Got reminded of the need for caution when passing stopped traffic on the right today. Car pulled into a restaurant in front of me without a turn signal. I was almost going slow enough to have missed him entirely but his bumper just caught my front tire and the bike went down but I managed to stay up. Anyway, mental note on going a little slower when passing backed up traffic. Otherwise it was a beautiful commute. This summer has been the nicest summer for commuting down here that I can remember. Temps have been awesome.

Yesterday: What is with the trend of very small bike mounted gangly teens who wear earphones, no helmet, weave between traffic, the sidewalk, and parked cars with no regard for pedestrians, other bikers, or getting killed by a bus?! Two of them nearly wiped me out last night-- one wheeled in front of me suddenly from the sidewalk and I had to brake hard, this was going down a steep hill, too, the other came out of the left lane after crossing traffic against the light and nearly clipped my rear wheel, then wove onto the sidewalk and cut me off at the traffic light, which was red, almost causing another collision. I yelled, but wasn't heard over the headphones, which I could hear from several feet away. I was actually afraid to pass them because they were so erratic. A driver who encountered one of the dumber sidewalk-to-road maneuvers in yet another near accident took the opportunity to yell something obscene about punk idiot bikers at the next light. Then he noticed me pulling up next to him on the right, and actually apologized, saying he didn't mean me, he sees me almost every day and I'm one of the good ones.

I'm just glad he sees me. My slightly warm fuzzy feeling (though it could've been anger at the bike punks, too) about aware drivers completely evaporated when some lady WHO ACTUALLY SAID HELLO TO ME then tried to make a right turn into me later in my commute.

The thermometer outside the house said 41F when I left. The humidity was also way up. There was a heavy layer of dew on everything. High level clouds kept the sun from warming me as I rode. Having to dodge school busses again. Sure is nice to be riding.

Bob

Don't you know that you disappear into another dimension once a car passes you? That can be the only explanation for this phenomenon. Once theoretical physicists figure out exactly how it occurs that'll be the last piece of the Grand Unified Theory.

A warm breeze from the north this morning, which is an indicator that it'll be superhot this afternoon. Surface of the sun hot. Yay.

Nice and easy. The kind that makes you feel good to be on a bike.

Yesterday I decide to take an alternate route home, 12 miles for more exercise. 4.5 miles in I get a flat on the front, crap. Whip out the tool, pump and patch kit. Open patch kit, doh! Only rubber cement, sandpaper, and the instructions, no more patches!

So I make a patch out of rubber cement an a piece of the paper from the instructions. It gets me home, and to work today. Other than that it was a good ride. I guess I should get some tire liners or better tires, since it seems I'm getting serious about commuting.

How MacGuyver of you!

um... Do you think you could work on that disappearing-into-another-dimension-after-a-car-passes thing? Maybe there's a rubber cement patch for that part of the Grand Unified Theory...

Well said javagrrl!
Skipped riding yesterday due to having the plumber over right when I get off work.
Today was 69F no wind this morning really humid. Got splattered with small bugs again as my route parrallels a stream for a while, got one in my eye & swallowed another, so much for skippin' breakfast. This afternoon it's 80 & humid w/ 5-10mph head wind. GOTTA workand ride tommorrow.

No commute today but I did take the commuter up to the drug store to pick up some stuff. A little muggy but a nice ride.

I did my first commute on Friday. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. 34 miles round trip. Next week I am going to try to do it 3-5 days.

First tailwind in two months. Cool and overcast. Completes two full months without setting foot in a motor vehicle (car or bus). Just passed seven years without owning a vehicle.

Rowan, you are my hero. I am so looking forward to getting rid of my car! I am moving into the town that I work in this winter or next spring, whenever I can find an affordable apartment, and as soon as I do, I am getting rid of the beast. I am so envious of carless bikers.

Gee, thanks. <blush>

Which comes first -- find affordable apartment and ditch car, or ditch car and get better apartment?

As Rowan said above, if you ditch the car, you'll be able to afford the better apartment. There is no way I could afford to live where I do now if I had one.

P.S -- I've never owned a car!

As far as today's commute goes, struggled a bit in the first couple of km after a weekend of 350km/4,300 metres of climbing, then decided to launch a blistering attack on the headwind that dared to taunt me. I'm paying for it now, but a tailwind on the way home this evening should make it easier.

Temperature was 19 degrees C, but it felt more like 25 with the humidity. That follows on from 31 degree C temperatures at Murwillumbah yesterday (before being saved by the Urliup rainforest). Is it possible to be sick of summer before winter is "officially" over?

I had a pretty decent ride in this morning. A bit of a north wind blowing that sort of became a headwind when I started west. Otherwise it was pretty decent.

A little foggy and humid this morning. I had a strange fatigue in my legs from running yesterday, it made the last hill before the office a real challenge.

Excellent ride this morning. I leave around 5:30. Get to work around 6:40am. About 65 deg in KCMO. My ride is about 14 miles each way. I usually get to commute three days a week. If I had one wish (this morning) I would wish drivers would learn to use turn signals! I try to be predictable but it makes in tough when the cars themselves are unpredictable! OK, I'm finished griping! By the way.....how far is your commute?

Foggy and humid. Saw two other bikers this morning near downtown Atlanta, but didn't catch them. Nice 12 mile ride (except when the semi passed way too close )

Today felt more like a late summer morning. Temperature in the middle 50F range. Sunny with little wind. The shadows are growing longer. I am noticing a big difference in temperature when I ride through the shade. Autumn is coming early to the northern Rocky Mountain front.

Yeah, me too. One of these days I'm going to get a T-shirt printed up that says "I'm not telepathic. Use your turn signal!" On the other hand, the more you ride in traffic the better you'll get at predicting what cars will do even without turn signals.

Took a slightly different route into work today. Unfortunately, it has a stop sign at the end of every block so the average speed really suffered. As I got into Midtown I had a motorist sit on my wheel for a few blocks which annoyed me a little. I waved them around and the driver gave me a nice wave and smile. I guess she had the best intentions but didn't realize that it can intimidate or annoy a bike rider. I guess I'll take her any day over the oblivious and the intentionally aggressive.

Thirded. This morning I had three of the old pass and turn right, in front of you with no signal.

I finished building up my SS Cross bike last night and took her in to work for a test ride. I felt like I was driving a tank. Lots of fun, looking forward to the ride home...

Nice cool crisp morning, 58-60F. I am beginning to pick up my speed, this morning I topped out at about 22mph on the flat commute to work. That is encouraging, even though speed is not my main goal

I think I may need toe clips. this morning I hit a bump and my foot came right off the pedal. Fortunately I did not crash.

Received about 20 stings when I encountered a yellowjacket nest while clearing brush this weekend but recovered enough to work 1/2 day Monday. It was another nice day for commuting, 60F at 6AM & 75F at Noon when I came home for the day. Don

On the trip home it was about 85F, not too humid. Traffic was light although I did have a ped go all crazy ivan on me and step out into the street on a downhill without looking. If I had been a car he'd be dead.

EDIT: Hung the bike up when I got home. I'm travelling to Michigan for the rest of the week. Makes me wish I had a folder, there's some beautiful biking country up there.