Thought I saw a dime on the way to work. Circled back (yes I went back for a dime!) and it was a quarter! I wrote it off as good luck. Great commute. Rode Am and PM like a champ. Had my rain gear ready but didn't have to use it.

66th street is re-opened, i have my full choice of cycling routes once again :)

The only thing that got my sorry butt out of bed on a Saturday morning to go to work was the fact that I got my re-worked rear wheel back from the shop last evening and I could ride in rather than driving!!! Is it wrong for a straight-dude to profess his love for a male bicycle mechanic? This guy just absolutely lives for the moment and would have chatted all evening about rear axle bearing races and freewheel casettes. I feel fortunate to have such a resource in the area. I've got to learn more about bicycle maintenance and repair. It ain't the cost of having the work done... it's the down time.

My hands are purple from dye leaking out of my performance(tm) gloves (it's raining a lot)

Last night was brutal. First time in heavy rain and total darkness with traffic. My headlights looked weak and my confidence waned. I'm gonna have to cut to three times per week. That was scary at times.

If it's wrong to love a bike mechanic, I don't want to be right. :love:

I was looking forward to the Saturday commute. There were fewer cars, but there seemed to be more close passing a-holes.

It was pretty freaking awesome...after scoring some excellent schwag at the gear swap I proceeded to take a leisurely ride to work on my old CCM which as always, was purring like a kitten and the only bike I have that rides any smoother is my '48 Rudge which was yesterday's bike.

I was using a 1950 AB hub (3 speed drum brake) and although I was pretty happy with the 3 speed had decided to go back to the stock coaster hub since the AB's brake is pathetic and the coaster brake is actually quite decent... and original.

Before I could use the coaster hub I had to lace up a new wheel and not just any wheel would do...it would have to a Westwood rim in burgundy with white pinstripes... and I just happened to have one.
:D

For as much as I like 3 speeds I found I really missed the simplicity of my old coaster bike and despite a little bit of drizzle the ride home it was perfect... I felt like Paul Newman and was singing "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" and was wishing there was a beautiful girl to ride on the handlebars.

And just because she's 75 years old does not mean that she has forgotten how to fly... a guy on a motorcycle pulled alongside me at one point and yelled at me to tell me I was doing 35 kmh...:lol:

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/1933CCMnew1.jpg

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...Mnewwheel2.jpg

Really not a commute but a ride to South Salinas to Attend a Dance Recital at Hartnell College. Weather was a bit cold but I warmed up pretty fast and took a favorite back route of mine to get to the main stretch that inevitably I would end up on en route to the college. It is a great route, there is a video on a part of it @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnvrRF3hsJo it makes for a great ride. Keeps life interesting and it follows those great farm back roads with some climb and a roughed up road but well worth it and a nice break from the high traffic areas that I would otherwise be travelling on.

For once, I left my house on time!! I celebrated by taking my sweet time. It was so nice not having to drop the hammer and race the clock. I actually got to relax...dawdle, even! Uneventful and unremarkable, but a very pleasant commute.

Finally broke down and bought my bike for the upcoming season (DON'T WANT TO SAY IT YET). Got a really good deal on a Trek 3700 that my LBS, they had a couple of early 2008 models and gave it to me at $150 off, full set up and 10% anything else I wanted, so I added the fenders and rack and got some lube and grease.
Took it out for a spin on my usual weekend ride and this is really a nice riding bike despite some of the reviews I've read. I think with a little TLC and maybe some studded tires come January it will serve me just fine...first commute test tomorrow.

The ride home was so COOL!! It was cloudy, it was rainy, it was windy (tailwindy and crosswindy!), it was spooky, and it was just the perfect fall commute. I love the sound of leaves crunching under my tires.

:love:

I saw a fox this morning and a rat tonight. I decided since I'm getting over a cold my goal was to not break a sweat.... I took forever but was relaxed, singing to myself, enjoying the cool weather. To think I had to convince two people not to drive me home because it was "raining." (little sprinkles, I didn't even put my gloves on until I was almost downtown.)

I've fully adjusted to riding in the dark again in the mornings. Takes a while, just like adjusting to riding in the cold again. I mounted my Superflash tail-light on a seat stay to make room for another tail-light on my seat bag. Put some new tires with reflective sidewalls on my commuter for increased visibility from the side. Got out my vest, long-fingered gloves, arm and leg warmers.

Also started noticing last week a drop in my average speed. Must be the heavier density of cold air because I don't think the warmer clothes could slow me down that much.

Kudzu, you don't say how far your commute is? Doesn't matter. If you ride 1,2 or 5 days its better than not riding at all! :thumb: :beer: :commute:

Meh. The wife works in the same town as me, so we're been driving in together. It makes no sense to spend $186/month on a train pass when she's driving in anyway.

Spending more time with Martha is great, but I get to ride not at all unless I have errands after work. I've been doing things like food shopping and picking up prescriptions. Today I have to be at the dentist, so I bike/trained in.

Nice. It was foggy by the river which was kind of nice (if a bit spooky).

I left a little later than usual and had to rush to make it to my office on time.

Weather outlook is highs near 80(F) for the ride home. Awesome!

Well the new bike got it's first commute run...was good. Didn't lose any time, handled well, has one less gear then my hybrid so I noticed that a little on the downhill but other then that looks like a keeper.

I got about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night, which even for me is very low. I definitely knew I was going to feel it on the ride today, and boy I sure did. I pushed through it because I am hoping this will be a 5 for 5 week on the bike (as far as number of days commuted by bike). My personal best is 4/5, and I want to break that record this week. Other then that, the weather was good, but I did have to slam my breaks for a car that stopped right in front of me and decided to do a u-turn when the opposing lane was empty.

I was really having trouble getting on the bike today. I had planned the ride the 33-mile round-trip, even though my fat butt rode 45 miles yesterday.

This morning was bad, but I did ride... 1/10 the distance. I drove to within 1 1/2 miles of work, and biked from there.

That's my new goal, if I can't ride from home, I'll still have to ride a little. That has the added benefit of not paying to park.

I woke up cold and stayed that way. It was like my metabolizism just wasn't clicking on this morning. I rode dressed for 7C weather and turned back after a couple blocks to put some more clothing on. I was dressed probably for more like 0C weather. I still wasn't too hot when i arrived at work.

Over the weekend I put in 20 miles pulling my boy in the trailer, this morning, I felt super strong on the commute, made record time, too. Time to start endurance training w/ the boy, he's a brutal coach "Get on the bike, ride the bike!" the two year old yells when I walked us across a busy intersection.

Clear today, no wind and not too chilly. I forgot to charge my light over the weekend, but it ran fine. I sort of ran on auto-pilot this morning, drafting off of cars but not paying 100% attention. That's bad.

Wonderful ride with a clean chain and cassette! I think I over-oiled it though.

6 miles each way. (Car today, though - in no condition to ride. Back at it tomorrow, I'm sure.)

Didn't ride today, but this week is "Cruisin' the Coast" (classic car week), so Highway 90 is going to be even more packed during the afternoons. Looks like a great week to be on a bike. :thumb:

Just really, really pleasant this morning. No headphones, no car honks. Didn't start to get light out until about a half-hour from the gym. *Sigh* No more shorts and t-shirt-only rides without lights till June next year. You know you're preparing for battle when it's time to strap the helmet lights back on.

another sunny and brisk ride, i was surprised how refreshed my legs felt after running a half marathon yesterday morning, it felt really good to finish the race strong and i had a good recovery as well. beer tastes so damn good after running 13.1 miles. :)

I had to drive my wife to a place she got picked up for a work roadtrip before 6am and then wake the kids and get them to their locations by myself. The latter is not so atypical but the quick spin out to drop my wife kinda rattled me a little. Still got them out and delivered, biked to 7 yr old's school and signed him into before-school care, trailered 3 yr old to her daycare and got her checked in in time for breakfast, and even remembered to leave the check 'cause it's payment day today, and only got into work 20 min late, right about the exact amount of time chomped out of my morning by driving my wife, so far so good, but then I realized that I left the fannypack w/ my sunglasses, wallet, cellphone, watch, etc... at the daycare, out on the front desk when I got the check out to leave it in the dropbox. Called them up, and it was still there, so they put it in her room so I should be able to find it when I go get her this afternoon.

Other than that, a good day. It was raining all night, up through when I wheeled the bikes out of the garage, but stopped by the time we got on the road so was wet but not oppressively so. And I don't need the shades that are hopefully waiting for me at the daycare.

Had a fun mixed commute Friday afternoon with my son. My wife and daughter were going to a dance recital that evening and we boys were going to hang out at home. My wife dropped the boy and his bike off at my office and he colored while I finished my calls and emails for the day. We walked our bikes over to the light rail stop and took the train to the stop about a mile and a half from our house and then we rode home from there. Just beat the rain.

It was a lot of fun.