Yesterday I was biking from my house to my friends, which is about three cities away, a total distance of 11 miles. During my ride I stay to the right, moving into the actual lane only when there is a large portion of parked cars.

For me in this forty minute ride, I got cursed out by the passenger of one car, yelling to me, "stay off the ******* road!" So I proceeded to show her my superiority by catching up with her car, flipping her off and passing her as she and her companion were stuck in traffic.

Then I had a car door open in front of me, but I saw it coming so no harm there. And then the coup de ta! Some jerk made an illegal u turn and cut me off, causing me to almost run into the side of his car.

Overall I'd have to say good commute.

Nice day, nice ride

Excellent ride. 55deg. Thin air, easy to breath, easy to stay warm without over heating. For mid October, 50s in the morning and 70s in the afternoon. It just doesn't get much better in the Midwest for cycling. So.....who has snow?

Nice commute this morning. Low 40s. A few clouds but a nice sunrise lighting up the Adirondacks again. Where's our Adirondack commuter? Do you guys have snow up there? Looks like snow in the high peaks!

back on the bike finally after too much other stuff. 38 °F, no wind, quite damp, alot of rain lately but not this morning, maybe later. there is just no finer way to start the day, than a session of manic spinning.

First commute in the snow. I put on the studded tires on the weekend and they worked great. Temp was -6c/21f no wind. I'm hooked on winter biking!

Tough ride this morning. I flatted right outside a local highschool. I felt a bit rushed to get the new tube in, and neglected to check the inside of the tire for sharp bits. Sure enough, 5km later I was flat again. I only carry one spare tube, so I had to walk the last stint to the office.

I also learned that my mini-pump (Planet Bike micro-mite) doesn't really put out much air. Sure, it's better than nothing but now my arms are very tired!

Looks like I'll have to break out the patch kit at lunch.

Nice ride in today. About 60°F and partly cloudy. My son (11 yrs old) wrote with me today because it was a teacher's workday at his school. He did fine on the 13 mile trip on his Huffy 6-speed. He will be getting a much better bike soon--this bike was a filler until he got big enough for a small adult bike. Life is good

Well, another gloomy doomy cloudy cool day. I had a nice ride in though, 37F, we might see some rain today (I'm ready for it). I really need to take some time off and get my winter bike ready. I've been commuting on it the last couple of weeks and it needs some attention. I'll change out to my winter tires the first part of next month. The air is so fresh, crisp and clean this time of year.

25F/-4C when I left home this morning. Had some icey spots from the past 2 days of rain/snow. Started snowing as I approached town. Been snowing since. Glad I got the winter bike ready. Now if I can just find the spare cash for the Nokians!

mtessmer - If our typical weather pattern holds from last fall/winter, You should be getting this storm system in a day or two. So, better get that winter bike ready. The storms are lined up one after another for us all week!

Cool start this morning, probably upper 30's. My long pants and light windbreaker seemed to do the trick-in addition to my skull cap and full-finger gloves. When it cools down like this I concentrate on slowing down and spinning. I may not get to work quite as fast but I'm generating more heat and feel more comfortable minus the wind. Almost ran into some dipsh$t wearing all blue or black, carrying a black briefcase, and strolling along one of the more dimly lit stretches of the trail without a light. Luckily I saw him and managed to swerve. I believe I yelled something like; "oh sh%t! -- on your left!" I think it's funny I still managed to get the "on your left" part out. Other than that my ride was pretty uneventful as I only saw one other rider and a handful of joggers.

Cool this morning, 34 according the bank sign (I really need a therm for outside my window). Like yesterday, a slight headwind that made the climb just a little tougher. Also, the more I ride, the more equipment I find I need. The new deal now is a headlight. I can see fine, but I'm worried that vehicles are not going to see my reflector on the front (I have two blinkies and creatively placed reflective tape on the rear) and while making their turn across traffic, they'll smoke me.

Anyhow, sunrise was just starting to change the color of the sky as I got into the parking lot, a strange pink/blue surreal glow illuminated any shiny or reflective surface.

On my first break, I went outsite to check the skies (rain forecasted) and it seems the temp dropped about 10 degrees. Oh, and it had started raining too. At least I do have rain gear here. So the ride home will be fun

First commute after a week away from the office to do house stuff. I had to take the car into the shop so I threw the bike on the roof rack and rode to work from the dealer. I always enjoy saying, "No, thanks. I won't be needing your free shuttle."

It was cool (55F) and damp after last night's rain; just the right temperature with arm and knee warmers. Looking forward to the ride back out to the shop tonight.

It had rained overnight but there were stars out with broken clouds @ 6AM today. It was 44F & the roads were still wet. It was a good time for a shakedown ride of my Bianchi Trofeo as I had just installed a set of white Blumels "Popular" fenders removed from my Gitane which hasn't been ridden much lately. Everything went well & there were no problems from the tight clearance at the seatstay bridge. I had scheduled lunch with a friend & rode to the restaurant in light rain. Knocked off for the day & rode home, then drove up to Seattle for a visit to Recycled Cycles. There were disappointingly few used bikes but I did pick up a stem for the cross bike I'm building plus a really neat small saddlebag for $5! It has leather straps that fit the Brooks saddle on my Grand Jubile, made of some kind of heavily waterproofed Brown canvas with a separate internal bag. No name brand on it but it has a really retro look plus inside there was a new Minoura clamp-on bottle holder mount complete with a 1/30/96 sales receipt for $7.78 from a Seattle bike shop. Such a deal! Don

The ride in today was incredibly hard. I had just spent saturday night dancing hard for 6 hours, so I was sore all over, and the wind decided to test my will and blow in my face @ 30. I was so glad when I got to work, and locked my bike. The ride back was awsome though.

The ride back was a joy, with the wind blowing in my back @ 20, and only 1 other bike for the whole 8km on the path. The sun was almost completly set, and my fingers were freezing, but I was wamer then ever under my jacket.

Gotta love riding.

Rain on the way to work & a little chilly.
Nice ride on the way home .
A bad day on the bike is all way better then a good day at work . Have a nice day .

Had a tough time pulling myself out of bed after only 5 hours of sleep… Had an equally tough time propelling myself down the road after only 5 hours of sleep. I normally operate sleep deprived so this was atypical.

upper 40s so back to short pants, much better temperature control. very grey, very damp, wind from the "bad weather" direction (east turning north)...great to be alive and out there, in other words.

this thread will soon hit 100,000 views. woohoo!

Okay. I rode again to school today(I'm a Teacher). My wife thinks I am crazy and she is very angry(understatement). I have a few questions that need answering.

1. Am I crazy if I ride 12 miles to school, most of it on a sidewalk or non busy streeets while it is still a little dark if I have a front and back light, a reflective vest, and wear a helmet(always anyways)?

2. I am 37 years old. Is that too old to be doing something like this with four kids and a wife as responsibilities?

3. Any suggestions on how to get her to calm down and understand me better?

Please reply or email me at shepherdh@d62.org

Socksshep:

My opinion: 1) No, you are not crazy. But I'd stay off the sidewalk if you can avoid it. They're uneven and cars and pedestrians don't expect to see you there. It feels safer, but in most circumstances, it's not.

2) I am 37 and a new dad. I ride every single day I can, mostly because I love it, but also because I'll be 50 when the kids are in H.S. and I want to be able to run 10Ks and ride centuries with them.

3) I don't know if I can give you any suggestions. Every S.O. is different and some understand better than others. Maybe if you show her how you have all the lights and blinkies and reflective stuff. Or maybe ask her to help you find the safest route possible. Definitely let her know that you love her and the kids and you won't take any unnecessary risks.

34F for this morning's ride. Felt tired the whole way. Legs felt like rocks. Wonder if I'm coming down with something? Expecting another snow storm tonight! Purchased a front amber blinky for the bike. It works nice.

Rain and wind this morning. The kind of morning that lets you know you're alive. (That, and that you need to get some fenders and a better jacket.)

yet another commute in the tin can......ho hum......must get back on the bike.

Enjoy every ride.......It is only when you don't or can't that you truly miss it.

my first ride in the rain!

I've ridden before in a light sprinkle, but last night the weather guy on the news said "This is the strongest storm we've seen in 4 decades.......in October". Anyway, 55 F windy, rainy. I found out that I wasn't prepared for it. 1/4 mile from home it felt like I had two small aquariums with feetfish swimming in them attached to my pedals. I ride toeclips and straps and didn't bring an extra pair of socks or shoes...so i'm barefoot working today.

Anyway, the ride was short, 2 miles, but I think i really like riding in the rain. Seems like people were giving me more room than if it were dry...kind of like "Look at that poor soul, I'd better move to the left lane". They didn't know that THEY are the "poor souls" stuck in their cars whilst I'm living life.

I hope it's still raining on the way home!

Only crazy folks like riding in the rain, of course those of us still riding daily in the cold and damp might be a little left of center. Cool and rainy, had to be in early today so I started in the dark, I love having the roads to myself!