On the commute today

[iddu]

^^^ That's this evening sorted 

[PaulF]

^^^ That's this evening sorted 

Where you thinking of going? IIRC you're not far away

[Pickled Onion]

Legally OK, but still inconsiderate of other road users in most cases, dangerous in some, and making the rider look like a pillock in 100%

100% the move of a pillock.

I see it quite a lot on a couple of junctions on my run into town. 

I just wish my employees were as keen to get to work as these people!

I'm missing something here. What makes it 100% the move of a pillock?

To quote(-ish) Alternative London c. 1975: "One of the best things about using a bike to get around London, is you can instantly turn yourself into a pedestrian. One way streets, red lights, pedestrian areas are no problem, then once you're past you can hop back on... "

[Ashaman42]

Was snowing a smidge on the way in. Plus what looked like frost on the cars turned out to be snow. Not very heavy though, Only a light dusting on my arms and head.

Turning to rain during the day which kept up till home time but luckily stopped about five minutes into the commute. Thankfully not too windy either or it would have been (even more) hard work. My ice bike does not do comfort or speed.

[jane]

Legally OK, but still inconsiderate of other road users in most cases, dangerous in some, and making the rider look like a pillock in 100%

100% the move of a pillock.

I see it quite a lot on a couple of junctions on my run into town. 

I just wish my employees were as keen to get to work as these people!

I'm missing something here. What makes it 100% the move of a pillock?

To quote(-ish) Alternative London c. 1975: "One of the best things about using a bike to get around London, is you can instantly turn yourself into a pedestrian. One way streets, red lights, pedestrian areas are no problem, then once you're past you can hop back on... "

My original post was about a guy who, at 6am, no traffic in sight, jumped off his bike at the red, ran across, then jumped back on it.  I had no real objection, I am not a member of the RLJ police.  I no longer do it, being old and responsible now, but I don't get that bothered by those who do it, unless they actively endanger others. I just made the comment that if he wanted to RLJ, why didn't he just ride over?  That time in the morning, there was no other traffic in sight. No danger whatsoever to himself or anyone else.  (I have to admit, I have done it myself, in the wee small hours.). And I was also quite amused, as he was in full Lycra and just looked a bit daft, clattering about on the tarmac on his massive cleats. (Probably more dangerous, trying to run about on those, than jumping the red light).

[Sergeant Pluck]

First Tracks by paulfulford, on Flickr

That looks wonderful

Overdid the layers this morning, currently trying to restore normal body temp. Tomorrow will be more interesting: -7 even in That London. Impressive numbers of cyclists out this morning, including lots of Chiswick's Triumph 20s+baskets and Pashleys. Cold is more tolerable than rain, judging by the numbers on the roads.

Numpty quotient about average, slightly boosted by above-average football shorts+minging vest "I'm hard so I can RLJ" brigade.

[clarion]

Well, it seems that fitting studded tyres has staved off the big freeze for the moment at least.  There was a bit of ice around, especially on Mitcham Common, but nothing at all that I noticed after Figges Marsh.  I felt very self-conscious, with my tyres doing their best impression of riding up a gravelled drive sweep, but, despite feeling very weary at first, I made good time.  I even checked that the distance I'd clocked matched what I'd done previously on the same loop, to check that I had the computer set correctly.  Passing RLJers on Borough High Street was a joy.

The Met Office are sticking by their predictions of sub-zero temperatures for the next couple of nights, so, unless it stays very dry, I'm expecting ice.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Thanks to those of you who put on your ice tyres, thereby staving off ice for the moment, at least!

I’ll be on the bus if the proposed freeze happens. Supposed to thaw by the weekend if it does.

[Chris S]

Stay away from Norfolk. 42 schools closed. Car crashes, overturned gritters (OK, that was Suffolk) and general mayhem. It's really quite incredible what 5cm of snow can achieve.

I'll be taking the sno tyres out for a spin [sic] at lunchtime. It's sunny, frosty (-2c) and crisp.

My commute across the landing to the office was ice-free.

[interzen]

Thanks to those of you who put on your ice tyres, thereby staving off ice for the moment, at least!

Didn't bloody well work up here.
Came off twice on black ice before deciding to call it quits (admittedly, landing on sharp stuff after the second dismount made a right mess of my shorts, and riding semi-nekkid in sub-zero temperatures isn't my idea of a good time) - some things are beyond even Pugsley, i seems.

Much as I'd like fat-compatible ice tyres, at £200+ a pop it ain't gonna happen.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Sorry to hear that, Interzen. I rode the long way into work so I could avoid ungritted sodding cycle paths.


The fields were pretty but I was still slow. How slow?  About 8kph slower than normal. A huge amount.

Keep thinking there must be something wrong with the bike.

[interzen]

Sorry to hear that, Interzen. I rode the long way into work so I could avoid ungritted sodding cycle paths.

A sound move.

I discovered that the downside of losing so much weight is that I don't have as much 'natural' padding any more. One thing's for certain, I sure as hell didn't bounce this time round 

[phantasmagoriana]

Thanks to those of you who put on your ice tyres, thereby staving off ice for the moment, at least!

Didn't bloody well work up here.

I tried doing my bit to stave off the York ice by fitting mine - sorry it didn't work. On balance, they probably were overkill and it was slow going with the comedy low pressure (might put some more air in the rear one before the ride home), but I felt the extra grip on some of the icier bits. Will probably leave them on for the rest of the week, at least. Having come off on ice in the previous two winters I'm a bit over-cautious, I think.

[Karla]

If you think it's bad in the daytime, you should have tried the stray at 2am this morning. Fortunately I hadn't quite got round to removing the front ice tyre from last time!

[Si_Co]

Miles of sheet ice this morning - loved it- makes running studs worth it.

Stopped on Warby bridge to put the temporary lights back the right way round thus preventing carnage at rush hour 

[nikki]

A tumble on the ice and a short detour to the fracture department of the local hospital. ...Fortunately unrelated.

The Ladypool Ditch is a nasty bit of cycle path. Not a huge fan of of the Orthotics Department's bureaucracy, either.

[simonp]

Set off at 8.55am (5 mins later than intended) from Chez Feline; start by walking down the hill to the high street. Which was also black ice, but didn't have time to walk that too. On the bypass, discovered the road closure warned about last night was still in force, and in my way. So detour downhill, decide to avoid the steep climb back up to the Strawberry Line path as it would probably not have been gritted, so continued towards Cross. And found a long queue of traffic which I had to work my way past if I wasn't to miss my train, the traffic coming the other way meaning I had to keep pulling in. Got to the A38 and got out fairly easily, and climbed up to the Strawberry Line. I was in two minds since I knew that at I'd be back on road at Sandford and was unsure if the road I'd be using would have been gritted. The Strawberry Line path itself is not a tarmac surface, and wasn't frozen solid, so I was ok. I got to Nye Road in Sandford and that was ice free. Finally on the last stretch at Congesbury to Yatton I had to push it. Crested the hill into Yatton at 28kph (75" gear on Pompino) and 35kph through Yatton itself meant the train was just pulling in, rather than just pulling out, when I got off my bike to walk onto the platform...

Bad news is I seem to have dropped my winter hat in the rush to get my bike on the train?

[perpetual dan]

Puddles were still squishy here, but the gritter passed me this evening. Tomorrow is a day in that London without the bike.

[tonycollinet]

Very glad I fettled the trike back onto the road on Sunday. Ice all over the place this morning.

[Jurek]

First Tracks by paulfulford, on Flickr

That looks wonderful

Overdid the layers this morning, currently trying to restore normal body temp. Tomorrow will be more interesting: -7 even in That London. Impressive numbers of cyclists out this morning, including lots of Chiswick's Triumph 20s+baskets and Pashleys. Cold is more tolerable than rain, judging by the numbers on the roads.

Numpty quotient about average, slightly boosted by above-average football shorts+minging vest "I'm hard so I can RLJ" brigade.

Choice.
Given the forecast, when I looked through the blinds at 06:20 this morning, I was fully expecting to see the cars iced up.
As there was no evidence of this, my neighbours may've heard me exclaim "Bike!" 

Lordy knows what it'll be like tmrw, given the forecast overnight low of -5°C 

[jane]

Just on my way out.  Below freezing and frosty in SE London, but the roads seem dry, so I think ice will not be a significant problem. Wearing new winter socks.  Very soft furry insides.  Lovely. 

[Jurek]

-5°C?
Myth.
Bike!

[jane]

It was below freezing at 6.30 am - just, as I discovered riding over the railway bridge to Nunhead from Crofton Park.  The road past the cemetery is often wet, for some reason.  Maybe because some of London's underground rivers run around here and it is also near a subterranean reservoir.  A thin film of black ice covered the road just here.  However, the road surface is so bad at this point (probably due to the seepage problem), it gave enough grip to make riding over it no problem.  Elsewhere, the roads are so dry, no problem.
The socks are amazing.

[Basil]

Ouch!  The gloves didn't hack it this morning.  Ski mitts tomorrow, I think.

[Pickled Onion]

Cyclist directly in front of me was knocked off by a pedestrian this morning. She was doing a fair lick approaching a pedestrian crossong - Farringdon Rd/Cowcross St junction for anyone who knows it - and it was clear that the bunch of ovine pedstrians were collectively not looking the right way. She saw that and started pinging her bell, but hit one and went straight down. Thankfully, she and the bike were mostly OK.

I administered a few strong words to the bloke, who was apologetic, but I didn't press the matter because really it was her own fault. You can't simply ride full pelt at a bunch of pedestrians and expect them to magically part, even if you are going ting ting ting (her comment was "didn't you hear my bell?"). They have every right to be on the road, even if the traffic lights are against them.