Got another one hooked. Met this guy who was just starting to bicycle to work for the first time. He asked me if the station was safe to be parked at. I said, sure! Been bike commuting for almost 10 years, ain't ever gonna quit. Just make sure you have a kryptonite U lock and a long steel cable to wrap around the back wheel, through the front, and then into the lock, and you'll be secure. Lost 2 sets of wheels when I didn't bother to lock em up back then. That was 400 bucks I paid for them in Boston, and I went looking around the campus for the joker to bumrush the F#$K with my hammer. That was back in my bad bad temper days. Anyone notice how cycling really takes the stress and the edge off of you?

Anyway, the guy is hooked. Hehehehe. One less g0dd@m Car!

So! Anyone else spreadin the love? =D

nice! rides to/from work today were great, no real compaints or issues, just glad i did it (still wonder why others here don't)!
to ischen:
i miss using clipless also. for me, moving between bikes this winter (mb, commutor, and tourer) i am riding w/ just peddles (no straps, cleats, clips). it still gets me at stop lights to uplift right foot to get ready to go when lite changed or the placement of feet when riding (like you listed). it's all good for me, peddles make a difference to shoes used; i still prefer clipless !!

Don't paint us old farts with too broad a brush. I'm 63 and bike 16 miles one way to work and back every day, rain or shine, cold or not, and we all face ungracious drivers young and old. Even pedestrians can be rude. Riding on a trail early one morning last week, I encountered a thirtyish couple, the male member of which yelled, "Why don't you shine that ****ing light somewhere else instead of in my eyes?" I replied, "Where, off the road?" By that time I was passing them, he was still shouting obscenities, and I opened my mouth to yell something equally crude, but changed my mind and called, "God bless you, Sir!" over my shoulder. He was still swearing in the distance as I went on down the trail.

Commute home was about normal. But enough about that. Forthwith is a chronology of my night. It's not worth starting a new thread so I'll just vent here. Feel free to skip to the next post.

5:25-5:40 PM: Lucked out and found a parking spot that's good all day tomorrow. Lucky me, I get to go look for another spot tomorrow night for Friday.

5:50-6:10 PM: Pick up my new mtb fork and Kool Stop Salmon brake pads. I talk w/ a guy looking to buy a new mtb. He's eyeing a hardtail to replace his FS. I tell him I'm going from a hardtail back to a rigid mtb. Afterwards, I pick up beef & mushrooms in oyster sauce for dinner.

6:15-6:40 PM: Eat dinner and watch TV.

6:40-6:53 PM: Start taking my handlebars and old fork off. Dry fit my new fork and realize the existing headset won't fit. I have 7 minutes to make it to the LBS to get a replacement. I grab the new fork and run to the bike shop. I get there with 1 minute to spare. I then wait 10 mins. while the guy closes out the register before getting the headset.

7:15-10:15 PM: Install the new fork, re-attach the fenders, replaced the brake pads and re-attach the brakes, futz w/ the headset, re-attach the stem and handlebars, adjust the front brakes, replace the rear pads, notice the rear brake spring tension screw is stripped, futz w/ that, give up, bend the spring tension lever to compensate, clean my hands, put the tools away and collapse on the couch.

I hate working on my bike in the hallway.

Cold.

Cold. -1*F at mid-ride. I guess I need to figure out something for my toes. I do have some neoprene booties I could try out. Right now I'm just wearing one pair of wool socks inside of some Shimano mountain shoes. I'm fine in that most of the time but when it gets down to below zero, I need to do some toe wiggling to keep the blood flowing.

My fingers are very cold for the first 5 minutes but once I crank up the first hill, the blood drops into my fingers and they warm right up. Doesn't work for the toes for whatever reason.

Chilly, not the same riding in a winter coat. 10 degrees this morning but at least it was not snowing. Forcasted for the ride home. Wife called me nuts this morning. would not have missed it though, good ride.

A balmy 34F sleet and some dufus almost ran me over. I still wouldn't trade it for sitting in a car.

I forgot to add my computer somehow reset itself to metric so I spent half the ride trying to do math while riding, a bad combination.

ditto

Not as cold this morning and I made pretty good time. Nothing exciting happened but I did leave early and beat everybody else to work.

Pt'ly Cloudy, 39d, 8-) Tailwind 15mph, 8-) Great ride in at 5:45 this morning...... Close to 2oo miles for the month already (not only commuting)

Bike felt different than yesterday. Must be the new fork. Felt faster. Wasn't actually faster, but it seemed to accelerate quicker and go faster. The downside was it's rigid so I felt every pothole there was. I think I need suspension wrists.

A couple days ago in another thread, Velogirl and I realized we had the same commute. So I told her I would say "hi" if I ever saw her...

Ok, so, I was riding on the Mt. Vernon Trail this morning and I saw a woman on a Jamis, moving at a moderate pace (as she described herself...). Not too many people are going my direction on the MV Trail in the morning (I'm going outbound when most people are headed inbound), so I saw the Jamis and I thought "hey, I bet that's Velogirl."

I pulled up alongside her and said: "uhh, this is going to sound weird, but are you on the Bike Forums?" She replied: "What are the Bike Forums?"
(-D'oh!!!)
I explained: "oh, well, it's this message board about various aspects of cycling, including commmuting, and I've been chatting with someone on there who rides a Jamis and has the same commute as mine. So, anyway, I thought you were her, but I guess you're not, so, er, nevermind!"
Her: "Ha ha, ok. Well, take care."
Me: "Yeah, you too. Bye..."

Then I sped up and rode off, feeling like a complete dork (hopefully, she didn't think worse...)! Oh well... Anyway, if I see someone on my commute on a Jamis and it's NOT the woman I saw this morning, I'll try that again. Ha ha...

brrr... zoom zoom http://www.one2ride.org/Animation/Roadrunner.gif

Haha, thanks for that! Very amusing... at least from here ;)

Yeah, ha ha... I think I may have to change my commute time a little bit... :o

Cold this morning, around freezing, but main feature was head wind!!!!! Not the most pleasant ride, but a ride nevertheless. Cheered slighlty by passing a work colleague waiting at a bus stop about half way into my commute, and realising i made the office 15 minutes before he did, despite it being a slow/tough ride in this morning.

Looking forward to the tail wind on the return run.

I too have noticed good light now at about 07.30 thorugh til around 17.00..getting better.

Keep safe everyone

Temp is around 57, winds NE blowing at 7mph, 72% Humidity this morning. Forecast for tomorrow is 80% chance rain. The weather man just had to mention about when the rain is going to start and stop..... and wouldn't you know its during my commute time!!!

Well back to today's commute. I was so caught up in enjoying today's commute before tomorrow's Cold Shower, I forgot my Cygo Lite battery!!! The ride itself was great,but So much for some Popeye's dirty rice @ lunch.

It was a balmy 40F this morning... almost like spring time is around the corner, but according to that stupid groundhog we have a few more weeks of winter yet.

I think I like riding the sidewalk on the highway stretch. Don't have to drive with one eye in the mirror or worry about gettin macked by some pre-coffee driver. It's an undeveloped area so I doubt I'll ever encounter a ped, so what the heck. Safe is good regardless of how it presents itself.

Winter is supposed to return in time for the ride home tonight.

Thanks for passing this event to us; it was enjoyable reading with a smidgen of suspense and a hint of sadness in the end. :) Don't give up the search Josh, you'll find her. :D

Oh, I dunno... I may just keep to myself from now on. :p

Yeah, I can understand why. I think we have all at one time or another looked pretty stupid when talking to someone who has absolutly no idea what we're talking about.

Curiosity will overcome you. Or she'll say hi first.

Another 70F morning, no wind, just bright and sunny. It took around ten minutes to get to the office.