2012 - How Was the Commute Today?
#3376
I have a longsleeve 1/4 zip in midweight merino wool from Minus 33 that I am in love with. Even better, I got it for $35 as a discontinued style/color. Even at regular price, I would buy again:
https://www.minus33.com/catalog/men-s...t-1-4-zip/714G
I have merino wool socks from Smartwool that I have been using for a while, and they are 5 stars too:
https://www.smartwool.com/mens/hike-light-crew-1200.html
https://www.minus33.com/catalog/men-s...t-1-4-zip/714G
I have merino wool socks from Smartwool that I have been using for a while, and they are 5 stars too:
https://www.smartwool.com/mens/hike-light-crew-1200.html
#3377
Very nice bike commute today, making 8 miles with a nice weather and a beautiful day. I couldn't ask for more.
I feel awesome!!!
I feel awesome!!!
#3378
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
Hah, I can't believe I'm the first poster in this discussion today. Normally, a couple of others have beaten me in to work and posted here before me, I guess they've been hit by Frankenstorm.
First day of snow today but my initial trepidation of riding on the thin layer of snow was gone when I realized that the snow only stayed as snow on the grass and cars, the roads were still at or above 0C so there was just a bit of wetness on the roads. It was 0C today and I decided to get out my fat gloves and wear them: my hands were nice and toasty. As usual, the rest of my body was warm and a bit sweaty by the time I arrived at work but not too bad. My toes were fine until the last 1km when I was riding into the cold, snowy wind: the wind chill must have gotten through my toe covers, shoes and wool socks.
We're not expected to get any effects of Frankenstorm but Toronto, 4hr drive south, will be getting 50-100mm rain (2-4") and winds up to 90kph (55mph). The wind today for me was 30kph from the North and between some buildings and hills along the way, it must have gusted up to 50kph.
Have a good day everyone and safe ride for those on the east coast.
First day of snow today but my initial trepidation of riding on the thin layer of snow was gone when I realized that the snow only stayed as snow on the grass and cars, the roads were still at or above 0C so there was just a bit of wetness on the roads. It was 0C today and I decided to get out my fat gloves and wear them: my hands were nice and toasty. As usual, the rest of my body was warm and a bit sweaty by the time I arrived at work but not too bad. My toes were fine until the last 1km when I was riding into the cold, snowy wind: the wind chill must have gotten through my toe covers, shoes and wool socks.
We're not expected to get any effects of Frankenstorm but Toronto, 4hr drive south, will be getting 50-100mm rain (2-4") and winds up to 90kph (55mph). The wind today for me was 30kph from the North and between some buildings and hills along the way, it must have gusted up to 50kph.
Have a good day everyone and safe ride for those on the east coast.
#3379
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 720
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Bikes: 2012 Cinelli Mystic Rat, Nashbar CX
Even though it's supposed to be partly cloudy today, the wind is gusting at 25-30 mph here. They say that some gusts could be as high as 40 mph. I saw a tree in the neighborhood go down, and I figured I would wait until tomorrow. I don't want to be fighting wind that strong in traffic.
Hope everyone is okay in the storm path.
Tarheel, how's things up your way?
Hope everyone is okay in the storm path.
Tarheel, how's things up your way?
#3380
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
Quiet ride in. Temps in the upper 40sF. Slight headwind, I guess it's the beginning of Sandy. We're supposed to have a good blow this afternoon and tonight. I hope it pushes me all the way home.
#3381
Not nearly as cold as forecast, so I left off half the layers I had prepared last night. It was a bit gusty, with a lot of debris so it must have really blown last night. Other than that it was a far more pleasant commute than I had expected.
You folks up north with Sandy, take care!
You folks up north with Sandy, take care!
#3382
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,850
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster, PA, USA
Bikes: 2012 Trek Allant, 2016 Bianchi Volpe Disc
Drove in today because of Sandy. My co-workers all thought I'd ride in. Mission accomplished?
#3383
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, TX
Bikes: All City Macho Man Disc, Surly CrossCheck, Surly Steamroller, Voodoo Agwe, Trek FX 7.2
Cold*, strava says average temp was 73'F
edit: I read that wrong, it was not 73F it was more like 30-33F what the hell how did I mess that up
*for texas
edit: I read that wrong, it was not 73F it was more like 30-33F what the hell how did I mess that up
*for texas
Last edited by Yalc; 10-30-12 at 02:51 PM.
#3384
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 8,162
Likes: 647
From: Brooklyn NY
Bikes: Kuota Kredo/Chorus, Trek 7000 commuter, Trek 8000 MTB and a few others
Office was closed today and tomorrow for Sandy. If the rain holds off, and so far it has, I'll take a brief ride later just to say I did it.
#3386
ouate de phoque
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 1
From: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus
Frankenstorm ??? pffff!!! I got to work with a strong headwind but no problem.
#3387
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
#3388
Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,575
Likes: 223
From: Canada
Bikes: 2009 Trek 520
-1C with a bit of a headwind and a tiny bit of snow on the ground. I put the studded tires on last night because there was a chance of freezing rain forecast. I saw a lot of migrating geese taking a break in the park.
i got the front fender for my Pugsley built and fitted. I'm working on getting the rear one fitted, but the horizontal dropouts are an issue for wheel removal.
i got the front fender for my Pugsley built and fitted. I'm working on getting the rear one fitted, but the horizontal dropouts are an issue for wheel removal.
#3389
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,606
Likes: 703
From: Layton, UT
Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile
The roads were very wet this morning. According to the weather, we had about 1/2 inch of rain here last night.
The driveway out of my apt complex is very steep: about 15 yards of 11-12% grade, a sharp left, 9-1% grade for 30 yards, sharp right, and the exit to the street. Well, wet roads, lots of leaves...I'm pretty sure the coefficient of friction on wet leaves isn't much better than ice. I had one foot unclipped as I was going down hill, both front and rear tires slid more than once.
It was surprisingly warm, though. About 60F. Very gusty winds, but it was a tailwind, so I'm not complaining too much.
Winds should die down for the ride home tonight.
The driveway out of my apt complex is very steep: about 15 yards of 11-12% grade, a sharp left, 9-1% grade for 30 yards, sharp right, and the exit to the street. Well, wet roads, lots of leaves...I'm pretty sure the coefficient of friction on wet leaves isn't much better than ice. I had one foot unclipped as I was going down hill, both front and rear tires slid more than once.
It was surprisingly warm, though. About 60F. Very gusty winds, but it was a tailwind, so I'm not complaining too much.
Winds should die down for the ride home tonight.
#3390
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 720
Likes: 1
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Bikes: 2012 Cinelli Mystic Rat, Nashbar CX
Not nearly as cold as forecast, so I left off half the layers I had prepared last night. It was a bit gusty, with a lot of debris so it must have really blown last night. Other than that it was a far more pleasant commute than I had expected.
You folks up north with Sandy, take care!
You folks up north with Sandy, take care!
#3391
Yeah you know I usually watch the weather channel, and they were saying it was going to be bad windy today. Looking outside, I see it's just a little windy, but sunny and warmer that I thought as well. We had a big tree down in the neighborhood. There was a crew there to cut it up as I was leaving this morning.
#3392
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
The ride home was cool (1C) with 43kpm N winds so 2/3 of the ride home was while fighting the wind. Slowest ride to date but I'm not fussing about the speed, I'm happy to be continuing to bike commute.
#3393
Senior Member



Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,168
Likes: 5,351
From: SF Bay Area, East bay
Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200, Soma double cross 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball, Waterford rs11
Had a nice fog-laden AM ride and skirted it back along the bay on the way home. Wore a hi-vis jacket but sweated it off. I'm ready for some 40 degree weather.
#3394
Super-spreader
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 887
Likes: 101
From: where black is the color, where none is the number
Bikes: shiny red tricycle
I have the "lightweight merino hoodie" from MEC. Love it! The hood is perfect for cold rain and thin enough to stay out of the way when I don't need it.
I also recently picked up some Smartwool merino liner gloves, and they are working well.
This morning was wet, but it was worth it for the evening commute. Temps in the teens (C) and a large moon staring at me. Also, I finally got a proper headlight (Urban 550) which is making the night riding a lot more fun.
I also recently picked up some Smartwool merino liner gloves, and they are working well.
This morning was wet, but it was worth it for the evening commute. Temps in the teens (C) and a large moon staring at me. Also, I finally got a proper headlight (Urban 550) which is making the night riding a lot more fun.
#3395
Belt drive!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, Vermont
Bikes: 2011 Trek Soho DLX
61F/16C. Ridiculous for October 30th, but I guess I won't complain. The Big Storm just grazed Burlington here in Vermont, so I didn't think twice about riding to work. The roads were wet and I had a helping tailwind. I wore my rain gear in case it rains later today.
#3396
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
Likes: 7
From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Missed 5 days of riding due to out-of-town guests as well as Hurricane Sandy, so I rode this morning even though Sandy was still affecting NC with wrap-around winds and rain. Got a window in the rain showers when I got up and the winds were not as bad as yesterday, but I battled steady headwinds and the coldest temperatures of this fall all the way to work. To top it off, I got a flat on my rear wheel half way to work and had to fix it in the dark. Easily the toughest and slowest commute of the year for me.
#3397
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
Maybe, but you did it anyway. Me, I wimped out today but the conditions were (are) 1C, 45kph N gusty winds and light rain which means that I would have been very cold and very wet after 45-50 minutes riding, the last 20 or so into the headwind and rain. I don't have the gear for these conditions: if it is warm and wet or cold and dry, I'm ok, but cold and wet, no, not yet.
Update: just viewed the Weather Network data and gusts are up to 58kph. That would have been a forward-impeding challenge.
Update: just viewed the Weather Network data and gusts are up to 58kph. That would have been a forward-impeding challenge.
#3398
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
We're getting the remnants of Sandy here in MI. The last couple days coming in have been pretty miserable. 15 mph headwind and swirling gusts. Luckily, my commute is pretty short. Temps were about 37F this morning, a bit warmer yesterday. The good news is on the way home, the tailwind is a lot of fun. I hit 33 mph surfing a gust yesterday without even working that hard and was still accelerating when I hit a red light.
#3399
Slowest commute of the year so far, from the wind and being bundled up in flapping clothes I guess.
#3400
ouate de phoque
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 1
From: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus
Fastest commute back home last night with Sandy pushing me at an average of 44-45 km/h for a good part of my commute.
A bit slower this morning with crosswind, headwind of 20-30 km/h
A bit slower this morning with crosswind, headwind of 20-30 km/h




