Inkwolf

I'm off the bike for a bit...I have a sore, swollen foot, which I suspect to be linked to my biking shoes....the aching part is in the part of my foot that gets cramped and numb on long rides. (The fact that is was cold and rainy only helped me not feel too bad about not riding!)

Guess I'd better dig out last year's shoes again, and start looking for a different pair.

Chris L

Another beautiful ride again this morning. I just love the South Pacific on partly-cloudy days... watching the different shades reflect from it out to see, and watching the waves roll in from this gradually. It's moments like this that make up for things like last night.

John C. Ratliff

Oregon has been having some beautiful weather for commuting; last week we even hit over 100 degrees F (I didn't commute on Friday, as I was returning from a business trip). But earlier in the week was great.

This week is cooler, which is quite nice. I wore a sweater this morning, but then took it off for the noon and late afternoon rides (got 17 miles in total). My bike is better now, as I've switched from down tube shifting to bar end shifting, and am really enjoying the convenience of not having to reach so far.

John

chewa

v windy this morning but sunny and dry.

Still having trouble getting to grips with friction shifted 8 speed. I need indexed gears sooner rather than later.

Chris L

Seen on a sign outside a coffee shop in Broadbeach:

"Coming soon: Opium. You must try it!"

mrfix

Another one that's just about perfect, I stopped to watch the largest snapping turtle I have ever seen crawl along the side of the road and into the bush, other than that, just a great ride. Average speed 16 mph, no wind, no jacket = great ride.

Ed Holland

It's still a bit windy here which is somewhat frustrating. The rides are still enjoyable especially as I now have to make fewer stops in the course of the journey.

Cheers,

Ed

Kodama

Weather wise today was identical to yesterday -overcast temp in the low 60's with 5-15 mph winds out of the SW (My route is 2 directions- N and E ) All in all fairly enjoyable, and the headwind died down for about 10min at one point which was nice. I love that fact the sky being overcast, but no sign of rain and very comfortable temps cuts the trail traffic to about 1/5 of a sunny day

Andy Dreisch

Haven't ridden on a commute for a week though I have been road riding and running a whole bunch. Today was nice b/c there was a pretty stiff tailwind. Afternoons are in the low 70s which is kind of chilly for these parts.

Funny how after a week away from commuting leads to a slight dulling of the skills ... just a slight one, but noticeable.

John C. Ratliff

Well, today was a mini-disaster. I went at noon to shop for some bread, and coming back to work found a bicycle/pedestrian trail I had been told about that connects two major roads, going back to my work. I took the trail, which is beside a creek. The Rock Creek Trail is between Cornell Drive and Evergreen Parkway, and just after getting onto it, it went to wooden planks over the creek. The only problem is that the first section, for some unknown reason, was 2 inch by 12 inch, by about fifteen feet planks, runnig parallel to the path's direction. The center two left just a bit too much gap for my tire, and my front tire got trapped in it. I stopped very suddenly, and went over the handlebars in slow motion (I wasn't going that fast). I received a scuffed up elbow, and a sore wrist. My bike didn't do so well, and I now have a bent front wheel. I got it straightened enough to ride (with some noise), then took it to a bicycle shop. They were able to take much of the wobble out, but not all. Luckily, it was witnessed by a city crew that was trimming a tree just over me at the time. I'll let you know about the results of a conversation tomorrow.

John

antonius

Well today was my first day of the week to commute to work. Last week I did all five days. A first. Racked up 360 kms from June 2 to June 8. Took Monday and Tuesday this week as rest days.

Today, I decided to take a different route. For those of you in Vancouver, BC, my new route takes me from Steveston, past YVR, over the Arthur Laing and eastward along Kent Ave to Boundary Road and continuing eastward in the Burnaby flats to work. This route is quieter than my other commuting route which is along Westminster Hwy and over the Queensborough Bridge. And the new route is 4 km shorter and takes me one hour in actual time to do, even with a headwind.

After last week of 5 days of sunny weather and getting hotter by the end of the week, today was welcomed. Last Friday was in the high 20's (we're in Canada, eh) and a strong headwind on the way home. Today, slightly cooler, cloudy in the morning, sunny on the way home PLUS a real TAILWIND. With the shorter route I can do this.

darrencope

Nice ride in this morning, after taking yesterday off (bike was at the LBS since Tuesday night). About 15 degrees Celcius this morning, with a nice sun to wake me up. It's supposed to rain tonite, but that might mean it stays comfortably cool - it's only supposed to be a high of 19 or so. For some reason the bike feels like the saddle has been adjusted (would the LBS do that without me mentioning it?? I don't think so...?) so not sure what's with that. I think I'll ride it at least another day to see if it's just me or if it's really been changed.

MI_rider

The ride this morning can only be described as very, very wet!
It was still fun though.

bradw

Not a bad day.

Light mist and light traffic.

Except for the jogger. I was riding down a back street. No traffic and no parked cars on my side of the road. There was a jogger running parallel to me in the parking lane in my direction just ahead. I was just right of the center of my traffic lane.

As I approach him, he suddenly darts in my direction without looking. Fortunately I hit the brakes and swerved.

Very close but no contact.

Do I have to start saying "On your left" while passing joggers (by a wide margin) on the street? I thought the risk of getting killed by a motor vehicle would keep joggers from swerving into traffic without looking.

Probably not a real concern. This might be the first jogger I've encountered on the road while commuting. Most of the jogging occurs in the parks, where I know they aren't paying attention and I have to announce my presence.

PaulH

Summer has started! I've ridden in shirtsleeves every day this week. It was 70 F/ 21 C at the start of my commute in, and it will be a lot warmer than that on return, unless the usual summer thunderstorm comes first. Bur, hey -- I'm very glad to finally have summer weather after two months of cool, rainy days. One interesting change is that, suddnly, there are a LOT of cyclists around. I've never seen so many of them on the roads.

Paul

Paul

mtessmer

I had a nice comute in this morning, cool as usual (58F/15C). I guess this cooler then normal temps over the last couple of months seems to be a national thing. Anyway I'm saving wear and tear on my summer riding togs. I sure hope we have summer weather by the time I take my bike trip. We are above average in rain too. Oh well, beats winter and I'm logging the miles. happy riding!

caloso

Very cool here for June (55F at 5:45am). I recently bought a long sleeve jersey from probikekit.com (great deal, btw), and thought I wouldn't get a chance to wear it until November. But weird weather this year.

Lots of folks out on the Am. River Bike Trail, including a train of about 6 or 8 guys going about 21mph, it looked like. I might have to try and hook up with that group and shave 5 or 10 minutes off the commute.

Andy Dreisch

The headwind today was unusual, as were the chilly temps. I'm beat after fighting it for 20 miles plus hills. The shower this morning felt great.

Paul L.

I have noticed around here that the hot weather has stopped people yelling at me. I think it is because they don't want to open their windows! I guess there is a positive side to 100+ temperatures. I got to flats on the way in and one on the way home last night. It is really funny how these things come in herds.

ChezJfrey

Ack! On the way home last night, a police officer in an SUV cut in front of me to make a right turn. I pulled along side the driver window, waved and yelled, "Hello! I'm right here!" She didn't even look concerned. I just always hoped that members of the police would be a bit more courteous and present a better example to other motorists. Yeah, right, in my little fantasy world. . .

Anway, I feel for you, Paul. Getting flats in hot weather isn't much fun. As soon as the motion stops, the breeze stops also, and a stream of sweat always seems to head straight for the eyes.

Kodama

Similar weather today as it's been all week but with the strongest headwind yet. Seriously no fun headwind IMO

darrencope

Had a great ride in this morning. The roads were a bit damp from the recent rains, but it wasn't raining when I came in. The temp was quite warm (15 degrees C) and I worked up a good sweat today. I tried to calculate my cadence by counting pedal revolutions, and found that I can keep up a fairly high (90-100) cadence for a large portion of my ride. Of course, I could be off by a bit since I'm just roughly counting. Can't wait for the Friday afternoon ride home - traffic seems to be pretty dead at 5pm on Fridays, as I think a lot of people go home early.

MI_rider

Great ride in. I finally hit that 16mph average I have been shooting for on my ride in. Can't wait for the ride home.

PaulH

I hopped on the bike yesterday for the commute home and quickly discovered I had a flat tire. By the time the cab came, the rain had begun. So there I was, in the rain, putting the bike in a taxi and looking like a total wimp. I almost felt like calling out "Flat tire!"

Paul

bradw

Nice ride in this morning. No joggers to avoid

Got my Arkel T42 panniers last night. They fit very well on my Trek 520, but the heel clearance on my Trek 6500 MTB is tight.

I used the left pannier to carry my stuff this morning on the 6500. For some reason the right pannier has less clearance. Anyway it was nice to have the stuff off of my back. Plus the Arkel panniers mount and unmount quickly, and the ~1250cu in of space are more than enough for clothes, tools, towel, shampoo.

I think I'll have to get a rear rack that sits up a little higher and has a longer platform. I only need about 0.5" of extra space. I've read that the Blackburn rack (what I have on the MTB) has less clearance than other racks.