Q: When does 96 F feel cool? A: When the temperatures hit 101 and 102 the past two days. I never thought the mid-90s could feel so nice as on my ride home yesterday. It was a little more humid but not oppressive, and there was a nice breeze to make it feel cooler than it was. We're supposed to have another cool one today, about 95, but it's supposed to be even more humid.

We did? I guess I slept through it and didn't even notice the remnants this morning on my ride in. I need to pay more attention to my surroundings ; )

As CCrew stated - super humid and muggy. The ice I'm putting in my bottles before I leave work for about 10 minutes. I think I'm going to resort to freezing my bottles the night before.

You say that like it's a bad thing.


Low 70s this morning for me. Not as humid as it has been, either, so it didn't feel too bad. Caught the same guy I've caught twice this week already. His speed is all over the place. I decided to jump into the woods for a while and enjoy the smell and cooler air. The trails more or less parallel the MUP. At one point I saw a roadie moving along at a good clip. By the time I got back down onto the MUP, he was long gone, so no silly commuter race for me. I caught back up to the original guy though, so I had that going for me.

TGIF

Warm this morning, but no wind, and light traffic. Skipped two days do to heat and forecast tstorms. 90 degree rides are just not that much fun.

Watching the tour de france yesterday, 117 miles, 90 degrees and hot sun. Gotta hand it to them that's a tough ride.

If you're using the Polar or Camelback insulated ones, fill them about half full and freeze, then top them off with liquid in the am. Full bottles frozen have been taking about 60 minutes to thaw to drinkable for me. Half frozen gives you something cold immediately.

Well, last night's commute home kinda sucked.

Short version: 3 flats, only 1 spare tube, two miles walked in cycling shoes, big blister on the back of my heel.

Long version: I was feeling pretty good starting out for home. Right at the beginning, stopped at a light, I noticed a guy looking at my bike (a classic steel celeste Bianchi road bike) from the sidewalk. Turns out he was heading to fetch his nearly identical bike just a few meters away, and there was yet another one just around the corner. Kinda neat. I was feeling energetic, it was a beautiful day: 27C and just a breath of wind.

Half way home, I made a right turn, and something wasn't quite right. The back wheel seemed to be trying to slip out from under me. Stop to check: yup, tire was going flat. There was still some air; I wasn't riding on the rim yet, but it was low enough to be concerned. Fortunately, there was a nice shaded grassy spot nearby, so I pulled off the road and set to work. Checking the tube, it didn't seem to be leaking anywhere in the rubber, but the valve didn't seem to be sealing properly. In went a new tube (I only carry one, plus a patch kit). I pumped up the tire as much as possible with my little frame pump, but I knew it wasn't nearly the 110 psi that I usually run in those tires (23mm Conti Gatorskins). However, I did manage to get it almost as hard as my front tire, which meant that my front tire was a bit low on pressure too. My fault for not checking the pressure for a few weeks. I made a mental note to top up both tires as soon as I got home, because I didn't want to get a pinch flat! I phoned my wife to let her know I would be late, and off I went on my merry way.

I was actually still in a pretty good mood. I've had flat tires before, but never on a commute, and I saw this as a rite of passage in a way. It felt good to get that first commuting flat out of the way, and I was proud of myself for being self-sufficient.

Ten minutes later, riding on a particularly rough road, suddenly, boom: front tire was flat. Now I wasn't feeling so good. What to do? I still had that tube from the back tire with the bad valve, but maybe it would hold air long enough to get me home. Or, I could see if I could patch the flat tube. Or, since I was only about two miles from home, maybe I could just hoof it, and take the time to properly check and fix the tire that evening. I decided to walk. I hadn't at that point even looked at the back tire, but as I was walking, I eventually noticed that it too was flat, again. Gee whiz!

My cycling shoes are mountain bike style, so they can be walked in easier than some road shoes, but the soles are still quite stiff, and they're definitely not meant for walking two miles. I ended up with a nickel-sized blister on the back of my right heel by the time I got home.

Later that evening, after I put my kid to bed, I went out to the garage to survey the damage. Pinch flats in both tubes, probably incurred at the same time. The back tube had only one small hole, the front had the familiar two-hole "snake bite". I patched both tubes, but did a crummy job of the front one, because after I installed it and the tire and pumped it up to pressure, it was flat a minute later. Chucked that tube and put in a different one.

C'est la vie. It was good practice changing tires. Gatorskins are a pain to take off and put on, but I'm getting better at it. I'll also be more diligent at topping up my tires regularly, as at least one flat could have been prevented. I may also invest in a CO2 cartridge pump so I can get my tires up to pressure easier than with a little frame pump.

This morning's commute was, thankfully, very uneventful. 16C with a gentle breeze.

Thanks! Talk about how routine focused you get. I use the same two bottles to commute to work in, which happen to be right beside my insulated Polar bottles. Not sure why it never occured to me to start using those in the summer. I typically use those in the winter. Duh...

Thanks again CCrew - I'll try it out next week...

64F and sunny, very nice

Just an all around bad commute. Headed out the door with my son in tow this morning and discovered my front tire was flat before I even made it to the elevator. Back in the apartment, swap out the tube and teach my son how to find a puncture in an inner tube using a sink full of water. Patched it and threw it back in the saddlebag wondering why I wasted that much time.

Decided that I was late so I'd take the short route in to work. Found a new construction zone and as I'm going through it, my front tire blows out. 2nd flat. Good thing I patched that tube this morning. Pull over and swap the tube, get back on the bike and continue on my merry way just a little pissed off that they can't keep the road clear and free of debris.

As I'm starting up the last big climb to work, my freewheel gives out! WTF?!? It's only a month old and it's completely come apart. I flip the bike and get the lockring back on, but the freewheel body is still moving side to side. This time I give up and hoof it back a few blocks to the last bus stop before the climb up the mountain and just give up. I think all the ball bearings fell out of the freewheel when it came apart. Stupid cheap Sun Race parts.

Yesterday my ride home ended poorly. About 15 minutes from home my bike saddle snapped back. Took some time but I managed to secure it into a rideable position. I am hoping I don't need a new saddle. When I reached the bottom of the hill on my street I turned to sharp and my toe pushed my fender into the wheel and it folded up on itself. I had to walk my bike up the hill carrying the front wheel. I managed to bend the bars back straight and all is right with my fender again. Perhaps I shouldn't have bought the MTB shoes for commutting, they hit my front fender on turns and occasionally brush my panniers when they are full.

93 in Seattle???

Yesterday must of been the day for flats. At first I thought I only had one. Had the wife come and pick me up. After I patched the back tire realized the front tire was also flat. It was a sharp sheet metal screw. Almost 200 miles of commuting and two in one I guess that's not bad. Couldn't get the front to hold and I was tired so I'll work on it tonight. I take it as a sign I need to take a break.. chest pains seem to be getting worse.

I got caught in the rain on the way in for the first time. It was very brief and I could see where it was raining hard a half block in front of me but was still dry where I was. I ducked under cover so I wouldn't get soaked as I was only a half mile from the office.

On the way home, either the heat or the wind slowed me down. I just couldn't get myself going.

Cool ride in at 3:30 this morning. Started out and almost wondered if I should have been wearing a shell. In the winter mid-60's would have been warm, I guess I've started to adapt to these 90-100 degree days. Still like the cold better.

Yep, cooler here too. It was a good ride in and no issues.

Another week of 90+ days with high humidity ahead. I'm actually starting to get used to it though. My commuting times are slowing down because that's the best way (for me) to beat the heat.

After a week of making excused, I was up early this morning. I had packed my bags, prepared all my clothes, and laid them out the night before. Having set everything out the night before, I was able to prepare at a leisurely pace.

I checked weather.com before setting out. It was 68⁰ Fahrenheit at 5:30 a.m. with the wind coming from the North at about 5 mph.

"I'll have a tailwind, at least," I thought to myself as I put on my jacket.

Most of the cyclists I see are comfortable with a short-sleeved jersey. I get a little bit of a chill when the temperature is in the sixties, so I wear a jacket. I end up sweating a little more but it manages to keep me warm.

I set out at 6:00 a.m. and set a brisk pace for myself. I am beginning to regain some level of fitness. Although I do have a ways to go.

At the five mile mark, about half way through my commute, I thought that I was on pace to set a personal best for this season. I kicked my cadence up, just a notch, and finished in just over 43 minutes. After checking, I found that I was about a half minute slower than this season's PB.

Been watching the Tour all week. So couldn't resist riding the road bike this morning. Could almost hear the cheering as I led in team Astrada. ;^)

Ok, no flats or loose hubs for me today (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). I got my new wheels last week and, after having the rr. wheel trued by a local shop (the builder must have forgotten to tension the drive side spokes) for $20, I mounted the wheels and they were ready to go. I adjusted the brakes and did a quick clean, the bike looks sharp. I thought about going out for a shake down ride yesterday but didn't have the time. Luckily, everything was fine this morning although, I didn't really hammer on them. I like the ride of the Open Pro's, nice and taught without feeling rigid or harsh and, the bike, once again, has the classic lines of an old school road bike-the bright yellow Deep V's made it look like a hipster's idea of a Packer's-themed mascot mobile. Other than that, I felt surprisingly strong and zipped in on the wheel of some roadie who appeared to be out for a training ride. Again, the toughest or, most unpleasant, part of my (new) route is the fish market on Maine Ave-after a weekend of cooking trashed seafood in 90 degree heat, the smell can be unbearable-I try to hold my breath for a block or two as I pass. Looks like evening thunderstorms today and tomorrow.

My bike is now a 2-speeder.

I’d been having problems shifting into the top 2 or 3 gears plus some other issues. I took the bike in to the shop Friday. The guy was very nice, worked on it right away, but at the end he told me the shifter is broken, but it’s “mostly rideable”. I should have asked what that meant. I left the garage this morning and could barely get into a gear…and once I did I couldn’t get out of it. All I can do is use the front shifter.

Anyone got a good deal on an Ultegra Flight Deck brifter?

Not a good day overall. In addition to the mechanical issues the arthritis in my lower back was pretty bad this morning. At least there I have hope. I start PT this afternoon.

Forecast said rain, rain, and more rain, and gusty winds too. So I rode my all-weather bike. Ride in was dry, calm, 16C. I'd better get soaked on the way home or I'll be bummed that I didn't ride my road bike. That said, my beater is running better than ever (thanks 65er) so it's actually pretty nice to ride.

57F and sunny, glorious spring morning.

Nice ride home... in a MONSOON! Started raining cats and dogs as I left the office. Didn't stop the whole darned way. Ran into a couple others headed the opposite way, we all had silly grins on our faces

had an enjoyable ride home other than the obnoxious 15 year old yelling out the window just to scare me. i really wanted to drag him out of the car at the stop light just to beat manners into him....sheesh. oh and a nice headwind


in other news....i'm officially in the crowd of "crazies" that call themselves bike commuters. i got several "you are crazy", and a few other "Dang you saved that much in gas already" and even more still "i wish i could do that!" and even a couple "i bet thats great exercise! you probably feel great afterwards!"

i am having a slight pride issue right now

First day back in the office after 2 weeks off. Not happy about it, but at least I have a daily excuse to ride my bike.