April Heatflask
April is complete. April was a good month. Not only did I have a holiday in the middle of it but the weather made the commutes even more joyous than usual. The holiday meant that less mileage was completed but I don’t remember getting wet very often, the wind was quite tame and I had sunshine over me a large part of the month. Also, I think the drivers must be getting more chilled out because I don’t remember any dangerous manoeuvres or angry behaviour in the whole month. Long may that continue 🙂
Check out the Heatflask image below for my April route summaries.
April Stats
Statistics for the month of April are shown below. A little less travelled but still all commutes by bike:
- Days Commuted: 15
- Distance Travelled: 539 miles
- Elevation: 20,126 ft
- Time: 30h 45mins
- Bikes used: 2
In other good news I have had very little bike expense throughout April. Brake pads and a gear cable don’t amount to much so my bike commute is moving further ahead in the comparison page (How Much?)
April Light
This time of year is great because the challenges of winter become a memory and the promise of longer days and better weather become a reality. It’s so good to see the landscape changing with the new growth in the fields and the colours this brings with it. Riding through the countryside like this at the end of a working day can surely do nothing but put a smile on your face. Here are a few snaps taken throughout the month showing some of the beauty I pass daily:
Another bonus of the longer days is not needing to constantly be thinking about charging my lights up. Normally the lights could be left at home now, but there have been a few misty mornings where they’ve been needed. As an interesting survey I asked on my Instagram page what other commuters generally do about bike lights now that the days are longer. I was surprised to find that the majority of replies indicated a preference for keeping the lights running all year round. Admittedly this was only 24 replies, but 19 of those said they would usually keep them switched on.
I think having a blinking light on front and back probably does make you that little bit more visible as long as they are bright enough. Given that my blinkers generally last me a full week, I think I will leave them on for now and turn them on as often as I remember. There’s certainly no harm in trying to make yourself stand out that bit more!
- Magene Radar Tail Light - July 18, 2023
- Remembering - June 23, 2023
- School Run Fun - June 19, 2023