Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Click the "Create Account" button now to join.

To disable ads, please log-in.

Shop at TeamEstrogen.com for women's cycling apparel.

Page 1 of 10 12345 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 145
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Nomadic
    Posts
    337

    Cool Fall/Winter 2010/2011 Commuter Challenge!

    To disable ads, please log-in.

    We clearly have a critical mass to have a commuter challenge for the northern hemisphere's darker and colder months.

    The challenge is on!

    New folks are welcome! (So are southern hemisphere folks, if it's helpful.) Our parameters - set yourself a goal, write it down in this thread, and check in with your fellow challengees throughout the time from the September/Fall Equinox to the March/Spring Equinox.

    So far we have:
    • me, out_spokin' - commute 75% of my office days, and a new try at more car-free days. I'm gonna start with 30% of my non-office days will be car-free!

    • bikerHen - 5 days/week through the end of 2010, and back at it as soon as possible after January shoulder surgery

    • uk elephant - at least 3 days/week, striving towards 5

    • Biciclista - riding some throughout the winter!

    • Melalvai – is in

    • blackhillsbiker –- shooting for 4 days/week, 5 when possible

    • kiwibug – is in

    • Tri Girl – at least 1 day/week, hopefully at least 2

    • pfunk12 – every day unless snowing or ice on the roads

    • 7rider – no beating herself up when the forecast is wrong and she didn’t ride due to dire predictions of bad weather!

    • kfergos – ride all errands less than 3 miles, and every day to the office if that’s where she ends up working

    • girlsubobscura – going for every day through the winter

    • colorisnt – whenever healthy, not snowy or icy

    • shootingstar – maybe? Depending on location


    And we’re off!!! Go US!
    Sit bones = ~135 mm, saddles that work ~ 155cm/6.1 in wide
    2003 da Vinci (custom road/all-rounder)/Terry Butterfly Ti
    1994 Gary Fisher Nirvana (vintage MTB/commuter)/Terry Butterfly Chromoly
    1991 Terry Symmetry (NOS frame/fork, project in progress)
    1973 Raleigh Super Course (project in progress)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    2,041
    Guess I should set a goal. How about: Every day possible. The "possible" qualifier allows me to stay home if it is snowing, or get a ride if I'm having a migraine (ie, when I SHOULD stay home!)

    Maybe my goal should be to stay home when I ought to, and bike the rest of the time.

    Oh, I have one other goal. Riding 2 miles to work and home is great, but it won't get me in shape for the triathlon in September. So I want to continue my training until we get to the worst of the weather. That would be, run 3X, swim 3X, weights 2X, and at least one bike ride a week that is at least 20 miles.
    2009 Trek 7.2FX WSD, brooks Champion Flyer S, commuter bike

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Posts
    818
    Great! You start the challenge and I have a massive cold! I'll more than likely have to drive all week and of course we're having great fall riding weather too!

    Melalvai, You sure have a great set of goals! Good for you! bikerHen

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    I have successfully commuted every day this week thus far! Going strong. Best commute ever today!
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    Posts
    70

    Ambikes' commuting goals

    It's brutally cold where I live, but I refuse to buy a parking permit at the university where I study (it's a racket!).

    My goal is to ride every day that it's warmer than -25C, walk when it's colder and/or really snowy, and only drive to campus 1x per week maximum. Depending on what type of winter we get, this may or may not be reasonable.

    ETA: I have commuted by bike every day so far this week (except Monday, which was the Thanksgiving holiday here in Canada). The weather is really nice right now!
    Last edited by Ambikes; 10-14-2010 at 12:59 PM.
    2010 Scott Speedster Limited/Bontrager Inform RL
    2008 Cannondale Rush 2 Feminine/Terry Butterfly
    2005 Cannondale F400/Terry Butterfly

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    Didn't commute today. Too cold this morning and I had not found any fall gloves. And apparently NONE of the shops here carry anything small enough.
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    2,041
    This week is looking like a failure on all counts.

    Maybe not all counts...Bike Mo is Saturday, so unless something goes awry I'll get a decent ride in. I mention the possibility that something might go awry, because lots of things went awry this week, including my car. (I picked the car up today and they think they found & fixed the problem that has plagued our clutch since it was replaced 3 years ago.)

    Definitely the "stay home when I'm sick" part was a FAIL. (The sick part contributed to the not exercising bit.) Instead of calling my husband to pick me up and take me home when I got a migraine Tuesday morning, I kept trying to do things. We had a big day planned with the rats, and my students are brand new, they don't know how to do everything. So I stuck it out longer than I should have, and I turned the migraine into the uber migraine from the hellmouth. The headache part of it lasted through Wednesday.

    Between a UTI on Monday, and the migraine Tues & Wed, I didn't run/swim any of the days I planned, and I didn't do weights. Even though I'm finally healthy now, I decided not to try anything tomorrow, just call it a bad week and try again next week.
    2009 Trek 7.2FX WSD, brooks Champion Flyer S, commuter bike

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Black Hills of SD
    Posts
    698
    I feel guilty calling this a fall/winter commute. It has been cold in the mornings (40° or so), and unseasonably warm later in the day. I've been able to ride all week this week. My bike has developed another random squeak, though. I'm really looking at upgrading within this next year.

    Deb
    2016 Kona Rove ST (M/L 54) WTB Volt
    Camp Stove Green Surly Karate Monkey (M) WTB Volt
    Kona Dew Deluxe (54cm) Brooks B67-S

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    Quote Originally Posted by Melalvai View Post
    This week is looking like a failure on all counts.

    Maybe not all counts...Bike Mo is Saturday, so unless something goes awry I'll get a decent ride in. I mention the possibility that something might go awry, because lots of things went awry this week, including my car. (I picked the car up today and they think they found & fixed the problem that has plagued our clutch since it was replaced 3 years ago.)

    Definitely the "stay home when I'm sick" part was a FAIL. (The sick part contributed to the not exercising bit.) Instead of calling my husband to pick me up and take me home when I got a migraine Tuesday morning, I kept trying to do things. We had a big day planned with the rats, and my students are brand new, they don't know how to do everything. So I stuck it out longer than I should have, and I turned the migraine into the uber migraine from the hellmouth. The headache part of it lasted through Wednesday.

    Between a UTI on Monday, and the migraine Tues & Wed, I didn't run/swim any of the days I planned, and I didn't do weights. Even though I'm finally healthy now, I decided not to try anything tomorrow, just call it a bad week and try again next week.
    You poor thing! Seriously, I can relate. I can't wait to ride tomorrow, but still battling the after effects of a migraine. I have been doing really great on hill climbs here recently and I figure if I can do those, I can do anything BikeMO can throw out.

    I didn't even go into work today. Emailed the prof to tell him that my migraine was so bad that I could not drive/ride to school safely. He always understands because he knows I am there unless I am half-dead. So, fail, today, but I refuse to beat myself up over it. However, Truman was sad he didn't get to go out today and his sister is the one going out tomorrow. I will take him shopping Sunday I guess!
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    2,041
    Quote Originally Posted by colorisnt View Post
    However, Truman was sad he didn't get to go out today and his sister is the one going out tomorrow. I will take him shopping Sunday I guess!
    Is Truman your bike? And who is his sister?
    2009 Trek 7.2FX WSD, brooks Champion Flyer S, commuter bike

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    Truman is my commuter. He is black and gold (hence the name haha).

    Casser is his sister. That't my trek. She only goes out when she will not have to be locked up. And I call her casser (french for crash or bash) because of the bad falls I had on her learning to use my pedals!
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    2,041
    MWF swimming: successful. Plus on Friday I swam a full 45 min and 27 laps (which is approximately the minimum I need for the triathlon which is 10 months away). One dark early morning biking to the pool someone saw me and knew from a long ways away it was me, because he heard my jingle bell.

    T/Th weight training & running: successful. Thursday I ran FOUR miles, and Saturday I ran an even more amazing FIVE miles! Five is what I need for the triathlon which is 10 months away, and I did it in 52 minutes. However my left knee hurt the next day so I think I need new shoes before I try that again. I'll stick to <4 miles until I get shoes.

    Long bike ride on the weekend: successful. Wind, hills, clouds. I was amazed that my tan deepened, this late in October I didn't think that was possible. Good to know I must have gotten some vitamin D.

    Staying home while sick: N/A. However, there were a couple nights I skipped my core exercises, the day I did the long swim, and the day I did the long bike ride. After I read that other post about over training I'm glad I let myself skip those nights.
    2009 Trek 7.2FX WSD, brooks Champion Flyer S, commuter bike

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Black Hills of SD
    Posts
    698
    Day 2 of 40-60 mph winds. Maybe tomorrow? I'm getting crabby with no bike rides.

    Deb
    2016 Kona Rove ST (M/L 54) WTB Volt
    Camp Stove Green Surly Karate Monkey (M) WTB Volt
    Kona Dew Deluxe (54cm) Brooks B67-S

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    Posts
    70

    A Blizzard in October?!?

    The beautiful fall weather we had been having deteriorated badly over the past couple of days. It rained all day yesterday and was cold (5C) and windy, so I drove to campus because I didn't feel like getting wet and cold. Well, I should have known it was only going to get worse...

    I woke up this morning to a skift of SNOW! and 45 km/hr wind gusts. I decided to commute by bike anyway since I'd wimped out the day before. Commute actually wasn't too bad...but it kept snowing and blowing all day long. The ride home was the one of the worst I've ever had. There was about 5cm of snow and slush on all road surfaces along with blowing and drifting that made a lot of places impassable by bike. And the wind chill was -10C, which wouldn't have been a big deal if I'd actually dressed for pushing my bike 2km through snow banks. I had been planning on, you know, riding on pavement.

    I did successfully commute today, though. I guess that's a victory.
    2010 Scott Speedster Limited/Bontrager Inform RL
    2008 Cannondale Rush 2 Feminine/Terry Butterfly
    2005 Cannondale F400/Terry Butterfly

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    324
    Count me in. Up to 12/20 hope to do 1 commute / week (30mile round tripper). starting 12/27 (after I get back from vacation time) my goal is daily commuting since our corporate office will have moved to a new building much, much closer to home (12 mile round tripper).

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    '89 Bridgestone Radac Dura-Ace | Specialized Ruby, 143
    '92 Bridgestone MB-1 | Specialized Ruby, 143
    '92 Bridgestone MB-1.2 (balloon tire bike) | Specialized Ruby, 143
    '93 Bridgestone MB-5 (my SUB*) | Specialized Lithia, 143


    My blog: Portlandia Pedaler (at Blogger)

 

 

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •