NM-NewRoadie

Did 20 miles home on Thursday, great day for a ride, cool, light traffic, fantastic. First 40 mile day! Thought it would be the start of a weekend of great riding, but then a project helping a friend do maintanance work on her car went horribly wrong Friday (I had Friday off) I ended up not riding on Saturday morning because of it, or on Sunday, and It's STILL messing up my rides. Looks like it will be at my house all week and maybe then some before we get it fixed.

Short route in this morning (8 miles) not a bad ride, I put on my compact double this weekend (about the only bike stuff I had time for) and it rides pretty good. Currently having to do a lot of shifting to try and find the gear I want to spin...hopefully I'll get more used to it in the future. I can already tell that it will help a lot on the BTC this year, with all those lovely hills they have planned for us :-)

Won't be commuting home, need to take home my "spare" car so that the friend has something to drive, I swear I'm never working on another friends car again. No matter what, it's just too much trouble.

caloso

No ride today. We left for the mountains directly from work on Thursday night and I left my bike in its locker. So I carpooled in with Mrs. Caloso and the Wonder Twins. It's just as well, since it was POURING at 7:45 this morning. Like a fire sprinkler.

Hopefully it'll be a little drier on the way home. Plus, I need to hit the LBS. It's the last day of their spring sale and they sell tubes as a loss leader. I always stock up.

42x16

I had a strong tailwind all the way in this morning. I was travelling the same speed (or faster) than the traffic so I took the right lane and rode with traffic the whole way in. It drove some of the cagers crazy knowing that there was thirty feet of space between me and the car infront of me that they could be productively using. There were a few people who waved and smilled, a few who had other (rude) gestures and a few who layed on the horn. I had one woman race past me in the left lane cut back right in front of me and hit the brakes while giving me the bird. Lots of good that did her because she had to look and my smiling face in her rear view mirror for the rest of her drive. Kill with kindness. I didn't have to get mad at her because another driver (with a roof rack and cycling stickers all over the faring) started honking and yelling and gesturing at her for me. That aside it was a great and fast ride to work.

jyossarian

Wet ride home and idiot cabbie buzzed me. Had another woman speed ahead and right hook me. I was tempted to crash into her just to teach her a lesson, but the Koolstops work too well in the wet for that. Got home and found a package slip from the post office so right back out again to pick up a box of mixed fruit chips from my Mom. She rocks!

caloso

Mom always makes a bad day better.

pinkrobe

It's getting warmer and wamer every day. The sun was at the perfect height to blind me for most of my ride, so I squinted like a madman.

buzzman

windy ride on the way in today about 1pm. but it stayed blowing from the east so I got a nice push on the way home.
Tragedy at the building right next to the one I work in- the scaffolding collapsed on a construction site killing at least 3 people. I had just ridden by it and parked my bike across the street and went into my building and then found out about a half hour later what had happened. A sad and scary event. We were all sent home. Almost couldn't get to my bike because the street was blocked off and the cop I asked about my bike was pretty surly but then he relented and walked me to the bike while I unlocked it.

A bike is a great way to get out of a city during an emergency. The traffic in the area was a nightmare. Had my car been parked on that street I wouldn't have had access to it for a day or two. Glad to be home safe and sound.

rando

nice ride today. cloudy. it's heating up here... temps now up in the 80s. it won't be long before we have 100 degree days (may, june, july, August, Sept) that will be the true test of my commuting resolve, if I continue in the heat. I will try. anyway, it's not bad yet. and It was nice today. my route is slightly uphill going home, so it tires me out a bit, but I'm sure as I get stronger that will get better.

sukram

Dry into work, wet on the way back.

Pros:
- This morning was one of those fantastic commutes. No headwind, sunny but a bit cool. Work shirt/blazer and the warmth of the sun on your back... moments like that you remember.
- Evening, a wet ride back. Headwind over bridge as well. Wait, why is this in the pro area? Oh yeah... great temp, had my rain shell, got my work pants soaking but didn't care. Felt great being on the bike and not stuck next 100 wet subway rats^H^H^H^Hriders. That pair of rain pants is on the list... Campmor time soon...

Con:
- Erm... works pants and chain don't mix. Time to pay the $3 idiot tax at the dry cleaners again...

robtown

Left early (5pm) and flew home to beat the wave of thurnderstorms. Very good time - 39 minutes, 12 miles and 18.5 mph average. Got to wear shorts, short sleeve jersey, and summer gloves! Had to take the windbreaker off. DST - the whole ride in sunshine!

AD-SLE

Well, I've been commuting for 7 months and have logged over 2,000 car avoidance miles plus weekend ride which is another 1,000 miles. The old girl is wearing out. Broke a spoke (steel) and if that was not enough got a flat (unrelated) 1 mile from home so I just walked her home. Broken spoke and a flat! Made the mistake (I suspect) of going from 1.25 tires to 1.125" (yes, they are 27" wheels) and although they are great on weekend rides they don't seem to survive the daily commute as this is flat #2 in 300 miles on NEW tires. UGH!!

I may have saved gas and oil changes but my bike is now worn out and requires a new rear wheel as this is the 4th spoke and the process is getting tedious......but fun, but fun!

I rode the wife's Trek Mulitrack today. Lead sled but no flats or broken spokes!

Congrats on your retirement ollo ollo!

thdave

I understand. I have a tough time keeping up with regular riding when I can't ride to work. I hope you can work it into your new routine, whatever that may be. Congrats on your retirement.

thdave

I had my slowest ride in ever yesterday. The wnds were in my face at 15 to 20 mph, and I had an extra pannier with my laptop in it. I was well loaded down. Still fun. 36 minutes for 6.5 miles, took about 5 minutes extra.

On the way home the winds worsened and it blew rain at my every crevice. I don't know their speed, but I know that when I crossed a large, level bridge I peddled as hard as I could and managed about about 8 mph. Had it in 1st gear on my 7 speed. When I crossed the bridge, I jumped to the sidewalk. Later, on the part of the ride that was wind assisted, I had a lot of fun. In my longest stretch I had a cross breeze, which was crazy. Gusts were trying to push me around. I had my lights on and kept going pretty hard. I didn't dare slow down.

More rain or even snow is in the forecast today. I'm letting my gear dry out and drove in (.

FormerBMX'er

Wet, Windy & Warm this morning. At first I couldn't quite figure out why I was so slow, but soon realized the winds had switched. My usual morning tailwind had flipped on me so dropped to the small chainring and proceeded to spin. Yesterdays packed bike room is empty once again as the part-time commuters don't want to get wet. What really amazes me is how some commuters bike in, but don't bike home. They just leave their bike to machines to sit for days, weeks and even months in one case.

Yay!....page 500

truman

Today's commute in a word:

"Tasty"


that is all.

jyossarian

Traffic was the big el sucko today. Even got bumped (gently) by a cab while waiting for the car in front of me to move. My wheel rear's fine and I couldn't be bothered to give the cabbie a punch in the mouth cuz I was running late to work. Just throw it on the pile of frustrations for today's commute.

TxBiker

This month starts my ninth month of commuting! It seems like only yesterday I was reading the newbie stickie to get ideas on gear, bags, lights, tires, etc...

Houston is getting Hot....real HOT! This morning's ride in was cooler...only 66 degrees, but the humidity was 95%! It is nice not having to pack extra gear for the colder days and simply wear shorts and a shirt. Got a pair of Keen Taos for the feet to help keep them cooler. We'll see how they do.

Chris
Tomball, Texas

vtjim

Back from two weeks' worth of vacation (Krakow, Prague, and some time off here in Vermont too.)

This morning I tempted fate and rode the Peugeot to work. Snow is predicted. In fact it's snowing right now, but the flakes are big and wet, the ground isn't frozen, and the temperature is above freezing, so the snow isn't sticking. Yet. 5 hours to go.

My morning ride was upper 30Fs and pouring rain. Not too bad.

pinkrobe

Not a bad ride in today. I felt pretty fresh, considering I was up until after 1:00 a.m. hemming my pants for work today. Bleagh. I'm really freaking tired right now. I don't feel fresh at all.

caloso

A little damp, but not too bad. I wore my supersexy high tech booties (Safeway bags over my feet strapped down with a couple turns of electrical tape) and cars were so impressed that no actually tried to run me over.

Vatn

Fairly nice: Windy, but a bit of sun.

I'm riding my old bike, because I had a new rear wheel built last week, and I'm bringing it in for a final tightening of the spokes tomorrow. That'd be kind of pointless if the bike hadn't been ridden. I got a nice, new floor pump, and filled the tires to maximum pressure. That old bike has never been as fast as today I hit 54 km/h easily on a short downhill stretch where I normally struggle to reach 45. (I can hardly wait to get skinnier 28 mm tires for my main bike.)

jyossarian

It was get in my way day on the way home. First cars speeding ahead only to slow down to make a right at which point I passed them again. Then it was the peds turn to stop me dead in my track on the FDR MUP. Lastly, another cyclist out for a spring tune-up ride passing me on my right from a red light. He gave no indication he was there, but I saw him and let him pass ahead although I did think about scraping him off a car. The weather's so nice people are losing their minds.

marqueemoon

I hear ya. The idiots are out in force, like the idiot who nearly rode over me skidding through the red light yesterday.

I've been commuting on my freshly re-geared (lower, more spinny) Soma Rush fixed gear and loving it. I'm working on two days of commuting without putting a foot down (much easier with a 68 inch gear), and it is amazing out today.

I finally have Kool Stop salmon pads front and back on the usual commuter beast though, so bring on the rain!

rando

the ride in was great. the ride back, not so much... a strong headwind today and uphill climb took it out of me. bleah! not one but four crazy wrongway bikers coming at me IN the bike lane, when they should have been on the other side of the street in the bike lane. WTF?? bizarro!

vrkelley

39F and Foggy. I took the less hilly route and arrived at work freezing. I needed a wind-proof jacket. Nice ride home