Nice ride ! almost t-boned a corolla when she cut me off getting into mcdonalds... lol

good thing for front brakes on a FG for newbie riders ! LOL

Other than that, it was quite a new feeling to ride fixed...
Today's ride was 7.5 miles and no coasting all the way !

I am still not convinced that fixie is right for me, but i'm going to give it a good long test to figure out if I want to keep it like this.

So true, I think you can still see the discoloured areas on the elements in mine.

Need to pick up building materials after work, took the car.

Ride home last night was nice and slow cuz traffic was nice and slow and also, I was carrying a pair of hockey skates along w/ my usual load. I also picked up a big, bulky gift for my wife and hung that on the handlebars. My knees and toes kept knocking it into my tire. Luckily the store's only a couple blocks from where I live.

After that, I went to meet up w/ slvoid, jimbo and cadd for a quick ride down 5th Ave. Less than 5 mins after the ride started, I was on the ground looking up at a pretty paramedic and wondering why she was keeping my head from moving. Yadda yadda yadda and I ended up leaving Bellevue at about 1:30 am. For more details, check the Strike! thread. I got a big lump on my face where I landed, the shell on my helmet is cracked and my shoulder is sore. But I'm alive and well and that's all that counts.

Finally was able to get on the bike today.. have had errands and chores every day this week that required driving. Have a party to go to tonight and I need to get home early, but I rode anyways. I guess I'll just have to bail from work early :)

Weather was amazing this am... a balmy 46. Almost wore shorts, but wore tights instead with a sweatshirt. Not bad at all for late december.

It's always a great ride when nobody tries to run you over.

Clear and cold (20.6°F/-6.3*°C). Traffic was so light I took one of the major roads into town that I usually avoid because of the normally heavy traffic. The RD had a lag in shifting--make a shift and then a few seconds later it would happen.

Happy trails!

I was expecting a lot less traffic today, but it was still there. Hiss/boo. I'm a little worried about the ride home, as there will be many an idiot dashing from drunken parties to the mall to more parties to their homes.

oh geez :( I hope you're feeling better soon, jyossarian. Take it easy during the holidays

Well, no more commutes for me, nor any bike rides for that matter, until Jan 4th :cry: No way around it though.

Happy Holidays to all of you and your families :D Enjoy the time off and relax
- P

5/5 week! today traffic was liter in am, but was so amped this pm that i felt more exposed and vulnerable, not so much perceived feelings of semi-shared areas. it was good to be home! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, May all your communting be fun and joyous. From the Spider.

I was worried last night for you, jyossarian. I had been reading the Strike! thread and heard about your crash. glad you're ok. As for the commute, took the main street through town most of the way to work. I'm getting more confident and willing to take the lane when neccessary. 56 degrees, and I was overdressed. (rant begins) The ride home was marred by some loser taking his Suburban to the local drug haven and almost left hooking me. No signal, no decrease in speed, no nothing. I rode up and slapped his rear window. When he stopped I pulled up to his driver's door and cussed him a blue streak, wondering out loud what he might be doing in a known drug neighborhhood. I was pissed because he saw me and smiled before he left turned in front of me. Took that smile right off his face. He decided to leave the neighborhood when I asked if he wanted me to run his plate number by the local PD, what with his being in a known drug neighborhood, and driving recklessly. I would rather have slapped him upside the head, but I don't do that anymore. GRRRRRR!!! (end rant)

The tires were tired but I thot they had one more ride. Was two milkes from the house when the sidewall on the rear tire blew out. Booted the hole with my last one dollar bill, inserted a spare tube, and limped back home. The wheel also had a broke spoke and got more out of true as I rode. Wobbled enough to make steering uncomfortable. Changed to work clothes and took the beater truck to work, twelve miles. At 12 MPG I'm out $4.18 for gas, and $25 to get the wheel fixed at the local bike shop.

And it was the first dry day in over a week.

Scary to read jyossarian's crash but glad he came through in relatively fine form. Speedy recovery to you! My commutes have been wonderful the end of this week and been way to busy to post much. I put a Nokian studded tire on my front wheel. Didn't have time to deal with the rear one yet but just the front makes a tremendous amount of difference. Two days off now and no commuting but I'm looking forward to the next ride.

Thanks to everyone for their concern. I feel embarassed for not being more injured. Truth is the crash was my fault which makes it more embarassing. My face is less puffy and swollen which is good. I followed up my trip to the ER w/ an 8 hr. drive to visit family for the holidays. Happy Holidays everyone!

Today's commute was good, volunteered to work. The company had a catered lunch for us, and I was still off at 2pm. Tomorrow I'm off, then on for 7 days in a row. Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, whichever you prefer, to everyone.

Awesome ride today.

Nice and cool !!

Got to the train station at 5:30AM as usual. It's CLOSED. Turns out that December 26th they run a Sunday schedule, with the first train out at 8AM. So, I came on back home. I'll be back there in time to catch the 8AM train. Oh well.

Today was a nice day to ride, I went in thinking I was only going in for a few hours today, but worked the usual 12. Only 72 more hours of work this week,(I hope). I just wish there would be more than 1 dry day in a row.

I'm back in the saddle again, after sitting out our most recent cold spell. Just can't or won't handle the under 32 degree days. My ride in this morning was nice and slow, a relaxing pace which got me here in 40 minutes. Looking forward to the ride home this afternoon.

Awesome ride again ! A bit colder than usual but easily managed.

=)

Temp around 50°, nice breeze, clear skies.
I've been so slack for the last two weeks, that even given these conditions, it was touch and go, getting suited up and started.

Had a close call with a walker in the residential section, strolling down the centerline, he was. "I'm going to pass to your right side, sir" apparently sounds like "Move to the right, or die, walking pig-dog!" Rich food and a glancing blow from a respiratory infection made the ride fairly strenuous, but it felt good at the end. I got so zoned on the bike path that I cruised right past my usual bridge into town and didn't notice till I was almost at the next one down. Nice man at the train station was very complimentary of my bike and light. "You rode 11 miles ALREADY this morning?!" Remembered my Christmas book for the train ride, "A Walk Across America", which looks to be a hella nice read.

They're promising me a 35-40 mph headwind for the ride home, and 80 degrees. Yow.

I hope you all had as perfect a holiday as I did.

Whoo-hoo! It's good to be back riding my bike! My recent spout of laziness seems to have ended. It doesn't hurt that the weather is mild, and that I found the handlebar mount for my Nite Rider light.

This town is empty! It's good to know (I guess) that the world continues to fall apart even with most of the Feds on vacation.

Got an extra present on the 26th. The wife told the bike shop to put a set of Specialized Armadillo tires on my re-trued wheels

Heaven bless the understanding spouses.

Mine got me some Novara cold weather pants and a new rack for my ride. Almost makes me mad it was too warm to wear them today.

My commute in today was excellent. 59F, riding my Peugeot, with my new Brooks B17 the wife gave me for Christmas.

Tis the time for Winter Vacation Camp, so the Trail-A-Bike went back on. The first half of the ride was great. After that, my daughter began to complain of cold hands. It seems that her new ski gloves were "too stiff", so she rode with them partially off. We may have to go back to the lighter gloves. The first day pulling the Trail-A-Bike is always a workout for me.

Paul