Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2461930 times)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21100 on: 12 April, 2021, 11:03:03 am »
Bloody freezing. Ice cream headache for the first five miles and just as I started to warm up it started snowing!

By the time I'd done the full 26 miles I could hardly feel my toes or fingers. Could have done with a warm hat too.

Ah well, it's meant to be warmer at least for the way home.

Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21101 on: 12 April, 2021, 11:21:56 am »
I expected it to be cold. I didn’t expect it to start drizzling but OK. I really didn’t expect it to start snowing! Hopefully it will be nicer heading home.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21102 on: 15 April, 2021, 10:41:29 am »
Another close pass on the A264 dual carriageway today. No deviation from their line at all as far as I could make out.

I'm getting pissed off with this. There is an alternative route but it's longer and "scenic". As lockdown eases there's more motorised traffic around, but I think I'll start getting up earlier to use the longer route.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21103 on: 15 April, 2021, 10:45:13 am »
Strap a garden fork perpendicularly across your rack ?
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21104 on: 15 April, 2021, 03:46:28 pm »
Strap a garden fork perpendicularly across your rack ?

For a while I attached an old ski pole across the rack. Unable to devise a cheap quick release mechanism that didn't release over speed bumps though.

Eventually wiped it off when I misjudged a stupid cyclepath gate.
“There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened.”
― Douglas Adams

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21105 on: 15 April, 2021, 09:49:33 pm »
Had a bolus of cars come past me on the way in, second from last leaving far less room than the others, he got a "what the hell?!" wave. Last car decided leaning on the horn as he went past was reasonable. It's not like there was even anything oncoming to stop them giving me room.

Idiots.

I'm wondering about using the machine shop to make a bar mounted blunderbuss full of nuts and bolts.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21106 on: 15 April, 2021, 10:16:01 pm »
So I had a stab at an optimised (looked at map, drew a straightish line) route that went the hilly way this evening. Tracked it with Osmand. 1h 6m, average speed 23.9kmh-1. And despite a short section on the A23 up towards Pease Pottage, almost serenely quiet.  Of course going home has more descent than ascent (281m vs 216m),so I'll have to suck that up in the morning, but It's worth it I reckon.  It'll be interesting to see how much the long (FSVO long) drag to the midway summit slows me down.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21107 on: 16 April, 2021, 04:09:38 pm »
I cycled in to the office for only the second time this year. Then everyone but me and the organiser of the meeting I was there for didn't turn up, because they thought it would be on MS Teams :facepalm:

Nice day for a ride in though. The organiser apologised for making me ride in for a cancelled meeting, and I actually pointed out I was missing my daily commute to work, even if someone's been making the hills bigger in my absence.
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21108 on: 26 April, 2021, 07:55:02 am »
Nothing special to report other than it was my first time on a bike since last September. I finally managed to wrestle the brane weasels into a box and shut them up. I rode the bridleway I've been walking for the past seven months, mainly to avoid having to ride up Sodding-Great-Hill-With-Added-Speed-Humps into a biting head wind. Instead, I had to put up with the civvy version - Sodding-Great-Hill-With-Added-Loose-Gravel-And-Deep-Soft-Sand into a biting head wind :facepalm:.

On the plus sid, it felt good to be riding again. :thumbsup:
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21109 on: 26 April, 2021, 09:57:53 pm »
I decided to try the shortcut through the woods on my electric bike.

Nooooope, won't do that again. Far too skittery. And since modifying my road route it only saves me a mile or so instead of the three it used to so time wise it comes out about even.

Though it does mean I can avoid crossing a rush hour A22 dual cabbageway.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21110 on: 28 April, 2021, 09:47:11 am »
Rain.
Waterproof top - dry
Waterproof overtrousers - dry
Overshoes - appear to have sucked up all the water and deposited it in my socks, must have wetter feet than had I just ridden in without the overshoes!
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21111 on: 28 April, 2021, 11:18:23 am »
I assume you did put your overshoes underneath your trousers so water running down you legs didn't just run inside them?

I have a pair of really nice Shimano Goretex mountain bike boots (MT90?) that are like leather walking boots with a decent sole and a cleat fitting. But the only way I found to stop them filling up with water when it rained was to wear walking gaiters over the top of them.
They ended up being relegated to cold/dry weather boots.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21112 on: 29 April, 2021, 01:16:56 pm »
Dressed for January (appropriate for temperature), leaves on trees like it was late April.  Decided to ride in the summer route via Old Woking rather than let the Prince of Darkness programmed traffic lights in Camberley get under my skin and was rewarded by every traffic light from Putney to Parliament Square being against me. 
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21113 on: 01 May, 2021, 11:03:47 am »
White van must have broken down, needing a push start.  Driver coasts along slowly, then takes a left into traffic with cars oncoming (because he couldn’t restart could he, natch).  I would have thought breakdown lights and honking your horn would be apropos at this point, especially if you are driving past a nursery.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21114 on: 10 May, 2021, 07:01:25 pm »
Could have done without the horn-leaning, sweary, aggressive bully of a van driver.

Apparently waiting to turn right at a crossroads, if I can't turn immediately because of oncoming traffic I should: Teleport out of the way/turn right into the traffic/go straight on even though that's not where I want to go.

Heaven forbid he have to wait for all of ten seconds. I bet if I'd been in a car he'd have just waited.

But apparently I should follow the highway code

And I was having such a lovely ride up to that point.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21115 on: 11 May, 2021, 01:08:04 pm »
I've not commuted by bike for a couple of weeks. Wheeled the bike out of my Asgaard store. The back wheel wouldn't turn properly, something seemed to be jammed between the tyre and the mudguard. 

It was a snail.

A sign of something I feel.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21116 on: 11 May, 2021, 11:59:00 pm »
It's making up for the lack of camping.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21117 on: 17 May, 2021, 10:37:23 pm »
Proper heavy thunder shower on the way back today.  Cycling shoes filled up with water pretty quick.  I seem to be making a habit of riding in the rain - actually quite enjoyed it today.    Just one entitled driver using their carn horn, because I wasn't on the dual use path on the other side of the road, and so delaying them for a millisec.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21118 on: 19 May, 2021, 09:00:55 am »
I’ve had two returning home after work rides in the past couple of weeks were it has absolutely chucked it down.  The odd thing is that on both occasions, at 18:30 riding 3 miles through Newcastle, I wasn’t overtaken by a single vehicle, which is defiantly not normal.  I understand that many people walking or cycling might defer or cancel a journey if they are going to get soaked but why the absence of cars? They’re in a blooming sealed box.   

Nice to have clear roads though.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21119 on: 24 May, 2021, 05:58:17 pm »
Double does of same [expletive] driver.  The reason I stopped was because kids were crossing the road, driving up next to me when there isn't space for two vehicles or space for you to overtake me is bad driving.  Yes, I got through the intersection as a pedestrian, next time if you want to go faster pick up and shoulder your van, I am, however now approaching you from a main road and have priority - so pulling out on me is bad driving.  You [expletive].
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21120 on: 11 June, 2021, 09:29:11 am »
Turning right this am on a fltered light, I make the turn and find an Audi ( no surprise) on my left and underrtaking me on the inside! He forces the undertake drives off and 10 secs later makes a left turn and pulls over for whatever reason. he and I then have a discussion about why he would do that. Apparently he had space to do it!

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21121 on: 11 June, 2021, 09:35:56 am »
Taxi driver this morning. Pulls past the give way line and blocks the cycle lane, he can't go anywhere as there are cars coming from both directions anyway. So I swing round his bow with a "what the hell" wave. To which I get sworn at.

Bellend. Saved him no time at all and just caused me a (admittedly slight) hindrance.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21122 on: 11 June, 2021, 01:21:37 pm »
Stoke Newington High Road aka the A10, three and four and even five point U turns  in moving traffic are all the rage, a car trying to U turn was blocking most of the road bar the bus lane with me and a dozen cyclists behind me, the car in the main lane decided it was clear to make a wide turn into the bus lane without signal or apparently mirror, I saw it coming and braked to the point that I stopped where the car and the curb met, at this point they had belatedly stopped, although all the potential dammge was done. I was delighted to see the passnger window open so I could say, fairly cheerfully, 'wow, fucking hell'.

A bemused look and not a word from the driver and then they sped away.

And the golden sound of the cyclist behind me guffawing in delight at the driving.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21123 on: 28 June, 2021, 04:16:32 pm »
Game of two halves:
* Vaxhaull driver driver (I know, it starts badly, but read on) on major road realises that the pedestrian crossing lights have changed (offset, a little way along from the intersection), so lets all the cars turning right and all traffic going in the perpendicular go first.   :thumbsup:
* Member of Rowheath bowls club calmly follows me, #1 son and #2 son, but finally decides that enough is enough and he must overtake me at a bend with a van parked in the road in the other lane.  I brake hard and shout, he stops to tell me that I don't pay road tax, I write a letter to council, people who run the bowling club and people who run the park to ask that the bowling club not be allowed access on/off the park during school drop-off.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

telstarbox

  • Loving the lanes
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #21124 on: 30 June, 2021, 07:24:41 pm »
Did an occasional commute from my newish work home on Friday evening which is about 50km (hence occasional). Mentioned it in passing and now one guy keeps going on about it being a huge effort!
2019 🏅 R1000 and B1000