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-   -   2016! how was your commute today? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/1043477-2016-how-your-commute-today.html)

Phil_gretz 03-15-16 05:29 AM

A pleasant cool drizzle and 46 degrees greeted me this morning. Happy to be a bike commuter. : )

jrickards 03-15-16 05:50 AM

Pleasantly cool, 1C/34F, overcast so I arrived without seeing the sun but at least it wasn't raining like yesterday. Still some icy spots on the sidewalks and MUP so I'm continuing to ride my winter bike (which is in desparate need of an overhaul that will have to wait for a couple of weeks).

mgw4jc 03-15-16 06:28 AM

We had some thunderstorms last night, but all was good this morning. A pleasant 52F. I am starting in the dark again but gets light about halfway through my ride.

We are forecast to break 80 today, much warmer than normal.

tarwheel 03-15-16 08:14 AM

Unusual commute for me today, a one-way trip to work with full panniers. I have to go to an out-of-town meeting this afternoon, but I'm riding with a coworker and don't need my car. So I packed all of the clothes and other items I would need for the trip in my panniers, as well as a fresh towel and some other clothes that I need at the office. We won't get back until tomorrow afternoon, but I'll be able to complete my commute home with some clothes that need washing and other gear filling the panniers.

I got lucky yesterday and the rain held off during the workday and ride home. However, for the second day in a row we had massive severe thunderstorms after it got dark. This was a really bad storm with a lot of hail, heavy rain and wind.

HardyWeinberg 03-15-16 09:48 AM

38F and drizzling.

I was going to drive today because of a lunchtime errand but my wife reminds me that this particular errand would not have stopped me from riding in the past, I actually would have sought it out, so I did ride after all. Whew. It is a lot easier to drive now that we have a 2nd car, even though I really dislike driving. Need to ditch it now that the need for it is over...

arsprod 03-15-16 11:08 AM

1st day of the year in shorts - woohoo!

kuroba 03-15-16 02:53 PM

Today was my first commute to work after my holiday. It was noticeably darker that just a couple weeks ago (I live in the other hemisphere and here, you could say, "winter is coming"), but still not that cold. Around the 9km mark we passed by a car accident that had happened and was causing a huge traffic jam (I ride on the bicycle path so it didn't affect my commute), which was probably 5km or so long, I was happy I was riding instead of driving today!

From now on most of my morning commute will be in darkness, which means ninja cyclists will be much more annoying.

If I leave work on time I'll do most of my ride with daylight, at least it was so last year when the government decided to perpetuate DST through the whole year, but this year DST will end in May so probably my afternoon ride will also be in the dark for a few months.

dcb23 03-16-16 05:02 AM

Nice ride in on a strange day here: Our metro/subway system is completely shut down for emergency repairs. It did seem like there were a few more bikes on the trail.

Phil_gretz 03-16-16 05:11 AM

Cool, calm and a little foggy. Today's commute matches my personality well...

mgw4jc 03-16-16 06:26 AM


Originally Posted by dcb23 (Post 18612490)
Nice ride in on a strange day here: Our metro/subway system is completely shut down for emergency repairs. It did seem like there were a few more bikes on the trail.

I saw this in the news and imagined it would affect our DC commuters. A few more bikes doesn't sound bad, but I wonder how "a lot more cars" is going for everyone else.

Nice and warm here at 58F. Spring is in effect with many trees blooming. I hope to get a pic of my neighborhood and post it.

This morning I was catching up to a leisurely rider who was slowing down and stopping while she tried to wave a car on to back out of its driveway. The driver was being hesitant because of her and probably because he saw me approaching too. She seemed to be getting more emphatic with waving the car to pull out, but she never looked back. I might have also stopped, but there was another cyclist coming from the other direction and the driver was not moving. Plus I was trying to maintain momentum up a hill.

When I went past her she said something like, "Oh," as in, "Oh, that's why he won't back on out." I didn't say anything to her because I couldn't think of anything short enough that she could have actually understood. I have found that most drivers prefer the walker or runner or cyclist to just go on in a situation like that.

wphamilton 03-16-16 06:33 AM

I tried a new route home yesterday. You'd think after six years of mostly the same commute that I'd have tried them all but I've always avoided the one section of narrow one-lane, high traffic. McGinnis Ferry if you're local. That part is a fail, rush hour traffic was stacked up and slow and no room to squeeze around in some places, not even a sidewalk. But the last half is glorious, so it was worth a try.

jrickards 03-16-16 07:02 AM


Originally Posted by arsprod (Post 18610888)
1st day of the year in shorts - woohoo!

I should have done that yesterday too, I wore tights and was sweating by the time I got home.

No bike commuting today or perhaps for a couple of days. My winter bike is down with a "sproing" broken spoke and I don't have any spares. I don't know if the LBSs are setup for bikes yet or have sufficient stock in spokes to fix mine. With the above-freezing days that melt the snow and ice and below-freezing nights that freeze the daily melting, I'm not ready to bring out the non-studded bikes yet so I'm looking forward to getting the spoke replaced.

arsprod 03-16-16 07:06 AM

Wind advisory today - I'd rather have snow! Ride in was with a 15-20mph head/cross wind, this afternoon they're predicting gusts to 45. I found gears this morning I forgot I had!

PatrickGSR94 03-16-16 08:49 AM

First commute since Monday of last week, first commute of this year's DST. We ended up getting over 10" of rain in this area from last Tuesday night through last night. I wasn't able to commute at all last week after Monday. I had planned to get back on my regular Tu/Th schedule this week, but I ended up working from home yesterday while my house got a complete new HVAC system.

Then this morning I woke up an HOUR late, but decided to get dressed as fast as possible and head out anyway. Left the house about 6:40 and got to the office at 7:58. Little late to my desk after showering, but no big deal. It was a little cooler than expected at 48 degrees, but no wind to deal with. This afternoon should be perfect - 70 degrees with a light west wind.

Just looked at last years commuting mileage thread, and I'm 150 miles up on commuting and 200 miles total for the year, compared to this time last year. :thumb:

HardyWeinberg 03-16-16 10:24 AM

38F, foggy, cars mostly w/ no lights

rhm 03-16-16 10:45 AM

I don't remember. Must have been okay.

groovestew 03-16-16 10:53 AM

Same as Monday: a little below freezing and breezy. My legs are starting to come back, and if I alter my route a bit, I could get away with riding my summer bikes. Might try that next time, as long as we don't get more snow.

Darth Lefty 03-17-16 12:29 AM

Car-heavy at work today, so when I got home I grabbed a bike and picked up the kid with it. About an hour and ten minutes of riding and socializing, I am not going to count it for mileage since it wasn't to work.

mgw4jc 03-17-16 06:18 AM

1 Attachment(s)
On the way home last night I stopped to take a quick pic of a street in my neighborhood. All the Bradford Pear trees bloomed at once on Monday. I can smell them as I ride down the street.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=510087


A little cooler at 47F this morning meant a jacket and full-finger gloves. But still going to be in the mid 70s today.

Phil_gretz 03-17-16 06:21 AM

It took longer than usual to loosen up this morning. I was groaning on the hills. I'm a wimp, I guess. Otherwise, I'm glad that I rode in...

Tundra_Man 03-17-16 07:30 AM

Today was my 25th consecutive commute. Head wind was fierce. The temp was 31, but I was freezing with the wind. Toes were like ice by the time I arrived. At least today I went to our company office where I had access to a shower to warm myself back up.

tarwheel 03-17-16 08:06 AM

Beautiful ride this morning with mild temperatures and a light tailwind. I rode my cross bike for a change of pace and made great time. I left an hour later than usual because I didn't get home from work until about 9 pm last night. I had been out of town at a meeting and we didn't return to my office until 7 pm. By the time I had checked my emails and phone messages and got ready for the ride home, it was 7:30 and nearly dark. However, I managed to squeeze in two more commute days by riding to work on Tuesday with my travel clothes packed in panniers. I used one of the panniers as my "suit case" and traveled light.

rhm 03-17-16 08:54 AM

Yesterday I left the office an hour later than last week, taking advantage of daylight saving time. So when I got to the D&R Canal towpath, it was still light. I surprised a fox, who ran away, rather than ducking into the underbrush, so I sped up as much as I could, and the fox just kept running down the path in front of me. Of course I couldn't see him all that well, but the tail with the white tip was pretty obvious.

And this morning, in the dark, a fox ran across the road in front of me. About a half mile from the same spot, so it might have been the same one.

HardyWeinberg 03-17-16 09:53 AM

28F and blinding sun!

Definitely in the 2 outfit season, bundled in the am, stripped in the pm.

enigmaT120 03-17-16 11:39 AM

Yeah, riding pants this morning but I packed shorts for the ride home. Dark, 36 degrees (below freezing in Dallas, where I catch the bus), but oh so blessedly dry and starry. I thought I could get away with a pair of old running shoes for the ride. It was a mistake: my feet never warmed up, not even on my long climb. Oh well, they'll be fine tonight! And there's enough daylight for my long ride home.


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