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

[FuzzyDropbear]

It's amazing isn't it? How often people think safety is only a one-way street and that cars need to look out for cyclists (or everyone should look out for them). If everyone just keeps their cool and takes their time, then the road would be a lot safer for everyone. But I don't want to turn this into another car vs. bike topic and I hate people that enter intersections when they should know that there isn't space for them on other side, it's one of my pet peeves.

Did like your commute this morning, I always love being able to zip around road works while other traffic is held up

[Summernight]

It's amazing isn't it? How often people think safety is only a one-way street and that cars need to look out for cyclists (or everyone should look out for them). If everyone just keeps their cool and takes their time, then the road would be a lot safer for everyone. But I don't want to turn this into another car vs. bike topic and I hate people that enter intersections when they should know that there isn't space for them on other side, it's one of my pet peeves.

Did like your commute this morning, I always love being able to zip around road works while other traffic is held up

It is a pet peeve of mine too (vehicles blocking an intersection). There was one time where a police car and two officers just set up camp at the corner of Bourke Street and Elizabeth Street (this is technically a T-intersection as the Bourke Street Mall is blocked to car traffic, but not trams) and these police just picked off all the cars that blocked that intersection (there were a few). They would have reached their quota that day.

[TraceyG]

Just a nasty headwind for the full 30km ride in this morning. And I'm betting it will have swung around by home time to give me another belting on my way home.

[Comedian]

Nice little run in via Redcliffe this morning. Went home, jumped on the wife's ebike for some errands on the way in. Another 85k done.

[Hamster]

I had a lovely run from Redcliffe to Northgate via the Wetlands this morning. There was a couple on a tandem flying along plus any number of happy friendly cyclists. Mornings like this I genuinely feel for our caged bretheren.

[Comedian]

I had a lovely run from Redcliffe to Northgate via the Wetlands this morning. There was a couple on a tandem flying along plus any number of happy friendly cyclists. Mornings like this I genuinely feel for our caged bretheren.

How will you feel about them this afternoon in the rain? I fear I will be umbrella riding this afternoon.

[poohkies]

will be riding home this afternoon as the weather is looking fantastic, and looks nice and cool, 20mins down to go till knock off

[goneriding]

Miserable morning this morning. Have been off the bike for a few days feeling a bit off. Hardened up this morning and went training at SOP. Got dropped halfway through the lap lap and struggled to maintain any speed getting home after. Clearly still not 100%!

Three quarters of the way to work, took a roundabout with an off camber, hit a bit of water on the road, lost the front wheel and went down. Bent the derailluer hanger, lost a small amount of skin, and seriously dented my ego and then had to walk to the nearest train station and train it to work.

I'm now down 2 bikes and will have to train it again tomorrow. Sigh.

[jasonc]

Miserable morning this morning. Have been off the bike for a few days feeling a bit off. Hardened up this morning and went training at SOP. Got dropped halfway through the lap lap and struggled to maintain any speed getting home after. Clearly still not 100%!

Three quarters of the way to work, took a roundabout with an off camber, hit a bit of water on the road, lost the front wheel and went down. Bent the derailluer hanger, lost a small amount of skin, and seriously dented my ego and then had to walk to the nearest train station and train it to work.

I'm now down 2 bikes and will have to train it again tomorrow. Sigh.

two rules:
1. listen to your body
2. see rule 1

[goneriding]

Miserable morning this morning. Have been off the bike for a few days feeling a bit off. Hardened up this morning and went training at SOP. Got dropped halfway through the lap lap and struggled to maintain any speed getting home after. Clearly still not 100%!

Three quarters of the way to work, took a roundabout with an off camber, hit a bit of water on the road, lost the front wheel and went down. Bent the derailluer hanger, lost a small amount of skin, and seriously dented my ego and then had to walk to the nearest train station and train it to work.

I'm now down 2 bikes and will have to train it again tomorrow. Sigh.

two rules:
1. listen to your body
2. see rule 1

Body says "No more". On the upside I may have found a way to upgrade my rear derailleur!

[oxonabike]

Cairns seasonal wet season is very late arriving, but this arvo there was cause to glance nervously at the skies in the half hour leading up to knock off time. Filthy black clouds occupied the horizon in the direction of the homeward commute, and eventually left work accompanied by much rain and noise in the form of thunder. Although I was tempted to chuck the bike in the company car and drive home, I thought better of it on reflecting that I have just joined the Endomondo commute thing. Observing the traffic from the relative safety of the 'bike' lane, I'm glad I didn't drive.

[familyguy]

Had a good ride in and out, aside from the aborted start where I somehow pulled the whole back wheel out of the dropouts taking off at the lights. Slammed my right inner thigh on the stem, then the nose of the Brooks hit me in the right butt cheek, so I reckon I'll get two good bruises out of it!

Jim

[jasonc]

had "one with the lot" on the way home - rain, drizzle, sunshine. dry roads, wet roads and damp roads. result: dirty bike. and the day I'm on the good bike. grrr

got a stick stuck in the rear jockey wheels. picked it up quickly, stopped and got it out.

bike babywiped. normal viewing returns.

[Hamster]

I had a lovely run from Redcliffe to Northgate via the Wetlands this morning. There was a couple on a tandem flying along plus any number of happy friendly cyclists. Mornings like this I genuinely feel for our caged bretheren.

How will you feel about them this afternoon in the rain? I fear I will be umbrella riding this afternoon.

I had a great ride home - no rain and a good stiff tailwind. Our poor bretheren in their smoke-producing cages simply do no understand what they are missing.

[HillBilly]

Rode home last night and got wet through again. There is possibly a bacteriologist somewhere that would find my shoes a fascinating research project.
This morning was absolutely beautiful. Even the traffic was well behaved and I have found a slightly different route that avoids a flood prone cycling path and replaces it with a lovely wide smooth and very quiet section of road.

Have you considered Shimano SPD sandals? You live in the Brisbane so why the hell not???

[jasonc]

Rode home last night and got wet through again. There is possibly a bacteriologist somewhere that would find my shoes a fascinating research project.
This morning was absolutely beautiful. Even the traffic was well behaved and I have found a slightly different route that avoids a flood prone cycling path and replaces it with a lovely wide smooth and very quiet section of road.

Have you considered Shimano SPD sandals? You live in the Brisbane so why the hell not???

I was looking at them the other day....nah

[TailWind]

First half of the MYT commute was great, the second half was my first real drenching for the year. Hit a heavy downpour at Heidelberg, all the way through to Mill Park.
And as if the water from above wasn't enough:



And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.


Had a few drops of rain this morning on the way into the Melbourne CBD this morning, and came across a ninja in the pitch-black darkness on the Darebin Creek Trail around 5am. No idea how he could see where he was going.

Happy Friday!

[jasonc]

And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.

+1

EDIT: had a tail wind on the commute in. and it didn't rain.

[Dan]

And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.

TGSI fail

[poohkies]

yesterday afternoon ride was okies, won my kom at the start, killed my self trying and had a head wind the whole way home, was bloody tired

Darwin's wet session is trying to make up for the lack of it, totally soaked this morning, thought i was say about 15 mins into the ride, I just wasn't to be, just washed all my clothes have them infront of a fan, and LPS1 all over the bike! bring on this arvo

[TailWind]

And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.

TGSI fail

Thanks...wasn't quite sure what these things were called:

TGSI -> Tactile Ground Surface Indicator

A Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) is a device set into the surface of a public pathway that creates a tactile surface that can be felt underfoot or with a cane. It is designed to alert pedestrians, particularly the vision impaired to the presence of a hazard or a point of interest adjacent to a pathway such as a bus stop or a pedestrian crossing.

[Summernight]

And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.

TGSI fail

Thanks...wasn't quite sure what these things were called:

TGSI -> Tactile Ground Surface Indicator

A Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) is a device set into the surface of a public pathway that creates a tactile surface that can be felt underfoot or with a cane. It is designed to alert pedestrians, particularly the vision impaired to the presence of a hazard or a point of interest adjacent to a pathway such as a bus stop or a pedestrian crossing.

So they're not meant to be anti-slip then at all? I don't like them when walking over them in anything but runners as they hurt my feet (thin soled shoes and these things HURT). I may be seen to jump over them or take an extra big step.

TailWind, I'm sorry, but that truck splashing you just made me laugh. I'm so evil.

I was lucky with my commute home in Melbourne yesterday - only got spat on by the thunderstorm and got home before the worst of it. Which was good as I didn't put on my wet weather gear. Yay! Except on the way home down Collins Street I shook my head at the dangerous antics of a pedestrian (darted out from behind a parked car in front of me and crossed the road without looking and not at the lights) and got told by another male pedestrian who was also doing the same thing in the same spot to "Just relax!".

Just relax? Sure, and kill you and myself if I'm relaxed and not alert? No thanks buddy.
I must look uber serious and grumpy when riding. I may have to paste a smile on my face.

Left later to get in today. Nothing out of the ordinary except a van cutting off the Collins Street bicycle lane with me in it (near one of the middle tram superstops). Brakes applied by me and crisis averted.

[TailWind]

And these anti-slip tiles at path/road intersections are ironically extremely slippery in the wet if you don't hit them dead-on.

Thanks Dan..wasn't quite sure what these things were called:

TGSI -> Tactile Ground Surface Indicator

A Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) is a device set into the surface of a public pathway that creates a tactile surface that can be felt underfoot or with a cane. It is designed to alert pedestrians, particularly the vision impaired to the presence of a hazard or a point of interest adjacent to a pathway such as a bus stop or a pedestrian crossing.

So they're not meant to be anti-slip then at all? I don't like them when walking over them in anything but runners as they hurt my feet (thin soled shoes and these things HURT). I may be seen to jump over them or take an extra big step.

The information page on TGSI I found doesn't mention traction or grip....
http://lgam.wikidot.com/tgsi

[jules21]

utterly drained. i've had some late nights this week, in conjunction with a crit race on wednesday and basketball match last evening - this morning was like riding through honey.

[Treadlier]

Commute home yesterday:

Rolling west along the river (Perth) and settle in behind two fellow treadliers on roadies taking it relatively easy having a chat. They're riding in the same direction as me 2 abreast (ie, at least 2/3 of the two lane shared path). All good...I probably wouldn't do it myself (commuters of various skill/confidence holding a line coming at you in the opposite direction) but to each his own, I plan to settle in and wait for a straight with good visibility before alerting them to my presence and passing.

Before this could happen I notice that a commuter on a MTB coming in the opposite direction is literally being run off onto the grassy bank of the shared path to squeeze past the chatting treadliers...interesting!

About a half km further on there is a shallow "s" bend in the path (more like one side of a double helix) that coincides with a small rise and fall undulation (you sort of go "up and over" this bit of the path). Your view here is partially obscured by a big tree (fig?) to the left of the path which curves around said tree to the left itself. I'm still behind the two chatty treadliers and notice a commuter approaching in the opposite direction before he is obscured by the tree. Not sure what happens next but suspect the combination of 2.5 abreast add oncoming commuter add shallow s bend add intermittent visibility add undulation in the road is a bit much because suddently treadlier 1 is off onto the grass to the left of the path and treadlier 2 is across to the right (still on the path though) swinging around to look for his mate. The guy going in the opposite direction seems to have gotten through ok.

I take the opportunity to sneak past treadlier 1 as he is re-joining the path from the grass. I'm hesitant to overtake treadlier 2 as he is not holding a line while looking behind for treadlier 1. At this point treadlier 2 sees me and settles on a line around the middle of the path so I nip past to the right. Phew! Not sure exactly what happened but good to be on my own in the clear!

Commute to work this morning:

Deliberately left a bit later this morning (after 8am). I've noticed that there seem to be heaps more treadliers to negotiate if I leave around 6:30/6:45am and was keen to avoid that. By way of background I've been having a few ankle/knee problems as a result of a previous war wound (mixed netball) and have recently been trialling a new way of walking/cycling with the affected leg. As a result I was keen to test my new technique out by going fairly hard for the duration of my short ~10km commute.

Anyway, an absolutely glorious morning (seriously, why would you take any other form of transport to work?) and I managed to beat my PB and nab 2nd spot on a circa 7km segment at (according to Strava) 38.2km/h. Segment includes a couple of rolling hills, blind roundabouts (ie, to slow down to almost a stop) and a road crossings to rejoin the bike paths etc so was fairly chuffed to have nabbed a good time while going hard but not smashing myself. I admit my cause was aided by a moderate tailwind but 80% of my commuting is done into a headwind (the way the morning/afternoon wind works here in Perth) so I'll take it!

Treadlier.