This morning I woke up late due to operator error on the alarm clock. I opted to be a few minutes late instead of using the car. Speaking of using the car, I've only used 10.5 gallons of gas since April 9th (excluding that long roadtrip of course).

So anyway, back to the commute. As soon as I get the bike out and the door closed behind me, I realize that I've left my keys inside. Ooops, looks like I won't be getting into my desk today. The ride in was a little chilly but it didn't take long to warm up.

Now I'm wishing this day was done so that I can get back on the bike. The weather is pretty awesome right now.

Another great morning commute.....-2c with a little headwind and sunny. I never thought I would look forward to Monday but some weekends I don't get the solo time in I need; therefore the Monday commute is really appreciated. I love my family (1yr old, 2 yr old, 8yr old and off course my spouse) but the 1.5hours per day of alone time on the bike is pretty awesome. I can't wait till the end of the day to ride home to see my girls.

Have a great day....

The ride in was fine, weather-wise (sunny and cool, 38°F). Had a little run-in with a cager in a Honda minivan. He didn't like me taking the lane at a 4 way stop and passed me-speeding-in the middle of the intersection!. I was able to catch him at the next stop sign and loudly asked him to "please don't kill me, I don't want to die!" And of course, all he could do was give me the tired old "roads are for cars" and "get a car". I don't think I made a convert this morning! Maybe I'll just wait for him some morning at that intersection and take his picture. (BTW, the tight 4 way intersection is one short block from a school and usually has a lot of kids, parents, dogs, and bikes passing through it). I hope the ride home is better...

Today was my 3rd commute. A little chilly, 42 degrees when I left at 8:15 a.m. I warmed up, though. I live off of an "access road" that is a one-way, running parrallel to the interstate, merging where they share an exit at the main road. From where I live, there is no way (aside from riding on sidewalk) to avoid it. Anyhow, I am next to a school bus and a young man (13 or 14 years old) tells me he would have hit me and what am I doing riding a bike on a busy road. I told him and he re-asserted he would have run me over. Guess that is why 13 year olds don't get drivers licenses. :)

Chilly, low 40's, but sunny breezy and invigorating . . .

Hmm today's commute was terrible. Temp in the high 30s with a mix of rain, sleet, and snow. Wind was up and the sun was hiding.

I still did it though and finally got some use out of my fenders (it hadn't rained here since I got them). Not sure where the heck this weather came from in late April but it is welcome to go back there ASAP. :D

great ride in this morning. It was only 38-40F, but that was great. I couldn't believe how quick I was, I actually hit 29mph at one point, even if it was on a downhill. It was sunny and beautiful! I am hoping for some more days like this one.

I can relate to you on this one, my wife and I raised five daughters. I think my bike commuting made me a better father and husband. I had a nice commute this morning. I tried a new route, it's longer then my regular route and got here before it started raining. The rain is sort of an off and on thing so far today and the temp has dropped but life is good on a bike.

Overcast but the rain showers had just stopped, 52F @ 6AM. Fast ride in on the Miyata Seven Ten. Adjustments to the new fenders cured the rattles. Nice to be able to ride this bike when its wet out & it looks sharp.

Good ride to work and home. On the way home, I saw a couple of people in the old Industrial part of town where you hardly ever see anyone walking, mostly driving. Must be warming up. Have a good night.

Very nice rides, both ways.

Home was nicer, of course -- but not just because I was leaving work instead of going there. Took a nice long-cut down the MUP and bumped my usual 10mi up to 19.

More tomorrow!

The ride home yesterday really sucked. I got a stitch in my side as soon as I left work and couldn't work it out, then a blustery headwind not only slowed me way down but left me chilled and headachey when I got home. I got bugs in my eyes (need to break out the riding glasses full time now) and the pollen had me sneezing and snotty. Once home I took a nap and a long, hot bath. It took a while to warm up and my whole body was achey. Fortunately, I seem to have recovered nicely and this morning's ride was terrific. I took care not to hammer, just spun in the whole way and made great time. I'm going for my first "all ride week" since returning to the bike last month. They're calling for rain tonight and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday too. I'm riding, rain be damned.

The ride into work this morning was the usual, almost chilly, ride. I wish I could drag myself out of bed in order to take a longer way to work, but my work ethic strictly forbids it. I would say that I'd take the long way home today but it looks like it will likely be the wet way home as rain appears to be coming. I hope I remembered to pack my rain jacket.

More cold and rain this morning, and no fenders yet. I don't really have facilities to change my clothes at work, so once again the bike stays home. :( Darn this lousy Canadian weather! Maybe I will break down and install fenders, though I really don't want to...

Interesting, left home about a hour earlier than normal, about 6am. There was fewer cars, but the cars that were there, were driving really fast and blowing through stop signs. My guess is that they don't have anyone to slow them down so they do whatever they want. All in all it was a good ride.

Another great commute, no problems, sunny breezy cool invigorating, puddles.

nice AM ride, upper 40's, a lttle cold for the shorts I wore but still a good ride. Had to put the heat back on in the house on Sunday.

RonH, hope you are feeling better.

Cloudy and 58F. My front fender complained most of the way in...arg, At a stop light a 60-something motorcycle chick caught up with me at the light and said "hello". I told her I "wasn't at her skill level yet" and we both had a good laugh. Nice chat and a good way to start the day :)

Had a very nice commute in this morning. A little chill in the air when I left home. But when I arrived at work, had the start of a good sweat. My morning course doesn't have too many cars, it's too early for the drivers. So I can concentrate on my speed, cadence and posture in the mornings.

Good ride to work but on the way home, was pouring. Still a good ride. Have a good night.

53F at 6AM today, cloudy but the streets were dry. Rode one of my older bikes & had fun getting used to the long SunTour stem Shifter levers. 68F this afternoon and not much traffic today.

Yesterday I got to ride in my first heavy rain. Actually when I got off of work it was only threatening rain, so I went over to a friend's to watch the new Trailer Park Boys. By the time it was over the rain had started, though not too bad. So from there, I crank it over to the bar where I had left my bulky rain suit.

The rain was now coming down pretty good but I was prepared as I was going to be, so I head for home. The only thing that got wet was my face and feet. Looks like I'll be getting those fenders after all. After the short trip home I found myself feeling the same as any other ride, "Over so soon?". I'll be looking into better rain gear immediately.

This morning was a great ride in; weather back to normal and dry. I hadn't been checking the air pressure in my tires like I should (basically I was just looking down at my bike tire to make sure it looked OK). I was about 15psi low so I pumped them back up. It made a noticeable difference and I'll definitely be checking my tires every other day or so from now on.

Well warmer today but REALY WINDY and OF COURSE it is a head wind the WHOLE way to work. Hopefully it is still there in the same direction this afternoon so I get the tailwind on the way home.

Anyone have aerobars on their commuter? Mine is a flatbar (click marin link for photo) with barends and I was thinking if I got another set of barends to put inside the shifters I could use them as little aerobars. Today to get a bit more aero I was grasping the bars inside the shift pods which actually worked very well but if I could extend a bit more it would be better.

Ha! Back in the saddle again, as the temp was a cool 6 C with water on the ground but none in the sky. My rear rack got a little splashed with water and dirt, but none made it to my back or front. I suppose riding on slicks helps reduce the amount of water that gets thrown in the air. Hopefully, it won't be raining on my way home.

Had a very nice ride to work this morning. It was in the upper 50s, cloudy, but not raining. Decided to try a new route to work today, a mile longer but relatively flat. Only took me an extra 2 minutes and I averaged almost 15mph :) Weather prediction is a strong 20mph wind this afternoon for my ride home, and of course it will be a head wind the whole way. Seems to be that way for the ride home a lot lately, but I still feel great when I get home. I need to get some nice sunglasses to block the wind in my eyes though.

Nice ride, but I had a run-in with an a-hole jogger on the Mt. Vernon bike trail in Alexandria, VA. The guy (about 65 years old) was running toward me, saw me coming, turned around and ran side by side with another woman to BLOCK THE TRAIL.... I said "passing on the left" about 3 times and he just ignored me. So finally the woman moved off the trail and as i slowly went by, he said "IF YOU WANT TO USE THE TRAIL, GET OFF *YOUR BIKE AND JOG"... so i stopped, and said "excuse me? I said on your left" and he went into a rant about people being deaf and not being able to hear when people say passing. I said "listen guy, i KNOW you're not deaf and you purposely blocked my passage just to be a jerk"... then he started MOVING TOWARD ME with these 2 dumbells he had in his hands. I'm not kidding. I was shaking mad for the next 30 minutes of the ride (fortunately I'm laid back so the frustration dissolved relatively quickly). I just can't believe it! Anybody have similar experiences or better yet, anybody ever run into this guy on the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail?

Is the official name REALLY officially the Mt Vernon Bike Trail? If so I would have asked him if he knew the name of the trail and suggest that maybe he should get a bike and ride. :D

Hehe. Actually, it's MULTI-use trail, with a big emphasis on MULTI-USE! I think I'll mount a super-soaker on my handlebars tonight. I'll be ready for him tomorrow. Muah-ha-ha!

Just the opposite here.
37F this am with 15 - 20 mph tailwind & a little drizzle, pushed me to work!
45F this aft w/ 15mph headwind, spotty drizzle, even 1/2 mile worth of sleet for good measure! Not too bad as I was dressed accordingly. The bike felt "light" after pushing the wind home.

I have aero bars on the bike i use mostly for triathlon (commute on about 30% of time) and like having them. Haven't put any on my fixed gear (usual commuter) yet, because i'm not sure i want quite such an agressive position.
You're idea to use barends farther in is excellent! Wish i had thought of that a long time ago. Probably put some on this weeekend - thanks for sharing the idea.