On the commute today

[rogerzilla]

Took the 50s clubman in for the first time in years.  zOMG it's fast, even with Durano tyres (a compromise between speed and psyclepath survival).  It even shrugs off headwinds - randonneur bars with the "splayed" drops put your arms quite close together when riding on the hoods.  An irritating light metallic rattle turned out to be the Specialized bottle cage - I don't think I've ever ridden it with an empty one before, since I used to take the cages off for commuting.  Other than that, it was perfect.

[L CC]

I took 2 hours and 20 minutes to come home.

It was sunny, so I went exploring.

[CrinklyLion]

Eventful....

[Kim]

Oops.

Proceed on stoker power to nearest bike shop...

[CrinklyLion]

Walked the rest of the way and locked it in the school bike sheds before collecting it and walkign it home this evening.  Rang the bike shop where it was booked for a service in a couple of week's time to say they need to add some more to the shopping list and discovered that although they'd ordered the chainrings they hadn't actually booked the service, and they are completely booked out, so now it won't be in for nearer three weeks....

Fortuitously I had repaired the tube from V's rear wheel yesterday.  Less fortuitously, since refitting the wheel I'm getting an annoying rubbing from the disk brake which makes me very nervous that I've b0rked summat.... wondering if I should research buses for tomorrow's complicated work day, given my recent luck!

[Si S]

Quite a f*cking headwind though.

and I thought it was just me being a slow fat lazy beggar.

A bit chilly again today meant one of those days whereby you've got to put some effort in to stay warm

[mcshroom]

Walked the rest of the way and locked it in the school bike sheds before collecting it and walkign it home this evening.  Rang the bike shop where it was booked for a service in a couple of week's time to say they need to add some more to the shopping list and discovered that although they'd ordered the chainrings they hadn't actually booked the service, and they are completely booked out, so now it won't be in for nearer three weeks....

Fortuitously I had repaired the tube from V's rear wheel yesterday.  Less fortuitously, since refitting the wheel I'm getting an annoying rubbing from the disk brake which makes me very nervous that I've b0rked summat.... wondering if I should research buses for tomorrow's complicated work day, given my recent luck!

It's probably fine unless the wheel is really dragging. Disc brakes are good making noises after refitting wheels IME.

[DuncanM]

I took my bike to the "Bike Doctor" service at Milton Park yesterday, saying that my brake disc was making intermittent rubbing noises and could he have a look.
When I collected it, it wasn't spinning freely, but he said it was the brushes that hold the crudracer mudguard in place.
This morning, I removed said mudguard and rode to work - the intermittentness of the rubbing had been cured - it now rubbed ALL THE FSCKING TIME! 

When I got to work I removed and refitted the wheel and the problem was the same, so I re-aligned the caliper again. It's now centred and silent. 
There is a minor issue in that you centre it, nip the bolts up, check, tighten a little, check, and then if you do the last half turn from "quite tight" to "definitely tight enough" it moves the damn caliper and I'm back to the rubbing again. Maybe I need another washer - will check with Broken Spoke this weekend...

Aside from that, nice ride - cold but sunny.  Met someone on a steel Genesis who said he was doing a ride to the coast on it tomorow evening - I have now forgotten where! 
Cheers
Duncan

[Guy]

A weird one this morning. Being a lovely morning (chilly but with blue sky, bright sunshine and a thin mist on the fields) I decided to leave home early and take a scenic detour. It was all very nice until I crossed my Friday Afternoon Bridge and rode into a bank of very cold fog. The next 1/2 mile was thick mist and lots of frost. Upon reaching Clophill my knees started shrieking "SOD THIS FOR A LARK" so I turned round and went back again. Over my Friday Afternoon Bridge I ran back into bright sunshine, blue sky, thin mist etc and had a very pleasant bimble back into work. The south side of The Mighty Flit was about 5 deg C warmer than the north. How odd.

I ended up doing 5.2 miles instead of the 9.6 I was intending.

[Kim]

It's probably fine unless the wheel is really dragging. Disc brakes are good making noises after refitting wheels IME.

Indeed.  Double check the wheel's properly seated in the drop-outs, and if it spins freely then rubbing noises from the brake are mostly harmless, and tend to disappear with a bit of hard braking.  (Understood that circumstances conducive to hard rear-wheel braking are unlikely to appear on CrinklyLion's commute.)

The hardest thing about adjusting cable disc brakes is knowing when to stop...

[Andrew Br]

Cold this morning; the Garmin said 1.8 deg. C but it lies.
Cold coming home as well; I wore all the clothes that I'd put on to go in.
The headwind was still there.

[sg37409]

Nice ride back yesterday evening on the brommie

Evening commute. by sg310, on Flickr

[Si S]

It's not unusual to see horses on Irlam Road, although its not everyday you see one trying to get through someone's front door 

[Si S]

The laundry wasn't quite dry...brrrrr

[Pingu]

Big diesel slick today  Managed to get rear wheel spin on the Pomp when pulling away from a roundabout because of it.

[sg37409]

Pleasant one.  Decent weather and the only bad-ish driving was 1 bus. Just sauntered in, could quite happily have ridden on.

[fuzzy]

First dirty off road commute of the year this morning.

No comedy off road moments.

They are probably waiting for the homeward journey

[clarion]

Big diesel slick today  Managed to get rear wheel spin on the Pomp when pulling away from a roundabout because of it.

Well done staying upright!

[mcshroom]

I had to herd a daft sheep on the way to work this morning, and the drizzle on the way home showed up the oil slick all the way through Beckermet and a mile further down the road. I thought motorists complained about oil and petrol being too expensive. In which case why are they chucking it all over my commute?!

[TheLurker]

This evening saw the ceremonial unshipping of the winter front lamps.  A Lezyne (to be seen in the tree corridors) blinky has been fitted for tomorrow morning's workbound trip.

[mark]

The new employer offers: indoor bike storage, extra locker space for cycle commuters, men's and women's shower facilities, and nominal incentives for people who cycle to work frequently. Best of all and a refreshing change from the previous workplace, cycling to work is considered more or less normal behavior, and nobody looks at you funny when you ride a bicycle or commit other acts of physical exertion. I think I'm going to like it here.

[Feanor]

Are you still in the Frisco area?

[hatler]

The new employer offers: indoor bike storage, extra locker space for cycle commuters, men's and women's shower facilities, and nominal incentives for people who cycle to work frequently. Best of all and a refreshing change from the previous workplace, cycling to work is considered more or less normal behavior, and nobody looks at you funny when you ride a bicycle or commit other acts of physical exertion. I think I'm going to like it here.

Every employer should be like that. Lucky you.

[mark]

Are you still in the Frisco area?

High rent and long winters drove me out of Frisco a while ago, I'm now just west of Denver.

Every employer should be like that. Lucky you.

I won't be getting rich here, but the work environment promises to be a lot more pleasant. You're right, society in general should be more encouraging of cycling and of physical activity in general.

[TheLurker]

Workbound.  An abundance of wildlife including a black pheasant, roe (fallow?) deer and two buzzards flying very close at nought feet; one near Netherton, t'other out by Poulton Fields.  Was also passed, effortlessly - and left for dead,  by a silent type wearing "Ride 24/7" kit (an LBS in Cirencester M'Lud) at Ampney St. Peter.

Homebound.  Astounding the difference even the gentlest, barely perceptible, tail wind can make to journey time.  Well that or the massive reduction in weight following the removal of the winter lamps.