HiYoSilver

Discouraging commute today. Wife urged me to drive, I stubbornly rode. Avg speed was a record breaking 8 mph and most of commute was at 6.5 to 7.0 mph. Time is 1/3 longer and totally frustrating.

What was the problem? 43 mph head winds .

This was not fun. What do you do, or what would you recommend on those days? A "rain day" so don't feel guilty driving, or ? Besides the low speed, the wind was changing direction and I was frequently being blow 6 inches from side to side. Spooky.

DataJunkie

I've had the same issue on my commute from Thornton to the DTC. Usually I get frustrated, calm down, and later decide to take the challenge head on. Yesterday, I was heading home into a wind gust. Was doing something like 20+ and in 5 seconds the wind slowed me down to about 5mph. ugh!

A rain day sounds good also. Sometimes knowing when to throw in the towel temporarily is a good thing. Personally, I don't cycle when I am sick or in extremely bad weather.

nitroRoo

me? I'd probably just leave a little earlier and consider it a challenge. I can see how it wouldnt be so fun, so I wouldnt blame you if you drove either. Most important thing is that you stay safe. If the wind is going to blow you into the path of a Semi without warning.. I'd probably rather drive too

And hopefully you'll have a freakin awsome tailwind for the ride home! You could average 35mph!!

HiYoSilver

Man that's a hike, how far is it and how long does it take you. Usually it takes me about 25 minutes as going slightly uphill, but today it was almost 40 minutes

d2create

Jeebuz! That's tropical storm force winds!
And I thought 10mph headwinds were the suck.

Mars

For me, if I take a "rain day" or a "wind day" I will start slacking out of more and more commuting by bike. I am an absolutist that way, I have to ride not matter what or I will end up not riding on any but the most perfict days. So, for me, it would be learn and keep riding!

nitroRoo

+1

DataJunkie

I was a bit obscure with that post.

I wish I could bike the whole commute. I use RTD's regional buses for 20+ miles. Next year I hope to ride the whole trip at least once a week.

lala

I would have probably bagged it. Luckily 'down south,' it was perfectly still this morning!

MyPC8MyBrain

Strange... Here in the the Springs, not even a whisper of a breeze this morning on the way in. Maybe it will get down here for a 45mph tailwind on the way home tonight.

Last night was another story.. big headwind going home, but only tacked on few minutes to the ride.

Don

swwhite

Please do report tomorrow on your trip home.

oboeguy

I might have taken the subway, but only because winds like that can be dangerous to cyclists if a gust hits the wrong way.

bullethead

Bag it. All things in moderation. If you felt it wasn't safe, then it probably wasn't.

Jarery

If i call a 'rain day' and drive, i make damn sure i do everything possible that day with the car. Go to chiropractor just for heck of it since im finaly in street clothes, go to costco for bulk purchases, go to grocery store for heavy laundry soap, change clothes at work, etc....etc.

Generaly i try to avoid the rain days, since i cram so much extra duty into them, its less tiring to ride into the 45mph headwind than do all the extra crap

PaulH

The bad news is that the winds may well drop so that the tailwind home will be less than the headwind to work. Just grin and bear it -- that's what I do. Accept that some days will be like this.

Around here, high winds lead to downed branches and trees, complicating traffic by car. It would have been impossible for me to make it to my office the day after Hurricane Isabel hit if I didn't have a bike. I've got a bike with very relaxed geometry so it is very stable in wind.

Paul

HiYoSilver

So how does that work?

-- any problems with bike damage?
-- how long does it take to load and unload?
-- any known bike stealing from front of bus?

jamesdenver

i take the bus sometimes when it's real windy snowy and cold - nothing wrong with staying warm, and i use it as my reading time. i'm in denver too so i'm familiar with the afternoon fronts that move in

funny how your mood changes with the skies, my 9 mile ride home seems like a trek thru siberia with the dark skies and wind, but all in all i only get home about 5-10 minutes later

jyossarian

I'd take the subway too with headwinds like that. Driving on days like that make you appreciate why you ride in the first place.

HiYoSilver

What leads you to believe our population is dense enough for a subway? I'm still undecided on what to do. It was about 48F today and supposed to be about 35F tomorrow. I'm leaning towards riding if gusts < 35 and driving if gusts > 40.

DataJunkie

I usually have the same driver every morning. It takes about 10 seconds to load the bike on the bus bike carrier. It was a bit annoying holding my bike (no kickstand) and fiddling with the carrier. That went away quickly with a few tries. The carrier is very easy to use. Unloading is the same. 10 seconds or so.

No problems with bike damage. I use the regional buses and the drivers tend to be very experienced. Plus, I am very carefull about making sure the bike is latched in nice and snug. I believe they would have issues of liability if the driver damaged the bike due to no negligence on the bikers part. Ex: improperly loading the bike versus the driver running the bike carrier into the back of another bus.

No known bike stealing. The driver is sitting there and it would be quite brazen to steal a bike in front of him or her. Plus, with consistent drivers they usually have an idea of who has what bike. I've know persons who have used RTD's bike carriers for years without any incident. Still, anything is possible.

I was nervous when first using the bike carrier. However, it works much better than leaving my bike at the park and ride. Next year the light rail extension opens. Then I will be looking at taking the bike on the light rail. Still, I will need to load my bike on the bus.


All in all, I would say that using the bus to shorten my commute has worked out quite well. I am suprised more persons do not load their bikes onto the bus.
I believe I would get frustrated trying to ride 60-70 miles a day on my bike. I do not have enough time for that commute.

DataJunkie

Light rail is our best commuting option for the future IMHO.

I have to take a break from work to visit REI. I can not commute at 30-35F with my bald head and no cap. This is my first year of commuting using a bike. Time to start accumulating more accessories and clothing.

HiYoSilver

Agreed, but brain dead voters approved heavy rail between denver and boulder.

Get a balaclava there also. You'll need it soon and it worked well for me last winter.

jamesdenver

i don't see anything wrong with heavy rail. i rode the trinity rail between dallas and fort worth last year and was quite impressed. large cars, desks and workstations in every car - i was impressed, and i've read ridership has greatly improved

i live in congress park and work off 25/belleview - i'm looking forward to the SE line opening next year, and fully support the fastracks project.


the fastracks project is identical to most subway layouts (bart or chicago's L), but it's just above ground. it will have it's on right of way and stations (other than surface streets downtown)

https://www.rtd-denver.com/fastracks/

HiYoSilver

Heavy rail is too expensive for non high density pop centers. If used same money for light rail, you could have 3-4x more tracks/trains. Santa Clara went with a light rail solution instead of using the heavy rail BART solution. It has been very successful. And that is a high density metro area.

It's like using one Greyhound type bus versus 3 jitneys. Same carrying capacity but more routes and options for riders at the same cost.

DataJunkie

Unfortunately, the Englewood branch did not seem to have any. Knowing how things are going, I will be visting there on an almost weekly basis. After all, I am starting with almost nothing.

My 3rd day of cycling this week is tomorrow. It is supposed to be nice and chilly.
On days my wife is working I have to take the car to get home fast enough. Someday I will find a route that will get me to work around 6 am and home before 4:30. ugh