Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462437 times)

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20200 on: 03 March, 2018, 02:55:20 pm »
I've found that Ice Spikers fine on ice, on account of the studs, and reasonably good on virgin snow if you drop the pressure very low, but compressed snow that shears will still have you sliding about, and deep ruts are always going to be a tramlining hazard.

Not sure if a narrower tyre at higher pressure (eg. Marathon Winter) is an advantage on the compressed stuff.  The problem is, that's usually accompanied by enough loose snow that you're probably better off with the wide knobblies.

Obviously Ice Spikers are suboptimal if it's just icy tarmac, rather than snow, on account of the rolling resistance.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20201 on: 06 March, 2018, 10:40:24 am »
Now the snow has mostly melted the water levels are rather high. I cut through the back lanes this morning and found myself wading across a bridge pushing the bike with icy water above the hubs.

Socks and shoes are currently sitting on the radiator by the back door to the office!
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20202 on: 06 March, 2018, 06:16:35 pm »
Me too.


Wet commute by Ron Lowe, on Flickr

That's the bike sitting on the grass verge.
On the actual road, the entire chainset was submerged.

I got off and waded for about 100 metres.
I'm stood in deep water taking that photo!

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
    • Twitter
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20203 on: 06 March, 2018, 07:01:26 pm »
You poured your shoes out at the end then? Yuk.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20204 on: 06 March, 2018, 07:21:45 pm »
When I got home, about half a pint of water poured out of each boot.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20205 on: 07 March, 2018, 06:35:15 pm »
Little shits on mini-motos screaming around the cyclepath network in clouds of 2-stroke oil.  I do hope that doesn't become a regular thing.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20206 on: 07 March, 2018, 10:06:54 pm »
Doh !

This morning.

Numpty onna bike pulls out from between queueing traffic in the other lane on my right and then dithers between heading for the left, the middle or the right.

I'm doing about 20, it's hosing it down and I decide to head for where he is, hoping like hell he goes one way or the other. He stays where he is and I read end him, straight over the handlebars.

Knocked the bridge off my glasses, the mirror out of the bar end, and the bike landed on the saddle so the leather has a bit of a scuff and was a bit out of line (right side a bit lower than the left).

I retrieved both bits (neither of which had been run over by the following traffic), and re-levelled the saddle when I got to work. Slight graze on my left knee and a couple of hardly noticeable red patches on my face. No apparent damage to jersey or troos but my (already well knackered) gloves took a bit of a tear.

That's three offs in a year, I went 12 years before that and only came off once. Bloody hell.

Then I got a front punc on the way home.

Bah !!
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20207 on: 08 March, 2018, 05:50:32 am »
When I got home, about half a pint of water poured out of each boot.

When I get home from a cycle commute I often have two half pints poured out of one glass.
Pete Crane E75 @petecrane5

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20208 on: 08 March, 2018, 07:27:59 pm »
First time I've used the back road in a week so nice to see the usual animal life (Barn owl, buzzards, bunnies and lambs) and, considering how little snow we had here, astonishingly large snowdrifts along hedgerows and in ditches for tens of yards at a stretch.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20209 on: 09 March, 2018, 10:14:40 am »
Rolling to a stop at some temporary traffic lights this morning, no-one infront of me, car overtakes me at the last minute and cuts in and stops beyond the 'WAIT HERE' sign. I probably should have known better, but i released the brake and rolled down the LHS and stopped infront of guy.

Very short stretch of controlled area, followed by 4 or 5 cars queuing the other side. Once past there, the guy performed what can only be described as a 'punishment pass'. It was SO close as he cut infront of me, i'm quite surprised it didn't make contact.

Boils my piss on 2 counts - 1) Totally disproportionate escalation. Is a minor inconvenience worth risking homicide? 2) Cowardice. It's like throwing a punch at someone on crutches then running away.

I had another, unsolicited, horribly close pass earlier in the week. Starting to think I should invest in cameras front and back to bring some of these maniacs to some kind of justice, but I don't really want to become one of 'those' cyclists.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20210 on: 09 March, 2018, 10:18:37 am »
I got a stream of abuse this morning for daring to take primary round the quadrant (medium sized roundabout with parking in the middle - cracking idea  ::-) ) didn't spoil what was a glorious morning though  :thumbsup:

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20211 on: 13 March, 2018, 08:36:32 am »
First one out of winter tights and heavyweight shell, combination of that and the best bike made for the quickest commute for a good while, really enjoyed that.  :thumbsup:

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20212 on: 13 March, 2018, 01:06:53 pm »
First one on my shiny new Brompton. :thumbsup:

Nearly 5 minutes quicker than my other folder - over 2 anna half miles that's quite some difference!
"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 #20213 on: 13 March, 2018, 07:56:21 pm »
Phone call from distressed daughter "I've broke down in a really dodgy place, it's scary dad"

Never fails to amaze me how fast you can ride a bike when your child needs you.

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20214 on: 14 March, 2018, 09:49:00 am »
Shorts this morning. Still had the thermal hat and gloves, but my knees enjoyed the airing.
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20215 on: 14 March, 2018, 10:31:03 am »
Phone call from distressed daughter "I've broke down in a really dodgy place, it's scary dad"

Never fails to amaze me how fast you can ride a bike when your child needs you.
Hope it all turned out OK.
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 #20216 on: 14 March, 2018, 11:00:53 am »
Phone call from distressed daughter "I've broke down in a really dodgy place, it's scary dad"

Never fails to amaze me how fast you can ride a bike when your child needs you.
Hope it all turned out OK.

Cheers Tim, yeah all good. She's learning some of life's realities, like

1) A car is not a magic box that insulates you from the world
b) The words "Turn here- I know a short cut" are lethal

The next thing is

iii) keeping a pet gas guzzling dinosaur regularly involves taking it to the licence-to-print-money shop to feed it £££

She was warned over all this but we were all 18 once and knew absolutely everything.

I'm cream-crackered from it all though, sub 1 hour from Manc centre-Warrington into the wind in rush hour and then still managed to beat the recovery truck back  8) , didn't need this mornings headwind.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20217 on: 14 March, 2018, 07:24:40 pm »
Work-bound 55mins and a lovely run it was too.  May have heard the first skylark of the year; 06:25 between Quenington & Donkeywell Farm for those taking notes.

Home-bound 1h 12 mins and knackered with it.  Unmitigated slog into wind.  See also Kim's post in Pub/What I have learnt today.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20218 on: 15 March, 2018, 06:40:16 am »
Its raining - I shall get wet.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20219 on: 15 March, 2018, 08:13:54 am »
Lurkers headwind and Tony's rain made all that a bit grim.  :( I know I say this every year but winter seems to have been going on an awful long time.

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20220 on: 15 March, 2018, 09:00:33 am »
Rain. My shiny new Brompton has got dirty wet splodges on it :(
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20221 on: 15 March, 2018, 07:58:02 pm »
Skylark is confirmed.  Heard and saw one at about 16:30 today.  Outskirts of Lechlade.

Don't care what the weather does this weekend, the skylarks are definitely in town so all's well with the world.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20222 on: 15 March, 2018, 08:34:16 pm »
Rain. My shiny new Brompton has got dirty wet splodges on it :(

You can have a clean Brompton or a ridden Brompton.  There's no such thing as a clean, ridden Brompton.  (A substantial part of its genius is that most of the mucky bits are contained when folded.)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20223 on: 16 March, 2018, 09:59:20 am »
Bimbling along the London CS7 this morning and there’s a chap with wheel off and tyre off. “Got everything you need ?” I cheerily shout.  “All good.” says he. Think no more of it.

Get to work, bike into the shared bike storage room (on any day there are perhaps ten people who cycle to work across the four or five companies in the building), into the shower, out of the shower and there’s someone just getting ready to go into the shower.

“Did you ask someone with a puncture if they were OK this morning ?”

What are the chances of that ?
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20224 on: 16 March, 2018, 12:37:17 pm »
On the commute in my car today...

Chap by the side of the road fixing a puncture.

"You ok?".

"Erm... got a pump?"

Nipped back home (1/4 mile) to get my track pump.

One happy commuter. One increase in my karma I hope!  :)  O:-)

PS - first bike commute without long gloves yesterday, and it was all ok! (Glossing over the fact that this was because I'd left my long gloves on the drive the previous night and they were royally soaked).