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-   -   How was the commute today? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/7855-how-commute-today.html)

Texasfietser 11-17-08 05:23 PM

Mid-30's and dry on the way in, and upper-30's and light rain coming home. Enjoying a nice Hoegaarden beer to celebrate my epic achievement. Did not see many other bike commuters on either leg of the commute.

miedmonds 11-17-08 07:10 PM

27 and overcast this morning in Madison, with wind chills into the teens (read, while going downhill). Tonight I used my Xmas lights for the first time, prompting encouraging words from other commuters on the MUP and smiles from joggers. Apparently drivers had no trouble seeing me, either, as several cruised by slowly ten feet away, as if taking a closer look.

All in all, a perfectly lovely 7-mile ride home in the dark, despite the cold and a stiff headwind out of the north for the last mile. Why haven't I ridden into the winter before? I've commuted for too many years to count, but always gave up when winter set in. Not this year.

dcrowell 11-17-08 07:26 PM

My ride home tonight was different. Traffic was normal. It was dark. I stopped and and had horrible gas station coffee on the way. I saw some (very light) flurries. For some reason though, I was in "the zone". I normally enjoy the ride in the morning, but dread the afternoon/evening ride. I loved tonight's ride. I don't really know why.

dclaryjr 11-17-08 09:23 PM

Two completely different rides today. I left the house this morning with the temp at 39F (what's known as cold in south Texas:)), and rode home in bright sunshine and 70F. More of the same tomorrow. I built a new tailbox for my bike which comes in handy when shedding a lot of morning clothes for the afternoon commute.

LeftinFlint 11-17-08 10:28 PM

My first "winter" commute. The temperature was the high 20s. There was a light dusting on the ground and my '69 Continental rode like a dream.

buzzman 11-17-08 11:14 PM

don't know why but a very speedy ride in this morning. not so speedy home, however.

found out my friend got jumped on the MUP into Jamaica Plain last night (11:30 pm). Fortunately, he screamed bloody murder after being thrown from his bike and the assailant ran away.

Thigh Master 11-18-08 03:59 AM

Got a flat, left my pump/repair kit in the old commuter bag! Spouse had to pick me up - bummer because I use the ride home to decompress from work stress, on the other hand, gave us time to get a drink together!

planyourfate 11-18-08 04:56 AM

First day commuting to work since the big snow fall here. I've just got into work and I'm still wet. Sooooo...we have about a foot of snow here in Erie and weather channel says the current temp is 20 with a windchill of 12. There was a lot of black ice out this morning. I rode up on the last intersection I had to cross to get to work, slowed down, took two strokes to get started and the bike went sideways and I continued moving straight. Landed in some wet slush, the bike just kinda tipped over...didn't fall hard, so its fine. I'm just wet. Amazingly this is only my second fall all year (minus getting hit by a car, but I don't count that for obvious reasons).

JoeSoMD 11-18-08 06:09 AM

Had a great tailwind going home last evening and had an awesome, 16mph tailwind coming in this morning. WooHoo! Also changed from white athletic socks to wool socks so my feet stayed much warmer. Mid 30'sF last evening and today. Yikes. Wind is supposed hang all day and evening. The head wind home will be tough.

FredOak 11-18-08 06:38 AM

2 inches of snow and still coming down, all black ice underneath, visibility about a block.

Given that it's the "first " snow of the season and these drivers are bad enough and the studded tires aren't here yet...I drove...and I feel so dirty.

But I could just imagine getting slammed at 40 and the ahole going "I didn't think it was that slippery out"

vtjim 11-18-08 06:54 AM

Snow! Just a dusting off the pavement. Not expected to accumulate. Temps in the upper 20sF, with a nice tailwind.

I spotted a rider about a quarter mile ahead of me on a long straight, so I gave chase. Haven't had visual on another cyclist ahead in weeks. He was moving along okay but I was doing 18-20MPH and reeled him in after about a mile or so. Hybrid bicycle. It sounded like he had studs. Too early for that! :)

vestarita 11-18-08 07:03 AM

The actual temperature this morning was in the low 30s and the "feels like" temp was low 20s, so I went with the "feels like" temp as a guide on how to dress. I used the balaclava I knit a few weeks ago for the first time and found it made my head way too hot, so 2 miles into my commute I pulled over and took it off, along with my fleece gloves. I continued on for about 1/2 a mile and my hands started turning into ice blocks, so I pulled over again and put the gloves back on. Other than that, it was a nice ride in. It sure didn't feel like 20 degrees to me. Maybe when the actual temp is in the low 20s I'll try the balaclava again.

SouthFLpix 11-18-08 07:52 AM

After two months I'm beginning to feel much more confident on the bike. Today I took the long way to work, in order to stop and get some breakfast. Temperature was in the 50's, so great biking weather.

dcrowell 11-18-08 08:18 AM

Cold! I saw a few flurries last night, but no accumulation. Today was cold and clear. This is the coldest I've ever ridden in. My new balaclava worked fine. I'm still looking for shoe covers... I had froze toze. :)

girljen 11-18-08 08:25 AM

Awesome! The weather was nice for November (40F), the sky was clear and all the stars were out, and the riding was just easy. I saw another commuter, too, I was surprised. I tried to catch up to him, but didn't have a chance. I was not surprised about that.

Itsjustb 11-18-08 08:43 AM

Brutal winds this morning, making the 34 degrees feel much colder and blowing me into the road once or twice.

I also realized something this morning. About 3 years ago I fell off my bike about a mile from my house during a morning commute, and I've never determined exactly why. I think I may have identified the cause today. My fall occured right next to a very small lake on a morning where there'd been mist overnight and temps around 34, similar weather to this morning. Passing that same spot this morning a HUGE blast of cold wind blew me out into the lane.

I'll bet the wind usually comes off the lake on days like this; it probably did so on the day of my fall, both creating a very thin patch of ice (I never saw it) and pushing me just enough to slip.

Pig_Chaser 11-18-08 08:47 AM

It was 0 this morning so i dressed appropriately. I was freezing off the get go though, to the point where i considered pulling over and putting on more layers, but i didn't. Then, about 1/2 way to work, i was too hot, to the point where i stripped off a layer.

T-Hussy 11-18-08 09:02 AM

Another nice 45 degree morning commute in Denver.

miedmonds 11-18-08 09:26 AM

I was going to write, "coldest morning yet," when I realized that I could look forward to saying that often in the next six or eight weeks. The billboard thermometer I passed a third of the way along my route said 17, but the weather station said wind chill of only 9. On my largest downhill, my eyes teared up in an annoying way and I found myself alternately closing them for a few seconds at a (for me) high speed. Glasses fog up if I don't exhale carefully through my scarf, too.

cyclaw 11-18-08 09:33 AM

Tried out my new knee warmers and poly skull cap that I bought at MEC last night... worked quite well in the "feel like" -10C (14F) windchill this morning. Even though I was wearing wraparound shades, some tears ran from the wind especially when crossing the bridge over the big Ottawa River. Traffic was so stop-go (prolly cuz I left later today), I couldn't build up much heat till much later in my ride.

Ka_Jun 11-18-08 09:39 AM

Waved it off today, accidents galore & roads freezing up.

jpdesjar 11-18-08 10:07 AM

My axle slipped in the drop outs while riding so I had to walk the bike home and adjust the axle and tighten it down really well and then start my ride again, I got to spend a little more time outdoors this morning and I was only 20 minutes late or so. :) I may need to look into some tensioners, I guess I am getting stronger but it did happen at a take off from a stop, I think when I tensioned my chain this morning I didn't tighten the nuts down enough because I was still sleepy.

kgriffioen 11-18-08 11:03 AM

Didn't ride home last night due to the snow and black ice. News claimed that there were over 200 fender benders during the evening rush. I took the company 4 wheeler home but it still took me 75 mins for a 12 mile trip. It was quite a mess out there. Hopefully I can ride home tonight. Its nice and sunny out right now but still cool.

harleyfrog 11-18-08 11:16 AM


Originally Posted by kgriffioen (Post 7872839)
Didn't ride home last night due to the snow and black ice. News claimed that there were over 200 fender benders during the evening rush. I took the company 4 wheeler home but it still took me 75 mins for a 12 mile trip. It was quite a mess out there. Hopefully I can ride home tonight. Its nice and sunny out right now but still cool.

When I used to live in Michigan, I always hated the first heavy snow fall of the season; seems like every driver had to relearn to drive in the snow. Now that I'm living in Mississippi, a light dusting (if we even get that) will shut the entire state down. There were a couple times I drove 40 miles to work after an ice storm only turn around and come back because the school was closed. :roflmao2:

rando 11-18-08 11:34 AM

Great! 70 degrees, first time on the bike in two months, and I made almost record time-- 5.5 miles, 26 min!! felt good.

lookingforcool 11-18-08 11:35 AM

Ride in was superb today. Wore a light jacket for the first half, shorts and tee for the rest. Southern California's neat. Mid 60's or something, I dunno... But I love that it's cool enough so that when I get to work I'm not dripping with sweat!

Saw another rider who looked like a commuter on Poway Rd. Nice guy. But hey - nice guy - if you're reading this... Get your bootie in the bike lane before someone kills you coming out of their driveway on that stretch. They're always in a hurry on that piece of road.

Looking forward to the ride home. Gonna be a toasty one, according to the news man.

lips3341 11-18-08 11:53 AM

Cold, especially with the new snow on the ground. Felt good and definitely brought the lungs to life. I got new shoe covers last night so the toes were nice and toasty this morning!

Ibn 11-18-08 11:58 AM

Brisk 55° this morning and rode in with shorts and a tee.

HardyWeinberg 11-18-08 12:07 PM

Nice ride in. 50F felt warm I must be winterizing my metabolism. Still full-finger gloves though. Passed a roadie in Phonak jersey.

kgriffioen 11-18-08 12:11 PM


Originally Posted by lips3341 (Post 7873214)
Cold, especially with the new snow on the ground. Felt good and definitely brought the lungs to life. I got new shoe covers last night so the toes were nice and toasty this morning!

Dude. If you rode through the snowy/icy mess of yesterday afternoon/evening you rock!! I ride through downtown 'Tosa on my commute from Meno Falls to West Allis, but I felt that I could not ride home last night because of the elements


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