So true! :(

I don't think we're wimps. Rain + cool temps = I feel a cold coming on.


Two of my co-workers almost always ride when it's raining, regardless of the temperature. They come in completely soaked and spend the first 30-45 minutes looking for newspapers to stuff into their shoes, dry socks, a place to hang their rain gear and anything that got wet so it can drip dry, and drying off from head to toe. Not a pretty sight and not a good way to start the work day.

Ice Ride!
Yesterdays storm partially melted due to the ground being warm and then the temps dropped into the 20s.
So much ice! After falling twice on the way to the bus (4 mile ride) and walking 1 of the miles due to horrid traction I took the bus all the way to work. I'm not going to kill or wound myself while riding a bike. I did manage to bruise the heck out of my left palm. Plus, I found a use for sidewalks. In locations where the sidewalk and the street were icy I took to the sidewalk. I find falling on a sidewalk slightly less stressful than falling in the street in traffic. Gee I wonder why.
Anyhow, it is supposed to be 60 F when I leave work. Perfect for my new mileage reversed commute.
Before: ride straight to work and ride halfway home to a bus. 45 miles
In sub freezing temps: take the bus halfway in the morning and ride straight home in the afternoon. It is much easier to stay warm that way. Duh.

2nd commute on the winter beater MTB. Weather was 25F, no precipitation. Left home, got far enough away to get warmed up (maybe 2 miles) and realized I forgot the pump! :( It was beyond my "normal" point-of-no-return, but on a 25+ mile (one-way) commute I figured Murphy's Law held more sway than probabilty would allow... so back I go for the pump. Dropped a jersey at home since I was already sweating.

Total commute time: 2 hours 40 minutes, including forgot-the-pump-house-whipped. Total distance (est-no computer on this bike yet): 25 miles + go back for the pump (2?) + (MUP distance > driving distance).

My two new cold weather commuting favorites are work-provided dorky looking clear wrap around over-the-eyeglasses safety glasses. Bingo, no more eye-wateringly cold wind in the eyes. The second is a pair of
Nashbar neoprene gloves (and poly liners). Windproof and warm, despite getting too sweaty.

There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.

I'm very glad that I rode in this morning. I was a bit wet but still warm and comfortable. I quickly changed into the dry clothes in my bag. And I'll be riding downtown in the rain for CM also.

It turned out not to be as wet as it looked this morning in Savannah. I don't have any proper rain gear and my commute is short, so I wore a cheap Lands End rain jacket. That kept me dry in the light drizzle. I expect a little more precip on the way home.

It was crazy windy on the way in this morning. Even after just 5 miles, legs and lungs were burning trying to fight through the wind. Just hope it stays the same direction so I have a nice tailwind on the way home.

Something's in the air, it's probably the north wind we've been having this week, but I've received middle fingers from cagers on both the ride home last night and the ride in this morning. I'll admit that in both situations my actions, although perfectly legal and safe, required these drivers to yield to me and [gasp] wait at least 10 seconds longer than otherwise.

On the way home last night I was transitioning from the bike lane to the center of the motor lane to make a left turn. A middle aged woman with blond hair and a red face gave me the finger. Nice example for the kids in the backseat, ma'am.

This morning, a guy pulled out in front of me from a side street, causing me to lock up both wheels in an emergency skid. I'm still going a bit sideways when I see his finger come up. I thought about giving chase, but decided to let go and let God, as it were.

Oh, and then there was the wrongway cyclist on H Street. And not your typical Wrongway Riegel, this guy was probably late 50's, on a nice roadbike with a hi-viz jacket, helmet, and light. All indicators that he ought to know better. I held my position and he went to the sidewalk. As we passed, I yelled "RIGHT SIDE!"

Sheesh. I should be glad just to arrive in one piece.

A little ice on the path made for some excitement but otherwise a perfectly clear cool morning so I took the fixed-gear in. Picked up 3/$1.00 donuts at King Soopers. Then noticed a clicking in the crank which turned into a clunking. Aarrgh, the bottom bracket cup (drive-side, old school) is loose. Now, do I ride it home that way or call for the vehicular pick-up?

What clothes do you wear for tornadoes? :p

Great ride in DC this morning. When I went out to get the paper, it felt almost warm-ish out, but a call to Verizon weather said it was 43, which is consistent with the week. Nice and dry, and I left early enough to find lots of gaps in the traffic.
I can honestly say it's probably been weeks since my foot has touched the ground on the commute. It just doesn't happen, and when I does, I remember it, and am shamed.

short commute, first one on the train with a bike for me. No hassles once on got on the streets - thank goodness. Reading all the cold weather here and it's a beautiful day in the Bay Area. Oh, probably a mile commute from the train station to my office.

FYI - I commuted last year with my MTB for a couple of months in the city of San Francisco until my project ended - probably a 5-6mi commute. Landed a new project in the Peninsula and bought a mini DT just to make this commute. You know, it's a fun and easy bike to ride.

I'm thinking a habit like the Flying Nun 60s tv show. ;)

Gingham dress, ruby slippers.

Today marks 4 weeks in a row of bike commuting 5 days a week. The right gear and no car have made this a very easy transition.

No commute today; I took the day off from work.

GreenAnvil

Good & bad commute this morning. Good because I was very fast, beating my best time by over 3 minutes, including getting pulled over for speeding & lane splitting, and picking up my blinkie that jumped ship (that was the bad part). Fortunately I got a warning from the cop, she just said to not greatly exceed the speed of traffic, and to not split the lane. My blinkie also survived it's crash landing without a scratch. Not bad for a Wal-Mart special... ;)

My ride home was even better. I bested my best by over 5 minutes, didn't hit a single red light, and saw my wife while I was riding up to the apartment. :)

Commuting on a roadie >> commuting on a MTB. However, the MTB is still going to be the foul-weather commuter.

A bit crusty on the bike path today (Frozen slush). Temps. in the single digits.
Could be worse.

On the way home a closed-bed Pick-up truck pulled onto the wide shoulder ahead and the driver got out and waited for me. I was asking if I could help him when I realized it was my next door neighbor. He offered a lift for the 12 miles left on my ride home. Even if I had not been tired from work it would have been rude to turn him down. We had a nice chat on the way home.

Nice ride both ways. I'm working all weekend,so I am looking forward to Sunday's commute. For some reason, that's always an extra fun day.

Wonderful ride home. 55F and sunny with clear but occasionally wet pavement. I still find it strange to be riding with snow on the ground and it being so warm. You have to love Colorado.
I did manage a my 28 mile commute home in 1:45 total ride time with a set of fully loaded panniers. yay!

Fresh apple pancakes on the bridge for bikers this morning. Yummy!

mcwow. and how about them cardinals, huh? how bout those mets and those tigers too, come to that? how bout game 4? or molina's home run? wow, that was fun. talk about a dream series for catcher-fans . . . oh yeah, bike commuting.

been nice fall weather all week. raininess, windiness, but mostly warm enough to be fun rather than miserable. haven't taken my rain pants off all week, basically. we've been practically living with our former-coach-former-teammate friends about a mile away, watching the series and the nl pennant race on their tv and providing the junk food. my kid walked there after school, i biked after work and parked the bike in their entrance space. then he'd walk home and i'd ride, with a pit-stop for groceries. their kid, mr urban-grunge-anarchist-highschool-dropout, took quite an interest in my commuting style.

and it's none of my business, but i gather the dad has had something cardiac enough to scare everyone going on recently. my kid used to call him 'our own personal earl weaver' back before he stopped being a hideous coach and became a wonderful friend, so i guess there's no cause for surprise. but still. I Did Not Preach Or Pry, but i'm awfully fond of the whole gang of them and i couldn't help hoping that it couldn't hurt to find out that i own a bike and ride it to work most of the time. you never know; he just might think, well, if she can do it with that stupid disease . . .

which has been kind of biting me recently. it's frustrating. i think i'm fine, then i'm feeble all over again just when i've forgotten all about it. then i spend a few weeks just thinking i suck until it dawns once again. i guess this year i hoped it wouldn't happen because i had all summer to build up strength and i have a much kinder, gentler bike, but the fact is, this colder weather isn't helping me much. i hope it's just an adjustment process.

First Snow Ride of the Season
 

Fixed a flat in preparation for my early morning ride. Mounted my new HID headlamp on my helmet and couldn't sleep all night because I was so excited to try it out. Got up at 4:30 to get ready to roll and wow it snowed! Had to regroup and change tires to my studs. Started riding a little after 5:00 am in windy snowing conditions. Just enough snow to make you pay attention to the road conditions.

The light worked great, however, I had to make a few adjustments on the angel to prevent the snowflakes from blinding me in the light. I decided to ride the short way in (15miles) since I had forgotten how much slower the riding is in the winter. Oh well, another cool ride! Can't wait to go again. :D

Dude, what happened with the men in blue? How fast were you going? And what do you mean splitting the lane (not a Limey expression sadly)

Had a good ride in today, the air was brisk and a light breeze at about 55 degrees this morning. Not a bad ride. I did notice that there is a lot of rattling coming from my rear fender though. I had actually considered taking them off but was thankful that I didnt when I ahd to ride through some runoff forma local business overwatering. All in all was a pretty decent ride. I get a few looks when I roll up in front of the building that I work in. I heard one lady ask "aren't you cold" I had to laugh baceause I am thinking about all the other commuters in Northern states that are having to combat colder weather than I do. In San Antonio a snowflake falls and the whole city shuts down. But My wife is actually meeting me at work and we are going to ride home together.