slloth

My first ride in the rain! Woo hoo! I was so excited. My co-workers officially think I'm nuts. I had three different people offer me a ride home. Two of them asked me more than three times.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride?" They thought it was just my pride. I had to explain to them that I have three vehicles, a wife, and friends. I WANT to ride home in the rain. I have been looking forward to this ever since I installed those fenders a few weeks ago.

Well it was my third true test. I have only one more and that is the cold. Since many people on this forum are already commuting in the much colder temperatures I have to ride all Winter. If people can commute in Detroit, New York and Canada than I have no excuses.

Cheers

stevage

Great. Apart from a woman attempting to park into me. Wtf? A dead straight road, with a bike lane. Woman passes me then immediately swerves across bike lane into parking spot. I yell out of surprise and give her rear window a solid whack with my knuckles. I just don't understand how you can pass a cyclist from behind, on a straight road with no intersections, without ever seeing them.

Steve

MIKEnDC

Chilly! I think we had our first freeze of the season overnight but at ride time for me (5:00 AM-ish) it was 33 or 34F/ ~1C, clear and calm. Not the temp but the calm was welcome indeed after a pretty windy week.

In order to avoid the "clothes everywhere" situation, I stuck with knickers this morning. I just added some knicker socks and a headliner. Wasn't bad really (my fingers always complain). Forecast high of 65F/18C for the afternoon means the socks and headliner (not to mention jacket and gloves) will have to find room in the pack, though. I'll manage somehow...

nowheels

Very, very cold and dark.... cannot wait to turn back the clocks this weekend. Need to get longer socks for the knickers.... need to put the toe warmers on also. Other than that I'm good. This time of the year I live for the afternoons..... or the cup of hot coffe at the end of each trip.

nowheels

I t hink I just cleaned out a couple years of comutting stuff I did not think I would use.... then I reclaimed half of what I was tossing........ what we really need is someone to come in and do it that would look at it without saying....'I really might need that at least once this year.'

Thomas Brock

Cold (for me). It was 34*(F) when I hit the pedals. Lots of frosted cars.

I noticed some squeeking from the bottom of the bike, so I'll probably be cleaning her this weekend. It's been 700 miles in 2 1/2 months...I guess it's time?

TimothyF

40 degrees today in Montgomery. Nice ride in the dark. Light traffic. Nothing exciting.

I started out this week in the low 30s, and I am experimenting with different variations of layering to avoid over heating. Only my hands have felt the cold so far.

Funny how the time change will effect us. I rode in to work today in the dark, will ride out in daylight. Monday, I will ride in in daylight, and ride home in the dark.

Hope you all have a great day.

FredOak

A balmy 45 degrees this Halloween morning, little windy but legs felt good after two days off. Wife blew my budget with her damn Halloween party so the studded tires are going to have wait until next paycheck.

Big_e

Great ride this morning! It's always dark on my morning commute. My neighbor across the street and I always step out of the house at the same time and bid each other good morning. Must've been around 70 degrees 'cause it was warm. I rode extra fast to get a good work out in. Stopped at my corner donut store to pick up a bottled water. I ride by this used car lot every morning and either whistle or call the two large guarddogs. They know me by now and both bark/whine, jumping up and down along the fence, wagging their tails like giant pups.
Ernest

tarwheel 

I bike commuted every day this week -- my first 5 bagger in a while. Not only that, but it was the coldest weather we've had since early last spring and I had to work until 9 pm one night. I love this kind of weather -- sunny with chilly mornings and warm afternoons. I probably commuted more days and miles this month than ever, and got my monthly mileage over 600 even though the weekend rides have tailed off.

trombone

It was hot here in Sydney. It was still around 35C (95F) when I rode home, and there was quite a significant headwind. A hot headwind. It was like riding against a hot air dryer!

Still, better that than cold and damp. I prefer hot. That's why I moved here from the UK!

KLW2

4:30 AM Cool, dark and quiet. Just beautuiful!

dcrowell

The ride home last night was fine, if a bit slow.

After I got home, I put my batteries (for the lights) back on to charge, packed my pannier back up with clean clothes and laptop, and went to bed.

This morning, I swapped the charged batteries into place, dressed for the cold, and brought the bike outside, and said "forget it", and turned around, and took the bike back in.

I'm sitting here at work after driving in, realizing that I ride less now than I did in July. I am a stronger rider now than in July. Why the lack of motivation?

theWolf

I had my first ride in over two and a half months due to knee tendinitis. I did a bus 10/10 mile bike/bus combination. The ride was fun of course, the knee feels OK, no pain at the moment but I can tell it's not ready for daily rides. I'll see how it feels over the next couple of days. If it feels pretty normal I'll start riding once a week and build from there. If not then pure laziness awaits me.

I saw two commuters along the way, one on the road in front of me. He was toward the middle right so I took the middle left and paced him for a few blocks. He eventually jumped on the side walk, he was wearing scrubs and we were in the medical area on Fannin St so I'm guessing he did that to go to work. It was dark and he had a rear light but no helmet, dude if you're reading this. Put on a helmet!

Lastly, several people let me know they thought I was a motorcycle. I'd like to think it was my blazing 15 mph speed but I knew it was my light setup (light & motion HL and dinotte RL).

Have a good weekend people.

bdcheung

After yesterday's ****ty commute, I took some time today to enjoy my ride and "smell the roses". Living and working where I do, it's easy to forget what you pass every day...

jpdesjar

I have been riding through the cemetary on the way home for the past couple days, it's fun because I can get away from traffic for a bit and then I end up on some quiet side streets and then back on my main route back to my apartment.
This morning it was 26f when I left the house, my toes were a little bit cold when I got to work but for the most part I was comfortable.

vtjim

Saw a couple of loons in the water. Temps around 30F. Annoying quartering headwind. Got to work as the light from the just-risen sun was lighting up the Adirondacks. Purple-ish with snow caps. Very pretty. I thought to myself, "You won't see that again for a while." (Clocks turn back this weekend!)

Yesterday I took a detour on my ride home, and headed through a park and some woods near my house. Very enjoyable.

Pig_Chaser

I think there was a slow moving wide load making it's way to Nisku at the same time i was. It obviously took the main roads while i was zig-zagging through the lesser used rural roads. On my first cross road i was passed by a rush of some 20 cars. This is freakishly abnormal as i usually only get passed by 1 or 2 on this stretch. I thought there might be an accident on the main road but it was only the 1 rush of cars, none after that. Then on the next cross road similar thing, only much higher volume and more continuous. Finally I connected with the main road and there way way way in the distance i could make out the rapid flashing lights of a large load. Leading up to it was a river of red taillights inching up the hill into Nisku. at about 300m from this inches heard i took the lane and guess what, cars still veered into the on-coming lane to pass me then veered back into my lane only slam on the brakes and join the heard... whatever. I rode up the Nisku hill passing vehicle after vehicle, but I never did catch up to the wide load.

VolGirl

Must confess. Despite it being a beautiful day for commuting, I wanted to wear a skirt and heels, just because. So I drove in this morning.

Ka_Jun

Got my rig back from the shop...new shifters, new housing, new cable & they found a broken spoke on the rear wheel, but I'm back to the commute, Yay! On another note, the rack was FULL today with other rigs...holy crap, where'd they all come from?!?!?!?!?

pinkrobe

Another shorts and mittens ride today. It's supposed to get to 19C this afternoon! Mtn biking on Saturday, road riding on Sunday... it doesn't get much better than this.

Pig_Chaser

Were you propping your bike up with your water bottle?

bdcheung

Aye

HardyWeinberg

Nice and rainy. RAINY. My socks and gloves definitely won't dry by the end of the day. Might be warm enough for me to switch to the no-finger gloves by then though. And I do have spare socks.

I got complimented on my blinky (superflash, natch) at the supermarket by a driver who says he really likes being able to see bikers.

And, took obligatory spooky Halloween route by monastery cemetary (see pic).

caloso

No ride for me today. It's my policy not to drive the first big rain of the season. Not worth the risk of wet leaves, oil bubbled up out of the asphalt, and idiot Sacramento drivers who've forgotten everything they knew about wet weather driving over the last six months.