How was your cycle commute?
- Thread starter ChrisFilter
- Start date
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
It was the nearest song I could think of to suggesting actual kinkiness with a vehicle.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Flipping camera crashed again and typically there was stuff I wanted to catch.
I swear I actually reduced a driver to tears in the lane where I routinely have to re-educate apparently intelligent people about the safe passing speed - which in that particular lane is zero MPH - if only because of "sail before steam" - let alone the lack of space and the shocking road surface. They stop dead for cars, but seem determined to proceed at quite a speed when it's "only a cyclist". In the daylight I now reinforce the flashing of my high beam with simultaneous horn blasts.
(This was a previous incident)
Then I had some rough types roar up behind me, ignore my textbook right turn signal and try to undertake me around a roundabout only to immediately turn right into a supermarket. After stopping them with my patronising "brmm brmm" and controlling the road with them screeching in my ear, I felt it my public duty to loudly suggest they learn to take pride in their driving - it seemed to amuse the onlookers.
I need a better front camera and a reliable rear one.
I swear I actually reduced a driver to tears in the lane where I routinely have to re-educate apparently intelligent people about the safe passing speed - which in that particular lane is zero MPH - if only because of "sail before steam" - let alone the lack of space and the shocking road surface. They stop dead for cars, but seem determined to proceed at quite a speed when it's "only a cyclist". In the daylight I now reinforce the flashing of my high beam with simultaneous horn blasts.
(This was a previous incident)
Then I had some rough types roar up behind me, ignore my textbook right turn signal and try to undertake me around a roundabout only to immediately turn right into a supermarket. After stopping them with my patronising "brmm brmm" and controlling the road with them screeching in my ear, I felt it my public duty to loudly suggest they learn to take pride in their driving - it seemed to amuse the onlookers.
I need a better front camera and a reliable rear one.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
Not entirely relevant to this thread but bought a Scott Scale 960 today. Really looking forward to adding off-road to the road cycling.
Not me, but I spotted two people today whilst walking to and from work whose gear selection was woeful. One was a small child peddling like crazy but going nowhere as he was in first, who can perhaps be forgiven, but the other was a bloke going up a short but slightly draggy hill rocking all over the place because he was in much too high a gear.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
It's the ones who pedal but go nowhere that get me. I'm surely not being dragged along by their slipstream at little more than walking pace ?
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
"Pushing harder gives me a workout" ?
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
A higher cadence is generally more efficient / less stressful on the legs, but there is a limit.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
Had to leave at 5:15am this morning. Even with man-flu it's a beautiful ride at this time of the morning 
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
The weekend's riding looks like being impaired by a cycling-unfriendly lump which appeared yesterday evening and the NHS online thingy is insisting I get to the docs within 36 hours.
Hopefully it'll have gone down by Monday.
Hopefully it'll have gone down by Monday.
Private Storm
Smell The Glove
Almost blatted off by a twat in a BMW on a fast roundabout this morning 
I'm thinking it was kinda my fault. A car was parked up just on the road around the roundabout for some bizarre reason, indicating to pull out back into the traffic. There was a gap, I indicated for her to go, she waved me on, I went...and in that time, beemer-boy had zoomed across the roundabout and cut across me. Last time I let anyone out. To rub it in, the woman who I was trying to let out then cut me up 100m further down the road.
Proper shook me up.
I'm thinking it was kinda my fault. A car was parked up just on the road around the roundabout for some bizarre reason, indicating to pull out back into the traffic. There was a gap, I indicated for her to go, she waved me on, I went...and in that time, beemer-boy had zoomed across the roundabout and cut across me. Last time I let anyone out. To rub it in, the woman who I was trying to let out then cut me up 100m further down the road.
Proper shook me up.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Bloody hell.
I never checked the rain radar this morning.
I may have to wear my emergency office coat and hence get a little warm on the way home - it's also a little restrictive.
I never checked the rain radar this morning.
I may have to wear my emergency office coat and hence get a little warm on the way home - it's also a little restrictive.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I'm off the bike until Tuesday at least due to having done something to my perineum.
In the meantime I was tweaking my new front derailleur earlier to work out why the chain keeps dropping off the small front sprocket.
I have the low limit screw set as far as I can and still actually be able to drop down ..
It seems to be a chain angle thing - or it could be technique.
Quite often I'll be on middle front - big rear when I want to drop down to the small front cog and so far as I can see the problem is there not being enough teeth to hold onto the chain while it's settling on the sprocket and the teeth further back are actually on the wrong side of the chain pushing it off.
Am I supposed to have moved the rear derailleur to a smaller cog before changing the front ?
The bottom bracket is technically too long, but I can't see how the few mm I have spare would make any difference...
In the meantime I was tweaking my new front derailleur earlier to work out why the chain keeps dropping off the small front sprocket.
I have the low limit screw set as far as I can and still actually be able to drop down ..
It seems to be a chain angle thing - or it could be technique.
Quite often I'll be on middle front - big rear when I want to drop down to the small front cog and so far as I can see the problem is there not being enough teeth to hold onto the chain while it's settling on the sprocket and the teeth further back are actually on the wrong side of the chain pushing it off.
Am I supposed to have moved the rear derailleur to a smaller cog before changing the front ?
The bottom bracket is technically too long, but I can't see how the few mm I have spare would make any difference...
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
I think the chain should be on a *larger* cog before changing to the small front cog from what I was told (or rather I was told the opposite - that if I'm on a larger cog at the back I should be on the small one at the front).
I just did away with the changer altogether, the smaller cog is just there to catch the chain when it falls off the big one as I don't really use it anyway (I don't really ever carry a load on that bike) - though if I drop too rapidly to a lower gear with the rear changer it'll often fall onto the small one at the front anyway (useful if I hit any unexpected 1 in 5s). I've nearly mastered the art of changing it back with my foot whilst on the move!
I just did away with the changer altogether, the smaller cog is just there to catch the chain when it falls off the big one as I don't really use it anyway (I don't really ever carry a load on that bike) - though if I drop too rapidly to a lower gear with the rear changer it'll often fall onto the small one at the front anyway (useful if I hit any unexpected 1 in 5s). I've nearly mastered the art of changing it back with my foot whilst on the move!
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I'd kill my knees without those lower ratios - and my worst daily hill is no worse than 1 in 10 !
It could be my riding style. I only get out of the saddle to rest my behind or ride a rough path.
It could be my riding style. I only get out of the saddle to rest my behind or ride a rough path.
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
This week I changed the frame on my long-distance bike. I also changed the chain, cassette, rear mech and bottom bracket.
Given my almost total lack of mechanical ability there's a good chance that this weekend the roads of northern England and the East Midlands will be strewn with bits of my bike that have dropped off.
Given my almost total lack of mechanical ability there's a good chance that this weekend the roads of northern England and the East Midlands will be strewn with bits of my bike that have dropped off.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
As my car is broken I have pumped up the tyres on my bike and started cycling again.
This morning I cycled into the local town to arrive at 08:00 at the barbers. It was raining slightly and I was not totally confident cycling along two feet from the gutter with cars coming past me. Funny how I was slightly wobbly even though I have ridden bikes for years.
My bike was bought as a mountain bike and consequently has quite low gears, even in top it is possible to go up hills and maximum speed is limited because my legs just can't keep up with the swiftly rotating pedals. I just amble along. Quite unfit I don't see the need to race and work up a sweat, getting there much faster than walking seems good enough for me.
Luckily I have proper plastic mudguards otherwise this morning I would have had the proverbial stripe of water up my backside, and frontside.
Got to the hairdressers punctually at 08:00 only to discover that they only open at that time on a Saturday so I pottered about town wasting time for an hour.
I am still not really comfortable leaving my bike outside a shop while I am in it. I just expect someone to nick it, or to nick something off it like the pump perhaps. If I am just popping in then I don't use the lock, what do other people do about that?
This morning I cycled into the local town to arrive at 08:00 at the barbers. It was raining slightly and I was not totally confident cycling along two feet from the gutter with cars coming past me. Funny how I was slightly wobbly even though I have ridden bikes for years.
My bike was bought as a mountain bike and consequently has quite low gears, even in top it is possible to go up hills and maximum speed is limited because my legs just can't keep up with the swiftly rotating pedals. I just amble along. Quite unfit I don't see the need to race and work up a sweat, getting there much faster than walking seems good enough for me.
Luckily I have proper plastic mudguards otherwise this morning I would have had the proverbial stripe of water up my backside, and frontside.
Got to the hairdressers punctually at 08:00 only to discover that they only open at that time on a Saturday so I pottered about town wasting time for an hour.
I am still not really comfortable leaving my bike outside a shop while I am in it. I just expect someone to nick it, or to nick something off it like the pump perhaps. If I am just popping in then I don't use the lock, what do other people do about that?
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
That's certainly a lot of changes !This week I changed the frame on my long-distance bike. I also changed the chain, cassette, rear mech and bottom bracket.
Given my almost total lack of mechanical ability there's a good chance that this weekend the roads of northern England and the East Midlands will be strewn with bits of my bike that have dropped off.
It's a key reason I have only one bike so it gets tested on my commutes in between maybe one or two tweaks at any one time.
Best take a few tools with you
I carry a crazy amount - even to work - which is bonkers as I haven't needed any of those tools in years.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
44 tooth front by 11 back ? - that's pretty high gearing.
My sprinting on the flat is about 20MPH on 38 front, 11 back - so a lower gear.
I basically never use the 48 tooth front cog unless it's downhill and I actually want to hit 30MPH.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Never.
Sadly I use two separate locks every time - even in the locked bike shed at work.
If I'm going somewhere unfamiliar I have a third very heavy lock.
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
Best take a few tools with you
Along with my Multi-tool I'll be taking a couple of Allan keys and a couple of spanners. Along with all the usual tools.
The ride starts out of Stockport and climbs over Saddleworth - I'm hoping not to discover the brakes have dropped off on the descent into Holmfirth! After that it's pretty flat to the East Coast and down as far as Boston. Hills only become an issue again after Melton Mowbray as the route then heads for the Peak District and back up to Stockport.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I'm a terrible mechanic and I think I've fixed one broken chain in 25 years and 40,000 miles.
Other than that it's just tweaking the gears like it's been with me this week.
I could easily get paranoid about brake cables, but I've never had one slip from under the screw.
Other than that it's just tweaking the gears like it's been with me this week.
I could easily get paranoid about brake cables, but I've never had one slip from under the screw.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
So you lock it even if you are only popping into a shop?
I suppose I should do the same, losing my bike and having to walk home would be bad.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Locked TO something.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Not always possible.
At the barbers this am had to leave it with the lock around the wheel, balanced against the window outside of the door. Couldn't see any other option.
Was there not a lamp post or something?
I lock my bike up even if I'm just nipping into a shop for a sec. Sometimes it'll take me longer to lock/unlock my bike than the time I spend in the shop. I'm not risking someone riding off on my horse though. And if I'm leaving it for any longer than a couple of minutes I use three locks.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
Perhaps you should find another barber, or walk.. or even better buy some clippers and do it yourself.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Nope the area was devoid of street furniture.
I will lock it then, every time. But at the mo I only have one fairly flimsy lock. How do you carry your three locks you and GG ? I hate having to carry too much stuff ....
