cryogenic

I'm just curious if there are any other past-midnight commuters here. I work 6pm-3am 3 days a week and 6pm-2am two days a week and generally commute back home from work. I generally take the bus TO work after about a 3 mile ride so I can sleep later in the day. Once the weather starts getting nicer and such, I'll probably commute both ways. Needless to say, I've found commuting at 3am to be awesome. There are very very few cars on the road and I can take whichever route I choose and not have to worry about much at all. I can make my commute as short as 14 miles and as long as 18 miles. Generally I go for the 16 mile route. Anyway, am I the only wacko here?

PWRDbyTRD

you're a weird one

Gojohnnygo.

3:00am is the best time to ride. Thats when I commute in to work.

bkrownd

I don't have a fixed schedule. I go in between 8AM and 2PM, and return between 8PM and 6AM. I much prefer the night. Air is cooler and calmer, and there's MUCH less traffic to deal with. I'd say 2AM is the sane hour to commute.

EnigManiac

Man, you sure know how to make a guy in the north-east whimper, don't ya: 'air is cooler and calmer at night.' I have been commuting at 6am in Toronto when it's -15c (and sometimes much colder) the past week or so, but in the afternoon when I return home, it has warmed up to a balmy -10c

Yeah, I have a steel cruiser and wear a parka, touque, hoody, snowmobile-mitts and snow-boots. Wanna make something of it, punk? LOL

Daily Commute

Early commutes (before say, 6:00 a.m.) are the most fun. If it has recently snowed, i can take the bike path before it gets filled with bumps and ruts from pedestrians. If I take the road, there is virtually no traffic. And until 5:30, almost all the lights on my street-route are flashing yellow.

bkrownd

I'm a veteran of 16 Minnesota winters, back when they were colder, before this global warming el-nino greenhouse thing started. I know how to gear up for -25F mornings and enjoy them.

KrisPistofferson

I've done the 3:00 am thing many times. It can be peaceful if you light yourself up and keep in mind a lot of the people on the road are drunk at that hour. Also, the air is a heck of a lot cleaner, sometimes after a rush hour commute I feel like I've smoked 2 packs of cigarettes!

EnigManiac

Minnesotta still gets colder winters than here, I'll admit. Ours aren't bad in comparison, but this is our cold-snap, so I guess we have to bear with it. I won't ride my bikes until the weather and streets are a little better in any event.

Bockman

as my father says, "At 3:00 am there's only three kinds of people out: Cops, crooks, and *you*!"

nycm'er

I do not have set hours but I am rarely on the bike going to work before 430a but coming home is a crap shoot. It could be any time of the day, later start, later wrap. I agree with the above, early morning riding is devine, esp when you are going home and your fellow traffic are people starting their day. Does any one else sometimes not super-excitedly think of the ride to work, but all day can not wait to get on the machine for the ride home? I am not sure if it signifies the end of the day, or that I am just soooo happy I get to ride my bike the instant the "whistle" blows, but I look forward to that ride more than most things in life.

skord

I work 8-5 M-F, but I'm also on call, and sometimes I've had to make the 5 mile trek in during winter storms, which is actually kinda fun.

Last time I did that however, it was 3:00 on a Sunday morning. A local burb cop stopped next to me when I pulled off the road to handle a deraileur problem. Of course I had the balaclava, helmet, lights, goggles, parka (-6F, -22 with windchill), and messenger bag. I am, let's say, built and scary looking in the dark.

Nervous, I asked the cop if I could help him with something. "Nope, just making sure no one turns you into paste". Then we both went our seperate ways. I didn't want to stop at work that morning.

ollo_ollo

I work 6:30 AM-3:30PM so I leave 5:45-6:10 AM depending if I want to stop at the SuperMarket on the way in. The morning commute is much more satisfying than the afternoon & perhaps almost as good as 3:00 AM, at least not many cars out that early.

naisme

I do.
Well, I don't work the weird hours that you work, but I do leave work at 12:30. I must admit those late night rides, especially under a full moon is so cool. I feel sorry for those riders who miss out on the commute to work, and the commute at night. This week it is going to warm up a little, so I'll be doing the ride thing most every day.

junioroverlord

Well, I don't have a car and I'm 21 so I'm usually out way past midnight and theres only one way for me to get home and thats on my bike. 2-6am are my favorite riding hours, the city is vacant, traffic almost non existant...The road is mine!

bkrownd

You mean,
"The road is MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNE BWAAHAHHAAHHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHAH!!!11!!!!!!1!!!"

Becca

Define "insane"...

I work seven days on, seven days off. During my seven days on, I'm working 12 1/2 hours a day: 6:45pm to 7:15am. During my seven days on, I'm either working, sleeping, or eating. Not much time for anything else.

balto charlie

80 hour work week....brutal

bkrownd

Typical for many of us.

steelesl

Work hours are 6am to 2pm. I am normally on the road by 4:30am. I do enjoy the quiet of the early morning and considerably less cars compared to the commute home.

Becca

You're forgetting the seven days off: I get a vacation every other week.

Mr_Super_Socks

No question it's best to travel when others are off the roads. I am frequently getting off work late -- past midniht. I find that travelling with light traffic in NYC is a Godsend. Just to emphasize the point that's been made by others here, even though the going is better, motorists are less likely to expect a bike on the road at 2AM. So I am hyper-alert in the dark, but crossing the Brooklyn bridge alone at night with the moon reflecting off the East River is nothing short of heavenly.

Roody

Fellow wacko here. I get off work at 11:30 and commute all winter (Michigan). When the weather is decent I often ride all over the city for an extra hour or two. In blizzards I typically ride directly home. How many who work weird hours work at hospitals?

cryogenic

Nice to see that most people here agree that it's absolutely wonderful riding after midnight... Given that traffic is naturally going to decline at those hours, as long as you're still being safe (helmet, lights, reflective surfaces, etc) it's lots of fun. I even take the bike path some of the way home mostly because it's safer and even more serene. Literally NOBODY out that late on the bike paths. It's great.

cyclezealot

Half of my shifts are midnights...Midnights are 6 PM to 6:30 Am..NOrmally that means I commute in the daylight or else maybe twilight.