How was the commute today?
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 991
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From: Durham, NC
Bikes: Cannondale Synapse 5c, Scattante XRL

Uneventful ride again today. A little chilly--I lent my neck gaiter to someone yesterday and forgot to get it back. Neck was a little cold for the entire ride.
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"Everyone is entitled to an opinion" is only half-right.
Everyone is entitled to an informed opinion.
"Everyone is entitled to an opinion" is only half-right.
Everyone is entitled to an informed opinion.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Twin Cities, MN
Bikes: 1987 Denti w dura ace (road)/ "cheap" Jamis (mtn)
Cold this morning. It was 5°F when I left home and 1°F when I got to work.
I was comfortable though.
The roads were relatively clear. I haven't ridden in for three weeks since I was off for Christmas break. It was nice to ride again. The holiday weight gain sucks though!!
I was comfortable though.
The roads were relatively clear. I haven't ridden in for three weeks since I was off for Christmas break. It was nice to ride again. The holiday weight gain sucks though!!
GATC

Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,839
Likes: 183
From: south Puget Sound
brisk - high 30sF. Steady headwind all the way in, that is atypical, usually it's all the way home... Also, grabbed my wife's headlight, found the battery basically dead. Whoops...
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Cold and foggy. Legs were heavy but it was nice to be on the bike.
Chilly a bit and windy. Temp was 23°F with wind stout at 10-15mph. I was running a tad late today, so I didn't take a long route, so I might dally at little bit on my way home to get some mileage in since I cannot ride tomorrow.
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1990 Trek 330
2006 Trek 7.2FX
2006 Trek 7.3FX (Wifey's Steed)
1990 Trek 330
2006 Trek 7.2FX
2006 Trek 7.3FX (Wifey's Steed)
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,536
Likes: 4
From: central ohio
Bikes: 96 gary fisher 'utopia' : 99 Softride 'Norwester'(for sale), 1972 Raleigh Twenty. Surly 1x1 converted to 1x8, 96 Turner Burner
Riding here in Columbus today. 29f with a brisk westerly wind to push me home. We had a nice snowfall during my ride which made for some relaxing riding. Of course folks look at me as if I'm nuts to be riding in this weather
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 483
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From: Halle, Germany
Bikes: Surly Troll
Today's 28 mile RT commute was fantastic. An almost warm morning breeze at sunrise with the temperature near 60F. Clear blue skies, no smog. Visibility from the hilltops was at least 50 miles, snow capped mountains in the distance. I was wearing just two thin shirt layers this morning, and the same on the way home. The sunset over the Pacific this evening was bright orange and the hills were turning all sorts of colors. On days like today I enjoy riding this time of year much more than during the summer.
Nothing Short of Thankful

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: Close to the Akrowdy, Ohio
Bikes: '12 Raleigh Furley, '08 KHS Flite 900, '06 Bianchi San Jose (RIP), '04 Fuji World
Just rode home from work (6:30am) an inch or two of freshly fallen snow on the side streets. Heavy commuter traffic, normally I ride in at 0530 but I picked up an OT shift. The main drags were brine/slushy.. I'm going to have to spray the bike down some when I get back to work at 2pm for another OT shift.
We hired a construction crew to tear up an old office that we are going to renovate. As one of the workers held the door open for me to leave he said, "Boy, you're going to need studs for your tires!" I proudly replied, "Already there!" as I lifted up my front wheel to demonstrate. He was stunned and could only comment "Man, I was only kidding.. what the.. "
I've been waiting 3 years for somebody to give me the opportunity to slip that one in!
We hired a construction crew to tear up an old office that we are going to renovate. As one of the workers held the door open for me to leave he said, "Boy, you're going to need studs for your tires!" I proudly replied, "Already there!" as I lifted up my front wheel to demonstrate. He was stunned and could only comment "Man, I was only kidding.. what the.. "
I've been waiting 3 years for somebody to give me the opportunity to slip that one in!
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
Likes: 7
From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Clear and cold this morning with temperature about 25F but no wind. My toes got cold for some reason, even though I was wearing shoe covers. Not sure what that was about. Tried toothpaste on glasses this morning to reduce fogging, and it helped but didn't totally prevent the problem. Somewhere at home I have a bottle of glasses cleaner/defogger that I bought at the State Fair years ago. Need to find that stuff. Coffee sure tastes good this morning.
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
Nice ride this morning. Temps down around 10F, and no wind. We got about an inch of really light fluffy snow yesterday, and the studded Hakkas make a cool sort of whirring sound as they dig through it.
I saw 2 other bike tracks that came through after my ride home yesterday. Definitely more winter riders out there this year.
I stopped on my ride home yesterday in the woods near Lake Champlain and it was just dead quiet in the snow. I thought it would be nice if I could just bottle up that atmosphere and open it again on a 90 degree August day.
I saw 2 other bike tracks that came through after my ride home yesterday. Definitely more winter riders out there this year.I stopped on my ride home yesterday in the woods near Lake Champlain and it was just dead quiet in the snow. I thought it would be nice if I could just bottle up that atmosphere and open it again on a 90 degree August day.
Finally got to ride in today. I've been training in the mornings because of my schedule. But man, cold or not, it's fun to be back commuting. The dark, quiet mornings are so pleasant. Love it.
25F
25F
circus bear
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
From: Austin
Bikes: 97(?) GT Richochet, 00 Schwinn SuperSport
good gravy!
While on my way home at 6am another commuter hopped on ahead of me on the MUP. He looked waaay more serious than I do! I'm not sure if he was trying to leave me behind or not but I sure got a bit of a workout keeping up with him. I couldn't pass him but he didn't leave me behind either! Kind of nice to have company after going 6 weeks or more just catching glimpses of other people...
I don't think he was too happy having a clyde on a squeaky MTB behind him but I sure appreciated having a reason to push myself.
So! To the fella on the Pink/Red MTB I followed this morning. THANK YOU!!
Hopefully I'll see you more often and one day pass you...
a clyde can dream....
While on my way home at 6am another commuter hopped on ahead of me on the MUP. He looked waaay more serious than I do! I'm not sure if he was trying to leave me behind or not but I sure got a bit of a workout keeping up with him. I couldn't pass him but he didn't leave me behind either! Kind of nice to have company after going 6 weeks or more just catching glimpses of other people...
I don't think he was too happy having a clyde on a squeaky MTB behind him but I sure appreciated having a reason to push myself.
So! To the fella on the Pink/Red MTB I followed this morning. THANK YOU!!
Hopefully I'll see you more often and one day pass you...a clyde can dream....
54km/hr headwinds gusting to 78km.
Electro-Forged
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
From: Chicagoland
I was riding along at what I thought was a pretty decent pace when I hear a zz zzzz zzZZ ZZZZZZ from behind and left and look over and see another cyclist passing me. He says good morning, and pedals off. So I got dropped by a guy riding studded tires. At least it looked like a CX bike, not a MTB.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Twin Cities, MN
Bikes: 1987 Denti w dura ace (road)/ "cheap" Jamis (mtn)
It was 4°F when I left home and -3°F when I got downtown this morning.
I was ok until about the last 3 miles, then my feet started to get cold. Not bad, but I was glad to get to work (how often do you say that??
).
I was ok until about the last 3 miles, then my feet started to get cold. Not bad, but I was glad to get to work (how often do you say that??
).
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,373
Likes: 8
From: Columbus, OH
Bikes: '08 Surly Cross-Check, 2011 Redline Conquest Pro, 2012 Spesh FSR Comp EVO, 2015 Trek Domane 6.2 disc
Dang dang dang! I don't have studded tires for the new bike yet, and this morning the commute was coated in a fine sheet of frozen sleet. No way the Conti UltraGatorskins were going to work on that slickness!
Ended up driving in
due to that, and the fact that my fiancee asked me to drop her off at work because she wasn't going to try driving her car in this stuff. (She's got a light, sporty little car w/ too much torque for its own good. Fun in the summer, sux on the ice.)
Gotta buy a pair of studdies once we move, because the new place is 600' higher than where we are now and gets much more snow/ice. Current place got about 0.25" of freezing sleet. New place got 2.5" of snow on top of some freezing sleet.
Ended up driving in
due to that, and the fact that my fiancee asked me to drop her off at work because she wasn't going to try driving her car in this stuff. (She's got a light, sporty little car w/ too much torque for its own good. Fun in the summer, sux on the ice.)Gotta buy a pair of studdies once we move, because the new place is 600' higher than where we are now and gets much more snow/ice. Current place got about 0.25" of freezing sleet. New place got 2.5" of snow on top of some freezing sleet.
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"I feel like my world was classier before I found cyclocross."
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Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 991
Likes: 0
From: Durham, NC
Bikes: Cannondale Synapse 5c, Scattante XRL
Not a good commute this morning. Pretty cold, but an extra layer kept the core temps good, and the hands didn't get uncomfortable till the very end; at least I had that part right.
No, it was the other road users this morning that caused my problems. First, taking the lane this morning approaching a right turn, I had a driver behind me honk repeatedly for me to move over. Of course I ignored him (the lane there is standard width, but it has a gutter pan and a kerb; no way am I going to ride to the right and let people think it's safe to share the lane). Eventually he passed me...only to get stuck right in front of me at the light. I was tempted to ride up beside him and say, "Was that worth it?" Instead I stayed behind him and watched him shake his head and have a conversation with himself, clearly about cyclists who don't get out of his way on the road.
Later in the commute I was nearly left-hooked at the entrance to my building's driveway. I turn right there; a guy I used to work with was turning left and turned at the same time I did. He scared the heck outta me, but apologized for it when we arrived at the building.
No, it was the other road users this morning that caused my problems. First, taking the lane this morning approaching a right turn, I had a driver behind me honk repeatedly for me to move over. Of course I ignored him (the lane there is standard width, but it has a gutter pan and a kerb; no way am I going to ride to the right and let people think it's safe to share the lane). Eventually he passed me...only to get stuck right in front of me at the light. I was tempted to ride up beside him and say, "Was that worth it?" Instead I stayed behind him and watched him shake his head and have a conversation with himself, clearly about cyclists who don't get out of his way on the road.
Later in the commute I was nearly left-hooked at the entrance to my building's driveway. I turn right there; a guy I used to work with was turning left and turned at the same time I did. He scared the heck outta me, but apologized for it when we arrived at the building.
DNPAIMFB
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,655
Likes: 0
From: Cowtown, AB
Bikes: Titus El Guapo, Misfit diSSent, Cervelo Soloist Carbon, Wabi Lightning, et al.
Raving looney
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,482
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, ON, Canada
Bikes: 70s Leader Precision w/Shimano 600 (road), IRO Rob Roy (Fixed)
Hadn't ridden this year until last Wednesday night due to flu followed by strepthroat, and had to use up '07 vacation days last week, so I haven't really commuted much yet - but it felt great to be back on the bike. We've had some crazy winds recently, but fairly warm - this week looks to be cooler, and last night and this morning we've had some snow again.
Good rides though, and I've decided to start chronicling my mileage/maintenance stuff in a spreadsheet so I know a bit more about my rides/bike health.
I picked up some neoprene Subzero gloves this weekend from Canadian Tire of all places ($20) and have had great success with them so far, and I know it's been pretty cold with windchill as I've had to don my goretex waterproof just to keep the wind/cold out at night - my hands have been fine, barring occasional fingertips being cold - they soon warm up though.
Barring a lever/caliper and rubber, I'm all ready for my Rob Roy group buy frame arrival - gagging to get going on that ride once it's built up - woo.
Good rides though, and I've decided to start chronicling my mileage/maintenance stuff in a spreadsheet so I know a bit more about my rides/bike health.
I picked up some neoprene Subzero gloves this weekend from Canadian Tire of all places ($20) and have had great success with them so far, and I know it's been pretty cold with windchill as I've had to don my goretex waterproof just to keep the wind/cold out at night - my hands have been fine, barring occasional fingertips being cold - they soon warm up though.
Barring a lever/caliper and rubber, I'm all ready for my Rob Roy group buy frame arrival - gagging to get going on that ride once it's built up - woo.
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
38F, calm, RH 100%. The NOAA website says that visibility is less than .25 miles, but that's an overstatement. There were times when you couldn't see to the end of the block.
Two wheels > four.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Central Illinois
Bikes: Cannondale R1000
14f, 10mph wind, 5 mile ride to work was still wonderful.
Should be almost 25f by the time I head home...that will be better than this am...it was quite chilly.
Should be almost 25f by the time I head home...that will be better than this am...it was quite chilly.
GATC

Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,839
Likes: 183
From: south Puget Sound
Cold! 20sF. Sunny (nice view of Rainier) and not windy, though. Cold thumbs, brrrr (gloves have some sort of clever design of different fabrics in different areas; dumb gloves)
commuting Canuck
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
From: Calgary
Bikes: 07 Rocky Mtn ETSX-70, 00 Rocky Mountain Hammer (commuter) 98 Lemond Chambery
<user defined text>
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 417
Likes: 0
From: Sydney, Australia
Bikes: 80's peugeot. Somewhat knackered. Lovely new Salsa Casseroll singlespeed.
Lovely day today - blue sky, sunny, warm. It's gong to be hot later, I think.
Uneventful commute, except for the pain from a stinking hangover. And here's a weird thing. When I drink too much, my knees ache. Not just when riding, I mean generally.
The felt pads inside my helmet are disintegrating. I wonder if I can get new ones.
Hmm, can't think of anything else. Enjoy your rides, everyone!
Uneventful commute, except for the pain from a stinking hangover. And here's a weird thing. When I drink too much, my knees ache. Not just when riding, I mean generally.
The felt pads inside my helmet are disintegrating. I wonder if I can get new ones.
Hmm, can't think of anything else. Enjoy your rides, everyone!
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: San Leandro, CA
Bikes: Bianchi Castro Valley
Beautiful warm day, so I decided to ride a few extra miles to a grocery store and pick up a couple things. On my way, a lady is parked in the bike path on a 4 lane 50mph road and she leaves her door wide open forcing me into the traffic lane. Luckily, I was clear, but I yelled at her to shut her damn door next time. Other than that, just peachy




