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-   -   How was the commute today? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/7855-how-commute-today.html)

jpdesjar 01-13-09 08:08 AM

good ride in this morning i got to try out my new shoe covers and they really did the trick...the roads are still a little bit messy from the last storm so i had to ride in the travel lane for most of the route but people were courteous...it was 10ºf when i left the house with no wind

dwilbur3 01-13-09 08:24 AM

A fairly nice ride this morning. 37F and not very windy.

I saw two skunks in Discovery Park this morning. (Gave them a wide berth!)

kylejack 01-13-09 08:27 AM

Today's commute was great until I arrived at work and realized I had left my bike lock at home.

kegoguinness 01-13-09 09:15 AM

kylejack, that sucks! Glad the ride was good. Mine was great today. Thought I'd need my facemask (over-nose half-face ski type) but ended up taking it off. Too hot!

Now that I've got a couple months commuting behind me and trust what my folder will do (commuting coincided with folder purchase), I rode the main artery today for the first time for the 4-5 blocks where I had been using the sidewalk. It's a 6-lane road and open enough (when I'm on it in the early a.m) for cars to get some speed up. I was pleased to be quite comfortable on it, as it shaves a little time from the sidewalk ride. Kudos to you road warriors who ride these types of main arteries for long distances! I knew I needed to wait until my competency was up to speed and I was familiar with my new bike. I learn a LOT on this forum!

kylejack 01-13-09 09:22 AM

Should I get a balaclava or does that make me look too much like a terrorist?

neilfein 01-13-09 09:28 AM

Cold cold cold cold cold. I forgot my safety glasses, and the cold air aginst my eyeballs was no fun. I got used to it in a few miles. When I walked into the office, my eyes felt hot!


Originally Posted by kylejack (Post 8172784)
Should I get a balaclava or does that make me look too much like a terrorist?

Depends. I have a beard, so for me, yeah. If I go into a store, I make a point of pulling the thing off or at least open it more as I walk in.

kegoguinness 01-13-09 09:34 AM

Makes you look like a ninja. Wear one with an eye patch and look like a ninja pirate, just to piss off the ninja/pirate contingents.

Actually, they seem well regarded on this forum. I don't own one, can't comment on their warmth etc.

DogBoy 01-13-09 09:36 AM

This morning there was a fresh coat of snow on the driveway, so First I got to shovel the driveway for my wife, meaning I started out late. Temp was -4F (-20C), and the wind was about 10-15 mph (16-24 kph) from the NW. I head SW, so it wasn't too bad. Because of my late start, I got the joy of the morning backup at the middle school. I decided it was time to filter. I've never done it before, but in this case, no one was moving and I would freeze if I stopped, so I passed a bunch of cars in the left lane. I moved back over to the right lane. Very uneventful. From there it was just pedal and push through the compacted snow. The plows got most of the bulk off, so there was only a little bit left. All in all a good ride. Going home will be more into the wind, so that will probably be more effort. Oh well.

Clothing:
On my head: skull cap + balaclava + helmet + ski goggles
Torso: UA winter base layer + sweatshirt + SP Elite jacket
Hands: Target stretchy gloves + Ice fishing mittens (these things are great)
Legs: cycling shorts + polypro tights + lined wind-proof sweat pants
Feet: Smart-wool socks + Columbia Winter boots

HardyWeinberg 01-13-09 10:44 AM

low 40sF, dry (no fog), no real wind

daredevil 01-13-09 11:13 AM

20 degrees above normal.....global warming, gotta love it! ;)

speed demon 01-13-09 02:13 PM

Hey there,
Last week was really cold , the coldest in twelve years over here !! Minus 15 °Celsius early in the morning!
Lots of snow and cyclepaths unavailable.I still ride on city-slicks , so I had to ride on the right side of the carlanes.It turned out to be allright.
Since the beginning of this week temperatures went up , to about 4 or 5 °C, cloudy and rainy.
My bike looks like hell ,all black and dirty with dust , salt and winter-road grime.I need to find some time to take some good care of it (her?).Maybe tomorrow,it's my day off.
Take care and ride safe, see you next week.

revelstone 01-13-09 06:11 PM

first time
 
first commute to work and back for the year 2009. hey what can i say. it warmed up to 36 F before sunrise, and most of the snow is off of the roads. decided to go for it. dressed a little too warm. will do better tomorrow. only did 16 miles though. but it was fun. missed riding the weather was just too nasty. first ride since 12 december last year.

revelstone 01-13-09 06:14 PM


Originally Posted by daredevil (Post 8173564)
20 degrees above normal.....global warming, gotta love it! ;)

oddly enough, mars also has ice caps. oddly enough, those ice caps are also melting. (must be all those space ship emmisions) earth first, we'll screw up the other planets later.

KLW2 01-13-09 06:41 PM

05:00 this morning was -17 F and -30 F wind chill. Some snow...uphill....and my goggles frosted over... just what you might expect around here. I'm ready for summer already....:D

BA Commuter 01-13-09 06:53 PM

It was about 15' when I left this morning. I warmed up quickly and enjoyed the quiet streets of East Jabip.

While walking to my desk someone was moaning about their remote car starter not working and how they were freezing while waiting for their POS car to heat up. They saw me carrying my helmet and got real quiet real fast. :rolleyes:

downtube42 01-13-09 08:20 PM

Yesterday I rode the tallbike to work. Before then I'd only test-ridden it in the dark when nobody could see me. I doubt anyone in this town has seen one before, and the double-takes were plenty. The bike rack at work was a huge draw all afternoon, with passing cars slowing down, a cluster of people at the window, and every neck craned as people came in the building. What a hoot.

TomM 01-13-09 08:24 PM

Cold and wet and I almost had a collision with a duck.

Dtuns 01-13-09 08:31 PM

50 and sunny nice

JasonC 01-13-09 09:09 PM

Too hot in the morning (15 degrees... didn't need the arm warmers AND pogies on the handlebars) and just right in the evening (down to 0 degrees).

First commute with my new ski goggles... worked great. Will be even better when I get my clear lense :)

Commuter76 01-13-09 09:20 PM

High 30's this morning, smooth ride in. Ride home in the mid 60's. Ah, Texas winters. Beats the Idaho winters I remember growing up in. Summer's a real killer though.

There is another (sometimes) bike commuter at my job. We look for each other's bike at the bike rack when we bike in. No bike for him today. Oh well, I don't ride in all the time either.

metalchef87 01-13-09 09:28 PM

30 degrees F and snowy...

buzzman 01-13-09 11:22 PM

bike path ride in tonight- I'll post a ride report for bike path users in Boston in the Northeast forum.

rough ride in though- the plowing was wildly inconsistent. It was like riding through 6 inches of frozen, lumpy mashed potatoes.

the ride home was a bit better- came home on the streets. But it's just above freezing and really close turning everything to black ice. I was glad to get home before the freeze.

djkenny 01-13-09 11:50 PM

It was actually SUNNY today in Portland! Yesterday was really quite grey in so so temps...but today was magical. Even though it was a little cool out.

Tapeworm21 01-14-09 03:14 AM

It has been soooo nice this week, I actually walked to work to kinda mix things up.

Thigh Master 01-14-09 04:53 AM

Just bummed that my head-cold-that-wants-to-be-a-chest-cold has lingered to the point where I called in sick - of course the worse thing about not working is I miss the commute.


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