Worst commute ever!!!
 

I've never ridden a mountain bike before nor ridden a trail. I always hear people who ride off-road talk about choosing your line and for the first time ever it made sense to me. The side roads in my neighborhood were completely unplowed and I had to ride on car tire tracks in the snow. Things weren't much better when I got on the main road; even though the snow was plowed they simply dumped it on the shoulders of the road (there used to be a thing called a bike lane there) so I had to ride in the middle of the traffic lane and get an earful of car horns because people want to get to their jobs (that they probably hate) a couple seconds faster. Or maybe that want to drop their kids off at school then go to their job that they hate. It was terrible man.

Things got worse once I got into Manhattan. I decided to take an alternate route instead of my usual bike lanes (since they are currently a storage site for unwanted snow) and hopped a MUP that is usually very busy only to find this:

http://i.imgur.com/uCuPZ4V.jpg

Chose the best line I could but then gave up half-way and decide to go cyclocross (dismount and shoulder my bike...which ironically is a CX bike!) and hopped on the road. Got an earful of car horn and curse words in multiple languages. I was running 32mm cross tires so rolling resistance was at a premium. Got to a bike path that was partially plowed (see below). You can imagine my annoyance when someone decided to salmon.

http://i.imgur.com/QSyux9A.jpg

Overall, the CX tires gave me the necessary traction but it was tricky because some of the snow was soft and slushy, and others that appeared to be soft and slushy from afar were actually rock hard when I tried to ride through them! Riding through mostly frozen lumps of snow (as opposed to slushy) was a real PITA. I was skidding all over the place all day but I only wiped out once, and that was from a poorly executed bunny hop. This is what my bike (the middle one) looked like when I finally got to school.

http://i.imgur.com/4Qe50lW.jpg

It was really exhausting having to plow through so much snow with my wheels so tomorrow I think I'll take the subway for the first time this year. I'm not sure I even remember how to use it!

Kudos to you for getting out there!

22F/-5C in DC, no wind to speak of this morning.

I've been emboldened by new shorter commute, so I set a personal record for low temperatures. 8F when I left.

I've found that if I wear my waterproof windbreaker over my normal cold weather top, it keeps me toasty warm. If I could just find a better finger solution, I'd be fine riding in the negatives for the 3 miles it takes to get to work.

Tip o the hat! Thanks for the pictures! It is a beast riding the deep snow, and if you don't have a bike set up for the conditions, it stressful too! I've been caught out on a summer bike when 4 inches fell, every pedal stroke is pure focus to on keeping the rubber on the road. And yes, picking your line is a real thing.

Yesterday was one of those gambles for me, I took the summer bike out for the first time this year. We've had a week of melting temps and the roads were mostly free of snow and ice. It was good, but stressful keeping an eye out for that one patch of re-freeze (you know, that one patch that wants to introduce your butt to the pavement). Yesterday, was a good reminder of how much I'm looking forward to spring!

I drove the car today because I have a commitment on Thursdays after work (coaching snowboarding) and I need to help the mother-out-law get to the SS office. But I must say with the freezing rain last night and 20 to 30 mph winds this morning, I might have driven anyway.

But look at the epic Bike Forum post you got out of it! That looks like quite the adventure you had. Thanks for posting the pics.

Boring here in the Carolinas. Nothing but dry pavement. Temps in the mid 20s, nice and chilly, but nothing crazy here.

Stay safe everyone!

Chilly morning from all of the cold air up north blowing south, with temps in mid-20s again. The wind is bothering me more than the cold lately, and it has made my afternoon commutes tough with headwinds most of the way home. I'm just thankful that we've avoided the snow and ice, and the weather also has been relatively dry this week for a change. I rode my "fast" bike this morning but my average speed was no faster than riding my heavier touring bike with bigger tires yesterday. The cold air is like having your brakes drag.

We had our one day of early spring weather yesterday, and it was awesome. Good tailwind and temps in the lower 70's. All was going well until I hit a traffic jam on a section of my commute that almost never has high traffic volume. I believe there was an accident on I-435, which caused a lot of folks to exit the highway to my commuter road. It just isn’t designed to carry that much traffic, so everything backed up.

Now, I know the folks in cities like New York would have just filtered through the cars to continue moving forward rather than sitting in traffic. I'm not much for doing that… and the motorist in this part of the country aren’t used to seeing something like that at all. If there was a shoulder available, I would have gone ahead and moved along that route. However, this section of road doesn't have a shoulder so I decided to sit in traffic with the cars. I didn't have anywhere to be, wasn't in a hurry, and was wearing a t-shirt & shorts in January!!!

What really made the time pass more quickly was when a rider on a Harley-Davidson pulled up next to me and we shared the same lane for about 15 minutes. We chatted back and forth for a while. Nice guy. Apparently the clutch on the Harley was fairly stiff and not much fun to deal with in in stop & go traffic. We finally got to a section where I knew I had a good shoulder for the next couple of miles. I said goodbye to my new friend and was on my way again.

Winter returned this morning. :(

Yesterday, I felt like a slug on the bike, so upon getting home last night, I decided that I'd take today off and finish out the week by riding in Friday and Saturday. This morning, my son was leaving for school on his bike at the same time I was leaving for work in my car; when we were both in the driveway, I looked at him, and felt an overwhelming feeling of jealousy; the weather was absolutely perfect. He smiled, and off he went. There are showers in the forecast for tomorrow; I'm hoping that it fizzles out and I have a dry commute in.

decided to be lazy today
 

thanks for posting the pictures and epic post!

I was planning on riding this morning. I had everything laid out and set my alarm to ride. It went off and I was like nope I am going to drive. :innocent: I just dont feel like riding in 26 degrees today. thankful for a fairly fuel efficient car

[MENTION=86492]tarwheel[/MENTION] The cold air is like having your brakes drag.

I think my brakes are dragging for real when i am parked i hear them make noise as the bike rolls back and forth just a bit. :twitchy:

The struggle is real. So-Cal commute down PCH

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=431277

Our local weather forecasters totally suck when it comes to predicting rain or any sort of precipitation. There was absolutely no rain in the forecast today, so I didn't wear my raincoat jacket for the first time in 2 weeks. Now there is a band of showers quickly approaching, and it looks like it will hit right about the time I normally leave work. The jacket that I wore is moderately rain resistant, at least in the front, so I'll have some protection. It just irks me that the forecast this morning made no mention of any chance of precipitation today. Unfortunately, that's par for the course around here.

i hope it is not true but we did have some rain/ sleet here so it is probably moving your way. Stay dry and safe!

Windy today. Took it out of me both ways.

Hitch-cockian!
http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/...psf8xpk8z7.jpg
http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/...psjriwwb4y.jpghttp://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/...psyggxoamk.jpg
http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/...psobghnuzw.jpg

Forgoing the bike commute today for my daughter's birthday. We are taking her out to dinner right after work, and I wouldn't have time to ride home and drive back downtown, which would be a total waste anyway. I could ride home in the dark at 10 pm but that ain't gonna happen today. I also was out late last night, driving to 40 miles to Chapel Hill to buy a bike for my daughter's birthday. I have been shopping the local Craigslist for a bike that would fit her for quite some time, and finally found one that looks like a good match. It's a Bianchi Boardwalk hybrid in Celeste green and well maintained.

Wow! Don't stay in one spot for too long.

Windy commute this morning. It was a good thing for about the first half. An 18mph North West wind is good when I'm going south, but when I turned west it was quite punishing. But the temp was 42F, 15 to 20 degrees warmer than previous days this week.

It's Friday!

It finally happened to me this winter. I flatted about halfway to work and it was 18F. This is about as cold as I'll ride a bike in winter. I decided to make an attempt at changing the tube before calling for help. Did I mention it was the rear tire? I'm glad I had my headlamp with me this morning because it was dark. Managed to get the wheel off after realizing the rim brakes were still engaged. Removed the old tube and felt for the cause of the flat. Couldn't find the culprit. About this time a truck stopped in the median, rolled down his window, and started yelling at me but I couldn't really understand him with the traffic. I yelled back to him that I was ok and that I almost had it fixed. Off he went. I've never changed a flat with the Surly Knards installed, but I didn't have much problem getting the tire back on the rim. Maybe it was the adrenaline! Also used my new mini pump for the first time. Took me about 5 minutes to pump it up. My arms were tired from pumping. It was tricky getting the wheel back on the frame with the panniers wire tied to the rear rack. It probably took me 15-20 minutes all together before I was rolling again. I was feeling proud about my repair until I flatted again a half mile down the road. I was so pissed to get that second flat. The only person I could get on the phone was my boss which quickly arrived. He also dropped my bike off at the lbs on his way home. Shop owner called me and said it was a piece of glass that was embedded in the tire and that he too couldn't feel on the inside of the tire. Oh well live to ride another day.

Last night, we had light rain, and a possibility of light showers this morning. It turned out to be perfect weather, although there was no good sunrise due to the overcast skies. There's a 20% chance of showers about the time I usually leave, but I'm betting on it staying dry. If it does decide to rain, I'll be ready with my jacket. I had a close call with a car today; it was the text book right hook; I was in the bike lane, going straight through the intersection on a green light, and the jackass driving thought he could outrun me and turned right in front of me. He got a blast of the air horn, and some choice language from me. Just goes to show you despite our best efforts to be visible and safe, there are many people out there that just dont give a $hit about anyone but themselves. On a much happier note, I finished building my Surly Big Dummy last night, and I may just get crazy and ride it to work tomorrow.

Winter is back in Minneapolis, after more than a week of melting weather, this morning is 12F. Felt good and the sun is out (haven't seen much if the sun for a couple weeks). Also fun to ride the Pugsley today, Fridays are quiet at my office and I'm normally the first one in.... so me and Pugsley found a couple extra miles along the way this morning and found some unplowed/unmelted snow to ride through. :)

That make three different bikes I've used this week - unusual for January. And I get a giggle when people in the building (not with my company) talk with me about my bike choices for the day. I'm the only year-round bike-commuter in this building and our building's bike storage is indoors, so everybody can see the day's steed.

If you frequent this thread and are wondering where joeyduck went and didn't see the other thread:
https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraise...n-vancouver--2

Beautiful commute this AM...freezing temp but clear and getting light.
Pretty sure the commute home will be veeerrry cautious in light of joeyduck situation...

I also had a very difficult ride in yesterday (Thursday) morning. I hit big patches of snow on the Hudson River Greenway. I nearly fell but didn't. Then after I got north of the George Washington Bridge, the path was not plowed or poorly plowed. I wasn't surprised I had to walk up the steep part of the hill. But once up there, I had a hard time getting going again on the not-steep part of the hill. Then I hit the crest and started descending. It was all ice. I rolled with my right foot scraping on the ground, and I was not able to stop the bike. I realized my speed was stable and that if, for some reason, I really needed to stop, I would just plant the side of my body down on the ground. I rehearse falls from time to time so I know I can do them.

Altogether, it was too much trouble. I left my bike at work yesterday and took the subway home and then back in again. I'm not riding home tonight, either. I used to have a no-snow-or-ice rule for myself, and I'm going back to it. I don't want to be wasted when I get in in the morning, and I don't want to fear for my life on the way home.

I need to pick up another sport such as yoga or tai chi. Cycling alone is not enough.

I got an exercise ball to serve as my desk chair. I just inflated it and am sitting on it now. I think I love it. I don't know if I can sit on it all day, but it doesn't matter how much I use it, even if only for a few minutes a day.

Stopped by a grocery store after work to grab an IPA and some potstickers for dinner. Saw a 20$ bill in the parking lot well away from any cars or people. Dinner was free tonight! Good thing I was on my bike where I could see it and not in a car like everyone else :D

The commute was otherwise uneventful. A little cool but clear skies and clear roads. I've only had to resort to my foul weather bike once this month.

I was whooped last night when I got home, so I decided to pull something out of the stable that was a little lighter than my daily commuter for todays ride; afterall, it's Saturday, and my ride home this afternoon should be just about perfect. I think I may incorporate my love for commuting with my love for C&V bikes, and make Saturdays the day I ride one of the bikes in "the collection". While they all get ridden from time to time, I generally don't commute on them. So today I strapped on a backpack, and rode my Bertoni TSX; a vintage frame built with Campy 11 speed. I felt like I was flying to work today. I can't wait to ride home and look at the paint and chrome glisten in the sun.

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...pswqtw5he6.jpg

Just rode about 2.5x my commute distance with a 2-seat kiddie trailer. That's a lot of work! Can't imagine what it's going to be like with 2 larger kids instead of 1 baby.

Rain and hail while the weather forecast predicted dry weather. But overall nice commute again. Not letting some rain and hail ruin my bikeride :D