Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462275 times)

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20625 on: 21 February, 2019, 08:01:57 pm »
First lambs of the year. As tradition demands they were at Poulton Fields.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20626 on: 21 February, 2019, 08:18:19 pm »
Yes, first lambs here too.
I was running, not onna bike today.
I took the time to stand and stare.

The farmer was still in the field, and it looked like they had all just been offloaded from a trailer.
Given the earliness in the year, and I am in Aberdeen, I suppose they must be lambing indoors.
The lambs looked to be at least a few weeks old, but I'm no expert.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20627 on: 22 February, 2019, 08:57:00 am »
I too, was taken aback by the high pitched "Meeeeeeeh" coming from the paddock i was riding past. That is an early lambing.

A general note about this warm spell, spring has effectively sprung. Lots of wildlife out on the commute. I do hope the inevitable return to cold isn't too harsh for the poor little blighters. 

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20628 on: 22 February, 2019, 09:07:43 am »
Beware ice and snow, everyone, for I have removed my studded winter tyres.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20629 on: 22 February, 2019, 09:57:25 am »
Beware ice and snow, everyone, for I have removed my studded winter tyres.
:hand: Before end-o-Feb?? Madness!

I think you've let us down here MrC. But thanks for the warning anyway.  :thumbsup:
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

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20630 on: 22 February, 2019, 10:32:27 am »
A cyclist drew alongside me last night and commented that winter kit was now put away.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20631 on: 22 February, 2019, 12:25:53 pm »
Last year the cold snap hit on 28th Feb...don't put the winter kit away yet! :o

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20632 on: 27 February, 2019, 08:18:31 am »
Another beautiful morning, very cold on the canal path though. Some guys in the office this morning were moaning about how bad the traffic was.   :thumbsup:

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20633 on: 27 February, 2019, 12:28:30 pm »
A cyclist drew alongside me last night and commented that winter kit was now put away.

I had that conversation yesterday, though it was "You look sensibly dressed, my husband's put away his winter kit entirely!".  Hopefully the studded tyres still firmly installed on my mountain bike will cancel that out.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20634 on: 28 February, 2019, 06:33:10 pm »
Another puncture. The flailing season has got me this year. Luckily I was close enough to home that I could roll it in on the 20psi or so that's still in the tyre so I can fix it later. Also today, I reminded myself how useful the bit in front of the forks is on front mudguards. I'm glad I've got proper guards on order for the Genesis as Raceblades don't really protect your face/body from spray.
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20635 on: 28 February, 2019, 07:52:20 pm »
Yesterday.

I've been on the current commute for a bit over a year and a half now. In my first two weeks I saw three car/bike comings together, and nothing since, until yesterday.

London, CS 7, going home, Stockwell area. Slow traffic in the right lane, a bunch of bonkers (too) fast cyclists just ahead of me in the combined bus/cycle lane. Car coming towards us turns to its right across the oncoming peloton. Chap somewhere near the front ended up going over the bars and onto the pavement (though no contact with the car). Pride dented and a few scuffs and scrapes on both bike and human. He was probably feeling a bit sore today.

Then, a couple of miles later, Upper Tooting Road, my least favourite section of the commute, a couple of ambulances and a couple of police cars. Same scenario, car coming from the other direction stopped and a cyclist being cradled by a couple of the paramedics. He was at least conscious. I suspect he's going to hurt a bit more than the other chap today. He did make contact with the car. Ugly.
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20636 on: 28 February, 2019, 10:52:15 pm »
Finally replaced the front tyre of the bike this morning - paid extra for next day delivery.

Excuse is, I'll be saving money on the train fare.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk


Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20637 on: 08 March, 2019, 09:27:04 am »
A trip across town (Mcr) and a pothole trashed a wheel. Didnt seem to hit the hole that hard but the edge of the rim is buckled and the brake track has a flange in it. It was a wheel that's had a long life but still irritating.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20638 on: 08 March, 2019, 08:32:19 pm »
Beautiful cold dry still morning, wet horrid ride home. At least I had a tailwind.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20639 on: 08 March, 2019, 09:06:05 pm »
I actually commuted beyond the station, which was nice.
I realised I’d forgotten keys, phone and door pass about 15 minutes out, so recovered that.
On the way back, dark and drizzly, my torch wasn’t as bright as I remember and the really bright bike light behind me cast pretty deep shadows where I was in the way.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20640 on: 11 March, 2019, 10:29:55 am »
Me!  :o Car had to go in for Service and MOT so I stuck the bike in the back and rode the rest of the way into work.

I remembered shoes, change of clothes, bags but forgot to put my helmet and gloves in the car.  :facepalm: fortunately the wrong season gloves live in the coat pockets so I had the choice of full winter gloves or mitts but not my lighter full finger gloves.

The wind in my hair felt nice but also since a head injury 30 years ago I think I can count the number of bike rides without a helmet on one hand.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20641 on: 11 March, 2019, 11:59:51 am »
This fits equally well in the Motorised Moron thread or here, I suppose.

There's a new junction on my commute, where the road passes over the new City Bypass.  The road is a normal one lane each way urban A-road with a standard magic paint cycle lane. 

Since the bypass was built, there is a new sliproad which comes off on the left, to access the bypass.  The exit slip is about 20 m long.  The cycle lane continues straight ahead, but it is now in the middle between 2 lanes of traffic: the original traffic going straight ahead on my right, and now traffic exiting onto the bypass on my left.

This is, of course, an invitation to left-hook.
On the approach to the junction, I get cars passing on my right and then swerving across the front of me to exit.

Today, one idiot excelled himself by coming up alongside me on my right when I was already about half-way through the junction, and then blaring his horn and gesticulating wildly that I was 'in his way', and he wanted to get into the exit lane *through* me.  I'm not sure what he expected me to do, my magic 'vanish' button is not working, and wiggle are out of stock.


Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20642 on: 11 March, 2019, 12:08:18 pm »
I think I would be holding my line and letting him sort himself out, probably by missing the junction and having to go straight on.  :demon:

Depending on both traffic density and speed, I may even consider merging out into the outside lane on approach to the junction and getting right out of the way of the traffic going left. Obviously to do this you need to be able to match or nearly match the traffic speed so as not to get the traffic going straight on too frustrated.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20643 on: 11 March, 2019, 12:49:54 pm »
That happens chronically at this roundabout bypass, and it can be utterly terrifying in the wet: https://goo.gl/maps/zEehLUNyGUH2

The only thing I've found that helps is to take an *extremely* assertive position - as if you were about to make a right turn from the left hand lane - and spin like a maniac, in the hope that drivers get the message that you're not holding them up deliberately.  The whole thing's exacerbated by the uphill approach robbing you of any real speed.  Sometimes the drivers get impatient, pass you on the right, then move left and perform a left turn at the roundabout.  No, it isn't quicker.

I hadn't considered using the right hand lane, but since there's not a lot of room to move left before the roundabout, I don't think it would really be an improvement.

Fortunately, Mr Sainsbury has recently relocated his emporium of toothy comestibles, so I no longer find myself having to negotiate it with heavily laden panniers.  (Instead we get to play car-park slalom in order to achieve level access to the now-useful shared-use bollocks without mowing down too many pedestrians.)

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20644 on: 11 March, 2019, 02:18:10 pm »
The southbound escape from Brixton is like that, Brixton Road splits into Effra Road and Brixton Hill. I want the latter. There's no good positioning that won't result in badness. Drivers will come up your right side and cut across unless you're completely over to the right, in which you'll be trapped by cars zooming up your inside. As a boon, it's uphill, so you can't rely on acceleration to get you out of trouble. The only 'safe' way across is to tuck in beside a bus. These days, I mostly just scoot along the pavement across Windrush Square. Life is too short to make it any shorter.

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20645 on: 11 March, 2019, 05:07:46 pm »
Apropos of nothing, just general carnage, on the previous two Friday's I've cycled home I've seen bodies in the road, neither looked good. Last Friday was near Purley, ambulances, several police cars, clustered around what looked like a pedestrian sprawled in the road. A woman, evidently the driver as she was standing by a car with a dented front, was wailing by the road side and being consoled by another group of police officers. Two weeks before, pretty much the same scene and not even that far away.

It says something that I can't find a single note in the press about either despite them both looking serious.

Not the most cheering sight on a ride home.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20646 on: 11 March, 2019, 07:57:14 pm »
Two incidents this morning.

1  Driver in car got frustrated with slow moving (and left-turning) car in front at a set of lights so went through a very red. As soon as left-turning impediment was gone he booted it, and scared the willies out of two scooterists who had gunned it away from the lights (from the ASL). One went down (without any impact).

2  Cyclist in civvies and on a small wheeled foldery type thing (not a Brompton) managed to get it spectacularly wrong when pulling out round a stopping bus. Didn't see exactly what happened but he went AOT.
Rust never sleeps

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20647 on: 11 March, 2019, 09:00:30 pm »
I think I can count the number of bike rides without a helmet on one hand.
I’m no expert but I think that if you’re going to wear one, it should be on your head.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20648 on: 13 March, 2019, 12:30:57 pm »
Turbo charged ride home last night on the back of storm Gareth. Not too wet either which was a bonus. Loads of debris on the canal path this morning, lucky my speed was right down in the face of the wind !

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20649 on: 14 March, 2019, 08:16:57 am »
Found the mojo...deity it was lousy. I'm fat, unfit and lazy. I really need to sort my head out to sort the first two out, the last is just a character defect.