Haven't Biked For a Week, but Happy Thanksgiving!

This has been the longest I've gone without biking since I got the thing! Currently packing for Thanksgiving in San Diego. In addition to the rain, work and cleaning has also taken up some precious biking time.

Michelle's sisters from Maui will be staying at our place for Thanksgiving, so we're getting the place nice and clean. She's also been complaining about the bike in the living room so I stuck it snug in the corner for the time being.

One of my brothers in San Diego has a fixed gear bicycle, so I'm hoping to get little test ride while I'm there. It just needs his new chain put on. bleh. Will keep the blog updated. Anyway, gain some fat to burn later and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Through Waikiki, but Skipped the Ala Wai Mash

I rode to Waikiki today, but skipped the Ala Moana Mall traffic by getting on Kalakaua Avenue ASAP. I did the "To the Fountain" Strava Segment, went around Kapiolani Park, got on Kapahulu Avenue, then headed back home through Beretania Street. The edges of Beretania Street suck! Have I mentioned that before?

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 9.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 89 ft
Moving Time: 0:49:53
Max Speed: 32.1 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 11.3 mi/hr
Calories: 248

I went on the Keeaumoku Street bridge, over the H1, and the stop light at the bottom was GREEN. I pedalled as fast as I could with my hands off the brakes, and no hesitation. It felt pretty good hitting 32.1 MPH right off the bat. I then turned and headed to Kalakaua Avenue after seeing some traffic toward the mall and shot straight into Waikiki.

Waikiki was its normal self; crowded on the sidewalk, but with smooth flowing day traffic. I was satisfied with my brisk pace until I saw a triathlon bike pass me a few car lanes over. I picked up my speed, but of course couldn't catch up. Beaten, I headed to one of the beach benches to take a breather. I guess I should just be happy that it wasn't raining.

I got up after 5 minutes and started "To the Fountain". I was going pretty fast and was pedalling through my gears smoothly. I could feel my thighs burning at each click of the gear change lever, but I kept going faster. I was already dreaming of that fast time, having zero head wind and no debris on the bike lane. I noticed that the traffic on my left side was starting to back up and could see two scooters fully stopped in the middle of the train. I already knew what was going to happen next. Suddenly, one of the scooters swerved into the bike lane without looking back. I pressed my brakes pretty hard and the other scooter looked back and said sorry. There goes THAT time!

I was even more bummed out at this point and I didn't even want to continue with the "Ala Wai Mash" anymore, so instead, I turned onto Kapahulu Avenue. It wasn't too busy, and I just took it easy on the sidewalk. Kapahulu Avenue is home to the famous Leonard's Bakery where they make the best malasadas in Hawaii. I didn't buy any today though, and just stopped to take advantage of their huge sign's shade lol. I could smell the malasadas in the breezy air and left before I got too tempted.

I worked my way around onto King Street and took a right onto Beretania Street after hitting a fork. DREAD. Beretania Street is so bad that my bike lock's mount became lose and I was hitting the U-Lock with the left crank arm at each revolution. Good thing I had the lock's tool in my bike bag, so I just re-tightened the mount at the next stop light before continuing home.

My thighs were so sore after getting off the bike today, that it took a little longer than usual to get up to my 3rd floor apartment. I opened the door, brought my bike in, closed the door, got down to my underwear, and knocked out on the floor. END LOG.

Biked to Work!

I finally biked to work today! 5.8 mile round-trip. I went through the Beretania Dip again, but I was on the sidewalk the whole time :/

Strava Stats

To Work
Distance: 2.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 0 ft
Moving Time: 0:14:58
Max Speed: 23.9 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 11.4 mi/hr
Calories: 67

Back Home
Distance: 3.0 mi
Elevation Gain: 41 ft
Moving Time: 0:18:10
Max Speed: 28.9 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.0 mi/hr
Calories: 90

I kept telling myself to take it easy so I wouldn't sweat and end up stinking the whole day, but I just couldn't help crank on the pedals, especially when the street was sloping down. Of course I got to work sweaty. Good thing I rode with what I slept in and just brought my work clothes in my backpack. I parked the bike in my cubicle right next to me and it was a big distraction. All i could think about was the ride back home and my co-workers would catch me just staring at the bike through out the day.

On my ride back, I had to bring home some work and I swear I had an extra 50 pounds in my backpack. It seemed to have helped me gain some momentum down a hill though because I hit my highest speed yet of 28.9 MPH! Felt great. At about 3-5 minutes from the apartment, I got caught in the rain and I stopped under the freeway for a little while. When the drops became smaller I pedalled as fast as I could back home. So other than fenders, I think I'm going to need to pack some plastic bags to cover my backpack. hmm...

Ride Through Waikiki and Ala Wai Mash Part 2

All I could think about last night was riding through Ala Wai Boulevard again, so I decided to actually semi-plan my route this time. I decided to go on Kalakaua Avenue through Waikiki, past Kapiolani Park, and then back around which would let me ride the Ala Wai Mash one more time.

Circuit
Distance: 9.5 mi
Elevation Gain: 50 ft
Moving Time: 0:46:39
Max Speed: 28.5 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 12.2 mi/hr
Calories: 269

I spent most of my time on the road today and less on the sidewalk, partly because I got out of the house at around 8:30am. The roads were not too busy. The grade through out maybe 5 miles of the ride was 0.0% and I had a pretty consistent pace for the most part. There was a dedicated bike lane through Waikiki on Kalakaua Avenue that sometimes disappeared with an accompanying sign that told me that I could take a full lane. I ended up just mashing on the pedals every time I got to those sections in fear of getting hit from behind. There is a Strava Segment on this route called the Kalakaua Ave. Mash, but it has been marked as hazardous and the leader list for comparison is not available. There is also a quick half mile Strava Segment continuing on Kalakaua Avenue through Kapiolani Park called To The Fountain. I might have to run through this one another time though seeing that my time was more than double the fastest lol. I took a small break when I got to Waikiki Beach and snapped a quick photo facing toward last weekends Kakaako Park picture.

 

While riding through Kapiolani Park, I noticed a good number of cyclists going up a road toward Diamond Head. Of course I decided to follow them with little thought on the somewhat steep incline. Needless to say, I turned around about half a mile in after not being able to pedal anymore. On the other hand, I did reach a new top speed of 28.5 MPH going back down, thanks to the hill :D

 

I rode the momentum all the way to the start of the Ala Wai Mash segment to a RED LIGHT. Wow, perfect. I could have had a super fast start! Anyway, I started out rowing through all the gears smoothly. I moved my hands closer to the center of the handle bars as I got faster and tucked my elbows under my stomach which helped a lot with the speed. I was moving at a nice, fast pace until 2 cop cars appeared, blocking an intersection along with the bike lane! bleh. I guess I'll try again another time. I still got a PR (Personal Record) of 4:54 minutes though. Weird.

 

Well, now I have to go back to redo To The Fountain and Ala Wai Mash. Maybe there is a Diamond Head one too that I could do later when I get a little better :)

The Ala Wai Mash

Went out a little late today. I had to wait for Eki Cyclery to open at 9am to get the strut kit Jayne put aside for me yesterday. Then I had to get water. During my ride, I stopped by McCully Bicycle and Sporting Goods and went through Ala Wai Boulevard before heading home, totaling 7.5 miles.

Strava Stats

1st Half
Distance: 5.6 mi
Elevation Gain: 0 ft
Moving Time: 0:29:19
Max Speed: 22.8 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 11.4 mi/hr
Calories: 126

Back Home
Distance: 1.9 mi
Elevation Gain: 51 ft
Moving Time: 0:10:53
Max Speed: 20.4 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.4 mi/hr
Calories: 55

Before sleeping last night, I thought about setting some biking objectives. I told myself that for starters, I should ride around 10 miles a day during the weekends, and around 2 miles, or maybe even 30 minutes a day during the weekdays. I remembered that Michelle bought an Outdoor Products Kilometer 2.0 Hydration Pack Camelbak thing a while ago for hiking, and since I had around a 10 mile ride the next day, I should make use of it.

I headed over to Eki Cyclery after dropping Michelle off to work and picked up the strut kit for my rear rack. It was a great deal at $6.95. I also bought a Long Sunlite Bicycle Wheel Reflector Set for $3.95! Eki Cyclery is located on Dillingham Boulevard and carries mostly Raleigh, Schwinn, and Dahon bicycles. They have a great assortment of accessories with prices comparable to my favorite LBS. The staff is also very helpful and knowledgeable and if they didn't know something, they will admit it and not beat around the bush. I actually walked around their shop for maybe 30 minutes before checking out.

When I got home, I tried mounting the rear bike rack, but then realized that I was missing the mounting screws! Luckily, McCully Bicycle and Sporting Goods had them in stock for 50 cents each (When I got back home, I found out that these were the same screws on the bike already used for water bottle holders and accessories uhhh). I installed both reflectors on the front wheel and headed toward the store.

After getting the last of what I needed to attach the rear rack, I kept on going up King Street toward Kaimuki. It was a little scary sharing the road with cars coming from the freeway off ramp, so I stuck on the sidewalk. I turned right onto Kapahulu Avenue and headed toward Ala Wai Boulevard.

There is a nice, flat, straight bike lane on Ala Wai Boulevard that I've been wanting to get on ever since I got the bike and it was everything I was hoping for when I did. The road was nice and smooth and had a 0.0% average grade through out the ride according to Strava. I got some real satisfaction from pushing through the gears, knowing that it was ALL ME powering the smooth ride and not a downhill. Naturally, there would be a Strava Segment on this stretch called Ala Wai Mash which I got 158th place on lol. Pretty fun ride regardless.

Ala Wai Boulevard consists of a few stoplights that are usually green. Car lanes are to the left of the bike lane and designated parking is to the right, so watch out for opening doors. The bike lane ends a long ways away from the intersection crossing McCully Street and signs suddenly tell you that you can take a whole lane. Cars turning right with you in the intersection will start getting impatient, so be careful toward the end.

I take McCully Street toward my usual route, down bumpy Beretania Street and up Piikoi Street. The end. I want to go back ASAP!

 

My friend told me to take a photo on the drive side which I found out was the proper way of taking bike pictures so enjoy! lol

Where to Put Registration Sticker

My registration sticker came in the mail today, so I guess I am officially the new owner of this bike! It came with some application instructions on the back.

1. Apply decal to:
BICYCLES - UPRIGHT POST ATTACHED TO SPROCKET FACING IN FORWARD DIRECTION.
MOPED - LOWER PORTION OF THE REAR FENDER, FACING IN THE REARWARD DIRECTION.
2. Thoroughly clean and dry surface where the decal is to be placed.
3. Remove paper backing from decal by bending and peeling it off.
4. Rub surface and edges of decal until bubbles and wrinkles are removed.

That's great that they mention sprocket instead of gear (I've seen it mentioned as the correct term, but will probably never be popular enough for use), but where exactly are they telling me to put this thing? Upright post attached to sprocket facing forward direction??? It would have been easier if they just put a picture with an arrow pointing to the spot!

I think closer to the seat post is the most popular, but I guess just as long as it's on that upright section so it's easy to see?

When I was at the LBS the other day, a kid buying a bike with his mom asked if they can put it under the bike because it looked ugly. lol

Testing a Route to Work

I tried testing out a route to and from work, but instead just tested the way there. On the return trip home, I decided to take Ala Moana Boulevard which followed the coast instead of cutting through downtown.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 9.1 mi
Elevation Gain: 91 ft
Moving Time: 0:56:23
Max Speed: 24.9 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 9.6 mi/hr
Calories: 227

The ride to work took under 20 minutes and I would guess was about 2.8 miles. I rode through Beretania Street and had my first encounter with a Strava Segment. Strava Segments are routes that are created by Strava users. The segments are automatically challenged when ridden through. As of now, I am 111th/114 place through the segment titled, Beretania Dip. lol

The ride back was beautiful but windy! I never knew how powerful the wind could be while riding a bike upright. With my arms out on the grips of the flat low rise handlebar, I acted like a sail and seriously felt like I was losing at least 5 mph (probably more, I don't have a computer and I'm bad at judging speed). I decided to take a break from Ala Moana Boulevard, to avoid the wind and ride around Kakaako Park. I always see scuba divers here and there are stairs where you can walk into the water.  I think it's a rocky drop off (I don't really know what that means, but I've heard it before and felt it appropriate lol).

I rode the length of the sidewalk running along the coast and then went back on Ala Moana Blvd to head home. Of course I stopped by 7-11 to pick up some C2o Coconut Water before finishing.

Registering a Bike in Hawaii

I looked online for some information on registering my bike and basically, there isn't so much. Everyone is just repeating:

"All bicycles with 20 inches or larger wheels are required to be registered in the City and County of Honolulu" bla bla bla, but what did I need to do? Well first of all, DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT website. They list that the Kaneohe Satellite City Hall as being open on Saturday (which they are not) and that they do bicycle registrations (which they do not). Anyway, here's what you need to do if you purchased a bike from Craigslist and the bike has not been previously registered.

1. Note your Make, Year, Color, SERIAL NUMBER, Body Type, Number of Speeds, and Wheel Size.

1. You will need to go to a Satellite City Hall. Call whichever one you want to go to and their recording will say if they do bicycle registrations or not.

2. Once there, go to the table of forms and take the application for bicycles and mopeds. This is only one of the three forms that you will need. If the other two are not on the table, they'll be behind the counter and you will need to ask for them (I forgot what the forms were but just ask any person behind the counter for the forms needed to register a bike lol sorry!).

3. One of the forms will ask for previous owner information. The only things you will need to fill out are Craigslist for previous owner, and the date acquired.

4. Fill out the rest of the forms, get in line, turn in your forms, and pay $15! When you get your receipt, MAKE SURE THE SERIAL NUMBER IS CORRECT! They got mine wrong the first time. They will then tell you that your sticker will be sent in the mail and to call a number if you don't get it within 10 days. The number is (808) 733-2540 and it calls the Special Services Branch Taxicab / Bike / Moped.

Good luck guys and let me know if I got any of that wrong :)

My bike is ready for tomorrow!