Bag Lady Chic

The weather has been so variable this month you can't be sure whether it will be sunny or rainy from morning to evening.  I love the smell of rain on dusty pavement, and of the ferment of tree sap and dead leaves and weeds in the woods along the road.  Last week I had my first chance to get out last year's rain gear and work out a new weatherization routine for commuting to this year's job.

I still have the big blue tarp I used as a rain cover last winter, but have no place to keep it at work, and it's too heavy and bulky to carry in every morning.  Luckily I found a cheap shower curtain liner that works pretty well.  I threaded a cord through the ring-holes at the top and use bungee cords to strap it down around the handlebars.  It's big enough to cover the brakes, drive-train and all the cables and levers up front, plus it's light and wads up into an easy to carry bundle.  It may get shredded in windy weather, but did I mention cheap - I found some on sale for $1.47 each, and discount stores have them for three to five dollars.  I chose a simple frosty-white, but there are unlimited patterns and colors for true crazy-bag-lady style.

On smaller bikes, a red reflector attached to the seat post may not be visible if you're carrying stuff on a rear rack.  Planet Bike makes a red tail light that screws on to a tab on the end of a rack, a brilliantly simple idea, but on the two I've had, the on-off switches got corroded from moisture inside the case.  This winter I'm trying a couple of the small, dangly lights that attach with elastic cords (I can't remember the brand names, but I got them at REI Co-op).  They are easily removable and seem water-tight, although one of them looks kind of like a large, painfully inflamed boil.

Planet Bike's Beamer LED headlight is the best I've found.  It's pretty well sealed and detaches easily so you don't have to leave it sitting outside in the rain; unfortunately the plastic cam that's supposed to lock it down doesn't hold.  I've had to wire or rubber-band the clamp in place.  Otherwise you end up either illuminating your front tire, or risk flashing any border patrol aircraft that might be passing overhead.

I'll be mostly making do with last year's winter clothes, or the year before's, since I lost my job before buying much new stuff last year.  Underarmour, light-to-mid-weight fleece and a rain shell are usually enough for most of the winter, but I need to figure out a way to keep my shoes dry.  There's always plastic bags and duck tape, I guess, if I get desperate.

A curious goat at Hovander Park checks out my new tail-light . . . I'm trying to think up Rudolph jokes . . .