How was the commute today? Continued.
03-09-10, 09:46 AM
#3951
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,053
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yesterday afternoon was without a doubt the best commute I've had in MONTHS!!! Temps in the low 60s - so I was in shorts and a tee-shirt for the ride home for the first time since November IIRC. Got to watch the sky turn a beautiful rich orange color as the sun set. Slight tailwind made it all the more pleasant. Stopped near home to get some groceries and a 20 lb. bucket of cat litter. Not a complaint in the world!
This morning's ride was pretty nice, too. Temps in the 40s by the time I left, so I dispensed with the underlayer tights I had been wearing under my shorts throughout the winter and just went with shorts. Tee shirt and fleece top. Weather Channel said winds N at 2 MPH. Definitely stronger than 2, but still not the 20-25 mph gusts of late. 7 miles including stoplights in 31 minutes. I feel fast again!
Looking forward to a great ride home. Might try to sneak out for a little lunchtime ride, too, time permitting.
This morning's ride was pretty nice, too. Temps in the 40s by the time I left, so I dispensed with the underlayer tights I had been wearing under my shorts throughout the winter and just went with shorts. Tee shirt and fleece top. Weather Channel said winds N at 2 MPH. Definitely stronger than 2, but still not the 20-25 mph gusts of late. 7 miles including stoplights in 31 minutes. I feel fast again!
Looking forward to a great ride home. Might try to sneak out for a little lunchtime ride, too, time permitting.
03-09-10, 10:02 AM
#3952
GATC
25F and blinding sun. Frost is hard on the cherry blossoms, but they were past their peak anyway.
03-09-10, 11:28 AM
#3953
Senior Member
Very tough commute today. 21F this morning, 28F this afternoon. Winds at 30-40 mph all day with fallen branches and other debris everywhere. Prior to this week, we had 2 weeks of 50F days which melted all our snow. I was even doing some of my summer rides again. Figured spring came early, but boy was I wrong. It's been below freezing all day for the past 4 days with very strong, cold wind. The forecast is calling for snow this week. 
03-09-10, 11:37 AM
#3954
You gonna eat that?
Yuck!
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi 
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
03-09-10, 01:36 PM
#3955
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Antioch, IL
Posts: 328
Bikes: Giant Defy Advanced 0, Rivendell- Sam Hillborne, Montague folding bike.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Very foggy this morning, vis down to 100 yards at best. I almost turned left in front of a car with no lights. That would have ruined my day.
Not looking forward to ride home in rain.
Not looking forward to ride home in rain.
__________________
"Why is there a hill after every meal, but not a meal after every hill?"
--Overheard on Grabaawr
"Why is there a hill after every meal, but not a meal after every hill?"
--Overheard on Grabaawr
03-09-10, 01:38 PM
#3956
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times
in
1,417 Posts
Bright sunshine and a chilly north wind. Going to make for some Paris-Nice like conditions on my lunch time interval sessions.
03-09-10, 03:39 PM
#3957
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,053
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ah yes... cherry blossoms! Ours will be here soon in the other Washington. Sadly that brings buttloads of tourists to otherwise easily navigable paths along the Mall and around the Tidal Basin. It'll still be pretty, though!
03-09-10, 06:14 PM
#3958
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I wore shorts today 
60F, sunny! Woooohoooo!
Adam
60F, sunny! Woooohoooo!Adam
03-09-10, 08:09 PM
#3959
You gonna eat that?
From this morning.....
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
03-09-10, 11:23 PM
#3960
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 298
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
House- / cat-sitting for the in-laws this week, 800ft up a vertiginous slope. Ouch! So far the rain has held off and everything has been hunky-dory. Enjoying the vistas and the wine.
03-09-10, 11:36 PM
#3961
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 183
Bikes: Sputnik
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
tonights ride home from school was pretty awesome.... man I can't wait for spring/summer. I was only wearing 1 layer! and a vest. temp was ~40F and I had a slight tailwind - i was booking home.
03-10-10, 01:17 AM
#3962
Senior Member
I have been commuting part time year around for 3.5 years now, somewhere around 9000+ miles in total. Today I had a first. I was riding home, in the dark on a MUP and out from no where came an opossum. It must have seen me because it approached the edge of the MUP then began to turn around. Before I could react, it ran in front of me and I nailed it! Fortunately, I didn't wreck! I didn't stop to see if it was OK or not, so who knows what happened to it...
03-10-10, 05:34 AM
#3964
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 2,978
Bikes: Cannondale T700s and a few others
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Trying to get back into a regular commute. Horrid winter for GA. as bad as people drive around here on dry roads you can forget it with any hint of snow and Ice. We have also been in a 5 year Drought till last year. Now we back into a rain pattern that is maybe a little higher then normal.
Monday and Tuesday were wonderful! Chilly in the mornings so I haven't broke the SPD's out yet (I hate the shoe covers I have) but didn't need the ski gloves. Afternoons were great with high 60's Tuesday and low 70's Monday.
Monsoon today (and suppose to continue for the rest of the week) so driving in
Monday and Tuesday were wonderful! Chilly in the mornings so I haven't broke the SPD's out yet (I hate the shoe covers I have) but didn't need the ski gloves. Afternoons were great with high 60's Tuesday and low 70's Monday.
Monsoon today (and suppose to continue for the rest of the week) so driving in
03-10-10, 06:59 AM
#3965
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,896
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
4 Posts
Warmest morning commute in quite a while, about 50 F. The weather is looking really iffy today, and it might be raining by the time I head home, but I hated to miss a ride when the temperatures are so mild for a change. I had to go out of town for a couple of days, so I rode to work on Monday morning, left my bike in the office while traveling. Got back late yesterday afternoon and rode my bike home with beautiful weather and temps in the 60s. So I still got in 3 days of commuting even though I was out of town for two of those days.
03-10-10, 07:14 AM
#3966
Belt drive!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Posts: 2,614
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
22F/-5C, clear sky, wind calm. I caught a woman (riding) who had such "big hair" that I thought she was wearing a parka with her hood up until I got close to her. 
The broken fifth of Cuervo Gold on the MUP was a nice touch.
I saw it well in advance and avoided it.
The broken fifth of Cuervo Gold on the MUP was a nice touch.
I saw it well in advance and avoided it.
03-10-10, 07:43 AM
#3967
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 351
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
34F, Sunny, little wind. Feels like the beginning of Summer;-)
03-10-10, 07:46 AM
#3968
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Monson, MA
Posts: 485
Bikes: Catrike Trail Recumbent trike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
A little cool starting off, but besides that, it was a nice commute this morning. When i left my home it was 27F and now it's currently 31F and sunny with no wind.
03-10-10, 08:11 AM
#3969
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 183
Bikes: Sputnik
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have been commuting part time year around for 3.5 years now, somewhere around 9000+ miles in total. Today I had a first. I was riding home, in the dark on a MUP and out from no where came an opossum. It must have seen me because it approached the edge of the MUP then began to turn around. Before I could react, it ran in front of me and I nailed it! Fortunately, I didn't wreck! I didn't stop to see if it was OK or not, so who knows what happened to it...
Ha... a remember last year I either hit a bird or a bird flew into my front tire 3 times in one month... so random.
Today's commute sucked. rain.... kind of the first rain since forever but still... I was drenched. and cold.
03-10-10, 09:10 AM
#3970
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 448
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have been absent from posting my daily commute for a while because the report would sound like a broken record. Sunshine, clear roads and one less layer of clothing. Today has an addition to a usual uneventful ride with a GPS tracking device monitored by the City planners with the intent to improve the roads for the commuting cyclists. According to the organizers, they issued 100 of these units to volunteers who answered an article in the local newspaper or by word of mouth. The unit is the size of a small I-pod and it is to be worn around my neck. There is an on off switch on the side and a round button in the middle top of the unit. When I am ready to start my ride the unit is turned on, a blue light appears and after a short wait the blue light begins to flash indicating enough satellites were found. If on the journey I come across any obstacle or dangerous road situation the centre button is pushed and that location is marked. A battery charge lasts about 18 hours and to recharge just plug it in to your Universal Serial Bus. I volunteered for this project to try and help the City planners instead of just complaining about their apparent inaction. Whether anything comes from my simple commute only time will tell.
Oh by the way, minus three degrees Celsius, the sun occasionally peeking out behind some clouds, no wind and a return trip forecast of plus twelve degrees. The studded tires come off this weekend.
Oh by the way, minus three degrees Celsius, the sun occasionally peeking out behind some clouds, no wind and a return trip forecast of plus twelve degrees. The studded tires come off this weekend.
03-10-10, 09:47 AM
#3971
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,053
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Shorts and a tee shirt only for the AM commute today! Woohoo! Now that's improvement! Lovin' it.
03-10-10, 09:50 AM
#3972
Belt drive!
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Posts: 2,614
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Are they going to make maps of rides? I'd like to see that if I lived there, if nothing more than to see how many riders use various roads and paths, which it seems is what they're doing.
03-10-10, 10:12 AM
#3973
Wildflower Century
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Chico, CA
Posts: 363
Bikes: Trek Soho, Fisher Aquila
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
fanfreakintastic! It rained last night, but is clear as a bell this morning if a bit brisk. The air has that cool, clean, refreshing smell that makes you feel as if you're taking a drink out of a cold mountain spring. Rode in on my Knight which is quite a bit faster than my Soho. Can't wait for lunchtime!
03-10-10, 10:49 AM
#3974
GATC
37F, blinding sun, clammy. S'posed to cloud over and skies open up tonight. We'll see.
My son is digging his pannier:
My son is digging his pannier:
03-10-10, 11:07 AM
#3975
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Columbia, Maryland
Posts: 766
Bikes: Trek 820 mtb, A no name red steel pipe bike, my commuter
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
It was a nice ride in, and the temps are good at 0 C ( 32 F). Saw my first rabbit this morning, and the sky is lightening up ever so little, but still noticeable. These are all good signs of good weather to come. I ditched my ski pants in the morning, as temps are closer to freezing, and hopefully, they continue to build upward, quicker rather than later.