Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

2018! The “How was your commute?” thread!

Search
Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

2018! The “How was your commute?” thread!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-03-18, 05:01 AM
  #1276  
essiemyra
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Merrimac , MA
Posts: 1,371
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Liked 167 Times in 90 Posts
A very nice uneventful commute with warm temps.
essiemyra is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 06:25 AM
  #1277  
Amitoj
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 312

Bikes: Bianchi Campione, Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
Hot and getting hotter!!
I am dripping with sweat halfway into my commute. A little further into the commute, I have to remove my sunglasses because they get covered with dripping sweat.
Yesterday's ride back home was an exercise in heat control. Today's ride in was uneventful.
Summer is not a commuter's favorite season, is it?
Amitoj is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 06:41 AM
  #1278  
mgw4jc
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)
Posts: 2,306

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 255 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times in 18 Posts
A good ride in this morning. I slowed to ride along a friend who was out for a morning run. He was quite chatty as it seems the friend he was supposed to run with bailed on him. He said he has run a minimum of 5k every day this year. Impressive!
mgw4jc is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 07:26 AM
  #1279  
arsprod 
Senior Member
 
arsprod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 2,043

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 183 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by Amitoj
Hot and getting hotter!!
Summer is not a commuter's favorite season, is it?
It is mine, though I have to admit I'm over mid 90's every day. Looks like we have another few days of near 100 with heat index and then possibly a break.

I had an old lady call me a jerk today. As I was approaching a runner on the trail I rang my bell to pass and she was cycling the other direction, hugging the center line and not moving over. As she got closer she had her arm out wagging her finger at me. She finally moved over and called me a jerk. Laughing at her probably didn't improve her thinking of cyclists but I couldn't help myself.
__________________
I'm slow, go around
arsprod is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 07:39 AM
  #1280  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,904

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2604 Post(s)
Liked 1,934 Times in 1,213 Posts
Yesterday afternoon we were approached by a thunderstorm; my wife, downtown, was soaked when a passing van splashed her back pretty thoroughly. But at my work, we got the umbra of the clouds without needing the umbrella for rain. As a result, it was pleasantly cool; Goofy (the Garmin) said it was 77F when I left. Funny thing is that it was about that when I got to work yesterday, and I was drenched with sweat. I was four miles into my ride before I broke a sweat. However, the last half of the ride I must have hit the 99.999% humidity remaining from the storm, because I was dragging when I got home. Maybe I need more salt on my low-sodium diet...

This morning was more of the same. Bright, sunny day, upper 70s and 90% R.H., and I'm still dripping. Managing the heat equates to getting everything off the bike, locking it, and getting inside the air conditioning as quickly as possible.
pdlamb is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 07:52 AM
  #1281  
dwengo
Saddler
 
dwengo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hot! So hot I had to swap out my usual bike helmet for one with more 'holes' in it
dwengo is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 09:55 AM
  #1282  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,509

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7353 Post(s)
Liked 2,481 Times in 1,440 Posts
I took my racing bike for fun today. I had to wear my backpack which of course makes me sweaty in this weather. I truly was not uncomfortable. I arrived at work and grabbed some paper towels to rub witch hazel over myself while I changed clothes. My polo shirt was so drenched that I decided against putting it back on. I am wearing one of the spare shirts I keep at work. If you looked at me now, you wouldn't know I was covered in sweat when I came in.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 07-03-18, 04:13 PM
  #1283  
surak
Senior Member
 
surak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,957

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix, Canyon Inflite AL SLX, Ibis Ripley AF, Priority Continuum Onyx, Santana Vision, Kent Dual-Drive Tandem

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 878 Post(s)
Liked 726 Times in 436 Posts
Last week I felt like commuting was incredibly draining. I pushed too hard on the two days I bike commuted, not giving myself a chance to recover from my longest ride ever over the prior weekend. I went on another long ride this past Sunday and truly tried to ease off a bit this morning. Near the 2/3rd point I'd managed pretty well, then I ended up behind another commuter going uphill on a very narrow bike lane. I waited to pass him until we turned onto an even steeper climb. I ended up easily crushing my PR for that and the following segment, but eased off again and got to work feeling significantly fresher than last week, so I'm back to liking my commute.
surak is offline  
Old 07-04-18, 01:59 AM
  #1284  
dwengo
Saddler
 
dwengo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
To the two cars over took me then got right up close to the curb. so I couldn't re overtake, .....YOU JUST OVER TOOK ME, YOU KNOW I'M THERE YOU CLOWN!!! (I over took in the centre of the road instead but still)
dwengo is offline  
Old 07-04-18, 09:38 AM
  #1285  
Amitoj
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 312

Bikes: Bianchi Campione, Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
Yesterday it was so hot during the ride back home that all my energy was sapped 15 minutes into the ride. Good thing that today is a holiday. Planning to commute again tomorrow. Going to take it easy rest of the week.
Amitoj is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 06:26 AM
  #1286  
mgw4jc
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)
Posts: 2,306

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 255 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times in 18 Posts
A nice day off yesterday. Plenty warm this morning but I think I'm getting used to it. It kind of feels like Monday again, but at least tomorrow is Friday (I think).
mgw4jc is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 06:47 AM
  #1287  
Amitoj
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 312

Bikes: Bianchi Campione, Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by mgw4jc
A nice day off yesterday.
Ditto here. I did contemplate going for a short ride yesterday in the morning, but then decided to sleep in.
Today's ride in was cooler than the last two rides, I felt. But the ride back home is again going to be hot. I will keep thinking of that Double IPA sitting in the refrigerator all the way back home.
If the thunderstorm forecast holds true (7AM to 4PM) for tomorrow, then this might be my first week this year with 4 days of commuting in a week.
Amitoj is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 08:08 AM
  #1288  
mojojojo
Senior Member
 
mojojojo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Hapeville, GA (South of Atlanta)
Posts: 56

Bikes: breezer greenway, mercier corvus, stache 8, diamondback trail bike

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
I bike to work and stop at the gym on the way. So I have a 45 minute ride, a half hour swim, a shower. I have a cup of coffee when I get in and am invigorated for the day. Ride home is hot these days but still a great way to end the work day.
mojojojo is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 09:24 AM
  #1289  
arsprod 
Senior Member
 
arsprod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 2,043

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 183 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 14 Posts
Supposedly the last day of 100+ temps
__________________
I'm slow, go around
arsprod is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 11:42 AM
  #1290  
HardyWeinberg
GATC
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: south Puget Sound
Posts: 8,728
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times in 27 Posts
70F and sunny (but hazy). 17 mile route detouring to medical appt that failed (lack of communication among offices). Grrr.

My preferred lengthy route to work out excess energy is unusable, being chipsealed this week.
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 02:44 PM
  #1291  
haphaeu
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Stavanger, Norway
Posts: 64

Bikes: n-1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by dwengo
To the two cars over took me then got right up close to the curb. so I couldn't re overtake, .....YOU JUST OVER TOOK ME, YOU KNOW I'M THERE YOU CLOWN!!! (I over took in the centre of the road instead but still)
the eternal car vs bikes war =)

did you ever realise it is the same idiots, regardless of the "vehicle"? like, assume there are idiots, and indeed there's a lot of them. idiots sometimes drive a car, sometimes ride a bike, and sometimes even walk... so in the end it is not cars vs bikes or whatever, it's idiots looking for trouble... best thing to do is ignore them completely and move on with life as if you never had that unfortunate encounter


by the way, commuting today as sunny and lovely, just hips of head wind on the way back home. looking forward for tomorrow's commute taking my little daughter to nursery school in the bike trolley, she loves it =)
haphaeu is offline  
Old 07-05-18, 08:58 PM
  #1292  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,509

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7353 Post(s)
Liked 2,481 Times in 1,440 Posts
Originally Posted by haphaeu
the eternal car vs bikes war =)

did you ever realise it is the same idiots, regardless of the "vehicle"? like, assume there are idiots, and indeed there's a lot of them. idiots sometimes drive a car, sometimes ride a bike, and sometimes even walk... so in the end it is not cars vs bikes or whatever, it's idiots looking for trouble... best thing to do is ignore them completely and move on with life as if you never had that unfortunate encounter


by the way, commuting today as sunny and lovely, just hips of head wind on the way back home. looking forward for tomorrow's commute taking my little daughter to nursery school in the bike trolley, she loves it =)
Right, there are idiots on all kinds of conveyances, but the car driver is responsible for more mass and speed, and they therefore wield more power and responsibility. The possibility of causing grave injury or death is much greater. So if you're an idiot in a car, you're a bigger idiot than an idiot on a bike or on foot.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 06:26 AM
  #1293  
mgw4jc
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mooresville, NC (Charlotte suburb)
Posts: 2,306

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse, Trek 5000 TCT, Giant OCR

Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 255 Post(s)
Liked 22 Times in 18 Posts
Friday again (sort of)!
A good 15 miles this morning. Quite a few walkers and runners out in the neighborhoods and on the trails.
Possible afternoon thunderstorms today, but a lot cooler tomorrow with a high of only 80 in the forecast. We've been hitting 90 everyday for a while now, so that will be a nice break. High probability of doing yard work during that.
mgw4jc is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 06:31 AM
  #1294  
Amitoj
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Windham, NH
Posts: 312

Bikes: Bianchi Campione, Specialized Diverge Comp E5

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 113 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
First time this year that I have biked to work 4 days in a week. Last time I did this was in October of last year and that was when my bike commute season was about to end. Hoping to do this more often than that this year!
As for today's commute, I had some tailwinds that helped me ride in at a moving average speed of 19.6mph
And if the forecast holds, the wind is going to change direction and I will have some tailwinds on the way back as well!!
Amitoj is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 06:51 AM
  #1295  
arsprod 
Senior Member
 
arsprod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 2,043

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 183 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 14 Posts
Rode home yesterday in a thunderstorm but that storm brought a break in the temperatures. High today of only 82F. I'm trying not to think what August is going to be like
__________________
I'm slow, go around
arsprod is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 07:51 AM
  #1296  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,904

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2604 Post(s)
Liked 1,934 Times in 1,213 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
Right, there are idiots on all kinds of conveyances, but the car driver is responsible for more mass and speed, and they therefore wield more power and responsibility. The possibility of causing grave injury or death is much greater. So if you're an idiot in a car, you're a bigger idiot than an idiot on a bike or on foot.
Not to mention, has there ever been a road rage incident where a cyclist pulled a gun on another cyclist? The average cager loses 20 IQ points when they get behind the wheel, and some of them don't have that much to spare.

Today's ride started off cool, really rather comfortable. It warmed up pretty fast though. Or was that leaving the leafy suburbs for the business-lined concrete streets?
pdlamb is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 07:58 AM
  #1297  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,509

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7353 Post(s)
Liked 2,481 Times in 1,440 Posts
Today is the first day I didn't ride bike to work in a while. It was raining heavily when I woke up. The thought of riding Citi Bike in heavy rain didn't appeal. By the time I left home, the rain had stopped, but I took the subway anyway. From work, I'm going to the bus station which is why I'm not riding my own bike. I might ride Citi Bike to the bus station. I'll decide when the time comes.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 08:28 AM
  #1298  
KCBikeCommuter
Senior Member
 
KCBikeCommuter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 514

Bikes: Klein Quantum Race; Cannondale Supersix EVO Di2; Trek Crossrip LTD; Trek Boone 9 Disc

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Still pretty humid for the commute this morning, but a front is supposed to come through at some point today. It won't bring any rain, but should significantly reduce the humidity levels for a couple of days at least.
KCBikeCommuter is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 09:26 AM
  #1299  
HardyWeinberg
GATC
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: south Puget Sound
Posts: 8,728
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times in 27 Posts
56F, sunny.

Had 2 kind of adventures, first, I was slowing down to take a picture and this roadie blew past me and yelled that I didn't deserve to be on the trail with him and he'd already ridden 20 miles so he wasn't even fresh. OK...

Then, I had gone through the traffic circle below (my path in red) when this state trooper (in blue) whipped around from one side to the other and pulled over a car in front of me. Not sure what he saw the car do. He cut the corner hard and fast, didn't use lights or siren until he was a ways past me. No idea if he knew I was there, but he was never in my lane anyway.

HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 07-06-18, 11:16 AM
  #1300  
haphaeu
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Stavanger, Norway
Posts: 64

Bikes: n-1

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
Right, there are idiots on all kinds of conveyances, but the car driver is responsible for more mass and speed, and they therefore wield more power and responsibility. The possibility of causing grave injury or death is much greater. So if you're an idiot in a car, you're a bigger idiot than an idiot on a bike or on foot.
Fully agree.

And commute today taking my little girl to nursery school was fun, she insisted in wearing a helmet even inside the trolley
Lot's of side wind and on the way back rode past some colleagues running back from work

Have a good weekend everyone

Last edited by haphaeu; 07-06-18 at 11:23 AM.
haphaeu is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.