Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2461948 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #100 on: 03 December, 2009, 03:49:55 am »
In Gloucester's Westgate St many years ago, before it was fully pedestrianised but after various chicanes had been put in to divert most traffic away from it, I saw a BMW driver hit one of these chicaney-pinch point devices and burst both tyres on the same side. They got out with curses and set to changing the front flat, either undeterred by or unaware of the rear puncture. Or perhaps they really did have two spare tyres. Still, I suppose as a get-you-home measure the front is the more important.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Gandalf

  • Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #101 on: 03 December, 2009, 11:16:53 am »
My experience on the way home was horrific, it was peeing down with large amounts of acumulated water all over the shop and still the cockjuggling smegheads tore along Mr Toad stylee.  The percentage of shaves was even higher than normal.

I'm afraid I've decided to get a helmet cam.  Won't achieve bugger all but might be mildly cathartic and at £11.98 from eBay won't break the bank.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #102 on: 08 December, 2009, 08:39:35 am »
I saw a shooting star.
I didn't wish on it. 
It may have been space hardware and that would have been wrong.  ;)
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

spindrift

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #103 on: 08 December, 2009, 10:35:54 am »
Took a short cut under the flyover, a driver was reversing out of a parking space. I waved at her to stop, she had a three foot branch stuck in her door, the branch was scraping along the road. She opened the door and I kicked the branch away. "I wondered what that noise was!" she said.



CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #104 on: 08 December, 2009, 12:52:29 pm »
On the new chicanes they are building on th A473. I moved to the left, I moved to the right, I moved to the left.  A splendid  piece of middle of the road cycling with cars behind.  Sometimes you need to be confident ;D

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #105 on: 08 December, 2009, 01:00:39 pm »
Marvellous one last Wednesday, albeit in my motorcar.  They are widening the A414 on the southern edge of Harlow, which means lane restrictions and Big Queues.  Because I am Nice, I stopped to:

  • let in a postie emerging from my left, and
  • allow a chap turning right to pass in front of me

Seeking to take advantage of the gap in the traffic, Mr A Dickinavauxhall, who was second in the queue behind the postie, dumps the clutch and floors it while looking at me.  Out of his side window.

Thus he failed to notice the postie's Transit, until the latter rudely arrested his progress after some three feet.

I laughed.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #106 on: 08 December, 2009, 01:31:25 pm »
I sometimes think that any child, being driven by some of the mums I see on my route, might want to consider having the ir DNA wiped and replaced with something a bit more promising. Bad driving doesn't even get close, it's just complete failure to observe even simple things.
The woman who clattered her offside wing mirror down four or five parked cars this morning being a good example - she didn't notice because she was on the phone.... BMW X5 natch.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #107 on: 08 December, 2009, 08:36:05 pm »
I sometimes think that any child, being driven by some of the mums I see on my route, might want to consider having the ir DNA wiped and replaced with something a bit more promising. Bad driving doesn't even get close, it's just complete failure to observe even simple things.
The woman who clattered her offside wing mirror down four or five parked cars this morning being a good example - she didn't notice because she was on the phone.... BMW X5 natch.

That'd be enough for me to save the video and leave my details on each of the parked cars.  I'd want to see her insurance premiums hurting for that carelessness.
Your Royal Charles are belong to us.

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #108 on: 08 December, 2009, 09:17:10 pm »
On the commute today:
Nothing much happened. - As usual.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #109 on: 09 December, 2009, 04:12:27 am »
On foot, 28 minutes door to door. But then I have to wait an average of 3 minutes for the lift to arrive. We're only on the first floor, so I wouldn't take it if the stairs weren't closed off as a "security certification" measure.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #110 on: 09 December, 2009, 08:26:36 am »
On the way home I have one roundabout. I had to wait, then as I'm crossing, some f*ckwit bus driver starts inching across so in my calm and measured fashion I adopt banshee tones, glare, and screech at him (with no hope of being heard, or, given the highwayman buff, lip-read) 'no you fricking don't, twat face' only to hear fellow cyclist behind me snigger 'you tell him'.
I never see other cyclists, never. Where did he come from? He went the other way, but I was so shocked (and a leetle embarassed) I didn't get a chance to say hello.

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #111 on: 09 December, 2009, 02:14:30 pm »
Oh no!  :( :( :(

I nearly posted something here about how I'd enjoyed cyling through total grid lock in Brum this morning.  Nothing but me moving for miles.
Glad I didn't
BBC News - Cyclist dies after bus collision
 :( :( :(
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #112 on: 10 December, 2009, 01:03:56 am »
On my commute home this evening (11pm) I met a sensible policeman.

Chelsea Bridge was closed, as far as I could tell for an RTA at the southern end, and they had a police cars blocking traffic at the embankment (northern) end traffic lights.

I got off and asked "Is it OK if I walk across the bridge?", to which one of the clearly bored officers said "You can cycle across, so long as you stay on the footpath".  Given there were about 2 pedestrians around, and the footpath is about fifteen foot wide, there wasn't much risk of a collision, but it's nice that I was treated like I wasn't about to mow down everyone in sight. :thumbsup:
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #113 on: 10 December, 2009, 08:17:53 am »
I sometimes think that any child, being driven by some of the mums I see on my route, might want to consider having the ir DNA wiped and replaced with something a bit more promising. Bad driving doesn't even get close, it's just complete failure to observe even simple things.
The woman who clattered her offside wing mirror down four or five parked cars this morning being a good example - she didn't notice because she was on the phone.... BMW X5 natch.

That'd be enough for me to save the video and leave my details on each of the parked cars.  I'd want to see her insurance premiums hurting for that carelessness.

Believe me, it's times like this I wished I had one...

recumbentim

  • Only 6 SR,s No hyper yet
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #114 on: 10 December, 2009, 07:58:35 pm »
Did one commute this week on tue. It had rained and froze.Hence streaches of sheets of ice before gritters got round. Three cars totalled and the rest going at 21 MPH.
Did it on carbon MTB with road tyres and not usual recumbent , and I wore a helmet.
Solwest 17 miles yet this year but most exciting.
Phoned the  Council to complain about gritters and got long waffle about times and routes and buget limitations.
  So couldn,t be bothered asking if they would grit the cycle path bits ???

FyPuNK

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #115 on: 11 December, 2009, 08:38:39 am »
A stunning but very cold morning this mornng. The bad news, as I went round a corner I felt the back tyre wobble a little, thought it was the frost/ice on the road but soon realized it wasn't, looking down and the back wheel looked buckled and on inspection I seemed of broken a spoke. Pooo

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #116 on: 11 December, 2009, 10:05:54 am »
  So couldn,t be bothered asking if they would grit the cycle path bits ???

Take your own version of grit:


   Schwalbe Marathon Winter Performance Wire On Tyre - from £33.98 | Dotbike


I'm waiting for the first bit of icy weather and I'll be diving for the hackbike in the shed which has these fitted.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Jacomus

  • My favourite gender neutral pronoun is comrade
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #117 on: 11 December, 2009, 11:08:21 am »
Last night I nearly came acropper.

Feeling pressured by the twatinnacar sitting about 2mm from my rear wheel, I misjudged my line into a left turn. I knew that I could safely pedal through the corner, but what with the line-misjudgement, I was a smidge closer to the kerb than is safe!

Inside pedal strikes the kerb and with a sickening lurch the rear of my bike was fired into the air, with the front wheel remaining on the road :o It stepped out so far that when it landed I nearly flipped over sideways as the bike righted itself. Luckily I was riding the full-susser as my bum remained in contact with the saddle the whole time - my nads would not have enjoyed the crunch of the landing! When I got home I checked the pedal - can't even see where it hit the kerb :thumbsup: and the rear shock (which has a rubber ring round it to show how much travel is being used). Normally I use 2/3 of the available travel, mostly by riding over speedbumps without lifting off the saddle, but after the somewhat exciting landing the rubber ring was right on the end of the stanchion - I had used the whole travel of the shock :o
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." Amelia Earhart

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #118 on: 11 December, 2009, 12:53:35 pm »
Came in on the MTB with snow stud tyres this morning.

There was not much ice about as it turned out, but I'm not taking any chances this year. You don't need much to fall off on.

But it is REALLY heavy going on that bike. I felt I had gone twice as far as normal.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #119 on: 11 December, 2009, 01:22:48 pm »
Came in on the MTB with snow stud tyres this morning.

There was not much ice about as it turned out, but I'm not taking any chances this year. You don't need much to fall off on.

But it is REALLY heavy going on that bike. I felt I had gone twice as far as normal.

The Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres say to do 50km or so on normal roads to run them in before using them on snow/ice, so I used my hackbike for commuting for a few days.

Average speed was down by about 3kph on normal, but then it's a slightly heavier bike and I was on flat pedals rather than clipless (which prompted me to fit the M424 pedals I had lying around). They were also pumped up quite hard so the studs were hardly in contact with the ground. With less pressure in the tyres (like you're supposed to do on snow/ice to bring the studs into play) I can imagine it'll be much harder work (but much more fun than the alternative of sliding on your arse).
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #120 on: 11 December, 2009, 01:36:13 pm »
Nice & cold this morning, and pleasantly foggy too.  I bet the architects of the big building at Elephant & Castle almost came in their pants when they saw it disappearing up majestically into the mist...

It was a fun ride, without the full quota of usual motorised numpties.  And plenty of serious riders - many women included :thumbsup: 

And catching a glimpse down a side street as I glanced backwards over my shoulder, I noticed that you can see Battersea Power Station from my commute.  Not easily, but it is there. :)
Getting there...

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #121 on: 11 December, 2009, 03:18:08 pm »
Came in on the MTB with snow stud tyres this morning.

There was not much ice about as it turned out, but I'm not taking any chances this year. You don't need much to fall off on.

But it is REALLY heavy going on that bike. I felt I had gone twice as far as normal.

The Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres say to do 50km or so on normal roads to run them in before using them on snow/ice, so I used my hackbike for commuting for a few days.

Average speed was down by about 3kph on normal, but then it's a slightly heavier bike and I was on flat pedals rather than clipless (which prompted me to fit the M424 pedals I had lying around). They were also pumped up quite hard so the studs were hardly in contact with the ground. With less pressure in the tyres (like you're supposed to do on snow/ice to bring the studs into play) I can imagine it'll be much harder work (but much more fun than the alternative of sliding on your arse).

After phoning 70 suppliers I finally got a studded tyre deliverd by Wiggle - about 2 days after last winter's ice melted for good. [AND they took my money for priority delivery - grrr... ]

So not used in anger yet. I need a test track - a strip of ice with soft stuff either side! I think I'll be crapping myself if I go straight out on an icy road.
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #122 on: 11 December, 2009, 04:09:44 pm »
First wheelspin this winter due to ice this morning - otherwise a very nice ride in....
Now I just need to get that hack on the B2W scheme so that I can have a bike with the studded tyres on it ready to go rather than faff about changing wheels...

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #123 on: 16 December, 2009, 12:52:32 pm »
First wheel spins for me this morning too.  A bit slippy in places but I soldiered on.  :thumbsup:

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #124 on: 16 December, 2009, 01:07:33 pm »
Coldest day so far for my penultimate ride in Central Park crisp but dry so no ice.

Even got given some space by a bus on the way. Their usual technique is to overtake, signal and pull in front of me. This morning the bus overtook, signaled and then slowed to let me undertake. Once teh driver's intentions were obvious I rode into the gap that they'd given and gave a big :thumbsup: as I passed