Bicycling adventures

[pegkerr]

This afternoon was one of those first occasions which was actually perfect for bicycling. Sunny and 61 degrees. I kitted up, stowed my bags and put my commuter cup, filled with water, in the water bottle clip. [I put homemade coffee latte in it during my morning ride (well, now tea) and water on the ride home.]

I've had bad luck with commuter cups. I had one that I'd used for probably over five years, and within one week of starting to bicycle, it bounced out of the clip and the outer casing cracked, so that coffee started oozing between the layers and I had to throw it away. I bought another one, and sure enough, three days later, it bounced out of the clip and broke the outer plastic casing, too.

I took it back to the coffee shop I'd gotten it at and convinced them to exchange it for one that was stainless steel. THIS one had no outer layer, so I figured I was set. It had a tapered middle, too, so I hoped it would sit better in the clip.

I pulled into traffic and got into the bike lane. After about ten blocks or so, I came up behind Mr. Casual Biker. Now, I've been passed by EVERYONE I've encountered on the road so far. It is rather humiliating. But Mr. Casual Biker was actually ACTUALLY going slower than me. Much slower. I waited a block or so to be sure and then decided to pass him. I gave him a cheerful and polite "On your right" (it was a one-way street, and so the bike lane was the farthest one over to the left) and pulled ahead. Yes, dear reader! I actually pulled anead!

I had about ten seconds to savor this minor but still very satisfying victory, when I hit a patch of combination potholes-and-gravel--and my brand new commuter cup bounced out of the clip yet again. This time, I actually managed to run over it with my back wheel. Fortunately, I avoided totally dumping the bike.

I immediately slowed to a stop, and Mr. Casual Biker whizzed on past. A man passing by on the sidewalk retrieved the cup from under a parked truck. It is scratched along the top and has a two inch dent in the side. (And I'd post a picture if I could find the digital camera, but the girls have absconded with it and now deny knowing its whereabouts.)

I've owned it all of four days. Well, it still closes securely, and the exterior is one layer, so I don't have to throw it out. Yet.

I was lucky. If I had fallen, gee, I could have gone under that truck.

It has given me pause for thought. I had been wearing gloves previously, because of the cold, but my hands were bare this afternoon for the first time. If I had fallen, they would have been pretty chewed up. I think I need to get some biker's gloves with netting on the fingers and leather on the palms, to protect me if I fall.

I still want to get that bike odometer, and this helmet mirror is driving me crazy. Definitely handlebar mirrors for both sides.

Would a small bungee cord hold the damn cup in place?

(Argh. Riding a bicycle was supposed to save me money.)

Comments

[tinymich.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about bicycles, but is there a chance that your cup clip is faulty / too loose / etc? (Or, as suggested, that the clip's not being used with the right kind of cup?) 3 times in close succession seems to indicate a bit more than "bad luck"...