On the commute today

[mrcharly-YHT]

dramatic, grub!

Last night. A puncture, again. A hawthorn, again.  And a broken spoke.

Through *exactly* the same hole as last time?  How likely is that?

Getting a bit sick of this. Used to average 3000miles between punctures. Now I'm getting one a week.

[TheLurker]

An interesting mixture of light snow, assault by gritting lorry - grit stings you know and a hard frost.  Still beats driving tho'.

[αdαmsκι]

This morning was beautiful. The skies are blue and the sun was out. Unfortunately, I nearly got sideswiped when the driver of an Audi moved swiftly and suddenly into my lane. I dived for the space to my left, which was street parking for cars that was empty, and also let out an involuntary scream. On reflection, the move hadn't been as bad as I initially feared and at the next set of traffic lights I tried to apologies to the Audi driver, but he refused to wind down his window. I guess he thought I was going to give him a load more grief, which wasn't my intention. Ah well. I carried on and continued to enjoy the wintery sun, cold temperatures and blue skies. It really was lovely. Hopefully the temperatures don't drop too much tonight or else it'll be slip-sliding my way home.

[hatler]

Normally my commute is hassle free.

Today, in the space of perhaps 400 yards I had an Audi decide that I wasn't sufficiently close to the car in front (I approximate about 3/4 of a car length) so decided that he would overtake. I wouldn't have minded too much (oh alright then, I would), but as he pulled alongside me I spotted that his left indicator was on. I held my position and he backed off.

Then up the hill and approaching a line of near stationary traffic and the Mini behind overtook despite my signalling (outstretched arm and palm backwards) and moving to primary. He didn't complete his manoeuvre and so was left looking a little foolish half out of the lane.

And 20 yards later (still heading uphill) someone in a side turning on my left turning to his right decided that it was more important that he stick his nose out into the traffic  rather than let the right of way traffic (me) continue.

The rest of the run was fine though. A beautiful clear blue morning.

[clarion]

Yeah.  In a similar vein, I got cut up by a van on a mini-RAB at a very icy spot.  He then went on to yell abuse at me.  Shame he turned off, as he'd have been stuck in a looooong line of stationary traffic I passed if he'd been going straight on.

And I got pipped by a car that felt I wasn't riding fast enough.  Since that was faster than the car in front we were gaining on, I didn't feel that was an issue.  That driver got caught in a queue, so, having replied, 'Good morning!' to his tooting, I tooted back as I rode past and away.

The usual overabundance of incompetent drivers.  And ice.  They haven't a clue, have they?

[Redlight]

What is it about Audi drivers?  On yesterday's Hell of The Ashdown a bunch of us were weaving our way in and out of the ice uphill on a single track lane when an Audi came down towards us, ignored the passing place where he could have pulled in to let us squeeze by, and forced us all to come to a slippery halt - after which we had to walk the next part of the climb because it was too slippy to get any traction from a standing start.

I think he knew he was being a p---k as he avoided all eye contact 

[Arno]

This morning  in Grove Green Rd, Leytonstone, arriving towards a red traffic light. Occupying the primary position in order to avoid the cycle lane which was icy and also running along a row of parked cars. ( here: Google Maps )
Lady in white fiesta honks her horn once... I ignore her. When arriving at traffic light (still red) am still in primary position and she honks again, walking towards her for a little chat, she is really angry and tells me I should be riding on the side of the road.
Explaining my reasons for being there she shouts, 'you're just playing' then drives off.
The fact that am on a recumbent seems to make me less credible as a 'serious' road user like her.

[gordon taylor]

My icy options include a trike and a hybrid all ready with studded tyres. But I didn't think is was that bad....

So I took the normal bike and ended up walking (skating) for a mile until I reached the dual carriageway. Doh!

Of course I was still in on time and ended up with three classes of children squeezed into my room at 8:45 because colleagues using "superior" methods of personal transport were all jammed up and late to work. 

[rogerzilla]

A buttock-clenching ride this morning on a dusting of snow which turned out to be thicker across The Marsh, a weird part of my commute with its own microclimate.  It's always 3 degrees colder there than it is in the village, and sometimes the mists are reminiscent of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be 5 degrees and chucking it down.  I prefer that.

[TimO]

Tomorrow it's supposed to be 5 degrees and chucking it down.  I prefer that.

I don't.  Give me cold, clear, sunny mornings any day, over dull, pissing down and dreary.

[GruB]

Ditto.  Light hair mist rain is sort of okay compared to bucketing down, but cold and clear and bright wins out over all.

[clarion]

Mild, wet & faster.  I'm happy.

[Jacomus]

I was a little overdressed this morning and sweated buckets as I rode like the wind. Minimal motonic behaviour made for a pleasant ride, even if I was going eyeball out.

Noticed cycle-plod on the case of RLJers here, not that it would affect me but a nice little dose of schadenfreude in the morning goes down well.

[TheLurker]

I was a little overdressed this morning and sweated buckets as I rode likeinto the wind.

+1.

[keeks]

Going along nicely glanced down and noticed I had forget to attach pump post bike clean. What are the chances? I chuckled to myself in the knowledge that nearly a year of commuting on my armoured Schwalbes and not one of those .

Oh dear don't tempt fate , honestly less than 5 mins later there I was cussing away like a confederate in an yankee ambush. After I had replaced the inner tube I managed to wave down a fellow commuter( the first one by) and pump it up.

So well done to the nice man on the Marin ( I think) and well done to the cycling community knowing that I could count on them to help out.

Hey p**ture fairy................ up yours

 

[TimO]

Hey p**ture fairy................ up yours

Ooooh, you do know what's going to happen to you on the way home tonight, don't you?

[keeks]

Hey p**ture fairy................ up yours

Ooooh, you do know what's going to happen to you on the way home tonight, don't you?

I'll let you know , anyway ying yang and all that surely there is a anti-p**ture fairy or sprite , I can count on ?

[pdm]

Couple of miles from home. Notice a "tick tick tick" coming from the front wheel. Stop to take a gander.
Nice egg of inner tube poking through a failed bit of front tyre side-wall, about to *POP*.

Why is it than the day you need something is the day you don't have it? I have been carrying a tyre boot around for 6 years now and never needed it.... Until today... *sigh* So, it was a case of deflate to minimum pressure and slow down for the rest of the ride in. Will fettle a tyre boot for the trip home this afternoon.

Must be a tyre manufacturing fault - its only done 3300km.

[Nuncio]

What make tyre PDM?

I had something similar on a commute home last week.  I needed to get home in a hurry so took the shortest route home, a route I nearly always avoid because of a sharp descent right onto a mini-RBT, with my approach road blind to the cars coming from my right.  I'd been ignoring the slight ticking when braking, and about 10 metres from the RBT my front tyre went from 120psi to 0psi interfrastically (and noisily).  I'd been on the brakes for a while, and was going very slowly fortunately.  My tyre had a small tear by the wire, coincidentally (?) where the valve was.  I don't know if the warm rims had caused the puncture, or whether the brakes had caught the bare tube.  I had a boot, but didn't use it because I was in a hurry, and the tear was small enough that I could pump to a descent pressure without there being too much of a bulge.  The tyre was a Conti GP 4 seasons.

 

[pdm]

Marathon Supreme.

[TimO]

Funnily enough, something put a slit in my rear wheel on last Saturdays WARTY, so I had to stop and replace the tube and put a boot on the tyre, and that's also a Marathon Supreme.

I should probably replace the tyre, which has now done a further 100 miles or so, since it was rather a large slit, and the Park Tools Boot isn't really a permanent solution.  I do have three spare tyres sat in the kitchen, so it's not that I'm short of spares!

[GruB]

Had a horrible head wind to work. Saw 6 deer in a field and then one more sat down next to the hedgeline.
Only managed 14.5 mph for the 24 miles to work.

Had a rubbish day doing rubbish mundane and difficult tasks.

Left on time and had a stonking tail wind home.  Managed 17 mph average for the 24 miles 

Near the crematorium there is a pedestrian island with raised kerbs to protect it.
Highway Maintenance car derived van with the obligatory hi viz jacket driver could not wait for the nanosecond it takes me to exit the said narrow section so decided to push on through.  I maintained my position due to grates on the nearside verge so hi viz man had to go wider.  He obviously did not see the raised kerbs but obviously felt them and heard his front tyre go pop as it was emptied of all air.  I did not bother to stop and advise him of his stupidity.  He appeared to realise it.

[rogerzilla]

I was passed too closely by a van on Monday morning, and muttered the usual curses.  As it drew clear I noticed the rear was covered in hi-viz chevrons with the legend "Keeping Wiltshire Safe" above the rear doors  

[Sergeant Pluck]

He obviously did not see the raised kerbs but obviously felt them and heard his front tyre go pop as it was emptied of all air

*snigger*

Glad that little tale ended as it did.

[Wendy]

I was passed too closely by a van on Monday morning, and muttered the usual curses.  As it drew clear I noticed the rear was covered in hi-viz chevrons with the legend "Keeping Wiltshire Safe" above the rear doors  

Did you report it?