Commuting - SF Bay Area commuters - This week = Hell Week

To all my fellow Bay Area riders - for riding to and from work this week we get some gold stars by our names. Maybe membership in a new club, the B A M F club or something.

Today was, hands down, the toughest weather I've commuted in. Riding in the AM wasn't so bad, just really heavy rain, but on the way home the wind was whipping the rain into my face, the roads were completely thrashed due to debris and flooding, and the traffic was snarled and awful. About the only good things were:
#1 my footgear: smartwool ski socks under sealskinz waterproof sox on shimano SPD sandals. kept my feet warm and dry and best of all I didn't have to get back into wet shoes for the trip home. Hate that.
#2 my bike: Fixed gear = +2 vs Wet Weather Commuting. My handbrake was basically useless but I never lost control of the bike, even navigating some hairy rush hour traffic. Back-pressure on the pedals to slow down, nice even starts off the line, and no derailleur to gunk up with road grime.

Tomorrow...we'll see... hoping this wind dies down a bit. For those non-locals, here's a snippet from the NWS discussion this evening:



AT ABOUT 7 PM VERY HIGH WIND SPEEDS WERE REPORTED
IN THE SFO BAY AREA WITH SPEEDS OF 55 MPH GUSTING TO 71 MPH AT SAN
FRANCISCO AIRPORT AND 58 MPH GUSTING TO 97 MPH AT ANGEL ISLAND.

Sideways rain, winds buffeting me so much that I was scared to stand on my pedals, and downshifting bigtime when I rode directly into the wind made it the craziest commute home I've had in a while.

I'm lovin it! We need more days like this to separate the men from the boys...

I'm lovin it! We need more days like this to separate the men from the boys...
I'm a boy :(

I almost got hit by a flying couch cushion yesterday. The thing blew through an intersection in diamond heights bouncing to shoulder height.

I think we should get a gold star with an asterisk or something - Like BAMF, but we still live in the bay.

I woke up yesterday, saw a little water on the ground, and in my hungover haze, said, "F this, I'm really not awake enough to dodge puddles today"- took MUNI instead. After work I needed to get about 2 miles crosstown on foot, and REALLY wished I had the bike with me. I've scarcely ever been that wet before except in the shower.

That'll learn me..

I'm lovin it! We need more days like this to separate the men from the boys...
In San Francisco we often have to use a crowbar for that.

I was just in SF a couple of weeks ago and the weather was such a welcome contrast to the wind and cold we've been getting in Boston. Now it sounds like you're getting nailed. I rode over the Golden Gate on a mild day and got buffeted pretty badly at the top of the bridge as I came around one of the large supports- how the heck do you ride over that when the wind is blowing 60mph? Be careful out there!

And this morning the East Bay had a tornado warning. :eek:

I decided to risk it yesterday and rode my fixie instead of my all-weather commuter. Lucked out, no rain on either commute. Rained during the day, but I was inside working so I didn't care.

Supposed to be clear today until this evening, so fixed again today for me.

Seriously, and since Im too lazy to carry a backpack to work I've had wet socks almost all week. Monday as I headed to class around 6:30 I felt a boat would of been better, except that it might of capsized under that wind. When I got out of class some guy on Market Street found out how slippery those tracks are. Funny how people act when they crash, I asked if he was ok and his tone was more 'f off' than 'thanks for asking'. :rolleyes:

In San Francisco we often have to use a crowbar for that.

Zing!

+1 :D

I lucked out again today. Rode my fixie with no fenders, didn't see any rain at all. And I don't have to go in tomorrow.

Seriously, and since Im too lazy to carry a backpack to work I've had wet socks almost all week.

My luck has been different. I have been carrying a pair of dry socks in my messenger bag all week and they're still dry and I haven't needed them. Try it, maybe that'll work for you too! ;)

Get ready for the next one, my friends.


.BRIEF BURSTS OF HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY AS THE
SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS...AS WELL AS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN
THUNDERSTORMS.
IN ADDITION TO PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDER...STRONG
WINDS ARE PRECEDING THE FRONT AND A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR
THE HILLS OF THE NORTH AND EAST BAY ZONES.

Get ready for the next one, my friends.

today was the first day this week that I rode, and it was great. I'm riding tomorrow...I'd better take the tags off of my rain gear and wrap my laptop and clothes in plastic. hrm...maybe my feet too.

Yeah the front came through here last night between 1 and 3 AM, and it looks very nice out now. I'm almost disappointed, in a way.

Go to the bike show this weekend! http://handmadebicycleshow.com
Race there from SF if you're feeling ambitious:
http://www.dynagroove.com/users/fabian/bikes/NAHBS_rally.jpg

Yep tuesday was a real pain in the rear for bike commuting. You know it's bad when your'e wearing goggles to school! But wednesday was perfect and today is looking bright and blue but we'll see what happens on the return trip.

Oh and it's probably going to rain on saturday for the race to the handmade bike show :( but i'll be there for a nice slow ride if i can endure the long trip :)