I think you're on to something. The closer we get to the vernal equinox, the easier it gets.

And thanks Scott, it is fun, isn't it?

Anyway, today's ride was not so hot. I took a route through an industrial area that I thought would be quiet before dawn. I'd gone that way on a weekend morning and I remembered it being not so bad. Of course, on a weekday it was about an hour's worth of big trucks and crappy pavement. I should have known better but at least I know to avoid that route in the future. Finally made my way back to the American River Bike Trail and that was much better.

Today was my first morning commute (I usually take the bus in the morning and bike home) and the first commute on my new bike. It was great! Need to get a decent headlight though.

I have a confession to make. I'm usually a runner, who last year biked to work once or twice a week, run one, and drove the rest; however, this year a friend talked me into foregoing my planned trail race to do a 180 mile two day bike ride. Now I'm biking to work four days a week, running one, and no driving. I've picked up some great tips from you guys and consider this thread a great source of inspiration.

Just got back from a lovely ride on my Firebike 'Bling Bling' extra-stretch cruiser. Roads were damp due to melting snow and ice, but the temps were 15c and more than comfortable. Ahhhh, it felt so good to be back on the bike after a 6 week lapse.

That ride doesn't happen to be the DC (C&O Canal) Alzheimer's ride in September, does it?
I'm planning on doing it this year.

Commuting has been great in Durham - mild winter, warm spring - lots of seasonal cyclists coming out of the woodwork recently.

I love this time of year primarily for the shedding of layers - Although the DST change made my mornings cold again...

Another awesome commute. Left work frustrated and tired, arrived home happy and content.

warm and sunny on the ride in this morning. the ride home had a little bit of wind to it but it was nice and warm for a change- no chance of frostbite today;). Got home and still had time for a 25 mile road ride out to Weston/Wayland courtesy of DST.

there's a prediction of cold and snow for Friday and the weekend so it felt good to make hay while the sun shone today.

pretty nice commute today, a little rain in the morning and wind in the evening but nothing unbearable.

MONDAY:
somewhat cold in the morning but it warmed up in the afternoon. the ride in was from my parents' house and was brisk and uneventful, just the way I like it.

in the afternoon I left work planning to get a few fun miles in. about a mile and a half in I hear the tell-tale "thok" of a spoke breaking. damn, not another one! ok, this wheel is dead. I was trying to wait until my new tires were in to put my new rear wheel on, but it's time, whether my tires are in or not.

I went to the LBS to see if the wheel was in so I could either replace it or get the loaner bike. the shop was closed. damn that's right, they are closed on Mondays! damn! I bagged the long ride and trudged home as best I could. I don't know how I managed to do it, the rear wheel was dragging considerably (two broken spokes will do that) and slowing me down a lot. kind of a rough ride back.

TUESDAY:
no ride, since I had a doctor's appointment right after work that I had to race to since I was kept late. then schlepped the bike on the car rack to the shop to take it in for the wheel replacement and it's tri-monthly tune-up, and got the loaner bike, a Trek 1000 rigid-fork mountain bike. looks like I'm an MTB commuter again for the time being.

WEDNESDAY (today):
57 in the morning warming up to the 70's in the afternoon.

good ride in. the MTB is heavier and a little slower than my Coda Sport, but it's only a marginal difference in speed really. plus it's fun to be able to go offroad if I want, and not have to worry about every little road imperfection.

was hoping for a lunchtime ride, since it was in the 70's out, but no such luck, I ended up working through lunch. again.

I was kept an hour and a half late and got out raring to go for a fun ride. today, after depositing my bike lock in my locker near the metro after deciding it was too heavy to carry on my back for two hours, I paid a very rare visit to the Lake Artemesia loop and Northeast Branch Trail. apparently I like torturing myself since I picked a nice day when I KNEW all the idiots were going to be out to do it. I actually had to use my temporary steed's offroad capabilities a few times to get around groups of people sitting down in the middle of the path, cutting me off, and doing other assorted dumb stuff. ugh. time to cut down on MUP riding in general methinks (except for the Trolley Trail), now that it's warming up. other than that it was a good ride.

the rain I was expecting decided to hold off on me. but, I stayed out too late and was racing to beat the sunset home since the loaner bike had no lights. back to my locker to get my lock then through campus to get home. since I didn't feel like doing the hairiest section of my commute today, I used a combination of the path and some offroading to get around it. going uphill is hard on this bike. good ride overall today.

Foggy this morning, I was glad for the hi-vis jacket (a recent purchase worth every penny).
My glasses kept steaming up so I couldn't see where I was going. It's brightening up now so should be nice for journey home.

I got my brand new windbreaker last night, so I was eager to try it out this morning. Apparently the gods heard me and gave me the strongest headwinds I've ever had on a morning commute. Yikes....my legs are so tired now, I hope no one asks me to walk around at work:)

Saw another commuter today (I know, it's sad that it's a big deal) - not a "new" one I don't think, though I can't be sure.

I just refer to him as sidwalk guy since that's the only place I've ever seen him.

Well I have to say the hot 80 degree weather yesterday brought out all the crazy drivers. Had a woman in a massive SUV tell me to get off the road and an old couple in an SUV almost run me over. I was fuming by the time I got home from all the idiots I had to avoid. Nice, calm ride this morning, nothing too exciting. I'm hoping this afternoon is not a repeat of last night. Saw a few other commuters out last night and got some waves.

I went down to the lakeshore MUP (Martin Goodman trail) this morning and stopped about 10 seconds into that to put my gloves on, as another guy was approaching - he passed so I paced him - he kept a pretty fast pace (we were going a nice 20-22mph), until a fork in the road got me a little confused and I hesitated, went over some packed snow/ice. I just didn't know which way to go, having never ridden that part of the MUP before - anyway, I took a right toward the lake and followed him, he turned around shortly after - either to exit or was doing laps. We exchanged a friendly "morning!" - which was nice.

Yesterday was a gym day and my left knee was giving me a little grief, so I worked it lightly on the bike machine (yeah yeah, I know, I hate them too!) just to try and gently see if there was a problem. Might have to go see a Doc about that though, don't want to ruin them.

Wind by the lake was pretty harsh, even more so heading north up to King St. (I went through the Exhibition grounds up Strachan to King) - very exhausting/breath taking.

The just under 4 miles took 17 mins, so I need to work myself back into a longer commute (plenty of options for that too) but I'm glad I rode in.

Frosty again. Come on, man, it's spring! (almost)

Now that the weather is nice (for now), the Mall and Mt. Vernon Trail are packed with people in the afternoon. It is still just me and fellow bike commuters in the mornings, but the afternoons are an obstacle course of pedestrians, runners, clueless tourists, Segways, bladers, and cyclist. I miss the relaxing evening ride home. It is only going to get more chaotic once the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom!

Cold this morning, -12C. I'm really ready for winter to end...

Ouch, nice extra workout I guess.. :p

Hit the halfway point this morning - 10 miles in, 10 to go, and Pssssshhhh! A rear flat. Happily it was at a point with streetlights, so I pulled the gear off the bike, flipped it over, and pulled the tire. No sign of whatever caused the flat - the tire was intact, nothing stuck in the tire - nada. Pumped the tube up a bit to find the leak, patched the tube, put it all back together, checked for pinch flats, aired it up and Psssssshhh! Flatted again. Composed a sonnet. (Well, uttered words anyway.) Took the tire apart again, looked for anything that might be causing a flat again...nothing. Out of paranoia (and to save patching time) I got the brand new spare tube out and put it in instead. Put everything together being doubly sure the tube wasn't pinched and...it held air. *Whew* Put the tire back on the bike, trying to seat it well. Flipped the bike over, and the wheel was just off enough that the rear brakes rubbed. *Sigh* Flip the bike, re-reseat the wheel, all better.

8 miles later the rear tire went flat. Again. Recited Shakespeare. Then I pushed the bike the last two miles to work.

I have since pulled the wheel again. I looked at the spokes. I looked at the rim tape (it's a new rear wheel.) I went over every inch of the tire, both inside and out. I cleaned everything. When I pumped up the new tube, it has an odd constriction right where the hole was. (All of the holes were in different spots, by the way.) I patched it up, patched the original tube, put everything back together carefully, etc and the tire is holding air. For the moment. Here's hoping the ride home is uneventful.

Man am I glad I have a road morph pump. At least pumping up tires repeatedly is easy...

A rare rainy and cold day so only saw one other rider this morning. Wore my newest high-tech cycle wear and the wife thought it looked cool - she usually tells me how dorky the whole get-up looks - so money well-spent. Glad I kept the fenders on the Surly but definitely need to add mudflaps to get the water off my feet. Fun ride though despite the cold and the wet. No sweat!

Looking fwd to racing home tonight to catch as much hoops as possible...
We took a long lunch to watch the games at noon, and someone asked me if I could drive over the the restaurant.
"Nope, unless someone wants to ride on the handlebars."

No It's the Escape to the Lake (Erie) MS 150 Bike Ride scheduled in June.

in the high 50's and sunny in the morning. forget what I said yesterday, the MTB is noticeably slower than my Coda Sport. got an extra 4 miles in because I rode up to the bank to do a deposit for my boss. then I get to work to find out that he clocked me in an hour early... awesome! definitely made up for at least two of the lunch breaks I've had to work through. I basically made 11 bucks for riding my bike on a nice sunny morning... what a beautiful start to an otherwise lousy day.

in the high 60's and looking like stormy weather when I got out. the expected thunderstorms never materialized though. I went straight home slowly but as expeditiously as I could given my temporary steed. getting up the hill was tough. I started to get really tired about 0.2 miles from my house... I think I would have bonked if I had had to go any further. pretty good ride back nonetheless.