buzzman

I know...I think he's a little humiliated every time we talk about it and each time we've had the conversation he'll say- "I should get a bike." And you pegged it about the drop the child off at day care- but it's right around the corner from his house. If it were me I'd take him in on a bike trailer, lock it at his school and then ride in from there. This was the first time I've really quizzed about the cost and the time factor- I've got to admit I was shocked that it takes so long to get in by car- on a quiet night it takes 15 minutes to drive in but rush hour it can take 4 x's more time! He's a bit younger than me and he's in good shape and on a tighter budget than I am and I think he struggles a bit to keep his weight manageable so he's an ideal candidate for biking. The commute's a little long for some first timers- it's 11 miles in via the bike path- that's the way I usually go- and by roads it can be shortened to about 9 miles. Depending on the route it's a 20+ mile round trip. But an easy enough trip once you get used to it.


And today was yet another great ride in- though they seem to be doing some work on the bike path for a section so I had to take a detour.

Rode home and stopped in Harvard Square to pick up my wife and we rode home together along the river in the dark- very cool ride.

Pig_Chaser

Woke up ridiculously early this morning and came into work. The streets were abondoned. The 4 cars that did pass me gave me tons of room. The one car that had thier high beams on dimmed them for me.

The temperature is getting abit tricky. Yesterday I was abit cold wearing fabric layers, so this morning I wore a windproof layer (with some ventilation) and was too hot. Oh well, works up a sweat.

Amber_

Nice ride in. Mid-40s. I'm beginning to get why you guys use those clipless pedal things. I've slipped my left foot off the pedal three times this week. I have a huge bruise on the back of my left calf haha. It's starting to become annoying.

vtjim

Low 40s this morning. Sleepy. I was out seeing The Tragically Hip last night.

Riding home yesterday I saw a stealth cyclist far behind me on a long straight, so I engaged the warp drive. Later I saw he wasn't gaining, but I wasn't dropping him either. I always slow down to <10MPH on a long bike bridge. Grab a drink, check out the scenery. He caught up to me when I was there, and it was some dude in black lycra on a very fast-looking road bike. I got off the bridge and gave chase but he stopped about two tenths of a mile later, got his own drink, and made a u-turn. He eyeballed me as I went by. Probably wondering how somebody on a full suspension MTB with a trunk bag could be so fast.

JoeyMac

This is how I rode my bike to the office today:



I love Halloween!

1ply

Great weather. Passed one commuter on a street that winds through a forest. He had a blinkie which looked like it was trying to shine through his backpack. You had to look for it to see it. On the front he had nothing

Some driver passing in a car slowed down and opened his window and gave me some advice. Something like "......passing....light...................killed"

I think he was upset that I passed him at a red light. I originally was kind of upset, but by the time I'm typing this it's hard to remember the situation at all.... in one ear and out the other I guess.

Temperature is just right, about 10°C perfect

Brian T

I think everyone can relate to having a commute like this....

click the kitty

Leiniesred

I rode in wearing my costume too. I know I know. useless without pics...But you'll have to wait because of corporate internet policy restrictions.

Basically, Hockey player that lost the fight. basic hockey gear with extra blood, tooth out, black eye.

And I broke off most of a stick, cut it in half and screwed it to either side of the helmet (think arrow through the head gag). Put a little goo around the junction of stick and helmet. A fully functional, 12 mile commutable costume.

Itsjustb

Hey tarwheel, thanks for the advice on gloves and the shout-out to REI. I shop there too (the one at Southpoint in Durham) and will check out their selection. This may be a repeat of the last 2 Christmases, where my wife has bought me some cold-weather gear but had to give it to me early because I needed it too badly. Maybe I'll see you out there on the road sometime!

Commute today was fast & good.

HardyWeinberg

Nice and foggy. Monastery cemetary extra cool of course.

WhiteRabbit

Nice ride, not too cold. The sun wasn't quite up when I started, but false dawn was showing.
I passed someone walking along the MUP wearing a good pirate costume. I don't see people walking that part of it very often.
I was also passed by someone I've taken to calling "KHS guy". He rides a nice KHS road bike and wears full KHS branded lycra. I can't tell if he is commuting or not because he never carries a bag or panniers but he is out at the right time for it to be a daily commute. I like him because I also happen to be on a KHS, albeit an old mountain bike with rack and a pannier.

nmanhipot

A guy in an SUV threw a bowl of Campbell's Chunky Soup at me - bowl, spoon, and a little bit of soup, too. Too bad for him he has a tag and I have good eyesight. First time I've remain calm enough to actually read it. Called it in. Police officer looked very bored while I was explaining the situation. He didn't sound very enthused and wasn't very hopefully about finding the person. Oh, well. It's the best I could do under the circumstances.

jwbnyc

Wasn't very hopeful?

You gave him the guy's license plate.

I imagine he would be more hopeful if someone threw a bowl of soup at one of his relatives.

caloso

It doesn't get that cold here so I spend most of the fall and spring wearing glove liners. I went to REI to get a new pair a few weeks ago and got a pair that's just a tiny bit thicker than liners and they have a nice grippy nubs on the fingers. Regularly $30 but I got them for 19.99 on sale.

Pretty foggy today. It's always hard to dress for fog. It's chilly at first but the high humidity and no wind means that I'm always sweating by the end.

Oh, and I had a hawk swoop right over my head with a mouse in his talons. I think it was a Red Tail, but maybe a Harris' Hawk. Anyway, it was awesome.

mattj

COLD! I'm just getting my lazy ***** back on the bike and forgot how cold it can get with the wind, and am not used to the idea of 40° mornings yet Time to dig through my drawers and find my hat & gloves again.

Can't complain, though, considering its Oct 31 and the pavement is dry in PDX!

Itsjustb

Still got the officer's name? Send him the article about the lady here in NC who was tried and convicted for assault (or was it attempted murder? I forget) for throwing something in the window of another car while driving on the highway. Sure, the speeds are different, but considering we're riding without airbags, seat belts, etc., it's just as dangerous....

nmanhipot

I'm kicking myself because I didn't get the officer's name. I'm hoping they'll make a courtesy call to follow-up but I don't know if he even filed a report. I have the police department name and the time of the incident. If only I had photographic memory.

beingtxstate

No ride today or yesterday. Got a flat (pinch at the valve stem) and I was all out of presta valve tubes. Oh well, I guess a little rest is nice. It was a fun bus ride in today

Morrison

vtjim,

I live across the lake in NY in Peru..

You took some tremendous pictures of the Adirondacks which are in my backyard..

And your pictures of the bay in Burlington (I think thats what they are of) are equally beautiful.

My hat is off to you.

Jerry

vtjim

Hey thanks. Take some pictures of Vermont from Peru!

I had a nice ride home. Terrific tail wind shoving me along. I rode at 5 over the speed limit on one street. Almost squished a squirrel on the MUP. Stupid rodent!

A woman was out walking with her cat on the MUP. Knowing cats, I slowed way down, and sure enough it wandered right in front of me. The woman apologized but I smiled at her and said, "That's a big cat!" It was pretty huge.

buzzman

I might have been tempted to make a somewhat less politically correct compliment.

Nice Halloween ride. Had to take the speedy road ride in this a.m.- woke to yet another flat tire. I think this Michlelin I just put on the back is a little prone to pinch flats. I've got to double check the mounting of the tire every time.

Nice ride home in the dark.

hankbrandenburg

Perfect commuting weather here in Virginia - low 50s and no wind. The ride in was fabulous - lucky at traffic lights, no near-misses with deer, no acorn-related traction problems on the paths. I have to check the bike computer but I am pretty sure this morning's run was my PB for elapsed time.

Big Ron

A fine ride here in Raleigh too. My first ride in ~ 2 weeks, since coming down with bronchitis. Glad to have a nice warm morning to get back on the saddle. Lot's of candy wrapper litter in the neighborhoods, which is kind of pathetic.

tarwheel 

Funny thing, I stopped at REI last night with my wife. Took another look at their gloves, and ended up buying a new pair of Pearl Izumi Cyclone gloves for $40. They were rated their highest (10) for cold-weather protection. My wife always has trouble shopping for me, so I found the right size and told her to buy them for one of my Christmas presents. PI makes several other models that have even more cold protection, such as the AmFib and Gavia.

tarwheel 

I'm trying to ride to work every day this week after getting skunked last week. Today was day 4 out of 4. I rode one of my faster bikes (Merckx Corsa) because it was warmer and I didn't need to carry as much gear. Also, my new light (Fenix) is very easy to switch between bikes, so it wasn't much trouble setting up the Corsa for commuting.

Amazing how much faster I ride on the Merckx, and it isn't psychological. I easily averaged 16 mph, about 1 mph faster than usual with the same amount of perceived effort. The main difference is the tires. The Panaracer Paselas on my main commuter are durable and flat-resistant, but have a lot more rolling resistance than the Michelin ProRaces on my Corsa.

Odd thing happened on my commute to work yesterday. I car passed me on dark road with no headlights on. I thought I heard a car coming, but didn't see anything when I looked in my mirror. Then this small red car came whizzing by with absolutely no lights, and it was totally dark at the time, on a street with very widely space street lights. Fortunately I didn't swerve out to avoid an obstacle.