Tank 296 - 2 November 2K11 (A First!)

Refueled on my way home at my most favourite gas pump at my most favourite Fas Mart!

The low fuel light came on as I was driving home, at 433.7 miles, which is the longest distance ever traveled before the light came on, eclipsing my previous record set in 2008 by two miles!

When I refueled, I had gone 461.3 miles, and I squoze in 11.314 gallons of gas, making for a fuel economy of 40.77 miles per gallon for this tank. This is my 14th tank of over 40 mpg, and the very first time I have achieved mileage over 40 on two consecutive tanks of gas!

This tank has also pulled up my average mileage for the year to 38.05 miles per gallon, an all-time high as well. If I can maintain this level, I'll see an improvement of close to 3% better fuel economy this year over last.

Although the jury is still out concerning the effect from the duct tape over the bottom vents in my bumper, it's looking like the duct tape isn't harming my mileage.

Please enjoy this picture of a hipster squirrel I have included with this post.

Bumper Still Duct Taped Looks Like Success, but GPS MapMyRide Fail?

As I drove into work this morning, the fuel needle for the tank was right at the halfway point at 267 miles. This is close to what happened last tank and I got 41 miles per gallon, so either this is clear evidence that the duct tape is working, or that my driving style grannification is nearing completion.

It's supposed to be a nice day, so I brought my bike with me for an one-hour ride before I go home.

Last Saturday morning, it was 41 degrees, rainy and windy for my short ride. I brought the iphone with the "MapMyRide" feature activated. On this day, my bicycle computer reported 11.367 miles, while the "MapMyRide" said 12.01 miles. This appears to be a 5.6% difference in distance measured.

My confusion was increased when I was tripping through the settings of the "app" when I got home. First, I was happy to see (and activate) the "auto-pause" feature, which I suspect pauses the timer when I'm stopped at a traffic light. Second, I was super-excited that there was a "tire size" feature, and I quickly changed the tire size from 7005c. EUREKA! PROBLEM SOLVED!!

Later, I started to ponder things and realized that the iphone isn't connected to my wheels in any way, and that the speed and location information is taken from the GPS satellites, so there's probably no point in putting my tire size into this app. So I remain troubled at the disparity between my bike computer and the iphone "MapMyRide" app.

But on the good side, I was riding up a hill in the rain, and the asphalt was nice and new, and I was pedaling so hard and the slope was so large that I think I felt my rear tire slip under all my power. So I got that fun memory of riding in the bone-chilling rain.

I suppose my next step is to take my bike to a high school track and ride four laps with the computer and iphone on, and see what each says. I don't know if I can continue and stay in my right mond knowing that somewhere there is a truth between this 2-5% discrepancy between my trusty bike computer and new-fangled iphone app.

Trust the Bike Computer, or Trust the iPhone App?

I have a crisis of moderate concern and proportions on hand here.

My lovely wife recently got one of those them there iphones. It's really neat, like a little computer and internet machine with a camera that also happens to make cell phone calls. Some friends use their cell phones to track and post athletic endeavors to the internet, including runs, walks, and bike rides. Since I am a coattail rider and follower, last Sunday I "borrowed" my wife's iphone, downloaded the "MapMyRide" app and used it on a ride, along with my bike computer to see how they matched up.

The bike computer finished up at 28.266 miles. The GPS "MapMyRide" said 29.04 miles. This is about a 2.74% difference.

WHO CAN I TRUST?

If I trust the GPS, then I'll need to adjust the calibration on my bike computer, which will change my future records in either a positive or negative way (in relation to distance and speed), but when I think about which way it'll be affected I get confused and move on. But if I trust the bike computer, I am basically admitting that I don't trust modern technology.

I like the bike computer better, as it doesn't record time I'm stopped. The "MapMyRide" app kept the timer ticking even when I stopped for a snack. So it registered my average speed as 15.8 miles per hour, while the bike computer showed 16.4, which is faster and thus better. My bike computer also tracks a top speed, which is a nice feature the iphone app did not seem to have.

The iphone had to be carried in my back pocket since I don't have an harness to attach it to the mike anywhere, so it got all damp and humid in the pocket there from the physical expressions of my exertion, and that wasn't pleasant. But the "MapMyRide" did the altimeter thing, and that was cool, too.

I think one day this weekend I'll use the iphone again and go on a large hill near my house to see if that qualifies as a "big climb." the "MapMyRide " won't classify anything as a climb unless it's 500 meters at least, with a grade of some degree that I don't know if I'd recognize it if I saw it.

Please let me know your opinion in the comments about your experiences and what you think of the truthiness of the GPS mileage data vs. the regular bike computer/magnet on the wheel setup. I suppose the GPS/iphone app should be more reliable than my programmed bike computer, and if the GPS is more accurate, I guess eventually I'll reprogram the bike computer to indicate a larger wheel circumference such that it will register a slightly longer distance with each turn of the wheel. I guess take the current circumference of 2091mm and increase it by about 2.74%.

Tank 295 - 25 October 2K11 (Third Best Mileage Ever!)

Refueled this morning again at the world-famous Fas Mart near my home. The low fuel light turned on as I drove home yesterday, but then it went out as I got to the bottom of the hill and started going up another hill, and then the light turned on at 431.2 miles, the second highest mileage for that since I started tracking such things.

After putting in 10.580 gallons (and driving a bit more before that to go a total of 436.9 miles on the tank), I was happy to learn that fuel economy for this tank was 41.29 miles per gallon!

So clearly it's because of the duct tape I installed on the lower front bumper. Or the psychological influence of the duct tape that caused me to drive extra-grannylike for this entire tank.

"IRREGARDLESS," I am pleased with this tank's outcome. Now the countdown begins until the next tank, as typically the tank after a great tank like this one is a severe letdown in the mid-30s for mpgs.

So for the year, my average fuel economy is now 37.97 mpg, a whole 0.10 mpg greater than my record set 65,000 miles ago in 2007. I'm averaging one tank every 9.33 days, which is my highest since 2008, the year I carpooled for several months with a coworker-who-must-not-be-named.

Operation: Duct Tape Update (Halfway Through Third Tank)

I realized on my drive home yesterday that my fuel gauge was right at the midpoint of the tank again. As you may recall, the first tank was like 262 miles at this point, but the second tank was barely at 250 miles. So I winced, took a deep breath, and pressed the odometer button to see how far I had gone...

Turns out I had gone 274 miles!

So I was fairly pleased at this development, and then immediately fell into a spiral of self-doubt and sadness, as I don't really know what explains such good fortune here. Is it because of the duct tape over the lower vents of the Corolla's front bumper? Is it because I am driving more like a Granny now than ever? Is it because traffic has been kind to me and I haven't been tricked/trapped into many situations where I needed to speed up and slam on the brakes a lot?

I will know more information about this tank's mileage next week, as I'll probably refuel either Monday evening or Tuesday morning. But at this point, it's looking really good in support of the duct tape, even if it's just in my mind.

Bike Crash vs. Car Crash Reactions

A week and a half ago, my wife crashed her bike and was strapped to a stretcher and taken away by an ambulance.

When I shared this story with friends, many responses included "That's why I don't ride a bike. It's too dangerous."

Earlier this morning, I drove past a Marine who crashed his car and was strapped to a stretcher and being loaded onto an ambulance.

When I share stories like this with friends, many responses typically include "Were you late for work?"

It seems that in most cases, people in general talk about the safety of bicyclists in bike crashes, but the inconveniences imposed on other drivers in car crashes. Even though there could be injuries in each situation, it seems that "bicycles are dangerous," but car crashes are just everyday normal occurrences to be tolerated.

Maybe it's because my friends know my wife and felt a more personal connection to the pain she experienced. I'm not sure. Maybe I'm bending my perception of reality based on the amount of bicycling-related articles I read and am starting to think there really is a large percentage of the general population that thinks bike riding on actual roads is super-dangerous and must be avoided.

I think it's appropriate to point out that maybe my friends have seen few bicycle crashes in relation to the number of car crashes, and they've become so de-sensitized to the car crashes that the bicycle crashes seem hideous and dangerous in comparison.

My awesome brother made a brilliant observation about this apparent discrepancy. He said that if people quit driving every time they saw or were in a car crash, the traffic problems would all disappear.

All of life involves some degree of danger. I have crashed on my bike before. My wife has crashed on her bike, too. I get back on and keep riding. I hope she will, too. She's been to the gym as she recovers and waits for her scrapes and bruises to heal up, and has ridden a stationary bike. She said it was pretty good.

I rarely arrive home from a car ride and say "boy, that was lots of fun!" But I say that after about every bike ride. I ride a bike because it's fun.