Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462256 times)

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #75 on: 01 December, 2009, 12:12:25 pm »
I'd rather slip on the ice with the momentum of a cyclist than with the momentum of a ton or so of metal.
Providing there's no-one sitting in a ton of metal 3' off your back wheel. :)
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #76 on: 01 December, 2009, 12:13:00 pm »
Aye, given that.
Getting there...

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #77 on: 01 December, 2009, 01:28:00 pm »
Icy in stretches, but not too bad.  Nice ride, except for the motons. >:(

Ditto but I'll add a lovely sunset and two grazing deer.

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #78 on: 01 December, 2009, 01:46:31 pm »
Loverly sunrise.  Red sky in the morning....

Little bit of ice up the lanes to walk around.  But most of the water from the past few days had dried off the road before it got to freezing

Glad I wore the extra fleece, i wasn't too hot with it on.  Wore my biggest gloves.  My toes suffered.

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #79 on: 01 December, 2009, 04:46:30 pm »
Looks like I am in for another tough 20 miles tonight.....  :)

(have to stay a little later to attend a meeting at 5:30 so will probably be in the road until about 9pm...  :P)


hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #80 on: 01 December, 2009, 05:24:51 pm »
Me ears dropped off this morning  :o bloody hell its cold but at least the wind has died down, not to self, get a silly headband on me crimbo list.

Get a Buff! Shame I don't think there are any yacf Buffs left.

Great for keeping ears/face/neck/head warm. Amazon have loads or you could get onr free with CTC membership - maybe...

Gandalf

  • Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #81 on: 01 December, 2009, 06:51:58 pm »
I went for the YACF Buff and exta base layer today. Very nippy first thing this morning.

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #82 on: 01 December, 2009, 08:24:35 pm »
Looks like I am in for another tough 20 miles tonight.....  :)

(have to stay a little later to attend a meeting at 5:30 so will probably be in the road until about 9pm...  :P)



Not too bad axserly....
Went sooner and a little quicker than expected.
The wind speed was about right, but I had snow flurries on the Peaks rather than rain - very pretty!  ;D

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #83 on: 01 December, 2009, 09:11:07 pm »
Full winter gear today. Two layers+aldi jacket. Fleecy tights, winter boots, buff. Not cold, but not much sweat either.

No ice on the road. I'd put the ice spikes on the MTB last night just in case, but went on my commuter, as the roads were bone dry. Loads of frozen puddles though - I didn't cycle in them :-)

It's raining tonight, so if it freezes it'll definitely be the ice tyres tomorrow. However, forecast is for a low of +3

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #84 on: 01 December, 2009, 09:18:11 pm »
Ice, in my street, at 6:30.

Good on major roads afterwards. In fact a fine, dry and cold morning. A bit slower than usual at about 60' to 65'.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #85 on: 01 December, 2009, 09:38:04 pm »
Quote
It's raining tonight, so if it freezes it'll definitely be the ice tyres tomorrow. However, forecast is for a low of +3

Where in this country can you get/use ice studs?

700 35C's? I'm interested!

LindaG

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #86 on: 01 December, 2009, 09:48:58 pm »
Really nice at 0650, just one wobbly moment when I thought "I'm on black ice here.  Better not turn the corner.  Just keep in a straight line onto the pavement", but apart from that it was glorious, really frosty and fresh.  Homeward at 2100 on the other hand was slightly warmer but with a rubbish head-and-sidewind blowing me all over the road.  Definitely better than the car though, I'm really enjoying my tea!

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #87 on: 01 December, 2009, 10:13:08 pm »
Quote
It's raining tonight, so if it freezes it'll definitely be the ice tyres tomorrow. However, forecast is for a low of +3

Where in this country can you get/use ice studs?

700 35C's? I'm interested!

I got mine here... (DotBike - Marathon Winter tyres)

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #88 on: 01 December, 2009, 10:58:07 pm »
Quote
It's raining tonight, so if it freezes it'll definitely be the ice tyres tomorrow. However, forecast is for a low of +3

Where in this country can you get/use ice studs?

700 35C's? I'm interested!

Little larger at 38C
Schwalbe Snow Stud Tyre 700 x 38c

EDIT:
and one at 35C but out of stock. Supposedly a better tyre:

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


For more info, see:
Studded Bicycle Tires


CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #89 on: 01 December, 2009, 11:18:40 pm »
I'm just checking the flood warnings on my route tomorrow.  Hmmm.... I may not get to that site, and if I do, I suspect it'll be with wet feet!  Or I could cheat, go late, and catch a bus.... which is no more likely to get me there than the bike, but I'd be dry finding out.  Shall I risk it?  On the bright side, the bike is so utterly jiggered that a good soaking up to the axles can't actually do it any significant harm (and I handed in all the paperwork for the C2W new one today!).

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #90 on: 01 December, 2009, 11:54:33 pm »
Ooh - which one did you choose in the end?

CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #91 on: 02 December, 2009, 06:47:36 am »
Bus v bike?  Still not decided.  New bike?  The Trek Valencia, not the WSD one.  I met it last week - I made my mind up on Monday so went in and they ordered it mid-morning, and it was in the shop and built ready for me to try for size by Tuesday close of play!

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #92 on: 02 December, 2009, 07:31:08 am »
Coo urr gosh...wot a beatiful day. Hello moon, hello mist, hello birds. Even Peason my grate freind who hav a face lik a squished tomato cannot dent my cheery mood* after this morning's ride in. I may even shake Fotherington-Tomas hand....


*Tho' the beaks may. Chiz, chiz.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Riggers

  • Mine's a pipe, er… pint!
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #93 on: 02 December, 2009, 08:01:42 am »
<savagely stabbing alarm button under desk>

"Okay fella, whatever you say, that's fine. You're right, aren't the birds beautiful?"

<Help, help, emergency Unit 8, Unit 8!!>
Certainly never seen cycling south of Sussex

CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #94 on: 02 December, 2009, 08:59:12 am »
I rode in.  I got within a stone's throw (well, nearly) and discovered a very_large_puddle.  We aren't talking the BB getting wet, more like the mudgaurds being underwater!  A very cute little duck family were swimming backwards and forwards across the road. 

Fortunately there was a gang of mums on bikes who had just accompanied their small people round to the school bus, who showed me alternate route around - classic NCN path - a good half mile detour to travel approximately 200 yards but with the huge bonus of a being higher up!  And I started my day with a natter with other people on bikes, one of which (bikes, not people) looked rather like the WSD of my new one :-)

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #95 on: 02 December, 2009, 09:10:35 am »
Coo urr gosh...wot a beatiful day. Hello moon, hello mist, hello birds. Even Peason my grate freind who hav a face lik a squished tomato cannot dent my cheery mood* after this morning's ride in. I may even shake Fotherington-Tomas hand....


*Tho' the beaks may. Chiz, chiz.

Willans & Searle live on ;D
Getting there...

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #96 on: 02 December, 2009, 04:51:17 pm »
I nearly came off on a combination of wet leaves, uneven ground and possibly a pothole hidden by being filled with wet leaves, but the l33t bike skills I didn't know I had came into play and I managed to correct.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


clarion

  • Tyke
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #97 on: 02 December, 2009, 10:18:43 pm »
Glad you're OK.  That chutney is horrid :-[

Getting there...

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #98 on: 02 December, 2009, 10:26:29 pm »
Weird and upsetting sight on the way home. 

Wet.  Very very wet.  Rain siling down and washing the road in waves.

A car comes up behind me into the middle of three lanes making an odd noise.  I look round and see that the driver overtaking me has a completely flat tyre.  We stop side by side at the lights.  I gesture and shout 'You've got a flat tyre!'.

The passenger wipes a bit of the heavy steam off the inside of the window ::-)  Then she nods and mouths 'yes'.

'Well, if you know, why don't you do something about it?'

That made the cyclist beside me giggle. ;D

We set off from the lights, with the driver accelerating, in the wet, to 30mph! :o :o :o >:(

I give up.  I don't know how any of those knobheads out there passed their test.  I just wish we had a way of getting them off the roads. 

And now the closing figures:
Idiocy is up; Good sense has dropped again, and motorised Red Light Jumping is at an all-time high.
Getting there...

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #99 on: 02 December, 2009, 11:26:50 pm »
I had exactly that experience once, except it (a Merc) had two flat tyres, both on the left. I pointed this out to the driver and she said, "Oh yes, I did hit a kerb a bit heavily a while ago", then wound her window up and carried on, to drop the kids at school I presume. I didn't know how to react having never considered for even a nanosecond that anyone would even consider driving on with one flat tyre.
Rust never sleeps