Hindsight 2019

Another year gone. Time flies!

Blog

I’ve kept my goal of two posts per month; I intend to keep it up for the foreseeable future. I find writing easier the more I do it, and more fun, too! The subject matter of my posts has expanded this year into politics, spirituality, world events, and social causes. I anticipate continuing to explore these topics more moving into the new decade.

Here are my favorite posts from this year:

• Who Tried The Milk?
• The Best Bike Commute
• Gateway to Metal
• Evolving Faith
• Goodbye Meat
• Goodbye Ebike: The End of an Era
• Identity vs Power
• Climate Strike Stories

A different kind of writing, I’ve been more active on twitter lately. Between that and my newsletter, I’m doing my best to keep improving my skills and my voice.

Bike Commuting

I enjoyed being mostly bike-dependent for as long as I could, but this year I finally purchased a car again. I sold my ebike and now have a more traditional road bike for commuting to work in fairer weather. I enjoyed a brisk commute on my last work day of the year with handlebar mitts and pannier bags equipped:

Veganism

It’s been a solid 18 months of living a vegan lifestyle for me. Every day I wake up craving protein and nutrients which I cannot get without meat, eggs, and dairy. Just kidding. It’s been great! I had an annual checkup with my doctor and the blood work was in good order.

I’m vegan for the animals, for the environment, and for my health. Constantly, I’m finding more reasons to support living this way. I cannot recommend it enough. It’s becoming easier, too.

The cultural landscape is shifting in regards to veganism. More and more restaurants are adding vegan-friendly options to their menus. It’s less taboo to talk about veganism. A great documentary came out on Netflix this year called Game Changers that I highly recommend; it’s about the athletic performance benefits of a plant-based diet.

I’m also encountering more vegans in my day-to-day life. I have a handful of other vegan coworkers and friends that are making the transition. The more the merrier!

Climbing

At the end of 2018 I was in the midst of a break from climbing. This year I started a gym membership again and have been thoroughly enjoying being back on the walls. This time around I’ve been more intentional about meeting people and being social at the climbing gym, which has made it even more enjoyable.

Guitar

I decided early this year that I wanted to improve at my guitar playing. I’ve been playing for 15 years but don’t have much to show for it. After purchasing a new electric guitar and amp, as well as a looping pedal, it’s been more fun than ever to play. Maybe I’ll start doing some recording in the near future.

Faith

This year a significant shift in my spiritual life began. After many years of involvement in the non-denominational Evangelical world, it was time for me to move on. For the first time in eight years, I’m without a church home. It’s been nice to break from a community that did not suit me, but it was a long and taxing process to fully leave. I’m thankful for friends and family who give me community in the midst of this gap in my life now. The journey continues.

Books

I read a significant amount of books in 2019, especially compared to previous years. I’ve rated them based on how much I recommend them:

• ♥Why Trust The Bible – Greg Gilbert
• ♥Taking God at His Word – Kevin DeYoung
• ♥♥♥ The Universal Christ – Richard Rohr
• ♥♥The Strangeness of Truth – Damian Ference
• ♥♥♥♥The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
• ♥♥♥♥♥Ishmael – Daniel Quinn
• ♥♥♥♥♥The Story of B – Daniel Quinn
• ♥♥♥♥Race Matters – Cornel West

This list is pitifully small compared to true book worms’ reading lists. I’ve never been a big reader and also fall prey to the, “I have trouble concentrating on reading,” problem. My solution has been to just read more and so far it’s working. Ending my day with 30 minutes of reading helps me wind down and also trains that reading muscle so many of us are weak in.

I’m finding that if you want to read more, you have to want to get good at reading. It’s not always easy, but it helps to read things that are interesting and motivating. I’ve been doing a lot more reading online as well, mostly op-eds and news journalism. Practice makes perfect.

I plan to continue reading and to do even more in 2020. I just started Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and I’m planning to read two more of Daniel Quinn’s books.

Activism

I’ve become more politically and socially engaged this year. It’s been rewarding to stand up for important things next to others who share the same sense of urgency. The climate crisis is a real, current threat to our planet. Here’s an important academic journal explaining so. It’s a short and important read. Some quotes from it:

…we declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change while honoring the diversity of humans entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems. We are encouraged by a recent surge of concern. Governmental bodies are making climate emergency declarations. Schoolchildren are striking. Ecocide lawsuits are proceeding in the courts. Grassroots citizen movements are demanding change, and many countries, states and provinces, cities, and businesses are responding.

As the Alliance of World Scientists, we stand ready to assist decision-makers in a just transition to a sustainable and equitable future. We urge widespread use of vital signs, which will better allow policymakers, the private sector, and the public to understand the magnitude of this crisis, track progress, and realign priorities for alleviating climate change. The good news is that such transformative change, with social and economic justice for all, promises far greater human well-being than does business as usual. We believe that the prospects will be greatest if decision-makers and all of humanity promptly respond to this warning and declaration of a climate emergency and act to sustain life on planet Earth, our only home.

Unfortunately our current dear leader thinks it’s a hoax. Here’s to 2020 being his last year in office.

Becoming more engaged locally has also given me a reason to explore my city. Utilizing our newest public transit system has been great.

At a Red Line stop in downtown Indianapolis

This year has been one of significant change. As I have throughout my life, I intend hold onto the best of the past as I move forward to the new. I plan to continue sharing the best with those who will listen.

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Ditching Goals is Necessary

Back in February I wrote a post about my two goals for the year. I wanted to 1) write two blog posts each month, and 2) run to work for a day. I’m still on track for the blog post goal, despite usually waiting until the last week of the month to crank them out.

I’m throwing in the towel for the running-to-work goal. I have a few reasons:

• I don’t want to do it.
• I’ve been doing less running in general, and do not want to train for it.
• I’m enjoying biking to work.
• I waited too long to do it and now it’s 40F in the mornings.
• I really don’t want to do it.

Things have changed a lot since I was planning to run to work. At the time, I was running multiple times a week and had access to a treadmill at my apartment’s gym. The only treadmill I have access to now is at work. I’m not as fond of bringing even more clothes with me to work on my bike so I can run at the office.

Should I Feel Bad?

…because I don’t. And I think that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes you aspire to do something and life takes a turn of direction. You might have the original goal of finding a cure for cancer and instead become a school teacher. Should you feel bad for not finding a cancer cure? No!

It’s not like I opted to eat a bag of potato chips every day instead of running. I didn’t ditch the goal without having something meaningful to replace it with. I’m riding my bike to work as much as I can! That’s a win in my book.

I don’t feel one bit bad about setting a goal and abandoning it. The whole reason I set the goal was to have something to strive for. Now I just strive to get to work without my car, which is most practical by bike.

I’ve really enjoyed riding my new bike to work

Goals should serve a bigger purpose than just the goal itself. They give us something to aim for while striving to improve at the things we enjoy. They challenge us to grow.

In 2018 I had a goal of reading the whole Bible in a year. My motivations were not in order and it turned into a joyless obligation within two months. I finished the whole year plan and was burnt out. It didn’t bring me joy. I wish I had given up instead of disregarding the struggle for months with little to show for it.

If you have a goal that isn’t growing you along the way, if it isn’t ultimately a source of joy or betterment, then find another goal.

New Goals

This my current list. Who knows what they’ll be in six months!

• Bike to work when it’s feasible
• Spend more time with people face-to-face
• Play guitar every day
• Write two posts a month
• Read books often
• Get out and live a little

 

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Goodbye Ebike: The End of an Era

My days of electric bike commuting have come to an end. Two days ago I sold my ebike to someone who could put it to much better use. And for the first time in 6 years, I don’t own any bikes at all!

It was fun, old friend.

Two months ago I moved into a house closer to my office. It cut my 5-mile, hilly commute down to just 3 miles that are entirely flat. Hopping on my tank of an ebike to ride to and from work every day became a bit silly. It was overkill for my needs.

I decided to sell the ebike for another ride. I’ve missed having a normal bike that I can use for exercise and exploring nearby parks. The ebike is great, but in my experience it was not as fun as a conventional bike would be for recreational riding.

I posted it on craigslist and had a few people interested. Special shout out to Joe, a sweet 74-year-old man with a great emoji game. Unfortunately he offered me less than 40% of the listed price. “Sorry, I can’t do that Joe.”

I found a buyer who only commutes via bike. He has a vision impairment that prevents him from driving. It’s great to know that the ebike will be in the hands of someone who will benefit from the increased mobility during the harsh winter months.

Cost Breakdown

Just like in my Goodbye Combustion post, I want to do a brief numbers crunch. This one will be much simpler.

Itemized costs:

• $1499 – Rad Rover Ebike
• $149 – Street tires
• $89 – Fenders
• $30 – Spare tubes
• $10 – Milk crate

Total cost: $1809

Sale price: $1000

Net cost of ownership: $809

I began riding the ebike in August of last year. It’s September now. Spread over those thirteen months, the net monthly cost of ownership was $62. That stacks up pretty good against the $300 average I had with my old Honda Civic.

A trip down memory lane

This ebike has marked an incredibly exciting season of my life. I’ve been caught in thunderstorms and freezes. Negative 20 degree weather and glorious sunny days. I rode it to a doctors appointment once, too.

I’m not the dude with the crazy bike at work anymore. No more explaining “why the tires are so big.”

It was a blast. Relying on an electric bike to get to work for a year is something I will never regret. If you can do it, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Previous posts about the ebike:

• Ebike Commuting to Work
• Winter Weather on a Bike
• The Best Bike Commute
• Two People, One Car

 

The Cycling Continues

I don’t own another bike… yet! I’m already in the process of finding my next ride. Don’t worry, there’ll be more posts detailing it when the time comes. Meanwhile, I’ll keep driving to work like a normal person.

It’s alright to be normal. At least, for a little while.

 

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Transportation Choices

If you’ve seen my past posts, I Don’t Want a White Camaro and Goodbye Combustion: My Cost of Car Ownership, it might be hard to believe that I recently purchased a car. Even worse, I decided to finance it (the mustachian in me regrets not buying with cash). But, I’ve really enjoyed the car and I can say I’m happy with the decision.

2013 Honda Fit

Keeping with the Mr. Money Mustache influence, I bought a fuel-efficient hatchback car. I liked the Honda Civics that I previously owned, and the Fit is very similar. The hatchback and fold-down seats will help with transporting bikes or furniture, and will make car camping a possibility for future rock climbing trips.

I did my purchase through Carvana, an online vehicle shop that boasts about it’s lack of salespeople and simple process. They can deliver your purchase right to your door, or to a local “vending machine” (see below). To help quell the fears of buying a car sight-unseen, they have a 7-day return policy if you find the car isn’t what you were looking for.

Carvana has a vending machine near me, so I got to experience the fun and over-the-top vending process. The sound effects were a bit cheesy, but it was cool to see my car come down the elevator and spin before being moved into the garage.

Why Finance?

The short answer is because I can’t afford to pay cash! I just bought a house last month. Between the down payment and furnishing it with appliances and decor, there’s not enough in the bank to pay cash for a car and still have an emergency fund left over.

Given my last car experience with a 19-year-old vehicle, I knew I wanted something newer. Going with a 2013 is right near the sweet spot of having experienced most of the depreciation while still having some of the newer safety features and low mileage.

On the note of finances, I had to decide if I was willing to put in the extra money to get either a hybrid or even a fully electric vehicle. I’m climate conscious, and it’s not lost on me that standard combustion vehicles aren’t great for the atmosphere. But, with a small car like this, I still get great mileage for the amount of utility it provides.

Yes, I will still be riding my bike to work as often as possible. Thankfully the new house is even closer to my office than where I previously lived. No matter what method of commuting I do, my footprint is small.

Independence

The car will give me more flexibility to do normal adult things like going to doctor appointments and running other day-time errands while my wife has her car with her. I’ll also be able to actually socialize on my own outside of work hours, which is much needed.

In the sprawling city of Indianapolis, it’s hard to get by without a car. I’m so glad that for the last year, I made it work. Being without has made me appreciate the freedom that having a vehicle provides.

Now I’m already dreaming about the possibilities with my own car. Maybe I’ll sell the ebike for a more all-around bike that I can use for commuting and light trail riding at the nearby state park. I can utilize the car’s hauling space to bring it wherever I want.

When I was at Miguel’s Pizza and Campground last summer on a rock climbing trip, I saw a guy who had converted the back of his Honda Fit into a sleeping area. I’ve been doing my research and it seems totally feasible for me to do. I’ll be sure to share any upcoming slow travel adventures that might unfold.

Gratitude

Being without a car for the past year helped give me new perspective on transportation. I chose to be without a car, but most people who find themselves without a car have little say in the matter. Likewise, I have the means to purchase a vehicle without any significant change in my financial life. I also had the ability to locate myself close to my employer, something that many people do not have the means to do.

I hope to hold onto this new perspective. I’m grateful for the position I’m in to be able to choose my means of transportation on my own terms.

The ability to move independently is something many people take for granted. Not everyone has that choice.

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Thanks for reading! If you want to keep in the loop with what I’m up to, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on twitter.

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

 

 

 

Two People, One Car

Just over a year ago, I sold my car. It needed repairs I could not justify paying for, and I had found a decent alternative to driving to work. Yes, it is hard to believe I ditched my Honda Civic almost thirteen months ago.

I am so glad that I did.

Over the course of the last year, I’ve learned how to get around without a car. I rode my ebike to a doctors appointment. Kelsee and I have walked to the grocery store several times. Any of my readers know that, most notably, I’ve been riding to work every day.

(Just before sitting down to write this, I rode my bike to the bank to get a cashiers check for closing on a house tomorrow. Stay tuned for more on that topic!)

I’ve benefited greatly from the daily rhythm of physical activity. Every work day starts and ends with 20 minutes of light bicycling. It wakes me up and gets my blood flowing. Breathing fresh air and being surrounded by trees and sunshine have been great for my mental and emotional well-being, too.

A foggy sunrise on my morning ride to work.

Becoming a one-car couple meant that we wanted to take extra-good care of our single vehicle. We also had extra motivation to pay it off early. Saving money by not having a second insurance policy, second registration, and extra fuel made it easier to do so. Having no car payments at all is nice for our monthly cashflow!

I could wax poetic on the great aspects of being car-free. But, I wouldn’t be telling the full truth without sharing what else I’ve learned.

Not Having a Car Sucks (Sometimes)

Honestly, Kelsee and I have never been stuck in a bind with only one car. There hasn’t been a time that one of us had the car and the other needed to urgently get somewhere else without the ability to do so. I chalk that up to a small sample size (one year), and careful planning.

But, sometimes you don’t want to have meticulous plans. For example, this week Kelsee is meeting a friend on Monday night, and I’m meeting someone Tuesday night. We’ll each use the car to do so. Keeping dibs of who needed the car and when they needed it made scheduling these get-togethers a bit more tedious.

If we had two cars, we could have both met up with our friends on the same night. That way, we’d have the second night night free to spend together. This kind of flexibility is something we took for granted until we lost the capacity to do so.

On a personal level, being car-less can feel like a burden. That burden often gets cast onto others.

If someone wants to do something with me while Kelsee has the car, my options are having that person come to my place, or having them transport me to and from the destination. Sure, my friends are all nice and willing to do so, but I can’t help but wish I didn’t need them to bend over backwards because of my choice to be car-free. There is, of course, a third option: not getting together at all.

The last 18 months have been a more reclusive period of my life than most others. It was partly intentional, and partly a side-effect of not having a car. I’m in a place now where I want to be more outgoing and social. Sharing a car with my wife is now a barrier to that goal.

No Regrets

As I reflect on this year of being car-less, I see the whole experience in a largely positive light. I unlearned how to live life with a car. I learned how to get creative in the lacking of a vehicle. I’m ready to be assimilated back into the boring world of car commuting. But, I have better perspective moving forward.

So yes, I’m planning to buy a car soon. As we get back into climbing, I’ll need a way to get to the gym on my own. We’re also at a point in life where having independence is becoming a necessity instead of just a luxury. All of this is compounded by the underwhelming transportation infrastructure of the city we live in.

You can bet I’ve spent plenty of time thinking about and researching my car options. The “I bought a car” post is coming.

I’ll still spend a majority of my daily commuting on two wheels wearing a helmet though. Being forced to try the car-free lifestyle helped me fall in love with biking for transportation.

I’m really glad my last car kicked the can when it did.

 

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Earth

Happy Earth Day!

I have to be honest, I’m not a particularly festive person. Most holidays I’m doing the bare minimum to celebrate. Earth Day is no exception.

I’m not planting a tree. I’m not going to be basking in the sunshine. My festivity this year is writing this blog post on my patio (and that’s okay).

But I do love the Earth. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever not loved this planet. And I care about it, too! Today I want to take inventory of where my actions are meeting my affections for our shared home.

How am I doing?

About a year ago I started riding my bike to work. It’s been awesome. Living as a one-car couple has been fun but challenging. Some times I wish I still had a car of my own. But on a day like today it’s really satisfying knowing that I can keep an entire vehicle off the road by choosing a bike instead.

Not everyone can opt for a bike. But what about public transportation? Or car pooling? You might be surprised when you look at your options. I never thought I’d be car-free and biking 5 miles to work, but here I am!

 

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

You have to admit the branding is phenomenal. The three-word saying is, too. My only critique (and I can’t take credit for this) is that we’ve taken a backwards approach to how we embrace it. We often think of recycling as the end-all, be-all. But I realize now that there’s something even better than recycling: reusing. And even better yet: reducing.

What’s better, recycling your waste, or reducing your waste to begin with? Or what if instead of recycling an old plastic container you can reuse it a few more times first? We could even reintroduce a fourth word, re-purpose. We’ve re-purposed some unwanted coffee mugs for herb plants in our small garden.

Thinking this way has led to the more practical steps taken in the past year for Kelsee and I. We now try to avoid one-time-use products, especially plastic. We also try to buy things in larger quantities to reduce the amount of packing that is involved. I intentionally started buying the peanut butter that comes in a glass jar because it means every time we finish the peanut butter, we have another storage container!

And yes, we started recycling this year, too.

Taking steps to care for our planet better can take many different forms, but one of the most surprising is by choosing what you put on your plate. Yes, the food that you eat has a price tag and also a price that is paid by Earth. A plant-based diet helps fight climate change and animal foods like beef are damaging the environment.

Eat more plants! We eat a plant-based diet and it’s been wonderful for our bodies and minds. It’s great to know an animal didn’t die to feed me. But knowing it also helps this planet that is our shared home is great, too.

Beyond the kinds of food to eat, we also try to source our food well. We’re buzzing in anticipation for the farmers’ market season to start back up so we can get some local, organically grown food. And as unfun as it is to think about, I’ve also been faced with the facts that flying food from other countries isn’t quite the best thing for the Earth. avocado’s are becoming a bit more of a special occasion for me for this reason.

Yes, bananas and plenty of other foods come from across the nation or across the world, too. So let’s not respond with a, “well then why bother,” attitude and instead take interest in sourcing locally and helping people that are growing the foods in the patches of mother Earth we live in ourselves.

There’s plenty for me to improve on. We recycle a lot of stuff, but I’d really love to have less things to recycle! Less waste altogether. Finding other waste-minded people to share ideas with is a goal of mine. Here’s a start.

Tomorrow is also Earth Day

And so is the day after. It’s easy to lose track of the giant sphere zipping around the sun that we’re all riding through life together. But, until we are colonizing other places in this universe, we live every day on spaceship Earth. So another goal I have is to reflect on the Earth on more days than just the one that has a trending hashtag.

Don’t get me wrong, hashtags are good! This holiday is great for spreading awareness. So let’s be more aware together! But I think there’s a hurdle between awareness and action. It’s called apathy.

I feel like I’m recovering from apathy about a lot of things lately. The importance of my home and habitat is one of them. All these years I could have been doing better. There’s damage that I’ve already done. And thinking about how much there’s left to do to fix it can be daunting. It can seem like it never ends, and that I won’t be able to achieve a “perfect” state of being, so why bother trying?

But when I reflect on living these ideas out, I realize this: There is no perfect, there is only better.

So let’s do better.

 

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

The Best Bike Commute

It’s been a while since my last couple of bike posts. I’ve pretty well survived the Winter and have some exciting stories to share on the other side.

Staying Warm

My Winter weather post about the gear I’d be using to stay warm ended up being spot-on. I bought a scarf to pad my neck and face and was able to stay warm enough through all of the really harsh weather. The coldest commute I had was a -17 degree windchill. If you add in the 20mph speed that I was travelling at, it was a bit colder. But after a certain point the temps stop feeling colder and start feeling like stinging pain.

Thankfully my commute averages only 17 minutes long. On the coldest of days the worst that happened to me was having tingly hands just as I was rolling up to my office. Due to various precipitation issues (keep reading), I worked from home fairly often in some of the worst weeks in January and February. Ultimately the temps weren’t fun, but they were manageable. I’m finding anything above 30 degrees totally comfortable.

Last week we had an abrupt season change (somewhat expected in Indiana). It was a surreal experience to go from 24 degrees on one morning to 70 the following afternoon. You can tell I was enjoying the weather riding home in the jeans and hoodie I wore during the work day:

70 degree ride home in March!

Ice Sucks

Hands down the worst experience of riding through the Winter is ice. You don’t have to think long about the combination of a slippery surface and balancing a bike to realize that there’s some real cause for concern. Unfortunately it took going out on my first snowy day to realize how bad it can be. Coming from the world of driving a car in snow, you know slipping and sliding is bound to happen. But with a bike, you don’t just slide—you tip-over.

My first Wintery-mix commute was a rude awakening. The roads were cleared, but a majority of my route is on paved trails. The ~4 inches of slush proved a bigger challenge than I expected. Even worse, the trails had been ran and biked on the day prior. The packed down snow turned into iced grooves that sent my bike wheels in every direction they went. Fish-tailing on a bike is scary!

After barely making it to the half-way point of my route, I had a gloriously clumsy “fall.” But I wouldn’t call it a wreck, especially because I landed on my feet. As I was riding at a reduced speed around a bend my bike began to tip over, almost in slow motion. I planted my feet and gently laid my bike down. It was going down whether I wanted it to or not. I turned back home in defeat and worked from my apartment the rest of the day. I was bummed!

Round 2

Two days later I gave it another attempt. There was some mixed precipitation throughout my commute but things went much better. I did, however, have another clumsy tumble further along. Same as the previous commute, my bike slowly began to tip from under me while casually coasting around a bend. Thankfully, I landed on my feet straddling my bike. I was past the worst of the terrain, so I just laughed and hopped back on two wheels and finished the trip to the office. Victory!

Weather War

After my first two falls I was a bit more cautious about the potentially icy conditions. A couple weeks after the first fall, another Sunday snow blessed my path to work. I knew that this time there’d be almost no chance the trails would have packed ice as it came late in the evening, so I gave riding to work a shot. After all, everything prior to that was either sheets of ice from rain (no-go) or wet and slushy. Two inches of dry and powdery snow was very appealing!

What unfolded was the most fun I have ever had on a bike.

This commute was utterly magical. Imagine the most serene, glistening snowfall like a picture-perfect Christmas morning. Lightly dusted trees, calm breeze, the world at a stand-still.

My bike did great in the snow. I felt traction and the loose fluff of the snowfall under my tires. I was conquering the elements while basking in their beauty. I made it to the state park and experienced the breathtaking expanse of pure-white wonderland. This was my dream commute.

I was enjoying the ride so much that I spontaneously diverged off the trail to put the bike to the test. And it killed it off-road! I was riding freely across the vast open landscape and felt like there was no limit to where I could go. It was pure bliss.

As I made it towards the exit of the park, the roads were cleared of snow. I came around the bend at the bottom of the hill and made a critical mistake that immediately sounded every alarm in my mind and body. I unintentionally rode over the now-frozen tire tracks of the narrow lane near the gatehouse.

I hit a patch of black ice.

The bike began to slip out from under me, and I was moving at a brisk speed of about 15mph. This time, I was tipping over with the bike, too. I landed on my left hip, left elbow, and side of my helmet in unison and slid through a bit of slush. The adrenaline surged and I managed to shrug the bike off of myself and take inventory of my body.

I had range of motion in my arms and legs and didn’t have any dizziness or blurred vision. After 30 seconds of checking myself I went into get-to-the-office-as-fast-as-possible mode. I looked at my bike to gauge the damage. I sat it up and gave the pedals a revolution and the throttle a twist. The ebike seemed in good enough shape to at least walk the last mile to my office.

However, my milk crate containing my laptop, lunch, clothes, and bike tools came detached from my cargo rack and was 15 feet away from the bike. All of the zip ties securing it to the rack had snapped, leaving me to figure out how to lug the 10lbs crate and walk my bike to the office. At this point I realized I needed to strip my gloves and goggles to attempt to rig my belongings to the bike and get moving.

I used my two bungee cords to secure the crate back to my bike (in the loosest way imaginable). I walked the bike about 50 feet and my mind started weighing my options. I was now extremely cold and starting to feel pain throughout my body. I knew the rest of the route was very flat and cleared from snow. I decided to hop on the bike and cautiously ride the remaining mile to my office. I made it to work and took a very long and hot shower to warm up and parse everything that had unfolded over the last 30 minutes.

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It was a commute of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Extreme for better and worse. I went from a state of euphoria to experiencing full-fledged survival instincts. Victory and defeat. That morning ride is so strange to think about, even two months later. I had an AMAZING time until the fall, and then it was one of the most stressful things I’ve experienced in my life. Crazy!

Arguably crazier in hindsight, I rode back home that afternoon. I think I wanted to redeem myself. If I had let Kelsee pick me up, I knew I’d be scared to ride again.

I was beaten and bruised, but somehow made out without any damages to my body that didn’t heal with time. I had pulled my left oblique and had lingering pain in my elbow and hip for about 3 weeks, but was fine otherwise. The bike was practically untouched, and the crate was easy enough to reattach with more zip ties.

I’m choosing to remember the joys and pain of that commute. It would be easy to let my fall tarnish the memory, but it truly was the best commute I’ve had.

Over The Hump

I took it easy following my bad fall. Several days working from home, and less gambling on the road conditions. Following the series of snowfalls was the couple weeks of harsh temperatures. Now, we seem to be nearing the end of morning freezes. Hallelujah!

I’ve had the ebike now for seven months. It’s been incredibly useful and has exceeded my expectations. On my way home today I caught a glance of my odometer sitting at the 1000 mile mark. I had to stop and snap a picture to celebrate.

1000 miles on my ebike!

 

I don’t know how long I’ll be riding to work, but at the very least this has been a wild adventure I will always be glad I had. It’s been fun to document and share as well. Apologies to my loved ones for all the worry I’m sure I’ve put them through!

Here’s to more adventures!

 

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Driven Mad

I spent a total of 45 minutes in the driver’s seat today. There were a few worrying encounters with other people on the road. Sadly, I’m sure the examples I could give would not be surprising to anyone. If you ever drive a car, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed them yourself. There’s a chance you’ve been a participant in these acts as well.

Distracted driving. Operating a metal machine weighing over 2000 pounds without full presence of mind. Texting at the wheel. Let’s go beyond texting: interacting your smartphone at all behind the wheel. Searching for the perfect music playlist. Sometimes we just need that hit of dopamine from the likes we got on our last Facebook post while we wait for the light to turn green, right?

But then you subconsciously start scrolling through your timeline. Checking out a new photo album from a friend’s vacation. Scrolling past all the bad memes. Ooo, they are together now? Ugh, more political stuff… Then comes the rude awakening.

HONK HONK

Whoa, time to drive. That’s embarrassing. Oh well.

Take a second and consider how much this actually happens. Today I was the one honking the horn. Most days I’m the passenger while Kelsee drives. Without having to focus on driving, my attention is instead directed at watching the people around us. It’s frightening how much people are getting their screen time and road time at the same time.

I am no saint in this regard. I have, in the past, actively used my phone while driving. There was a specific event that led me to stop doing so.

I was 17 years old. While driving my first Honda Civic at 45 MPH, I hit a stopped minivan. It was on the busiest road in my hometown. I was attempting to make a lane change while approaching a severely backed up intersection. After I realized I couldn’t make the lane change, I looked forward and saw the stopped vehicle after it was too late to react.

I had a severe accident while giving my attention to the road. I was not using my phone. I realized that even without a distraction I was able to make potentially life-threatening mistakes at the wheel. It was a terrifying experience. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The most vivid memory from the fallout of this accident was searching for my phone in the car to call my mom. I was coughing from the smoke of the airbag. When I pulled it out from under the seat where it had landed I had a very sobering moment. Sitting in the driver’s seat looking down at my phone. I realized I had done the very same thing while driving the car countless times before. Time to stop.

Two and a half years later, I had another accident while at the wheel. It was the day I moved into my first apartment during my junior year of college. My 13-year-old brother was my passenger. My mother and sisters were following me on the highway. After a tiring morning and long drive, I passed out at the wheel. Our car went off the road to the shoulder and we hit a road sign.

My mother and sisters had to watch in horror. Thankfully my brother was okay. No other cars or people were involved.

I still have a hard time reliving this experience. I couldn’t sleep for a few nights. I didn’t drive a vehicle for over a year out of terror and the heavy burden of fear. What if I passed out again? I was diagnosed and treated for the condition that caused my accident. Even with a sense of closure knowing that I wouldn’t have this issue again, I was still uneasy about driving.

Another automobile accident that happened despite my best intentions. I was not using my phone.

Every single day that I am on the road either as a passenger or driver, I notice other people being distracted at the wheel. Even worse is considering how many people are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs without anyone even knowing. Beyond all of these examples of human ignorance, there’s even more cause for concern.

I have been the sole cause of two automobile accidents. One from human error. Another from health issues.

Giving our best efforts, we are still mistake-makers. At our worst, we fall prey to the addictive, stimulus-seeking desires that we have built into our lives. Just think about that: we are driving these metal machines at blazing speeds within grazing distance of other people doing the very same thing. And yet we can disregard the immense responsibility we have to ourselves, our loved ones, and to other people and their loved ones. We do so in favor of a warped prioritization of picking the right emoji or liking a comment on social media.

Forgive me for being doom and gloom about how dangerous and scary driving can be. It should be clear that I have some anxiety rooted in both the past and in present, every day experiences.

Necessity

I live in a car-dependent culture. Most of our country is built this way. Thankfully, I’m able to get by with just a bike for now. I’m not naive enough to believe that I will always be able to avoid driving a car. But for now, I’m going to enjoy the privilege I have to opt out of a car while I can. For me, driving is a necessary evil at best.

My awareness of other people’s behavior behind the wheel is heightened while I’m on my bike. In fact, commuting by bike has opened my eyes to see how bad the status quo is. People can completely miss a car while distracted or inhibited on the road. How much easier is it to miss a dude on a bike?

You could argue I’m sacrificing my own personal safety by opting to ride a bike instead of driving a car. I consider this every day that I ride. Given my own track record of driving cars, I rest easier knowing that at least I’m endangering less people by riding a bike instead.

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

Winter Weather on a Bike

In my last post, I talked about how I’m riding my electric bike to work every day through this Midwestern winter. I detail the cost of the bike and its accessories, and talk about the trade-offs of an ebike versus a car. For this post, I’d like to share how I bundle up to stay warm while on my commute. To put it simply: Layers!

But first, lets talk about the kind of weather I’m actually dealing with. So far this year I’ve experienced temperatures in the low teens. I’m riding at roughly 18mph on average. According to this calculator, at 10 degrees outside my body is experiencing -8 degree temperatures. Add in a strong headwind and drop the temperature another 15 degrees and you end up with a -25 Fahrenheit real feel!

Before I get a bunch of worried gasps, let’s remember that I’m riding a bike. I’m pumping blood, moving my body, and generating heat naturally. My bike might be electric, but I always have the ability to turn down the power assist in order to put more work onto my legs. If I get too chilly, I can always turn up the heat by pedaling harder.

Now that we know the temps, what about the precipitation? I’m wearing the same water-wicking outer layers that I’ve worn during the rainier warm months, so rain is covered. Snow is even easier to stay dry in since it doesn’t stick to my shell layers. Keeping the moisture out has been very manageable.

My commute is right at five miles one way. On average, this takes me under 18 minutes in good weather. I have yet to experience heavy snow, but I made it just fine through an ice advisory a few weeks ago. So far I’ve managed to stay warm from start to end of my commutes. If it took 30 minutes or more, I might need to get some more effective clothing.

The Gear

My daily winter bike commuting garb

 

Above is the full clothing setup of my daily commutes through the winter.

• Feet: Two pairs of socks and winter boots.
• Legs: Underwear, thermal leggings, long underwear, jeans and a pair of rain pants.
• Torso: Long sleeve tee, hoodie, jacket and a soft rain shell.
• Hands: Knit gloves and the bar mitts attached to my handle bars.
• Head and face: Buff, balaclava, ski goggles and rain shell hood (sometimes).

I already owned everything except the face gear, rain pants and thermal leggings. All together those extra items cost under $100 and are all staying in good shape a couple months in.

Things are going well so far with this amount of clothing. The nice thing is that I can always add more layers. I tentatively plan to get a scarf to add around my face for some added warmth and wind protection. My gloves are about the bare minimum for insulation currently, but I’m holding off on buying some more legit winter gloves as long as I can!

If you layer up enough you can handle the effects of weather just fine. It’s awesome being suited up and cruising to work in the wee hours of the morning feeling comfy. Plus, it’s kinda fun seeing the looks from my coworkers the first time they see me suited up.

The Calm Before The Storm

Today I completed my last bike commute of 2018. I’m looking forward to the time off of the bike (and work) for the holidays. It’s surreal to think back eight months ago when I first started riding a bike to work a few times a week. Bike commuting has been a fun adventure, but I know I’m in for a real challenge when winter is in full swing. I hope you’ve enjoyed following along as I share my experiences so far. Stay tuned for more!

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

 

 

Ebike Commuting to Work

I’ve been riding my bike to work for the last seven months. Since starting, I’ve sold my car and committed to riding my bike to work every day. It’s been a great adventure filled with challenges and setbacks. As winter approaches, I’m faced with a constant question from my family, friends and coworkers: What are you going to do in the winter?

There are two distinct aspects to winter bike commuting: safely arriving to your destination and handling the weather. For this post, I’m going to discuss how I will get to my destinations every day. I present to you, my new electric bicycle!

The RadRover Electric Fat Bike

This monstrous vehicle is an Electric bicycle made by Rad Power Bikes, the RadRover. Being an electric bike means that it has a battery and integrated motor that engage when the user pedals. Think of it like a hybrid car, except using two legs instead of a combustion engine. The battery has a 20-45 mile range and can help boost the commuting speed to 20mph*. The street tires, rear cargo rack and milk crate are my own additions, but everything else pictured above are part of the 2018 base model.

If you decide to purchase your own Rad Power bike, be sure to use my name to score a $50 Amazon gift card. Just enter Quinn Keitel during the checkout process (I get a gift card too)!

The first thing people ask about when they see this bike is why the tires are so big. It is also a fat bike, a type of bicycle that features wider and larger tires and often has a solid fork and hard tail. As you can see, this model actually does have front suspension. Fat bikes are generally used in mountain biking settings.

The big tires are more cushy than small narrow tires you might see on a road bike. They add a bit of softness to the ride as well as providing more surface area for contact with the road. Fat bikes were originally intended for use on sand and snow–something I had in mind when preparing for winter commuting.

I ordered the bike from the manufacturer in Seattle and it arrived in a gigantic box. It was 50% assembled and required a couple hours to complete. There were a few issues in shipping that resulted in the derailleur and derailleur guard being bent out of position. Rad Power Bikes shipped me a new mounting plate and it was as good as new. It was three weeks between receiving the bike to being able to ride it with the new part attached. It was less than ideal, but their customer service provided the replacement for free. Pretty crazy that I assembled an electric… fat… bike… none of which I had done before!

I feel bad for the delivery guy that had to handle this 65 pound box!

 

Tried and Tested

As of writing this post, I’ve accumulated over 500 miles on my ebike. I love the disc brakes and integrated headlight that come with the bike. Battery power really helps me get up the large hill I have to climb every day. As mentioned above, it weights over 65 pounds. This makes it more difficult to navigate through my office and front door of my apartment, but makes me feel like Batman riding the Batcycle which is a plus.

The RadRover comes with a set of basic off-road tires. Since I started riding it in the summer I bought a nice pair of street tires appropriate for the weather conditions for most of the year. It’s now late November and I’ve switched to the off-road tires to handle the snow and ice that is already blessing my early morning commutes.

Here’s a cost breakdown of the entire bike and accessories:

• Rad Rover bike – $1499**
• Street tires – $149.90
• Fenders – $89
• Rear cargo rack – $31.38
• Two spare tubes – $30
• Milk crate – $10

Which comes to a grand total of $1809.28. I’ve also migrated my rear and front lights from my old bike to this one, which is about $50 worth of accessories I already had.

Whoa now, isn’t that a bit much for a bike? Good question.

In terms of cost, I’m coming out ahead of my last vehicle. In my cost of car ownership article I discuss how owning my Civic came out to roughly $300 a month across it’s lifespan. This means that after only six months I’ll break even in terms of the monthly cost of ownership. Clearly a car provides benefits like being protected from the weather and the ability to move more cargo and people. Cars come with plenty of burdens, though…

No more car insurance, license plates or vehicle registrations to pay for with my RadRover. I also don’t have to pay for fuel because I charge it every day at work. Bikes are also much easier to maintain than a car, and I save money doing most of the maintenance myself. I can’t go quite as far with my ebike compared to a standard car, but I still get around town from time to time!

I rode my ebike to a doctor’s appointment. Here it is kitted out with my winter handle bar mitts and fenders.

 

The extra benefit from having a hybrid bike is that I’m not wiped out from riding it 10 miles every day of the week. This allows me to still get in other physical activity after work without being too tired. I also get to work faster. There have been instances where my normal trails are closed and I’m forced to ride on more heavily trafficked main roads. With an electric motor helping me maintain 20mph, I’m more comfortable being among the big four-wheeled metal machines.

I like my ebike. It’s a happy medium between a standard bike and a car. So far I’ve commuted through rain, light snow and an ice advisory on it. As winter approaches, I’m excited to give it a whirl through a full snowfall. Bring it on!

Stay tuned for my next post where I will outline how I stay warm riding at 20mph in single digit temperatures.

From my mind to yours,

Quinn

 

 

* The legal speed limit of a battery assisted bicycle in my state is 20mph, but it varies based on state and country. You can override the speed limiter in the firmware and raise it to 40kmph (roughly 25mph). I did this for one day and felt unsafe riding on trails with pedestrians. I keep it at the factory standard limit now.

** I bought this bike roughly a week before some new tariffs were imposed between China and the US, which immediately made the price of the bike rise by $200 due to the Chinese-made Bafang rear hub motor. The tariffs affected a majority of the ebike market, so it would be hard to avoid the price increase. I would have still bought at the increased price and recommend this bike at the current.