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-   -   2019! The “How was your commute?” thread! (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=1163199)

no motor? 10-16-19 02:47 PM

Last nights ride home was amazing. I had a 10 mph tail wind for most of the ride home, and not only was the ride more enjoyable it was so much faster.

liampboyle 10-17-19 06:41 AM

Last night 10/16 - 46°F with a bit of a wind.

This morning 10/17 - 38°F sunny, pulled out the full finger gloves, getting closer to needing full winter gear. Had a couple people do the MGIFB bit causing me to have to stop before I could down shift. Chain is still slipping between gears but not quite as badly as it was the other day.

I'm more thoroughly convinced then ever an internally geared rear hub and no derailleurs is the way to go.

arsprod 10-17-19 07:09 AM


Originally Posted by no motor? (Post 21166737)
Last nights ride home was amazing. I had a 10 mph tail wind for most of the ride home, and not only was the ride more enjoyable it was so much faster.

Your tailwind was my headwind! Today is the first morning of the season with a "3" in the temperature - 39F.

mgw4jc 10-17-19 07:15 AM


Originally Posted by liampboyle (Post 21167562)
... Had a couple people do the MGIFB bit causing me to have to stop before I could down shift. ...

Usually I can google any abbreviations I'm not familiar with, but "MGIFB" turns up nothing.


Low 40s here this morning and the lightweight gloves were borderline insufficient. Clear morning was pretty though.

I found these pliers in the road this morning. Look to be in decent shape - probably better / newer than any I own.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...babefc1b99.jpg

liampboyle 10-17-19 07:39 AM


Originally Posted by mgw4jc (Post 21167607)
Usually I can google any abbreviations I'm not familiar with, but "MGIFB" turns up nothing.

Sorry, "Must Get In Front Of Bike" - One of my cycling groups on Facebook uses that particular abbreviation constantly.

pdlamb 10-17-19 09:23 AM

Chilly enough (40°) this morning that I'm planning on digging out cold weather gear this weekend.

My riding this week has been like the weather -- uninspired. But this crisp, clear morning made me feel like it was time to pour it on a few times. (AKA informal interval training, or sprints.) Fun times!

no motor? 10-17-19 01:10 PM


Originally Posted by arsprod (Post 21167601)
Your tailwind was my headwind! Today is the first morning of the season with a "3" in the temperature - 39F.

I knew someone was going to pay for it like I have for all these years.

mgw4jc 10-18-19 07:02 AM

Another clear, cool morning today. One guy had to pass me and then immediately make a right turn. I knew it was coming because he honked before passing to let me know an impatient driver was coming. And the road he turned on is where about 75% of the traffic turns. I'm always a bit less stressed after getting past that road as I go straight and have much less traffic.

I took a short video at this spot I saw yesterday where the sun is just right to cast my shadow on some trees lining the road. I did video because I knew I wouldn't be able to click the picture at the right moment. But of course the first try wasn't framed right and the second try just messed up. So after circling back a third time I got this halfway decent shot.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...be0eb65812.jpg

arsprod 10-18-19 07:21 AM

34F, good preparation for winter riding. It's the time of year I have to carry a 2nd set of gear for the ride home which could be 30 degrees warmer

liampboyle 10-18-19 07:39 AM

Evening Commute 10/17/19 - 60°F

Was pulling up to red light when a minivan cut from the right turn only lane to my right across three lanes of traffic to get into one of the left turn lanes at this particular intersection (2 left turn only lanes, 1 left turn or straight across, right turn only lane - I go straight through this particular intersection.)

Morning Commute 10/18/19 - 37°F

Chain's still slipping a bit. It's probably going to be Sunday until I can take a look at it. The wife decided to let me order the rear rack I want (The Ibera pak rak), so I should have that tomorrow.

Debating on if I should make fenders, a more comfortable saddle, or the Jones H bar the next modification.

pdlamb 10-18-19 08:36 AM

Another crisp ride this morning, after which I recall the problem I have with commuting in cool weather: where do I drape everything to let it air out and dry? Fall riding is great, I don't come in dripping with sweat, I don't have to stop halfway to wring out my sweatband, no worries about dehydration. But where can I hang up arm warmers, leg warmers, base layer, and later in the winter a jacket, in my cube?

Bicycle commuting: the thing that makes working in a cube farm halfway tolerable. Working in a cube farm: what makes bicycle commuting so difficult.

I need a new job that'll offer me a real office.

liampboyle 10-18-19 09:48 AM


Originally Posted by pdlamb (Post 21169188)
Bicycle commuting: the thing that makes working in a cube farm halfway tolerable. Working in a cube farm: what makes bicycle commuting so difficult.

I need a new job that'll offer me a real office.

Absolutely agree.

noglider 10-18-19 07:07 PM

Wednesday was super rainy. I knew I was risking getting wet, but I've noticed that when rain is in the forecast, I often miss it. Or if I don't miss it, it's usually light when I'm out in it. And then in those cases, I regret not riding. So I rode. And man did it rain hard. But you know what? I didn't mind. I wasn't cold, and I enjoyed myself. I had a rehearsal after class and got there pretty wet, but my hiking pants somehow dried while I stood there, and I was fine.

Yesterday and today were super windy now that the front is gone. I go north and then east on my route to college, and I had an almost exact crosswind yesterday on the northbound portion. Today, the direction was slightly more northerly so it was a stiff headwind, but I rode hard and enjoyed that. I really like being on the river path in almost any weather. Wednesday night coming home, I had the whole place to myself. It had been raining for hours, and no one wanted to be there except for me, and I was happy.

wipekitty 10-19-19 11:24 AM

Beautiful commuting weather last week, mostly in the 50-60 degree range. Changing at work is a snap when there's no post-sweat. Rain on Wednesday meant I got to try the Shake Dry, which I purchased probably four months ago but had no occasion to use. It's been a good mix of sleeves/no sleeves, though I think the shorts are the giveaway that my blood didn't turn Southern yet.

The one fail was my Friday taco recon route (checking a route for picking up tacos from our favorite joint on the commute home). Great route, but I was dumb and ran over something nasty going too fast in the dark. Somehow the O ring in my CO2 inflator had gone bad, so after dumping two canisters into the night sky, I Uber'd the final 2.5 miles.

From here on out, my evening commutes are likely to be in complete darkness.

liampboyle 10-21-19 06:41 AM

Evening Commute 10/18/19 - 63°F

Morning Commute 10/21/19 - 58°F

It's definitely the time of year where I'm switching back and forth between summer and winter gear depending on the day. This morning was warm enough to go with summer gear. We're supposed to get storms later so I may have a wet ride home.

mgw4jc 10-21-19 06:52 AM

I cleaned my bike yesterday as it had been a while. It was a warm 70F in the afternoon and I enjoyed being outside for a bit.

At about 5:45am, I saw the other guy in my neighborhood who commutes again this morning. Just said good morning as he went by. I was about 15 minutes away from leaving myself. I stopped at the gym on the way to work for about 40 minutes of weights and stretching. Then on to work after that.

Darth Lefty 10-21-19 11:50 AM

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b45897002.jpeg

I’m at the pacemaker clinic today so no bike ride. I did change a tire this weekend. Check out what a year of sealant did to the original (not rated tubeless) tire. No monster boogers, though

essiemyra 10-21-19 11:51 AM

It was a very nice commute this am with the temp at 55 f degrees and dark cloudy skies.

I keep leaving early thinking I will get off the main road and detour around the gravel section of the main road as it is being repaired. I keep chickening out at the last minute. I am looking forward to when this road is completed.

liampboyle 10-21-19 04:37 PM

Evening Commute 10/21/19 - 66°F light rain.

Had quite a few people do the "Must Get In Front of Bike" thing comming up to stops and signals. No overly close calls but the guy who decided to pass me right before the 15 mph blind turn was an absolue genius.

RidingMatthew 10-21-19 07:44 PM

Have not been back on the bike since unPAved October 13, 2019. 6h31m for 86.96 miles and starting temp was around 33F. We have not seen temps like that in NC yet. So I have had a cold, head congestion, cough thing going on since then. Wanted to ride this morning, felt better when I got up but then started coughing and was worried about breathing in the colder air. So i have been driving.

essiemyra 10-22-19 06:30 AM

The temp was 49 f degrees and partly cloudy skies. I saw a skunk crossing the road heading toward the opposite side of the road. At first glance I thought it was a cat, but then realized it was a skunk. I am hoping he was not hit by the car coming in the other direction.

mgw4jc 10-22-19 06:43 AM

If I had driven, I would have missed the wet roads and occasional showers. But at 63F, I decided riding wouldn't be bad. There was a steady rain for about 5 to 8 minutes, but the rest of the ride was either no rain or misting / sprinkling. My socks and shoes are the wettest and will take the longest to dry. I have back-up socks though, so ride home will be fine.

Biggest bummer is that I had cleaned my bike on Sunday, and now it is pretty messy again. I grabbed some paper towels from the bathroom and wiped the bike down a bit when I got to work. More rain coming throughout the day, but should be gone by quittin' time.

Tundra_Man 10-22-19 07:13 AM

Consecutive bicycle work commute number 827:

35F with a 25+ mph head wind. I arrived at work safe, but cold.

I originally was scheduled to go to our company office (8 miles) for the morning, attend a meeting over lunch, then ride downtown to a client location for the afternoon. With that head wind I threw in the towel and rode right to the client's location. I'll attend the lunch meeting remotely. Kind of nice that I have some flexibility where I can modify my schedule at times to suit my mood and weather.

Tons of leaves on the MUP. Very pretty, but there are spots where they're so thick you can't see where the pavement is. Thankfully I've ridden it so many times that I know all the turns and curves so I haven't ridden off the lip and into the grass yet this season.

arsprod 10-22-19 07:16 AM

I got soaked on the ride home yesterday and apparently between the morning's commute and afternoon the rain brought down every single leaf and walnut on every single tree along the trail. Some spots were so covered I couldn't tell where the edges of the trail were. And oh, did I mention it was wet?! This morning it's dried a bit and the sun is out, 48F, and I'll live with the rain which we seriously need

Notso_fastLane 10-22-19 07:49 AM

Consistently in the low 40s these last few days, and the rest of the week. Nice enough, but the wet leaves made my front end slide a couple times yesterday.

The temperature inside the velomobile consistently reads ~10F higher than ambient, so I guess 1) it's decent insulation and 2) I generate a fair amount of heat on my own. :)

Yesterday was colder, but today felt colder. I think because it was a little more humid.


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