I roll through most stop signs while looking for cars that get there first. But most drivers seem to expect me to *not* stop even if they are there first. I generally have to slow down and wave them to go or else they'll just wait for me. Did it this morning. If I had been a car, the driver would surely have gone ahead as they were stopped long before I got to the sign. But instead they sat until seeing me wave them through.

This is how about 60% of my commute is. The 45mph roads have no shoulder and I ride 'As far Right As Possible'. 98% of cars give me enough space, a few pass a bit close.

Note that there are no laws that require riding as far right as "possible". Some people (motorists and even cops) mistakenly think that is the law when it absolutely is not.

Didn't get quite as much commuting in the last couple of weeks as I had hoped. I was dealing with some muscle soreness issues in my legs last week, so I could only get in a couple of days commuting.

But on the other hand, I recently crossed 4,000 miles for the year (new record by over 500 miles!) and if I commute 3 days this week I'll be hitting 3,000 commuting miles for the year! :thumb: Also ended October with my highest monthly total ever, 536 miles!

Yes, and in fact it's recommended to "take the lane" as in ride so it's obvious that they have to pass you like they would pass a car. Then again, your tombstone might read "he had the right of way."

38F, wet from yesterday's rain. I overdressed - still finding that balance between 'oh crap it's winter' and too much clothing.

Super foggy for the first leg of my ride to the gym. A couple of miles were really thick, but low traffic so no major concerns.

Not too cold at 43F and getting up to 60 during the day. Quite the up and down temps lately.

I've been enjoying my Nashbar fall/winter jacket that I recently picked up for just $20. It's very bright, reflective, supposed to be water proof (or resistant), and thicker than my wind shell. In colder temps it can replace 2 layers that I used to wear. So when it gets into the 20's F I used to don as many as 4 layers including my outer wind shell, but with this new jacket I'll probably only need 3 layers at the most. I've ridden in the upper 30's with just a base layer and the jacket and was quite comfortable.

This is what I got, unfortunately the huge sizes and red color is all they have left. I got an XL high-viz yellow. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_527423_-1

Understood. AFRAP seems to be the way most cyclists ride around here from what I've witnessed as a driver and a cyclist. It's worked pretty well for me. Most drivers will go into the other lane and give me plenty of room. Of course some squeeze through, but do it slowly enough. I pick roads that are light enough traffic that most of the time there are not cars going both directions right where I am. Or a car behind me may have to slow to my speed for a few seconds to wait for a clear lane for passing.

Nice deal!

That's similar to what I wear. Mine is a Pearl Izumi that I found at Marshall's. I think I paid $50 about 2 years ago. Only bummer is I fell about two weeks after getting it and put a small hole in one arm. It has reflective strips the length of the torso both front and back; kind of Tron-like.

46F, wet. Again, though, between squalls of the current pineapple express...

What I was saying earlier is that state laws say "as far right as practicable" or "as is safe", or a few states say "as far right as practical", all of which have very different meaning than "as far right as possible". The former means that you are not required to ride farther right than you feel safe doing so, and definitely not so far right as to put you in danger. The latter phrase, which many people mistakenly think is what the law says, pretty much means that you're required to put yourself in more danger, which definitely is not the case.

Friday and Saturday were bright and sunny (if a bit cool), so this morning's chilly overcast was a bit depressing. But I got to go for a bike ride before work! :)

Exactly the same for me. Too many simply ride through stops without a care in the world that drivers feel uneasy when they see a bike coming towards them. I usually get a thank you hand signal or head nod when I wave them to go.

Absolutely worth it if you're planning on commuting all winter. They're especially useful in the late winter when you start to get lots of freeze/thaw cycles and the black ice forms where you can't see it.

One day last season in the early spring we were getting some freezing rain. I was riding home on the MUP when I came across a guy walking in the snow along side of the pavement. He asked, "How are you staying upright?" I stopped to chat, immediately hit the ground and then realized the frozen asphalt was too slick for me to stand on. However the studs were letting me ride on it without any trouble.

I just replaced my old pair of studded tires with a new set. The old pair lasted me 7 winters. The studs were still in good shape, but the sidewalls were starting to crack and bulge from age.

The way I see it, I set of studded tires is cheaper than a trip to the ER for a broken collarbone.

Done and done. I've got a set of the 2 row Schwalbe Winter studded tires, a set of Kool Stop dual compound brake pads, and a new chain in the mail from amazon for my beater mountain bike to use on snow days. I should probably get a set of fenders for this bike as well...but honestly I'll probably be wearing snow pants anyway when I'm on this bike. I've got a mild case of buyers remorse over getting the 2 row instead of 4 row studs....but they were $35 each and I really don't anticipate any wild and aggressive cornering in 20 degree weather with snow/ice regardless of what kind of tires I've got. Once November/December hits...my goals change from getting faster on the bike/improving handling to just getting on it everyday and getting miles in.

And yeah regarding cost. I figure if studded tires get me on the bike even 10 or 15 days I would have driven to work...I've paid for them in gas money alone.

My last set of studded tires were Nokian Hakkapeliitta W240s. No qualms at all with their performance on ice, but the resistance on dry pavement was extremely noticeable, to the point where I disliked it so much would sometimes gamble on days I shouldn't have and ride a bike without studs. Had a couple of crashes because of that.

This time around I decided to go with a less aggressive tread and bought the Nokian W160s. We'll see how these work out. Hopefully less rolling resistance but enough grip on ice for a nice, happy medium.

Perfect. 25F with a light tailwind.

About a year ago - on election day, if you can believe it - I was buzzed by a bald eagle as I rode out of my neighborhood. They were nesting by Lake Natoma very near my house. In February they built a bigger nest and by April they had chicks. My neighbor told me a pretty good story last night, but I'm not sure if I believe it: Once the chicks fledged, the park service tore out the nest. They wanted the eagles to go somewhere less accessible so they wouldn't have to go to the effort of policing all the idle bird watchers. But, he says, the eagles are back. I haven't been able to find any info about this. It seems like if it were true, I should easily find someone on the Internet furious about it.

Here in Portland, OR...nice morning commute into downtown, a dry, kinda-bright and crispy 48F and this evening, windy, 50F and moderate rain. Great weather to test out the new wax on the bike and my new Arkel Orca panniers.

A very nice uneventful ride in this morning with wet roads due to rain last evening. I was fortunate that the temp was 37 f degrees and not below 32 f or I would not be able to ride on wet roads.

Wish we hade a like function here in the forums. So many awesome photos.

:thumb:

It was cold here this morning too. A freezing 54°F!

Back tire was flat when I went to leave yesterday. During the change, I felt inside the tire and found this tiny piece of metal poking through. It was smaller than a staple and not easy to pinch to pull it out.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ra...27Lkrw=s583-no

Unfortunately my spare also had a hole and I had no glue in my patch kit. So the wife had to rescue me. We stopped at a LBS for a new tube and patch kit on the way home. And obviously my fingers are still a bit dirty from the repair job.

Cool but not bad this morning at 40F. A squirrel tried to play chicken with me. I'm not sure he saw me at first. I went right to give him space. He did a U-turn, started to go my direction and was about to cross in front of me (or more likely under a tire) until he saw how close I was and went left instead.

Extended my 3 miles in to 14 this morning. I'm pretty cold tolerant but will admit to the toes getting a chill by the time I pulled into work, 30F ride (I cannot bulk them up and still get them into the toe-clips). Just gorgeous this morning though here in Indiana. I'm dreading putting away the Miyata for the winter and losing all that speed...

It was a nice and cool ride in this morning at ~38F. Should go up to 46F or so later on. I felt better than I thought I would. I worked from home yesterday so no riding for me. Was coughing up yellow goo at that time so I took it as an indicator to take it easy...

Yeeay. Reminds me of a staple (!) I got in my rear tire last year. I picked it up around the Harlem School of the Arts (W 141st st and St Nicholas St). Another nice gentleman told me about a small bike shop a little further uptown on Amsterdam. I did the walk of shame to the shop and bought two tubes. Of course it was also raining. :rolleyes: But I fixed the flat in the shop so was at least dry for that.:thumb: