Amitoj

August has been quite light on the commuting front. Took a break from commuting in the first week of August because back to back 800-mile months called for that. Even after that, I have bike commuted on 4 days only!! Taking it easy for this week because I have a 300K ride tomorrow. And then next week I am off to Canada for a vacation. So, no commuting next week either. I should be able to get back into my groove next month though.

mgw4jc

Felt more humid this morning - or at least I was more sweaty at the end of this morning's ride.
Ready for the weekend.

Nate1991

Everyone seems to have taken the day off, train was fairly empty. Cool morning ride, feeling really sluggish today.

wphamilton

I'm getting a chuckle out of a couple of "new" guys I've seen during my mornings this summer - I'd caught up behind them when they were "hammering" one day and did the "casual" thing. When you sit up a little and say good morning in as normal a voice as possible Now they think I'm super-fast because I ride every day and train on a heavy bike ... it's all harmless but kind of funny.

groovestew

The real power move comes when you get ahead of them, then sit up straight and ride no-handed while checking your phone.

No, I've never done it.

Yes, it was done to me.

RidingMatthew

i think we are close enough together to say. IT WAS MORE HUMID THIS MORNING. I was soaked. But first week with new bike and 5 days of commuting! 128.80 miles so far this week.

Next week looks like it will be soggier especially with no fenders yet

wphamilton

You'd have to be actually fast for that one, so it never crosses my mind ...

surak

I've had that done a few times on my commute by the same guy. Except every time he was on an e-bike and getting pedal assist, so I was rolling my eyes like crazy.

Speaking of pedal assist, there's this younger guy on an e-bike with a reverse commute to mine, and I see him almost every morning that I ride. He rides with his saddle way too low, so his knees fly out like he's Charlie Chaplin, but he always rides with a huge grin on his face, so good for him.

I rode in for the first time this week as the smoke has mostly cleared. It was 57F, about 15F cooler than last week, so even though I was still being paranoid about not pushing too hard, I noticed a big jump in my heart rate, but got to work hardly sweaty. Drop 5F more and it'd be perfect.

esmith2039

Upper 60's and wind out of the SW which is unusual.. I could have that wind every morning! Average 15 instead of 12.

mgw4jc

A good Monday commute. Humid, but not super hot. We had a good bit of rain over the weekend, including a good storm in the middle of the night last night that woke me up. The roads were wet in places but mostly just damp. I avoided the MUPs as they don't dry out as fast and usually have more debris after a storm like that.

Tundra_Man 

Back to work after having all of last week off, so I hadn't been on a bike in 9 days. On top of being a little out of practice there was a pretty stiff head wind. I conceded the fact that I was going to be slow and didn't push it real hard for my first day back.

We had more flash flooding yesterday due to heavy rains. I've lost count of how many flash flood warnings we've received this summer. It certainly is the wettest year I can remember. Last night the river had overflowed and covered the MUP in some of the lower areas, so I expected to have to take an alternate route to work. This morning the river had receded enough that the MUP was completely passable, although a little muddy in spots.

Got to the office and proceeded to change into my work clothes when I realized I'd packed two pairs of underpants but no socks. So mentally I'm still not ready to be back from vacation. I'm now going "foot commando."

groovestew

The thermometer on my house read 10C (50F) this morning. Autumn is coming. Every year I need to be reminded (by experience) what my dressing thresholds are. I wore long sleeves, but didn't wear gloves. I should have worn gloves. Nice ride overall except for a tense moment negotiating with some merging traffic.

ptempel

Were you the guy in red shorts burning up the Ft Lee Road hill this morning?

ptempel

Why not just wear your cycling socks? If they're too stincky, then try washing them with soap in the bathroom sink and wring them dry. That's what I do with my skull cap since that's the most sweaty and stinky thing on my body. My feet are never as stincky as my armpits. So I guess that's my "luck."

Tundra_Man 

I didn't wear any socks in my cycling shoes this morning. I've found that when it's raining my feet actually stay drier without socks. The socks tend to wick the moisture into my shoes, whereas my bare skin doesn't.

SylvainG

So my commute started with a front flat tire before even getting on the bike. Replaced the tube with a bad tube so after two tube changes, I was ready to go, so I thought. Filled my bottle with ice, but the ice dispenser was clogged so more delay before I could even go out the house! Finally! I'm able to roll! 4.7 km later, got right hooked but since I anticipated that driver's reaction, I turned with her which is when she finally noticed I was there and stopped! Then, 17 km into my commute, while I was going 35 km/h in a 40 km/h zone and in the middle of my lane, a pickup truck going in the opposite direction didn't see me as it turned left into a driveway just in front of me. Luckily, 1/4 into my lane, he finally noticed I was about to be squashed like a bug on its grille and did a hard stop. If he would have kept going, there was nowhere for me to go to avoid him so you can say I was 'lucky'.

So, that was my morning commute.Thankfully there are not many like these...

noglider 

I think I'll start doing that. In my case, my stinkiest articles are my gloves. They smell like socks, even though I wash them every week or two. I think I have to do it every day. I manage the rest of my sweat by washing with witch hazel at the office. It's like magic.

mgw4jc

Yesterday on my ride home a leaf fell and landed on my left forearm. The wind from my forward motion held it there for a good 30 seconds before it blew off. Kinda funny.

Nice 15 mile ride in this morning. Still super humid, but I think a break is coming on Thursday morning.

locolobo13 

It rained on me this morning!

Tundra_Man 

Chilly and windy, but otherwise an uneventful ride.

Got to work and discovered I left my brush, deodorant and razor at home. Oops. Looks like I'm business casual homeless today.

RidingMatthew

Good rides yesterday... though much more humid that last week. I rode in this morning. We have heavy thunderstorm last night but roads were fairly dry. I was surprised.

Today a coworker asked if I rode, she said she was praying I didn't. I said "yes I rode". The percentages for rain are highest when I am not riding, so I am hoping to dodge the worst part. I wore my old cycling shoes (they are worn out) I felt my foot sliding around inside the shoe. Maybe i will Tri the no sock look if raining this evening.

pdlamb

Heavy overcast and heavy humidity this morning, but at least the temperature was cool (70-72F). Nice ride in. Looks like I need to head to a meeting after work tonight -- that'll add another 10 miles to the ride home. Hope the rain's done by then...

groovestew

9C/48F on the thermometer this morning. I wore gloves, but my hands overheated. Can't win.

The last few commutes I have been taking a mountain bike trail for part of the way home. I'm riding a cyclocross bike, so I feel all the bumps, but the trail is mostly downhill, so it's pretty manageable. Plus, it's nice and quiet and I get to avoid riding on a busy road, not to mention it's shorter. I've tried riding that trail to work, but it's too steep for my gears and I end up spinning out and stalling.

ptempel

I wash my kit (gloves and all) after every ride. I also use borax and fabric softener most of the time in the washer. I realize that I might be beating up my kit a little more. But I couldn't keep the odor under control otherwise. One of the few drawbacks with cyclecommuting is going home stinky. Oh well. Its not like I have a date with a second girlfriend to ride to...

pdlamb

I've been using Borax every 2-3 washes and hanging things to dry outside (when possible), but my gloves were getting unbearably stinky anyhow. I tried a load with gloves pre-soaked and Borax applied to the insides, and my wife insisted on white vinegar in the bleach dispenser. One of those seems to have done the trick!