How Was Your Commute Today?

[carlotta]

Crazy start to the ride home (and a reminder why I really shouldn't leave before 4 until the weather gets crappy and chases all the mid-day trail traffic away), but it was a really nice evening so took the long way home:

[HillSlugger]

My commuting has dwindled in the last few years as I've let my triathlon training take over my cycling. However, I was excited to commute to my new office since we would have access to nice showers in the fitness center (with towel service!) and I had scored one of the bike lockers. Here we are at the end of September and I've only commuted 5 times. Beyond that, I'm just not enjoying this commute (not sure why). I've decided I'm not worthy to have the bike locker and gave the key back today. Hopefully, a more regular bike commuter will make better use of the locker.

[Melalvai]

HillSlugger, glad you're having fun with the triathlon training. Someday commuting might become part of your life again, when it's the right time.
I'm working from home now, so not so much with the commuting. But I did bike to the library with my daughter last weekend when she was home visiting from college. (It's so weird to say that...it's just weird to have a college-age daughter!)

Unfortunately I've been driving a lot the past 2 weeks. We had just moved, and then I ran the car into a deer. Picking up the rental, test driving a bazillion cars, getting one car or another to the mechanic to be checked over, finally settling on one and getting it inspected, and returning the rental car. I have done so much driving just so we could keep driving! I have been interested in being a car-free family, but with our daughter just starting college and my husband starting a new job, this is not the right time for it.

Hopefully there will be more bicycle-errands in my near future and fewer car-errands, now that we have the car thing settled.

[GLC1968]

I've been good about getting in 1 or 2 commutes a week. It's about all that my schedule will allow right now but I hope to increase that as winter sets in and some of my other commitments lessen.

Yesterday I biked in and had a very nice ride. It was chilly and dry and I felt totally refreshed and alert by the time I got to work. The ride home...not so much. We've been having some horrible storms lately - torrential downpours (unusual for us), high winds, power outages, lightening (also unusual for us). I saw that thunderstorms were predicted at 50% at 7, so I figured I was fine leaving at 5:30. Ha.

It was raining lightly as I set up my bike but I figured it wasn't that bad and I wanted to get home. So I headed out and within a couple of minutes, it started to rain harder. And harder. And harder. At one point, I was stopped at a light (I hit just about every single one in my 6 mile commute!) and it was coming down so hard I could barely see even though I was standing still. When the light changed, I had to ride with just one hand so that I could shield the left side of my face from the sideways rain as I rode! I was wet. It was cold (though I didnt' care much about the cold). I didn't bring my garmin that day, so I don't know how long it took me but I'm sure I was out there MUCH longer than normal. The worst was where the storm drains couldn't keep up with the water flow and I had to bike through little lakes!

I was SO wet when I pulled up to our garage. I stripped off all my clothes in the garage and went upstairs naked to go take a shower. What an adventure! It certainly made me appreciate how lovely my commute is when its dry or only lightly raining!

[girlsubobscura]

@ GLC, It wasn't raining nearly that hard on my commute home yesterday, but I was also soaked enough to wish I could have done what you did when you got home. Alas, we have a detached garage

[fallstoclimb]

It's been in the 40s the past couple mornings when I headed out. I know many of you are already dealing with much colder temps, but I have always been a fair weather cyclist and am a huge wuss with cold weather. But, I dressed appropriately and was totally fine both mornings!! I imagine its easier to dress appropriately on a short commute like mine (6 miles, I don't really overheat/get sweaty), but now I'm hopeful about actually sticking with this through the winter. The brisk air was sort of nice, and that's a LOT coming from me!

I am a little concerned about what I'll do when its below freezing, mostly because I'm worried about potential ice. I have some friends who have had some bad wrecks on ice and I don't want to risk it, but I guess it's silly to refuse to ride everytime its under 32 because someone might have spilled water somewhere.

[carlotta]

I just rode all the way to work in my small chainring. Clearly I did not drink enough coffee before I left home.

First morning with a hat, too, and my lungs/sinuses are almost clear from my cold last week so that feels better.

Also enjoying my last few commutes home in daylight for a few months.

[Melalvai]

I'm working from home for a few months, starting 6 wks ago, so I don't ride every day. I walk to the grocery store most days! I can't seem to plan ahead, with the grocery store so close. I had a couple of bike trips that are worth telling about.

The fun one was yesterday. I biked out to my husband's work. His workplace has a fully equipped kitchen, and he gets 80 min for lunch, so he brought raw chicken & garlic and pasta and cooked us lunch. It's 6 miles with some good hills. With traffic, took me probably 35 minutes. It was very humid and I was pouring sweat! I was so hungry, I snarfed up that lunch. SO delicious. Then I headed home. It started raining. I was a lot more comfortable! My left leg was hurting a bit, so I kept using lower & lower gears. When I got home, I had to eat Second Lunch! I meant to walk to the grocery store in the afternoon but I fell asleep. (This work-from-home thing must be exhausting...that is not the first time I've taken an afternoon nap.) This morning when I got up, my legs were SO sore. I had no idea I'd given them such a workout in only 12 miles.

A couple weeks ago, I had a bunch of errands to run including some heavy things. I pulled out my trailer, aired up the tires, hitched it up. I loaded the box of books and the last old CRT monitor that finally died. Before the 1st stop sign, the trailer came unhitched. I stopped and hooked it back up.
A mile later, the trailer came unhitched again. I realized the problem--the load was too far back. It's been a while since I've used the trailer. I repositioned the load and hitched it up again.
I returned my library books.
I got to the bank and waited in line at the drive thru. When I got to the window, I was told they don't serve bicyclists in the drive thru! :P
Fuming, I went on. A few blocks later the monitor fell off the top of the box of books. I picked it up and strapped it all down again.
Just a couple blocks from the used bookstore, the monitor fell off again. I could see what the problem was-- repositioning the load toward the front meant that the straps were no longer centered on the load. But there wasn't anything I could do about it. So I strapped it down again and tried to avoid bumps.
I reached the used bookstore. The strap had come off again and the monitor was one bump away from falling. I unloaded everything and carried the heavy box of books to the door--
where I saw a sign that said they were moving and would not accept books for trade-in until Nov 6.

I gave up then. I was not going another inch with that box of books. My husband picked me up. We stopped at the grocery store for cash (since I couldn't get it at the bank!) so that we could pay the fee to recycle the monitor. We dropped off the monitor. We donated the box of books to Friends of the Library. And he took me out to eat for supper since I'd had such a rough time!

I learned that the no-bikes policy was only for that branch. I called corporate and filed a complaint. I had a long argument with the branch manager. I said "If you're going to have a policy that affects bike/ped, at least consult the experts. You're not the first bank to deal with this. Contact the League or MoBikeFed." He said "I'm not going to do that." What a jerk.

[Sky King]

Melalvai what a crazy ride. good for you for talking to the bank. I think I would be changing banks...

[carlotta]

First ride this season with snow. Not sticking yet (and not going to today), and I know plenty of people already have the stuff on the ground, but I'm not sure I'm ready for this yet...

[tulip]

You get an A for effort, that's for sure!

I'd be changing banks, too. I doubt he would be so rude for other customer service complaints. Good for you for taking to corporate. No switch banks (on your bike)

[Melalvai]

There is another branch that DOES allow bicyclists. Depending on where I'm going, it might be more or less convenient than the downtown branch, but it's on my husband's way home from work so it's usually more convenient for him (in his car). I don't know if I feel incensed enough to change banks-- I don't have enough money to matter to the bank-- but at least I won't patronize that branch.

So, my recent commutes, well, I can't really use the term "commute" anymore since I work from home, can I? oh well, unless the "commute police" tell me to post elsewhere I still identify with this community the most. Anyway despite my lack of commute, I want to get some daily exercise like I used to, back when I had an actual commute. Only since I don't commute I have to make an actual effort for it now.

I can run errands by bike (and no access to a car during the day so that makes it even easier). Usually if I'm just going to the grocery store I walk, or if I want to go to the bigger grocery store I bike with my trailer. The other day, I was picking up a 1/4 pork that I had ordered, and I strapped the coolers to my trailer! That was fun.

After the cold snap, I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasted. Columbia has built a lot of trails in the 3 years that we've been gone. I've been wanting to investigate those.

The nice thing about working from home is that my schedule is extremely flexible. I can go for a long ride in the nicest part of the day, the sunny afternoons. I might miss that when I get a "real" job! I went 11 miles one day and 16 miles the next. The majority of miles was on streets to get to the trails, but I did discover the closest access point from which theoretically I can access the majority of Columbia's trails (by which I mean the Katy Trail and all of its branches & connections). The new trails are nice-- 12 foot wide, concrete, winding along creeks, lots of trees. Even with the leaves mostly fallen it's lovely.

[Sky King]

You shall always be a commuter I always say I take my bike out the front door and come in the back door with some miles in between and that counts as my commute for the day

[carlotta]

You're still a commuter..... you make this commuter jealous with your mid-day rides though (plus you can take a day off when the weather's crappy and not have to deal with transit/car either!)

Unseasonably warm here this morning, shorts/knee warmers/long sleeve jersey and I was a little warm, probably could've ridden shorts/long sleeves which is weird for mid-November. Wind is kicking up now so I'll have a cross/tail wind on the way home, with gusts above 30.... good times!

[carlotta]

Last full commute on the crosscheck today, new frame is here tomorrow (!!!!!!!) and I'll ride the crosscheck in tomorrow to drop it a the shop, but need to pull the rack/fenders/bottle cage/bell/etc tonight so there's less extra stuff on there when they swap the parts over.

Not a terribly notable commute. Dark. Cold. Got to work and none of the four elevators was working, so hauled the bike up 7 flights of stairs since I didn't have a lock with me so that was good times...