There are cable locks, and U-locks, on fences and racks all over the parking garage. They are stiff, and the plastic casing on the cables is weather-faded and cracking. There are layers of dust and grime on the locks from years of neglect. Some of these locks have been there longer than I have been commuting by bike.

In the years that I have commuted, I have never seen a bicycle locked up using these locks. I always wonder why they are abandoned? Are they the cast-off results of a failed new year's resolution or bike month challenge? Were the keys lost, or combinations forgotten? Did the owner ride his or her bike to work one day, only to decide that the effort was not worth the reward. Putting the bike away in the garage or shed, forgotten and unused as the locks they left behind?  The answer may never be known.

I wonder why the locks are not cut off. It is easily apparent by the dust that the locks have not been touched in years.

Perhaps one day when I go out to head home, the locks will be perfoming their intended function by securing bikes. Or the locks may be gone, leaving me to speculate if the owner finally retrived their lock, or the owner of the garage finally got tired of the locks decorating the fences and cut them off.

Back on the Saddle Again

Today was the first day commuting by bike since Christmas Eve.

The 2 week hiatus was brought on by a miserable head cold that wouldn't leave.  The fact that it occured during the same time as the coldest week of the year was nothing more than pure dumb luck.

Getting back on the bike proved harder than I thought it would. I kept on saying things like "The air is crap, my throat and lungs can't handle that right now". Plus, heated minivan seats are soooo nice - especially when the morning temp is in the single digits.

But the bike calls, and I could no longer ignore its siren song. 

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone." My wife said to me.  True enough, I don't have to prove anything to anyone - which is why I stopped using Strava (another story for another time) - except for myself.  So I found myself this morning making sure that my lock was in my bag, pulling on my cycling shoes, bundling up, and rolling down the driveway on my trusty Motobecane.

You can only ignore the siren call for so long...

Neglect

The word of the day – more like the past month – is neglect.
I’ve neglected my bikes, I’ve neglected riding, and I’ve neglected this blog.

My basement is in complete disarray, all of my bikes need some kind of maintenance, and they are patiently waiting for me to get around to it. The workbench is cluttered with used water bottles in need of a washing, tools and assorted parts. And, the cycling-related laundry is starting to accumulate.

I’ve only been on one decent ride in the past month and a half. I haven’t even been consistent in going out for the weekly Saturday morning ride with my friends.

Most obvious to you, I’m sure is the scarcity of posts in the past month. I have three blog posts – reviews of products that I have been given or loaned – that I need to write, but haven’t found the will to write them yet.

I’ve fallen into a slump and I’m having trouble climbing out of it. It’s almost like a seasonal depression, brought on by daylight savings, shorter days, and the start of the school year.

Yesterday, the wife and I went for a drive up the canyon to take a look at nature’s palate of fall colors, and all I could think of was how beautiful fall riding is, along a tree-lined trail with the leaves falling from the trees, and the crunch of them under my tires. Maybe that is what I need to lift me out of this slump, Maybe the desire to ride through the changing colors of fall is enough to get me to stop neglecting things.

Maybe…