joeyduck

I hope for increased commutes this year. Happy new year everyone!

Darth Lefty 

I can't think of anyone better to start it than you!

My first work day is the 3rd and the forecast all week is wet, so I probably won't come back in here til the second week of the year.

I want to call out @K'Tesh for claiming it was New Year's already in China when we all know it won't be New Year's in China for another month

K'Tesh

Sure... Call me out for saying it's not the New Year here in China, when you replied to the same thread at 2:16 in the afternoon on December 31, 2016.

I'll tell you that today is New Year's Day in China. Though, it is based on the Western solar calendar, which Beijing does recognize (it is a national holiday here).

China also celebrates the Spring Festival, which is the beginning of the lunar new year (with an even bigger holiday (2 full weeks off)). However, I get odd looks from people here when I call it Chinese New Year. They call it the Spring Festival, and not Chinese New Year.

Darth Lefty 

Huh. I didn't know all that, thanks for the explanation

morbikes

Off to a good start in 2017. Nice ride tô work this New Year's Day morning. Left the house at 3:30 am for my 14 mile commute. A clear, star filled sky with the temperatura at 23 degrees F. Arrived at work at about 4:40. I don't commute everyday, but it's been a great way to extend the riding season into the winter months. I'll work my 12 hour shift and head home a little after 5 pm when it is supposed tô be about 40 degrees. Not a bad January day for central Indiana. Happy New Year everyone.

Johnny Mullet

Hoping to be posting about my commutes sooner on this thread compared to last year.

Moe Zhoost

Got called into work today unexpectedly. Rainy and high 40s. Not quite the day that I would choose to ride recreationally but there was not much car traffic so it actually turned out to be one of the better commutes.

Atvar

First commute of the year for me. Luckily, a nice one. The weather was fine, and there was not too much traffic.

joeyduck

@Darth Lefty. Thanks.

To not bury the lede I spent the evening in the ER getting antibiotics and my infected scar drained. It came on very quickly and puffed up in only a few hours this morning. So I didn't ride in but took the golf cart to the boat. Thankfully the winds had died down so the water was calm. I ended up spending about 4 hours in the ER and came back with gorgeous stars in our cold and clear sky.

With regard to the onset of the infection; I've found cycling gives me the first indication of infection. I get pain the region of the tendon in the medial popliteal side of my knee. I've now learned to correlate that pain with infection.

I did get a great reaction from the doctor, who was coming into the room thinking just a normal 30 something make with a knee problem. But bam there I was with a half scarred leg covered in grafts. Took her a minute or two to quell her intrigue.

joeyduck

It was a great start. I got my 700 meter ride in in just below freezing temperatures. There was a thin layer of ice on the harbour but it was a gorgeous morning with clear skys and calm water.

Now, I'm just waiting for my IV.

PatrickGSR94

Tomorrow will hopefully be my first commute of 2017. It's raining its arse off today, hopefully that will be done before tomorrow. Supposed to be foggy in the morning, like it was this morning, which always makes me a little nervous.

PatrickGSR94

Unfortunately I ended 2016 lower than my 2015 totals, by nearly 300 miles less commuting and almost 200 less total annual miles. December was not a good month around here for cycling. Working weekends and nights building my son's semi-real mini pool table Christmas present probably didn't help my numbers, either.

Chris L

Rain, glorious rain. What a great way to start 2017. Oh sure, the rain could have been a little heavier, and maybe the temperatue could have been a couple of degrees cooler, but it was awesome anyway. Long may it continue!

Phil_gretz

Rain here in DC this morning, but temperature warmer in the mid 40s. I was glad for the warm shower on arrival. Will my gear be dry for the ride home? Stay tuned...

rhm

It wasn't really raining for my morning commute, but plenty wet anyway. It felt like fog, but visibility was okay. I saw a few deer. Ho hum, another year of commuting begins.

mgw4jc

Woohoo - a shiny new thread!

Office was closed yesterday, so work day number one for me. Luckily the heavy rains had moved out by 5am. The roads were wet and I could see a little mist in my headlight when I headed out, but even that stopped and I was mostly dry upon arrival.

I'm gonna aim for 6,000 miles this year which averages to about 114 per week. I regularly ride more than that, but between holidays, days off, wife picking me up for whatever reason and other unknowns, it could be a challenge.

Happy New Commuting Year!

Tundra_Man 

First commute of 2017 this morning, and also the first commute I've had in nearly two weeks (traveling over the holidays.) Had a doozy for my first day back on the bike. 9°F with a 30 mph steady headwind. Road had a layer of ice, about 1/2" of snow on top, and another layer of ice on top of that. Temp is supposed to steadily drop throughout the day, but at least I should have the wind at my back for the ride home.

When I arrived at the office I had a guy show great interest in my ability to ride in the icy conditions. He had never heard of studded bicycle tires before and was fascinated with the idea. Talked to him for 5 minutes about the topic.

Stepped on the scale this morning only to discover that I'd gained 10 pounds on our 12 day trip to see the in-laws. Ate out nearly every meal and they constantly had goodies sitting around. Combine that with my complete lack of will power and now I've got to do some damage control. I did manage to get out and run 6 times for a total of more than 30 miles while we were away, so at least I only gained 10 pounds. Last year I didn't exercise at all and gained 14 pounds on the same trip.

PatrickGSR94

First ride of 2017 this morning, and a balmy 55 degrees. Wasn't really foggy like I thought it might be, but had misting spitting rain most of the 15 miles in to work. Everything was pretty soaked when I got to the office. I had to remove my riding glasses after about 5 miles, as I just couldn't see a durn thing with them on, and that misting rain. Much better clarity without the glasses.

Steely Dan

it was fog city here in the windy city for my first bike commute of 2017. visibility was less than a city block along some sections of my ride. really thick pea soup out there.

39 degrees. light winds. no complaints from me for a january morning in chicago.

apparently the hammer drops later tonight as another arctic blast is scheduled to roll through town and take us back down into the teens and singles for the remainder of the work week (though it looks like we'll stay above zero this time, even in the dark depths of night).

kuroba

First commute of 2017 today! Morning ride was hard, blaming it on headwind. SO is free from work today so we'll ride together in the afternoon (:

HardyWeinberg

23F, clear.

TheNormanRider

Happy New Year, everyone! First commute, and ride, of 2017 this morning. 43F and a mist in the air that got everything nice and damp. Lost visibility through my riding glasses after about 3 miles and had to take them off. Wind from the north was moderate, but the e-bike kept me going. The cold was tolerable, but later this week it's supposed to drop significantly. I'm glad to be back in the saddle, taking the first step to rack up many miles this year.

PatrickGSR94

Do you commute regularly on the e-bike? What kind of distance, year round?

I'm about to electrify my heavy utility bike to help me with hauling stuff behind me (kid, groceries, etc), and I was thinking I may try to supplement my road bike commuter riding days with some e-assist bike commuting days, and drop my car usage even more from where it is now. I'm hoping my setup I end up getting will handle 30 miles round trip on a single charge.

TheNormanRider

Hi; yes, I only use my IZip e-bike for commuting. I've put 1,200 miles on it to date (bought it end of April '16). Bad weather and laziness are the only two things that stop me from riding some days. Mind you, I did not build this e-bike as you are going to, so I cannot give any tips on that. However, I can say that e-biking is, for me, the best way to commute.

noglider 

Cold rain and many miles to go, so no thank you. Maybe I'll ride tomorrow.