I hate to ride in the wind. Yesterday we had gusts up to 25 mph. Riding in the wind can turn my 2.5 into an unpleasant ride. I don’t like the extra effort it takes to get where I’m going. I don’t like never knowing when a gust will come and force you to get your balance. I would rather ride in ten degrees (which I did over the winter) than ride in the wind. Now if it’s a cold wind then I’d rather stay home.

Yesterday I ended up walking to work. I heard the wind slamming my apartment and made up my mind I’d rather walk. Besides, walking is turning out to be quite pleasant. I end up walking one or two days a week.

Car-free commute has fallen into a normal part of life. This is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact it’s a very good thing. I want to make status-quo not having a car. I want to prove it can be done. Trust me. I used to drive a lot. The fact that not having a car is normal life for me proves that anyone can do it if they really want to. I suppose it’s finding the value in a smaller sustainable life.

I’m looking forward to riding around town and doing stuff after work now that it’s getting warm. Not that I couldn’t do that all winter, but when it was 20 degrees I didn’t venture out when I didn’t have to.

Sorry I haven’t been posting much. I’ve had my head in my photography business: Event Horizon Fotografie. I really should have a blog about that.

This evening I was to go a Technology Gala. My company was nominated for some awards.

It made for a comical situation. I didn’t want to ride because this event needed a suit. I have nowhere to put a suit on my bike, as of yet. I saw my manager’s name on the invite for the event and was assuming he was going. I figured I could get a ride from him. Never assume. He wasn’t going.

I had to ride my bike.

I had my suit rolled up in my panniers. I had forgotten any shoes except my buckle dress shoes. So I was riding towards downtown in my bike gear with dress shoes when my pannier fell off my bike out into traffic! Again!

Fortunately, neither I nor my pannier were hit.

It was the same thing that happened last time. Something snapped the brace off my fender.

My conclusion? SKS plastic fenders suck. A little rock got in there and snapped my fender! I’m going to have to try the chromoplastic. I need fenders, but I don’t want ones that break for no explainable reason.

I ended up walking my bike home and skipping the gala.

My girlriend just sent me a text message that said she killed a butterfly with her car. It was probably the second butterfly of the year. That my, friends, is reason enough to get rid of your car. Think about the butterflies!

On my way to work today my bike took a dump.

I heard an ambulance coming up behind me, so out of habit I starting pulling over to the right. I was even slowing down to a stop like I would in a car. The sirens can be disconcerting when I’m riding. It’s a good thing I did slow down. Right when the ambulance passed me all of a sudden things popped and snapped and panniers were flying everywhere and my wheel locked up. My bike came to a grinding halt. It was bedlam!

My first thought was that it was somehow related to the ambulance. The loud siren and then my bike locking up. As far as I can tell it was a coincidence I didn’t have much time to look at it. I fiddled with it for a minute and ended up walking the bike to work.

After some investigation I sort-of found out what happened. I say “sort=of” because I found out all the symptoms, but I still can’t figure out what caused it all. A screw that holds my fender to my rack broke. I think it must have fallen out a while ago. The bracket got caught on the tire and bent the whole way back to my brakes. It locked up the tire. I’m still a little baffled as to how my pannier broke. There is s a knob type thing that tightens to the side of the rack. The entire brace that holds the knob to the pannier snapped into pieces. I’m hoping I can get just a new piece.

There are pictures explaining the aftermath below.

I must have been a  funny site later that day at work. I was outside my cubicle with my bike flipped over. I had the wheel off and my hands were covered in grease. Luckily we had the perfect sized screw in the warehouse. I got the fender all fixed up. I’ll have to see about the pannier.

To top it off, it started sleeting/snowing. I rode home in a wintery mix with a pannier that didn’t want to stay on!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I wrote a post a while back about adventure. I still consider this an adventure! Every day you don’t know what will happen. Will my bike disassemble itself? Will it sleet on me? I guess I should get used to sleet. Puxatony Phil says we’re in for six more weeks.

Yesterday, where did I find myself but the Harrisburg Car Show.

My dad asked me about a week ago if I wanted to go with him to the Car Show. I’ve mentioned before in this blog about how my dad loves cars, and it’s his primary way of connecting with me. It put a unique twist on our relationship. He and used to always talk about my car. Now he talks about what kind of car I should get.

So we go to the Car Show which was $8 to get in. I paid it to hang out with my dad. Honestly, I was interested in seeing some of the hybrids and concept cars. Below are some pictures from the car show. I only took pictures of the exotic and expensive cars. Obviously I didn’t get any shots of the camerys and accords.

About twenty minutes in I realized why my dad invited me. He swears it was an afterthought, but he is shrewd enough to plan this. He knew that once he got me sitting in new cars I would be dazzled. “Oh look, heated seats. Wouldn’t it be nice to have heated seats in your car Ryan? Or even seats at all?” “Look Ryan, this one has an auxiliary jack for your iPod.” “Mmmm, that new-car smell is wonderful, isn’t it?” “You had an Elantra for six years. Think about how reliable the new ones are!” “This color is hot!”

…and so on.

To be honest, I started getting the new-car itch. First, I rationalized it by thinking, “I make a lot of money. Even though cars depreciate it’s still a sound decision to have a reliable vehicle.” Then I’d get out of the car and look at the sticker price. New Elantras loaded were around $18,000. Then I started saying, “Even like a three or four year old Elantra would be OK.” Somewhere in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. Then I remembered my $1,100 credit card debt (that’s right! I’m down from $8,000 to $1,100 in credit card debt!) and $39,000 college loans. That $3000 (not to mention insurance, gas, yadda yadda) could go straight towards my debt. Think about all of the interest that would save me!

I came to a conclusion.

The car will come eventually. When I set out to be car-free I pretty much knew it wouldn’t be forever. I don’t have a plan in mind. I did picture it being for at least a year or so. Plus, by that time I will hopefully be married. Joy is not as hardcore as I am. So we will have at least one car. So my conclusion is, don’t get a car! Pay off my debt!

I have been starting a photography business. I figured it was a good way to flex my creativity muscle and make a few extra bucks on the side. I booked two weddings just yesterday.

It’s easy for me to book the weddings. I just take a few calls and answer a few emails. Here’s the real challenge. Getting to the weddings! One wedding that I locked in is right up the street from me. I could literally walk there. The other is in Pittsburgh. That’s almost a four hour drive! Joy (my girlfriend) already said I could use her car for that one. A constant theme of being car-free for me is not relying on anyone. Every time I book a wedding I start with the notion that I will be responsible for getting there on my own.

I will rent cars. I am already getting deposit checks for the weddings I’ve booked. I have created a separate savings account. I am just sitting on that money. That way I can keep it straight what money is spent on what. I am already factoring in car rentals as an expense of doing business. One of the few in a digital world. I figure I can rent the car on Friday and use it to visit family on Sunday (most of the weddings are on Saturday). That way the business essentially pays for visits and any other errands I may need a vehicle for, like getting cases of beer.

I haven’t rented a car yet. But I was doing the math. Even with increasing the car rentals to (hopefully) twice a month I am still making out by not owning my own car. This is because of the increased revenue generated by the business. The wedding pays for the car rental and then still brings me in a profit. So in the end I will actually be making more money than I make now. I figure if I were to pay for a car off of my photography earnings alone I would have to do quite a few more in order to pay for the car, insurance, and everything else. Not only that I would have to rent a car for the first few weddings because the earnings will not be enough to purchase a car by then.

In the end though, I believe I could own a modest car completely off of my photography income, but that defeats the purpose. A large percentage of the photography income would go right into the car. I don’t want to work for a car. I would rather rent the car and use the rest to 1) legalize the business with the IRS 2) invest in better photography equipment 3) pay my debt!

Can you think of any other creative ways to get to the weddings? Any advice on how to handle the photography money?

I only called co-workers for rides when it was snowy, icy, or very cold (now I just ride through the cold).

I had one co-worker (co-worker A) that I relied on most heavily for rides. She only ever gave me rides three or four times, but she lives the closest to me and works about the same schedule as I do. For no inexplicable reason, last Thursday, she said that she couldn’t give me rides any more. I’m not writing this post to complain about her. I don’t fully understand why she made that decision, but she felt it was right. I sucked it up and dealt with it.

Another co-worker (co-worker B) that lives close to me offered to give me rides. Before co-worker A even told me she couldn’t give me a ride I had it lined up that I was going to hitch with co-worker B last Friday. It was very cold (now I’m kicking myself because I’ve already ridden on colder days). All he said was, “All I ask is, don’t keep me waiting.” On Thursdays a buddy crashes at my place. I forgot to tell co-worker B that my buddy was gong to give me a ride. So yeah, at 7:45 he calls me and says, “where are you?”

I kept him waiting.

I apologized profusely as soon as I got to work, but still, I won’t be calling him for a while. I don’t have the audacity. I felt terrible all day Friday.

When I finally made the decision to be car-free I said that I did not want to be a burden to anyone. That was my greatest con. Both Thursday and Friday I felt like I was a burden. At the same time, I knew what I was getting into when I sold my car. I knew that by selling my car in the end I need to rely only on myself to do what I need to do.

Here’s the interesting part. I can’t call either of these people tomorrow and my bike is at work and I am at home.

Every Wednesday some buddies and I go for wings. Buddy A (I figure I might as well stick with the theme) drives right by my work to play basketball before wings. So Buddy A picks me up with the intention of taking me back to work later, so I can ride home. We go for wings. Then we go to a Lost party. Well, I left my gloves and headband in Buddy A’s car thinking I’d be riding home with him. He didn’t realize that Lost was two hours and couldn’t stay for the second hour. So that I could stay for the second hour I had worked out another way back to the office (with Buddy A’s sister coincidentally).

So on the way back to my office to get my bike I realize I don’t have my warming implements of utmost importance to me. I can’t ride in 17 degrees without my gloves and headband. It’s just not happening.

Buddy A’s sister ended up taking me home. Now my struggle for the morning is between walking to work or calling a cab. It’s only 2.5 miles. That’s only a 45 minute walk, and I have some stuff to keep me warm. But cab is faster. I figure a 2.5 mile fare in Harrisburg is probably pretty cheap. Especially when I compare it to all of the money I’m saving by not owning a car.

I just wish my bridges weren’t burned, so I could call co-workers A and B.

Yes, it’s true. Money of mine still goes towards funding an automobile. Not my automobile, my girlfriend, Joy’s!

Over the weekend Joy and I hung out. On Saturday we went to a bent and dent grocery store that’s a half hour from Joy’s apartment. I filled up her tank for her. That’s OK. I have a relatively hefty budget for giving people gas money. That money was accounted for.

Then on Sunday I drove her car to a real grocery store to get produce and some stuff to make some casseroles. When I got back I parked the car the wrong way along the curb. I did this because I thought Joy had to be somewhere and would be leaving shortly.

It took her longer to leave than I thought, and she got a ticket. I ran out to ask the cop if he could forget about it. He said, “I don’t think so” and was going to bust her for not having her car registered. Thankfully, it was registered she just didn’t have the sticker on.

So, of course, Joy is not going to pay the $10 ticket. I am.

Speaking of Joy’s car, in Pennsylvania we are required to have our cars inspected once a year. Joy just had her car inspected. The issues were relatively minor. Her alignment is off and her shocks are old and tired. I know all the things total will be a few hundred dollars. So far non of the cons of being car-free are worth the thousands I used to pay to own a car.

Here’s a fun little tidbit. Joy’s mom is a black-belt Tightwad (in close second to Amy of The Tightwad Gazette [coincidentally Joy's mom got me The Tightwad Gazette for Christmas]). Joy is more than getting her money’s worth from her ‘95 Mazda. Her mom got it for $600 over two years ago. I’ve known Joy for two years and she’s had very minimal repairs. If there ever was a car to own Joy’s Mazda is the one.

“Dad, selling my car will be fine.”

“Yeah, if want to stay at home all the time.”

This was an actual conversation I had with my dad back when I was thinking about selling my car.

At the time I was like any person when their parent talks them. I was thinking, “Shyah! You don’t even know! It’ll be totally fine. My life won’t change that much when I don’t have a car.”

Well, my life has changed a little more than I thought. I don’t do that much any more.

I don’t think you can necessarily call it laziness. I mean, I sold my car and get around on my Giant bicycle! But deciding to run out to a restaurant, the store, or anywhere really takes more planning and ambition. For instance, I have a library book that is overdue. The library is only a 11 mile total ride. That’s just far enough to take some planning. Do I need anything else on that side of town? Do I have the time to ride across town before an engagement in the evening? It’s not Iike I can hop in the car and be back in a half hour.

Last weekend I really did pretty much just sit at home. To my credit, it snowed on Saturday, but otherwise I didn’t really have anywhere to go that was worth getting all geared up and making the ride. Would I have gone anywhere if I had a car? Yes. On Friday I would have driven to my girlfriend’s and gone with her to a concert. Then, on Sunday, I would have gone with her to her family’s for a late Christmas celebration.

I am not complaining…yet. Having some quiet time without running all over the state might be a good thing for me at this point in my life. I used to drive all over the commonwealth. Plus, It’s allowing me to focus on some things. I’m teaching myself Spanish, and I am talking with the local homeless shelter about volunteering. Plus, I am definitely accomplishing my main goal of saving money.

So file this one in the “Unexpected Challenges” category. I really do feel like I’m missing out on some things that I used to just be able to drive to. I find myself saying “I don’t have a ride” more than I expected.  Or maybe I’m just a bit more upset about some of the things I’ve missed than I expected.

It snowed quite a bit over Monday night and it turned into ice all day Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

This is my first winter weather situation not having a car.

Yesterday I worked from home, so that helped. This morning I had to MC our company staff meeting, so I needed to not only be there, but I needed to be there early. I live on a huge hill. One of my co-workers lives at the top of the hill. She said she would give a ride, but text me if they were too bad. I couldn’t gamble on that. I needed to be at the meeting early! My girlfriend ended up giving me a ride on the way to her work. That means I was there at 7:00 am. The meeting started at 8:30 am. I was 1.5 hours early for work.

So this evening I am going out for wings with a buddy. We go every Wednesday. So he is going to get me from work.

In winter weather situations I need to share rides. I think one of the most interesting things about being car-free is being on other people’s schedule when I do share a ride.  It is a challenge I hadn’t considered. I wasn’t about to ride on a sheet of ice this morning. That means I had to come in when I had a ride. Same with leaving work. If I am getting a ride home then I need to go when my ride goes. It’s interesting. I have to be as kind as possible while I’m at their mercy. After all, they are going out of their way to hook me up with a ride.

This all makes me think that a post about Time Management is in order.

Does anyone ride with studded tires? Especially on a road bike? I’m very curious about how they expand my winter riding capabilities. What are the limitations?