Yay sparkles! ;)
I survived my commute, although was annoyed with myself for being shaky on the bike. :( Oh well, presumably I'll get back into the swing of things.
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Yay sparkles! ;)
I survived my commute, although was annoyed with myself for being shaky on the bike. :( Oh well, presumably I'll get back into the swing of things.
I should have ridden my bike today, but I drove because I had an afternoon doctor appointment. According to the traffic radio, one of the main east-west roads into DC was closed for cleanup of a cooking oil spill and all the north-south roads were detoured around it. It took forever to get over to a route that would get me to work.
The only people moving were those on bikes. I was very jealous.
cool and damp...so glad I'm not on the east coast right now!
drizzle on the way home, but not bad. In fact, I think I was more wet from sweat than rain!!
Got my first commute ride in more than two weeks today. I left a little earlier than normal...but not by much. Still, I was amazed at the lack of traffic on the roads! (That's not a bad thing, mind you.) I realize that kids aren't getting shuttled to school at that hour during the summer, but still...school was out when I last rode. Huh. Well, it was a very welcome. I hope it's like that on the way home (but I doubt it).
Cool and misty this morning but it became a bit dryer as I rode but still overcast. I knew this afternoon would be warm and sticky and yep it was. I have my own personal test method for sweat vs. evaporation I call elbow tinkle. If I flex my arm, making a V pointing down, and I make a puddle, it's too humid for my taste. And yep, today was a double arm'er, two puddles. Sweat got on my glasses and dripped from my hair. Yuck. All kinds of road grime stuck to my legs. I prefer warm and dry over this any day.
Still, I made good time and just enjoyed the ride, my first commute since coming back from vacation to work Wednesday. I kept dreaming of my relaxing and taxing mtb rides around Bend... then looked around to see the rather less beautiful west San Fernando Valley. Please UTC, move Rocketdyne to Bend, I'll relocate!
Humidity @ 100% when I left the house this morning. My "goal" was to arrive at work as dry as possible. I rode like a slacker, but at least I did my longest commute route, which also has some hills. I was pretty successful, only needing to sponge off a bit.
Tonight's commute was really good considering I rode past the beach where the state philharmonic orchestra was getting ready to perform. Crazy traffic jam, which made me glad I was on a bike. I negotiated my way through it really well, but have to remember that commuting on concert days is not a good idea if I feel less than perfect. Luckily, I felt good today, and the challenge of the cars was actually fun.
I rode my bike to a meeting downtown and then had lunch and rode home. I was really wishing I had a bike like Zen's Ms. Plum since I was going to a meeting and was wearing decent clothes. I would have been so much classier.:o
Seems to me that lately the commuting hazards have not been vehicles but rather other cyclists...
For example, this morning:
1. young woman on bike, no helmet, earbuds, goes flying past me as I'm stopped at a stop sign, I pass her once through the stop, she zips past me at the next stop sign, then I catch up to her zipping in and out of a lane that is blocked because a part of the road is under construction;
2. guy on bike, no helmet, comes flying out from a side street, crossing the (fairly busy) road RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! Did not stop at stop sign, did not see me. Fortunately, I was able to brake & swerve to avoid crashing into him. Guy seemingly oblivious - I admit, though, I did yell at him.
Sheesh!!
First commute since the day before surgery #1 (June 9). I'm tired but victorious. I started early this morning and it's a good thing I did. It takes me longer. I hope to have speed/endurance built back up in a few weeks. It felt good to be back on the bike.
Deb
Major Senior Moment this a.m.
So..I'm in the locker room, on the phone with DH -- I call him and let him know I arrived in one piece -- and simultaneously unloading my pannier while yanking stuff out of my rental locker. I reach in to the bottom of my pannier.
OMG!!! Where's my towel??? :eek: I can't believe I forgot my towel! No wonder I had so much room in my bag for my lunch bag, a box of tissues, AND my sneakers for an afternoon circuit class. Oh, man....I'm gonna have to dry off with a pile of paper towels. That is gonna stink.
I plop down onto the bench by my locker in despair. Right onto my towel...which I had already taken out of my pannier, but had no recollection of doing so. :eek::o
Sigh. Major brain-fart. DH is laughing, saying "Where's the baby? Der he is!" - a scene from Ice Age that just tickles his funny bone.
Ha, 7. That's what happens.
I took a tour of DC with Maidei this morning. It was cool and gorgeous, and most of the tourists hadn't come out to play yet. It was nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
I did something similar on a commute to work, a long, hot commute to the office. FORGOT an important item ... underwear. RATS!! I was going commando that day and not enjoying it. I've had to do the paper towel dry off move before, too. It happens ...
I've gone commando a few times this summer. Seems that I am more focused in the evening on what I'm going to wear cycling the next day than what I'm going to wear at work. :D My priorities are in order.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
Oh...the bike outfit ALWAYS takes priority! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
So far it has been cool enough in the early mornings to cycle in work clothes and arrive at work fairly presentable. The evenings are another story. I think I'm going to need to bring lighter clothes for the ride home.
Deb
Oh, that happened to me once. I went commando until 10am, when the Gap outlet around the corner opened. The only undies they had were girls, though, so I got the girls XXL and was saved. Never forgot them again (I actually kept a couple in my desk drawer just in case). I just didn't feel right going commando at work with only one layer separating me from my coworkers.Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode when Kramer's "boys" were separated by only 'one layer of clothing' from the rest of the world. Jerry cringed at the thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
:mad:
1.5 miles from home, and my bike starts to feel like something is wrong. The fork feels like a noodle. Aaa crap, a flat, a nice slow leak.
Luckily I'm in front of a DWP building with a large concrete slab for landscaping. Plenty of room to sit down and take apart the front wheel while in the shade of the building. A nice breeze helped, as I had just pored some water in my helmet and down my back so was feeling rather cool. Well, I searched inside and out but could not find the bugger that punctured the tube, so I am half expecting my spare tube to be flat tomorrow. At least I had a frame pump instead of a mini pump, it was nothing to get the tire up to 80psi.
Nice ride this morning, perfect temp, good times, and Wednesdays is group ride morning with work mates.
Then, we happened upon a jerk! Now, I have 3 bikes - I have a commuter with panniers, etc, if I'm straight bike commuting; I also have a road bike that I ride when we do group rides, as I will often bring a week's worth of clothes to work on Mondays and since we have lockers, I don't have to bring much as it's already at the office. So, here the three of us are, cruising up the road, single file, before 7am (before "rush hour"), on a nice, wide, 4 lane road - one that doesn't see a lot of traffic, especially going north like we were (the freeway is to the south), AND even though it's my road bike, I STILL have a light on the back. We're cruising pretty good due to the hills, 30+mph (speed limit is 35 there), and we pass a guy on a mountain bike who's riding on the sidewalk, so it's not like we "passed" him or pushed him into the curb - he was never in the street. We get stopped a signal, and he catches up to us, and yells at us for riding in the street! At first, I thought he was just commenting as though he wasn't comfortable riding in the street, as he said "I can't believe you guys are riding in the street". Then he proceeds to tell us that we need to be more considerate of everyone else, that it's "rush hour", look at all the cars around us (we were at a signal!!!), and he can't believe how inconsiderate we are riding in the street at this time of day. We had NO issues with cars at all, as traffic wasnt bad at all, we werent blocking any cars, and no one had to wait for us - I purposefully plan our routes to avoid the major thoroughfares especially during high traffic hours. This, coming from a guy riding on the sidewalk, darting out into the street unexpectedly as he crosses the street from one sidewalk to the other, and WE'RE inconsiderate? He was totally mad that we were riding in the road - no other reason, like we shouldn't be because that's where cars go especially, at that time of day. God forbid he infringe upon pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk, or just dart into the street as he crossed.
It just bugged the heck out of me, as I commute several days a week by bike, usually on a more heavily travelled, 2 lane road (with bike lanes), and I totally feel like this jerk had something against road bikes; like he was the urban commuter and we were those jerks that give cyclists a bad name. I swear, if I were on my commuter with panniers, and not wearing a jersey, he wouldn't have said anything to me - just a case of cycling prejudice!!!!
And, that's my rant for the day!
Even if you did slow someone down a little you have a right to the road, and as you already know it's much safer and actually more considerate than sidewalk cycling. I think you will feel less frustrated with this uneducated and biased cyclist if you become a League Certified Instructor and start teach the bike class in your area. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by JennK13
You probably already know this but one of the first bits of bicycle maintenance I learned was that an old tire gets brittle and can puncture the tube. I had so many flats at first until I figured out that's what it was!Quote:
Originally Posted by tzvia
Today's commute has been an exercise in Logistics.
The car needed an inspection for its upcoming license renewal and so I drove. It felt so odd. I dropped the car off and walked to my office. Then I realized I'd left the checkbook at home and didn't have any way to pay for it. (A long complicated digression about moving, changing banks, waiting on one debit card and the old debit card having been compromised and canceled, so I'm relying on old-fashioned checkbook & cash.)
I walked home (2 miles, 40 minutes), got my checkbook and biked back. Now I have both my bike and my car. The car doesn't have the bike rack on because we took it off for last weekend's trip. (I never get around to putting it back on until experiencing an inconvenience like this.) So at some point I need to drive home and get my husband to drive me back to get my bike. Or I could walk back, I suppose.
When I ran some errands I had to decide which vehicle to use. I was annoyed with the car for disrupting my day so I used the bike!
I found that since I've become an LCI, I've had to struggle against accosting bad bicyclists I encounter on my daily commute! It's agonizing to watch people blaze through red lights or meander in and out of parked cars, thinking that's the way it should be done. Unfortunately there's no good way to prove that I actually know what I'm talking about -- it's hard not to sound like a bossy know-it-all when you're telling somebody what they're doing is unsafe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
I mention all this cuz I just had to restrain myself again this morning as a lady in a hideous jacket circa 1996 zipped past me and through a red light. Argh!
Well, that is a possibility too. I feel less inclined to correct people on the spot because I think "another example to use in a class!"Quote:
Originally Posted by kfergos
I can understand that, but the guy was clearly NOT an LCI. My husband asked if we cut him off or something, but we didn't do anything - he was literally upset over the fact that we were in the street, and his sidewalk riding was the proper way to be "considerate" to drivers. I have a part time job as a Group Ride Leader, so I'm very conscious about being safe and following the rules of the road, especially since the "kids" riding with me this morning were one of my younger interns, and the 17 year old son of another staffer (I feel responsible for them, so I'm extra safe and lead by example). And we are in Colorado, where we have a 3 ft law for cyclists.Quote:
Originally Posted by kfergos
At any rate, sounds like the lady that blew past you needed to be spoken to about her fashion sense alone :)
Warm and humid commute, but it was a short commute as I had to drop my car off at the dealership for service, then ride to work - barely 3 miles. It's funny, though - when they called and said my car was done, and I pulled my bike out to go pick it up, I had 3 people offer me a ride instead, like riding a bike is a burden. I'm like "Thanks, but I enjoy riding - I'm good" :)
As much as I'd like to deny it, I cannot escape the fact that the light is changing. In the morning, when I get up, it is now dark enough in the house to need to turn on lights. This afternoon, although I had plenty of daylight left (and it was hotter than Hades), I couldn't help but notice the change in the quality of the sun. The angle has changed and the shadows are very different vs just a few weeks ago.
As much as I'm melting in the heat this summer, I do so enjoy the long days and plentiful light.
I totally agree. When I get up at 5:30 weekdays, it's definitely darker, and I need to finish my evening ride about 30 min. earlier now. I've also noticed acorns are dropping, woolie bear caterpillars are everywhere (which usually occurs later in the year), and fruit at the local orchards this year have been available for picking about a month early. I'm wondering if we'll have --- I shudder to say this --- an early winter?Quote:
Originally Posted by 7rider
The censor didn't block this out??? :eek: Early Winter???? Let's not go there even in our thoughts. We LIKE the long days, and the sunshine, and all the pretty flowers & green stuff, and...and...and.... not having to cycle in warm clothes! Ok, so I will add the heat to the list.Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
At least we have a few more months so let's bike like mad while we can :D and maybe start looking for warm bike clothes on sale because everything is too large now...
Hot and windy. Seemed like a headwind both ways. How can that be possible?:confused:
Deb
Going there? Stressful? But it's only my first week so it'll take some getting use to. I was nearly run over by a damn mower (one of those giant ones driven by someone). Later on I had some guy in a big truck almost pull out on top of me. But, I'm trying to take it for what it's worth. I just need to be more aware of things? I'm still getting use to cycling verses driving. Yesterday some lady almost clotheslined me with her dogs. I'm a klutz? I'm hoping it's just me but the boy has had similar issues. Maybe it's Los Angeles.
Regardless I LOVE it. As long as I can avoid these experiences I much prefer it to driving or riding buses. :P I do LIKE cycling, I just don't like the exciting experiences along the way. ;) I'll force it to work!
I got my first parking ticket on my bicycle today! I was mad for a moment, then I thought it was funny. The great thing about my new job is that over and over again, they've shown me how reasonable and responsive they are. So now I'm confident that when I explain "I can't use the provided bike racks because there aren't actually bike racks provided on this side of the complex", that they'll put in some bike racks.
I never lock up to a rail or signpost, if a bike rack is available reasonably close.
Now if I could only get a speeding ticket on my bike...
How did you get a parking ticket on your bike? How did they know whose bike it was to write the ticket? It's not like your bike has a license plate. Where were you parked?Quote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
on my ride home I pulled up alongside a car, in a European accent the guy complimented me for biking, asked me how far I ride, and then asked me if I'd marry him. High point of my day so far :)
ooooh... excellent !! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by MDHillSlug
I think I could handle this actually. Maybe it was because I started riding in the winter but I much prefer cooler weather (I know I'm crazy), especially for commuting so I'm no so sweaty.Quote:
Originally Posted by kmehrzad
As for my ride to work...chased by a dog. This happens to me way more than anyone I know. I started carrying doggie pepper spray but its not worth the effort. It doesn't hurt them but I would still feel bad, plus I'd probably just end up spraying myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cait
Look at it this way, your speed will definitely improve.
Rolling along at about 15 mph my cheek had a head on collision with a bouncy white moth.
I didn't care for the experience, but it was probably worse for the moth.
It's amazing how different my commute home is from the trip down. I inevitably end up with several pounds of groceries and I forget, every day, that my commute is uphill. Though it does make for good training and now when I ride without a bag it's like I'm flying.