Little Darwin

Today was my first cycle commute in 25 years.

This morning, I decided that I would go ahead and ride, even though I had to carry a satchel that I don't usually carry... So I used my Delta cargo net to hold the satchel on my bike, and put everything else in my backpack... I was going to use my cheap pannier, but that will start tomorrow.

I took it easy on the ride, but still sweat a little more than I thought I would, maybe partly because of the backpack... tomorrow I will take it easier.

Also, after I was in the office, I realized that I forgot my computer on the bike, so I had to take a couple of minutes to go down and get it... I don't want anything that easy to remove on my bike all day.

Two hiccups...

1) The satchel fell off before I got out of the parking lot. I got more creatiuve about strapping it on more tightly, and made it the rest of the way to work.

2) The ID I use at work was on my belt (as usual) when I left home... it is not there now. So, I get to go through the minor ordeal of getting new ID issued.

So, I made it to work, and will file a report with a picture of my commuter this evening.

joshdcu

I had a nice ride in this morning. It was a little cooler than it has been recently, and I felt like I had a little more energy.

There was one issue, though: As I was riding down the multi-use path I normally take, there was a guy coming from the opposite direction passing a couple of people in a blind turn (why people can't just wait a couple seconds until they're out of a turn so they can see what's ahead of them, I don't know...). He was in my lane, headed towards me, and wearing a Phonak jersey. So, I said "Heads up, Floyd!" I'm not sure if he heard me or not, but I felt pretty clever.

RonH

Glad to be back on the bike. Helped teach a class in Athens, GA on Saturday and Sunday so did lots of driving this weekend. Sixty-five miles each way times four. I'm not used to driving and working l-o-n-g days.
I was tired this morning but the ride felt good, even though I was slower than usual.
I hope I'm a little perkier for the ride home.

asburysinglespd

great ride today...lots of sun, a little cooler than it has been lately (but i'm not complaining). did a longer loop around the lake, then hit up the ocean blvd. the only bad part was riding briefly behind a garbage truck....

geog_dash

Way to go!

Sounds like you kept things mostly in hand. There will be more hiccups, but eventually the necessary habits will establish themselves, and you'll end up wondering why you'd go to work any other way.

Itsjustb

Many of the drivers on my route apparently forgot how to drive over the Saturday-Sunday span.

centuryman

Great ride this Monday morning. Seems like traffic is always a little lighter on Mondays when school is out. Congratulations to the 1000 mile commuter and commuter returning after 25 years. Big news this morning seems to be that gas prices are now above $3/gal. Glad I've been practicing bicycle commuting for the past 30+ years.

pinkrobe

I switched out my wheels on the weekend for a set that didn't have dents in the rims and were relatively straight. They had some 700x26C tires on them, which I haven't used for a year or so. Wow! FAST! I was just screamin' along today. I hope they can take the pounding...

luckysnafu

Had a nice commute this morning. Temps in the low 70s was nice but the humidity was so bad it was foggy for part of the ride in. Had a car buzz me pretty close in a 45mph zone right before my turn off. The gf and I are looking for a new place to live so I might have a different commute later this year.

jyossarian

Welcome to the Happy Healthy Commuting Mother F***ers club! We laugh our finely sculpted asses off as we ride past gas stations w/ SUV drivers eager to drop $80 for a fill up of regular unleaded and delight in showing off our well tanned, incredibly muscled legs to admiring members of the opposite sex who are eager to give us their phone numbers.

Bluelens

Here I thought the weather on Thursday was nice to bike to. I was wrong. This morning was so beautiful Great ride in yet not too many people on the trails at all. I think I saw a dozen people while on the 13 mile ride. Even better...I trimmed a few minutes off on my commute in.

Nyrome

LMAO!

Today was the first near-casualty all year - a squirrel bounded out inches away from my wheel on a quiet neighborhood road. You never hear how the claws scrape the ground yanking its body across the pavement in a car...ahhh.

Overcast all week in Atlanta, which is GREAT because the temperatures are finally below 90+ and there's even a cool breeze out.

I found a NEW bike (well, it's used) at the LBS yesterday and put down a deposit to hold it for me while they finish tuning it up. $250.00 for a Jamis Coda (not sure the year). Do any of you have any feedback on my potential ride?

caloso

I doubled the value of the Bomber by my purchase of REI grocery bag panniers. They're just perfect for throwing my backpack and shoes into. The only problem is that my heels just nick the front edge of them. I think I can eke out a few more milimeters by adjusting the rack. It's either that or swap out the cranks, I guess.

RonH

Hi ALM,
The Jamis Coda is an excellent choice for commuting. Where did you find it?
We want pics when you finally get it home.

FormerBMX'er

My commuting days are over ...for a while at least (I hope).

Wifey is 7months along with our first and she's slowing down. She works two train stops away from me so I've decided to drive in to shorten her commute. I'll prolly start up again once my paternity leave is up, but that's nearly 3 months from now. More than likely I'll do 5:45 A.M. rides with a local group to stave off the atrophy. Cycling to work for sure has it's ups and down, but it's been mostly positive and I've saved a ton on gas .

Itsjustb

My wife is expecting our first as well (first OB appt Thursday). I figure any "atrophy" during paternity leave will (eventually) be offset by biking to day care with my kid in the trailer.

HardyWeinberg

I'm kind of eagerly awaiting Thing 1's ascension to kindergarten in September, so I can get a bit of a break from pulling both of them around at the same time. They total ~70# now, less and less room for luggage/groceries in the trailer.

Today's ride was good but hot. Complicated by additional construction on bike trail. I should just give up and go back to the roads until the trail is reassembled. Going home will be HOTTER.

Dickseacup

Today was my first commute with the Forte City ST tires and the rack/trunk (in lieu of the backpack). Normally, my ride in takes 18:30+ minutes. This morning I did it in a hair over 16 minutes. The ride home usually takes around 21:00+ minutes (it's downhill going in, uphill coming home, not to mention hotter/more humid/end of the day) but today I set a PR of 15:43.

Was it the tires? Was it having the weight on the bike and not my back? A hella strong tailwind (no)? None of the above? All of the above? Who knows, who cares. All I care is that I made it in to work in on piece and home again. No thanks to the tool in the silver Pontiac Montana with the handicapped plate who apparently doesn't believe in 'share the lane.' <shrug>

The weatherman called for t-storms again today, but I decided to follow my own forecast (it wasn't raining when I left) and it worked. Weather was cool and breezy this morning, hot/humid and windy (always head or head-quartering) on the way home. I'm digging this commuting thing.

jyossarian

Ride home was nice cuz it wasn't sweltering. Rode behind another cyclist around traffic snarls that left traffic behind us. Got home, moved the car, now I'm just resting before I take the roadie out for some laps.

caloso

Congrats to you both. I actually got superfit during the last months of my wife's pregnancy. I was riding like a maniac everyday trying to cram as much cycling into it as I could. Keep that mobile phone charged, though!

TRUMPHENT

Heh, my commute today was multifaceted. First, on the way in, a roadie on training ride, passes me early on. Don't know how far he rode to encounter me, but he didn't recede that quickly into the scenery ahead. His bike was super light, he was wearing a minimum of clothing and gear. I commute on a very heavy dept store fs mtb wearing old tees or poloshirts and cargo pocket shorts.

Near to work, I calculate I have time to dive into the Target store and abscond with nearly all their 26in innertubes. I am benevolent and leave two on the rack.

At work I discover that my slacks have finally given up the wearability ghost. A portion of the seat has become so thin that the fabric is essentially not there. They were old dacron polyester slacks that were thin, cool wrinkle proof, pleated and actually looked good. Since my waistline doesn't challenge them, my behind finally did. Farewell fair slacks, you were good to me and commuting allowed me to wear you out properly.

Going home, another roadie passed me and slowly gained distance, very slowly. This guy was also unloaded. He did have something strapped to his right upper arm which might have been a heart monitor.

ryanparrish

I was taking a right ona road another commuter looks at me and smiles then I make the right turn and then the left to go the other way ( stupid right to go lefts I should ride a MTB and just go over the dividers ) then I see him dead a head and I pass him he smiles then notices its me then gets a bewildered look on his face as I ride off he was on the sidewalk dodging people jogging I was on the road. Cruised through campus today had like gigawatts of energy in the legs I think I was going double the speed limits sometimes (the speed limit is 15 mph) saw another fitness rider out felt sorry for her she was letting the cagers get the best of her and she was going over into the gravel to let people pass by her. I half yelled at this stupid family the mom was going the wrong way the kids where flying all over the road driving the occasional cager crazy (country roads) and she was reading some ad not paying attention stupidity kills. My new route is quite eventfull and funn

vtjim

Nice commute today. Passed a few cyclists. Saw something neon behind me but apparently I outran it. I caught up to a female on a mountain bike with a pannier. She wore lycra shorts and she was built to wear them. She'd get up out of the saddle every once in a while and I went:

There's a 20 to 25 knot headwind coming off the lake and I was still moving right along. Toe clips good!

Mr_H

Great ride in this morning, a lil cloudly, about 70ish. No heavy winds (That'll be this evening of course). Couldn't have asked for a better ride.

Of course, after I showered and changed at the locker room, I got soaked by rain riding across campus to my office.

Itsjustb

Wet. The doppler image below is from an hour after I arrived. All that green and yellow was sitting on my route while I was riding in.