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Bruce
& Betsy Blais |
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Bruce's Interests - Bike Commuting Having gotten "hooked" on mountain biking and the fitness benefits, I began exploring ways to ride more. Richardson and Plano have some nice bike paths that keep you away from traffic and I was able to find a very nice route to work using them. Two or three days a week I now commute to work via bicycle. Use the links to the left to learn more about my "ride", my route and some of the logistics about my commute. My "Ride" is a 2007 Trek MultiTrak 7100 Hybrid. I chose this bike for commuting because it was fairly light, durable and had both a suspension fork and seat post. The suspension, along with an upright riding position, makes for a comfortable ride. I use a bell that is very effective in moving walkers to edge of the trails. I also have a trunk on a rack that holds tools, spare tire and tube, and a spare headlight. My headlight is a Cateye Ultra halogen. Since nearly all of my route is lighted, it is basically there to allow me to be seen. The taillight is a PlanetBike SuperFlash. This light is bright enough to be seen in the daylight. For pedals, I use BMX style platforms with studs that engage running shoes quiet well. My route is right at 20 miles and runs between SE Richardson and SW Frisco. There are a number of bike paths in Richardson and Plano, and these keep me off the streets for the majority of my commute. Depending on the amount of wind and direction, the ride time varies between 1:05:00 and 2:00:00. My average time for still air is 1:15:00. The most common logistical question I am asked is what do you do about cleaning up when you get to work. Since I do not have a shower available, I rely on wet-wipes. These work very well, and I commuted for 2 weeks in mid-July before anyone at worked realized it. On Mondays, I drive in and take three days of clothes. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, I bike commute, and on Fridays I drive in and carry my laundry home. I also carry my notebook computer in on Mondays and back on Fridays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, I carry my lunch and other small items to the office in the trunk. On the way home, the trunk is usually empty and that gives me a place to carry my extra cold weather layers back in the afternoon.
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Version 0.2, September, 2009 |