How Was Your Commute Today?

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Originally Posted by wackyjacky1

I get this about once a week from one yahoo or another. :rolleyes: Usually I just smile and wave. :p

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but I love when they shout that... and there's no sidewalk to be seen for miles. I get that sometimes, and usually when I'm in a neighborhood without sidewalks. Um.... you mean that invisible sidewalk- OK. ;)

I had a co-worker once tell me that bikes belong on bike paths. I told her that when the city builds me my own personal network of trails from my house to work and to the grocery store and the library, etc... I'll be happy to use it. Until then, I'm going to be on the streets since our city only has bike paths at lakes and parks.

Rode up to work yesterday for the first time in seems-like-forever. I figured I'd end up walking part of the big climb, but I was happy to find myself able to roll all the way up.

Okay, I stopped and walked around the guard arms at the rail tracks, because they were broken (?) and there was no train, and I wandered around to find a way around some construction that involved a trench about 8' deep, but I'm still giving myself full marks for the ride.

There are no kids at school this week, so not too much happening on the work front. Perfect for riding.

Hot. Not extraordinary though. July is always this hot. A little smokey too.

It was a perfect ride in yesterday. Stopped at the lbs to bother the guys, and still got to work early. Then right before I was leaving, I could hear thunder. I am not a wimp, I ride in rain, but lightning is another animal. I asked for a ride. Of course, it was sunny the whole way in the car. But still, I don't mess with thunderstorms. Not worth the risk.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

...I don't mess with thunderstorms. Not worth the risk.

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Amen!

Time to start wearing a t shirt and changing into a nice shirt when I get to work. Yesterday morning's slooooow ride to prevent sweat was just too challenging. I can get by not changing my shirt because it's only 10 minutes away by bike. But there comes a point when even 10 min in the morning makes me sweat too much to wear the shirt at work all day.

Commuting to work this morning, my back light came off while I was going down a hill. I heard it hit the ground and pulled over so that I could track back to see if there was any chance of salvaging it, though I didn't hold out much hope since it's a reasonably busy road. The driver behind me slowed down just to tell me that my light fell off. She got honked at by the car behind her and showed him two fingers before driving off. Two other cars slowed down as I was walking back up the hill to tell me that my light was on the road further up. Other cars were swerving around this light so that they didn't flatten it, until a taxi clipped it slightly and it shot off onto the pavement where I picked it up, pretty much undamaged. This is London. Greater (outer) London admittedly, but I'm still pretty surprised and still smiling.

So I have now been commuting for three weeks. It's eight miles each way although I often take a longer way home. I'm so happy with my rides and I haven't put gas in my vehicle since I started commuting. So far I have no complaints from co-workers .. I am working very hard to be discreet and trouble no one. My work starts to feel like what I do between bike rides!
I LOVE my Arkel Tailrider Expedition--it takes everything I need or folds down for just my lunch, wallet, glasses and phone. I highly recommend it.

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Originally Posted by SueMargaret

So I have now been commuting for three weeks. It's eight miles each way although I often take a longer way home. I'm so happy with my rides and I haven't put gas in my vehicle since I started commuting. So far I have no complaints from co-workers .. I am working very hard to be discreet and trouble no one. My work starts to feel like what I do between bike rides!
I LOVE my Arkel Tailrider Expedition--it takes everything I need or folds down for just my lunch, wallet, glasses and phone. I highly recommend it.

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Congrats....Thats exactly the time I started and distance for my commute ....and I feel you when it comes to not having to worry about putting gas in your car expecially a truck. I do carry a small backpack (sac) where I carry a small lunchbag with my home made meal; it has a front zipper pocket where I put my phone, glasses ,keys and wallet and two side net pockets I like it and its very convenient, but with the heat it makes my back really hot .. I am thinking on getting a tail rack..but dont know if thats going to make the bike a lot more heavy I ride an oldschool schwinn.

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Originally Posted by SueMargaret

My work starts to feel like what I do between bike rides!

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great comment, and describes how I feel on a good day as well! My commute is a little too short at just 4 miles each way - I'm experimenting with longer routes that strike a good balance between time/effort needed and reward - to maximize the feeling you're describing.

My boss says I only go to work so I can ride there. It definitely makes the day better.

Yesterday was great. I rode the bike path for a few extra miles in the morning, and it was surprisingly quiet. Then I got an unexpected tail wind in the evening. The forecast was for the opposite, so I lucked out. Also, drivers seemed more mellow, even thought it was really busy after work. A little kid yelled out a car window, but based on his expression, I think it was something encouraging. I had left one of my bikes at work the other day when I took a ride due to thunderstorms, so I got to ride a different bike each way, which was nice.

Oh man 105f today- too hot for me, I took the truck :(. Gonna be the same tomorrow so I'm gonna take the trusty rusty Tundra again. Wish it got better than 11mpg with the air on... It's been paid for since 2005 so maybe I shouldn't complain too much. What i save in car payments I use on bike stuff :).

Maybe by Friday the heat will break and it will be below 100f and I can ride again.

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Originally Posted by tzvia

Oh man 105f today- too hot for me, I took the truck :(. Gonna be the same tomorrow so I'm gonna take the trusty rusty Tundra again. Wish it got better than 11mpg with the air on... It's been paid for since 2005 so maybe I shouldn't complain too much. What i save in car payments I use on bike stuff :).

Maybe by Friday the heat will break and it will be below 100f and I can ride again.

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I would have driven, too. At those temps, it's too easy to get heat stroke.

...but it's a dry heat!

My eyes were so dry that my contacts were doing random sticky things, so I couldn't see. I was feathering my breaks, alternating hands when I thought of trying the same thing with my eyes. Winky left; winky right....Not great, but at least I could see enough to get me down the hill.

Dry heat, my azz. Stick your head in the oven, temperature at 350 degrees.
I don't miss it.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Dry heat, my azz. Stick your head in the oven, temperature at 350 degrees.
I don't miss it.

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Under the broiler is more like it.

Not a fan of the heat under any circumstance, but I do like the joke about the scientist who successfully measured the temperature of the sun and managed to send the result back to mission control before being sucked in by the sun's gravity. His last words were, "But it's a dry heat!"