My Morning Commute

[Dickie]

Gloves, arm warmers, smart wool jersey and knickers at 5:30am. Orange leaves on the ground, no gnats… perfect! If only there was a stand selling coffee and pumpkin scones right on the MVT this morning it would have been dream.

[DismalScientist]

This is awful. I had to wear my long sleeve dress shirt.:rolleyes:

[lordofthemark]

A beautiful ride, and again done in less than an hour. Best moment – on the MVT, there was a woman in a wheel chair, going SB, propelling along with what appeared to be ski poles at a pretty good pace. I nodded in salute, and resolved to take rule #5 more seriously.

[cyclingfool]

Absolutely gorgeous. Best time of year for riding is the next six weeks or so IMHO.

This is also when you start to get a sense for who is still going to riding to work come winter. People like me in shorts and a tee shirt, definitely. People in thin tights and light jackets maybe. Those who are already in heavier coats and fleece ear warmers on, doubtful. (BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…)

[Terpfan]

Pleasant ride in, but my toes were a little cold. Still getting used to clipless. I can tell I’m going to need the shoe covers once the temperature actually drops another 10 degrees. But I have zero idea what to buy so will be soliciting advice on shimano road shoe covers.

[Emm]

@lordofthemark 95111 wrote:

Best moment – on the MVT, there was a woman in a wheel chair, going SB, propelling along with what appeared to be ski poles at a pretty good pace. I nodded in salute, and resolved to take rule #5 more seriously.

I saw her going up a hill right outside gravely point and was VERY impressed. She totally out bad-assed everyone on the trail today. I wish I had 1/10th of the upper body strength she has.

@cyclingfool 95120 wrote:

This is also when you start to get a sense for who is still going to riding to work come winter. People like me in shorts and a tee shirt, definitely. People in thin tights and light jackets maybe. Those who are already in heavier coats and fleece ear warmers on, doubtful. (BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…)

I was in knee length leggings and a light jacket with a light long sleeved shirt underneath today. First mile my hands and legs were cold, my upper body was perfect. I should have taken this as a warning sign… By the time I got to work I was an overheated sweaty mess up top, and perfect everywhere else. I think I have now determined 55 degrees means t-shirt and light jacket/pullover. My shirt was pretty much soaked when I took it off this morning.

So that you have another reference point for fall clothing/length of riding season: I plan to stop biking when it gets around 40 degrees in the AM. I biked in late March early April last year and found that to be the temp when it goes from “THIS IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!!” to “I want to turn around, go home, and sit by a space heater for an hour”.

[Supermau]

@cyclingfool 95120 wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous. Best time of year for riding is the next six weeks or so IMHO.

This is also when you start to get a sense for who is still going to riding to work come winter. People like me in shorts and a tee shirt, definitely. People in thin tights and light jackets maybe. Those who are already in heavier coats and fleece ear warmers on, doubtful. (BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…)

Interesting observation. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed shorts and tee this morning, at least not at first. I don’t know how far into the season I’ll make it since this is really my first attempt at year-round riding but I’m up for the challenge. Seems easier to have to remove layers rather than add them during a ride.

[Steve]

I was in knickers, a long sleved running shirt and a short sleve jersey over that. Wool cap, but no gloves or ear warmers. I only wish I’d had thin gloves, as my hands were cold for the first half of the ride.

The past two winters, I’ve really only not rode once or twice because of temps, when it went well below 10 degrees. Even then, the temps didn’t concern me as far as riding goes, just the thought of something mechanical happening and how that might put me in a bad spot with the temps. My commute goes from about 545-630 in the morning, and so it’s very dark in the winter and not many other riders out (like I usually only see a couple of other people).

[Subby]

This isn’t about MY morning commute, but my kids’ morning commute. They are 6th graders (twin boys) and we probably live a mile from school (as the streets wind). They get bus service. Today they decided they would ride their bikes to school, on their own. I had locks for them but other than that, I didn’t do anything. I left on my commute about an hour before they left for school. They checked their tires, etc. and according to my wife, pushed off at 8am, by themselves. No absence notification robocall from the school, so we assume they made it safely.

One of my many regrets is missing out on kidical stuff when they were little. The fact that they are starting to get into this even a little late, makes me extremely happy. 😎

[hozn]

@cyclingfool 95120 wrote:

This is also when you start to get a sense for who is still going to riding to work come winter. People like me in shorts and a tee shirt, definitely. People in thin tights and light jackets maybe. Those who are already in heavier coats and fleece ear warmers on, doubtful. (BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…)

I think you’ll find that everyone is different. For example, I figured that the guy riding out west wearing shorts/short-sleeves was likely a fool that had never ridden in sub-40 temperatures (my computer said 37F in Hunter Mill valley), but maybe he was comfortable (he didn’t really look comfortable; he looked cold). And I see people more bundled than I’d expect and I know they ride all winter. People have different temperature comfort levels, different circulation, etc. I was very comfortable in ear warmers, cap, long-sleeve jersey, knickers. No sweat; but I was just doing a Z2 ride. (And I, like pretty much everyone on this forum, ride through the winter.)

[dbb]

I’m still in my Keen bike sandals and am aiming remaining sock free till 1 October. Tee shirt and shorts were comfortable (but brisk) along the river at about 0630.

[lordofthemark]

@Emm 95131 wrote:

I saw her going up a hill right outside gravely point and was VERY impressed. She totally out bad-assed everyone on the trail today. I wish I had 1/10th of the upper body strength she has.

Which BTW means you passed me just before that. I was wearing my orange BTWD t shirt and shorts and have an orange and black backpack.

[vern]

@cyclingfool 95120 wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous. Best time of year for riding is the next six weeks or so IMHO.

This is also when you start to get a sense for who is still going to riding to work come winter. People like me in shorts and a tee shirt, definitely. People in thin tights and light jackets maybe. Those who are already in heavier coats and fleece ear warmers on, doubtful. (BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…)

It also depends on what time you head out. I left at 5:45 when it was still dark and 45 degrees. I wanted leg warmers, long sleeves and liner gloves. But as the sun came up so did the temperature (also because I was headed east towards the city) and I didn’t need the extra length and gloves.

[mstone]

@cyclingfool 95120 wrote:

BTW, how do those people not sweat to death? I got sweaty in a short sleeve tee? I’d have lost a gallon in sweat and been drenched from head to toe like a wrestler trying to make weight if I wore that much stuff…

I’d be sweaty riding naked in January. It’s basically a question of being cold and sweaty or warm and sweaty.

If I see someone riding around in short sleeves in sub-40 weather my first thought isn’t, “that’s hardcore”, it’s, “poor guy needs more long sleeve wool jerseys”.

[hozn]

@mstone 95181 wrote:

If I see someone riding around in short sleeves in sub-40 weather my first thought isn’t, “that’s hardcore”, it’s, “poor guy needs more long sleeve wool jerseys”.

Yeah, it does seem a little silly to consider someone hardcore because they are under-dressed (or we’ll just say “differently dressed”) while they’re out on a bike ride. If they don’t own and can’t afford any clothes or non-bicycle transportation and it’s raining in the 30s, then I guess it might be hardcore. But I find it very hard to attribute the adjective “hardcore” to a discretionary activity like riding one’s bicycle to work.

Woah, did you see how much caviar and champagne that guy consumed? That’s hardcore!

[Author]

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