Nothing says a job well done than passing out on the way home and yet still maintaining balance long enough to not crash into a power line pole you are veering towards.
Not today Satan!
But I still managed to rip my shifting cable for my rear derailer, so my bike at the end of the night went from a 12 speed to a single speed. That was a bit of a grind back home to be sure. The good people at Cycleworld Miami managed to get Silvana (crossrip1) Trek back and running like a beast, but the happiness only lasted as long as I was able to not give her another ding, and a nice one she got when she slipped along a pole I locked her up to. Well life is a bitch and you only get lemons, then you complain to the manager and tell them you ordered limes and then they tell you sorry there is only limes here in the life store, so you go home with nothing. Here is something to get sour about...
What was the plan here?
Speaking of sour, cycling in the city more than a 'passing through' has brought about a bit more bitterness towards traffic. Now did I know people in Miami are bad drivers? Yes of course, but did I understand how bad? I was unpleasantly surprised.
Having a couple of days of delivery under my belt I can make a bit of an assessment for anyone interested in doing this kind of work, especially for UberEats. When running around you notice how agile a bicycle can be compared to a car. Traffic is far more terrifying, you even start internally running a cost benefit analysis of whether or not you should make that turn or wait at the light, whether you should filter, or play it safe losing time. Time is your enemy, and the layout of the city usually doesn't help, especially the older parts of the city.
Also, fuck wind.
What is the plan here?
Now I know what your gonna say, "Carlos, just hop into your car and get around faster!" Now I'm gonna tell you, "You don't know shit about parking and one way streets." I noticed that the better markets (where a lot of people use the app) are in the saturated parts of the city, that means sub-burbs are deserts, and your sooooo thirsty.
so.... hot...
I honestly cannot see myself doing this kind of delivery in a car, maybe a scooter, but a car? Hell no. In downtown there is so little parking that anyone pulling off to the side (even to drop off a passenger) gets the ire of all around them.
so, salty
I did notice that many restaurants make accommodations for delivery cars, but the pick up and drop off part of this work is so much faster with a U-lock and pole. Even so I have seen pairs of people working the delivery circuit, dropping off the bag person while the driver circles around, it is a solution, but now you have to divide the spoils of the delivery.
ALL MINE!
In heavy traffic there is no beating a bicycle, and when you are hard pressed to pull off a deadline, the agility and size of a bike makes traffic a laughable obstacle.
Enjoy your cages cattle
I noticed some clients whom the order is in a business, order a bit earlier than the time their lunch is scheduled. More often than not I surprise them, once I even arrived earlier to a location than the customer to their own job. The way traffic is here in Miami, delivery in the city with a car seems like a arduous and painful experience, the road rage alone wouldn't be worth it, at least to me (and if you have seen my videos I have plenty of rage already).
I'm not a complete asshole though....
We all working ourselves into a coma...
More videos are coming down the pipe, make sure to shoot me a like on these videos and I will post some more delivery videos soon, till then!
It has been a long time since I have posted here, well now I'm back. Being an art teacher, artist, and self styled master pencil sharpener have taken a bit of time for me to get used to. Now that things seem to run themselves now, I am able to devote some more time back to this blog, super cool. But I must still paint, that I must do.
All day, erray day
Finally I am finding a bit of time on the side to try something that has been on my mind since I started cycling, becoming a courier.
pretty much
While there is not much, if any demand, for postal rush or same day messaging, there is a lot of lazy rich people that want food, and do not want to mix with the rabble on the streets. Uber has allowed me to service these people, and service them I shall.
So I signed up to be a Delivery boy for UberEats, and I was one of the few cyclist that picked up the bag. Now I am not saying there aren't any food cyclist out there, I see them all the time in places like Wynwood, Brikell and Downtown Miami, but the surprise I got when I walked into the Doral Uber Headquarters (two guys at a table in a sprint store) was a bit telling.
My first couple of deliveries where pretty easy, made a bit of money to pay off the deposit for this giant box they want me to strap to my back, and even got a tip (didn't think that was an uncommon practice, rich people don't tip apparently). The interesting part of being a cyclist with a deadline is you push, you push hard, and running around with a place to be and a task at hand is a good motivator for a destination cyclist like myself. Also it is as if I am exercising, and Uber is paying me to do it.
My Body is Ready
Doral is notorious for having horrid traffic, and surprisingly no cyclist capitalizing on this to make swift filtering to delivery heaven! I'll be posting some of my delivery expereinces and videos when I gather some more highlights, for now, here is a happy/sad thing that happened on a commute the other day.
Funny thing about Miami, we have some of the highest rates of car collisions in the nation. It seems that when we aren't too busy running down pedestrians or hood surfing cyclist, we love kissing each other's ass. And boy, do we enjoy a long drawn out fender bender, I like to call it the Caramel nose nudge. Or the tropical coconut; whatever tickles your fancy, We are so good at having accidents that we have some of the highest insurance rates in the country, as well. Why bring this up? Every time I place my bike on the rack to transport it, I always feel as if I have a huge target on my back. Every time I think this, my worst fears are usually realized.
nooooooooooo
I had "Phil Jamis" hanging on the bike rack off the trunk. He was minding his own business while I was engaging in some errands with the Abuela. I barely even lurched out of my neighborhood and some idiot overdosing on meds decides to get behind the wheel and give Phil an rough hug against our cars.
#GETFUCKED
When all is said and done, I have had too many bad experiences with dealing with insurance claims where my bicycle is involved. We'll see how this plays out but, in the meanwhile, here is some damage porn for you fiends.
I am not saying that there aren't times when cyclist is involved and the car is on the receiving end, but what I am saying is that a cyclist always loses, weather he is on the receiving end or giving, it's just physics at that point.
Momentum x Fuckery = Sadness
Even so, aside the dangers and the ridicule that is a constant bombardment on my commutes. I do my best to let the slights slide by the wayside, but some of my more popular videos are of me losing my cool, which is regrettable. In the moment I have the intent of scorning them with some hope of educating them about the laws that govern cycling and cars. But I know all I end up doing is seem like some angry prick of a cyclist than some educator. Many of these drivers genuinely believe they have done nothing wrong in most cases, and might brush me off as having road rage.
#feels
I compiled a video showing an average commute in the mean streets of Miami. My commute crosses 3 cities, starting in South Miami, bridging through Sweetwater ( which I loath) and ending in traffic laden, bumper burdened Doral. Different sections of 107th ave have their own unique perils and challenges.
All day erey day
Until next time, makes sure to shoot my videos a couple likes and give the channel some subscription loving!
Getting back into group rides has been a bit of an interesting push between mental fortitude and physical pain. It has been a hell of a time relearning to push pass both those things. Tough decisions have to be made during this time of training, especially when I am getting ready for my first event. Such important decisions as...
Which color for today, hmmmm?
Aside from the fashion rides, I find the most important thing is a good group of riders, sometimes they may be above your level, pushing your fitness higher. I also find that sometimes you can just take shelter in their drafts, getting a free ride as they drag you along.
Tom here about to make me look like a bitch...
When you get in a breakaway you better put in some work. The problem with that is, I don't have a very high average speed, all that commuting just made me good at sprinting until the next light, not much else. Doing a pull takes way more energy than it should, and that leaves me drained for the ride back, or if I was competing, the sprint.
Yep, I need some more training...
Anyways my first event will hopefully be the 6 Gap in North Georgia, if all goes according to plan I'll be heading up and riding with Cycleworld Miami. Now there is a bit of a hitch, there are no mountains to train on here in sunny, flat, South Florida.
Hmmmmm.......
I might have to get creative with my training methods, build a better cadence, and forge new muscle groups before I press on to Georgia. Shit is going to get serious, but it needs to be if i want to get out there and do some competition.
It has been a long while since I have done a video and I am still in the importing and rendering process of my current ride. It has been a hefty, muddy trek to get back into the saddle while maintaining a good work ethic; gotta make sure I can afford life's important expenses.
We all know Chipotle, we all know
Recently, I had my bike tuned up, finally utilizing a swaggy new set of wheels I purchased as a gift to myself. The first ride, after the tune up, was a bit of a torrent of happiness. The ride was too good to be true and karma wanted to make sure I paid what I owed. It was useful to find out the hard way that my wheel-set is bombproof.
This is a bit harsh karma...
When I was shifting into a higher gear, my rear derailleur caught a spoke and proceeded to promptly stop my bike in the middle of the street-in traffic- fundamentally destroying itself and the brand new chain I just got in the tune up.
Snapped clean off
Rectifying my rectum that is, as the tune up, after everything was said and done, ended costing me over $200. Granted, this is the second time around Thomas and Calvin accommodated me and even waved a bunch of charges since the bike just came clean from the tune up. We all agreed this should not have happened.
Thanks Calvin and Thomas of Cycleworld Miami for rectifying the situation!
On that note, here is one of many videos down the pipeline. With working at a small business and all the things that come with it, many of the posts will be far more spread out. Please know I am doing my best to crank them out!
A ride with Cycleworld Miami
If you're a commuter like me and want a pair of pants that are fit for cycling, comfortable and stylish for business, check out Rozik outfitters! Good stuff!
What I love most about Miami is that you never drive the same road twice; the traffic is always shifting , always flowing. I never have the same experience on the wild roads that are in Miami and Doral, so many things temper the course. Holidays, rush hour, school dismissals and the ever present road construction all play into a dynamic and terrifying commuting experience. I have noticed many a thing while playing road outcast in the south of the sunshine state.
Pretty much most of Miami's response
There seems to be a sweet spot in the traffic, at least its flow, where I feel most safe. But there are some sections with just the right combination of elements that I feel the most threatened. Let us say there are 4 types of traffic: Empty, Light, Medium and Heavy. Empty is a good road to be on; no cars and, if there are any, very intermittent and they usually give you a wide berth when passing, which is awesome and always appreciated. In Empty traffic, I can move the bike at a comfortable level and I do not feel the need to push myself that hard for the most part.
So happy!
Light traffic and Medium traffic are the diciest ones for me. Most of the "Almost Hit" Series is me in this kind of traffic. With more cars all vying for space, trying to aggressively one up each other, and swerving around, this traffic makes me feel like I am in a giant coffee grinder. I am not even exaggerating. Miami is one of the worst cities with the worst driving etiquette ever. So aggressive and so pointlessly antagonistic.
We gotz to stop at the red light first....
By far, the best traffic is Heavy traffic. All the cars are stopped, or moving slowly, and they have little to no room to out maneuver each other. They are stuck, and are practically being herded by the lights like cattle. I honestly love this traffic because it brings me a slight schadenfreude when I filter past cars in parking lot conditions.
Past...or into...the point is, I'm faster!
Filtering is a bit of an art in urban cycling and one that I am still practicing. The law is actually a bit unclear on cyclist filtering in traffic, and, well, cycling laws in general here in Florida are unclear and vague.
Like animals in cages...
Many of these traffic conditions are also important and play out in group rides as well. When you are hammering down in a tight group, the last thing a cyclist needs is an ignorant driver trying to squeeze past, pushing the group dangerously close to the curb. The driver needs to know that it is better to wait a bit instead of having a squad of cyclists under and over his hood.
Get it!
Show your appreciation by liking and subscribing to my videos and make sure to stay tuned for the next couple of group rides I will be posting!
