The Cycling Experiment - Week 10 - The End

It looks like the bicycling project is coming to an early end at week ten. I've now traveled approximately 880 miles, saved just a few pennies shy of $175, and recouped about 25% of the purchase price of the bike.

It is coming to the end because I got a volleyball job after three years of actively searching. I'll be moving this coming week. I'm flying out, and the family will follow when our place sells. For the immediate future my bike will be my sole mode of transportation. I won't be continuing the gas saved tally because it isn't a choice between buying gas and riding my bike. Perhaps I'll think about continuing the tally after we get settled into our new life, but for now it is on permanent hiatus.

The Pillow Astronaut

Some months ago I read a story on Slashdot about a NASA study that would be conducted. Test subjects would be confined to bed for a period of three months to simulate prolonged space flight. I thought about signing up for the study, but decided not to for a bunch of reasons. I'd be away from family for a long time first and foremost, I enjoy being physically active and refer to my weekly basketball as therapy, and it would probably take me a long time to get back to the kind of shape I'm in now. Come to think of it I was probably thinking about what bicycle to buy at about the same time.

A couple days ago I came across another story on slashdot pointing to Pillow Astronaut. It is a blog by one of the test subjects in the so called "bed rest study". I've really enjoyed reading this blog. It gives me a little glimpse of what I could have been doing if my circumstances had been different, and I signed up.

The Cycling Experiment - Week 7

Two more weeks down. Gas was up to $4.109 per gallon for the last two weeks' commute. I've now saved $142.20. I've broke the 20% mark. One fifth of the bike is "paid for". Another 136 trips at this price will do it. Gas dipped down to $4.059 per gallon on Friday, so the next two weeks won't be as profitable. That will make it take another 138 trips to pay off the bike.

Last Friday I had my first "mishap" riding to work. I got a flat. It had a lot more to do with bad bike maintenance than running over any sharp pointy things. I ended up putting a hole in a new tube changing the tubes. Then I did a bad patch job on that one, so the tire leaked air through the day at work. I get to the bike and it's flat again. Then I broke one of my levers to remove the tire. Murphy's Law was in full effect that day.

This last week I had some knee pain. I think it was a combination of the movement I do at work and weight lifting I did last Saturday. I was walking with a limp for most of the week, but I didn't have any pain cycling. I narrowed it down to when I plantar flex my right leg. The pain is on the inside of my knee on the tibia. I believe it is where the soleus originates. I remember the pain first on Tuesday, but I can still feel it now. Getting old stinks. I've never had a problem bouncing back like this. Hopefully I'll feel like new on Monday.