I could not ask for nicer weather!

My fourth commute today. Love morning ride! Not much wind and cool enough to dry sweat. This morning I tried something different than my last rides. I started off with some speed to get through busy traffic area. On the half way I started cool off and just cruise along with low cadence. I don't want to get too tired when I get to work so this will help.

You could, you just might not get it.

Good weather here for riding too. I left about an hour early and went to the gym for some strength training before work. This takes me on a different route and I was going to follow this one highway south for a bit. It was backed up with bumper to bumper traffic. I was able to pass on the right for a while, feeling sorry for all the drivers. But then the shoulder narrowed so I turned off for a different route.

Cooled off a bit to mid 40's but it was dry. Easy ride in at a relaxed pace. Should be about 50 with sun for the ride home. Temps drop for the rest of the week giving me a chance to try out a different set of layering shirts and light jacket.

Note to self... leave 15-minutes later than normal and you WILL be behind every school bus in the city. :-(

Never a bad time to ride!
 

This morning was beautiful. I wore my wool jersey, but it was almost too warm for 43F. I am in LOVE with my Brooks saddle--finest piece of leather my butt has ever perched on.

Last night was my first night commute. I left work at around 7:45pm, and I had the trail all to myself! Only soul I encountered on that beautiful moonlit ride was a raccoon-friend, whom I startled, and who scrambled noisily back toward the river, poor thing.

64F this morning. Lots of cloud coverage. Only a slight breeze, thank goodness. Rode the Specialized bike since I have to be in the downtown area for a while later today, and the ebike feels like a tank when walking it around the sidewalks there. Ride in was uneventful; always good to get going just a few minutes before 6 am so as to contend with very little traffic. Only issue is that breakfast was too light and I'm starving now.

Fall temps are back after the freak warm weather but the brutal winds are gone - I'll take it!

Temps right around freezing and no wind. Nice ride. Left earlier than usual and had a very dark start.

The last few commutes, I've taken a geared bike after riding nothing but fixed gear for the last 2 months. I've noticed a couple of interesting side effects from extended exclusive fixed riding. First, I'm afraid to coast. My leg muscles twitch every time I start coasting because they're expecting to be kicked back into motion. Second, I don't bother shifting anymore if it's not absolutely necessary. Even with a 2X10 drivetrain, I leave it in one gear for the whole trip and just power up the hills. I know, I'm not riding optimally, but on a 13km commute, I don't think it matters.

45F. Cloudy/clammy the 1st half then, once I crossed the ridge, peasoup fog the rest of the way. I had my usual shorts/shoes/socks/fingerless gloves. In a bit of rebellion against the ongoing deluge (8" of rain since Thursday) chose a longsleeve smartwool shirt rather than t-shirt + raincoat. It was fine. I also considered the roadbike but my lizardbrain prevailed and I took the cross bike, for which I definitely needed the dynohub light once I got into the fog. And the pudgier tires were handy with the rafts and rafts and rafts of leaves.

And through the school zones too!

70 deg. this morning at 530AM in NYC. It was bizarre. Last week I was wearing cold weather gear. The 3PM commute should be about 83 deg.

With just my own experience, I find a pretty good ride keeping at least the rear within the recommended sidewall readings. I kept my rear a little squishy for the century I just did in the rain, about 90 (this is the 28s) and managed a pinch flat and sidewall damage as I swerved around a pot hole and awkwardly hit some rumble strips (though I did stay upright!)

Even my 32s on my commuter I don't go lower than 85 for the front. It just feels a little too squishy to me. Of course, I'm usually hauling around clothes and food and such as well, so the added weight makes me want to keep the PSI up.

Last night I had a strong headwind. Oh well. I'm getting used to riding into the wind, though I may not stop complaining about it for a while.

This morning, yay, I had a tailwind. Very unusual. It's also unusually warm, even warmer than yesterday. I wore a polo shirt and shorts and sweated quite a bit. The air was cleaner today than yesterday.

Spent half of last week and the first part of this week fretting about this morning. I had a meeting scheduled at 7:30AM and had to be here before 7 to prepare for it. I couldn't miss the meeting, and also I wanted to ride to work. Basically, that required that I get myself to work an hour early.

So, I had to leave an hour early, which meant be in the saddle by 5:30 and ride under lights the whole way. It wasn't my favorite way to ride, but...in the end, it was no problem.

All riding season it's been riding east with a light or no headwind in the morning and riding home in the evening with a headwind most of the time. Wind makes you stronger especially when riding a single speed.

Record high today at 88° and we tied the record yesterday, great days for riding both days. It's been a great year so far, without having to drive in yet and not really any challenging weather.

On a less happy note, I ran over a squirrel again, which is my third in about a month and I'd never previously hit one. Maybe there are just more squirrels this year, or perhaps the unseasonal warmth is making them crazy.

This mornings commute a nice uneventful commute with the temp at 47f degrees.

Pouring down rain. Did not even load up the bike and just drove in. Already feeling sad :(

A bit cooler.. overdressed. The cold air was a killer on my ears though. Hit the exercise equipment 2x as hard this morning, going to be tired today.

Riding home yesterday the sky was clouding and a freezing cold wind picked up. Based my clothing on the temp alone and under dressed somewhat. Cold ride home. Had to go out to for a dinner so I hopped in a steaming hot shower to warm back up.

35 this morning with clear skies. Stars were amazing. Traffic was very light.

Record ride this morning. No, not the time. But I made 4.8 mi without having to stop. Usually half the lights catch me.

A nice ride in and managed to fit in 16 miles. My headlight battery was low though. It lasted long enough that I was fine, but will need to get into a better charging habit as it gets dark earlier.

35 degrees this morning, but practically no wind. Went out for a 5 mile run before I showered and dressed for work. Hopped on the bike and left the house, only to get nearly mowed down 3 blocks later.

High school kid texting while turning left at an uncontrolled intersection, not realizing I was entering the intersection from his right. I was lit up like a Christmas tree with my headlights and blinkies. Thankfully I was paying attention and took evasive action to avoid a collision. The kid sped off and I doubt he even knows what happened.

Thankfully the rest of the ride was uneventful, except for an ice cream headache that I always get in cold weather when going down a big hill close to my home. It's not far enough away that I have a chance to warm up, and steep enough that I can easily hit 25 mph without pedaling. Windchill. Brrrrr.

Just got an email from a co-worker, this morning he crossed the 10,000 mile commuting mark since he started tracking in 2009. He doesn't ride every single day or in the winter, but averages 2-3 days per week 8 months out of the year. Good for him for getting out and doing it.

He showed me his detailed spreadsheet where he tracks everything. He's figured out how many miles he rode instead of driving, his per-mile expenses for driving broken down by year, and all of his bicycle related expenses. I found it amusing that after seven years he's only ahead $157.

Thankfully there are other benefits to cycling other than money savings!