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-   -   2014!! How was your commute today? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/928265-2014-how-your-commute-today.html)

Mr. Hairy Legs 09-22-14 08:00 PM

The city did something really annoying with the traffic light timing a couple of weeks ago at one intersection. I used to be a good boy there, but the wait time is now ridiculous and traffic is usually pretty sparse, so today I did the right-turn-insta-U-turn-right-turn and it worked well. Gonna stick with that move now... Nobody can accuse me of "running the red light" at least. :)

Kinda damp this morning, got sunny though in the afternoon.

essiemyra 09-23-14 05:09 AM

The temp was a brisk 40f degrees this morning, with dark skies when I left the house.

A Co-worker found my light in the ladies room Thursday evening and returned it to me Friday after arriving at work. I was able to leave at my usual time and do the longer ride this morning.

dcb23 09-23-14 05:39 AM


Originally Posted by Mr. Hairy Legs (Post 17154067)
The city did something really annoying with the traffic light timing a couple of weeks ago at one intersection. I used to be a good boy there, but the wait time is now ridiculous and traffic is usually pretty sparse, so today I did the right-turn-insta-U-turn-right-turn and it worked well. Gonna stick with that move now... Nobody can accuse me of "running the red light" at least. :)

I have a couple of those too...in addition up by the U.S. Capitol building there is a light I try to time so as not to annoy the cops parked there every day...sometimes I time it right sometimes no.


54F / 12C definitely the coolest morning of the Fall so far.

jrickards 09-23-14 06:25 AM

A nice mild, albeit cloudy (not a hint of sun), morning ride in. 11C/52F. Forecast for rain today but clearing and sunny for the ride home.

Today, I will be able to contribute 40km to the CleanAirCommute.ca challenge this week.

dramiscram 09-23-14 07:06 AM

Cold, gray, cloudy, windy and wet morning. It looks like november for the last two weeks.

Still, a bike ride is always nice...

jrickards 09-23-14 07:08 AM


Originally Posted by jrickards (Post 17154724)
Today, I will be able to contribute 40km to the CleanAirCommute.ca challenge this week.

Hah! I was just awarded a t-shirt for my efforts today!!

ill.clyde 09-23-14 07:16 AM

Warmer than yesterday ... sunnyish and 52. I walked out of the house without my jacket and opted not to walk back in. After a mile or so I was warm enough without it.

We're in a ridiculous stretch of weather right now ... basically sunny and 70 from now til sometime next week. Going to ride as much as I can.

Encountered a moron on a mountain bike today. Was heading down first toward downtown and I see him come in from the east, blowing a stop light, but I ended up in front of him ... and a red light. Figured I'd slow down, lead by example. And of course, he shoals me and basically runs the red light just a few seconds before it turned. So I push off from the stop and now I'm behind him, thinking briefly of just drafting him into downtown, but I tell myself no, and pass him without a word, leaving him well behind. The rest of the ride was perfect ... and I was sub 45 minutes today :)

tarwheel 09-23-14 07:40 AM

Fastest morning commute in a while, averaging about 17 mph, which is good for me considering all of the red lights. It was also pretty windy, altho I did benefit from a tailwind part of the ride. It was also my first ride on some new tires, Vredestein Grand Fondos that I bought for a ridiculously cheap price ($25 each). Hopefully they will hold up as well as they roll. Temperatures are ideal this week as far as I'm concerned, upper 50s mornings and 70s in the afternoons. However, our persistent spell of cloudy weather is continuing and I miss the sun and blue skies.

principia 650 09-23-14 07:59 AM

todays commute was a little cool. nothing bad though.only problem i forgot to change batteries in headlite yesterday and it stopped working after about 5 minutes.opps well it was dark at 5:15 a.m...but we made it will swap in charged batteries this afternoon.hope everybody else had a nice commutte this a.m.

tarwheel 09-23-14 08:14 AM


Originally Posted by Mr. Hairy Legs (Post 17154067)
The city did something really annoying with the traffic light timing a couple of weeks ago at one intersection. I used to be a good boy there, but the wait time is now ridiculous and traffic is usually pretty sparse, so today I did the right-turn-insta-U-turn-right-turn and it worked well. Gonna stick with that move now... Nobody can accuse me of "running the red light" at least.

This has happened all along my commute route over the past year, but I am not so ethical as you. Several lights were changed so the sensors no longer recognize bikes, or the light cycle is so long that it is ridiculous. I usually "run" these lights after coming to a full stop, assuming the coast is clear -- unless a car is also present in my lane. Cars will trigger the lights to change, but my bike won't. More troublesome are a series of lights downtown that used to be synchronized but got all screwed up recently due to construction, power outages or some other factor. I have to go through a whole slew of lights once I reach downtown and the recent lack of synchronization has really added to my commute time. I have started running some of those lights as well after coming to a full stop, assuming no traffic is coming and other cars aren't in my lane. I am willing to suffer the consequences if I get ticketed by a cop because all of the red lights can easily add 5-10 minutes to my commute time.

mgw4jc 09-23-14 09:45 AM


Originally Posted by essiemyra (Post 17154612)
A Co-worker found my light in the ladies room Thursday evening and returned it to me Friday after arriving at work.

At least it wasn't found in the men's room. That would be a bit awkward.

Cool morning but still doing the short sleeves. Highs in the low 70s this week. Very nice. I only use my tail light when it is dark enough and it is just getting that way in the morning for me. This morning I discovered a battery had corroded a bit and it no longer works. Time for a new blinky. My headlight should be fine as I took the batteries out of it a good while ago.

arsprod 09-23-14 10:45 AM

first day of Fall, 39F - first day with a '3' in front in awhile... sigh

joeyduck 09-23-14 11:11 AM

It was a nice commute this morning. Though I may need route variations. School is finally back after the teachers and government reached a deal. And I pass a lot of schools and they added quite a bit of time. The busiest is flanked be a series of ill placed lights and stop signs and the shoulder is gravel with huge holes to maneuver through.

Bike commuting decisions. Still easier to make than driving.

RidingMatthew 09-23-14 12:27 PM

i really enjoyed the commute this morning for some reason I felt strong and rode fast. I also reached my goal of 2000 miles for the year. I have really enjoyed riding this year.

I appreciate my wife and her patience for me as I ride bc it pushes dinner back some and messes with our schedules. She is supportive of my biking and I :love:her for it.

wphamilton 09-23-14 12:47 PM

Easy, relaxed ride this morning with seamless cooperation from everyone on the Greenway with the exception of one odd-ball. He was standing stock still in the middle of the right side, staring off into the trees. He turned to face me as I approached, staring, so I slowed and gave wide berth. Not a physically intimidating individual given his age and apparent condition but you can never be too careful when someone appears to act even a little out of sync with reality. As I passed he instructed me, politely to be sure but emphatically, to "call out" as you pass. WTH?? If someone's that desperate for a verbal acknowledgement just say good morning, like most of us regulars do. I just shook my head, because I'll likely not see him again and hopefully don't need to have that conversation :rolleyes:

timvan_78 09-23-14 01:46 PM

dry this AM. I put fenders back on last night (crud roadracer mk2) and stopped on the commute this morning at least 5x to tweak them before I finally got them adjusted well. I used them last winter: they are sooo flimsy/finicky, but once you have them dialed they are very good. It will be a wet commute home so I'm glad I installed them.

caloso 09-23-14 01:53 PM

Left the bike lane to pass a slower rider. Looked back, saw there was a car a good 100m or so back, put out my hand, went around, and back into the lane. Totally safe, totally legal. Car back decided to lay on his horn. Couldn't really tell if it was a "I see you" honk or a "Get the F out of the lane, stupid cyclist!" honk.

I am going to give the driver the benefit of the doubt and choose to interpret it as the former.

joeyduck 09-23-14 01:57 PM


Originally Posted by timvan_78 (Post 17156089)
dry this AM. I put fenders back on last night (crud roadracer mk2) and stopped on the commute this morning at least 5x to tweak them before I finally got them adjusted well. I used them last winter: they are sooo flimsy/finicky, but once you have them dialed they are very good. It will be a wet commute home so I'm glad I installed them.


I just checked the weather and I agree but think it will be more wet in the morning. Glad you got them on.

RidingMatthew 09-23-14 02:28 PM

i just checked the weather and it says it is raining! not what i was expecting.

mgw4jc 09-23-14 02:48 PM


Originally Posted by RidingMatthew (Post 17156217)
i just checked the weather and it says it is raining! not what i was expecting.

I know, right? I was expecting 70 degrees at 5pm. It is 56 which is about 3 less than it was on the way in this morning.

mgw4jc 09-24-14 06:33 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Yesterday afternoon looked to be rainy, but I stayed pretty dry. The roads were wet, but only a drizzle coming down.

This morning was dry for the first half and minor rains for the second half. Only my shins were a bit wet from the road spray, but that's what happens with no fenders.

I saw this on the interwebs today.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=408110

jrickards 09-24-14 06:44 AM

Cool morning with a thick mist and a temp of 7C/45F. My hands were a bit cold at first, probably more so from the thick mist than the actual temperature. This afternoon is supposed to be sunny and abnormally warm and the same tomorrow: thick mist in the morning, sunny and warm in the afternoon. This late September is looking pretty good!!

The other day, when I rode home in daylight at 5pm with my front light on (to be seen, not to see), I passed an oncoming pedestrian (technically, not salmoning, he moved off the bike lane onto the dirt shoulder) and he called out to me, "You're light's on!". At least now I know my new lights are working.

dramiscram 09-24-14 07:10 AM

Thick fog this morning but the sun was almost out. No Wind. very nice ride.

scottsmith 09-24-14 07:25 AM

a bit chilly (7C) with foggy patches but still a very nice ride! I had planned to ride the road bike but decided I had enough time to roll the single-speed fatty. It's such a fun bike it's ridiculous!

Cheers

arsprod 09-24-14 07:26 AM


Originally Posted by Mr. Hairy Legs (Post 17154067)
The city did something really annoying with the traffic light timing a couple of weeks ago at one intersection. I used to be a good boy there, but the wait time is now ridiculous and traffic is usually pretty sparse, so today I did the right-turn-insta-U-turn-right-turn and it worked well. Gonna stick with that move now... Nobody can accuse me of "running the red light" at least.

I don't know if this is a state or city thing, but it's now legal for bicycles and motorcycles to 'run' lights if they don't change after a certain period of time. If it's been implemented in Indiana it's gotta be in other states/cities!

45F this morning, sunny, nice!


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