Ride home for Wednesday, 29 November

Today I witnessed an evolution in drivers in Halifax. I realise this is a weighty statement, but there's really no other way to put it. I was riding on Watt Street coming up to turn left on Vernon Street and saw a car on the other side of Watt Street approaching Vernon and not signalling, obviously going straight across. I stopped, signalling, waiting for a few seconds for the other driver to go, with a suspicion that it was going to end up with the driver waving me on from inside the car, where of course I couldn't see any hand signals at all due to the headlights. I was then surprised when the driver dipped the lights to signal me to go! This was the first time any driver in Halifax has realised that I can't necessarily see inside them and, having been bitten before, I'm more inclined to wait it out if I don't have right of way rather than gamble on racing against another vehicle. I can only hope this trend spreads to more drivers in Halifax - it's the done thing in the UK to signal to any other vehicle to go ahead, and it's an unmistakable signal that really can't be confused for anything else.

The ride otherwise was damp and, despite not having as many layers on as I did this morning, I still managed to overheat slightly.

Distance logged: 18.550km
Time: 56:33
Average speed: 19.7km/hr
Max speed: 45 km/hr
Temperature: 2C, raining
Cumulative distance: 7590.560km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 724.323km
Monthly cost per km: $0.43

Ride into work for Wednesday, 29 November

Nice cool ride in, wore just about the right clothes as I got to work without being particularly sweaty, and without being too cold.

Distance logged: 16.122km
Time: 44:24
Average speed: 21.8km/hr
Max speed: 56.7 km/hr
Temperature: -4C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7572.010km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 705.773km
Monthly cost per km: $0.44

Ride home for Tuesday, 28 November

Muppet of the day was the woman in the SUV on Spring Garden who decided to veer into my lane because the person in front of them was turning left. It would have been nice if she'd waited until I was past, and as it was I ended up fending her vehicle off with the side of my shoe. The driver complained that she signalled which way she was turning ("didn't you see which way my wheels were going?") and that I "shouldn't be in the road like that". Unfortunately I caught her wing mirror and lifted it off as I rode past her (possibly tearing out the wires inside, oh dear), but since she didn't seem to be using it anyway it wasn't much of a tragedy.

Steamed home the rest of the way muttering imprecations about idiots driving vehicles that are too big for them.

Distance logged: 14.026km
Time: 41:05
Average speed: 20.1km/hr
Max speed: 55.7 km/hr
Temperature: 1C, windy
Cumulative distance: 7539.766km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 673.529km
Monthly cost per km: $0.46

Ride into work for Tuesday, 28 November

Windy ride in and, despite vague mutterings from Environment Canada, no sign of any snow whatsoever. Thursday and Friday are supposed to hit 16C, which may be a record high for 1st December.

Distance logged: 15.669km
Time: 43:27
Average speed: 21.6km/hr
Max speed: 49.1 km/hr
Temperature: 1C, windy
Cumulative distance: 7525.740km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 659.503km
Monthly cost per km: $0.47

Ride home for Monday, 27 November

A quiet and uneventful ride home. Knox will probably be excited to know that there's a 60% chance of flurries (or, admittedly, rain) tonight, and 30% chance of flurries tomorrow morning. It looks like winter is going to retreat again as Thursday is supposed to be rain with a high of 13C!

Distance logged: 19.804km
Time: 59:06
Average speed: 20.1km/hr
Max speed: 50.9 km/hr
Temperature: 5C
Cumulative distance: 7510.071km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 643.834km
Monthly cost per km: $0.48

Ride into work for Monday, 27 November

Had to go to the doctor's with the rest of the family this morning for a flu shot, then raced into work to get in in time for a lunchtime meeting... which the client ended up cancelling anyway. Oh well!

Distance logged: 11.649km
Time: 31:11
Average speed: 22.4km/hr
Max speed: 52.1 km/hr
Temperature: 7C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 7490.267km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 624.030km
Monthly cost per km: $0.5

Ride for Saturday, 25 November

Rode down to the Farmer's Market and picked up my shopping for the week, then headed over to Ideal Bikes and picked up a front tyre to match the rear tyre I bought.

Distance logged: 24.010km
Time: 78:15
Average speed: 18.4km/hr
Max speed: 49.5 km/hr
Temperature: -2C to 4C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 7478.618km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 612.381km
Monthly cost per km: $0.51

Critical mass ride for Friday, 24 November

I went down to IdealBikes before Critical Mass to pump up my tyre that had flatted out. I used the compressor, and was thinking, "hmm, this seems to be taking an awfully long time to inflate" when I heard a cracking sound followed by a huge bang a second later as the tube exploded. It appeared that someone had changed the compressor from its usual 65psi setting to somewhere in the region of 120. I flatted the next tube as it went on, taking the tyre off I found a gash in the sidewall that explained it - the tyre was simply worn out. I picked up a new Kenda Kross Plus tyre to replace it. I had a bit of fun as my Interac card was rejected, it wasn't till I got to MEC that I found out that Interac and Visa were both down - a coincidence that it was Buy Nothing day? I wonder...

Critical Mass was fairly well attended considering the weather; windy, cold, and slightly damp. There were a lot of the usual faces but also a few new ones. One guy was offering home-made beer around before the ride, I declined, agreeing with Eric's idea that "if I drink beer now, I'll be pissing all night through the ride!"

I was also interviewed (along with several others) by Whitney, a journalism student at King's College. She seemed interested in what we had to say, but I didn't see her on the ride itself, though.

The ride was a fairly long one all things considered, but very blustery, and there were a couple of downhills that required some fairly strong pedalling. Peter pegged me as leader due to all my lights, I think a few people may have been drafting off me in places! The ride ended at One World Cafe, and I headed home after that.

No pictures as it was too cold and windy to take my gloves off and balance taking photos!

Distance logged: 18.284km
Time: 73:14
Average speed: 15km/hr
Max speed: 44 km/hr
Temperature: 3C-2C, windy
Cumulative distance: 7454.608km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 588.371km
Monthly cost per km: $0.53

Ride into work for Friday, 24 November

Took a short ride in as the weather was a bit on the manky side...

Distance logged: 12.495km
Time: 36:30
Average speed: 20.5km/hr
Max speed: 55 km/hr
Temperature: 7C, rainy, windy
Cumulative distance: 7436.324km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 570.087km
Monthly cost per km: $0.55

Ride home for Thursday, 23 November

Took a long route home to pick up some extra streets in the south end for my Openstreetmap collection. Definitely way too warm, when I wrung out my headband when I got home a stream of sweat came pouring out!

Critical Mass tomorrow, should be interesting to see how many turn up. It's supposed to rain tomorrow but clear up in the afternoon, so with any luck the roads should be dry.

Distance logged: 21.472km
Time: 66:16
Average speed: 19.4km/hr
Max speed: 55.8 km/hr
Temperature: 6C, breezy
Cumulative distance: 7423.829km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 557.592km
Monthly cost per km: $0.49

Ride into work for Thursday, 23 November

Woke up early so I managed to get a bit of extra riding in. Still not quite nailed it with the clothing, I put lighter clothing on as it was a bit warmer but I was still too hot...

Distance logged: 18.108km
Time: 52:17
Average speed: 20.8km/hr
Max speed: 52.1 km/hr
Temperature: 0C
Cumulative distance: 7402.357km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 536.120km
Monthly cost per km: $0.51

Ride home for Wednesday, 22 November

The winter jersey worked out pretty warm on the way home, in combination with the thermal vest and jacket; I ended up unzipping the jacket most of the way to let air circulate, and whenever I stopped at traffic lights and intersections I had clouds of steam coming off me. It looks like I'm going to need a bit more experimentation to figure out the right temperature range for the new jersey...

Distance logged: 16.704km
Time: 54:46
Average speed: 18.3km/hr
Max speed: 51.9 km/hr
Temperature: 3C
Cumulative distance: 7384.249km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 518.012km
Monthly cost per km: $0.53

Ride into work for Wednesday, 22 November

Nice and cold this morning, thought I'd give my new winter jersey a go. It's not too bad, but I wouldn't say it was massively warm - even on the page they say it's suitable for "autumn and spring training" - though I guess that would be on its own. I suppose it'd work fine in the UK, but here in Canada I don't think it'd really cut the mustard below about -10C without two extra layers underneath instead of my usual one, since there's a lot of "vent" material on the sides.

Distance logged: 13.665km
Time: 40:24
Average speed: 20.3km/hr
Max speed: 51.5 km/hr
Temperature: -3C
Cumulative distance: 7367.545km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 501.308km
Monthly cost per km: $0.55

Weird queries

I've accumulated enough weird queries hitting my blog from search engines to do another post... And there's some real, ah, unique ones in there...

"cycle frame inside wd40 rust": Yep, WD40 should stop the rust, as it's a water displacer (hence the name). You might be better off using proper framesaver. I hear that plain old motor oil will do the trick just as well, though.

"loud ticking noise in rear bicycle wheel": I'd guess the freewheel needs oiling. The great Sheldon Brown has details on how to lubricate your freewheel. The only other thing I can think of is spokes rubbing - a tiny drop of oil at each point where spokes meet should fix that.

"convert 27 700c": There shouldn't be a problem with the wheel itself fitting as 700c wheels are a smidge smaller than 27" wheels. The problem will be the brakes. If you're lucky, the pads will move down far enough it won't be a problem. If not, you might be able to file out enough metal from the caliper arm to move the pads down - that's what happened with my Nishiki. Otherwise, you'll be looking at replacing the brakes with long reach arms or some such.

"something going on in nova scotia": You might want to be a bit more specific?

"reflecting tape for bicycle tyre": Don't put tape on a bicycle tyre, it'll just come off. There are tyres with reflective stripes painted on that work pretty well, though.

"o.d.d treatment in nova scotia": s.t.r.a.n.g.e.

"instructions mec lowrider front rack": It'd be nice if MEC would include instructions with their racks. Assemble it according to how it looks on their web page, and mount it on your bike with the hoop over the front of the tyre. I'd recommend cutting up an inner tube to use as a shim on the fork to soak up the vibrations, otherwise the rack tends to rattle a bit.

"when can you put studded winter tire on in nova scotia": Any time, if you're on a bike, but with the price of them it'd be bloody stupid to put them on unless there's ice on the roads.

"does it snow a lot in nova scotia?": Compared to somewhere where it doesn't snow, yes. Compared to somewhere where it snows a lot, no. It's a bit in the middle.

"reboot halifax": I have no idea.

"halifax nova scotia red leather gloves": Still drawing a blank.

"non-specific lurgy": Nope, not with you there, either.

"nova scotia motor waving": Where do people come up with these questions?

"saddle wedged up my arse": Get a flatter saddle, or a wider one.

"can i go to work with a scaphoid fracture?": I did, but I wore a wrist brace (as is sold for RSI type injuries) to protect my wrist.

"store in halifax that sells reflective tape": MEC and Idealbikes sell bits of tape in small quantities (and cut up in shapes). If you're looking for reels of tape, Princess Auto in Dartmouth. Don't get the red and white striped reflective tape as the red paint wears off it.

"clunky noise from rear cassette": If it's slipping in top gear, check the lockring is in there right as it might be slipping. Otherwise, take the cassette off, and spin the hub to see if it still makes the noise - the bearings probably need repacking, or the pawls oiling.

"nasty rides bikers": I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

Ride home for Tuesday, 21 November

There's still a surprising number of cyclists out there, most of them with LEDs with near-dead batteries. I suppose it's better than no lights at all, if only marginally...

Distance logged: 16.199km
Time: 53:42
Average speed: 18.1km/hr
Max speed: 52.4 km/hr
Temperature: 0C
Cumulative distance: 7353.880km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 487.643km
Monthly cost per km: $0.56

Ride into work for Tuesday, 21 November

The temperature is finally starting to drop down to reasonable levels for this time of year. It's quite pleasant to get into work and not be dripping sweat!

Distance logged: 15.056km
Time: 44:26
Average speed: 20.3km/hr
Max speed: 53.7 km/hr
Temperature: 1C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7337.681km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 471.444km
Monthly cost per km: $0.58

Ride home for Monday, 20 November

Distance logged: 17.263km
Time: 56:32
Average speed: 18.3km/hr
Max speed: 46.4 km/hr
Temperature: 3C
Cumulative distance: 7322.625km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 456.388km
Monthly cost per km: $0.6

Ride into work for Monday, 20 November

Distance logged: 12.210km
Time: 35:55
Average speed: 20.4km/hr
Max speed: 55.7 km/hr
Temperature: 3C
Cumulative distance: 7305.362km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 439.125km
Monthly cost per km: $0.62

Ride for Sunday, 19 November

Went to help a friend prep his new house he just bought ready to live in. The previous owners had botched it pretty badly, we were working on removing 5 layers of paint on the skirting boards and door frame. He had already done one room, and it was a pretty massive undertaking. For the length I did, around 20 feet or so, it took me about 3 hours to scrape it down to the wood. Nasty stuff!

Heavy riding as I was carrying my drill, plus a change of clothes for working with the nasty chemicals...

Distance logged: 24.985km
Time: 90:59
Average speed: 16.5km/hr
Max speed: 49 km/hr
Temperature: 5C, cloudy, misty rain
Cumulative distance: 7293.152km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 426.915km
Monthly cost per km: $0.64

Halifax Critical Mass reminder, Friday November 24th

I just saw the new web flyer for Halifax Critical Mass on the web site, and it's pretty neat looking!

Maintenance day

Not much maintenance that needed doing. I cleaned the chain, and swapped the tyres from slicks to semi-slicks as I wanted tyres with a bit more grip due to all the rotting leaves on the roads.

Just for laughs, I thought I'd weigh my bike, since a couple of the guys down at Ideal were asking. According to the bathroom scales, it's exactly 50 pounds. It would appear from looking around on the net that this is a touch on the heavy side - I wish I'd weight my old bike now as I'm sure that was heavier...

Ride for Saturday, 18 November

Went into town to go to the farmer's market and left my bike at the office. When I got back, I found I had a flat rear tyre, and when I took the tyre off, I found three punctures - it looked like someone broke a beer bottle on the road last night and I managed to find the pieces. I went to MEC to pick up more patches and another tube, while I was there I picked up a tyre liner, a front rack, and a wall rack to store bikes over the winter. The MEC Mountain front rack came without any instructions, as seems to be MEC's wont, and neither of the brackets that came with the rack fit my bike. I ended up raiding my junk pile for a bracket that was long enough, then used percussive methodology (aka "whaling on it with a hammer") to bend and straighten it to fit right. It's not perfect, but it should do the trick for what I want it for - catching spray off the front wheels and carrying small loads.

Distance logged: 24.650km
Time: 74:21
Average speed: 19.9km/hr
Max speed: 55.7 km/hr
Temperature: 12C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7268.167km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.40
Monthly distance: 401.930km
Monthly cost per km: $0.68

Ride home for Friday, 17 November

A windy ride home, but one of those extremely rare occurrences where most of the way home, I had a tailwind!

Distance logged: 16.558km
Time: 49:31
Average speed: 20.1km/hr
Max speed: 47.5 km/hr
Temperature: 15C, windy
Cumulative distance: 7243.517km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 377.280km
Monthly cost per km: $0.59

Ride into work for Friday, 17 November

Short ride in as I was running late, also another ludicrously warm ride. Environment Canada is promising cooler temperatures next week, including a welcome return to sub zero temperatures! I saw one cyclist on the way in riding in shorts and a t-shirt, if I could be sure of the weather I'd have done it too...

Distance logged: 11.203km
Time: 32:46
Average speed: 20.5km/hr
Max speed: 56.1 km/hr
Temperature: 16C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7226.959km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 360.722km
Monthly cost per km: $0.62

Ride home for Thursday, 16 November

So much for the weather today, it degenerated back into precipitation. I also had some bad news, the accounts department at work are refusing to pay for my mileage on the grounds that it doesn't cost anything to run a bike. My boss was less than impressed by this, and instead I'm just going to expense the parts that have worn out as a result of company travel, and any bike bits needed. I'm starting with my trip to Truro, where I needed a new cassette, new chain, new chainrings and wheel truing as a result of the trip, and needed to buy a front rack and panniers to carry all my gear up there. A ballpark add-up of the costs comes to more than double what the mileage came to, so it's going to be interesting to see what the fallout will be on that...

Distance logged: 16.505km
Time: 50:39
Average speed: 19.6km/hr
Max speed: 51.5 km/hr
Temperature: 13C, thick fog and misty rain
Cumulative distance: 7215.756km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 349.519km
Monthly cost per km: $0.64

Ride into work for Thursday, 16 November

Went over to Bedford for a Dr's appointment, the weather was actually rather pleasant. There's also now a bike lane on Bedford Highway that's partially completed; when it's done, I'll have to add it to Openstreetmap.

Distance logged: 27.5km
Time: 62:45
Average speed: 26.3km/hr
Max speed: 55.2 km/hr
Temperature: 9C-12C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 7199.251km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 333.014km
Monthly cost per km: $0.67

Ride home for Wednesday, 15 November

The ride home was a repeat of the morning's ride in, only darker. Roll on winter with the drier weather!

Distance logged: 15.825km
Time: 48:06
Average speed: 19.7km/hr
Max speed: 46.1 km/hr
Temperature: 15C, misty rain
Cumulative distance: 7171.751km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 305.514km
Monthly cost per km: $0.73

Ride into work for Wednesday, 15 November

Another damp ride in, so much for the forecast...

Distance logged: 15.302km
Time: 46:25
Average speed: 19.8km/hr
Max speed: 56.3 km/hr
Temperature: 15C, misty rain
Cumulative distance: 7155.926km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 289.689km
Monthly cost per km: $0.77

Ride home for Tuesday, 14 November

Stopped in at Idealbikes to let Dave know the website was down, he had already contacted his hosters and was waiting to hear back from them. I hope they hadn't folded under the amount of traffic...

After that I set off down Barrington and tucked in behind another cyclist. Bizarrely enough, he took my route home all the way from Barrington to Chebucto. I was starting to wonder if he was going all the way to Clayton Park when he peeled off onto Willow.

A windy ride home, but after hitting headwinds most of the way in this morning it was a pleasant surprise to get tailwinds most of the way home - something that definitely doesn't happen very often! I still couldn't get much speed up as I had a couple of panniers full of gear, but it was nice not to have to put so much effort into it.

Distance logged: 13.726km
Time: 45:46
Average speed: 18km/hr
Max speed: 40.5 km/hr
Temperature: 12C, misty rain, windy
Cumulative distance: 7140.624km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 274.387km
Monthly cost per km: $0.81

Ride into work for Tuesday, 14 November

Rode downtown for my appointment with the plastic surgeon today about my wrist. We were both slightly bemused about why I was seeing him, but he was quite impressed by how flexible my thumbs are (I have double jointed thumbs that can touch the back of the hand - although none of the other rather questionable symtpoms listed on that page). I suppose at least one of us got something out of it.

Windy ride in otherwise. It looks like we get a break tomorrow, but the rest of the week is going to be like this.

Distance logged: 13.199km
Time: 41:06
Average speed: 19.3km/hr
Max speed: 50 km/hr
Temperature: 10C, light rain, windy
Cumulative distance: 7126.898km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 260.661km
Monthly cost per km: $0.86

Ride for Saturday, 11 November

Rode downtown, dropped my bike off at the office, then went round the Farmer's Market and picked up some groceries for the week. After that, I went back to the office, left my food in the fridge, and headed down to Idealbikes and went out taking pictures of bikes while my stem was swapped over for one which fit my handlebar better (and got some more handlebar tape put on the handles to try to give my wrist a bit more of a rest).

On the way home I saw Peter waiting at the bus stop... He managed to trash his rear wheel courtesy of a hole dug by HRM, which sucks. Hopefully he'll be mobile by Critical Mass at the end of the month. I thought about offering him one of my bikes as a loaner, but I don't think he'd really fit too well...

I noticed the uppers on my boots were starting to delaminate from the soles, so I went out and picked up some more after I got home. I can't really complain about a pair of $35 winter boots that have lasted me 2 seasons, this time I pushed the boat out and bought some $140 boots that were on sale for $50 - it'll be interesting to see how long this pair lasts...

Distance logged: 26.528km
Time: 76:11
Average speed: 20.9km/hr
Max speed: 54 km/hr
Temperature: 7C-12C-7C
Cumulative distance: 7113.699km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.40
Monthly distance: 247.462km
Monthly cost per km: $0.90

Ride home for Friday, 10 November

Flatted out on the way home, fortunately just before rather than during the steep downhill that I clock over 50km/hr on. Couldn't find anything in the tyre, though. Managed to make it home slightly gingerly without another flat.

Distance logged: 15.981km
Time: 49:07
Average speed: 19.5km/hr
Max speed: 52.2 km/hr
Temperature: 9C
Cumulative distance: 7087.171km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 220.934km
Monthly cost per km: $0.65

Ride into work for Friday, 10 November

Took the Nishiki in as it was warm enough. Traction was a bit dodgy - I had my front wheel start to slip out from under me as I was going downhill braking approaching an intersection, which gave me a bit of a moment before I managed to get back under control.

Distance logged: 13.025km
Time: 31:46
Average speed: 24.6km/hr
Max speed: 58.6 km/hr
Temperature: 11C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7071.190km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 204.953km
Monthly cost per km: $0.71

Ride home for Thursday, 09 November

Another wet and windy ride. Muppet of the day was the pedestrian wearing a dark raincoat, dark suit jacket, dark trousers and dark shoes carrying a dark briefcase stepping out from under a tree at the corner of Vernon and Cherry. I initially thought it was a branch falling off the tree, and it wasn't until I caught his briefcase with my rack trunk that I realised it was a pedestrian. I stopped and asked if he was OK, and he (rather sheepishly) said he was fine and to keep going - I guess his plan was to dart out in front of the minivan behind me, and he hadn't even looked to see me after seeing the minivan's headlights out of the corner of his eye. My suspicion is he won't be making that mistake again for a while...

Distance logged: 13.643km
Time: 45:24
Average speed: 18km/hr
Max speed: 40.2 km/hr
Temperature: 14C, windy, rainy
Cumulative distance: 7058.165km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 191.928km
Monthly cost per km: $0.75

Ride into work for Thursday, 09 November

Nasty ride in today, I think there must have been a hurricane blowing over or something...

Distance logged: 11.217km
Time: 36:01
Average speed: 18.6km/hr
Max speed: 51.5 km/hr
Temperature: 12C, rainy, windy
Cumulative distance: 7044.522km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 178.285km
Monthly cost per km: $0.81

Ride home for Wednesday, 08 November

The dark and the rain seemed to bring the muppets out to play today. First was a taxi driver who parked at the end of Argyle Street on the intersection with Blowers without signalling at all. I watched him get out and wander towards me, and I had to ask him four times before he responded to my question of if he's parked there, and as he wandered off into Subway he muttered, "yeah, can't you see it's parked?"

Second was a teenage muppet who tried to door me, and his excuse was, "well, you can ride around it, can't you, what's the problem?"; I was sorely tempted to double back and deflate his tyres for him ("well, you can pump them up again, can't you, what's the problem?") but I decided I had better things to waste my time on.

Third was a muppet in a minivan going down Roslyn Road (a spot I've had trouble with before). I'd been following another cyclist for a while waiting for a safe moment to overtake, and when the minivan pulled over (without indicating, of course) I decided to make my move. I was somewhat surprised when the minivan pulled out in front of me to do a 3 point turn - as was the driver of the car coming towards me. I suspect the muppet in the minivan only saw me and the other cyclist and decided that he had plenty of time to do his maneouvre - not necessarily correct on a downhill like Roslyn...

The inclement weather is supposed to not only continue, but worsen tomorrow; it'll be interesting to see how the traffic turns out as a result.

Distance logged: 15.722km
Time: 47:39
Average speed: 19.8km/hr
Max speed: 49.2 km/hr
Temperature: 11C, raining
Cumulative distance: 7033.305km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 167.068km
Monthly cost per km: $0.86

Ride into work for Wednesday, 08 November

Distance logged: 13.684km
Time: 39:37
Average speed: 20.7km/hr
Max speed: 56.3 km/hr
Temperature: 7C, light rain
Cumulative distance: 7017.583km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.39
Monthly distance: 151.346km
Monthly cost per km: $0.95

Ride home for Tuesday, 07 November

Rolled over 7000km for this year with this ride...

Distance logged: 16.020km
Time: 48:18
Average speed: 19.9km/hr
Max speed: 49.2 km/hr
Temperature: 4C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 7003.899km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 137.662km
Monthly cost per km: $1.05

Ride into work for Tuesday, 07 November

Back in the saddle after an ugly couple of days fighting a gastric upset. Had the beater leather saddle on the mountain bike as a test today, it was more comfortable but I could feel the rails poking up through the saddle. I'm going to try tightening it a smidgen, but the leather is really cracked, and if I tighten it too far I rather suspect the leather is going to tear.

Distance logged: 18.288km
Time: 52:38
Average speed: 20.8km/hr
Max speed: 56.7 km/hr
Temperature: 1C
Cumulative distance: 6987.879km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 121.642km
Monthly cost per km: $1.19

Ride for Saturday, 04 November

Down to the Farmer's Market to do some shopping. I got there at 12:55, and the market closes at 1, so I had a mad dash running around picking everything up...

Distance logged: 25.256km
Time: 73:50
Average speed: 20.5km/hr
Max speed: 57 km/hr
Temperature: 4C
Cumulative distance: 6969.591km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 103.354km
Monthly cost per km: $1.4

Ride into work for Friday, 03 November

Chilly ride in, but still no ice on the roads, so I can get away with slicks for a while longer yet.

Distance logged: 14.232km
Time: 38:11
Average speed: 22.4km/hr
Max speed: 62.3 km/hr
Temperature: 1C
Cumulative distance: 6932.472km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 66.235km
Monthly cost per km: $2.18

Ride home for Friday, 03 November

Distance logged: 11.863km
Time: 36:21
Average speed: 19.6km/hr
Max speed: 47.7 km/hr
Temperature: 0C
Cumulative distance: 6944.335km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 78.098km
Monthly cost per km: $1.85

Ride home for Thursday, 02 November

Picked up my new studded tyres from MEC today, along with a new set of Tyresparx. I cable-tied the tyres on the top of my rack trunk so a loop hung down either side of the rack trunk; surprisingly enough no vehicle wanted to come particularly close to the studs.

Distance logged: 11.848km
Time: 48:51
Average speed: 14.6km/hr
Max speed: 42.8 km/hr
Temperature: 8C
Cumulative distance: 6918.240km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.4
Monthly distance: 52.003km
Monthly cost per km: $2.78

Ride into work for Thursday, 02 November

Distance logged: 13.542km
Time: 33:51
Average speed: 24km/hr
Max speed: 58.6 km/hr
Temperature: 7C
Cumulative distance: 6906.392km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.38
Monthly distance: 40.155km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Wednesday, 01 November

Warm, fairly humid ride in. The weather forecast threatened showers throughout the day so I wore my wellies as a prophylactic measure, and was rewarded by a day of sunshine.

Distance logged: 14.697km
Time: 41:36
Average speed: 21.2km/hr
Max speed: 58 km/hr
Temperature: 7C, damp
Cumulative distance: 6880.934km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.38
Monthly distance: 14.697km
Monthly cost per km: $0