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

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

Postby alkhoo » Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:12 pm

Pleasant commute home yesterday. A MTBer joined the road about 200m up from me. He looked back, probably saw me, and started stomping on the pedals to goodness knows what end... CCR challenge? 8) I didn't push it (did intervals on the trainer day before and legs were feeling it) but he didn't stand a chance. Next time I see him, I'm going to have a chat to him - tell him that he's begging to be doored if he continues to ride only a foot out from rows of parked cars. Roads were moist but sunny and no rain for the ride to the station. Started to pour when the usual gang was unstrapping bikes and preparing to get off the train at Kyneton. We just looked at each other and shrugged, "And we thought we'd get home dry..."

Commute in this morning was nice. Getting of the shared path in Docklands to cross the road (just off Wurundjeri Way) and onto the shared pedestrian bridge, I signalled left just before a give way sign and the car happily stopped for me to cross. Gave them a wave and continued on. It's a nice feeling when everybody shares the road.

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

Postby bychosis » Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:16 pm

I forgot. Tuesday arvo had the tailwind with me and was making good time on the share path. Hard a two strokes approach from behind as I made my way past some pedestrians, figured he'd blow me away once it opened out, but I managed to hold on until I turned off. A combination of curves in the path and suitably timed pedestrian passes on the straight bits helped, but I'm claiming a victory anyway.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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

Postby gretaboy » Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:49 pm

Looking like I might actually get a tailwind assist this arvo...fingers and everything else are crossed...oh what joy if I do...wont know what to do with myself

aagghhh yes I do...time to go for a PB or two on some strava segments lols
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TailWind
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby TailWind » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:11 pm

gretaboy wrote:Looking like I might actually get a tailwind assist this arvo...fingers and everything else are crossed...oh what joy if I do...wont know what to do with myself
aagghhh yes I do...time to go for a PB or two on some strava segments lols
What is this "tailwind" thing that you speak of?
Looking at the BoM radar for Melbs, the little arrow is pointing from my destination toward my departure location....arrrgh once again!
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jasonc
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:26 pm

TailWind wrote:
gretaboy wrote:Looking like I might actually get a tailwind assist this arvo...fingers and everything else are crossed...oh what joy if I do...wont know what to do with myself
aagghhh yes I do...time to go for a PB or two on some strava segments lols
What is this "tailwind" thing that you speak of?
Looking at the BoM radar for Melbs, the little arrow is pointing from my destination toward my departure location....arrrgh once again!
currently gusting at 33km/headwind for me

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

Postby gretaboy » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:32 pm

jasonc wrote:
TailWind wrote:
gretaboy wrote:Looking like I might actually get a tailwind assist this arvo...fingers and everything else are crossed...oh what joy if I do...wont know what to do with myself
aagghhh yes I do...time to go for a PB or two on some strava segments lols
What is this "tailwind" thing that you speak of?
Looking at the BoM radar for Melbs, the little arrow is pointing from my destination toward my departure location....arrrgh once again!
currently gusting at 33km/headwind for me
am just glad my pain of this week is being shared around :)
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bychosis
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby bychosis » Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:41 pm

The wind just cost me a KOM, someone else using it to their advantage! (Don't tell anyone that the tailwind is the only reason I had it though)
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 Mulger bill » Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:29 pm

Awesome, just awesome. Perfect temps and little wind tonight had me into the city early enough for a 25" blast around the CBD :D
On top of that, this nice chap in a smokebox refused to pass and tailgunned for me along most of King St and all the way down Dudley St until I turned off at Adderley. Did he get the awesome grin and a thank you wave? Damn right! 8)
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jasonc
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:31 am

after the last week of perfect weather, upper brookfield reminded us it was winter - garmin said 5. arms, legs, hands, fingers, feet and toes all numb.

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

Postby TailWind » Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:37 am

gretaboy wrote:am just glad my pain of this week is being shared around :)
Literally - aching legs after 4 days of headwinds heading back home, which lies 150m above the lowest point of my commute as I exit the CBD. Time to break out the Tiger Balm.
Quite a battle yesterday, really had to push myself, and it's only going to get worse today, I believe, with 100km/h wind forecast for later in the day.

This morning's ride was somewhat subdued, still feeling weary from yesterday's ride. According to the electronic sign on Tasman Drive, the underpass under the M80 Ring Road is going to be closed from Sunday for around two weeks. Great. Would they just hurry up and finish that stretch of freeway extension!

Happy Friday! :D
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gretaboy
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby gretaboy » Fri Aug 16, 2013 9:19 am

I didnt achieve any PB's yesterday..got a traffic light on one so gave up, then the second one I was attempting I simply didnt have enough in me despite pushing as hard as I could. On the ride yesterday morning I noticed a bump like sensation coming from rear whilst riding, to the point I actually pulled over and ran the hand over the tyre, couldnt find anything so kept riding. On the ride home yesterday the same "bump" feeling was there again. Made the mental note to give the tyre a good look over once home.

When I got around to looking at the tyre I found a bubble on the sidewall of the tyre, just a little bigger than a pin head but you could certainly feel it. Pulled the tyre off the rim and checked the inside and it looked like a sharp stone had gone through it, was a little crater inside. No cut or anything on the outside, so it seems at this particular point of the tyre the rubber has simply failed. Have binned it.

Yesterday wasnt my day parts wise. On the morning commute I lost one of the screws from the k-edge seat mount for the go pro. I was very lucky to not have lost the go pro itself, the whole casing was loose as the one remaining screw was slowly coming out too.

This mornings ride was a cold one, -2 degrees when I left, the frost on the ground was heavy, the cars were covered in ice. My feet were frozen still when I got to the office, couldnt feel them. Was a beautiful morning tho, aside from the cold :)
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Summernight
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Summernight » Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:12 am

I had two good commutes last night and this morning (last night I had a quick chat to another cyclist for a couple hundred metres - I like chatting about stuff - my intro line was to compliment him on his bike. That always puts people in a nice frame of mind. :P )

This morning's wind was a bit 'Whoa, this might get worse'. The camera switched off just before I hit the CBD, but nothing happened anyway so it was all good. I thought it may have been that it had run out of battery or room, but it turned on okay when I got to work and had extra space so I don't know why it switched off. Guess it decided that it wanted an early start to the weekend. :D

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

Postby CXCommuter » Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:27 am

Similar sentiments to many on here around the headwinds of late (weeks of it so far it seems), legs are buggered and so am I. Last night was gusting to over 80km/h which with deeper profile rims was entertaining. Two of us shared the load home with both of us shaking our heads at the wind. Felt better though after the trains were stopped on our line and about 1500-2000 people waiting at Leederville station for a bus and apparently it got worse as there were no buses around due to a guy being killed by a train near Stirling.

Got offered money for my bike!!!
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eldavo
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby eldavo » Fri Aug 16, 2013 4:09 pm

I didn't set out for home until late last night ~7pm, and Adelaide Terrace/Causeway/Riverside Drive was mental.
No aero wheels here I had ~150kg downforce on 20" rims over 3" rear and 2" front low pressure tyres, and was still thoroughly getting shifted and riding at a counter lean angle until sheltered closer to Barrack Street. I started with a rain jacket cos the wind chill was extreme, but it was ear bursting loud so I put both noise reducing earphones in. Turned at narrows to get the northern vector and it was dead silent, aaaah wind at my back :) I got to take the rain jacket off since there was no rain just spray off Riverside Drive, fine ride home with a slight death grip on the bars ache.

PS: Sad shame about the railway death. It's a fortnightly occurrence on average in Perth for suicides, with the wind gusts I can imagine an accident also.

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

Postby TailWind » Fri Aug 16, 2013 4:54 pm

Made it home ... totally knackered though. Was yelling (in my head, or was it out loud?) at my legs, telling them to pull themselves together and get us up the hills, crazy headwinds notwithstanding. And I took the shorter ~27km route back, soft, I know...
Going to collapse on the couch now.
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Thrilloilogy
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Thrilloilogy » Fri Aug 16, 2013 6:48 pm

Well this evenings commute was quite pleasant, with a few minor things to keep it interesting.

There is a roundabout on my route where the bike shoulder ends abrubtly so I always take my lane in plenty of time. So I am at the roundabout waiting for the traffic to clear in the middle of the lane. Whilst waiting a car pulls up behind me. Then a gap arises, so I proceed. I can hear the guy behind accelerating and then quickly slow. I was halfway thru at this stage - and I don't move out of the "taking the lane" position until I am on the otherside out of the doorzone. I think this guy thought I would move left as I went thru the roundabout.

I did that once at that very roundabout and learnt my lesson, as someone who was in such a rush cut through and drove over the roundabout giving me no where to go. I yelled out at him to be careful, and he amazingly had the time to stop and try and engage me after the roundabout. I just ignored him, whilst riding slowly so I wasn't going to be in front of him!

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

Postby Timeonabike » Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:37 pm

Cold, windy x 5 I reckon
Nearly blown off the bike again last night.
Can't wait for summer - hot and windy then...

Cheers

Time

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

Postby CXCommuter » Fri Aug 16, 2013 9:12 pm

Over a year since my last vehicle incident, riding home via my LBS on a back street a car pulled out from behind a van into my path, in the wet with the wind at my back there was no way I was going to stop and plowed into this guys rear quarter panel and went over sideways onto my back sliding about 5 metres, nothing hurt and the bike appears okay. Incredibly the guy the stopped and accused me of being at fault (I could have stopped apparently), and stated SMIDSY which set me off into abuse mode (not fully proud of it). If this guy had pulled out in front of a car his car would have been a wreck. Anyway all good but sick and tired of this weather, the headwinds and the rain, which makes everything more dangerous, visibility decreased, stopping distances increased etc. Thankfully weather looks better next week.
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Hamster
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Hamster » Sat Aug 17, 2013 1:32 pm

I rode 304 kms last week and 281 this week which now puts me back on track to complete 10,000 kms for the year. The bike is running well and since I replaced the 16T rear freewheel with a 17T it feels like a new bike. The carrier is holding together nicely with hoseclamps around all the Chinese 'welds'. I'd say that I've spent more on hoseclamps than the carrier actually cost.

The weather forecast for the next 2 weeks is looking good so perhaps a few more big weeks ahead to get ahead of the game.
It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest achievement of the nineteenth century.

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Dropbear20
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Dropbear20 » Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:11 am

OK. Usually there is not much to say about my commute. Hot, humid and sweaty. It's the same every day - though it might rain. However the last couple of days the crazy drivers have shown themselves. On the ride home on Saturday I was almost pushed off the road by two taxis within 100m of each other. One almost clipped my front wheel. The other recevied a slap on his side mirror. He just kept pushing into me leaving me no where to go. All to get to the lights first, but it didn't help him because I rolled in front of him and it was a slow take off :evil: This morning I had a work van try the same thing. There is a mandatory 1.5m rule here, but clearly it is not enforced. If I can touch your car (or slap a side mirror) you are way too close.

On a brighter note, I completed a 57km ride at 30km/h on the weekend. My longest and fastest ride in Singapore. I'm building up for another day trip into Malaysia. It's 140km round trip, broken up into stages, but the first time I was unprepared for that much riding and I severely bonked. I want to be ready this time.
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gretaboy
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby gretaboy » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:01 pm

My Friday commute home had me fuming by the end. I left work a little early due to needing to be home by a certain time...well....had 2 P platers buzz me thinking that I was there for their fun. I had a L plate driver come/get so close to me I could actually feel the air disturbance change against my right leg. I then had two houso moles park the car across the "shoulder" at an intersection stopping me from riding straight...to go around them I had to go onto the busy highway. I stopped and opened my arms to "whats the go"...in return I got the middle finger back. I decide to have a chat through the passenger window and lo and behold the passenger has got an open stubbie in her hand and there was another in the console, can only assume it was the drivers. The driver was also using her mobile phone. I said a few things but realised there was no point really...they would never change nor take into consideration anyone elses needs excepts theirs. Just two fat houso moles who most likely have never worked a day in their lives and will never do so.

Worst part of it all, my go pro was sitting at home due to the issue of losing a screw the day before...that made me a touch angrier...why did this all have to happen when I wasnt recording.

This morning had an event free ride...no doubt due to having the go pro back on board and running again. Weather was just brilliant, cold but not cold enough to turn me into a brass monkey.

Looks like it will be another week of struggling home. Winds are already up around the 30-40 k/h
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rangersac
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby rangersac » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:57 pm

Spring + Tasmania = Much Wind.

That is all.
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Summernight
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Summernight » Mon Aug 19, 2013 2:30 pm

I forgot how nice it is to ride with new cleats (I replaced the unclipping foot cleat at lunch on Friday as it had had its day). Clipped in like a dream.

Friday evening was a bit hairy with the wind but at least I missed the rain. This morning was actually quite nice, apart from a little headwind that I let the cyclist in front of me take the brunt of for a couple hundred metres. Tehehe. :D

Bike felt gritty on the ride this morning so I gave it a lube at lunch. :)

Heal well soon, CXCommuter, if you have any injuries from that incident. Did you get his details?

And it is disappointing to hear that at least one L-plater isn't being taught the correct way to drive, Gretaboy. He/she might end up like the P-platers and the 'ladies' in the car. :roll:

Good luck with the Singaporean traffic, Dropbear! How do the police handle complaints (if at all)?

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

Postby TailWind » Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:06 pm

Bit of a weird day today, quiet ride in, but then work went a bit nuts, had a late meeting and was subsequently behind schedule for other stuff, so rode though to the kids' school and stuck the bike in the back of the car. Not what I really had in mind, oh well. Tomorrow's another day.
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jasonc
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:07 pm

TailWind wrote:Bit of a weird day today, quiet ride in, but then work went a bit nuts, had a late meeting and was subsequently behind schedule for other stuff, so rode though to the kids' school and stuck the bike in the back of the car. Not what I really had in mind, oh well. Tomorrow's another day.
is that an excuses thread entry for you??????

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