MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
mine was cold.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/16275771301_14feb83f2b_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qNezLz ]cidImage_FOTE166.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/16275771301_14feb83f2b_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qNezLz ]cidImage_FOTE166.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
Didn't ride today but last night was a bit mental, snow, ice and very strong winds going across the moor. It was bloody hard work but still good.
Aye it was good fun. My road was a bit sketchy on the road bike but the rest was fine, just a bit cold.
toasty warm on the train. 🙂
Only got back from last night's ride at 12:30am, so didn't fancy riding to work too.
mine was cold.
so was mine... 🙁
Barely noticed the cold as I was having to work so damn hard against the wind, has there been a non-windy commuting day yet this month, if there has I haven't noticed it. Also, didn't leave till gone 8.30 so the sun was a bit more up than it was for you ton.
[i]has there been a non-windy commuting day yet this month[/i]
Monday/Tuesday last week weren't too bad, still windy but that's not unusual on my commute. Very seldom I don't have a bastard headwind on my ride home in winter.
it was 'fresh', dry and fresh... until I passed a herd of smelly dear.
A light dusting of soft snow here in Sheffield. Some sort of issue for cars on the Parkway meant overspill on other routes. Low sun and route adaptation seemed to make the drivers a bit dozy.
Got a "my bad" from a Land Rover Defender driver for his silly pull out on me, spent the rest of the journey mulling over the legal binding nature of my bad versus sorry. [Defenders have electric windows!]
I woke up this morning with a storming hangover, looked out the window at the hard frost and ice and went back to be for another hour.
There were still a few sketchy bits on the ride in with ice patches but I really appreciate working at a place that not only takes me out and gets me fed, pissed up and bowling but then is cool with me rocking in 45 mins late because of frost.
In summary: feeling rough but feeling good 😀
Binned it on icy corner - am sore :/
Otherwise it was great 🙂
Could have kissed my balaclava this morning .....bit nippy !
Not too shabby
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Binned it on icy corner - am sore :/
This why I drove. I have a set of rules.
must be >4degrees
and <10knots wind
otherwise I drive...
Mine was wet and cold I think it was about 0 degress the whole way in, so got the ferry to work to shave 10 miles off 🙂
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Mine was ok. Few spots of cold rain, few strong gusts, but mostly good.
Home journey will be quick - wind behind me and racing the in-coming rain 🙂
New wheels were great 😀 (Have I mentioned the £800 wheels I got for £200 in chainreaction's sale??)
£800 wheels?? on a commuter in the winter, I think some roadies will be having cold sweats!
£800 wheels...... 😯
you don't want to ding them often do you.
[i] I have a set of rules.
must be >4degrees
and <10knots wind
otherwise I drive... [/i]
Jeez you don't ride if the wind is over 12mph, that's a light breeze.
And over 4degrees, hardly nippy.
[i]£800 wheels?? on a commuter in the winter[/i]
For £200!! And they're WHITE. Got em filthy this morning 🙂
Very! I am 'working at home' today but managed a two hour commute from the garage to the house, taking in two reservoirs, three decent climbs, and miles of tracks dusted with snow, all in brilliant sunshine. Productivity is rubbish now, though.
scaled, soma_rich, dpfr - pretty jealous of all these options. Although scaled you can keep the hangover 🙂
Bright and sunny, a balmy 2C in the mystic East. Road bike only as the river path option is hub deep in water currently.
i've got the best part of three weeks off as am changing jobs.
managed a 3 hour round trip non commute earlier on though 🙂
Last nights ride was on the bike path from Bexhill to Hastings ( I cut short the full Eastbourne to Hastings run ). Nice strong wind pushing me home for birthday cake and the crashing sea provided a nice break from a day in the office.
Got a link for those wheels, DezB?
Spinny! Rode the SS (34x17) mountain bike with CX tyres. 14 flat miles at 105-115 RPM. An excellent "recovery ride". Every time I looked down it was 14.8 mph and a HR of 130 bpm. Raising the HR is actually very hard on the flat because you can't sustain much faster cadence for long periods. So I've decided that this could be the perfect recipe for recovery/fat burning. Ride a SS bike in a stupid low gear. Quite looking forward to the ride home!
Bit of crunchy snow & ice and some slush on the main roads. Had one bit of a wobble, but all good!
Adds a bit of spice to the commute. (But soon wears off after consecutive days!)
shermer75 - Member
Got a link for those wheels, DezB?
It was week1 of their "Unbeatable Deals" on Jan 2nd -
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/dt-swiss-rr-1455-road-wheelset-2014/rp-prod120949 ]They are now £360[/url]
Also WFH today so did a "commute" at lunchtime, lovely and sunny but still pretty chilly.
Last night's commute was lovely until the hail started. Small chunks of ice in the face at high speed is rather unpleasant.
And over 4degrees, hardly nippy.
Pretty much my rules as well though I'll go to 3c if the roads are dry.
Only reason is ice. As I am just recovering from a 32mph stack on a large sheet of ice on a 3c day I'd say it's not worth the risk.
Can I just mention that the ride home was bloody horrible? ta
30mph headwind forecast for my ride home tomorrow.
Shit.
No joke that. I'll have to suffer the car 🙁
Baa was snowing when I got up but not enuff for the fat bike .
so a quick tyre change to spikes just in case ..... Anyway ended up no snow anywhere on super grippy draggy tyres 🙁
Weather pretty boring in Glasgow but everyone seemed to be driving/cycling with eyes closed. Police car (no lights/siren) through a red light was probably the highlight.
Fab commute to nursery with crankbrat on his balance bike with the new lezane lights he has spent his life savings on. He did really well never lost control and stopped safely on our two big road crossings. Having dropped him at nursery ibmixed it with the car bound muppets on the main rode why do they need to force their way past when lights 50 meters ahead are at red and within seconds I'll pass them again and be in the cycle advance box.
I've been near to breaking the 30 minute barrier for my commute for a while, managed it this morning, 28.17! 😯
Won't be quite as fast on the way home somehow!
Pretty much my rules as well though I'll go to 3c if the roads are dry.Only reason is ice. As I am just recovering from a 32mph stack on a large sheet of ice on a 3c day I'd say it's not worth the risk.
This is exactly my reasoning, commuting on icy roads with mentalist car drivers is bonkers. So less than 3 or 4 degress is risk of ice.
I've been near to breaking the 30 minute barrier for my commute for a while, managed it this morning, 28.17!Won't be quite as fast on the way home somehow!
I'm the opposite of you - it's gonna be a quick one on the way home soon...
Nice on the way in, but have 21 miles to do at 21:00 this evening. An interesting mix of A road, cycle path, unnamed road.
Normally a pain, but it looks like I've got a 27mph tail wind!
Looks like I've got a gusty 27 mile an hour side wind! Deep joy 🙁
Still, at least it's not raining.
Oh wait, it's raining.
Wind had flipped to a westerly by the time I left for home, which is okay, apart from the odd mental sidewind. A bit disappointed, had geared myself up for a battle.....
It normally takes me about ... 50 mins to ride home.
Tonight: 90.
I need curry and beer.
my ride home was terrible, side gusts all the way on the wrong side.... 😀
South West Scotland - 60mph+ tailwind/sidewind on my way to work this morning made for interesting speedy moments and my fastest ever journey to work but on the way home this afternoon i had a headwind that left me spinning away in 32x36 so it took almost 50 mins to do 4 miles, some of that time i was off the bike and in the verge though.
Well my commute is better and warmer than yours Dezb, and I am planning to get 1499€ wheelset...
For free :p
(although so far this plan did not work well).
Kids were being a pain in the arse this morning.. Once we eventually got underway I had to put the power down to try to stay on schedule..
Number 1 son was still being weamie 20 minutes later when we arrived at his school..
Then the sleet and hail started in earnest
Number 2 son was delivered to nursery without further incident but I was pretty cold and wet by that point..
Raced home and picked up some stuff that needed dropping at the doctors, all in all about an hour and a half on the bike in driving sleet and hail..
Took me a while to warm up 🙂
Finally the gale force winds havd died in Leeds down so I've ventured out on my first commute of the year. Was kinda pretty.
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I've seen a guy commuting around Morley on a Cooker Maxi a few times recently. If you're on here: that looks ace fun!
It was -6 when I left this morning according to my Garmin 😯
Making a concerned effort with no excuses, after taking nearly 4 weeks off with 2 nasty colds back to back.
Very cold but nice not to have to stand up on the pedals to get down hills in ridiculous head winds! SS doesn't help with that..
Lot of ice on quieter routes around Glasgow. Those cheap 700c spikes from on-one did the job, 16 miles all upright.
running late today and didn't seem cold enough to have buff frozen xc trails so took the road, [b]again[/b]. A bad habit that I need to get out of, was OK.
Did some frozen singletrack yesterday that I've not done for ages (doesn't wear well in the wet) was fun apart from a low hanging branch that I doubted I'd get under - I was right too, bruised back and ripped my fave commuting jacket 🙁
Might hit the trails on way home, hope they'll be nicely* frozen, looks a bit mild out there tho
*ie buff grippy solidified mud, not wide patches of ice and snow
-3*C but dry here in Berkshire this morning, coldest commute of the year so far I think...
It was a nice ride in on the fixie, stuck to the main road (A4) hoping they had gritted and there would be less ice... I didn't take a tumble so it must have been the right choice 🙂
jaymoid, where are those pics taken?
I had a very icy canalside potter today, saw a bloke slip on his arse in front of me, I didn't realise it was so slippy until then.
nice sunrise.
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/16137039380_e468a751c8_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qzYxAU ]cidImage_FOT6604.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/16137039380_e468a751c8_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qzYxAU ]cidImage_FOT6604.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
I'd be interested to know where they are too jaymoid 🙂
Bottom one looks familiar - Tong/Fulneck maybe?
Nice commute today, not as icy as I thought it was going to be, snow on the way home maybe
@ton, The first is in the [url= http://www.strava.com/segments/8731672 ]"gypo fields"[/url] near Tingley. I've seen tons of foxes and rabbits here (or maybe the same ones, depending on what the fox has to say about it).
Second one is in middleton park/wood (the other side of the park than where all the hand built trails are). [url= http://www.strava.com/segments/2739394 ]Aka Miggy park downhill right [/url]. It's not massive but is 50 seconds of pure joy and hanging on for dear life (in the right conditions) - v cheeky to speed down it at socialble times. It's a good climb the other way as well.
Hardly epic but both provide a smile on my face and a nice alternative to the roads and traffic into Leeds.
If you're ever wanting a commute into Leeds that way give us a holler, would be happy to show you the options I've discovered over the years.
thought it was jaymoid, from the road, left onto the singletrack, all the way down to the figure of 8 at the bottom?
cracking little descent.
thought it was jaymoid, from the road, left onto the singletrack, all the way down to the figure of 8 at the bottom?
Ah not quite, that's the other side of the park (around the man made stuff) - Google has that area labelled as Park Wood but deffo still Miggy Wood. That's very good fun too but not really that rideable at the moment. The one where I took the pic is starts just after the fishing pond! There's another good trail on this side of the park too, again a bit muddy and slippy for the time of year though.
Heavy snow forecast here tonight, fat bike commute tomorrow!
grey grey day....... 🙁
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/16145695849_fb38d04788_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qAJUSn ]cidImage_FOT8792.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/16145695849_fb38d04788_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qAJUSn ]cidImage_FOT8792.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
Snowing on my way to work this morning ....loved it ! ( wished i'd set off earlier tbh & had a longer ride )
Just driven from Derby to Bamford. Roads fine till Grindleford. Wet snow falling steadily. Would like to meet the chump in the Defender who overtook me, nearly going head on into the car I had slowed down for so they could do a right turn without stopping on a snowy hill.
7 mile commute started with snow that turned to hail, then it turned to sleet and then rain....all with a bitterly cold wind!!
We had a great time this morning 🙂 I rode the Kona Ute and my 4yo daughter was wearing a lot of layers and sat on the back no bother, she enjoyed catching snow with her tongue 🙂
I have found that a cycling cap underneath a buff underneath a helmet is the optimal cold with rain/snow combo !
Just cold and raining here today, but better than the ice we had Monday/Tuesday, too risky for me!
Friday night was fun, 20 miles through the snow. The urban bit was okay but the 12 miles over the moor was hard work.
[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/16295469055_b23c7c9f87.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/16295469055_b23c7c9f87.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qPYxe2 ]Snowy commute home[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/94887232@N04/ ]gary.maclean.31[/url], on Flickr[/img]
I fitted some snow stud tyres at the weekend that I got cheap on planet x, rode on Monday with a low of -7, water bottle was frozen solid by the time I got to work. The road was covered in patches of ice and snow but the snow spikes were great, heavy and draggy so it was hard work but well worth the effort.
Didn't ride yesterday but still on the spikes today.
edit: why's my image not showing?
Thin tyres in this morning's commute, lots of snow off the main roads. On the TPT, crossing other folks wheel tracks was like crossing tram tracks. OK through untouched snow or joining the dots of animal tracks.
Got a good slushing from truck as it overtook me, all down my right hand side.
Route home choices? Snow/sleet still coming down.
but the 12 miles over the moor was hard work.
Gary_M wins the hardman of STW commute award!
/doffs cap
I'm gushing now. I've never won any awards before and this one means so much to me 🙂
Hard work coming home tonight, snowing in my face all the way. Glasses were useless, riding without them was painful - hobsons choice! Still, earned a few hard man points 🙂
grey grey day.........poor commute.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16339279175_20c177589d.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qTR5rV ]cidImage_FOT9032.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16339279175_20c177589d.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qTR5rV ]cidImage_FOT9032.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
Fairly pleasant this morning but despite having a shower I can still taste salt spray off the road on my lips. I'm missing my full guards.
Not one single commute this week, so irritating 🙁
Monday - Sunny : Off sick
Tuesday - Sunny : Off sick
Wednesday - crap: have to take car, car won't start, end up working from home
Thursday - Sunny! - have dentist and son to drop to school!
Friday.... working from home as have new car to collect.
Rubbish week in many ways.
Id love to be able to commute , but 27 miles and a 7am-7pm shift .. isnt really an option 🙁
hence looking for work closer to home
Reasonably pleasant until an unbelievably big shard of glass decided to investigate the rear tyre. Not the easiest tyre to get back on either.
Proper cold this morning again & a lot of ice about made for fun times 🙂
Managed a lunchtime spin. Lovely out there. But where the hell has my fitness gone?