Murphy's Laws of commuting
 

Law #1: Whichever direction you travel, the prevailing wind direction is a headwind.

Law #2: If the forecast calls for a chance of rain, that means there will be a steady, cold, driving rain any time you are on the bike. The sun will come out when you reach your destination.

Law #3: You won't notice the flat tire until you are already late leaving for work.

I've had a rough couple of days. :(

Add to the list that if the weather man says light snow accumulation on the grass it really means 4 inches of slush on the road.

No matter how you dress for the morning commute, it will be all wrong for the evening commute.

That one happened today as i was getting ready to head out to school. I almost took the car, but decided to fix it. I had to push pretty hard to make it to my first class on time.

#4: Whichever tool you forget at home is the one you'll need for a roadside repair that day.


Forgot my Leatherman at home on the 300k a few weeks ago, and of course that's when I need a pair of pliers to fix a rubbing fender at 40 miles in.

Am I the only one who thinks the wind always seems to hurt more than it helps?

Law #5

Just when your morning commute is perfect as planned, it's 4:30am with no open gas station in sight and you need to take a crap......really bad.

I think I can remember *one* time that I noticed a significant tailwind. That's it! I don't know how it could possibly be true, but I always seem to be fighting the wind regardless of the direction I'm headed.

It's so true about the wind and "chance of rain" :D For me, it often starts raining at 5:00 and stops when I get home :(

Law #2: If the forecast calls for a chance of rain, that means there will be a steady, cold, driving rain any time you are on the bike. The sun will come out when you reach your destination.

I only find this true of canoes.

With a bike, it'll just rain constantly from the moment I wake up (and need to go somewhere) without a break.

I'll modify this one just a bit.:

When you are running late, about the time you are walking out the door the overwhelming need to take the crap that you couldn't take ten minutes ago, hits you. :eek: :notamused:

#1 has been 100% true for me since spring. Been on several rides with friends where we'll be riding x many miles down a path with the intention to turn around and come back. We start off with the wind in our faces and tell each other well at least we'll have a tail wind on the way back.. By the time we turn around the wind has too.

Winter winds around here are generally from the North, and light in the morning (so no factory), only picking up in the pm, by which time they tend to blow me home.

Weather forecasters here are so gunshy about weather, I think they always overestimate to worst case and beyond. I guess my Murphy's input would be

#6: If you cancel your commute due to a scary forecast, it will end up being the most beautiful day of the year.

+1.

True that

Law #7, something will come up that requires you to drive on the most beautiful day of the year.

re: "I've had a rough couple of days."

but you're doing it! :-)

When I had my old bike, I wondered how a particular trail I liked could possibly be uphill in both directions. I assumed it was designed by MC Escher.

I think the thing with wind is that you'd have to a have a tailwind that is faster than your speed to have any appreciable effect. If you ride 15 mph, you need a 15 mph tailwind just to "break even".

1. a tailwind is ALWAYS better than the alternatives.

2. A 15mph tailwind is a god send during an 8mph climb. ;)

Forecast was thunderstorms from noon on today, so I didn't ride. This nice sunny weather is so depressing :( ... I could be headed out of work in 10min on a nice ride, but noooooooo.

Yesterday was a mix of wind. Strong wind from left front for the south direction, which was a strong left rear for the westerly sections. alternated between hiding in the drops mashing into the wind, and cruising at 20mph with ZERO effort, no handed, sitting upright. Beautiful.

BTW, wind effects are multiplied when riding fixed gear, IMO. Some days, that wind is a killer... especially have a full week of commuting.

EDIT: One good thing.... my longest stretch is on a road with 50+mph traffic.... so pretty much always a "tail wind" both directions.

Law #8: It will rain on you the day after you finally clean your drivetrain!

Maybe it's just me, but "perfect" and "4:30 AM" really go in the same sentence.

Richard

Maybe it's just me, but "perfect" and "4:30 AM" really go in the same sentence. :innocent:

Richard

I hear ya, there been time when I did look forward to my commute the next day when work informed me they want me there at least an hour earlier. Me out the door at 3:00am? Nope not my flavor. I guess this makes another Murphy's Law:

Just when you are looking foward to your commute, your work ruins it for you.

#9 - It'll snow the day after you take off your studs.

Seriously, I just got my new summer slicks yesterday and mounted 'em right after class. There was a bit of snow coming down last night but none of it was sticking, figured it'd be slop by this morning. Woke up this morning to solid black ice under half an inch of snow. It's been 40*-45*F every morning for the past two weeks, and I've been rolling studs on wet pavement the entire time waiting for my new tires.

I hate riding the bus. :notamused:

Modified #3: that "slightly low" tire that you pump up a little before leaving late for work will last just long enough
that you're stuck in some crappy unlit area to swap in a new tube.

Had a few "murphy" commutes -- the ones that stand out, though, both involve rain (which I still love riding through); one was the morning commute that involved a pop-up shower, no rain gear -- Fat Boy doing the weather forecast said sunny and breezy all day, 15 minutes before I left the house. My shoes squished for four hours.

The other was going home -- on brand-new tires, picked up a bit of industrial wire about an inch long; at least the rain stopped by the time I unpacked the spare tube.... Hung the bike from a tree limb and did the fix.

#10 (aka Jim's Law of the Road): No matter how lightly traveled and well paved a road is, a car will likely pass you on the left as you encounter an obstacle on the right.

You will click the cable lock closed approximately 5 seconds before you realize you forgot your keys today.

(Clearly, Murphy can be thwarted by storing your cable in a 'locked' fashion, but who ever forgets their KEYS?)