Went to the bike shop after work to get some brake pads. On the way back home I see another biker a few feet off the road in the grass. Then he justs moves out into the bike lane in front of me, without looking to see if their were cars, bikes or anything. I look behind and since there wern't any cars I went into the center of the car lane. As I pass, I see he has some flowers in hand. I ask if everything is okay. He tells me he was picking flowers. I go along my way.

My commutes are generally uneventful, but enjoyable, so I don't post much here.
I've been riding my fixed to work for the past few weeks. Not much difference in speed or work vs. other many geared bike.
Temps are now into the low 70s (22 C) in the morning, so I work up a good sweat into work. Afternoon temps are in the very high 90s (36 C) - actually that is the airport reported temp, when I get on the busy concrete/asphault roads during the middle of rush hour, my bike themometer (in full shade from my body as I ride east) read 106.2 F (41.2 C) yesterday, but went back down to 99.9 F (37.7 C) when I rode thru a green park area.
Al

Well switched from just riding a bike path in the afternoons, to actually commuting again... Bike to Work Week was the motivator. Using my old road bike with the 700x23s and 13-23 with 52-42... tough on the big hills... but hell I need the conditioning. Tough on the bike too.... it really is not meant for the local condition of some of these roads... Yuck!

Decided to stay off the main arterial as much as possible... it always has been a moral buster... just too many hills and too many fast cars gunning by, lousy combination. So taking a different arterial that just doesn't see as much traffic... although it is a bit longer and I do eventually have to merge back to the main road as it is the ONLY road in one area going over one canyon.

One benefit of the light road bike... I am faster... Duh! But I really have to watch the condition of the road... as well as the traffic situations. Would rather be heads up all the time (which is why I have another bike... but I am working on it now and just ordered a new rear 36 hole rim)

Was cloudy yesterday and I thought it would clear, but it did just the opposite; it started to rain just as I was about 2 miles from home. Crap... just cleaned up the bike too...

Today looks far better so far. Pushing the motorists on one particular road, and so far the reactions have been OK... don't really like the tension though. Think I will look for a parallel road... of course it will be residential and slower, but more relaxed. Odd, the boulevard, even though a bit tenser riding, does allow me to move at well over 20MPH... just gotta keep an eye on everything... whew!

Figured out this AM that I could just leave my bike in the weight room... Duh! and all my gear draped over it and it should all be dry by the time I leave... plus I will keep pushing iron just before I go and my bike is right there ready to go.

I hope they get a shower in the new location... we are slated to move in Aug. and little has been said about stuff like showers and weight rooms... little stuff that keeps us worker bees happy.

Woke up this morning to 65 degrees. Said to myself "Self I haven't seen this morning temp in 9 months". Hallalua anyways. No wind, no coat, no traffic, and 65. Was a great ride to work but looking at the flags for the return trip, it will not be near as fun, SE wind 25mph :-( Oh well

45F this am no real wind to speek of. As I got to the only stop sign of the ride in a guy pulls up, we both exchange pleasentries. Turns out we leave from the same town, but that's all the chat time we had as I was now at work. Look forward to seeing him again.
Also had rained abit before I left so I tryed out my removable mudflap extention to my fenders. Worked pretty well, the breeze from the forward movement nearly extends the front one to the bottom bracket. Really kept the toes dry too.
Ride home uneventfull, about 10 degrees F warmer.

40 degrees to start off, was overdressed and started to sweat. Will try a lighter coat. Was a beautiful morning for a ride except the cold. Will try again and maybe tomorrow.

Good ride to work and home . My bike is working well .
It was a fast ride to work. I hope my ride tomorrow goes as well . Have a good ride .

We have sunny skies today, which made for a lovely 10 mile blast to work. Maybe I will take the long route home if things stay fine,

Cheers,

Ed

Good ride home. Warm with temps in the low 70's and no wind. The ne shoes and pedals are pretty spiffy! Made some adjustments to the cleats during lunch yesterday and the ride home was great.

Ride in this morning was pretty good. Cool with temps in the low 50's. Nothing exciting happend.

Chilly again this morning, I could see my breath which means I had to wear long pants and a windbreaker. This afternoon it's supposed to go up to 17C, so I won't need that jacket for the ride home. I'm looking forward to when I can ditch the long pants and jacket for BOTH directions.

50'sF, sun, no wind, tired legs. Nice ride but I gonna need a rest soon.

Bike to Work Week rocks! I have rode 2 out of 3 days so far. Unfortuneately it will be my last until next week due to morning meetings and home commitments to compete with getting to work on time.

Just changed my knobbies on my mountain bike to slicks, what a difference. I rode just as hard but had an easy 2-3 mph change in speed. If not for the headwind I probably would have set a new personal commuting record. Averaged 17+ mph for my 12 mile commute and easily reached 20 many times(that rarely happened with knobbies). My wife wonders why I don't just ride when I wake up, how can a non-athletic person ever understand the euphoria that comes with the xen of biking. I can't seem to put it into words for her.
My personal success story, I have converted a fellow teacher here at school to be commuting on bike as well. Take that Big Oil!

Had a good commute in today. Cool and comfortable. Passed a couple of commuters on MTBs going in the opposite direction.

I don't know how people can ride in work clothes. I get all squirmy and uncomfortable just thinking about that.

Monday evening I was in Montreal, Quebec, to see Porcupine Tree (great band!) and noticed a very large number of cyclists out and about. Fixies, MTBs, roadies... It was nice to see, except for the couple of wrong-way cyclists and red-light runners.

After the show there seemed to be bicycles locked up all over the place! I don't remember seeing that many bikes in the past. Maybe I just never noticed before I started commuting.

Here is a question for everyone. How often do you clean and lube your chain? I seem to be lubing about every hundred miles or so. I bought new lube_ Cross country? supposed to be more durable and last longer. Any feedback on this stuff?

It is getting warm in Atlanta! A little sweaty but pleasant ride to work. It was "foggy" but felt muggy.

If I lubed my chain every 100 miles, that would be about every week! I should do it more often than I do, probably. Currently about 2x year.

Last night's ride was fine and uneventful, just like I like 'em. This morning I had to detour through the heart of DC (Metro Center, Convention Center), riding with busses and taxis, hit a pothole BAM! thought for sure that I would get a flat, or even a bent rim. My luck held, however, yet again. The rest of the ride was fine.

I lube (not heavily) every morning before my ride, but I clean my bike every 4 days or so (it's fun!). Averaging 150 miles a week makes it necessary. Could also be the Air Force conditioning >:-)

Today's commute was weird - rarely do I see wind that early in the morning, but no matter which direction I was pedaling, the wind was in my face. Bah. Still better than driving.

Every couple of months, which is about 1000 miles. I start feeling guilty at about two weeks, forget a week later, remind myself the next week, repeat for a few weeks, and then notice the grinding sand sound about the eighth week. I give my chain another six months.

Good morning ride. Cool for this time of year, low-60s at 5:30, and weirdly hazy.

This morning was a perfect 65 degrees, and light traffic. A dump truck driver did toot at me as he prepared to pass, but I think he just wanted to make sure I knew he was starting to pass on the narrow two-lane, in case something unexpected were to happen on the road ahead, creating a squeeze. Nothing did.

Monday was the best. After work I rode 5 miles directly to our town's monthly Planning and Zoning Board meeting (I serve on the board) and changed back into my work clothes in the rest room. They have a shower and locker room in the other town building directly next door, but I was running late, and was not very sweaty. We actually had two successive meetings in different buildings with a short hike between them, so I hopped on the bike again to travel between them, and a few of the other board members expressed some envy at my cycling compared to their walking. When the meeting was over at 10:30 PM I rode home in my work clothes and enjoyed the cool evening air. A few people asked me questions about my bright headlamp and tail light as I left.

-Steve Goodridge

Ah the weather is nice, it's bike to work week and the snotty racer boys are out in number. Yesterday, one passes me with a vengeance. Click, click. I'm on his wheel. He looks back. Whaaaaaa? Ups the pace. I'm on his wheel like a fly on flypaper. Nothing they hate more than a geeky commuter sucking their wheel. Push harder, racer boy. It's going to take more than that to shake me off your wheel. Stand up. Stand up and sprint for me racer boy. Sprint like a monkey. Haha. You're not as fast as you thought eh. Racers aren't the only fast ones out here. Yeah, turn off, chicken. Turn off. I got your number.

It was nice this AM. But I left my house at 6:50 this morning, so it was already in the high-60s, still cooler than the past couple of mornings.

A few months ago I picked up this locally made chain lube called ATB (absolutely the best) - that is I think one of these wax/solvent type ones. But it requries much less frequent application (every few weeks) and less frequent cleaning due to dirt pick up than other similar wax/solvent ones I've tried. I like it.

Al

Been there... It's fun, isn't it?

Sweet

<stream of consciousness mode on>
Well… bike feels right, brakes are good… hey, I gotta a green… OK, down the road past the next stop, and holy Toledo, another green… get inta left turn mode… check and…

Well she’s cute and blond… but does she see me… Noooo… didn’t think so… that’s it sweetheart, just pull a “right turn on red” right in front of me… and what… you’re gonna hog the right lane too… Hello… can I get over!!! Oh, she is staying in the right… What the hey… hammer down. Oh I see… she’s going to Krispy Kreem… Ain’t gonna stay cute that way darlin’. Jeeze guess they didn’t teach STOPPING at a red in that driver’s ed class you took last month eh? Sheesh… Head check and hammer down…

Well the little derailleur tweak and chain lube did me well… Man, I never go this fast here… cool. OK maintain the track, watch for the clown coming out of that driveway… Cars passing you fine… Head check… Cool… hammer down.

Ah, the downhill… and a Bike Lane… cruise… OK, the onramp, check, check again, pull out… smooth. Now the uphill… Ug. Hey, not too bad… using a higher gear… ahhhh lube. Whew, at the top and turn and position… watch out for the cars along here… dropping off their kiddies. Hold position… make ‘em go around and now… check, signal and check aaaand left turn position. Good.

Wait… long line of cars… Oh exhaust gas… how fun… why the heck do “all” cars have the exhaust at the right rear… Ug. Hey VC guys, waiting behind cars, sucks… Green, and go.

Oh, the coffee angel… gee blonde too… and still doing the sign dance… huh.

Look at that van up ahead… he doesn’t see me… dude is blind… Hey jerk… here I am in the middle of the lane and… oops knew it… pulled right out… OK I’ll just slip behind… but man I am staying right out here… Jeeze look at that… the pavement is just mangled along the right tire track… Bike lane is clean… but so far over… nobody will see me there… head check… good, clear… downhill. Zoom past this cyclist… shift and zoom zoom. Up hill… but I got speed man… go.

Wow, no traffic… pump and I can make the left turn lane…. Whew… no problemo… got the light too. Cruz and breath… Cool.

Whip the right and wow, still pumping good… higher gear too… and up to the light… my lane and stop. Now if a car would just come along an’ trigger this thing… hey good.

OK onward. Wow, no traffic again… cool. Left turn and right up ahead… watch for the big asphalt bump… jeeze on a new road too… sigh. OK, and position, headcheck and wow a green… Pump you fool… shift… watch that clown on the right and whoa… 26MPH cool… and stay your course… watch that intersection and wow… made that light too. OK, another left and cruz… catch breath… Up to Campus Point and into the left turn lane… this one here… Ahhhh… Wait for the green. Drink.

Wow, BMWs have the exhaust on the left… welllll thank you. Ooooo, Alumni of UCSD… blond too… hmmm.

OK green and go… ahhhh… long bike lane… down hill and no intersections… relax… On ramp coming up… and headcheck… move over… human speed bump time… Bet it freaks out cars seeing bikes in the freeway ramp… aaaand hold position until I get around this curve and over to the lane… good.

Watch for the drain grates… jeeze you’d think CalTrans would be smart enough to not put grates here… sheesh… time to merge back… head check, and wow, she is slowing down to let me in… totally cool… merge in and ug, more exhaust.

OK down the lane, hold the lane… good and whoa… another train Oh, The Coaster… OK… wait here. Water.

Green light and WTF… jeeze she’s looking for a tape or something… Head’s up sweetheart… (Horns honking… ) OK let’s go. Make the left and ahhhh flat… hammer down. Watch the driveways… and slow for the mangled corner… what a joke… need an SUV here… sheesh…

OK, head check, downshift, climb… check, hey no one behind me… get into the left turn and synchronize with all that oncoming traffic… there’s a break… get ready… Oh it’s Susanne… Yup… the “crazy guy on the bike” works with you… smile and climb the driveway. Here.
<stream of consciousness mode off>

Tru nuf, but the forecast says that summer has arrived. "Very Hot Commute Club" anyone?