How Was Your Commute Today?

Dec 3, 2007 By Arleigh Jenkins Posted in The Archives Tagged with Commute by Bike

Here in Charlotte, NC its still in the 50’s with sun most days.

Where are you and what was your commute like? Photos and stories are welcome.

0 thoughts on “How Was Your Commute Today?”

Charles says:

December 3, 2007 at 8:13 am

Today in Athens, GA it was much more warm than it has been in the last few weeks. It was mid 50s. There was a light rain more off than on. I love riding in the rain especially during our drought.

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Fishbones says:

December 3, 2007 at 8:41 am

Humid, but not hot (c. 80% and 32c/90f). Some rain – enough to stop and put the backpack cover on.

Short – it’s a 8km/5m series of inter-stop-light sprints.

Fun. Normally. Today about 20kts of headwind.

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Mase says:

December 3, 2007 at 8:58 am

Here in Houston, TX, it was cold (for Houston) — 45 degrees and it may actually hit freezing tonight (for one of the few nights of the year). I’m now leaving right as the sun is rising (as opposed to pre-dawn) so I warm up quickly. But I do miss the predawn ride with my light shining the way. Very quiet and thoughtprovoking (and drivers were actually more careful).

Think I finally finding the right clothing for my very short commute (just over 2 miles each way): longsleeve, thin, wool base layer, fleece, and thin rain jacket (with wool gloves and cap). Would be too warm for a longer commute and I may have to tweak it some more.

As I commute to downtown Houston, my entire commute is on city streets. With Houston having recently changed their lights to a sequential system (where each subsequent light turns green on a 25-30 mph sequence) I actually wait at 1-2 less lights as I can get much further on each sequence. It used to be a simultaneous system (where X number of lights would turn green or red together) and I could only get through a half-dozen at most before being caught. Drivers here are complaining about the new system but I love it (and, if they adapted to drive 25-30, they could get through downtown without a red … but of course everyone is still trying to ‘race’ the lights and thus a lot of speeding away from one red, only to stop quickly at the next light).

Cannot complain as I spent many a winter in Mpls. (Minneapolis to those not in the know), where below freezing was a constant (and would occaisionally have weeks of below zero). But I do miss riding in the snow (very serene, thoughtful, etc.). And Minneapolis is MUCH MORE bike friendly.

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Noah says:

December 3, 2007 at 9:19 am

The news said 23 degrees this morning, but I guess that was downtown — the national weather service says it was 17 in my neck of the woods. Eek!

It was balaclava, goggle, and ski gloves weather.

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Tommy says:

December 3, 2007 at 9:56 am

Here in Boone (just 2 hours north of Charlotte) it was about 35 degrees on the ride home. Then add in 20-30 mph sustained winds with 50 mph — the ‘It Feels Like’ temp is set at around 19 degrees. Maybe some flurries today! All that adds up to a good day to be in the library, studying for my finals.

I think I’ll be taking the bus home tonight. Is it time for me to break down and buy a balaclava?

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Jen (SLC) says:

December 3, 2007 at 10:15 am

It finally stopped snowing here and warmed up enough for the ice on the roads to melt. It was about 32 and clear. My commute is only two miles through downtown Salt Lake, so I don’t have too much excitement.

Mase, I’m very jealous of your sequential lights. I pretty much hit every light on my commute here whether I’m driving or biking. Considering how bad our air gets here in the winter, I wish they’d synchronize the lights. All those idling cars aren’t very nice to ride next to, and they definitely aren’t making our air quality any better.

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Leaf says:

December 3, 2007 at 10:32 am

beautiful 2 degree sunny, windless morning. relatively fresh layer of snow left from a storm on Friday night. Minneapolis keeps its bike paths plowed, so there was only a spotty, thin, hard-packed layer of snow. Good riding.

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Ken says:

December 3, 2007 at 10:54 am

This morning was a brisk 30 degrees riding into Denton, TX. The winds were calm, the sky was clear and it was very enjoyable.

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Ghost Rider says:

December 3, 2007 at 11:16 am

75 degrees and breezy here in west-central Florida…just a quick 3.2 mile jaunt to bring my son to school in his trailer. It doesn’t get any better than this!

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Julio says:

December 3, 2007 at 11:34 am

It is currently 50degrees in the civic center of Los Angeles. It has been quite cold for Los Angeles these days. Morning/night weather is in the low forties but the days ease into the brisk lower 60s. But this new week is supposed to bring weather in the 80s (odd weather indeed). On one day last week the weather was so cold that I got a migraine headache from the cold air h itting my head (I had nothing under my helmet to keep me warm): this has never happened before.

But I do prefer this cooler/cold weather in comparison to the sweltering summer heat.

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Quinn says:

December 3, 2007 at 11:35 am

34 degrees, calm, except for the lead-foot box truck that almost ran me up on the side walk.

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Nord says:

December 3, 2007 at 11:37 am

Big ups to all the bikers representing Texas, especially you, Mase. Third Coast!

Didn’t get to ride this morning as I had an appointment on the far side of town, but am dying to get after it tomorrow when the temp is close to freezing.

Gotta take advantage of all the opportunities to act like Noah here in Houston – those are few and far between…

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Dan (On Bike) says:

December 3, 2007 at 12:31 pm

Yesterday’s commute in West Lafayette, IN was 50s and cloudy with a bit of wind. Luckily, I beat the rain home by about 10 minutes.

Today, high 20s, sunny, with strong winds pushing the wind chill down to the single digits.

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Todd Waddell says:

December 3, 2007 at 12:48 pm

A wet and beautiful 11 mile ride in Portland…

Two strong fronts have been coming through over the last 24 hours. They’ve hit the Oregon coast with steady rains and winds in excess of 100 mph.

The conditions in Portland haven’t been that extreme. We’re getting lots of rain, and I rode in along the Willamette River with a wonderful 10-15 mph tailwind.

A tailwind is always welcome, and the fronts have raised the temperature from last weeks high 30s to now in the low 50s. So, nothing like a warm rain!

Now, if I’m lucky, the front will finish coming through and the winds will drop before I have to ride home against the wind!

Cheers,
t

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Stahl says:

December 3, 2007 at 12:51 pm

20s in Reno on Friday in the morning and 40s in the evening. It is warming up a bit this week, lows in the 30s and highs in the 60s. The only problems now are the high wind advisories that can make staying on the road difficult. 15 to 25 mph winds with 35 mph gusts.

Winter riding in Reno is great though. We have a handful of snowy days. When it does snow, it usually is melted off by noon. Gotta love the diurnal swing!

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Fritz says:

December 3, 2007 at 1:12 pm

No photos from me this morning, but it was a pleasant morning. Sunny, probably about 50°F, no wind. I only saw about a half dozen cyclists this morning, which is fewer than normal.

Slight chance of rain tomorrow…

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Hank says:

December 3, 2007 at 1:25 pm

Around 33 and dry here in Denver this morning, but already up to about 60, so the ride home should be balmy. After last winter’s 3+ months of solid ice on side streets, bought some studded snows but no need to think about using those quite yet.

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Mrussell says:

December 3, 2007 at 1:39 pm

Cold and windy. Low to mid 30s this am and 43 F riding back from lunch. Gusts up to 45mph in the Shenandoah Valley.

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SF Commuter says:

December 3, 2007 at 1:54 pm

Commuting to San Francisco today was warmer than last week. Unfortuately I did not watch the weather this morning so I dressed for colder weather. It was around 56 degrees this morning overcast with some breaks in the clouds. Tonight rain is expected so I am glad I wore my rain jacket instead of the wind jacket.

It looks like we are entering the rainy season more rain is also expected the end of the week.

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Jimmy says:

December 3, 2007 at 2:23 pm

COLD! in Chattanooga!

I’m going to switch to running to avoid the wind!

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jason (sd) says:

December 3, 2007 at 2:34 pm

1 degree F slight head wind. 6″ of snow on Saturday has the streets snow packed except for the auto tire paths on the main streets. Got into work and realized I forgot to bring milk for the week, so headed back out. 2 degrees on the second trip. A single 1/2″ icicle formed on my right eyelid lashes, strange feeling.

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Mark Evans says:

December 3, 2007 at 3:47 pm

Toronto – snow on the ground, a few degrees below zero celsius. If it gets colder, could be lots of ice on the way home.

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Shanyn says:

December 3, 2007 at 3:48 pm

High teens this am in Flagstaff, AZ- but beautiful, sunny and clear at 55 right now. Had our first snowstorm of the year on Saturday, but its all gone now. Botton line- the brisk morning ride is more than offset by the wonderful evening (and lunchtime) ride.

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JiMCi says:

December 3, 2007 at 4:46 pm

It’s about 20F in Montreal today and we got a little snowfall, about 10 inches and it’s not over yet… No bike today!

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Paul in Minneapolis says:

December 3, 2007 at 5:15 pm

Minneapolis. I cheated this morning and rode to the bus stop. My bike’s computer read 4 degrees. It wasn’t the cold, I wasn’t ready to ride on the snow in the dark. They do keep the greenways pretty clear, but my thin tires like to dance around some. Still 2 pairs of socks (love wool) with booties, 2 pairs of gloves (mid inside heavy weight), gortex jacket and wind pants over my work cloths and a face mask and an insulated helmet. Plenty warm enough to have rode.Coming home it was nice, in the mid 20s, so I rode.

It’s been thrity years since I lived in the north. So for it hasn’t been too bad for my three mile ride to work. It’s a little longer for school, still I bike-n-bus if not ride the ten miles.

Minneapolis is really great for biking and the busses make it even better. When I lived in N.W. GA there where not many who used bikes for transportation in that area. It was sad. Yesterday when I rode to the grocrey store I saw more woman then men. No mater how bad the weather has been I still see others biking.

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Arleigh says:

December 3, 2007 at 6:15 pm

One thing that becomes more and more apparent is the cities that get frigid in the winter, and there’s feet of snow on the ground have the best system for commuting. Either greenways, bike lanes, or advocacy.

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doug says:

December 3, 2007 at 9:01 pm

the other day, 35 degrees and clear. i had the day off today, but had i done so it would have been in the 50s and very windy and very wet. big storms. i rode a few miles to the coffee shop and that was it. eagerly awaiting my CAT rain cape, though.

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Mindy says:

December 3, 2007 at 9:50 pm

I had the day off so only rode to the grocery store, but it was about 75 degrees and 20 mph winds in the afternoon. My husband rode home from work after dark and commented that he needs gloves with fingers.

Mindy in Tucson

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Kim says:

December 4, 2007 at 3:50 am

In Daejeon, South Korea, it was cold and the wind was gusting in from Sibera. Hovered around freezing all day but thankfully the dry wind sucked up all the moisture giving us black ice the day before.

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MG says:

December 4, 2007 at 12:39 pm

Today, on Wednesday the 4th, in Lincoln, Nebraska, it’s an absolutely beautiful day — sunny and 52 degrees F, so we’ve got perfect riding conditions. Not to mention I got a new pair of Lake MXZ302 winter shoes and a new NiteRider TriNewt LED headlight in today, so it’s a darn good on-the-bike day. I plan to just keep on riding well into the evening tonight after I get off work, because tomorrow it’s going to be about 20 degrees cooler.

In Nebraska in December, you gotta’ take advantage of the good days because you never know what tomorrow will bring…

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Len says:

December 4, 2007 at 2:34 pm

When DST ends so does my bike commuting, 37 mile round trip. Granted , living in the Valley Forge King of Prussia area of Pa., I have some beautiful trails and parks to use for my commute, but the roads out here are already clogged and dangerous so no daylight no commute. Besides it’s ski season…

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Tim says:

December 4, 2007 at 11:54 pm

Today was beautiful biking weather in Austin, TX. I had to layer in the morning the keep the chill off (low 40’s), but half way through my 9km commute the internal heat kicked in and everything turned ducky. The ride home this afternoon was in the mid 70’s, clear, and gorgeous. Couldn’t ask for better commuting days than these!

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Nick says:

December 5, 2007 at 1:14 pm

Decided, after a long bit of deliberation with myself Sunday night, that I was officially cutting off the season at six months- not bad for Chicago, especially considering a 30-mile round trip with zero bike paths.
None too soon- the 15-20*F temps weren’t the bother, it was the SNOW. The fronts bringing all the rain to the NW have been hammering us with sleet and snow- six inches last night, another half-inch so far today. Don’t know what the weather prospects are for the rest of the week, but the trouble with living so close to a large lake is lake-effect snow- weather ceases to change day-to-day and can change hour-to-hour. What started as a sunny, crisp, dry morning can become a soggy, sneeze-inducing slog, or a snowblind, icy trek home.
If we had bike paths around here, or even if people would shovel the walks, I would ride. No way in God’s Green am I battling traffic with ZERO margin for error, cars on the left and snow/ice on the right. The city dwellers have it easy compared to those of us mired in the ‘burbs!
Be safe, riders; I’ll be back out in Feb or March!

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CW says:

December 6, 2007 at 1:53 pm

A short ride in Eugene, OR, at 49F with some sprinkles. Unless the weather is too dangerous to ride, I will ride.

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