14 days.
14.4 miles.
0 accidents.

So I've had my bike for two weeks now. Getting to the coffeeshop this morning was much easier than the first time, so there's a noticeable improvement in leg fitness, even though I've only been able to ride every three days or so, on average.

The farthest I've gone is still only about 1.5 miles, so I have a ways to go before I can make it all the way to work -- about 6 miles. There is a PATH connection near my apartment, and I hoped to get on and ride for a significant amount of time this weekend, but we're getting the outer reaches of Tropical Storm Fay and I don't want to get caught in the rain.

That's something I'm going to have to deal with though, eventually. I can't expect to go car-free without getting wet once in a while. Really wet.

I did find some good biking maps, thanks to the folks at Intown Bicycles. They pointed me to the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign maps, which highlight bike-friendly roads around town.

Within the next two weeks, I plan to have accomplished a ride of at least 6 miles. I'm not sure I'll be ready to ride to work (downtown is still a little frightening), but I want to at least be able to cover the distance.

For those still reading, here's a video I recorded using a Gorillapod attached to my handlebars:

Bicycle POV from curt on Vimeo.

Atlanta roads may be bad, but they’re not that bad. So I replaced the knobby tires that came on the bike (L) with smoother road tires (R).

I didn’t know exactly what size to buy so I bought a pair of 26x1.5 tires — they looked right at the store. I got them home and had a bit of a scare when I saw that my wheels were 26x1.75. I called the shop back, though, and they assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem.

I haven’t had a chance to ride on them yet. By the time I got them on and pumped up, the afternoon showers had rolled in.

Continue reading

I finally bought a bike.

I've been telling myself I would get a bike for more than a year. I finally overcame the inertia and found a good one on craigslist.

I brought it to Sopo Bikes and I learned how to patch and change a tire, along with some basic maintenance stuff. When I got it back home, I rode it to the nearby grocery store to pick up a few things.

My goal is to eventually be able to use the bike instead of a car for most trips. We'll see how it goes.

I need to extend a hearty thank-you to all the people who offered me advice and help as I started my search: Thanks UHX folks and the others who let me bug them via e-mail.