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-   -   How was the commute today? Continued. (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/540761-how-commute-today-continued.html)

Fizzaly 02-23-10 05:09 AM

yay hit a parked car on sat broke two fingers gonna take a break from riding for a week and do a little walking. apparently i need to pay a little more attention to the cars that are not moving

tarwheel 02-23-10 06:56 AM

Better than average commute this morning, maybe even excellent. Had a tailwind much of the way and the warmest morning temps in weeks (low 40s F). To top it off, I caught green at most of the traffic signals.

vtjim 02-23-10 07:09 AM

35F and flakes of snow falling every so often. A weather system is moving in but it's not very organized. No idea what to expect. Maybe even rain. Working from home tomorrow and Thursday, so if it snows, I don't really care. :)

Squirrels are out in large numbers. I also saw a neighborhood cat, and some deer right after I left the house. Ducks floating in the lake, too. The warm weather is getting the critters out and about.

ortcutt 02-23-10 07:24 AM

Typically pleasant morning: potholes, gravel, patches of road salt; jaywalkers with earbuds, floating *through* their environment but not *in* it; motorists swerving behind and around me in their eagerness to catch that red light; the occasional street sign redundantly pointing out that "Bicyclists may use whole lane" -- in short, another fine day commuting between Cambridge and Boston.

The weather seers are predicting a Nor'easter over the next five days or so. Time to apply another coat of the really thick chain lube.

Brian T 02-23-10 08:16 AM

So glad to be back on the bike. Weather was good. Nice and cool, wind at by back.

EKW in DC 02-23-10 08:43 AM

Met up with a fellow commuter on the way in to work this morning. We'd met virtually through a local cycling blog and he wanted to ride my snow-forced alternate commute route w/ me since he hadn't been that way before. It was nice to have the company, even though I normally enjoy my 30 or so minutes of calm and alone-ness. The ride was cool and overcast (temps in the 30s), but at least it wasn't raining hard like last night when I got pretty sopping wet.

I am hearing rumors that the MUP I usually ride for most of the way to work is mostly passable again following the snows. Of course, that's thanks only to Mother Nature, not human intervention as one might hope for at some point during the weeks since the snowstorm. I may have to give it a try this afternoon myself and see how it looks.

neilfein 02-23-10 08:52 AM

First commute on a new Bike Friday Tikit! I'm in love!

Pig_Chaser 02-23-10 08:54 AM

First commute in about a week. I was away on business for the past week. What great weather, I love temps around -10C, they're very ez to dress for, and the snow and ice stay frozen. My butt hurts though, it only takes a week apparently.

arch2wheel 02-23-10 10:16 AM

Nice ride in. Taking advantage of our Arizona spring this week for next week is summer.

HardyWeinberg 02-23-10 10:23 AM

36F, grey.

A teacher caught us at the bike rack and asked my 3rd grader to bring his bike to am assembly, apparently it's bike-themed today.

pharasz 02-23-10 11:51 AM

A bit foggy, but not too bad. The best part was temps around 60F - biking in shorts, a long sleeved under armor, and a dry-weave T-shirt over top. Doesn't get better than that.

mickey85 02-23-10 12:05 PM

Wet. And muddy.

my white bike is now tan with clay and mud...but I got here clean! God bless fenders and flaps. That said, I made my best time on the commute for the year - 7 miles in 30 minutes! Needless to say, it was mostly water over hardpack.

pandabear 02-23-10 12:55 PM

great!

i broke out the soccer short-shorts for the first time. the weather on my phone told me it was 30 degrees with calm winds. after the ride, with my legs a discoloration of their former selves, i thought, "twas a tad chilly." i read the incorrect weather for chicago, while the weather in madison was actually 20 degrees with the wind-chill. furry legs work great.

wheel 02-23-10 06:16 PM

rode on the reservation and got chased by 10 big dogs, four at one time. I almost got ran over twice by impatient drivers. The dirt road was all muddy so I took the detour around. Gee wonder why I take the other way.

buzzman 02-23-10 11:36 PM


Originally Posted by wheel (Post 10442472)
rode on the reservation and got chased by 10 big dogs, four at one time. I almost got ran over twice by impatient drivers. The dirt road was all muddy so I took the detour around. Gee wonder why I take the other way.


Wow. Your post brings back some long lost memories. I remember riding through a reservation in Arizona (maybe the same one) and was chased by a pack of dogs like I'd never seen. Relentless. I saw them crossing an open expanse a long way off and they were running hard to get to my friend and I. We were loaded with camping gear etc. for our x-c trip and were going up a long slight incline. We thought they'd give up before they got to us but they kept coming and we ended up in an all out sprint up that climb. We eventually wore them down and when we reached the top I noticed I had ripped the rear flange of my hub right off of the body of the hub. It was held together by one bit of metal. Rode the next 20 miles very gingerly until it finally gave it up. And it took us a full day and a half to hitchhike our way out of there. We finally got a ride with a real nut in a pick up truck- hadn't thought about that in years.

My commute today was far less eventful but still somewhat mired in mechanical near catastrophe. Hadn't ridden the winter commuter in a few days but took it today due to predicted snow (still hasn't come). Got half way into work and noticed my front tire had a bubble in the sidewall the size of an eyeball! My Nokian finally bit the dust after 5 seasons- not bad. Today was a really chock full day with not a minute to spare. Fortunately there's a great shop near where my afternoon appointment was- I called ahead- they had a 2.1 Nokian (my old one was a 1.95) had them switch the back tire to the front and they were kind enough to do it in less than 45 minutes while I was at my appointment. I don't think I've ever paid someone to repair my bike- especially to put a tire on- I guess that means I'm busy.

fletchh 02-24-10 06:08 AM

I am back after 2 and 1/2 weeks in Barbados, and it was paradise. Cycling is noticeably increased this year in Barbados, but without helmets and lights for the most part. Gas is a bit higher, $2.42 (BBD) a liter, which is about $4 (USD) a gallon. The ride in was easy and warmer at 30 F (-1 C). I was over dressed, but with 6 ft snow banks in places, it felt colder.

tarwheel 02-24-10 08:01 AM

Winter just doesn't want to go away this year, and this February is working out to be my worst cycling month in a long time. Yet another snow storm is supposed to hit here today, and I'm just hoping that it won't mess up the roads again. I had to drive today anyway due to an out-of-town meeting, but I'm hoping to bike commute on Thursday and Friday. I had a nice commute yesterday with a rare warmer-than-usual day, although perhaps it just felt warm because it's been so much colder-than-usual since December.

vtjim 02-24-10 08:17 AM

Rough commute this morning. About 40 feet from bed to home office. I did have to let the dog out though. That involved stairs. Almost didn't make it. :p

Today wouldn't have been a bicycle commute day anyway. Got several inches of heavy snow. Looks like warmth and rain(!) will get rid of a lot of it. Working from home again tomorrow, too. Hopefully I can just keep riding on Friday like nothing happened.

ortcutt 02-24-10 08:23 AM

The Nor'easter cometh. 40 deg, rain, 20mph crosswinds (heavier gusts). Motorists seemed more accommodating than usual (perhaps from surprise at seeing a cyclist on the streets). Well, there was that one cabbie who cut me off at a cross street and stared daggers at me while doing it ...

Jim from Boston 02-24-10 09:44 AM


Originally Posted by ortcutt (Post 10444535)
The Nor'easter cometh. 40 deg, rain, 20mph crosswinds (heavier gusts). Motorists seemed more accommodating than usual (perhaps from surprise at seeing a cyclist on the streets). Well, there was that one cabbie who cut me off at a cross street and stared daggers at me while doing it ...

Dittos on the rain going 14 miles from Kenmore Square to Norwood, though I had seemingly more of a tailwind. Since I'm an outbound commuter, traffic is pretty light in my direction. I left about 5:45 AM this morning and even rode the infamous Jamaicaway, on the road (not the MUP). When I saw the rain outside my window this AM, I did waver, but when I saw the rain icons on the Weatherscan for the next three days, I knew I should cycle. :D

yarb 02-24-10 12:23 PM

First proper rain commute in a while. Last night was wet and girzly but this morning was steady rain; bike got a nice clean. Wet roads, light or no rain = dirty bike. Heavy rain = clean bike.

Splish splosh splash.

scoatw 02-24-10 02:50 PM

Wednesday, February 24, 2010. I left this morning with about an inch of new snow on the road. 161 was good. The side streets I take were quiet and serene with the light snow on the road. I just slice right thru it. With all of the snow on the ground it feels like riding inside a refrigerator. 32f. With a slight 10 mph wind from the west. It’s mornings like this where you get the full winter cycling experience. Being able to handle the cold comfortably and having a nice morning ride in before work. Mine starts at 3:40am.

scoatw 02-24-10 02:51 PM

Wednesday, February 24, 2010. I left this morning with about an inch of new snow on the road. 161 was good. The side streets I take were quiet and serene with the light snow on the road. I just slice right thru it. With all of the snow on the ground it feels like riding inside a refrigerator. 32f. With a slight 10 mph wind from the west. It’s mornings like this where you get the full winter cycling experience. Being able to handle the cold comfortably and having a nice morning ride in before work. Mine starts at 3:40am.

buzzman 02-24-10 11:26 PM

Rain, rain, rain, rain and I desperately need new rain gear- mine is so old it has lost it's luster for anything more than a light shower. Ended up soaked through like a drowned rat. Fortunately, I have several changes of clothing at work and was able to put a completely different outfit on once I got there but I was soaked.

Had to re-suit up into some pretty wet gear for the ride to my evening job tonight. Got there dry enough and I keep a set of shoes there anyway so at least my feet weren't soaked- even my shoe covers were soaked through.

More rain tomorrow.

fletchh 02-25-10 07:43 AM

It was not bad coming in at 25 F ( -3 C ). The predicted snow came a little bit, but nothing is sticking to the road. It could still happen, but with this year 2 to 4 more inches would only constitute a dusting. Yesterday, going home, I picked up some glass where I know to look for it. I changed the tube. I got a couple miles and it went flat, so I pumped it up and rode a couple more miles. After getting within a couple
miles of home, I just walked it. The sidewalks are still covered, probably until May, so I had to walk my bike in the street. When I got home, I ran the inside of the tire and rim many times, but could not find anything. I patched an older tube and put it in there and it too got a pin hole in it. I will have to work on it this weekend. I rode my mountain bike in, just in case we get some snow anyway. On the up side, I heard a bird calling out around 5:20 am, and I saw at least two runners, spring can't be too far off.

ortcutt 02-25-10 07:56 AM

Rain and relatively light wind, which looks to grow into something truly nasty by late afternoon: 25mph? 30? 35? I'm nervous about crossing the bridge on my route that'll expose me to those crosswinds. (And bridge repairs force cyclists and motorists to do an uncomfortably intimate pas de deux.)
It seems that there's no simple way to predict how wet the rain will leave you. On the return commute yesterday I was soaked to the bone. Roughly the same level of rainfall this morning, but barely moistened. I suppose dampness is a function of rainfall intensity and wind, but the formula eludes me.

Doohickie 02-25-10 08:18 AM

Set another record this morning at 1:08. Probably once springtime kicks in and Im wearing shorts I'll get that to under an hour. There was a slight tailwind so that didn't hurt. Of course, the winds are supposed to pick up during the day so I'll have a "nice" headwind for the ride home.

genel 02-25-10 09:26 AM

:Sunny and cold today. Only had a dusting of snow at the house, but there was about 4" at the office. The mile or so on the bike path was very challenging, Most snow I've ridden in. Road were very sloppy, but most potholes were iced over. Probably not the greatest day in the world for sandels :D

HardyWeinberg 02-25-10 11:40 AM

work+family obligations->caged

neilfein 02-25-10 03:31 PM

Snow! The ride in was quite pretty, with fluffy snow falling and watery slush on the road - no real challenge to negotiate. The ride home was much the same, although work let us out early. Here's some camphone goodness:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/...52bc3c80_o.jpg
Even Newark is pretty when giant snowflakes are falling lazily from the sky.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/...6239f7ae_o.jpg
New Providence train station, a mile from my work.


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