cmiles – blog

Charles Miles – Tucson Hiking, Outside and Adventures, Excel, .net, Life

Bike Commuting

Two years ago I bought a Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc (current version) and started commuting to work. ADT and I still have one car and I drive occasionally, but now I prefer to ride – for commuting to work, errands and fun. Biking has made my life better – if you are lucky enough that your life/work situation permits it you should try it too!

Biking


Current favorite bike commuting gear -

Rockhopper Comp Disc with Nimbus Armadillo 26×1.5 tires (I think skinny tires turn a hard-tail mountain bike into a pretty nice commuting setup – and I have had too many flats with knobby tires on Tucson roads)

Starfire Single Beam w/ Smart Switch and Fuel Gauge from Jet Lites (Reliable, bright and I love the battery guage. I ride home in the dark ~4 nights a week and it is a huge benefit to be able to see the remaining battery life)

Timbuk2 Pro Series Backpack (Large) (I have used about 5 different backpacks/messenger bags in two years, nothing is perfect but I love the size of this pack, enough space for all the basics AND some groceries)

Icebreaker Tops – Merino wool is warm and does a great of staying stink-free even after a week of commuting

Toshiba R10 Tablet PC – Not technically commuting gear – but the bike/laptop is just a cool combination (I am a huge fan of the convertible tablet format)

Happy Commuting!
CM

Filed under: Life,

2 Responses

  1. dhisey says:

    Im about to be in college and Im not taking a car. I bike commute around my hometown and I plan to in college. great way to stay in shape :)

  2. Cloudy says:

    Yes, biking has made my life better!
    Although I just started biking last few months, but I like it very much. I will be coming to work by bicycle. I think that would be great… :)

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RSS pinboard -> links

  • Gmap4 - Share Enhanced Google Maps
    A very cool tool - free for non-commercial use - that can produce very nice (and very usable) topo maps that can have data (GPX, KML,...) overlaid on it very easily!
  • Vistoso Hiking Club Hikes Database
    Short descriptions of hikes near Tucson with a few off trail and interesting destinations - no doubt there are more informative sources but sometimes the simplest thing is nice...
  • Bill Hill - Pictures
    I don't stumble on that many well organized great sets of Tucson hiking photos so saving this link!
  • [WPF] How to bind to data when the DataContext is not inherited
    This solved a problem for me with control of DataGrid Column visibility via Data Binding. Did not test/research/profile this extensively, but for my problem this worked like a charm.

RSS cmiles-consuming -> posts

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  • Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons 2012 May 16
    I first read Dan Simmons‘s Hyperion in the early 1990s – the Hyperion Cantos is quite famous and I would occasionally see Hyperion listed in Amazon recommendations and ‘top’ lists (see the ISFDB Top 100 Lists and Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books from npr books (note that you may get some amusement out [...]
  • Wool Omnibus (Wool 1-5), Hugh Howey 2012 May 1
    I don’t usually pay much attention to Amazon’s recommendations – but after finishing 1Q84 I wanted something new and, for whatever reason, the Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey jumped out at me on Amazon’s list. Wool takes place in a bleak future where the characters live in self sufficient underground silos with only a vague [...]
  • 1Q84, Haruki Murakami 2012 April 15
    I am a fan of Haruki Murakami, so I was excited when the English version of 1Q84 became available. I picked up and put down this book several times while reading it and I have to admit that I just really don’t know what to say about it – Long/Interesting/What?/I am glad I read it/Why?/1984/hmmm… [...]
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    Ride the Divide has great scenery, interesting people, injuries, struggles and riding along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route that goes from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border! While I am familiar with some of the long distance hiking trails in the US I had no idea this route existed and it was fascinating to [...]
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  • 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless 2012 February 16
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email: charles@cmiles.info

flickr -> pictures

1205 Looking down Pontatoc Canyon

1205 Looking up canyon from the end of the Pontatoc Canyon Trail

1205 Pontatoc Canyon End of Trail Sign

1205 Looking up at the rocks above the end of the Pontatoc Canyon Trail

1205 Catepillar

1205 Maybe from the fire fighting

1205 Looking back up Sabino Canyon from Brinkley Point

1205 View towards Sabino Canyon from Brinkley Point

1205 Charles and Alison

1205 View from Brinkley Point

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