What's the hardest part of your routine bike commute?
05-05-13, 09:33 PM
#1
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What's the hardest part of your routine bike commute?
Snap a pic of the hardest part of your routine bike commute and post it on this thread. Add a caption if you like.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
05-05-13, 11:23 PM
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the hardest part of my commute that i deal with regularly? motorists who don't understand that two blocks over there is a major road that does not have a bicycle lane on it with no stop signs and less stop lights and zero bikers.
05-06-13, 06:20 AM
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I'm afraid to stop and take a picture on the worst part of my commute. It's a busy 5-lane road with lots of school-buses and teenage drivers, due to a high school along the way. Fortunately I only have to ride this road for about 1.5 miles, but there is no way to avoid it. On the plus side, the lanes are wide, so cars have plenty of room to pass me and the city has posted "Share the Road" signs along it. Also, someone with the city cycling department told me they are planning to add a bike lane when the road is repaved soon.
05-06-13, 06:32 AM
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Left turn across streetcar tracks. I have one of those on the way in, and another on the way back. If there's heavy traffic I just go straight, wait for the light to change and go straight again to make it into a two-stage turn.
(One fall after getting caught in the tracks was one too many.)
(One fall after getting caught in the tracks was one too many.)
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05-06-13, 10:34 AM
#6
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My hardest challenge is getting motivated to ride home. Once I get to work it's tough to tear myself away.
05-06-13, 10:34 AM
#7
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On the new route, at the end of my road I have a left turn immediately onto a hill. This is a problem because I can't stand off the saddle, and thusly have to gear down and deal.
Also, I work on the coast, which means in the morning it's a head-wind and in the evening coming home it is also a head-wind. Actually, it's just always a headwind forever - if I were biking into the wind, then turned around 180 degrees, I'd still be facing the wind.
M.
Also, I work on the coast, which means in the morning it's a head-wind and in the evening coming home it is also a head-wind. Actually, it's just always a headwind forever - if I were biking into the wind, then turned around 180 degrees, I'd still be facing the wind.
M.
05-06-13, 11:40 AM
#8
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No pictures but maybe soon...
On the way in the only issue I have is stop lights. No biggie. On the way home it's all slightly uphill. I work in a "valley" though not a horrible one. Coming to work it is slightly down hill. Going home of course the opposite.
If I choose my long route home there is a nasty (to me) hill. I like it though because it's JUST ENOUGH to allow myself to burn whatever energy I want to burn depending on my gear choices.
On the way in the only issue I have is stop lights. No biggie. On the way home it's all slightly uphill. I work in a "valley" though not a horrible one. Coming to work it is slightly down hill. Going home of course the opposite.
If I choose my long route home there is a nasty (to me) hill. I like it though because it's JUST ENOUGH to allow myself to burn whatever energy I want to burn depending on my gear choices.
05-06-13, 02:01 PM
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Getting myself motivated....
05-06-13, 02:09 PM
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I've got a couple hills, one long less steep, another short but much steeper. I used to dread them but after doing it for a few weeks now I just power up and over no problem. Feels pretty good 
After that it's just dealing with wind and the occasional driver.
After that it's just dealing with wind and the occasional driver.
05-06-13, 02:11 PM
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Mine is a railroad crossing that goes at an angle to the road that is no longer used. They don't care about fixing the road around it so it just continues to deteriorate making crossing it pretty sketchy. Add to this cars passing me on the left when I'm taking the full lane to safely cross the tracks. 
If the tracks don't get me, passing cars just might. Here's a video of me almost getting clipped by an SUV just last week:
If the tracks don't get me, passing cars just might. Here's a video of me almost getting clipped by an SUV just last week:
05-06-13, 02:22 PM
#12
born again cyclist
wind.
it's not the hardest part every single day, but when the wind is howling off of lake michigan, it can make for a torturous headwind.
there's something about major land/water borders that seems to make air go completely freaking nuts.
it's not the hardest part every single day, but when the wind is howling off of lake michigan, it can make for a torturous headwind.
there's something about major land/water borders that seems to make air go completely freaking nuts.
05-06-13, 02:27 PM
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Snap a pic of the hardest part of your routine bike commute and post it on this thread. Add a caption if you like.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
I'm not exactly an early riser......
05-06-13, 02:36 PM
#14
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The road immediately outside my house takes me on a 10% 1 mile climb on my way to work. Still don't think I'm used to this "warm up" !
05-06-13, 02:41 PM
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the "kill" zones
05-06-13, 03:06 PM
#16
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I'm lucky I guess because I can't come up with anything but that it get windy sometimes and some other times I would take a shorter commute. I live in a small village and travel a rural road to my work place that is on the edge of a small city (50 000 people) I don't even have to go in the city.
Oh yeah, now that I think about it, during the summer it stink all the different type of manure you can think of depending on the type of farm you go by, chicken, cows, horse and pigs...
For the same reason it's full of flies and bugs of all sort so you have to ride with clenched teeth if you want to have some place left for supper when you get home!
Oh yeah, now that I think about it, during the summer it stink all the different type of manure you can think of depending on the type of farm you go by, chicken, cows, horse and pigs...
For the same reason it's full of flies and bugs of all sort so you have to ride with clenched teeth if you want to have some place left for supper when you get home!
Last edited by dramiscram; 05-06-13 at 03:18 PM.
05-06-13, 03:14 PM
#17
Pedaled too far.
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On my last commute, there was one section that went up to about a 20% grade. Even after 2 years of riding it, it never got easy, and in winter when the street was covered with ice, it was real nasty.
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05-06-13, 05:25 PM
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The hardest part of my commute is beating my best time(s)
05-06-13, 06:37 PM
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Getting off the bike when I get to work. Wind, weather, cold...meh. I have gear for all of that, and can ALWAYS pedal slower for conditions. But, DAMN...when I'm on the bike, I don't wanna STOP, especially not for the stupid JOB!
05-06-13, 07:30 PM
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Mine is a railroad crossing that goes at an angle to the road that is no longer used. They don't care about fixing the road around it so it just continues to deteriorate making crossing it pretty sketchy. Add to this cars passing me on the left when I'm taking the full lane to safely cross the tracks.
If the tracks don't get me, passing cars just might. Here's a video of me almost getting clipped by an SUV just last week:
If the tracks don't get me, passing cars just might. Here's a video of me almost getting clipped by an SUV just last week:
05-06-13, 07:49 PM
#22
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Waking up is the hardest part. Assuming I get past that part, there are a couple of hills. One is about 60% into my ride, the other one is near the end. On the way home, there is only one hill and it is easier then the two going to work. The cars aren't too bad. There is one place where the shoulder disappears that is pretty hairy, but I figured out a re-route behind a few stores so I avoid that problem now.
The most annoying, although not denagerous or hard, is waiting for the cars to let me cross the road in front of where I live. I just want to get going and I need to cross 4 lanes of traffic to the side street across the way from the driveway. If it is busy, that can take a while.
The most annoying, although not denagerous or hard, is waiting for the cars to let me cross the road in front of where I live. I just want to get going and I need to cross 4 lanes of traffic to the side street across the way from the driveway. If it is busy, that can take a while.
05-06-13, 07:58 PM
#23
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Snap a pic of the hardest part of your routine bike commute and post it on this thread. Add a caption if you like.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
Here's mine:
Coming back home from any thing bike related, this is the only way to go back home up and over this hill and IT IS HELL. This is why I hate going out to bike because I live in the part of SF (if you didn't notice) without any bike routes/paths, so I have to bike to the other side of the city to have a good time biking.
05-06-13, 08:30 PM
#24
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hardest part of my commute is this area:
https://goo.gl/maps/jY6VU
its a 6 lane road that everyone seems to think is a highway, traveling south to go home i have to make a left lane change from all the way onto the right (which turns into a right only turn lane/offramp/merge) while everyones doing the opposite to get onto the actual highway
https://goo.gl/maps/jY6VU
its a 6 lane road that everyone seems to think is a highway, traveling south to go home i have to make a left lane change from all the way onto the right (which turns into a right only turn lane/offramp/merge) while everyones doing the opposite to get onto the actual highway
Last edited by Mumonkan; 05-06-13 at 08:33 PM.
