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-   -   2017! The how was your commute thread! (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/1093311-2017-how-your-commute-thread.html)

jrickards 03-16-17 07:35 AM


Originally Posted by jrickards (Post 19445252)
My cheap rear light was dead this morning (and in the past 1/2 hr since I've been at work, it doesn't seem to be charging so it might be really dead) ...

The light inside was glowing green which means the batteries are charged but it still wasn't working. I shook it to listen for any sounds of something being loose inside and water came out. Like I said, it was cheap (and I wisely bought 3) so I can just swap it out with another but I shook out as much water as possible and will let it dry. That might be enough to get it back again but if not, like I said, I have 2 others at home.

I was thinking last night that I've always gone cheap on stuff and had to replace them more often than others who buy wisely. Once I have run out of these cheap three lights, whenever that happens, I'll get a decent rear light (although, maybe I should not wait so long so that if the decent one dies, let's say because the battery/ies was/were low, I'll have a backup).

HardyWeinberg 03-16-17 10:03 AM

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35F, blinding sun. First sunshine since I can't remember when at this point. Weeks. The sun was directly behind the traffic lights when I was at the stop line so tough to see the lights at all never mind when they changed.

Nice mountain day if you squint.

joeyduck 03-16-17 10:39 AM


Originally Posted by HardyWeinberg (Post 19445774)
35F, blinding sun. First sunshine since I can't remember when at this point. Weeks. The sun was directly behind the traffic lights when I was at the stop line so tough to see the lights at all never mind when they changed.

Nice mountain day if you squint.

Ohh that silhouette, that is a spectacular photo.

[MENTION=326413]darth[/MENTION]_Lefty No, I get to select my own works, or so I hope so! This is the first year the grades k-9 have a newly implemented curriculum, so I, like others, am wading through the process of implementing the changes. The grades 10-12 have had draft curricula introduced and they are in effect next year, though most are using the new curriculum for courses this year; I am using it for my science 10. The new curriculum is focused on inquiry based learning and allowing the student to use the base of knowledge we present to develop their own question which they research and learn as they go.

This morning was nice, we had to take the ferry. The in-laws needed the boat to haul manure for the garden.

jrickards 03-16-17 01:26 PM


Originally Posted by jrickards (Post 19445373)
The light inside was glowing green which means the batteries are charged but it still wasn't working. I shook it to listen for any sounds of something being loose inside and water came out. Like I said, it was cheap (and I wisely bought 3) so I can just swap it out with another but I shook out as much water as possible and will let it dry. That might be enough to get it back again but if not, like I said, I have 2 others at home.

So, it appears that the water may be gone. I found another entry point, other than the USB charging port: the button to turn it on and change blink style can also be opened and there was a bit of visible rust inside. I opened it up, shook it again, water droplets came out, then left it opening side down to drain and dry out.

The light continued not to stay on, as it had all day: it would stay on while I had the ON button depressed but then it would turn off when I released the pressure.

Now, the situation has done a 180°, it is on solid and I can't turn it off.

Oh well, at least, if it lasts in this state, I'll have a rear light to go home with until I dump it (or it fixes itself again).

noglider 03-16-17 02:25 PM

There's too much stuff on the ground since the big storm to ride. We're due for a small bit of snow on Saturday. Monday the temperature goes up, and we will have rain. I hope we get a lot of rain to wash most of this stuff away.

PatrickGSR94 03-16-17 03:01 PM

Looks like this week is a bust for me, no cycle commuting at all. Next week looks much warmer, though, and I might be able to get in an e-bike commute or two!

mgw4jc 03-17-17 06:23 AM

[MENTION=60072]HardyWeinberg[/MENTION] - love the pic! Nice sunny fog.

25F this morning for another sub-freezing morning. Yesterday afternoon it warmed to about 50 and felt nice. Today it is supposed to be 60. Woohoo!

And Happy Friday!
And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tundra_Man 03-17-17 08:23 AM

Proof I'm a complete nerd: as I was riding to work today I realized it was my 2^8 consecutive work commute.

PatrickGSR94 03-17-17 08:26 AM


Originally Posted by Tundra_Man (Post 19447986)
Proof I'm a complete nerd: as I was riding to work today I realized it was my 2^8 consecutive work commute.

Yes, yes you are. :P

So... what do I get today? Nothing? Thought so, carry on.

wphamilton 03-17-17 09:20 AM

I passed 25,000 commuting miles to my current job last week! Since the middle of 2010. It's a milestone to me, because the Clean Air Campaign had earlier recognized me as a "Commuter Champion" for "eliminating 25,000 pounds of air pollution" and then again for 50,000 pounds, but I felt bad because the miles I actually rode instead of driving saved less pollution than that. They based their calculation on "Average daily metro Atlanta roundtrip commute" driving which is twice as far as I ride, so it felt like cheating :( You don't really "save" anything by not doing something you wouldn't doing anyway.

But now I feel like I have in some sense finally earned it. I was car-free for three years prior to that, which I didn't track, but counting that I'm well over the 25,000 pound mark at last.

Darth Lefty 03-17-17 09:32 AM

I'm getting the picture that if I keep with this faster-longer commute route on the artery roads, I'm not going to see anything interesting except traffic accidents. I may switch back to the MUP, since the time is a wash

HardyWeinberg 03-17-17 09:48 AM

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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty (Post 19448191)
I'm getting the picture that if I keep with this faster-longer commute route on the artery roads, I'm not going to see anything interesting except traffic accidents. I may switch back to the MUP, since the time is a wash

I would do that. Once I stopped timing/tracking my commutes it became a lot easier in general to stop and take stuff in on the way.

Today, 35F, sky back to normal.

mgw4jc 03-20-17 06:53 AM

Happy Spring!

I left an hour early this morning to hit the gym for a bit before work. Chilly morning at 35F, but gonna be nice and in the upper 60s this afternoon. And maybe breaking 80 tomorrow!

PatrickGSR94 03-20-17 07:45 AM

First commute to work in 1.5 weeks, and my FIRST E-BIKE COMMUTE!!! I got my Luna Bafang BBS02 system set up last week, and put 41 miles on a single charge between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I charged it up 100% last night, then rode to work this morning in just 59 minutes. That's 16 MPH average for a total weight of me, bike and cargo of nearly 300 pounds! It was nearly 60 degrees, and I had a 10 MPH headwind. Riding home should be awesome, and I should be able to get home about the same time as if I had taken the car, which was one of my goals for doing this e-bike conversion.

noglider 03-20-17 08:41 AM

Today would have been a good day to ride in. I dreaded the thought of it. I reminded myself that once I get going, I enjoy myself, and not just a little. Still, I couldn't get myself to do it. Must think about this and what's going on with me.

Tundra_Man 03-20-17 09:19 AM


Originally Posted by noglider (Post 19454247)
Today would have been a good day to ride in. I dreaded the thought of it. I reminded myself that once I get going, I enjoy myself, and not just a little. Still, I couldn't get myself to do it. Must think about this and what's going on with me.

While I did ride to work today, I did the exact same thing with running.

It would have been a great day for a run. Decent temp (low 40s) and dry. I got up early and dressed for running, even putting my shoes on. Once I get going I love running. When I'm done I feel great and I'm glad I did it.

Yet instead of running I found myself snoozing in my chair for an hour with the cat laying on my legs. Just couldn't get myself out the door.

I must have a case of the Mondays.

noglider 03-20-17 09:24 AM


Originally Posted by Tundra_Man (Post 19454340)
I must have a case of the Mondays.

Thank you for that. I'm going to make that my story, too. I had fun on the weekend and wasn't looking forward to going back to work.

I lifted my barbell with the bigger weights on it. I did the over-the-head press -- what's that called? -- and some dead lifts. I also did some push-ups, which I should pat myself on the back for, because I avoid them, and I avoid them because I need them. Lifting weights does me good in the one way that riding does. It deepens my breathing, seemingly for the rest of the day, which seems to help me think. I have a thinking job.

HardyWeinberg 03-20-17 09:36 AM

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33F and sunny, great series of lenticular clouds coming off the mountain.

Darth Lefty 03-20-17 10:13 AM

Spring is here, spring is here, life is skittles and life is beer, I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring! I do! Don't you? 'Course you do.

Today was a drive-to-daycare day. That route may take a bike in the future but not yet today. The weather tomorrow and Weds shows rain. But it's confusing... it's all in fits and starts. The weather website says 7 tomorrow morning it's 85% chance of .02" accumulation, and 6pm is 59% chance of zero inches! How am I supposed to plan for that? :D I think if the road is dry in the morning I'm going to ride.

RidingMatthew 03-20-17 10:19 AM

havent commuted in a week. Last week was the first week in probably over a year plus of bike commuting when I drove every day. so many different home commitments. (home renovation projects mess with bike commuting)


I did get a chance to get my mountain bike and ride almost ten miles on my new mtn bike tires. It was a fun change of pace. Even more fun to out climb a guy on a carbon rocky mountain thunderbolt on my 2010 Jamis 650b1 with 80+ miles on my legs haha


hope to get back to riding wednesday through friday of this week. Hope to complete the laying of flooring in our house this week so i can.


although riding in will be DARK at 6:27AM EST for a while.


#ImissmyBIKE

essiemyra 03-20-17 10:19 AM

Today was my first commute back since returning from vacation in FL(where I got to ride alot!) The temp was 30f degrees when I left the house, though it will be in the high 40's on my way home. It was a nice uneventful commute today.

mgw4jc 03-21-17 06:25 AM


Originally Posted by noglider (Post 19454352)
I lifted my barbell with the bigger weights on it. I did the over-the-head press -- what's that called? -- and some dead lifts.

It's called the Overhead Press, of course!

20 degrees warmer this morning over yesterday. A very comfortable ride at 55F. Squirrels were definitely more active and near the edges of the roads and MUP. On one wooden bridge I hear a loud pop and was sure my tire was about to go down. But it must have just been an acorn or small stick maybe.

Phil_gretz 03-21-17 06:33 AM

Tree Frogs!!!
 
One of the signs of approaching spring is the sound of tree frogs singing before dawn and at sunset. I heard my first tree frog songs today on the ride in. Yay, spring.

jrickards 03-21-17 06:42 AM

Yesterday morning's commute was almost balmy. Coming off of last week's low of -18C/0F, yesterday's commute in -1C/30F felt warm to the face.

This morning is a bit cooler at -5C/23F and it is getting cold again this week.

Discovered yesterday afternoon, as I was putting on my helmet to go home, the spider lock, that you rotate to tighten your helmet band to your head, has broken: it turns and tightens but it doesn't lock at the setting except for wide settings so today, when wearing my hat under my helmet, I was fine but yesterday, going home in +3C/37F without a hat, my helmet didn't stay tight. Time for a new one, but it has been several years and I really like this one.

wphamilton 03-21-17 06:51 AM

Much as I like my heavy steel fixed gear commuter, it felt really nice to get on the road bike again. But I swear that the temperature must have dropped 15° when I dropped from the surface street down to creek-side on the Greenway! A micro-climate for sure, one moment 63° and the next, 40's - I almost turned back to take the streets :lol: But I knew that with a little effort I'd warm up in a couple of miles.

rhm 03-21-17 07:11 AM

A week after that bizarre late season snowfall, the streets are clear but there are still large piles along the curb and partly blocking sidewalks and even parts of intersections --you have to be careful on turns! So as you ride, there are warm patches and cold patches. Feels like spring.

I saw a fox crossing the road in the distance, and I was so focused on that that when a bird flew up right next to me, it really startled me. I think it was a flicker.

Tundra_Man 03-21-17 07:53 AM

Chilly morning. 32°F but the wind is blowing pretty hard and the humidity is high so it feels a lot colder than it is.

I went for a 4.5 mile run this morning, after skipping yesterday due to a case of "the Mondays." Hands and legs got pretty chilly.

On the bike, I was 1/4 mile from home approaching a sharp right corner when I heard a car coming up from behind. I look in my rear view mirror just in time to see a small SUV passing me at 50+ mph. This is in a residential area where the speed limit is 25, but most of us go about 20 because of all the pedestrians. The driver made it around me, then slammed on the brakes when they realized they were going WAY too fast for that corner. I really thought the SUV was going to flip over. The motorist made it around the corner upright, paused for about 2 seconds (I presume just long enough to realize that they were still alive,) then gave the vehicle full throttle and accelerated back up to 50+ mph again.

I really have no idea what was going through the driver's mind to think that driving like that was acceptable. Of course another 1/2 mile down the road the street emptied out onto a major artery that is usually quite gridlocked, so the driver saved absolutely no time. I passed them on the MUP as they sat in traffic.

arsprod 03-21-17 08:38 AM

45F and a bit of a tailwind. I've been off the bike almost a week due to work travel - back on the bike and all's well with the world!

tlester 03-21-17 09:06 AM

First bike commute day!
 
Biked to the gym & work for the first time today (well.. other than a dry run on Sunday). Beautiful and cool morning. No issues. Got to watch the sunrise. It's about 8.6 miles to the gym and about .5 miles back to my office (the gym is past my office). I hit the gym, rocked the massage chair, the showered and got to work. Great first commute to work.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2891/3...043c4cd9_c.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3947/3...cea00d14_c.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2849/3...fd6a59b1_c.jpg

HardyWeinberg 03-21-17 09:36 AM

42F gray clammy. Not much standing water though!


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