How was your cycle commute?

[Utopia]

Awful ride into town today.

It was properly cold and I didn't wear gloves and my hands were getting fairly numb, which was bad enough, but then the rear derailleur just snapped off. Luckily I was only a few minutes from the job centre so didn't miss my appointment. Had to push it home though which took a long time. And the derailleur kept swinging into the spokes so I had to go slower or stop.

Extremely annoying, especially as I'm skint as fuck so paying for new parts is going to be difficult.

I've got a spare (used) Shimano 105 rear derailleur if its of any use to you? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-105-5701-10-speed-rear-mech/rp-prod85966

 

[a_chap]

Definitely a full-fingered glove day today!

 

[Fez909]

I've got a spare (used) Shimano 105 rear derailleur if its of any use to you? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-105-5701-10-speed-rear-mech/rp-prod85966

That's very kind of you but it says it's not compatible with my bike (7 speed). Thank you for the offer though

 

[gentlegreen]

Is it the dérailleur itself or the mech hanger ?

 

[Orang Utan]

I cycled to Fulham early today and was cheered by the sight of Battersea Power Station in the sun on such a crisp morning.
Cycled back through Battersea Park and saw some lemurs doing pull ups.

 

[Onket]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/tran...palling-litany-of-cycling-deaths-8949207.html

Front page today.

 

[Onket]

Also this piece of shit, written by a cunt-

http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/s...isky-for-cyclists-whatever-we-do-8948926.html

 

[gentlegreen]

indeed - what a waste of oxygen that creature is.

 

[Dogsauce]

Woke to the sound of rain lashing on the windows, looked pretty bleak out there this morning. By the time I'd transferred my lights over to the Pashley (mudguards, hub brakes) it only went and stopped and I had a dry (and slow) ride in. Surface was wet though, so still the right choice. I'd also tweeked the front brake on the regular commute bike last night (and replaced the inner tube after Monday's puncture) so I'm probably better off doing the post-adjustment test ride in the dry. 36 mins wasn't a bad time for that bike, nice tailwind but lots of ped crossings on red today.

 

[gentlegreen]

I had a nice little lift up my morning hill by a sou' westerly, and it was sufficiently mild that I didn't have to wear my new winter gloves with the stiff fingers and uncomfortably slippy palms.

 

[Hellsbells]

I got the tube today and wish I hadn't. The rain wasn't really that bad atall

 

[girasol]

Also this piece of shit, written by a cunt-

http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/s...isky-for-cyclists-whatever-we-do-8948926.html

Blimey... There were police in pretty much every major junction on my way home last night (A3, South). One of them walked straight towards me, nodded, then told cyclist behind off, politely, for having no lights...

But, that's just something that will be done for a couple of days and then be forgotten... I didn't cycle today, did people in London see a lot of police around again?

 

[Crispy]

Blimey... There were police in pretty much every major junction on my way home last night (A3, South). One of them walked straight towards me, nodded, then told cyclist behind off, politely, for having no lights...

But, that's just something that will be done for a couple of days and then be forgotten... I didn't cycle today, did people in London see a lot of police around again?

I was too busy concentrating on the weather, but I didn't see any.

 

[gentlegreen]

By all accounts there's going to be a full-on blitz on all road users in London from next week for all sorts of infractions.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/tran...ing-deaths-8949207.html?origin=internalSearch

 

[girasol]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24998730

8 radical solutions to protect cyclists
Allowing cyclists to jump red lights is the most implementable right now and pretty sensible too.

 

[gentlegreen]

but number plates and body armour.

 

[joustmaster]

but number plates and body armour.

i quite like the idea of cycling about dressed in a suit of armor.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

i quite like the idea of cycling about dressed in a suit of armor.

Trying to think about the sort of armour that would help when a truck squashed you or rolled over you. I think it's called a roll cage.

 

[Onket]

The only one I agree with is the banning of HGVs in city centres (during rush hour).

 

[Onket]

Douple post nonsense.

 

[gentlegreen]

Why are any large vehicles allowed in cities without wheel-guards ?

 

[Onket]

Why are any large vehicles allowed in cities without wheel-guards ?

I saw someone post somewhere the other day that those vehicles just wouldn't be allowed if they had just been invented. I think there's something in that. They've evolved into the horrible death machines that we see these days, and as a result cyclists are being educated about them, rather than them simply not being allowed on the roads as they are entirely unsafe.

 

[Dogsauce]

Why are any large vehicles allowed in cities without wheel-guards ?

Because the ground on construction sites (and the waste sites they transport waste to) is uneven and having guard structures installed reduces the ground clearance and can cause grounding. That's the official excuse. That and it costs money, and there's not enough money in the property racket in London to pay for it, clearly.

 

[Dogsauce]

I cycled to Fulham early today and was cheered by the sight of Battersea Power Station in the sun on such a crisp morning.

Enjoy that while it lasts, the view'll be blocked by massive flats built around it before long.

 

[Orang Utan]

Enjoy that while it lasts, the view'll be blocked by massive flats built around it before long.

Yeah, I saw the hoardings. Cunts!

 

[KeeperofDragons]

Wet!!!!

 

[a_chap]

Am waiting for the police crackdown on cyclists on my commuting route. Probably in vain thoough as I guess we must number maybe a half dozen on a good day.

 

[Onket]

Noticing the cold a bit more now. Brrrrr.

 

[Dogsauce]

Soaked to the bone last night, even on the bike with mudguards, 15mph headwind with about the first mile into slushy hail. Worse thing was arriving home just as my lodger was coming out of the bathroom after a nice steamy bath that had used every drop of the hot water. Bastard. Given I was going out in 30 minutes a quick ice cold shower was a necessity, I might have screamed a bit.

Had to leave the heating on all night to dry out my cycling gear. Back on the 'dry' bike this morning, though the BBC weather lied at me as I immediately hit a shower on leaving which meant a wet road and a wet arse.

 

[gentlegreen]

This morning would have been fine down here in the mild south west except for the wind blowing in the wrong direction - so going home should be quicker - oh and all the other people of course.

I emailed a colleague to apologise for my rear light - he was filtering behind me - but my low power light option is looking a bit puny now.

I've just ordered one of these from Amazon, but I haven't worked out what I'm going to use to make it into a path-friendly 180 degree (hemispherical) light that's still bright enough for the road.



I may end up modding the electronics so it has two modes.