Author Topic: On the commute today (Read 2519563 times)

Jurek · « **Reply #14175 on:** 24 September, 2013, 10:01:40 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 24 September, 2013, 09:53:35 pm

Quote from: Jurek on 24 September, 2013, 09:29:54 pm
Quote from: citoyen on 24 September, 2013, 07:37:46 pm
Ride home abandoned due to spoke breakage. FFS.

Lucky I was near a station.

That's three bikes in the workshop now. Ho hum.
Herbert's must have you on their Christmas card list by now - I'm assuming it is they that are attending to your needs.....

Actually, I mostly prefer the DIY route but I try to put business their way when possible. The owner is a very decent chap.

Ah!
Understood.
I've never had anything other than first class service in there - given that I'm not exactly local or regular....
They're a good bunch

Crumbling Nick · « **Reply #14176 on:** 25 September, 2013, 12:16:27 am »

On the way home, slowly caught up with a small group of cyclists on racing bikes. Heavily laden (outdoor work clothes plus free fruit from the owner of today's nature reserve

, maybe 7kg), I naturally waited for a downhill before overtaking.

So why, as soon as I had overtaken, did they speed up and hang on to my back wheel? It wasn't a problem for me, but if they had wanted to join my journey, wouldn't it have been a bit more sociable aka human, to chat or somesuch?

tiermat · « **Reply #14177 on:** 25 September, 2013, 07:59:35 am »

Dispite the fog, this morning's ride in was a) hot and b) fast.

Great morning for a ride to work, did it in a record time and had plenty of time for a shower and coffee before starting work

zigzag · « **Reply #14178 on:** 25 September, 2013, 01:29:23 pm »

i saw a big group of cyclists (100?..) going via greenwich towards dover, a lot of them wearing blue jerseys with british flag. i couldn't read the wording on the jerseys as i was going opposite direction and watching the traffic, but one of the words was "extraordinary". does anyone know about this extraordinary bike ride?

simonp · « **Reply #14179 on:** 25 September, 2013, 01:31:07 pm »

Personal record on Red Hill this morning. Despite 1.5kg+ of lock and my headphones in the saddlebag.

I didn't notice Feline waving at me as she drove home from work the other way.

Kim · « **Reply #14180 on:** 25 September, 2013, 02:36:30 pm »

How heavy are these headphones?

tonyh · « **Reply #14181 on:** 25 September, 2013, 02:43:44 pm »

Quote from: simonp on 25 September, 2013, 01:31:07 pm

I didn't notice Feline

Basil · « **Reply #14182 on:** 25 September, 2013, 05:37:18 pm »

Yesterday (sorry) evening I was riding fast down hill with heavy traffic when something unseen hit me very hard on my right thigh.
I'm hoping that it wasn't something aimed at me from the traffic heading the other way.
I would like to believe that a conker fell from a tree. Whatever is was, it hurt.
I didn't go that way this morning and I forgot to check if there is a chestnut tree this evening.

PaulR · « **Reply #14183 on:** 25 September, 2013, 05:48:40 pm »

Quote from: zigzag on 25 September, 2013, 01:29:23 pm

i saw a big group of cyclists (100?..) going via greenwich towards dover, a lot of them wearing blue jerseys with british flag. i couldn't read the wording on the jerseys as i was going opposite direction and watching the traffic, but one of the words was "extraordinary". does anyone know about this extraordinary bike ride?

That's funny, cos I saw the same sort of quantity of blokes on bikes all wearing burgundy jerseys heading down via Elephant - turns out it was the Grenadier Guards on their way to Waterloo.
http://www.standard.co.uk/panewsfeeds/david-cameron-sees-off-charity-cyclists-8835904.html

menthel · « **Reply #14184 on:** 26 September, 2013, 09:13:25 am »

Slow one in with wife (she has managed to lose a screw from a cleat!) and it was carnage out there. Massive quantities of motor and cycle traffic. Got to the N side of Chelsea bridge and there was a cyclist down with ambulance in attendance. They were moving there arms and there was no great rush so I think it wasn't life threatening! Hope they are alright.

tiermat · « **Reply #14185 on:** 26 September, 2013, 09:14:51 am »

Sunny!

Chilly!

Last commute for this week, which is a good thing as I am aching all over from the COR last night on the Social ride.

Still, surprisingly, fast, though.

simonp · « **Reply #14186 on:** 26 September, 2013, 10:58:36 am »

Wet and horrible, and a bit slow, and nearly knocked off in Bristol by a woman that didn't look properly at a junction.

CommuteTooFar · « **Reply #14187 on:** 26 September, 2013, 12:50:45 pm »

I didn't get very far today. I rode down the lane through Radyr golf course and realised I had a puncture. No problem I think, I should know better than using 23mm tyres at this time of year. I cross the road to the pavement and remove the wheel from the bike for a quick tube change. Before I removed the tyre from the wheel I observed the reason for the deflation. Yellow stripe of cloth around a third of the tyre where black rubber should be. No point swapping the tube. So I turned around and pushed the bike back home. In the shed I had green bike with broken brakes, No. Orange bike without pedals, chain or sprocket, too much to do. Pink White and Blue bike, just a frame and bits. So find an old 25mm tyre and put it on Red bikes wheel then off I go to the station. It would of been quicker to ride all the way but I was in a funny mood.

davelodwig · « **Reply #14188 on:** 26 September, 2013, 04:17:38 pm »

Let me tell you about my commute yesterday,

Well in the morning I walked to work, took 40 minutes was quite pleasant if not a little warm my choice of fleece proving to be too thick. Why did I walk I here you say...

Well A nice colleague has loaned me his Cotic Soul to take with me to the Alpkit Big Shakeout, and I wanted to ride it home.

And verrily as the clocked clicked over to 6.20pm I did leave the carpark and cross the dual carriage way and enter the singletrack heading past an incinerator and towards the canal.

There is not a bump in the path between my office and house that has not been jumped off by a madly grinning cyclist, I was soo much fun I'm looking forward to the actual weekend trip.

diapsaon0 · « **Reply #14189 on:** 26 September, 2013, 06:05:35 pm »

Not a commute as such, but took the wretched car to be repaired again and popped the Brompton in tot boot intending to ride back 4 miles or so into Taunton and catch the bus home. No busses for over an hour, so decided to ride the 12 hilly miles home. Longest ride I've managed for about 3 years. Walked up the last bits of a couple of hills, but very pleased to have managed it. I now know that I can definitely manage without the car.

mcshroom · « **Reply #14190 on:** 26 September, 2013, 06:06:50 pm »

Well done

diapsaon0 · « **Reply #14191 on:** 26 September, 2013, 09:50:54 pm »

Thanks. Hope I'm not too stiff tomorrow. May well do it again as car is dead, I have a rehearsal in the evening and there are no busses after 6.05pm

mcshroom · « **Reply #14192 on:** 26 September, 2013, 11:34:32 pm »

That sounds like the way I started cycle commuting. My car broke down and the garage took two weeks to work out what was wrong and fix it, meaning I had to cycle to work. By the time the car was fixed I was so used to commuting by bike I just carried on

simonp · « **Reply #14193 on:** 26 September, 2013, 11:38:51 pm »

And another near miss at a roundabout this evening. Sigh.

tiermat · « **Reply #14194 on:** 27 September, 2013, 08:13:16 am »

Last night's commute was spent picking blackberries, again, as I found the mother of all blackberry bushes, with fruit on it the size of ping pong balls!

I picked a good couple of pounds, took them back to the digs, aiming to take them home today.

I left them in the bloody freezer! D'oh!

Basil · « **Reply #14195 on:** 27 September, 2013, 08:47:32 am »

A commute full of good nature, smiles and courtesy.

I'm suspicious. What's going on?

menthel · « **Reply #14196 on:** 27 September, 2013, 08:48:04 am »

Its a bit chilly out! Still, not a bad ride in and I soon warmed up!

Kim · « **Reply #14197 on:** 27 September, 2013, 09:46:50 am »

Quote from: Basil on 27 September, 2013, 08:47:32 am

A commute full of good nature, smiles and courtesy.

I'm suspicious. What's going on?

Have you accidentally forgotten to leave Waleslandshire?

Basil · « **Reply #14198 on:** 27 September, 2013, 11:59:42 am »

Quote from: Kim on 27 September, 2013, 09:46:50 am

Quote from: Basil on 27 September, 2013, 08:47:32 am
A commute full of good nature, smiles and courtesy.

I'm suspicious. What's going on?

Have you accidentally forgotten to leave Waleslandshire?

Although, to be honest, I get a lot more "refusal to acknowledge and react" close passes on rural lanes than I do in Brum.

CommuteTooFar · « **Reply #14199 on:** 27 September, 2013, 12:40:00 pm »

After the morning's disastrous approach to work I decide to ride home but after noting the strongish head wind I decide to use the return part of the ticket I had bought. At Cardiff Central I decide that I would ride the rest of the way to Radyr. In any case I get home quicker by bike the wait for a train I am allowed on is too long. So I head up the Taff Trail, I am always surprised that I am not passed by faster riders when I use this cycle path, I pass many. As I am leaving Hailey Park I sense that the rear tyre was getting soft. I stop at Mellingriffith to change the tube. I take the tyre off and examine it for the cause. I find it and remember why that tyre was not on the bike. I found an old hole full of debris that had been picked up on the Taff Trail. Oh dear hopefully a new tube will get me home. So I complete the insertion of the tube and find out that my pump will not attach to this cheap tube I had bought after an earlier emergency. So wheel comes back out I put in a conti tube and I was able to inflate. Thus far I had kept my hands clean but the chain had found it way into a jammed state half off the chainring so I added oily hands to my problems. I arrive home around 10 minutes later that I would have if I caught the train all the way.