Commuting

Bicycle commuter mileage totals for the Dayton Cycling Club and Cincinnati Cycle Club since 1993

Year	Dayton Cycling Club	Cincinnati Cycle Club	Total	Tons of Pollution not released
1993	22,696		22,696	0.57
1994	32,967		32,967	0.82
1995	33,614	24,924	58,538	1.46
1996	41,218	33,641	74,859	1.87
1997	48,243	34,189	82,432	2.06
1998	55,317	40,659	95,976	2.40
1999	57,433	24,842	82,275	2.06
2000	60,874	28,329	89,203	2.23
2001	61,474	25,892	87,366	2.18
2002	57,956	22,182	80,138	2.00
2003	50,064	32,964	83,028	2.08
2004	51,987	41,814	93,801	2.35
2005	72,105	31,118	103,223	2.58
2006	75,394	39,052	114,446	2.86
2007	82,081	53,240	135,321	3.38
2008	95,613	66,829	162,442	4.06
2009	92,615	72,031	164,646	4.12
2010	77,199	57,262	134,461	3.36
2011	59,582	49,368	108,950	2.72
Total	1,128,432	678,336	1,806,768	45.17
				(1 gallon burned =
				1 pound of pollutants.
				1 U.S. ton = 2,000 pounds
				Based upon 20 mpg)

WINTER COMMUTING

Many of us continue to ride through the winter, weather permitting. I do not leave the house in the morning if there is a traction problem (my traction or the motorists’ traction). But I do not let cold weather alone stop me!

CLOTHING

Our friends in Sweden tell us, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” With the winter weather in Sweden, they should know! I wear an insulated bright yellow jacket with reflective piping to catch motorists’ headlights. Good gloves are a must. Columbia now has gloves insulated with metal foil to retain the heat of our hands. When the temperatures drop far below freezing, I use my heavily insulated leather snowmobiling mittens which cover me from my fingers to my elbows. I wear a balaclava under my helmet when temperatures drop. This insulated fabric keeps my head warm, even in cold weather. I also use a neck cover. I wear skiing goggles when temperatures dip well below freezing.

LIGHTS

With short daylight hours, we need our lights more than ever in the winter time. Because the cold reduces the efficiency of batteries, we may want to add more lights to our bike in the winter time. At Gearfest on October 1, I purchased a new concept in bike light from Links and Kinks. This included a plastic wire which I strung around my bike frame, and a battery pack. The plastic illuminates when I turn it on. When flashing, this plastic wire is easy for motorists to see, particularly those approaching from side streets. These are the motorists who may not see my headlight or tail light. It will be difficult for them to miss my flashing frame and the reflective sidewalls on my Continental commuting tires. As always, be careful when you ride through the winter, but do not allow cold weather to discourage you from bike commuting!

WE NEED YOUR MILES AND COMMUTING TIPS

Please send your monthly miles by the second of each month to Dennis.L.Pohl@lexisnexis.com. Remember to include errands, appointments, trips to school, and other trips during which you substituted a bicycle for a motor vehicle. Please round all figures to the nearest whole number. Thanks to Dennis for compiling our commuting miles! You can share your commuting tips with other readers of this column by sending an e-mail to chuck@ohiobike.org.

DCC Commuting Coordinators (Area Codes are 937)

North of U.S. 35 and east of I-75; Mike Williams
North of U.S. 35, west of I-75, and north of Salem Avenue;

Dan Blair;

Warren Gardner;

Hank Trimble

South of U.S. 35 and east of I-75; Kay Wert Minardi, 299-2454; Raymond Goecke
South of U.S. 35 and west of I-75; Dwaine Wheeler, 626-4455
North of Vandalia; Chuck Smith, 890-6689
Springfield/Urbana Area: Dan Hepp; Marilyn Corbin
Greene County: D. Carrigan