One woman. Many bicycles. » Commute Diaries

One woman. Many bicycles. » Commute Diaries http://ladyfleur.bike Rides in heels, speeds down hills, splashes in puddles and stays out well past dark. Sun, 13 Jul 2014 18:29:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/f923e47000b44742d7f2239a4eda6c40?#038;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png » Commute Diaries http://ladyfleur.bike Bike Commute Diaries: Riding the Bike Train http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/18/bike-commute-diaries-riding-the-bike-train/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/18/bike-commute-diaries-riding-the-bike-train/#comments Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:59:54 +0000 http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=28864 ]]> “Is that your kit?” the new guy asked. “No, it’s at home,” I replied. Fitting in on the bike isn’t how you look, it’s how you ride. And on the San Jose Bike Train, I’m quite comfortable taking the front and letting my cardigan fly.

Photo by Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious, used with his permission.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/18/bike-commute-diaries-riding-the-bike-train/feed/ 2 ladyfleur 20140618-151706-55026556.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Losing My Nerve http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/09/bike-commute-diaries-losing-my-nerve/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/09/bike-commute-diaries-losing-my-nerve/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2014 05:08:26 +0000 http://ladyfleur.bike/?p=28772 ]]> It’s only one mile from the Caltrain station to my home but the first tenth of a mile has never been easy. At first I “took the lane” on Moffett Blvd, then I found some lower-stress alternatives that have their own issues. Tonight I headed down Moffett, but as soon as I heard the cars roaring up behind me, I pulled over. I can’t do it anymore.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/06/09/bike-commute-diaries-losing-my-nerve/feed/ 16 ladyfleur Moffet Madness Bike Commute Diaries: Stopping to Smell the Roses http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/05/19/bike-commute-diaries-stopping-to-smell-the-roses-2/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/05/19/bike-commute-diaries-stopping-to-smell-the-roses-2/#comments Mon, 19 May 2014 17:07:17 +0000 http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=28654 ]]> Every morning on my way to work I roll past the beautiful San Jose Heritage Rose Garden. This spring I’ve been too busy with Bike to Shop Day, fighting for bikes in the El Camino corridor and launching new products at work to stop once (and I’m not done yet). Today I stopped anyway. The hybrid tea roses and the grandifloras are spent, but the floribundas are still going strong. I smelled the floribundas, then rolled on to get back to work.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/05/19/bike-commute-diaries-stopping-to-smell-the-roses-2/feed/ 1 ladyfleur 20140519-100705-36425256.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Barriers to Transit http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/31/bike-commute-diaries-barriers-to-transit/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/31/bike-commute-diaries-barriers-to-transit/#comments Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:10:12 +0000 http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=27991 ]]> The train station is only a mile from my home, but with two major road crossings it’s not that quick a trip. Hit the signal wrong at Shoreline Boulevard and it’s a 90 second wait. Time it wrong at Central Expressway and I’m waiting, waiting, waiting as multiple trains go by, including the one I was supposed to catch this morning.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/31/bike-commute-diaries-barriers-to-transit/feed/ 3 ladyfleur 20140331-081155.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Skunked on the Trail http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/24/bike-commute-diaries-skunked-on-the-trail/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/24/bike-commute-diaries-skunked-on-the-trail/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2014 05:06:29 +0000 http://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=27864 ]]> I love the wildlife on the Guadalupe River Trail, really I do. Great blue herons, snowy egrets, mallards, coots, crows, squirrels, and even the feral cats. But that black and white “feral cat” I saw tonight just didn’t look right as I rolled up. Fortunately, he was in a good mood, I was duly respectful and we both escaped without incident.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/03/24/bike-commute-diaries-skunked-on-the-trail/feed/ 4 ladyfleur Skunk Bike Commute Diaries: Exile for Susie Q PUBLIC http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/10/bike-commute-diaries-exile-for-susie-q-public/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/10/bike-commute-diaries-exile-for-susie-q-public/#comments Mon, 10 Feb 2014 18:03:07 +0000 https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=27160 ]]> Poor Susie has been evicted from her private cubicle parking spot. “Bicycles may not enter the building,” says the property manager. All bikes must be parked in the garage on the far side of the complex, a 3 minute walk. Apparently, “As vehicles, bicycles are a safety and liability threat.” I promise I wasn’t riding in the building.

We’ll see how long her exile lasts. The facilities guy at my company is on my side. And I can be stealthy.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/10/bike-commute-diaries-exile-for-susie-q-public/feed/ 6 ladyfleur 20140210-175602.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: A Stitch in Time http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/05/bike-commute-diaries-a-stitch-in-time/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/05/bike-commute-diaries-a-stitch-in-time/#comments Wed, 05 Feb 2014 19:40:00 +0000 https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=27090 ]]> Transit time is not wasted time. I check email, post to social media, read the news, and chat with train buddies. Today I grabbed a needle and thread as I ran out of the house, and had just enough time to quickly tack down the flower that’s been dangling on my leg warmer far too long. What’s next for me, knitting?

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/02/05/bike-commute-diaries-a-stitch-in-time/feed/ 0 ladyfleur 20140205-113450.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Bike & Coffee Klatch http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/22/bike-commute-diaries-bike-coffee-klatch/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/22/bike-commute-diaries-bike-coffee-klatch/#comments Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:40:55 +0000 https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=26841 ]]> I never expected I’d make friends on my bike commute. Weekend rides, yes. But commuting? Um, no. I assumed people weren’t looking to socialize during their rush to work or rush home for dinner. But when you combine an easy-to-chat river trail (or a train ride) with social media, before long you’re meeting for coffee on your way in to work. The caffè latte at Bel Bacio in San Jose’s Little Italy is divine, and it’s right by the trail.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/22/bike-commute-diaries-bike-coffee-klatch/feed/ 0 ladyfleur 20140122-151028.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Change is Good http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/10/bike-commute-diaries-change-is-good/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/10/bike-commute-diaries-change-is-good/#comments Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:42:15 +0000 https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=26595 ]]> I missed the train today. After years of doing the “same old, same old” you think you have it all dialed in. Then something screws up your routine and you react like the grumpy curmudgeons that you roll your eyes at during City Council meetings. Change is good. This change is good. I just need to tweak my routine.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2014/01/10/bike-commute-diaries-change-is-good/feed/ 5 ladyfleur 20140110-094150.jpg Bike Commute Diaries: Ice Cold Slippery Slope http://ladyfleur.bike/2013/12/09/bike-commute-diaries-ice-cold-slippery-slope/ http://ladyfleur.bike/2013/12/09/bike-commute-diaries-ice-cold-slippery-slope/#comments Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:54:45 +0000 https://ladyfleur.wordpress.com/?p=26207 ]]> It’s day five of freezing temperatures here in sunny California and every day it just seems to keep getting colder. Today’s surprise: a thin sheet of ice spanning the Guadalupe River Trail. A big thank you to the San Jose Parks & Trails work team who set out orange cones as a warning of this unexpected and potentially painful surprise.

About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.

]]> http://ladyfleur.bike/2013/12/09/bike-commute-diaries-ice-cold-slippery-slope/feed/ 1 37.368826 -121.921570 37.368826 -121.921570 ladyfleur 20131209-085431.jpg