On the commute today

[plum]

To the red haired cyclist[?!] I often see along the Stratford Rd then navigating along the way to Golden Hillock, if you're reading this for god's sake give it up. Your lack of skills, control, road sense, insane risk taking are a danger to yourself and to any road user around you. Your idiot attitude to pavements means that even pedestrians aren't safe. Hopefully your off in this morning's rush hour, in the midst of all the buses, lorries, cars and cyclists, will have frightened some sense into you.

So long as no one else gets hurt frankly I couldn't care less. But to do it all with a child in that seat on the back sends a chill down my spine. This morning you were lucky to be on your own on that bike, but eventually Darwin will have his way, and do you really want your whole family to go down at the same time?

Again; give it up, get a bus pass before it's too late.

Or better still, learn some vital skills?

Nah anyone who cycles that badly that often will never get the it out of their system. It's time the nanny state stepped in for the sake of her children and moved all sharp objects and machinery out of her reach. Like those people who fail their driving test 65 times but keep driving illegally because they assume it's everyone else who is at fault.

[phantasmagoriana]

Walked again today (tomorrow the bike's coming back out) but I'm pretty sure I saw (or rather, heard) two different cyclists with studded tyres today!

[Feline]

I met a guy at the lights today on some sort of Mtb.  He was wearing no gloves at all!
I asked him if his hands weren't cold.  He said "Yes, freezing." 

My son rode home from school today and when I asked why his hands looked like beetroots he announced he had left his gloves behind in his locker. He was also wearing 3/4 length chinos with bare legs 

[TimO]

Walked again today (tomorrow the bike's coming back out) but I'm pretty sure I saw (or rather, heard) two different cyclists with studded tyres today!

If you're travelling anywhere near between Croydon and South Ken, it'll be me.

Mainly because the Kaffenback needs some significant engineering, but using it when there's a risk of ice is a benefit.  Of course, it hasn't really been properly icy, so it's mostly just giving me a better workout, because it's damned heavy frame!


I noticed today, where they've painted new bicycle symbols and a stop line on the very northern end of the Clapham Common cycle path, the bits where cyclists go onto the cycle path are relatively fresh and cleanly white, whereas the bits where cyclists leave the cycle path are very grubby after only a few weeks of use.  That does tell you how dirty the cycle paths are, presumably due to the lack of heavy car use and it's effect in keeping the road surfaces relatively clean.

[Redlight]

I met a guy at the lights today on some sort of Mtb.  He was wearing no gloves at all!
I asked him if his hands weren't cold.  He said "Yes, freezing." 

My son rode home from school today and when I asked why his hands looked like beetroots he announced he had left his gloves behind in his locker. He was also wearing 3/4 length chinos with bare legs 

PBP 2019 - best young rider? He's cracked stage 1: cycling through f-ing awful weather.  Now you need to introduce him to sleeping in phone boxes.

[DrMekon]

Those Sub Zeros look good. I need to get some. I have some cheapo "skiing gloves" for days like this, but they aren't great and failed to keep my hands warm yesterday evening. I couldn't feel my thumbs for about an hour after I got home. Also it felt like icicles were forming inside my nostrils.

d.

Sub zeros are great. I lost one of mine, and have stubbornly refused to replace it because the moment I do, I'll find the missing one. Instead I got some of the grippy winter sealskinz (rubbish, even with merino liners), and then the Pro Xpert Winter WP that are supposed to be good down to -10c (no chill down to -3c with merino liners, but below that my index finger gets very cold on fast sections). Neither are as good as the sub zeros, despite their bulkiness. In their defence, the Pros are very thin for how much warmth they provide.

[TimO]

On the way home, I waited for a car driver to do a three point turn, in a typically cack handed manner, and as he straightened up, he rolled down his window and asked me if I knew where a particular road was.

The name was familiar, but after a moments thought I couldn't remember where it was, so I apologised to him, saying I'd seen it around, but couldn't remember where.  He thanked me for that, and drove off in the opposite directions and I continued on my way.  Ten seconds later I went past a sign marking the road he had just asked about, but he was too far away for me to be able to attract his attention by this point!

[Adrian]

On the way home, I waited for a car driver to do a three point turn, in a typically cack handed manner, and as he straightened up, he rolled down his window and asked me if I knew where a particular road was.

The name was familiar, but after a moments thought I couldn't remember where it was, so I apologised to him, saying I'd seen it around, but couldn't remember where.  He thanked me for that, and drove off in the opposite directions and I continued on my way.  Ten seconds later I went past a sign marking the road he had just asked about, but he was too far away for me to be able to attract his attention by this point!

You do realise that, when he finally finds it (which he might have done by now) and realises that he is only a few yards away from where he spoke to you, his first conclusion will be "that fucking cyclist sent me all round the houses to make me look like an idiot"?

[Tim Hall]

I think it depends what sort of car he was driving.  If it was an Audi Q7 4.2 DTI Quattro S-Line, for example, such treatment might be well deserved.

[phantasmagoriana]

Walked again today (tomorrow the bike's coming back out) but I'm pretty sure I saw (or rather, heard) two different cyclists with studded tyres today!

If you're travelling anywhere near between Croydon and South Ken, it'll be me.

That'd be quite a commute for me! This was in York.

[simonp]

I met a guy at the lights today on some sort of Mtb.  He was wearing no gloves at all!
I asked him if his hands weren't cold.  He said "Yes, freezing." 

My son rode home from school today and when I asked why his hands looked like beetroots he announced he had left his gloves behind in his locker. He was also wearing 3/4 length chinos with bare legs 

I only tried the no gloves thing in freezing conditions once. Never again. I was about your son’s age at the time.

[Adrian]

I think it depends what sort of car he was driving.  If it was an Audi Q7 4.2 DTI Quattro S-Line, for example, such treatment might be well deserved.

Or this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9NsdekhO_do&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/9NsdekhO_do&rel=1</a> treatment

[Wendy]

That bar steward recently got some sort of payout from the police for that. Totally undeserved, but the police spokesperson did make it clear it was cutting their losses for the ongoing litigation this chap had brought, or something along those lines IIRC.

[Si_Co]

Last night turned into something of an epic, accelerating away from mini roundabout while drafting a WVM there was an almighty bang and the rear started squirreling around, don't know what I hit but it shredded the rear tyre, fortunately WVM behind was wide awake and I got into the kerb ok. Required use of two boots to get the thing back on the road. Crosssed under the railway bridge at Flixton and a very happy border collie came bounding around the corner and kept pace with me, after a mile or so as I approached the main road I stopped, so it stopped, sat down and looked at me as if to say "what we stopped for?", so i turned around and headed back the way I came, got near the bridge dog looks at me, then charges off into a driveway and someone opens the front door and in the dog goes with a look like "thanks mate, that was fun"

This morning overtook someone in shorts and t-shirt,  , and they were proper short  gym shorts, mind you by the look of pain on his face I think he might have regretted that choice

[Paul]

Those Sub Zeros look good. I need to get some. I have some cheapo "skiing gloves" for days like this, but they aren't great and failed to keep my hands warm yesterday evening. I couldn't feel my thumbs for about an hour after I got home. Also it felt like icicles were forming inside my nostrils.

d.

I have a pair you can have for not much if they fit you (just a bit too small for me). I'll send you a pm.

Paul.

[Diver300]

That bar steward recently got some sort of payout from the police for that. Totally undeserved, but the police spokesperson did make it clear it was cutting their losses for the ongoing litigation this chap had brought, or something along those lines IIRC.

Watching the video, it seemed to me that the violence from the police was over the top as all that he had done was to take too long to stop.

[clarion]

Those Sub Zeros look good. I need to get some. I have some cheapo "skiing gloves" for days like this, but they aren't great and failed to keep my hands warm yesterday evening. I couldn't feel my thumbs for about an hour after I got home. Also it felt like icicles were forming inside my nostrils.

d.

I have a pair you can have for not much if they fit you (just a bit too small for me). I'll send you a pm.

Paul.

Pair of icicles?

[simonp]

Max speed: 45.3kph.

[clarion]

Yesterday, I left work at lunchtime, and pootled home via various stops.  I was hoping to use the afternoon to get some miles in, but I had a slow p*nct*re.

I took the tube out last night, but couldn't find a leak anywhere.  I inflated it and left it overnight, but it kept its air.  Checking the tyre didn't show anything of concern.

Meanwhile, I swapped in a repaired (and checked) tube, and this morning found it had lost some of its pressure, topped it up and rode off.

10km later, on Upper Tooting Road, it was flat.

[fuzzy]

Those Sub Zeros look good. I need to get some. I have some cheapo "skiing gloves" for days like this, but they aren't great and failed to keep my hands warm yesterday evening. I couldn't feel my thumbs for about an hour after I got home. Also it felt like icicles were forming inside my nostrils.

d.

I don't know why but, I read this as it felt like testicles were forming inide my nostrils 

As for commuting, I am girding my loins ready for my first ride since my recent crash. I bought the bike and gear to work in the car yesterday morning.

[alexb]

Walked again today (tomorrow the bike's coming back out) but I'm pretty sure I saw (or rather, heard) two different cyclists with studded tyres today!

If you're travelling anywhere near between Croydon and South Ken, it'll be me.

Or, if between Streatham and South Ken, possibly me!!!

[L CC]

Me.
On this.
Singing along to this.
Max Speed 42.2

And feeling AOK.

[plum]

Walked again today (tomorrow the bike's coming back out) but I'm pretty sure I saw (or rather, heard) two different cyclists with studded tyres today!

If you're travelling anywhere near between Croydon and South Ken, it'll be me.

Or, if between Streatham and South Ken, possibly me!!!

Mine make enough noise you can probably hear me from brum. Though not for much longer the rate the studs are falling out.

[CrinklyLion]

Me.
On this.
Singing along to this.
Max Speed 42.2

And feeling AOK.

\o/

[simonp]

On my blast between Kings Cross and Paddington this evening my maximum speed was 46.1kph. I think that was in the Euston underpass, I could only maintain about 30kph up the other side. I’m a bit lighter than normal today Cambridge, beforehand, was a bit gridlocked in the centre of town. I went that way as no sno-tyres meant I have been avoiding all the cycle paths and minor road cycle routes in favour of roads that would normally be gritted.