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2018! The ?How was your commute?? thread!

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2018! The “How was your commute?” thread!

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Old 04-30-18 | 12:43 PM
  #851  
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From: Brooklyn NY

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The next few days look to be perfect for commuting, but I didn't ride today. It was only 43 at lunchtime. 70s/80s for the next few. And here is a funny thing, I used my road bike last week one day to commute and when I got to the bridge where I planned on blasting up it was so crowded that I couldn't. With all the bikes coming at you and all the slower riders riding with you there was just no way to get around them. On my commuter bike I'm average fast and just go with the flow. I'll try the road bike one more time but as I usually do I'll decide it isn't worth it and stick with my mtb/commuter the rest of the season.
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Old 04-30-18 | 03:10 PM
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Just above freezing this morning, but sunny and hardly any wind. Still looking for my riding legs and lungs.
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Old 04-30-18 | 03:37 PM
  #853  
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Originally Posted by noglider
The wind usually feels like a headwind even when it's not coming from directly in front of you. This morning it was quite strong, but I noticed it was really a crosswind, coming from my left.
Yep, it was blowing hard in my face this morning as I traveled from 1st to Park.

Originally Posted by zacster
I used my road bike last week one day to commute and when I got to the bridge where I planned on blasting up it was so crowded that I couldn't. With all the bikes coming at you and all the slower riders riding with you there was just no way to get around them.
​​​​​​​Sounds like a Brooklyn problem to me. I don't want to jinx it, but the Queensboro bridge normally isn't too bad.
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Old 05-01-18 | 05:04 AM
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A very nice commute this am with the temp at 41 f degrees and partly cloudy skies. All was quiet and uneventful until the last few minutes when I come down the big hill and have to make a left turn. The fire engine was coming from the opposite direction so I waited for him to go by and was able to make my left turn quickly before the line of cars got going. After that move I was not sure I will make that decision in the future.
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Old 05-01-18 | 06:46 AM
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From: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)

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A nice ride, but a bit chillier than I expected at 43F. My lightweight running gloves were not really enough to keep my hands warm. I found some sunshine though and survived. High of 82F will be plenty warm for the ride home.

Happy First of May!
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Old 05-01-18 | 08:47 AM
  #856  
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I'm sure I say this every year but I'm old and don't remember - where did all these people come from?! The MUP was packed in certain spots on the way home last night and apparently they've all forgotten how to pay attention to anything but themselves. It's time to start timing my trips home so I can miss the throngs... almost worth the warmer temps... almost
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Old 05-01-18 | 09:30 AM
  #857  
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From: northern Deep South

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Nice day for a ride. I gave some thought to calling in sick and taking the morning off. Clear, cool but not too cold, light breeze.

Oh yes, and my pollen detectors (eyes and nose) were giving me fits. This should be the last of the hardwoods here, mostly pecans but a few oaks and hickories. Computer had a green cover after sitting outside last night.
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Old 05-01-18 | 09:31 AM
  #858  
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From: Thornton, CO

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I took yesterday off. Was originally going to do a movie date with the wife. But the movie selection was not good (many others made the Avengers movie look good). Traffic seemed interesting but was not in the mood to see a human trafficing movie. Today was a nice ride in at around 49F or so. It warmed up a bit the closer I got to the city. I took an older route (Bergen Tpk -> Broad St -> Rt 5). Rt 5 is nice in that its a more gradual hill than Ft Lee Rd. It also has a decent shoulder for most of the hill. Only drawback is that the road before it (Bergen Tpk and Hendricks Causeway) can be a little bumpy at some points. Also the intersection before Broad is a little crappy. But not too crazy if you respect the light and stop for the traffic going out of Edgewater Ave right after it. I started to sneeze my head off after I got to work. So I know that spring is here if I'm sneezing. ;-)
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Old 05-01-18 | 09:31 AM
  #859  
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From: south Puget Sound
48F, gray
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Old 05-01-18 | 09:58 AM
  #860  
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Yesterday: 37 degrees going in with a moderate head wind, 78 coming home with a strong tail wind. WEEEEEEEE!!!

Car wreck on my route in this morning. Smart car hit the side of a standard sized pickup. Air bags deployed, windshield cracked, but thankfully everyone looked ok. Even stronger winds today. I haven't decided if I'm going to bother pedaling on the ride home!
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Old 05-01-18 | 10:00 AM
  #861  
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Originally Posted by noglider
ridewithgps gives all kinds of statistics, some of which are interesting. My ride was 31 minutes long, and my total time spent stopped was only one minute. That just shows how lucky I am to have this route along the river, in a city with such stressful traffic.
Only 1 minute stopped? That's nirvana. I've never tried to measure it, but wouldn't be surprised if I spend up to 10 minutes at stop lights in NJ and NYC.
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Old 05-01-18 | 10:13 AM
  #862  
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[MENTION=13059]zacster[/MENTION] zacster, do you take the Manhattan Bridge? And it gets that crowded?

Yes, one minute stopped is commuting nirvana. I am enjoying my commute immensely since I started this job in February.
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Old 05-01-18 | 07:07 PM
  #863  
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I missed my commute since today’s schedule was a mess but I did get an hour ride towing the toddlers
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Old 05-01-18 | 07:25 PM
  #864  
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From: Buffalo, NY
low 50's and sunny - very nice!

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Old 05-02-18 | 05:17 AM
  #865  
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From: Merrimac , MA
Another nice commute but this am with the temp somewhere in the low 50's f and clear skies. Near the bottom of the big hill where I turn left I bailed and went to the right because some guy coming down the hill was coming to close to me so I went over to the side of the street and waited for the traffic to pass. He beeped at me as I moved to the right. I do not understand his beeping .
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Old 05-02-18 | 05:35 AM
  #866  
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From: MN

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Was all packed up and ready to go. Picked my bag up and the zipper blew out. Going to have to pick up a new one before I get back to it. Which is a bummer because it’s a nice sunny 44° morning.
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Old 05-02-18 | 07:04 AM
  #867  
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Is the sign telling you to ride that road sideways?


Originally Posted by Hatchet

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Old 05-02-18 | 07:05 AM
  #868  
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I got halfway to work this morning when I found something amazing....

The last mile of road to my office had been repaved overnight! I felt like Mater from Cars shouting "I'm drivin' on the new road!!!"

It was super smooth!
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Old 05-02-18 | 07:25 AM
  #869  
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It's fair weather and back on the road bike this week! I don't really get loosened up until it's in the high 70's (age I guess), which it finally is now, and it felt pretty good to open it up a bit on the way home, averaging 18.1 for the trip.
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Old 05-02-18 | 07:35 AM
  #870  
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Consecutive work commute number 519: Pretty nice morning. 38F with a light headwind. Sun was shining.

The wind is supposed to pick up a little (South Dakota; no surprise) but stay in the same direction, which means I should have a tailwind. Because of this I opted to ride the fixed gear bike, as I'd much rather fight the wind on the way to work and have an easy ride home.

Was about 1/3 mile from the office and waiting to turn left off of the MUP exit onto the street. I got a break in traffic and started cranking on the fixie when suddenly the pedals and rear wheel locked up. I wasn't yet going very fast and started to tip over. Somehow I managed to get my shoe unclipped and my foot down in time and stayed upright.

It turns out the rear wheel somehow came loose in the dropouts and turned sideways, jamming the tire against the frame and bringing me to a (literal) screeching halt. I pulled out my wrench and made some adjustments on the side of the road which were enough to get me to the office. After I arrived I noticed the wheel wasn't perfectly centered so I was going to tweak it a little better. Then I notice the dust cover over the bearing came loose and is just hanging on the rear axle. I decided I'll just ride it as-is home tonight and then fix the whole thing at once when I have the convenience of my repair stand.
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Old 05-02-18 | 08:03 AM
  #871  
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Gorgeous day out this morning & my first bike commute since last September!
Was a great ride, warm & beautiful weather, courteous drivers & no close passes!
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Old 05-02-18 | 08:31 AM
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Gorgeous day here, too. I wore (non-cycling) shorts and a cycling jersey. I had a big tailwind and pedaled hard and moved very fast. Today was the fastest ride in so far. A woman coming in the opposite direction passed a bunch of cyclists on their left and was heading straight for me in a narrow spot. She said, "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" so I wasn't going to make a big deal of it. We avoided hitting each other by braking hard.
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Old 05-02-18 | 08:58 AM
  #873  
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From: northern Deep South

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Took a variant of the long route in. I remember why I don't do that, too much noise on the access road to make riding pleasant. It was a shame, because it was a lovely morning to ride, starting about 60F.
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Old 05-02-18 | 09:33 AM
  #874  
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From: south Puget Sound
40F, blue sky bright sun at home, over a rise and pea soup the last half of the way to work
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Old 05-02-18 | 09:33 AM
  #875  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
Took a variant of the long route in. I remember why I don't do that, too much noise on the access road to make riding pleasant. It was a shame, because it was a lovely morning to ride, starting about 60F.
When I pulled off the speedway onto the trail this morning I realized I needed to trim my FD 'cause I could finally hear the chain rubbing
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