Darker...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hippy


How was everyone else's commute?

hippy

Getting back into it!!

I've ramped up from maybe 1 day a week to 4-5 and really enjoying it - Getting the fitness back to a decent level, and remembering that yes, cyclists are at the bottom end of the pecking order in most peoples eyes! (a few car/pedestrian encounters already) Traffic has been ok - either quiet, or busy enough for some easy lane-splitting action.

Time in is dropping (down to about 50 minutes for the Mont Albert to City run) and finding it easier to do which is muchly rewarding. Weather's good. Light is fine, although I have dug out the vistalite, plugged in a brighter bulb and trying to get the ol' rechargeables working properly again (grr..)

Things should improve even more when the dedicated commuter is completed in a week or so!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hippy
Ooh it's a lot darker these days than when I last commuted
to work a month or more ago. Last time I rode to work, it
was dark for only about 15mins of the ride, now it only
"started" to get light with 15min to go.

I'd decided I would clean off the dust from the dirt crits
with a nice, healthy commute and actually managed to
wake up for it, even after sleeping through one alarm.

Traffic, though never good, was not as bad as I expected.
Temperature was fine - nicks and t-shirt stylin's.
No incidents, nothing funny, only a desire for some better
lights (see other thread).

1hr 7min for the 26k, which is faster than I expected
given that I was taking it _really_ easy on the SS.

How was everyone else's commute?

hippy

It will be much lighter in the mornings as of Sunday - end of daylight savings.

I must say, I've got a dream run into work. I don't need to travel on busy roads.

My commute goes through some side streets (and about 300m of busy road) before going onto the Main Yarra Trail just before Bullen Rd, next to the Eastern Fwy. I then ride the Main Yarra Trail to Chandler Hwy. Then I ride the Kew Blvd. At the end of Kew Blvd is a foot-bridge then I go down Burnely St (Richmond) for about 2 km (which has a bike lane) and I'm at work. That makes it 19 kms each way.

Since it will be brighter in the mornings as of this weekend, I'm planning to do a few more laps of the Yarra Blvd on my way into work.

Quoted message said:

How was everyone else's commute?

hippy

pretty good this morning🙂 there didnt seem to be as much
traffic along warrigal rd as there normally
is.. i ride from surrey hills to clayton / notting hill
(approx 13.5km going to,
11.5 getting home) i take warrigal from riversdale all the
way to holmesglen tafe, then up waverly rd to stephensons
rd to ftg road.. on the way home i go straight up
stephensons rd to burwood highway and then to elgar rd..
i find that stephensons / middleborough rd in the
mornings is a little scary. it seems to have very narrow
lanes and the road surface tends to be a few inches
higher than the gutter in places..

both routes beat riding blackburn road hands down🙂

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hippy
Ooh it's a lot darker these days than when I last commuted
to work a month or more ago. Last time I rode to work, it
was dark for only about 15mins of the ride, now it only
"started" to get light with 15min to go.

I'd decided I would clean off the dust from the dirt crits
with a nice, healthy commute and actually managed to
wake up for it, even after sleeping through one alarm.

Traffic, though never good, was not as bad as I expected.
Temperature was fine - nicks and t-shirt stylin's.
No incidents, nothing funny, only a desire for some better
lights (see other thread).

1hr 7min for the 26k, which is faster than I expected
given that I was taking it _really_ easy on the SS.

How was everyone else's commute?

hippy

I found the traffic particularly bad this morning after kew junction to city... mind you, it would have been way later than your departure Hippy. Alarm? Must....keep....eyes....open....
<sleep>.
Fridays are really a struggle but once im on the bike, it doesn't take long to wake up.

After finally getting to work, I found out there was an accident on the eastern fwy (car on its roof) which would explain the traffic.

Cheers,
Troy

The commute was cancelled this morning....car got broken
into last night after our weekly crit 🙁 so had to take it
into Toyota to organise new window etc. Luckily only lost
the other halfs purse and not the roadie that was sitting on
the back seat, all good really. Bit of a pity about the
commute as I just picked the MTB up yesterday with all new
drive train and was looking forward to trying it out this
morning with the slippage and non-gear changes fixed.

2nd coffee starting to kick in now so I think I can get some
work done.

Cheers Gary

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Ooh it's a lot darker these days than when I last commuted
to work a month or more ago. Last time I rode to work, it
was dark for only about 15mins of the ride, now it only
"started" to get light with 15min to go.

I'd decided I would clean off the dust from the dirt crits
with a nice, healthy commute and actually managed to wake
up for it, even after sleeping through one alarm.

Traffic, though never good, was not as bad as I expected.
Temperature was fine - nicks and t-shirt stylin's. No
incidents, nothing funny, only a desire for some better
lights (see other thread).

1hr 7min for the 26k, which is faster than I expected
given that I was taking it _really_ easy on the SS.

How was everyone else's commute?

hippy

--

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by ftf
After finally getting to work, I found out there was an accident on the eastern fwy (car on its roof) which would explain the traffic.

Cheers,
Troy

Ah, so that explains the longer than usual traffic heading down towards Bridge rd from Kew... I always love that when it happens - Feel that smug satisfaction of blitzing past all the stationery cars...

Too much glass on the roads lately though... Fingers crossed, it hasn't bitten me yet.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by jazmo
It will be much lighter in the mornings as of Sunday - end of daylight savings.

I must say, I've got a dream run into work. I don't need to travel on busy roads.

My commute goes through some side streets (and about 300m of busy road) before going onto the Main Yarra Trail just before Bullen Rd, next to the Eastern Fwy. I then ride the Main Yarra Trail to Chandler Hwy. Then I ride the Kew Blvd. At the end of Kew Blvd is a foot-bridge then I go down Burnely St (Richmond) for about 2 km (which has a bike lane) and I'm at work. That makes it 19 kms each way.

Since it will be brighter in the mornings as of this weekend, I'm planning to do a few more laps of the Yarra Blvd on my way into work.

Hey, you must be out my way jazmo!
Im right near the tram terminus (Doncaster rd) and my kids go to bellvue primary right near where you get onto the trail.

I do Donc Rd (downhill :-). uphill homewards :-( ), Kilby Rd, bridge right, Yarra trail and start of boulevard then down to the pipe-bridge, across the river to Fairfiled Hopsital site, along the merri Ck (sth side), Under the Fwy and to DIght falls, then off the trail and up to the carpark and onto the backstreets around Victoria Park (home of the 'wobbles'😉 and thru the yard/under railway (westwards) to arrive at the Hoddle St lights.
There's a cement truck depot there so they get priority across Hoddle St which is cool, then forwards along Keane(i think) St, to Smith, A left-and-right into another St starting with 'K' along to and left up Napier St. All the way up to Gertrude St and then right to Exhib gardens and into CBD. 21k. Pretty much 5 days a week, work permitting. Just got new booties from DWD for $25 so Im larfing this winter agains the wet-socks-from-hell ever getting me again...

Usually along road and maybe the boulevard home or river sometimes and up thru Hawthorn/Camberwell after Glenferrie Rd

Always looking for a new way. Amazing how much differently you see areas on bike and sites you can see.

The best thing I have spotted wasa Platypus (i kid you not!) in Yarra near the Kew Billabong last winter

"flyingdutch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

The best thing I have spotted wasa Platypus (i kid you
not!) in Yarra near the Kew Billabong last winter

I bet for every platypus in the Yarra there would be 10 dead
bodies. ; ) I am from Melbourne and now live in Perth. I was
walking with my wife on a really nice day by the Swan river
and a dolphin started following us and checking us out. It
was awesome. I told her if we were in Melbourne it would of
been a body floating past.

Fraser

That's harsh Frase :-)

would probably be holding a canelonni(?) if the latest drug/gangster stuff in lygon St is anything to go by...

Dolphins, eh? cool

I have run over (a small) snake near the 'skipping girl' on the bike path. does that count?

Thought! Wonder if it would be worth starting up a 'commuter bus' like they do with kids walking/riding to school?
Say, meet with a few locals who commute and travel as a group, thus getting more cudos/respect in traffic...

just a thought...

"wassupdawg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

That's harsh Frase :-)

would probably be holding a canelonni(?) if the latest
drug/gangster stuff in lygon St is anything to go by...

Dolphins, eh? cool

I have run over (a small) snake near the 'skipping girl'
on the bike path. does that count?

Thought! Wonder if it would be worth starting up a
'commuter bus' like they do with kids walking/riding to
school? Say, meet with a few locals who commute and travel
as a group, thus getting more cudos/respect in traffic...

just a thought...

All my friends call me harsh but it is all lighthearted.
Perth is a pretty cool place. I was born in Mitcham and
used to live on Glenferrie Road for a while so I am pretty
familar with most of the areas talked about here.
Commuting in Melbourne traffic must be a complete [censored].
Last time I went home I scared witless by the traffic.
When I first got to Perth I was in a car on the freeway
and traffic had slowed to a 30kmh crawl. After about 5
minutes the driver complained about how bad the traffic
jam was. I laughed my ass off and told him some stories
about the South Eastern Carpark.

Fraser

Quoted message said:

hippy said:

Ooh it's a lot darker these days than when I last
commuted to work a

I love riding at night, a bright tailight and using the
whole lane while there are no lights in my mirrors. And then
there was the car coming the other way that suddenly decided
HighBeam was a good idea ?!?

AndreS au ===> any resemblance may be purely coincidental.