um Pfunk, you ought to post that in "things I found on my ride" thread. oh wait. You didn't find the body!
I rode today in misty cold fog. brrrr.
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um Pfunk, you ought to post that in "things I found on my ride" thread. oh wait. You didn't find the body!
I rode today in misty cold fog. brrrr.
I'm looking tomorrow, Mimi!!! If they haven't found it by then...:D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
Haven't seen anything on TOP yet, but I keep looking.
Makes me glad my own ride was so uneventful, as I sit here, looking at the battery charger for my light, wondering how long it will take my Li-Ion battery to charge. The "Charge Me" light went on this morning, and I'm glad I started carting the charger with me in my pannier. I'd hate for it to go out on me on the ride home.
But I can't help but wonder if it's a sign of how good the battery is, or how little I use it (i.e., how little I ride) that this is only the second time this winter that I'm re-charging it. And this will probably be the last time...since by mid-February, I should be able to make do with the smaller "be seen" flashing light, and not my big Knog light.
7 - I started keeping my charger in my backpack because there were a few times that I forgot to charge my light in the evening and it went out on the morning commute. I think I leave earlier than you do so I'm really enjoying the extra daylight in the evening.
I rode in this morning, my first below freezing commute! :) On the way in my newest (and most $$) headlamp decided to fall off. When I went back for it I discovered that it had broken off of its mount :eek: I've already contacted customer service and they say they will replace it. I think I have enough other lights to get me home safely.
For my ride home I was able to lash the light to my bar using an extra lanyard I found in my desk :DQuote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
The part that lets you swivel the light to aim it is screwed to the bottom of the light; it broke off around the screw-in point. It also has a major crack along the body from where it hit the ground. On my lesser light the swivel is part of the mounting base. I hope this isn't a design flaw; nobody mentioned this as a problem in the reviews I read.
The light is all packed up and ready to send out.
This has to be one of the coolest things I've heard all day. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
**
Pfunk, maybe you should start videoing your commutes.
**
btw my biggest issue this morning was the cold air making my eyes tear; how do you deal with this?
Honestly, just this morning I was just thinking of this and thought: Closing my eyes works. Maybe I'll just close my eyes. But then, I thought that might not be the wisest move on a bike. :cool: I use clear eyeglasses and it helps somewhat. Some use goggles.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
Hill....are they replacing the whole light, or just a mounting bracket?
The whole light needs to be replaced.Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
Clear & crisp riding to work. Another really nice sunrise. Glad it's getting lighter for the ride to work. Snow predicted to start at 5, so had a nice ride home in the snow. Hopin' for a powder day tomorrow, but the snow's backed off a bit, so it might just be slop in the morning.
I think it's worth reporting that there is nothing to report this morning. :p:rolleyes:
not even a funny smell? :cool: I'm glad to hear it!Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
I have underestimated the weather. 4 inches of fresh unplowed snow under my skinny tires on the bike path for 5 miles were brakeless (brakes were stuck by snow) but peaceful. 1 mile on slimy, slushy road sliding made brakes utterly useless.
Soaked clothes with salty water is now drying. I am dreading the ride back in the evening. The forecast is calling for 100% showers and 40mph gust winds!
Note to myself: Have a spare set of underwear in my office.
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs141...._3000927_n.jpg
:eek: :eek: :eek:
You are one brave cyclist, Martinkap!!
Max
brave for sure!!! What a cool picture, tho! :) Stay warm.
What a dull day then, eh?Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
My eyes tear easily, as well - doesn't matter if it's a cold wind or warm wind. I don't wear contacts, and with my astigmatism I cannot wear sunglasses that wrap due to distortion. So, my optician suggested Liberty Sport Goggles and thus far I'm very happy with them and didn't notice any distortion. They're a nice snug fit, and there was definitely a significant decrease in tear production while riding last weekend into the wind. Here's the link to the goggles, if interested.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfp...mikcpe/lb.html
I had to stay late at work so instead of leaving at 4:30, I left at 5:30. I'm so used to cycling home when it was still light so I wasn't too thrilled with the darkness. I was about a mile from the spot where "the body" was supposedly located. All of a sudden, without warning, a cyclist comes flying up on my left and yells, "BOO!" I almost fell off the bike! :eek: It was Travis, a young kid I met a few weeks ago. We cycled home together on two occasions. I said, "Travis sweetie...let me tell you a story about a body." And then, "DON'T EVER SCARE ME AGAIN!" He said, "My bad, P...my bad." I couldn't stop laughing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
P -- What a scare! It's a week like this one that keeps your blood pumping. Travis could have easily given you a heart attack. Good thing you're in such great shape. ;)
So glad tomorrow is my day off so I will NOT be commuting. :p
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
DH rode into the city tonight to meet me, so we could ride home together.
Well....sort of.
He called me when I was in the locker room getting ready. "My rear derailleur cable snapped," he reported. He was riding to our LBS for an emergency repair, and I would meet him there. The shop is just 1.5 miles from my office, so it was an easy trip there.
...a half hour of repair, lots of b.s., and general chit chat, and DH was done with a new cable.
So off we went for a ride home.
Now....DH was riding his sub-17 pound ti and carbon Seven ID8 road bike...which he rides against Cat 2 racers. Me....I was on my upright, flat bar commuter with a single pannier weighing about twice that. So....on our ride home, you can imagine I was a little out-gunned. Think: Ferrari vs. Hummer. Any time the road turned upwards (oh...and it was really windy, too), I got dropped off the back like a rock.
Was I wrong for being a little surly by the end of the ride?
No! Surly would have been an appropriate emotion.:p
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
He definitely should have been doing a better job of pulling!Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
Dumb college kid in an SUV yelled "Laaaaance!" as he passed. That worries me. What are they teaching kids these days?? Lance is fast. I am slow. Lance rides cool bikes. I ride a fred bike. I look nothing like Lance. Lance has one testicle more than I do. I have one ovary more than Lance does. That poor fellow will never graduate college, I believe.
Round the next corner is a pedestrian crossing to the Vet Hospital. I stop at that stop sign reflexively. It's automatic, I don't think about it. Rarely is there a pedestrian in the crosswalk, but this time there was. He proceeded, I proceeded. He turned around in the middle of the road, and announced:
"Congratulations, you are the first cyclist in ten years I have seen stop at that stop sign."
I smiled the rest of the way home.
Hey, Lance...good stories! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
I know two bike commuters in northern Virginia whose water bottles froze during their ride this morning.
Anyone else?
Not mine in MD. But then, I whimped out and took Metro. I think I've lost my enthusiasm for 18 degree (-7C) and windy commutes. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
Well I've never had that enthusiasm so you're still better than me...Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
I went out earlier when it was 23 degrees with a 13 degree wind chill but my water didn't freeze.Quote:
Originally Posted by ny biker
I am never sure quite how to dress when it is hovering around freezing. A little wind or sun or a couple degrees can make a HUGE difference. Today I brought the full winter kit, but didn't wear it all. I stopped twice in the first 4 miles to undress a little bit!
The little metal bit that makes my brakes spring open when I release the brake lever sometimes comes unhooked. It's very easy to put back, but it confuses me hugely. The first time a few days ago I thought my brake cable was freezing up (only it didn't seem that cold). Tonight I was a little smarter, but the left side front brake metal bit (that had come off last time) was fine. Oh. It was the right side!
The very nice guys at the bike shop looked at my trailer wheels and told me what I need to do. They didn't have the right bearings on hand but they measured & wrote down the dimensions so I can get them at the hardware store. They oiled the bearings I have, so it's lots less squeaky, it will do until I get new bearings.
We also talked at length about how to build the bike stand I'm going to build!
I had no intention of riding today; my stepfather is in the hospital, and i wanted to be available to go down there at a moment's notice. that was not to be. My husband packed the car keys in his pannier... so I had a lovely bike commute this morning.
It has been lovely around here lately. The side streets are treacherous at the moment... in fact, a couple of days ago, I walked the last two blocks home because the ice is so slick! I am not complaining though, it's so nice to be able to ride all year round ...
I decided to bike in today because it's supposed to snow later and tomorrow morning so I most likely won't be on the bike tomorrow. Because I knew that the trail is still covered with snow, I had to make a decision last night on which route I would take. I have many options to get to work but all of them are on major roads. I decided to take Wisconsin Avenue down to Georgetown and I think it was the best choice. For most of the way, there are 3 lanes heading to DC so I grabbed a lane for myself. Traffic is so light that early in the morning so there were stretches that I actually had the whole road to myself. And no one was beeping their horn at me or telling me to get out of the way. :) Now I just have to figure out which way I'm going to go home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
P - Stay safe out there tonight going home.
K - thanks...I made it home safe and sound. Although with slightly higher blood pressure than this morning! I decided to do 14th street - straight through the heart of DC. Between the metro buses, crazy drivers, jaywalking pedestrians, construction and all the noise...wow...I miss the bikepath!!! My regular commute is 15 miles and this was only 8.68 but...I would rather do the distance and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
P - Glad you made it home safely. Sounds like a hellish commute through the city.
If only it'd stop snowing so the paths could clear again. We've got the white stuff falling down rather fast right now. I suppose we're looking at 4-6 inches.
I realize that they are a different breed and much more experienced than I, but I don't know how couriers do it every single day!Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
Tired of the snow...:( And more show showers on Friday and Saturday...
P - I'm escaping the DC area on Thursday and going to Naples, FL for a long weekend to visit my daughter who's completing a one yr. residency there. Hope to do some riding, beach walking, fine dining, and of course a little shopping. Cannot wait. Looks like my trip will be between snow storms, thank God.
Sounds like you have a great (timely) weekend planned! Enjoy! And hopefully the snow will all be melted when you come back. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad