Commuting - Very long commuter club: week five

I was hearing some chain noise from the roadie on my last ride and took her into the LBS. She needed a new chain, cogset, and chainrings. Bummer. About $175 later, she is ready for next week. However, a bit of good news. I got the mother of all chainrings installed, 54 teeth. That will give me a MUCH higher top gear. Before this upgrade, Hammer Bob and I had the same top gear, so he could always duck into my slipstream and hang there on the downhills and flats. Now, I can definitely go higher. Bwahaha!

Naturally, I'm not going to tell Hammer Bob about this until after a couple of rides or so. I wonder what he has in store for me...

The weather is supposed to be very beautiful for the next couple of days. This creates some clothing issues for me. It is about 35F in the morning and forecast to be near 70F in the afternoon. I'm guessing that many of you cope with similar temp ranges. How do you do it? What clothes do you wear? I wear tights, a wicking shirt, and a Pearl Izumi rain jacket in the morning. In the afternoon, I usually wrap the jacket around my bars and ride in the tights and shirt. I'm thinking that I might go with cycling shorts, no tights, tomorrow morning. Do any of you in the VLC ride without cycling shorts? If you do, how in hell do you manage that? :eek:

Happy riding everybody!!

Mars, good luck with the continuing challenges of Hammer Bob. With your "secret", he's sure to be surprised!

As far as the weather, I also deal with the same conditions. Tomorrow, it is supposed to be 40-45 in the morning and 75 in the afternoon. I'll probably wear my leg and arm warmers and maybe my neoprene gloves. On the return trip, I'll just wear my jersey and loose fit cycling shorts (so I don't excite anyone at work!). I commute with a trunk and pannier, so I'll just pack the extra clothes. I can't wait until the weather is better in the mornings so I won't have to carry extra clothing.

I am hoping to finally hit my stride this week and do a full 4 days. I drive on Friday so I can carry all of my clothes home from the week.

Be safe everyone!

Bike maintenance is one of the joys of commuting, as commuting is incredibly hard on the bike.

The morning was so beautiful that I bumped my inbound commute from 18 miles to 27 miles. My return trip home will be 21 miles for a nice roundtrip total of 48 miles. Oh how I love this time of year.

What a glorious morning commute -- bright, sunny about 50 with nary a breeze. No record setting pace, but I found it was easier to maintain my current level. I actually raced a woodchuck for about 50 ft this morning. His little legs were pumping like mad as he ran along the trail. So I now know that I am definitively faster than something -- not much to be proud of, but at least I'm not the slowest trail user.

As for clothing I usually prefer to ride with a little less clothing than is comfortable just standing around so that after a couple of miles I find I am warm enough. So far its been cheap nylon warm up pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. Once it warms up a little more it will be non-bike shorts in the AM and PM.

What a glorious morning commute -- bright, sunny about 50 with nary a breeze. No record setting pace, but I found it was easier to maintain my current level. I actually raced a woodchuck for about 50 ft this morning. His little legs were pumping like mad as he ran along the trail. So I now know that I am definitively faster than something -- not much to be proud of, but at least I'm not the slowest trail user.

As for clothing I usually prefer to ride with a little less clothing than is comfortable just standing around so that after a couple of miles I find I am warm enough. So far its been cheap nylon warm up pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. Once it warms up a little more it will be non-bike shorts in the AM and PM.

At least I'm not the only one who races animals in the morning! When I hop on the trail portion of the commute, I'm always racing rabbits....they're pretty fast!

Another beautiful morning. We've had over 2 weeks without rain, absolutely amazing. I brought my camera with me and I'll try to capture some pictures of my commute over the next week to share.

Well I've been a member of the commuting club for a month or so now but only today do I join the very long commuter club: I think! My one way distance is 25 miles so in harsher weather I take the train and have a 10 mile round trip. Today I'm going to be riding all the way home, for a total of around 30 miles round trip. I plan to continue riding home but only in nicer weather.

Boston weather is similar with low lows. The ocean keeps us cold and windy late into spring. Although where I work is typically 10 degrees warmer. Last week it was low 30s each morning and low 50s on the ride home. This week is going to be awesome. Dressing for the cold weather is a real bummer. I don't have the best clothing. All my wind blocker stuff doesn't breathe.

Welcome to the VLC club, MonumentMan! It sounds like you qualify to me.... :)

Welcome aboard Monument, sounds like you've got more than enough miles for this club. As you already know any bike commuting is better for you and the environment, so keep on riding whenever its suits you and skip the rainy days -- there are no real rules to this.

What a gorgeous day! Warm, sunny, and for the first time in who knows when, light winds! Really great rides both ways. Got a chance to try out the mother of all chain rings on the descents. Woohoo! I have a LOT of gear available. Tomorrow, Hammer Bob!

Welcome monument man :)

I was hearing some chain noise from the roadie on my last ride and took her into the LBS. She needed a new chain, cogset, and chainrings. Bummer. About $175 later, she is ready for next week. However, a bit of good news. I got the mother of all chainrings installed, 54 teeth. That will give me a MUCH higher top gear. Before this upgrade, Hammer Bob and I had the same top gear, so he could always duck into my slipstream and hang there on the downhills and flats. Now, I can definitely go higher. Bwahaha!

Naturally, I'm not going to tell Hammer Bob about this until after a couple of rides or so. I wonder what he has in store for me...

The weather is supposed to be very beautiful for the next couple of days. This creates some clothing issues for me. It is about 35F in the morning and forecast to be near 70F in the afternoon. I'm guessing that many of you cope with similar temp ranges. How do you do it? What clothes do you wear? I wear tights, a wicking shirt, and a Pearl Izumi rain jacket in the morning. In the afternoon, I usually wrap the jacket around my bars and ride in the tights and shirt. I'm thinking that I might go with cycling shorts, no tights, tomorrow morning. Do any of you in the VLC ride without cycling shorts? If you do, how in hell do you manage that? :eek:

Happy riding everybody!!

Well Mars, with the price of gas, that $175 is going from a month's worth of gas for me, to about 3 weeks. I think I'll try braving the 25 mph winds tomorrow and ride in.
HI Monument Man. Living on the ocean like that can make the weather fairly harsh.

just thought I'd drop in and say that I find you folks kind of inspiring. I might be in the "very short commute club" right now with my 10 minute commute but I like to know that there are quite a few people who prove the folks wrong who say "you can't ride a bike if you live 20 miles from work" or some such thing.

just thought I'd drop in and say that I find you folks kind of inspiring. I might be in the "very short commute club" right now with my 10 minute commute but I like to know that there are quite a few people who prove the folks wrong who say "you can't ride a bike if you live 20 miles from work" or some such thing.

Thanks cerewa!! That is really nice of you. I think that anyone who commutes by bike is inspiring. Maybe you can take a long route now and then and post here how you do?

I had a great ride home tonight -- not a record breaker, but the weather was great and I found it easier to keep up my normal pace. I guess that is one form of progress. Boy when the temps get into the 70s the trail fills up with people on every form of transportation. I really don't mind most of them, but the rollerbladers who take their lane out of the middle and take such long strides that their legs are all over the place are annoying. I'm looking forward to a wonderful morning commute with good temps and everything.

I agree with Mars that anyone who is bike commuting is doing something good for themselves and the general environment. Do more distance if its convenient, necessary and/or fun, but the big thing is to do some riding.

...Boy when the temps get into the 70s the trail fills up with people on every form of transportation. I really don't mind most of them, but the rollerbladers who take their lane out of the middle and take such long strides that their legs are all over the place are annoying...

I agree. There were so many people out on the trail today that it was very difficult to keep up any kind of decent pace. And then there was the bugs. Unfortunately, the trail I ride follows a stream and during this time of year, every type of flying creature is out. I end up with my short covered with them! I've actually been thinking that maybe I need to start taking the road route more often to avoid the "recreationers" and bugs.

Mars, I'm looking forward to hearing about your first encounter with Hammer Bob since the "transformation"!!

Hi everyone and thanks for the welcome.

So I just got home - it's 9:21, dark and cold. Left the office around 4:30 and it was fully sunny and over 70 degrees.

It wasn't a good ride :(

I got a flat about 5 miles away from the office. The roads in the Boston area are pretty bad, and I hit a big pothole when I was going uphill. I had just taken one hand off the drops to grab a drink of water and BOOM. I nearly fell off the bike, and then 10 feet later I heard the dreaded sound.....

Anyway I was equipped with a patch kit/glue, and also a pump, so I figured OK here we go, let's see if I can learn while I go. Luckily I had researched on the web how to change a flat, so I thought I knew what I was doing. Turns out that something went terribly wrong.

The tube had four holes, so I was pretty busy patching up, which worked easily and well. Getting the tire off was good too. Remember, this was my first time changing a flat.

OK now the problem. The pump. I couldn't get the tire to inflate, no matter what I did. Before I was picked up - 4 hours later - I noticed that the valve was broken but I am not sure WHEN it broke. I was using the pump correctly (with the correct attachment/presta). I simply couldn't figure it out, and I even had my LBS on the phone helping me and affirming my use of the pump.

Anyway, now I'm wondering if the long commute is sustainable. I had to call up my wife to pick me up 20 miles/40 minutes from home and she was none too pleased. The T didn't allow bikes today due to the Boston Marathon, so I was basically stranded.

Anyway I hope somebody can give me some tips/words of encouragement. Man I felt GREAT too and was super charged to RIP up the 25 miles home.

Anyway, if somebody has a link to a website which details how to change a flat, I obviously need more information.

And do you carry a spare tube around? How big are those things? I would just hate to fill up my little under seat pack with only a tube. It just seems scary that on my FIRST long commute, after only 5 miles I got a flat. Geeze man, what bad luck. Well I'm going to bring the tire into the shop tomorrow and hopefully I'll be ready to go again by Wedneday.

EDIT: I think one of the problems may be that my wheels did not have a nut which locked the presta valves to the rims. Thus when I was trying to use the pump, the valve would simply "turtle" back inside the wheel and it probably broke as a result?

Hi everyone, My commute is 25 miles ea way, I do it anywhere from once to 3 times a week, depending on weather and other things. Can I be in the group? Also, has anyone found some glasses or goggles for dusk and full on dark?

Keep riding! You'll have many more rides without flats than with. Practice changing tubes at home to get the hang of it. Definitely carry at least one tube, two is better (my opinion). Do not get discouraged! It's worth it.

Oh Monument Man, I'm so sorry you had a bad commute! I agree w/ tmhjlt--practice changing them at home to get the hang of it. Definately carry a tube--I never used to (felt so virtuous for using patches, then I guess I just got lazy!)--but it's so much faster.

My commute today was incredible! Didn't even feel the headwind going in, rode like I was trying to keep pace w/ Hammer Bob on the way to class (had a nice tailwind!), took it easy heading home from there, but got hooted at by too many weirdos. Crazy weirdos...

Glad to see so many new people and visitors to the thread! Welcome.

Hi everyone, My commute is 25 miles ea way, I do it anywhere from once to 3 times a week, depending on weather and other things. Can I be in the group? Also, has anyone found some glasses or goggles for dusk and full on dark?

Get some cycling glasses that have interchangeable lenses, with dark for sun, and clear or amber lenses
for night. Performance has some that are cheaper. I now prefer the ones with two lenses, not a single big one, since I've broken the nose piece on a couple of them.

Hi everyone and thanks for the welcome.

So I just got home - it's 9:21, dark and cold. Left the office around 4:30 and it was fully sunny and over 70 degrees.

It wasn't a good ride :(

I got a flat about 5 miles away from the office. The roads in the Boston area are pretty bad, and I hit a big pothole when I was going uphill. I had just taken one hand off the drops to grab a drink of water and BOOM. I nearly fell off the bike, and then 10 feet later I heard the dreaded sound.....

Anyway I was equipped with a patch kit/glue, and also a pump, so I figured OK here we go, let's see if I can learn while I go. Luckily I had researched on the web how to change a flat, so I thought I knew what I was doing. Turns out that something went terribly wrong.

The tube had four holes, so I was pretty busy patching up, which worked easily and well. Getting the tire off was good too. Remember, this was my first time changing a flat.

OK now the problem. The pump. I couldn't get the tire to inflate, no matter what I did. Before I was picked up - 4 hours later - I noticed that the valve was broken but I am not sure WHEN it broke. I was using the pump correctly (with the correct attachment/presta). I simply couldn't figure it out, and I even had my LBS on the phone helping me and affirming my use of the pump.

Anyway, now I'm wondering if the long commute is sustainable. I had to call up my wife to pick me up 20 miles/40 minutes from home and she was none too pleased. The T didn't allow bikes today due to the Boston Marathon, so I was basically stranded.

Anyway I hope somebody can give me some tips/words of encouragement. Man I felt GREAT too and was super charged to RIP up the 25 miles home.

Anyway, if somebody has a link to a website which details how to change a flat, I obviously need more information.

And do you carry a spare tube around? How big are those things? I would just hate to fill up my little under seat pack with only a tube. It just seems scary that on my FIRST long commute, after only 5 miles I got a flat. Geeze man, what bad luck. Well I'm going to bring the tire into the shop tomorrow and hopefully I'll be ready to go again by Wedneday.

EDIT: I think one of the problems may be that my wheels did not have a nut which locked the presta valves to the rims. Thus when I was trying to use the pump, the valve would simply "turtle" back inside the wheel and it probably broke as a result?

Park Tools has info on their website.
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
You really need to be carrying more stuff for a commute. Do you use a backpack to carry all your things for work, like clothes and lunch? If so, put some of your stuff in there. I wear cycling specific clothing, so I can carry two spare tubes in my jersey pocket. Commuters need to be practical, and forget the old frame pumps that take a superhuman effort to get your tire up to 120 psi. Check out the Topeak Road Morph pump, it has a hose and folds out into a mini floor pump. It also has a pressure gauge built into the hose.
If you're riding a road bike with aero rims, make sure you use the long valve stem tubes.
Put the label on the side of your tire next to the valve stem when it's mounted, so when you find the hole in the tube, you can compare the distance from the valve and look at that spot on the tire to pull out whatever is still in there. You don't want a second flat because something is still in the tire.

Monument Man that is bad luck, good advice above, i carry two tubes they fold up really small and i use a mini double blaster thingy pump - you can't get 100psi, but it will get you home, to be honest 85psi is probably a better pressure for comfort and dosn't affect rolling resistance.

The first weeks are toughest, then your body gets used to the extra effort and it just clicks in - then when you don't ride you'll have pent up energy and get kranky!

I have been suffering from numb bits (sorry ladies) this last two weeks, so am toying with the idea of getting a Brooks B17 saddle - anyone use one?

I will be doing 4 days this week, tomorrow (weds) i have commitments. Blowing a hard headwind yesterday, but today bright sunny morning with no wind - beautiful, and yes thise bugs are certainly hatching (or whatever it is they do!!)

Ride safe.

Monument Man that is bad luck, good advice above, i carry two tubes they fold up really small and i use a mini double blaster thingy pump - you can't get 100psi, but it will get you home, to be honest 85psi is probably a better pressure for comfort and dosn't affect rolling resistance.

The first weeks are toughest, then your body gets used to the extra effort and it just clicks in - then when you don't ride you'll have pent up energy and get kranky!

I have been suffering from numb bits (sorry ladies) this last two weeks, so am toying with the idea of getting a Brooks B17 saddle - anyone use one?

I will be doing 4 days this week, tomorrow (weds) i have commitments. Blowing a hard headwind yesterday, but today bright sunny morning with no wind - beautiful, and yes thise bugs are certainly hatching (or whatever it is they do!!)

Ride safe.

Great ride this morning, cut 15 minutes off my time, not because I'm faster (I'm not), but because of my new industrial-urban route that avoids alot of traffic and stopsigns. I hear NIN playing in my head when I'm going through the very cool industrial area. And I do have to go a bit faster because I don't want to get jumped, you know.

Very much fun. Still 12 miles to work--I didn't move.

Wow Monument Man what a tough commute. Here's hoping you got all the bad stuff out of the way early on. I can't add anything to all the good advice you've already gotten above.

I feel bad celebrating my great ride in this morning. I shaved 5 minutes off my normal time and made the 11+ mile trip in 50 minutes. I'm not sure if this is a reproducible result, however, since through a one mile stretch where I'm usually dogging it a little bit I wound up in the middle of an impromptu group of about dozen bikers. Somehow I couldn't let them pull away completely, so I picked up my pace a little bit. That leads into about a 2 mi stretch where the downhill grade is a little steeper. Normally, that is my fastest stretch (gravity acting on my greater mass gives me a slight advantage) and today I was passing all sorts of people. In my version of reality I will just ignore those really fast cyclists who blew by me so fast all I could hear was the hum of their tires on the pavement. It was a fabulous ride and I'm looking forward to the trip home.

Looks like I'll be missing my commute this week. Came down with a cold over the weekend, and not really feeling the bike. We are expecting rain toward the end of the week. So I'm stuck with the cage for the week. Hopefully next week is back to normal.
Enjoy your commutes, and welcome to all the new ones.

Monument Man: I try to make a point of not writing on these forums at work, but I would like to add a couple of points to those above. First, I am sorry that your first very long commute ended the way it did. What a bummer :(

Your flat sounds like the classic pinch flat, or "snakebite". I'm guessing the 4 holes were in two pairs, close together? This happens when you have underinflated tires and hit a pothole or hard bump. The tire is a bit soft and squsihy, and hits the rim so hard it punctures the tube inside. You will have less flats overall and go faster as well if you keep your tires at the upper end of the recommended pressure printed on the sides.

Regarding fixing the tubes. I personally carry a tube, tire irons, a multi-tool, and those CO2 inflating devices in my under saddle bag. I would rather just put the new tube on than screw around with the patches. You don't need the nut holding the Presta valve stem in place if your tire is properly inflated. In fact, make sure the valve seat (where the valve is connected to the tube) is inside the tire before inflating or you may blow the new tube out. The nut tends to hold the valve seat outside of the tire. Hold the valve in position from the outside of the tire with your left hand while you attach the pump nozzle with the right to keep it from "turtling" back inside. From your description, I am guessing that you may have bent the top of the valve stem trying to put the pump on. Easy to do, especially if it's one of those pumps that can inflate the Schrader valves. Is it possible you had the Shrader adapter on the pump?

I like the advice above where someone suggests you practice changing your tube a couple of times at home. Once you get the little tricks down, you will find it an easy, if somewhat messy experience. I also suggest practicing with both wheels so you fugure out the details like how to disengage the brakes and put the chain back on. I forgot to re-attach the brakes once after changing a flat. Ohoh!

Those little CO2 cartridge pumps are great. Screw them on the valve, open the nozzle, and pop, the tire is instantly inflated. Pretty high pressure, too.

I hope you find the above comments useful. I learned these things by going through the experiences that you did. It is depressing and kind of embarrassing to not be able to fix your tires, but I couldn't either the first time or two. Flatting out is part of riding a bike. Don't worry, you will figure out how to fix them pretty quickly. Feel free to PM me if I can offer more tips or advice.

Most impotantly, keep riding! You will be a real inspiration for others if you make a come back after that rough start!

Woohoo, back in the saddle again. Beautiful ride in this morning. Crossing the river was pretty with the city lights blurred by fog. Likewise the spooky darkness of the cemetery has been replaced by dramatic mist/fog. It's supposed to get up to the 60s today and no rain. Strange enough, I saw more commuters on the road last week in the rain than today.

Velogirl, sounds like a little Rammstein would go down well with that route!

Anyway, if somebody has a link to a website which details how to change a flat, I obviously need more information.




http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

This page has everything you ever wanted to know about flats and how to remedy the situation. Sheldon Brown is a great resource and you can find most anything you want to know about bikes within his pages.

On my commute (and any other ride), I carry one spare tube, a small patch kit, 2 tire levers, a small multitool and a minipump that can get me to about 100psi with little effort. The only time I've ever been stranded is when I blew out a sidewall in a tire. Not much you can do about that, beyond carrying a spare foldable tire. The first flat gets the spare tube and the patch kit takes care of the unlikely second flat. If my flat was in the morning, I'll try to find some time at work to patch the tube that went flat. It then becomes my spare tube for my flat kit. I use traditional patches with glue and sandpaper. Even though the self adhesive patches are easy and quick to use, I've been told that they are not a great idea for higher pressures (90psi +). I don't have experience with them though, it is just what I've heard. It has been said before, but I don't think it can be stressed enough... You need to locate the hole in the tube, line it up on the tire and inspect the tire for glass/nails/rocks. If you do not do this, the brand new tube that you just put in your tire will suffer the same fate as the one you just took out.

Keep rolling.

nate

I have been suffering from numb bits (sorry ladies) this last two weeks, so am toying with the idea of getting a Brooks B17 saddle - anyone use one?

Ride safe.


Dave,

I just got a B17 a few months ago and it is the greatest thing ever. I commute on it daily in all kinds of weather and I love it. I was told that the break in period was long (700 miles or so), but mine was great right out of the box. I followed the break in instructions and used brooks proofide every 300 miles or so and I love the thing. I rode in heavy rain a couple of weeks ago and it got soaked. I was a little worried but it seems to be fine. I went out and got a raincover for it and it has kept it dry so far in some pretty nasty weather. If you don't have fenders, it might be a good idea to protect the underside of the saddle too.

nate

MonumentMan, I feel for you...that was definitely a tough commute. But I say don't give it up just yet. When I started commuting, my first week was a disaster. I wasn't used to the route, I got 2 flats and I wasn't in great shape yet. My advice: carry at least 1 tube and a patch kit. If you can fit it, carry 2 tubes. I found that out last year when I got a flat, replaced it and not 10 minutes later, got another one. When I got home, I realized that the rim tape on the wheel was loose which was allowing the inflated tube to rub against the spoke. Keep going!

Tmhjlt: Welcome to the club! We look forward to hearing your stories.

Maryland: You're making me jealous! You seem to be having some great commutes...keep the stories coming.

Cheers Rainedon, that sounds good, we can pick up the B17 for around 25 pounds here (15 dollars?) so i might just go for it.

DanO220: Southern California - 30 mi. one way - semi hilly.

Had a great ride this morning. I only managed a couple short rides on the weekend with my wife and niece, but it kept my legs ready for today. The weather was great. About 65 degrees, partly cloudy. I got up the hills pretty well. Then I jammed the last 10 miles, racing a slow leak in the front. It got a bit messenger-esque in traffic at times, but I made it to work without stopping to air up.

My goal this week is to pedal in every work day; Tues - Fri. I'll be feeling today's ride tomorrow, and tomorrow's ride the next day. I was running errands on the weekend and took some pictures when I found myself on my commuting route. I'll have to download them and will probably upload one or two at a time, instead of trying to post all of them at once.

I started this post with a REAL short discription of who, where, and how far the ride is. I dig reading about everybody's daily riding experience, but I sometimes forget the essentials. What do you think about everyone beginning their posts with this, or something similar?

DanO220: Southern California - 30 mi. one way - semi hilly.

Take it easy everybody.

Cheers Rainedon, that sounds good, we can pick up the B17 for around 25 pounds here (15 dollars?) so i might just go for it.


I wish that I could get those saddles that cheap. Just last week I got a carradice saddlebag for light commuting and brevets/long distance. I bet you can get those for next to nothing too!

Thanks to all for the encouragement and advice.

As I said I have been commuting via bike/train for over a month so I've defintitely cought the bug. But I refuse to ride 25 miles in 25 degrees. Too cold for me, but now that the weather is better I'll be riding the entire way home instead of taking the train. Anyway I took a pitstop at my LBS today, and they were very helpful. Looks like I broke the valve early along in the process so even though I was pumping correctly (although pretty hard which is why I broke the valve) I now am armed with the knowledge of how to change the tire. The guy at the shop even helped me through the process step by step. I'm also armed with a spare tube just in case that happens again.

I think I'll have to also buy a pressure gauge so that I can check the pressure in my tires at home. I have a cyclocross with 700-28-32c tires, and I was really hoping that the beefy tires would help me from getting flats.

I typically ride with a pack only once per week to bring a huge change of clothing and a fresh towel into work, and then bring back a load of laundry home.

The weather finally turned for the better here in Boston. I'm going to be heading out for a nice ride this afternoon.

By the way I had appointments around town this morning and I had to take the car instead of riding my bike (which I had planned on doing) and man oh man was I bummed out. Part of my drive this morning was right along a park with a beautiful bike path too, and I was stuck in traffic!

Back to the bike commuting tomorrow. Wish me luck. Thanks again for the words of encouragement.

:: 17.4 miles one way, the guy who rides through the cemetery ::

How's that DanO?

Beautiful ride home today. Sunny, about 65 degrees, blue sky. I purposefully took it a little slower on the ride home today to enjoy the weather. Fisherman's boats were in the river, the roadies broke out their carbon wonders, it was nice.

I wish that I could get those saddles that cheap. Just last week I got a carradice saddlebag for light commuting and brevets/long distance. I bet you can get those for next to nothing too!


I must say I love my Carradice CottonDuck panniers. They're front panniers but I use them on the rear, $104 for the pair :o

:: 17.4 miles one way, the guy who rides through the cemetery ::

How's that DanO?

As long as you leave out what you're doing in the cemetery we'll be fine.

DanO

65 kms round trip ... took the shorter, but hillier route on the way home this time.

::22 miles one way, hilly, with a ferry ride at mile 14!

Oh that wily Hammer Bob. Completely outfoxed me today >:(

I was looking forward to using my new gear combo on him today. However, the wind was blowing in a direction I wasn't counting on. It started with him leading on a flat section that I usually lead. he set a pace lower than I do. I drafted and waited to see what he was up to. We rounded a corner and I took the lead on the section he usually does - right into a strong headwind. Then, the hills. On the hill he usually shreds (remember the 19.8mph pace?) he was down to 17.5. I thought to myself, haha, he is slow today, I'm gonna cream him! However he was totally playing possum. I took the lead early because of his slow pace and charged up the last of the incline. this is where I was planing to shift into the mother of all chain rings (MOACR for short) and really cream him. However, as soon as I crested the hill, I got nailed by the headwind again! I shifted into the MOACR anyways and hammered down the hill as best I could. But I could only hit 32mph, which wasn't enough to make Hammer Bob spin out his top gear. He hung in my slipstream while I exhausted myself trying to shake him. Then, to my horror, he passed me on the flats! Oh, the shame! I just had no legs left at all :(

The next 14 miles alone were into that headwind. Kind of sucky, but the temp was really nice, 77F.

On the positive side, he didn't notice the MOACR and because I never got near my top gears, he still is unaware of my secret weapon. Tomorrow rain is forecast, and I will be riding my rain bike - a cyclocross with fenders. If Hammer Bob takes his roadie, I am in for a serous licking tomorrow as well. Sigh.

I like your idea, DanO.

I really thought it was cool how many people offered advice to Monument Man after his hell commute. What a great bunch!

Montag: Pittsburgh, PA - 14 miles one way - Combo of roads and torn up rail-trail


Oh that wily Hammer Bob. Completely outfoxed me today >:(...

Damn....I was really pulling for you, Mars! Headwinds can get the best of us. Luckily, Hammer Bob has no clue. Save your surprise for a nice, calm day. That will be a great post!

Tomorrow is supposed to rain here as well, at least in the afternoon. I've always shyed away from rain in the past, but not this year. I still need to enhance my rain gear, but I should be OK for tomorrow. One thing I would like to have are some shoe covers. For now, I've endulged my creative side and made some makeshift ones out of an old raincoat. I'll let you know how they work.

Good rides, everyone...

Denver to Aurora, CO, 30 mi round trip, uphill to work, downhill to home.

Feeling pretty good about recent VLC-related comments: One of my co-workers who sometimes rides in said, "You know, that's just a really really hard ride," referring to my route. Since I don't think it's all that hard, it made me feel pretty strong. Also, got the boyfriend to ride out to work w/ me on Sat. to pick up my car and he said, "I'm trying to take this all in, and I can see why you get so upset when you don't get to ride in." I guess now he doesn't think I'm completely crazy anymore.

I keep forgetting my lock this week, and I've had class both nights after work--have to bring the bike in w/ me. Tonight, my sweater perfectly matched my bike; got lots of clever comments about that.

Mars, this weekend I went to a dinner party and thought of you when I drank Mars beer (new belgium brewing co, I think?). I think we should make it the official VLC drink. I'm going to put some in my water bottles tomorrow to help me mentally prepare for work.

Really heavy downpours last night on the way home, but luckily missed them all. Every town I went through was running with water with floods on the roadside, but above me was sun - I must've done something good somewhere!!
Rainedon, that was a good price for the B17, I would love the ltd edition Swallow in honey for my road bike but it is £175, handmade and takes 90 days to make one!!

DanO put my details at the bottom as a signature, saving me typing it in every time!

Hi all,

Today is the first day of the second season of my semi-long 'recreational' bike commute. I have a 1 mile bike to the commuter rail station, then a 3 1/2 mile ride to work (including a nice downhill where I reach 40 mph woo hoo!). I arrive at work in the AM barely breaking a sweat.

For the PM ride, it's 32 miles home. The first 9 miles are moderately hilly, with maybe 500 ft of climbing. After that, it's a blissful 23 miles on a flat riverside paved trail. It takes me between 2:07 and 2:20 depending on wind, etc. I have a Giant Cypress hybrid.

Last year, I did this ride 10 times during the spring & summer, I just picked the nicest day of a given week and did the ride. I lost 17 lbs (intentional) over the past year. I never made it to doing this ride 2x / week.

This year, I count 20 possible weeks before the daylight doesn't match my schedule. Maybe I'll get up to 2x / week, weather dependent. My goal is 15 rides this year, but maybe I'll be able to do more.

True, it's not hard-core daily long commuting, but it meets my needs and goals, and 32 miles isn't a light ride either!

-=$>Dave<$=-

Giant Hybrid..hmmm....I'll keep my eye out for ya! I ride from Port Royal up to Pawlings Road (past Valley Forge Park) and back every day on the Schuykill River Trail...(32 miles) I've been out there every day since last June and most of the time I'm alone on the MUP....but I'm starting to see a few regulars and I am able to recognize them (if I see them more than once)....I normally pull up along side and say hello and how ya' doin'... and keep moving.... So, if you see an old 92 Cannondale R400 pull up alongside....you'll know it's me....(that's assuming I can catch you. :) )

::PDX - 16 miles one way - fixedgear - Moderately Hilly::

The weather is finally getting good again after a couple weeks of solid rain. Great ride in this morning, clear and crisp. It is finally light enough in the mornings that I was able to ditch my L&M halogen and just use blinkies for the ride in. It is nice not to have to charge my headlight battery every night.

On my way home the other night I was coming down the cemetary (the same one TheDL goes up in the mornings) and I missed a corner. I recently put an armadillo on the back and I'm finding that I don't get great traction with it on my fixed gear when it is wet out. I was coming down a pretty steep section and into a corner trying to control my speed with my legs (I try not to use my front brake any more than I need to) and I felt my back tire slip a little bit in the turn. I corrected to keep my wheel underneath me and this sent me off course. I shot off of the road and down a grassy hill trying not to hit any tombstones or roll directly over anyones final resting spot. I kept the bike up and was able to slow to a stop and then walk back up to the roadway and continue on home. I'm beginning to question those armadillos. That is the third time I've had them slip on me. The other times were climbing out of the saddle on steep hills.

Up and at em for my 14 mile ride in today. Had the chance to try out the leg and arm warmers I bought last week. Awesome! Good advice I got from everyone about these. I was nice and toasty.

I'd like to say it was a great ride but actually it was mostly crappy. First, I have to head due East, straight into the sun. This makes it very difficult to make eye contact with drivers at corners to be sure that they see me plus I can't really enjoy the view! Hated that part.

Then I spent most of the ride re-hashing the morning "conversation" we had with our 10 year old daughter this morning before I left...things I said, things I shouldn't have said, things I wished I had said...ugghg!
We have a high maintenance kid and sometimes this leaves me (and my wife) feeling like the worst parents IN THE UNIVERSE! Oh yeah, and the morning ride should just "clear my head" allowing me to arrive calm and re-freshed. Not today! Being a parent is ultimately hard.

Nonetheless, time for a bowl of oatmeal and banana and look forward to the ride home after work!


Sheldon
OCR2

::PDX - 16 miles one way - fixedgear - Moderately Hilly::
On my way home the other night I was coming down the cemetary (the same one TheDL goes up in the mornings) and I missed a corner. I recently put an armadillo on the back and I'm finding that I don't get great traction with it on my fixed gear when it is wet out. I was coming down a pretty steep section and into a corner trying to control my speed with my legs (I try not to use my front brake any more than I need to) and I felt my back tire slip a little bit in the turn. I corrected to keep my wheel underneath me and this sent me off course. I shot off of the road and down a grassy hill trying not to hit any tombstones or roll directly over anyones final resting spot. I kept the bike up and was able to slow to a stop and then walk back up to the roadway and continue on home. I'm beginning to question those armadillos. That is the third time I've had them slip on me. The other times were climbing out of the saddle on steep hills.

Dang dude...since I ride that same hill going home as well, that sounds scary as heck. Glad you're alright. Perhaps a tire change (again) is in order.

Dang dude...since I ride that same hill going home as well, that sounds scary as heck. Glad you're alright. Perhaps a tire change (again) is in order.


It was a dry day so I wasn't expecting any water on the road, but it is the left hand turn right below the maintenance shop. They must have been cleaning tractors or something because I hit that corner and it was wet. If you look on your way home tonight, you might still be able to see my tracks going down the hill.

.::SJC 15 miles one way :: mostly flat ::.

well, i'm 1/2 way through "hump day" and the legs are a bit tired. Played a softball game last night and refused to not sprint at top speed around the bases. Took it easy this morning since I could feel that my legs needed an easier day. I still got to work within 5mins of my normal time even though there was a slight headwind on a couple sections of my ride. I let my quads rest a little by pulling back and up on the pedals more instead of just pushing down. It seemed to help.

I'm discovering some side-effects of the long rides that I'm now doing. Mainly sunburn, chapped lips, dry skin on my hands in addition to the extreme hunger and evening sleepyness. It's good though, I'm learning to deal with the side-effects.

Every day I have second thoughts about riding....I try to think of alternatives to riding because it's cold or windy or something. Then I just hop in the saddle and by the time i get goin I'm so glad I'm riding. After I finish I feel so good, I can't believe that everybody doesn't bike to work.