Commuting to work by bike

wearyotter36 said:when you're removing them, squeeze from the inside out on the part of the frames closer to the temple than the bridge.

Hmm... my experience has been quite the opposite. 😛 It appears there is no universal standard for such things. Fortunately, most eyewear and lenses possess sufficient elasticity to withstand the first clumsy attempt one makes at figuring out which direction to pull.

wearyotter36 said:Exactly. But you don't actually have to strip off the foam layer.

You’ve got a point there. There's really no need to pull the foam part off. It’s just that, personally, I find it a bit of a hassle when I'm trying to get them off.
It’s much smoother going if I just clear away the foam first. Besides, they pop right back into place without any real effort anyway.😁

wearyotter36 said:[
Now this is what I call a PRIME EXAMPLE:

I don't get the appeal of clear lenses. Seriously, why wear those in the summer? Isn't that what dark tints are actually for? 😉

First off, nice work. Now, go ahead. 😳
The old "carrot and stick" approach—tried and tested. 😁
All the glasses I mentioned are clear, but I was actually thinking about the ones without any tint at all—no orange, no gray. Hope that clears things up. 😛

granitelynx2 said:I’m reading this and I honestly can't believe it. Some of you are carrying more gear on your bikes than I am while I'm just out here walking!

Honestly, I carry more gear on my bike than if I were just walking. My wardrobe is a different story, too—I’m lugging around dresses, boots, and all that other stuff women wear that isn't exactly "aerodynamic" or practical for riding. But strictly looking at the numbers? I always end up with more pieces on the bike. 🤷 What exactly is tripping you up here?

Well, I carry more gear on my bike than I do on foot... My clothes are different, obviously (I wear dresses and boots and all that stuff women typically wear that isn't exactly practical for riding), but by sheer numbers, I always have more items on the bike. 🤷 What part of that is confusing you?

What confuses me is how you people don't overheat under all those layers!? Maybe it's different for you, but I start sweating just using that thing called a Zett when I'm standing still waiting for the bus, and while I'm actually biking, I don't need nearly as much because I end up soaked through to the skin by the time I reach the office!

And one more thing—I don't want to get dragged into a debate about eyewear, but what on earth are "colorless orange" lenses?😉

granitelynx2 said:It’s got me spinning. How on earth are you all not sweltering under all that?Look, maybe things work differently where you're from, but I can't deal with that freezing wind. Standing around at a bus stop waiting for the CTA just leaves me shivering. When I'm out on my bike and actually moving, I don't need nearly as much gear—mostly because by the time I roll into the office, I'm soaked to the bone from the sweat.

And one more thing—I don't want to get dragged into the debate over eyewear, but what exactly does "colorless yet orange" even mean?😉

Quoting myself: "... I was thinking of those ones." Colorless. (orange) Or blackouts. (sive).

Let’s get the semantics straight here: the glasses I’m talking about have zero tint and zero shading. You get a three-pack that includes an orange pair and a grey tinted pair. I’m avoiding the term "clear" because, as one guy on this forum pointed out earlier, technically every lens is clear. 😁
You probably got tripped up by my word order—my tendency to use inversion. If I say, "without (orange/or any) color," will you actually follow me?

It’s not like I’m overheating. When I'm training, I stick to lightweight, breathable layers—high-performance gear that actually breathes and dries fast.

Maybe this isn't quite the right thread for this, but does anyone know if there’s an actual plan or a Map of the bike paths around Chicago?
I'm moving my company over to Xavier in about a week, so I'm really curious if I actually have a legal, paved route to get back home after work.😁

Ronald Diaz said:Maybe this is the wrong thread, but is there an actual plan or a map for bike paths in Chicago?
We're moving the office over to Xavier in a few weeks, so I’m really curious if there's even a legal way to ride home safely. 😁

You can check out a map right here: http://www.openstreetmap.org/
If you look at the top right, there's a little icon where you can toggle different views—one of them is specifically for bikes!

But honestly, that doesn't fully answer what you're asking. It really depends on which neighborhood you're in, but I'm 99% sure the answer is no. Even if you stick strictly to the roads and whatever paths actually exist, I highly doubt you could ride without running into at least a few $100 "infractions" 🙂 along the way.

Thanks, Kenneth Reed7! I know there’s no way I can get 8.1 miles across town without picking up a ticket somewhere, but at least this helps me figure out where I'm welcome and where I'm not 😁

So, I decided to bike to work today. Honestly, I didn't even make it out of my own driveway before things went sideways😳. The streets just haven't been cleared yet. Every ten yards or so, I’m getting snagged by debris or slush. I remember thinking, if I keep pushing through this, I’m either going to be late for my meeting or end up with soaking wet legs by the time I arrive😁. So, I turned back, changed into my gear, and just took the car instead😁.

I wouldn't say they're exactly great for biking, though I did spot a few of them out there yesterday and again this morning. :/

Ronald Diaz said:I wouldn't say it's great for biking, even though I spotted a few of them out there yesterday and this morning. :/

Look, I was actually out riding my bike yesterday😁. But today? It’s been an absolute disaster. Just constant stop-and-go.😁

No slowing down here. The only thing this winter has managed to force me to do is shift into a lower gear while I'm driving, but don't expect any other kind of satisfaction from me.=)

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:No slowing down here! The only thing this winter has managed to force me to do is drop a gear while I'm riding, but don't expect any other concessions from me =)

👍 Hats off to you. That’s the true 😁 spirit right there. If God wills it, I might just go out on a whim tomorrow myself. It’s not like the snow is piling up too high, and besides, the roads are actually pretty clear 😉

I guess I’m probably the only one who missed out on those overnight sales at Walmart, and honestly, I was sitting there one night just feeling absolutely devastated 😢

Take a look at the Walmart over in the suburbs. I was passing by the other day, and man, they were packed😁
Personally, I think you get a ton of value for that price.

So, did everyone finally kick off their seasonal commute after all that crazy snow?
I’m actually heading back out there tomorrow for my first shift, so I guess I’ll see how it goes before deciding if I’m sticking with it or just waiting around until things actually warm up a bit.

Some people didn't even bother closing up shop; they just kept on grinding through it all. 😬

🙂 but I didn't even pick up my bike until December 🙂
so yeah, I don't really have all the right gear yet, which makes me look a little amateurish, I guess, but I still made it out there...
here’s the route 16 miles 🙂 http://t.co/qEzsPEZ0

Nathan Castillo8 said:🙂 but I didn't actually get my bike until December 🙂
Sadly, I don't have any real gear yet so I still look like a total newbie, but I made the trip...
here's the route 16 miles 🙂 http://t.co/qEzsPEZ0

I really hope someone else here has a longer commute than I do 😁
I did a test run to work this past Saturday to see how wet roads would be, and man, I came home soaked to the bone 🙂

I found this perfect setup from REI for carrying my computer on my bike (rack + laptop bag with a mounting rail), but the price tag is just brutal 🙄 like $100 for the rack and $183 for the bag...

I think I'll just invest in a pannier and maybe a bike bag or some cheap saddlebags this year. Carrying a backpack is killing me—not even because of the sweat (I have a shower at work) but just the weight of the laptop and everything else...

Anyway, I'm planning to start biking to work again around mid-March 👍

I really need to do something about this sweat situation... I’m missing stuff like moisture-wicking pants, a solid thermal base layer, and that Velocity jacket...
I was wearing a jersey, a polyester track jacket top, and a windbreaker that had this super thin lining...
And just regular sweats on the bottom...
I was absolutely soaked, man. Like, my jersey felt like I'd just pulled it straight out of a swimming pool, the jacket too, even that little lining in the windbreaker...

For those of you who actually have decent gear, do you guys end up showing up all sweaty and drenched too?