Pretty thick fog an 28F, but luckily no icy roads.

thanks [MENTION=322871]arsprod[/MENTION] and [MENTION=175954]Tundra_Man[/MENTION] i ended up getting the incredibell ~ it's pretty awesome!

last week was kinda sucky with two days with rain and wet grounds (last mon and tue). but i was the one of the few on the roads, bike car or pedestrian which was nice. people were noticeably more careful.

but since then the weather has improved. and luckily the driving isn't as bad as i've seen it in sept/oct/nov. before thanksgiving it was just crazy-town.

we have had a few cold days (below 40) but we've been ridiculously lucky with above 40 temps. all in all, good riding for sure.

i got to check out the spurcycle at a LBS here and wow it is loud. it comes in really beautiful packaging. i was pretty impressed. i ended up going with the incredibell due to pricing tho, and so far i've been happy with it. today was my first real day using it (got it on Fri on my ride home, but have been using the family bike over the wknd instead of the commuter) - people definitely hear it above the construction (drilling and such) going on everywhere, so the piercing of it does work at getting everyone's attention which i needed. i was so tired of yelling bicycle behind you every 50 ft in a decently long stretch.

No commuting this week
Have to head up to MD tomorrow for a funeral later in the week and will be there until Sunday. I am bringing my SS cross bike though, so at least I am planning on getting in some ride time away from the awkwardness of mourning inlaws and extended inlaw family that doesn't really get along. There are soem great crushed gravel rails to trails up that way.

I know what you mean I bought a cheap bell from Ribble and finally installed it last weekend. I like it too especially since it was $2.40..


I am feeling pretty awesome! My 6yo Son and I rode 6.92 miles yesterday around a lake. It was on gravel and he and I chatted (mostly hime) as we rode a leisurely 6.6 avg pace around the lake. We got a lot of smiles and even heard one couple we passed as we passed a second time say "he is going to make it all the way around." I am so proud of him. I was grinning ear to ear as we rode together.

I commuted in this morning 36F or so degrees felt chillier in some spots but also drastically warmer in others. It felt good to ride.

I might get confused as being a well equipped homeless person... my wife thinks this is pretty cool and might even join me on a winter picnic.

That ride with your son is awesome and I am jealous. I'll give you virtual high five proud papa.

[MENTION=190611]joeyduck[/MENTION] thanks man for the virtual high five. I hope the post did not cause any emotion grief.. I am praying for your recovery and hope you get to ride again with your youngns..

Thanks for the thoughts, it hasn't caused me any grief. I've come to terms with most things. The hardest part is quantifying what percent I feel like; I'm going with I'm at about 65% of the new normal. I just need to increase my strength and stamina, and I know they will come with time.

I'm certain that I will ride again. I've been felling okay on the spin bike for the few times I've gotten on it. I think some easy riding this coming spring and summer will be in order. I just got to get a suitable bike.

In the meantime I've been doing more reading, games, and Legos with my son and admiring the little girl everyday.

I flipped my wheel to fixed gear for a short ride on Sunday and decided to keep it that way for the commute. I appreciate the fixed gear for the silent riding, since I've had a few issues with the freewheel, otherwise I'm not sure what the attraction is. Maybe that's it (not having to mess with a freewheel) and I'll probably keep it fixed at least until I change the freewheel. But I still feel awkward pedaling around corners, and downhill is a whole new technique.

Keep at it. Winter is a great time to ride fixed. You will find more reasons to like it.

That reminds me, I ought to take my fixie out. It's been a few months.

I now have both a Spurcycle bell and an Incredibell. Can't go wrong with either one imo.

Weird it didn't freeze on mine but I did have to remove them. Did see some ice in a couple spots... easily avoided. Sounds like winter is coming next Tuesday-Thursday though!

wet wet wet.

A very nice uneventful commute in this morning with the temp at 35f degrees and dark skies.

^ Same here, 34-ish. Yesterday, I experimented with my winter cycling jacket (wind block/insulated) over a light wool sweater. Too hot. Today, my light windbreaker over a Sugoi wool jersey. Still too hot. We need colder weather... Nice riding, though.

The ride home was a good one. I thought that I was going to get rained on but it just sprinkled a few. I was able to ride a little extra since it seemed warmer than usual.

This morning was a tough ride to get motivated for after staying up to watch the Redskins screw up the game (looking at you Jackson)

It was around 31F and I wore the same thing I wore yesterday. My go to cold weather outfit. On- one wool jersey and performance coat, bib tights over bib shorts, overshoes pretty comfortable and fogging was not too bad this morning. Glad I rode instead of driving.. probably wasn't as fast but it was 31F so I can go a little slower, right?

I expected to be 5 for 5 bike commuting this week, but heavy fog convinced me to drive this morning. The fog was about the heaviest I have ever seen around here, and I'm not comfortable riding 15 miles in rush traffic with visibility that poor. There is no way I could have kept my glasses clear enough to see and I need them for riding. Oh well, the weather is looking prime for the remainder of the week, and hopefully the fog will be a one-day event.

[MENTION=86492]tarwheel[/MENTION] we had some fog last night but it was nice and clear this morning!

A few degrees warmer at 35F this morning with the the afternoon getting up to mid-60s. Quite the warm December so far.

The other day a new guy at work asked if I ride to work every day. I said, "Pretty much." He said, "That's great, if you can stick with it." He's a new guy, so obviously doesn't know that I've been doing it for the nearly 2 years I've worked here and the 3 years before that at my previous employer. I didn't say anything back, but I think I'm sticking with it.

[MENTION=366933]mgw4jc[/MENTION] You might like it if you try it haha.

Good job on sticking with it.

WOOOOHOOOOO the state highway, adjacent to my route, that has been closed nearly 4 months now, since 2nd week of August, is finally open again as of this past Friday! That means the massive amounts of detour traffic I've been dealing with are GONE and wow, it is SO NICE once again! So quiet now, only a couple of cars in the 1.5 mile section where I was dealing with 30-40 cars in that same section before. Awesome!

It was about 35 when I left the house, up to 42 by the time I got to work. Cold toes as usual, but felt pretty good otherwise. I wasn't feeling tired at all like I have on some previous morning commutes, but my speed/time was still about average for me. Oh well, should be above 60 with a tailwind going home so that will be fun.

Past few days have been bad.

Two days ago I got hit:


Yesterday I ran into all sorts of fun:

First video 0:28, did you just blast through a stop sign to go around the van?? On those types of roads I pretty much always stay in the lane position you're in at 0:17 after the hit.

3rd video, again I maintain the lane position you were using during the fast-forward section 0:11-0:15.