On the commute today

[Feanor]

As per usual at the moment, I had to walk the first bit due to ice, but once onto the main road it's fine.
My Main Road route is dull and a bit hassly with traffic, but at least I can keep the rubber side down.

Lunchtime loop I ventured onto some of our side roads, bet I had to abort part of it and take a detour because the smaller roads are still not passable on a road bike.

[Under the arches]

First commute for a while, but I had to today coz of the works Christmas do. (train home)

Any way the fastest I have done the 33miles, 1hour 35minutes. I did have a nice tail wind down the A38. Zoom!

[telstarbox]

Left keys at home, couldn't lock the bike in the street, had to take it up to the office via four flights of narrow winding stairs. Lesson learnt...

[Si S]

Passing Moss Side medical centre and was just about to tip into the 90 right when my spidey senses tingled and I straightened it up, rear braked, and tip-toed round the bend, then there's a massive bang behind me, I turned just in time to see a cyclist slithering at speed into the kerb.

He was a bit shaken up but ok and the bike's sporting a busted guard and some scratches but he followed me round to the hospital. After we'd established he was all-right he commented 'I'd been trying to catch you and wondered why you were going slowly'. SCR is not a game for icy weather. I think he's going to be a bit sore for a few days, he must have gone down hard to make so much noise and it was a decent impact with the kerb.

[pumpkin]

The last few hundred yars and a mini roundabout. Straight on or turn? I turned and down I went - like a sack of potatoes. Black ice and I'd taken care all the 10 miles to ride on straight roads. Now a stiff shoulder/hip and lucky not to get a fracture. Not really worth the ride sometimes. 

[Stretch]

Let a lot of air out of the tyres and still ended up walking for long spells this morning. I'm guessing overnight rain had washed the salt away from the roads.
Pleased of the track pump stashed in my work locker!

[Feanor]

Heavy overnight rain had frozen on contact with the ground.
The roads outside Feanor Towers were the worst skating rink they have been this year.
Even walking the bike the 700m down to the main road was tricky in road cleats.

Today's commute was a dress rehearsal for the Tour of East Lothian.

[Nethypete]

Heavy overnight rain had frozen on contact with the ground..... worst skating rink they have been this year.

We had rainy frosty snowy stuff falling on the icy frosty snowy stuff in the Cairngorms making a cycle to the Board meeting in Boat of Garten a potentially icy slippy slidy thing....ahhhh for studded tyres.   

[spindrift]

Loads of santas on bikes at Waterloo for some reason.

[orienteer]

Santa-n-deer bikes?

[rogerzilla]

Black ice this morning and Swinedun Council has halved the gritting routes to save money.  It was not pleasant.  Motorised morons not slowing down at all.  ABS does not stop you much faster, it only lets you steer.

[Andrij]

Since the onset of 'winter', I've been enjoying the resultant relative quietness in town.  But today the numpties were out in force - and that was even before I hit Hyde Park and WinterHell.  For the rest of this week, and next, I may resort to Park Lane.

On the plus side I've passed by 2017 target of 9,600km (800km/mo).  If I stay off the Tube and but in a bit of extra effort, I should be able to crack 10,000 before the end of the year.

[Nethypete]

My cycle commuting to work will be 2950ish Km this year saving, according to my calculations, 630kg of CO2 compared with me using a car...apparently 6.5% of individual UK average CO2 consumption of 9.7 tonnes.......so what?    .....I love the cycle to and from work for lots of reasons but wondered does the small CO2 saving have any meaning/significance?

[Paul]

... does the small CO2 saving have any meaning/significance?

You only have to cycle behind a (fossil fuel powered) car to know the answer to that is 'yes'.

[Kim]

I reckon I carbon-offset about half my cycling by having extra showers.

The way I see it, I've done my bit for carbon emissions by being child-free and not using aeroplanes.  Everything else is tiny compared to those.

Which isn't to say that cycling rather than driving isn't worthwhile for health (your own and of those who aren't breathing the local pollution), cost savings and reduced congestion, of course.

[bdw]

Kept it mostly dry today. Bit of fog but mostly lots of sweating.  Bike has been making a weird noise I can't seem to find/fix so once I have the week of I'll have to hand it over to my LBS. Time to start looking for a replacement bike...

[TJG]

First P******* for about 8 years!  That put a downer on the evening. 
30 minutes to change it in the dark is not too bad given the lack of practice.

[Nethypete]

I reckon I carbon-offset about half my cycling by having extra showers.

 child-free and not using aeroplanes.  Everything else is tiny compared to those.

Two daughters and work took me to Norway and Portugal this year......need to cycle more 

[Steph]

Yesterday morning, nearly taken out by two separate cars pulling out of side roads, one driver suggesting I get some lovemaking lights. That evening, returning from work by way of Riverside, I stopped on the little bridge to let the usual impatient car driver squeeze past going the other way.

"You ought to sort them fucking front lights out. Bit too bright".

[Andrij]

Oh boundless joy!  WinterWonderlandHell has closed for the season.  Late November-early January, the Hyde Park numpty quotient is at record levels - well beyond summer holidays.

[Si S]

Flooded roads, massive tailwind, failed road repair, lordy, the impact was massive, my hands are seriously sore.

[Paul]

Pot hole/similar? How's the bike?

Mine was windy, but as I'm still using the mtb, the front wheel is less prone to being turned by gusts.

[Si S]

I'm guessing pot hole, this has only just been repaired. It's my own fault for assuming the surface under the flood was still as good as yesterday, I do know better. Bike seemed ok for the final mile, I'll find out on the way home.

[TimO]

Aside from being a little gusty, crossing the Thames on Chelsea Bridge today, the last couple of days have been relatively pleasant, and unusually peaceful commutes.  I guess it's a mixture of people taking a few more days off for Christmas and the New Year and some school spring terms not starting until next week.  Whatever the cause, I'm not complaining !

[Si S]

Tough last night, passing the golf course at Flixton and it's not difficult to hit 40+ kph down the dip but I was struggling to hit 14 and actually thought about getting off and walking.

Steady this morning and got to spend the last mile or so chatting to a pleasant audaxer, given away by his luggage.