How was the commute today? Continued.
#1551
Nice ride this morning, despite being a bit pushed for time. Was passed by a friend in his Mini Cooper, but caught up with him a mile or so later at the traffic lights for a chat.
__________________
Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live.
Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live.
#1552
veggie commuter
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis
Bikes: 2008 Bianchi Axis, 2000ish Gary Fisher Marlin
Got hit on my way home yesterday! Luckily I'm fine, but seatstay and rear rack are bent, plus other parts are messed up some. It was such a lovely day up to that point.
I drove today.
I drove today.
#1555
veggie commuter
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis
Bikes: 2008 Bianchi Axis, 2000ish Gary Fisher Marlin
I don't know. Cop who took the report said it'd be several days until it was ready and he didn't know the statute for the situation (I was coming off an MUP where a road intersection also occurs). The driver had insurance and didn't leave, probably thanks to the witness who called 911 and kept him accountable/there. I'm not sure if I should just call the driver's insurance company or what. I did not get a ticket and I don't think the driver did, but I don't know.
There's a thread about the crash in A&S https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/578406-hit-car-mup-road-intersection-right-way.html
There's a thread about the crash in A&S https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/578406-hit-car-mup-road-intersection-right-way.html
#1556
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: NYC
Bikes: mid '90s Fisher HooKooEKoo
I finally cracked 30mph for the first time since I've been riding again. There's one long stretch on my route where I can try to open it up, and I wasn't met by the normal headwind. It's not terribly exciting, but the loaded bike weighs over 36 lbs and it's a slightly uphill run, so I'm feeling kind of good.
#1558
Older than dirt
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,342
Likes: 2
From: Winchester, VA
Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11
OMG, what a death ride on the way home. For some reason *zero* legs. Makes it tough when the ride is 25 miles. Musta been that Rays Hellburger with jalapenos and the fries for lunch. At least Obama wasn't there clogging the line up
#1559
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mrs. Caloso and the Wonder Twins were heading up the hill to Nana and Papa's place in Tahoe City today so I skipped my morning training ride to help load the bikes (of course) into/onto the van. But I did bring my road bike and jersey/bibs for a long ride home tonight since I'll be batching it.
(I imagine most guys would be hitting the bars or driving range -- I'm just looking forward to a long ride out in the country. It's a sickness, I tell you.)
(I imagine most guys would be hitting the bars or driving range -- I'm just looking forward to a long ride out in the country. It's a sickness, I tell you.)
#1560
Fairweather Bike Commuter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 233
Likes: 0
From: East Falmouth, MA
Bikes: 2008 Jamis Satellite
I drove in today, but I did stop at Corner Cycle to buy a bottle of Boeshield T9 lube, and also I bought a bottle of Simple Green at work- my chain's getting black.
Last edited by Matt1972; 08-26-09 at 07:44 PM.
#1561
Mrs. DataJunkie
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver, BC
Bikes: Asama "Luddite" and Kuwahara MTB from the 90s
Commute was quite fine. No cager incidents.
#1562
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: Columbia, Maryland
Bikes: Trek 820 mtb, A no name red steel pipe bike, my commuter
It was a good ride in at 68 F ( 20 C). I need to find an alternate way home. I was making great time, beating one record after another, but then the local college opened up and there are two major
traffic jams in the afternoon. It's a catch 22 situation, if I ride across the grass to pick up the main
road that takes care of one jam, but it doesn't buy me any time. Something to figure out on the
weekend.
traffic jams in the afternoon. It's a catch 22 situation, if I ride across the grass to pick up the main
road that takes care of one jam, but it doesn't buy me any time. Something to figure out on the
weekend.
#1563
Ernest
#1564
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
It's been an uneventful week of typical August weather -- hot and sunny - and I've bike commuted every day. Fortunately the humidity has been a little lower and we haven't had the daily afternoon thunderstorms this week. That was getting old, particularly after getting caught in a storm last Friday. My legs are getting tired from riding 150+ miles over the past five days, so I'm actually looking forward to driving tomorrow (doctor's appointment).
#1565
Señior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 13,748
Likes: 10
From: Michigan
Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)
Ah, the joys of commuting on gravel roads. I don't bother cleaning my chains much anymore, because they just get dirty again within minutes.
OT, nice ride today. Schools in michigan can't start until after Labor Day by law, but I'm shifting my schedule this week, getting up at 5AM. I **LOVE** riding in the dark, especially now that I have a fantastic new headlight. Plus, very little traffic and NO school traffic (at 5:30, even after Labor Day).
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
#1566
Guest
Posts: n/a
Amazing ride this morning.
Chatted with another commuter going my way, also riding fixed, this never happens.
Felt something hit the side of my head while riding followed by a squirmy feeling. Turns out, I had run into a bee and it was hanging out inside the vent in my helmet. I stopped and shook the little stowaway out and continued on my way.
It's events like these that make bike commuting so exciting.
Chatted with another commuter going my way, also riding fixed, this never happens.
Felt something hit the side of my head while riding followed by a squirmy feeling. Turns out, I had run into a bee and it was hanging out inside the vent in my helmet. I stopped and shook the little stowaway out and continued on my way.
It's events like these that make bike commuting so exciting.
#1567
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
My chain is silver when I clean it. Doesn't take long to blacken though. I want a Trek Soho commuter, I think. No chain! I'm waiting for long-term reports from people here. 
Anyway, I got a taste of fall this morning. Airport temperature was in the high 40s. My house (near Lake Champlain) had 54. I saw 50 on my bike computer during my ride. Very nice to arrive not feeling like I was going to melt. Also sunny, and no wind. Passed a couple of cyclists. Saw a kitty. Said hi to some MUP regulars. All in all, an ideal ride.
Wish I hadn't stayed up until 11 drinking Southern Tier Unearthly and Harpoon's Leviathan IPA though.

Anyway, I got a taste of fall this morning. Airport temperature was in the high 40s. My house (near Lake Champlain) had 54. I saw 50 on my bike computer during my ride. Very nice to arrive not feeling like I was going to melt. Also sunny, and no wind. Passed a couple of cyclists. Saw a kitty. Said hi to some MUP regulars. All in all, an ideal ride.
Wish I hadn't stayed up until 11 drinking Southern Tier Unearthly and Harpoon's Leviathan IPA though.

#1568
my nose itches
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
From: Temple, Texas
Bikes: 1986 Specialized Stumpjumper, 2013 Redline Conquest Disc
Finally feel good enough to take the long route again...no 60 mph highway anymore...I am soooooo happy! I never realize how much I hate riding that road until I quit.
#1569
Thread Starter
Super Moderator
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,805
Likes: 868
From: Greenwood Indiana
Bikes: Surly Crosscheck
Very nice ride. suppose to cool off a lot next week.
__________________
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
#1570
Member from- uh... France
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: St Petersburg, FL
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix, Bianchi Volpe
I was five minutes late getting out the door this morning, when I got irritated with the rear brake rubbing, which is a problem I’ve been fretting about for weeks now. I really need to do something about it. I spent another 5 minutes looking at it to see if there was any quick way to adjust it and fix it, but I’ll be damned if I know what to do. They are cantilever brakes. I’ve never seen cantilever brakes of this style so I have no idea how they adjust (only had the bike for two months now). I guess I’m going to have to clean the bike and take it to the bike shop. So I gave up on it, deciding it wasn’t rubbing THAT badly, and took off ten minutes late.
As I approached the stop sign at the end of my residential street, an SUV pulled up behind me just as I was breaking to stop at the stop sign. I needed to turn left on the two lane cross road, and there was a steady stream of cars coming from the right, as the school busing budget cuts are forcing all the parents to drive their kids to distant bus stops. The SUV revealed him/her self to be a complete a-hole, as they had to pass me just 30 feet from the stop sign and then slam on their breaks to stop in front of me. Just as they stop and are impatiently waiting for the steady stream of cars from the right to clear, a fire engine comes screaming down the road from our left, lights flashing blindingly in the darkness. This causes the steady stream approaching from the right to come to a halt to let the fire engine pass. This also makes our impatient SUV driver even more impatient. “OMG I had to pass a F-ing BICYCLE, and now I’ve had to sit at this stop sign for over 20 SECONDS!!!” The fire engine passes, and the freight train of cars from the right begins passing by again, but now they are bumper to bumper. Now the SUV driver is REALLY frustrated. “OMG, NOW I have to wait ANOTHER SIXTY SECONDS!!! What is my world coming too?? I’m going to grow old and die waiting at this stop sign!!!!”
The fire must have been a bad one, because just as the traffic coming from the right started flowing again, along comes a second fire truck from our left, lights flashing and sirens screaming. Now the SUV driver goes into a complete panic, “OMG, ANOTHER FIRE TRUCK, HOLY SH-T! I’m GOING TO BE SITTING AT THIS F-ING STOP SIGN FOR TWO MINUTES BY THE TIME THIS ALL OVER!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” How do I know that was going through this idiot’s mind? Because, as that second fire truck was screaming down the road towards us from the left, and the traffic from the right was now slowing for it, the SUV driver decides he can’t possibly wait ANOTHER 30 seconds, so he goes for it, just as the car approaching from our left comes to a complete stop for the emergency vehicle like every good driver should. This blocks the SUV completely, and now the idiot is parked across the fire trucks lane, completely blocking the road. I shake my head and back my bike up, to give the fire truck some room to swerve into the side street I'm on and get around the blooming idiot in the SUV. Now the fire truck has come to a complete stop and is laying on it’s huge truck horn. The SUV driver is laying on HIS horn too, but it’s completely drowned out by the huge fire truck blasts. The good driver who came to stop is blinded by the flashing lights (it's 6:40 AM and still dark), and has no idea why this fire truck has stopped. It takes about ten seconds of loud horn blasting from all directions before the poor guy looks around to clear up this mysterious behavior from the fire truck, and sees there is an idiot in an SUV parked on his rear bumper and lying across the fire truck’s path. The good driver finally rolls forward tentatively, obviously upset that he’s being force to drive his car right past an emergency vehicle. The SUV finally pulls out of his way, and the fire truck guns his engine and proceeds onward.
Well, the fire must have been a bad one, because as I’m still waiting at the stop sign for the cars now all backed up approaching from the right, a THIRD fire truck comes screaming and flashing down from the left (this time a ladder truck, not a good sign).
By this time, a car has pulled up behind me at the stop sign and reminds me that not all cagers are idiots. This guy patiently waits behind me, without trying to swerve to the left enough to get beside me or anything. We let the third fire truck go by, then we patiently wait another 30 to 40 seconds for the traffic approaching from the right to clear enough that I’m comfortable pulling out. Once I pull out, that car behind me pulls up to the stop sign and STOPS, and WAITS to make sure he’s got a clear shot, then he pulls out. Then the cars that pass me pull to the left and give me my 3 feet of space as required by law, and remind me that not every cager is a complete idiot.
The person driving that SUV probably has high blood pressure and walks around stressed out all the time, wondering why the world is such a frustrating place, all the while speeding towards a heart attack or a stroke which, when it comes, will leave them debilitated and wondering why all this bad sh-t happens to them.
As I approached the stop sign at the end of my residential street, an SUV pulled up behind me just as I was breaking to stop at the stop sign. I needed to turn left on the two lane cross road, and there was a steady stream of cars coming from the right, as the school busing budget cuts are forcing all the parents to drive their kids to distant bus stops. The SUV revealed him/her self to be a complete a-hole, as they had to pass me just 30 feet from the stop sign and then slam on their breaks to stop in front of me. Just as they stop and are impatiently waiting for the steady stream of cars from the right to clear, a fire engine comes screaming down the road from our left, lights flashing blindingly in the darkness. This causes the steady stream approaching from the right to come to a halt to let the fire engine pass. This also makes our impatient SUV driver even more impatient. “OMG I had to pass a F-ing BICYCLE, and now I’ve had to sit at this stop sign for over 20 SECONDS!!!” The fire engine passes, and the freight train of cars from the right begins passing by again, but now they are bumper to bumper. Now the SUV driver is REALLY frustrated. “OMG, NOW I have to wait ANOTHER SIXTY SECONDS!!! What is my world coming too?? I’m going to grow old and die waiting at this stop sign!!!!”
The fire must have been a bad one, because just as the traffic coming from the right started flowing again, along comes a second fire truck from our left, lights flashing and sirens screaming. Now the SUV driver goes into a complete panic, “OMG, ANOTHER FIRE TRUCK, HOLY SH-T! I’m GOING TO BE SITTING AT THIS F-ING STOP SIGN FOR TWO MINUTES BY THE TIME THIS ALL OVER!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” How do I know that was going through this idiot’s mind? Because, as that second fire truck was screaming down the road towards us from the left, and the traffic from the right was now slowing for it, the SUV driver decides he can’t possibly wait ANOTHER 30 seconds, so he goes for it, just as the car approaching from our left comes to a complete stop for the emergency vehicle like every good driver should. This blocks the SUV completely, and now the idiot is parked across the fire trucks lane, completely blocking the road. I shake my head and back my bike up, to give the fire truck some room to swerve into the side street I'm on and get around the blooming idiot in the SUV. Now the fire truck has come to a complete stop and is laying on it’s huge truck horn. The SUV driver is laying on HIS horn too, but it’s completely drowned out by the huge fire truck blasts. The good driver who came to stop is blinded by the flashing lights (it's 6:40 AM and still dark), and has no idea why this fire truck has stopped. It takes about ten seconds of loud horn blasting from all directions before the poor guy looks around to clear up this mysterious behavior from the fire truck, and sees there is an idiot in an SUV parked on his rear bumper and lying across the fire truck’s path. The good driver finally rolls forward tentatively, obviously upset that he’s being force to drive his car right past an emergency vehicle. The SUV finally pulls out of his way, and the fire truck guns his engine and proceeds onward.
Well, the fire must have been a bad one, because as I’m still waiting at the stop sign for the cars now all backed up approaching from the right, a THIRD fire truck comes screaming and flashing down from the left (this time a ladder truck, not a good sign).
By this time, a car has pulled up behind me at the stop sign and reminds me that not all cagers are idiots. This guy patiently waits behind me, without trying to swerve to the left enough to get beside me or anything. We let the third fire truck go by, then we patiently wait another 30 to 40 seconds for the traffic approaching from the right to clear enough that I’m comfortable pulling out. Once I pull out, that car behind me pulls up to the stop sign and STOPS, and WAITS to make sure he’s got a clear shot, then he pulls out. Then the cars that pass me pull to the left and give me my 3 feet of space as required by law, and remind me that not every cager is a complete idiot.
The person driving that SUV probably has high blood pressure and walks around stressed out all the time, wondering why the world is such a frustrating place, all the while speeding towards a heart attack or a stroke which, when it comes, will leave them debilitated and wondering why all this bad sh-t happens to them.
#1571
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,053
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
@Diesel Amy: Glad you're OK. Hope everything gets taken care of!!!
As for my commutes - you know that feeling of exhileration you get when you finally get to ride your bike again after a couple weeks of forced non-riding (attending a funeral out of state + some mechanicals, too)? Well, I'm getting it the last couple days. Great to be back riding. Amazing how just a couple weeks away can make such a big difference; I'm slower and a little more tired after my commute than before, but I know that will pass. For now, I'm glad just to be riding again and am looking forward to the cooler weather in the next few days!!! :-)
As for my commutes - you know that feeling of exhileration you get when you finally get to ride your bike again after a couple weeks of forced non-riding (attending a funeral out of state + some mechanicals, too)? Well, I'm getting it the last couple days. Great to be back riding. Amazing how just a couple weeks away can make such a big difference; I'm slower and a little more tired after my commute than before, but I know that will pass. For now, I'm glad just to be riding again and am looking forward to the cooler weather in the next few days!!! :-)
#1572
I don't know.

Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,370
Likes: 1,233
From: South Meriden, CT
Bikes: '90 B'stone RB-1, '92 B'stone RB-2, '89 SuperGo Access Comp, '03 Access 69er, '23 Trek 520, '14 Ritchey Road Logic, '09 Kestrel Evoke, '08 Windsor Tourist, '17 Surly Wednesday, '89 Centurion Accordo, '15 CruX, '17 Ridley X-Night, '89 Marinoni
finally cooler and less humid today in central CT and more betterer for riding in jeans to work. Nice day, nice ride.
#1573
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
From: Beautiful Boise, Idaho
Bikes: 2000 GT Outpost Trail
pharasz - wow, good story! Not that a fire is good, but you know what I mean.
It was fairly cool and pleasant this morning fir the first time in a while. By cool I mean low 70's and humidity under 70% (I think). I've been off the bike for the last three days, so I spent most of the time in lower gears than normal. Oh well, I'm sure tomorrow will be easier on me.
It was fairly cool and pleasant this morning fir the first time in a while. By cool I mean low 70's and humidity under 70% (I think). I've been off the bike for the last three days, so I spent most of the time in lower gears than normal. Oh well, I'm sure tomorrow will be easier on me.
#1574
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX






