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Good commute today too. In a dress, again, black this time, rather than the bright green of Monday, and didn't have much of an issue. But it turns out my dresses are generally cut close to the body, so I need to get new dresses for the bike or use pants in general. I like the dress idea because of the whole Mary Poppins thing -- I do think it makes me stand out and cars are nicer and pay more attention.
Yay! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsy
For some of my dresses that are cut short (too short to wear without something underneath) or those that are a little too fitted (like pencil skirts), I find that I can hike them up just a little and wear compression shorts underneath so I don't flash the world.
Of course, I commute on a mixte bike, so my downtube is seriously slanted. It probably wouldn't work the same on a traditional diamond frame.
Today my commute started in the morning soo nice....with great temperature.
Commuting back home with about 1 1/2 mile to go....I got a flat . :(
Yesterday's ride was waaay short. Went downstairs with the pump, to 'top off' the tires, as I do every Tuesday morning, and dang if that front tire isn't as flat as a pancake! I've had those 700x35c Vittoria Randonneur Hypers for about 4 months, and while the ride really nice, I have flatted on the front tire twice already. :mad: It's that dang construction; glass, twigs, black-top stones, potholes, nails. They are making more 'bee-hives' as I call them, condo complexes that are as architecturally exciting as a cornflakes box, right across from Pierce College. They finished the east side, and without a break, started up on the west side.
I could not find what caused the flat, and had to pump up the tube and use soapy water to find the tiny leak. Probably a thin glass shard that did not stay in the tire.
The back tire has a Slime-Light tube in it and hasn't flatted yet, so I see I am going to have to get a Slime-Light up front too. Without a winter rain to wash some of this stuff out to sea (sorry charlie) it feels like I am mountain biking on a land fill.
After reading everyone's flat tires I wanted to post this:
I did not have a flat tire today. :)
In fact I haven't had a flat tire in a long time. Don't remember when the last one was, I'm guessing 1.5 years.
The only excitement on my commute lately, since the new bike lanes went in, is that the major north-south street near us is undergoing badly needed repavement. It's all torn up right now. I use it for 1/2 block to get to the bike-laned east-west street. I could cross over it and take the next street, but I can never seem to remember to do that. This morning just after I signaled my left turn I remembered it, but there was a truck behind me, and I didn't want to confuse the truck by not turning left after I said I was going to turn left, so I turned left! Maybe I'll remember tonight.
It's so hard to make little adjustments to a daily route. Not long ago I decided that I was tired of dealing with the traffic in front of the post office, and 4 stop lights in a row (which are perhaps 1/4 or 1/3 of the stop lights in the entire town). If I jumped a block north I could avoid both the post office traffic and have stop signs instead of stop lights. It took a couple weeks of to remember to do it even once!
{{Sigh}} Wish I had the option to take other streets. Yea, there are other streets, but they suck. To the west, the next main street is narrower, the lanes are narrower and there is no room for a cyclist between the parked cars and the lane. It's much more crowded feeling and I can see myself getting doored as there is just no room. Desoto (any other west San Fernando CA TErs here?) is nice and wide with wide lanes and a bike route/lane (rare item here for a N/S street). I feel lucky to be working at a business on that street, commuting wise. To the east is another narrower street, no room for cyclists, a hill and college traffic. The MUP that runs E/W, which I do cross about 2 miles from home, was extended and now turns and goes NW 1 block over, but it angles away from work AND does not cut out the part of my ride that passes the construction. All it would do is add maybe a mile to my commute and leave me with the choice of taking Desoto with the road debris or Canoga with no room and more traffic.
Yesterday's ride felt good until I got home. We got some clouds and moisture up from the south, it was somewhat overcast and cooler, maybe upper 80s tops. It had actually rained around noon! Rain in August. A cloudburst. So I rode home at a good clip enjoying the cooler weather, not noticing the high humidity but after getting home I had to peel the clothing off of me. I was soaked; it was so humid the sunblock that was supposed to be water proof had lifted off my face and arms and was pooling in white globs. Road debris was sticking to my gooey legs. Gross.
No commuting since last wednesday when I had a flat returning home. Fixed on Saturday but couldn't commute today due to the fact that I have to do some errands at my lunch break and right after work as well. So I will do that and If I finish on time I may hit the road or the trails in the eve for a few miles . I hope :D
My commute today was unnecessarily crazy.
It started off well with my 16 year old son commuting with me. He broke off to head to city center while I continued just south of downtown. I was continuing at an intersection straight and a vehicle in the left turn lane from the opposite direction saw me (we made eye contact, I'm wearing bright lime yellow, bright pink helmet) and punched it across traffic, cutting off another car running parallel to me and came within 5 feet of taking me out. Slammed on his horn, flipped me off, screamed at me (from within his car with windows up) and just refused to be civil. He left rubber on the road both stopping FAR TOO CLOSE to me, and then when he accelerated after allowing me keep my life. Where are the police? I don't want a police state with cameras at every corner, but man! I got more of a work out from the adrenaline than i needed. I am finding it difficult to concentrate at work today.
Scary stuff!!! I'm SO glad you're OK, but WOW- what a nut!!! :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by ak2outside
Oo, that's scary. There are a few crazy drivers out there. I was a driver today, hopefully not a crazy one! The car isn't going into 3rd gear very well so I took it in--bad news-- needs a new transmission and clutch. Well, it's an old car, and I just keep repairing it as long as I can, because that's cheaper than a car payment. We keep it in good working order but it does need some expensive repairs from time to time. I picked it up, took it home, and came back as a cyclist.
It meant I walked to vote (from the mechanic) and then to work, instead of biked to vote.
No cycling today. 106f+ humidity too. No way. Call me a wimp, but trusty Tundra (10 years old, lots of 4xing and no break downs-just regular service) is gonna be getting some use this week. Supposed to be hotter tomorrow. Good grief.
I got some Slime-light tubes and plan to put one up front this weekend. That should help a bit with the flats. I wish the city would send a street sweeper down Desoto...
Good Commutes today, short and hot. I did two miles at night. I was well lit up. :D
This is the 3rd week that I've been doing my 15 mi round trip commute and it's finally getting easier. The clipless pedals and running on my days off are definitely helping. Just last week I thought it was going to be the end of me and yet I somehow managed :rolleyes:
Nice and smooth with my new roadie... She will be taking me to work on Fridays
<p>Quote:
Originally Posted by VeganBikeChick
wow, that's a nice commute, you are lucky. I have .72 mile into work in the morning, & it's not long enough. I wish I had a 15 mile RT like you do - although I suppose there is nothing stopping me from putting in extra miles in the morning.
day 3 back to work for the school year, and day 3 of the commute. I sooooo love getting on my bike in the morning and the afternoon. Yesterday I woke up late and had to sprint on the bike to get to work on time (not easy in a dress and heels). :eek: I really had to resist the urge to use the car, but we just had to buy a new(er) vehicle and I promised myself I would ride my bike to work every day humanly possible to off-set the cost of the car and the gas that it will consume (it's a bit of an Earth-destroyer, but it was a car my hubs has always wanted- and since he's driven hand-me-down old pickup trucks for the last 14 years, he deserves to have it).
Day one of my official school commute DONE. I rode in and back for my TA class/meeting. It was easy as pie. With traffic (only the last 3-4 minutes of the ride), I still made it in 18 minutes from door to door. By car, I would have needed at least 25 with parking and would have driven a shorter distance. I was happy with it! So much less stressful and everything fits on my bike fine.
I was smiling as I heard everyone complaining about parking. The garage is a huge stressor for me. It makes me crazy. I thought getting there on time and changing would be time consuming, but it really IS very simple and I am doing it again about 7:15 on my way into my 8 AM. I will probably leave about 7:30 once I find out where my class is!
I rode into town for a meeting, and then back home (where I work). 6 miles total. It was great and I didn't have to go around and around looking for a parking spot for my car.
That's the BEST part for me, Tulip. Driving in parking garages makes everyone I know nuts.
I made it in to school for my 8 AM and then am now in my office hours. Great way to wake up. Got here in about 16 minutes. I think I will leave at 7:30 next time. I was way early.
It's really the BEST! It only takes me 15 in by bike, but would take me 10 by car. And it's much more pleasant. Can't wait for it to cool down so I can start wearing a coat to work! ;) (I'll regret that sentence in February, I presume).
Wind burst and threatening thunderstorm when I was leaving made me want to avoid the big downhills (which scare me a little anyway). Scouted out a new potential route.
Next chance to try it out will be Friday.
Commute yesterday was long but fun. I was just getting ready to ride home when DS, now 15 and taller than his mom, calls and says he would like to go swimming with me at a certain lake and he would like to ride his bike there, taking the long way through the woods that takes almost an hour, even though there's a bus that would take him right there... It was a massive detour for me but I couldn't possibly refuse.
So an hour's ride to the lake, 20 minutes there until the sun disappeared behind the trees and 45 minutes home again with my big, longlegged, suddenly way too fit son :)
Didn't commute yesterday. First day of teaching my own labs and I wanted to look really nice and serious. Today I commuted in to my 8 AM/office hours again - hauling a$$ if I must say. I rode in a dress with cycling shorts and it was cool and perfect. Riding back at 3 after my dr.'s appt. is going to be brutal, I think.
The weather has cooled to daytime temps of 85 in Maryland. It's allowing me to wear my work clothes on the bike while commuting and I love it. Today, I saw a seagull and a bi-plane on the way to work.
Running a bit late for work this morning and pushing it through the neighborhood. Then I looked to my left and oh oh!...2 beautiful black labs running towards me. I was surprised I didn't freak out. Maybe because I had 2 labs in the past and know their personalities I think they wanted to play, they didn't bark nor had and agressive attitude but they can be intimidating. The owner popped out and called them I didn't stopped nor reduced my speed I just kept going hoping they were just curious. BTW I got to work on time :)
Tested out a new route that goes the 'other way round' and avoids downtown and the University. It took 45 minutes; the hills are all rollers, not the crazy verticals going the old way.
I bought (well committed to buy) a new winter commuter! Long story short my old winter bike came back to me with a bent fork and no rear wheel so I've been looking for a new one. A really nice used Cannondale Bad Boy came into the shop and my partner (who works there) told me I really needed to test ride it. Like I can test ride something and say no? We need to tweak some things, get some fenders, and some better tires and it's ready for some snow! Which we better get a lot of this year. Now I have to decide if I just want new tires or if I should spring for studded.
I was WET :D
The rain came pouring down from the sky on my commute this morning. But did I take the train or the bus, nooo :) It was a good commute, there were no people in the streets. I love silence in the morning on my way to work :cool:
Tomorrow I turn the rental in. I've enjoyed trying out a single speed. Single speed did not make my wish list of bicycles to own one day.
I've been using it the 3 or so blocks to get to the lab. It seems silly to bike such a short distance, but it really helps, in terms of conserving my energy in this heat so that I can focus on the lab work, since I'm only here for 2 weeks and I want to get as much done as possible. It was lovely to have the bike to make a couple trips to the grocery store. I also used it for a 20 mile round trip to visit a friend in the suburbs, and that was nice, at least the return trip when it was dark and not quite as hot was.
Yesterday I went to Tempe to meet a couple friends. The first 8 miles was ok then I got overheated. I stopped in a patch of shade--Phoenix just has NO shade-- and drank water, took off my helmet. When I put my helmet back on I thought I was going to throw up. I hated to do it but I biked the last 2 miles with no helmet. I took the train to go back! The station is a few blocks from my hotel so it was nice to have the bike for that. Phoenix makes me super nervous with crime and I'm really uncomfortable walking around here in the dark, but I don't mind biking. (That's a bit silly, but it's about risk perception not actual risk.)
My own bike back home is being used by my daughter while we wait for a new shifter. She called me and said "The back wheel makes a funny thump thump thump." When our mechanic (who makes house calls!) had come by to see what was up with her shifting, he had put my new rear wheel on. I figured the brakes needed adjusted. I texted him and he stopped by to check it out. It had a flat tire. She had never had a flat tire before and didn't know what it feels like!
I will remind her about the ABC Quick Check, which would have caught it. But I'm glad she now knows what it feels like when your tire goes flat.
Coincidentally, at the time her shifter went out, the car was (and still is) at the auto mechanic getting a new transmission & clutch. Her shifter is a heck of a lot cheaper than the car's.
The president was in town yesterday and on my commute home in the evening I was stopped by the police to allow his motorcade to go through. Got to see Mr. President in his limo and he waved in my general direction!
Not my typical commute home for sure!
Fun stories everyone.
Love my new route. This afternoon the whole university area is a gigantic parking lot because of football. I ended up walking about half a block because of people doing stupid things with their cars amid throngs of pedestrians.
Not long ago we learned the car needed a new transmission. Cheaper than a new car if not as exciting, so into the shop it went. Our car is discontinued so they had to order a used transmission, which turned out to be junk. So we were car free while they ordered another. I was in Phoenix during this for 2 weeks on business. My husband & daughter got by ok. The grocery store is a half-mile walk and she bikes to school. Then the shifter on her bike broke. Our mechanic makes house calls...he ordered another shifter for her, and adjusted my bike for her. He also put the new wheel on my bike (I got it shortly before my trip and hadn't had time to put it on. The rim on the old wheel was worn through, after 10K miles!)
The next day she rode my bike, and complained about the "thump thump" sound the rear wheel made. I figured he needed adjust the brakes so we called him back. She had a flat tire! I guess I keep our bikes in such good repair she's never had a flat tire...clearly she didn't do her ABC Quick Check that day though. They found a patched tube I'd left in the shed, and put that on. That worked for a day. It was flat by the end of the day. (That is my experience with 100% of the tubes I have ever patched. This one was patched with supervision and I thought it might be different.)
Fortunately that was the same day the car was done. So we were back to 1 operational vehicle. I got home and put the other spare tube on my bike. She was driven to school; I biked to work Tuesday evening. Her shifter arrived yesterday and he put it on last night.
So now we are back to 3 operational vehicles, 2 bikes and a car.
Actually we have one other bike, my husband's that he doesn't use, which we can use in a pinch. I should probably get it out, air up the tires, take it for a spin, and do that once a month, so that it'll be ready when we need it, no surprises.
The bike repairs cost 2% of the car repair. The car repair cost 2% of a new car. The car repair also means I'm not getting a tandem which I had been hoping for. But overall I'm happy with the outcome because a car means we can visit our family and it really is more important than a tandem. Probably. :)
You ladies are making me feel guilty - I stopped commuting when it got so gawd-awful hot this summer. Now the projected afternoon thunderstorms are keeping me in the car on the one day I like to ride on...hoping to get back to this on Fridays I don't go mountain biking after work.
Melalvai - how cool is it that your bike mechanic makes house calls :) Is there a chance you can still get the tandem for spring?
Not commuting since Wednesday of last week :( . First because of the weather and then the days not raining I had things to do and had to take the car. Looking forward to start commuting next Monday if the weather makes it possible. Been tryig to compensate with some Mountain biking here and there after work.
Yesterday's commute was good. I took the long way in the morning, and rode hard at night. Had a guy pass me who said he was really trying hard to catch me, and that I inspired him to go faster. That was cool. I also passed and dropped a couple of other people. Not that big a deal, but kind of seems like the old me.
I love fall commutes, and today felt like fall! :)
Cool, almost cold when I left home (jacket, short sleeves and shorts, but could've used a little knee covering and gloves) and crisp all the way to work....
I only had to yell at one driver (texting/playing with her phone and suddenly deciding that the right turn lane wasn't where she wanted to be, I was even with her driver's door and yelled something to the effect of 'put down the d*mn phone' which startled her. Not close, and I was in the lane, so nobody to my left, but still got me riled up). I wonder sometimes if my coworkers (several of whom think I'm a bit nuts for a) riding to work and b) riding in traffic) would even recognize me/my persona on the bike. I'm pretty calm at work but I definitely ride much more aggressively.
I really had to force myself to ride today. It was drizzling this morning, and I had readied the wrong bike for rain. I also had a few errands I needed to run before work. But I knew the wind was going to be from the south this afternoon, and that means tailwind, baby! I won't miss a tailwind for nothin'. I got the errands done in no time, didn't get too wet, and got my easy ride home after work. Glad I didn't give in to that moment of doubt.
Fall is just the BEST time of year for those commutes. Cool/refreshing in the morning and warming up quite nicely in the afternoon. Ummm-hmmm!
The ride in this morning reminds me that (for me) the commuting season is just about over. Temperature was right around 0 (Celsius) this morning. A couple of degrees colder is okay but not much more than that. Hope to stretch it out until mid to late October. Maybe someday I will be one of those who rides well into the winter but not yet! I am in awe of those of you who do that - through snow, sleet, ice and so on.
Been a fabulous year for commuting. Most weeks I was able to ride 2 or 3 times a week, round trip about 35k. Can hardly wait until spring. :D
Finally starting to feel like fall. Last week, between having to drive downtown to get my GSA ID (required as I will have access to GSA IT in my job), and hot weather, 105f hot, and early morning 7am meetings, I drove all week.:( Yesterday, again another 7am meeting and over 100f too so took the truck again. Finally today, took my commuter to work yahoo! It was cool with a slight breeze, really nice this morning. I'm so used to riding in the dark now that I actually like it. It's fun to turn on all the lights; yea I went nuts with the lights and reflectors, I get a kick out of watching people on the bus pointing at me LOL. Makes me smile.
The ride home was quite a surprise. It was supposed to be 95f, but it was maybe 87f. Like the heat just petered out. We had an onshore flow and slight breeze, and even though I was riding into the wind, it was cool from the ocean, not hot from the interior so I did not mind. This was the first ride home in months where it was not over 95f. It was great until some bozo about a mile from home decided to not look up while using a leaf blower and blew the dirt all over me. That's twice now in front of that house. Anyway, it was the best commute I've had in months, and the best part is that the weather all this week and well into next week is going to be just like this. WOW. Can't wait to ride in the local mountains for a change this weekend!
Cold and windy and rainy right now, and it will freeze tomorrow night! It's fine with a jacket and light gloves. During the day I make several short trips between buildings. On one of these trips today it was raining lightly and as I was unlocking my bike, a woman said, "It's a bad day to ride a bike."
Until that moment I had been internally grumbling about the cold rain. But I go by contraries.
I replied, "Every day is a good day to bike."
She looked at me like I was crazy. "It's wet."
"I'm not made of sugar, I won't melt."
"You'll catch a cold."
I shook my head and rode away.