If you are in the northeast US you are sick of snow right now, but still slogging your way to work somehow. I got a new pair of mid-height insulated boots, but unless I added gaiters over the top my pants cuffs kept popping out, getting wet and letting in cold air.
I found the solution in my bicycling gear: pants cuff straps!
Mine are like the above: flexible straps fastened by Velcro. Wrapping the cuff before inserting your foot into the boot keeps it nicely tucked in while walking:
Now when you plot a bicycling route using Google Maps you also get elevation information so you can make changes to it before finding yourself confronting a steep hill unexpectedly.
NOTE: Currently this feature is available only when using a desktop browser, not yet for mobile browsing.
Now that the weather is improving more people will be out on bicycles. And many urban cities are working on ways to encourage more commuters to leave their cars home, including bike commuting.
Some bikers are very knowledgeable about fixing their machine if it develops problems while on a ride such as flat tires, chain or brake problems, etc. Some automobile drivers know how to put on a spare tire, add oil and other fluids, etc. But there are many among both types of commuters who don’t have these skills (or cannot due to physical limitations).
Car commuters have long had the choice of purchasing roadside assistance from a number of service providers (AAA, Countrywide, etc). Until recently bicyclists were on their own, but that is now changing…
This week’s faves include free online courses, some Kickstarter projects, and a kitten in need:
You can take online courses from some major colleges and universities for free at Coursera. I just found that they are offering four courses this spring from Berklee College of Music:
– Starting March 1st: Songwriting and Intro to Music Production
– Starting April 22: Intro to Guitar and Intro to Improvisation
Maybe I’ll ‘see’ you in the Improv course :-)