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2019! The “How was your commute?” thread!

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2019! The “How was your commute?” thread!

Old 08-05-19, 09:13 AM
  #1351  
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Had to leave early this morning, so I don't know what school traffic looks like for one more day. (Hurray!) Do any school systems still give kids close to three months for summer vacation like they did back in the last millennia?

Cool ride, but 100% R.H. wasn't too comfortable. No visible fog, but no visible vistas either.
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Old 08-05-19, 10:07 AM
  #1352  
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I avoided my little MTB segments this morning since I had lunch and a week of snacks in the backpack, plus four cans of soda in my triangle bag ... figured I might puncture a can. Perhaps I can parlay this into a "need" for a new full suspension bike
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Old 08-05-19, 12:11 PM
  #1353  
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Warm ride in was a pleasant surprise. Forecast looked good for the day too. Got trained and it wasn't moving so I took an alternate route around for a delay and then sat through two cycles of a long stoplight once I hit town. Cross traffic was heavy and steady so no chance to zip across after the first full cycle. Big storm blew through not long after arriving. Hopefully it's the only one and long gone. I'll get muddy going home but not wet anyway.
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Old 08-05-19, 05:07 PM
  #1354  
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I love my daily commute. But I just moved so now I'm along a big road. Anyone have any tips to be safe on the roads?

(There is a bike path but it's very narrow along a major road where people travel fast)
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Old 08-05-19, 07:36 PM
  #1355  
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It felt really good this morning and even on the way home. I saw one jerk driving today but I did not let it bother me because it was almost pleasant out. I also had not ridden in three days and legs felt refreshed. Maybe it was ten or so hours of sleep i got Saturday over Sunday night. I got 127 miles in four days of riding last week.
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Old 08-06-19, 07:48 AM
  #1356  
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Yesterday my wife called me about 2 in angry tears asking me where I had put her motorcycle helmet. Between all the prohibitions about Lasik and her other health problems it was the first day in a month she could ride her Vespa to work and maybe the last for another week and she was pretty upset. So I rode home the short way (fortunate I could), didn't find it in the garage, drove to the RV park where we store the travel trailer and found it there. Took her the helmet and her scooter. That's a rare treat for me, I haven't had a motorcycle in 7 years and a 300cc scooter is a real hoot. Then I talked to her for a bit. She was now very apologetic... more than she needed to be, just as earlier she was more mad than she needed. Her health has her really stressed out.
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Old 08-06-19, 08:34 AM
  #1357  
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I think today ends almost a week of perfect weather - mid 60's to early 70's in the morning, mid 80's in the evening, little wind, no rain.We're supposed to get rain and thunderstorms this afternoon - nothing lasts forever. It's state fair time - the cows are back along the MUP. I actually stopped and took a picture!
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Old 08-06-19, 12:28 PM
  #1358  
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@BoBodyJones you will find lots of different opinions here about how to be safe. Mostly they boil down to how to be seen (fluorescent colors for daytime, lights and reflective for night), and choose where you are on the obnoxious-timid spectrum. So you can be a hooligan, or act like you’re normal traffic following laws, or avoid traffic.
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Old 08-07-19, 02:46 AM
  #1359  
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Oh wow ) you sir have the best commute!
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Old 08-07-19, 08:44 AM
  #1360  
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I averaged over 15 mph for the commute home last night. First time this year, and it only took 20 miles averaging 18 mph to keep the average up over the last 6 miles of traffic lights.

Felt it today, but still a nice ride in. There aren't any corn fields on my commute, but some of the weed fields are up over 4 feet tall. That includes some ragweed, so fall allergies are going to kick in soon.

Also saw a hawk flying down the tree line, calling repeatedly. I'm not sure if this was a fledgling looking for mom (and food), or if a chick flew off or was blown off the nest last night and momma went looking for it.
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Old 08-07-19, 09:31 AM
  #1361  
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This is my second summer of bike commuting and I've ridden a lot more this year than last. Learning new things this year as by this time last year I had stopped riding due to all the construction. Bought a new light so now I can see so much better in the mornings. I've also been taking a slightly different route home which while it takes me along a bigger road with much faster traffic, I still have a MUP that runs along side the rode so I'm fairly safe.

School starts back on Tuesday and I am hoping to ride some but will have to see what traffic will be like. I go right by the high school and this is one section of my ride where I am on the road and not a MUP. Traffic those first weeks of a new school year can be a bit crazy with all the new people who don't know the patterns near the high school.
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Old 08-07-19, 09:32 AM
  #1362  
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Hot and humid. Morning commute was not to bad with temps in the 80s. But the evening commute will be hot again. Right now the forecast is for 99 degrees with humidity in the 60s. On Friday we are supposed to get into the triple digits heat wise. For the next two weeks temps are supposed to be always between 95 and 101. Sweaty commutes ahead.
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Old 08-07-19, 10:50 AM
  #1363  
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Single digit temps (Celsius) for the ride in; should have worn long sleeves and gloves. But I didn't. Nice and sunny though.

This past Saturday I did a 205km ride (127 miles) with 2000m (6500') of climbing on a fixed gear. Followed that up on Sunday with a mountain bike ride with 600m (2000') of climbing over 28km (17 miles). Rested on Monday and Tuesday, so you'd think my legs would be up for the 80m (260') of climbing on my 13km (8 mile) commute. They weren't. I made it okay, but I was taken aback by how difficult the hills seemed.
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Old 08-08-19, 07:08 AM
  #1364  
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Apparently today is stupid dog walker day. I had 3 instances of people wrestling with their dogs taking up the whole MUP and oblivious to me or anything else going on around them. Must be something in my karma.
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Old 08-08-19, 07:24 AM
  #1365  
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Got up early to head out for my daily walk/run. My teenage son was still awake. I asked him if he wanted to go walking with me and to my surprise he said, "yes" but he didn't want to go my whole three mile walk. We took a one mile lap around the neighborhood and he went back home, then I picked up the pace and ran for a couple more miles.

Then I hopped on the bike and headed to work. I was already good and sweaty from the running so I decided to push the pace a little. After I got on the MUP I noticed a rider about 100 feet behind me. A half mile later I noticed he was still 100 feet behind me, and being in the mood to get some exercise I figured I'd pick up the pace even more and show him what a bicycle commuter can do.

He stayed with me for over five miles until I took a left turn over a railroad bridge to get on the road for the last two miles to the office. As I slowed for the turn he shouted, "Dang it! You were my pace man!" I smiled and waved and he continued on down the MUP. Apparently he too was in the mood to get some exercise.

Had a guy close pass me about 3/4 of a mile from the office. He was wearing headphones and seemed oblivious to my shouting and hand waving.

Made it the eight miles to work in a few seconds less than a 1/2 hour. Not a bad pace for this fat guy considering I stopped a few times for signs and traffic signals. When I arrived I noticed that I've already ridden 600 miles on my bicycle since being allowed back on it after my heart surgery. So that's kinda cool.
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Old 08-08-19, 08:17 AM
  #1366  
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A cool 50 this morning. Long sleeve jersey over a short sleeve and full finger gloves day. Pretty mundane trip. Gravel miles were in great shape after some heavy rain yesterday. Traffic on the main roads seem to have been light. Should be upper 70's and sunny for the ride home. May detour and do an additional three miles of gravel along the river.
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Old 08-09-19, 07:35 AM
  #1367  
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Cool mornings and decent temps in the upper 70's for the rides home have made for some nice rides. Did the detour on the ride home yesterday and logged in the extra gravel miles. This morning's traffic was light which is always a bonus. Did have to watch one deer standing in the road as I was flying down a big hill on the gravel. She was just beyond where I cross a road that gets me airborne if I'm carrying good speed. Lots of hayfields being worked, interesting to watch their progress.
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Old 08-09-19, 09:33 AM
  #1368  
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Sticky. I tried to take it easy, but the humidity is way up there, dewpoint 76F. Ah, summer in the south!

If you've ever seen a crystallization experiment in a chemistry class, that's what it felt like. One droplet of rain, and I expected the whole atmosphere would condense on it and I'd have a wall of liquid falling down on my head. Or is that a ceiling of water? Anyhow, I suspect the airport is lying if they say visibility is greater than 4 miles, and yet it's not foggy.
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Old 08-09-19, 12:46 PM
  #1369  
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Wow! That's a great image. Hope it doesn't really happen. I'm chipping in here because in the San Francisco East Bay we have got what we consider really muggy conditions. Had 60% relative humidity this morning at 64F. I guess that's why they call it relative. Hope you enjoyed your ride.
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Old 08-10-19, 08:02 PM
  #1370  
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I’m in SF today too. Family outing. It’s nice!
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Old 08-12-19, 04:51 AM
  #1371  
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This morning the commute was pleasant and a bit chilly with the temp at 60 degrees at 5:30 am. I am just happy to be on the bike again.
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Old 08-12-19, 07:15 AM
  #1372  
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well it is getting to be darker in the mornings than it used to be.. it seems earlier this year but maybe I am just forgetting how the time changes.

mid 60s on the way in fairly humid but pleasant ride overall. I cleaned my chain and my son's yesterday. Amazing how a clean chain makes the ride a bit nicer.


I am a little sore from running the string trimmer all over the yard yesterday. (1st time it ran long enough to get some work done)
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Old 08-12-19, 07:32 AM
  #1373  
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Last ride before school starts tomorrow. It was a bit humid this morning and a lot darker than I expected. More traffic out as well but still a nice ride in. Hit the main MUP and went by the bike counter and I was number 16. Normally I'm number 6 or 7 so surprised that many people had already come through before me.

Yesterday my wife and I went for a walk around our new Midtown area and the reconstructed bike/pedestrian areas and just noticing how many more bikes there are out there then just last year. Bike racks were pretty full, lots of families out riding around, it was a nice site to see. As my city adds more and more bike paths we are seeing a lot more recreational riders. Several of the restaurants around also had bikes parked out front.
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Old 08-12-19, 07:43 AM
  #1374  
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Originally Posted by RidingMatthew
well it is getting to be darker in the mornings than it used to be.. it seems earlier this year but maybe I am just forgetting how the time changes.
I noticed that too - no more sunglasses in the morning. Boo!
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Old 08-12-19, 10:38 AM
  #1375  
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Will have to get my headlight out pretty soon as well. Felt fortunate it was 60 this morning. Cloudy but calm. The gravel was graded on Friday so it's loose and really dusty. Need a little rain to settle it down. Deer were busy this morning. A couple nice bucks and a bunch of does and fawns. One doe had triplets with her. Traffic was light this morning which is odd for a Monday. Wind is picking up and looks like I might have a 1/4ing tailwind home. I'll take it.
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