2015!! How was your commute today?
11-04-15, 09:29 AM
#2876
Senior Member
I bet riding in KC yesterday was crazy. I haven't been on a bike since my spill last week... but I work downtown and it was absolutely insane down here. The Kansas City metro population is only a little over 2 million people, and they are estimating close to 800,000 converged on downtown yesterday for the Royals parade/rally! When you only win the title once every 30-years... you really want to celebrate! 
Insane, but a great experience!
Insane, but a great experience!
11-04-15, 09:30 AM
#2877
Senior Member
Had an early morning meeting so most of the ride was in the dark. It's a prelude to the coming months when both directions will be dark. A commuter friend of mine was at this meeting and I'm amazed by people that can ride in street clothes. Apparently some people don't sweat
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I'm slow, go around
I'm slow, go around
11-04-15, 12:12 PM
#2878
Senior Member
About -6C/21F when I left home. I should have worn warmer gloves. Still rode the skinny-tire fixie, but I saw a guy on a fatbike, guess he's ready for winter. Bridge decks were pretty frosty, especially the wooden ones.
11-04-15, 04:31 PM
#2879
aka Tom Reingold
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@snow_echo_NYc where are the aggressive drivers? What do you generally do to avoid them or mitigate their crappy behavior?
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
11-04-15, 04:52 PM
#2880
Shimano's Shaman
Quite enjoyable, actually. A car was passing me and the driver took his time to tell me: "Awesome, dude! Way to go! Every cyclist should do the same!"
He was obviously referring to the fact that my bike resembles a two-wheeled spaceship at night, with multiple blinding LED lights front and rear, reflective tape on the frame, reflective spokes and side LED blinkers. I was also wearing an eye-piercing hi-viz vest with helmet mounted lights, front and rear.
He was obviously referring to the fact that my bike resembles a two-wheeled spaceship at night, with multiple blinding LED lights front and rear, reflective tape on the frame, reflective spokes and side LED blinkers. I was also wearing an eye-piercing hi-viz vest with helmet mounted lights, front and rear.
11-04-15, 06:36 PM
#2881
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Quite enjoyable, actually. A car was passing me and the driver took his time to tell me: "Awesome, dude! Way to go! Every cyclist should do the same!"
He was obviously referring to the fact that my bike resembles a two-wheeled spaceship at night, with multiple blinding LED lights front and rear, reflective tape on the frame, reflective spokes and side LED blinkers. I was also wearing an eye-piercing hi-viz vest with helmet mounted lights, front and rear.
He was obviously referring to the fact that my bike resembles a two-wheeled spaceship at night, with multiple blinding LED lights front and rear, reflective tape on the frame, reflective spokes and side LED blinkers. I was also wearing an eye-piercing hi-viz vest with helmet mounted lights, front and rear.
I run with 5 lights currently, three facing back and two forward. 2 are helmet lights, one front and back; three others are mounted on the bike. I lack light from the side, I believe. Next on my list is some reflective tape.
11-04-15, 08:09 PM
#2882
Senior Member
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@snow_echo_NYc where are the aggressive drivers? What do you generally do to avoid them or mitigate their crappy behavior?
There were many cars parked in the bike lane on Adams St in the AM and I merged to join car traffic (mind you, there's a local and express lane, physically divided) and I was honked at. Like leaning on the horn. I waved and got back in the bike lane after the 20 seconds and of course pulled way ahead of them. Also spruce St to gold St coming off the Brooklyn bridge by pace university has been a mess. Gold to Fulton is always blocked. Oncoming traffic was blocking left turning traffic so I got off my bike and held it. I seriously directed traffic for a bit. The trucks always double park in the intersection. It's a mess.
Coming home I'm honked at on Jay St even tho every cop car and their mom is parked in the bike lane. It is what it is. The construction everywhere makes it harder to transit. Esp when they direct motorists into protected bike lanes. Sigh
11-05-15, 06:06 AM
#2883
Senior Member
A very nice commute in this am, the temp was 39f degrees with clear skies. I took a different route at takes me around the last hill. I am going to keep taking this way as long as its light out when I ride it.
11-05-15, 07:33 AM
#2884
Senior Member
A little shower on my way home last night. Dark and rain are not a fun combination, but it was warm enough that I wasn't freezing on top of it.
A nice 60F for the ride in this morning. I'm enjoying the early daylight and left a good 5 minutes early for a couple of extra miles again. Fifteen total. Still damp and dreary here, but there is hope for sunshine this afternoon. High of 70!
A nice 60F for the ride in this morning. I'm enjoying the early daylight and left a good 5 minutes early for a couple of extra miles again. Fifteen total. Still damp and dreary here, but there is hope for sunshine this afternoon. High of 70!
11-05-15, 08:20 AM
#2885
Senior Member
61F and cloudy, uneventful... that's good
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I'm slow, go around
I'm slow, go around
11-05-15, 08:23 AM
#2886
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The waters receded enough to take the Greenway home but it was more mud than pavement, including some washboard tracks which are a little treacherous with skinny tires. Mud on my bottom bracket and chain stays - I forgot to add a mud flap on the road bike but I will correct that tonight.
It will likely be next week before the trail gets cleaned up since it's technically still closed, so I opted for street traffic this morning. Still raining, but traffic was sane and it's warm enough that the wet is no bother.
It will likely be next week before the trail gets cleaned up since it's technically still closed, so I opted for street traffic this morning. Still raining, but traffic was sane and it's warm enough that the wet is no bother.
11-05-15, 08:39 AM
#2887
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better today but messier than yesterday.
motorists are always turning into the bike lane when traveling straight. they don't look, they don't hesitate. driving near them is truly hazardous.
i saw someone drive on the opposite/oncoming lane, thru a red light on Atlantic Ave today. one of the most hazardous places in NYC to transit. it fills me with dread everyday i cross it. why does NYC do nothing? there are so many smart solutions to draw from. but they just continually penalize cyclists and do nothing to make it safer, not ticket motorists, or enforce the rules.
Atlantic Ave seriously needs light cameras and get all these red light blowers. everyday i see at least 10 motorists blowing thru the light. it's unnerving for every pedestrian and cyclist.
motorists are always turning into the bike lane when traveling straight. they don't look, they don't hesitate. driving near them is truly hazardous.
i saw someone drive on the opposite/oncoming lane, thru a red light on Atlantic Ave today. one of the most hazardous places in NYC to transit. it fills me with dread everyday i cross it. why does NYC do nothing? there are so many smart solutions to draw from. but they just continually penalize cyclists and do nothing to make it safer, not ticket motorists, or enforce the rules.
Atlantic Ave seriously needs light cameras and get all these red light blowers. everyday i see at least 10 motorists blowing thru the light. it's unnerving for every pedestrian and cyclist.
11-05-15, 10:07 AM
#2888
Senior Member
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A nice ride in this morning. I finally got around to replacing the clamp on my saddle, as the one I had tended to never get tight enough, so that as soon as I sat on it, it would rock back a few degrees. It was nice having my saddle stay in one position the whole ride in.
I left late (around 0815), as I was just slow to get moving this morning. The nice thing about that time of day is that traffic is super light, but I will have to stay at work until 1730 now (hurray for flex time). Only negative this morning was waiting 10-15 minutes for a train to pass. Gave me a chance to drink my coffee. Still cloudy/drizzly. Haven't seen the sun since Saturday....and the riverside greenway is once again underwater as our rivers have exceeded flood stage.
I left late (around 0815), as I was just slow to get moving this morning. The nice thing about that time of day is that traffic is super light, but I will have to stay at work until 1730 now (hurray for flex time). Only negative this morning was waiting 10-15 minutes for a train to pass. Gave me a chance to drink my coffee. Still cloudy/drizzly. Haven't seen the sun since Saturday....and the riverside greenway is once again underwater as our rivers have exceeded flood stage.
11-05-15, 11:47 AM
#2889
Senior Member
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Warm, wet and foggy commute this morning but at least it wasn't raining. My glasses kept fogging up and I was tempted to just take them off after an unfortunate incident on my commute home yesterday.
Yesterday I had to work late by two hours, so it was totally dark when I left work. My lights are more than sufficient for riding in the dark, but the combination of misty rain and darkness caused me to have a spill. Part of my commute is along a busy 4-lane road for about 1.5 miles, which is the only portion of my route with an actual bike lane. Unfortunately, the city did not pave all the way to the curb when they have resurfaced the road, so the pavement drops off sharply about 2-feet from the curb. My vision was so compromised from the mist and darkness that I mistakenly let my front wheel hit that drop-off and lost control. My bike went down very quickly, but fortunately there were no cars beside or behind me, and the only injury or damage that I suffered was to my ego. I take that back, my beloved Showers Pass rain jacket somehow got a hole in the shoulder during the incident, but hopefully that can be patched.
Yesterday I had to work late by two hours, so it was totally dark when I left work. My lights are more than sufficient for riding in the dark, but the combination of misty rain and darkness caused me to have a spill. Part of my commute is along a busy 4-lane road for about 1.5 miles, which is the only portion of my route with an actual bike lane. Unfortunately, the city did not pave all the way to the curb when they have resurfaced the road, so the pavement drops off sharply about 2-feet from the curb. My vision was so compromised from the mist and darkness that I mistakenly let my front wheel hit that drop-off and lost control. My bike went down very quickly, but fortunately there were no cars beside or behind me, and the only injury or damage that I suffered was to my ego. I take that back, my beloved Showers Pass rain jacket somehow got a hole in the shoulder during the incident, but hopefully that can be patched.
11-05-15, 12:56 PM
#2890
Disco Infiltrator
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Feeling good this morning but didn't think about pushing it until already a good ways along. So I decided to coast until my favorite segment and go for a meaningless Strava PR. Got it!
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11-05-15, 01:06 PM
#2891
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Nice rides in and back home all week. Never colder than 50 in the Am or warmer than 75 after 5. Suhweet.
Perfect weather ends today though. Rain with high winds, thunder and lightening, called for tomorrow AM.
Perfect weather ends today though. Rain with high winds, thunder and lightening, called for tomorrow AM.
11-05-15, 04:39 PM
#2892
aka Tom Reingold
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@snow_echo_NY, I think you should consider an air horn.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
11-05-15, 08:56 PM
#2894
Senior Member
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I had my first major fall since I started biking seriously 6-years ago. I wasn't commuting; I was just out on a Saturday morning ride around town. The streets were still wet but it wasn't raining, so I was riding my full-fender commuter bike. The roads felt a little greasy, and I was taking it very easy around corners and round-a-bouts. However, where I fell... the road was completely flat and straight. I had just had a drink from my water bottle and was placing it back in the cage... and BAM!! Down I went. I'm not even exactly sure what I did because it happened so quickly. Not sure if I turned the handlebar a little bit while putting the bottle away, or if I hit a bump, but something sure went wrong.
The front tire shot off to the right and I went down hard on my left side. I missed my shoulder and collar bone, but have a deeply bruised or cracked rib. I cracked my helmet, but the road rash isn’t bad at all. I’m guessing this is because the roads were wet. It was a pretty good yard sale of parts and equipment lying in the road. There were bottles, lights, batteries, etc. strewn around. Luckily, there was no traffic, so I just collected my stuff and moved to the side of the road to assess health and damage. The bike was unrideable with a bent rear derailleur.
I called a friend to come get me. I’m probably off the bike for a few days at least.
The front tire shot off to the right and I went down hard on my left side. I missed my shoulder and collar bone, but have a deeply bruised or cracked rib. I cracked my helmet, but the road rash isn’t bad at all. I’m guessing this is because the roads were wet. It was a pretty good yard sale of parts and equipment lying in the road. There were bottles, lights, batteries, etc. strewn around. Luckily, there was no traffic, so I just collected my stuff and moved to the side of the road to assess health and damage. The bike was unrideable with a bent rear derailleur.
I called a friend to come get me. I’m probably off the bike for a few days at least.
Heal fast!
11-05-15, 09:05 PM
#2895
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Gave up my Tuesday commute ride so I could get to the Salsa Cycles demo in No. VA before the 8pm end time. As it turns out, there was a miscommunication between Salsa and the LBS hosting the demo - event was actually over by 6pm instead of 8. So I didn't get what would have been a beautiful commute ride and I didn't get to try any Salsa bikes. Oh well.
Today was great though. Overcast in the morning, and in real night-time commuting in the evening. Weather was unusually warm for November here. I've come to appreciate riding behind a bus on Washington St. in Alexandria - it discourages motorists from driving behind me or cutting in front of me. There are HOV signs stating that drivers without passengers cannot right on right-most lane during rush hour, but there's always some who cheat - the bus is more effective than those signs at keeping them at bay.
Today was great though. Overcast in the morning, and in real night-time commuting in the evening. Weather was unusually warm for November here. I've come to appreciate riding behind a bus on Washington St. in Alexandria - it discourages motorists from driving behind me or cutting in front of me. There are HOV signs stating that drivers without passengers cannot right on right-most lane during rush hour, but there's always some who cheat - the bus is more effective than those signs at keeping them at bay.
11-06-15, 05:04 AM
#2896
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Pouring ass rain this morning...probably pass on riding if it doesn't clear out in the next hour or so.
11-06-15, 06:05 AM
#2897
Senior Member
It was a very nice uneventful commute this am. I did take a longer ride in this am so that was nice. Oh and warm temps this am 54f degrees when I left the house.
11-06-15, 07:21 AM
#2898
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Another warm, cloudy commute but fortunately the fog lifted during the night. This was the first morning this week when it wasn't raining, misting, drizzling or precipitating in some form or another. I am ready for the weather to cool down here and tired of arriving at work all sweaty. Forecasters are calling for a mild winter here with precipitation much higher than normal, which for us means rain rather than snow in almost all cases.
11-06-15, 07:30 AM
#2899
Senior Member
Took it a slow with a crazy route. Was a bit chilly though, defiantly have to find a face mask before winter hits. Chain popped off the back this time which hasn't happened since I got the bike, not sure why typically it's the front. Time to put some gloves in the kit so won't make a such a mess.
11-06-15, 07:37 AM
#2900
Senior Member
Yesterday I had to work late by two hours, so it was totally dark when I left work. My lights are more than sufficient for riding in the dark, but the combination of misty rain and darkness caused me to have a spill. Part of my commute is along a busy 4-lane road for about 1.5 miles, which is the only portion of my route with an actual bike lane. Unfortunately, the city did not pave all the way to the curb when they have resurfaced the road, so the pavement drops off sharply about 2-feet from the curb. My vision was so compromised from the mist and darkness that I mistakenly let my front wheel hit that drop-off and lost control. My bike went down very quickly, but fortunately there were no cars beside or behind me, and the only injury or damage that I suffered was to my ego. I take that back, my beloved Showers Pass rain jacket somehow got a hole in the shoulder during the incident, but hopefully that can be patched.
It hit 75 degrees yesterday, but was already cooling off at 5:00. Good ride home with dry roads for the first time this week.
I was running late this morning so the wife brought me in. We brought my bike so I can ride home this evening though. A bit of a drizzle out there this morning.