Lost in OK

Awful View, originally uploaded by RadicalWacko.

More awful scenery from my new office.

Sorry folks, but I’m back to playing catch up.  Firstly, the Oklahoma City Council is holding the public hearing phase on the major changes to the city’s bicycle ordinances.  The meeting is occurring today starting at 8:30 AM in the City Council Chamber on the 3rd floor of 200 N. Walker.

As you can see from the full agenda, there is a lot of ground being covered so I can’t really say when the ordiances will changes will be considered.  If it happens when I happen to have a free moment, I will be live tweeting the discussion at @okcbicyclist.

I was tired on the way to work.  Then I had to work a 13 hour day.  Then I had to ride home in the dark, after midnight, while facing a 15-20 mph headwind.  So today I learned that cycling while exhausted is completely possible . . .

So I got the lights and gear transferred over to the Surly who I think is getting a new name.  I haven’t been happy with any of the names I’ve tried out so far, but I’m trying out Ms. Billie Blue.  No relation to the Australian convict.

In any case, today I learned how wonderful it is to ride your commute with a bicycle that you can count on.  I didn’t really realize how much I effort I spent constantly checking the chain, listening to the derailleur for the slightest sound of binding, checking that the brake cable hadn’t slipped for the 50th time, etc.  Just being able to really sit back and enjoy the ride was extremely pleasant.

Well today is a sad day for #30DaysofBiking. I know I’ve been talking about it for a long time, but my old trusted Cannondale Touring Bike which I’ve had since I was 15 years old has finally reached the complete end of its life. On the way home tonight, the rear derailleur came into pieces tonight on the way home. The picture below doesn’t really show the complete extent of the damage, but it was a pretty catastrophic end considering I was doing about 17 mph when it happened, thankfully outside of several broken and bent spokes there was no personal injury.

The 45 mph gusts of yesterday convinced me to chicken out from the 60 mph gusts this morning.  Therefore I waited till late after I got home from work and the wind had died down before hitting the road.  Weekday nights are pretty quiet in Oklahoma City, especially after 10:30 at night on a Monday.  I saw only two cars on my 30 minute ride.  With the streets that quiet and the lights shining off the street, it’s like you are the last person left alive in the city.  It’s at times like these that I truly remember how liberating biking can be . . .

A 20 mile ride around Lake Overholser in an extreme headwind (25-45 mph) showed me how out of shape I am.  But you have to start somewhere . . .

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While the Old Route 66 Bridge along Lake Overholser is undergoing much needed deck repair, cyclists have been forced to take an unappealing detour along busy 39th street to cross over the Lake Overholser spillway.  To help make this passage safer, Oklahoma City has placed signs such as the one shown right on both sides of 39th street and have run street sweepers along the detour route.  While I did still see quite a bit of debris still on the shoulder, the route is much much clearer than before and it very passable.

Ray H. has reported that his 2010 Cervelo S3 was stolen out of his garage near NW 50th and Portland.  The bicycle has a 54 cm frame with SRAM S60 wheels and Dura-Ace components.  The Serial Number for the bike is: SNS3C10E00336.  Below is a picture of the bike in question:

If you have any information at all regarding this bicycle, please fill out the form below!  Thanks.

Today was another incredibly beautiful day.  This stretch of warm weather has caused all the flowers to bloom which always makes for a beautiful day . . .

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