No commute today, due to holiday. Most of this week is looking fairly unpleasant, but getting up to double digits Friday.

The Big Apples I ordered a few months back finally arrived this week. I went for a 69km test ride yesterday and really like them. That ride put me over 6,000km for the year. I also moved the Brooks B17 from my road bike to the mountain bike.

http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_0175b.jpg

53F, clear, calm, and bright blue skies. This is the golden time for bike commuting.

Great temp. today with 61 Deg.F at the start here is SoCal, a bit less motor traffic due to the Columbus day holiday.

Fewer folks on the Metro too; I didn't really need to have folded the bike but it's such a habit with me . . . I folded it anyway.

Rick / OCRR

Are you pulling our leg or was the facemask to guard against sunburn?

the morning commute was the coldest yet here in north texas. My garmin was reading 34-38 on my route. I had all the gear I need except shoe covers! damn it! everything else was fine! but just too cold for wool socks only. The ride home was better arroud 64-66 and I made really really good time with out putting a ton of effort. Just a good day I guess, Oh an I did good on my layering so my go home clothes weren't too warm for 66ish

A mild rainy morning at 48f (9c). I didn't get soaked, but just wet. This is good, since I didn't rain proof my lunch.

Kept the short pants but broke out the Merrel Winter Mocs closed shoes and the gloves and hat. Light rain, very light.

It was a very cool 42f degrees when I rode throught town this am. Though it was dry and cloudy, there was mention of scattered showers today. We have not gotten them. It was a very nice ride in as I have not ridden since last Wednesday. That is to long to go without riding.

Coolest morning commute since last April with temps in the 40s. Roads were still very wet from drenching rains yesterday but thankfully didn't encounter any rain. Made good time with a tailwind about half the way but caught every red light, which slowed my average speed.

clear and cool, 39°
Uneventful out on the roads.

I don't mind wrapping up for the cool in the morning. The challenge for me; Where do I put all this stuff in the afternoon when it's 70°+?

Not as cold as yesterday, but still cold enough to not be sweaty. It must have been "be a courteous driver" day. Everyone moved to the other lane to pass me, and one even slowed down to let me turn left in front of them.

cool 5 celcius, very nice sun, little tailwind

0C/32F, a nice pleasant ride in the sunrise.

1C with light ice pellets that turned to snow as I got to school. I did an extra 2km this morning because I forgot a letter I was going to mail and had to turn back. I saw the aftermath of a car accident while I was riding. Both cars looked to be write offs, made more impressive by the fact it happened at a 4 way stop.

I'm riding my mountain bike with the new 26 x 2.35 Big Apples this week. I put my road bike away for the winter and moved the Brooks saddle to the mountain bike. Its much better than the spongy saddle I used to have on it. I had the gears on the mountain bike setup perfectly, but this morning the shifting was very sloppy, must be the cold weather.

My all black Pugsley is supposed to arrive at the LBS sometime this week. I ordered some red reflective motorcycle wheel pin striping tape from ebay to give the bike a little colour and better side visibility. The tape is 1/4" wide but apparently not quite long enough for both sides of two bicycle wheels, so I ordered 2 packages.

wednesday morning. surprised by rain this morning. good oppurtunity to test my new rain gear.the cheap gear is almost like a sweat outfit in that you can have condensation on the inside of the suit when it isnt even raining. moist. but actually worked well in the rain. no stars in the sky today.

A nice warm morning at 56f (13c). Foggy, but all the street lamps were on, and that is nice. Fog is the only time they all get turned on. Tomorrow with clear skies, most will be off, and the ride will be in pitch black.

Another perfect Autumn ride in.

Well, it finally happened to me, I got hit by a car this morning. All things considered I was very lucky, other than a little soreness in my left knee and lower back, I sufferend no real injury. I was crossing Independance Ave, at 15th street, when I was tagged by a big pickup. While I was crossing againts the light, there was no cross traffic and, I thought, the guy saw me. We were coming from opposite directions and he was nearly stopped. I had my headlight on and thought he saw me, allowing me to cross. As I approached the curb he started to pull out and do a right turn, I yelled, swerved and, unweighted the back of the bike. I knew I was about to be hit and wanted my legs out of the way. Just as I thought this was going to be a close call, he tagged the back of the bike. I made it to the sidewalk and stopped but, he kept going-driving slowly away. I got off the bike and yelled for him to stop and, flashed him with my headlight. I stood there in a state of shock, checking myself and the bike. Another cyclist who had been following me, chased the guy down then, returned with his plate number stating that he stopped the guy about a block away and that, if he drove away now, it would be a hit and run. I jumped back on the bike and rode down to the truck along with the other cyclist. We saw the driver walking toward us, on his phone and turned around to talk. The other cyclist asked if we were ok, making sure we weren't about to fight. I told him "no" and thanked him for going out of his way to help. The driver turned out to be a nice guy, apologizing profusely for not seeing me-he was distracted by another car (that I never noticed) and asked if I was ok. We decided that he could cancel his 911 call and he gave me his card, in case there was injury or damage. I'm not sure where he hit my bike, I believe it was on the seat/chain stays as there was no damage to the wheel at all. It was as though the bike was just bumped a foot or two to the left as it was hit but, otherwise, there was no damage. My left knee is a little sore as, I think, the top tube was forced into it and, my lower back aches a little but, is otherwise ok. I'll probably take some Ibuprofin and see how things feel throughout the day. Although I was really lucky, it was pretty scary-thinking about what could have happened. I'm also disapointed in my choice to cross against the light. Even though there was no cross traffic, it was a choice that, years ago, I said I simply would no longer do. I'll chalk this up to experience and keep riding, of course, but, continue to work on improving my safety (a record that, for 10.5 years, has been, actually, really good).

42 deg. F but foggy, really foggy for about 2.5 miles in the middle of my commute. Not too bad here in Pugetropolis.

Godspeed mjw16. I'm glad to hear you're not injured severely.


My ride was uneventful. It was in the low 50s with a light on/off sprinkle of rain. It was dark the whole route, I think I'm gonna invest in a better headlamp (for seeing the road) and maybe another rear light or two.

I tried a different route today. It confirms what I've thought for a while now; Shorter is not always better.

51F/11C under a gray sky. Spent 4 bike-free days in Portland, Maine so my legs were all charged up with lobster energy and ready to ride. :p Valet parking guy at the hotel where we stayed had a sweet Kona Ute. Dunno if you read this site, but we were the couple with the Border Collie and the Mini. :)

Took it easy this morning because my legs have been tired lately. Nice weather with temps in the mid-50s, making for a pleasant commute, so I extended my ride about 5 minutes by cruising around downtown.

Glad you're not seriously hurt! It just goes to show that you should always assume the drivers don't see you. Not to pour salt on your wounds, but would you be found at fault since you crossed against the lights? Was this in a crosswalk?


My ride in this morning was fine. Warmer than it has been; I didn't need gloves and I wish I hadn't worn my long-sleeve top. Only one buzz, and it was by a dump truck that gave me zero room. It was wet out, and it's a curvy 40mph road, so I didn't want to ride in the lane (cars wouldn't have time to stop enough for my 12-15mph speed). I thought of riding after him, but he had a green light; there was no way I could have caught him.

Man it's cold! about 48 this morning. But I adjusted pretty quick.

Stars were out and it was beautiful!:thumb:

Snowing a little bit on the way in this morning. Using my new MagicShine 808 knock-off (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QQX3C4) on medium brightness made dashed lines out of the snowflakes' paths (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation). Really liking the new light so far.

Spivonious, yes, it would have been my fault. I was crossing, in a crosswalk, againts the light. Even though it was early, with little to no traffic, I know better. My dissapointment is with my decision, not necassarily that I was hit. Years ago I made a choice to; always ride safely and, never take unnecassary chances. I'd never really been reckless on my commutes but, I felt there was room for improvement. I made a bad choice this morning but, was very lucky in not getting hurt. I'm extra mad at myself since I had a close call in the Summer. Although it wasn't my fault it could have been catostrophic given the speed of the oncoming car.

FenderTL5, thank you.

Upper 50s and a little foggy. Ugh - I was too hot - I like my knees warm but had too much on the upper body. I like riding in the fog - at least on the bike trail. The fog along the Potomac River is so pretty in the mornings. By the time I hit DC streets, the visibility is fine. I took it easy today. My left knee is still achy for some reason - I took 4 days off but ran on Saturday so I'm paying the price for that. I'm trying to hit 1000 miles commuting (a first in 7 years of trying) and still have a ways to go, so I'm taking it easy on my knee. It is okay if I don't mash it.

-1C with light snow, though it wasn't accumulating anywhere but on the grass. The forecast called for a few cm and a chance of freezing rain, so I put the studded tires on last night. The forecast for Friday onwards is mid-teens, so the studs will be coming off after tomorrow.

Left turning motorists continue to pull this annoying manoeuvre while I'm going straight at green light. As I begin to cross they start to accelerate directly at me before I pass the line they are going to take for their turn. Their attempt to time it so they occupy the same space where I was just after I clear it doesn't leave much margin for safety.

It was 50 by the time I got started. On the bright side it was just the right temperature to ride in wearing office slacks without breaking a sweat, no shower.

About 0 or 1C, light rain/snow mix, but not enough to really get me wet. A bit breezy too. Not the best day to be on a bike, but it sure beats taking the bus.