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

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

Postby jasonc » Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:05 pm

Lizzy - a roll of Paper towel from the kitchen or bathroom works well
Wringing your socks in the pot plant = gold

First week back for me. It's Wednesday and my legs don't want to cooperate

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

Postby bychosis » Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:30 pm

Yesterday was my first day back this year. After a couple of days of southerly gales it still hadn’t let up. Fortunately a southerly is only a headwind for the first half of the commute and then a tailwind for the second half.

Trip home was a fair effort to maintain I’ve about 15km/h into the wind and cruisy to get over 30km/h with the tailwind. Snagged a strava KOM segment with the tailwind assist too after equalling it the morning before. Love a wind assist.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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

Postby splash_dad » Wed Jan 17, 2018 4:58 pm

Heard a tinkling sound and chose to ignore it, just something I rode over.....

The pannier rack mounting bolt snapped.

Keep going or turn back? Back home for me.

All fixed now.

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cancan64
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby cancan64 » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:26 am

Crap weather here at the moment....changed bikes yesterday as deep dish wheels were to dangerous and then got sandblasted going past the beach. This morning was still windy and wet so went the other harbour side ... only saw 2 other cyclists , even the ducks are hiding...Wind is forecasted to drop below 30km/hr tonight and rain will change to showers but is here for a while
“Some say he isn’t machine washable, and all his potted plants are called ‘Steve’.

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

Postby Cyclophiliac » Thu Jan 18, 2018 12:00 pm

My commute this morning was a hell of a lot cooler than this afternoon's commute will be (this is in Melbourne). It will reach almost 40 today and about 40 tomorrow.

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

Postby OrangeBike » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:49 pm

I'm so glad you asked.

I'm a newbie. And not brave. And so even though there's no traffic around this time of year, and the weather's fine, and I'm happy on a bike, and my commute is less than 5km, I'm finding the whole ride-to-work thing a bit nerve-wracking.

I use the separated cycleways where I can. But they've regularly led me up a garden path (headed east up King St Sydney, Liverpool St Sydney). I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to get off the bike and walk? (and how you actually do that when you need to, when there isn't a driveway to go up? Then I thought I'd just follow someone else who looked like they knew what they were doing - and I found myself in a wedge between three buses outside QVB on Druitt St - and then running a red light on Park.

Any tips on the actual Sydney CBD would be welcome. Or do you just have to suck it up, cos CBDs are like that?

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

Postby find_bruce » Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:18 am

OrangeBike wrote:I'm so glad you asked.

I'm a newbie. And not brave. And so even though there's no traffic around this time of year, and the weather's fine, and I'm happy on a bike, and my commute is less than 5km, I'm finding the whole ride-to-work thing a bit nerve-wracking.

I use the separated cycleways where I can. But they've regularly led me up a garden path (headed east up King St Sydney, Liverpool St Sydney). I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to get off the bike and walk? (and how you actually do that when you need to, when there isn't a driveway to go up? Then I thought I'd just follow someone else who looked like they knew what they were doing - and I found myself in a wedge between three buses outside QVB on Druitt St - and then running a red light on Park.

Any tips on the actual Sydney CBD would be welcome. Or do you just have to suck it up, cos CBDs are like that?
Sadly Sydney cylseways are still disconnected & have some very odd spots. The major issue is the lack of east-west options. It often takes a bit of experimentation to find a route you are comfortable with.

If you let us know where you trying to get from & to we might be able to come up with a better route

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

Postby bychosis » Fri Jan 19, 2018 8:44 am

^ plus one. It can often take a fair bit of experimentation to find the right route for you. I'm a seasoned rider and still occasionally test out a route that I'll 'never ride again'

This morning the weather was perfect, after some really hot days and some really windy days lately. Cool(ish) with an autumn-like crispness in the air. Not too cool, not too hot.

Took the MTB up & over route so I can extend-o-mute this arvo. Lots of dogs (5)being walked leash free up the hill, but all friendly and no troubles, it's normal to see less than one person. Then, due to a construction site I entered the other fenced site, just like lots of others. Was concerned when I got to he bottom of the hill on the other side that the fence looked like it had been repaired and I'd have to back track up the hill again and find another way. Fortunately, no repairs so I continued on back through the fence.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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

Postby Lizzy » Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:22 pm

jasonc wrote:Lizzy - a roll of Paper towel from the kitchen or bathroom works well
Ah, consistent supply of basic kitchen amenities in a public institution ... LOL

Rode home yesterday with a nice stiff SW-er between the shoulderblades, which was nice. Less nice was stopping by my trusty en-route bike store to pick their brains about the non-performance of my new brake pads in the rain, only to find a "Closing Down Sale" sign and very little besides :cry: Probably not much I can add to discussion on this phenomenon, but they are the actual last bike shop I can feasibly get to after work.
“Lexa”: 2012 Trek Lexa S; "Hannelore": 2019 Kalkhoff, "Teal Cecile" Reid traino shuttle

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

Postby OrangeBike » Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:48 pm

find_bruce wrote:
OrangeBike wrote:I'm so glad you asked.

Any tips on the actual Sydney CBD would be welcome. Or do you just have to suck it up, cos CBDs are like that?
Sadly Sydney cylseways are still disconnected & have some very odd spots. The major issue is the lack of east-west options. It often takes a bit of experimentation to find a route you are comfortable with.

If you let us know where you trying to get from & to we might be able to come up with a better route
That's kind of you!

I'm headed from Oxford St Paddington (Hopewell St) to Kent and Margaret in Sydney.
It's the transitions that I'd love help with:

Where's the best spot to make the turn from westbound (William St) to northbound (Kent) easily. For instance
- How to turn right into Hyde Park north or College St northbound from William. Unsure I can accelerate enough from a hill start, I've been hopping off the bike and crossing my own lanes with pedestrians. There has to be a better way!
- How to make the right turn from Park / Druitt to Elizabeth, Clarence or Kent northbound.

Basically, how to get from the bike lane on William to the bike path on Kent St - or back again. I'm more than happy to do a long detour for a flatter, less trafficky ride, and happy to use paths shared with pedestrians.

Many thanks for your offer of tips!

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

Postby find_bruce » Fri Jan 19, 2018 2:45 pm

OrangeBike wrote:I'm headed from Oxford St Paddington (Hopewell St) to Kent and Margaret in Sydney.
I can see why you are struggling to find a good route - from Paddington flat & low traffic is hard to find - I have visited St Vincents a few times & you are either constantly up & down or riding a busy route. Personally I ended up riding in the bus lane along Oxford St, but as a newbie I can understand why you're not ready for that. I suspect you will get end up using Oxford St on the downhill, (1) because downhill its easy to keep up a good speed in the bus lane so that you are not getting in anyones way & (2) continuing straight down Liverpool, means that you have an easy right turn into Kent & then straight along. But like I said it might take a while for you to build up your confidence for that.
OrangeBike wrote:Where's the best spot to make the turn from westbound (William St) to northbound (Kent) easily. For instance
- How to turn right into Hyde Park north or College St northbound from William. Unsure I can accelerate enough from a hill start, I've been hopping off the bike and crossing my own lanes with pedestrians. There has to be a better way!
It sounds like you are not familiar with a hook turn. This video is from Victoria, but the same rules apply in NSW


There are 2 ways - (1) simply ride across College St with the lights & pull onto the shared path on the South West corner of the intersection. Cross William / Park St when the bike lights go green. (2) is a more advanced method using a hook turn, but the complication is that the left lane of College St must turn left so you don't want to stop in front of that & block traffic, so pull over in front of the 2nd of 3 lanes of College St, then when College St turns green proceed through the intersection & change into the now vacant left lane or into Hyde Park North.
OrangeBike wrote:How to make the right turn from Park / Druitt to Elizabeth, Clarence or Kent northbound.
Your best bet at Elizabeth St is to do a hook turn. Turning right from Druitt into Clarence, as you have noticed, has no good methods. Personally I would turn right from the right hand lane, but again I can toally understand why a newby is not comfortable with that. I would suggest pulling onto the footpath on the left hand side just before the western ped crossing& crossing druitt St with the pedestrian lights - basically a hook turn but pulling onto the path rather than stopping in front of buses coming downhill.

Hope that helps

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

Postby fat and old » Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:29 am

"Officially" started the commuting yesty. Lot nicer than last week's inferno, but it's warming up again here. Had a minor difference of opinion at the park stopping to fill my bottle too. The large group of people having a community day sorta thing thought that no-one else could use the tap when they were using the park. Sorta surprising that they'd make an issue out of it....it's water ffs. Not like I'm eating their BBQ

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

Postby DavidS » Tue Jan 23, 2018 12:14 am

First day back after a month off. Surprisingly good commute given I have barely ridden in my month off. Decent speed, legs feel fine and wind in my face was little problem. Lots more commuting to catch my target from here.

Glad I'm not riding at the end of this week, brutal conditions forecast.

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Allegro T1, Auren Swift :)

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

Postby bychosis » Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:09 am

Loved it this morning. Great weather. Considerate motorists (only encountered a couple but...). Feeling great. Lots of peds and cyclists on the sharepath, but who cares, I just slowed down and waited, smiled and waved to plenty. No hander riding, great song as an ear worm, no CCR I 'had to' chase down. Two minutes slower than yesterday - didn't matter one bit.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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

Postby OrangeBike » Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:48 pm

find_bruce wrote:
OrangeBike wrote:I'm headed from Oxford St Paddington (Hopewell St) to Kent and Margaret in Sydney.
I can see why you are struggling to find a good route - from Paddington flat & low traffic is hard to find - I have visited St Vincents a few times & you are either constantly up & down or riding a busy route. Personally I ended up riding in the bus lane along Oxford St, but as a newbie I can understand why you're not ready for that. I suspect you will get end up using Oxford St on the downhill, (1) because downhill its easy to keep up a good speed in the bus lane so that you are not getting in anyones way & (2) continuing straight down Liverpool, means that you have an easy right turn into Kent & then straight along. But like I said it might take a while for you to build up your confidence for that.
OrangeBike wrote:Where's the best spot to make the turn from westbound (William St) to northbound (Kent) easily. For instance
- How to turn right into Hyde Park north or College St northbound from William. Unsure I can accelerate enough from a hill start, I've been hopping off the bike and crossing my own lanes with pedestrians. There has to be a better way!
It sounds like you are not familiar with a hook turn. This video is from Victoria, but the same rules apply in NSW


There are 2 ways - (1) simply ride across College St with the lights & pull onto the shared path on the South West corner of the intersection. Cross William / Park St when the bike lights go green. (2) is a more advanced method using a hook turn, but the complication is that the left lane of College St must turn left so you don't want to stop in front of that & block traffic, so pull over in front of the 2nd of 3 lanes of College St, then when College St turns green proceed through the intersection & change into the now vacant left lane or into Hyde Park North.
OrangeBike wrote:How to make the right turn from Park / Druitt to Elizabeth, Clarence or Kent northbound.
Your best bet at Elizabeth St is to do a hook turn. Turning right from Druitt into Clarence, as you have noticed, has no good methods. Personally I would turn right from the right hand lane, but again I can toally understand why a newby is not comfortable with that. I would suggest pulling onto the footpath on the left hand side just before the western ped crossing& crossing druitt St with the pedestrian lights - basically a hook turn but pulling onto the path rather than stopping in front of buses coming downhill.

Hope that helps
Immeasurably. Many thanks.

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

Postby fat and old » Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:31 pm

Broke a spoke on the way in this morning. I think my wheels are telling me something :oops: First time that's happened, even when I was 98kg.

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

Postby Lizzy » Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:30 pm

Went rail-assisted home last night and in this morning, to go easy on myself while my routine & fitness (hopefully, eventually) comes back on line. Total of about 42km yesterday and 20-odd today. So far I'm not feeling as bad as I expected!

Dolphin sighting at Coffee Point & everything. Happy hump day :)
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bychosis
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby bychosis » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:41 pm

Had a couple of commutes in cruise mode. Started out in cruise mode again this arvo, but CCR mode kicked in when I spied a couple of riders ahead and I upped it to a more normal tempo to catch and lass them. Wasn’t much of a challenge and not worthy of CCR points, but the MGIF is strong in this one when it comes to other cyclists in the share path.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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cancan64
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby cancan64 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:58 am

Got passed by An Ebike yesterday so thought I would chase...and then he suddenly pulled up... thinking battery may have died but he wasnt happy when I passed him.... was lucky as I couldnt keep the pace up for much longer
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jasonc
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:30 pm

First wet ride in a while. Humid - felt like swimming

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

Postby RobertL » Thu Jan 25, 2018 3:55 pm

jasonc wrote:First wet ride in a while. Humid - felt like swimming
I rode just after the rain, but it was so humid it might as well have been pouring.

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

Postby tabb » Thu Jan 25, 2018 5:12 pm

Yeah I'm not sure the rain made much difference to how drenched I was. Nice quiet paths though! :D

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cancan64
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby cancan64 » Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:21 am

No commute today, Joys of moving house I had to go back home with short notice so cycling was out... glad I took the motorbike...traffic here is a nightmare although currently have strong winds with heavy rain due today sometime so may get soaked anyhow.

Yesterday a stand up paddle board get loose in the wind and blew across the road hitting the car in front of me ... could have been New Zealands equivalent of the kangaroo video floating about.

Hopefully new bike is built today so tomorrow could be a good ride...if the weather has settled that is
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby Lizzy » Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:53 am

Late out of the office last night so went halves with the train, all the way in again this morning. Decided to up my goal to minimum 1.5 round trips per week.

Have a nag right at the top of my hip though, not even sure how I would stretch it :|
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Re: How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

Postby jasonc » Thu Feb 01, 2018 12:22 pm

Lizzy wrote:Late out of the office last night so went halves with the train, all the way in again this morning. Decided to up my goal to minimum 1.5 round trips per week.

Have a nag right at the top of my hip though, not even sure how I would stretch it :|
Do a pigeon but lean forward whilst doing it (nose touching the ground, or close to). Hold it for around 30 seconds. Do it a couple of times. See if that works. The more perpendicular you can get your leg, the better(er)

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