2012 - How Was the Commute Today?
#2951
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
Hit a bump too hard and got ANOTHER flat on my rear.
#2952
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
great weather, sunny, third time to get nearly hit by a damn truck (same place/same truck) pulling out of a car repair shops parking lot the guy slammed on his brakes. i wish i could report this business or even put up a sign that says "Watch-out for Bikes". FYI we are allowed to use the sidewalk since pedestrian traffic is low, while our main street is always packed with cars during rush hour.
#2953
Cool (6C), clear, calm, fast. By next week, I think the morning sun won't be a problem anymore (assuming I leave my house at a decent time).
#2954
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,053
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
Bikes: Trek 830 Mountain Track Drop bar conversion
Beautiful weather the last few days. Tuesday was nasty... I was in the worst of the storm that day... Had no choice. I needed to make it to class in time for a presentation. 35 mph gusts in the face, driving rain, a tree down on the MUP. Hard to get much worse than that this time of year.
Best time of year for riding us now through the end of November IMO.
Best time of year for riding us now through the end of November IMO.
#2955
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 168
Likes: 0
Dont you guys hate it when people are just walking in the bike lanes?
Especially when there is a car coming from your left at night, hand signals would be pointless...
Especially when there is a car coming from your left at night, hand signals would be pointless...
#2956
I had a little drama coming home last night. Bus passed me too close and gave me the wobbles. Unusual, because most of our bus drivers seem to be really courteous, and indeed a lot of them are cyclists. Lucky I was very nearly at the point where there is a gap in the curb for entry to the MUP, so I bolted onto it. Otherwise the back wheels of the bus would have got me at the corner (about 20 ft further) as the bus turned. What's most unsettling is that there was nothing I could have done better. I don't ride beside buses or trucks but in this case he overtook me just before the corner.
#2957
Super-spreader
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 887
Likes: 101
From: where black is the color, where none is the number
Bikes: shiny red tricycle
That's the kind of week I had too. Five flats! I can't figure out if it's a problem with the tire or rim, or it's just from all the crap on the road (raspberry bushes, glass etc.). There is still the same dead animal on the bike lane that I mentioned back in August. I'm going to stick with the MTB until things get cleaned up.
#2958
commuting with a suit and tie is kind of strange. but it works fine since the temperatures are low enough. however taxi drivers are still a pain. they just do not know how to pass cyclists properly.
#2959
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: Columbia, Maryland
Bikes: Trek 820 mtb, A no name red steel pipe bike, my commuter
Cool ride in at 53f (12c). It felt warmer, but the nights are moving into the chillier realm.
#2960
Senior Member

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,648
Likes: 1,466
From: Merrimac , MA
The stars were out and the temp was 39f when I left this morning. It was a very nice quiet ride to work, though I did see a fox on someone's lawn as I was riding in this am. The fox was small.
#2961
Super Moderator
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,805
Likes: 868
From: Greenwood Indiana
Bikes: Surly Crosscheck
40F or less this AM, big temp difference between the city and the burbs. I felt great for the first time in a week. Very nice ride.
__________________
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
Good Night Chesty, Wherever You Are
#2962
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
42F/6C this morning. My hands got cold for the first time in a very long time, but they warmed up once I got the system energized. (I don't wear gloves yet. My hands would get overheated.) Almost no traffic at all out there. I need to try to leave at the same time every day. Cars seem to explode all over my route if I leave 5 or 10 minutes later.
#2963
Old, but not really wise
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 814
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA commuting to Washington DC
Bikes: 2010 Kona Dew Drop (the daily driver),'07 Specialized Roubaix (the sports car), '99 ish Kona NuNu MTB (the SUV), Schwinn High Plains (circa 1992?) (the beater)
Overall, a good ride with great weather, but I was apparently quite impatient, and it caught up with me. I should have known I needed to re-focus and reconsider when I was 'forced' to go around a truck on the left (and across the double yellow) on a minor side street. But the real wake up came when I decided to go around a cab on the right, and he bumped me as he pulled to the curb to let off his fare. Now, I must have had more than an inkling that this was coming, as I had waited behind him for some (short, but far from de minimus) time period before deciding it was okay to pass. As I got along side, he moved for the curb and I was nudged/squeezed. I think the pedestrians on the sidewalk were far more upset than I was, though I still think the cabbie needs a lesson in looking before moving, as he had just cleared the section of road that has a full bike lane, so having a bike to his right was not exactly out of the ordinary. But I'll take the bulk of the blame, as I should have been patient and not tried to scoot past him.
#2964
I'm in the "I dont know how bundled up to get" part of the year. Too much and overheat...too little and feel chilled.
Both paniers filled up but oddly my ride felt light and smooth.
Both paniers filled up but oddly my ride felt light and smooth.
#2965
ouate de phoque
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 1
From: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus
Nice sun, no cloud and a cool 3 C (37.5 F) very nice ride.
#2966
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
#2967
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,850
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster, PA, USA
Bikes: 2012 Trek Allant, 2016 Bianchi Volpe Disc
Woke up sore from hockey yesterday, so I decided to sleep in and drive. One of these weeks I'll do all five days.
#2968
Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 223
From: Canada
Bikes: 2009 Trek 520
6C when I left the house but it rapidly warmed throughout my ride. Having given the road and touring bikes a week of riding each, I decided to give the mountain bike a turn this week. Saturday I replaced the freehub on it. I accidentally got the wrong one so I needed to add some spacers and re-adjust my derailleur. I forgot to swap my road bike tubes for mtb tubes in my trunk bag this morning. In the unlikely event of a flat, I'll have to patch it.
Pretty decent afternoon temperatures are forecast for the entire week, with 26 for today.
Pretty decent afternoon temperatures are forecast for the entire week, with 26 for today.
#2969
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
That's the kind of week I had too. Five flats! I can't figure out if it's a problem with the tire or rim, or it's just from all the crap on the road (raspberry bushes, glass etc.). There is still the same dead animal on the bike lane that I mentioned back in August. I'm going to stick with the MTB until things get cleaned up.
#2970
Unlisted member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 435
From: Chicagoland
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock
Great ride this morning! It's still warm enough for shorts when I left, and the cooler air made me feel faster.
#2972
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 720
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Bikes: 2012 Cinelli Mystic Rat, Nashbar CX
Cold this morning. It was in the 40's here and the windchill was a little gripping.
But the ride home this afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny, little breezy and for some reason, I seemed to hit the traffic just right. Not too heavy to speak of, traffic wasn't backed up on the usual road this afternoon.
But the ride home this afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny, little breezy and for some reason, I seemed to hit the traffic just right. Not too heavy to speak of, traffic wasn't backed up on the usual road this afternoon.
#2973
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Super mellow.
#2974
princeton to west windsor and then rahway and invert:
monday uneventful cool.
tuesday morning cold! cant seem to get going this week feel tired and sort of sick. fasting tonite and the morrow so no work wednesday and therefre no commute. just want a blanket.
monday uneventful cool.
tuesday morning cold! cant seem to get going this week feel tired and sort of sick. fasting tonite and the morrow so no work wednesday and therefre no commute. just want a blanket.
#2975
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: Columbia, Maryland
Bikes: Trek 820 mtb, A no name red steel pipe bike, my commuter
The chilliest day since April at 47f (8C). I did enjoy looking up and seeing the stars and full constellations, then I reminded myself that cars come out of nowhere, so pay attention.




