Great commute there, not as good commute back but I made it. This was my first time riding to work on a fixed gear, but I've been commuting on a single-speed (Motobecane Messenger with a flip-flop hub) for the past week and a half (2-3 days a week). I rode the mile to the North Lamar Transit center and took a bus to the capital building. That's where the fixed gear adventure really began. There were two pretty decent hills on the way there and I was able get up them both, riding all the way from the Texas State Capital building to my work (AMD @ 71 and 183) in under half an hour, maintaining an average pace of just over 16.5mph. The first hill was steep but somewhat short and I was able to get up it while standing and mashing, going about 15mph. The second was a little less steep but was a series of two long rises and a short plateau inbetween. I made it up the first and was pretty winded. By the time I was at the top of the second I was struggling to maintain 10mph. I'm getting better at my track stand, and I was actually able to ride the entire way without touching down once.

The ride back was a little more eventful as it started pouring rain just as I was passing the guard post at work. I turned around and used the cover of the guard station to bag all my books and electronics (I was carrying a messenger bag with all my gear and a change of clothes) and then continued on. Within a mile the rain had started to heavily pool on the road and severely cut down visibility. I was really glad for the rear fender I bought yesterday. I almost had an accident on the way back when I was going through a pool of water and I guess I hit a pothole. I started to get thrown over the bars (fixed is unforgiving) but I held on to the handlebars and was able to pull up and kinda skip up onto the curb. I had a foot free so I was able to catch myself without going over and I'd locked up the back wheel so I didn't go anywhere. After regaining my composure and making sure I didn't lose anything I got back on my way. Nothing else very eventful happened on the way back except for breaking my personal speed max on the fixed on the way down the steep hill. Going 32+ mph down a steep hill passing cars and spinning like mad while barely being able to see through my glasses is harrowing. I made it downtown in one piece and I rode the rest of the way home with my wife (I'd asked her to bring the bike carrier that morning).

My average speed on the way back had dropped to 15.8mph and I rode a total of 17 miles roundtrip. Alltogether it didn't kill me as much as I was expecting it to and since work pays for a bus pass I think I'm going to be trying to commute via bike and bus 3-4 days a week. I'll still be driving at least one to bring new clothes and towels, but I'm liking this riding bidness.

Jason