On the commute today

[SteveC]

First day on the bike for a week and a half due to the lurg. Nice steady ride in. Traffic a bit heavy with one or two cases of 'that was a bit close' and 'if I'd been driving I wouldn't have overtaken just there', but nothing too serious. Let them get stressy, I'm enjoying myself.

S

[citoyen]

Had a bit of a heart-in-the-mouth moment this morning when descending the hill into town, doing not far short of 30mph, legs spinning away like billy-o, some twat coming up the hill decides to overtake a motorbike, and comes right across the white lines. The parked cars on my side of the road meant very little space for me to squeeze through...  

I think I shouted loud enough for him to get the gist of what I thought of his driving skills.  

d.

[Greenbank]

Donning more layers. Knee-warmers and base layer today. That's along with socks, shorts, s/s jersey, arm warmers and cap.

Forecast for Wednesday looks chilly. Might even stretch to a gilet and a buff.

[simonp]

I found my winter hat under a pile of clothes.  Means I can stop wearing a helmet to keep my head warm. And warm it was under the winter cap.

The commute itself was fine apart from being sore after the weekend.

[CommuteTooFar]

An unusual commute today.  I look at red bike. Oh dear I was supposed to fix the front derailleur on the weekend. On Friday I had noticed that it had appeared to have slipped.  So with allen key in hand I moved it around and up.  It moved the chain back onto the middle ring.  So a quick test ride up and down the street. I switched onto the granny and it dropped as expected.  I clicked it the other way nothing.  Oh dear need to put it on the stand and take a proper look at it.   I clean away the gunk and spot the problem immediately. The derailleur is snapped.  I doubt I can get an 8 speed Racing T these days so I will need to be creative. Red bike is broken.

Pink White and Blue Bike needs a screw to attach cable guides and gears adjusted.

Orange bike (commuting) needs a new wheel.

Step back a day to Sunday. I finished building the wheel for Orange bike.  I approach old wheel with a view to transplanting the disc brake rotor.  I try my allen keys but notice they were not allen bolts but star screws.  I have a couple of star screw drivers in my computer toolkit.  I try them but they are too small. Project halted.

Resuming commute I insert 'rotorless' wheel into Orange bike and head towards Cyclopedia. Very careful like all of us I automatically rely on the front brake which is missing. Only one brake (rear) is illegal and makes me nervous on big hills and in rush our traffic. Come back in a couple of hours they say.  "What time do you need to be in work?" they ask.  "I am already late", I say.

Commute continues on foot then by train then on foot again.  I really must work out the buses. At least I got a couple of wolf whistles.  I find walking around with the little bit of flesh exposed between ankle and knee my cycling knickers are guaranteed to drive young women insane.

[itsbruce]

I have already been into work and back and back again, today.  Got to work to find a message from a neighbour about a possible burglary.  Cycled straight back (false alarm, thankfully).  So that was over 70 minutes on the bike with barely a pause.  Cycled back in at lunchtime.  Getting my exercise in, today.

[Greenbank]

I have already been into work and back and back again, today.  Got to work to find a message from a neighbour about a possible burglary.  Cycled straight back (false alarm, thankfully).  So that was over 70 minutes on the bike with barely a pause.  Cycled back in at lunchtime.  Getting my exercise in, today.

Only once did I cycle in to work to find that I'd left my work keyring¹ at home. Work, home, work is 36km.

1. Work keyring contains:-

Bike shed key: can just wait for someone else or get a spare from security
Bike lock key: have cafe lock around the seatpost in case of emergency.
Changing room locker key: the start of the problems, I'll have a clean t-shirt and socks with me, and my towel is hanging up on a hanger on the door, but no trousers/shorts. Lock is pickable with a paper clip though. No way am I sitting in the office in cycling shorts.
Office locker key: laptop contained within, very little chance of picking the lock (although I have managed it once)
Laptop dock key: not required
Desk drawer key: not required

[itsbruce]

Home to work is roughly 8.5 miles or 14.2 km, so I'd done around 42.6 km by lunchtime and nearly 58 now.

The junction by Stockwell Tube is teaching me a feral hatred of RLJers; if I hadn't been delayed by a pedestrian wandering across my exit onto Stockwell Road, I'd have been hit side-on by a fuckwit tearing through the red light at well over 30mph.  Hate.  Hate.  Hate.

[mrcharly-YHT]

meh, what a crap ride home.

Late leaving work. So dark and raining. Switch on both light - one is dead. Crap, I changed batteries on Friday, it must have been knocked on somehow. Remaining light isn't great.

Get 8 miles out of leeds, something jambs front wheel. Stop, look, can't see what it was. Ride on. Stop at A1 roundabout, realise I don't have any front brakes. Maybe the missing brake block is a clue.

Switch rear blocks onto front. Ride rest of way somewhat gingerly, unable to see road, damp, hit debri at site of the morning's fatality. Thanks, road crew, could you have swept the broken crap off the road completely during the 4 hours the road was closed, rather than just sweeping a pile of it into the hard shoulder? Miraculously don't get puncture.

[little miss mac]

Donning more layers. Knee-warmers and base layer today. That's along with socks, shorts, s/s jersey, arm warmers and cap.

Forecast for Wednesday looks chilly. Might even stretch to a gilet and a buff.

I wore my long tights today for the first time, but more because I forgot to wash the rest of my kit over the weekend...
Long-fingered autumn gloves are still slightly too hot by the end of the journey, and on the way home I felt as though I could probably still do without my bolero (girly armwarmers) but not at the start of the trip. No gilet yet.

I run a bit hot, generally, but hate the cold starts, and the change in season is always a trial of layer-shedding. You can frequently catch me stripping in Battersea Park   

[TimO]

... The junction by Stockwell Tube is teaching me a feral hatred of RLJers ...

That junction was pretty horrible the last time I used it, and I doubt much has changed.  I've always just gone through it on Clapham Road, and the whole turn off, and then have to turn right to get back on, is a bugger.

It would be nice if CS7 had improved this, but I assume all that involved was painting the existing (horrible and dangerous) route blue.

[perpetual dan]

Was thanked for a tow up Elm Grove this evening.

Oh and be my guest Cudzo 

[spindrift]

I came fast down St Benedicts to the bottom of Grapes Hill. Two cars queueing at the lights, I thought about using the cycle lane to their left but then the lights changed so I slotted behind the cars and went through the lights. The lead car took an illegal left turn. If I'd chosen the lane I'd have been wiped out.

[itsbruce]

... The junction by Stockwell Tube is teaching me a feral hatred of RLJers ...

That junction was pretty horrible the last time I used it, and I doubt much has changed.  I've always just gone through it on Clapham Road, and the whole turn off, and then have to turn right to get back on, is a bugger.

It would be nice if CS7 had improved this, but I assume all that involved was painting the existing (horrible and dangerous) route blue.

Crossing that route at a right angle, twice a day (four times, today) is not helping me to love my fellow cyclist.  Worst place on my route for herd behaviour, where one RLJer can draw a whole herd of sheep behind him or her.

[simonp]

Uncommute of 50km (normally 8.38). Hasn't cleared my head though the quiet, dark lanes did offer a lot of time for introspection. Was a steady pace - 21-odd kph.

[L CC]

Nearly got taken out by a fuckwit overtaking a bus. Head on to me, I wonder if he could lip read?
Bit nippy this morning, and proper dark at 6.30am. It's coming peeps- I reckon it's time for full finger gloves by the end of the week. And yay! I can stop shaving my legs 

[clarion]

It's that time of year.

I stopped to help three separate p*nct*re victims between Clapham and Newington.

Two were OK - a woman in a club jersey (Dulwich Paragon?) and a more mature gentleman who had obviously been exerting himself rather, before his Unscheduled Deflation Incident.  He was amused by it all, though, and openly acknowledged he had jinxed himself by thinking on leaving the house, 'I haven't had a puncture in ages'    

But I did help a couple who were struggling to get a tyre off.  I got it off, checked for flints, started them off with replacing it, and gave them some advice before leaving.  I hope they were all right from there.  It was an awkward tyre (Vittoria Rubino IIRC), and it wasn't keen to get back in the rim.

I was pleased to note that all of them, and the chap last night, carried spare tubes rather than hoping to find a puncture at the side of the road.

I've realised that I might be able to get some interesting figures if I record the makes of tyres I stop to help with over the winter.  Still anecdote, not data, but may provide a useful picture.

Or not.

I'll see.

[hatler]

On my 'heading out of Larndon' commute I must see, oh, about one be-punctured cyclist every six months.

I've seen three in the last two days, all within 100 yards of each other, at the top of the hill on Coombe Lane heading in to Kingston.

I checked with all three and all had all they needed. All road bikes as well.

[MattH]

Working from home or out of hotels most of the time at the moment is killing my commuting miles, only marginally made up for by the 40 mile each way commute to the London office on average once a week.

Still, today I extended my 10 metre bedroom-kitchen commute by doing a 30 mile loop over to Reading, pooing-in-a-pot for a nice young lady before turning round and coming home. Managed to avoid the worst of the rush hour, but still far too many queuing cars and impatient, inattentive drivers.

[Ham]

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last commute.

"sure, but that's not good"

I have doubted and practised superstitions, for I have indeed worn my helmet continuously. I have profaned and blasphemed at those stupid f*ckers on bikes and in cars. I have been negligent and not attended Critical Mass for 9 months. I have broken the vow I made to take things easy and not chase down the stupid RLJer on BSO who did run into me. I have been envious and lusted over a steel Colnago that attracted my eye, coming close to spilling seed upon the ground. I have watched as masturbators performed their unholy acts in large 4x4s. I have harboured impure thoughts of passing through a red light. I have dressed immodestly in Lycra.

"Feck but you've been a naughty boy. 50 miles into the headwind on a single speed"


Ah yes, it was good to be back on the wheels.

[hatler]

POTD

[itsbruce]

I am so tired that I forgot that I rode in today and was sitting here thinking "Shame I took public transport; I always regret it".  It's about once or twice a month that I don't cycle in.  Bleurgh.

My job is killing me.

[CommuteTooFar]

Unusual commute part 2.  Walk to the bike shop get bike.  As I was closer to the centre of Cardiff I turned on to Western Avenue and considered my options 1. Turn up Llantrisant Road and do longer normal commute.  2. Continue to A48 and get to Bridgend that way. I chose 3.  So I turn towards St Fagins, Peterstone Super Ely, Gwern y Steeple and Welsh St Donats.  I continued to Llansanor and City.  Here I hit the problem with my scheme I do not really know my way around this end of the vale. In the past when I have been here I have always had a good guide.  I realised I did not know precisely where I was heading.  I found my self at Ruthin and knew where I was.  I should of taken an earlier left turn but I arrived at a turning I recognised and headed around St Mary Hill.  As I was descending a small descent the big question of the day. Did my new front wheel go wonky before or after the crash.  I hit the ground and thought s***!.  Second thought was yes it is.  I notice the new wheel was a long way from true. Whether the wheel deformed before or after the crash it should have been built better. I continue down the slippy lane on foot with the thought at least it is not raining. Oh!
 

[Sergeant Pluck]

Bloody hell  That's as wet as I've got on the bike for some time.

[little miss mac]

As I pulled up to the first junction on my way home (northumberland ave onto the embankment), those excitable motorbike cops with whistles roared up and started stopping traffic. The lucky recipient of a traffic-free ride home was Princess Anne, along with two more motorbikes, and a second car (in case of breakdowns? Royal equivalent of a puncture repair kit?).

She hasn't changed her hair, if anyone was wondering.