We're having a heat wave!!! Finally above 0deg F !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No biking. I had to go to our recycling center. The third largest city in Michigan can't manage curbside recycling. Ugh. :mad:

20F/-6 or 7C w/10-20mph headwinds.

With MLK and Inauguration Day as holidays--and with local temps only getting above freezing for a couple of hours here and there all weekend--I had a few days off of work and off the bike. Saturday morning the temps were right around 0F when I normally would have made my re-supply run, so I bagged it. That left me dragging in some extra stuff this morning against the wind. Not too bad, though.

And since I have no illusions of being one of the "legendary Belgian hardmen," I slipped into some mittens. :D

The ride ended up being both quick and uneventful--a nice return to the routine.

First commute of the new year, and also my first commute colder than 40*! So...


13* this morning, and I'm sweating, but my legs are freezing (wearing long johns, scrubs and jeans) and toes went numb...I'll have to double up on socks when I go home.

Aside from that, it was also my first time doing the distance on my new commuter - a '93 Univega Activa Trail. Hands went tingly like I knew they would (flat bar - need to swap it out) but aside from that, it worked flawlessly.

In all - I'm a pretty happy camper this morning!

Fantastic-first bike commute in 5 months due to a number of reasons/issues. Also, my first winter commute-it was ~+8*F this morning. I spent the last couple weeks equipping the bike for winter commuting, and testing different clothing layers, and finally jumped off this morning. First impressions on the lights I bought (Blackburn X8)-very good. Part of my ride is a couple miles slicing through a state park on a narrow and winding road, and with it being pitch black, the lights were a life saver. Tires-great! I went with the Schwalbe Marathon Winters, and am very impressed. As they state, rolling resistance is noticeable, a lot more than my commute tires. With the additional clothing, load, and bike weight, I was not fast, and there are a couple long climbs, and I think my speedo sensor needs a new battery, but I suspect I averaged about 11-12mph while being cautious on my first winter/darkness commute. I need to improve my footwear situation a bit, but overall, no surprises. 8.5miles total. Now the fun part is getting back home.

Well, I usually don't ride when the temp is below 0F, and last night the weather report said that our min was going to be 10F, so this morning I hopped on the bike and set off on my 15 mile ride into work. A mile into the ride I look at my thermometer, and it is reading -2, as I continue my ride, the temp dropped to -10. Got into work with numb toes and fingers - reminded me of why I don't ride at below 0!

Thank goodness for the slush that makes the pedalling harder - keeps me warmer!

Its been a couple of weeks but finally some fairly decent weather so I decided to go for it today. Glad I did. Was 17F when I left the house and it might hit 30 for the ride home. Also a first for me, I went clipless outdoors. I read and heard about others first time clipless experiences, but mine was uneventful, that is I didn't fall down!! Saw a couple of other riders out there as well.

High 30s, almost no wind. After the strong headwind I had yesterday morning, I overreacted and went with one layer too many. I probably sweated an extra pound or two off over my 7 mile commute.

Ran into another cycle commuter this morning. I'd seen him a few times before but never caught up to him. This time we were stuck at the same light. My commute runs in a northwesterly direction, his goes southwesterly, but our routes converge for about a half mile. He teaches at a private school. Riding a bike to work makes either incredibly cool or the ultimate dork to the kids I bet....

Got drafted yesterday going across/up I205 bridge for about a mile and a half. First time I have been drafted. Guy finally passed when we were well off the bridge and didn't say a word. Didn't even really acknowledge me for that matter. I was a little frustrated by that. The least you could do is say hello to a fellow biker. Oh well. He got ahead of me by a bit when my front derailleur decided not to shift. :(

They are predicting a high of 70 today in denver, commuters are coming out of the woodwork. Good to see them back from hibernation.

Got a dose of Karma this morning.

Vancouver has been wrapped in fog for the last two weeks, but last night's sub-freezing temperatures left a thick coating of black ice on everything.

I was biking along on my way to work this am when I saw a dog running toward me, as if to chase me. I lauged out loud as he rounded a corner, slipped on the black ice and tumbled into a confused heap, while I pedaled steadily away.

About 4 blocks later, I myself tumbled into a confused heap as I rounded a corner and my wheels slipped out from under me. I stayed clipped in, so I'll have a nice bruise on my hip, and slid about 50 feet before coming to rest in a snow bank.

I'm beginnign to think that karma really IS a (female dog)!

It was a bit chillier today, than the temp, which was 10 F (-12 C). A mild wind, which only got me once or twice during the ride. My bike was dogging a bit, but I figure with a new tube, I will pump it
up tighter tonight. Going out of here this afternoon it will be iin the high 20s, and close to 30 F (-1 C).
The sun is shinning at least for now, and tomorrow we are expecting a high of 42 F ( 5 C).

31F, pea-soup fog. Passed 2 not-fully engaged bikers; one pounding the 'cross' button while not noting the 'walk' light, and the other turning left from the right-turn-only lane (that one is kind of an esthetic as well as legal faux pas 'cause there's a sensitive sensor in the actual left-turn lane; also he was forcing right-turning cars into the bike lane to their right).

24F - the coldest I've ever ridden, but surprisingly comfortable, other than my face. Had to keep kind of slow to avoid generating too much wind. Supposed to get up to 73 this afternoon. That's a damned 50 degree change! I'll be in short sleeves this afternoon after bundling up this morning. Texas weather.

Fog wasn't so bad this morning, maybe it had moved south for Hardy!
It was quite cold though, so much so I felt the "cold prickles" start up in my more exposed extremities after about 15 minutes. A hot shower helped that clear up. I was almost in a "header" with another bicyclist! We were heading opposite directions on the MUP, both coming to a street crossing at the same time. He was in the midst of the off-loading ferry traffic, so was possibly caught in the moment? I spotted him, thought he was going to turn in front of me for a left-hook, slowed down, he corrected last-second, sliding to a dramatic stop and kept it upright while I muttered "Jesu...." in his ear. I have 3 lights on my front - not like he didn't see me, just wasn't paying attention. I was impressed by his quick-stop in any case.

The rain hasn't come yet so it was a nice ride in this morning.

Interesting thing: I got a P7 flashlight last night and this was my first ride using it. (Love it BTW). Going thru Discovery park a skunk crossed the trail. While that happens all the time it was unusual because it stopped and stared at my light! I almost had to go off the path to avoid it. Anybody else ever have this happen? Fortunately it wasn't bothered and went on its way. I'd hate to get sprayed.

Given up commuting since 2-3 weeks. January has been brutal cold. Snow, ice, black ice ... Really getting tired of this cold !!

My clothes were *cold* this morning when I put them on after getting to work. Can't remember last time that happened.

Ride home was not bad at all. Amazing that after this morning's ride, 20*F on the home route seemed warm. Actually pulled over to lose a layer. This was the first commute on this route, though, and the last hill really killed me. Gonna take a couple trips to get used to this one.

Same as it has been the last 2 weeks: Cold and grey skied... I'm starting to get that 'winter funk' that lack of sunlight brings. I do need to fix a headgear problem though... ice cream headache on the way into work lol.

40ish, clear skies, heckuva glare. The traffic lights were a PITA today.

Had a nice ride to and from work today. Mid 40s in the morning and upper 60s at night. I left my jacket at work so I wouldnt get too hot. Sucks to live in Phoenix :D Also hit a new top speed on my fixed gear. 34.5 with me spinning like a fool.

15F/-10C, clear and calm. Light traffic left the road mostly to me, and the motorists I did see were all remarkably well-behaved. Hmmmmm. I think something must be up...

Dark and quiet. I was cold starting out but quickly warmed up. My first commute on the Meteor ! She is a smooth ride. Brakes are alittle rough when stopping but it was fun!
Ernest

Nice and warm, but my bloody headlight broke halfway to school, so I couldn't see anything. argh!