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-   -   How was the commute today? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/7855-how-commute-today.html)

caloso 11-30-06 11:42 AM

35F when I left the house at 6am. I forgot to cover my spinach and peas last night so I was glad it didn't get down to the predicted 25F.

I noticed another commuter on L Street this morning: twenty-thirtysomething guy on a neo-retro cruiser. Don't tell the folks in the SS/FG or Roadie forums, but I am glad to see those old styles coming back. They're great for short, flat commutes like here in Sacto.

hairlessbill 11-30-06 12:09 PM

Rode the MB-3 with the studded Nokians in today and thought it was overkill at first until I hit the frozen hardpack in the streets. Slipped a bit until I took air out of them then they were awesome even when I hit black ice. The bike path was amazingly well plowed so didn't really need them there - still nice to plow through the icey plowed snow banks at the intersections. Saw at least a dozen bike tracks on the paths so there were plenty of other crazies. So cold though that my forehead hurt from even a slight wind. Nice to avoid the car today.

HardyWeinberg 11-30-06 12:35 PM

sunny, warm-ish (well, high 30s, warm-ish after earlier in the week). No coat, shorts. Sad to see the snow go, now the knobbies are just bouncy novelties more than functional. Will take a dirt shortcut going home to get a little more use out of them. One viaduct/causeway thingy was still a long sheet of ice (tilted, at that) but otherwise clear sailing.

billh 11-30-06 02:39 PM

St Louis. cold, windy, rainy, 30's F. Got soaked this morning. The drive home is forecast to be 20-30's, gusts out of the north up to 30mph, chance of precip 100%.

I relish the comments of co-workers, ". . . ride your bike today?", "you didn't ride your bike today, did you?", "if you need to take off early, don't want you getting banged up", etc. I smile and nod. I lead a boring life. This is the only risk I take. Allow me that.

AlmostTrick 11-30-06 04:39 PM

My work place is on a narrow four lane arterial (no rideable shoulder, must take the lane) with a 50 mph speed limit. There is no left turn lane to enter our driveway, so drivers have to slow or even stop in the left traffic lane to wait for a gap in order to make their turn. Because of this there has been plenty of accidents here. I ride in from the other direction just so I don't have to make this left or be around drivers swerving into the right lane at the last second at high speed.

Anyway, yesterday morning we had another mega wreck at this dangerous location, only this time I was only 30 or 40 feet away from it on my bike, in the short right turn lane preceding the driveway. It was quite exciting to say the least. The econo car that was at a full stop in the left lane was rear ended and pushed into oncoming traffic where it was then hit by a large truck. The initial rear impact lifted the rear end of the little car several feet off the ground and spun it around, tossing it into the trucks path. It was very loud and there was shrapnel flying everywhere. After completing my turn and getting off the main road, I stopped in our driveway for a moment as the drivers all got out and amazingly looked relatively unharmed. Thankfully, besides this short 3/4 mile section of suicide road, the rest of my route is quite pleasant.

As always, be careful out there.

Randomus 11-30-06 06:04 PM

Today was absolutely the perfect day! :D I believe the temp. today was right around 55F the entire day.

Not only was the weather once again lovely, I was able to escape school early. :)

RomSpaceKnight 11-30-06 06:04 PM

Weather closing in fast. Temps dropping and raining hard. Winds from the north. Forecast has the "S" word for tomorrow. Looks like winter starts on Dec 1st in SW Ontario.

idcruiserman 11-30-06 06:29 PM

I got my first snow ride on the way home today. It was awesome once I realized I wasn't going to wreck on every turn.

jyossarian 11-30-06 07:27 PM

Ride home included a stop off at the dentist. My teeth always feel weird after getting them cleaned. After that, it was stop n go for a few blocks, then a quick ride home.

efschmid 11-30-06 07:38 PM

Cool and rainy on the way to work this morning. Cold with freezing rain on the way home but the roads were fine. Tomorrow is suppose to be worst.

redden 11-30-06 08:43 PM

I wimped out this morning. It was 37, I know that is T-shirt weather to some of you in the frozen tundra but here in Socal that is COLD!! BRRRRRRRRRRR. Ran on the treadmill and did weights instead. The ride home was great. After replacing the derailer hanger the bike climbed much better. Took the tough route home. I thought I was slowing down due to age but it turned out to be a problem with the bike.

gizem310 11-30-06 11:08 PM

I was a no-show at work on Monday, due to the fact that I took the neighbor's dog for a walk and the bugger ran away! Other than that, my lovely 16-mile round trip commute is going pretty strong. I just can't stand driving anymore! I get bored out of my mind. I miss the pelicans I see everyday on my bike commute. I miss the morning mist on my face. I miss the reflection of the morning sun on the water. I mkiss warming my frozen fingers on the coffee mug when I get to work...
No kidding - I'm lucky to commute to work via Ballona Bike Path in LA.

buzzman 12-01-06 12:23 AM

unseasonably warm and beautiful today but it felt odd to have summer like temperatures and no leaves on the trees.

a strong westerly wind made the ride in rather quick and easy along the river. The way home was a little gusty in my face but still warm and pleasant.

lil hillbilly 12-01-06 03:55 AM

2 Attachment(s)
ice/snow and sub 30 last night. Got the mt bike out. Its great all the comments from co-workers when they ask if ya rode in tonight. My boss told me if i got hit by a car on the way home I was in big trouble. mean croud. 5+" of new snow to look forward to on the way home. big fun!

Mr_H 12-01-06 06:05 AM

Here's the situation: Freezing rain last night and this morning with 6+ inches expected today. I'm all excited, thinking about my first day of riding in the snow with my new tires. Been preparing for this for a while.

Then they go and close the university on me. It's a friggin conspiracy.....

billh 12-01-06 07:44 AM

St Louis: commute last night: 30's crusty slush. I took the light rail to within 3 miles of home then rode bicycle in the tire tracks home. The tires on my commute bike were most ideal for a 1 inch crusty slush with frosting of snow. Front tire has a square waffle pattern which really dug into it. The only problem I had was both der freezing, unable to shift. Light auto traffic was not moving much faster than me.

8pm last night it started raining on top of the slush. This morning (Fri) 28F and everything is frozen. 400,000 without power in the region. Trees and lines are all iced over and creaking in the gusty wind. Light rail is down. Local streets are pretty icey. I might give it a try. :)

luckysnafu 12-01-06 08:11 AM

On my way home last night I happened upon a man running with his dog in MY bike lane. I told him that he should be on the sidewalk as I rode very closely by him and he yelled something at me. I ended up getting into a heavy shouting match with lots of profanity with him about who has rights to the bike lane. I then turned around and biked towards him again saying that he better move or I will hit him. I ended up stopping just short to scare him and we had a civilized conversation about why he was in the bike lane. He claimed that running on the asphalt is softer on his knees than running on the concrete sidewalk. Is this true? I find it hard to believe. Anyway, we shook hands and went our separate ways but he will most certainly still be running in the bike lanes.

jyossarian 12-01-06 08:16 AM

Groggily awoke
I stumbled to the laptop
To begin working

Flimflam 12-01-06 08:59 AM

A night late, but I got a decent sleep last night and rode today. Has been raining on and off a fair amount for 2 days and is still warm here. Wind was blowing hard off the lake, but not such a big deal on my particular route.

Todays ride in a good rainfall taught me a few things:
1) Fleece pants hold a lot more water than you'd think
2) The crappy trainers I wear to ride in are still crappy in the rain. And they let water in.
3) My Goretex jacket is great in the rain and wind.
and finally 4) My gloves are definitely NOT waterproof.

Great ride in, loved every minute of it today. Comments when I got in were of the "Great day for a bike ride eh?" and "You rode in in this?" variety, hehe. :)

29 mins, 14.7 avg. (Fastest time since I've been back, I think! :D)

Relaxer 12-01-06 09:01 AM

A rainy, warm morning in our nation's capital today. No big whoop, though traffic in downtown was a little more randy.

Was ill yesterday so I took a sickday. But by early afternoon, I was tired of wallowing in self-pity, so I got on the bike, rode to the office, and then immediately turned around and rode home. Made me feel good to get my commute in, even though I didn't actually go to work.

JohnnyOTS 12-01-06 09:03 AM

Second commute in to work. High 20s to mid 30s - unseasonably cold for the part of Arizona I live in. If this keeps up, I'll need to dig up something warmer for my hands and legs. Made the 20 mile ride in 1 hour and 40 minutes, which is an improvement over the first time anyway. I could make slightly better time if I didn't go pedestrian for left hand turns, but I like the occasional short walks to let the feeling return to my fingers and toes. Brrr...

* jack * 12-01-06 09:22 AM

W.I..N....D.........Y

billh 12-01-06 10:08 AM

I made it in. Do I get a cookie? The streets were fine. Wet but not icey. I stuck to the major streets. Light auto traffic. There are some beautiful views in Forest Park, site of the 1904 Worlds Fair. Iced trees and grasses backlit by sunbeams flashing through the clouds. Military statues frozen with icycle beards. Some photographers out catching these other-worldly images.

caloso 12-01-06 11:48 AM

Cold and clear: 32F/0C and bright blue skies. I wore a skull cap and gloves but no jacket, but I did have a secret weapon under my shirt: longsleeve silk baselayer. I got it last winter from campmor or sierratradingpost.com. I'm going to have to ask Santa for a few more.

No foot down on the way in. We'll have to see if I can duplicate the feat on the way home.

jyossarian 12-01-06 11:56 AM


Originally Posted by caloso
Cold and clear: 32F/0C and bright blue skies. I wore a skull cap and gloves but no jacket, but I did have a secret weapon under my shirt: longsleeve silk baselayer. I got it last winter from campmor or sierratradingpost.com. I'm going to have to ask Santa for a few more.

Get the silk longjohns too. Combined w/ some merino wool overlayers and you've got the recipe for warmth, comfort and dryness. A windbreaker tops it all off.


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