36F, clear & no wind with patches of dense fog at 6AM today, had a quiet ride in on my Moto Grand Jubile. We had a nice sunny day and 50F by lunch time but it didn't get any warmer the rest of the day, supposed to get down to 32F tonight. Brrr.

I rode to the polls yesterday as well, right around 5:50 am. It's neat to expand upon the commuting to include voting, errands, etc. Leaned it againts a tree, unlocked, and trusted that no one would mess with it. After about 40 minutes it was off to work. I'm currently switching back and forth between my Surly and my recently acquired Centurion depending on the weather. I'll stick with the Surly on the bad days as I can run pretty much any tire on it, wheras the Centurion can only accomodate up to a 700x28 tire. I guess we're expecting rain in the DC area tomorrow and I'll feel more comfortable on my 700x32 knobbies. I've noticed the Centurion is quicker and certainly more nimble but the Surly is more of a workhorse with better versatility for commuting. It's nice to choose between these two.

Aww shucks... Thanks.

Very humid this morning on the way in. It's good I work in a business where a little persiration is tolerated. Nice and breezy coming back, I just love catching up with autos at the traffic light after they blow past me at 50+ mph.

Nice ride to work & home. Race a train on the way home.
The train won . Have a good day .

This morning was a bit chilly (-1C, 30.2 F).

As I got on the bike path, I noticed the grass had frost on it. With the sun shinning down on the frost, it made for a fantastic view. White & shinny on green.

Every morning since the begining of summer I've been seeing this old lady running next to the bike path... This morning I slowed down to tell her that I thought what she was doing was gr8, and that she should keep on going. She thanked me and I rode on.

About a 100 meter later, I see a dead bird, with a broken wing... The poor thing must've been hit by a rider, and not too long ago either, I almost though I saw its eyes move. I picked it up and moved it on the side, and gently laid it in the grass next to a tree, so another rider didn't ride over it again.

In this time, the lady caught up to me again, and we started talking. She told me she was in her mid 70's, and she had been running every morning since her 40's, after she quit smoking. She runs something like 12Km's every morming... She was very present, and she said she was healthy (she def didn't looked like she was in her mid 70's)
I found this very very inspirational. She doesn't run fast, but she does it. she's out there every day!

All this time, chating over a dead bird... Kind of life and death reminder. I will remember to live strong everyday.

The weather channel this morning says -5C / feels like -11C with the wind. Given that I was going against the wind most of the way you could even say -14 or 15. I never thought I would appreciate getting all over the city under my own steam and not needing a vehicle as much as I do. Those endorphins are really flowing this morning. A person who works in my building had a comment as I was entering the building this morning with all my gear on. "Little cold for biking isn't it?" My reply was "It is a perfect day for biking" as always. I think most people who know me think of it as a phase I am going through and someday I will come back to reality and drive the tin can just like everybody else. Disappointed they will be!

Have a good one!

A glorious 39F morning with a light wind and not a cloud in the sky! Perfect for a recovery ride after suffering through a cold for the past 10 days. It would have been my first ride in 2 weeks if I could have found my stuff! Last night before going to bed I thought to myself, “Self, you need to lay everything out for tomorrow.” But I didn’t listen. So this morning I fumbled around the house and never did find my head/ear band or my winter gloves. So I grabbed a stocking cap and crammed on my helmet. (My old helmet, because my wife’s dog chewed up my good one! ) and some ski gloves and headed out on the road 15 minutes late. I haven’t biked in two weeks, this is my first commute on my Nokians, and I am recovering from a cold/flu. I got a mile down the road and realized that there was no way I would make it to work on time. Considering I fired a new hire for being 10 minutes late on his 5th day of work (He also had a no call- no show on his second day! I fired him then too, but HR got involved and said there were other circumstances and I needed to take him back. Oh, He Still Works Here… Long story! Rant over.) I figured I couldn’t be late so I turned around and headed for the car. It is a glorious clear and bright fall day and I won’t be able to bike home!!!!! (Am I allowed multiple rants in one post?)

upper 40s, insistent drizzle, gritty splatter. had to drive lately, so happy to be back on the bike.

28F/-2C with a nice tailwind to around 20MPH/32KPH. I'll pay for that on the way home! Another day of full panniers. (this is the week to haul in the clothes)

It rained tons last night so the streets were plenty wet this morning. But I didn't care because I just installed my brand new SKS Race Blade fenders. No more Freshman Stripe!

Last night as I was getting into bed my wife asked what I was doing out in the garage. I told her I was putting on the fenders I'd just bought and I'd need them right away since it was probably going to keep raining. She said, "Why don't you just not ride your bike tomorrow?"

I didn't say anything for a long while. Finally, I said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand the question."

Yesterday while I was at work my wife told me it looked like it was going to rain and it was getting dark. She said she could come pick me up. I said "I have rain gear and lights". It's funny, even the people closest to us don't understand that we ride because we WANT to, not because we NEED to.

Last night the wind was getting stronger by the minute, it was getting darker and the sky looked angry. It never actually rained though. What a good ride.

Light rain and 49 F / 9 C. Decided to wear raincoat, plus rainpants and Totes in case rain picked up. Good move. I would have been more comfortable during the first half of the trip if I had worn light gloves, though. Perhaps it is time for them to lose their liners and move from my closet shelf to my coat pockets.

Paul

Deja Vu!!!! The same thing happened to me yesterday morning. Your statement is right on. However, my wife also understands that I NEED to ride. I think her asking me if I want a ride is just another way of her telling me she loves me.

This morning I rode in a heavy drizzle and 46 F degree temperature. The thought struck me about half way to work that I was enjoying the ride. It's nice to see that someone else is just as "crazy" as me!!

Rain, rain, rain, rain. Also, there was a little bit of rain. I'm going to get contacts any day now, because glasses under safety goggles make for some pretty interesting vision. I got fairly wet, but it wasn't too cold. Just enough to make for a little discomfort, not an actual chill. I skipped showering at the bikestation - just parked my bike there and left because whatever I changed into would get soaked on the walk to work (no umbrella). Changing in the bathroom at work was an adventure, as the bathroom was freezing cold and I was soaking wet. It was good to get into my nice, warm, dry sweater at last.

I expected today's ride to be hard, because of the 30 miles I did on Sunday and then the skipping of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (days off). But it went really fast and smooth, after I got the vision problem under some slight form of control.

It was great to be out in the weather. The lake was green and frothy, the sky low, and there was a bright white haze out on the water just offshore. Pretty.

bingo! make sure you tell her that you figured this out. and yeah, i enjoyed my splattery cold ride this morning too.

This morning it started raining about 5am and stopped about 9am. I left for work about 9:10 and gave my new SKS RaceBlades a "test". They managed to keep about 95% of the water off my feet and legs.
I also "found" a new way to work that cuts out quite a bit of the stop-go traffic that I sometimes get stuck in. I cut through the campus of a local college (Emory University) and saved about 10 minutes on my commute. My route followed roads that are limited to campus shuttle buses, pedestrians, and bicycles - no cars.
I'll see what it's like going home tonight. Should be about the same and I'll miss all those cars, vans, and SUVs.

Today I wore shorts and a s/s jersey. The temperature is supposed to start dropping this evening so I may need arm warmers going home. Tomorrow's commute will be different since the morniing low is supposed to be ~45F. Hmmm. Jeans and l/s fleece shirt?? Base layer??
I'm riding with a group Sunday morning and the weather guessers are saying the temperature will be ~35.
How many months till April??

The commute today was wet. Now it's dry and sunny but really windy, which always gets me going around the lake.

Hey, I can finally say we've had clear weather for two days running! Nice commute this morning, warmer then yesterday (it was about 39F). I'm going to try a new trail on the way home, it's a little out of the way but it should be nice. The trail open's officially on Saturday but I'll be busy then.

Good idea..another chance to score some points. Somehow, I need to find a way to let her know I figured it out without it being too obvious that it took me two days to figure it out!

Anybody get a kick out of watching the wake behind your front tire on a "splattery cold morning ride"? Or the tail from the front tire reflecting in the headlight beam?

[I didn't say anything for a long while. Finally, I said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand the question." ]

Good anwser, thanks for the laugh.

I had a rough commute here on Tuesday. 3 rear flats total. 1st one was in the dark on the way to work. It blew and I had to change it in the dark. I found where it blew and felt the inside of the tire but could not find anything penetrating. I figured I just ran over something and left it in the road. I changed it and was 10 minutes late to work. Then on my way home (pouring rain and about 10 degrees cooler than the morning) I realized that it was going flat again. I managed to nurse it into the next town to a bike shop. I bought a new tube and they let me use their stand to change it. The leak in the tube was in the same spot as the morning. I checked the tire very closely this time and found a small amount of glass embedded in it but it didn't seem to be coming through the tire. I removed the glass, installed the tube and went on my way. About 1/4 mile out of town it blew again! I turned around, walked back into town and bought a new Continental and tube and paid them $5 to install it (My hands were frozen and I was sick of taking my rear tire off by that point). In the dark, I rode into Portland and to my home. My 1 1/4 hour commute home took over 2 1/2 hours! Then I had to sit around all night and watch those returns. It was a tough day all the way around.

nate

GAH! What a commute. It was dry after a good rain today, around 61 degrees F. Got to the bus station just fine. Got off the bus near work, went to get on - flat rear tire. Brand new tube, flat tire. Got to a nearby gas station and fixed the flat. Tucked the tube back in the tire, stuck the valve through the rim, put it all together. Took it around to the air machine. Started filling the tire, beads come out of the rim. Damn. Futzed around, money ran out in the machine. Went and got change for $1. Back to the bike, futzed with the tire beads a bit more, got them. Filled the tire some. Looked like 50 lbs on the machine's gauge. Went to put a bit more in as I use 70. **KA-BOOM**

I just put a nine inch gash in the tire.

Walked the bike 1.2 miles to the office. Called Nashbar and ordered new tires and new tubes, Saturday delivery.

*sigh*

Wet and warmish on the way to work this morning. Windy and much cooler the way home. It will be a chilly ride in tomorrow.

It was cold & clear at 6AM. The traffic girl mentioned icy patches on local roads so I rode my mountain bike. Didn't encounter any slippery roads as I trundled in to work. This was the first time I had ridden this bike for quite a few months, really slow compared to a road bike but it got me there. It was sunny & warmed up nicely later in the day. Don