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2012 - How Was the Commute Today?

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2012 - How Was the Commute Today?

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Old 03-01-12, 01:23 PM
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Warmer and drier today... Mid 50s F and sunny this morning with a bit of a tailwind. Already 70 now this afternoon. Glad I decided to opt for short sleeves for the ride in. It'll definitely be a no brainer on wardrobe for the ride home.
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Old 03-01-12, 05:13 PM
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Sweet ride this morning, temps up in the 50s. I had to dress down. Getting ready to do the return leg now.

It is getting dark at 6:15, no matter, I am pushing two flashlights up front, and let me tell you. The way the cars are giving me respect since I been running these dual flashlights, I should have been doing this all the time. You know when cars getting ready to turn, they see you coming, but they turn in front of you anyway. Not so with these lights. Sometimes I see them make the small move to start to take my right-a-way, and then they hit the brakes. I smile! Better lighting makes me seen more, and therefore I am safer!!

The ride home is going to be a blast. I am on my 79 #1 Raleigh Competition GS, and she rides..
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Old 03-01-12, 05:30 PM
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Another uneventful commute - mid 40s on the way in, and a cool West Texas tailwind pushing me home. Buds are appearing on the trees, here in West Texas it's starting to act and look like Springtime!
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Old 03-01-12, 05:32 PM
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I might get a little flak, but I really love Rapha gear. Wore the Softshell trousers and the Bomber to work with a wool baselayer. Wind and rain on my ~10 mile ride into the office and I arrived lookin' proper. Trousers were completely dry so I was pretty happy.
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Old 03-01-12, 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Tigerprawn
I might get a little flak, but I really love Rapha gear. Wore the Softshell trousers and the Bomber to work with a wool baselayer. Wind and rain on my ~10 mile ride into the office and I arrived lookin' proper. Trousers were completely dry so I was pretty happy.
Rapha is pretty darn expensive, at least for me. A $5 Tshirt is a major expense for me! Hope it's worth it!
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Old 03-02-12, 03:10 AM
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Crazy sidewind, warm sun, and tons of gravel on the roads. That stuff is worse than ice.
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Old 03-02-12, 03:23 AM
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Coworker told me he got a flat and took it to the shop. They charged $15 for a new tube and install...

Offered to go to the store to get a patch kit with him and teach him how to use it, but he declined.
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Old 03-02-12, 06:55 AM
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This is the fourth day in a row that I've ridden my bike to work. Will have around 70 commuting miles this week by the time I get home. Have a 40 mile ride planned with my pal Bill for first thing Saturday morning, that'll put me over 100 for the week (the target number) for the first time this year. Weather is supposed to change a bit on Sunday, so we'll see how much I ride next week????

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Old 03-02-12, 06:59 AM
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Rode yesterday with no tights, jacket, vest or long-finger gloves for the first time in months. The temperature reached 80 here in the afternoon but had cooled to the mid-70s for my commute home. Quite a bit cooler this morning in mid-40s with a chance for thunderstorms in the afternoon. I decided to risk it because the forecasters called for rain on Wednesday so I drove, but we hardly got a drop. Hopefully my luck will hold this afternoon.
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Old 03-02-12, 07:39 AM
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Cooler today, long pants are back but still spring days are becoming the norm.

And my good friend surprised me by email, she did her first bike commute ever today.
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Old 03-02-12, 08:09 AM
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It seems like no one goes to work on Fridays, the roads are so empty. Is it like this for anyone else? The commute is so much more enjoyable.
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Old 03-02-12, 08:43 AM
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Temperature was 32 degrees this morning but felt great with running pants,a thermal undershirt, and hoodie. This was my second day commuting and yesterday's adventure was lengthened by a Google maps error.

The road I planned to take for the majority of the route dead ends at a wooded area and it wasn't shown on Google maps. So yesterday I rode around and had to take the busiest street in the city to work at, probably, the busiest time of day (8am). But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I've rode on that street before, just not at that time of day.

Today I decided to go through that wooded area and I found that there is actually a small path leading to some train tracks so I rode the path and carried my bike over the tracks and then rode out of the path on the other side and the road picks back up on the other side. So now my commute has about 100 yards of trail riding tacked on to it, which is pretty fun actually, and I don't have to ride on the super busy street anymore. Pretty interesting adventure and I discovered something new about the city I've lived in for years!

Fun times.
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Old 03-02-12, 09:50 AM
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I was actually passed by another commuter this morning. Haven't seen too many this winter.
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Old 03-02-12, 11:14 AM
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Clear, roaring Santa Ana headwinds, 55 F.
I'm tired of the winds this winter.
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Old 03-02-12, 11:47 AM
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It was glorious. First commute (to work) ever for me. Been riding for years but never took it work. I think I may be hooked.

I did forget my belt. And had to do a quick Uturn 1/4 mile away from the house since I forgot my lock. I quickly learned that my mtb makes a crappy commuter and belongs on the narly signle track.
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Old 03-02-12, 11:50 AM
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38F, gray, dry-ish. Had a blood test this morning so rode to a lab on my way to work; there is a healthcare ghetto that I had to ride through, 2 lanes each way, no bike lanes, and buzzing audis and bmw's all late for their very important jobs. Anyway, I made it.
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Old 03-02-12, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Vlaam4ever
It was glorious. First commute (to work) ever for me. Been riding for years but never took it work. I think I may be hooked.

I did forget my belt. And had to do a quick Uturn 1/4 mile away from the house since I forgot my lock. I quickly learned that my mtb makes a crappy commuter and belongs on the narly signle track.
Excellent! Bicycle commuting is a lot of fun. You are becoming one of "us" - if that's a good thing lol
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Old 03-05-12, 05:52 AM
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It was an uneventful ride in at 30F (-1C). The first couple of days will be chilly, but come Wed the daytime temps will be in the 60sF (upper teens C).
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Old 03-05-12, 06:37 AM
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Back to the winter apparel, 32/0 this morning, quiet streets and that sun creeping up. I believe we change the clocks next weekend so back to the dark mronings for a few weeks.
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Old 03-05-12, 06:41 AM
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I was all set to ride this morning but opted to drive instead. I need to go to the doctor one day this week, and today seemed like the best option weather-wise. Temps were in the mid-30s when I got up, with light rain mixed with sleet and snow expected to start during my normal commute time, followed by high winds the rest of the day. The weather is supposed to be relatively nice the rest of the week, so hopefully the doctor's office can fit me in today and I can ride in more pleasant conditions on Tues-Friday.

We have had awful weather in NC for the past month, not particularly cold but with fronts moving through the area every few days. Worst of all, we are in a cycle where the weather has been terrible almost every weekend since early February. I normally get in a long ride of 50-60+ miles every Saturday or Sunday, but have been rained out every weekend since late January. If it weren't for commuting, my cycling mileage would be way off so far this year, but I am way above normal because the weather has been relatively nice on weekdays and I've been commuting on a lot of iffy days.
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Old 03-05-12, 07:07 AM
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I bought a new used car - it is still at "toy" status so I'll be driving to work for a couple of days before I get back on the bike. Darn car is awfully shiny!
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Old 03-05-12, 08:16 AM
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About three weeks ago after bike path thawed out, and mostly dried out, I switched the snudded snow tires for road tires. It's been cold and snow ever since. Bike path now has about 2 inches of ice/snow on it. Feel free to blame me for last weeks "Alberta Clipper'> I'm tempted to buy a second set of wheels that I can leave the snow tires mounted on for easy switch outs.
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Old 03-05-12, 10:54 AM
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One of those La Niņa days we have not been getting as many of as we were lead to believe. No way my socks will dry out by quitting time, gloves might not, but my coat should.

My fellow cube-farmer who does PR has stopped getting newspapers they're pretty much all online, so I stuffed my shoes w/ paper towels, feel a little guilty but hey lumberjacks need work too.
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Old 03-05-12, 10:59 AM
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Huge patches of ice this AM. Drove my Jeep. A guy that works right down the hall said he rode, and wished he hadnt. Probably just to make me feel better. But there is a good chance I would have crashed my bike even in the parking lot, damn near fell out of the jeep. After counselling I will be fine.
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Old 03-05-12, 11:27 AM
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Warm weather this morning, left over from a very warm weekend. 57 Deg.F to start, didn't even wear a jacket. Should be sunny an a bit hot on the return trip.

I was the only rider on a folder this morning on the metro; lots of dept. store mountain bikes and one high-end roadie.

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