If I were you...

... I would take the shoulder strap off the pannier.  The good folks at Ziggy's Cycle and Sport warned us of this during an information session last week.  The TREK bikes we received from Ziggy's come with some great accessories, including a pannier which is MUCH more comfortable than wearing a backpack while riding.  I have opted to tie the shoulder strap up around the carrying handle instead of removing it - a mistake I won't make in the future!  Today I learned that the strap won't get caught in your spokes, instead it will get caught between your fender and your wheel and you will skid to a sudden halt (22 km/h to 0 instantly) with a crunching noise as your fender crumples into the bike frame and wheel and dislodges your brake line.

Fortunately I was on the Laurel trail and nobody was around, also I was able to pop the fender back into shape (shocked that it didn't snap off - these bikes are built well!) and brake line back into place, so no serious harm done.

I have been enjoying the cool weather and the Laurel and Iron Horse trails as I make my commute from north Waterloo to Schlumberger Water Services in downtown Kitchener and back.  Less fun are the stretches on Weber St. and Victoria St. where there are no bike lanes and have heavy road traffic.  I have tried to vary the route a bit trip but have found myself drifting back to the car-free trails, partly because of the lack of cars but mostly because they are more level!

My trip from home (A) to work (B)

My totals so far:

• 59.9 km traveled in 3h 10m.
• Avg speed: 19.1 km/h
• Max speed: 41.3 km/h (somewhere on Park St. from Glasgow St. to William St.)
• Shortest trip time*: 23m 16s
• Longest trip time*: 29m 24s
• Shortest trip distance*: 7.9 km, from work using Park St. and the Laurel trail.
• Longest trip distance*: 9.9 km, to work using the Laurel trail, the Iron Horse trail, but cutting back up (big uphill) Glasgow St. to Park St.

* Oddly, shortest trip time was not the same trip as shortest distance and longest trip time was not the same trip as longest distance.


~ Rob H.

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