Good ride this morning, I just can't stand the damn car fumes !!

I almost choked at one point, and this was right in front of a school ouch !

Anyway, today is my short ride, only 5.4 miles in each direction.. 2morrow I'm going to try out the other ride, its more like 7.x miles but I'm not 100% sure yet...

I like this commuting thing !!! =)

After 18 mos. of commuting I finally got a mirror. The helmet mounted variety. It took about 500m to get used to it. I think I'm going to like seeing behind me. Commute was great.

Down around zero F degrees. Several people out running, which is several more than usual. More lake effect snow. Light and fluffy.

Could be a big storm coming tomorrow, which might kill my bicycle commute for the season. We'll see.

Since we are having an ice storm here, made the wife happy and took the train in to work. First time in months.

Tomorrow I'll be back on the bike! (and to think I use to live this way... )

Ride in was flowing. Only had to stop at two reds. The first came after a mile of nice and easy riding. Changed 3 lanes of traffic in about 20' of forward movement so I could make a left so I could catch the green light. Weather warmed up to 22F today so only had 3 layers on. Undersilk feels nice and dries out quick.

Brisk ride in today. My wife is still riding her road bike, and I think I'll switch back to skinny tires tomorrow, as there is no snow in the forecast and the ice is sublimating away. I really had to struggle to keep up with her today. She beat me to 8 St., 17 Ave. and would have dropped me if it weren't for all the peds crossing 8th. We shared a quick kiss illuminated by the headlights of the cars all around us in traffic, then departed for our respective workplaces. [Awwwwww!]

Just before I got to my designated parking facility, an SUV [long and dark, shiny and black] stopped abruptly in the right lane. I went to the left, then a Benz minivan cuts across from the far right ahead of me. Thanks! Hard on the brakes, I didn't see if my spiked tires threw up any sparks on the pavement. I tailed the Benz into the parking garage and then blew by him/her at the gate.

[QUOTE=MyPC8MyBrain]I put an wireless indoor outdoor thermometer on my x-mas list. The news this am said it was a balmy 25F this morning, so I dressed a bit lighter. When I stepped out the door it felt much cooler, like about 10F to 15F. Sure enough, when I passed the thermometer coming up the hill, it said 12F [with a stiff breeze].

There is a big big difference in 12 and 25 in regards to how you dress.QUOTE]

Been there, done that, I got mine for Christmas last year. I wouldn't be without now.

Late night ride home last night was rather calming after a difficult day. And the weather has held up nicely. This morning, I was feeling a bit tired, so my ride in was at a more relaxed pace. Still a great time, though, and some much appreciated time on the bike.

no ride today since i'm not working. probably use the bike later for a few local errands, but i left my lock in the rack so i won't take it downtown for the major purpose.

maybe it's the celsius thermometre, but i'm ready to swear the world at 0 degrees and below is just a different paradigm in every way from the world at +0.5. instantly discernible too; i took my bike outside yesterday into about -2 and every fibre said 'COLDDD!' it wasn't even the temperature really, just a different feel and a different smell, different bite in the air. i can't even really tell how much i like it, but i'm grateful for the ice-pack effect through the ride and the rest of the day. but then i go into work, where they keep it so warm in contrast that i have to get up and go walkabout outside every hour or so to avoid falling asleep.

i'm starting to flail and choke a little, but i don't think it's really the ride. it's winter itself and all the freaking darkness that's making me feel so sweaty and feeble and disoriented. the solstice is coming not one day too soon this year. it's always like a beach i feel like i'm hauling myself up on to gasp in the sand.

songs: come back to us barbara lewis hare krishna beauregard, john prine; willie mcbride, eric bogle.

Get a Fahrenheit (sp?) thermometer. When it hits 0F, you'll really know it's cold. And cheer up, the night has its own magical qualities.

7ºF & breezy for the morning commute. Roads are pretty much bare and dry until I hit town. Then patchy ice is the norm. Not bad.

Expecting flurries for the trip home.

but then i'd miss all the fun of having every day feel perceptibly different from the previous one. it's not that i find 0C all that cold, anyway - it's felt so warm to me this winter that i keep wondering if i'm losing the plot. it's more the fact that as soon as you hit the freezing mark, you get that smell in the air that you can't find anywhere else unless you go down to the supermarket, stick your head in the deep-freeze and hyperventilate. society appears to Frown On making a habit of that.

. . . because as soon as christmas is under our belts, we'll be on our way back to BASEBALL SEASON.

GO YANKEES!!!
On a different subject, my commute home was warmer than the past few days which is nice. Of course, it's warming up so it can snow tonight and rain down freezing water droplets tomorrow morning which may or may not be the first day of the transit strike. All this of course means I have to wear the clipless shoes to stay on the pedals and carry my shoes somewhere. And wear my rain gear. At least it'll be warmer sort of.

I dressed up this morning ready to head out on my bike after I waited out the peak traffic. Then I changed to my normal work clothes and drove to work. Sometimes, when I am depressed or occupied by something else, I don't feel ready to face the perceived danger on the road and it's too strenous to ride the 9 miles to work. What a coward am I!

-colder yet, but wind was with me going in to work.
-i noticed the birds singing, actually sounded springtime-ish (i could attempt to explain this, but would take me too long, like describing the sound of the ocean). anyway, i wonder how many people in cars ("cagers"?) heard the birds, really felt, smelled, and tasted the cold, and actually saw (was part of) the traffic flow.
-return trip was warmer, but with a lite rain, used the night illumination flashers and headlite (8 units flashing)!

Wulfheir: GREAT mileage chart. Better than the one I made up. Was there a 2005 somewhere? I am at 900 miles since Sept 1st. Nothing that impressive as others here but a mile is a mile!

Today, 6am departure after a 1:00 arrival home with way too many beers under the belt. Woke up at 5 and decided I better start the recovery process. I find a brisk bike ride works well to kill or cure a hangover! Rained all night so roads were wet and leaves slippery. No moon when I started but by the end I was looking at a monster full moon setting in west. About 38F

Comming home....5pm there is that same full moon in the east. Sad when you only get out enough to see the moon and not the sun! Guess winter solstice is just 6 days away...funny how biking to work makes one more aware of our natural suroundings!

Major accident near my home so I rode by about a mile of stopped cars on negative shoulder/grass. I am sure I just pi$$ed them off but heck, what am I supposed to do? Upper 30's still in Memphis.

oh well, yankees. sometimes i suspect i'm living with the reincarnation of yogi berra; and yeah. i know he's not dead. got my very own catcher's mitt now, so i might be able to throw with him next year without breaking a hand isn't winter done yet?

no commute today so i'm probably not entitled to post. but i went all over the place doing things and being the resident grownup and [whine] i took my car everywhere. sure, i guess they're 'convenient', but they're also a goddamned impediment. think i spent most of the day looking for a convenient place to ditch it, and not finding one. it would have needed a diffferent kind of adjustment to use my bike, but i almost think i've got to the point now where those are adjustments that feel more normal to me. frosty when i came back to it, so tomorrow might be a slippery ride.

WTF? The water on the roads refroze last night/black ice everywhere; riding the bike was a little tricky, but very do-able. But the crazy cagers seemed *very* determined to kill themselves and take me with them.

Stopped at the half way point and took the train in the rest of the way to work. Might have to leave work early so I get some riding in--forecast is for sunny and 47°F this afternoon.

Today while shootin' the ***** with the guys before work, they were all talking about the increase of congestion and alternate routes they've been taking this week due to traffic. They talk the same route as me, and I have NO idea what they are talking about. I love it how my commute is dependent on how fast/slow I want to travel, as opposed to how fast/slow others around me are going.

Day 2 with the helmet mirror, I love it, but my wife always knocks it out of alignment when giving me a kiss goodbye. I guess that'll have to come to an end

Rode to my other office today for the first time... FtLauderdale FL weather was superior as usual... =)

Distance = 7.5 Miles.
Avg Spd = 12.5 mph
Max Spd = 28 mph (Down hill in a tunnel)
Time = 45 Minutes (Speedo says time was only 35, but it doesnt count when you stop rolling at red lights and such)..

So, this almost concludes my first week of commuting... now I have to scramble to find a real bike because this huffy is killing my back.. the thing is 2 small for me !!

I'm usually a lurker, but I thought I'd share today.

I rode in for the first time since before Thanksgiving. I had taken my commuter down to the basement and bolted it up to the trainer for the winter. But I got a little stir crazy down there. So I ordered up some 27 in knobby tires and took the old green monster off the garage wall. Its a five speed Chicago-built Schwinn Suburban with drop bars that I bought as a city bike, when I actually lived in the city.

So I put the knobby tires on to deal with the snow and slush, but my fenders won't fit with the knobbies. Too bad, I guess. Today's ride in was a blast most of the way. A big heavy tank like that on big tires-super smooth compared to the 700C-23 I spent most of the summer on. I had forgotten how much I liked that bike. Anyway, the first 10 miles were great, just a dusting of light snow. The last five were on Halsted in Chicago. You have no idea how much salt Chicago puts on its streets until you try to ride a bike through it. Come on, I've ridden on crushed limestone paths that were easier rolling that that.

Walter

No freezing rain this morning as was forecasted. In fact, it had stopped raining by the time I left. I was dressed way too warm w/ long johns and rain proof pants, the combination of which somehow felt really tight and binding. I wore the clipless shoes b/c the roads were still wet and I didn't want to slip off the pedals. Since I barely wear these clipless shoes and am not used to unclipping, it was an adventure when I had to come to sudden stops. I only fell over once on to a taxi as I was unclipping and had to put my hand out to steady myself long enough to put my foot down. I laughed it off and kept going. No transit strike today, or at least it's not a general strike so traffic was normal which is to say packed in some places and flowing in others. Had a yelling match w/ a Brit who I had to stop for as he kept walking directly at me. He mumbled something, I said, "What was that?", he told me to "******** cheer up!" and I told him to "******** piss off!". Is this Friday doing it's best impersonation of Monday?

Slept in an hour later than usual today - oh my. That was nice. Realized it was also Friday - that was nice too. It was only -14C instead of the forecast -19C. Tremendously nice. Realized that after work today I get to buy the hardware to put my new Plasma TV on the wall - nicest of all.

This morning's commute was not as cold as had been forecast. Temperature was 10ºF with a light north breeze. The ICE FOG made things a little more interesting riding the Bianchi with the slicks.

My lighting system battery didn't completely charge overnight.

I don't know how you guys do it.

Last night, dropped by a restaurant on the way home. Riding home on a full stomach is surprisingly easy to do. Admittedly, we're talking about 1.5 miles or so.

It's getting harder for me to wake up in the morning. Still commuting, though. Today marks the end of week two of my Tues-Fri commute. I'm still loving every moment of it.