cloudy but no rain on the ride in today- I think it rained after I got to work. took Comm Ave. instead of the bike path to meet my wife after work. It's faster but the cars are mighty aggressive at that time of night on Comm. Ave. Did the grocery store run after I got home.

It rained today. I HATE soggy cotton pants! Arrgh!

Anyone know of a place in Toronto to get good water-resistant pants with lots of large zippable pockets?

Try a cape. Really.

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/292431-j-g-rain-cape-first-impression.html

Will try. Thanks for the tip. Aerodynamics doesn't matter to me much on commutes after all.

I beat the bus That always makes me happy! Also got several admiring comments from classmates about my bravery in riding when it's "so cold" (it was 6C). A few weeks from now they won't so much admire me as edge away slowly from my possible insanity... hee.

Eyeing the bikes today to decide which one shall become my winter steed (steel rims, alas, mean Sir Lancelot must take a winter vacation). I do see a MEC shopping expedition in my future (lights, better rack, fenders, and a saddle for the mountain bike that won't kill me).

Yesterday's commute was uneventful, But this morning I really got a kick out of the scenery. Woke up an hour early so decided to go to work a bit earlier as well. The second half of my commute takes me trough a forrest, which gives way to beatuful moors. A thin fog was suspended above the moors just as the sun came up. The scenery was just stunning. The best Holywood special effects have nothing on moter nature I tell ya!

I also got to try my B&M Lumotech IQ Fly this morning. This is a new LED powered head light introduced during the EuroBike show 6 weeks ago. I use it in combination with a Shimano DH3N71 dynamo hub, and the output is just amazing. More than adequate on unlit forrest (tarmac) roads up to 20+ mph.

We're finally getting some cool temperatures in NC. It was 60 riding into work this morning at 6:30 am, which may seem warm to many but it's cooler than we've seen in a while after the hottest summer on record. Temps are supposed to dip down to the low 40s Friday through Sunday. Bring it on! I'm sick of the heat. We've set record highs for the past 3 days. My cycling clothes were almost totally dry when I got to work this morning. Usually I'm dripping with sweat.

FAST! Partly because I topped off my tires with air and put fresh lube on the chain this morning a few minutes before I left. Temps in the low 50s. No wind to speak of. Overcast.

Saw a few cyclists. Passed one kid on an MTB while reeling in a guy on a road bike who was moving along pretty well (~20MPH) but wearing dress clothes. Stayed behind him until he went another direction. Then another guy on a road bike came up behind me at a red light, and went before the light turned green. I waited the few seconds for the green, then testosterone got the better of me and I sprinted past him up the hill.

I was happy to get in before the predicted rain started. Some new roadwork going on - hopefully to fix the road surface around some old railroad tracks. Always gratifying to bypass cars stuck at a construction delay

Yesterday I had to ride out to a post office in a different community to pick up a package. I thought, "no big deal", as I used to ride that route all the time while I was in university. I did well at the start, outpacing a roadie and several mtn bikers with slicks, and generally keeping up with traffic. Then we moved into a "speed zone". Ho. Lee. Crap. Traffic speed jumped significantly, the road surface turned bad and actually got narrower. Then I got caught at a light at the bottom of a short, steep hill. Boourns! I had to bail from the main road and take some creative alternate routes to get to my destination. The way back wasn't any better, as the road is just as narrow and crappy going the other way. I may have to commute along that road next spring, which fills me with a bit of dread...

The ride in today was fine, other than the ungodly hour at which I sprung from bed. I got the LEDs and lenses for my DIY light build, so I'm looking forward to that this weekend. Anyone know how to solder?

Time for my annual minor crash. I was going through an area that has been under construction, and as a result loose sand has collected in a few places along the MUPs and roads. I decided to take a slightly different route than normal, which meant that I need to make a turn through one of these piles instead of just going straight through it. My rear wheel slipped and down I went. Nothing hurt but my pride. Ah well.

On a related note, the new cool weather gear I picked up worked well, possibly a bit too well. I think I would have been more comfortable if it was just a bit cooler.

Tomorrow, I'm trying a bus/bike trip across town to see if I can make it from work to class in a reasonable manner.

Met my buddy for our newly renewed daily training ride before work. It's a 20 mile out and back. He said it was the first time he'd been on his bike all week and he'd be happy to take it easy, just have a mellow spin. The ******* dragged my ass up and down the trail at 21, all the while chatting about work and his kids and the book he's been reading. As I struggle to breath, most of my responses were, Uh huh. Pant, pant, uh huh.

Yes, if you're asking for tips - heat up the "biggest" part of the joint first (whichever takes longest to heat), and warm up the wires/connections then apply the solder to the join area - the heat you've applied already should pull the solder over the joint and seal nicely.

It can help to 'tin' the bare ends of the wires you're working with too. This is basically applying a thin layer of solder onto the copper/steel wires prior to soldering them onto a joint (and it keeps them all neat and tidy, too).

Good luck.

My ride this morning was fine, a little tired in the legs and cooler (wore pants!) but otherwise normal. Last night I popped in at home to pick up my waterproof kit to ride East, in that 11 minute ride home I was *soaked* (yay for no fenders? ) - was glad to bundle up in the goretex. Oh, and I got a new Brooks saddle (B17 green w/copper) so am running that on my roadie for now to break it in ready for my fixie build Going from ~2600 miles on my black Brooks and going back to this is a bit of a culture shock for my rump..

I hooked up with another commuter for the ride in. About 3/4ths of the way there was another commuter behind us. Who knows how long he was there. The more the better. It makes being seen in the dark easier .
Life is good on a bike.

Wet! No raingear whatsoever so I was soaked. The fenders kept me from getting skunk stripe. That's about it. I could've been better prepared, but who believes the weatherman?

Gotta love kids. . .I was heckled by some kids riding the Metro bus to school this morning. As the bus passed, four kids hung out the window and screamed random insults, including "F-you, white boy" and "Hey hey hey, fat albert *****." Also, four extended middle fingers. I didn't realize my biking to work bothered 5th graders so much. . .Perfect riding weather, though.

Let's just say I'm glad to have survived the ride.

very light rain, some clouds and a bit of wind on the way in this morning. Suddenly saw not a bike on the bike path. was glad to hear at the end of the day that my wife did not wuss out and rode in. we rode home together in the rain tonight- she's hooked bad.

Hammered in this morning. Overtook a roadie too. I normally don't encounter commuters going my way, so this was a nice change, and an incentive to go a bit faster than usual. Looks like rain this afternoon.

Light rain and cold this morning. I just got by bike back from the shop yesterday. Shiny drivetrain, new rear shifter, and replacement (non-defective) tires. I was psyched to ride in this morning. But...

I got on the road by 5:45 AM, and realized I was feeling lightheaded. After a few blocks of this not going away, I turned back. My wife will drop me at work with the bike (she starts hitting the snooze button in 20 minutes). Oh, and the zipper on my rain jacket broke. Not sure if the (expensive) LBS will take that back, since I bought it in August.

Okay, the whine is over.

You can test the bike this weekend at the Covered Bridges Ride.

Nice ride in today. 1°C. Didn't realize that it was that cold. My ears were not too happy for a while, but it sure made me glad that I put on that extra layer this morning. My new gloves from MEC work just great

Yesterday on the way home I was honked at by three vehicles. One of them was a tractor-trailer which kind of tried to squeeze me to the curb and I probably freaked him out when I popped out in front of him after I passed him (this was at a red light). I love traffic at 5:00. I don't know how the cagers do it. Gas, gas, gas. Stand, stand, stand, stand, edge up, stand, stand.

I've had days where I pass the same car 6 times. Red lights - the great equalizer.

First really chilly morning of the autumn here in NC, with low temps around 45. I wore my tights and vest for the first time since spring as well as my long-fingered gloves, and I felt great. I was just warm enough without overdoing and getting sweaty. Yesterday afternoon I had to work late and missed my "window" for avoiding the heaviest traffic, so instead of leaving at my usual 4:30 pm, I hung around until 6 pm to avoid rush hour. Ran my headlights and taillights for an extra measure of safety. I love riding this time of year. If you've got the right clothing, lights, etc., you really can't top the weather.

Quite a bit colder. Rained some at teh beginning of the ride, I'm covered in fine grit.

Chris

It's Friday and I just got paid and I feel pretty good so I stopped and got two dozen doughnuts for the office. It made me a little bit late, but it was worth it to see every's face when I walked in carrying my bike and two boxes of doughnuts. They're like, "How did you do that?" "And I just smiled and said, just wait till I install my rack, then I can bring FOUR or SIX or EIGHT dozen!"