ptempel

Same to you! I also just broke 4k miles this week (4025). Cheers! Makes me wonder how I managed to get past 5k miles last year... Maybe more riding from home, I guess.

I took yesterday off and helped the wife out by taking our son to school and worked from home. She's sick with an upper rep infection. Today was a nice commute. Was ~32F so not crazy cold like previously. I also got a Christmas card from a crossing guard that I see regularly. It was really nice. I should buy her a coffee one morning...

jrickards

Another cool day, -18C/0F, with a wind chill of -30C/-22F but my new cheap Walmart work-style mitts kept my hands nice and toasty but my toes, even with a bit of extra insulation, were getting a bit cold by the end of the ride after about 40 minutes.

Even though I have studded tires, I ride carefully, almost to the point of riding as if I didn't have studded tires. To date, I haven't fallen or really even slipped. However, today, I didn't see a patch of ice and as I turned hard, even though I was going at a walking pace, I temporarily lost some grip with my front tire and then my rear tire. In less than half a second, I had recovered and was able to keep going for the remaining 10 minutes of the ride. I learned a lesson that in winter, don't over estimate the grip of your studded tires.

My chain is complaining, it's probably really dirty with sand and salt so I had brought chain cleaner a few days ago and when my bike warms up (we have indoor bike area right now, changing to outdoor bike boxes next summer), I'll clean and oil it thoroughly.

esmith2039

Well that makes my 29 degree's seem alot better! arsprod and ptempel congrats.. excellent! Should pass the 3k mark next Wednesday. The goal for 2018 and beyond will be 2.5k only.

mgw4jc

I've ended up removing my glasses in times like this. I mainly like glasses to prevent my eyes from drying out, but when it is that humid, that is not so much an issue.

I've figured out that 42 - 44F is right about where my legs are a little chilly without tights, but a little warm with them. I wore them for the first half of my ride this morning from home to the gym, and removed them for the second half. I guess I'll just have to decide which way I'm willing to go when we have that temp.

Very light traffic this morning. I'm closing in on my year goal of 6,000 commuting miles, but will need at least two days of next week to hit it. The office is closed Monday and Tuesday, and I may take off work on Friday, so that leaves Wed & Thur to make it happen.

ptempel

^ Nice catch on the ice @jrickards . The studs are proving to be useful, I see.

Should be a good day today. Warmer at ~37F going up to 46F or so. I heard some extra chatter by the rear derailleur with the chain. I checked after getting across the bridge and found that the cable and crimp end were rubbing on the chain. So just bent it back to a reasonable position. Disaster averted. This will be my last ride for this year. I have next week off and will be spending Christmas with my parents.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my fellow cyclecommuting geeks!

ptempel

Good on ya for getting to the 3k mark. Keep on keeping on!

ptempel

Chapeau to you, sir. That's 2k more than I got to get in this year.

FargoRider

4°F with a south wind at my back dipping the windchill factor to -10°. Believe it or not, at the half way point (two miles) my goggles started fogging up, and I was getting a bit warm.

It's snowing lightly and the wind is supposed to shift from the North for my ride home - perfect! I was pushed to the office, and I'll be pushed back home.

Funny thing after I arrived to work. I was moving my bike to the bike rack and my lock slipped out of my hand and landed on cement/ice. I guess my combination lock wasn't made for these temps, as one of the plastic rings with the numbers shattered. I wonder if it's too late to ask for a bike lock for Christmas?

pdlamb

Fairly warm today -- no shorts or tights required. No jacket really needed either, but I wore the rain jacket in case the rain gets here before I leave. With that on, I tried to take it easy; the recovery ride worked well in conjunction with almost-nonexistent traffic. Are all the cagers on their best behavior because Santa's watching?


Merry Christmas, all!

HardyWeinberg

35F, drizzlesleet

PatrickGSR94

woohoo solstice means the days start getting longer again!

Yesterday was my last commute of 2017, as I'm off all next week. I've ended this year by shattering my last year's commuting total - 3,398.8 miles as compared to last year's 2,395. That's all because of my e-bike which I started using late March. So I expect next year will be even higher.

Current YTD is 4,691.5 miles. Doubtful that I'll make it to 5,000 total. Maybe next year.

dcb23

Just at freezing here in the DC area.

Back after a week+ out. Very quiet roads and trail on the way in this morning...I thought for a second that maybe work was closed today and I somehow forgot.

esmith2039

11 degree's, negative chill wind from the NE, spitting snow.. the only cold body part was my toes. One more day riding and I'll be done for the year.

wphamilton

Quiet on the roads, quiet in the office, two reasons that I like to work this last week before New Years day. I took last week off, never getting out at all except for a couple of trips to the corner store, and for running, so it was good to get back on the bike.

I'll finish up with all bike commutes this year, for the second year. Three years, other than a week off from injury.

DogBoy

I’ve moved from one Midwest city to another and today was my second commute by bike. First one was last week. 25 ish degrees F. Today it started at -13 F but warmed up to -10 F by the time I got to work. It hasn’t taken me 35 minutes to go 5 miles in a VERY long time. I’m out of shape. Next year I’ll get back into regular commutes! Excited about the move that makes commuting a year-round possibility again.

Abe_Froman

It is exactly 0 degrees right now, and getting ready to head out for work. This will be a record temperature wise for me. I’m slightly nervous lol

Edit: surprisingly toasty! I actually overdressed a bit, ended up a bit sweaty. But even hands and feet stayed warm. I think I’ve finally sorted my cold weather gear. Still had some fogging issues though.

esmith2039

4 degrees but dropped to 2 by the end, -3 to -10 feel like temps. Hit the 3k goal this morning so I'm done for the year. Only my feet was cold so need to figure that out, pretty sure just a change of shoes is needed.

mgw4jc

Back to work after Monday and Tuesday off. We're looking at a cold week for these parts. Just under 30F this morning and some low 20s coming the next couple of days. I was dressed well enough, maybe slightly too warm this morning.

I ordered a pair of Gatorskins last night. They should be here Friday and I'll put them on this weekend to start off 2018 on fresh tires.

wphamilton

1°C and raining the whole way, yuck.

pdlamb

Eeeuuuww!


Not raining here, but 26-30F (depending on which weather channel you check, Goofy the Garmin settled on 26) and 15 mph N wind. Wish it would snow. (Anybody in Erie, can you spare an inch or two?)


Either my "25-35F" tights lost some of their insulation over the summer, or I'm not generating enough body heat this winter.

greg3rd48 

This morning's temperature was 16F (-9C) and breezy. Dressed appropriately I was toasty a couple of miles into my 11 mile commute. I will pass 6,000 miles on the return trip.

dcb23

16F / -9C with a mild headwind that finally got to my fingers and toes.

mgw4jc

A nice 20F for this morning - coldest this season for me. I was pretty comfortable for the first 10 miles, then my fingers and toes started getting a bit cold. It wasn't until the last couple of miles that they were actually really cold though. 15+ miles this morning. Still enjoy the lighter traffic.

I have just under 13 to hit my goal for the year and my normal route home is 13 miles. Apparently this goal was about right as I only have tomorrow to go over it.

Phamilton

-4F when I left this morning. I stopped at the convenience store by my home to fill my thermos with coffee and took some home for my wife. I was planning to leave for work after that but after 10 minutes my hands were already cold, and the tears were freezing my eyes closed. So I got a ride. We still need to get goggles and ski mittens or something similar before we're ready for temps quite this cold. Otherwise I feel like I'd have been OK.

I won't be able to get goggles until next week so I'll say this is it for 2017. I would guess I did around 2,500 total commuting miles this year, starting the first week in September.

pdlamb

Today was like the daytime version of "Silent Night" - all was calm, all was bright. Cold enough to freeze the pipe organ, too; started at 19 and warmed up to 23F, coldest ride of the winter so far.


With the right gear, it wasn't uncomfortable. I was almost sorry to get to work. It must be anti-SAD, since it's been dark and overcast for the last five days. Maybe I'll take off early this afternoon and see even more of that bright shiny thing in the sky!