Commuting - Extreme commute club: week 16

Whoops, sorry for being a bit late with this post. Marylandnewbie's shoes ARE big ones to step into.

It has been cold here for the past few days, and windy too. The kind of conditions that the XCC was really meant to capture. In addtion to the cold, there are the colds to contend with this time of year. We all know that having a cold poses a special challenge for thos of us out there riding the ride. :eek:

So how do YOU cope with your excess nasal fluidity? A less than savory, but necessary discussion. I have to say, it is much less of a problem on my recumbent, because my head is tilted back rather than forward. On my upright, I was always having to clear my nose.

My technique? Look around to make sure that no one is looking at you. Double snot rockets over the shoulders (hold left nostril shut with left hand, flip your head up and to the right while blowing hard through the right nostril. Admire the distance and arc. Repeat on the other side, using opposite hand and nostrils). Now, it is inevitable that one day you will clear out your nose this way, look up, and see someone close by looking at you in total disgust. My technique? Pop a wheelie (of course) and yell something that sounds really intellectual. Like "Correlation does imply causation!!" or maybe "existential relativism!"

How are you folks doing on the east coast after the storm over the weekend?

Nothing quite like a farmer blow to put an end to a drippy nose. I admire the arc and distance as well. In the super cold air those suckers really fly. I do try to make sure no one is around; I am not a complete neandrathol.

It is supposed to get colder this week....lows of -27C and highs of -15C. Looking forward to it.

I usually let fly excess nasal fluid at will, unless there is a cyclist behind me.

Look like commuting will be out for a while as the MUP that I take into work does not get plowed. Interesting weather patter, 12 inches of snow on the weekend and should be almost 60F by Wednesday.

I did it -- 12 rutted, bone jarring, largely unplowed miles through 12 in of snow -- and it only took me 2 hours. Its the sort of thing I'm proud to say I did once, but am not dumb enough to do twice. This morning had to be the hardest riding I have ever done. First there was unpacked snow -- kind of cool to watch your wheel running half buried in the snow. Then after 100 feet of that you realize its a lot of work and totally out of control. Then it was another couple of miles of threading down a foot width path through the deep snow. Next was the paved section where increased foot traffic had turned things into jumbled frozen ruts and tracks. After a few miles of that shaking my fillings loose (as well as every connector on the bike) I finally got to the plowed section. That was better, particularly where it had started to melt, but it was still a lot of rut bouncing.

When I finally hit the plowed streets I relived that scene from "Lawrence of Arabia" when after crossing the Sinai he crests a dune and is standing beside the Suez Canal having completed a crossing everyone thought was impossible. Now I know I am hardly the first biker (not even the first today) to make the trip, but since I did the entire trip without seeing another rider it felt that way. With that small accomplishment behind me I'm taking Metro home. I'll probably skip bike commuting for a couple of days until the trail gets more packed down or clears off in the virtual heat wave we are supposed to have this week. The good news is that studs kept we upright through it all and the extra tread even helped a little with the loose snow. I am also pleased to say that my new cassette and chain worked smoothly during a tough ride. So I didn't screw anything up with the shifting with my maintenance efforts.

As for Mars initial question I carry a hankerchief. It is somewhat a matter of habit, but it also stems from a concern that my mucus would be an aerodynamic underperformer and I would wind up wearing it. A hankerchief has been essential on the cold weather commutes, when my nose seems to move into high gear.

Shame on me, a combination of Man-Flu and carrying fragile baked goods for a charity bake sale saw me on transit today. Back tomorrow, I promise.

I did it -- 12 rutted, bone jarring, largely unplowed miles through 12 in of snow -- and it only took me 2 hours.

Newbie:

Mazel Tov..... 20 miles through this stuff was going to be a bit much for me, as usually the path from Vienna to Falls Church Virginia is not plowed.

Tibike -- I agree 100%. A one way trip was more than enough. So I still don't know how cold it has to get before I'll stop biking to work, but I now know that 11 in. is more snow than I will ride in again. As the man in the movie says, "a man has to know his limitations!" The only good thing to say about riding in this much snow is that it must be good for building up leg muscles!

I usually let fly excess nasal fluid at will, unless there is a cyclist behind me.

I don't even pay attention to whether anybody's looking. I just turn back and exhale hard through my nose toward what I think is the downwind side, none of this close-one-nostril thing. If anybody sees it that doesn't want to, too bad for them. We all blow our noses and I don't think it should be a big deal-- and the streets would be cleaner if people blew their noses on them instead of leaving motor oil drips and car tire particles on them.

cerewa: i do not care if anyne sees me clearing my nose, i try not to hit people who are riding behind me.....

What Newbie said, but I had 14 miles, still in 2 hours. But those studded tires are awesome! I was quite conservative starting out on the residential streets through NE DC, and downtown was all plowed. The 14th Street bridge was pretty good, after the DC side--that was a jumbled mess. The Mount Vernon Trail was okay until just past Gravelly point, and then the fun began! Frozen ruts! Black ice! Amazed looks on cagers faces!

Newbie--I found it MUCH smoother going when I concentrated on the path about 15 feet in front of me. If I looked down at what I was riding over, things got hairy, but looking ahead makes a big difference.

Here are some pics. I'll be taking Metro home tonight to make it to my class, but I think tomorrow I may just ride home...

Good going, people!

I can't really contribute to the nasal discussion, but I do not deal in rockets.

Velogirl: reading your account I wish we got snow sometimes, just to ride to confound cagers. Well done mate!

You guys are amazing to ride in that kind of snow. Anybody can ride in the cold, but 11 inches of snow. Whoa....I am on the bus.

No snow here but winds gusting to 80kph according to weather channel.
Hopefully its a tail wind when i leave work

Velo -- I agree you have to watch about 15-20 feet in front so you have time to react. I had no trouble with that aspect of the ride, but I did have to keep reminding myself to loosen up. I find that without reminding myself I develop a death grip on the bars and start to ride with my body very rigid. As long as I stayed fairly loose I found I could ride out the sliding and other things the bike did in unpacked or loosely packed snow.

The other thing that was a little tricky was finding a good gear to ride in. Too low and I found I spun the wheel too much and had too little momentum to carry me through rough sections. Too high and it was too hard to pedal if I got into loose snow or I was going too fast for conditions in ice covered areas.

Clearly riding in deep snow or rutted ice is another skill set you need to develop if you plan to ride all year. Fortunately, I'm guessing in most places you will be able to practice snow and ice riding in relative solitude since it seems to chase most people indoors. I am sure I was about as graceless on this morning's commute as it is possible to be on a bicycle while keeping the wheels on the ground. I'm just thankful I didn't have an audience!

Congrats to those of you that plowed through the deep stuff. I know y'all have been waiting for this with big grins on your faces. We got 16-18 up in Catonsville so I went "WITH" mother nature and went skiing yesterday! Rode today and the streets were clear withsome black ice. I use to ride through the woods but have been sporting 1.5" tires so stayed on the roads. PG and Balto Co. did great jobs plowing. I even have an occassional shoulder but taking the lane was normal. Did you diehards do it again today. Happy Valentines Day :) Charlie
PS Our train station won the first battle! We can stay open for 1 year until the legislators and Senators study the issue further. We now want to promote it locally and see if we(commuters) can advertise the station on our own.

Hello all...newbie to the site...lurked for a while. I'm such a newb...the first month of riding i would stop and pull out a kleenex. Thanks to this site...i've learned the joy and comedic relief of the early morning snot rocket.

Not sure how you get to join the extreme commute club...but i've been riding everyday for the last couple months. It's a weird sort of commute since i live nearly 40 miles away from work...so i 'slug' to a stop near work and ride the last 3 miles. I'm planning to buy another commuter bike to ride from the house to the lot where i pick up a ride...so that'll be another 4 miles each way. So, does 14 miles a day qualify?

oh, and the snow and ice on coblestone sure make for a thrilling ride.

About that snot rocket...works when your nose is running like a faucet. When the snot gets real thick you better watch out. Once when I was getting over a cold and the phlegm was thick, I shot a rocket. Not giving it another thought and only after getting to work did I realize that the rocket hit the shoulder of my jacket.

Balto -- the bike took the day off today. Hopefully tomorrow I will be in the saddle again. Also you highlighted my concern on the rocket game perfectly.

Phreakingeek -- welcome aboard! It's been a while since we've had to state our rigorous membership requirements -- if you think your commute is extreme due to distance, terrain, traffic, weather, etc. then you are welcome. If you ride over more than a couple of feet of snow and ice covered cobblestones I would call that extreme. Good luck with your commute.

Balto -- the bike took the day off today.

The BIKE
:rolleyes:

Happy VD everybody!

Had an awesome ride in. Starting to find my pre-surgery legs again and getting my bike into the 20+ mph range. WooHoo! We just had some light dusting, so the roads are clear and dry. I took my studded front wheel off and have a lightly treaded rear on, so I feel like I'm just flying down the road.

I can't really contribute to the nasal discussion, but I do not deal in rockets.

So how do you deal with the inevitable nasal congestion/dripping?

So how do you deal with the inevitable nasal congestion/dripping?

I am from the South. Southern Ladies, don't sweat, we glow. Similarly, we don't snort or shoot rockets. We may sniffle just a tad from time to time. And we always carry a hankerchief for emergencies. These things are generally left un-discussed, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to let y'all in on the secret.

Meanwhile, some Southern Ladies kick @ss on the ice with their studs of choice!

Meanwhile, some Southern Ladies kick @ss on the ice with their studs of choice!

Velo: who is your stud of choice? :)

Great stuff Velogirl and Maryland Newbie..........

I am not worthy :eek: :eek: :eek:

People look at me like I am nuts and make all
kinds of comments at work about riding the bicycle in the
winter and all I can think is that they have no idea of
what real 'nuts' or extreme is.....:roflmao:

I'm planning to get back in the saddle tonight now that the snow levels have cropped. Actually I'm kind of hoping the heat wave will clear a decent amount of trail today.

Now that I'm plunging into more bike maintenance I'm wondering how often all of you long distance wonders remove, clean and relube your wheel bearings. My rear wheel will be coming up on 1 year of service and probably 4,000+ miles in a couple of months. So the timing seems right, but I wanted to hear the voices of experience.

Hey folks: didn't ride today. Took forever in the car! Why don't people figure it out? Anyway I will be talking to the General Assembly in Annapolis today. Scared sh!tless. But gotta save my station. We have a year reprieve.
MDNEwbie: I re-greased my heavily used bike last year after 8,000 miles. It wasn't damaged but wasn't spinning as nice as it is now. Did the same for the BB. Actually replaced the bb, they're cheap. I'm forever lubing the drive chain. I use White lightning, doesn't get as dirty but does need lube more often. I rather lube than clean. Later all.

Velo: who is your stud of choice? :)

I'll never tell;)

Great stuff Velogirl and Maryland Newbie..........

I am not worthy :eek: :eek: :eek:

People look at me like I am nuts and make all
kinds of comments at work about riding the bicycle in the
winter and all I can think is that they have no idea of
what real 'nuts' or extreme is.....:roflmao:

This happens once a year here, maybe twice. You live in Vermont. I don't think I could ride this way on a regular basis. I was thinking, while on my commute, that I don't know if I could live in Minnesota. But then again, I can't drive in the snow, so I'm better off biking in it.

Morning all. We may not have any snow but today is cold. On the ride in it was -22C with a 30K in your face wind to make it about -30C. It felt like I was dragging my ass all the way to work with a piano tied to it.

Marylandnewbie - what kind of wheel bearing grease do you use? I used an automotive type grease but I think it may have something to do the feeling of having a piano tied to my ass.

Balto -- good luck at the state house! Thanks for the info. I'm not sure that my wheels are actually suffering, but after several thousand miles everything else is needing replacement or maintenace, so I'm guessing wheel bearings will need it. Just like you I clean and lube the drive train at least once a week, more if conditions are really bad. I've been sticking with Triflow so far and it seems fine.

Sask -- I don't have a bearing grease of choice, since I've not done a relube yet. I did see over on the mechanics forum someone suggest a marine bearing grease from Home Depot for wheels and BB's. It makes sense in terms of being able to stand excess moisture and probably long wearing, but I have no personal experience. I will probably talk to the LBS folks about a good grease choice before I get into the bearings.

Velo -- such a class act -- phlegm-less, sweat-less and now she won't kiss-and-tell about her favorite stud!

I decided last night to put my seat in the fully reclined all out aero position. I'm guessing that I'm about 10 degrees lower than I was before. It feels a little hard on the neck right now, I think I'll ask about that in the recumbent forum. Anyways, noticed a speed gain right away. A gear up from what I normally ride, I think. It was hard to tell becuase I was riding into a stiff headwind this morning. It's amazing how much these little aero things make a difference in speed. I can't wait to be able to take all this winter gear off and put my slicks back on!

Maryland and Velogirl: that WAS pretty cool how you conquered the big snow! I find that jumbled up rutted stuff the hardest riding conditions of all. Riding in the cold just takes dogged determination. Riding in the conditions you were in takes some real strength and skill.

Maryland and Velogirl: that WAS pretty cool how you conquered the big snow! I find that jumbled up rutted stuff the hardest riding conditions of all. Riding in the cold just takes dogged determination. Riding in the conditions you were in takes some real strength and skill.

If I hadn't been a mountain bike racer back in the day, I don't think I would have succeeded in conquering those frozen ruts and footprints. It's nice to know that my single track skills are still with me. Now I'm wanting a real mountain bike again...hmmm...

Wow !!! What a GLORIOUS day !
No jacket or winter gear required !

http://www.nhptv.org/rrcont/rr9bicycle1.jpg

Nice artwork Lem!

Mars -- thanks for the vote of confidence and moral support. At least for me it was not skill or strength, but stubborness to not give up part way through a stupid challenge like riding in deep snow. I actually think having done it a few times now that I would rather ride on solid ice than slushy packed snow. The stuff is not quite solid enough to really support you, but it has enough resistance that you don't really cut through until you really stoke the pedals. The only fun thing about it is feeling the knobby studs grip the slush before they break out chunks to fling backwards.

The trail was surprisingly clear tonight. There were sections of ice and snow pack, but they were smaller than I expected and much of the ice was very soft. I'm off the bike tomorrow due to a school event for my son, so I'll only get to do the ride on Friday.

Back on it again.

Following on from Monday's dose of baked goods and man flu came more man flu and a stomach bug on Tuesday (half day off, subway after careful consultation of location of public conveniences). Wednesday saw the man flu turn to a cold and stomach back to normal non-churning self. Hooray says I, nice weather and no traffic say the fickle gods of commuting.

Finally today there was a nice couple of inches of snow on the ground. The road tires were barely able to carry me along my road to the main road. After that the car tracks provided a suitable course to work. Still a fair bit of ice dodging and avoiding of the SUV muppets to be done. Still not that extreme compared to other peoples conditions. Perhaps I need to start a Tricky Commute Club.

Nice exchange at work. A co-worker labels me crazy for riding to work and then grumbles about how the bus was going really slow. Me: "Yeah, I know it was going slow, I overtook it."

Nice turn about Seldom Kill. It is fun when you can pass cars and busses and actually finish ahead of them. I think your description sounds pretty extreme -- or certainly tough enough to qualify for our ideas of extreme.

I'm missing what looks like a perfect bike day so I can go to a school thing. Ah well the trade offs of parenting. Have a good ride everybody.

Well, I got one extreme winter ride in...back to the regular bike. Makes those studded tires awfully expensive per mile. But can you put a price on such life experiences? I think not.

I am in a quaundry for my commute. The total commute is 20 miles each way, the current situation on the path would be 3-4 miles of ice and 16 miles of clean pavement. 16 miles of riding studs on clean pavement would be quite turtuous, what should I do?

I am in a quaundry for my commute. The total commute is 20 miles each way, the current situation on the path would be 3-4 miles of ice and 16 miles of clean pavement. 16 miles of riding studs on clean pavement would be quite turtuous, what should I do?


My advice is cyclocross tires. I rode a whole winter on them before I got studs. I don't see how anyone could ride 40 miles in one day on studs without being a cycling god. Although, with your ammual milleage, maybe you already qualify for cycling godhood. :D

mars:

thanks for the feedback, the ice is too rutted for cross tires, as it would be on a mup. Battling footprints without studs is not a good combination. I have done 40 miles on studs many times (the path was almost all ice), I usually just need an a day to recover. Buelito rode in today and he said that his one way commute time went up almost 50 minutes. I can't afford an extra 100 minutes of commuting. I think that I will let another day of defrosting occur and then hop back into commuting next week :(

Thanks for nominating mee for a god, but since I am a Druid, maybe a Joshua Pine :D

Back on the bike. Excellent day for it. Even took a nooner to REI to spend some $. Great sale at College park REI.
MDnew: you missed a great day...sorry
Velo: Don't go putting the studs away just because valentines day is over. March is usually our major snow month. You'll get your $$ worth.
LEM: What type of bike were you drawing? Looks like fixie :)
Tibike: 40 miles!! I don't know what I would use but not studs. 3 miles of ice...not walking take too long. You do have an extreme commute these days.

You guys'n'gals that ride thru snow are absolute legends!! my 60 miles is a stroll in the park by comparison.

We've had some nice mild weather here, no rain (during my commute time) and very mild t-shirt temps. My times have improved now that I know the route, my best is 1hr 20min for 30 miles.

Had to work last Saturday and on the way in the freeway was full or roadie wannabes in head to toe team kit riding expensive ultralight racers, I couldn't beleive just how many were out there - hundreds!.... since I was running late for work I really pushed hard, it was like riding a chicane :D one guy sucked my wheel for a few miles and the cheeky bugger even managed to pull level on a downhill but he got dropped with great vengance and fuuuuurious anger on the next big uphill stretch :D God, I just LOVE my long commute :p

No commute for me today as my wife's dad is deteriorating fast (cancer) I'm home looking after the kids and my wife is at his bedside.

LEM: What type of bike were you drawing? Looks like fixie :)


Ha Ha....Funny you should mention that !!

Since moving to Vermont my commute has actually become very easy
down from 28rt a day to 16rt a day. The traffic is less brutal and the scenery
is glorious as soon as I get out of Rutland(:eek: ), so I needed to do something
about it to somehow, anyhow stay involved with the people who inspired me to
a new level of zen, Bike-Fu, ie; the people who contribute here........So, to meet at
least one requirement of this exaulted brotherSisterhood, I bought one of those Track Bikes
from an E-Bay seller and am turning into my spring commuter. It is sitting here unbuilt
with boxes of stuff from DansComp and SpicerCycles waiting to be turned into
the hipsterest commute bike south of Montpelier :roflmao:
Commuting the hills of Vermont on a fixie has to meet some of the criteria of 'extreme'
I am hoping :p !! Pics to come, hopefully by next friday ! ;)

Also, speaking of tires.....Am I the only one that likes narrow tires instead
of super fatties for snow? I really am finding my narrow tired bikes track in
snow better that the 2"+ tired bikes.

Cyclaholic : Nothing anyone can say can make that situation any better
but I can only send hopes and wishes that things work out in the best
and least painful way for everybody in your family.

Wow, 60 miles a day! Good for you! Cyclaholic, if you don't mind me asking, what is your commuter bike?

Also, speaking of tires.....Am I the only one that likes narrow tires instead
of super fatties for snow? I really am finding my narrow tired bikes track in
snow better that the 2"+ tired bikes.

Cyclaholic : Nothing anyone can say can make that situation any better
but I can only send hopes and wishes that things work out in the best
and least painful way for everybody in your family.

My snow bike has 26x1.95 tires only because the Nokian 106s in a skinnier version were not available. Since my wheels on my icebike are 26", I think I could get as narrow as 1.5--can I get narrower than that? My rims are pretty narrow. I'll likely give these beefy studs (insert comments here...) to my brother, who does alot of real mountain biking. He'll put them to better use, as they are overkill for the occassional urban icy commute. So next year, look out for a svelter icebike (hopefully I'll get my '89 Bridgestone MB2 back from relatives in France and build it up as my new/old icebike--rigid fork, classic lugged frame, light...)

And Cycleholic--our thoughts are with you and your family.

Velogrrrl.....

I run 1.5's on my MTB 26ers with no problem.
I usually run 2.25's when trial riding.

Wow, 60 miles a day! Good for you! Cyclaholic, if you don't mind me asking, what is your commuter bike?

I built a Surly LHT, she's a crossbreed between a Hummer and a cruise missile :p

She no longer has the bottle cages as I now use a 100oz hydration backpack (3 waterbottles wasn't enough), and those 28mm Ultragatorskins are now 37mm Schwalbe Marathons.

I built the wheels (my first wheelbuild, I'm very proud of them) Deore LX hubs, DT Swiss Alpine III spokes and Mavic M319 rims.

I do about 1/2 mile of gravel singletrack on my commute which is a shortcut through vacant industrial land.

And Cycleholic--our thoughts are with you and your family.

Thanks Velo. My poor wife is doing it tough at the moment, she's an only child and lost her mum to cancer just 18 months ago, now her dad, and to top it all off she's 7 1/2 months pregnant. I'm trying to be as supportive as I possibly can.... I wish I could go through her grief for her.

My times have improved now that I know the route, my best is 1hr 20min for 30 miles.

Had to work last Saturday and on the way in the freeway was full or roadie wannabes in head to toe team kit riding expensive ultralight racers, I couldn't beleive just how many were out there - hundreds!.... since I was running late for work I really pushed hard, it was like riding a chicane :D one guy sucked my wheel for a few miles and the cheeky bugger even managed to pull level on a downhill but he got dropped with great vengance and fuuuuurious anger on the next big uphill stretch...Awesome, mate. You should go to www.cycle2max.com and obliterate some posters there. Sorry to hear about your fam situation.

Cyclaholic -- best wishes for you and your family during this tough time.

Lem -- I run 700x35 both in studs and regular tires. I don't think I'd want to go any thinner on days when the trail is very soft and muddy. Plus the 700s give me a couple of extra inches falling time to contemplate the bonehead move I did that caused me to come off the bike.

Balto -- I know I missed a great day for riding yesterday, but the thing at my son's school was interesting and a lot of fun.

This morning wasn't too bad for riding. One 90 second rain shower and the rest was clear. I'm still trying to figure out how a WNW wind could be blowing in my face as I ride ESE along the Potomac! Fortunately no consistent head winds, just periods of gusty headwinds. Nice to be back in the saddle and unless the predicted flurries turn into something serious the studs are coming off this weekend.