rode in this morning and it was finally above 0F/-18C, it was 4F! Little to no wind so that helped. That ol' bike gets awful stiff and slow at those temp, but it was still a nice ride in. It's still dark all the way in and part of the way home... but we are starting to get longer days.

Pretty nice morning, mostly overcast temps in the low 40s(f). I decided to forego the raincoat (whose zipper seems to be giving up the ghost) and was a little cold for the first 2 miles. The first hill warmed me right up though :) I was a little slow though, I've got this cold that is keeping me down :(

BTW I've put about 60miles on my new Brooks b.67 and am feeling pretty comfortable on it. However there is a continuous squeaking of the springs as I pedal. Is this just part of the b.67 experience or do I need to adjust my riding position or something?

I hate squeaks...

Fresh legs this morning. My buddy must have felt pretty fresh as well because we're really pushing it and he starts in on his Phil Liggett impersonation: "And with 3 kilometers to go, two brave American lads have escaped from the peleton and are really pouring it on! Will they have enough to hold off the pursuit? Look at the suffering in their faces as they force the Tour's big names to chase!" :)

Got to work 5 minutes early and boy was my butt sore. Always a good sign.

24F, 17F/wind chill this morning, but I was just dandy (except for the brain freeze on the first couple descents, of course :p )

This evening it started out in the low 40's and sunny, so I risked my shorts (windbreaker too, of course.) I felt chilly in the legs for a few miles, especially descents, but it was exhilirating. Temps were destined to drop as the sun sank low, though. But by the time I got home it was 36F, but I was even warmer than when I started!

There is something about the sensation of cold all around you when you are feeling comfortably warm. It's better than chocolate.

I was running late this morning, trying to get off Rt 27 quickly and onto the sidestreet when I passed a cash drawer (empty) on the side of the road. After a couple seconds thinking, I stopped, turned back and confirmed my initial impression. So I got to pull out my cell phone to call 911, gave my location and find, and had my suspicion confirmed. There had been a robbery overnight. So SPD asks me to wait with it until they can get a cruiser there "what kind of car are you in?" "I'm on a bicycle" After a moments pause, perhaps to look at the thermometer (11F/-12C with gusting winds) she replied "We'll try to get there right away." An officer showed up within 5 minutes, got my info, said that he would wait until they came with the evidence bag. He also asked if I was warm enough, and laughed when I said I would be as soon as I started up MooseHill. I was only 5 minutes late to work. Unusual commute.

Glad to see pausing to report the robbery didn't make you too late for work.

Considerably cooler this morning than it has been lately - a torrential downpour might have actually had a chance at washing off some of my sweat if it had actually been here. Nice roll on the waves of the South Pacific too.

Hi Folks

Better riding today - the discomfort from my injuries is subsiding gradually, and I managed a half decent night's sleep last night, which works wonders.

Also I am encouraged by a modification to try and keep water out of my hubs with a "bootie" made from old inner tube - I'll post pictures in the mechanics section if there is time.

Cheers,

Ed

I'm still taking the main road to avoid icy side streets and bike paths. I leave early in the morning to avoid rush hour traffic. I forgot how horrible this street was. It has heavy bus traffic, so the right lane is more of a broken trail than a road. If I had to take this route every day, I'd have to get a mountain bike with good suspension.

And I'm missing exercise because the direct main road cuts 3 miles out of my normal 7 mile commute.

This weekend, I'll check out the bike path to see if it's rideable.

It's still cold, 10-15 F, but it's clear.

Yesterday evening I got two chances to test my new electric horn in traffic. Both times, my horn alerted motorists who were turning into my path and prevented them from doing so. I already think it's paid for itself.

It's still chilly, but slowly warming. This morning was about 29F, not bad at all!
One good thing is the absence of ice on the roads (but I still have to watch out for any ice that might come from leaky pipes or something.) Down here, we just rarely get snow.

Man, I could not get warm this morning! I guess I needed one more layer, but didn't want to stop to put it on! Even my legs were cold. Supposed to be 20deg warmer for the ride home. :D

Grey day, overcast and foggy. Colder too than it has been in the last week or so. No energy either, I've been suffering under this cold and it is taking a toll. Ride otherwise OK, but for the second time I saw this guy riding on the detour route against traffic. I really dislike the riding against traffic meme and the fact that this guy was doing it on SR-202 is just insane.

Hmmm, had a great ride in this morning, in fact it was so "balmy" (27F/-3C) that I took the long way. My ride home is going to be quite different, the wind changed to the NW at 20-30mph and the temp has dropped to 12F/-11C and falling fast. Guess which direction I have to go for my ride home? Hmmm...

Brooks saddle comment
 

Traveled down to Salem, OR to visit the grand kids for a few days so I haven't commuted since Friday. Today would have been perfect but I had to drop off our new car for some add ons that were part of the deal. Really disgusting to drive this much when the weather is so great. Highlight of our visit was when the 5 y.o. bragged about having her dad remove the training wheels from her bike! We have to keep our replacements coming. Kodama: I rode a RAleigh Sports many years ago with that type of saddle and don't remember any squeeking, maybe its something that wears in since mine was well broken in when I got it. Once you ride it enough to get those 2 complementary dents worn in, it will be very comfortable. Don

More of this relatively pleasant (i.e. cooler) weather this morning. Also some very nice female company for parts of the ride (I hope Katy Steele doesn't get jealous!). All in all a pretty enjoyable ride.

This morning, it was balmy here, too (32F/0C).

Last night, I left when it was still day light, another nice change. I tried the bike bath about half way home for the first time since last week. It was basically fine, except for the bridges, which were still ice slicks. It was really nice to ride in daylight and away from traffic for a change.

I was going to ask you what a "bike bath" was, and how much it cost.

:p

This mornings ride was quick and cold. With temps at 0F and wind chills in the negative 20's, I didn't waste much time getting to work. But, now (6 hrs later) my thighs are still tingling (I should have worn the long johns). Normally, I wouldn't complain about tingling thighs, but I don't think this is the good kind of tingling.

A "bike bath" is what I try to avoid by staying to the center of the narrow, icy bridges over the river.

At least I know someone is reading my posts. :D

Colder day today, with high thin clouds that let the sun shine through. Hints of blue sky here and there. Still tired, the extra hills on the detour route plus the cold have been taking it out of me. I have been trying alternate routes home which have more hills but less dangerous traffic at night. Last nights route was actually worse, but I think I've got a line on a good one tonight.

Felt pretty good on the commute this morning. Not really sure why, I can only assume the 4am pre-work ride had something to do with it.

Good commute today, took my time and found some side streets that I didn't know about before. Another snow storm is moving in tonight, so I dunno, I might not be bike commuting in the morning.

different commute today, went a different route which was shorter and actually allowed me to keep a more steady pace (so average pulse was 161 rather than the 171 i had yesterday!)

Good ride this morning, My aches and pains have subsided a lot now - in fact cycling doesn't cause any discomfort at all! So, I have reverted to the long route in the mornings for the extra excersise. Really pleased with this morning's effort, which topped 18mph average.

Next week could be interesting, we are in for a blast from the Arctic, according to the forecasts. Brrrrr!

Have a good weekend,

Ed

Temps about 18-20F, with a wind chill of 8-11F. But the roads are dry and free of ice. Aside from some cold fingers, I feel good and find the ride in to be invigorating.