How was the commute today?
03-08-07, 07:32 AM
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14C on the way home yesterday, shorts and t-shirt in cowtown. This morning there were 2 other cyclecommuters within 300m of me, which is the closest concentration of commuters I've seen for a long time.
03-08-07, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
No luck with using telepathy on the way home...guess I am just a mere mortal after all. 
I felt a disturbance in the force. It was either you (working on the wrong side) or the beef taco supreme I had for lunch.
03-08-07, 08:37 AM
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Flat out beautiful this morning -- perfect temperature, bright sunlight, not much traffic. Really the kind of day that bike commuting was made for.
03-08-07, 08:40 AM
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Flew to work. It was awesome.
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03-08-07, 09:22 AM
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Unexpected lake effect snow for the ride in. So basically, it was awsome, I love snowy days, all the cagers get backed up and I just sail by them. (for the city portion of my commute anyways.)
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03-08-07, 10:25 AM
GATC
Nice. Until it started raining, but that wasn't much. I am kind of beat the last 2 days, not sure why. At the end of the ride, wound up upshifting from the gear my legs wanted to spin just to boost the mph closer to some minimal mental threshold. I never do that (enslave myself to gear/speed thresholds). Getting up at 3:45 for cranky 5 yr old didn't help today. More coffee!
03-08-07, 10:35 AM
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The only bad thing about today's ride was its destination.
03-08-07, 11:11 AM
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First ride in over 2 weeks dues to some nast bronchitis. Also the first ride to my works new location. About mile shorter and a lot more of a straight shot. Will be doing lunchtime rides to add on extra mileage probably starting next week.
I am still coughing up interesting things such as kidneys...
I am still coughing up interesting things such as kidneys...
03-08-07, 12:32 PM
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ahhhh, friggin awesome. 45f, nice looking women milling about the rec center of the college I cut through, 70F out there right now, light breeze, no clouds... Mother Nature is trying to seduce me away from my job.
03-08-07, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Wulfheir
14C on the way home yesterday, shorts and t-shirt in cowtown. This morning there were 2 other cyclecommuters within 300m of me, which is the closest concentration of commuters I've seen for a long time.
03-08-07, 01:45 PM
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very nice.... in the 70s to work and it'll be 85 going home. nice temps,lots of bikes out.
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"Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world". ~Grant Petersen
Cyclists fare best when they recognize that there are times when acting vehicularly is not the best practice, and are flexible enough to do what is necessary as the situation warrants.--Me
03-08-07, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
The only bad thing about today's ride was its destination.
I just wanted to keep going, and not turn into the parking lot. I now think my bike is made with me.
03-08-07, 04:55 PM
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Had one driver change lanes right in front of me, squeezing me up against some parked cars. I did the Indiana Jones move and sped past him before he could complete the squeeze. The rest of the ride was uneventful.
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03-08-07, 09:34 PM
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last week's commutes were awesome.
last Wednesday's was particularly interesting because I went to Beltsville to do a bank deposit... had to do some pretty slick talking to get them to let me in the drive thru. I got a flat on the way there... turns out my rear tire pretty much has no tread left on it and there are like three puncture holes that I had to patch up with electric tape... I couldn't have picked a better time to order new tires! they come tomorrow I think. then my rear brake came loose (!) on the way back... luckily I was a few blocks away from the LBS when that happened. quick adjustment and I was on my way. good fast ride back after that with a stop by campus for dinner.
other than that last weeks commutes were fun and uneventful, which is exactly the way I like em. the weather was in the 40's and 50's... downright springlike.
Monday's this week was good although a little colder on the way in. it was from my parents' house. they resurfaced the bike path running through Old Town CP and it has a better surface than the road now so I took it. stopped to chat with a guy walking a Siberian Husky, but made good time coming in other than that.
the winds started banging on my office door at around 3 in the afternoon and I knew I was in for a fun ride back. many a day have I said "man that was the worst headwind I ever rode in" but that day beat em all. near 40 MPH winds (there was actually a wind advisory for my area) and right in my face for 3/4 of the way back. I actually went up the path just so I could ride the tailwind back down... that was fun. but man riding back home in that wind was tough... felt like I was pedaling through a solid wall of molasses.
the last three days have been non-commuting days due to the snow, ice, and having to run errands. back in the saddle tomorrow...
last Wednesday's was particularly interesting because I went to Beltsville to do a bank deposit... had to do some pretty slick talking to get them to let me in the drive thru. I got a flat on the way there... turns out my rear tire pretty much has no tread left on it and there are like three puncture holes that I had to patch up with electric tape... I couldn't have picked a better time to order new tires! they come tomorrow I think. then my rear brake came loose (!) on the way back... luckily I was a few blocks away from the LBS when that happened. quick adjustment and I was on my way. good fast ride back after that with a stop by campus for dinner.
other than that last weeks commutes were fun and uneventful, which is exactly the way I like em. the weather was in the 40's and 50's... downright springlike.
Monday's this week was good although a little colder on the way in. it was from my parents' house. they resurfaced the bike path running through Old Town CP and it has a better surface than the road now so I took it. stopped to chat with a guy walking a Siberian Husky, but made good time coming in other than that.
the winds started banging on my office door at around 3 in the afternoon and I knew I was in for a fun ride back. many a day have I said "man that was the worst headwind I ever rode in" but that day beat em all. near 40 MPH winds (there was actually a wind advisory for my area) and right in my face for 3/4 of the way back. I actually went up the path just so I could ride the tailwind back down... that was fun. but man riding back home in that wind was tough... felt like I was pedaling through a solid wall of molasses.
the last three days have been non-commuting days due to the snow, ice, and having to run errands. back in the saddle tomorrow...
Last edited by o-dog; 03-08-07 at 10:01 PM.
03-09-07, 12:03 AM
----
the temp was pretty low today around 10F as I left the house. Amazing tail wind on the way in. There were stretches where I was hitting 26 or 27 mph with my heavy duty bike with the 1.9 studded snow tires with 40 lbs of pressure in them.
It warmed to the high teens maybe even 20 and then dropped as I rode home. And when it dropped it plummeted to about 7F with unbelievably strong winds right in my face. I don't know what the wind chill was but I had to stop and take shelter from the wind for a minute or two to pull my balaclava down a bit so it covered my forehead because it felt like it was getting a little too frozen up there. My forehead still feels a little "burned" from the cold. It was a real workout riding home in that wind. But then I had to ride back downtown one more time to meet my wife to see a show together. So I totaled out at 31 miles on a pretty challenging day.
Almost had to do the ride home when our car didn't start after the show. somehow it was so cold it did some wierd thing to the alarm system. Eventually I got it going but totalling 42 miles in this cold windy weather would have been like doing the Iditarod.
It warmed to the high teens maybe even 20 and then dropped as I rode home. And when it dropped it plummeted to about 7F with unbelievably strong winds right in my face. I don't know what the wind chill was but I had to stop and take shelter from the wind for a minute or two to pull my balaclava down a bit so it covered my forehead because it felt like it was getting a little too frozen up there. My forehead still feels a little "burned" from the cold. It was a real workout riding home in that wind. But then I had to ride back downtown one more time to meet my wife to see a show together. So I totaled out at 31 miles on a pretty challenging day.
Almost had to do the ride home when our car didn't start after the show. somehow it was so cold it did some wierd thing to the alarm system. Eventually I got it going but totalling 42 miles in this cold windy weather would have been like doing the Iditarod.
03-09-07, 07:47 AM
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i have a downhill with lights at the bottom, and the road makes a sweeping 45 degree bend to the right. as i'm coming thru the intersection, i hear a bicycle bell from my left. it's an unknown bicycle commuter waiting at the red light just sayin' hi i guess. i throw a wave as i make the corner and never look back.
then when i'm within 300m of work, i hear meowing and instinctively slow down waiting for more clues, perhaps a kitty is in distress and i can take him home cause i love kitties. but it turns out it's just the pedestrian meowing like a cat. as i pass him he says something in french, mais mon francais es tres malade, je ne comprende pas. either he's nuts or he's looking for his cat. i spent the next 300m gawking around for it but to no avail. also, it's in an industrial park with no residence for blocks, which is an odd spot to look for a lost kitty.
then when i'm within 300m of work, i hear meowing and instinctively slow down waiting for more clues, perhaps a kitty is in distress and i can take him home cause i love kitties. but it turns out it's just the pedestrian meowing like a cat. as i pass him he says something in french, mais mon francais es tres malade, je ne comprende pas. either he's nuts or he's looking for his cat. i spent the next 300m gawking around for it but to no avail. also, it's in an industrial park with no residence for blocks, which is an odd spot to look for a lost kitty.
03-09-07, 07:47 AM
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Oh Happy Day! First time I've been able to commute in almost two months!
(Friggin deep snow).
Oh how I missed it...about 20 degrees, with a slight wind that chilled me when it picked up. Light traffic, no idiots out there, and it was bright enough that I didnt have to use the headlight. This was soooo much better then having to drive in, I got to enjoy the trip. I definitly need to swap out the studded tires now for slicks, as it was a bit more effort then I needed, and the worst of the ice has melted.
Tonight it's supposed to be 39 or so, this'll be a nice ride home.
(Friggin deep snow).
Oh how I missed it...about 20 degrees, with a slight wind that chilled me when it picked up. Light traffic, no idiots out there, and it was bright enough that I didnt have to use the headlight. This was soooo much better then having to drive in, I got to enjoy the trip. I definitly need to swap out the studded tires now for slicks, as it was a bit more effort then I needed, and the worst of the ice has melted.
Tonight it's supposed to be 39 or so, this'll be a nice ride home.
03-09-07, 08:42 AM
Neat - w/ ice on the side
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I brought the groceries for next week in to the office today on the rack. Got a big laugh out of two guys at a stop light. Guess the combo of the my 20-inched wheeled folding bike, overflowing rack trunk and panniers and the blinking lights on my helmet just pushed them over the edge. I waved. They waved back and guffawed even louder. I love bringing a moment of laughter into someone's life.
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03-09-07, 08:44 AM
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19F when I left and I sweated up a storm, huffing and puffing all the way to work. I have about 3 blocks of hills at the beginning of my commute that I usually take slowly as I'm still warming up, but for some reason I didn't slow down and cranked up them instead, then spun down the hill to midtown, tears in my eyes due to the cold wind obstructing my vision and making all the pothole avoidance even more interesting. Kept up a higher than normal pace all the way to work hence, the huffing and puffing.
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HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR
We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR
We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
03-09-07, 09:24 AM
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YEAH!! 60F, drizzly, breezy, awesome spring weather!!
too bad it's gonna get hot and nasty soon....
Marathon tires are great, over 600 miles so far and still look new, no punctures.
too bad it's gonna get hot and nasty soon....
Marathon tires are great, over 600 miles so far and still look new, no punctures.
03-09-07, 11:17 AM
Get on your bikes & ride!
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35F on the way in. Now it's hitting the upper 60s!! Guess I should have brought shorts with me!!! Rode the Witcomb for the first time this year. Can't wait for the ride home.
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03-09-07, 11:39 AM
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Last night I had a pleasant encounter with a couple of drivers. We spend a lot of electrons on this forum complaining about drivers so I think it's nice to be able to write something positive once in a while. It was no big deal really: It was a typical poorly designed bike lane that tranformed into a right-turn-only lane at the intersection. I was stopped waiting for the light and a heard a friendly toot-toot behind me. The driver waved and smiled and pointed to the right. I scooted over and waved her through. She smiled and waved again as she turned right. Then the guy in the pickup following behind her said, "Thank you, sir!" I waved and said, "Thank you" back. Again, no big deal but that's what was nice about it.
Last night's weather forecast said it would be clear and warm this morning and I went to bed looking forward to riding the Caldaro to work. Instead it was dark, with gray black clouds that looked like they could be full of rain. So I rode the fixed gear again. Still, a very pleasant ride on a new route that gave me an easy 15 miles.
Last night's weather forecast said it would be clear and warm this morning and I went to bed looking forward to riding the Caldaro to work. Instead it was dark, with gray black clouds that looked like they could be full of rain. So I rode the fixed gear again. Still, a very pleasant ride on a new route that gave me an easy 15 miles.
03-09-07, 11:46 AM
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First ride after my "door prize" accident - feels good to be back in the saddle, even if I can't go full speed yet. A nice sunny day (even if it was -5C/23F) with no new snow so the busier roads are dry.
03-09-07, 01:36 PM
GATC
Nice. 5 yr old is trying to become a morning person so I biked to school w/ him (0.3 miles west) before turning around for my (then) 6.6 mile commute east. This whole school year (he's in K) he's been focused on staying in bed until 8. Suddenly he wants to get there at 7. I can work with that.
Nice ride once I dropped him off, too. Sunglasses!
Nice ride once I dropped him off, too. Sunglasses!
03-09-07, 02:12 PM
----
The ride into Boston this am it was still quite cold- I have no idea of the temp. But the ride home!- a gloriously warm 28F with not much wind. Oh, I was in a sweat by the time I got home. It may hit 40F tomorrow!
Today there were little hints, very little hints of spring but soon the smell of 3 months of frozen dog crap will permeate the air along the bike path.
Today there were little hints, very little hints of spring but soon the smell of 3 months of frozen dog crap will permeate the air along the bike path.
