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

Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 8:56 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Perth:

Where were all you wimps?

I left on time for a change (I had a meeting at work). I saw my first cyclist 6km ito the ride. By the time I got to Canning bridge I had seen 2. I got into my compulsive obsessive mode and continued counting - 23 by the time I go to Perth and 29 by the time I got to my coffee stop.

I would say however that the smarter people were not those 29.

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

Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 9:59 pm
by Rex
ColinOldnCranky wrote: I would say however that the smarter people were not those 29.
What are you trying to say? :(

:D

Love the conditions, wish my rear light didn't run out of batteries but

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

Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 10:09 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Rex wrote:
ColinOldnCranky wrote: I would say however that the smarter people were not those 29.
What are you trying to say? :(

:D

Yah, quite right. I didn't really compete it, did I? So...

I would say the smarter people were not those 29. Nor me. :mrgreen:

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

Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 11:10 pm
by TigerFilly
Summernight wrote: I need winter as I haven't shaved my legs and don't want to get the pins out hairy... :lol: (TMI? :P )
Tell me about it. Here I had thought I was done with the razor 'til late spring, and it was flippin' 29 degrees here!
I had my second go at trying to ride the kids up to school, leaving them right on 8.30 (earliest they're allowed on the grounds) and trying to make it to work by 9 this morning. Of course I had another horrible head wind and was pushing, pushing, pushing to make it in time, and arrived looking like a beetroot (as kindly pointed out to me by several workmates). Then this afternoon I had to try and make it home ASAP to go straight out again in the car to watch one of my daughters in the school musical. So after two sessions of ride as fast as you possibly can I am somewhat sore and weary. To top it off I raced in the door and asked my husband to please take my bike round through the gate so I could jump straight in the shower, and he happily informed me that did I realise my back brake was catching slightly and I'd effectively been riding with the brake slightly on :| No wonder it was hard work!! Feeling rather embarrassed that I hadn't noticed and had put it all down to the head wind and higher gear.

I was offered a new job yesterday, which will be 14.5 km from home instead of 9.5. I'm hoping to still be able to ride twice a week, especially as the parking is exy at North Adelaide. What is great is that before I started cycling to work this year I probably would have thought 14.5 was too far for me to commute by bike, but now that I'm used to doing 9.5 each way I can cope with the idea of 14.5!

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 7:49 am
by TailWind
Back in summer gear for yesterday afternoon's ride home, beautiful. Too my surprise, a section of the bitumen path on the Darebin Creek Trail that was ripped up on Monday afternoon in order to replace it with concrete was open! That's barely four working days for the 50-60m section upgraded. Good work, City of Darebin!
Uneventful ride in this morning, left earlier than usual, just after 4am, fair amount of cagers on the road at that time already.
Happy Friday! :D

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 8:18 am
by Sparx
Bit of a crappy week of commuting. Bub picked up a bug at daycare and passed it to the WHOLE family so Monday was spent puking my guts up, Tuesday took the bus (even worse) and haven't really felt that marvellous all week.

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:01 am
by rheicel
40th day of commuting this year.

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:04 am
by gretaboy
TailWind wrote:..... left earlier than usual, just after 4am.....
TW...I wonder how you do this. Especially in winter. I am hard pressed to get outside at 6:10 each morning in winter with the cold weather. Plus, you must be up around 3:30 at the minimum. Long days.

You are either someone who doesnt need a lot of sleep or someone who goes to be very early

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:14 am
by gretaboy
Went to leave this morning at the usual time,, grabbed the garmin and realised I had left it on all night, it was showing low battery. Given that I am doing the Strava May Massive challenge, the last thing I need is for the garmin to die on the ride. I plugged it into the power and stayed home for an extra 20 minutes. The issue with this is that my timeframes for how much I ride go out the window. To get to work at the normal time meant I would only be able do 45 k's instead of my normal 50 that I have been doing this year.

The whole ride I was wondering when the garmin would die, at the 20 k mark the low battery message came back onto the screen and from there I was just hoping. Luckily for me it lasted the whole trip and I wasnt ripped off in strave lol. I even tagged an extra 5 k onto my ride at the end to get me to the 50 mark. Work could go and get stuffed.

Weather was brilliant, clear skies and mild winds. Strangely the legs were feeling great, even after 470+ k's for the week and I was able to get my average speed up over 30. Seems I might be getting used to this commuting thing

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:24 am
by TailWind
gretaboy wrote:
TailWind wrote:..... left earlier than usual, just after 4am.....
TW...I wonder how you do this. Especially in winter. I am hard pressed to get outside at 6:10 each morning in winter with the cold weather. Plus, you must be up around 3:30 at the minimum. Long days.

You are either someone who doesnt need a lot of sleep or someone who goes to be very early
Sometimes I wonder myself. I'm usually up at 3am, have coffee, watch the news, shower and head out. It's not so bad once I'm out of bed, and gets better once I've been in the saddle for 10 minutes or so. Love the calmness of the early morning.
Summer is a little easier as it's warmer, but for most of the year it's dark anyways when I hit the road.
Bedtime is around 8:30pm; I try to get at least 6 hours of sleep.

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 10:45 am
by Xplora
First commute back after 5 days off was pretty crazy, had a genius in a black Lancer try and pull up alongside me in my lane at 40kmh. Of course this won't stand so I accelerated to 50 and slotted in front, proceeded to easily stay in front for a while before the guy was able to change lanes and go past. I then pulled up right next to the guy's window at the lights, crossed the arms and stood waiting for green. Decided this was definitely the best way forward because I didn't feel like playing patty cake later in the commute. Dude was revving the bejsus out of his car trying to pass me before some tight spots. The dude was waiting at lights the whole time... what a clown.

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 10:51 am
by Summernight
TigerFilly wrote:
Summernight wrote: I need winter as I haven't shaved my legs and don't want to get the pins out hairy... :lol: (TMI? :P )
Tell me about it. Here I had thought I was done with the razor 'til late spring, and it was flippin' 29 degrees here!

...<snip>

I was offered a new job yesterday, which will be 14.5 km from home instead of 9.5. I'm hoping to still be able to ride twice a week, especially as the parking is exy at North Adelaide. What is great is that before I started cycling to work this year I probably would have thought 14.5 was too far for me to commute by bike, but now that I'm used to doing 9.5 each way I can cope with the idea of 14.5!
Congratulations on the new job, TigerFilly! I'm the same with distances now - knocked out a 20km ride on the weekend ferrying Mum around the MYT with no problems and surprised myself. When the partner and I look at buying houses sometime in the future it won't be so necessary to be within a 5km radius of work. I could possibly stretch it out to 10km. :twisted: Of course, he walks to work so I think he has changed his tune about how far we live from his work anyway and he will probably be the one saying he wants to live 3-5kms from work. :P

The pins were buffed and shined this morning - no way was I riding in summer clothes and short skirt looking like Hairy Maclary, even if it did mean I was a couple of minutes late to work. :wink:

Last night I found my place in the wolfpack as us commuters cycled a nice straight stretch of road. Are we wolves in sheeps' clothing or sheep in wolves' clothing? :P

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 11:18 am
by oxonabike
So after a fairly dry 'wet season' here in Cairns, mother nature has chosen this transition to the dry season period to make up for the low average rainfall. Been quite constant too. With this wet spell, has come some lusty winds into which I have to flog into on the way home. Fortunately I don't mind the wet stuff with temps remaining between low to mid 20's it's not too cold, but it's difficult to know whether its worth while wearing a rain jacket or not - at these temps you still work up a decent sweat so anything under a jacket still gets pretty wet, but awful smelly as well.

In the wet stuff I don't tend to run the cameras as the spray that ends up on the lens cover makes any footage pretty useless, however for some inexplicable reason, the motorists have been well behaved during this wet spell. I hope I haven't written too soon.

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

Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 11:31 am
by gretaboy
Summernight wrote:
TigerFilly wrote:
Summernight wrote: I need winter as I haven't shaved my legs and don't want to get the pins out hairy... :lol: (TMI? :P )
Tell me about it. Here I had thought I was done with the razor 'til late spring, and it was flippin' 29 degrees here!

...<snip>
The pins were buffed and shined this morning - no way was I riding in summer clothes and short skirt looking like Hairy Maclary, even if it did mean I was a couple of minutes late to work. :wink:
Yeah I am sharing the love/understanding here ladies...because my hairs arent as soft as yours I find if they get too long they give an uncomfortable prickle feeling when the long pants are on...but tonite I will make them "buffed and shined" too....as they say on a certain ad "oh what a feeling" :mrgreen:

waxing just doesnt do it either as they grow quicker than Pinocchio's nose when he's telling a lie

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

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 5:18 pm
by KonaCommuter
TailWind wrote:
gretaboy wrote:
TailWind wrote:..... left earlier than usual, just after 4am.....
TW...I wonder how you do this. Especially in winter. I am hard pressed to get outside at 6:10 each morning in winter with the cold weather. Plus, you must be up around 3:30 at the minimum. Long days.

You are either someone who doesnt need a lot of sleep or someone who goes to be very early
Sometimes I wonder myself. I'm usually up at 3am, have coffee, watch the news, shower and head out. It's not so bad once I'm out of bed, and gets better once I've been in the saddle for 10 minutes or so. Love the calmness of the early morning.
Summer is a little easier as it's warmer, but for most of the year it's dark anyways when I hit the road.
Bedtime is around 8:30pm; I try to get at least 6 hours of sleep.

I thought I had it tough


Getting up 3.30am, ablutions, breaky then start rolling 4 - 4.30

Bedtime 7.30 maybe 8pm if i'm staying up late.


The worst thing about it? I'm a night owl by nature and every morning is tough. Poor Kona





But yeah, onto my commute. The change in weather has triggered my asthma which has devastated my rolling speed. It all came to a head the other day :(





Worst of all is the loss of my hard earned run fitness. Not that I had that much to lose in the first place :evil:

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

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 10:16 pm
by TigerFilly
I can haz lights! :mrgreen: Image
Now I can't wait to try them out, but there is rain forecast tomorrow and the next few days. Bugger!

Look after yourself Kona, asthma is no fun.

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 8:43 am
by gretaboy
Last week was a big week for me...was tired and sore by the end of it.

Had issues with the new rear mudguard, it seemed to be rubbing so spent some time last night working on it. Had some new strange noises whilst riding this morning and am unsure if they are mudguard caused or not, some more investigations tonite I guess.

This morning was another foggy morning. Surprisingly warm I thought tho. All up a good ride, apart from the noises, with no vehicular incidents to concern me.

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 8:49 am
by Dan
Warm and foggy here too. No real stupidity to mention, apart from flat bar commuter guy who decided to attempt an inside 'gutter is a bike lane' passing manoeuvre on an overweight Roma Street Parklands security guard parking his golf cart. At 10km/h. Funny stuff.

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 9:09 am
by TailWind
Ok commute back on Friday...all on road through to Watsonia North for the regular Friday afternoon catchup at my brother's place. Fairly hectic traffic, and a spectacular MGIF Landcruiser on a narrow residential street approaching a traffic circle. He must have scared the daylights out of the driver in an oncoming compact hatch, and then ended up holding me up through the circle anyways. Pointless manoevre.
Somehow avoided the rain on the way into the Melbourne CBD this morning, although having dressed for it resulted in me getting damp nonetheless - from the inside. Wet roads and paths, leaves all over, so a somewhat cautious ride.

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 9:20 am
by rheicel
First try on my newly assembled commuting machine. I assembled it on Saturday and while I have adjusted the gear shifting almost near to perfect, I have put on too much saddle height. This is going to be a week of endless adjustments again and lots of fun. Have a good week ahead to all!

Image

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:05 am
by Summernight
Nice commuter, Rheicel. I really like the blue water bottle highlights. :)

Uneventful commute this morning except for a slight elbow buzz from a car. I knew it was going to do so from my rear view mirror so was prepared for it.

It was nice riding past the jammed up Monday morning traffic. :)

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:07 am
by warthog1
^^nice fast commuter Rhiecel

First wet commute on my new Ribble 525 steely last night.
I certainly got hosed down from the wheelspray.
The chromoplastics are on order but I forgot to add mudflaps to the order :x . Oh well thats my excuse for the next one :)
My lights were in the spray but continued to function well, which is good as it was dark.
Alot of water came out of the drain holes on the frame when I got home and stood the bike on its rear wheel. I guess it hits the seat post and runs down into the frame that way.
There was also alot of water flinging off the top of the front wheel and blowing back into the headlight and me, I guess mudguards wont do much about that?

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:13 am
by rheicel
Summernight wrote:Nice commuter, Rheicel. I really like the blue water bottle highlights. :)
warthog1 wrote:^^nice fast commuter Rhiecel
Thanks guys. At least some of you appreciate it. I have to wear all the visible clothes I can get not to mention the blinking LEDs to increase my visibility. I think my wife is the only one not happy about this bike, :lol:

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 1:37 pm
by Summernight
rheicel wrote:
Summernight wrote:Nice commuter, Rheicel. I really like the blue water bottle highlights. :)
warthog1 wrote:^^nice fast commuter Rhiecel
Thanks guys. At least some of you appreciate it. I have to wear all the visible clothes I can get not to mention the blinking LEDs to increase my visibility. I think my wife is the only one not happy about this bike, :lol:

That might be because she saw the price tag! :P

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

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 3:00 pm
by Lizzy
Oooh, fancy, rheicel!

Starting to get a little chippy in the mornings, going to be breaking out the long-johns soon! Other than that, nice cool glassy ride in.

Cycle commuting improved my quality of life in an unexpected way today, I asked our maintenance crew to shift a power point, they wanted me to pay for four of their staff (AT) minimum half-hours worth of work to unbolt and shift a desk that was obstructing the work area. "Boff!", I said to myself, pulled my multitool out of my pannier, unbolted the desk with the 5mm allen key, & my office neighbour and I shuffled it out of the way, took the two of us nearly five whole minutes :|