How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby gretaboy » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:11 am
Incident free ride, felt good so all up a good start to the day
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby Summernight » Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:03 pm
Beautiful ride in - everyone behaved themselves and the cloudless blue sky was lovely. It made me want to go skiing (I know, random thought there - but the snow birds are chirping in the trees and it makes me think of the snow).
Toes were a bit cold at the end of the ride (also no overshoes as it wasn't likely to rain) but everything else worked fine.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jasonc » Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:42 pm
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jacks1071 » Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:22 pm
Glad you are enjoying the Supernova Airstream!ray wrote: On a positive last night tried out my new SuperNova airstream light - worked a treat even provided enough light for a guy around everton park/mitchelton/oxford park bike path when his battery run out. Used a more expensive lupine pico max (700 lumens) prior and the beam pattern was not as good as the supernova for road coverage and unlit paths.
Checkout the new safety lights we have in, they arn't nearly in the same league as the Airstream but for what they are, they are very respectable. The front one makes for an awesome city or backup light. We also have the rear version. I've only had my front one strapped on for a few weeks and its already bailed me out twice.
http://www.pro-liteoz.com/store/index.p ... ductId=103" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby CXCommuter » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:13 pm
Hoping cooler/wetter weather arrives soon so all these irregulars just disappear. And we all know that saying something just leads to an ugly confrontation as all of these cyclists know they are ding something wrong but simply don't care,
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby ray » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:26 pm
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jools » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:45 pm
1. Never commute on a bike that's too small for you. Not being able to extend your legs fully is a killer.
2. Flat bars are fine for cruising and sightseeing but if you want to get somewhere in a hurry, drops are the go.
3. When you combine 1 and 2 with a strong headwind and a 15k commute each way, it's not good! An extra 5 - 10 minutes each way and soreness in new places.
On the positive side, even though it didn't rain much the road was still very wet but the mudguards kept me and the bike very clean and dry, so I finally bit the bullet and ordered some mudguards for one of my regular commuters. Cannot wait for these to arrive as the forecast for Sydney is showers for the foreseeable future.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby DavidS » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:12 am
I have mudguards but am seriously thinking of adding a mudflap to the rear mudguard as my bag (in a basket) stretches a bit far back and gets some dirt on wet rides. Already have a mudflap on the front and it is invaluable.
Looks like a brisk morning coming up tomorrow. Still, shorts weather all year in Melbourne I reckon. Might have to do something about the shoes though. Mine are very well ventilated and I get hot feet very easily (never liked shoes) but in these conditions even my feet are feeling it.
Lovely day today though and I got to go to work late so the morning cold was no problem. Full jacket and fingered gloves tomorrow I think.
DS
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jools » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:35 am
I was looking into mudflaps as well as I'm not sure how far down the mudguards will end up once they are fitted. At the moment I'm just riding with a backpack so they don't need to be overly long, but I'm hoping there will be decent coverage.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby TailWind » Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:56 am
Thinking of a mudflap in front as well to keep the crud that bypasses the mudguard off the BB and chainring. Where did you get yours, David? I would need to retro-fit them to SKS Chromoplastics somehow...DavidS wrote:Already have a mudflap on the front and it is invaluable.
Great ride back yesterday afternoon, crisp and clear afternoon, no real drama along the way for the combination of MYT and Darebin Trail.
Freezing this morning 2C at 14:15am, 3 merino base layers plus jacket, 2 pairs of socks. Toes still frozen. Plenty of iced-up windscreens in the lower lying areas.
Further along the Darebin Creek Trail, some absolute morons had sabotaged the path by placing a substantial tree branch at the entrance/exit of the bridge over the Darebin Creek near Dougharty Rd, Heidelberg West. It's a quick descent towards the creek and the concrete bridge arches over the creek, joining a bitumen surface on the other side. The branch was right at the transition of the concrete and bitumen, very hard to see.
Came to a hard stop, jumped off and moved the branch with some difficulty. Any rider without decent lights descending fast towards or over the bridge would have been in serious strife.
The area around Northland Shopping Center seems to be a magnet for teenage bogans, plenty of them tearing around the trail on mini trail bikes, and it's not the first time the paths have been sabotaged in that area.
When I hit Alphington, the digital thermometer on Heidelberg Rd showed 1C. Happy to get to the office and thaw out.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby Sparx » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:25 am
Sweet!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby rheicel » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:44 am
This is the beauty of cycling and commuting.Sparx wrote:Been off the bike all week sick so this morning was my first ride in. And it was a good one! As I stumbled out of my house half asleep there was a nice crisp pineapple ($50) just lying there on the road.
Sweet!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby queequeg » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:48 am
Basically the light turned orange, the small car stopped but the Semi was following too closely, locked up wheels and shunted the car 40m down the road. I was the only witness.
The young woman was a bit shaken up, but otherwise ok. It was her friends car, which is most certainly a write-off.
It is a terrible intersection as trucks are doing 70km/h on a long straight stretch of Pennant Hills Rd.
Truck driver admitted liability. He didn't really have a choice as his boss was riding shotgun in the cab with him. Boss told me that he warned the driver that if the light turned orange and the car in front stopped, he wouldn't be able to stop. Funny about that!
No commute today...working from home. Enough drama was had yesterday!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby clackers » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:10 am
Lots of layers so I got to work actually sweating, but even so the fingers were painful!
The rest of the day looks fantastic.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jools » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:39 am
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby __PG__ » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:29 am
I think I'm going to buy some more head gear so I can keep my neck gaiter as a gaiter (instead of using a normal scarf). Having toasty ears was a special treat.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby Summernight » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:37 am
Last night a motorcycle backfired a few metres away from me on Collins St and I thought it was a gunshot and freaked out for a few seconds. Then I was really tentative riding as that particular motorcycle kept pace with me through the traffic and I didn't want it to backfire near me again.
Also rode past a man with a taxidermied red fox of some sort attached to the top of his bicycle helmet (he was waiting at an intersection with Collins St). The fox was in running pose or something. It was a bit weird and very amusing.
There was frost coating the windscreen of the car this morning at dawn and the windscreen wipers and windscreen water spray from the car just weren't cutting it - I had to pour my drinking water over it to get it to defrost so I could go swimming. (Wasn't going to drive with an icy windscreen where I can't see a thing).
Got home from the swim, got ready for the ride, put an extra buff around my neck and headed off to work. The fingers were frozen but a good bit of slapping at a few sets of lights warmed them up. The toes though: Toes? What toes? I have toes?
Forgot a pair of warm socks for the office so the cycling socks are now back on to keep the feet warm.
Oh, and note to self: Don't leave cycling socks and shoes beside the window in these temperatures. Makes it a fair bit colder for the feet when the shoes start out cold.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby TraceyG » Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:59 am
Great plan until I actually got to work in my fully cycling gear, showered, dressed.....oh, crap - where's my jacket? Somehow I had not packed a jacket or jumper in my bag for this week! Shivered it out until 9am and did a quick run up to the Salvos for a new jacket!
On a side note, the looks from my co-workers as I got out of the car in full high viz cycling gear was priceless, especially when they used my appearance to cast aspersions on my poor hubby's driving skills! Sorry dear.....
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby casual_cyclist » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:01 pm
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby alkhoo » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:36 pm
Whilst preparing for the Eastlink Ride, my wife went over her handlebars on the Koornang Creek Trail near Blackburn Road/Eastern Freeway. She suffered two fractures to the base of her skull, two blood clots in the brain and was placed in an induced coma in ICU on a ventilator for 24 hours. The ER docs and neurosurgeons painted a pretty grim future - they were saying there would be brain damage in areas of speech and memory. Apart from the internal head injuries and swolen face, she had about 3-4 weeks of post traumatic amnesia but only a few scratches on the rest of her body. Thankfully, she didn't need brain surgery. She spent a further 10 days in the neurosurgery ward before spending 6 weeks in rehab (neuropsych, occupational therapy and speech pathology) and coming back home just in time for Christmas.
Yes, she was wearing a helmet. If she wasn't, the plain truth is she wouldn't be here with us now.
Long story short, she's made a miraculous recovery and is now back to work full time. If you see her today, you would not know she's been in an accident. There has been small changes since the accident, but I'm sure you will agree that these are things we can all live with - she's now addicted to chocolate, she now prefers shiraz to pinot (she would only drink pinots before) and she is now baking (this coming from a girl who used to say, I don't bake, period). She doesn't remember some things but that's okay, and she doesn't remember the accident.
Side story - because of the PTA, she would ask me every 10-15 minutes why she was in hospital. Halfway through her stay in rehab, she asked me again and I patiently explained to her what happened. Then it clicked and she said, "Is my bike stuffed?" "Yes, write-off." "Can I get a celeste green Bianchi now?" That brought a smile to my face.
I was going to give up riding for good, but she's been constantly encouraging me to get back on the bike. She hasn't been back on the bike since - not because she doesn't want to, but because she made a promise to her parents. I started slowly but I'm now back to doing 2-3 hour weekend rides again. We're now doing the train commute to Melbourne and I've been bringing the bike in for the short Southern Cross - Port Melbourne work commute. It beats taking the bus!
I apparently have no more excuses - she okayed and I picked up my new disc-brake cyclocross commuter last weekend!
This week's daily commute has been good - no issues at all. This morning was a very very cold ride in... My toes went numb! Got passed by my colleague on a roadie this morning and left for dead. I can't wait to replace those knobby tyres after Sunday's Melburn Roobaix! Talk about rolling resistance and sounding like a tractor!
Looking forward to contributing more regularly from now on.
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby TailWind » Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:22 pm
Welcome back alkhoo!
Sobering story, and it's great to hear that it all worked out ok despite the initial prognosis!
Ease back into it and enjoy!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jasonc » Thu Jun 20, 2013 2:25 pm
+1 and post some photos in the bike pictures thread of your new toyTailWind wrote:^
Welcome back alkoo!
Sobering story, and it's great to hear that it all worked out ok despite the initial prognosis!
Ease back into it and enjoy!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby jools » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:57 pm
Does anybody else commute this way?
I think I'm going to have to start checking the tide charts before setting off on the bike!
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby rheicel » Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:18 pm
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...
Postby DavidS » Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:32 pm
I have a Brooks mudflap on the front, got it at a bike shop in Brunswick but they are available various places and online. I just drilled a couple of holes in the SKS mudguards and bolted it on. Just use a bolt with a very flat head and put the nuts on the outside of the mudguard. The nuts I used came loose so I have 2 nuts on each bolt. You can improvise with a cut up milk bottle but I like the leather Brooks mudflap.TailWind wrote:Thinking of a mudflap in front as well to keep the crud that bypasses the mudguard off the BB and chainring. Where did you get yours, David? I would need to retro-fit them to SKS Chromoplastics somehow...DavidS wrote:Already have a mudflap on the front and it is invaluable.
Great ride back yesterday afternoon, crisp and clear afternoon, no real drama along the way for the combination of MYT and Darebin Trail.
Freezing this morning 2C at 14:15am, 3 merino base layers plus jacket, 2 pairs of socks. Toes still frozen. Plenty of iced-up windscreens in the lower lying areas.
Further along the Darebin Creek Trail, some absolute morons had sabotaged the path by placing a substantial tree branch at the entrance/exit of the bridge over the Darebin Creek near Dougharty Rd, Heidelberg West. It's a quick descent towards the creek and the concrete bridge arches over the creek, joining a bitumen surface on the other side. The branch was right at the transition of the concrete and bitumen, very hard to see.
Came to a hard stop, jumped off and moved the branch with some difficulty. Any rider without decent lights descending fast towards or over the bridge would have been in serious strife.
The area around Northland Shopping Center seems to be a magnet for teenage bogans, plenty of them tearing around the trail on mini trail bikes, and it's not the first time the paths have been sabotaged in that area.
When I hit Alphington, the digital thermometer on Heidelberg Rd showed 1C. Happy to get to the office and thaw out.
Nice and cool this morning eh? I saw frost on the ground at Elwood Beach as I rode in wearing shorts. Under 7 degrees so out with the full jacket and gloves. Fingers still a bit cold, ears cold for a while, but I still got to work sweating with just a T Shirt and jacket on top. Looks like the same weather tomorrow morning too. The full cycling jacket is a bit tight and doesn't feel as nice as my Cannondale jacket which I generally use with the sleeves and back removed. Must find a way to get more used to the warm jacket as I will be using it a bit if it stays this cold. Needless to say it was back to sleeveless this afternoon as it was 12 degrees when I left work. I would just sweat like mad in that temp with a full jacket on.
DS
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