6 today... that's it for the week... :(
10, 20, 6 = 36 for this week.
Printable View
6 today... that's it for the week... :(
10, 20, 6 = 36 for this week.
Not a good week. I came down with a cold just as the weather turned wintry.
Mon - 2/2
Tues - 2/2
Wed - 0/2 (home sick)
Thur - 2/2
Fri - 0/2 (husband drove me)
Total miles commuted: 81.25
In the future I think I'm just going to stay home if I'm too sick to ride my bike. If I can't ride and function for the day afterward, I probably just need to rest. I just feel incredibly guilty taking time off work for anything -- it's the culture of my company to drag yourself in no matter what. Probably that just spreads disease rather than actually getting work done, but I have a hard time bucking that and saying "Hey! I have a cold and I'm going to stay home, drink hot tea, and take soaky baths because that'll help me get better sooner." Oh well. Next cold, I guess.
Don't feel bad for that!
I was just a total slacker this week.I only commuted once. Some days I had to have a vehicle, but one day I was just sorry.
Hello everyone,
I appologize for not checking in on my commuting progress, but I have been very busy with school and a family. But I have been very diligent riding my bike at least 4 days a week, that was until these past two weeks. Last week my bestfriend died and this week was Thanksgiving break. I plan to get back on schedule this Monday. I have even found that one of the teachers at school rides on the weekends, so over the fall/spring break (dec 17-Jan 13) i am going to meet with him and a few other friends and ride. I am really looking forward to it. I made them promise not to ride off and forget i was in the back lagging behind.
ah, well, I'm not really signed up for this but it seems that this is where we go to gripe about our winter commutes so here I am ;)
Made a bad decision yesterday about my commute. Several, actually. The day before yesterday I rode home in WAY too much clothing, on my heavy winter bike with full studs - on bare roads in a very unusual warm wind. Got home snorting like a walrus and soaked in sweat and tossed all my bike gear in the wash. Bingo, yesterday morning my winter jacket and tights were still damp, and the temperature had dropped. Oh well, still just around freezing and the temps were going to rise again, so I layered up with other stuff and took my mtb w/o studs. Got 10 yds before I realized I NEEDED studs in front at least, turned around and grabbed the studded front wheel off my winter bike. My dh laughs at me cause I spend more time getting ready than he does on his entire commute.
Even after a full day of warm weather it was sooo slippery out :eek: and I had to take every turn at a snail's pace and remember to only use the front brake if possible. I really missed studs in back as well. And my ride home got delayed for a million reasons, all stupid, so by the time I rode home I was hungry, tired, and it was dark and COLD out. I was literally skating all over the place with frozen feet and hands and chattering teeth by the time I got to where I was headed.
Uerg. Just needed to gripe. I hate it when I miscalculate both food, clothing and bike like that.
So, I'm not signed up either, but as I'm commuting everday this winter in windy wyoming - albeit about 1/2 mile - I thought I would chime in. I rode in today on snow and ice for the first time. It was kind of like driving a 2wd car on snow/ice. Interestingly, with all the hats and balaclava, I forgot my helmet on the one day I am most likely to crash :confused: ... duh! So, I will check in with Performance and LBS on studded tires today. I will probably be needing them all winter. Do you guys have separate wheels that you have all fixed up that you just switch out for the studded/not studded tires or do you change back and forth with tires on the same wheel set? Or do you pick one for the winter and stick with it? I'm such a newb!
Thanks!
Welcome ginny! I ride on studded tires all winter -- I just stick with them. It works OK. You get a good work out riding on those! ...But it seems like if you could afford to have an extra wheel set lying around, I'd go with switching those out if I could. In my experience studded tires tend to be significantly more difficult to get on and off than your average tire.
Speaking of studded tires, ladies, what do you think: I have Hakkepelita (forgive the spelling disaster there) 700x40C studded tires right now. I'd like ones with a reflective stripe, and the Schwalbe Marathon Winter HS 396 has that, but my LBS tells me they can only get it in 35C. Would the difference in width make you rethink the swap?
Hmm, we need to bump this up!
I did get in 2 days this week. I'm having trouble with my fingers in the cold, suspecting Reynaud's, so Tuesday my hands were in real pain by the time I got to the office.
Wednesday was better.
I'm off to Chattanooga today. That would have been a REAL commute.
We've had a pretty warm, dry start to winter out here. It's rained a little, but nothing like November usually is... It is starting to get cold though. Of course, even our cold is nothing comparable to a lot of places, but it's in the 30's out today... brrrrrrr
I continue with my typical commute, but on my off days (T&Th) I mostly ride indoors, as my coach gives me these really complex workouts that I'd have trouble doing on the open road...
Reporting in on my first week back riding after getting the flu...
Mon - 2/2
Tues - 1.25/2 (rode 4 miles to the bike shop in the evening, rather than the full 13.25 home)
Wed - 0/2 (doctor's appointment required driving there)
Thurs - 2/2
Fri - 2/2
Total rides: 7.25
Total miles: 98.6
With putting studded tires on, my average speed is now down from 16 to 14 mph. Ah well, all the better to gaze at the frozen scenery. :)
Long time no post -- I've been a traveling fool. Decided to spend tiny extra time getting ready for my bike commute instead of on the intertubes! ;)
This is one of the reasons having you all on here is such a great thing - it would've been so easy to just blow it off after so many days away from home at a time.
So, with just a week to go before the halfway point in our challenge, I'm doing great! I finished November at 73% of my office days, and it actually felt weird to drive to the commuter lot the other day - and even my regular bus driver was asking where my bike was.
And now the long delayed photos of my reflective Schwalbes...which I LOVE. First time I've actually noticed the ride difference in a similar tire size/tread. Plush, quiet, and as you can see, pretty nicely bright!
That's looking good.
I'm in the process of re-doing some vintage steel to use as a commuter, waiting for some parts to come in. But I should go ahead and order some Marathons since that's what I want to use.
I'm going to have to change my goal. On Tuesday nights I can't ride home because I have an ongoing commitment elsewhere, and now that my commutes take >1 hour, I won't be able to make it home in time to leave. Anyway, I'm aiming for 9 commutes a week, every day except Tuesday night.
M - 2/2
T - 1/1
W - 2/2
Th - 2/2
F - 2/2
Total commutes: 9
Monday was 8F; Wednesday was steady 25-mph headwinds; Friday was pouring down rain in an ice storm. What a week. Friday convinced me that my Novara jacket is just not waterproof enough; I think (after reading the discussion in the apparel section) I'm going to try out the Showers Pass Elite.
Sadly I think the weather is finally forcing me onto the trainer. :mad: We had a really wet snow yesterday and now we are heading into an artic freeze. The shoulder are covered with fist size chucks of ice and lots of icy ruts. My bike handling skill are just not up to that kind of riding. :o bikerHen
We've made it halfway to the next equinox! Congrats to all you hard core northern hemisphere folks who've been riding in any way, shape or form into the winter months...:D
Fittingly this morning was my coldest ride of the year so far, 9F/-13C, calm and clear, full-on lights needed both ways.
I had my first epic commute of the season last Thursday - a bit of snow helped create a couple of accidents which made the bus portion a total parking lot, stop & go for over an hour, doubled the usual time. I was warned there were crazy winds but was so tired of sitting that I wasn't going to bail on the ride home -- steady hard headwind, with additional 25-30 mph gusts! I had to use my granny ring the second half of the ride, which was also double the usual time....gotta love those stubborn moments of wanting my goal enough to put up with the "wow, this really isn't fun right now" thoughts!
Peace to you all and happy holidays!
As of last Thursday I am so out of the commuting challenge. :mad: Wednesday/Thursday Spokane received almost 30" of snow, setting a new all time record for the amount of snow falling in a 24 hour period. While we are use to snow in these parts, it usually doesn't fall all at once. Spokane was almost shut down Thursday. We could only get to work with our 4 wheel drive Bronco and even that was a bit exciting. Now that the plows are catching up with the snow, the streets are all reduced by a lane or two. No room for me even if I wanted to give it a try. The temp is staying well below freezing, it was -2 yesterday morning. :eek: So none of the snow is melting anytime soon. In fact it's snowing right now. On the up side, we will definitly be having a white Christmas! :D bikerHen
I've been out too ever since it started snowing. I don't have anywhere to go to anyway. :)
back in the new year!
Reasons to love a winter commute part 67....So last night was a treat....a relatively balmy 33 degrees, and after getting to see a beautiful sunset on the bus I rode towards the pitch black silhouette of the mountains, watching first Jupiter and then the gorgeous crescent moon set behind them. If you don't happen to have mountains in the way, you'll get even more of a show, since Venus, the moon, Jupiter and even little Mercury are all getting closer together after sundown the next couple of nights in the southwest sky.
Oh and the other evening I crossed paths with a pair of foxes in their winter finery...life is good!
I'd forgotten about this thread... We've had some real winter weather around here for a change. I did a few snow rides on my cross bike. So long as is was packed snow it was OK.... the day it started to melt it was pretty hard going. That day I rode in, but ended up taking a shuttle bus downtown and riding up mostly on the sidewalk (thank you to all those who shoveled!).
Anybody still commuting by bike? I was out of the saddle for a couple weeks on vacation -- who'd've thought Seattle would be as snowy as Boston? -- but I rode to work on Friday and I'm back to it as usual on Monday, snow, sleet, ice, or rain be darned! I trust I'm not the only crazy commuter still pushing pedals in January... :D
I wish I was, but all the side streets are covered in deep snow. (The snow is not picked up in Vancouver and we've had over 3 feet in the last few weeks, with no melting opportunities).
So for at least another week, no. I hate to write this, but I really hope it will rain. Hard.
Our snow is all gone now, so I'm back on the commuter (was riding the cross bike in the snow). The time off the commuter gave me the chance to give it some new parts. Feels like a new bike with a new rear wheel, bottom bracket, and chain.
I'm still going (apart from 10 days off over the Christmas break) but the weather's not nearly as bad here. The first snow was this morning, but only a tiny smattering which was already melting by the time i was riding. There hasn't even been much rain this year - at least not at the times I've actually been riding - which is a bit of a blessing.
oh, darn. i bike commute? I forgot. I'll watch the weather this week.
I had an icicle on my helmet when I got to work today! Also my entire upper body was encased in thin ice (it was kind of fun to move my arms and have it crinkle and break), the water droplets on my glasses froze (scary), and my bike had an icy coating. Fortunately the road didn't have a similar icy coating, that I could tell. I *heart* my studded tires. :D
Forecast for the rest of the day: Freezing rain and sleet before 1pm, then rain, possibly mixed with sleet between 1pm and 3pm, then rain after 3pm. The freezing rain could be heavy at times. High near 35. Northeast wind between 6 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Mmmmmm.
I haven't been a part of the challenge, but it's been fun reading your posts. I commute year-end with few exceptions. Yesterday went like this:
It was 28 degrees when I rode the 3 miles to my office, but at least there wasn't ice like the day before. I had put on one too many layers and was too warm by the time I got there.
I had a 3 p.m. meeting about 12 miles away, so I'd planned my route carefully to get there promptly. I left my office at 1:45, rode to the bank to make a deposit, and then headed to the Metrolink station to catch a train part of the way. But after just a couple of blocks I ran over something sharp in an intersection and my front tire lost all its air. I pulled my bike onto the sidewalk and sat down on the cold concrete steps of the Basilica and began changing the tire. The temperature had warmed to 31 degrees with wind gusts at about 20 mph. I was able to change the tire quickly enough keeping one glove on. My pump wasn't getting a tight seal so I wasn't able to fill the tire as full as I would have liked. But I got back on my way and made it to the train station--just in time to see my train pull away. I waited 15 minutes for the next one.
The train ride took about 20 minutes. A man on the train wanted to know all of the details of my commuting patterns and made me feel proud of what I do--a feeling I needed given the difficulties I was having. Once off the train I got onto a trail for a brief mile. Then onto a busy westward road with a strong headwind for the last 4 miles. I arrived at my meeting 18 minutes late. My colleagues seemed to feel some mixture of irritation, admiration, and puzzlement. One clearly thinks I'm eccentric.
After the meeting, I rode 8 miles home on a very hilly road. It was dark and my toes were cold. I used plenty of lights and the cars were very respectful of my presence. The total commute of the day was just 16 miles, but I felt like I'd had a serious workout. I wouldn't want it any other way.
I hereby commit to getting back on the commuting bandwagon on Monday, as long as there is no frost/ice on the road.
The snow should be all gone by then.
Youppi!
Made it! first commute of the year! I couldn't find my glove liners so i put gloves OVER gloves and it didn't work too well, but i rode in anyway.
Keepclimbing, where do you live??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
St. Louis :D
The new semester is starting... so I'm riding in again. There was one day I even rode without studs - but we got what the weather guy called a "nuisance mist" which, alas, was frozen. Fortunately it wasn't too bad... but I decided that when in doubt *at all,* go wiht studs (and there was doubt - I went in a little late waiting for the morning snow flurries to fade).
Next week the students come back, and I'm sitting in on a class, so I have to be ON TIME. Note to self: it really does take an extra 10-15 minutes on a 45 pound bike with studded tyres. More importantly, you just **can't** get it up to 20 mph if you're running late... at least not for long! (Ohter note: go ahead, get a speedo for it... see if you can :P )
My goal is to ride enough on them to wear 'em out so I can replace them with tires with more studs... tho' I'm thinking again of studding my Dahon instead just because they would be so much easier to take off and put on (the Gazelle's a Dutch commuting bicycle and I have to go through chain guard and internal hub and internal brake stuff to take the wheel off). On the other hand, that internal ness is NICE when it's nasty.
Oh, and you folks in the North West - hang on! We at least have the gear to deal with this stuff as in snowplows and tons of salt(and we haven't had it anything like you have this year!)
Egads! I can't commute to work (no good way right now). But....I think you get the tough award! What rain gear keeps you (relatively) dry and comfy in that??Quote:
Originally Posted by kfergos
Keepclimbing, I'm just a little over an hour away from St. Louis. How do you like this weather? 60 one day and high of 20 the next. I find I have to watch the weather every morning this winter because you never know! I've wanted to ride the Metrolink with my bike, and I've read their website, but do you stand in the front with your bike like it says? I always kind of wondered what bikers do. I'd love any insight.
Somehow I missed this challenge. I commute every day unless it rains. I used to ride in the rain, too, but it's just not worth it and I decided that it would be okay if I didn't. I do ride in snow though. I get out my mountain bike, and especially love it while it's snowing. So pretty and peaceful. If I have any errands at all in town I take the bike, unless of course I'm going after lumber. That was my goal for the school year and interestingly enough, my students think it's kind of cool that I ride. A couple of them who ride bikes to school always stop in when the weather is weird to discuss our rides. I also only purchase about one tank of gas a month. I'm not even aware of what gas prices are doing.
I'm going to be off commuting for a few days now, maybe a week. I was on my way into work on friday and a pedestrian stepped right in front of me looking the other way. I had to break really hard, skidded and came off.
I was more shaken than anything, but one of my knees is baddly scraped and bruised and hurts a lot when I bend it or put too much pressure on that leg, so I think it's best not to cycle until it's a bit mended.
Metrolink is easy with a bike! There is a large open area by each door and you just stand there with your bike. You're allowed on with a bike anytime unless it's just too crowded. That only happens if you hit a crowd going to a ballgame. Sometimes I'll take the train downtown and then grab the Riverfront Trail, crossover into Illinois, and enjoy the great trails on the east side.Quote:
Originally Posted by uforgot
All of the buses in STL now have bike racks as well, although our bus system is rather complicated unless you're going straight down a major thoroughfare. With interstate 64 closed, traffic is awful everywhere and it's just so much easier (and often faster) to ride my bike.
Also, there are a lot of marked bike lanes and routes all over the city and county. It's improved a lot in the last couple of years.
Do you ride with local clubs?
Nothing that works yet. I have a Novara Stratos jacket from 2006 that breathes like a shower curtain but keeps most water out. For pants I have a pair of Bellwether Windfront pants that are slightly water-resistant (they are fairly wind-resistant and quite warm on their own; I wear them by themselves with just a pair of shorts down to about 20 degrees F or so). Mostly I suck it up and get soaked, then get a huge fan and blow it on my clothes all day while I work (I have my own room for my bike and bike clothes -- I know! I'm as amazed as you are) and hope things'll dry out. Not the best system, but I stay warm enough so I don't worry too much about getting wet.Quote:
Originally Posted by CA_in_NC
The Midwest got an arctic blast last night and I rode to work this morning with a windchill of 2 degrees. Fortunately, the sky was clear and the roads were dry. It was my first time to use my new toe warmers and they definitely helped. I had on 3 layers of clothing: long underwear, heavy bike shirt and pants, and light sweats over those. Plus my wind jacket, gloves, and balaclava. I had to make two stops on the way to work--the first at the bank. I was sure to remove the balaclava before walking into the bank!
I was happy to see other cyclists braving the cold and the wind. My only complaint is how wet the balaclava gets from my breath. It was pretty uncomfortable by the time I was able to remove it.
wow, you guys in the midwest/east freeze are sure brave to continue riding!
I rode today because it was above freezing and not raining. Honestly, i didn't want to, but i did it anyway.
yay!
I had two great rides this week (apart from being hit by a car). I noticed today that my back wheel IS wobbly (not a lot, but certainly needs to be trued) and I won't ride today to 1) give myself a break physically and 2) avoid riding on the wobbly wheel until I show it to the adjuster on Thursday.
But I will enjoy commuting the other days this week: it's almost going to be sunny (note the "almost").
I guess that's it for my riding this week. I got up this morning and it was 6°F and I just couldn't think why I'd do that to myself. Maybe it'll warm up (that being, of course, a relative term) on Saturday so I can go for a bit of a ride then. So:
This week
M: 2/2
T: 1/1
W: 2/2
T: 0/2
F: 0/2 (anticipating, since it's supposed to be colder tomorrow)
Last week
M: 2/2
T: 1/1
W: 2/2
T: 2/2
F: 2/2
what does this mean? you rode 2 miles each way on monday, one mile each way on tuesday???Quote:
Originally Posted by kfergos
I rode in today again, to discover that they removed all the sand that had piled up in the bike lanes!!!