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

[eldavo]

No replies since July... are you still making it home from the pub on the bike Fletcher?

[Tale]

No replies since July... are you still making it home from the pub on the bike Fletcher?

The July date is when he joined the message board. His post was made just 3 days ago.

[casual_cyclist]

Well I had a brilliant commute today. Brilliant because I have been unable to commute since 20/06/2009 (yes, I know the exact date!). So today I headed out hammering because in the last week I have done some hard rides and can feel the improvement in my legs.

I didn't beat my best time, too much cattle and a cop car parked in the middle of the PSP slowed me down. I did get close to my best time which is not bad since it is 10 weeks that I have been bussing and training. Riding in this morning reminded me how much fun riding is compared to public transport. I'm stoked

[Fletcher]

No replies since July... are you still making it home from the pub on the bike Fletcher?

Well I went to the pub after work on friday fully intending to have a couple of schooners and have a slow, careful ride home. Things didn't quite work out as planned, and it's remotely possible that the generous bar tab may have had something to do with it.
I did ride home, but it was delayed by a few hours and I was a little more untidy than I had hoped.
Uncle Fletcher says there is a good reason the constabulary shakes its head and wags its finger disapprovingly at drunks on pushbikes. Aside from the fact its unsafe, riding up a long hill with litres of beer sloshing around in your belly is bloody uncomfortable and really hard work.

[damhooligan]

No replies since July... are you still making it home from the pub on the bike Fletcher?

The July date is when he joined the message board. His post was made just 3 days ago.

Mayby eldavo had a few drinks as well...

[Runjikol]

First commute to work since returning from USA/Canada on the 20th (touchdown date). Brisk but very nice morning where only a few toe-tips went numb. Made a good pace but forgot to reset the Cateye V3 so the data included my 30kms on the weekend. Lots of ducks around at the moment and even some little tom-tit birds in the scrub near Wellington Rd. reserve.

Return trip saw a bunny and lots of peds who did the right thing but one dog who didn't seem to do much at all until his owner yoinked him off the path. I felt sorry for the dog but at least all were okay. I did notice that only the joggers wear reflective clothes (in general). On some of the tight bends on the trail I'm concerned some iPod wearing walker won't hear my bell (I sound it on every blind corner).

A great ride but fine-tuning the seat position caused a bit of lower back pain on the way back. Still working the seat position out.

[Fletcher]

My bike didn't roll as well this morning. Either I'm fatigued(it's only been a month since I took up riding) or the tyres need a bit of air. I top them up about twice a week. Is this normal?

[martinjs]

Rain and strong wind hit me on the way home tonight, first thunder storm of the season. Trouble was I left late going home from work so it was strong winds, rain and lightning all in the dark. Thankfully the bulk of the strong winds hit after I turned for home so it was a tail wind, gusting up to 74kph. Pretty hairy all the same.

Martin

[Fletcher]

tail wind, gusting up to 74kph.

Man, with a tailwind that strong you could have held up your jacket like a sail and been blown all the way home.

[martinjs]

tail wind, gusting up to 74kph.

Man, with a tailwind that strong you could have held up your jacket like a sail and been blown all the way home.

Would have to but I wear glasses and with darkness and medium to heavy rain and the lightning I was only able to manage safely about 40kph average.

Worst part about it was that it all cleared up about 20 minutes after I got home, we really need the rain.

Martin

[Fletcher]

40km/h average sounds like a fairly impressive average speed, even with a tailwind. You must be a pretty strong cyclist.
This morning it's very wet in Canberra, which is great because we need it. I piked and drove the car. Traffic was so slow I would have made it in roughly the same time if I had ridden the bike. That old annoyance at being stuck in traffic reared its head again, and I arrived at work tense and slightly out of sorts.
Now considering mudguards on the bike

[martinjs]

40km/h average sounds like a fairly impressive average speed, even with a tailwind. You must be a pretty strong cyclist.
This morning it's very wet in Canberra, which is great because we need it. I piked and drove the car. Traffic was so slow I would have made it in roughly the same time if I had ridden the bike. That old annoyance at being stuck in traffic reared its head again, and I arrived at work tense and slightly out of sorts.
Now considering mudguards on the bike

Only in distance's, my average speed is around 25kph and on road speeds close to 27kph, but it was a full on tail wind, so you sit right up and just let the wind push you along.

Martin

[Aushiker]

G'day

Interesting ride home this avro. On the good side as I am teaching at Mt Lawley I was able to leave a bit earlier and hence missed the bet the change in wind direction from a north westerly (in my favour) to a south westerly (not in my favour) and also just caught the front edge of the rain coming in during the last three kilometres of the ride. Didn't get it too bad.

On the downside I experienced having my first egg throwing incident. The young person's aim/judgement was out and he missed me; still not a nice experience. Number plated noted and police report going in tonight.

For the Perth riders, it happened on Whitfords Avenue, just south of the Ern Halliday camp.

Still have some way to go on the fitness recovery front too as I really didn't make good use of the wind which was semi in my favour.

Regards
Andrew

[goneriding]

Who else got hammered in Sydney last night?

I was riding past Channel 7 as the front came through and had to get off the bike because the wind gusts were so strong! There was a river running down ANZAC Bridge.

I almost got everything dry by this morning. Nice cold, slightly damp shoes - beautiful!

[Aushiker]

G'day

In contrast to goneriding, beautiful weather here in Perth for this mornings commute north along the coast. Only let down by yet another puncture and my complete lack of legs. The later is really starting to get to me.

Andrew

[gdl_gdl]

On the downside I experienced having my first egg throwing incident. The young person's aim/judgement was out and he missed me; still not a nice experience. Number plated noted and police report going in tonight.

For the Perth riders, it happened on Whitfords Avenue, just south of the Ern Halliday camp.

Sorry to hear about that Andrew, glad it missed. That road is on my weekend route and I've had a couple of incidents over the last few years on that stretch but nothing as serious as eggs being thrown.

Cheers,

Gary

[Mulger bill]

Missed the rain in both directions

Shaun

[Fletcher]

I would call myself a fair weather commuter. I just went to the window to check the weather and
Think I need to HTFU

[simonn]

Once upon a time, last Friday night, about 200-300M from home, going down hill on a very dark street...

There was a fearless knight riding his trusty steed at pace not many (well, ok that is an exaggeration) could meet. Without a glance in the knights direction, or any direction for that matter, and from behind an immobile motorised chariot, a maiden on foot did appear and proceeded in haste towards a stopped cart upon the other side of the road where her beau did await. Alas, poor sir knight, despite almost magical reflexes (well, ok, another one) could not avoid the maiden completely. With a resounding clang, clang enough to alert many local villagers to the distress occurring at their very doorsteps, sir knight did tumble a fair distance and hobbled his steed, indeed.

Anyway, enough of that rubbish...

I rolled well, so it did not end up being as painful as I though it would be as I was going over the handlebars - didn't hit my head for one thing. Still went to hospital to get checked out just in case. A bit battered, bruised and road rashed, but nothing serious at all.

Front wheel rooted. Will need new rim and spokes. TWE crash warranty, yay! I think the ped caught the far left side of my handle bars and they spun so the wheel was perpendicular to the direction of my momentum causing the wheel to collapse. Would make sense as I ended up on the other side of the road about 5-10M away. I think this must have slowed me down a lot so I am not really complaining. Inner tube blew out.

Apparently it looked really spectacular with the ayups and my two super flash lights.

The RH STI name plate was missing, but I walked back and found it in the morning. But it was broken. So i had to buy another... $19.95!!! For a tiny bit of plastic!! Worse than dive (as in SCUBA) shop prices.

Also broke the lid of my lunch box (yes ha ha, no, the one which actually contains the food I take to work) which was in my panier.

Whipped the wheels off my wife's flat bar (she's riding her MTB to work at the moment) and had to tune my gears etc, but all good and I commuted today.

All things considered I think I got off lightly really.

[Mulger bill]

Jeez Simonn, way to make a bloke sit up and wince. Glad it's nothing too serious.

One hopes that the fair ladies coiffure was not mussed in thy unfortunate meeting.

Shaun

[Boognoss]

Glad you're OK Simonn.

I've had two "good" crashes on the road/M7 cycleway now. One on the roadie and the other on the commuter. Both times I've smashed up the STI nameplates (just one side on each) and had to replace them. Others told me to HTFU and not bother but they look so crap when they're missing IMO.

[gdl_gdl]

Sounds painful Simon, good luck with the replacement lunch box!

Cheers,

Gary

[twizzle]

And how was the 'dumb maiden'?

[simonn]

way to make a bloke sit up and wince.

My story telling?

Others told me to HTFU and not bother but they look so crap when they're missing IMO.

With the amount of riding in the rain I seem to do I was more concerned, perhaps misguidedly, with trying to stop as much moisture entering the shifters as possible. But, yeah looks crap.

BTW, I think I passed you heading in the opposite direction last week sometime (wed?) ~07:15-30 ish. Near the bus stop at the top of the Epping Road path. I would have been the cyclist heading down hill overtaking a ped.

And how was the 'dumb maiden'?

Very shocked, but only a scratch or two. Her mobile and handbag flew down the street with me. We exchanged details, her husband was there in their car and saw it all, and they have not got in touch. They own a local restaurant/cafe and I think I saw her working there that night on the way back from hospital so. I guess she is fine.

[Fletcher]

Ouch, that's quite a tale, glad you're ok(that wheel sounds expensive though, might need a bit of truing )
My stack in the rain last night was nowhere near as dramatic. Left the folks place to ride home, started raining, I pulled into a driveway to stow valuables in plastic bags, stopped bike and wondered what I was forgetting. Ohmygoodnesstheclips!