2009-2010 Fall/Winter Commuter Challenge is on!

[blackhillsbiker]

2 for 5. I rode in and came home a little early. We had a heat wave (it's amazing how warm 20° feels some days) and I couldn't resist. I have to bring in a rug to put under my bike work. I used an old towel today. It's supposed to be warmer next week.

Deb

[7rider]

F'ing insomnia.
I hate it.
Between fog, black ice, and about zero hours of restful sleep last night, there was no way I was getting on a bicycle.
And at our moring staff meeting, the head of our policy shop will be there to discuss a major new draft policy my agency released last week.
"Be prepared to ask intelligent questions," my boss said on Friday.
Yeah.
Right.
Whimper.

[pfunk12]

Coffee, coffee, coffee...and lots of it!!!!!!
Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep. That's tough.

F'ing insomnia.
I hate it.
Between fog, black ice, and about zero hours of restful sleep last night, there was no way I was getting on a bicycle.
And at our moring staff meeting, the head of our policy shop will be there to discuss a major new draft policy my agency released last week.
"Be prepared to ask intelligent questions," my boss said on Friday.
Yeah.
Right.
Whimper.

[Voodoo Sally]

The commute has really been sucking lately because it's been in a car! Yes, the snow arrived on Dec. 6 and hit again on the 9th, and I've been trying to manage. I rode one day last week, this after pretty much every day since Apr. 1. Sad me. The snow is daily shrinking from the roads and there's no more in the immediate forecast, but the ice has been a problem. I'm scrambling to get an ice bike going this week. I'll keep you posted.

[Geonz]

I've been doing well -- I did decide to drop the Gazelle off for $140 worth of work (okay, probably $500 worth of work, but $140 is what it cost me ) - it only had low gear, which was okay for riding *into* the 35 mph winds Wednesday morning (tho' even w/ the bike weighing about 45 pounds, I walked it where things were most gusty). Usually I put the folder on back of the Xtracycle, drop the folder off and then switch off with the bike that needs work. Decided the handling issues of bike-on-bike weren't worth it andtook the bus home (it was colder waiting for the bus at 15 degrees than riding, though with that wind it wouldn't have applied 'cause pedaling with a 40 mph tailwind doesn't generate a whole lot of heat).
Now my little studded one has a new rear hub and new cables and the light works, and I didn't ahve to take the Christmas Tree off of the Xtracycle to get the folder on. (Alas, I can't seem to find the link to the pics right now... it would absolutely flunk an artistic analysis, but the tree *is* on the back of the bike and the lights blink and people smile. Not too often that the comment I get riding a bike is "nice tree!")

[Geonz]

F'ing insomnia.
I hate it.
Between fog, black ice, and about zero hours of restful sleep last night, there was no way I was getting on a bicycle.
And at our moring staff meeting, the head of our policy shop will be there to discuss a major new draft policy my agency released last week.
"Be prepared to ask intelligent questions," my boss said on Friday.
Yeah.
Right.
Whimper.

Sympathies -- but wise choice !
Hoping you could summon some faux intelligence. Here's to a restful evening...

[Melalvai]

After three years I finally decided to give bike shorts a try, and now I love them and I don't want to bike one mile without them. I only have two pairs. I know they are supposed to be worn sans underwear. It seems a bit silly, and hard on the shorts, to put them in the wash at the end of every day after just 5 to 14 miles.

I still really don't like the way they look, so I always wear something over them anyway. In this weather, polartec fleece. That covers up panty lines as well.

I've concluded that for the commuter cyclist who rides about 10 miles a day, most of that in shorter lengths of 3-5 mile trips, wearing underwear under the bike shorts will extend the lifetime of the shorts by cutting down on how often the shorts have to be washed.

Yesterday I thought I was done biking for the day, and I had washed both pairs of shorts and they were hanging up to dry, when my husband called and asked me to pick up our daughter from school, so he could stay with his study group (it is finals week). The car was parked at his school, so first step was getting to the car. I had to choose between not wearing bike shorts, and putting on damp shorts. The damp shorts meant I was thinking about them the entire 4 miles!

[pfunk12]

4 for 4 this week. Tomorrow is my day off. It's been cold but definitely bearable. I love my commute!

[kmehrzad]

4 for 4 this week. Tomorrow is my day off. It's been cold but definitely bearable. I love my commute!

Good for you PFunk, way to go! My riding was done indoors on a spinning cycle. Not as fun as being outdoors.

[pfunk12]

Not as fun but I'm sure you got a good workout! I really love the peace and quiet of the morning commute. The cold and darkness really keeps people (runners, walkers, and most cyclists) inside so I feel like I have the roads and trail to myself. And I love seeing the regular commuters everyday. Two mornings this week, I rode in with my buddy, Chip - a guy I randomly met a few months ago since we're headed to the same area in DC. On Tuesday evening, I met a guy on the way home. We cycled together for several miles and talked the whole time. The time flew by. And a few miles into my commute this evening, I saw 2 guys to my left on the sidewalk. One of them yelled..."Patty!!" It was Travis - the guy I met on Tuesday evening. And the other guy was Chris - a regular from the weekend group rides. 7rider knows him. He was the one who sort of caused a big crash back in August - a crash that sent 3 of us to the ER in ambulances (including me and him ). I managed to keep myself in front of him this evening to avoid any incidents. And yesterday morning, a guy rode behind me for several miles. He thanked me because he forgot to recharge his light and it went out on him so he stayed behind me so he could see. I know it sounds silly but the cyclists that I've been meeting recently during my rides seem to be really happy. Like I said, even though it's been fairly cold and windy, everyone seems to be happy. Okay...I'm getting sappy so it's time to stop.

My riding was done indoors on a spinning cycle. Not as fun as being outdoors.

[kmehrzad]

Not as fun but I'm sure you got a good workout! I really love the peace and quiet of the morning commute. The cold and darkness really keeps people (runners, walkers, and most cyclists) inside so I feel like I have the roads and trail to myself. And I love seeing the regular commuters everyday. Two mornings this week, I rode in with my buddy, Chip - a guy I randomly met a few months ago since we're headed to the same area in DC. On Tuesday evening, I met a guy on the way home. We cycled together for several miles and talked the whole time. The time flew by. And a few miles into my commute this evening, I saw 2 guys to my left on the sidewalk. One of them yelled..."Patty!!" It was Travis - the guy I met on Tuesday evening. And the other guy was Chris - a regular from the weekend group rides. 7rider knows him. He was the one who sort of caused a big crash back in August - a crash that sent 3 of us to the ER in ambulances (including me and him ). I managed to keep myself in front of him this evening to avoid any incidents. And yesterday morning, a guy rode behind me for several miles. He thanked me because he forgot to recharge his light and it went out on him so he stayed behind me so he could see. I know it sounds silly but the cyclists that I've been meeting recently during my rides seem to be really happy. Like I said, even though it's been fairly cold and windy, everyone seems to be happy. Okay...I'm getting sappy so it's time to stop.

I know exactly what you mean about 'picking up people' as you ride. I'd be riding to DC and meet up with usually guys who are going the same way. We'll ride and talk for awhile. When I rode a lot in the summer after work, I'd always see the same commuters and we'd wave and say hello. It's like a biking family out there if you're riding the same direction day after day. I don't think I've ever seen anyone on a bike that doesn't look happy and has a smile on their face. You can't help being happy when you're outdoors riding and enjoying the beauty of your surroundings.
Sorry to hear about your accident in August. What happened that caused the crash? Some people are not careful. I've ridden with people who liked to ride side by side on a narrow trail. Once I locked handlebars with one of these bikers while going a fairly nice clip and we both managed to stay upright and unlock but it scared me silly.
I'll bet the guy behind you yesterday morning was thankful he could hook up with someone who had lights. That's a bummer when you lose your lights. It's happened to me before but fortunately someone lent me a very dim light that was doable.
I've got tomorrow off myself. In fact, Fridays are my day off. Am looking forward to picking up my new single speed that I ordered last week. I've got 'new bike' fever.

[pfunk12]

We were doing a paceline - doing at least 25 mph. He hit a bump and went down. It was a domino effect. I ran over him and flew over my handlebars. No fun.

Sounds like tomorrow is going to be a great day for you! New bike fever is a great sickness!

Sorry to hear about your accident in August. What happened that caused the crash? Some people are not careful. I've ridden with people who liked to ride side by side on a narrow trail. Once I locked handlebars with one of these bikers while going a fairly nice clip and we both managed to stay upright and unlock but it scared me silly.
I'll bet the guy behind you yesterday morning was thankful he could hook up with someone who had lights. That's a bummer when you lose your lights. It's happened to me before but fortunately someone lent me a very dim light that was doable.
I've got tomorrow off myself. In fact, Fridays are my day off. Am looking forward to picking up my new single speed that I ordered last week. I've got 'new bike' fever.

[7rider]

Wow, PFunk....now you got me bummed I haven't seen any other bike commuters for a while. I've been all by my lonesome for some time. Last summer, there were 2 guys I saw regularly. One, I called "Road Bike Guy" - the other was "Mountainbike Guy". Original, huh? They were always going in the opposite direction. Road Bike Guy would wave. Mountainbike Guy would ding his bell. I haven't seen them since last summer, however.
Two other guys I know who commute in my direction - John and Joe - both leave earlier than me. I only see them if they're late and I'm early!
Yeah, P....best to give Chris wide berth!
KMehrzad - congrats on the new ride. SS? You are da bomb!

[pfunk12]

I'm sorry...didn't mean to bum you out! Obviously, I meet all these cyclists because I'm on the Cap Crescent Trail and it's a major cyclist commuting route. Forgot to mention the elderly woman who walks every morning at 6 a.m. She is so consistent that Travis uses her as a barometer -on whether or not he is late for work or on time!
Would have loved to get out with Tom and the guys for a long ride this morning but it's not going to work out. Got a guy coming by at 10 to pick up a tv that I am donating to a charity and the pup is getting groomed so I will have to pick her up around noon. Based on this dreaded forecast, I think we are all going to be inside for days.

Wow, PFunk....now you got me bummed I haven't seen any other bike commuters for a while. I've been all by my lonesome for some time. Last summer, there were 2 guys I saw regularly. One, I called "Road Bike Guy" - the other was "Mountainbike Guy". Original, huh? They were always going in the opposite direction. Road Bike Guy would wave. Mountainbike Guy would ding his bell. I haven't seen them since last summer, however.
Two other guys I know who commute in my direction - John and Joe - both leave earlier than me. I only see them if they're late and I'm early!
Yeah, P....best to give Chris wide berth!
KMehrzad - congrats on the new ride. SS? You are da bomb!

[kfergos]

Well, let's see. I haven't posted at all about my commuting, but I have been commuting at every opportunity. I'm still "between jobs," as they like to put it, so I don't have any set schedule to be able to commute X days a week consistently. However, I've only driven a car twice since I moved to Seattle at the beginning of November and I've been in and out of Seattle and the Eastside constantly. Just checked - in November I rode about 600 miles, which is pretty darn good for a winter month.

I have been volunteering at the place I'll be working in January, which is a 20-mile one-way commute. I've done that commute 3 days in a row, a total of 120 commuted miles in 3 days, just to see if I could. The answer is yes. In January I'll find out if I can do 5 days and sustain it. If not I'll do a hybrid bus/bike commute a couple days a week. I've also ridden the Xtracycle all over town and gotten a number of interested inquiries and comments about it.

Nearly every ride I do is a "commute," in that I usually do some errand or another along the way, even if I take the really super-extra long way to get there. Speaking of commuting, it's not raining (!!) and I need to get out of the house, so I'm gonna go think up an errand and hit the road.