Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

How was the commute today? Continued.

Search
Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

How was the commute today? Continued.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 09-23-09 | 05:03 PM
  #1951  
Minerva's Avatar
Lone Ranger
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 68
Likes: 2
From: Middlesex County, NJ

Bikes: Trek 7200FX(unfortunately)

Originally Posted by asphalt junkie
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a website where you could get real biking information on routes like that before actually riding them?
I do.. I might be tempted to create one if I thought there were more cycle commuters in my area that would benefit. The roadies all go out in packs wherever they want and have the safety in numbers angle, but when you are the lone ranger, having a safe route is crucial.

Edit: I was really strong on the commute home today, because my bf pissed me off right before I left work. I ended up muttering replies under my breath most of the way home until I realized that I was getting strange looks by pedestrians. I freaking pounded up this huge hill though...

Last edited by Minerva; 09-23-09 at 05:14 PM.
Minerva is offline  
Old 09-23-09 | 08:46 PM
  #1952  
Researcher's Avatar
Northern CA
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Packed everything last night so I could ride the 8mi into my office.
Also I rigged up way to listen to tunes on the isolated segments of the ride. Attached a mini speaker I bought at Best Buy over the weekend. Hooked it up to my blackberry which goes in my handlebar bag.

Was all excited about the ride in. So much so, that I didn't get much sleep last night!
I was dead tired when I woke, so I decided to just ride into the local library (3 mi) and use their wi-fi to work remotely. Good compromise.

I discovered the music helps the boring parts of my commute go by much faster!
Plus I can hear everything around me just fine.

I've decided to upgrade to these speakers and probably use a dedicated mp3 player instead of the blackberry.
-- It gets awfully hard trying to change tracks while pedaling

Also, I recently upgraded my Jandd lite duty rack to their Expedition, and am loving the extra heel clearance and carrying capacity.

Good times... am gonna ride into the office tomorrow.
Researcher is offline  
Old 09-23-09 | 09:01 PM
  #1953  
julianpowell's Avatar
ding ding
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: new jersey via richmond, va

Bikes: jamis citizen 2, huffy cruiser

i don't know what was wrong with me this morning, i kept feeling like i'd forgotten something, then halfway to work realized i forgot my helmet! i had been riding really aggresively too...i settled down after that! other than that, quite nice...
julianpowell is offline  
Old 09-23-09 | 09:08 PM
  #1954  
LAJ's Avatar
LAJ
So it is
15 Anniversary
Community Builder
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 22,878
Likes: 6,382
From: Westminster, CO

Bikes: Luzerne, 684, Boreas, Wheelhouse, Alize©®, Bayamo, Cayo

All my fair weather friends must have driven or taken the bus. Only saw 4 bike commuters yesterday and today. Was a little cold, and a little wet, and it was a lot OK.
LAJ is offline  
Old 09-23-09 | 09:36 PM
  #1955  
Junior Member
 
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
had a real hard time getting home tonight!! Almost called for a ride on mile 12 of 18.
Im coming down with some kind of bug!! do i ride in tomorrow and be stronger than some wimpy ol virus. Or, do I bow down to the powers that be? either way i gottta go to work, im not really into missing work unless im really down for the count. what do you all do when your coming down with a bug? oh yeah and to top it all off... my klean Kanteen fell out of the cage 3 times and rolled down the street.. it still holds water but boy is it scratched up!!! and finally I bent my right crank brothers candy pedal. I guess it was not my day today. all in all my worst commute day is by far better and more interesting than any cage day!!
coffeespecial is offline  
Old 09-23-09 | 11:25 PM
  #1956  
bhop's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,894
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles

Bikes: Bianchi Via Nirone 7, Jamis Sputnik

Morning was fine.. nothing to report.. afternoon, well, it was mostly ok. The Santa Ana winds are bringing the smoke smell back to L.A. from the fires out East.. so that part sucks. There was one point in my ride today where a driver felt like he didn't want a bicycle in front of him, so I yielded to his engine revs and dangerous driving and let him go around, so he beat me to the red light.. then I passed him in the bike lane that started at said red light. Don't worry, I made sure to give him a dirty slash smug look as I passed while he was stuck in traffic.
bhop is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 12:03 AM
  #1957  
wheel's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,147
Likes: 0
From: Crystal MN
I did a 50, 14, and a 3

I am tired I saw this on my 50
story and news pics
https://www.abc15.com/content/news/ph...daZbPR2XQ.cspx



Last edited by wheel; 09-24-09 at 12:06 AM.
wheel is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 04:23 AM
  #1958  
fletchh's Avatar
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 very nice ride in at 68 F ( 20 C). My favorite riding temps. It rained a little last night, but
not much. The road was wet, but not enough to cause problems. These temps are becoming rarer, but
I always that hope it won't be the last until next July.
fletchh is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 05:58 AM
  #1959  
tarwheel's Avatar
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

My commute schedule has been wacky the past few weeks. Last week I was out of town on vacation, so didn't get to ride at all. This week the storms that have been flooding Georgia moved up to NC. Fortunately, we just got some much-needed rain as we've been having a drought but no serious flooding except the far western part of the state. I rode on Monday but judiciously decided to drive on Tuesday because it was raining pretty hard when I got up, and we ended up getting about 3" inches. The forecasters were predicting more of the same on Wednesday, so I drove but it turned out to be a mostly dry day. I bike commuted today and it was warm and humid, with temperatures about 15-20 degrees higher than normal for the date. This afternoon, the high is supposed to reach around 90 F. I'm ready for fall weather.
tarwheel is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 06:02 AM
  #1960  
CCrew's Avatar
Older than dirt
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,342
Likes: 2
From: Winchester, VA

Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11

89% humidity made it a bit on the steamy side, but since I started out early today, saw only about two others out. Nice ride in. Looks like this afternoon it's back to summer, then cool tomorrow.

-R
CCrew is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 06:19 AM
  #1961  
vtjim's Avatar
Belt drive!
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont

Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX

Originally Posted by julianpowell
i don't know what was wrong with me this morning, i kept feeling like i'd forgotten something, then halfway to work realized i forgot my helmet! i had been riding really aggresively too...i settled down after that! other than that, quite nice...
I've done that. Something just doesn't feel right.

Nice ride this morning. Saw some cyclists going the other way but nobody headed my way. I got poured on during my ride home yesterday. I had full rain gear though. Bit warm for that.
vtjim is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 06:58 AM
  #1962  
mickey85's Avatar
perpetually frazzled
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,469
Likes: 9
From: Linton, IN

Bikes: 1977 Bridgestone Kabuki Super Speed; 1979 Raleigh Professional; 1983 Raleigh Rapide mixte; 1974 Peugeot UO-8; 1993 Univega Activa Trail; 1972 Raleigh Sports; 1967 Phillips; 1981 Schwinn World Tourist; 1976 Schwinn LeTour mixte; 1964 Western Flyer

First day riding in a while, and it was raining. I figure if I'm going to start, I might as well start hard. Chain was grating by the tim I made it here, and my sambas were covered with mud flecks, but in all, I'm impressed now that I swapped down from 38c to 28c. They even handle dirt roads OK.
mickey85 is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 07:11 AM
  #1963  
Doohickie's Avatar
You gonna eat that?
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,917
Likes: 543
From: Fort Worth, Texas Church of Hopeful Uncertainty

Bikes: 1966 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, 1973 Schwinn Varsity, 1983 Raleigh Marathon, 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS

Ouch, wheel.... that's terrible.

A very pleasant ride. Cool morning, about 60. I rode the Raleigh DL-1 for a change of pace. Maybe it's the change of weather, but I've been putting some decent miles on The Old Gentleman lately.
__________________
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."
Doohickie is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 07:41 AM
  #1964  
coffeecake's Avatar
Blocking your fire exits
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 641
Likes: 0
The sad part is after looking at wheel's pic, the first thing I noticed was the bus ads. Advertising? On school buses? WTH?! Then I remembered how jaded I'm supposed to be and it was ok. Phew.
coffeecake is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 07:41 AM
  #1965  
genel's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 328
Likes: 0
From: Antioch, IL

Bikes: Giant Defy Advanced 0, Rivendell- Sam Hillborne, Montague folding bike.

FOG Vis less then 1/4 mile. Not to mention glasses fogging every few seconds.

Probably last time for road bike on the commute. Time to go back to my commuter with the DIY lights.

Past 4000 miles yesterday
__________________
"Why is there a hill after every meal, but not a meal after every hill?"
--Overheard on Grabaawr
genel is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 07:53 AM
  #1966  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
From: Westlake Village, CA
First post in this thread. Been commuting daily for a few months.

41F (5C) on the way in. Nice sunrise views when I got to work. All in all a good ride.

Paul
paul2432 is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 08:26 AM
  #1967  
canyoneagle's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,599
Likes: 158
From: Santa Fe, NM

Bikes: Vassago Moosknuckle Ti 29+ XTR, 90's Merckx Corsa-01 9sp Record, PROJECT: 1954 Frejus SuperCorsa

Wheel - that news story is a scary reminder that one crazy driver can really mess things up. I must admit, I chuckled at the part that said ".....speed was a factor in the accident..." Hmmm....... the car was going 90mph...... YA THINK???? ... more like "speed was THE PRIMARY factor".

Nothing to report on yesterday's ride home nor the ride in this morning, other than it is great cycling weather!
canyoneagle is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 08:35 AM
  #1968  
MikeM21's Avatar
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 523
Likes: 679
From: No. Va.

Bikes: '96 C40, '04 C50, '04 Merlin Magia, '97 Stumpjumper, '04 Specilaized Roubaix

First bike commute in a couple of weeks. Perfect temperature, but very humid. About a minute in I see my wife, who's out walking the dog, pushing a bike up the sidewalk. She actually rescued a bike out of the trash!!! . No wonder I married her twenty years ago.. It's just a cheap Next MTB, but as she said it'll be a nice extra bike with a couple hours work in the garage. It now becomes my fifth unfinished project bike.

A little further on I ran a stop sign and kept two girls from crossing the street to their bus stop. One of them scorned me with "Thanks, bicycle man!". She's right. I should have stopped! Am I becoming Joey bike?!?

MM
__________________
There are no tailwinds. There are headwinds and days when I'm awesome!
MikeM21 is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 09:08 AM
  #1969  
Itsjustb's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 991
Likes: 0
From: Durham, NC

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse 5c, Scattante XRL

Originally Posted by MikeM21
...About a minute in I see my wife, who's out walking the dog, pushing a bike up the sidewalk. She actually rescued a bike out of the trash!!! . No wonder I married her twenty years ago..
Ha! My wife just made me get rid of my 3rd bike! (I donated it to a local college student whose bike had been stolen).
Itsjustb is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 09:22 AM
  #1970  
coffeecake's Avatar
Blocking your fire exits
 
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 641
Likes: 0
Solo ride today, BF is sick. Headwind, but with new drop bars I can tuck down. Barely noticed something that would have made me at least 5 min late with the upright hybrid!
coffeecake is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 09:32 AM
  #1971  
GATC
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,839
Likes: 183
From: south Puget Sound
Caught a coworker a mile from the office, zipped up the hill together, pretty fun.

I cannot get my freaking front canti brake working well. It works, it's just not easy.
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 09:36 AM
  #1972  
TwoHeadsBrewing's Avatar
Wildflower Century
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
From: Chico, CA

Bikes: Trek Soho, Fisher Aquila

VERY nice temp this morning. 68F, not a breath of wind and just a fine commute. I even ran into a friend I play basketball with, as he was on his bike also riding to work. Had a nice chat before he turned off, and I might have another taker for a weekly social ride I'm working on.
TwoHeadsBrewing is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 09:49 AM
  #1973  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
Not bad.

The Tank is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 12:01 PM
  #1974  
rando's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,968
Likes: 0
From: Tempe, AZ
Beautiful! this is our reward for 3 months of oven-like heat. lots of riders out.
__________________
"Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world". ~Grant Petersen

Cyclists fare best when they recognize that there are times when acting vehicularly is not the best practice, and are flexible enough to do what is necessary as the situation warrants.--Me
rando is offline  
Old 09-24-09 | 12:23 PM
  #1975  
caloso's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

A wonderful morning. It's finally quieted down at work so I was able to ride with the kids to kindergarten this morning. My son on his little bmx and I towed my daughter on the trail-a-bike. We gave ourselves plenty of time (almost 30 minutes to cover 2 miles) so we coud get locked up and put up the kids' backpacks.

The only pratical route from our house involves an overpass and the entrance to the city college, where traffic was heavy, but drivers were polite. It seems like their much more accomodating when you have a cute 5-year old girl in a pink helmet on the back of the bike.
caloso is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.