1. Home from another wintry commute
2. the Wintah Beatah in action
3. the Wintah Beatah* originally Schwinn Woodlands Rigid Mountain*
Painted straight black, Action Riser bars, Deda stem, Deore LX brake levers, V-brakes, standard 165mm Track crank 48t x 15t single speed, Alex DM18 rims, shimano stock hubs, Nokian Mount & Ground Studded tires, Axiom rack, Planet bike fenders.
4. the Skylarker*originally a Raleigh Capri 10 speed*
5. the Ras Commuter Fixed Gear*originally a Spaulding Blade 12 speed*
Custom painted and upgraded with Soma Urban Pursuit Handlebars & Brake Levers, Brooks B66 Saddle, Dia Compe Side Pull Brakes (off a bike found in the dumpster outside portland hall), velocity hubs and deep v rims (handbuilt) , MkS touring pedals....Drivetrain: gear ratio was originally 52t x 15t Dura-Ace cog as pictured but was overhauled this week with a new 170mm Track Crank, 1/8" 48t Chainring and 1/8" Wipperman Chain. Axiom rack, planet bike fenders.
Its a long story as to what brought me to this decision but the end result is I have been car-free since 2007. I have learned that a bicycle is a very sustainable and reliable form of transportation. I am a year round bicycle commuter. My typical commute is 12 miles each way in the good weather months and in the winter wonderland, my route gets tweaked to 8 miles each way. Partly to cut down on my exposure to subzero temps and also because part of my good weather commute takes me along the Eastern Trail "Greenbelt" which is a bike/pedestrian path that connects me from the Casco Bay Bridge to Highland Fields in South Portland. I will post some pics and maps of my daily travels in the future...
I started commuting via bicycle in 2007...at the time I had difficulties even changing flat tires and adjusting brakes. Today as you can see from the pictures above...I have learned the in and outs with alot of help from Percy Wheeler (www.percycycles.com), though I am still not an expert, I can build a bike from the ground up...
Some Commuting Statistics for the last year.....
To log your stats visit... www.portlandgreenstreets.org
240 days of activity from 4/1/08 to 5/1/09
| Recent | Days | Miles | Gallons | Dollars | Lbs CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This Week | 5 | 140 | 5.67 | 11.79 | 113.36 |
| Last Week | 5 | 140 | 5.67 | 11.77 | 113.36 |
| This Month | 1 | 28 | 1.13 | 2.36 | 22.67 |
| Last Month | 22 | 616 | 24.94 | 51.50 | 498.79 |
| This Year | 87 | 1916 | 77.57 | 153.95 | 1551.42 |
| Last Year | 153 | 3314 | 134.17 | 428.55 | 2683.4 |
| Grand Total | 240 | 5230 | 211.74 | 582.50 | 4234.82 |
Also for more info on bike commuting in Portland, ME visit
www.meetup.com/Portland-Bike-Commuting/
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