Meals on 2 Wheels Debut SUCCESS!

This morning four of us made the first Meals on 2 Wheels delivery by bicycle.

Al Farrar, Mike Redig, Marv Rubenstein and I met at Black Dog Cafe this morning at 9:00am. I was worried about the weather - really did not want the first try to be a mess - but we were fortunate.

There is not whole lot to say, really, except to review what we did, because everything went well and according to plan. This will probably be typical:

Meet at Black Dog 9:00am. Get new attendees signed up and oriented. Chit chat. Depart about 9:30, taking 7th Ave to Old Bainbridge to Alabama to Colorado, and from there pick up the advertised route to ECS: Continental, San Luis Park, San Luis Drive, Solano, White, Tennessee. We had a nice visit at ECS - the hot meals were a few minutes late getting out, so we took some time to see the facilities and all the hard working people making it happen. Loaded up about 10:20, reversed the route into Frenchtown, delivered 13 meals, and went separate ways since it looked like the predicted rain was about to come true.

My very hearty thank you to Marv, Mike & Al for participating. We're on again for next week, same time, same place. Bring a bike!

Meals on 2 Wheels - beta test

I've been working on a system to do "Meals on Wheels" on 2 wheels - by bicycle.

I had the idea while doing the 4-wheel version with my wife Kathy. We have a route that is urban and compact. In a car there is a lot of idling, U-turning, stop 'n go kind of stuff. It was clear that the delivery portion of the route would be much more efficient, and fun, on a bike.

I worked out two systems. The first uses a small bike trailer, converted over from one we had to take the grandkids behind a bike when they were babies. The trailer is hauled by a "trucker" and escorted by several "runners" on bikes. The runners deliver the meals to the door - and chat up the client, make sure they are doing OK, etc. The trucker stays with the bike/trailer and also does the navigation for the route, checking things off and making sure of the next client's home. (I'll describe the second system in a later post.)

The one unknown - and solved with some good luck - was finding a good bike route from Elder Care Services [ECS] into the neighborhood where the meals are delivered. ECS is on W Tennessee St west of White Drive.

I found an unmapped bike trail (old and wrinkled, but still, ahem, serviceable) that runs East/West through San Luis Park. It connects from San Luis Drive on the west to Continental Ave on the East. This is a missing link that connects ECS to the urban area of Frenchtown.

Sunday I ground-proofed the route. Today I did the whole delivery thing myself as a beta test, using the trailer. It was slow going, without any help I was both trucker and runner. But it worked! I left ECS with a full load of 15 meals at 10:15AM and had them all delivered by 11:30. (See links to maps below.)

A week from today, Wed Feb 1, will be the first official delivery by the Meals on 2 Wheels group. I'll post again after that's done.

In case you are interested, here are two maps that show the ECS-San Luis Park route and the Continental Drive - Delivery route. The two connect across the unmapped area of San Luis Park.

ECS Access Route

Delivery Route

Montreal

TOURING THE COMMUTE

Bikes everywhere. This is like Amsterdam, Paris, or Copenhagen. In the city there are bikeways, I'll call them, paralleling the portion of the street allowing motorized vehicles, which I'll call motorways (not to be confused with the British use of that term). The bikeways are separated by physical barrier from the motorways, except at intersectons, where all ways (Pedestrian, Bike, Motor) blend to negotiate the individual needs of the traveller. The intersections are well designed and the users educated, so that conflicts of direction and purpose arise rarely and resolve quickly. (See "delayed turn" below.) There is general respect among the user categories (walkers, bikers, drivers). Motorists typically accept they are dangerous to the other participants and yield accordingly. And bikers in turn show deference and respect to the walkers. But nobody has patience for the slow and confused tourist - they are on business, what do these gawkers think happens in a city on a weekday? I was passed abruptly and somewhat rudely only by other cyclists, likely showing disdain for the tourist clogging their bikeway for a purpose less worthy than their work-a-day transportation. I didn't mind. I knew they were right and entitled to be proud of their city.

My impression of motorists: resigned tolerance. Not even Pepe' LePew could fail to preceive that if these bikers were all in cars, nobody would be getting anywhere. The motorist is forced by simple and un-ignorable logic to be thankful for so many cyclists.

Not every urban street has the seperated bikeways and pedways. Of course, bikers and walkers are allowed there too, but you are expected to be competent: silly inattention or otherwise failing to get on with business will not get you run over, but it will get you a well-deserved horn and a "come ON" look: Please, the multiuse roadway is for going somewhere efficiently.

Sightings

1. Cyclist with kayak on trailer, heading for the St Lawrence.
2. Group of Hasidic Jews in a rented peddle car, racing a pigeon. Though each of the seven peddled furiously, the pigeon won.
3. The best-designed bike trailer I've ever seen for goods transport: very light weight, but with about 3x10 feet of flatbed load surface and considerable structural strength engineered using lightweight struts.
4. About 30% helmet use - better than evident in videos of Europe, but less than in the US.
   

Using the Bixis

The term bixi is from bike + taxi. Three thousand bixis are in three hundred stations all around and in the city. The stations lock the bikes by the front wheel. To rent:

1. Insert credit card (no cash), agree to contract, and get an unlock number (valid for 2 minutes).


2. Use the unlock number to unlock a bike.


3. Ride.

Cost: There is a one-time fee of $5.00 (per 24 hours), plus: first 30 minutes: free, second 30 minutes: $1.50, 3rd: $1.50, fourth or more $6.00. (This may not be quite correct, but my best interpretation of the French iconography.) But you can park the bike in any empty slot anywhere in town and the clock stops. (I'm pretty sure it starts over for the next session within that 24 hour period.) The next time within the 24 hour period, just insert the same credit card, get an unlock number, remove a bike, and go again. The $5.00 daily charge is not repeated. It appears that if you keep the sessions under 30 minutes you ride free for 24 hours, once the $5.00 is paid. I will know for sure when I get my mastercard bill.

The whole thing is designed to allow you to do about the city and not have to worry about your bike at all. When you want to take a break or walk about, just put the bike in a stand. When ready to ride again, get another one out.

All the bikes are identical, with calibrated adjustable seatposts so you can quickly set it up for your needs. The ride position is decidedly upright. There are three gears, selected with a grip-shift-like device and interval hub transmission. The low gear will get you up any of Montreal's hills with ease, and the high is good for decent speed on flats. Speaking of flats, the tires are robust and fat, but still presumably flattable. I suppose you just insert the flatted bike and get another. I don't know how to let the service crew know about it, though.

There's a staff of bike service people who maintain the bikes. (Hey, wrenches - ever dream of a bike job with health care and retirement benefits? Apply to City of Montreal.) Each bike has a GPS chip embedded in a secret location, in case you were to forget to return it. Plus, your credit card is on file. Kind of like car rental, more trouble to steal than it's worth.

The bixi is quite rideable for business or tourism activity. Beats the hell out of walking or driving.

Delayed Turn

One innovation in traffic engineering is the delayed turn for motorists. First of all, there's no turn on red, period. And there is a delay in permitted turns, controlled by a forward-only green arrow that becomes open green after about 5 seconds. This is a very subtle innovation. It gives the bikers and walkers a jump on the green before anyone is allowed to turn into their path. It really works well, and goes a long way toward preventing the right-turning motorist x straight-ahead cyclist/pedestrian conflict.

6-Gap Users Guide

A DESCRIPTION OF THE RIDE The course consists of an "approach" from Dahlonega followed by six climbs with some rolling hills between the gaps. Each climb culminates at a "gap", or mountain pass. The climb is named for the gap. There are refreshment stops at each gap and an extra one about half way up Hogpen (gap 4). (There may be more, but you won't need them.) The approach is rolling, with some very sharp (but short) hills. It's roughly comparable to a loop around the Havana Hills race course in Gadsden county. You want to be very careful with your energy on these first few miles. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and push hard enough to effectively ruin the rest of the ride before you even get to the first climb. Forget the group - ride your own pace and get warmed up. You absolutely have to ride your own ride on the climbs anyway. Keep in mind: a ride like 6-gap is more about energy management than anything else. You have only so much, and you're going to need a lot of it on the latter part of the ride.

Gap 1: Neels This is a seven mile climb of moderate grade. Use it to get your legs and CV system running well and to get the feel of what it's like to go up hill for an hour. Watch your energy output rate (preferably with a heart rate monitor) and keep it moderate. There will be plenty of opportunity to push harder later in the ride, should you find the workout inadequate. The descent from Neels is fast but straight enough to be relatively safe, with good pavement. (For the 3-gap folks, the left turn to Wolfpen Gap is easy to fly by if you are not looking for it.) 

Gap 2: Jacks After some fairly good Havana-hills-like rolling terrain, this climb goes for about 3 miles at a moderate+ grade. This is where you get the experience of making a long climb that is not the first long climb... The descent from Jacks is long and moderate - let it fly. Beautiful scenery and lots of free miles on this one. It takes you all the way to the start of the climb to Unicoi Gap, no hilly stuff in between: just descend and start the next climb.

Gap 3: Unicoi Unicoi is about 3 miles of moderate++ climbing. The main problem with Unicoi is that it is unshaded and can be very hot facing into the sun. The descent from Unicoi is great. While the climb is relatively short, the descent is over 10 miles all the way into Helen. The grade is steep enough to be fun, but the pavement is good and the curves are well banked so again this is not particularly dangerous. There may be a lot of traffic, the only "down side". But the roadway is wide enough to accommodate autos and bikes in most places. Stay aware of the traffic behind you. At 1445 ft above sea level, Helen is the lowest elevation on 6-gap, thus explaining why the descent is so long. (Dahlonega is 1880 ft.) And you WILL pay a price... 

Gap 4: Hogpen This is the big one. Seven miles at a steep grade, averaging around 7% but with some sections well above that. There are also a couple of false summits. There's a rest stop at mile 4, with 3 to go. (The mile markers on the highway actually correspond to miles on this climb.) Try to skip the intermediate rest stop. If the weather is hot, though, you may need to just get some fluid here. The descent from Hogpen is dangerous. It is very steep. There are sharp blind curves at the end of steep strait sections. The pavement is bad: old chip-seal, broken in places, and loose gravel possible anywhere. The road is narrow, and the camber of the turns is not adequate. The grade is such that speeds in excess of 50 mph are possible just using gravity. Someone said that if you don't brake, you won't flat: well, tell that to all the people who have flatted on, say, our St Marks Trail. You can also come up on wildlife, potholes, stopped leaf peepers, wet roadway, loose gravel, pavement cracks, hickory nuts, crashed motorcycles, motorcycles ascending in your lane, and any number of other hazards that require a very rapid change of plans. Bad stuff CAN happen. I have personally seen everything in my list above on the 6-gap course. It is unwise to descend at a speed that allows for no margin of correction. It is also unwise to brake too much, especially to ride the brakes. You want to avoid heat buildup in your rims - eventually, this will cause a blowout by melting your tube. (If you have plastic rim strips, failure will occur at a much lower temperature. Change to cloth rim tape before 6-gap.) And keep in mind: the heavier you are, the faster gravity will accelerate you and the more heat you will put into your rims when you slow down. There's no simple recipe here, just make sure you control your speed to something that gives you some wiggle room in case of unexpected events. 

Gap 5: Wolfpen The second toughest climb on 6-gap. About 2.5 miles (depending on where you define the beginning) with grades on par with Hogpen. The roadway is shady, however, which is great if the weather is hot. (It's been known to sleet up here, if the weather is wet.) The Wolfpen descent is twisty but on good pavement with good camber to the curves, so not too dangerous. It is often damp, though. Stay out of the paint.

Gap 6: Woody The descent from Wolfpen takes you only down to Suches, home of the highest elevation school in Georgia. Consequently the climb up Woody is a paltry 1.5 miles of moderate grade. From the top of Woody it's a 15+/- mile descent of mild grade all the way back to Dahlonega. Try to have enough energy left to enjoy it.

HOW TO SIMULATE A CLIMB IN FLORIDA IMO: The only way to get a feel for climbing in Tallahassee is on a flat road. We do not have seven mile hills. Hills around here are great for building climbing strength and technique, but they can't give you a feeling for the long sustained effort required for the climbs in the mountains. Here is how to "feel" the climb to Neels Gap: On a 20 mile stretch of relatively flat road, assume a climbing position on your bike (hands on the top of the bar, loose grip, elbows out, chest open, head up) and start a 20 mile time trial. Using your heart rate monitor, maintain a steady heart rate at a sustainable level for the entire 20 miles. Let's say 85% of your maximum sustainable effort. OK, that's Neels. Hog Pen: 30 miles at 90% Wolf Pen: 15 miles at 90% Etc. The entire 6-gap effort can be simulated by riding about 130 miles in Florida, making long sustained efforts of appropriate length. (Except, this simulation is harder on your butt than 6-gap, and it's a lot less fun. Plus, there's essentially no way to simulate the descents.)

ADVICE

• It's all about energy management.
• Stop at the top just long enough to get supplies. Rest on the bike going downhill.
• Be prepared for weather. I guarantee there will be some.
• You can't have too low gears. Take all you have.

DISCLAIMER Descending is never safe. Any time you are going 30+ mph in traffic there is danger to be assessed and managed. 

Fall 2008 Update The pavement is deteriorating. The Hogpen descent is still gravelly, acorny, potholy. There is at least one significant hole on the Wolfpen descent that is almost impossible to see in sunny weather due to the mottled shaddows of trees on the road. The return from Woody has been changed: from Stone Pile you now take a right. Instead of continuing a nice descent all the way to the finish, this new route has some very sharp hills. It is also more scenic. For me, at mile 90, the most beutiful thing in the world is a downhill, and in this sense the new route is much less so. Don't run over the old guys...

Commuting Chonicles 4

Commute to Gym and Grocery

Depart home heading east on Lakeshore Drive. Take the short cut left turn on Springdale - becomes Lexington - to Meridian Rd. Left on Meridian for one short and relatively safe block to a right turn onto Cloverdale. Left on Deer Lane, right on Audubon, left on Woodley Drive to Timberlane Rd. Right on Timberlane for short blocks (down and then up) to left on Martin Hurst Road. This takes you the back way to Maclay Blvd and on to Premier Fitness. Plenty of parking - the bike rack is almost always empty at the fitness center.

After a spirited (if light weight) workout, unlock and head around to Fresh Market. Today, for example, I picked up the weeks supply of apples, some Gruyere, a couple of other things. This all fits into the Performance Grocery Pannier. I lock to a tree in front of the store, on a parking lot island. Can't find a bike rack there, but the tree works fine as long as nobody complains.

Then reverse to home. Total miles: 12

Notes:

1. Hint for grocery baggers: My wife Kathy has got me using those 99 cent reusable bags that are the shape of a paper grocery sack. One thing is, they often have no solid bottom. Your old aluminum auto tag fits perfectly! It makes a nice hard bottom for the cloth bag. That in turn fits perfectly into the Performance grocery pannier. A great use for that old share-the-road you hung up in the workshop.


2. Even though this route touches Meridian and Timberlane, it seems pretty safe to me. The distances on those two roads are very short. I use a mirror and off-road capable tires.

MiniTip 1 [Urban Riding]

When a vehicle approaches from a side street or driveway: immediately check your back. If a vehicle is in your lane behind you, the driveway driver will probably see it and wait. This gives you some cover, but also no room to dodge, so remain vigilant. If there is no vehicle immediately behind you, take the lane by moving yourself into the middle of the lane. This serves two important purposes. It brings you into the attention zone of the driver of the side vehicle, and it gives you more room to react if the side vehicle lurches forward.

A driveway/side street vehicle driver is highly motivated to get past the traffic menace in your street: to merge to his right in your direction of travel, or (more dangerous) to cross the entire street, or (worst of all) to make a left turn. This driver is usually very focussed on traffic in the lanes and looking for a gap to shoot. This driver may have his finger on the trigger and have it almost squeezed off. This driver can easily miss seeing you, especially if you are not out there in the traffic lanes (the attention zone). This is one of the main reasons that riding on the sidewalk is more dangerous than riding on the roadway.

Be careful out there.

Poor Man's Compact Crank

I noticed a few months, in Leonard Zinn's Velo News column, that FSA is offering a range of aftermarket chainrings for 130mm and 110mm bolt circle diameters. These got a good review from the big guy. They are CNC machined and heat treated in the modern style, with all the extra ramps and pins that make them shift as well as those that come on new 9- and 10- speed cranks.

I googled up a place to order and have now obtained and installed on my classic DA crank: 38 tooth inner, 50 tooth outer. (38 is the smallest you can fit to the 130mm bolt pattern.) This has changed my bike a lot more than I would have thought. Here're some impressions:
The change from 53/39 to 50/38 is very noticeable and pleasant. The 50 tooth bigring is much better for me in our local terrain. With 53/39, I often found myself in a "between" state, with slight changes in speed needing a double shift. With the 50/38 I can stay in the bigring for a larger percentage of riding, I guess for me about 75% (up from something around 50% with the 53.) Basically, I only need to downshift to the small ring when a good hill looms. In the small ring, even 1 fewer teeth is noticeable, and makes those steepest hills a bit easier to climb.

I also like the closer ratio. Shifting from 50 to 38 seems more natural, with less of that "clunk" feel I get when dropping from 53 to 39.

I highly recommend the 50 bigring, especially. The only down side is that I spin out at about 35 instead of 40 (rough estimates). I deal with that problem by coasting once I can't peddle fast enough in the top gear.
The 50 bigring comes standard on the new compact cranks. These compacts often come with 34 tooth smallring. I think that's great for mountains, but for many people it is lower than they need around here. Again, you can go to FSA and get a 36 or 37 for that crank and have a less clunky front downshift and use the smallring more, saving chewing up the bigring with the chain angled too much.

Installing new chainrings is fairly simple, and it gives you a chance to get the crank clean for the first time since it left the showroom.

Just FYI, when you wear out the rings that came from the crank factory.