Commuting by bike...

Even though it has been chilly in the last few weeks, conditions have been favorable for commuters. The streets have been relatively dry and after the rains we got a while back, the roads are not as gritty, glassy and full of oddities such as nails and washers etc. as they were last month. Therefore it was with a smile, that I got on my Bianchi this morning and I rolled silently out of my building and onto the street (I love the silence of fixed gear bikes, you feel like a ninja riding those things). I rolled up the road towards the store in at my usual lazy pace, practicing trackstands and skids at lights and enjoying the ride. Then something interesting happened: As I pulled off on a set of lights on Vancouver, a Toyota Echo pulls out beside me and quickly overtakes me. But as the coke can of a car passes by me I see something dropping off it from the engine compartment. Being a (sort of but not entirely) reformed car nut I immediately recognized the item as an oil filter, a Pennzoil one to be exact. It bounced off the asphalt spilling it's oil in a jovial way, seemingly glad to escape the hellish labour camp underneath the hood. The rest of the engine stayed in the car as it put-putted down the road spilling its oil in a steady stream onto the road. I felt bad for the driver as I knew that if he kept driving like this his engine would die a horrible smoke infested dry death somewhere in the downtown traffic. Therefore, I tried to get the drivers attention by whistling and waiving my arms like crazy...He didn't notice, but a Gentleman on a Honda Ruckus scooter decorated with about 50 yellow rubber ducks did, rode up next to me and I pointed out the car to him. Then he took off after the Echo, and a couple of lights later I saw the car and the scooter parked on the side of the road and the two drivers looking underneath the hood and scratching their heads. "Good good, they've got it under control" I thought and kept riding. Thinking that I've done my good deed of the day and so for the rest of it, I can be a total unrepentant jackass.
Ahh... the joys of commuting.

Laser show on wheels

Yes, yes, I'm a commuter. Not only is that our biggest market but biking to work for me is not something done out of necessity, I do it because I love it. I rarely if ever, have a bad ride to or from work. This seems to be the case with most people that commute by bike, they do it for the exercise, some like it because it's environmentally friendly and others find that it is a great way to relief stress. But most of all, it's fun. Nevertheless, some people get intimidated by traffic when their riding on the streets of the city, especially on streets with no bike lanes. So why not ride around town with your own bike lane wherever you go? I Came across this gimmicky thing on Trek's Commuting Blog:

This concept product would use a laser to project a bike lane on the street behind your bike at night. Thus alerting drivers of your presence on the road, and hopefully give you a bit more space on the shoulder. And yes, that's right I said "laser." How cool would it be to have a laser on your bike?

Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
...On your bike. Sweet!

contrary to the picture I would recommend riding with a helmet and lights when riding at night. In spite of all their awesomeness, Lasers don't protect your noggin.

Dr. Evil: Okay no problem. Here's my second plan. Back in the 60's, I had a weather changing machine that was, in essence, a sophisticated heat beam which we called a "laser." Using these "lasers," we punch a hole in the protective layer around the Earth, which we scientists call the "Ozone Layer." Slowly but surely, ultraviolet rays would pour in, increasing the risk of skin cancer. That is unless the world pays us a hefty ransom

The Bootie Gospel

One of the best things for tackling the wet west coast commutes are booties. Nothing sucks more then showing up at work after the morning ride only to suffer the whole day in wet socks. Bring an extra pair of socks you might say, and sometimes I remember to do that but usually I don't. Before, this would be a huge problem but not anymore because I've got my booties. So all worries of wet feet dissipate as I slip on the black and yellow shoe smocks. Do they make me look like a goof? Yes they do, but they work great and I'm willing to suffer the fashion faux pas. Let's face it, how cool do I look anyway on a 22 year old Raleigh with full wrap metal fenders and fender extenders? Not very cool at all, would be the answer to that question and therefore I wear my booties with pride.
Most of us at the shop wear the Resistor booties from Sugoi. They're lightly insulated, wind and waterproof, which makes them great for cold weather riding as well as riding on those rainy days so common in the pacific Northwest. A good bootie should be in any commuters arsenal along with a waterproof jacket, and a skull cap to name but two.

"Booties are my saviour, I don't care how gay they look"- Wolfe