2014!! How was your commute today?
#1701
Bike Commuter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
From: Washington, DC
Bikes: Mt. Shasta - Capella
Beautiful ride this morning. Low 70s, bright sunshine, and low winds ... the kind of morning that makes you glad to be alive. I was enjoying it so much I ended up making a personal best time without even trying. Made me wish that I could have kept on biking instead of having to go into work.
#1702
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 476
Likes: 1
From: NYC
Bikes: Schwinn World Sport Jamis Ventura
It was a little disquieting when I realized that he was missing part of the his car's molding and I wondered if he lost it side swiping someone.
It didn't hit me how close it was until I got home and watched the camera footage. Honestly the arm waving was as upset as I got. Passes like this, well usually they're not that close, happen all the time on that AVE. Fortunately the city is supposed to be putting in a bike lane sometime next month and taking out a car lane. Unfortunately the lane won't be protected.
Unless they hit you, you don't realize how close a pass has actually gotten until they get past you and then you realize, wow, that was close. I've been able to calm myself down after one of these knowing that the pass occurred with no incident but it unnerves me for a bit afterwards.
#1703
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
Another bird attack this morning. I'll try to post it tonight. Last thursday I caught it nicely on my camera but I had a 4 minutes video for a total of 3 seconds of action. As I know nothing about computer I wasn't able to edit the video to shorten it. This morning I caught it again but as I now know exactly where the bird is (within a 100 ft range) I managed to get a 20 seconds video.
#1704
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 476
Likes: 1
From: NYC
Bikes: Schwinn World Sport Jamis Ventura
A beautiful day! Sadly it brought out the fair weather crowd which made my commute a little painful today. But otherwise it was great!
#1705
ouate de phoque
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 1
From: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus
Here's a link to the thread I put up about the 'bird attack' I suffer from every morning.
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...l#post16876978
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...l#post16876978
#1706
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 788
Likes: 17
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Bikes: Checkpoint ALR 5, Fuel EX 9.8 GX AXS, FX 4
I haven't posted in here in quite sometime. Between having a toddler and traveling, it just hasn't happened. However, I've continued commuting on my trusty stead only missing a handful of days each month and keeping my monthly miles between 100 and 150.
Today's ride was great. Low 50's in, and low 60's coming home. It was a frustrating day at work to say the least; one of those days where the crap starts as soon as you walk in, and doesn't stop until you leave. It was nice to be able to work out the frustration on the ride home, rather than hold it in until I got home and let the family bear the brunt of it.
Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day at the office.
Today's ride was great. Low 50's in, and low 60's coming home. It was a frustrating day at work to say the least; one of those days where the crap starts as soon as you walk in, and doesn't stop until you leave. It was nice to be able to work out the frustration on the ride home, rather than hold it in until I got home and let the family bear the brunt of it.
Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day at the office.
#1707
Newbie

Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 32
Likes: 14
From: Greer, SC
Bikes: BD CX commuter, 80's Stumpjumper
It was hot and humid this morning. But I changed my bike-day alarm to a Stevie Wonder playlist so last week I rode in with "Sir Duke" in my head. Today it was "Reggae Woman." THAT will help keep your cadence steady!
I also saw a dead juvenile rattler in the road.
I also saw a dead juvenile rattler in the road.
#1708
I have an annoying problem to deal with. After getting new tires installed, the rear fender now rubs. No matter how I adjust it, the tire is still rubbing.
I might just take the whole thing off and look for a smaller fender setup.
I might just take the whole thing off and look for a smaller fender setup.
#1709
Senior Member

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 1,470
From: Merrimac , MA
Today the commute in was nice. I went a different way home last evening that has some nice scenery. The are many options for the way home, and the way to always is the same.
#1710
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,306
Likes: 22
From: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)
Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR
Warm - 75F - and humid again this morning, but still an enjoyable ride. The wife and family are on an overnight road trip, so my trip home may be longer than normal. I'll have to look at a map and see what I can get myself into.
#1711
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
Likes: 7
From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
After a one-day respite from the heat and humidity, it was feeling much muggier and warmer this morning. Cool, dry days during the summer in the South are about as common as 70-degree days in January. Temps are supposed to reach the 90s for the rest of the week, with high humidity. Some people love this kind of weather, but it's my least favorite.
#1712
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
Mild temperatures, 16C/61F, but HUMID, 90% so I was dripping after my ride in. Looks like rain this afternoon, hopefully, it will be cooler, otherwise, I will die on my long 44km ride home.
#1713
ouate de phoque
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 1
From: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus
No commute today. I'm off as are all the Quebecers because today is 'La St-Jean Baptiste, fête nationale des Québécois'
Quebec's day if you like, it's a provincial holiday.
Have a nice day everyone, Me I will try to get sober in time for tomorow....
Quebec's day if you like, it's a provincial holiday.
Have a nice day everyone, Me I will try to get sober in time for tomorow....
#1714
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,043
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis
Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral
Scary ride home yesterday - within 15 mins of work the skies went from cloudy to black, nice tailwind became wicked crosswind with gusts up to 50mph (according to the news). I crabbed my way to a meetup with some friends and missed most of the rain. The joys of riding in the midwest! This morning was low 70's, humid, gray, lots of debris from yesterday - ride home could be interesting again.
#1715
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
#1716
Yesterday was a good commute. 38 miles total for the day (in four legs of 6, 5, 5, and then 22 mi). Upped my cadence and speed on all legs. Weather was nice and the wind was cooperative. Made it home just as it got really dark. I think I need to find some clear glasses as I hate starting out in shades and then have to ride with no eye protection. But I don't want to carry a second pair of safety glasses if I don't need to.
#1717
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 0
From: Nanaimo, BC
Bikes: 1997 Kona Hahana Race Light, 2010 Surly LHT(deceased), 1999 Rocky Mountain Turbo
St. Jean Baptiste. I love the provincial celebration of a country within a country. I honestly enjoyed it when I lived in Plattsburgh and would come up to Montreal.
I had a nice ride this morning. Used strava on my new smart(-er than me) phone and it is confusing the segments people make. A segment on my commute is home to day care, then day care to work, then back again. Not 400 m along a busy cycle path. Though I felt pretty good, the ones I rode through were usually top 50% or better with the kid and around 30% or higher without him. A few I was at the bottom, but they were sections I feel can be unsafe with the kid. I few I was in upper regions.
I did get a KOM for my own private segment. There were only these dinky segments of 500 m or less along a bridge, so I set up the full span of 1.8 km. Maybe I will open it up and see how others do. Can you report false reports on the strava? There was a claim of 75km/h on a segment (triple my speed) and 20 km/h higher than the next one.
Otherwise it was a great commute and I like to ability to track my own rides in more than my mind.
I had a nice ride this morning. Used strava on my new smart(-er than me) phone and it is confusing the segments people make. A segment on my commute is home to day care, then day care to work, then back again. Not 400 m along a busy cycle path. Though I felt pretty good, the ones I rode through were usually top 50% or better with the kid and around 30% or higher without him. A few I was at the bottom, but they were sections I feel can be unsafe with the kid. I few I was in upper regions.
I did get a KOM for my own private segment. There were only these dinky segments of 500 m or less along a bridge, so I set up the full span of 1.8 km. Maybe I will open it up and see how others do. Can you report false reports on the strava? There was a claim of 75km/h on a segment (triple my speed) and 20 km/h higher than the next one.
Otherwise it was a great commute and I like to ability to track my own rides in more than my mind.
#1718
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
1. I often vary my route between point A and point B.
2. I have privacy zones set up around my home, office, and kids' daycares, so I won't show up on leaderboards for segments that start/end within ~500-1000m of those places.
3. Longer segments are subject to traffic, stop signs, lights, etc, so more luck involved.
Instead, I just use veloviewer.com to filter down my activities (e.g. start city, min/max distance) and create my own leaderboards for my whole commute.
Though I felt pretty good, the ones I rode through were usually top 50% or better with the kid and around 30% or higher without him. A few I was at the bottom, but they were sections I feel can be unsafe with the kid. I few I was in upper regions.
I typically don't like segments that have lights in them (e.g. there's a couple segments starting on 10th Avenue @ Clark Drive; one ends at Fraser, which is the one I look at because it's about 800m, average a little over (really more like 3 x 1 block hills @ 4% with 1 block flat sections between). The other ends at St. George's, a couple blocks descent past the crest (and traffic light) at Fraser. I don't see the point in mixing in the 2 block downhill coast and the traffic light, so I hide that Clark to St George segment.
If you want, you can request to follow me on Strava from this activity.
#1719
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,014
Likes: 0
From: Nanaimo, BC
Bikes: 1997 Kona Hahana Race Light, 2010 Surly LHT(deceased), 1999 Rocky Mountain Turbo
I'm confused... did you create segments for home to daycare, daycare to work, and back again? I don't have these longer segments for a couple reasons:
1. I often vary my route between point A and point B.
2. I have privacy zones set up around my home, office, and kids' daycares, so I won't show up on leaderboards for segments that start/end within ~500-1000m of those places.
3. Longer segments are subject to traffic, stop signs, lights, etc, so more luck involved.
Instead, I just use veloviewer.com to filter down my activities (e.g. start city, min/max distance) and create my own leaderboards for my whole commute.
Though I felt pretty good, the ones I rode through were usually top 50% or better with the kid and around 30% or higher without him. A few I was at the bottom, but they were sections I feel can be unsafe with the kid. I few I was in upper regions.
Often people will just create a segment for the ascent portion of a bridge or stretch of road. I like to see segments as short as 200-300m if it's a reasonable hill (e.g. >4%); really, hills with >10-20m of elevation gain are reasonable to see. And you can hide segments if you don't want them to show up in your feed.
I typically don't like segments that have lights in them (e.g. there's a couple segments starting on 10th Avenue @ Clark Drive; one ends at Fraser, which is the one I look at because it's about 800m, average a little over (really more like 3 x 1 block hills @ 4% with 1 block flat sections between). The other ends at St. George's, a couple blocks descent past the crest (and traffic light) at Fraser. I don't see the point in mixing in the 2 block downhill coast and the traffic light, so I hide that Clark to St George segment.
Yes you can. See here.
I hope you continue to enjoy it, and that it's worth the hassle of of the smarter phone...
If you want, you can request to follow me on Strava from this activity.
1. I often vary my route between point A and point B.
2. I have privacy zones set up around my home, office, and kids' daycares, so I won't show up on leaderboards for segments that start/end within ~500-1000m of those places.
3. Longer segments are subject to traffic, stop signs, lights, etc, so more luck involved.
Instead, I just use veloviewer.com to filter down my activities (e.g. start city, min/max distance) and create my own leaderboards for my whole commute.
Though I felt pretty good, the ones I rode through were usually top 50% or better with the kid and around 30% or higher without him. A few I was at the bottom, but they were sections I feel can be unsafe with the kid. I few I was in upper regions.
Often people will just create a segment for the ascent portion of a bridge or stretch of road. I like to see segments as short as 200-300m if it's a reasonable hill (e.g. >4%); really, hills with >10-20m of elevation gain are reasonable to see. And you can hide segments if you don't want them to show up in your feed.
I typically don't like segments that have lights in them (e.g. there's a couple segments starting on 10th Avenue @ Clark Drive; one ends at Fraser, which is the one I look at because it's about 800m, average a little over (really more like 3 x 1 block hills @ 4% with 1 block flat sections between). The other ends at St. George's, a couple blocks descent past the crest (and traffic light) at Fraser. I don't see the point in mixing in the 2 block downhill coast and the traffic light, so I hide that Clark to St George segment.
Yes you can. See here.
I hope you continue to enjoy it, and that it's worth the hassle of of the smarter phone...
If you want, you can request to follow me on Strava from this activity.
I only created the segment for myself for the knight st bridge. I have not created others, yet.
The ones I mean were the 10 or so segments from Nanaimo to Victoria/Commercial/Clark/Fraser. I have also started to sift through and hide those. Also I feel they can be a bit dangerous with rush hour and they are not a section made for racing, in my opinion. I am fine with the hill up after the park at clark to fraser. Though at that point I am tired and slow on the last one.
I completely understand the short hill segments. I was surprised no one created a longer knight street bridge to encompass the whole span.
I was more taking a stab at roadies who like to brag they "got a kom on this 200 m strech man, it was awesome, I was ripping it up." Or however roadies talk.
Overall I like it and I will adjust it for my regular main road sections where I go faster. It is just sifting through it all.
#1720
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
Haven't posted for a few days. Pretty normal commutes for the most part, except for last Thursday and this morning.
Last Thursday I was on my down the hill I have to deal with every morning, creek at the bottom and a bridge. The water in the creek is very high right now from spring run-off. Coming down the hill I saw what looked like a bird, but it was low.
I got closer and realized it was a Hawk, struggling with a fish it had got. It was struggling to get height. The fish it was holding onto had to be a foot long, which is probably the wing span of the bird, and my guess is it weighed more than the bird. I pulled up and watched it struggle off into the trees. Hope it found the nest.
This morning, coming down that same hill, a bit of rain falling. The road was wet and I was doing my usual morning thing of seeing if I could hit 60 kmh. Across the bridge and hit the brakes harder than i ever have before as a full grown deer came blasting out the brush across the road at full speed.
I have to change that tire tonight as I wore a flat spot in it.
I will likely never wear those bib shorts again.
Last Thursday I was on my down the hill I have to deal with every morning, creek at the bottom and a bridge. The water in the creek is very high right now from spring run-off. Coming down the hill I saw what looked like a bird, but it was low.
I got closer and realized it was a Hawk, struggling with a fish it had got. It was struggling to get height. The fish it was holding onto had to be a foot long, which is probably the wing span of the bird, and my guess is it weighed more than the bird. I pulled up and watched it struggle off into the trees. Hope it found the nest.
This morning, coming down that same hill, a bit of rain falling. The road was wet and I was doing my usual morning thing of seeing if I could hit 60 kmh. Across the bridge and hit the brakes harder than i ever have before as a full grown deer came blasting out the brush across the road at full speed.
I have to change that tire tonight as I wore a flat spot in it.
I will likely never wear those bib shorts again.
#1722
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,647
Likes: 6
From: Sudbury, ON, CA
Bikes: 2012 Kona Sutra, 2002 Look AL 384, 2018 Moose Fat bike
#1723
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Jefferson City, MO
Bikes: LHT, Giant Defy2, 83 Fuji Del Rey
First commute in several months. Mild weather, light breeze. Absolutely wonderful.
#1724
Newbie
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
To work: 14:00-15:00
Eldest on her own bike; youngest on trail-a-bike attached to my bike; wife (prime power) on ebike. My wife and I teach at a community college 8 miles from home and this was our second commute as a family.
Home again: 22:30-23:45
Eldest still on her own bike; youngest in trailer attached to my wife's ebike.
Eldest takes a spill off the edge of the dark road, but only minor scrapes (~12 mph). Her basket may have blocked her light from showing the edge. A lack of fog line was not helpful, either.
Eldest on her own bike; youngest on trail-a-bike attached to my bike; wife (prime power) on ebike. My wife and I teach at a community college 8 miles from home and this was our second commute as a family.
Home again: 22:30-23:45
Eldest still on her own bike; youngest in trailer attached to my wife's ebike.
Eldest takes a spill off the edge of the dark road, but only minor scrapes (~12 mph). Her basket may have blocked her light from showing the edge. A lack of fog line was not helpful, either.
#1725
Senior Member

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 1,470
From: Merrimac , MA
It was a very nice commute this am, with the temp at 60f degrees. I had to go straight home last evening as we had dinner plans with my brother who came to town.



