How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

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g-boaf
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby g-boaf » Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:42 pm

cancan64 wrote:and following on last post, hit again yesterday, didnt save this one so now bike is in the shop with a broken brifter and wheel out of true and I am home with some bruising and missing bark..not happy and partner has had enough of me cycling with a car driving through the middle of the group ride on Friday morning, dont know how anyone wasnt hurt in that one
That's awful luck. I'm guessing your riding future has been decided. :?

I didn't ride yesterday because of the threatening weather and I'm certainly not riding today - it is completely pouring down.

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Tequestra
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Tequestra » Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:16 pm

g-boaf wrote:That's awful luck. I'm guessing your riding future has been decided. :?

I didn't ride yesterday because of the threatening weather and I'm certainly not riding today - it is completely pouring down.
So poignant ... so poignant, I have a thing about the date '19'. It has never been a very lucky date in my life, and now I'm here and surprised to this. I was expecting to add a report on my commute today, which was not really what would have qualified as a worthwhile commute until today, because it would be less than a 1/4 mile round trip.

The reasons that I eventually decided to include this short, practically insufficient healthwise, jaunt to the shops across the road as a 'commute' were twofold. The positive reason was that I got rained on for the very first time since the Saturday morning I rode the big, heavy ten-speed Raleigh named Rose, with 8ft long single-wheel trailer from Elleker into Albany. It was August 18th, 2001. Veteran's Day at the London Hotel just off York Street at the bottom of the hill. I got drenched that morning for the third time in a 42 day tour along the coast from Perth.

I haven't had need to ride in the rain since then, and have been lucky to plan my days well enough in advance to avoid the showers for almost two decades. Today has been sporadic rain and sunshine in Perth, and I didn't bother to think of the timing for such a short ride. It doesn't really matter now. Like I mentioned to my mate at the liquor store, getting soaked on the way home is no big deal, because one can always change into some dry clothes when one gets home. It is getting too somewhere that it is best to stay dry, because one will remain in wet clothes until one returns home to change them for dry ones.

This rainy day, it was one of some sort of bliss, to be wet from a bike ride for the first time in almost seventeen years. Knowing that I was only ten minutes from dry clothes makes it blissful to be rained on.

The other reason that I am considering using a bike for trips around the local neighbourhood to the shops etc., but no more on the highways, is that I have had a good, lucky run over these past nine or ten months when I didn't have any alternative personal transport. There have been a few close calls, and a few angry calls, but I'm still alive. Now I am not going to push my luck to the grave.

My fellow commuters in cars have generally become more courteous, friendlier, giving me more room and passing from a safe distance, mostly, since the new 1m-> rules commenced last summer, but there have been some occasional exceptions, the most notable being an offduty St. John's ambulance racing pass with a few inches to spare a couple of months ago, in my left lane on a dual-carriageway when I'm riding less than 12" off the kerb like I always try to do. Another SMIDSY statistic just waiting to happen.

There would be tears now, except that I have ridden to the bottle shop on this most recent commute, and beers are good for tears. I don't want to tempt bad luck and write this. I was not even going to write this at all, not today, or hopefully ever, except that I just got rained on for the very first time on a bike in seventeen years and that is what I wanted to share that was nice, and now it is too late.

Sorry. Reports I have read on anti-cycling in Australia recently, including articles about 'bicycle thugs' in the MSM, along with the general ethos herein about contemporary heavy-metal car drivers attitudes to contemporary light-metal (derogatorily known as lycra), cyclists cycling on Australian public roads, have been dwelling at the front of my mind for several months now, more warningly as time goes on, and I do not think that a man of my age would be thought of as anything better than a fool if he did not heed the warnings which are broadcast at him from every direction, mostly from media, but regularly in person on the roads.

Comparing the risk of riding my highly-vulnerable electric bike ten kays with the risk of driving my less-vulnerable diesel truck ten kays on public roads where there are growing numbers of wily bike haters in Australia, any sensible adult would have no logical conclusion than to take the truck. I am unlikely to live more than another fifty years at the longest, so it is not in my best interests to use clean transportation as much as it is in the interests of younger citizens driving around in dangerous weapons who hat cyclists and their children.

As much as I would like to, it is no longer politically correct to ride a bicycle on Australian roads in the city. I will still do my best to contribute to this forum, because cycling is one of my greatest loves, but as long as the truck has diesel in it, I have had to make the sensible decision to stop riding my bike in the city for the sake of the public health budget. This was my last commute... for now, in Australia.


PS: The song that Liam Bartlett from Kwinana High School played on the ABC 720am local radio at around 09:45+ (GMT+8) on the Friday morning before I road into Elleker from Denmark on the 17th was entitled 'Beautiful Day' by that Irish band called U2.

What you don't have, you don't need it now, don't need it now ...
Last edited by Tequestra on Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby find_bruce » Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:50 pm

P!N20 wrote:
find_bruce wrote:Does rule #9 still apply if you ride to work when it is bucketing down & lightening all around but somehow you dodge every drop of rain and arrive at work dry ?
Was it cold?
Yeah but no - I was dressed for "cold & bucketing down" & in the absence of the rain I was a bit on the warm side - it didn't seem appropriate to complain about not getting drenched :D

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Tequestra
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Tequestra » Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:02 pm

WHEN A BICYCLE IS MOVING IN THE LEFT LANE OF A DUAL-CARRIAGEWAY IT IS NOT A DUEL.

It is a fair right in any dual-carriageway for any slow-moving tractor or otherwise vehicle to travel at their best possible speed for the benefit of all traffic, and IT IS NOT THE RIGHT OF ANY OTHER VEHICLE TO KILL THEM OVER POLITICS!

If the road has two lanes, then guess what? Anything in the left lane has the right to use it. You pass in the right lane or else you use decent courtesy and signal your thanks as you pass by. How do you ban city people from the city, Kim?
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jasonc
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:59 am

Went out to the garage this morning. Had a puncture. I suppose if you are going to have one, it's the best time. I picked up some glass on the ride home last night

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby cancan64 » Wed Jun 20, 2018 10:56 am

g-boaf wrote:That's awful luck. I'm guessing your riding future has been decided. :?
Still commuting but will slow down more. I was in a rush to get home and had dropped to just below 40 when the traffic was cueing and looks like I was doing 30 when hit, going by the video I had no chance to stop at that speed so will back off more

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby caneye » Wed Jun 20, 2018 1:00 pm

wow .. cancan .. hope you were not too badly hurt!!
is that your regular commuting route?

it was a pleasant ride into work this morning. crisp sunny winter morning with wet roads after overnight downpour.

A ute spun 180-degree on the M2 and ended up facing the traffic on the breakdown lane with its broken tray lodged against the concrete wall.
would not have been a pretty sight if there was a cyclist on the breakdown lane at that point .. ack ..

fergy1987
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby fergy1987 » Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:15 am

Busted out another commute today - Seems like today was a good day to ride, my usual train had a mechanical fault it seems and ended up going 1 station in an hour, while I was flying along a quiet bikeway with the cold breeze scalding my face :P Bit quiet out there today though!

One thing I do notice however is on the days I do commute I don't seem to be able to sleep well the night before. Woke up this morning thing my alarm would go off soon and sat there waiting, only to then check the time and see it was 1:30am - Any other day, sleep like a log. Anyone else seem to have any issues sleeping when they commute?....Maybe an anxiety issue for the upcoming commute or something? Not sure, just cant turn my brain off!

Hope everyone had a great trip in!

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:28 am

fergy1987 wrote: One thing I do notice however is on the days I do commute I don't seem to be able to sleep well the night before. Woke up this morning thing my alarm would go off soon and sat there waiting, only to then check the time and see it was 1:30am - Any other day, sleep like a log. Anyone else seem to have any issues sleeping when they commute?....Maybe an anxiety issue for the upcoming commute or something? Not sure, just cant turn my brain off!
Do you get everything ready the night before? Clothes out, water bottle ready? Lights charged? Lunch ready?
A quick check over the bike the night before may help too. Do the tyres still have air? I pump mine up in the morning before heading out the door

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby fergy1987 » Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:40 am

jasonc wrote: Do you get everything ready the night before? Clothes out, water bottle ready? Lights charged? Lunch ready?
A quick check over the bike the night before may help too. Do the tyres still have air? I pump mine up in the morning before heading out the door
Yeah that's why its strange, I get super prepared - to the point I'm walking around the night before basically ticking off a checklist of things. I think I'm just a bit weird haha. Maybe its the excitement of avoiding public transport :P

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby RobertL » Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:23 am

fergy1987 wrote:Busted out another commute today - Seems like today was a good day to ride, my usual train had a mechanical fault it seems and ended up going 1 station in an hour, while I was flying along a quiet bikeway with the cold breeze scalding my face :P Bit quiet out there today though!

One thing I do notice however is on the days I do commute I don't seem to be able to sleep well the night before. Woke up this morning thing my alarm would go off soon and sat there waiting, only to then check the time and see it was 1:30am - Any other day, sleep like a log. Anyone else seem to have any issues sleeping when they commute?....Maybe an anxiety issue for the upcoming commute or something? Not sure, just cant turn my brain off!

Hope everyone had a great trip in!
Ride more. Ride harder. Collapse into bed exhausted and sleep like a log.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby caneye » Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:36 am

RobertL wrote: Ride more. Ride harder. Collapse into bed exhausted and sleep like a log.
+1
Make it your regular commute rather than an exception to your daily routine. Your body will adjust to it.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:10 pm

caneye wrote:
RobertL wrote: Ride more. Ride harder. Collapse into bed exhausted and sleep like a log.
+1
Make it your regular commute rather than an exception to your daily routine. Your body will adjust to it.
and then you sleep terribly the days you don't ride

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Cyclophiliac » Fri Jun 22, 2018 8:20 am

caneye wrote:
RobertL wrote: Ride more. Ride harder. Collapse into bed exhausted and sleep like a log.
+1
Make it your regular commute rather than an exception to your daily routine. Your body will adjust to it.
Or your body will NOT adjust to it, and you'll then end up spending more money on physiotherapy and other medical bills, because just "ride harder" with no plan will cause you various muscle, joint, tendon, etc. problems. The above is bad advice.

There are various things you can do to sleep better:
- bedtime should be at the same time each night.
- no computer/phone use too close to bedtime.
- no coffee drinking after about mid-afternoon.
- ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby P!N20 » Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:31 am

Cyclophiliac wrote:There are various things you can do to sleep better:
- bedtime should be at the same time each night.
- no computer/phone use too close to bedtime.
- no coffee drinking after about mid-afternoon.
- ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible.
- don't have children.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby discostu79 » Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:56 pm

Had another beautiful ride in today. 23km alomg Beach Road into the City. A little cold at around the 3-4 deg mark but no wind to speak of. The pipe works along part of the Bay Trail make it a little slower than usual but all this week realy has been great.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby caneye » Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:28 pm

riding regularly is not the same as riding harder, especially for commuting, far from it in fact.

also, on the contrary, i think you're more likely to have an injury if you decide to commute and don't do it regularly. your body is simply not conditioned to the sudden physical exertion on localised parts of your body. think about how you feel the day after your once-a-month run.

(of course it also depends on the length and difficulty of your commute).
the bigger challenge is the discipline and motivation to do it on an irregular basis.

that's my general observation of people who commute irregularly.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby fat and old » Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:14 am

caneye wrote:riding regularly is not the same as riding harder, especially for commuting, far from it in fact.

also, on the contrary, i think you're more likely to have an injury if you decide to commute and don't do it regularly. your body is simply not conditioned to the sudden physical exertion on localised parts of your body.
Agree.

1 degree or colder, every day this week. No wind till today. Loving it :D

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby opik_bidin » Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:11 pm

fergy1987 wrote:Busted out another commute today - Seems like today was a good day to ride, my usual train had a mechanical fault it seems and ended up going 1 station in an hour, while I was flying along a quiet bikeway with the cold breeze scalding my face :P Bit quiet out there today though!

One thing I do notice however is on the days I do commute I don't seem to be able to sleep well the night before. Woke up this morning thing my alarm would go off soon and sat there waiting, only to then check the time and see it was 1:30am - Any other day, sleep like a log. Anyone else seem to have any issues sleeping when they commute?....Maybe an anxiety issue for the upcoming commute or something? Not sure, just cant turn my brain off!

Hope everyone had a great trip in!
me too, it just seems my sleep time gets shorter, it's like 4 hours is enough and I can't seem to sleep again.
my commute is as usual, going Lakemba-Camperdown in the chilly morning on weekdays. One thing I learn is how to pace yourself. Go fast enough to reach it around an hour, but slow enough so you don't sweat so no need of showers.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby HenryCharlie » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:45 pm

Got to commute into Melbourne CBD this morning in shorts and a short sleeved jersey, made a nice change to have a relatively warmer start this morning.
I overtook some people going uphill once.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby bychosis » Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:18 pm

About as cold as it gets around here this morning. 5-7 degrees, still but sunny. Rugged up, but still arrived at work with a very cold face.

Edit: In a sign I haven't ridden to work as much as I should, I stood in the lunch room today and looked out over the carpark and couldn't remember where I parked my car nor see it. Turned out, the car is at home. Can't see the bike parking spot from the lunch room.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:34 pm

Locked out of the bike cage this afternoon. They means no access to the showers. Tomorrow morning will be interesting. About to send a nastygram

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby bychosis » Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:50 pm

jasonc wrote:Locked out of the bike cage this afternoon. They means no access to the showers. Tomorrow morning will be interesting. About to send a nastygram
Selfie in your birthday suit using baby wipes as a shower replacement?
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Tue Jun 26, 2018 7:23 am

stole the boss' access card this morning. someone has put a thong in the bike cage door. so i can get in there this arvo

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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby caneye » Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:25 am

yesterday, had my Windstopper jacket and tights on during the morning commute.it was only 3C at sunrise.
ended up tailing another rider in short sleeves and shorts .. HTFU you say .. :lol:

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