Today I had a lucky commute. Two flat tires, and I only carry one spare tube. The luck came later.

I rolled over some glass from a previous fender bender and then I hear the whoosh of air rushing out of my front tire.
I changed the tube. About a mile down the road ... whoosh - again (I think I pinched the tube because I couldn't find any residual glass in the tire).

So I start walking - I've got my clipless shoes on and about 5 miles to go and I'm thinking it's going to be a long time before I get to work. I walked for about 20 minutes. While I was walking two bicyclists rode right past me. Thanks. Then a motorcycle pulled over in front of me.
I say, "I don't know if you're offering me a ride, but I can't leave my bike here."
He says, "What size tires do you have?"
"700 25."
"Do you have a pump?"
"yeah, this is my second flat." I say.
Then he reaches into his back pack and hands me a tube. Ecstatic and surprised, I ask him why he's carrying a spare bicycle innertube. He tells me that his "other two wheels are a Cannondale." I thanked him profusely, but I was so surprised I forgot to offer him money for the tube. I hope he didn't mind - he didn't seem to anyway.

So anyway, thanks again Motorcycle Guy. You saved my morning.

The ride in was good, but the weather is hot and humid. I rode in and comsumed my daily allowance of water within an hour of arriving at the office.

Like always, I come into work looking like I took a shower. Ahhh.. the summer weather!

yeah, last night i rode to my lcs (local coffee shop) and brought a change of clothes knowing that i was going to be swimming in my sweat by the time i got there. icky icky icky

Man, this is a great summer. I'm just racking up the miles taking different routes to and from work (along with my fun lunch runs). I wish this would just keep going.

I got to try out my new wheels -- an electric bike! Before you cry foul, I pedaled almost the entire time and used the motor just for those gigantic hills that really whoop my a**. I saved five minutes going and it took the same time coming back (12 miles round trip) but it was a MUCH more comfortable ride. Usually, my heartrate gets so high that my face turns bright red and I look like I'm about to blow. Today's workout felt GREAT! Still covered in sweat, breathing hard, heartrate up, but feeling good the whole time!

As soon as I start the fall semester, when I'll be getting off earlier, I'm going to start extending my commute until I can do the entire 34-mile round trip from home!

Rather comfortable in the morning, but blazing friggin' hot in the afternoon. Swapped out my 'cross tyres for some bombproof 700x32 touring tyres for bashing around NYC streets.

Missed my turnoff into the West Village again, so I only got one section of cobbles instead of two. But I made up for it with two rough section on West Houston leaving SoHo for the West Side bike path. Stopped along the way at a pier over the Hudson for a sigh and a silent cry over my job and financial situation with a future somewhere between bleak and possible. Thankfully, my Cannondale 'Cross is a good friend in hard times.

Came home in a about 93 degree heat, pulled off my Giro as a torrent of sweat poured down my head, flipped on the TV (and planted my sweaty and shirtless self down on the couch), and caught the end of today's tour stage.

Hot sweaty ride home last night. Traffic was bad because of the early Reds game. Not one of my most favorable rides thats for sure.

Ride in this morning was nice. Rained over night so the air was a little fresher. Took my time in. Nice easy ride.

It was a partly sunny, partly gloomy ride in to work today with some thunderheads looming overhead. Rain/T-storms very possible this afternoon. I hope to avoid them on my roll home...Please!!

Had a nice ride in this morning. Hot and humid here already, but thats nothing new. We are going to set a record with the most consecutive 90+ days here. Currently we are at 20 I think, the record is 24. Forcast for the next week is over 90 every day Will be a hot ride home this afternoon, but I can take it easy, its Friday

Sort of humid but not hot this morning. Overcast and in the upper 60Fs.

Got to work just in time to see another employee on his Trek riding down a set of outdoor stairs. I walked my bike down (lest it crack into several pieces) and when I got to him I said, "I SAW THAT!" I made some wise-crack about his wheels needing to be trued and he said be beats on the bike and it seems to hold up okay.

Slept in again today but was still able to make it in only about 10 minutes later than usual. My appetite has really dropped off and I'm definitely starting to feel the effects-tired, week legs. Hopefully this heat will subside and I can eat again. I stopped to hide a bottle of lube that a friend asked for (she rides the same route about 2 hours behind me), I hope that no one finds it and takes it. I saw a few other riders which is always a novelty for me as I'm usually one of only about 2 or 3 that I see at 5:30. I'm also trying to figure out my new HRM-it's even more difficult than my old one. I received a bunch of new toys from Nashbar yesterday and will replace my: cranks, bottom bracket, cassette, and chain on my Surly this weeken. I'll also change out the tires and put my fenders back on--I'm really looking forward to riding it by Monday. Another "all ride week" for me. Have a great weekend everyone.

Nice ride this morning, an hour earlier than normal. What fun it is to ride a bike to work!

fun indeed!

it rained last night, and it was still quite damp this morning: 70 °F, dew point 69 °F. we have had a very wet july. i was nearly run off the road by some cowboys on their way to a big roundup. or at least that's what they may have thought; to the casual observer, they were merely landscaping clowns hurrying their way to the next sod job.

A milestone; today I had my first commuting flat. I was just across the street from work when the front wheel went all wobbly and I noticed the tire rapidly deflating. I pushed the bike into the parking decks, dug a piece of glass out of the tire, and changed the tube. After two years of doing this almost everyday I'm finally a real commuter.

This is about last night's ride home. In Chicago drivers can be ticketed if they are not using those hands-free cel phone devices. I don't get it.. but I was behind two people on thier bikes talking on a cel-phone. I mean using one hand to steer and one to HOLD THE CEL PHONE.

I don't know about you, but I find it dangerous and annoying. The least they could use the hands free device. Ugh.

Well, it was a pleasant ride in today, humid. This afternoon will be around 92 degrees, will work up a good sweat on the way home.

Last night on the way home I had a run-in with some punk asshat on a bmx bike. It was 5:15pm in downtown when the sidewalks are full people leaving work. This genius was on the sidewalk next to the new Dept. of Education building when he started pumping his little boy bike up to maximum speed (15mph by my computer) and pops a wheelie, riding pretty much the entire block on one wheel. When he got to the end of the block he nearly took out an older female pedestrian, and was nearly taken out himself by a car taking a right turn.

I yelled, "Stay off the sidewalk, idiot!" And he gave me the finger, yelled "F*ck you!" and took off down an alley.

Well, I was pissed. So I turned at the next corner and I found myself about 100 yards behind the yahoo. I just kept spinning and closing the gap and when I got right on his hip I said, "Look. I don't care if you hurt yourself, but when you threaten the safety of pedestrians, it makes us all look bad."

He turned WHITE. And then he started cussing me again and tried to sprint away. Well, I'm on a road racer and he's got one gear and 20 inch wheels, so I chased him a bit. And lectured him, but mostly chased him because I wanted to see how long he could maintain 20 mph on his little toy bike. I said, "Why don't you give your little brother back his bike and you can grow up and get yourself a big boy bike, you can ride on the street like an adult."

I was still pissed, but that was fun.

That what it was this morning at 5am Of course the humidity was only 40%.

7/22 Weather, Phoenix, AZ:
Time, Temp, Feel, RH, Wind D, Wind Sp, Pres, Precip, Vis, Sky
5am 91 90 40 E 6 29.83 0.00 10 p/sunny
6am 92 91 35 ESE 7 29.85 0.00 10 p/sunny
7am 93 95 32 E 4 29.87 0.00 10 p/sunny

Al

Caloso that was a good story.

A 5:00 AM Commute this morning so temps were perfect and I was in shorts and a tee shirt with no cares. Also at theat time I was able to take the direct route of 1.2 miles rather than the regular 3 km route.

Well, I wasn't sure whether to post it here or in the "Some Cyclists Are Their Own Worst Enemies" thread. I thought it went better here because I'm sure you guys all see the same sort of crap.

I can't wait until the afternoon commute home. This is what keeps it exciting!

"Today: Partly cloudy with afternoon thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 111F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%."

Al

Ha... Good for you. Some peer-police work was definitely in order. Laughing at the mental image of you loping along while he's spinning at 125RPM.

Foggy and cool this morning, warm and humid this afternoon. To many cars this afternoon.

Still it was a great commute.

Got to ride to work on a Saturday since we had to have locks changed. What a beautiful morning and ride home. I added 10 miles just for fun because it was so nice with low humidity.