My Morning Commute

[KelOnWheels]

@sjclaeys 54108 wrote:

This morning was just too nice.

It was REAAAAAALLY hard to make the bike go fast while it was pointed in the direction of work.

I bet it would have gone faster pointed in the direction of coffee and bacon.

[consularrider]

@KelOnWheels 54132 wrote:

It was REAAAAAALLY hard to make the bike go fast while it was pointed in the direction of work.

I bet it would have gone faster pointed in the direction of coffee and bacon.

The scent of frying bacon was in the air near the Java Shack last Friday for FCCII. I never could pinpoint its source.

[mello yello]

The weather yesterday made me regret not riding (had after-work errands to do)
This morning was a glorious day, I was really enjoying my trip in…

until I was pedaling hard around a corner and my left pedal fell off. I was standing on it and when it went my weight shifted suddenly and over I went, sort of on my side and back… it felt like slow motion, but I felt the helmet bounce harder than I expected. I hit the hard points on the pavement; elbow, ankle, knee, (helmet). I landed on my bag of clothes so that kept my hip from hitting too. Ouch! I re-attached the pedal (how did that work loose?), and put some band-aids on when I got to work. I’m realizing that I usually rest my elbows on the chair armrests, so it’s a bit awkward keeping it raised.

Anyway, valuable lesson: check your equipment before heading out. I only checked my tires.

[KelOnWheels]

@consularrider 54139 wrote:

The scent of frying bacon was in the air near the Java Shack last Friday for FCCII. I never could pinpoint its source.

My GoogleFu tells me there is a Five Guys nearby. They fry all their bacon in the morning and shoot magical bacon smell out into the air.

Source: Worked across the street from a Five Guys.

[consularrider]

@KelOnWheels 54161 wrote:

My GoogleFu tells me there is a Five Guys nearby. They fry all their bacon in the morning and shoot magical bacon smell out into the air.

Source: Worked across the street from a Five Guys.

But the Courthouse Five Guys was in the other direction and over a block away, wierd wind patterns?

[ebubar]

@consularrider 54166 wrote:

But the Courthouse Five Guys was in the other direction and over a block away, wierd wind patterns?

Bacon is special. It exists in a higher plane of existence and is not subject to the immutable laws of physics that otherwise govern our earthly realm.

[Steve]

@consularrider 54139 wrote:

The scent of frying bacon was in the air near the Java Shack last Friday for FCCII. I never could pinpoint its source.

Perhaps Earl’s was roasting some pork for the day? Mmmmmmm…..Earl’s…..

[Dickie]

Bacon is a spice, at least that’s what I tell my cardiologist!

[mello yello]

This morning was a gorgeous morning. I got up early and didn’t forget shoes or belt this time.

But… I lost a pedal at mile 5. I don’t know how it backed out, I’d felt a little squirrelly, like riding on a low tire, but they were inflated.
So, it let go on me with no warning, pushing into a corner, and I overbalanced and went down hard. I hit all the hard bones except my hip (landed on my bag) on my left hand side – ankle, knee, elbow, head (helmets work!). So, I collected some bruises and bloodstains and a little road rash, then had to re-attach my pedal with the allen set and ride another 5 miles. Grrr. Way to ruin a great ride.

No other cyclists, but a nice lady in a car stopped to ask if I was OK.

I’d switched the clips to a clipless/platform combo pedal for BTWD, and really had to crank on the old ones with a big cheater bar to get them loose, and I thought I cranked the new ones in well enough, but I guess not.

[KLizotte]

@mello yello 54227 wrote:

This morning was a gorgeous morning. I got up early and didn’t forget shoes or belt this time.

But… I lost a pedal at mile 5. I don’t know how it backed out, I’d felt a little squirrelly, like riding on a low tire, but they were inflated.
So, it let go on me with no warning, pushing into a corner, and I overbalanced and went down hard. I hit all the hard bones except my hip (landed on my bag) on my left hand side – ankle, knee, elbow, head (helmets work!). So, I collected some bruises and bloodstains and a little road rash, then had to re-attach my pedal with the allen set and ride another 5 miles. Grrr. Way to ruin a great ride.

No other cyclists, but a nice lady in a car stopped to ask if I was OK.

I’d switched the clips to a clipless/platform combo pedal for BTWD, and really had to crank on the old ones with a big cheater bar to get them loose, and I thought I cranked the new ones in well enough, but I guess not.

Ouchy, ouchy. So sorry to hear about your crash; glad you are largely ok. I’ve never changed my own pedals so can’t offer much except that I know one of the pedals gets screwed on backwards (i.e., the threads go the other way). I’m sure others on the forum will have far superior insights into these mechanical matters.

I hope you continue bike commuting though.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KLizotte 54234 wrote:

Ouchy, ouchy. So sorry to hear about your crash; glad you are largely ok. I’ve never changed my own pedals so can’t offer much except that I know one of the pedals gets screwed on backwards (i.e., the threads go the other way). I’m sure others on the forum will have far superior insights into these mechanical matters.

I hope you continue bike commuting though.

Yah, hope you’re okay! Like KLizotte said, pedals screw in in such a way that they should self-tighten as you pedal, so it’s possible you reversed them…or maybe the threads got messed up when you changed them. Also, it’s really important to grease the threads so they don’t seize up in the crankarms (which is basically why you had such a hard time removing your old pedals). If you didn’t do that, I suggest going back and doing it ASAP.

[brendan]

@TwoWheelsDC 54235 wrote:

Yah, hope you’re okay! Like KLizotte said, pedals screw in in such a way that they should self-tighten as you pedal, so it’s possible you reversed them…or maybe the threads got messed up when you changed them. Also, it’s really important to grease the threads so they don’t seize up in the crankarms (which is basically why you had such a hard time removing your old pedals). If you didn’t do that, I suggest going back and doing it ASAP.

Riding the towpath past mile 25 or so, I had a pedal come off the…pedal spindle once, no crash though.

They’re not particularly field repairable. So, I slipped it back on, clipped in and rode gently, having to push it back on the spindle every half mile or so, until I got to Leesburg and bough some new pedals. I’d been looking into upgrading the Forte “campus” pedals to the Shimano “campus” pedals anyway…

Brendan

[KelOnWheels]

@mello yello 54227 wrote:

This morning was a gorgeous morning. I got up early and didn’t forget shoes or belt this time.

But… I lost a pedal at mile 5. I don’t know how it backed out, I’d felt a little squirrelly, like riding on a low tire, but they were inflated.
So, it let go on me with no warning, pushing into a corner, and I overbalanced and went down hard. I hit all the hard bones except my hip (landed on my bag) on my left hand side – ankle, knee, elbow, head (helmets work!). So, I collected some bruises and bloodstains and a little road rash, then had to re-attach my pedal with the allen set and ride another 5 miles. Grrr. Way to ruin a great ride.

No other cyclists, but a nice lady in a car stopped to ask if I was OK.

I’d switched the clips to a clipless/platform combo pedal for BTWD, and really had to crank on the old ones with a big cheater bar to get them loose, and I thought I cranked the new ones in well enough, but I guess not.

Ouch! Glad you are OK!

[KelOnWheels]

My quads made me take the Metro today

Apparently one uses different muscles when riding road bike vs. MTB. WHO KNEW?!

[NicDiesel]

First commute over to my other office that I turned into an AF warm-up ride. Only managed 24 miles (I had hoped for 30) but I didn’t want to push it and aggravate my foot. Too bad Strava only lets you filter at the 200lbs and above range, I’d be KOM in the 300+ class.[ATTACH=CONFIG]3046[/ATTACH]

[Author]

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