How was the commute today? 2011 Edition.
#1976
On a Mission from God
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Thibodaux, LA
Posts: 2,010
Bikes: '10 Surly LHT, Rat-rod Klunker, '82 Peugeot PH12 Centennial
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
3 Posts
Set a new personal best going home today... massive tailwind, and I was flying! Had a great ride.
#1977
sɹɐʇsɟoןןnɟsʇıbɟɯo
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: seattle, too many links
Posts: 3,986
Bikes: fixed gear recumbent trike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
LOVE the tailwind!
i call it a "tail win"
i call it a "tail win"
#1978
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Tahoe
Posts: 142
Bikes: Motobecane Single Speed, Trek Mountain Track Xtracycle
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
ok I am so over the snow, supposed to get a foot overnight. On the beach crusier because its the only one with heavy tires now. Rode quite a way to watch Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California, all set then they canceled due to snow. Well hello we were all out there riding in to watch them. Crazy and a big bummer as I missed seeing all the riders even though they were in town all week, well maybe next year.
#1979
This bike is cat approved
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 1,531
Bikes: To many to list...
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Nice temp today and had a nice ride both ways. This afternoon a few blocks from home I had my first real experience with a car door open unexpectedly. I have been trying to remind myself not to ride so close to cars and I was glad I had been making that effort because I just had to swerve a bit (more than I needed because I was startled) to keep it from being a close call. Thanks BF for educating me.
#1980
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
Heavy rain most of the way, but a nice temp at 64 F (18 C). About the last couple miles the rain lightened up, and I was going up one of my last hills; my chain dropped going to the lowest front gear. In the dark always poses a challenge when doing something to the bike. I believe one of the few things that I have not had to do is to change a tire in the dark.
#1982
On a Mission from God
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Thibodaux, LA
Posts: 2,010
Bikes: '10 Surly LHT, Rat-rod Klunker, '82 Peugeot PH12 Centennial
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
3 Posts
Temp was 48 degrees?!?? In south La, in May?? O_o
I'm not complaining!
I'm not complaining!
#1983
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: South Hill, Va
Posts: 398
Bikes: Fuji Absolute 3.0
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Slight rain from the downpour earlier this morning. No biggie though. Gotta invest in a rain pouch thingie
#1984
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Simcoe County, Ontario
Posts: 189
Bikes: Steve Bauer Sirocco "Steve", Kawasaki Sumo 4.0 Fatbike "Black Betty", Retrospec Amok-16 "Rocinante/Veronica"
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Really light misty rain in places, relatively quiet roads. Bit chilly (7C / 45F) but a good ride!
#1985
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
Overcast & 44F / 7C. No rain, but everything was damp. No beaver sightings today, but I did see a muskrat.
Yesterday on the ride home I thought some bizarre dog was on the MUP, running toward me, but as I got closer it turned out to be some guy on an arm-powered recumbent who was lying almost horizontally, head-last but angled up just enough that he could see forward. Odd, but interesting.
Yesterday on the ride home I thought some bizarre dog was on the MUP, running toward me, but as I got closer it turned out to be some guy on an arm-powered recumbent who was lying almost horizontally, head-last but angled up just enough that he could see forward. Odd, but interesting.
#1986
Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Ottawa, ON
Posts: 45
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Cloudy day with light breeze that turn into a head wind just enough to slow me down a little. Despite all that, it was an great ride to work!
#1987
Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: CA Central Coast
Posts: 35
Bikes: 2012 Public T7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Wonderful commute today, except for hitting every light this morning! I really need to find a route with less stoplights, they slow me down too much. Beautiful and cool ride in this morning, temp was about 40* but I was fine in a technical tee and jeans.
This was also my first ride with my mirror. Holy crap, go buy one now if you don't have one, after about 1.5 miles I was thinking how in the world did I ride without one before! I hit up my LBS last night (woot for them being open late on Mondays) and grabbed a Mirrcycle Mountain. My only complaint is the mirror is convex, which makes it a bit hard to distinguish distance, but I am sure I will adjust soon.
This was also my first ride with my mirror. Holy crap, go buy one now if you don't have one, after about 1.5 miles I was thinking how in the world did I ride without one before! I hit up my LBS last night (woot for them being open late on Mondays) and grabbed a Mirrcycle Mountain. My only complaint is the mirror is convex, which makes it a bit hard to distinguish distance, but I am sure I will adjust soon.
#1988
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Burnaby BC, Canada
Posts: 214
Bikes: Velosport Appalache 15
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Rode the penultimate ride to my office on the top of the mountain today. I'm going to miss it, and I'll have to route my new commute over the mountain a couple of times for the exercise. Nice day, but the rain started to come in and I hadn't put my laptop in a plastic bag, so I cut the commute short and went in to work early. I get a nice ride to the new office right before lunch and then a short ride home this afternoon.
#1989
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Reading, PA
Posts: 93
Bikes: Iron Horse XT 2100 (1997?)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Wet. I have gotten pretty used to riding in the rain by now, but I still hate the grim that gets kicked up on my ankles from the trail (someday I'll install mud flaps onto my fenders) and rain on the glasses. My helmet visor keeps a lot off if I ride with my head tilted down a bit, but still wish it was better. I've read about some people having success with a golf visor. Perhaps I'll try that.
#1990
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 4,599
Bikes: Vassago Moosknuckle Ti 29+ XTR, 90's Merckx Corsa-01 9sp Record, PROJECT: 1954 Frejus SuperCorsa
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 174 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times
in
75 Posts
damp and chilly. 45F and light rain. I felt a bit slow and heavy on the bike this morning after having spent the past 4 days in New Orleans for a family wedding. I'm pretty sure I picked up a pound a day while I was there.
#1991
Senior Member
7C, sunny, windy, one of those winds of indeterminate direction, and I couldn't seem to catch a tailwind even when I thought I should have one. Nice little Cat 6 race this morning with another road bike commuter.
#1992
GATC
I've always known the thermometer outside our kitchen reads warmer than most of my commute but I could tell once I started rolling that its 45F reading was wayyyy optimistic today. Weather.com says 33F. I think that's probably lower than most of my route was but closer to correct than 45.
Anyway, wicked fast ride, that was fun.
I've been taking a new route to work, it involves riding on the street parallel to my office, cutting over one block past and then coming down the street to my office. In general it's less traffic and pretty nice. But yesterday the street one block before my office, which is possibly the busiest street in the county by some measure or other, closed until November (to get that business remedied). So that has pushed a bunch of traffic onto my detour cross street, which has no shoulder. So yesterday and today I have been aware of being tailgated more than I have been for the last month or so I was taking this route.
The road is narrow enough that I stay to the right (there is no shoulder) and they still don't buzz me in the lane, they pretty much have to wait for an opening in the other lane to pass me. There are other places where I have to take the whole lane or they will try and squeeze past... although when there's truly no room to squeeze, that even the cagers don't see it, I guess that's the least harm to their valuable timetable to take the whole lane. But I think it angers them more.
Anyway, wicked fast ride, that was fun.
I've been taking a new route to work, it involves riding on the street parallel to my office, cutting over one block past and then coming down the street to my office. In general it's less traffic and pretty nice. But yesterday the street one block before my office, which is possibly the busiest street in the county by some measure or other, closed until November (to get that business remedied). So that has pushed a bunch of traffic onto my detour cross street, which has no shoulder. So yesterday and today I have been aware of being tailgated more than I have been for the last month or so I was taking this route.
The road is narrow enough that I stay to the right (there is no shoulder) and they still don't buzz me in the lane, they pretty much have to wait for an opening in the other lane to pass me. There are other places where I have to take the whole lane or they will try and squeeze past... although when there's truly no room to squeeze, that even the cagers don't see it, I guess that's the least harm to their valuable timetable to take the whole lane. But I think it angers them more.
#1993
sniffin' glue
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Seattle
Posts: 3,177
Bikes: Surly crosscheck ssfg, Custom vintage french racing bike, Bruce Gordon Rock & Road
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
was enjoying the commute today, sun, pretty warm....until a car passed a little too close for comfort, the woman was putting on her makeup. it really irks me that some people think they are in their own private world in the car and they don't have to be responsible for watching out for other users of the road.
#1994
sɹɐʇsɟoןןnɟsʇıbɟɯo
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: seattle, too many links
Posts: 3,986
Bikes: fixed gear recumbent trike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
everyone wanted to stop and chat with me today... was late (tried to race my wife to work.....)
#1995
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
,I had a good commute in this morning?… once I got going. I decided to top off the
air in my tires this morning. I get downstairs to my apt. building's basement/
storage room, where I keep my bike, and started pumping. The presta valve on
the rear tire sheared off when I was removing the pump head and all the air came
rushing out. So, I now had to change the tube as well. I took off the rear wheel
new tube and tire going on. I was almost done when I realized that I have the tire
mounted backwards (tread would rotate the wrong way). I started over and finally
mounted new tube and tire properly. I finally got going over 20 minutes late.
Despite running late, I had a nice ride in to the office?… until the last block before the
office. It's a one way street with parking on both sides. Experience has shown me
it?’s a tight squeeze for a car and a bike if I?’m not in the door zone. So having had
incidents here and there in the past with being buzzed (rather uncomfortably), I
always take the whole lane here to make sure no one passes. The driver behind
me mustn?’t have liked having to slow down a little. When I pulled off into my
office?’s driveway, the driver gunned it and yelled something as he drove by.
Funny thing is, the light at the end of the block was red and had been the entire ten
seconds he had been behind me, so he just sped up only to have to stop right
away anyway. And what he yelled I don?’t know. Oh well. Had some really good
things happen last night, so I guess these things were just a bit of karma?… ;-)
Q,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
air in my tires this morning. I get downstairs to my apt. building's basement/
storage room, where I keep my bike, and started pumping. The presta valve on
the rear tire sheared off when I was removing the pump head and all the air came
rushing out. So, I now had to change the tube as well. I took off the rear wheel
new tube and tire going on. I was almost done when I realized that I have the tire
mounted backwards (tread would rotate the wrong way). I started over and finally
mounted new tube and tire properly. I finally got going over 20 minutes late.
Despite running late, I had a nice ride in to the office?… until the last block before the
office. It's a one way street with parking on both sides. Experience has shown me
it?’s a tight squeeze for a car and a bike if I?’m not in the door zone. So having had
incidents here and there in the past with being buzzed (rather uncomfortably), I
always take the whole lane here to make sure no one passes. The driver behind
me mustn?’t have liked having to slow down a little. When I pulled off into my
office?’s driveway, the driver gunned it and yelled something as he drove by.
Funny thing is, the light at the end of the block was red and had been the entire ten
seconds he had been behind me, so he just sped up only to have to stop right
away anyway. And what he yelled I don?’t know. Oh well. Had some really good
things happen last night, so I guess these things were just a bit of karma?… ;-)
Q,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Last edited by EKW in DC; 05-17-11 at 10:08 AM.
#1996
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 28
Bikes: 2003 Specialized Rockhopper
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Finally cloud cover with no wind. The wind here has been horrible for my route (out of the SE in the morning, out of the NW in the afternoon, against me both ways). I suppose with a 6 mile commute, I shouldn't complain either way, though.
#1997
This bike is cat approved
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 1,531
Bikes: To many to list...
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Nice relaxed ride with the temp in the 60's I think I had my car bicycle rack strapped to the back of the bike because I am taking a a friend to look at some bikes this afternoon. I had to stop and adjust things a couple times. I passed the UPS guy I have known for years that has the route in my work area. With the warmer weatehr and maybe bike to work week IDK there are more peopel out riding either to work or otherwise.
#1998
a.k.a., Point Five Dude
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Twin Cites, MN USA
Posts: 794
Bikes: 1987 Trek Elance 400 T
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
It was windy going home last night but at least I wasn't alone:
#1999
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Burnaby BC, Canada
Posts: 214
Bikes: Velosport Appalache 15
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Made the trip from my old office to my new office before lunch without getting too sweaty this morning. Not bad, a little too much traffic on Gilmore. Was shocked when I rolled down the ramp to the parkade and found out the entrance is not lit! Must remember to remove sunglasses before entering the parkade tomorrow.
#2000
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 254
Bikes: A Raleigh detour 3
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts