Author Topic: November Cycling Challenge 2015  (Read 19329 times)

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #50 on: November 18, 2015, 09:06:42 AM »
Oh, and prices from Nov 1st through the start of the tracking spreadsheet (Yes, I'm a bit obsessive and pulled these off of the 1 month USA average graph):
November 1, 2015   2.19
November 2, 2015   2.19
November 3, 2015   2.20
November 4, 2015   2.22
November 5, 2015   2.22
November 6, 2015   2.22
November 7, 2015   2.22
November 8, 2015   2.22
November 9, 2015   2.22
November 10, 2015   2.21
November 11, 2015   2.20
November 12, 2015   2.20
November 13, 2015   2.19
November 14, 2015   2.18
November 15, 2015   2.16
November 16, 2015   2.15

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #51 on: November 18, 2015, 09:12:10 AM »
I like the seeing the numbers that show how much was saved in gas per biking trip; however, I always feel a bit annoyed when gas prices fall and all of the "Cost if driven" numbers fall.  Conversely, if gas goes up, it is fun to see all of those numbers tick up.  It is kind of fun to feel like I'm swimming against the current in a manner of speaking. 

Is it possible to use the GasBuddy xml to pull out the price of gas on a given day, and then add a column that has the gas price on that particular day so that the "Cost if driven" corresponds to the day the miles were logged?

Not that I really care - I love the speadsheet!  I was just curious - plus I'm a datahead. :D

Unfortunately, the IMPORTXML() function only grabs the current data on the website (which is today's). After looking around a bit at gasbuddy, I can't find historical daily data (although I did find this pay historical data site, but I'm only willing to spend time on the challenge, not money). I did spend a little bit of time setting something like this up moving forward. I created a spreadsheet that will grab the daily data from Gasbuddy, and put it into a spreadsheet. I won't modify the Cycling Challenge at this time, and still need to wait until tomorrow to ensure the trigger works. That being said, read only access is available here. In theory, it will grab the data every day from GasBuddy, and enter the static values in the Data spreadsheet with the date. Anyone can access this, and you can manually edit your own sheet each month. Working on a more friendly way to copy paste for ease of use.

Excellent!  Thank you!
For those interested, you can import the values from the spreadsheet that is updating with the daily gas prices with this formula:
=IMPORTRANGE("1AJhRLVL4OJjH4RxlNv83cCMfLYkezVw4tV15ltyf7_U", "Data!A1:B32")

You're awesome! :D


I'll get the data that you have entered into the sheet. That will screw up your importrange numbers depending on where you set the IMPORTRANGE. If you want to be all obsessive and get the canadian numbers too, that would be awesome.

Also, for those of you in Canada, how the hell do your gas prices work? Is the Canadian dollar that weak? I'm showing > 100 for these.



TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #52 on: November 18, 2015, 11:11:09 AM »

Also, for those of you in Canada, how the hell do your gas prices work? Is the Canadian dollar that weak? I'm showing > 100 for these.

Yup, the Canadian $ is super weak right now. No online shopping from US sites or US vacations for us.

I'm not sure I understand the gas price question. Gas here is sold by the litre. One L = 0.264172 US ga. Locally, the price is about $1.18/L or $4.47/ga in CAD. If you put the gas price in the spreadsheet, I'd ignore the currency conversion. Most of us buy gas by the L in CAD. The US/CAD currency conversion is irrelevant.

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #53 on: November 18, 2015, 11:41:42 AM »
Also, for those of you in Canada, how the hell do your gas prices work? Is the Canadian dollar that weak? I'm showing > 100 for these.

Yup, the Canadian $ is super weak right now. No online shopping from US sites or US vacations for us.

I'm not sure I understand the gas price question. Gas here is sold by the litre. One L = 0.264172 US ga. Locally, the price is about $1.18/L or $4.47/ga in CAD. If you put the gas price in the spreadsheet, I'd ignore the currency conversion. Most of us buy gas by the L in CAD. The US/CAD currency conversion is irrelevant.

Thanks TrMama!! I knew that it's sold by the liter (one day, I swear, we will switch to metric), but I was going off of what is listed on the GasBuddy site. Look at the statistics table on the left side of http://then.gasbuddy.com/. I don't know what it means exactly. Is it the canadian dollar? The current exchange rate is $1CAD = $.75USD, and there are around 3.78L to a gallon. Currently price in the US is $2.11/gallon. I'm beginning to think that the stats are per gallon, based on the canadian dollar, but feeling way too lazy to actually figure it out.

TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #54 on: November 18, 2015, 12:18:24 PM »
Also, for those of you in Canada, how the hell do your gas prices work? Is the Canadian dollar that weak? I'm showing > 100 for these.

Yup, the Canadian $ is super weak right now. No online shopping from US sites or US vacations for us.

I'm not sure I understand the gas price question. Gas here is sold by the litre. One L = 0.264172 US ga. Locally, the price is about $1.18/L or $4.47/ga in CAD. If you put the gas price in the spreadsheet, I'd ignore the currency conversion. Most of us buy gas by the L in CAD. The US/CAD currency conversion is irrelevant.

Thanks TrMama!! I knew that it's sold by the liter (one day, I swear, we will switch to metric), but I was going off of what is listed on the GasBuddy site. Look at the statistics table on the left side of http://then.gasbuddy.com/. I don't know what it means exactly. Is it the canadian dollar? The current exchange rate is $1CAD = $.75USD, and there are around 3.78L to a gallon. Currently price in the US is $2.11/gallon. I'm beginning to think that the stats are per gallon, based on the canadian dollar, but feeling way too lazy to actually figure it out.

I'm pretty sure those numbers in the 100 range are the price of gas in c/L (cents/litre), measured in CAD. If you click on http://then.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?time=3 you can generate charts gas price charts based on region and have the data reported in US $/ga or CAD c/L.

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #55 on: November 18, 2015, 04:02:12 PM »
Also, for those of you in Canada, how the hell do your gas prices work? Is the Canadian dollar that weak? I'm showing > 100 for these.

Yup, the Canadian $ is super weak right now. No online shopping from US sites or US vacations for us.

I'm not sure I understand the gas price question. Gas here is sold by the litre. One L = 0.264172 US ga. Locally, the price is about $1.18/L or $4.47/ga in CAD. If you put the gas price in the spreadsheet, I'd ignore the currency conversion. Most of us buy gas by the L in CAD. The US/CAD currency conversion is irrelevant.

Thanks TrMama!! I knew that it's sold by the liter (one day, I swear, we will switch to metric), but I was going off of what is listed on the GasBuddy site. Look at the statistics table on the left side of http://then.gasbuddy.com/. I don't know what it means exactly. Is it the canadian dollar? The current exchange rate is $1CAD = $.75USD, and there are around 3.78L to a gallon. Currently price in the US is $2.11/gallon. I'm beginning to think that the stats are per gallon, based on the canadian dollar, but feeling way too lazy to actually figure it out.

I'm pretty sure those numbers in the 100 range are the price of gas in c/L (cents/litre), measured in CAD. If you click on http://then.gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx?time=3 you can generate charts gas price charts based on region and have the data reported in US $/ga or CAD c/L.

BE PREPARED FOR IGNORANT US RESIDENT QUESTION: Your logic makes sense. I don't want to assume anything, and like I said, I'm not modifying the main cycling challenge sheet as of yet. However, are there 100 cents to a Canadian Dollar?

Also, are you okay if I reach out to you if I decide to incorporate this into the main sheet? It seems like way too much work for what this is, but since I'm grabbing the data daily, who knows?

Jack

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #56 on: November 18, 2015, 06:08:20 PM »
My commute home tonight was a little bit... damp.

When I rode my bike along the street with 1" deep flowing water, I thought to myself "the drivers probably think I'm insane." When I walked my bike through shin-deep standing water on the sidewalk, I thought to myself "maybe those drivers are right!"

(By the way, my route home has an easy transit alternative, but I chose to ride my bike anyway.)

Also, now I probably need to re-grease my bottom bracket.  : /

ohyonghao

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #57 on: November 18, 2015, 06:09:42 PM »
Funny thing in Taiwan, also sold by liters, but the conversion is like 30TWD to 1USD, and with the conversion for liters to gallons it works out to be a similar looking number with the decimal in the wrong place, something like 35TWD/l when it was 3.50USD/gal.  Of course then I rode a scooter which cost me 100TWD to fill up.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #58 on: November 18, 2015, 06:10:44 PM »
My commute home tonight was a little bit... damp.

When I rode my bike along the street with 1" deep flowing water, I thought to myself "the drivers probably think I'm insane." When I walked my bike through shin-deep standing water on the sidewalk, I thought to myself "maybe those drivers are right!"

(By the way, my route home has an easy transit alternative, but I chose to ride my bike anyway.)

Also, now I probably need to re-grease my bottom bracket.  : /

But, you got extra badass points this way!!!! :D

SweetTPi

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #59 on: November 19, 2015, 09:52:30 AM »
Thanks for the video, very timely for me.  I didn't break anything or bruise a spinal cord but I did get into my first bike accident that left me on the ground.

I haven't watched either video- too soon since I also just had my first 'adult' accident on Nov 7th.  (I crashed a few times as a kid and have the scars to prove it.)  I was out on a group fun ride.  I was having fun talking and this wasn't observant enough- I caught the uneven lip near the side of the road with my tire and went down sideways.  It was more than an inch drop from the road to the poured concrete gutter.  The bad thing was, there was someone behind me who had nowhere to go but over me, and ended up more hurt than I was.  Anyway, I mainly had really sore muscles, but I do have a deep muscle/bone bruise on my leg that I'm going to have to let heal up before I start biking again, as it is still aching when walking.  Going without my daily bike commute is killing me, though.  I'm glad that there's no video of the crash- remembering it is bad enough.

Oh, and I'll take this opportunity to advocate for wearing helmets properly- mine did its job, taking the impact for me and cracking.  (And before the controversy starts up- yes, I understand not wearing one too.  I occasionally don't when I'm going for a slow easy ride on a protected path, and I think it's okay to use your judgement.  Just know that no matter how good you are on a bike, accidents happen faster than you think, and it barely takes time to put one on.)

TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #60 on: November 19, 2015, 10:53:48 AM »
BE PREPARED FOR IGNORANT US RESIDENT QUESTION: Your logic makes sense. I don't want to assume anything, and like I said, I'm not modifying the main cycling challenge sheet as of yet. However, are there 100 cents to a Canadian Dollar?

Also, are you okay if I reach out to you if I decide to incorporate this into the main sheet? It seems like way too much work for what this is, but since I'm grabbing the data daily, who knows?

Yes, 100 cents to the dollar. I have no idea why gas here is sold in c/L. I have a hunch it's a holdover from when gas was <$1/L.

Of course, you're welcome to pester me with more questions. It makes me feel so smart ;-)

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #61 on: November 19, 2015, 12:37:34 PM »
Thanks for the video, very timely for me.  I didn't break anything or bruise a spinal cord but I did get into my first bike accident that left me on the ground.

I haven't watched either video- too soon since I also just had my first 'adult' accident on Nov 7th.  (I crashed a few times as a kid and have the scars to prove it.)  I was out on a group fun ride.  I was having fun talking and this wasn't observant enough- I caught the uneven lip near the side of the road with my tire and went down sideways.  It was more than an inch drop from the road to the poured concrete gutter.  The bad thing was, there was someone behind me who had nowhere to go but over me, and ended up more hurt than I was.  Anyway, I mainly had really sore muscles, but I do have a deep muscle/bone bruise on my leg that I'm going to have to let heal up before I start biking again, as it is still aching when walking.  Going without my daily bike commute is killing me, though.  I'm glad that there's no video of the crash- remembering it is bad enough.

Oh, and I'll take this opportunity to advocate for wearing helmets properly- mine did its job, taking the impact for me and cracking.  (And before the controversy starts up- yes, I understand not wearing one too.  I occasionally don't when I'm going for a slow easy ride on a protected path, and I think it's okay to use your judgement.  Just know that no matter how good you are on a bike, accidents happen faster than you think, and it barely takes time to put one on.)

I've heard a lot of stories about people crashing (including the one earlier), and I have known a few people who have cracked their helmets instead of their heads (remember: those things are only good for one serious crash, and then it has to be replaced). I still have absolutely no opinion on the subject of wearing helmets (although some strong ones regarding legislation surrounding the issue), and primarily wear mine as a way to attach the crazy amount of peripherals I use (tail light, two front facing lights, GoPro, etc). That being said, the video I posted doesn't have footage of the crash, just the recovery. I find it quite inspiring. None of my crashes have been nearly that bad, and that's a good thing. He recovered mostly, and that's also a good thing. Also, at one stage of the recovery, my friend looked like a robot, and that's a super awesome thing!!

As a major cycling advocate, and someone who is currently practicing a zen outlook, I personally felt that the video did a good job of reminding me of the potential risks we face every day (due to the fact that we are surrounded by unattentive people, wrapped in 1000s of pounds of metal) and we all rock by biking instead of driving. Also, I don't know this for a fact, but I'm pretty sure being a biker makes one a better driver.

BE PREPARED FOR IGNORANT US RESIDENT QUESTION: Your logic makes sense. I don't want to assume anything, and like I said, I'm not modifying the main cycling challenge sheet as of yet. However, are there 100 cents to a Canadian Dollar?

Also, are you okay if I reach out to you if I decide to incorporate this into the main sheet? It seems like way too much work for what this is, but since I'm grabbing the data daily, who knows?

Yes, 100 cents to the dollar. I have no idea why gas here is sold in c/L. I have a hunch it's a holdover from when gas was <$1/L.

Of course, you're welcome to pester me with more questions. It makes me feel so smart ;-)

Glad I have the ability to make you feel smart!! I had no idea that it was how gas was sold. That explains the numbers perfectly.

80Westy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #62 on: November 20, 2015, 04:07:21 PM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

Nancy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #63 on: November 20, 2015, 05:02:07 PM »
I wear wool socks and hiking boots. Works well for me at 30F.

ohyonghao

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #64 on: November 20, 2015, 05:05:57 PM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

I wear wool socks and hiking boots. Works well for me at 30F.

Last winter I wore wool socks and hiking boots.  For my road bike with cleated shoes I have booties that made a huge difference, but I guess YMMV.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #65 on: November 20, 2015, 05:37:19 PM »
On a similar topic - what do people wear on their hands?  I have a pair of biking gloves, but they aren't going to cut it when it gets below 20F.

Nancy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #66 on: November 20, 2015, 08:06:23 PM »
Gloves = Trash Bags Garbage Picker Mittens
They are expensive, but they were so worth it for me. Two winters ago, I felt like my fingers might shatter every time I shifted or applied the breaks. Last winter, I bought the Garbage Picker Mittens, and my fingers were so happy.

I would wait to buy gloves until you know how often you're going to ride and how cold your hands get with the gloves you own.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #67 on: November 20, 2015, 08:25:03 PM »
Gloves = Trash Bags Garbage Picker Mittens
They are expensive, but they were so worth it for me. Two winters ago, I felt like my fingers might shatter every time I shifted or applied the breaks. Last winter, I bought the Garbage Picker Mittens, and my fingers were so happy.

I would wait to buy gloves until you know how often you're going to ride and how cold your hands get with the gloves you own.
It was in the 20s a few days ago and my fingers wanted to fall off.  I'm planning on biking every day (5 weeks straight so far, woot!)  I think at this point the question isn't am I going to get heavier gloves? - the question is what kind and can I find some for a reasonable price?

Nancy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #68 on: November 20, 2015, 09:02:48 PM »
 Well the Garbage Pickers got me through Boston's winter last year.
https://trashmessengerbags.com/#/product/27

Good luck with your search!

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #69 on: November 20, 2015, 11:21:42 PM »
Another survivor!  Frankly, I'm surprised there is anyone left in the city! :D

Salivanth

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #70 on: November 23, 2015, 12:16:34 AM »
Well, I rode my commute in 35C / 95F heat, and I'm still alive. Bring it on, Australian summer!

That said, people around me are quite worried about me riding in 40C / 104F+ heat. I assume it's fine as long as I bring plenty of water (it seems that most people's default reaction to unusual circumstances is to worry about them) but I figured I may as well get a second opinion. Does anyone here ride in that kind of heat? My commute is about 12 km / 7.5 miles.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #71 on: November 23, 2015, 04:54:06 AM »
Well, I rode my commute in 35C / 95F heat, and I'm still alive. Bring it on, Australian summer!

That said, people around me are quite worried about me riding in 40C / 104F+ heat. I assume it's fine as long as I bring plenty of water (it seems that most people's default reaction to unusual circumstances is to worry about them) but I figured I may as well get a second opinion. Does anyone here ride in that kind of heat? My commute is about 12 km / 7.5 miles.

I've never ridden in that kind of weather, but I used to run in it a decent amount.  I never skipped a run because of heat, my hottest run was a 4 miler in 104F. 
The key things are:
a.  Build up a tolerance - make sure you have some heat exposure - such as biking all the other days!
b.  Drink lots of water - before, during, and after.
c.  Take it easier than you think you need to (i.e. bike slower). 
The most likely bad thing to happen would be fainting and falling off of your bike.  So if you feel dizzy - just stop the bike and get away from the road.  Don't try to push through that. 
YMMV, but that is how I'd approach the situation. 

I'm curious - what does everyone else think?

TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #72 on: November 23, 2015, 11:16:09 AM »
Well, I rode my commute in 35C / 95F heat, and I'm still alive. Bring it on, Australian summer!

That said, people around me are quite worried about me riding in 40C / 104F+ heat. I assume it's fine as long as I bring plenty of water (it seems that most people's default reaction to unusual circumstances is to worry about them) but I figured I may as well get a second opinion. Does anyone here ride in that kind of heat? My commute is about 12 km / 7.5 miles.

The biggest indicator is whether you feel sick after riding in that heat or not? If you feel OK, you're most likely just fine. If you feel sick, then you need to make some adjustments.

I can bike in dry heat like that, but I need fluid that includes electrolytes. I also like to dunk my shirt in cold water, wring it out, and then put it on. Helps keep me cooler. FTR I'm actually pretty wussy about heat.

TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #73 on: November 23, 2015, 11:23:12 AM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

I hate to state the obvious, but pants are probably called for here. As I tell my children, if your extremities are cold, but you're not wearing basic outerwear then the warmest mittens/socks/etc aren't going to help.

I wear fleece lined tights, regular thin socks, cleated bike shoes and heavyweight neoprene bike booties. My feet are always warm. Note that bike booties come in different thicknesses of neoprene. Thin ones suck.

jorjor

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #74 on: November 23, 2015, 12:40:43 PM »
On a similar topic - what do people wear on their hands?  I have a pair of biking gloves, but they aren't going to cut it when it gets below 20F.

I wear a pair of split-fingered mittens that look like lobster hands. They were pretty cheap on clearance at Performance Bike when I got them. I'll wear full-fingered cycling gloves down to about low-to-mid-30s and then turn to the mittens when it gets colder than that.

aetherie

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #75 on: November 23, 2015, 01:17:46 PM »
First day commuting below freezing:


jorjor

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #76 on: November 23, 2015, 01:46:14 PM »
Also when it is really cold, I wear a face mask and ski goggles instead of my normal sunglasses. No skin left exposed.

Nancy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #77 on: November 24, 2015, 08:10:36 AM »
aetherie awesome! It's face mask time. Wore mine and my aforementioned mittens, arrived to work toasty.

jorjor

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #78 on: November 24, 2015, 09:04:39 AM »
My biggest problem with winter commuting is hardly ever riding in the light of day. I ride in the morning when the sun is up, but it's cold enough that I have everything covered. I ride home in the evening in the dark. Today I partially wussed out and rode to the train station and hopped on the train most of the way. My company pays the cost of the train pass whether we use it or not, so it still cost me nothing...but I still felt like a wuss.

Last year, I talked my boss into letting me take a "siesta" for 2 hours in the afternoon in the winter so I could ride outside when it was light out and somewhat warm. I might have to start doing that again soon.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #79 on: November 24, 2015, 10:04:02 AM »
My biggest problem with winter commuting is hardly ever riding in the light of day. ...
I don't know why, but I love riding in the dark.  Perhaps it will get old after awhile, but right now it's fun.  Plus, everyone things I'm crazy - which just makes it more fun.
...now if I could just keep my fingers from freezing off...

jorjor

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #80 on: November 24, 2015, 10:19:30 AM »
My biggest problem with winter commuting is hardly ever riding in the light of day. ...
I don't know why, but I love riding in the dark.  Perhaps it will get old after awhile, but right now it's fun.  Plus, everyone things I'm crazy - which just makes it more fun.
...now if I could just keep my fingers from freezing off...

I actually don't hate the act of riding in the dark. I've done winter 2+ hour training rides in the dark without problem. It's the daily grind of rarely seeing the sun that gets me after a while.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #81 on: November 24, 2015, 10:27:41 AM »
My biggest problem with winter commuting is hardly ever riding in the light of day. ...
I don't know why, but I love riding in the dark.  Perhaps it will get old after awhile, but right now it's fun.  Plus, everyone things I'm crazy - which just makes it more fun.
...now if I could just keep my fingers from freezing off...

I actually don't hate the act of riding in the dark. I've done winter 2+ hour training rides in the dark without problem. It's the daily grind of rarely seeing the sun that gets me after a while.
What is this "sun" you speak of?

ditheca

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #82 on: November 24, 2015, 03:18:48 PM »
Committed to bike to work this winter.  Last year I gave up on Nov 1.  Month is almost over and I'm still going strong!

Today was the first day below freezing.

Re: freezing hands.. I bought these snowboard gloves to replace the thin gloves that were giving me frostbite.  They work great.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Men-s-Ski-Gloves-Snowboard-Gloves-Snowmobile-Motorcycle-Riding-Winter-Gloves-Windproof-Waterproof-Unisex-Snow/32232433292.html

80Westy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #83 on: November 25, 2015, 07:35:51 AM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

I hate to state the obvious, but pants are probably called for here. As I tell my children, if your extremities are cold, but you're not wearing basic outerwear then the warmest mittens/socks/etc aren't going to help.

I wear fleece lined tights, regular thin socks, cleated bike shoes and heavyweight neoprene bike booties. My feet are always warm. Note that bike booties come in different thicknesses of neoprene. Thin ones suck.

Pants, eh?  Hmm, let me see, I think you might be on to something here.

Optimiser

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #84 on: November 25, 2015, 09:01:24 AM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

I got on to ask the same question. I couldn't feel my feet when I got to work this morning, which made carrying my bike up the stairs to my office difficult. I haven't tried booties or wool socks yet, so there is obviously some room for improvement.

Nancy

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #85 on: November 25, 2015, 09:24:59 AM »
My biggest problem with winter commuting is hardly ever riding in the light of day. ...
I don't know why, but I love riding in the dark.  Perhaps it will get old after awhile, but right now it's fun.  Plus, everyone things I'm crazy - which just makes it more fun.
...now if I could just keep my fingers from freezing off...

I actually don't hate the act of riding in the dark. I've done winter 2+ hour training rides in the dark without problem. It's the daily grind of rarely seeing the sun that gets me after a while.
What is this "sun" you speak of?
I know not of this "sun."

jorjor

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #86 on: November 25, 2015, 09:34:12 AM »
Does anyone have suggestions on keeping feet warm?  I am still riding in shorts at 30F and legs feel OK, but toes are very cold after my 1 hour commute. Tried rain booties today but they barely made a difference.

I got on to ask the same question. I couldn't feel my feet when I got to work this morning, which made carrying my bike up the stairs to my office difficult. I haven't tried booties or wool socks yet, so there is obviously some room for improvement.

Down to about 30ish degrees, I'll use a neoprene cover like these: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1080301_-1_400094__400094

Below that, I need something more insulated. I can't find the exact one I have, but it's something like this: http://www.endurasport.com/products/?ProductID=684&initcode=E1117BK. The only time I've had an issue is riding a 3 hour ride in mid-teens temperatures, and only on the part I was going into the wind.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2015, 09:54:29 AM by jorjor »

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #87 on: November 26, 2015, 06:47:51 AM »
....
Below that, I need something more insulated. I can't find the exact one I have, but it's something like this: http://www.endurasport.com/products/?ProductID=684&initcode=E1117BK. The only time I've had an issue is riding a 3 hour ride in mid-teens temperatures, and only on the part I was going into the wind.
Totally off topic, but during cross-country in high school, when it was super cold (Think -10F) our coaches would drive us out of town in the direction of the wind so we could run home with the winds at our backs.  Not running was out of the question, of course.

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #88 on: November 26, 2015, 06:57:29 AM »
Question for the crowd:

What do people do to look behind themselves while commuting?  I feel like attempting this is the most dangerous thing I do -because I turn my head, so I'm taking my eyes off of the road ahead and cars do stupid shit. 

Do you:
a)  Turn your head over your shoulder?
b)  Have some sort of mirror - if so, what kind?

Thanks!

Salivanth

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #89 on: November 27, 2015, 06:17:57 AM »
If I need to look behind me, I just turn my head. If you're in a position where it could be dangerous to turn your head for a second, probably best just not to do so. Cars are very, very unlikely to rear-end you; they can see you in front of them after all. They'll slow down rather than run over someone.

aetherie

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #90 on: November 27, 2015, 02:47:50 PM »
Question for the crowd:

What do people do to look behind themselves while commuting?  I feel like attempting this is the most dangerous thing I do -because I turn my head, so I'm taking my eyes off of the road ahead and cars do stupid shit. 

Do you:
a)  Turn your head over your shoulder?
b)  Have some sort of mirror - if so, what kind?

Thanks!

I have a mirror mounted on my left handlebar. I think it's called a Mountain Mirrycle (my bike is a hybrid; they make a different model for road bikes).

TrMama

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #91 on: November 27, 2015, 04:35:53 PM »
Question for the crowd:

What do people do to look behind themselves while commuting?  I feel like attempting this is the most dangerous thing I do -because I turn my head, so I'm taking my eyes off of the road ahead and cars do stupid shit. 

Do you:
a)  Turn your head over your shoulder?
b)  Have some sort of mirror - if so, what kind?

Thanks!

I don't have a mirror. I refuse to get one since I'm pretty sure being able to see the constant stream of cars coming up behind me would just freak me right out. I turn my head, listen and use arm signals. If I need to change lanes or do something creative, I get into position way ahead of time and "take the lane" so I can't be cut off.

The caveat to all of that is that I don't ride in heavy city traffic. I commute from one burb to another and only deal with highways and residential streets.

Jack

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #92 on: November 27, 2015, 05:25:29 PM »
The vast majority of my commute is either (a) multi-use path, (b) quiet residential street, or (c) narrow urban street, in which case I take the lane. I rarely feel the need to look behind me in any of those situations, but when I do I just turn my head.

ohyonghao

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #93 on: November 30, 2015, 11:17:32 AM »
On my commuter helmet I have a mirror.  I don't see a constant stream of cars as the mirror is sort of smallish and you have to actually divert your eyes to see it.  But even with this mirror I use it as sort of a check if cars are behind me, if I don't see any, or they seem far away, then turn my head and check.  I do the same thing in the car, check mirrors, then turn my head and check.  Don't see why a bike should be any different.

On my road bike I don't ride with a mirror.  I just turn my head and check.

--

Today it was 27* out on my ride to work.  Felt pretty good riding out there, though my thighs were a little cold.  I was actually expecting it to have been a bit warmer out, but I assume the cloud cover last night came in late.  I also debated on driving again today, with the excuse that my shoulder still hurts a little, but if I can ride 100mi on the weekend I shouldn't be complaining about a little 3.5mi ride to work.

Jeremy E.

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #94 on: November 30, 2015, 11:23:32 AM »
Time for someone to make a December Cycling Challenge, gogogo

Eric222

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #95 on: November 30, 2015, 11:23:44 AM »
Thanks for the looking behind responses everyone.

I occasionally want to pass another cyclist and there is one spot that I need to move across a lane of traffic to turn left on my commute.  I always feel just a bit uncomfortable looking over my shoulder - but mostly it is because I don't like not seeing what is in front of me.  I'm going to just keep turning my head and being careful. 

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #96 on: November 30, 2015, 08:51:54 PM »
Time for someone to make a December Cycling Challenge, gogogo
I'll handle it as I usually do. We do a new one every month. New I've will be up tomorrow. Last post on this thread will be a link to the new one.

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #97 on: December 03, 2015, 12:19:14 PM »
Folks, i didn't forget about you. What I did forget was that month's end on occasion, and one must look at the date to figure out when that is. I just now did that for the first time in a few weeks. New challenge will be up within an hour.
And I was drunk when I replied to the post above, so I blame the booze (and the fact that tapatalk doesn't list the date/time a post was made).

jordanread

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Re: November Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #98 on: December 03, 2015, 12:34:26 PM »
Told ya!!! New challenge is here.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!