When I get to work and change, the bike becomes a clothes rack. It works the same way that our treadmill does at home. Right? Here she is, drying clothes.

In the above pic you can also see an Eagle Creek Pack It cube. I’m hooked on these things. I use them for moto travel, car camping, you name it. I can fit 2 or three (depending on the size) in each pannier. They keep loose things organized and make it easier to pack the panniers.

I also keep a pair of shoes. I use Shimano SPD style pedals so it’s nice to have a change of shoes at work. My Keens have a recessed cleat, so I could wear them all day, but it’s nice to to have a regular pair of shoes to wear. Whenever I change my shoes it reminds me of Mister Rogers. Remember him?

After I’ve changed I log my ride in my training diary and on Daily Mile. Then it’s off for some breakfast and time to start the day.

Those are my rituals. What are yours?

Planet Bike Fenders for the Salsa Fargo. Now all the bikes will have fenders!

REI Gift Card. She knows that when it doubt, the REI gift card is the perfect gift. I usually have a piece of kit that could use some updating.

A new Bugaboo Backpacker pot set. It’s a really cool set that nests together and has room for my stove. Perfect for car camping or a backpacking trip. The case that holds the pots doubles as the wash basin. It’s a pretty cool design.

With gifts like these, my wife’s got me itchin’ to pack my gear and head out on a overnighter! I better get the tandem sorted so that she can come with me!

I bought the SPOT when it came out. Yes, I’m an early adopter kind of guy, and this thing was something that appealed to me. At the time that I bought it I was only riding my moto. I was traveling out to the desert, or up into the Sierras. Places where there may or may not be any cell phone coverage. This device looked like a necessary piece of equipment for anybody doing any type of adventures away from the city. Basically, it’s a GPS enabled tracker. It’s not a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), and it’s not a sat phone. It has 3 main options, and one optional one.

1) OK/CHECK-IN:It can send an email or text to whomever you want to let them know you are OK. It uses the GPS to share your location, and the people that receive your messages can see where you are on a map.

2) HELP: It can send an email or text to whomever you want to let them know you need help. This is for non-emergency help. maybe a tow or a mechanical breakdown.

3) 911:Probably the most important option is to call 911. If you push the 911 button, the GEOS tracking center can locate you, and determine the best way to reach you. This doesn’t necessarily mean an airlift, but it can, depending on where you are.

4) Live Tracking:. If you enable this option, your family or friends can follow along on your adventures. You can share a webpage that shows your SPOT on a map so they can see where you are at all times.

I always carried the SPOT on my moto trips, mostly to check in with my wife. My plan was that I’d send a Check-In message at night, and then again in the morning if I had no cell coverage. Then she could follow along throughout the day to see where I was, and I would try and check in by phone when I could. Luckily, I’ve never had to use either of the HELP options. When I crashed down in Baja, my friends and family saw that I had stopped for a long time in one area thanks to the Tracking. However, I never felt like there was an emergency so I didn’t hit the 911 button.

I’d been thinking about using it on my bike, but kept talking myself out of it. I didn’t see the point of carrying a GPS, which I do, and the SPOT. However, this weekend, a friend was out a ride that turned bad. He’s the only other cyclist I know that has a SPOT, and unfortunately he had to use his. Here’s his story.

The website said the crest was open, but, after walking 4 miles in snow just past Crystal Lake, I found that angeles crest road had snow at least 4 feet. So I walked another 8 miles through more snow & realized at 2:30pm not having reached cloudburst summit that I am seriously in danger of being stuck in the snow. So I tap 911 on my spot GPS & sit down & use snow for hydration. Then keep walking each step dropping 1 foot in snow, then sometimes the bike would sink in the snow. Jenna gets the call from Spot & they ask is he in trouble? She goes online and sees I’m moving at 1.2 miles per hour, but still moving. She calls the fire dept & then 2 hrs later sheriff’s helicopter drops a guy down. I must have looked like an alien in the snow standing with my bike & dressed in my assos. I was dehydrated, hungry, but not injured. They drop a line and airlift me out but the bike stays on the mountain – to windy to land the heli.

After talking to him and seeing his pics, I’ll be carrying my SPOT with me more often. I’m really glad that I have one. Depending on where your going, it can save your life. If, or when, I return to Baja I will have my SPOT with me, alongside a PLB and a sat phone. They are all good compliments to each other.

There’s a cool new feature on the SPOT website that allows you to share your adventures so I think I’ll try it out. Keep an eye out for it!

It all starts with an Ibex Wool bib. I just got this as a christmas gift and right now it’s probably my favorite piece of gear. I guess it would have to be as it is the piece that determines a comfortable ride or not. Having said that, I’ve only done rides up to 60 miles with it, so things could change over longer distances. I just hope it holds up. I’m not into riding in just the bib (yet) so I cover these up with Swrve knickers. I’ve got a few pairs, but mostly they are a cotton blend or the WWR fabric. This is the one piece that’s not Wool. Damn.

Next up is a Baselayer from Swrve. I’ve got both long sleeve and short sleeve versions. They are very soft against the skin and I can’t recommend them enough. I would wear them just as a T-shirt if I could. Actually, I don’t know why I can’t?

Also from Swrve are wool socks. I use the no-show socks for club rides and the taller socks for my commute into work. You can probably tell that I love the Swrve gear. It’s some of the best stuff around as far as I’m concerned. I just wish they made wool knickers!

This all gets covered up by different wool jerseys. I’ve got three of them right now. They are all very cool. I think my favorite one is from a store in San Diego called Velo Cult. I seem to get compliments on it every time I wear it. Not only do they have a cool jersey, but their blog is a great read. I recommend following their adventures. The Velo Cult jersey is made by Woolistic. If you want to check out other cool vintage jerseys, this is the place to go.

One of the drawbacks of wearing wool though, is the care that is needed to keep them clean. It’s ok to put them in a washing machine, but a better option is to hand wash them.

Sometimes I get lazy and put them in the wash, but more importantly they have to be dried laying flat. This can be a problem when I’ve got a full load of gear to wash, and I end up setting clothes all over the house to dry. I don’t think my wife thinks it’s as funny as I do.

Even with the extra care needed to maintain the wool gear, it’s the most comfortable gear I’ve tried. A lot of people assume that it’s itchy, but these items are more comfortable than most bicycling jerseys/shorts. If you haven’t tried out wool yet, do yourself a favor try it. You won’t regret it!

The bike just screams Adventure!

This has been a long time in the making. Last year, when I bought my Long Haul Trucker, it was to be my rainy day bike. I was commuting via bike/train with my Soma Rush. I didn’t want to ride that bike in the rain, so I knew a bike with fenders was the only way to go. At the time, I didn’t plan on the LHT being my main ride. Things change though and I found myself riding the LHT more frequently, and on longer and longer rides. I don’t even take the train at all anymore, instead I just pedal all the way there and back.

But most of the time our weather here in socal is sunny. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold, but rarely wet. So even though I try to pedal most of the week, I still hadn’t encountered any rain. Granted, there have been days when it was just easier to take the truck to work, but that’s just laziness. Usually not weather related.

This week was different though. I knew it was going to happen. We had rain forecasted all week. I knew I could muster enough energy for at least 2 commutes this week. Right?

Monday brought the first storm. I had to drive that day. Multiple appts after work meant no bike. Nuts. So close. Tuesday the air was crisp and DRY! I rode anyways. Temps were the lowest that I had ever ridden in. 35 degrees at the start of my commute. If that’s not a good reason to drive, then I don’t know what is. Instead though, I pedaled.

Wednesday and Thursday were the same. Cold, but dry. Thursday warmed up to the 50s and I was surprised at how warm that was. It was almost no jacket weather!

Friday morning was a different story though. I woke up to the sound of rain. Could this be the day? Will it stay for the commute in? Yes, and sort of. I got all bundled up in my gear, put the rain cover on the Brooks and prepared myself. My wife was nervous so I threw on some reflector ankle bands. LA drivers aren’t used to rain so she wanted me to be extra cautious.

As I left the driveway there was only a slight drizzle. Enough to remind me that I should’ve treated my glasses with some Rain-X. It felt good to be riding. Just knowing that I could have driven, but chose not to. I had waited a long time for this. In reality, there was nothing to it. I guess I thought it would have been tougher to do, but not really. There was more focus involved with avoiding paint stripes on the street, and there were more accidents on the commute in, but those only made me more aware on what was going on around me.

The rides in and back were pretty uneventful. Drier than I had hoped, but still wet. I was glad though. It just assured me that there is no reason not to ride. In the heat, the cold and the rain. I just need to do it, and more importantly I can do it.

I stopped to take some pics of the bike in DTLA. The rain had cleaned the city and left a sparkle on some of the buildings.

Los Angeles City Hall with Lindbergh Beacon.

The Long Haul Trucker in front of the LA Times building.

An added benefit to riding in the varying temps this week, was that it helped me sort out some gear. Now I know what to wear in varying temps and conditions. Just need to put it on and get on the bike. No time wasted. Just get out and pedal!