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2020! The “How was your commute?” thread!

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2020! The “How was your commute?” thread!

Old 02-13-20, 01:10 PM
  #201  
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Originally Posted by mgw4jc
Minus 30? LOL - "It's only minus 25, you can walk your frozen butt to work, Elsa!"
Set it at -20F and they'd have no revenue for about half of our winter. lol

Our current mayor was the one who implemented this policy, a decision which seems to have a lot of positive reaction from our residents. This mayor seems to care a lot more about the disenfranchised than previous administrations.
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Old 02-13-20, 02:39 PM
  #202  
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My commute was annoyinger than usual. I took 3rd Ave which has tons of traffic and no bike lane. The travel lanes are not wide enough for car plus bike, so I rode in the middle of the lane. I had some drivers honk at me. One of me made an upward gesture with his arms as a WTF kind of message. Well gee, what would you have me do?
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Old 02-13-20, 02:52 PM
  #203  
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Freehub update - brought the wheel inside, and the pawls started working within a couple minutes. And with a little research, this article - https://www.icebike.org/winterizing-...nd-ice-biking/ - claims that a Shimano silent clutch-style freehub might be my best bet. And I *THINK* I have one I could commission for this bike.....
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Old 02-13-20, 07:05 PM
  #204  
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I got to ride today, dropped off the truck for a brake service. They replaced, did not trim, the rotors, and topped off, did not bleed, the brake lines. **** I coulda done that, and they charged me $500+$300 for deluxe rotors for my deluxe truck. But I got to ride my bike, woo!
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Old 02-13-20, 09:01 PM
  #205  
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There was heavy rain on Tuesday, so I drove. I did not enjoy my driving experience.

So, there was heavy rain again today, and I rode! I got to have my Shawshank Redemption moment, and ended up hanging a bunch of soggy stuff up in the shower at work (that nobody uses). The ride home was clear until a killer rain band came through with some gusts and nearly knocked me off my bike.

Sure beats driving at night in the rain with a bunch of bozos on the interstate that apparently can't be bothered to turn on their headlights. Actually, it was kind of fun.
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Old 02-14-20, 08:18 AM
  #206  
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OK, that was cold - 2F. Fortunately, the trails and streets were clear of snow and ice and the modest wind was going my way. I was comfortable except for the spot between my glasses and face mask - tiny spot at the top of my nose. Amazing how millimeters of skin can become the focus of my attention for an hour. It's now sunny and very deceiving, still only 8F
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Old 02-14-20, 10:05 AM
  #207  
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38F, clear, damp.

First 5 day riding week since May.

First time this week I got to shower, shave, and brush my teeth! Every other day, only one or two of those.

And made it to work on time!

Did not pack lunch, but 1st time this week with no leftovers.
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Old 02-14-20, 10:09 AM
  #208  
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I could have ridden yesterday, but making the early rehearsal would have been tough. I drove the car, met my wife for an early (day early and early evening) supper, and the traffic cleared out before I headed home. So unlike most of my car commutes, that one paid off.

This morning was sunny! Yes, Virginia, there is a sun! After four days of overcast and way too much rain, it's enough to cheer a person up -- especially if I'm riding a bike. I was surprised the severe storms that blew through the other night didn't leave much debris, but I'm not complaining. It was only cold for a couple miles, the rest of the way the north wind was a sit-up-and-beg tailwind, pushing me to work. Somehow I suspect I'll pay for that on the way home, especially if it's still freezing.
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Old 02-16-20, 01:31 PM
  #209  
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Finally got the bike back from the shop. I was not able to upgrade to 10 speed due to GRX taking 8 weeks to arrive (backordered everywhere) I had them put the 9 speed sora deraileur, new chain, tire, spoke, and tube. They trued the wheel and put it all back together. They took the service fees off. which was pretty amazing.

The guy who worked on it said he had to break the chain and when he did it was under tension and snapped at him. They were like like how fast were you going**********

I saw on the news that my area of NC has had 6" of rain. That is 4" above the normal amount. not a bad two weeks to have the bike in the shop.

I am off tomorrow so i hope to get back on teh bike this week sometime. I have enjoyed the gym though. running and lifting feels pretty good and i am seeing progress.
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Old 02-17-20, 06:07 AM
  #210  
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I was on vacation in sunny Florida last week where I got to ride every day though no commutes to work. But I did do any and everything by bike. It was great!

Now back to reality and I was able to commute by bike today as there is no snow on the roads and the temp was a reasonable 30 f degrees.
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Old 02-17-20, 08:58 AM
  #211  
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I had Friday off work instead of President's Day. Definitely some lighter traffic on the way in this morning. I left home at about 6am and went by the gym for a bit before continuing on to work. A lighter crowd at the gym and the office too.
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Old 02-17-20, 09:02 AM
  #212  
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Consecutive bicycle work commute number 896:

Yesterday my sciatic nerve flared up, shooting pain down my left leg. Every couple of years that thing will act up for a few days. I'm not really sure what triggers it. This morning, getting out of bed made me audibly yelp. Bending at the waist and/or lifting my leg is particularly painful.

Through a combination of tenacity and stupidity, I still rode to work this morning. Getting on and off the bike was pretty interesting. Thankfully once I was mounted and pedaling the pain reduced to a tolerable level.

29F this morning, with just a hint of cross wind. It's supposed to get a bit colder as the day progresses, and the wind is supposed to pick up. Thankfully it will shift and I'll have a tail wind pushing me home which should make things a bit easier on my leg.

I put together a highlight reel video of various things that happened during last week's commutes:
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Old 02-17-20, 10:35 AM
  #213  
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^^^^^^ Gotta love how a nice bright blinky LED like a NiteRider lights up the reflective signs for, what, 2-3 blocks. People know "something" is coming well before you get there.

Looked for a gofundme page for your new saddle, but couldn't find one. Poor bus driver had to divert his eyes....

So the freehub acted up again on Friday, aprx. -5F. Tried a brand new freehub, this one has a "click" to it that's much more definitive / discernable, and it just "feels" like it engages more emphatically. Saturday Farmers Market trip was aprx +10F, and it ran fine.

Aprx 30F, stiff wind and blowing snow this morning. Running late, I shaved off the last 6 or so blocks (avoiding a probably stiff wind off the lake) by hopping on a bus that happened to be at a crossing where I was stopped. Govt. offices don't observe Presidents' Day, so the bus was SRO.

Snowfall's been steady all day now, although "fall" is something of a stretch. With the wind, it's "falling" at about a 60-degree angle to the vertical.

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Old 02-17-20, 11:20 AM
  #214  
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Originally Posted by madpogue
Looked for a gofundme page for your new saddle, but couldn't find one. Poor bus driver had to divert his eyes....
Yeah, the saddle on the old winter bike is in pretty rough shape. Unfortunately most of the rest of the bike is in about the same condition. Our winters here really tear up bikes in a hurry.
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Old 02-18-20, 08:02 AM
  #215  
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A fine mist at the beginning of the ride, but dry for most of it. 47F is right where it is too chilly for shorts only, but wearing tights makes me a bit too warm. I wore them because of the mist possibly making it feel colder.

Rain chances this afternoon.
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Old 02-18-20, 08:28 AM
  #216  
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Nice video Tundra_Man . Those fat tires sound like a Jeep when you get up to speed on dry pavement. Good way to end the video with a, "See ya later."
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Old 02-18-20, 08:52 AM
  #217  
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Since I'm not commuting under the current daycare regime, I've tossed my roadie in the back of the truck and will take it around the lake at lunch.
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Old 02-18-20, 10:59 AM
  #218  
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28F, 2 shirts, weird mix of dry and fog, definitely no unfiltered sun
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Old 02-18-20, 05:16 PM
  #219  
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Blowing snow (45-degree angle) all day yesterday. The wind calmed (but the snow didn't) by commute time, a little slippery but passable. I've decided riding while it's snowing is a blast, when I'm prepared.

They plowed overnight, but the bit that fell after they plowed froze onto bare ground, so even under sunny skies, it was worse this morning than last night. Sunny all day, so the streets/MUPs should be pretty passable. +/- single digits the next three nights, 40s for the weekend (shrug).
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Old 02-19-20, 08:48 AM
  #220  
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When I left for home yesterday it seemed I would be ahead of anything showing on the radar. But it started sprinkling on me about 5 miles in. With 3 miles left I stopped to put my jacket on as it was coming down just enough to make me a bit chilled.

A bit of a tailwind for the south bound part of my ride, so a fast first half of the ride. Roads were wet from last night's rain. A driving co-worker stops by my neighborhood to drop off a child at an in-home daycare and then takes part of my route to the office. This morning he said I must have been hauling pretty good because he saw me leaving the hood when he was coming in, and then I was pretty far down the main road before he caught up to me again. I said, "Tailwind."
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Old 02-19-20, 09:06 AM
  #221  
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Consecutive bicycle work commute number 898:

7F this morning with a light cross wind. I seemed to be pedaling extra slow, for some reason. I think my average speed on the way in was just less than 8 mph. Usually in the winter I average somewhere between 8-9 mph.

My new winter fat bike I bought a few months ago hit 500 miles on the odometer, so I stopped and took a commemorative photo.

I ran into a guy at the client location that I've seen before, but don't really know. He told me, "if you ever see a blue Subaru right behind you, that's me. I got your back." He said he used to be an avid cyclist when he was younger so he tries to get behind me and block traffic when he can. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.
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Old 02-19-20, 10:01 AM
  #222  
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28F, dry, nice sunrise
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Old 02-19-20, 02:21 PM
  #223  
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I rode on the New Berlin Recreational Trail from my workplace to the bicycle shop after work yesterday. I could barely get my bicycle moving up the on-ramp to the path from the golf course. The ramp was either ice underneath puddles of water, ice on top of puddles of water, or a couple inches of crusty snow. I had a nice studded tire in the front and a cheap hybrid tire in the back. The slippery part would have been easier with a studded rear tire too, but the rest of the trail was relatively easy to ride on once I got past the entrance. There was another bicyclist ahead of me, but I couldn't catch up to him or her.

I'm really glad that the New Berlin Recreational Trail is plowed in the winter. All the road routes between Milwaukee and Waukesha have scary parts, so I wouldn't be able to get to the area without a plowed MUP like the New Berlin Recreational Trail. Closer to Milwaukee, there are multiple alternate routes to chose from when the unplowed Hank Aaron State Trail is too covered in snow for reasonably easy bicycling. I'd prefer not having any drivers to worry about, but I haven't had too many issues with taking Bluemound or Greenfield to work. I like climbing the hill on Adler when there's enough time, but I left home too late for that route this morning and took Bluemound instead.
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Old 02-19-20, 06:11 PM
  #224  
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Originally Posted by Tundra_Man
I ran into a guy at the client location that I've seen before, but don't really know. He told me, "if you ever see a blue Subaru right behind you, that's me. I got your back." He said he used to be an avid cyclist when he was younger so he tries to get behind me and block traffic when he can. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.
We're not "blocking" traffic, we ARE traffic. Applies to motorists who have our backs us as well. Good for him; maybe it'll catch on. I do the same when I'm in the truck; surprises people sometimes, to see a 25-year-old three-ton diesel truck pacing them at a safe distance. But I'm not "blocking", I'm just being responsible.
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Old 02-19-20, 10:27 PM
  #225  
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2nd lunchtime ride of the week, broke another spoke on BIL's old roadie. I think this is the third one. Rebuild time. Know what's a pain to buy? A wheel's worth of DB spokes. Universal has 'em for a buck apiece, that seems like the best going
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