* jack *

Been so hot and humid here lately I had my wife shave my head yesterday.

Seriously.

Neil Fraedrich

I have the same issues with commuting to an office setting, I have (2) changes of clothes in my desk drawer and two towels and a little bag-o-toiletries- also I bring a Costco pkg of baby wipes. I also put a fan under my desk and a drying rack to dry out my gear whilst I work(also one of those plug-in smelly things) So far its been working fine.

andydreisch

My last ride was on a tandem so the Titanium rocketship felt like a racecar. I could barely hold it back. It's been cool here in San Jose. Light traffic, too.

chephy

The heat is really affecting my riding. I am taking it so easy on hills, it's embarassing. But better be a wussie than have succumb to heat exhaustion, I suppose. At least I am not gonna be reduced to walking the bike up any hills - to this I am firmly resolved!

GreenAnvil

Today was supposed to be my easy relaxing ride after riding 30+ miles yesterday that included some long and some steep hills... But I got out of work at about the same time as another coworker who's a roadie. He carries almost no weight, no panniers, backpacks, etc; it's just him and his bike. He caught up with me at a stop light and then took off, about a mile up the road I caught up with him at another stoplight roughly about 30 seconds after he got there. When the light turned green he took off again like a rocket.

Must be very satisfying to drop people like that But I kept reminding myself that the type of riding I do is different: my commutes are mostly loaded since what I'm interested in and use my daily rides for (other than getting to/from work) is training for long/tour rides. And my rig is heavy with front suspension, disc brakes, racks, panniers, light and battery, and a holder and bear pepper spray that I just added (as a precaution after last week's scare). 10mph when touring loaded is good, 12mph is hauling butt... 17-19mph on my commutes is great!!!

Anyway... these roadies have me itchin', and one of these days I'm going to splurge down some money on a nice (lighter, much lighter than the 50+ lbs I normally carry every day) road bike so that I can indulge in some speed riding at least a couple of times a week. If I can move my ballast on wheels 20+ mph when I'm rested I should be able to move faster on skinnier tires and a lighter setup.

Oh, BTW, my commute went fine, if anything a little too short for my taste.

GreenAnvil

M_S

Hot, but fast one the way home with the wind at my back. I think I averaged about 25 mph on the way home, but my computer only does total averages, so it's really just a guess. Whatever the case, I was flying.

buzzman

Dropped off a car rental mid-town and had to get downtown in major hurry (18 minutes or I'd be late). shot over to the West side bike path, hammered down to W. 10th and crossed over to St. Marks and got to my location with 3 minutes to spare. I was a sweaty mess when I got there but I was on time!

I'm not getting in any decent rode rides these days and am totally dependent on the commuting for exercise so it's been short and sweet.

Tude 

It was ... uneventful and humid. The energy escapes me today and it was a chore to do the ride I am normally aggressive about.

vtjim

2.5 mile hike to the bus this morning. Running after work. Naturally the A/C wasn't working on the bus, and I started literally dripping with sweat. Ugh. Not really doing much to encourage public transportation, dudes.

Yesterday's ride home was nice. Didn't get rained on. I was riding behind a guy and waiting for traffic to clear out so I could pass, and some other guy on a hybrid flew up behind me. Traffic cleared, and I let the guy behind me pass both of us, then I chased him. I kept pace at 18-20MPH on my knobby tires, then he left the MUP after a mile or so. I got home, waxed the chain, and tried to cool off.

luckysnafu

Compared to the last 2 weeks, it was actually "cool" this morning. I enjoyed the ride in and didn't sweat as much. Had a guy in a pickup at a light yell at me when I ran the red light after waiting over a minute for the light to change. I was already going too fast to slow down and tell him that I can't trip the light.

Last night I finally caught up with the rain, but it was quite nice and kept me cool. Beat the lightning home by only a few minutes.

Wulfheir

Yesterday I took the long way home and came across a poor young woman who bailed on her bike. I got her up and off the road and sought help from a woman in the neighbourhood to get her cleaned up. Hope she's back in the saddle today. She was hella cute.

Later I had a truck drivin' redneck honk at me for no apparent reason, which was returned by a big finger and the international 1 armed action for yankin' yer junk.

Edit: Oh yeah, passed a kid riding no hands down the middle of the street reading a book this morning.

Flimflam

Good ride in, got the new B17 installed and ready last night. Felt rock hard this morning, but I know that'll break in. Other than that, pretty ordinary ride. Some of the Indycar track isn't away yet so I almost got trapped in the circuit near Princes Gate, but there was an out, so I was good (I have been taking the trail or Lakeshore around instead of cutting through where they had the race stuff setup).

mikepop

Yet another misty/foggy/drizzle morning ride. Oddly enough when I arrived at work only the front of my shirt was noticeably wet. Between the fog and the rain on my glasses, visibility was less than ideal. I think the wet/rain of the last few days must be getting to me - when a truck gave me a long beep while passing I actually got annoyed instead of just shrugging it off as usual.

The ride home yesterday was a study in contrasts - the sun came out, I was full of energy and I made record time.

vtjim

Forgot to mention: I soaked my jersey in water before leaving work yesterday. I hung it up when I got home, and it was still damp this morning. I hate humidity.

Buglady

I think I saw that guy on the Bow River pathway this morning too! He did have one hand on the bars though. Still, what a stupid idea...

Slower this mornign - back on the Raleigh. I really do prefer to be upright for the commute, much as I like how fast the touring bike with drop bars feels.

pinkrobe

Smooth and easy ride in today. I had one disconcerting moment when I went to take off from a light and my bar-end rotated about 45 degrees. Obviously, I don't know my own strength.

HardyWeinberg

Nice. Hot! Last of 3 day break from kid-shuttling, grandparents in town.

KingTermite 

The idiots were out today.....

1) Idiot gets of stopped bus and leaps to far side, right in front of me. Then panics when he hears me yelling "watch out, bike".

2) Same bus stops to let a whole group out a few blocks later that all get out in front of me and leave no room for me to get by.

3) Come to intersection, 1st car on main road is turning right, so he goes. I start to go right behind him, and it seems 2nd car wanted to turn right too, but did not have turn signal on. Barely missed that one.

caloso

No ride in today: carpool with the missus and kiddies.

Yesterday I witnessed a supreme act of stupidity by a cyclist. No wait, he was a guy on a bike, not a cyclist. Anyway, I and another guy were stopped at a light when this JAB comes blowing through the red and was nearly taken out by a pickup truck crossing the intersection. Lots of blowing of horns but he just kept going.

The light changed and I caught up to him and said, "Nice move. Now they think all of us are idiots. Thanks a lot." He didn't even look at me. He just kept looking up the road. So I said "I hope you have your organ donor card filled out." Then I dialed it up to 400W.

MyPC8MyBrain

Jumped between the stroms last night for the ride home. Love that doppler radar site. You can see where the holes are and blaze through. Traffic was slowed all over the place, so I took my proper place on the right and whizzed by them all. Ha ha.. cars stuck in traffic. It always makes my day when I win

This morning was nice. Left an hour late because I was too lazy to get up. Traffic is much more calm at 8:30 than it is at 7 or 7:30. Must just be other lazy people like me.

Had one car buzz me though. It was because the idiot woman was tailgating the SUV in front of her and had no line of sight to me. That one always scares me because they have no clue that you are there. But I saw it coming and went way right. I shouted something and gave her the you are a dummy gesture. Silly drivers.

gharding

I'm getting used to the commute now. Weather was pretty hot so I got a little sweatier than usual, which sucks. But the traffic wasn't bad, and I have a better idea of where I need to be at certain points. I even photo-outlined my commute: https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/319699-my-nyc-commute-pictures.html

atombob

Wow. It's hot. We're having record heat here in the PNW and it hit 102 in Eugene yesterday. It's almost 80 here already but I usually can cool down while I'm changing into my work clothes. NOT TODAY! Heatwave killed the AC yesterday so it's 88 inside our offices. I'm sitting at my desk now dripping onto the keyboard. lol!

hophead

Another beautiful day...I'm getting used to the commute, and my legs feel stronger than a few weeks ago. The hills don't crush my spirit anymore! Weather's definitely heating up today, though...we're expected to break temperature records every day this week...but I'm not doing the 23k return trip. The afternoon/evening will be spent at the beach, and I'll stay at a friend's place...near the beach and 5k from work.

chephy

I don't get it. They get off the bus and start crossing the road immediately? Please tell me you were not trying to pass a stopped bus on the right.

Classic right-hook situation. To avoid it, either take your place in line in the middle of the lane or... be very careful, I guess. You sure as heck can't rely on turn signals.

chephy

Today it is pleasantly cool for a change. Got the usual collection of boneheaded motorist moves here and there... One guy tried to change lanes right into me - pure inattention, not malice.