braindancer
not for long
What a beautiful morning for a cycle - took a detour up to Ally Pally and the view from the top was lovely 
How was your cycle commute?
- Thread starter ChrisFilter
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Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Gave Kennington Road a go today. Didn't like it - the road width varies too much and there's parked cars etc. Not very nice at the South end atm either with the construction site on the Northbound side.
Now *this* is the actual best way to get from CS7 to the NS route:
(red bus lane, green back street, blue segregated lane)
Now *this* is the actual best way to get from CS7 to the NS route:
(red bus lane, green back street, blue segregated lane)
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
I prefer the route through the park
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Bit narrow and wiggly at the moment, while the detour is in place.
Private Storm
Smell The Glove
Lovely cycle today, glorious weather for it. Only slightly marred by the fact that after I dropped off Master Storm at school, I went through the stationary traffic to turn right, and the stationary van to my right beeped at me and asked if I had a death wish. I stared at him for a bit, he beeped again, I politely asked him "what?"....and the traffic still hadn't moved. Some people.
plurker
tú no tienes la culpa mi amor que el mundo sea feo
Fuck it.
So. I was riding CS6 this evening, southbound for the first time. I'm approaching Blackfriars Bridge, relatively slowly for me, and I clock a chap walking towards the CS.
The cyclists coming northbound are held at a light, so I assume he saw them stationary and didn't look the other way.
I see he's walking into my path. I shout 'ok oi ok OI OI' and he looks up, just as I smash into him. He's gone flat over, somehow I stay upright. The stationary riders go 'ooh' and 'sh1t' and the like.
He gets up, shaken but seems ok. I get off, ask repeatedly if he's ok. He assured me he is, apologises profusely and walks on. Not one other rider or ped stops.
My ankle hit the pedal hard and is bleeding, my knee is twisted.
I don't like these superhighways, it's back onto the road for me. Rather take my chances with drivers
braindancer
not for long
As I pulled away from a set of lights today in a crowd of cyclists - I heard some angry muttering - a woman then overtook me and said "I know I'm a woman, but some respect would be nice". She was way faster than me and sped off shaking her head in disgust before I could ask what exactly my crime had been....
I was very puzzled
Apart from that - another lovely ride in the sunshine....
I was very puzzled
Apart from that - another lovely ride in the sunshine....
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
On the long, straight bits of my commute, I reckon the number of cyclists visible at once must be around 300, maybe more.
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
That cycle revolution hasn't really hit the north yet (although the routes up by the university and the A65 corridor can be quite busy). When I was commuting in London last year it was normal to see around 40 cyclists going through a phase of lights across me at Angel. I found it really heart warming in a weird kind of way, that feeling of not being alone or of not being some kind of self-flagellating nutter for riding a bike. I hope cycling can get normalised up here a bit more, although the hills and piss-poor attempts at infrastructure don't help.
Pgd
Well-Known Member
Sunny Friday afternoon, decided to leave a little early and try out the Embankment superhighway now it's finally officially open. Great fun with the underpasses & tunnels followed by beautiful riverside towards the Houses of Parliament, and super quick.
BUT I'm tempted to say Sadiq was right and it is, in places, a little too wide -- or at least not optimally designed. At the City end I felt for the poor motorcyclists having to squeeze their way around the queue of traffic, the lane is now so narrow. And at the Westminster end it gets so busy with sightseers, I hope there doesn't end up being a series of collisions, with all the attendant bad press, "told you so, bloody cyclists" etc. (e.g. Twitter suggested an ambulance attended something only this evening). Hopefully it'll see enough use to justify its size (fnar) -- certainly the N-S route looks a roaring success so far!
Check out my 6.3 mi Ride on Strava: Bike Ride Profile | Homeward part-commute to VXH via new E-W superhighway... Wheeee! near London | Times and Records | Strava
Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk
BUT I'm tempted to say Sadiq was right and it is, in places, a little too wide -- or at least not optimally designed. At the City end I felt for the poor motorcyclists having to squeeze their way around the queue of traffic, the lane is now so narrow. And at the Westminster end it gets so busy with sightseers, I hope there doesn't end up being a series of collisions, with all the attendant bad press, "told you so, bloody cyclists" etc. (e.g. Twitter suggested an ambulance attended something only this evening). Hopefully it'll see enough use to justify its size (fnar) -- certainly the N-S route looks a roaring success so far!
Check out my 6.3 mi Ride on Strava: Bike Ride Profile | Homeward part-commute to VXH via new E-W superhighway... Wheeee! near London | Times and Records | Strava
Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk
Sea Star
have you ever explored your dark side?
My first commute into work for three years today. Started at Chislehurst and finished up at St James Park Station. About 12 miles I think.
It was also my first cycle ride as a woman; it feels like drivers gave me more space and were less aggressive towards me but hard to tell from just one ride - time will tell.But another factor might be, I felt a lot less like I wanted to wind drivers up - I used to do that quite a bit. That side of me has long gone, thank fuck, because I ended up in A&E as a result about four times in just a few years - so that had to stop!
I still have some of my old cycle fitness obviously but feeling like I really exerted myself now and might not be able to cycle home tonight. Last time I started commuting in from so far out it took me a couple of months before i could cycle both ways 5 days a week. I expect I'll be a bit sore tomorrow!
ETA and I made it back home too. Won't be cycling again till Wednesday.
It was also my first cycle ride as a woman; it feels like drivers gave me more space and were less aggressive towards me but hard to tell from just one ride - time will tell.But another factor might be, I felt a lot less like I wanted to wind drivers up - I used to do that quite a bit. That side of me has long gone, thank fuck, because I ended up in A&E as a result about four times in just a few years - so that had to stop!
I still have some of my old cycle fitness obviously but feeling like I really exerted myself now and might not be able to cycle home tonight. Last time I started commuting in from so far out it took me a couple of months before i could cycle both ways 5 days a week. I expect I'll be a bit sore tomorrow!
ETA and I made it back home too. Won't be cycling again till Wednesday.
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iamwithnail
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that's a fair old stretch to go straight into. What way did you come in? There's some big hills coming in from that area.
Sea Star
have you ever explored your dark side?
I think that going in it tends to be more down than uphill. I live at the top of a hill that pretty much allows me to roll all the way into Lewisham. Going home will be the test, but if I'm struggling I can hop on a train at Lewisham.
I hadn't really thought my route through so it was a bit all over the place . I'll refine it over time. I used to come in on the A20 and then through Lewisham and New Cross onto the Old Kent Road all the way to E&C. But my confidence isn't what it was so wanted to avoid the OKR as much as possible so went from Lewisham to Greenwich and then through Bermondsey and yet still ended up back on the OKR, and it wasn;t as bad as I feared.
I think next time I'm going to go to Eltham, down through Blackheath, into Greenwich and then through Bermondsey and Southark, cross river at Blackfriars and then along the cycle super highway to parliament.
sleaterkinney
Well-Known Member
Didn't bring my anorak today, why would I?
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
I think you may have had too high expectations. I notice some cyclists think the cycle paths give them the chance to cycle along at 20mph without worrying about obstructions. I don't think that's realistic. You still need to be ready for obstructions at any moment, you just don't have to worry about cars. Assuming that pedestrians are going to cross without looking is part of cycling whether you're on the cycle path or road.
I enjoy the Vauxhall Bridge cycle path myself, including the Vauxhall Chicane - as I like to call it.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
You live in the UK
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
Beautiful here today. Had a quick ride out at lunchtime too, getting lost on rough gravelly bridleways (on the road bike) then having a few sprints once I found the road again. A few people out doing the same.
Working on the edge of town is crap in terms of there being fuck all amenity, but I'm only a few minutes from fairly deserted but wide rural roads. East Leeds had a lot of mining until a few decades ago, so a lot of the roads were built to a decent standard/width for traffic that isn't there any more. Less up-and-down than the west side of the city too.
Working on the edge of town is crap in terms of there being fuck all amenity, but I'm only a few minutes from fairly deserted but wide rural roads. East Leeds had a lot of mining until a few decades ago, so a lot of the roads were built to a decent standard/width for traffic that isn't there any more. Less up-and-down than the west side of the city too.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Got a puncture on the way to work this morning and was late.
Then I had to walk five miles home in the rain.
Now I have to change the inner tube cos I can't afford to get it done at the bike shop.
Last time I tried to do it I was defeated and got some nasty gashes. Not looking forward to it. I know some people think it's an easy job but I find these things very difficult.
Then I had to walk five miles home in the rain.
Now I have to change the inner tube cos I can't afford to get it done at the bike shop.
Last time I tried to do it I was defeated and got some nasty gashes. Not looking forward to it. I know some people think it's an easy job but I find these things very difficult.
You walked five miles with a puncture and nobody stopped to help? I know London has a reputation but that is pretty grim.
I knocked 4 minutes of my best morning commute time since joining strava of 48 minutes. And this in spite of rolling along a lot more gently than the macho , suburban dullards on their carbon bikes showing no respect for the peds on the paths.
Thought to myself how much quicker it is without a headwind (invariably a westerly wind, so commute in is always into headwind). Then I set off from home and realised I'd had a belter of a tailwind.
Thought to myself how much quicker it is without a headwind (invariably a westerly wind, so commute in is always into headwind). Then I set off from home and realised I'd had a belter of a tailwind.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Eh? No, why would they?
To help out and be nice? i always offer help if I spot someone with a puncture.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
How could you help? And how would you know they're weren't just pushing their bike along?
