daredevil

Back in the saddle again for a mid-20's commute after a week in Mexico. Nice to be back on the bike. The cold weather on the other hand...

vja4Him

Just got back from today's commute of 13 miles. Strong side winds going into town, blowing both east and west! Sometimes the wind was so strong, it nearly knocked me over! Rain finally let up when I left home! I lucked out, as it has been raining nonstop for two days, with high winds. Averaged about 11.5 mph going into town, to WINCO. Bought $65.00 in groceries, then headed back home.

Return trip was a bit slower, riding into the wind ... Could really feel all that extra weight in my thighs, then after about a mile, my knees started hurting, so I had to drop to granny gear the middle chain ring several times on the way home. Only averaged about 8mph going home.

Oh yes, I packed 4 1/2 dozen eggs in the rear basket! Last time I bought eggs, broke a couple. Today, no broken eggs! I packed each carton of eggs on top of something soft (soft bag of pancake mix, hot dogs, and lunch meat).

profmike

I live in a rural area in southern Michigan. This afternoon I rode within twenty feet of a small herd (I counted ten) of whitetail deer on the way home.

Pretty cool.

Grim

Moved up in the world. Picked up my first set of Brifters and got them installed this past weekend and did a 9 speed upgrade in the process. Basically somebody's cast offs when they moved up to a 10speed. Still not sure about the 11 x 26 9speed cassette and 26/38/48 combo. I had 11x28 7 speed and 22/32/44 crank. Hated I was topping out but now I am worried I don't have enough crawl for packed touring. The new cranks are wider as well. The old cranks may go back on. Love to find something like a 22x34x48.

I do love the Brifters though. It was nice not having to move off the hoods to grab a lower gear on the hills. I was warned I would get spoiled and I can see why.

Ride was pleasant and uneventful other then upshifting when I wanted to downshift a couple of times.

breakaway9

Great commute this morning since there was almost no traffic due to President's Day. Ride home had a little more traffic. Getting excited to ride tomorrow morning, we are expecting a good sized storm over night.... I love riding in the snow....

MIKEnDC

27 or 28F/2 or 3C this morning with a very slight headwind.

I took a couple of days off riding and was a little tentative at first. I also dressed more for the afternoon than for this morning and was a little chillier than I needed to be, but a nice ride through a nice clear pre-dawn nonetheless.

tarwheel 

Coldest commute in a while after several weeks of unseasonably warm weather. The low dipped to 23 F but it didn't feel that cold to me, probably because the wind finally died down. Yesterday's commute home was difficult because my legs were tired and I was riding into a stiff NW headwind much of the way.

My legs need a day off, which they will get tomorrow since it is supposed to rain all day. I've ridden six days in a row, totalling 175 miles and including a metric century on Sunday. My average speeds are dropping day by day, a sure indication that I need some rest.

apricissimus 

I almost got right hooked this morning. It was at the corner of Comm Ave and Gloucester. The motorist was second in line waiting at a red light, and I was right behind her. Light turns green, but she's digging through a bag or something on the passenger seat, so she doesn't see it. After a couple of seconds, I start to pass on the right, and she starts going too. Just as I'm at her right front end, she starts turning and comes within inches of hitting me. She never signaled her turn.

I yelled and raised a terror, and she continued onto Gloucester St. Normally I'd be going straight onto Comm Ave, but I gave chase. she turned right again onto Newbury and I finally caught up to her at the red light at Mass Ave. Since I was sprinting I was pretty out of breath, so I think my verbal barbs were less than sharp.

She said to me, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you." I wonder how she didn't see me when I was at the right side of the front of her vehicle when she made the right turn. Where exactly was she looking?? Just absent-mindedness I suppose, or bicycle blindness.

Lessons to take away from this: Her burrowing through her bag at the green light should have been my first clue that she was less than attentive, and I should have passed on the left, even though she did not use her turn signal and there was no indication that she was going to turn right. And since she was totally unimpressed by me catching up to her and yelling at her, it probably wasn't worth it.

Doohickie

Yep. You gotta be careful!

My ride was pleasant. Temps in the 50s = wear shorts on the ride.

I stopped by the credit union to make my car payment. I went through the drive-thru on my bike; the teller got a kick out of it. This is the credit union, by the way, where I pulled my current commuter bike out of the dumpster at the edge of the parking lot, so my Dumpster Queen has gone full circle I guess.

T-Hussy

Great ride, starting to see the rest of the bike commuting croud get out in this nice weather. Wind blows!

LAJ

Darn near balmy this morning. Mid 30's or so, but almost seemed warmer. Wind started kicking up at the end. Seems like the wind is a never ending deal anymore.

dwilbur3

Awful commute this morning. I was trying to hurry to beat the rain, but my frame pack had come lose so I spent 10 minutes fiddling with it and still couldn't get it right. Then when I finally got started, I encountered the wind, about 20mph blowing straight into my face the whole way. And it rained most of the way.

I ended up being 17 minutes late.

I hope the wind is still kicking the same speed/direction on the way home. I'll be able to zoom!

Pig_Chaser

Nice ride in this morning. -21C and i was ever so slightly overdressed so i just had to take it easy. Saw three jack rabbits on the mup which is all the wildlife i'm apt to see on the new commute. A telus truck that was blocking a road crossing backed out of my way to let me through.

HardyWeinberg

Nice fast ride. Stopped at lab for bloodtest. It's a week the car needs a checkup so I might drive one day this week. Not great w/ a short week already, but would set the stage for a 5 day week next week at least.

atombob

I'm baaaacccckkkkkk! After about a 5 month hiatus of not commuting by bike to work I'm riding again! I forgot how much I missed it too. This morning was a light rain with wet streets and fun. I treated myself to a storm shower jacket and what an investment. I'm still looking for a perfect commuting bike but the single speed with racks is going to have to do for now. Feels good to be back.

Commuter76

Had my first real experince riding in crappy weather today. It is misty and drizzly. I had to angle my head down so I could avoide getting water in my eyes. Water was dripping from the front of my helmet. At least the temperature was in the mid 40's (maybe high 40's). The funny thing is I really enjoy this weather. I have to be more careful, but I thoroughly enjoyed this morning's ride in.

Doohickie

I forgot to mention.... I sighted a fellow commuter. Because I dropped off my car payment at the credit union, I took a different route. As I approached a light (coming from a different direction than I usually do), I saw a bike waiting at the light. I think it was a guy I've met before on my commute; we were stopped at a light together and exchanged pleasantries. A little further on, I turned right and he turned left, which would have directed him toward the spot where I saw him this morning.

Next time I run into him I'll have to ask his name and tell him about BF.

breakaway9

Crappy, I was all excited to ride in the snow this morning and there was none... To make matters worse about 1.5 miles into my commute I noticed a wiggly sensation coming from the rear of the bike. i looked down and sure enough it was a flat, no problem I thought I just happened to by about 20 feet from a park bench so i pulled up to it and started taking off my back tire and it started snowing like crazy... I finally got the back tire off (I was glad I had just dismantled and cleaned my chain and rear cluster the night before) got the new tube in and remounted in a decent amount of time. With everything back together I got out my "trusty" pump. When I tried to lock down the presta fitting the face of the pump broke off... Luckily I was able use the ring from the shreader side and get some air into it (of course I just got a new tube and forgot to grab the presta to shraeder adapter off the old tube), but by now it was really coming down and my b17 was getting soaked. I got the tire pumped up about 3/4 of the way and rode it very slowly to a covered picnic table where I was able to flip the bike over and really get some more air into it... my 20 minute commute took almost an hour... I hate when that happens darn goatheads.... Guess I'll be stopping at REI on the way home to look at a new pump (and get some air while I'm there)...

caloso

Going to do a half commute. My wife dropped me and my bike at the office this morning. It was pouring, but the storm should pass by the evening. I'll have to light a candle to La Madonna del Ghisallo before heading home, as I forgot to reattach my saddle bag after futzing with the blinkie last night.

HardyWeinberg

Tried to get life out of 2 PB superflashes today that I thought had deceased this past Dec. They both started up, but died very quickly. Ride home w/ no tail light tonight, not sure about tomorrow.

dschwarz

Last night got everything set for the AM commute. Lunch made, bags packed, tires filled. Was psyched to ride after the long weekend away. Woke up in the middle of the night with an asthma attack. Spent the early morning in the hospital. No commute for me today, and probably no commute for the rest of the week. Sigh.

GodsBassist

Burned out from toting the kiddo around in his trailer yesterday. I took a new route and one of the hills I came up had me not only standing on the pedals in granny gear but actually pulling the handlebars HARD to just keep forward momentum. I've never worked so hard just not to roll backward.

As such I took it easy today (read: was forced to take it easy today) But still a good ride.

Not looking forward to the rain tomorrow.

noteon 

I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's certainly added incentive when you know if you fail, your kids will roll backwards down a hill in a bike trailer.

downtube42

Drove in this morning because I had an offsite meeting, then home for lunch for a quick bite and bike back.

I decided to ride back on the Super Sport, which meant swapping out the trashed BB for an Ashtabula crank from my parts pile. After eating I had about 27 minutes to work, then an 8 minute commute. I decided to build a rack to suspend the bike from the ceiling joists, to facilitate working on the BB in my office clothes. So I cut out two hangers from plywood, hung up the bike, pulled the crankarms and removed the BB, installed the Ashtabula crank, tried to install pedals but found the threads were incompatible, pulled some old pedals out of the trash, un-stuck them with WD-40, installed the pedals, washed up, and rode back to work. Only 4 minutes late. Oh yeah, I ripped some skin of my finger and had to do a quick patch-up. Fun!

buzzman

After a great Valentine's Day weekend during which I x-country skied all through the woods things got a little funky. At one spot on the trail a snowmobile had crashed through the ice and snow into a stream and naturally I came screaming down the trail and around a corner and right into the hole- smashed up my right knee and got soaking wet.

Continued to ski the rest of the day anyway and got home, showered and was so exhausted I headed for bed and then smashed my right little toe right into the corner of the wall and crack I broke my little toe! Ouch, it hurt.

Rode the bike in anyway today. It hurts when I walk up stairs and when I stand for a while but it's okay while I'm biking. But what a drag. I love walking up the stairs where I work. (9th floor) I won't be doing that for a while- back to the elevator.

Meanwhile the ride in was fine. The ride home was fine, too. Stopped and grocery shopped on the way home love my bike for transport.