How was the commute today?
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Oh yeah, snow and ice in my beard. The snow biker cometh...

SA[in]NE
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17*F, light wind, but it felt colder. I was comfortable but the cheeks got a little red from exposure which isn't usual at that temp normally. So I suspect the wind chill was more then they were saying.

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Threw the bike in the carpool in the morning. I finally got through to the inclement weather closings hotline at work, about five miles out from the house - my work was closed, my wife's wasn't. She dropped me off at a side street and I made my way home in howling wind and 3" of snow. I forgot my clava!
My chain was slipping out of the rear hub about halfway home, and my 3-speed was a singlespeed. I pulled into a garage to get out of the wind and fix it. A mechanic made the obvious joke about not working on those, and offered me a cup of coffee when I explained what I was doing. We chatted for a bit and I continued on home on a 2-speed.
I think I'll relax and then maybe go to a matinee later. Must restore to a 3-speed. (That's a pliers and about a minute.)
My chain was slipping out of the rear hub about halfway home, and my 3-speed was a singlespeed. I pulled into a garage to get out of the wind and fix it. A mechanic made the obvious joke about not working on those, and offered me a cup of coffee when I explained what I was doing. We chatted for a bit and I continued on home on a 2-speed.
I think I'll relax and then maybe go to a matinee later. Must restore to a 3-speed. (That's a pliers and about a minute.)
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You gonna eat that?
So I was at Performance Bike Saturday and picked up some kinda gloves on sale for $14. They looked pretty enough so I figured what the heck? This morning was chilly so I got a chance to try them out earlier than I thought.
Mmmmmmmmm.... Toasty fingers.
Also, in trying to debug a bottom bracket click on my Marathon, I swapped out the cranks from my old Nishiki Olympic 12. Didn't fix the problem but the new cranks just felt.... better. I think they are a little longer than the old ones becuase it just felt like I had such a long, smooth powerful stroke.
It's times like this morning that I think maybe I really should look into getting a bike newer than 15 years old.... I'd probably fly like the wind!
Mmmmmmmmm.... Toasty fingers.
Also, in trying to debug a bottom bracket click on my Marathon, I swapped out the cranks from my old Nishiki Olympic 12. Didn't fix the problem but the new cranks just felt.... better. I think they are a little longer than the old ones becuase it just felt like I had such a long, smooth powerful stroke.
It's times like this morning that I think maybe I really should look into getting a bike newer than 15 years old.... I'd probably fly like the wind!

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Fast ride in this morning. I took the major route (despite the mup option). 1/2 hour was a really really good mup time, i did the major route in 25 minutes despite hitting every single light.
I made the rarest of all sightings one can have during a commute (no not a courteous motorist) a fellow commuter. I haven't seen him before and the sighting was on a stretch that i always take regardless of the route i choose.
I made the rarest of all sightings one can have during a commute (no not a courteous motorist) a fellow commuter. I haven't seen him before and the sighting was on a stretch that i always take regardless of the route i choose.

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Snow day. The office is closed. The kids are home. I'm considering Proofiding my iPhone holster.
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I listened to live sirius on my commute via my blackberry. Pretty awesome! I'm ready for some touring now. Its harder to pedal when your laughing at the stern show!

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I was going to say it was really cold riding in this morning, but after skimming through the above posts, I think you all might shoot me 
32 degrees is really cold for me, but obviously nothing for all of you who rode in through snow and wind this morning!

32 degrees is really cold for me, but obviously nothing for all of you who rode in through snow and wind this morning!

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FAIL.
Got a drive in today. Minus 15C and a 40kph north wind (I head due north for 10 km north in the morning) combined with a nasty late-winter flu.... I finally cracked.
Must ride tomorrow... although similar conditions are expected.
Got a drive in today. Minus 15C and a 40kph north wind (I head due north for 10 km north in the morning) combined with a nasty late-winter flu.... I finally cracked.
Must ride tomorrow... although similar conditions are expected.

----
snow day for me!!
going to watch a movie.
I did get my new rear studded tire just in time- no snow day for UPS- so I'll be riding tomorrow on my new Marathon Winter tire rear, Nokian front.
Might take a ride later today just to check out the tires.
going to watch a movie.

I did get my new rear studded tire just in time- no snow day for UPS- so I'll be riding tomorrow on my new Marathon Winter tire rear, Nokian front.
Might take a ride later today just to check out the tires.

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Did 28 miles before work this morning in a warmish drizzle. Really a lovely ride through the Yolo Co. farmland. Now, it's completely pouring so I was lucky to miss the heavy rain.

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A first for me: I set off to work on my bicycle even though it was raining at the time. Well, drizzling. And 65*F. Baby steps, baby steps.
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OMG 73F!
I swapped my panniers for a rack trunk this morning and just flew in and back. Even with lightening up my load this morning my rack trunk was packed for the ride home.
My intervals are paying off!
I swapped my panniers for a rack trunk this morning and just flew in and back. Even with lightening up my load this morning my rack trunk was packed for the ride home.
My intervals are paying off!


Share the road.
SRAM OG1070made such a big difference. With my 11-28t I didn't feel like I was training on each hill.

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I hope some of that is headed this way, Data. Cold and icy this morning: 12F/-11C with thankfully light headwind. We ended up with 7-8" hereabouts (most of which seems to have fallen after my commute) yesterday. A cold but sunny afternoon left my ride home almost like normal (I guess it helped that the snowplow folks must've hit it like gangbusters given that they've been largely twiddling their thumbs all winter). That still left plenty of icy bits around though, and kept my studs on the bike (probably through tomorrow, too). Studs into the wind makes for a sloooowwwww ride.
And was it me just a week ago saying that it was probably time to put the winter tights away? Serves me right.
And was it me just a week ago saying that it was probably time to put the winter tights away? Serves me right.

Last edited by MIKEnDC; 03-03-09 at 05:43 AM.

The Drive Side is Within
It's 14F here this morning, and I have to pick my sons from daycare and wait for an hour bus ride on the way home in a windchill in the teens this afternoon.
So... I'm bailing on the commute.
I'll be driving my wagon with a doughnut tire on the back. Bummer.
So... I'm bailing on the commute.

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Yesterday's ride home was a bit of a challenge on an un-plowed/un-treated MV Trail. The snow was crusted over with ice in many spots, pock-marked and rutted and, had drifts of powdery snow that were probably 12 to 18 inches. I was able to manage a steady 12 mph where there was still a few inches of powdery snow even where the drifts came up to my bottom bracket and clogged my pedals and cassette with ice/snow. I saw only two other riders (on mountain bikes) and managed to get home without dumping it. I slipped onto the grass a few times as I was riding as near the edges of trail as possible, that's where the best traction was. I made it home in about 50 minutes and proceded to shovel the front walk. I knew that the trail would be an icey mess this morning and, didn't even attempt it, will probably take the Metro the rest of the week as my rr. hub is loose and I have to get some cone wrenches to fix it.

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Last night's ride was a b**ch! The wind and cold were just relentless.
This morning 8*F, no wind, nice bright sun...it turned out to be a nice ride.
I'm a firm believer it isn't the temp, it's isn't rain or snow or ice that is my nemesis...it's the freaking wind.
This morning 8*F, no wind, nice bright sun...it turned out to be a nice ride.
I'm a firm believer it isn't the temp, it's isn't rain or snow or ice that is my nemesis...it's the freaking wind.

Waiting to commute...
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Rain, that's all I remember from this morning.

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Gorgeous ride in, -11C no wind... oh and we didn't get the freezing rain followed by snow that was called for in the forecast, so the roads were great. Almost good enough for the road bike.
Saw my fellow commuter again, same time, same place. Talked briefly at the lights.
Saw my fellow commuter again, same time, same place. Talked briefly at the lights.

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It's a beautiful morning here in Austin. Maybe mid 40s and sunny.
I rode the Cervelo today, as it's finally light enough in the morning that I don't need a headlight. I think I might take the bike out and cruise around a little during my lunch break.
I rode the Cervelo today, as it's finally light enough in the morning that I don't need a headlight. I think I might take the bike out and cruise around a little during my lunch break.

SERENITY NOW!!!
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15F this morning so I wore a Patagonia beanie and a shemagh wrapped around my face and head. Too much! I was so sweaty and hot when I got to work, steam was coming off my head. Even though my gloves are falling apart, my hands were fine thanks to silk glove liners. Feet were toasty thanks to snow boots rated to -40F.
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We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!

GATC
drove due to lingering illness. Yesterday I felt so much better I was wondering about the tradeoff... if I was too sick to bike would I also be too sick to really function if I sat down at my desk? But it turned out I only felt better than the previous couple days. Today I have a functioning brain so used the car to get it to the office w/o asking too much of the lungs.
