Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

2017! The how was your commute thread!

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

2017! The how was your commute thread!

Old 01-09-17 | 11:03 AM
  #101  
GATC
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,837
Likes: 180
From: south Puget Sound
Drove today due to work roadtrip. If I had ridden w/o studded tires I wouldn't have made it. It's that special black ice we get where you can't see it at all but can't, for instance, walk on it. So, when I get back, need to put the studs on before resuming riding.
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Reply
Old 01-09-17 | 11:15 AM
  #102  
Darth Lefty's Avatar
Disco Infiltrator
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
Active Streak: 30 Days
 
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 15,324
Likes: 3,517
From: Folsom CA

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

I missed that the forecast relaxed... we are supposed to get about .01 in/hr today. That's just drips. That feeling of realizing, as you drive, that you could have ridden

PM edit: by the time I'd have been getting home, the skies had opened
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
"Well, well!" said Holmes, impatiently. "A good cyclist does not need a high road. The moor is intersected with paths and the moon is at the full."

Last edited by Darth Lefty; 01-09-17 at 11:13 PM.
Darth Lefty is offline  
Reply
Old 01-09-17 | 12:51 PM
  #103  
jrickards's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA

Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike

Originally Posted by jrickards
Yesterday was a low of -24C/-11F so in preparation for this morning's ride, I got out my snow pants and ski helmet. When I woke up at 5:30am, it was -14C/7F and I decided to wear a balaclava and a bike helmet instead of the ski helmet. After I got up, let the dog out, fed the cats, let the dog back in, had my shower, it was -12C/10F and by the time I was dressed, hot and a bit sweaty, it was -10C/14F so I got rid of the snowpants and got my MTB shorts and wore cycling tights underneath and a replaced the balaclava with a Buff (shaped into a toque/beanie). It was dressed like this that I rode in (or at least as far as my pedal let me) and I was comfortable.
As annoying as this was, preparing clothes for a moving-target temperature, it made me realize that for my dream bike tour, for which I was considering cool weather clothes for cool weather days, I think that I have everything I need. If I can ride comfortably at -10C/14F wearing as few layers as I did (a thin long-sleeved merino shirt, a mid-weight long-sleeved polyester shirt, lightweight waterproof coat), I have plenty of clothes for temperatures that would be expected to go no lower than freezing during the summer tour (on my way up to Nordkapp Norway). Even if a cold night were to occur, I was probably wearing sufficiently warm clothes on today's ride to keep me warm in a sleeping bag to at or just below freezing temperatures (although I'd probably wear a merino toque instead of a bike helmet to bed, and merino long undies instead of cycling tights and lycra bike shorts).

I also got a GoPro-clone for Christmas, SJCam 4000, and I'm just learning how to use it. I did bring it with me but the settings were wrong and the video had to be scrapped. I'm happy though that, even with only streetlights for light in the dark pre-dawn morning, the scenery was quite visible.
jrickards is offline  
Reply
Old 01-09-17 | 03:09 PM
  #104  
TheNormanRider's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: Norman, OK

Bikes: IZip E3 Path+, Specialized Diverge A1, GMC Denali, Roadmaster Quarry Ridge

Drove today because there were still some icy spots, but today's warm temps of 50F+ should get rid of them all. Didn't ride Thursday last week because it was stupid cold, and Friday the office closed in anticipation of the weather. No weekend riding because we received about 3-4" of snow, and the last two days has seen all that get compacted and freeze over. Roads were bad, but much better now. Be back at it tomorrow until round 2 this coming weekend!
TheNormanRider is offline  
Reply
Old 01-09-17 | 03:24 PM
  #105  
noglider's Avatar
aka Tom Reingold
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
Community Builder
Community Influencer
 
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,128
Likes: 6,348
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

I'm less adventurous or less foolish than I was the last couple of winters, at least for now. I have no urge to ride in the snowy/icy/dirty mess we have now. Also, I have a long way to go, and bundling up for the cold becomes a chore.

My alternative is not driving, it's the subway, and riding the subway sucks a lot less for me than driving a car, so I really can't complain.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Reply
Old 01-09-17 | 11:03 PM
  #106  
joeyduck's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 0
From: Nanaimo, BC

Bikes: 1997 Kona Hahana Race Light, 2010 Surly LHT(deceased), 1999 Rocky Mountain Turbo

I actually had unexpected ice on the road today. Thankfully it only cause me to lose traction and momentum, forcing me to push the bike and trailer with kids and gear up the small hill. It was really not an issue but I guess a few people wiped out this morning, it was just above freezing and it had been raining so no one expected it.

I think that I have finally kicked this infection after 6 days of IV antibiotics last week combined with the oral ones, I have spent most of the last month on antibiotics. I am going to lighten up my work schedule and try to teach only three days a week, I need to be sure I take care of myself. It is a tough realization that I am not as resilient as I used to be. But I do know it is mostly due to decreased blood flow in the area.
joeyduck is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 06:48 AM
  #107  
Phil_gretz's Avatar
Zip tie Karen
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7,005
Likes: 1,546
From: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX

Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100

18F and calm this morning. It wasn't bad at all, but I was sluggish and slow in general today. 36F with a tailwind will feel balmy this evening going home.
Phil_gretz is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 06:52 AM
  #108  
Senior Member
 
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 665
Likes: 6
From: Kansas City, KS
The KS/MO yo-yo this week. 53-55 degrees this morning, 42 later. By Friday back down in the single digits. Hard not to overdress and overheat!
esmith2039 is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 07:22 AM
  #109  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,306
Likes: 22
From: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

This morning's 21F was one of the coldest I've ridden in. It just doesn't get below 20 very often. I was pretty good until about 40 minutes into the ride. My fingers and toes were the only parts that got cold, and not even those were too bad.

There are still spots of icy snow on the road, but all of them had dry tire tracks through so I felt safe riding. The week warms up as we go, so the riding will just get easier.
mgw4jc is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 07:41 AM
  #110  
tarwheel's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
Likes: 7
From: Raleigh, NC

Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia

Originally Posted by mgw4jc
This morning's 21F was one of the coldest I've ridden in. It just doesn't get below 20 very often. I was pretty good until about 40 minutes into the ride. My fingers and toes were the only parts that got cold, and not even those were too bad.

There are still spots of icy snow on the road, but all of them had dry tire tracks through so I felt safe riding. The week warms up as we go, so the riding will just get easier.
I can't believe you are riding. The roads in Raleigh are still covered with ice in shady spots and north-facing slopes. Temps have been below freezing here for 4 days. I'm debating about driving to work, that is, what time to leave. We had mostly sleet rather than snow, and it is very slow to melt.
tarwheel is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 08:17 AM
  #111  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,306
Likes: 22
From: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

Originally Posted by tarwheel
I can't believe you are riding. The roads in Raleigh are still covered with ice in shady spots and north-facing slopes. Temps have been below freezing here for 4 days. I'm debating about driving to work, that is, what time to leave. We had mostly sleet rather than snow, and it is very slow to melt.
Our roads were mostly okay by Saturday afternoon. I drove to the gym that afternoon. I drove to work yesterday and took my bike route home. One neighborhood with tall trees had some bad spots, so I avoided it this morning. Since we're supposed to get above 40 today I think those spots will be fine for the ride home.

However, schools are closed again today, so I'm guessing there are some bad spots somewhere. This made traffic better for me.
mgw4jc is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 08:19 AM
  #112  
TheNormanRider's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: Norman, OK

Bikes: IZip E3 Path+, Specialized Diverge A1, GMC Denali, Roadmaster Quarry Ridge

55F this morning w/a 20-25 mph south wind. It wasn't bad since I'm going north, but the few times when I had to travel west I could feel it. Hopefully the wind subsides or changes direction so I'm not riding into it on the way home.
TheNormanRider is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 08:28 AM
  #113  
Tundra_Man's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,687
Likes: 426
From: Sioux Falls, SD

Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk

20°F this morning with a 30 mph headwind, gusting to much higher than that. Precipitation falling in the form of ice pellets that were being painfully driven into my face by the wind. On top of that, someone upwind of me was grilling steaks while I'm dieting to lose the pounds I gained over Christmas. All in all, it kinda sucked.

But not bad enough that I wished I drove instead.
Tundra_Man is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 10:30 AM
  #114  
arsprod's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,043
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

39F and rain with 15 mph headwind. Forecast is for 30-45 mph winds this afternoon, i.e. tailwind. I'm excited, although 30 mph winds and rain might be a little dicey
arsprod is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 10:56 AM
  #115  
Darth Lefty's Avatar
Disco Infiltrator
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
Active Streak: 30 Days
 
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 15,324
Likes: 3,517
From: Folsom CA

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

It's raining so no commute, but had this discussion with preggo:

She: If you rode your bike to work, and I went into labor, how would that work?
Me: I'd ride my bike home. It would add the normal amount of time.
She: When are you going to stop riding your bike, then?
Me: I was waiting for you to tell me. You did last time.
She: I think you should be the one to decide...
Me: *angsty teenager noise*

So I think I'll do one or two more and then I'm probably benched til spring.
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
"Well, well!" said Holmes, impatiently. "A good cyclist does not need a high road. The moor is intersected with paths and the moon is at the full."

Last edited by Darth Lefty; 01-10-17 at 11:03 AM.
Darth Lefty is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 11:17 AM
  #116  
Tundra_Man's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,687
Likes: 426
From: Sioux Falls, SD

Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk

Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
She: If you rode your bike to work, and I went into labor, how would that work?
I probably would have said, "The average time spent in labor is eight hours. It will take me much less time than that to ride my bike home."

I also probably would have spent the night on the couch.
Tundra_Man is offline  
Reply
Old 01-10-17 | 11:20 AM
  #117  
noglider's Avatar
aka Tom Reingold
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
Community Builder
Community Influencer
 
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,128
Likes: 6,348
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

[MENTION=339610]Darth Lefty[/MENTION], congratulations on your upcoming.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 02:02 AM
  #118  
Andy_K's Avatar
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,095
Likes: 4,721
From: Beaverton, OR

Bikes: Yes

It started snowing while I was still at work tonight. At first I thought it was kind of fun because we don't get snow here often. Then it started coming down harder and I had to ditch my riding glasses. That didn't help much because so much snow was hitting my eyes I could hardly see. But I made it home safely before it really started to accumulate.

I think we've got around 4 inches on the ground now and NOAA says we'll could get another 10 inches before morning. I may not be riding much for a few days.
__________________
My Bikes
Andy_K is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 06:26 AM
  #119  
dcb23's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,264
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
41F/5C damp.

First bike commute of the year. I'm mixing running and biking for 2017. I won't be able to do my full inbound commute on foot for a while, it's been a long time since I consistemtly ran (after more than a decade of running almost daily). I think the mix will be good.

Although I already lightly strained my calf from trying to run 7 miles on consecutive days, I'm excited. I will say this, the heat I generate running is double what I put out on my bike so I arrive at the office a sweaty mess (thank goodness for the small locker room).
dcb23 is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 07:05 AM
  #120  
rhm's Avatar
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Ah, warmth!

It rained overnight and melted most of the snow, leaving some of it as sodden slush, so my ride was a bit messy, but it was nice to be not freezing.

Yesterday was a comedy of errors. The night before, my daughter had called for a ride home after I'd already gone to bed. So I got in the car in my jammies... and went back to bed after getting her home. Getting ready to leave yesterday morning, I couldn't find my wallet. Looked in the car... looked in the jacket I wore... looked in the pockets of my pajamas... looked in my side of the bed... looked everywhere I could think of. And then I looked in all those places again, and again. Eventually said nuts to this, and I went back to bed. The only place I didn't look was under my sleeping wife.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 07:22 AM
  #121  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,306
Likes: 22
From: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

A cold light rain this morning at 38F. I think my knees were the only really cold part on me. I had on tights, but they were got a bit wet plus the wind made it feel like I had an ice pack on each knee.

Less than a mile from home a minivan was passing me and I heard a loud boom coming from the vehicle. It kinda scared me, but the sloshing sound after made it obvious he had blown a tire. I felt bad because he probably hit something while going around me. He turned into a gas station right there. A couple of miles later I figured I should have stopped to help, but also thought he might have been mad at me too.
mgw4jc is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 07:23 AM
  #122  
tarwheel's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
Likes: 7
From: Raleigh, NC

Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia

I decided to err on the side of safety and drove again today due to lingering ice on some streets. Much of my commute route is on neighborhood streets with lots of shady spots and north-facing hills where the ice is slow to melt. It's amazing how slow sleet is to melt, particularly after cars have packed it down to solid ice. One block from my house, a short street on my route is still nearly covered with ice. Temperatures today will be above freezing all day, with a high in the 60s, so the roads should be totally clear by tomorrow. However, the forecast is already calling for heavy fog. Not sure how they know that so far ahead but it wouldn't surprise me.
tarwheel is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 07:28 AM
  #123  
TheNormanRider's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: Norman, OK

Bikes: IZip E3 Path+, Specialized Diverge A1, GMC Denali, Roadmaster Quarry Ridge

46F with a 15 mph south wind. Made this morning's commute the maiden voyage of my new Denali bike. For being a cheap POS bike, according to many here and around the Interwebs, it rode really well. I was surprised at the speed I achieved, and how well it handled the crappy streets we have in town. It phantom shifted only one time on the commute, far fewer times than my old Schwinn Tourist hybrid. Other than that, the ride in was pretty uneventful. I'm now using a Lumos helmet, which finally arrived yesterday. The turn signal functions are pretty cool. Now to put up with 8 hours at the office until I can ride again.
TheNormanRider is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 08:29 AM
  #124  
Tundra_Man's Avatar
Senior Member
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,687
Likes: 426
From: Sioux Falls, SD

Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk

7°F this morning with a medium headwind. We received about 1/2 of snow over night which just turned into slick slop. Kept having the slop kick up into my rear cassette and cause my chain to skip. That's weird, I usually don't have that issue until the snow gets much, much deeper.

Rode to a client's office right away this morning. It was only four miles. Thought I was going to spend the whole day here and then ride home, so I just threw some sweat pants on over my work pants and wore my regular work clothes. After I arrived I found out I have to spend the afternoon at our company office, which is all the way across town. No bike-specific clothes so hopefully I won't sweat up my work clothes too bad
Tundra_Man is offline  
Reply
Old 01-11-17 | 09:37 AM
  #125  
arsprod's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,043
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

Wacky couple of days! The ride home last night was epic - 30 mph tailwinds with driving rain. Moments of speedy fun punctuated by moments of stark terror! Shortly after I got home the winds picked up and thunderstorms started... in January! This morning it was 30F with freezing fog (whatever the heck that is). With the overnight rain there were clear ice spots but pretty much everything was somewhat slick. The MUP was covered in branches and I should have slowed down in the dark but, of course, didn't. Had to lock 'em up once and just avoided disaster. This afternoon supposed to be mid 50's and more thunderstorms. Wacky... just wacky!
arsprod is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.