Hang in There - 30 Days and Counting!

[Mr. Bloom]

Spring forward on MARCH 8 (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/daylight_time.php)!!!!.

:D:D:DWarmer Temps and More Daylight are close ahead for the northern hemisphere!:D:D:D

[Aggie_Ama]

It is 70 here but I can't go mountain bike after work and road rides have to be a short hammerfest. Counting down the days to the time change.

[Thorn]

Not soon enough! I called in "working at home" today so that I could get in an afternoon bike ride. Temps will be above freezing through the weekend. I have got to get out and ride this weekend.

Due to snow, cold, schedules and lack of daylight my winter bike has not seen pavement since Thanksgiving (yes, I'm a wimp--snow, ice, cold and dark mean work and I want my bike riding to be play).

Three days of outside riding--here I come! Then I can wait the 30 days :rolleyes:

[bmccasland]

I for one, hate day light savings time. Just leave the dang clock alone. :mad:

[Aggie_Ama]

Move to Arizona Beth. :p Sometimes I have trouble adjusting and other times I do not.

[bmccasland]

Move to Arizona Beth. :p Sometimes I have trouble adjusting and other times I do not.

Used to live there - 24 years - maybe that's part of the reason I don't like it. In the desert, you WANT the sun to go down! I'd far rather have more light in the early morning when it's cooler than light at the end of the day when it's hot!

[Aggie_Ama]

True! When I am free of a job I would like to do away with it in Texas. In the summer we often find ourselves waiting for sun UP to ride because it is going to get so dang hot.

[Crankin]

When we moved to MA from AZ, I took my kids to the doctor for a check up, the first Monday after the switch back to Standard time. When we came out at 5 PM, my 5 year old said, "Who took the sun away?"
It was a few years before he understood that humans can manipulate time. We joke about this now.

[OakLeaf]

I for one, hate day light savings time. Just leave the dang clock alone. :mad:

It took me years to realize why they call it "daylight savings time" in the SUMMER time, which is when you DON'T need to save it.

I finally figured it out. They save it up in summer, so they can sell it back to you in your electric bill (and antidepressants, and gym memberships, etc. etc. etc.) in winter.

[Aggie_Ama]

In the winter in Texas you get a reprieve from the electric bill. :rolleyes:

[crazycanuck]

Ummm...Beth..do you have bike lights? You can ride before & after sunrise dear :p

[emily_in_nc]

I don't like daylight savings time. Makes it too dark in the morning and hard to get up for work. And now they've gone and made it longer. :mad:

[shootingstar]

2009 is the first winter in uh, last 6-7 yrs., that I've barely noticed the winter blahs. Some major life changes and celebrations have happened this past January..and this month, means staying on top of those changes. Some breakneck speed things goin' on at work.

And we just finished booking flight to visit family in Sept. Plus a side mini trip by train to Portland over Easter. Life is fine and much to look forward. :o

Haven't noticed the grey blahs much...this includes just not cycling much in past few weeks. :) I can't get depressed especially when new job allows me to recover more personal hrs. each day compared to old job.

[Selkie]

With the high quality of lights available, people who live in warmer climates can ride during the winter.

There are a lot of people on this board who have not been able to ride outside, either because of the very cold temps or a combination of ice/snow/cold. Sorry if this sounds snarky but I think most of us would chose to live where we could ride outdoors year around. Sometimes I find the comments about it being "only 60 degrees" a little insensitive, particularly to those who have been buried in snow, unable to ride safely because of road salt/gravel, etc.

But thank you, Mr. S, for reminding us that the end is near.

[OakLeaf]

Sometimes I find the comments about it being "only 60 degrees" a little insensitive, particularly to those who have been buried in snow, unable to ride safely because of road salt/gravel, etc.

I'm sorry if I'm one of those offenders. I only meant to make fun of the people I ride with for thinking it was too cold. I do know that being here in February is a gift.

Honestly though, if it was up to me, I'd be in one place all year round (and I think most people would do the same once they'd experienced being snowbirds). There are worse things than having down time where you have to change up your training and plan for the next season. Believe it or not, I'm jealous of you, too. And I'm not so far removed from Ohio winters that I've forgotten what it's like (2003 was my last one).

[Mr. Bloom]

I am a fan of Daylight Savings Time (although it's probably ineffective at saving energy...)


- as a weekday resident on the western edge of the Eastern time zone, DLST gives us daylight until nearly 10PM! I can do a 60 mile ride after work!


- as a weekend resident of the eastern edge of the Central time zone, I still get the benefit of much more morning time to get in a ride before Silver and the kids wake up!


How can I say that DLST is ineffective at saving energy? We live in Indiana which straddles the eastern and central time zones. Until a couple years ago, the eastern time zone sections :eek:didn't recognize DLST!:eek: So, the regional utilility had a pool of households for research...and found that consumption actually increased in the areas that switched to DLST:confused:. Many other variables could affect it, but I believe it was an 8% increase!

:eek::eek:Oh yeah! when I started this thread yesterday, it was dark and -3 degrees! FARENHEIT:eek::eek: Thanks to those who rubbed in how warm it was elsewhere:p

[Selkie]

I, too, am a fan of DST.

Didn't Pres Nixon make it year around during the oil crisis in the 70s? I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade that year -- I remember waiting for the school bus in the dark and cold that winter.

Oakleaf, you're fine! It's actually only on the threads where folks are lamenting the cold/snow, then someone chimes in with it being 50 degrees and dry. And complaining about it. :( Believe me, I would LOVE to have 40 degree weather to ride in or even above 32 degrees. Since I ride before work, I'm out in the coldest part of the day (it's dark, too).

I enjoy reading about people who are riding---the southern California gals, in particular. But they keep those threads separate from the winter weather threads. That way, if you don't want to read about someone being out while you're stuck inside on the trainer, you can skip those them.

But there's hope. Looks like things are going to warm up here, at least temporarily, for the next week. ;)

[Aggie_Ama]

Sometimes I find the comments about it being "only 60 degrees" a little insensitive, particularly to those who have been buried in snow, unable to ride safely because of road salt/gravel, etc.

But thank you, Mr. S, for reminding us that the end is near.

Sorry, I did not mean any offense. I have never known a winter in my entire life (seen snow about 4 times) and what you speak of blows my mind. I am tickled to have an even mild by our standards winter because last summer we had the third worst summer on record and I could hardly ride much of the summer due to 50+ days where the temperature sweltered over 100, often before noon we hit 100 and were still there at 9:00 pm. People died here due to inability to cool themselves but that gets little news coverage when it is Texas.

The temperature is mild but we should be having rain to end what is quickly becoming the worst drought on record. I would give anything to be stuck inside for weeks due to rain. Texas is a pretty depressing place this winter if you look around too long, I rode through a contained brush fire for the 4th time this month last weekend.

Mr.- Do not wish for my weather, it also has 40 mph wind gusts. I am not riding this weekend either since I do not fancy myself as a kite.

[Mr. Bloom]

Mr.- Do not wish for my weather, it also has 40 mph wind gusts. I am not riding this weekend either since I do not fancy myself as a kite.

The wind here is 35mph today, but it's bringing warm air from Texas!

So, I'm going for a 20 miler today. First 10 directly into the wind; for the return, I'll simply coast home.:p

[solobiker]

I like DLST, I love it when it is lighter later. However, I would have a hard time changing this clock:eek:

http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/rr57/solobiker27/daylightsavingstime.jpg

[OakLeaf]

You know, I thought about this.

None of us buys clothes for the coldest 2 or 5 or maybe even 10 days of our local winter, whether those days are 50 above or 40 below. It's simply not worth the expense or the storage space.

I have two lovely pairs of wool tights sitting in my closet in Ohio. They get plenty of use in the spring and fall. I would have loved to have had them on several of these mornings. Am I going to bring them with me to Florida next year? Nope. Am I going to buy some to keep here? Uh-uh. Not when I might wear them twice or three times over the entire winter. As for heavy winter shoes and gloves, I don't even own any, even though there are always a few days or even weeks in Ohio when I choose not to ride out at 8 a.m. with the club because my hands and feet would go numb and painful. I haven't been able to convince myself that, when I'm only in that weather for a few weeks a year, appropriate footwear would be worth the expense or the space and weight in my cycling duffel.

There are many people in the northern contiguous US who feel they can't ride because of the ice, snow and salt, and I respect that. I don't road ride when I'm home and the roads are like that (although most of my buddies, and on occasion myself, take every opportunity for off road riding.) But meanwhile there's an intermittent thread on the Alaska section discussing whether it's better to try and ride on deep uncleared sidewalks or in the middle of the street on the tire tracks between the snow berms. :eek: There've been any number of discussions about whether to ride when the temperature's in the teens, and if so, how to dress for it. Sue Geonz has been quietly logging more outdoor mileage on BikeJournal than almost any of us, from her home in central Illinois.

I guess all I'm saying is everyone has to be where they are. I don't think it's insensitive to the Norwegians that you don't have proper clothing for the weather you currently have in Virginia, and so choose not to ride. I don't think it's insensitive to the Virginians that Aggie doesn't have proper clothing for the weather she currently has in Texas, and maybe chooses not to ride. Making comments about other people's tolerance of weather conditions can be insensitive, whether you consider their weather "better" or "worse" than yours.

[ny biker]

I live in Virginia and am not offended by any of these comments. I also would not choose to live someplace where the weather would allow me to ride outside year round. I'm not a big fan of sub-freezing temps, but I can live with them because I prefer having the variety of four distinct seasons rather than warm weather year-round.

Weather, especially temperature, is so incredibly relative. When you're used to 80 degrees, 50 seems cold because it's 30 degrees lower, so you wear a coat. When the high temp barely reaches 20, like it did here on Thursday, and then it goes over 50 only two days later, you're walking around in a t-shirt because it's 30 degrees warmer. It's all about what you're used to.

(Apologies to those who measure temperature in celsius instead of fahrenheit. Did I even spell "celsius" right?)

[Mr. Bloom]

Yippee!

[RolliePollie]

I love DLST! And I am very excited that it's happening so early this year. :) I won't like that it's so dark in the morning, but the extra light after work is something I really look forward to! I probably won't be riding in the evenings until winter goes away a little more (i.e. snow on side of roads melts), but I should be able to at least go on some good walks.

p.s. ny biker is so right about it all being relative when it comes to temperature! I don't take offense at anyone's comments...I think it's kind of entertaining. It might be 35-40 degrees at my house and I'll head to Sacramento to ride where it's in the high 50's or around 60. I'll be wearing shorts and short sleeved jersey and almost everyone else is bundled up in all their winter gear. I get a kick out of it. It's just what you're used to.

[Miranda]

But thank you, Mr. S, for reminding us that the end is near.

That made me lol... I was just thinking that before I got to this post in the thread. I think we have some strong opinions about time changing... I do too lol. My DH just goes through and does all the clocks because it makes my brain hurt trying to do the math:p. HOWEVER...

I say... Hooray! Come on Spring:cool:. It is SO wonderful to have the overall amount of daylight increasing with days being longer. It has even been sunny lately. That has made my winter S.A.D. deprssion improve. For two months I've been at the gym at spin class, weight training, and finally lost some holiday pounds for the spring riding weight goal. (Though, the outside wind of Mother Nature always gives me the annual 'welcome back hello azz-kickin':eek:--the fan in spin class just isn't the same:rolleyes:.)

NOW, my only delimea is to get my new bike that fits! Therefore, this post almost sets me into a state of panic... must find and decide soon, arrrgghhh. But, I will control myself until I think she's right. All goes as planned, traveling to go bike shopping this week:D.

So, Mr. Silver... I hear ya loud and clear;):).

[WindingRoad]

"That has made my winter S.A.D. deprssion improve. For two months I've been at the gym at spin class, weight training, and finally lost some holiday pounds for the spring riding weight goal. (Though, the outside wind of Mother Nature always gives me the annual 'welcome back hello azz-kickin'--the fan in spin class just isn't the same.)"

If feel your pain....I can't wait for more bike time. If it's light later I can get home with tons of time to spare before dark and usually get in an 'official' training ride too. I'm so sick of the gym.... ack. Can't wait to have a nice long ride without techno music soon. Ready to send the winter blues packin! ;)

[Tuckervill]

Miranda, you could do like I do, and wait for the atomic clock in the kitchen to change automatically, and then carry that around to all the other clocks and sync them up!

Karen

[sundial]

I love my atomic clock. Unfortunately, it forwarded itself too early last spring. :D

I noticed the sun is rising earlier all the time. :)

[sundial]

Oh yeah! when I started this thread yesterday, it was dark and -3 degrees! FARENHEIT:eek::eek: Thanks to those who rubbed in how warm it was elsewhere:p

Shoulda stayed in the mid-south. ;)

[Tuckervill]

OH YEAH! I'll bet my atomic clock doesn't know DST changes on a new date now!

Karen

[sundial]

It'll be interesting to see what our clocks do this year.

Hey Tuck, how much snow did you get?

[Crankin]

Yes, last year, with the new advent of earlier DST, our Atomic clock didn't change by itself. It was a real hassle to get it to change manually.
And I only bought this clock because it had a second hand big enough for me to read while doing intervals on the trainer.

[beccaB]

OK, so daylight savings time is coming soon- but it was 6 degrees this morning. I want WARM! It's March for crying out loud. Is it unreasonable of me to think it should be warmer than 6 degrees? OK, so it is Michigan but so what?

[Miranda]

Miranda, you could do like I do, and wait for the atomic clock in the kitchen to change automatically, and then carry that around to all the other clocks and sync them up!

Karen

Hey,that's a good idea. I have heard of those, but have never seen one in person. We are in the stone age here:rolleyes:...

[Fredwina]

Since I dislike DST .. I don't get home until 7PM on worknight, so the sun is well on its way down by the time I can change. So I usually do early AM rides.
And we have to get started early in the Summer to avoid 100 -plus heat pretty much every day in July and August, too.
I do miss the change of seasons

[Mr. Bloom]

Atomic Clocks should not be affected since they get the signal from the gov't...:confused::confused::confused:

Fredwina: During the week, I'm on the west edge of the eastern time zone...and mid summer sunsets are about 9:30, so I can ride a lot after work.

On the weekends, I'm on the east edge of the central time zone (where I lived 90% of my life)...and I like the west edge MUCH more.

[Tuckervill]

Yeah, I just couldn't remember if it changed on time last year, or not. It must have, but I do remember resetting it a few months ago, but I don't remember why! (batteries?)

Karen

[sundial]

Ours reset itself a little late/early and we had to wait a couple of weeks before it was the correct time. I think DST was earlier than normal last year, right?

[spokewench]

I for one, hate day light savings time. Just leave the dang clock alone. :mad:


I live in Arizona - where they leave the dang clock alone - except if you live on the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations up north! Now, if that isn't confusing

[ny biker]

So here we are, back in daylight savings time. I got 8 hours of sleep last night, yet I still felt really tired when I woke up this morning. Must be all in my head.

When I went grocery shopping on Friday, I picked up some 9 volt batteries so I could replace the one in my smoke detector. I tested it on Thursday night and it worked, but in honor of the vernal equinox I planned to follow the firemen's advice and change the battery anyway.

So I'm sitting here at the computer typing away, when I hear what sounds like a dripping sound. Hmmm. When I walk towards the bathroom to investigate, I realize it's the smoke detector chirping at me, to tell me I need a new battery. Talk about perfect timing!


Luckily, I am prepared...

[Tri Girl]

It's here!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

There are birds building nests outside my living room, the Bradford pear trees are blooming, and I've got flowers blooming. I'm high on life today. :)

[sundial]

My silly atomic clock is waiting for the *correct* DST. :rolleyes: I woke up to see a beautiful sunrise and it's in the 80's today. :)

[Mr. Bloom]

My atomic clock reset before I awoke...

I had planned on riding today, but knocked a 100lb stack of weights over on my left foot...and didn't think that climbing with a throbing foot would be fun:eek:

At least I know my heart is still beating...I feel it in my toe with each beat!;)

[Flybye]

I love daylight savings time, but not for the first week.
5:00 am is going to come real early tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about your foot. How do you knock over 100#'s?

[Mr. Bloom]

Sorry to hear about your foot. How do you knock over 100#'s?

Being careless. :rolleyes: I was moving some of the gym pieces around and the stack was in a funky place...and I was barefoot...and I knocked it over.

Now I know why I've waited 2 yrs to move that universal gym;)

[bmccasland]

It was dark, black dark, when I headed out the door to the office to work. Grumble grumble grumble. Why can't they just leave the clocks alone?? :mad:

[Mr. Bloom]

'cause then, those of us who go to work at 5AM wouldn't have time to ride after work;)

[Tuckervill]

My atomic clock didn't change, either. :(

I couldn't get out of bed for boot camp this morning. It was like 4 a.m.!

Karen

[Jo-n-NY]

'cause then, those of us who go to work at 5AM wouldn't have time to ride after work;)

+1 I dread when daylight savings time ends.

~ JoAnn

[bmccasland]

'cause then, those of us who go to work at 5AM wouldn't have time to ride after work;)


+1 I dread when daylight savings time ends.

~ JoAnn

Then why change them at all? This DST thing 7 months out of the year is what I question. Why not set the clocks, and leave them alone??? :confused: Why bother "falling back"?

[Jo-n-NY]

Then why change them at all? This DST thing 7 months out of the year is what I question. Why not set the clocks, and leave them alone??? :confused: Why bother "falling back"?

I agree :)

[Mr. Bloom]

Why bother "falling back"?

I'd be OK with that

[Skierchickie]

I'm in the "hate DST" camp. What, after all, is the point of "saving" daylight during the time of the year when there is plenty to begin with? If it were just the standard time, and we never switched, I'd be happy. Winter is when I barely have time to train after work. On the longest day of the year, it isn't truly dark until around 11 here.

Now that the dates are different, it starts on the day of my favorite ski race - that stinks. A 9am race that now effectively starts at 8am.

I also grew up in a county in Indiana that didn't switch, and even after all these years I don't get it.:rolleyes: