i commute on my bike pretty regularly, and like to joy ride too! here are some notes.
| date: 02.28.22 - 03.04.22 | |
| distance: | 15/15/15/15/20 (about 80 miles total) |
| conditions: | lots of sun and 40 degree weather this week! couple windy days, but no real unpleasantness. |
| notes: | our car broke down on 02.25 and was out of commission for a whole week. this, along with the fact that there was no snowfall or poorly timed rain pushing me toward the bus, meant i rode my bike to work everyday! it was great. i could definitely feel it at the end though. thrilled that i had it in me, and looking forward to pedaling with more regularity. went back to rolling with the panniers, it's just nice to not have something hanging on my back. skipped the wool leggings a couple days, i think 35 and above is really doable for me. it's always interesting to see the differences in how i dress for 40 degreesin october vs how I dress for 40 degrees in february or march. |
| date: | 02.24.22 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | upper-twenties, headwind on the way there. icy pellets on the way home. |
| notes: | wore the nine trails running pack today- sweat inducing on the ride in, but not headed home (even with the extra layer!). worked well for carrying what i had, but extra food or liquid woulda been a little much. |
| date: | 02.21.22 |
| distance: | about 12 miles |
| conditions: | sunny and forty, ice patches. |
| notes: | had a free day on monday! felt like moving around, so i hopped on my ride and hit the north branch trail for a bit. a lot of it was really smooth going, but there were occasional long stretches of ice that was fun to traverse. did bump into my old regular tim, which was a treat! love little meetings like that, when it's people i like. very pleasant ride overall. |
| date: | 02.14.22 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | about 15 degrees in the morning, upper twenties on the way home. wind blowing north both ways. |
| notes: | i am running out of novel things to say about these commutes! this was the first time in a long time i rode with a back pack tho- was nice to feel faster on the bike (no panniers), but there's definitely a back sweat penalty. have to think about how i want to proceed! really, i'm hoping to find a way to set up a front basket soon, and i can deposit the bag in there, but it's a tougher set up with my current ride. when i get a new bike, definitely tho!! |
| date: | 02.08.22 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | warm! but a little windy. def rode through some puddles with icy bottoms as the sun was melting the surrounding snow. |
| notes: | i really enjoyed my morning trip in! had a tailwind. the ride home was not as pleasant, but still nice! |
| date: | 02.07.22 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | thirties? i think? writing this late so i can't remember |
| notes: | fine fine ride, but i don't remember much. maybe surprise at how much snow was on the trail? |
| date: | 01.31.21 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | am: low twenties on the way there. kedzie bike lanes were nonexistent. snowy trail in lincolnwood. pm: mid thirties, with a headwind. lots of melt! |
| notes: | first time back on after a week of bussing and driving- felt good to move again! hopefully the weather will allow me to keep it up. saw a guy pedaling last friday when we'd just gotten 6" of snow and i was jealous! i'm not set up for that currently, my bike couldn't handle it. |
| date: | 01.21.21 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | am: fifteen degrees, minimal wind, and a few flurries. pm: twenty five degrees, 15mph headwind, and sunny. |
| notes: | i was really feeling it this morning! ready to go 15-20mins early, no real wind- i showed up in a great mood. they day got a lot tougher from there tho. kids are really going through it (and so are adults!). trying to hold space for youth, and comfort them, while also knowing a lot of stuff really sucks is a lot of work. |
| date: | 01.19.21 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | mid twenties, there and back. cold headwind on the way in, really had to work against it. nice and sunny on the way home, with a tail wind! |
| notes: | got pretty warm on the way in, pushing against the wind. took kedzie all the way up til lincoln, where i hopped on the trail. wanted to avoid a potentially icy trail! i think it cut a few minutes off the ride too- a little more direct. will incorporate it into future commutes! |
| date: | 01.18.21 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | mid twenties in the am. first few miles of the trail were pretty snowy! after lincoln.kedzie, it was real clear though. forty degrees on the way back, sunny and v melt-y. hoping it doesn't result in a bunch of ice in the morning. annoying head wind too. >:( |
| notes: | warmed up quick on my way in, and the way home was sunny and 15 degrees warmer! glad i could swap to just a shell with minimal insulation. chatted with a fella on the way back for a bit- he used to have a similar bike to mine, back when they were new. we talked about riding year round- he's a pleasure rider who won't go below twenty five degrees, and he has electric socks! electric socks! good for him for having a limit and being able to enjoy it. he did say he was pretty cold today while i was actively trying to go slow so i wouldn't sweat, but we were dressed pretty differently. wish my workplace wasn't kept so warm- it gets annoying wearing baselayers to stay warm on my commute, but then being too warm throughout the day. before it got real cold and they cranked the heat, i was comfy dressed in layers!! alas, better this than come cps instances where they have no heat. :( |
| date: | 01.17.21 |
| distance: | 5 miles |
| conditions: | mid twenties, cloudy. cold wind from the north!. roads seemed fine. |
| notes: | tri-purpose ride! i put new tires on my bike, and this was the inagural//test ride. they work fine! i feel a little more confident in wintery conditions with some new grippy tires. my previous ones had been on for a few years, and were not great with slick conditions. not good for my daily commuter! while i was out, i dropped a few books at the libary- i had hoped to pick up a hold as well, but it didn't occur to me that it was mlk day until it was too late. alas, a nice ride anyways. i stopped at a thrift shop on my way back in hopes of getting lucky with a backpack, to no avail. recently, i've been infatuated with the tom bihn synapse 25. i didn't expect to find one at the shop (they retail secondhand for $150+. real easy to sell!), but maybe something else would do. it's always nice to pop in anyways, so no harm. |
| date: | 01.14.21 |
| distance: | 15 miles (there and back) |
| conditions: | low thirties, trail was pretty clear, but def still some ice patches. headwind on the way in, could really feel it. |
| notes: | got warm pretty quick! first time wearing my winter boots in weather this warm- feels like pushing against the upper limit. also had on wool socks and leggings, with my slim dungarees. sunshirt and nanoair jacket up top, with dual layered gloves, a merino buff, and my car talk hat. had to unzip my jacket pretty early on. yesterday was my first day back on the bike after a few weeks off, and it certainly felt like i could feel it, though part of that was an underinflated tire and a headwind. was running late on my way in, and could feel myself getting annoyed about navigating through the snow and slush and ice. have to give myself time to enjoy it! |