Unseasonably warm but very windy.

I think we're getting the fringes of the storms that caused tornadoes in the south-central US.

70 degrees out there and no riding for me!!! We will have had two Dr's appointments by this afternoon and the timing was such that I couldn't really ride and make them on time. Instead, the bike is parked in the office and I've taken Metro and/or will be picked up by my g.f. Oh well, DC commuters enjoy the ride today.

well, It seems I put the bike away wet one (or more) too many time(s). I could hear the chain grinding away my cassette and it was shifting quite poorly

30cm of snow in Toronto, plus a bit windy, so no commute for me. Hopefully tomorrow if the roads are clear.

Well, after a dry ride in this morning, it's seriously pouring with rain again now, and I'm about to leave. Wish me luck - it's going to be a wet one!

Great ride in this morning with temperatures in the mid-50s and less windy than it's been lately, altho still a little breezy. I dressed just right and hardly sweated. Yesterday we hit a record high (79F) for the third day in a row but I couldn't ride due to a doctor's appointment on the other side of town. That might have been a blessing because it was extremely windy with sustained winds of 25+mph.

Had a standoff with a car at a 4-way stop coming in today. Usually when I get to an intersection with stop signs about the same time as cars, the drivers will wait for me or wave me on. If they are ahead of me, I always try to wave them on so there won't be any confusion. Anyway, I got to this intersection this morning at the exact same time as a car to my left. Under our highway rules, I had the right of way. The car didn't appear to be moving, so I started going after a brief pause. The car started going then as soon as I started moving, so I waved them on, but then they stopped. So I start moving again and so do they. Finally I just stopped and let them turn in front of me. I'm sure the driver was fussing about idiot cyclists.

Commute was awesome this morning! Nice temps, not too cold. I actually dressed perfectly today, which I think is a first. I decided to take my "new" bike today since I haven't ridden it yet and I've already had it a month. It's a 2004 Lemond Buenos Aires. Sweet riding bike. Very comfortable and as they say, rides like butta. Faster than my Tricross, but not quite as fast as the bike I sold before I got it. Eddy Merckx TiAx. Can't wait till this afternoon!

In two weeks of commuting 3 or 4 days a week, I find that I leave at about the same time as I do driving, and arrive at work at about the same time. I ride-rail-ride on the way in, but have been biking the 8mile trip home. Takes about 40-45min, although yesterday I just wasn't feeling it.. and it took 50min...

Punishingly brutal. Inadequately cleared roads meant huge energy expenditure for minimal movement. I was probably going a third as fast as normal with the same or more effort. Damned snow. If anyone comes up to me and says how much they love winter, I'm going to punch them in the nuts.

Did they call in the military?

Yeah, I'm tired of the trainer already. I want headwinds and hills to complain about. Seriously.

The ride in today was pretty quick. Not having to be buried in booties, pogies and whatnot makes it easier. We're back in the deep freeze tomorrow...

I am trying to boost up my mileage this week.
It snowed and t has been cold and windy.
All i have managed after I get home tonight is 100 miles on my MTB. My legs feel like I just rode 300 in a week. That and I need to rest for a century on Sat.
Anyhow...

The commute was a tad windy and warmed up to a lovely 14F.
My feet froze as usual. I swear these hiking boots worked for a bit.
I was chatting with another rider yesterday and he swears by gore tex hiking boots. I may need to try a pair out.

I did discover something amusing.
I ride from my van 10 miles to the light rail. My issue is that after I stop at the light rail station I tend to overheat. It has gotten better since I started cooling down a mile before I reach it but I still have issues.
I discovered this morning that if I used my heart rate zone on my edge as a guide I can keep myself from overheating. It takes a conscious effort to drop it down to zone 1 but it seems to work.... so far. *crosses fingers*

Had a flat this morning, fortunately before I even left the house so I could change the tire in safety & comfort. No problems changing the tube, I was on the road in about 5 minutes.

But about 2 miles in I started hearing a "tick tick" sound that sped up as my speed increased. Then suddenly the bike felt like I was dragging an anchor. I pulled over where it was safe and checked the bike. Sure enough, my rear wheel had slipped a little and was rubbing against the frame and the brake pad. Loosen skewer, re-adjust, back on my way.

First day on the bike in a week.

Between a nasty flu and lot's of rain it's been
the better part of valor to drive the cage.
Glad that's over!

Snowy roads but an OK if slow ride. It's still snowing, so not sure if I'll be able to plow through for the ride home.

I love winter!!

Good luck with the second part... I froze them off last week at -15F/-26C.

Sorry to hear your ride sucked though.

This morning was a nice ride in. 9F/-12C. Very very light, pretty snow falling. Rode in later, so it was light out.

Cold and misty. (I *heart* my Smartwool baselayer!)

This morning was a nice ride. 40deg and a 7-10 mph wind but enjoyable. I can tell its been a warm week. I saw two other riders last night and one this morning.

Where have they been for the past two months?

I'll let you get away with it this time - but only because you're a fellow all-season rider.

[QUOTE=knobster;6122995]Faster than my Tricross, but not quite as fast as the bike I sold before I got it. Eddy Merckx TiAx. QUOTE]

You had a Merckx AX and sold it? Did it not fit or some other problem? I've got a Merckx AX and a Corsa 01. The AX has become my go-to bike for long rides because it rides so nicely. It fits me perfectly. Not as pretty as my Corsa but I like the lighter weight.

Today was my third bike commute of the year (my knees still won't let me get back on the bike full-time). One might say I picked an awful day for it, given the 10+ inches of snow that's been dumped on us the previous day (it's really a winter of snowstorms in Toronto!) But I had to leave the house kind of on a last-minute urgent notice, and I knew that a bike would be faster than the TTC in those conditions.

What can I say?.. I took about ten minutes just getting out from my neighbourhood onto the main roads (a ride of about 1 km - for our non-metric friends, that's just a tad over half a mile). The snow was basically impassable by bike for long stretches - I had to dismount and walk. Main streets were clearer, but horribly backed up, and the huge snowbanks on the sides gave me almost no chance to slip by traffic jams as bike commuters typically are able to do. Road conditions required a lot of concentration; and I'm sure lots of drivers thought that many times I was swerving all over the place completely out of control, while I was in fact doing abrupt and precise front wheel corrections (MAD SKILLZZZ D00D ), necessary to keep the bike in control in deep rutted snow. Of course, I made sure I had a fair chunk of lateral space to play with.

Despite all the delays I still made it more or less on time, and had a blast doing that. Saw one bike messenger on my way in, and three other commuters, one of whom was not riding, but was standing on the sidewalk next to her bike, with a look on her face that said: "WTF are all these mountains of white crap everywhere and WTF am I supposed to do now???"

Had a couple of people comment along the lines of "Wow, tough weather to ride in." Friendly, good stuff.

Oh, shut UP!

Will they NEVER forget that? Will we be remember a thousand years from now as the city that called the military to dig them out of the snow once?

Hi folks. I recently joined the list and thought I would submit my first post here. After weeks of riding in tons of snow today was clear. It was still 10 degrees F when I left home, but the sun is shining, the ice is melting, and in maybe another month the bike lanes will be clear of snow It was a real treat though to ride on bare pavement for a change and be able to spend a little more attention on the birds, the trees, the gorgeous (and snowless) clouds, rather than navigating sheets of ice. I'm glad I found this commuting forum - I've learned a great deal going through the threads - and I wish you all safe and smooth rides.

A little bit of sleet and a headwind made the morning commute a bit brutal. I just used it as motivation to ride faster, though. The ride home wasn't bad - a bit misty and colder than I'd like, though.

On a side note, I need a new saddle for my Bianchi. I've been riding on a hard plastic (!) Vetta for awhile, and it's fine out very short rides around town, but on my 6-7 mile commute each way it's starting to hurt. I'm debating between a weight weenie Selle Italia (have one on my Cannondale
and like it) and trying a Brooks. I've never had a Brooks before, and kinda want to see if they really are all the rage as everyone says.

Oh, and welcome to the forums, Crotach!

Argh!
One thing I like about winter is the lack of trail users on the MUPs I use.
However, apparently the trails have been taken over by mindless dog owners.
This doesn't happen in summer that often. Every freaking day I have an issue in the last mile of my ride!
Always some idiot woman walking her ankle bitters without a leash.
One woman twice in a week.
If I did not like dogs so much I would be of half a mind to get of my bike and punt the little buggers. Better yet, punt the owners. It's not the dogs fault their master is an idiot.
Today was a trio of pugs charging towards my bike. Slammed on the brakes causing a lovely skid. The owner apologized. All I could do was shake my head at her and leave.
This is ridiculous. I would be beside myself if I ran over one of the buggers and hurt it or myself.
I hear by advocate automatic tasering of dog owners that do not use a leash on a MUP.