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How was your cycle commute?

Ted Striker said:
Why not (out of interest)?
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I carried a laptop (this laptop in fact) all the way from Lands End to John O'Groats in a pannier. It stayed in a soft bag and then another waterproof stuff bag - you can see the bags in the picture. I slotted it in into the sieve in the pannier and I had no problem.

It probably helped that it's an 'ultrabook' and very small. Having an SSD rather than hard disk may also make it more robust.

Here's when I stopped off just north of Inverness to take a call (I was technically working when I made the trip)

2012-09-12115217_zps99e20ebc.jpg
 
Yeah, I put my 13" ssd ultrabook in my panniers every day and it seems to survive ok. Would be less happy with my 17inch beast but anything to not wear a backpack...
 
Garek said:
Hi all. Hope you don't mind me putting this question here. It just seems daft starting a whole new thread, and I am hoping that by asking here it won't devolve into the usual boring anti-cyclist argument. If it is in the wrong place then mods please feel free to move.

Basically I just want to gauge whether I am being an arse to cyclists or not . I use this junction and today I ended up beeping at a cyclist but not really sure if it is justified.



I'm always turning left and the left hand lane is for both going straight and turning left. But nearly every day cyclist wanting to go straight stay right to the very left, not even in the left hand lane. So when I start up I have at best make sure not to hit the cyclist setting off, or sometime, and I know this kind of cycling is bad, avoid the ones undertaking without stopping or waiting (downhill slope). Ignoring the later (because they are clearly idiots) where would you wait to go straight? The beeping this morning was because the cyclist waiting right to the left hand side started slowly and then accelerated into my path. So what are the give way rules in this situation?
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Take a look at the cycle path which encourages cyclists to the left lane.

When you cross lanes you should always make sure it's safe to cross so it's probably best to be patient - and very vigilant for cyclists. Even when you are driving in the left hand lane it helps to imagine that there's an additional lane in the gutter which cyclist's use. You need to cross - even if you are already in the left lane.

Additionally plenty of cyclists are too afraid to take their space in the correct lane as they are worried about getting in the way of cars. Therefore they end up in the gutter and stick in the left lane. On a busy road if you take the middle lane on a bike you often get people beeping you to get out of their way. It may not be correct but it takes a lot of courage for a slow / inexperienced rider to get out of the left lane.
 
Garek said:
Hi all. Hope you don't mind me putting this question here. It just seems daft starting a whole new thread, and I am hoping that by asking here it won't devolve into the usual boring anti-cyclist argument. If it is in the wrong place then mods please feel free to move.

Basically I just want to gauge whether I am being an arse to cyclists or not . I use this junction and today I ended up beeping at a cyclist but not really sure if it is justified.



I'm always turning left and the left hand lane is for both going straight and turning left. But nearly every day cyclist wanting to go straight stay right to the very left, not even in the left hand lane. So when I start up I have at best make sure not to hit the cyclist setting off, or sometime, and I know this kind of cycling is bad, avoid the ones undertaking without stopping or waiting (downhill slope). Ignoring the later (because they are clearly idiots) where would you wait to go straight? The beeping this morning was because the cyclist waiting right to the left hand side started slowly and then accelerated into my path. So what are the give way rules in this situation?
Click to expand...

it's hard to fathom what exactly it is you are taking issue with - perhaps draw a picture. Failing that, you should treat cyclists the same way you would treat any other vulnerable road user - with patience and care, all the while giving them as much space as you can afford. Leaning on your hooter is a dick move and can shit a person on a bike right up - possibly to the point where they react in such a way that puts their life at risk. Please don't do it.
 
My main problem is the vast forward area and people not using it. I accept when traffic is moving it is difficult but when traffic is stationary people don't move to the right and into the rest of the box. They just sit to the left which is what puzzles me.

EDIT: Aight, no more beeping.
 
Garek said:
My main problem is the vast forward area and people not using it. I accept when traffic is moving it is difficult but when traffic is stationary people don't move to the right and into the rest of the box. They just sit to the left which is what puzzles me.

EDIT: Aight, no more beeping.
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That frustrates me when on a bike as well. On arriving in a ASL a cyclist stops at the left of the box - presumably to avoid getting in the way of the car behind. However if they stop at the left they'll often block any cyclists behind them getting into the box - even when there's plenty of space.
 
fredfelt said:
That frustrates me when on a bike as well. On arriving in a ASL a cyclist stops at the left of the box - presumably to avoid getting in the way of the car behind. However if they stop at the left they'll often block any cyclists behind them getting into the box - even when there's plenty of space.
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That happens a lot to. And cyclists really do struggle then if they hoping to go straight.

Should also point out I am on a motorbike rather than in a car.

Anyways, I have my answer, cheers to all. I will leave your friendly thread now I have a better idea of what is going on.
 
Garek said:
Hi all. Hope you don't mind me putting this question here. It just seems daft starting a whole new thread, and I am hoping that by asking here it won't devolve into the usual boring anti-cyclist argument. If it is in the wrong place then mods please feel free to move.

Basically I just want to gauge whether I am being an arse to cyclists or not . I use this junction and today I ended up beeping at a cyclist but not really sure if it is justified.



I'm always turning left and the left hand lane is for both going straight and turning left. But nearly every day cyclist wanting to go straight stay right to the very left, not even in the left hand lane. So when I start up I have at best make sure not to hit the cyclist setting off, or sometime, and I know this kind of cycling is bad, avoid the ones undertaking without stopping or waiting (downhill slope). Ignoring the later (because they are clearly idiots) where would you wait to go straight? The beeping this morning was because the cyclist waiting right to the left hand side started slowly and then accelerated into my path. So what are the give way rules in this situation?
Click to expand...
Its poor positioning by the cyclists, but they are in the correct lane for going straight on.

You are meant to wait for vehicles in front of you to move/be clear (obviously). So, maybe just be a bit more patient.
 
ASLs are a waste of everyones time tbh. They encourage cyclists to hoon it to the front of a queue of traffic where it is often the least safe place to be. the way they are fed, via a single narrow lane to the left of traffic is teethgratingly dangerous.
 
pissflaps said:
ASLs are a waste of everyones time tbh. They encourage cyclists to hoon it to the front of a queue of traffic where it is often the least safe place to be. the way they are fed, via a single narrow lane to the left of traffic is teethgratingly dangerous.
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Which then encourages the same behaviour even when there isn't a lane/ASL.
Every day, I use junctions where I wait in traffic in the LH lane, watch cyclists undertake in the gutter, and then immediately pass them again at green as they're all held up by left-turning vehicles or by realising they're in a gutter next to moving traffic.
 
Garek said:
Coming off Vauxhall Bridge, north side.
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I thought that was where it is. Fwiw I know you can go left or straight on in the left hand lane, but the way the junction dips in means that if you stay in that lane you have to pull out to the right when you get beyond it. It's a shit junction to navigate as a cyclist, particularly because of that, the multi-lane traffic and the speed it can be flowing at. It does sound like bad positioning in your example but I think you just need to be patient cos it's a pain in the arse :)
 
Garek said:
Coming off Vauxhall Bridge, north side.
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ha! recognise it now. just so happens i got clattered by a number 2 bus there a few months back. I was signalling to move into the right hand lane, checked my shoulder, saw the bus a ways off, thought he'd clocked me and would slow down to let me move across to the right hand lane.

he didn't slow down.

SMIDSY is still a valid defense in court, so i'm told.
 
Am back to full-fingered gloves and winter rain jacket this morning :(

It is the end of May, right?
 
I have never ridden my bike without gloves - full-fingered ones - though on really hot days when I stop for a rest on a challenging ride it's difficult to squeeze my hands back in ...

I think we just got used to non-winters and an early suntan... we are, after all, at 50 or more degrees of latitude.

I'm fully into shorts mode now, though I'm being overly-hesistant with my jacket

For the record, I've found it fairly easy to get sunburned and the next couple of days look like ones for lying in fields etc.
 
Nipped home at lunch time - highly wind-assisted. As I sit here typing this the wind's turned a bit gale-forcey. It's gonna be a slow crawl back to the office :(
 
I'm off work today. I was considering cycling a few miles down the railway path for a snack, but the wind to sun ratio is a bit disappointing ...
 
Back in the office now.

It's a bit wild out there at the mo'. And the horizontal rain added a certain je ne sais quoi to the journey :D
 
Torn between two destinations today and tomorrow.
Not sure if I'm up for making it a long ride, but Saturday for me is "traditionally" the one that takes me across town and across the suspension bridge... collecting tasty veggy nibbles on the way. :)
7 mile hilly ride there, downhill home - and with a convenient wind behind me as I return parallel to the Avon valley.
 
Yesterday's sun-bathing went very well - just one slight disagreement on the way with a van driver who believes cyclists are paper thin and happy to be squeezed into the door-zone while some idiot pushes through at excessive speed - the second van driver to call me "fat" :hmm:
I sometimes try to explain that were I driving a motorised vehicle I would be driving more slowly than I cycle.
 
Fully creamed-up, I still went down mainly country lanes lined with trees to keep out the sun. I also confidently overtook another couple of roadies, albeit ones with rather more years and pounds than I. About 22 miles all told. Similar again tomorrow methinks.
 
Still trying to track the source of the instability at speed.
Front wheel bearings (Shimano XT) are as rough as hell - so yesterday fitted the wheel that had been under my desk at work - original hub - possibly Suntour - never greased to my knowledge in over 12,000 miles :oops:
I have to shake off my wheel taboo, order some spanners and start servicing them ... a fair few loose spokes too - time to take it to the nearest shop - which luckily has a decent reputation.
 
gentlegreen said:
Still trying to track the source of the instability at speed.
Click to expand...

Headset? Any play there?

gentlegreen said:
Front wheel bearings (Shimano XT) are as rough as hell - so yesterday fitted the wheel that had been under my desk at work - original hub - possibly Suntour - never greased to my knowledge in over 12,000 miles :oops:
I have to shake off my wheel taboo, order some spanners and start servicing them ... a fair few loose spokes too - time to take it to the nearest shop - which luckily has a decent reputation.
Click to expand...

It doesn't take too many trips to the shop before a tension meter and truing stand become viable investments.
 
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