Took the day off for no good reason. Got a dinner thing with a cousin I haven't seen in many years, so already had to get an after work pickup from the wife. She was up and we just decided for her to bring me in too. We drove a way that I don't ride and I saw a few other bike commuters. It made me feel guilty of course. Oh well, back at it tomorrow.

First ride since january 26th. There as been a bit of snow falling, 2-4 cm at a time, every 2 or 3 days. Just enough to keep me off the bike. This morning I took a chance, it was okay but there was a few tricky spots here and there, I left early just in case so I was able to go safe and slow when I had to.

Strava has done that to me once before too.

I need a ride soooooo bad... Last week, I only got 1-1/2 days commuting (Monday and Wednesday morning); Tuesday and Thursday required the car to carry snowboard gear to do my moon-lighting gig as a snowboard coach; Wednesday flatted the Pugsley on the way home (called AAA - AKA loving/supportive wife - for a ride); Friday was spent driving way up North to clean out mother-in-laws old house (unoccupied for 5 years). This week I'm at a business conference in Orlando - nice weather but NO BIKE :cry:

Enjoy your ride home today, and know that I'm jealous.

Second day commuting since I got my new commuter bike. I've been three+ weeks without a bike and it feels good to be back at it. The new bike is feeling good too, especially after I adjusted the rear wheel's dishing so it didn't rub on the fender any more (silly LBS). Also decided to take a different route that will give me a few more miles each day... a 3 mile commute just isn't long enough! :lol:

The most recent day I rode was January 29, and the cold and slippery surface convinced me to give it a break. My bike has been at the office since then. I think I'm going to ride it home tonight. We're having a very brief break from the bad weather.

Not too bad a ride to work with the refurbished beater bike my son picked up from the neighbour's curb. I confirmed with him that he was sure they were throwing it out since it was at the curb where people normally place their garbage bins for collection.

Gotta get used to the sticky shift levers again. They are located at the handlebars. The Mountain bike I was riding up until Friday had rotating handlebar shifters. Just rotate them while you're still gripping the handlebars.

The shifters or levers seem really tight so I have to investigate if they really are able to shift through all the gears.

21 miles down PCH to the SART. eating a nice lunch for the ride home against the wind.

I hear ya Hypno Toad. I'm on a business trip to Houston this week... with nice 70-degree weather... but no bike!

Cool ride in at 30F, but getting up to 55ish this afternoon. The sunshine was nice. I always like seeing my shadow projected on an embankment or row of trees lining the road. If I could just get a shadow-selfie somehow while riding.

The days are getting longer still. I don't really even use the headlight anymore.

Yesterday's ride home was more interesting than I like.

Riding N. on 15th Ave crossing Roosevelt I saw a cyclist pulling a trailer going NW on Grand Ave. I had the light and traffic was fairly heavy. He crossed Roosevelt using the crosswalk then turned N. on 15th Ave right in front of me without even looking. I slowed to his speed of about 8mph and was waiting for a break in traffic to pass him.

About 100ft from the intersection, without looking, he starts a left turn. Traffic was way too heavy and I hadn't even looked for a break yet. Squealing tires and honking horn the car that should have hit him stops inches away. He turns back into the bike lane and proceeds N. He waved at the driver as he did. Not sure if it was an apology or what. A block up he turns off to the right and I proceed at a normal pace.

That was enough excitement for me but there's one more incident. At this intersection

https://www.google.com/maps/place/41...7b37b7eee4217b

I always get into the left tire track to wait for the light. You don't have to agree with me but there are two reasons for this based on my experience at this intersection. First to let people turning right do so without having to worry about me. Second, while the intersection is wide enough for me to be out of the way to the right it narrows quickly after the intersection. Where it narrows I've had people misjudge timing and brush my sleeve with their mirrors trying to cut around traffic in the main lane. I have learned that taking the lane prevents this.

At the intersection a car pulls up behind me and starts laying on the horn. The driver starts yelling get out of the way. I decide to ignore him as the light is about to change. He pulls up on my right and starts yelling some more. I don't have time to explain the above to him so I just point and say, "You're missing the green!" We both start then and go on our way. Several more people in the main lane honked at me as they passed. Usually traffic just ignores me.

The incident has me thinking. All the other cyclists hang way over to the right. Almost to the crosswalk. Even the ones I consider to be the "serious" cyclists. I can ride out of the way to the right letting people who want to speed thru the intersection do so. But I've always figured that the right lane is for slow vehicles, me or for people turning right. Not for speeders wanting to bypass the regular traffic which is almost always doing the speed limit anyway. Feel free to look at the intersection and tell me what you think. If you do, take a look up ahead where the right lane disappears and the bicycle lane hasn't appeared yet. That's the choke point where I've been brushed before.

Overslept by more than an hour this morning, so I had a lot of scrambling around to do. I didn't want to miss another commute after two days of rain here from a nor'easter, so I skipped my morning coffee and wolfed down a quick breakfast. It sure was nice to see the sun again. Yesterday was about as nasty weather as we get around here -- temps in the 30s, very windy and raining most of the day.

Last night: Lots of snow in various forms on the ground, and mixed textures are the worst kind. I walked through some and hobbled and slid and faltered in a lot of it. They just don't plow the path in a useful way, north of the George Washington Bridge. I also hit a mud patch from all the melting, making the bike fishtail, but so far, I haven't fallen yet.

It's cold and windy today, so I didn't ride. The bike I had left in the office for two weeks is now at home.

I was so excited this morning that it was nice enough (29F and dry) to ride my road bike that I left one of my panniers on the other bike. Fortunately, I got the one with my clothes but no keys, tools, spares, etc. I feel naked without that stuff

Yesterday (drizzle/light rain) i was in a quiet neighbourhood street (bike route) going straight at a traffic circle, not particularly fast, and some hipster doofus in a Honda Element doesn't even slow down and enters the traffic circle full speed. I slammed the brakes and he whizzed by about a foot from my front wheel. Then, he stops completely, just past the traffic circle. I went around him and hit his window to give him **** for being a jerk, but he was COMPLETELY clueless. He had no idea what had just happened and that I was even there--I think he was lost. At least he wasn't being an ******* about it so I couldnt stay mad--I just told him to watch where he was going.

This AM--cloudy 7degC/45degF but felt warmer.

I posted here steadily for years as kind of a positive control since the vast majority of my commutes have been uneventful, but that got away from me. Anyway, this happened today:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=433722

I had stopped where the MUP crossed a street, then when I had an opening, I went for it and the bar snapped. It is almost 8 yrs old I am guessing 20-25k miles on it. I have had it on 2 bikes.

Whoa! What kind of handlebars are those? Is the stem clamp the correct diameter for the handlebar? I've never had a handlebar snap.

@locolobo13 - I'd pull into the left tire track too. I hate being passed in intersections. Never once been honked at for doing it.
[MENTION=333933]timvan_78[/MENTION] - he was probably too busy looking at his phone to notice the roundabout or you. Hopefully this encounter causes him to think about his behavior.

Nice ride in this morning: sunny, about 18F when I left the house, not much wind.

Everything was AOK. I think I even used a torque wrench. I have been aware in theory that all aluminum parts are consumable (including frames) but this is my first exposure in practice.

Inaugural commute on my new wheels!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=433754

They aren't much lighter than my stock set, but they can take a narrower tire and they make my bike look like a bumblebee..

Dark, 39 degrees F, but pretty dry for my ride. There was enough moonlight to illuminate the landscape some, so I got a bit of scenery fix. This will probably be my only commute for the week, between work and a meeting after work tomorrow. Of course, since we are enjoying a dry spell!

Oh, and welcome back to HardyWeinberg!

[MENTION=60072]HardyWeinberg[/MENTION], I trust you're OK. That could have been bad for you.

Thanks. Yeah I kept it upright long enough to do a u-turn and ride back to the trail (out of the street).

Nice commute this morning with temps in the low 30s and light winds, but it will be a tough ride home. A strong cold front is moving through the area during the day, and winds are supposed to be howling out of the north this afternoon -- which is the direction I'll be heading. We've had a lot of days like that this winter, and it's made for some tough rides home.

Pleasant ride in this morning, low 30s and no wind. Locked up my bike, walked up to my desk, sat down, and the sky released a pile of snow. It's only been snowing for 15 minutes and there's already half an inch on the ground.