I had a really stupid crash this morning. I went to unclip from my pedals at a set of lights, got too close to the gutter and fell over. Nothing damaged except my pride, but oh what damage that suffered! Apart from that, the last few days have provided perfect riding temperatures.

Today was hot and muggy on the way in, cooler on the way home. My right pedal is making an annoying click, and I will have to find time to fix it or something. And something popped in my knee today that didn't sound like the usual tendon-popping. Hope it's nothing serious. :(

(Plus I got a filling replaced last week, and it keeps hurting. Even biking isn't much fun at the moment.)

From Gus Riley (regarding morning chill): Quite a difference from a day or two ago when your temps were up to 106-109 there in San Jose! Must have felt nice to be cooled down some.

Yes, indeedy. Last night's ride home was nice, too. In both cases I wore my long sleeve running shirt along with my light jacket. Still was a little chilly.

I took the bee-line home last night. Made it in almost exactly one hour. Made a few lights I'd normally hit.

Today is my down day.

What a wonderful morning to ride to work! 74 degrees with just the slightest of headwinds!
Yesterday, I tried to ride my route at a pretty good clip, and about 2/3rds of the way thru, saw a rider ahead of me. Somehow, I managed to reach down and coax a few more rpm out of the cranks, and caught up to a local lady who is a very good rider. We finished the commute at a liesurly 16 mph, which was fine with me after my little sprint to catch her!
This morning, my antique thighs were telling my a little easier pace might be the wisest course, so I jsut spun 'er up, and enjoyed the ride! Had a really great ride, too. I kept my heart rate comfortably in the aerobic zone, and ended up making good enough time that I stopped down at the shop I used to work at and treated ol' Blue to a soothing bubble bath! The old girl has to look good for RAGBRAI!!
5 hours and 5 minutes before me and ol' Blue roll out of here for the trip home! Can't wait!! LOL

I knew I was slow, but today I was passed by a house. Now THAT's slow!

Okay, it was one of those prebuilt things being towed by a truck. I was glad he went all the way into the next lane with that load. Today was even hotter and muggier than yesterday. 95 degrees. My knee that made the funny noise yesterday felt fine (I took the short route, just in case) and before work I took my bike to the LBS, where they tightened things up and didn't charge me (said it was included under the warranty) so the click is gone.

On my way back, at the last turn toward home, a whole litter of baby raccoons ran off the road from where they were all munching a road kill.

That is absolutely identical to the ride I had at 7.10am this morning (we call this 'winter')

Last night, I set what I think is a new record for the ride home, at about 19.9 mph over the 8 miles - a very slight tailwind helped. I always wonder what this would be if there was a clear run, with no traffic lights, roundabouts and traffic to watch.

This morning was warm but overcast and despite the slight headwind (and still being somewhat asleep) I still made a shade over 18 mph average speed.

Now its time for a coffee!

Keep commuting,

Ed

No bike-commute yesterday. :rolleyes: (purposeful down day)
No bike-commute today. :( (playing hoop tonight)
No bike-commute tomorow. :mad: (traveling)
No bike-commute Monday. :mad: :mad: (traveling back)

I'll check in Tuesday, though. :D

I'm pretty new to this since I've only been commuting the past couple of weeks but I didn't get to bike in today and I miss it already. Yesterday I got off of the train one stop too early so I could have a longer ride home. I worked out a route on back streets using mapquest and it estimated a 4 mile trip. Not bad for me. I only had to get on a major street for 0.5 miles. I've already mapped out a route from two stations back That should add another 2 miles.

Today was 75 degrees without a breath of wind. It felt fantastic after all this 90's crap we've been having.

I took the long way and made a slight alteration: I tried doing a zig-zag off some side roads instead of just making my usual straight-ahead/left-turn. The difference was great: instead of a mile of flat farmlad followed by a steep climb, I went through a couple patches of woods, down a nice slope, then up a long, gentle incline. Everything was exceptionally gorgeous today, with the haze gone and set off by the slate-gray sky.

About halfway to town, the clouds split open and started pouring on me. (Sorry, Chris!) Fat, warm, sweet raindrops by the bucketful. I decided NOT to put on my rain jacket. It just felt soooooo good! I hardly saw any cars on the way, it was just me and the rain and the thunder....pedalling has been a chore most of this week, but today I had to keep coasting to try to stay at a safe speed....I don't think I even broke a sweat (though it's hard to prove under the circumstances.) Just sailed along in high gear.

I had had enough, though, by the time I got to work. I was soaked to the bone and had to wring out all my clothes and take all the wet stuff out of my panniers. My shoes needed pouring out. One pannier pocket did, too. :p

The 7-hour workday wasn't long enough for my clothes to dry, and the ride home was a bit clammy, but otherwise unremarkable, apart from a calico cat who wisely decided to sit by the roadside rather than run under my wheels.

The days are getting shorter: I get home at dusk, now, and I can see my headlight shining off the road for about half the trip.

Yes, riding in the rain is a special thing. Right now I am sofa king jealous. At least your post did explain those white things I saw in the sky this morning, for anyone else from the Gold Coast who may read this, they are called "clouds".

Good story, Inkwolf. Funny how we bike-commuters notice subtle changes earlier than most, such as the shorter days.

Hi Commuters,

We are very lucky with our weather at the moment, warm calm and sunny - perfect for riding. Of course some folks are now complaining that its too warm.....

All this is doing wonders for my commuting rides and the roads are quieter now that many are starting to take holidays. Nothing better than a nice quiet road, gentle hum from the chain and the patter of tyres.

Cheers,

Ed

Lovely sunny morning, and a nice ride until I joined the dual-carriageway. The hedgerows were full of wild cherries and Kentish cobnuts, but I left them behind for road debris and mad drivers. I wanted to get in early and the A2 is 10-15 mins quicker... I hope the mad honking from the car overtaking me was appreciation of my new jersey rather than ignorance of my right to cycle on a dual carriageway.

Richard

Yeah, I got honked at this morning. At first I thought it might be my boss being 'funny', because he drives a similar car, but he wasn't in work when I made it in. It is possible that I might have weaved slightly, but certainly not a lot. Still, I was good and didn't swear - it could still be someone I know!! :o

Other than that it was a lovely ride. No wind, nice temperature. Looking forward to the trip home!

Ellie

Didn't cycle in today (walking the dogs this morning the wee one decided to chase a rabbit and it took me and the big one a while to get him out of the undergrowth) but last night was dry sunny and no wind.

I got home at an average of just under 16mph, not bad considering it's on cyclepath and quiet road where I'm always having to slow down/stop for junctions

Yesterday's commute in was normal Washington summer -- warm, hazy, and humid. I unexpectedly had to work late, however, and that provided a very different experience. on the return trip

It seemed quite normal until I switched the dynamo to the "on" position and rode out of the garage into the night. I hadn't had a ride home after dark since March! It felt really strange to be riding in the dark in my shirtsleeves with warm summer weather. I also appreciated the bike dynamo as a great device when you do not know in advance that you will be riding at night.

Paul

Great commute! I started out slowly and meant to continue going slow, but biking on the road seems to force you to work harder...

Case in point - Today at a three way intersection I tried to let a large truck go ahead of me (he had the right of way). He waved me on, and I ended up in front of him. This road has lots of parked cars and there was no way for him to get around me until the lanes widened. I didn't want to slow him down, but I discovered that on this 25 mph road, we were pretty evenly matched speed-wise. He had trouble accelerating up the hills and when he would finally catch me, we would have to stop for a light. I went much faster than I had originally intended because I didn't want to slow down the nice truck. When the lane finally widened, he went around me and gave me a friendly honk. Some drivers can be very nice to cycle with. :)

Teresa

It's been a couple of weeks since I last Commuted. It's about 5 miles each way and it was very pleasant in the morning. After work it was in the low 90's here in Atlanta but I decided to do a couple of Hill Intervals on Kennesaw Mtn. Well I flatted as I began the hill, but I decided to continue, I did 2 loops up the mountain (I always do 3 but changing the flat killed some time) and then rode home. So I turned my 10 mile commute into about 24 miles of riding and It felt great doing it. I'm going to have to start doing this a little more often. :D

Today the library was open for a special event ( a little fair, with kids' activities, and appearances by the Timber Rattlers and a local pair of clowns.) Since I was going both ways in daylight and had a few shots left on my current roll of film, I decided to take some pics for the commuting photos thread. I only had 6 photos left on the film, and as I headed to town the long, scenic way, I realized I really needed a video camera to do it all justice. :p

Interesting events: I startled a cat into dropping the beheaded chipmunk it was carrying on the road. Eeeew! I didn't get a picture of that. Three blue herons went flying over my head. Didn't get a picture of that either. I did get a pic of the big, steep hill I climb by the golf course. That was my last shot, and I regretted, once at the top, that I couldn't take a pic of the awe-inspiring downhill before me.

Anyway, I'll post the pics once I get the film developed. No digital camera for me, yet.

Today was my first commute for three weeks, as I returned to office from my summer vacation. Easy, uneventful 10 miles. The weatherman predicted showers, but I somehow managed to avoid those on my way to work. We'll see how my trip home goes.

I've also noticed the nights are getting darker. Wish I lived further up north, they still have a couple of weeks of uninterrupted daylight. I guess I have to start carrying my LED lights with me. I refuse to haul the heavier halogen equipment around until I really need it (some time in September, I suppose).

A funny thing happened: in the spring I bought a wireless computer kit. Last week I had apparently accidentally loosened the battery cover, and lost it during a cycle trip. I took the comp back to the shop (not a bike shop, as you will notice) where the lady took one look at it, another look at my receipt, took the old comp and promptly gave me a replacement. But she gave me the whole kit, including not only the comp (or just the battery cover I really needed) but also all the wireless equipment. I pointed this out to her, she shrugged and informed me that this was their last unit so my only option would be getting a refund. I took the unit and ran. Now I have a spare wireless set for my winter bike, and the comp can be calibrated for two cycles.

--J

Another pleasent ride to work this morning. The roads are getting much quieter now that summer holidays are here. It seems like the weather might crack up in time for the ride home but we'll soon see - and my garden could do with a little rain anyhow.

Happy riding,

Ed

My first day back from a 2 week vacation, one with the bike and one painful week without it. My ride into work this morning was great, it was the first morning this summer with all newly paved roads, what a pleasure it was. The air was cool and dry and the sky was clear. It was kind of dark, I guess we're heading into the fall dark mornings already, it's time to put the lights back on the bike. Im looking forward to the ride home this afternoon.

Very windy ride to work this morning. Strangely, it did not know whether to be a tail wind or headwind.... and the ride is pretty much all in one direction, north out of town.

On the way home yesterday, I heard the dreaded hiss, but needed to get out of trouble before I could stop to check. Then it occurred to me that the hiss had been going for far longer than it usually takes to go flat - and both tyres looked OK. Turns out that a dry leaf had stuck under my front fork & brakes and was rubbing on the tyre. Panic over!

Keep on riding,

Ed

Another clear warm humid morning, I took it slow and easy, just under the sweat range. I didn't want to stop this mornings, it was just one of those days that could have easily turned into an all day ride.

For the ride home yesterday and the ride in today, I got a full 1mph increase in average speed. I have no explanation for this but I won't complain.
Plus, I almost got schmeered by a minivan full of immigrants who didn't know where they were.

I felt a little redemed yesterday afternoon on my commute into work.. There is some road work on the East exit from town.. Repaving.. So lanes are closed and cars have to share the remaining lane along with an escort.
So some smart A$$ kid starts yelling as I approach the escort. The stupid kid thinks I can't use the bike lane to get about the probably - mile of backed up cars. the kid yells- don't let him pass.
So I approach the blocked intersection , the flagman lets me continue, but on the bike lane of course.
Well, the kids were turning red from anger. The flagman says, sorry your car is too wide to fit on the bike lane..
Made me feel just great..

Finally got back to bike-commuting. Played b-ball last Thursday and was away traveling Friday and Monday so today was first commute in a while. Felt great to be out again and I can't wait for ride home.

Counted traffic lights and stop signs on way in. Been meaning to do this for a while. And the answer is: a total of 51 traffic signals and stop signs during my 20-mile commute. I even went a slightly different way to get a hill climb in that shaved off probably another 4 or 5 signals. I didn't realize I negotiated this many impediments to speed on my commute.

And today was one of those days where it seems that half the signals were red. Worse, I caught the light in the "early stages", right after it switched from yellow. :mad:

I'm going to start a thread asking others how many *&#%*#%* signals they encounter.

Yes, Andy. But does not it seem lights to cyclists are less annoying than being in a car, because bikes don't back up for blocks and bikes can better pace themselves for the red light; moreso than cars..
Lucky, my commute is probably less urban than yours; reason I like my commute so much...

My commute today was just fine, thank you! It's been a long time coming, as this is the first time back commuting since my bicycle accident which landed me semi-conscious in the hospital. I've been riding my bike, but not commuting, until today. I've scouted out a new route, one which conveniently uses bike paths to go around the high traffic area where I had my "accident." I say that, as I don't quite remember what happened (for those of you who weren't following the "Mirrors" thread, two witnesses said I "lost control" of my bike, and one said I swerved to miss a car).

The commute itself was anticlimactic--I've done it on weekends at least a few times already, but it's amazing how much less pressure you feel when there are few or no cars to deal with. It's not a long commute to work, just 3.7 miles. But with air pollution advisories being posted, it was time to get out of the car (wife's anxiety for the commute was one of the big holdups).

The route I now take uses a very little known bike path, so unknown in fact that it's partially grown over with weeds. But it's there, and I'm using it. I've also contacted the City folks to see who maintains the path, and see whether some clearing can be done. But, on a very nice, sunny and fairly hot day, it was good to be back on my bike.

The commuting bike I use doesn't look at all the same as it did before the accident. It's a ten-speed Schwinn LeTour, which I've been building on for years, and it has "morphed" again. More on that later, probably in a different string. I've had to re-look, and re-think, my whole commuting strategy to get to today, and it feels great. I also gave blood today, so the commute home was nice and easy.

John