How was your ride today? Week of October 11th

Submitted by pinkrobe on

I didn't ride today, but I did go to see Life Cycles at the Plaza. Sooper Kewl.

Tell us about your ride!

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nice west wind pushing me in this morning

Submitted by Dionysis on

but not looking forward to fighting it on the way home tonight. Although having temps of +15 and the sun shining makes up for the wind ;-) And it cleans the path of all the tire popping twigs.

We don't seem to have had the wind as in past years. I seem to remember last fall that there was about a full week where every day a strong west wind was blowing.

Been off the bike all week but..

Submitted by Scott on

Back on it today. I ride through fish creek park down between deer run and douglas dale and notice they have the pathway all torn up down there and signs saying no access. Doesnt affect me as I just ride past it and through back into the residential but I see many commuters following that path and I also know that north further on its washed out and difficult so I cant help but wonder how many super annoyed commuters from down south exist this week?

Other than that observation... a beauty of a day for riding. Beauty.

Great ride, except...

Submitted by shockingTemple on

...had a close call with a moped on the MUP! The driver rounded a blind curve too fast so that he was on the wrong side of the pathway. I wasn't expecting that! The spot is a few metres south of 64th Ave NE on the pathway that leads south from the intersection with Hunterhorn Rd NE, right where it curves around a 6 ft high fence. Dude: uncool!

I was on the one of the paths

Submitted by scottmeyers on

I was on the one of the paths leading up to nose hill in beddington on Saturday when I got passed by two D-bags on those little minature crotch rockets gas powered motorbikes.... They had the nerve to tell me to get out of the way... My brother made a call to Bylaw and he is waiting to hear back.

I'd report it

Submitted by winterrider on

I'm not a big law and order guy, but riding too fast on a bike path really agitates me (I consider too fast around 50 km/h and up). Seriously though, at least two people have died in the last couple of years in exactly the circumstances you describe (someone going too fast around a blind cornes). It should not be treated lightly, especially as there was a motor to boot.

u-locks

Submitted by umgray on

u-locks are not only good for locking bikes......Lets just say my australian mates know how to use them as boomarangs!

Not that I am advocating that kind of thing.

Lights

Submitted by billrennie on

Hey guys... It is now dark enough until past 8:00 am where front and rear lights will prevent a collision on the pathway... You can get outfitted at MEC or any other bike shop for about $20.... so why don't you?

While you're at it...

Submitted by winterrider on

Don't get a head light that's too bright, and if you do, then for all our sakes point it down. And don't forget, white on the front, red on the rear. Don't mix it up!

I passed too riders in succession this morning going the other way, the first one with red lights on the front (in addition to white, very confusing), and second the brightest headlight I've seen on a bike in a while. I was squinting a bit even though the sun was already up!

Remember, you'll end up in a crash anyway if the person coming toward you is blinded.

Nothings too bright

Submitted by Cword on

I've gone over the hood of a police car with a freshly charged 12v 10w Halogen.

Cop in the car said it wasn't bright enough.

Almost got another this morning going past 2 District Office, this time with a "Magic Shine" on full.

They're pushing me toward a full brightness strobe.

Truly, that sucks. I have

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Truly, that sucks. I have been lucky not to have this happen to me. My light is a bit brighter than a MS, and is aimed so that the centre of the beam pattern [spot as opposed to flood] is about 30' ahead of me. My wife's light is about 3x brighter than a MS on high, but it's a flood pattern - very even, but quite spread out. I find the spot does a better job of getting people's attention when we're moving fast.

It is too bright on the path

Submitted by winterrider on

I have no problem with super bright lights on bikes while they're on the road. But once on the path they pose a hazard. The problem is that since we pass oncoming cyclists with only a foot between us, the glare is much worse, not to mention that given how dark some of the paths are it only amplifies the effect.

I would suggest having two front lights, one can be as bright as you like, but should be reserved for road use only. Have another one for the paths. When I have two lights I also usually set the dimmer one to blinking while on the road, adds a little extra attention grabbing power without being too annoying.

can't win

Submitted by RichieRich on

Too much:
'Tis true the MS light is quite bright - works awesome when riding on the roads and MTB trails (Silver Spring MTB trails are super fun at 7am). Sometimes, I confess, I forget to change it to "low" setting and rotate it downwards once on the paths. Sorry folks... will try to remember.

Since I also have a helmet light I'm not really inclined to add a 3rd blinky to my setup as there's enough jewelry on the handlebars already.

I'd rather see and be seen.

Too little:
That said, last week commuting into work I was merging onto Home Road from the church.. started to go.. then barely, just barely, saw some dude come flying down. Of course wearing all black, and had the most pathetic single-led blinky on the front. Worse yet he had several all-white blinkys on the back. At the lights, once I caught up, I tried to suggest politely that 1) he was almost impossible to see from the front so that might be a safety issue and 2) white light in front, red in back. He got p*ssed off at me and said he didn't have any problem with it. The attitude was enough for me and there was no point in a "debate". So much for trying constructive advise. Hope he figures it out before he becomes a "hood-ornament".

Don't let the attitude get to you

Submitted by winterrider on

Most peoples reaction's in that case is immediately to go on the defensive, but I know in my case I'll often times reevaluate what someone has said later on.

Obviously this guy either doesn't know the law, or doesn't care. If its the first case, then hey, you've just educated him, and once he know's perhaps he'll change.

If it's the second case, that he doesn't care about the law, it may well be that peer pressure (such as from fellow cyclists) will cause a change in attitude. You may not be there to see it, but it will happen if enough people point it out (I do when I get the chance).

Sunrise sensation

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Out the door, turn right, turn left - BAM! Sweet sunrise. Oh, it warms my heart.
Other than a couple moronic cyclists on the sidewalk, it was a great ride in.

First chinook of the year? I

Submitted by scottmeyers on

First chinook of the year? I could feel the west wind warming up as I got closer to the core... I was cold when I left the house with full leg warmers, shorts and a hoody. I was over dressed by the time I got downtown.

How about this...

Submitted by winterrider on

I don't know if it was 9 degrees at COP, but I live right below COP at the bottom of the hill and it was still -1 when I hit the road at 7:45. Maybe I should ride up the hill instead of heading in along the river.

It was ZEROish in Bowmont Park!!

Submitted by gyrospanner on

When I rode through around 9am, there was still frost on the grass in places.....

When I got to the office downtown, I felt a couple of really warm downdrafts as the chinook hit the top of the buildings.

I'm really enjoying the sunshine....

wx

Submitted by RichieRich on

www.wx.ca

best local weather site... gives wind speed, direction, trends, etc etc... I *always* check this before leaving work - don't want to be that dude dressed for -10C when it's +15C... or vice versa.

I use WX daily

Submitted by gyrospanner on

Actually twice a day or more!

The difference in temps at the different locations some days is quite amusing! The Strathcona "home base" and COP temp was +8 or so, the airport was near zero, and as I mentioned it was zero down by the river in Bowmont.

The Almanac page is handy also, if you watch the sunrise and sunset times so you know when to bring out the lights. For example, sunrise and sunset are at 8:00 and 18:46 today. The day before the clock change, they will occur around 8:15 and 18:30. After the switch, that means they will occur at about 07:15 and 17:30. Enjoy riding home in the dark?

Clear skies today

Submitted by bclark on

It was nice to see some stars shining in the sky this morning.

All the light debate is interesting. It wasn't long ago we were all either riding without lights, with barely visible blinkies or with big heavy batteries that lasted 1/2 hour! The technology has come along way and the cost has come way down. It's just good to know that most of us are quite visible now.

Time to dig out some warmer clothes and think about swapping the 700C's for 26-ers with knobs.

Mittens and shorts

Submitted by pinkrobe on

After a night ride in Fish Creek yesterday where I couldn't feel my hands after 20 minutes, I dug out the mitts this morning. 1C at the house! Boo! Good ride in otherwise.

finally fessing up

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

time to spill the beans, I turned 60 on Monday Oct 11....unlike someone else on this forum I did NOT ride 60K to celebrate the day....instead for at least 4 days I ate several pieces of pumpkin pie, lots of turkey and ham, and many other "deeelish" trimmings. I have cycled to work everyday this week feeling like the great pumpkin astride my bike! The weather has been balmy and lovely, the crunch of leaves under my tires sounds so neat....and as soon as I stop feeling fat and can get my breath back I'm sure I'll enjoy it a whole lot more!! Enjoy the 22C plus temps this afternoon everyone.

Me Too

Submitted by BCDon on

Yup, turned 60 this fall (September). Didn't celebrate much that day and just had ACL Surgery done so I'm sitting here with my leg up, icing it on a regular (every hour or so) basis.

Not sure how long it'll be until I get back on the bike outdoors.

Rode an 80

Submitted by BCDon on

Rode an 80 last weekend if that helps. That'll the last ride outside for awhile as it'll be a bit of time before I can ride outside again (especially in slippery conditions).

BUT, I did purchase a CompuTrainer for the house so once I get the OK to be on a Stationary bike I'll be on that and when I can start to put more pressure on the pedals I'll get some decent miles in.

Fluffy rain

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Hmmm. The "rain" that was falling on the way in seemed alot more like fluffy white stuff. Hmmm. Anyway, no real drama on the way in, although people were driving a bit faster than normal. Oh, and once again, running road tires at 100 psi provides more speed than running them at 60 psi. I swear I checked them last week...

Windy

Submitted by sherryrunswest on

My only rant for this morning was the wind. No matter which direction I was riding it felt like the wind was in my face. Felt very sluggish. At least I beat the rain/snow.

Wind was good for me

Submitted by winterrider on

I was flying in from the west this morning. Every time the wind dropped off it felt like I was in a windstorm, but that was just the normal amount of headwind made to feel worse as I was going so fast.

Great ride except for the wet bum I got since I bravely brought the good bike today (without a rear fender), and the resulting wet chair when I forgot about my wet bum and sat down as soon as I got into the office. Good thing I have a towel handy.

wore these for the first time

Submitted by NW_Tri_and_Bike on

I got them as a cold weather/rain road shoe. Anyways so far so good. There is an MTB version out there as well. I will keep using my Exustar Winter Mtb shoes for one more winter and then I might get a better winter Mtb shoe...

I only paid $209 CAD ... new with tags/no box (some poor dude in the US was selling his life away on ebay (looked like a lost job situation to me)

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=16956

May be breaking out my winter shoes sooner

Submitted by sherryrunswest on

Bought the Pearl Izumi Barrier GTX a few weeks back but haven't needed them yet. Haven't even had to put the shoe covers on yet with my regular shoes (I use alpaca wool insoles in my cycling shoes and I wear wool socks so my feet stay toasty warm usually till about freezing or just below). I'm looking forward to trying out the PIs.

Same here

Submitted by pinkrobe on

My new Shimano MW80 shoes have been sitting beside my bed with cleats installed for a few weeks. I don't think it's quite time to get them out, but they are ready to go. I also have a cheap pair of clipless light hikers on the way that should get me through the just-below-zero-mornings-but-warm-in-the-afternoon days that lie ahead.

Have you tried shoe covers? I

Submitted by winterrider on

Have you tried shoe covers? I use one or two layers of neoprene shoe cover with an optional wind/water proof shell overtop (all from MEC). I put on as many as I need in the morning to keep my feet warm, and take of as many as necessary and shove them in my saddlebag for the ride home.

Bonus is the cheap covers take all the weather abuse all winter. I bought brand new white shoes last fall, rode all winter in them (every work day), and this spring when I showed up for my first group ride everyone was making fun of me for not having even used them. Little did they know... :)

Horses for courses

Submitted by pinkrobe on

I don't use shoe covers that often. I find I have trouble getting a good fit with the non-stretchy type. With the stretchy neoprene models, I find they compress my foot enough that they restrict my circulation and leave my feet cold. I do have a pair of PI covers that I wear when road riding in bleagh conditions, but I prefer the insulated shoes in almost all situations.

I like

Submitted by NW_Tri_and_Bike on

neoprene toe covers for certain sitations but winter shoes are nice... I am looking forward to seeing how these perform in the wet.

Hard to climb out of the

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

Hard to climb out of the cacoon this morning, with the cold air coming in thru' the open window and the rain/snow pelting against the pane.....once I got going not so bad, had a wet butt....whatever, I'm here now and the home time ride should be dry (I think)

Dry... maybe not

Submitted by winterrider on

So I was not expecting to see a snowstorm this morning. If anyone hasn't noticed you should look out the window.... or on second though, maybe best you wait until it's blown through.

In any case, I think we'll be lucky to have dry roads for the ride home, here's hoping!

Noted as well

Submitted by bclark on

I thought it was going to be raining this morning when I woke up. To my surprise I could still see the stars and there were two small ominous looking clouds. I say ominous because, coupled with the wind, they had that look that they were the leading edge of something bigger. It's just one of those things I think one can tell when they've lived in Calgary for a while. When I looked out at around 8am I was glad to have been in early!

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