One year anniversary
04-01-08, 01:10 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Buffalo NY
Posts: 1,035
Bikes: Gerry Fisher Nirvana, LeMond Buenos Aires
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
One year anniversary
Today is my one year anniversary of commuting to work. I have ridden just over 2200 miles. I can't believe how has the year as gone. I also never figured I'd make it all the way through Winter and only needed the car a few times because of realy bad weather.
This Summer I intend to ride my first Metric Century. I also hope to be able to achieve a full century by the end of the Summer. I am also now working on getting my wife and duaghter out riding more. I hope to have my wife using a bike regularly for shopping and other nearby errands soon as well.
Happy riding,
André
This Summer I intend to ride my first Metric Century. I also hope to be able to achieve a full century by the end of the Summer. I am also now working on getting my wife and duaghter out riding more. I hope to have my wife using a bike regularly for shopping and other nearby errands soon as well.
Happy riding,
André
04-01-08, 01:13 PM
#2
Jive Turkey
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Boston
Posts: 57
Bikes: Bianchis Eros, Veloce and Milano. Trek 850 XC Mountain Track
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
You rode all winter in Buffalo? As a native of Rochester, let me be the first to say chapeau!
ain't it fun
keep spinning and have fun !
04-01-08, 03:07 PM
#5
Plays in traffic
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 6,971
Bikes: 1996 Litespeed Classic, 2006 Trek Portland, 2013 Ribble Winter/Audax, 2016 Giant Talon 4
Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 14 Times
in
9 Posts
Congrats André!
Saturday was my second anniversary here in Rochesterville. My first year was great. The second even better--mostly because I'd sorted out what works for me, and I bought bikes to address those needs.
I hope your second year is better than your first!
Saturday was my second anniversary here in Rochesterville. My first year was great. The second even better--mostly because I'd sorted out what works for me, and I bought bikes to address those needs.
I hope your second year is better than your first!
04-01-08, 11:58 PM
#6
50/50 Road/eBike Commuter
Awesome. Nice work.
04-02-08, 06:03 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,896
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
4 Posts
Congratulations. That's a real milestone, particularly living in Buffalo. I'm closing in on the one-year anniversary myself near the end of April. So far, I've bike commuted about 3,100 miles and right through the winter, but our weather in NC is much, much milder than New York. I had my second-high mileage month in January, and believe it or not, August was the toughest month here by far. We had a string of 100F+ days with high humidity, and that was nearly unbearable.
04-02-08, 07:47 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Highland Park, NJ, USA
Posts: 3,798
Bikes: "Hildy", a Novara Randonee touring bike; a 16-speed Bike Friday Tikit; and a Specialized Stumpjumper frame-based built-up MTB, now serving as the kid-carrier, grocery-getter.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I'm impressed!
__________________
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
Tour Journals, Blog, ride pix
My bands:
- Uke On! - ukulele duo - Videos
- Ukulele Abyss - ukulele cover videos - Videos
- Baroque and Hungry's (Celtic fusion) full-length studio album Mended.
- Artistic Differences - 8-track EP Dreams of Bile and Blood.
04-02-08, 11:00 AM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Buffalo NY
Posts: 1,035
Bikes: Gerry Fisher Nirvana, LeMond Buenos Aires
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I was kind of shocked at how easy it was to get through the Winter. When I first started to contemplate riding through the Winter my first through was... I live in BUFFALO... Hello we get lots of lake effect snow here.
It turns out that the road crews here in Amherst (NE suburb) do a pretty amzing job of plowing. Most of the time the roads were plowed so well that I could ride pretty much on the shoulder almost every day. even after a 12" snow fall it only took about 24 hours for the roads to be 90% clear to the shoulder. I don't mind dealing with traffic, but if the school busses, trucks, and passenger cars can all get by me without having to put themselves into oncomming traffic it is good for us all. I can ride more relaxed and just focus on the road and make sure I avoid any hazards and they can just stay in their lane and leave me alone.
Temperature ended up not being an issue either. We did luck out a bit and didn't get any single long deep freeze. We certainly had some cold days, but some years we end up with a solid one to three week spell of single digit temps. Even with the cold weather I found that I could easily layer a little and with temps below 15F I would put on a face mask to protect the flesh. Otherwise a beany cap was enough to keep my head warm. Regular winter boots and toe clips worked fine as well. An old (1985 vintage) pair of Gortex kept my hands warm. The only problem was if I had to ride extra and the temps were closer to 30F, I then would build up too much moisture for the gloves to expend on their own. I am enjoying the day light. Sure the generator hub works well, but it is NICE to ride with some shinshine hitting your body in the morning and afternoon.
Happy riding,
André
It turns out that the road crews here in Amherst (NE suburb) do a pretty amzing job of plowing. Most of the time the roads were plowed so well that I could ride pretty much on the shoulder almost every day. even after a 12" snow fall it only took about 24 hours for the roads to be 90% clear to the shoulder. I don't mind dealing with traffic, but if the school busses, trucks, and passenger cars can all get by me without having to put themselves into oncomming traffic it is good for us all. I can ride more relaxed and just focus on the road and make sure I avoid any hazards and they can just stay in their lane and leave me alone.
Temperature ended up not being an issue either. We did luck out a bit and didn't get any single long deep freeze. We certainly had some cold days, but some years we end up with a solid one to three week spell of single digit temps. Even with the cold weather I found that I could easily layer a little and with temps below 15F I would put on a face mask to protect the flesh. Otherwise a beany cap was enough to keep my head warm. Regular winter boots and toe clips worked fine as well. An old (1985 vintage) pair of Gortex kept my hands warm. The only problem was if I had to ride extra and the temps were closer to 30F, I then would build up too much moisture for the gloves to expend on their own. I am enjoying the day light. Sure the generator hub works well, but it is NICE to ride with some shinshine hitting your body in the morning and afternoon.
Happy riding,
André
04-03-08, 03:02 AM
#10
weirdo
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 1,962
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Congratulations! I`m in a pretty similar spot- bike commuted in fair weather for several years and finally went full time starting in April or May last year. Like you, we were blessed by a less cold than normal winter around here- usually gets to around zero F for a few days but this year I don`t think it ever got to single digits. I drove for one week after pretty good storm, then back to my bike.
04-03-08, 06:06 AM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,896
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
4 Posts
What's interesting is that once you get used to riding in cold weather and get the right gear, it's often more comfortable than riding when it's warmer. I have no trouble at all dressing for cold days, and know exactly what gear to put on. It's the days that start out cold and get warm that throw me off. I hate getting all sweaty under a bunch of warm clothes.
