As of June 2008, I have commuted some distance to work. This has taken some getting used to. First, I carpooled with several others from work which meant I only had to drive in once a week. Then my office got us all train passes. I have taken the train ever since. It has been nice. On ideal days, Stacy drops me at the train station in the morning and picks me up in the evening. This works out to be a 10 hour day for her and she gets a day off work per week because of it. Recently, however, due to scheduling difficulties, I have been driving myself to the train station. Until last week, I had been carrying my road/tri bike with me every day to ride from the train to my office. This was just more hassle than it was worth - I mean, putting my bike on the car in the morning, then taking it off, then dealing with it on the train (they don't have the best bike racks on there), ... etc, etc, you get the picture. So two weekends ago I picked up an old bike from my in-laws, fixed it up with fenders, slimed tires, etc. and I have been leaving it at the Clearfield train station locked up. This has been working out beautifully... until today. I got off the train this morning all bundled up due to the cold weather we are currently experiencing. I unlocked my bike and began my ride. The route includes a small section of gravel. I was half-way through it when my front tire locked up and I went end-over-end onto the ground below.
I am not the type that gets angry and frustrated over these things (after all, I probably can't count how many times I endoed while on my mission), so I laughed about it and tried to get back on the bike. This is when I found out that my front fender had been sucked up into the wheel well of the bike. I spent a few minutes to try to free the different components so I could continue my ride to work, but to no avail. I then had to carry my bike (or at least the front half since it wouldn't move) and I started walking. Again, this was not a big deal since I was in no huge hurry. Soon after I reached the main road, I was picked up by two people I work with and we drove the rest of the way in. With the help of some tools, I was then able to free my wheel and take care of the bike.
I sent the fender company an email this morning and they were very kind in offering to relace it immediately (not to mention how fast they were with the email response!). I have discovered that bicycle commuting is not always going to be as smooth as I would like it to be. There are factors that make it a little more unpredictable - weather, drivers, bike parts, etc. However, this in no way makes me want to discontinue doing it. I like it. I like getting my legs going in the morning and in the afternoon. I look forward to when this can be done by skiing, but until then (and even after then) a short bicycle commute will continue to do me good. On Ride.
As of June 2008, I have commuted some distance to work. This has taken some getting used to. First, I carpooled with several others from work which meant I only had to drive in once a week. Then my office got us all train passes. I have taken the train ever since. It has been nice. On ideal days, Stacy drops me at the train station in the morning and picks me up in the evening. This works out to be a 10 hour day for her and she gets a day off work per week because of it. Recently, however, due to scheduling difficulties, I have been driving myself to the train station. Until last week, I had been carrying my road/tri bike with me every day to ride from the train to my office. This was just more hassle than it was worth - I mean, putting my bike on the car in the morning, then taking it off, then dealing with it on the train (they don't have the best bike racks on there), ... etc, etc, you get the picture. So two weekends ago I picked up an old bike from my in-laws, fixed it up with fenders, slimed tires, etc. and I have been leaving it at the Clearfield train station locked up. This has been working out beautifully... until today. I got off the train this morning all bundled up due to the cold weather we are currently experiencing. I unlocked my bike and began my ride. The route includes a small section of gravel. I was half-way through it when my front tire locked up and I went end-over-end onto the ground below. 
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