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

[Summernight]

Always the way...my go pro got wet on my very wet monday morning ride...it hasnt come back to life since,

Not good. Have you tried that electronics drying thingy (rice, silicon packets etc.)?

My commute last night was wet, but it dried up before my partner and I went to Ross Noble at Hisense Arena. We didn't get home until 11:30PM (and the show finished at 11:00PM so we were one of the lucky ones who live close-by) so I am absolutely tired today as I went to bed past 12AM and got up at my usual time to do the usual morning exercise. I also had tired legs because of it being a Friday. Anyway this morning was an absolutely stunning crisp cold and sunny Melbourne morning - what a beauty!

I hope it stays clear of showers and beautiful because I've got to ride straight from work to a reunion in a good dress this evening (I don't know if there are changerooms at the venue so it'll be the first time I'm riding in anything but active/cycling wear). Not game to wear the high heels on the SPD-SL pedals though - the cycling shoes will go on.

On my way in today I got the honk which translates to "you're taking up a lane when you should be in the gutter" from a black BMW... who honked me as he passed in the right hand lane anyway. And he subsequently got stuck in traffic as I sailed past in the bicycle lane. Tehehe.

And then had a u-turner fail to give way to me when he u-turned in the city (pretty sure u-turning over the tram tracks on Collins St between Queen and Elizabeth may be illegal). The passenger had his window down so they definitely heard me telling them off (no swear words).

[Comedian]

Summernight - keep up the fantastic updates.

Last night after a few beers I was riding home on the roadbike and hit my second possum. I'm unsure why, but the pesky things just keep throwing themselves at me.

Luckily this one went between the two wheels. I kicked it with the pedal and my shoe and its tail made a twang in the back wheel spokes. Went back and it was gone.

Gentle recovery commute for me today after a big week.

[VRE]

Looking good for 335km this week, which pales into insignificance next to gretaboy's ~500km

will end up with just over 340kms for the week ~290 of that commuting.

Might as well add mine to the accumulating stats - 310km commuting (when I get home today), plus a 75km Dandenongs ride tomorrow, should give me 385km for the week.

[TailWind]

Looking good for 335km this week, which pales into insignificance next to gretaboy's ~500km

I was thinking about these numbers this week whilst riding. Two weeks now with commute total > 500. Here I am struggling along doing my commute and I think what a wuss I am in struggling. Pro cyclists do these type of numbers in 2-3 days. Even people who do the Tour De Cure do bigger numbers in less days.

I would love to do a ride like the Tour De Cure, or any other ride like it...but how would I cope doing 150+ k's day in day out. One day I am going to do such a ride..it is a goal.

On its own it is a big number, a number I never thought I would be doing...but put in context is it really a big number.

I recon it is. We do it rain or shine or whatever is thrown at us, for most days of the year, and we still put in a full day's slog at the office, make family time and address other commitments. So yeah, my hat off to you on those numbers.

Edit: And of course kudos to every other commuter out there, big mileage or not...

[jasonc]

Edit: And of course kudos to every other commuter out there, big mileage or not...

+1

[ColinOldnCranky]

Perth:

Absolutely no-one cycling in today. But still great conditions for cycing in Perth. While it poured down overnight where I was, the whole from my place to coffee and then on to work free of rain. I felt quite good by trips end.

A fairly rare occurence this morning too - As I was climbing the chicane onto the narros I heard someone say "unicycle - better slow down and wait for him." I waved them around and they asked "Are you syre?" before passing by. I reckon they must be about the ony morning riders who have never seen me.

The fact that they obvioulsy have concern for other riders probably also qualifies them as "rare". I suppose it is only a matter of time before they turn ferral like the rest of us.

[MarkG]

I headed out at 630 today for a quick 40. Beautiful.

[Comedian]

Edit: And of course kudos to every other commuter out there, big mileage or not...

Personally I think the pissing contests that go on here are counter productive.

I'm trying to encourage no less than 9 new commuter cyclists within my network at the moment. Some of them have become regular commuters, and some of them are just starting out.

They all need a constant stream of encouragement and advice. I'm kickarse proud of all of them.

That's far more important IMHO then competing with each other as to how many miles you've done or I've done.

I'm doing this for myself and my children - not to be better than anyone else.

There is a thought for Friday afternoon for you all.

[jasonc]

I'm trying to encourage no less than 9 new commuter cyclists within my network at the moment. Some of them have become regular commuters, and some of them are just starting out.

We are struggling with one though......

[rheicel]

Today is my 30th commuting day of the year. My target is to have at least 100 days of commuting to work this year. Do you guys count your commuting days? Would be good to know.

[jasonc]

Do you guys count your commuting days? Would be good to know.

Yes I do. I keep count as then I compare what it cost to use PT vs my bike spending. Was doing OK til this month....

[KonaCommuter]

5 days of commuting on my MTB = A lot of peddling and not a lot of forward momentum



Seriously I can't wait to pick up my Oppy from the LBS tomorrow

[rheicel]

5 days of commuting on my MTB = A lot of peddling and not a lot of forward momentum



Seriously I can't wait to pick up my Oppy from the LBS tomorrow

I have my 26" MTB fitted with 29er wheelset and 700C/28 tyres with rack, mudguards and panniers. And yeah, in most cases, I like using my road bike even if I have to carry a backpack.

[TigerFilly]

First chilly morning this morning in Adelaide, the cold and the wind had my poor old nose running by the time I got to work. Lovely ride home though. I need to get some warmer gear to cycle in - I've been reading so many threads on here about what's best for cold weather that I'm completely bamboozled and too overcome with all the options to actually buy anything. I'll need some lights soon too. I've got no intention of purposely doing much riding in the dark, but if I don't leave work on time it will end up being dark for the last part of my ride in a few weeks time.

[rheicel]

First chilly morning this morning in Adelaide, the cold and the wind had my poor old nose running by the time I got to work. Lovely ride home though. I need to get some warmer gear to cycle in - I've been reading so many threads on here about what's best for cold weather that I'm completely bamboozled and too overcome with all the options to actually buy anything. I'll need some lights soon too. I've got no intention of purposely doing much riding in the dark, but if I don't leave work on time it will end up being dark for the last part of my ride in a few weeks time.

I am currently using newspaper or A4 papers. I put it under my shirt and once I start sweating, I just chuck it in my pannier bags.

[DavidS]

David - what sort of life do you get out of the supremes? - they are expensive. I was considering a supreme on the front and a plus on the rear

Hard to say. I put Marathon Supremes on my previous bike and the bike broke before the tyres wore out!

On a more serious note. The supreme on the back was starting to bet worn after 3,800KM on my old bike. Front one had barely noticed anything. I would think it had maybe 1,000KM left to go. Compare this to the Marathon Plus and from memory got about 7,000KM out of one of those on the back of the bike before it was really squared off. So, I'd say the Plus lasts maybe 1.5 times the life of the supreme. New bike came with Marathon Supreme tyres but only done 500KM on that so they are barely worn at all. One thing which I have liked about the supremes is that they don't square off in a hurry, they keep their rounded shape.

All of this should be taken in the context that I weigh 100Kg and carry about 10Kg in a bag on the back of the bike.

DS

[Summernight]

Well, I did the short 10 minute ride to the reunion along the Yarra in the dressy dress and a business suit jacket. It was way worse that I thought... (Wearing the dress on the ride, not the reunion ). The day was perfect for it though - chilly with not a raindrop in sight.

I did a test ride around the work car park to see whether I could ride in the outfit. Unfortunately because I was wearing a tight dress I couldn't pedal or even sit properly with the dress down to my knees as it decently should be so I had to hoik it up (hold your horses people, I was wearing leggings underneath so nothing indecent there). Although I felt so exposed and was imagining the horrible scenario of me wearing active leggings that go see through with tightness so tried to pull the dress down as much as possible to hide the derriere but without compromising the pedaling.

And I brought along my huge D-lock because I didn't know where I'd be putting my bike or how safe it would be. But since I haven't attached the lock holder I put it in the stupidest place on the bike (the top tube) so it banged on my knees if I did anything. Stupid. Banged my knees a few times and gave me scratches.

And riding along Southbank was an interesting experience with all the pedestrians. I kept my speed at 10 kph - and was passed by a runner. A runner beat me as if I was standing still. Oh the embarrassment!!! (Seriously, that 10kph limit means us cyclists are going slower than the peds ). I've realised I'd almost prefer the cars to dealing with peds.

And the whole point of going slow was not to sweat. Which I'm obviously incapable of not doing. So I sweated on the lovely dress. And my saddle hurt which it hasn't done ever with my normal cycling gear. Although that could be because I was wearing stuff that I don't normally wear down there when on the bike.

Anyway, it was a lovely reunion and for the ride home I changed into my usual cycling gear (with a huge sigh of relief!) and coasted home. Lesson learnt - I'm not riding in anything but cycling specific gear again for anything over 100m.

[rheicel]

^hahaha

[jasonc]

The supreme on the back was starting to bet worn after 3,800KM on my old bike. Front one had barely noticed anything. I would think it had maybe 1,000KM left to go. Compare this to the Marathon Plus and from memory got about 7,000KM out of one of those on the back of the bike before it was really squared off. So, I'd say the Plus lasts maybe 1.5 times the life of the supreme.

So a supreme front and a Plus rear sounds like a good combo. It's on the list.

EDIT: forgot to say I waved at nautilus yesterday arvo on the bicentennial bikeway.

[Lizzy]

Perth:

Absolutely no-one cycling in today. But still great conditions for cycing in Perth.

Yeah,it was pretty quiet - I just thought it was because I was running late, but even heading home at peak time it was dead as a doornail ... wonder why?

Waiting at the lights at Leach Hwy (counting the days until I don't have to anymore) I was next to a girl wearing a miniature tank top and vajayjay-shorts (TM) with discernible cheek exposure ... not that I was looking that closely, but I was having a good old chortle at all the blokes driving past - almost without exception they were impersonating the laughing clowns at the Royal Show.

Summernight, sorry the cycling in dress experiment didn't meet your hopes - my first attempt at this was similarly humbling. But I have a Metalicus merino number in an Empire/babydoll stylee that works quite well on the bike, mainly because it's so stretchy. (In black, of course, always black ...)

[trailgumby]

5 days of commuting on my MTB = A lot of peddling and not a lot of forward momentum

Sorry to hear your career in selling is stalled.

Oh, pedalling. Sorry

I have some 700cx23 hoops for my 26er hardtail. But I prefer the knobblies.
1: More CCR points
2: Rough pavement on the back streets routes knocks the roadie rims around quite a bit and I haven't gotten around to fitting 25 or 28mm yet.
3: I can do fun stuff like hop up curbs and ride down stairs for practice
4: Watching the "Oh, poop, I'm being passed by an MTB" expression on guys with expensive bikes is rather fun. Of course, I still get passed by lots of others

[VRE]

Personally I think the pissing contests that go on here are counter productive.
I'm trying to encourage no less than 9 new commuter cyclists within my network at the moment. Some of them have become regular commuters, and some of them are just starting out.
They all need a constant stream of encouragement and advice. I'm kickarse proud of all of them.
That's far more important IMHO then competing with each other as to how many miles you've done or I've done.
I'm doing this for myself and my children - not to be better than anyone else.
There is a thought for Friday afternoon for you all.

Personally I think that's a bit harsh .

I don't see my reports of my distances or recent mountain rides as part of a contest, because I'm all too aware that no matter how good I get at cycling, there are always stronger, faster cyclists out there. I also use fora like these as a way of keeping myself motivated to ride, because as much as I enjoy cycling, I still have occasional times when I just can't be bothered, except that I always, always regret not going on a ride when I've skipped one. I know I'm not alone in this.

Congratulations on the recruiting, and I hope it goes well.

[TigerFilly]

This is not the right thread to ask, but it's really the only place I post so I thought I'd ask anyway...
I took my son on a Bike SA family ride a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, I did a lot of stopping and starting waiting for him, but I did 50k in total by the time I rode into the ride and back home again. I'm thinking I'd quite like to try one of the group rides they run, but I have a few questions. I know I can ring them and ask, but I thought I'd ask you guys first.
If it says, for example that they ride at 25km an hour, does that mean 25km an hour when they're riding. Or does it mean 25km and hour including stops and starts for traffic etc? I just rode 13km and it took me 40 mins - so that's 20km an hour, so clearly I wouldn't keep up with a 25km an hour ride. OTOH I timed a couple of stretches just now and can ride at 30km an hour on a straight stretch (pushing reasonably hard but not killing myself), so if it means 25km/h including stopping and starting for traffic then I'd be fine.
Also, do you have to have a road bike to go on a group ride - ie would I look silly on a hybrid? If you say yes, then I will contemplate buying a road bike, although that's a big outlay when I'm not sure if I'll like it yet.

[LM324]

I suppose every club/group is different but generally 25km/h is considered fast. I think the speed is more of a rough guide though. For example in the bike north rides speeds they use are: slow spin (<15), gentle (15 - 17), relaxed (17-19), moderate (19-22), brisk (22-25), fast ( >25). 25km/h is usually the hard rides.

[gretaboy]

Personally I think the pissing contests that go on here are counter productive.

I'm trying to encourage no less than 9 new commuter cyclists within my network at the moment. Some of them have become regular commuters, and some of them are just starting out.

They all need a constant stream of encouragement and advice. I'm kickarse proud of all of them.

That's far more important IMHO then competing with each other as to how many miles you've done or I've done.

I'm doing this for myself and my children - not to be better than anyone else.

There is a thought for Friday afternoon for you all.

I dont find this comment harsh...but I do find it very very funny. At least your living up to your moniker. I could take your comment as a pissing comp on how many people can be converted/recruited to commuting by a single person lol

The beauty of this world is that everyone is different. I dont believe the comments about how many kilometers anyone has done by anyone is about who is king of the castle.

From my own perspective, my comments were coming from the point of view about how amazed I am at how many k's I am doing, given I would never have thought I could or would be doing so many over a year ago. How is that a pissing comp!!! I added further comments about comparing my weekly commute k's to other things such as pro riders and organised rides like the Tour De Cure...again how is that a pissing comp???

Your doing this for yourself and your kids...fantastic..great for you. I guess everyone who commutes, regardless of k's, is doing it for themselves, otherwise why do it. I am certainly not riding for my partners sake or that, I do it because I personally get benefits out of commuting. If anything, if I was doing it for my family's sake, I would stop altogether as the roads I ride are simply dangerous. Most people say I am mad for riding where I do. But I hope you dont take that as a new pissing comp.

The beauty of this forum is that people post comments about their commuting and their experiences. It is forum to share the experience and get encouragement I guess.

Too bad some, dont take their heads from up their backside before commenting...now there is a thought for Monday