I left the house in a pretty hard rain that stayed with me for 15 miles, my last 3 miles were dry. The air was warm, the traffic on the heavy side, it's suppose to clear up today but who cares, riding is riding, wet or dry, it's all riding and that's what matters. I had my rain suit in the panniers, but that's where it stayed, I figured it wouldn't get wet in there and I would have one less thing hanging in my office drying through day.

It was 68 degrees, no wind, partly sunny, and the traffic was reasonable.

Perfect.

RichC

Nice slow drizzle, yet warm. Did get my second flat in as many weeks. Lots of broken glass from garbage pick up and several accidents. Enjoyable just the same.

Back to the heat and loving it. Broke another record today...getting stonger...getting faster...getting thinner...getting smart.

It was nice one the way to school. The sky was clear and it was cool and misty out. Traffic was pretty slow too, so it was a low hazard commute. But this afternoon on the way home.....It was stinkin humid, hot, and super buggy! I ate a few bugs and my helmet was covered with them by the time I got home. But traffic was slow again, so that made it ok.

Shouldn't that be getting smarter :D
liked your tunes on mp3.com

Pretty standard 20-mile commute home along hilly route. Left about 20 mins later than normal and really could tell. The shadows were very long and it was practically dark when I got home.

I was chased by a big, fat, old dog who could only keep up for a few feet or so. Still, I didn't see the dog approaching and was startled by it. Lucky I was able to "outrun" it.

When flat tires start to happen they come in fits.. Today's ride. Stopped at the post office in mid commute.. The front tire did a fast noiseless poof. Riding on rims.. Changed the tube.. It had 5 small pin holes in it.. I was not off the road but all caused by thistles.. Can not recall being off the road with my road bike..
Had kevlar lined Vittoria Rubinos.. As approaching home, the back tire went flat. one thistle caused hole.. earlier had not felt any thistles in back tire before I left. I hate flats.
Got home and changed tires-probably had 2000- 3000 miles on them. changed them out to Specialized Armadillos..
Riding without any hassles sure makes for a great day..

No records broken today! Traffic through the town section of my ride was very busy. There are two reasons for this 1, I was later than usual after having overslept :sleep: 2, All the schools re-started today, so cue chauffeur driven cars for every child that lives more than 100 yards from school - at least thats how it seems sometimes. The increase in traffic is.... amazing...:irritated
At least I could still have a blast in the out of town section.

Cheers all,

Ed

Thunder strom this morning, I drove to work, I feel really bad about it, the day just won't be the same. I must be a whimp, I guess we'll pick it up in the morning.

Me too :( I had all my gear ready to go, and then it started raining. I chickened out and put on my work clothes and took the car. I felt even worse when I saw two bikers riding through the rain. *sigh*

Well the rest of the week is supposed to be sunny! I'll be on vacation (we have a friend visiting), so I'll get some good riding in, I hope!

Tim

Beautiful!

I woke up early and therefore had no traffic to contend with at all.

My boyfriend is looking into commuting for the first time tomorrow morning. I hope he does it! Soon he'll be in better shape than me because his ride is 16 miles versus my piddly 2.5. I may have to move farther away from the office!

Teresa

Teresa, I have just one word for you....detour! Little detours have turned my 7 mile commute into a pleasant 27 mile ride!! And todays ride was magnificent. Not nearly as fast as I would have liked, but the weather was perfect, no wind, I felt good, and my vintage old Paramount turned in it's usual flawless performance. And they wonder why I always have a smile on my face at work!!

I ditto the flats comment. I have gone 500 miles without a hitch and then I get two within 50 miles of each other. Today's commute felt warmer for some reason and sure enough, it was 5 degrees warmer. I will have to leave earlier tomorrow. I had a day laborer (people who wait on the sidewalk waiting for construction people to hire them for the day) pretend he was going to jump on. It was kind of funny, I was going so fast though I figured if he really tried it he would get hurt worse than I would. It was a very nice ride (especially the shady frontage road I have started using to avoid getting crunched up against a row of pomegranite trees while passing stopped traffic).

Perfect weather this morning for a leisurely ride to work. Temperatures are expected to be 20 degrees cooler than last weekend.

Our dress code goes to business casual for the fall months so I just rode in wearing khakis and a shortsleeve buttondown shirt. I saw a guy riding to work on an old (but apparently well-maintained) Schwinn road bike. He was wearing wingtips, a tie, and a tweed jacket (!). Even in January, I'd be soaked in sweat after 2 miles in that outfit.

Looking forward to the ride home already....:)

So did I....... 14.34 minutes, the fastest I've done my commute on my MTB.


So I'm well happy tonight.

Ah, back to commuting! Between getting ready for my trip, going on it, and coming back, today was my first commute in a week. :) I seem to be slightly out of shape for it, but not badly.

It was a beautiful day, warm without much wind. The sky is starting to get that autumn blue color. All our trees here are still green, though I saw the maples changing color on my trip in the north of the state. Took the long way in without incident, and took the short route home in darkness. The stars were out when I started.

Felt good!

man, oh man...

Rained yesterday. Not during the ride in, not during the ride back.

Rained the day before yesterday. A wee bit during the ride in (got to test my new Burley rain gear...just peachy fine!) and not on the ride home.

This morning? Some fog, and sun out of the valley. FANTASTIC! Not only that, but a best time for riding since my accident.

I think that I've managed to turn the tide.

ride carelessly,
tt

Well last night I got home and bolted on the new Brooks swift saddle, I installed it on my Bridgestone touring bike. I looked forward to the commute in to work this morning, it kept up most of the night. I got up this morning and did all the things I always do before leaving for work. It is a beautiful day, the air cool and still and a perfectly clear sky, I thought, what a beautiful day for the maiden voyage on the Brooks. Down the driveway I went, all the way to work I looked for the amazing comfort these saddles afford, Well I rode the 18.5 miles in 51 minutes, This saddle is like sitting on an I-beam, it is the hardest, most unforgiving thing I ever sat on, I don't know how long this relationshhip is going to last. They say it needs to break in, will I break in or the saddle, They say the comfort is hidden inside waiting to be ridden out. I don't know if I can take it long enough to enjoy it. I'm going to give it 500 miles or so and we'll see. It looks great though when it's stopped.

Nice commute this morning - it was a little misty but warm and the traffic was a bit better than yesterday (I managed to wake up at the proper time). Also rode my older bike, partly for a change and also because they forecast rain for later.... She is waiting for my descision on new wheels and is running at the moment on a very dog-eared mix'n match set. Doesn't seem to matter much, she still goes like the wind.

Happy riding,

Ed

A new Brooks has a hard convex surface and your sit bones slide all over it. The break-in period will put 2 dimples in the correct position. This is best done by frequent short rides over a few weeks. I was dissapopinted by my Brooks at first, but persevered and after a few weeks it bedded in to conform to my own particular shape.
As other people have said, just apply a light coat of Brooks Proofhide to the top and bottom, nothing more.

thanks I did the proof hide twice before I put it on the bike. It's good to hear that it will break in. I like the saddle and I want it to work.

Back on the bike today after taking yesterday off. Shoes, gloves and helmet finally dried out. Yesterday would have been the second rainy day in a row, plus I had to drop off two bikes at the local YMCA where they teach kids how to fix bikes and then send the fixed bikes off to 3rd world countries.

Ride in today was very nice. Not a cloud in sight and a very comfortable 63 degrees. Love the fall for riding!

Beauteous ride in today. On the "fall schedule" which means I go from my daughter's school (13 miles). I played a mean game of basketball last night and I was exhilirated on the commute despite being sore in places. Nice and cool but actually a little warmer than many days during the summer. :confused:

Looking forward to an equally exhilirating ride home.

So far, two days this week commuting--today was really great. I took an extended lunch break, when to the LBS and picked up a rack for me LeTour, then biked back to work (used some of the extra time I spent last week not commuting, but working late). Got in about 18 miles total, which is pretty good for me. The weather was grand, but windy on the way home (tailwind though:D 'Scared a squirrel this morning on a path before getting to the road. At least, as a bicyclist, I don't have to worry about killing the poor creatures. In short, an enjoyable day commuting.

John