Resurrection of the Bike Experiment--Take 2

I'm back in town, fully recovered from my cold, and ramping up enthusiasm for the bike commuting experiment again.
http://amateurtrigirl.blogspot.com/2008/05/7-day-bike-experiment.html


I'm going to use the lessons I learned from Phase 1 and modify Phase 2:


1. I wil always, always, always use a U-lock (maybe more than that) to lock my bike. Also, there's a great article in Bicycling (http://www.bicycling.com/) this month on how to "Booby-Trap" your bike (shift the bike at stand-still so the chain will fall off was my favorite; undo the skewer so the wheel falls off was my 2nd fav)
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-4-41-17213-1,00.html
2. I am going to alternate between "car" days and "bike" days.
It was unrealistic to bike everywhere. I was cancelling appointments because there was no way for me to realistically bike there. For Phase 2, I will cluster errands, activities and appointments on days when I use the car. On the other days, I will bike commute. I'm going to make the most out of my car days...
Which leads me to #3:
3. On car days, I will truck in fresh clothes for bike days so I don't have to schlep a ton of stuff back and forth. I have a locker room (with a locker) and showers (with towels!) at work. I can just keep my clothes (an extra pair of running shoes) and some toiletries here, and I'm set! The few items I need to carry can go in my jersey or in a small bag in the panniers.
4. I will bike whenever possible on car days. If I have a small trip to make that can be done on bicycle, it shall be done.

Phase 2 is all about temperance--bike commute when realistic but when it's not safe or feasible (I had a Dr's appt. downtown this am, for instance), I will, albeit begrudgingly, use a vehicle.

Other Notes:

• I will tally up money saved while bike commuting, money spent when using the vehicle, and compare to prior months when I did no bike commuting to figure out how much I will save.
• The bike experiment will be for 2 weeks (about 7 non-consecutive days).
• I'm using Strider--Specialized Sirrus--my true commuter bike.
  

Day 1 (take 2) begins tomorrow!