My commute route is primarily uphill on the ride in, and a two minute faster downhill commute on the ride home. There are some very narrow shoulders for one 1/8 mile stretch of the route, but the rest of the ride I have plenty of room. Unfortunately, the majority of the ride is shared with exhaust spewing vehicles, traveling 55-60 m.p.h in a 45 m.p.h zone.
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My fall/winter commutes have been hampered by lighting issues. I recently purchased a single beam JET Lites lighting system (that was immediately returned for repairs). Once it is returned to me by the manufacturer, I plan to do more fall/winter commuting.