Biked to Work! 3

Today was the first time I rode since I got back and each way was a different experience.

Strava Stats

To Work
Distance: 2.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 0 ft
Moving Time: 0:16:10
Max Speed: 28.7 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.4 mi/hr
Calories: 86

Back Home
Distance: 3.0 mi
Elevation Gain: 43 ft
Moving Time: 0:14:13
Max Speed: 33.6 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 12.5 mi/hr
Calories: 115

I usually get out before 6:45am, but I didn't head out today until about 7:30am. I took the reverse route of my previous ride from work to get to work today and it was a bad idea. Kinau Street has some really thin sidewalks and there were so many pedestrians, that I must have said excuse me at least 100 times! Kinau is a one-way street funneling the freeway along with a few other roads, so I'm sure the rush hour traffic didn't help me any. I think my next purchase should be a bell. On top of that, it felt like every stoplight I came upon stayed red for at least a minute each! The ride was not enjoyable at all :( I arrived at work 3 minutes before 8am. 4 more red lights and I would've been late!

I had to stay a little longer at work and the sun was already down when I decided to head back home. The timing ended up being perfect though because downtown Honolulu was not busy at all. I rode on King Street and had the left most lane all to myself for the whole time and it felt nice riding on one of the smooth main streets of downtown. I wish I could have ridden a little longer, but I had to turn left and go to Michelle's mom's house where they were waiting for me to eat dinner.

Michelle drove to her mom's place and for some reason, I had a feeling that she would want to race me back home after eating. We were maybe a mile away, and I had to go back on Kinau Street, which is not such a bad street going with the flow of traffic. Cars are parked close to the curb along the left and the right most lanes and they create makeshift bike lanes between the cars and the next lane over. I can usually maintain a 20-30 mph average while moving out of the way of fast moving vehicles. I had a chance of winning, but I had to stop at two crosswalks and to re-adjust my lock's bracket (The crank arms started hitting the bike lock). I don't even know when I tightened it last. When I got home, Michelle was already out of the car waiting for me.

2 more rides before I save that gallon of gas!

Black Mountain Bicycles

Before heading back home today, my step-dad and I took a trip to Trader Joe’s to get the usual pasalubongs (Tagalog for souvenirs/gifts). Hawaiians love Trader Joe’s and I mean LOVE! Anyway, right next door was Black Mountain Bicycles and my step-dad asked if I wanted to check it out. I didn’t because I was running pretty late (what’s new), but I wanted to check out Trek’s entry level road bike.

They’ve moved since I last stepped into their store and they’re now at 9860 Hibert St. Their new location is super huge with their products nicely spaced out, and they carry mostly Trek and Specialized bicycles along with a few other brands. 

An employee brought down a Trek 1.1 for me to checkout and I found out 52 cm fit me pretty well. He told me that the 1.2 would be a better deal though because the 1.1 still had an aluminum fork, while the 1.2 and most other newer road bikes had carbon forks. He also mentioned that most of the other components were upgraded. He didn’t have one on the floor, but he said that they could build any bike that they carried for me to checkout without any commitment to buy since building bikes was what they did. I told him no thanks since I was just visiting, and we looked around a little more.

I thought my step-dad had caught the road bike bug after showing him the bike I had and what I wanted, but after taking a turn at the next display, we were greeted by the BMX section! Maybe my brother will have his road bike with an adjustable seat by the time I visit again lol.

Can I Ride a Bicycle on the Sidewalk?

I was surprised to hear how much confusion there was on the rules of the biking road after my coworkers found out that I had started riding.

A few of the better comments I got when they first found out were; "Oh, you're one of those people." or the subtle, but sweet, "I hate your kind!"

After the initial, playful judgement, we got to talking about what they disliked about the general biking community and a good amount complained about bikers going on the sidewalk.

While I did complain about this during my boring pedestrian life, I am now a well informed rider and I am here to inform YOU! Well when you're in Hawaii anyway.

The most basic rule is, "Bicycle riding on sidewalks is prohibited within a business district (such as Downtown Honolulu, Waikīkī)." This is straight from the government website! Business districts are areas where the majority of store fronts are offices, retail, shops, restaurants, etc. So if this is the case, get on the road or walk your bike!

Things get a little more confusing on roads like Ala Moana Boulevard though where sometimes you're next to the water and then sometimes you're next to a business building! In cases like these, I suggest you try to use the bicycle lane when it's there, and just be very cautious when it disappears and you DO decide to go on the sidewalk instead of the road (I cannot be held responsible for your actions lol). I ULTIMATELY suggest staying on the road, for the city's sake, but I know how crazy it can get over there during rush hour.

Some things to keep in mind while you're on the sidewalk are, ride l0 MPH or less, and alert pedestrians before passing. If you'd like to read up on other common riding courtesies in Hawaii, please go to our government website here.~> honolulu.gov/dts/bike_regulations

Stuck Inside because of the Rain

I use to love the rain. Sleeping, working, eating, etc. felt so much better while it was raining, but now that I have an outdoor activity, it sucks! I really want to get fenders, but would that even make me want to go out in the rain? I feel like it would just be more for when I would have to ride to work :/

Max Speed 26.7 MPH!

 Improved my max speed today.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 1.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 95 ft
Moving Time: 0:10:39
Max Speed: 26.7 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.4 mi/hr
Calories: 67

I was suppose to just ride around the block a few times tonight to keep things safe, but I immediately got bored after only one round and headed straight up the next hill I saw. I definitely switched to low gear for that one WOW. I'm getting a better hang of when to switch and which lever to push, but I still get confused with the front derailleur levers and always switch low when I want to switch high or vice versa. Cars were zooming by relatively fast when I got to the T at the end of the road. I waited until I couldn't see any more and then turned left down the hill. I started switching gears and got to the max of the rear derailleur pretty quickly, so I went for the gear change with the front. Right when the lever clicked, the pedals started going super fast! I panicked and started pressing levers like crazy until the gears started to grab again. WHEW! Wasn't too scary, but I probably could have gone faster! The road was so unfamiliar and poorly lit though that it was probably a blessing in disguise that I didn't. Anyway, max Speed 26.7 MPH! lol

Rode a Little Farther With the Lights Today

Really got to test out my lights today. Rode 2.9 miles through the neighborhood after the sun went down. The front light of the Bell Radian Light Set didn't do too bad. It looked a little washed out in the city lights, but did pretty well in less lit areas. I set it to it's stobe mode and it was noticeably more visible under the bright lights. I might buy a second set. I didn't get rear ended, so I guess the rear light worked ok.

Strava Stats

Circuit
Distance: 2.9 mi
Elevation Gain: 41 ft
Moving Time: 0:16:15
Max Speed: 21.0 mi/hr
Avg Speed: 10.9 mi/hr
Calories: 74

When I rode through Beretania Street on Saturday, I noticed how bad the road actually was. The one mile I rode through today wasn't any better. If they're not going to put any dedicated bike lanes on these streets, they should at least make them smoother. I had a hard time hugging the curb in fear of hitting a pot hole. On my route, I also went over two bridges going over the H1. The first one was on Mc Cully Street which had a bike lane, and the second one was on Keeaumoku Street which didn't. Sidewalks were pretty narrow too and would have been inconvenient if there were pedestrians. I'm sure the pedestrians would be saying the same thing though lol.

Biking Every Day

I really want to ride my bike every day. I hear of people riding their bikes 25 miles each day and as much as I want to be like them, it will probably be impossible until I retire. It's great having a regular 8-5pm job since I always have my weekends to myself, but each weekday is pretty much just work and sleep! Uhhh the life... Anyway, just joined Strava. Hoping to get more than the occasional ride.