On the commute today

[GruB]

Parts were cold and then warm.  Very strange.

[Chris S]

Hit some ice in front of The Bull, and somehow managed to stay on. But I had to deflate the back tyre to put it back in, and apparently my pump is a car valve one. Is it worth switching to singlespeed?

Not really any ice avoidance benefit of switching to single speed. Your pump does both, the head needs switching is all. Any bruising?

You can stop pedalling when you hit the ice on singlespeed, and not get pushed out of the saddle and lose balance. But oh well. I didn't switch. No bruises, and only one person waiting for the bus saw

Is he right? Singlespeed better than fixed on ice?

In my limited experience, the ability to freewheel (usually whilst clenched) is what is important.

Single speed or geared is a different question - but I deliberately went for an ability to free wheel with my Ice Bike.

[spindrift]

Say you’re riding along a cycle lane, a lorry is ahead indicating left at the lights, you go up the inside and get squished when the lights change and the lorry turns.

Who’s at fault?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24031972-i-remember-screaming-stop-stop-says-cyclist-dragged-under-left-turning-tanker.do

No way would I ride up there, no way Jose.

[Ham]

Say you’re riding along a cycle lane, a lorry is ahead indicating left at the lights, you go up the inside and get squished when the lights change and the lorry turns.

Who’s at fault?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24031972-i-remember-screaming-stop-stop-says-cyclist-dragged-under-left-turning-tanker.do

No way would I ride up there, no way Jose.

+10^³⁶

I know that junction well, every sympathy for the cyclist, but you'll find me riding (gingerly) in the outside here, real shit cycle lane design http://g.co/maps/pcev7

edit: who is at fault? (1) the cycle lane designers (2) the cyclist (3) the driver

I know some people will argue the prime responsibility is with the driver and I agree 100% with that, but that is subtly and importantly different from who is to blame.

[Redlight]

Say you’re riding along a cycle lane, a lorry is ahead indicating left at the lights, you go up the inside and get squished when the lights change and the lorry turns.

Who’s at fault?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24031972-i-remember-screaming-stop-stop-says-cyclist-dragged-under-left-turning-tanker.do

No way would I ride up there, no way Jose.

I feel a bit bad saying this, as I know James, and I know some of what he has been through in the past year, but having gone up the lane in full expectation of being able to use the ASL (which the lorry was blocking) I would have been inclined either to carry on and position myself  where I could not be overlooked or wait until the lorry had moved away fully before moving off myself. But we all make mistakes and there but for the grace of God go many of us.

[spindrift]

It's on my old commute and the cycle lanes are routinely flouted. It's very close to where an unregistered car deliberately drove into me.

[Ray 6701]

Took 5 miles for me to get my fingers warm tonight & the lace in the boa closure on my spesh bg's snapped 

[GruB]

I spent 2.5 hours on a cold building site this morning, sat in a container cabin without any heating as the burglars had stolen the keys to the generator ignition, taking a statement of loss from the injured party.  By the time I'd finished I was cold to the bone.  Teeth were chattering and I was shaking uncontrollably.  I didn't get back in to the station until 1345 hours and by then I was ravenous.  I ate most of my food for the day, including my pre-bonk ride home treat.  So I had to gel it before I did.  Very glad I did too as it was tiring.

[clarion]

Sounds like a rough day, there, GruB.

By contrast, I had a rare tailwind home, so, even after cramming pannier and saddlebag with implausible amounts of food, I sailed home up the hill

[GruB]

I also decided on my way home that I shall take the Nelson and Bagman QR off and also remove the tri bars.  The bars I don't enjoy with fixed, too much cadence.  The commute needs to be as easy as possible as with the early morning starts I am getting tired as I am working such intense duties - so the old Carradice Super C comes out to play and the Nelson can have a break.

[Wonky]

Just out the gate from work and I was fiddling with my foot position for some unknown reason. Somehow I twisted my foot inwards on the cleat and caught my heel in the back wheel.
Wheel locked up and left a 10 ft skid on the road. Spoke very bent and wheel unrideable. Took some chunks out of the shoe.
10 mins roadside fettling got it back to rideable, and once home managed to true it nicely in the warm. Got to a fag papers clearance from the brakes. I was well pleased with my trueing until I test rode it up the street, first revolulution with weight on, and the spokes pinged and ponged, and the wheel settled back to just OK. Ho hum.

[Adrian]

Just out the gate from work and I was fiddling with my foot position for some unknown reason. Somehow I twisted my foot inwards on the cleat and caught my heel in the back wheel.
Wheel locked up and left a 10 ft skid on the road. Spoke very bent and wheel unrideable. Took some chunks out of the shoe.
10 mins roadside fettling got it back to rideable, and once home managed to true it nicely in the warm. Got to a fag papers clearance from the brakes. I was well pleased with my trueing until I test rode it up the street, first revolulution with weight on, and the spokes pinged and ponged, and the wheel settled back to just OK. Ho hum.

You have to stress relieve the spokes and re-true as you do it to get the pinging and ponging out.

[GruB]

I have ice ice baby 

[Feanor]

Was concerned about ice so I avoided the hill and took the alternative low-level route, which had no ice.

Looking up at the hill, it had a light dusting of white on it, but I suspect it would have been OK; although it was cold overnight, I don't think there was enough wetness laying around to make ice-mischief.

[Basil]

Just nasty.  Dark, gloomy oily morning.  Glasses coated in whatever it was that was hanging around in the sky.  The sound of tiny ice particles tinkling on my shoulders.

Still, much more fun than the train would have been, I guess.

[Tim Hall]

Chilly. Silk glove liners (Blacks sale, down to £8.00) kept my fingers toasty.

Approaching a pinch point I'm aware of a lorry behind. He slows nicely, hanging back. After the pinch he passes me nice and wide. And he's driving a skip lorry.  <boggle>

Then approaching a right hand turn off an A road. On coming WVM flashes me through so I don't have to stop.

Must wear the magic silk gloves more often.


Outside a school is the usual traffic chaos, plus a van parked half on the zig zags half on the pavement. Delivering cycle shelters. Irony meter tends towards max.

[mrcharly-YHT]

According to the weather stations, it was -1 most of the night in Leeds, with some drizzle so I was expecting the odd bit of cold black stuff.

Not a single frozen puddle. Not even any ice on cars. Just fog and drizzle.

It's still dark, Mr Frodo. I don't think the sun has come up.

[clarion]

Bit chilly.  But I was out earlier than usual, so I went over Chelsea Bridge, along the Embankment, past the Occupy camp, and to work via London Bridge, where I had a great tailwind I'd earned.

Added in an extra kilometre by going round a local square four times.  I sometimes wonder if the pedestrians I pass more than once notice, or whether I'm just another cyclist.

Now, the dilemma is this: It's the last day of the month.  I have a 19km ride home.  I'm currently on 1269.61km for the month/year.  Should I sneak in the extra 11km, or be responsible and get home to feed my bairns?

[iddu]

Dozen 11<x<13 deer, in the mist, crossing Ridgeway at top of Ashbury 

[spindrift]

Dozen deer, in the mist, crossing Ridgeway at top of Ashbury 

I didn't understand this post, I thought you'd seen some sleepy deer and you were using the past tense of "doze".

As you were.

[iddu]

I didn't understand this post, I thought you'd seen some sleepy deer and you were using the past tense of "doze".

Better now (apart from fractional possibilities)?

[spindrift]

heh.

[plum]

Was filtering down the middle of a narrow traffic locked road, stationary on both sides. Two police on bikes were coming towards me filtering single file along the inside of the traffic on their side. The oncoming traffic moved about 6 inches so a car decided to graciously pull over to give me more room. Only he hadn't seen the bobbies and crunched straight into the one level with him, knocking him against a metal fence along the pavement, and forcing the one behind into his rear end.

I was exactly level with the one who was up against the fence and I looked across at him, and he was just laughing. No idea what he found funny about the situation. Rode on and left them to it.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Ye gods, I've started barking orders at random cyclists now...

I often cycle down this road http://g.co/maps/2sukt Occasionally you get a car driver who is aggressive and wants to squeeze you to get past (and it is a dangerous squeeze, trust me, and they usually do it at speed). So I've taken to riding smack down the middle, much to their ire. The poor dears are delayed by all of ten seconds, usually. It is not a long road.

Today a white van was inches from my back wheel, revving particularly aggressively. At the same time another cyclist was overtaking me on the right side of the road. Quite a lot of cyclists, at this point, dive submissively for the gutter in order to allow cars and vans to squeeze past, and before I knew it I'd shouted 'Don't let him past, there's not enough room!' at the cyclist who was overtaking me. He didn't acknowledge I'd said anything (probably thought I was some loony, giving orders to strangers, this is London after all), but he did stay on the right side of the road, and I stayed on the left not far behind him, so the van driver had no chance of bullying his way past with both of us blocking his way.

[Feanor]

Was driving with the bike on the roof earlier, down a narrow street where I had to stay very close to a tall stone wall on my left.

In my peripheral vision, I saw a bike on my left, trying to squeeze between me and the wall!  But there's only inches to spare!
Big adrenalin rush and avoiding tactics till I realised it was the shadow of my own bike on the roof, cast onto the wall by a streetlight!
As I drove forward, the shadow came in fast from behind, pulled forward alongside me, and finally cycled off in front of me.
He was a fast bugger, too.

<phew!>