It was like Springtime today, over 50 degrees on the ride in and 66 degrees with a tailwind coming home. I really do like my city!

Great! 19 F. when I started out, but base layer + wool sweater + bike jacket with open vents was fine for that--actually had to unzip some uphill. Balaclava with mask pulled under the chin. Midweight gloves over light ones under bar mitts, light running pants over Thermasilk long johns. Wool socks and duck boots. A beautiful sunrise was in progress when I left home.

Return started in our first little snowstorm. Nothing on the ground when I left. An inch or so when I arrived. Snow tires worked great--not a slide or fishtail. Was doing better than some of the cars. Wished I had windshield wipers for the glasses, but stopped a couple times to wipe them off. Washed the bike, lubed the chain and I'm ready for tomorrow. I have to drive if it's a regular schedule ):, but I'm hoping for a two-hour delay. That'll make three straight days. Fingers crossed!

Upon arrival at Mom's to visit on the way home. Not ashamed to be high-vis.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...d/IMG_5092.jpg

14 below this AM with 29 below windchill.
I passed... :(

No shame in that-that's truly extreme.

Yesterday I rode in with a frozen rear dérailleur and about a 1/2 mile from work the upper pulley wheel broke and I limped the bike to work. Left it overnight, took the bus home, and thought I had an old rear dérailleur to scavenge from at home but nope. And today took the bus in and on my lunch break walked at race pace to an LBS and bought a pair of new pulleys. Threw a new one on at the end of the day and rode home with the studded tires snapple, crack, popping until I'd roll over the black ice and they would go ominously quiet and I would hold my breath that the studs actually work (they do) and roll all the way home.

Pathetic loser. (JUST KIDDING!!!!)

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND...how you guys up north do it!!! It was 46 degrees at my house in Okeechobee, FL this morning (which means a 90%+ humidity level) and I about froze during the first few miles of my ride to work. I even went back into the bedroom and got an extra layer to put on under my jacket. I had on a long sleeve tee shirt, cycling shorts, tights, a short sleeve jersey, a thermal style long sleeve tee shirt, my nylon shell wind jacket, full finger gloves, a beenie hat, my helmet, glasses and such. The first two miles, with the jacket zipped tight to my neck, I was COLD. After that, natural heating took over, and by mile 5 was considering stopping to take the thermal tee off. But it was just another 3 miles to the shop, so I kept going. I used to live in Michigan, I remember the cold, but I don't remember anyone commuting on a bike in the winter.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee

Our mild winter continues. After one day with a low in the 20s, it only dropped to the mid-30s this morning. Funny, it felt just as cold on my bike though, perhaps due to higher humidity. Yesterday I had nothing in my legs, but they felt better today. Not sure what that was about. I was afraid maybe I was starting to come down with a cold because I'll notice it first with a drop in energy levels, but I feel fine today -- even though I'm a year older. Turned 58 yesterday.

Southerly crosswind coming in this morning, temps around 38. Circling police choppers kept me up all night so it was a groggy ride...they were still parked out in front of my building this morning at 5:15. I do love this city sometimes.

You sure it was a southerly crosswind? I had a persistent 15 mph headwind out of the north with occasional gusts. Made 35 degrees feel a lot colder than 35!

Gotta agree.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=wasd2

Ride in this morning was great. Cold, but not too cold, right around freezing temps. Precip isn't due until tonight after 9:00, so ride home should be dry and snow-free. Legs felt good.

After a rough day yesterday in the car (traffic was terrible), it was great to be back out on the bike today.

Did not ride yesterday, I fired up Old Red (my GMC Jimmy 1997) and drove because I wanted to give my legs a day off. On the car drive to work, and also on the drive home, I wished I was on the bike instead- - I'm growing to dislike driving very much because of the stress, the other drivers, the feeling that you have to be aggressive. I don't like getting angry, and every time I drive that happens, whereas when I ride my bike I feel happy and refreshed.

It wasn't much of a bike commuting week this week. I was so wiped out from Sunday's windy 200k that I just drove to work Monday rather than riding. I had medical appointments on both Wednesday and Friday, so didn't ride those days either. I rode Tuesday and Thursday, and got an extra 5 miles on the ride home Tuesday, making a stop at Performance Bike to pick up some tubes.

2012 days ridden to work: 10
2012 commuting mileage: 250.3

Today might qualify as the worst commuting day of the year....so far. I had to go to work an hour early at 3am. With the storm we had last night I had to leave about 20 mins earlier to anticipate some slow moving thru the snow. We were expecting a freezing rain/sleet/snow mix with 2-4”. Temp was about 25f. Starting out on the side streets, they were about 2” of wet heavy snow with ice underneath. With no tire tracks to ride down, it had the consistency of firm wet cement. There wasn’t a snowplow in sight once I got on the main road. They didn’t get out until much later in the morning. So I had to ride down the right tire track all the way to work, about 6 miles. When cars did come up behind I’d move into the shoulder. The whole road was like mashed potatoes. And by now it was snowing like crazy. Big wet flakes. I had overdressed and was overheating. I stopped to take the ear band off and opened up the vents on the jacket. I still sweated. But I cooled off some. I got to work on time, the extra 20 mins helped. I’ve ridden thru worse, but it being the first significant storm of the weird winter season that we’re having this year. I just wasn’t ready for something like that. But it got me in shape for the next one. Like all the other storms I’ve ridden in, I enjoyed the challenge. That’s what makes it fun.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6...96aa4c947c.jpg

Finally able to ride again today, I wasn't prepared for ice and snow on Seattle's hills with the drivers here, so I (gasp!) took the bus the past couple of days.

Bundled up pretty good this morning and promptly almost bit it on a patch of thawing snow that had frozen pieces in the middle and was hidden around the far side of one of the round-abouts that plague many of the intersections in the neighborhoods here. Realized I was still moving too fast for conditions and slowed it down. The side streets still had a lot of snow and icy patches and chunks hidden under melting snow.

On the busier streets I had to take a/the lane because in most places because although the streets were bare and wet, the bike lanes were filled with several inches of frozen snow. Crossing highway 99 (Aurora Avenue) as well 85th Street, I have to use the crosswalk button because the lights don't sense me. This was pretty tricky as the handi-ramps from the sidewalk were largely blocked by frozen snow. Nearly biffed it on one of these on the way home.

My commute takes me around Greenlake. Normally I have a pretty nice bike lane here. Today it was actually clear of snow, but completely filled with joggers who didn't want to brave slip-and-fall injuries on their icy trails! Again, I was forced into the road and the cars just had deal, and get around me when they could. Some of the joggers tried to be nice about it, but I'm afraid I felt about them being in the bike lane probably about how most cars probably feel about bikes being in the road. I could understand why they were there, and I was willing to grant it to them, but I didn't like it, and I grumbled to myself in my mind at first, and I didn't smile back, much less wave as some of them did.

All the above I took as a challenge and adventure and was cool with. The 21mph headwind and my ass hurting like a newbie this morning I wasn't so cool with! Wasn't saddlesore on the ride home, so don't know what was up with that. Thinking of chalking it up to not having enough time to sleep in-between 12 hour shifts.

As I left the parking garage it was raining, but I started out by only going two blocks to an ATM to get some cash. By the time I came out from the overhang at the cash machine it was only raining very lightly. By the time I made it to Dick's Burgers on Broadway maybe a mile away it wasn't raining at all, and that held for the rest of the commute home.

Not the healthiest meal, but I had been hungry for the last couple of hours of my shift in the ER, and if I waited until I rode 7-ish miles home and then fixed something I knew I was going to be grumpy. Dick's is not only very fast, but they have a stand-up counter to eat at, so I can put my kickstand down in a parking space right there and have a quick meal before I can get cold without going to the trouble of locking up and pulling my saddlebag and lights off. Seattle only has a few places where you can get a bite to eat late at night anyway...

What are we riding here.....Awesome Ride. Do you have a link or info about?

Thanks!

Froghunter

Thanks for the compliment. Your looking at a mid-90's Gary Fisher 'Utopia' that I bought off of a friend around 1998. Since 2009, I've overhauled everything and gave it a camoflauge DIY paint job inspired by beer. It's pushing 30k and it's got two blizzards and numerous ice storms and snowstorms under its belt. I ride it year round.
another pic at "commuter bike pics" pg 352 #8790
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...e-Pics/page352

I'm on Vacation! A staycation here in my hometown, museums and the zoo and some local tourist traps I don't often see - - therefore no commuting miles this coming week. However, there will be plenty of bicycling antics as I terrorize West Texas!

It was a decent ride, although a little bit slow with salt sitting on top of ice. The temp is above freezing at 33f (1C), so that helps. The municipalities have a flush snow removal fund, so they plastered the roadways with salt. Then there are the private snow removal folks who blow through intersections in the dark, and push all their snow onto the roadways, usually in the curb lane. Expecting freezing rain later, and hopefully it turns to just plain rain before I leave.

I do tend to get mixed up on my directions but it sure felt like it came out of the South :)

No major issues coming in this morning despite predicted ice storm. I only regret not wearing my rain gear, the mist was thicker than I had anticipated.

We had thundershowers this morning, low 40's. I was tempted to drive but the weekend was wasted on wrenching the car - no cycling - and I didn't want to break my 2012 streak on this bit of weather. The irony of biking to work because you fixed the car seems a little strange, but it makes a sort of sense, doesn't it?

I was tempted to drive this morning because a cold front is moving through the state today and rain is expected. But then I read an article in the morning newspaper about an 86-year-old guy who rides 10 miles every day, and felt guilty about being so wimpy. So I biked to work after all and had a great ride with a tailwind most of the way and relatively mild temps in the mid-30s. I might end up cursing that old fart if I have to ride home in pouring rain, however.

Almost backed out. Was up late, felt "flat", but I wound up riding in after all - and I at least feel better than if I had not.