They gave me the screwdriver that punctured my tire, so thought I'd share a pic.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Weeks 55 & 56 (Dec 7 - 11, Dec 14 - 18) "Sport for our neighbors"
Summary:
Week 55
Monday: Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Tuesday: No commute (didn't feel great - worked from home)
Wednesday & Thursday: Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Friday: No commute (vacation)
Week 56
Monday - Thursday: Car
Friday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Last Tuesday proved to be a test in patience which I failed miserably. As I pulled up to the client site and stepped into the frigid December air, I could feel the air gushing out of the rear driver side tire. The week already started off poorly on Monday (another story), and now a wrench had just been thrown into my day.
I dialed up the store where I purchased the tires a few months ago and was relieved to learn that it would be fixed without additional cost since it was covered under warranty. But they wouldn't come and get it so I needed a way to transmit the tire to them.
I've changed tires before but wasn't extremely excited about tackling the job in single digit temperatures, so opted to call a service station less than a mile away. In hindsight, the $35 quote was cheap, but the bean counter in me figured I could change the tire in about 15 minutes, effectively paying myself $140/hour. I wish I'd looked up and admitted to the camera with a brazened face, "I've made a huge mistake" and just forked over the $35.
For anyone who has never changed a tire, here's a pretty good "how to" wiki that lays out the process:
How to change a tire
You may find as I did, however, that the list above lacks some integral steps, namely #7b through #7i right between #7 "Remove lug-nuts" and #8 "Remove tire." My edits are included below:
#7b - Pull on tire to remove.
#7c - Pull harder, pansy.
#7d - Pull so hard you don't care what kind of road sludge you are slathering onto your winter coat.
#7e - Kick tire to dislodge from hub.
#7f - Kick tire out of frustration. (repeat if necessary)
#7g - Kick tire out of rage, lose composure, make loud yelling/howling noises to ensure that lost composure is evident to all.
#7h - Realize how ugly this might get without calling service station.
#7i - Admit defeat, call service station, pay $35.
I was almost thankful that the guy from the station experienced a great deal of difficulty getting the tire off of the hub, too. I would have felt even more ridiculous had he been able to pull it off without using any of his fancy tools.
When the tire was fixed and ready for me to pick up, I found out that a wrench hadn't been thrown into my day, it was a screwdriver. Not sure how it happened, but an entire regular screwdriver (excluding the plastic handle) had lodged itself into my tire.
It seems the most obvious lesson from this ordeal is that riding a bike on Tuesday would have saved me $35. Am I wrong?
Week 55
Monday: Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Tuesday: No commute (didn't feel great - worked from home)
Wednesday & Thursday: Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Friday: No commute (vacation)
Week 56
Monday - Thursday: Car
Friday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Last Tuesday proved to be a test in patience which I failed miserably. As I pulled up to the client site and stepped into the frigid December air, I could feel the air gushing out of the rear driver side tire. The week already started off poorly on Monday (another story), and now a wrench had just been thrown into my day.
I dialed up the store where I purchased the tires a few months ago and was relieved to learn that it would be fixed without additional cost since it was covered under warranty. But they wouldn't come and get it so I needed a way to transmit the tire to them.
I've changed tires before but wasn't extremely excited about tackling the job in single digit temperatures, so opted to call a service station less than a mile away. In hindsight, the $35 quote was cheap, but the bean counter in me figured I could change the tire in about 15 minutes, effectively paying myself $140/hour. I wish I'd looked up and admitted to the camera with a brazened face, "I've made a huge mistake" and just forked over the $35.
For anyone who has never changed a tire, here's a pretty good "how to" wiki that lays out the process:
How to change a tire
You may find as I did, however, that the list above lacks some integral steps, namely #7b through #7i right between #7 "Remove lug-nuts" and #8 "Remove tire." My edits are included below:
#7b - Pull on tire to remove.
#7c - Pull harder, pansy.
#7d - Pull so hard you don't care what kind of road sludge you are slathering onto your winter coat.
#7e - Kick tire to dislodge from hub.
#7f - Kick tire out of frustration. (repeat if necessary)
#7g - Kick tire out of rage, lose composure, make loud yelling/howling noises to ensure that lost composure is evident to all.
#7h - Realize how ugly this might get without calling service station.
#7i - Admit defeat, call service station, pay $35.
I was almost thankful that the guy from the station experienced a great deal of difficulty getting the tire off of the hub, too. I would have felt even more ridiculous had he been able to pull it off without using any of his fancy tools.
When the tire was fixed and ready for me to pick up, I found out that a wrench hadn't been thrown into my day, it was a screwdriver. Not sure how it happened, but an entire regular screwdriver (excluding the plastic handle) had lodged itself into my tire.
It seems the most obvious lesson from this ordeal is that riding a bike on Tuesday would have saved me $35. Am I wrong?
Monday, December 7, 2009
Week 54 (Nov 30 - Dec 4)
Summary:
Monday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Tuesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Wednesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Thursday - Bicycle
Friday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Temperatures outside have been nosediving for the past couple of weeks, and it's made me reflect on the best way to get to work. As I consider commuting during the coldest months of the year, my vote for best way to commute is to car pool with my wonderful wife. The ride on Thursday was nice (though a little chilly), but the carpool option ends up being quicker, incremental costs are negligible, and I get to start the day off with a few more minutes with my best friend. I'm sure that after my body adjusts to 20-30 degrees being the new normal I'll end up riding more, but in the mean time it'll be more time in the passenger seat, and less time in the saddle.
Monday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Tuesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Wednesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Thursday - Bicycle
Friday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Temperatures outside have been nosediving for the past couple of weeks, and it's made me reflect on the best way to get to work. As I consider commuting during the coldest months of the year, my vote for best way to commute is to car pool with my wonderful wife. The ride on Thursday was nice (though a little chilly), but the carpool option ends up being quicker, incremental costs are negligible, and I get to start the day off with a few more minutes with my best friend. I'm sure that after my body adjusts to 20-30 degrees being the new normal I'll end up riding more, but in the mean time it'll be more time in the passenger seat, and less time in the saddle.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Weeks 50 - 53 (November)
Summary:
Week 50
Monday - Friday: Car (AM & PM commute I think)
Week 51
Monday through Wednesday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Thursday - Bicycle
Friday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Week 52
Monday through Thursday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Friday - Bicycle
Week 53
Monday & Tuesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Wednesday through Friday - vacation
It's really no excuse, but the last month has been crazy busy, and I haven't always remembered how I've gotten to work (mostly week 50). I'm usually much more likely to track my commutes when I ride since it gives me an opportunity to log in my bus/LRT fare savings into a Google doc spreadsheet. Yes, I know how nerdy that is, but I do what I can to keep the cycling and public accounting tied together.
I had to drive alone for most of weeks 51 & 52 which has been quite rare for me over the past few months. It did give me the chance to listen to the radio before and after the workday, plus it's always nice to catch a sight of the late afternoon rays hitting the Minneapolis skyline, so overall it could have been worse. Even though I love finishing the day on the bike, it does take a bit extra time to change from my accounting costume to cycling gear to casual wear at home so it was also nice to skip a step in there.
Week 50
Monday - Friday: Car (AM & PM commute I think)
Week 51
Monday through Wednesday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Thursday - Bicycle
Friday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Week 52
Monday through Thursday - Car (single occupant, no carpool)
Friday - Bicycle
Week 53
Monday & Tuesday - Car (AM & PM Carpool)
Wednesday through Friday - vacation
It's really no excuse, but the last month has been crazy busy, and I haven't always remembered how I've gotten to work (mostly week 50). I'm usually much more likely to track my commutes when I ride since it gives me an opportunity to log in my bus/LRT fare savings into a Google doc spreadsheet. Yes, I know how nerdy that is, but I do what I can to keep the cycling and public accounting tied together.
I had to drive alone for most of weeks 51 & 52 which has been quite rare for me over the past few months. It did give me the chance to listen to the radio before and after the workday, plus it's always nice to catch a sight of the late afternoon rays hitting the Minneapolis skyline, so overall it could have been worse. Even though I love finishing the day on the bike, it does take a bit extra time to change from my accounting costume to cycling gear to casual wear at home so it was also nice to skip a step in there.
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