Did anyone on this list lose a blinkie on the Route 50 trail near Route 27 in Arlington, VA, last evening? I have it.

The days are definitely getting shorter. It id now usual for the Nexux sensor to turn on my lights on the way home.

Paul

First commute in fog- a little nervewracking. Since it was dark and foggy, even more of the sensation of being in an endless tunnel..... JOY

Telecommuted today. Reason: lame excuse involving arriving home late last night. Tomorrow for sure!

Great ride in today.. T-shirt and shorts. Gotta love rolling out the driveway onto a 1.5 mile 30mph downhill. It's especially fun at 5am before you've had any coffee. The wind chill really wakes you up in a hurry!

Saw the same big ol coyote in the dark rural area this am...today he just lurked in the field watching as I went by. That's an uphill, not sure I could out run him if it became an issue. Mounted the peper spray on the outside of the trunk bag before I left this morning. Coyotes are pretty shy, so I doubt it will ever be an issue. But since it looks like he's a regular of the area, can't hurt to be prepared. If he's gonna eat me, I may as well be properly spiced !

Tomorrow should be the first no shorts day... supposed to be 28F in the am.

Don

I've got a photon fusion that I've custom mounted to the top of my helmet. They make a bicycle mount for it, but it's currently out of stock and I like having a light on my head anyway. That way I can point it where I want (in someone's face if needed). It has something 8 LED's so it's very bright and batteries a long time too. In high traffic areas i put it on strobe mode, and that really gets peoples attention. I also ride with a little cheapy bar mounted light in front, that I got off ebay for 6 bucks. It kinda sucks, and it's only a matter of time before the mounting hardware gives way, but it's nice to have two. The fusion comes with a head strap, but but having the light in the front of my head with nothing to balance is kinda crappy, also made my helmet fit funny. So I mounted it to the top of my helmet. I had to ruin the head strap thing, but *shrugs* I bought it for bike riding so....I also roll with a 7 LED blinky deal on my rear.

As for fog, I use some anti-fog stuff made by rain-x it's for cars (available at autozone type shops), but i put it on my riding sunglasses (have clear lenses from them...too) don't know about putting them on expensive perscription glasses but...there are lots of things out there, google anti fog, or check your local (good) eye glass store, my dad used to use this stuff that was kind of a mint green waxy type stuff, came in a jar and you apply with fingers, then whipe off.

any way, no ride today, having carbon fork put on my bike (older trek 2200 three tube carbon bike) finally decided to get the carbon where it matters :-)

Heh, I did that a couple of weeks ago.

Commute in this morning was fine. Tried the Marathon tires for the first time on my commuter (the folder). The switch from faster tires didn't slow me down too much but it did add some peace of mind for the ride home in the dark (more junk on the MUP from a day of careless / non-caring users ==> faster tires getting chewed-up).

Good weather and pleasant rides for the last several days. But it's getting dark earlier and I need to get a brighter headlight.

The only blemish was a Liedtka Trucking flatbed (number 443) that expressed his displeasure of me being on the road by using his trailer to nudge me toward the gutter. I emailed the company about the incident and explained what Va. state law has to say about the rights of bicyclists. But so far no reply.

Good fast tailwind on the way home (yay!). Beat a rainstorm by about 5 minutes :)

Liedtka? Lied To Kover A$$?
Good thing you got the truck no. If no response from the company, maybe the police wouldn't mind hearing about it if it's a slow day.

Today was trash day & on the way back to work on my lunch circuit, I hit one of those hurking big plastic cans on wheels. I was riding thru a local neighborhood & just topped a hill picking up speed when a car coming the other way turned left right at me(must not have seen me at all) & I swerved right &they passed close behind into a driveway. I looked back over my shoulder & yelled a few $&#@%! at her open window, turned back around & there was this big plastic can about 2 feet out in the roadway. Struck it a glancing blow with my right bar/knuckles/brifter & it went right over. Now I have a cut & bruised index finger to explain to my wife. The brifter's not damaged, just needed repositioned. Gotta learn more self control! Don

First REAL night ride.... Rode to a meeting after work, then had a 9 mile ride home in the dark (8:20-9:00pm) Lights worked good, not much traffic to worry about. Made for a good milage day too (38 miles)

beautiful ride in this morning: cold, clear, all the good stuff. it's weird though: i can ride when i'm doing it, but in between rides i'm so tired right now that i kept locking myself into the bathroom for little ten-second insta-naps all day to keep going. thought it would wear off but it hasn't, and the muscle stiffness isn't going away either. so i think i should take a break tomorrow.

came home some of the way - over the bridge at least. on the other side i let a bus take me n my bike up the hill, then i got off and rode the last 3k or so. nice to have them, but getting the bikes on and off those racks is no day at the beach either.

my neighbour was putting her garbage out as i arrived, and she said 'you're living dangerously, riding your bike around here in the dark.' it made me laugh; it was just after dusk and i was all lit up front and rear on both bike and helmet, flashing like a christmas tree. 'i don't go on THOSE roads,' i said, and for some reason she seemed to think that made sense.

guess what's just under the bridge on my side, when i take that sidewalk? a - ta-dah - car graveyard. spent some time eyeballing it and thinking what a Profound Statement Photograph some first-year art student could take if they came by with a cell-phone right then. would i pose thumbing my nose?

Good ride to work and home .I rode the ss today .
Work was even good tonite . Have a good nite .

I found the perfect anti fog for my glasses. It's called (gross) cat crap. It really works great. check out < http://www.catcrap.com/>
Cat Crap Anti Fog Lens Cleaner - By Glassafe
This stuff really works!!!

Ride today was good. I have given up on the "up and over" route. I found out that the "long" way takes only about 2 minute longer and is a lot easier on the old knees.

I don't know how to put a link in my post>

Ok I figured it out. so now...check this out :)

Nice diagram. Blue route, all the way. If there are more lanes it might be worth doing a right half-fakey, a'la
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=125448

Great, roads were a little wet from the rain last night. Still warm enough at 6am for short sleeves but only for a few more weeks. Only had one person honk today, an kept up with a moped for the last 2 miles of my trip.I did not see any other bikers today.

What a great ride this morning! Not only was the weather ideal and I feel re-charged, but I'm back on my old commuter bike. It's my old Nashbar, steel frame mountain Frankin-bike that I built 2 or 3 years ago and began commuting with. I bought it back from a friend who rarely used it and converted it last night to it's original specs (clipless pedals, seat, lights). Not only is it cheap and reliable, but the geometry is great for commuting as well as long distance and loaded touring. I had to stop 3 times to fine tune the seat hight/angle but the rest was like old times. The Surly is a great ride but I could never get the setup right. The geometry and/or setup made for a fast, versital ride, but something was always uncomfortable. I tweaked my left knee and struggled with a groing strain/sprang that only seemed to affect me on that bike. After 3 front-end, 2 or 3 saddle, and 2 drive train changes, I figured it was time to give it up-I'll move over the parts that I can and probably sell the rest. Anyway, I feel so good on the old bike that I'll probably extend my commuting into December as the weather allows (I thought I'd have to give it up at the end of October to rest my knee).

Great ride in this morning, the 28F temp never materialized... is was a balmy 36F. I'm in the process of figuring out what cold weather gear works for what temps.

This morning was spandex shorts, lined nylon pants, and the jacket shell without the liner. Using the hood under my helmet kept my ears from freezing off on the initial downhill blast. Had to unzip everything once things leveled out and turned to the uphill.

Thought I was going to go all the way in without seeing any of the woodland creatures that haunt the predawn darkness. Alas, less than one block from the office a fox bounded across the four lane into a vacant lot. Nice to know I'm not the only one up at that hour :-)

Don

Nice ride in with a tailwind, temp about 68°F. On my way throught Decatur, I met a group of 10 or so kids ridding bikes to school, shepherded by a couple of parents, one on a tandem. And then passed another group of 4 kids and a mom going to a different school!

There is hope for the future... :D

Good ride... very humid and a low dense fog. It was like riding into the Hound of the Baskervilles… in the summer time. I passed by the University's intramural sports complex and the view was so cool. I wished I had a camera.

This morning's ride was pretty much a comedy of errors. Before leaving in the morning, I usually take out any trash from the day before. Having run out of our normal garbage bags a day or so ago, and being forced to use some less than ideal ones (In commercials, they would be refferred to as 'wimpy, wimpy, wimpy'), the bulging bag burst this morning as I was transferring it to the outside can. Diapers, vegetables, coffee grounds, etc. sprayed my legs and feet.

After cleaning up and changing shorts, socks, and shoes, I began to pedal away at which point my freshly charged halogen headlight konks out. Upon opening the back of the case to pretend like like I might know what the problem is, a piece of broken metal falls out onto the ground. I assumed that it might have had something to do with my lack of light, and decided to wait until the sky lightened up to leave, having only a helmet headlight as a reserve.

The first few miles actually went well, the wind was cool and and the drivers were pleasant and law abiding. Crossing the river was nice, the water was reflecting the brightening sky and flowing between rocks, churning in hydraulics and rippling in eddies. As I reached the far side of the bridge and stop in a patch of dewy green grass to wait for traffic before crossing, I almost slip as I lose traction from the steaming dog turd I have apparently stepped squarely into.

The remainder of my ride was pleasant, aside from the wrinkled noses of nearby pedestrians as we wait at red lights. Now at the office, having bagged my funky shoe to clean later, and scrubbed my pedal as much as possible, I'm coming to accept that it's mornings like this that help me to truly appreciate the vast amount of really good, (and by good, I mean poo-free) days I get to enjoy by cyclo-commuting. I will now go get a cup of coffee, and try to dispell the feeling that, Warner Bros. style, an anvil will drop out of nowhere and fall on my head.

As I was walking my bike into the building this morning the (unfortunate but apt) theme song from "The Facts of Life" played in my head. AND NOW I CAN'T STOP IT.

Regardless, it was a bit of a rough ride, I felt weak, there was a light mist that made the humidity yuck on a stick and my glasses were constantly wet. But I got to ride in, so it's all but forgotten.

Except...

Ya take the good, ya take the bad, ya take 'em both and there ya have...

That was probably one of the groups participating in the Safe Routes to School program. Today is International Walk and Roll to School Day. I got to ride with the group that met at Clairmont Elementary and rode to Glennwood Elementary. I was the only person with taillights and one of three that had headlights. We had about 25 kids in our group and 10 parents. We even had a Decatur policeman riding with us. I thought about asking how I could get one of those reflective vests he wore that had "POLICE" across the back in big letters. :)


It was kind of strange getting up and out the door and riding in the dark. I usually leave home around 8AM. Today I left home at 6:50AM. Those early rising cagers drive just as bad as the ones I see later in the morning. :crash: