How Was Your Commute Today?

[Geonz]

I made the decision that I wasn't commuting in the dark this year, so I'm missing it. It's been a month already. I still have plenty of time to ride, but I miss the gas savings, and the way I feel after riding to work. Luckily, it's only one more month until the days start getting longer, so it won't be that long until I come back to this thread.

21 degrees this morning but the layers worked fine. Yesterday at 32 I realized dropping off the car at Enterprise that I'd forgotten gloves... but yes, my tolerance has gotten to where after three miles fo alternating tucking hands under clothes, I didn't need to. I really liked the dry briskness this a.m. (and not havign to drive a car thing, much less watch a bike crash into a car as happened yesterday...)

[tulip]

Wet! I had an appointment downtown. It was raining but I injured myself running and can't walk without pain for the moment. My choices were to drive, park in the parking deck, and walk 10 minutes to my appointment, or ride my bike and park in front. I opted for riding. Rain won't melt me.

[Geonz]

Wet! I had an appointment downtown. It was raining but I injured myself running and can't walk without pain for the moment. My choices were to drive, park in the parking deck, and walk 10 minutes to my appointment, or ride my bike and park in front. I opted for riding. Rain won't melt me.

So biking was the least obnoxious... here's hoping walking and running get less painful for you soon!!

[tulip]

So biking was the least obnoxious... here's hoping walking and running get less painful for you soon!!

The bike ride was not bad, even with the rain. The walking will get better. I suspect the running will not matter, as my desire to run has diminished considerably after this incident. I just don't see the point; it's too easy to get injured running, it's a slow way to travel, and runners rarely smile. I'm sticking with my bike!

[ZenBiker]

Got a late start this morning so I didn't need my headlight. Unfortunately I didn't think ahead to the ride home when I decided to leave the light behind. My afternoon meeting ran long so I ended up sprinting (well, my version of sprinting, which isn't all that fast) home in the last 20 minutes or so of light. Not quite the relaxing ride I had in mind but fun in its own way. Still having mild, dry weather - I keep thinking it can't last much longer, and then it does.

[tzvia]

Finally back commuting after having to stay off the bike, nursing bruised ribs for about 4 weeks. Still a bit sore on the left side, can't sleep on the left side, but due to nerve issues from old car accident sleeping on that side was never anything I could do for long anyway. Now that it's really dark in the morning, and my ride home is dusk, I am glad I went nuts 'over lighting-up' myself. Bought yet another tail light, something new from Serfas, the 'Thunderbolt'. USB rechargable, high/low, and high/low blink, with a rubberized outer surface and rubber straps so it's on and off in seconds. Quite bright, and the rubber straps are replaceable, unlike their more basic one where it's toast once the straps break. Gonna get another this weekend, it's perfect for the road bike and weighs next to nothing.

Perfect weather today. Not too cold in the morning, my thick shell jacket and short sleeve shirt, regular full finger gloves and jeans were just fine. Must have been close to 60f.

As my workplace shuts down the whole X-Mas week through New Years Day I don't worry about commuting when I envision the number of drunks on the road is highest, but I still feel concern about the week before, as X-Mas eve is on a Monday. I guess office parties will be the previous week so I may not commute that week. Anybody else feeling concern with 'Christmas cheer'?.

[Melalvai]

Congrats at getting to be back on the bike.

Crazy weather! I'm a little relieved that it's cooler again. Having a 70F day in December around here just doesn't seem right.

I believe that statistically the holiday drunks are as much a threat to you in the your car as on your bike, unless I'm remembering that wrong, I don't have a study or statistics handy though. My attitude is, if it's safe enough to drive, it's safe enough to bike. That has been the case with snow & ice, rain & wind. I think we tend to be stupid about the conditions we are willing to drive in, when a better risk-benefit assessment would keep us at home entirely in those conditions instead of choosing to drive over biking as the "safer" option.