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

wphamilton 09-09-16 08:25 AM

Another beautiful morning. I decided on the fixed gear at the last minute because the road bike tires were down to about 40 psi, and no use tempting fate for pinch flats.

Riding it home yesterday, I was going a little too fast on the switchback curves at the Greenway trail head and had a hard pedal strike launching me and the bike in the air. Just a little. I came down with only one foot on the pedals, recovered and held it, but not before banging on the saddle and tilting it forward about 30°. It's adjusted with a bolt and nut and unfortunately I wasn't carrying a wrench for it, and brute force felt like it was going to break the rails before the clamp gave so I rode it home that way. Pitched forward sliding off the seat so I braced in the hooks and went. I'm pretty sure it was my fastest ride on that bike :lol: but definitely not my preference.

mgw4jc 09-09-16 08:28 AM


Originally Posted by Wolfhaven (Post 19043739)
Cool morning ride. Wore a jacket and left the sandals at home. Focused on enjoying the ride and sunrise. Should be a very pleasant 75 for the ride home.

So, barefoot ride? Nice.

Looks like a lot of rainy rides for folks. None here. Just a regular kinda commute. I had to dodge an indecisive squirrel, but that is a pretty regular thing too. FRIDAY!!!

rhm 09-09-16 09:51 AM

I had a shifting mishap while downshifting to a stoplight, dropped the chain, then got the chain jammed. Doh! Took a couple minutes to unjam it, got my hands good and greasy and used up all the spare time I had. Really had to hustle to catch my train. Caught the train, but it was down to the last three seconds or so, and I was drenched. Ugh.

While hammering to get to the station, a fox ran across the road right in front of me. So that was nice.

groovestew 09-09-16 09:58 AM

Rained overnight, but I figured most of the pavement would be dry before I set out, so I didn't bother with fenders. Not the best decision, because the cool temps (~5C/41F) meant that things just weren't drying up very quickly, so I got a bit of splatter. Overall a decent ride, but there was some tricky negotiating with merging traffic on a high-speed road.

no motor? 09-09-16 10:59 AM

I got as far as coasting for about 10 feet before I realized I had to deal with chain suck and the rear brake cable that had come undone when I changed a spoke (and then a tube that flatted after the new spoke pushed the spoke nipple through the rim tape). I figured I wasn't going to look for anymore trouble and drove instead.

dcb23 09-12-16 05:09 AM

68F / 20C A cool, starry, beautiful Monday morning with a slight headwind. Lot's of runners and bikes out.

So it's that time of year again: To cover ones headlamp or not. One guy passing the other direction mumbled "thanks for not covering your headlamp"....My take on this is if I need a headlamp to see, I want both hand on the bars at all times possible.

baron von trail 09-12-16 06:13 AM

Absolutely perfect 52-55 Degrees with no wind or humidity. It sure beats pedaling through that thick soup I've been dealing with since June.

mgw4jc 09-12-16 06:16 AM

[MENTION=206245]dcb23[/MENTION] - What are your aiming options? Maybe tilt your head down a bit but keep your eyes up? But honestly, if you're out running or biking when it's dark, you've got to expect headlights in your eyes.

Comfortable morning here at 68F and lower humidity. I had a little tailwind for the first few miles.

A guy and his German Shepherd were about to cross the street to an open area and play some catch. The dog got a bit excited and ran out in the street not too far ahead of me. I had somewhat anticipated this and was already on the brakes. Nothing happened except for the owner scolding his dog, "You don't pay attention, do you Bubba?" The dog had one thing on his mind: the ball.

Wolfhaven 09-12-16 07:02 AM

Friday's ride home was a frustrating endeavor. Legs were a bit tired so I just tried to cruise easy and enjoy the late summer heat. Cruising along the highway and popped the chain trying to get into the big ring. Just some greasy fingers so it wasn't too bad. 1/2 mile down the road something clatters to the ground, look down and see part of my light mount bouncing on the ground. Swung around and picked it up stuffing the light and mount pieces in my pannier. Couldn't wait to get home before something else went wrong.

This morning it was a surprising 61 degrees with mostly clear skies. Decided to wear a light jacket just for the cold in the low creek bottoms. Nice to have a morning ride with the skies clear enough to see some stars. No sandals or bare feet today... canvas crocs to keep the toes warm.

Tundra_Man 09-12-16 07:52 AM

Nice morning. 59 degrees, sunny and a light wind. I started by going for a 5 mile run. It's now getting dark enough when I leave for a run that I carried a light, mostly to improve my visibility to vehicles.

Then I hopped on the bike and had a pretty uneventful ride to work. About 3 blocks from the office some guy in his 20's bombing down the sidewalk on a BMX bike hollared, "Nice that you're rockin' a Go Pro!"

Ummm... it's a flashlight I bought at Menards and zip-tied to my helmet.

arsprod 09-12-16 08:00 AM

54F this morning, had to actually dig into the gear drawer to fight suitable clothing. Saw a new one - I'm a big fan of blinkies front and rear but a crossed paths with a woman who had a clear blinkie under her jacket. As she approached all I saw was a faint blue light. A for effort, D for implementation

ptempel 09-12-16 08:52 AM

Was a bit chilly this morning for me as well. Had to wear a baselayer under the jersey for the first time since late spring. My car was in the shop last week and still is. Hope to get it back by tomorrow. I rode the full distance from home into work last week. Was good weather and about 200 miles of peadling. A rear wheel that I had fixed with a bent rim is killing me. The NDS spokes keep coming loose on it like the other wheel I had. I got a new set of wheels so am getting ready to switch to them soon.

rhm 09-12-16 09:19 AM

Wow, my coldest commute in many months! I had to wear a wind breaker.

About a mile from the station, not far from where I saw a fox both last week and the week before, I saw (probably) the same fox. The fox saw me before running out into the street, though, and did an abrupt turnaround. That's good, maybe I'll teach that critter some caution!

esmith2039 09-12-16 09:29 AM

A bit cooler and didn't sweat at all this morning! Hopefully have my Trek back by the end of the week. Getting a 12mm hex is a nightmare. But I have 4 extra freehubs if I screw anything up.

Steely Dan 09-12-16 09:48 AM

it was gorgeous morning for riding here in chicago.

67 degrees. clear & sunny. light winds. dew point of 53 degrees.

noglider 09-12-16 10:18 AM

Why didn't I ride to work today? That was a dumb move. I thought I couldn't be sure to get home in time to make dinner for my wife and me, so I did the safe thing and took the subway. What a missed opportunity. But I did ride Citi Bike for a mile or so, and that was fun. I used my Take-A-Look mirror, which I rarely use on Citi Bike but usually use on my own bikes. It was helpful. The more I use it, the better I get with it.

HardyWeinberg 09-12-16 10:46 AM

Definitely long-sleever this morning

no motor? 09-12-16 11:26 AM

A glorious morning for a ride this morning, it was cool enough where I debated staying outside to cool off or not for the first time in months. It was cool enough last night that I wore my windvest for the first time in months too.

vp1337 09-12-16 01:07 PM

16 kms, beautiful weather, one stupid blonde woman almost killing me by not paying attention. Overall it was nice.

dcb23 09-13-16 04:51 AM


Originally Posted by mgw4jc (Post 19049566)
[MENTION=206245]dcb23[/MENTION] - What are your aiming options? Maybe tilt your head down a bit but keep your eyes up? But honestly, if you're out running or biking when it's dark, you've got to expect headlights in your eyes.

I tilted my light down a few degrees today, I can still see and hopefully others are not bothered.

Johnny Mullet 09-13-16 05:46 AM

A little chilly this morning, but a great ride!

esmith2039 09-13-16 05:50 AM

Humidity is back! Sprinkled a little the entire route. Ran by the library this morning so a different route. Seen a lot of bicyclist along the route.

essiemyra 09-13-16 05:50 AM

This mornings commute was very nice with the temp at 50f degrees. I had a light jacket and gloves, but also I wore shorts.

Wolfhaven 09-13-16 06:13 AM

Cool enough for a light jacket again. Tomorrow the temps drop to the mid 40's. Be breaking out a light layer for my legs. Suppose it's time to dig out the cold weather gear.
I live next to a bridge that's been closed all summer, 8-4 or so Mon-Fr,i which has cut down on the traffic nicely. Today thru Friday it's closed completely. The crew was there early because the barricades were up by 6am. Going to be nice riding for a couple days.

mgw4jc 09-13-16 06:26 AM

Almost too dark for sunglasses at the start of my ride. Then about 4 miles from the office I hit pretty thick fog which made the glasses even harder to see out of. I just took them off after a bit.

Nice ride in though with water droplets accumulating on my forearm hairs. Stayed plenty cool.

The foggy neighborhood.
https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram...68532116_n.jpg


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