Ride home, new jacket & homemade trike.

It got darker as the day went on. I had some extra time on the ride home and decided to swing by Cycle Works on 27th & Vine. It was dry when I left work North of 56th & Superior but soon was misting and the trail was damp. Before long it went from mist to drizzle.

Last year I picked up a wind suit real cheep on a clearance rack in a big box store. And I've been wearing the jacket on cool and damp mornings. I liked it because I could wad it up real small and it'd fit in my bag easy. But lately I've noticed I sweat like a pig when wearing it. It doesn't breathe at all and has about the same effect as wearing a trashbag.

A while back I saw a breathable water proof jacket in Scheels cycling department, it was around $75, more and more I was realizing how nice something like that would be.

Since Monday when I met Butch from Cycle Works on the Mayor's Bike to Work kick-off I've been wanting to stop by and see if they had anything similar. Plus the free stuff I picked up from Cycle Works on the Mayor's ride didn't hurt either. I'm easily bribed.

At Cycle Works I found a O2 Breathable microporous cycling jacket. It is windproof and waterproof. http://www.rainshield.com/ It was $34.95. Butch showed me two others, one around $100, and one I really liked for $125. I was surprised how much I liked that one! But, ultimately choose the O2 jacket because of the price. I also found a great deal on a set of front and rear lights for the wife's bike. We want to ride to the fireworks this year so we don't have to sit in traffic for an hour when its over, and for no more than she rides they should do great. The set was $15.

I wore the new jacket out of Cycle Works and headed West. Right away I liked the way it fit and I was staying dry. The color should help motorist notice me too. Water beads up and runs off it and my shirt wasn't soaked with sweat when I got home. $35 is a lot, but so far it seems like money well spent.

Then I came across this grocery getter trike in a bike rack on the East side of UNL. The more I studied it the more it looked like a death trap. Note the redneck construction featuring a U-bolt and pipe clamps. But the engineer was thoughtful enough to install springs between the "cart" and frame to prevent all his eggs that he put in one basket from being broken. I'm not knocking the trike or the owner, I think it's cool their using it instead of driving. But the safety and reliability probably leave a lot to be desired.

As I write this the sky is clearing the the trail is dry. Hope you get some riding in. Today's miles = 20.98.