How was your cycle commute?

[girasol]

My early morning commute in London (6:30 - 7:00am) consists of a handful of cyclists, some very large trucks, lots of vans, very few buses. It's very stress free actually, so it's the way home.

You'd be surprised at how much of a difference an hour or so can make to the quality of the commute. Also because there's less traffic I can really go for it, and not get held up on queues of cyclists. The bits of the route that are busy have bus lanes on them, so it feels pretty safe.

 

[Orang Utan]

Grim autumn dampness + inexplicably squeaky brakes + cycling in the dark in the morning = depressed Orang Utan

 

[gentlegreen]

So I left work at 4.40 instead of 5.10.

I still had problems in the lane near the hospital.

Mixed bag on the roads - some of the school run mums had a piss poor attitude.

The park was absolutely packed with dog walkers.

The railway path was much nicer though - hardly any evidence of machismo - I kept expecting some idiot to come out of nowhere and cut everyone up - fearing that I might be assumed to be a slow rider and not be planning to overtake, but I assume a lot of the traffic were school teachers - more buggies than usual and even the odd mobility scooter.
Lots of courtesy in evidence.

It'll take me a while to get used to it all though.

 

[a_chap]

Gridlock outside the office for some reason, so I was extra cheerful as I rode past a hundred yards or so of stationary vehicles. Sunny and dry weather too, so shirt sleeves only required.

 

[Onket]

Someone else's lock through my brake cable.

Luckily he turned up 10 mins later and was very apologetic. I removed the note I had written and tucked under his brake cable.

 

[gentlegreen]

Must be a right pain when you have trains to catch ...

EDIT :-

How the hell is that even possible to do ?

 

[Onket]

It looks more obvious as I moved my bike away and it pulled out the cable as a result.

Cheers for lightening the pic. Much clearer!

 

[gentlegreen]

Touch wood the new timing is working out well.
No insanely bright lights on the path on the way in, through I've been politely covering my eyes and perhaps commenting when they're a bit over the top - new people, many fewer of them, very little evidence of Strava-chasing Lycra.

Reviewing my video of last night's homeward ride along there, I ended up feeling like I was the rough new-comer to the earlier slot

My right arm still not 100 percent back to health and it being rainy and dark, rather than filter down my one traffic-infested hill, I walked instead and still beat the traffic.

When I got to the bike shed at work, the owner of the Halfords bike with several generations of cobwebs had cunningly moved it from one stand to another.
Last year's example remained there until the bar grips split..

Another reason for starting early is that with cycling so much more popular, I'd come close to having to double-up - even late in the year.

 

[Orang Utan]

Cycling is a bit ouchy at the mo due to badly bruised/broken toes, but it's better than walking, so I'm staying on the bike.
It's getting colder, isn't it? It will be glove time soon

 

[gentlegreen]

It will be glove time soon

 

[Crispy]

You must have capillaries the size of garden hose, OU!

 

[gentlegreen]

I feel totally exposed without gloves all year round - I now have 7 pairs of Aldi "winter" gloves so there's always a pair in the wash and a spare pair at work.

After the other week's tumble, I confess I feel slightly less confident about using my hands to protect my head, but I had no choice as my legs were tangled with a numpty and his bike - but I certainly saved some skin, and doubtless some of the bruising.

 

[gentlegreen]

badly bruised/broken toes

How did you do that ?

 

[Orang Utan]

You must have capillaries the size of garden hose, OU!

What do you mean?
My gloves are very warm, so I'm not putting them on til it is cold enough to give me discomfort. It is not yet that cold. Only a little numbness this morning, but no pain.

 

[Orang Utan]

How did you do that ?

Depends who's asking
I either got hurt from flamenco dancing with a Spanish lady who stamped on my foot
Or I can't remember, but the night before I had been at a wedding, where there was a swimming pool with stone steps leading down to it.

 

[gentlegreen]

As posted on the CTC forum :-

"Why a house is worth more than a cyclist"

jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years

A car driver has been jailed and banned after crashing his vehicle half-way up the side of a house in Northampton.

Neighbours described the noise of the crash, at Little Billing in April, as "like a bomb going off".

Martin McLean, 34, of Northampton, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving - his partner, who was also in the car, was injured.

McLean has been jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years, at Northampton Crown Court.

The Vauxhall Vectra hit the end-of-terrace house at about 20:40 BST on 3 April.

Nobody was at home at the time.

McLean was also injured in the crash and needed hospital teatment.

Repair work is still taking place at the row of houses damaged by the crash.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-24492335

 

[joustmaster]

As posted on the CTC forum :-

"Why a house is worth more than a cyclist"

jailed for 27 months and banned from driving for three years



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-24492335

I don't think its because he damaged a house. More that he was driving fast enough, and without enough control to stop driving through a grass verge, over a fence, and hitting a house wall, several feet of the ground.

 

[plurker]

It will be glove time soon

I put gloves on for first time on Tues, had to remove them at about the 3 mile mark as my hands were sweating buckets. Still riding in a long-sleeve base-layer and short shorts. If you're wearing a jacket you're just riding too slow - speed up, build heat

 

[Hellsbells]

It's not cold at all yet! Tomorow (apparently) it's going to be 18 degrees. And no rain, hopefully!

 

[gentlegreen]

It feels pretty mild right now in Bristol, not quite "hazy sunshine", 16 degrees, moderate sou' westerly, so having had to don the rubber trousers this morning, I suspect I will forgo the flappy jacket when I leave work at 4.30.

 

[joustmaster]

No gloves here, yet.
Although I thought about it yesterday.

Really enjoyed cycling in the rain today.

 

[gentlegreen]

I don't feel I'm in control without gloves.

 

[joustmaster]

I don't feel I'm in control without gloves.

Just cycling, or at all times

 

[gentlegreen]

Just cycling, or at all times

All the time, metaphysically, but I need an interface between my hands and the bars - it's the only bit of Lycra I wear.

 

[weepiper]

It's not cold at all yet! Tomorow (apparently) it's going to be 18 degrees. And no rain, hopefully!

It was 5 degrees at 8.30am here yesterday. Definitely gloves territory.

 

[girasol]

My seat wonked forward, so I had to cycle to work in a weird position, leaning forwards was ok enough not to get off and fix it. Will have to readjust before I go home though, can't do another ride like that.

 

[Onket]

I've got no rear brake as I pulled the cable out in order to try to untangle my bike from the other person's lock, and I can't get it back in.

 

[gentlegreen]

I did wonder about that.

If it's strands that won't stay in place by simply twisting while you push, I've left the odd strand out before - or I suppose you could try using solvent to degrease and then araldite or similar to bind the strands together...

 

[Orang Utan]

It was 5 degrees at 8.30am here yesterday. Definitely gloves territory.

Aye, below ten: gloves on, I reckon

 

[gentlegreen]

Mild as a mild thing in Bristol this morning - 14 degrees C - so tee shirts and shorts.
I wore gloves though - as always.