Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462490 times)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20925 on: 20 December, 2019, 09:28:02 pm »
Well done. Sounds like dogged perseverance that.
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20926 on: 23 December, 2019, 02:34:10 pm »
Definitely need a new chainring, slipping so badly I'm missing most of the skin off my right shin after this morning.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20927 on: 23 December, 2019, 03:34:19 pm »
Thanks Hatler. The question is can I be bothered with the return leg Friday. That'll involve being a wheel at not much past 6 am

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20928 on: 27 December, 2019, 08:37:01 am »
The return leg was lovely apart from the fact it ended up at work to be greeted with the Internet is broken (fixed it by turning it off and on again)

Wind had swung round so didn't get the hoped for tail wind but wasn't strong. Roads were really quiet and got a honk honk honnnnnnkkkkk from a passing Aldi lorry, as I was on thr cycle path alongside the A12 I'm assuming it was a hello unless the driver really hates cyclists

Also love the bus lanes I get once into Colchester and at 7am meant I pretty much had them to myself. In fact I entirely had them to myself as saw one other cyclist who was on the cycle path and no buses

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20929 on: 29 December, 2019, 08:03:16 am »
Doing the end of year stats - managed to bike to work four out of five days (81%) totalling 2005 miles and giving me plenty of time to unthink everything and nothing.
Pete Crane E75 @petecrane5

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20930 on: 31 December, 2019, 11:17:08 am »
Cold one today.  The foxes seem very active just now on my recent commutes, morning and evening. Not very sure why.
This morning I could see the orange eyes from a way off and he sat there until I was quite close before running away.That was the 3rd one I'd seen this morning, and am averaging about 2 sightings per commute.  In the summer its less.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20931 on: 31 December, 2019, 11:21:55 am »
IIRC this time of year is when foxes' fancy lightly turn to thoughts of love, or at least the making of little foxes.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20932 on: 31 December, 2019, 03:55:02 pm »
Well that could explain the noises coming home last night.
The canal was spooky last night for a few reasons  ;D

Dark
Weird animal noises a couple of times.
Movements in the bushes - I was wary in case it was neds waiting to scare me - It was a deer  ;D
A fox darting out right in front of me gave me a fright
Moon reflection on the water

 - I enjoyed the ride  :thumbsup:

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20933 on: 06 January, 2020, 08:46:27 pm »
Noticed a bit of a wobble in the rear wheel as I neared home but couldn't find a broken spoke. Cracked the eyelet out of an Open Pro on my Frezoni. It usually stays indoors through winter but the fixed is currently OS with a broken dynamo headlight. Better the rim let go on a commute than during a long brevet but still annoying. Time to dig up a compatible replacement rim or possibly a new wheel. The Ultegra freehub has occasionally been skipping over the past couple of years.

I'll need to sort a bike for tomorrow's commute. What joy!
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20934 on: 06 January, 2020, 09:10:45 pm »
Hmm.
Commuting bike got put away a bit wet and unloved at xmas.

This morning, the chain was a bit squared off and reluctant to turn!
A bit of lube and fettling, and we're good to go.

But not so much.
The brake calipers are both seized, so after pulling them on, they remain engaged. The springs are not up to moving back against the seized-ness.

And then on the ride home, a snakebite p*ncture on account of the tyre pressures being about half what they should be.

I'm going to a special cycling hell for this lack of attention.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20935 on: 06 January, 2020, 11:04:21 pm »
In quick succession:
Cyclist in head to foot yellow, eye-dazzling light and re flashy reflectors on wrists, cycling on the pavement.
Jeep/SUV thing crossing to drive on the wrong lane so that they didn't need to go over speed bump with all their wheels.

... maybe the second explains the first, I'm just happy that I won my impromptu game of chicken.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20936 on: 07 January, 2020, 06:03:08 pm »
It was a tad windy.....with me on the way in but not on the way back. :facepalm:
Pete Crane E75 @petecrane5

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20937 on: 07 January, 2020, 06:21:27 pm »
1. Motorist stopped at the red light - the guy behind him thought that was a stupid idea and overtook him, driving straight at me. Well played.
2. Totally unlit cyclist riding along a busy road (not on the pavement).  From his left he was reasonably well silhouetted by the car behind him, but I thought someone coming from his right at the intersection would take him out.
3. Waiting for a gap in traffic "forever" apparently is barely a minute or two.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20938 on: 08 January, 2020, 11:01:49 am »
Yesterday, during the morning dodge of scurrying pedestrians by Borough Market, one chap, hood up, purposefully marched out into the road at the crossing (not on green). Generally, you have a good head of steam at this point if you want to avoid a taxi enema, but I managed to avoid him. Not so the woman behind who whacked straight into him and came off.

He started ranting and raving in unspecified foreign and getting quite aggressive and quite clearly had swapped his morning cornflakes for unprescribed pharmaceuticals (it's often unclear whether they're on too little prescribed or too much unprescribed medication). I figured I'd put myself and bike between him and the women as she picked herself up so I could explain to him the many benefits of his leaving (which I doubt crossed the language barrier, but I figured would keep him distracted). He was repeatedly thrusting his hands deep in his parka pockets in a way that got a bit troubling, given the peculiarly stabhappy attraction of the London Bridge area. Fortunately by this point, a few other of the many hundreds of passing people had stopped and the woman had righted herself.

As I'm quite cowardly, I'd prefer less excitement on my first commute of the year. She was fine other than a wobbly wheel, some bruises, and a gust of unwanted adrenalin.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20939 on: 08 January, 2020, 08:27:48 pm »
Well done on intervening.
Rust never sleeps

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20940 on: 09 January, 2020, 03:21:27 pm »
She hit him pretty hard, I glanced back as I swooshed by him to see her crash solidly and at some speed right into his leg. He's going to feel that if he ever comes down or has a brief period of lucidity.

To be honest, it's a horrid junction, the infrastructure is insufficient for the number of pedestrians (the close proximity of London Bridge rail and tube, Borough Market, etc.). He just marched right out through the waiting pedestrians into the road without even a glance though. He's lucky it wasn't a taxi or van because that would have hurt a lot more.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20941 on: 09 January, 2020, 07:14:43 pm »
It was a braw bricht moonlit nicht the nicht

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20942 on: 13 January, 2020, 12:57:04 pm »
Discovering that with a bright front slow flash light (day or night), & filtering in queued traffic, cars stopped in dashed line, painted on bike lane will often move right to make way for you.  Coaches & buses not. 
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20943 on: 13 January, 2020, 08:52:35 pm »
Coaches and buses are that bit wider and longer that they probably can't.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20944 on: 14 January, 2020, 03:47:14 pm »
Took different route in to avoid coachageddon around the four schools.

Driver up ahead stopped on double yellow, link road midway between two close RABs, road fairly quiet (business park). 
Yep on a mobile.  Quick mention that they're illegally parked & using their phone.
Driver had apologetic expression on face, but was silent. 
Phone showed driver was 'shopping for Lingerie'...   ???
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20945 on: 14 January, 2020, 07:58:03 pm »
 :smug: You know it's an invigorating ride against the wind when the only other people about (pedestrians) give you the thumbs up and/or shout words of encouragement! Luckily with the seafront closed off to motor traffic I had over two lanes to myself, which was needed to keep going vaguely straight.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20946 on: 15 January, 2020, 09:47:20 am »
I had a lightbulb moment:  When passing pedestrians on shared use path I used to call out "passing on your right", but realised that if I start saying this when they can hear me they won't have time to react to the important instruction (the side I'm passing on), so I have shortened it to "passing right" which seems to work better.  Also, it may make me out to be a member of the BNP.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20947 on: 15 January, 2020, 10:08:08 am »
I have no immediate concept of what right and left are, so good luck, because I'm not unique (leastways according to every woman I know, all of whom seem practised in saying no, the other right.)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20948 on: 15 January, 2020, 10:21:51 am »
Last night I met another cyclist* on the cycle path with lights so bright and badly aligned I had to stop to clear the artifacts from my damaged retinas.

Can I use the stalking power of strava flyby to suggest to Simpy Snowflake that their balance between lights to see, and not being a dick, is perhaps not correct?

*I assume it was a cyclist, the pattern of lights suggested Provis jacket, head torch and 3 headlights, and their strava profile picture looks a lot like a bloke on a bike.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20949 on: 15 January, 2020, 11:32:42 am »
Good ride in, but walking clomping around work in my XC SPDs, having failed to return my work shoes...
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson