2019! The “How was your commute?” thread!
#401
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This afternoon is gonna be interesting because I'm donating blood. I'm gonna ride to the hospital from work, and then home from the hospital is only 1 mile, but it's probably gonna be quite the affair. I think I'm gonna pound a bunch of ice cream, pedal super slowly 1 mile home, and then sleep for like 12 hours. Wish me luck.
#402
Senior Member
Thank you for donating! Just a mile home will be a breeze (unless there's a gale of a headwind, of course!). Just make sure you're well hydrated (and no, a jumbo margarita doesn't count as hydration, although it'll give you a hell of a buzz! and no, don't ask how I know). I usually felt the donation more on days 2-4 after donating than the day of.
#403
GATC
38F, gray, buzzed by bald eagle.
MUP apparently plowed, shoulders/bike lanes still a mess. No problem hugging the fog line though.
MUP apparently plowed, shoulders/bike lanes still a mess. No problem hugging the fog line though.
#404
Virgo
Cold. This winter is starting to feel long. More icy stuff coming tonight so probably won't ride tomorrow, but temps rising toward end of the week. Spring is coming!
#405
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I brought the MTB today and not the trike. Starting to get that "last time I'll be able to before..." feeling in a lot of what I do and this is one of them. After this week the MTB is going in the back of the garage and not sure when it's coming out again. The tandem and the Paramount are already there.
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Genesis 49:16-17
Genesis 49:16-17
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 02-19-19 at 12:25 PM.
#406
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Saw hi 20F this morning on the way in and hope the weather forecast is correct regarding my ride home. Getting darker out there
#407
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I thought I was done with shakedown cruises but maybe not. I didn’t have the tools handy to fix this dumb mistake I made. It was making a scuffing noise like a dragging disk and shifting a little strange... Also might sweep the handlebars back a little for a perfectly neutral wrist
#408
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#409
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#410
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Cold and wet, both ways, the low lying portions of the trail already filled up enough to drag my chain through the water. It's supposed to rain through the weekend with storms here and there so I'll probably be staying off the Greenway for the rest of the week.
#411
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There is something that still confuses me. The Terra Trike website has a screed about cross chaining of the type you see here on BF that would make total sense when applied to a regular bike. But the trike has an idler in the lower run and a chain tube on the upper run in the middle of the trike that keeps the chain line in the same place at all times. It's literally impossible to cross chain.
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Genesis 49:16-17
Genesis 49:16-17
#412
Senior Member
Morning Commute 27°F, 7mph wind, sunny
Evening Commute 36°F, 11mph wind, overcast
The fire engines from last night were because of a fairly major housefire caused by a bad kerosene heater. So mystery solved. Today had fairly normal traffic, no exceptional incidents and only one guy I felt like giving a single finger salute.
Calling for fairly heavy rain tomorrow so I'll probably just bus it to work.
Evening Commute 36°F, 11mph wind, overcast
The fire engines from last night were because of a fairly major housefire caused by a bad kerosene heater. So mystery solved. Today had fairly normal traffic, no exceptional incidents and only one guy I felt like giving a single finger salute.
Calling for fairly heavy rain tomorrow so I'll probably just bus it to work.
#413
Senior Member
The sleet on my way home last night only hurt on the last big hill where I get up to 30mph. That stung a bit. I have a neighbor that I see regularly on the closest to home half of my route. Last night he passed me, went up a bit and turned around to ask if I was okay. He drives a pick-up so it would have been easy to toss my bike in the back and ride home with him. I only had about 3 miles left and wasn't cold or really wet even. I told him I was fine but thanks. Very nice of him to check on me.
This morning it is raining and about 36F. Taking the car is usually not an option, or at least makes things complicated for the family if I do. But today I could take the car without that. I got dressed to ride anyway and left the house in what seemed like pretty light rain. A quarter mile in my face was already pretty wet and cold. I decided to turn around, go home and drive instead. So instead of cold and wet I arrived to work warm and dry, especially since I used the heated car seat.
This morning it is raining and about 36F. Taking the car is usually not an option, or at least makes things complicated for the family if I do. But today I could take the car without that. I got dressed to ride anyway and left the house in what seemed like pretty light rain. A quarter mile in my face was already pretty wet and cold. I decided to turn around, go home and drive instead. So instead of cold and wet I arrived to work warm and dry, especially since I used the heated car seat.
#414
Senior Member
Ugh this new bike just can't handle the ruts. Might have to go back to the old bike with 26's. 33 and little wind so was a pretty good ride overall.
#415
Senior Member
I had the most difficult road conditions I've faced yet. We had some freezing rain through the night that changed to snow around 6AM. By the time I left the house there was about 2" on the ground. It kept coming down hard, alternating between big wet flakes and pelting sleet until about the time I arrived at work. The roads were mostly unplowed with 0.5-1" of packed snow on top of a thin layer of ice. Traction, even with my studded tires was terrible. I took the sidewalks and bike paths when I could. Wasn't as slippery there, but I had to plow through a few inches of fresh snow. But I got to work, without a wipeout. I'm glad my ride is short.
Should be better on the way home. It's supposed to warm up into the 40's with some rain for the commute back home. I'm expecting it to be wet and sloppy, but less treacherous.
Should be better on the way home. It's supposed to warm up into the 40's with some rain for the commute back home. I'm expecting it to be wet and sloppy, but less treacherous.
#416
born again cyclist
holy freezing rain, batman!
i probably made the wrong call this morning and rode into work.
after 8 miles of it, me and my bicycle were fully encased in a layer of ice.
icicles were forming on the visor of my helmet and from the ends of my handle bars.
i should have taken a picture, but my phone was buried too deep in my bike bag to dig it out.
but thank Pizza God for studded tires! steady and true in some woefully slippery/sloppy conditions.
i probably made the wrong call this morning and rode into work.
after 8 miles of it, me and my bicycle were fully encased in a layer of ice.
icicles were forming on the visor of my helmet and from the ends of my handle bars.
i should have taken a picture, but my phone was buried too deep in my bike bag to dig it out.
but thank Pizza God for studded tires! steady and true in some woefully slippery/sloppy conditions.
#418
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I want to mark today’s ride statistics. This is my last commute before my surgery. I’m feeling good today, as good as I can. With my condition I have two competing ceilings, my chest pain or my medications. This is about the best balance I get. Most of my rides are closer to 100W and less than 9 mph.
The surgery is not a cure for my enlarged heart. It will still be stiff and low volume. But the chest pain and maybe my need for blood pressure meds should disappear. The recovery is more about the sternum than the heart. I'll be on the trike at the end of April, I hope, and back on a regular bike in autumn. I probably won't do anything that challenges the bike's suspension for a year.
I’ll return to this in 6mo and a year and see how I’m doing.
Edit: the ride home was much more typical. I’ll save it too
The surgery is not a cure for my enlarged heart. It will still be stiff and low volume. But the chest pain and maybe my need for blood pressure meds should disappear. The recovery is more about the sternum than the heart. I'll be on the trike at the end of April, I hope, and back on a regular bike in autumn. I probably won't do anything that challenges the bike's suspension for a year.
I’ll return to this in 6mo and a year and see how I’m doing.
Edit: the ride home was much more typical. I’ll save it too
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 02-21-19 at 12:05 AM.
#419
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Drove today. winter advisory and people driving in freezing rain around here are idiots. I rode home yesterday in freezing rain. I was hoping for some snowflurries but no luck .
#420
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After two days driving due to winter storm, snow and wind, this morning I headed out in low-wind sunshine with a starting temp of 9F finishing at 18F at the office.
#421
Senior Member
Bailed again on the ride this morning. But my wife dropped me and the bike off so I'll probably ride home. Just wet and cold out. And supposed to continue through Saturday.
#422
Senior Member
Just took the bus yesterday because rain. Back on the bike today. 32 degrees, calm winds, sunny. It's getting to the sun directly in my eyes in the morning due to heading directly east time of year again.
#423
Senior Member
Yesterday it was above freezing and raining so the previous snow was mostly slush. I assumed (there's that word) that this morning it would all be gone and mostly was... except for a couple sections of MUP, and at 28F those sections of slush had turned to rutted ice. Slipping wasn't the issue. it was maintaining control while bouncing around, because of course I didn't slow down. Almost lost it once and that was enough to scare the crap outta me and then I did slow down. Yay winter...
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I'm slow, go around
I'm slow, go around
#424
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Back in the saddle again. I chickened out the last couple of days because of the weather forecast, and after two days when I'd have had one commute in light rain, I decided to risk it. Sure, there's floods in the area, and a few districts canceled school today because of the flooding, but it's not where I live. I guess I need to listen to myself when I tell people, "Just because it's a rainy day doesn't mean it's going to rain all day, or even at all when I'm riding."
So cool, darkly overcast and damp, but not raining. And instead of balancing badge, coffee, umbrella, and a bag full of stuff after parking 200 yards from the door, I got the bike rack parking spot 15 yards from my office door.
So cool, darkly overcast and damp, but not raining. And instead of balancing badge, coffee, umbrella, and a bag full of stuff after parking 200 yards from the door, I got the bike rack parking spot 15 yards from my office door.