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2012 - How Was the Commute Today?

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2012 - How Was the Commute Today?

Old 10-22-12, 11:41 AM
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Nice ride in after a three day weekend. Of course I was going on about five hours of sleep, which had been interrupted by a hungry baby at 4 am, so I was feeling a bit sluggish. Still enjoyed the ride , though.

The weather was great, although we're getting into territory where I find it too warm for long sleeves but as little too cool for short sleeves. Today I opted for long sleeves but was too warm by the time I got to the office. It's supposed to be warmer the rest of the week, so the dilemma should ease, but it'll be back again as soon as it gets a few degrees cooler again.
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Old 10-22-12, 12:13 PM
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https://mapmyride.com/view_workout?w=196326801

Uneventful; which is always good!
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Old 10-22-12, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by teachme
https://mapmyride.com/view_workout?w=196326801

Uneventful; which is always good!
Too bad that "uneventful" is becoming more and more rare . . .
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Old 10-22-12, 02:39 PM
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Plenty wet with light showers all day long and temps running in the mid 70's. Haven't managed to find a descent jacket in my size at the local shops, so the windbreaker that I use kept me constantly sweaty.
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Old 10-22-12, 03:06 PM
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It was bloody cold this morning (official temp was 39, but the thermometer at my house was reading 37F). Only getting into the low 40s today, and it will probably be raining on the ride home. I'm going to take the medium route (11 miles) and see how cold I am when I get home. If it's not too bad, I'll keep taking that or the long way most days, but if it's just miserable cold, I'll take the short (4.5 miles) home and just spend some extra time in the gym.

I really miss Arizona this time of year.
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Old 10-22-12, 03:26 PM
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Nice ride home. rained for the last mile or so, but still nice.
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Old 10-22-12, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by making
Nice ride home. rained for the last mile or so, but still nice.
Rain during the ride home is always nice - - Rain on the ride in is another matter altogether!
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Old 10-22-12, 03:32 PM
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Yes, that is true.
Originally Posted by tractorlegs
Rain during the ride home is always nice - - Rain on the ride in is another matter altogether!
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Old 10-22-12, 04:12 PM
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Was lovely this evening and I've really wanted to tell someone! So quiet coming back through London for some reason, dry but with a light, cool mist. Tweaked my bike over the weekend so it was smoother than ever as well.
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Old 10-23-12, 04:38 AM
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A tad warmer than yesterday at 49f (9c). Deer are just about everywhere, and so far I just see them bolting in the dark.
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Old 10-23-12, 05:15 AM
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It was warmer this morning 45f than I expected. I was over dressed and had to stop and take off a pair of gloves and my hat so that I would not sweat. Other than that it was a very nice ride in. I love the starry skies when I leave in the morning.
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Old 10-23-12, 05:40 AM
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Watery eyes are coming back, even with the slight warm up.
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Old 10-23-12, 06:13 AM
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Mild temperature this morning (9C) and so, like a fool who hadn't ridden in 11 days, I overdressed and had to strip off the outer shell part way along the route. The first half of the 1km unlit portion was difficult this morning because of the leaves on the path: my lights aren't bright enough to make it easy for me to distinguish between the path and the grass on the side and so, if you plotted my route, it would be zigzagging from side to side. About halfway along the path, there were no leaves on the path and birch trees lining the sides so it was easier to see where the path was.

It felt good to be on the bike again.
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Old 10-23-12, 06:18 AM
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I have low tire pressure in the rear, it'll probably be flat before I head home this afternoon.

I remember why I quit riding two years ago now. I'm averaging a flat tire about every 100-130 miles. It's been different bikes, different tires, and most of them different reasons but it's extremely frustrating.
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Old 10-23-12, 07:39 AM
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I may be jinxing myself, but I haven't had a flat yet. I'm running hybrid tires at 80psi. I haven't been keeping track, but I've put on at least 330 miles so far.

The ride in this morning was nice. When the weather gets just a bit colder it will be perfect.
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Old 10-23-12, 07:47 AM
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Today was my first wet commute and I did pretty good with the new 65 gear inch on my ss. I averaged 18.3mph on my 8mi commute, I could've done better but it was wet out and didn't want to risk crashing.
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Old 10-23-12, 08:03 AM
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Sorry to hear about your flats issues, Fender. I have had very few issues since I got a set of Vittoria Randonneurs a couple years back, and even fewer since I went with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, which I've been running for about a year. Only one flat in well over 3000 commuting miles. I know you said you'd tried different tires, but I thought I've share my experience in a nutshell. They're more expensive tires than some, but worth it in the end. Just my unsolicited two cents...

Had a good ride home last night.Took several miles to find my mojo, but I was sailing along comfortably once I did. If it weren't for missing my six month old son so much I would have tacked on a few extra miles to the ride. Gorgeous weather again this morning and a beautiful ride in with a warm orange sunrise over the Potomac to accompany me on my way. There's a reason that October and November are my favorite months for riding! :-D
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Old 10-23-12, 12:44 PM
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My legs have been very tired lately and I rode 80+ miles over the weekend, so I took it easy yesterday at a recovery pace. Legs still kind of tired today, so it will be another easy day. Weather is gorgeous lately -- chilly mornings in the 40s, warming to about 70 F in the afternoons. I've got family visiting from out-of-town arriving on Wednesday so plan to take the rest of the week off work and may not be able to do any more riding until next week.
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Old 10-23-12, 02:53 PM
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No ride today due to yesterday and a new dump of 15cm (6 inches) of snow.
Yesterday was the first day Ive ridden on ice (just started commuting via cycle in sept). All was well and managable until I hit the busiest part of my drive, vehicle traffic-wise. Approaching a stop light, the exhaust from the cars had melted the snow/ice some and the wind refroze it (about -15 C windchill), when I felt my rear wheel slipping. I tried to make it to the curb but to no avail. BAM down I went. I made a mad scramble to throw myself and my bike onto the sidewalk. Luckly no one was right behind me and I made it out fairly ok. Ended up with a banged up knee, doesnt hurt to ride but hurts to walk. So today I went out and bought myself some Shwalbe Marathon Winter tires. Going to test my luck at mounting them tonight and come back at the ice with avengence tomorrow. Ill probably avoid the street I fell on and just ride the sidewalk for that small stretch, at least until winter goes away.
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Old 10-23-12, 03:14 PM
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So envious of you all!

Went to the Doc today to get a Z-Pac. I have a pretty nasty upper-respiratory thing going on. Been out of work 2 days. Off the bike for 4.

It's killing me.

The highlight of my "cycling" day has been reading your posts about your commutes.
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Old 10-23-12, 03:17 PM
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Great ride in this afternoon despite it being cloudy with wet roads and only 2C. We got some snow last night but it was melted before I left for class. I want to hold off switching to studded tires as long as I can because I really enjoy the ride on my Big Apples.

I started working on my fat bike fenders. All the rivets are out of the Planet Bike Cascadia 29er fenders, and I got them cut down the centre. I got a long strip of plastic from the hardware store to widen the fenders. Now I just need to wait for the bike to see how wide they should be.
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Old 10-23-12, 03:23 PM
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This morning was great. New bike. Slight tailwind. 200' drop. A new personal record!

BUT I am chickening out this afternoon. 27mph sustained head wind with gusts to 35mph.
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Old 10-24-12, 04:34 AM
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Back to sleevless and shorts at 57f (14c). It is supposed to be warm today, so the ride home will be nice.
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Old 10-24-12, 04:40 AM
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Originally Posted by FenderTL5
I have low tire pressure in the rear, it'll probably be flat before I head home this afternoon.

I remember why I quit riding two years ago now. I'm averaging a flat tire about every 100-130 miles. It's been different bikes, different tires, and most of them different reasons but it's extremely frustrating.
Yes, flat tires can be frustrating. The last one, I ran the inside of the tire with my hand to see what might have caused it, but couldn't find anything. I put in a patched tube and it got me home, before it went flat. I pulled the tire off and with a magnifying glass and the tire inside out, I found something I could not identify, almost wood like. I pulled it out with tweezers and it's been good ever since. Between glass and pieces of metal on the sides of roads, its a wonder I don't get a flat every day.
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Old 10-24-12, 05:21 AM
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It was a nice ride in today a little colder today than yesterday, but it was a quiet uneventful nice ride.
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